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cafedanslanuit · 4 years

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↪ commissioned work! for more info about my commissions, check my blog ♡

summary: it’s been a while since you arrived at devildom and made yourself feel at home, but asmodeus still can’t figure out why you always looks really tired. a late night visit gives him the opportunity to solve the mystery once and for all.

pairing: asmodeus x reader

warnings: none <3

words: 2k

Asmodeus sat in front of his giant boudoir and let out a long sigh. He stretched his arms to the ceiling, feeling tension release with a few cracking sounds from his back. He grabbed one of his makeup remover tissues and started softly wiping the makeup off his face. His mascara faded a little under his eyes as he did so, making it appear like he had bags under his eyes.

He couldn’t help but think about you.

At first, he had thought they were hereditary. Your eye bags were the first thing he noticed about your face. Your face structure was beautiful and your eyes gleamed whenever you laughed, yet the thing that first struck him was how tired you looked. His hypothesis of it being hereditary crumbled down when he noticed you falling asleep during classes, almost matching Belphie in how many times Lucifer had had to loudly clear his throat to make you wake up with a youepish smile.

Once his face was clear of makeup, Asmodeus threw the tissue away. He grabbed his bottle of tonic and put some on a cotton pad, softly patting his skin. Knowing you were into the same videogames Levi was, he figured you may have been spending too much time after hours playing them.

His second theory was disproved when weeks later, after sharing a table with the third oldest and you, he overheard Levi complaining about how you didn’t have time for him anymore and warned you you would lose your ranking in the game if you kept missing your daily missions. You excused herself and blamed it on the amount of French homework you had. Asmodeus stayed silent, even if you were taking the same class he was and he knew for a fact there hadn’t been any homework for weeks. He still wasn’t as close to you as he was now, so he decided to indulge you a little and keep your dirty little secret.

That was how his curiosity started. Even if he wouldn’t tell anybody, he had to know what were you hiding. What was that you desired that was enough for you to lose sleep.

Asmodeus set the toner aside and grabbed his vitamin C serum. He poured a few drops on his palm, rubbing his fingers together before applying it to his skin.

He started to spend more time with you in order to discover what was going on. Even if that was his plan from the start, he ended up befriending you and enjoying the times they got to be together. Not realizing he was actually following you, you had started feeling more at ease with him, and shared stories about your life back on Earth. You had apparently been a very diligent person and were in charge of a lot of activities in the different groups you were a part of. One day, while having some ice cream after a long day of class, you confessed to him you had two younger siblings, a pair of twins that were four years old and the apple of your eyes. It suddenly made sense how motherly you were to the demon twins, always making sure there was enough food for Beelzebub and sharing your lap when Belphie was sleepy and wanted to take a nap while you were reading in the living room. He learnt you were very mature, always providing Satan with advice to manage his temper and had even shared conversations with Lucifer, helping him with time management.

Asmodeus days with you were filled with laughter, tea, ice cream and, of course, your tired eyes that remained a mystery. He took his eye cream and started applying it, pursing his lips in frustration as he hadn’t found out the reason behind your tiredness. He was about to open his moisturizer cream when he heard soft knocks on his door. He walked to the door and opened it to reveal you wearing your pajamas with a shy smile on your face.

“Hey Asmo,” you greeted. He smiled back at you.

“Hey beautiful, what’s up?”

“Uh, I remembered you mentioned you had lavender candles? I was wondering if you could lend me one,” you said, putting your arms on your back and softly swaying your body.

“Sure, sure,” Asmo said, letting you inside his bedroom as he walked to the shelf filled with different candles. “I never knew you were into candles as well”

“Oh, I heard they were relaxing so I wanted to try it out,” you shrugged, sitting on the edge on Asmo’s bed. You bounced a little, giggling at how soft it was.

“Having trouble falling asleep?” he asked, trying to sound as casual as he could. His eyes were still occupied looking for that candle, so even though he missed your expression, the silence after his question let him know you were preparing a lie.

“A little? It’s okay, though, I just promised Mammon I would try and jog with him tomorrow so I wanted to be able to rest before that,” you said, a soft chuckle escaping your lips. “It’s okay if you don’t have the candle, though, just thought it would be nice.”

Asmodeus finally found the lavender candle and turned on his heel. He walked to the bed and sat beside you, holding the item in his hands.

“Are you sure?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Yeah,” you smiled, your eyes not meeting him.

“You know I can sense when people really want something, right?” he asked in a teasing tone. “I feel you really desire something right now. And my gut tells me it’s not my lavender candle.”

Asmodeus noticed you tensing up for a couple of seconds before letting go with a long sigh. You passed your hand through your hair and finally looked back at him, your smile no longer bright but rather sad, as if you had finally been found out after doing a prank.

“I haven’t been sleeping well recently, to be honest,” you admitted. “I’ve tried almost everything and nothing seems to work. Seems nothing can replace it-- I mean,” you quickly corrected yourself, your face burning. “Nothing can help me with it. The falling asleep part,” you clarified, your eyes again on the floor.

“I heard you!” Asmodeus teased you, scooting closer. “C’mon, I won’t judge you. You know me,” he said, a friendly smile on his face. You turned your head at him and sighed once more.

“I… I always slept with a teddy bear a friend won for me at a fair. And… when I came here I realized it was really pivotal in helping me sleep,” you said, your words too fast and low, but good enough for Asmodeus to listen. “But I’m okay! It’s just my head messing up with me. It may be the bed, I can ask Lucifer if I can somehow change the mattress and--”

“I know what could help,” Asmodeus interrupted you, a knowing grin on his face. He quickly got up the bed and walked back to his boudoir, taking his softest brush and then kneeling on his bed behind you.

With care, he passed the brush across your hair, earning a pleased sigh from your lips. Contently, he did it again, taking his time to detangle your hair as soft as he could. His brush made your hair shine and turn soft in a matter of minutes, but he kept brushing it for quite longer. You were quiet, and he noticed how you were nodding off at his ministrations, too focused on relaxing under his touch. He then let the brush on the bed and started massaging your scalp with his fingertips, loving the way your head seemed to lean into his hand, your shoulders way more relaxed than they were when you first got into his bedroom.

“This is so relaxing,” you mumbled in a haze. Asmodeus smiled behind you, feeling accomplished.

“And I’m not done yet,” he announced with a giggle. He put the brush back in his place and then took his items from his nightly skincare routine. Sitting next to you again, he grabbed a cotton pad and poured some of his cleanser. Even if you weren’t wearing any makeup, he wanted to make sure your skin was as fresh as possible. You chuckled as he took his time taking care of your skin, letting him use all the creams and oils he had brought to the bed. You weren’t sure what most of them were for, but you did notice the difference when he was finally done. Your skin felt clean and so soft you kept running your fingers across your cheek to feel it.

As a response, Asmodeus took your hand and started massaging it with some moisturizer.

“Don’t touch your skin so much or you’ll get it oily again,” he teased, massaging the pulse point between your index and thumb. You hadn’t noticed your hands had been to tense before.

“You are the best, Asmo,” you breathed out with a content smile. He winked at you, earning a chuckle.

It was almost half an hour later when Asmodeus finished pampering you with his different creams. For the first time since you had arrived at Devildom, your eyes were getting tired with every minute that went by. You finally let out a yawn and stretched your arms in front of your chest.

“Thank you, this was what I needed. I feel so relaxed I don’t want to walk back to my room,” you pouted. Asmodeus was putting back everything to its place when he listened to you, and an idea struck his mind.

“You can stay here. This isn’t a queen size bed for nothing,” he offered. You looked back at him and he loved the way your cheeks were noticeable red. Even if what you were thinking wasn’t an idea he would be opposed to, he wanted you to know it wasn’t his goal for the night.

“What? Really?”

“Definitely. C’mon, it’ll be like a sleepover,” he said. You stayed in silence for a moment, considering your options, the demon staring back at you with a small smile.

“Okay, I’ll stay tonight,” you accepted. Grinning, Asmodeus turned off the lights. His night lamp was on, giving his room a cosy ambience.

Both of you got under the sheets, a small distance between you. You sighed happily against Asmodeus’ soft pillow.

“Thank you for not laughing at me,” you whispered, your eyes closed.

“I would never,” he replied, turning to face you. “If you need to snuggle anything, I smell good and love late night cuddling,” he added, your eyes opening wide immediately.

“Don’t make fun of me!” you pouted, covering your face with your hands.

“I’m not!” he assured you. “I mean it. We both smell like fancy cream and our skin is as soft as it can be. If you were used to hugging your teddy bear back home, I have nothing against you snuggling up to me. It would definitely help me sleep better too,” he said. You peaked between your fingers and saw Asmodeus’ honest smile. You took a deep breath and uncovered your face. Looking at his eyes, you nodded and got closer to him.

What started as a shy hand on top of his chest turned into a full-body hug once you fell asleep. He knew you needed your rest but was still surprised it had happened so fast. You must have been really tired. With his free hand, he put a rebel strand of hair away from your face, not wanting anything to disturb your sleep.

You were strikingly beautiful. He had always thought you were, but somehow seeing you in your most vulnerable state, your arms and legs wrapped around his body made him see you in a tender light he hadn’t noticed before.

Asmodeus grazed his lips against your forehead and whispered an almost inaudible good night wish. The smile you had painted on his face lasted until the very last second before he fell asleep as well.

#obey me #om #obey me asmodeus #asmodeus x mc #asmodeus x reader #om asmodeus #om asmodeus x reader #obey me asmo #obey me scenarios #obey me headcanons #allie does commissions

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pnk-wasteland · 3 years

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Screenshot: Adrienette that’s borderline crack in the best way (Teen&up)

It was a nightmare. He hadn’t meant to leave his phone unattended, Alya had asked him a question and when he put his phone down to give her his full attention, Nino had picked it up to check the time and instead was greeted with a private Instagram account Adrien had created with the specific purpose to lurk in peace.

“No way, dude. Do you just stalk a bunch of Ladybug look alikes in your spare time?”

Adrien gaped, too horrified to process his world falling apart around him.

“Wow, look at this one, she looks almost exactly like ladybug!”

“Let me see!” Alya sounded too eager.

He’d never admit it, but there were more than just a few girls on his private Instagram that looked “exactly like” ladybug. And no, it wasn’t just a uncanny accident.

But the account his friend happened to stumble on was his favorite, a well off Russian Instagram model who’s handle was Steelix.

She could pass for a perfect Ladybug, if not for her brown eyes. She was perfect in almost every way, and posted great *ahem* material. Ladybug was the fantasy girl of his dreams and anybody that looked liked her was at risk of being followed and stalked by his private finsta page.

His private page he was privately ashamed of.

That his best friend was now holding up to show his own girlfriend, and the girl Adrien quietly, sort-of had a crush on. This really was his worst nightmare. He tried to snatch the phone from Nino but to no avail. “It’s just some girl. I like her photography.”

“Yeah sure that’s why you liked all her recent pictures and wrote in the comments ‘omg’ with a heart face, a drooling face, and two fire emojis.”

Adrien was red in the face, his mouth gone completely dry not knowing what to say.

“Wow Adrien, these are the kind of girls you like?” Alya asked.

Adrien glanced toward Marinette, and the look on her face was perfectly surprised. Ironically, her face was one of the ones he lives to see grace the screen of his dirty private Insta. Marinette had great Ladybug features right down to the freckles on her nose. The only bad thing was Marinette rarely posted any selfies at all, and although her account was an interesting documentary of her handmade fashions, it did not serve the dirty purpose his fake account had followed her for.

“So what?” He finally grabbed the phone from Nino and was getting back some of his composure, although his face was still deeply flushed.

“Oh no reason.” Alya’s smile was wicked, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

——__ __——__ __

Marinette ponders what she just witnessed while Alya blabs in her ear. She wasn’t holding the phone, but it sure looked like he was following a lot of slim girls with shoulder length black hair. If she didn’t know any better she would think he would have a type... And he certainly did nothing to dissuade that idea. He turned beet red and made some dumb excuse about photography. And that girl.. the one whose photo he had commented on, Marinette knew her. Well, she had previously followed her. Steelix has such a similar face structure to her own that she had been a phenomenal teacher of makeup to Marinette. She knew all the right things to use and what products would work on her just by watching what Steelix recommended. She had loved following her for her beauty content, but when her account started becoming more of a travel diary with pictures of her on island beaches in bikinis with inspirational quotes covering the captions, Marinette had to find other places to search for helpful information.

All of these thoughts were making her wonder about Adrien, and the things she had neglected to notice about him.

“If Adrien likes shorter, dark haired girls than why doesn’t he comment on my selfies like that?”

“Umm interrupt me, much?”

Oops, she didn’t mean to say that outloud.

“But maybe because you never post any, especially not to insta.”

Marinette thought about this. It was true she used her IG story to post updates on her Latest creations, and her grid was very much like a well thought out catalog. She was very proud of that page, but it was definitely not the place where she’d be posting cute sundress selfies.

“I use my Snapchat for personal stuff like that.”

“Exactly. And I bet you haven’t even given Adrian your snap.”

Marinette frowned, stealing a glance at the boys table. “No, I guess I haven’t.”

“Well what are you doing sitting here talking to me for? Go get his snap and start using it for evil!”

---_ _ _---_ _ _---

“Hey Adrian! Wait up!”

Adrian was more nervous than he should have been when his friend approached, but he kept the feeling off his face. “Hey Marinette! What’s up?”

She stopped right in front of him, “I was just thinking about earlier, how you have a private instagram account.”

Adrians stomach dropped. Had she figured him out? Did she know he was using her and girls that looked like her to quiet his drowning ache for Ladybug? He was so ashamed of himself. He was weak, so desperately weak.

“And it just got me thinking that I’ve known you so long and we don’t even have each others snaps.”

“I’m so- wait, what?”

“Snapchat. We don’t even have eachother added. So, want to be friends?” Marinette held out her phone, snap code ready for him to scan, her happy little pigtailed Bitmoji smiling up at him.

Something warm ticked his belly. “Yeah, definitely.” He pulled out his phone and added her to his seldom used snap account.

——__ __——__ __

He has to add her on his old account, the one with the list of contacts from kids that once gave him their number. There really isn’t that many.

Adrien finds out quickly that Marinette posts her selfies on snap, and keeps her instagram clean and more professional. Very smart for a girl who is looking to go to college next fall. He clicks on her daily story; a picture of her in her bedroom mirror, a picture of fresh croissants and danish, a picture of Alya, Rose and some other girls at her lunch table, and then finally a selfie. A picture taken from straight above, she was lying down in her bed, light pink and white pajamas that looked like they may have a ribbed texture to them. He could see the edge of the selfie stick she was using to get such a wide angle, the idea that she had planned this sleepy in bed photo turned him on more than he could have ever dreamed. He could see the tops of her exposed thighs where her matching pj shorts abruptly ended. Her lean, exposed belly led up to the cropped short sleeve tshirt, that was so on-trend and so Marinette that he had no doubt she’d made it for herself.

Best of all, her blue eyes stared right back at him through the camera and her lips were puckered just right.

It was as he was getting himself all worked up thinking about the blue of her gaze, easing his own back down her body when he realized something else; she wasn’t wearing a bra. And the way she had arched her back to show off the muscles of her stomach only made it more obvious; and Adrian couldn’t believe he didn’t notice them before. Tiny peaks hidden behind soft pink fabric. He was going to lose his mind.

His heart was beating faster and he swallowed back guilt as he unzipped his pants. Her body was amazing, and he was insanely greatful she left this on infinite. He worked himself till climax thinking about what her nipples must look like beneath that thin pajama top, and what it might feel like to taste them. He kept working himself, more gently, thinking about that face, those lips and those eyes and how bad he wanted her to swallow him. Who? Marinette or Ladybug? Honestly in that moment he didn’t feel like he was using her pictures as a ladybug substitute. He cleaned off his phone and thought seriously if he should use his tablet to take a picture of the screen just so Marinette wouldn’t know he screenshoted her. Another, dirtier part of him wants her to know. Wants to comment on her pictures like he’s some random thirsty nobody. Tell her how she makes him sweat, how he can’t get enough. He wants to use his private page to stalk her, too.

Damn sometimes the lines get too confusing.

He sits there, weighing his options. This picture was too good for him to let go. But he didn’t want to look like he was chasing after Marinette’s thirst traps when he knew he was still just a dirty pervert for Ladybug. Adrien felt like screen recording would be even more creepy than a screenshot, and almost made him feel like he was coping out, being a chump. But if he did screenshot her what would Marinette say? Would she ignore it? Would he be sad if she did?

Adrien shook off his intrusive thoughts and screenshotted his new favorite photo. And for good measure; and maybe so he could feel like he was making a move instead of just drooling over his classmate; he sent “wow” with an emoji it took him way too long to choose. Stuck between the drooling or hot emoji he finally got fed up with himself tapped his screen and sent it off without letting himself immediately get anxious. He made a decision, over analyzing himself won’t help anything. Now he just had to wait for Marinette to respond.

And then he could freak out again.

——————————-

A/N: a work in progress, can someone help me come up with their snap handles? I don’t like the ones I have right now. Adriens is supposed to read as (BeAgreste= be•our•guest). I dunno! I’m not good with puns it’s the best I could do! Please help me!

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paradoxicalpatton · 3 years

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I’m Not In Love

Title: I’m Not in Love Summary: “He thinks about them owning a dog, a golden retriever to be exact. A girl, they’d call her Honey. The Captain would fight for a regular name such as Charlotte, but Pat would convince him that Honey is much more fitting. ‘It matches her fur!’ he’d say. The Captain would immediately give in. He thinks about what it would feel like to be the object of Pat's affections. To be completely and utterly enamoured by someone so full of love." The Captain and Pat's friendship is put on the line. Pairings: Patcap (The Captain/Pat) Content Warnings: Very mild period typical internalised homophobia Chapter: 2 Word Count: 1744 Read on: Archive of Our Own Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“I can’t believe we’ve just sat here for five hours and have done absolutely nothing.”

The setting sun cast a warm golden glow on the land as it began to slowly cross the horizon, the trees and bushes gently swaying to and fro, adding a soft, cool breeze to the scene. The lake had mirrored the sunset, the transition from sky to land now almost impossible to distinguish if it weren’t for small ripples from the wind delicately distorting the light over the water.

The once vivid greens and browns of the foliage among the ground and surrounding the lake had now been muted by the vibrant yellows and oranges that were now reflecting from the sun and onto the water, a deep rich blue quickly chasing away the final remnants of the day completely from the vast stretching sky above.

Pat and the Captain had been sitting by the lake since late that afternoon, having finally escaped from the chaos that is Button house. It was nice. Peaceful. For once they could relax without being interrupted by Julian with a story of some sex-capde he had been in followed by Fanny’s usual disgusted complaints, or by Thomas demanding that one of them tell Kitty to leave him alone while he comes up with the next great piece of literature.

Alison had come to realise just how much she depended on the two of them to keep the other ghosts in order, so she had organised an afternoon full of activities the ghosts would enjoy and participate in so Pat and the Captain could finally have some time to themselves.

Sitting underneath the large tree, Pat watched the grass move with the wind, longing to reach a hand out and run it across the ground so that he could feel it between his fingers. It made him think back to when he was alive. Carol had always complained about their front garden, how the weeds in the flower beds were overgrown and that the bushes were always untrimmed. He had always wanted to fix it for her, but he was usually preoccupied with his scout duties, and when he did find time to think about it he simply couldn’t come up with anything.

He owed it to his son Daley, however, when the young boy had asked him if they could plant flowers for his Mummy’s birthday, that way she didn’t have to throw them out after they died. So when Carol left to spend a week at her mothers before her birthday, Pat and Daley drove out to the garden store and bought everything they needed to fix it up for her.

Forget-me-nots, marigolds, daffodils, and pansies now filled the once weed-infested flower beds. The bushes had been trimmed, the trees cut, and the lawn mown. A small wooden bench had even been built and placed at the end of the garden. The smile on Daley’s face as him and his father admired their hard work from the bench was brighter than anything Pat had ever seen. They were so proud.

Pat wished he could smell the rich soil at this moment. Wished he could run his hands along the grass, listen to the sound of the fallen dead leaves crunch as he walked over them. He wished he could relive the feeling of pulling his son close to him in a tight hug after planting the final flower.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crickets waking up for the evening, as the last remaining rays of sunlight dropped below the horizon.

----------

Not wanting to return to Button house just yet, Pat directed his gaze at the man next to him. The Captain had been leant against the tree since they had got there that afternoon, the two occasionally making small talk before the Captain closed his eyes in an attempt to have the most peaceful nap of his entire existence. He’d woken not long ago, just in time to watch the sun fall and the moon rise.

For a moment after he’d woken up, the Captain had almost forgotten he was dead. At that moment, there was nothing but him, Pat, and the ground they were sat on. The tranquil smile that graced Pat’s face was more than enough to set the Captain’s heart racing. He tried to imagine what it would’ve been like, had the two of them been alive at the same time where loving the same gender was legal.

They’d move to the countryside, he decided. They’d have a large backyard with a vegetable garden by the white picket fence, maybe an apple tree, maybe even a chicken or two. The Captain had always found the thought of fresh eggs in the morning very appealing, as well as the structure provided from owning and caring for the animals.

He thinks about them owning a dog, a golden retriever to be exact. A girl, they’d call her Honey. The Captain would fight for a regular name such as Charlotte, but Pat would convince him that Honey is much more fitting. ‘It matches her fur!’ he’d say. The Captain would immediately give in.

He thinks about what it would feel like to be the object of Pat's affections. To be completely and utterly enamoured by someone so full of love.

It’s wrong, thinking about Pat that way. Imagining the two of them living in domestic bliss, running away and starting their lives all over again together. The Captain isn’t entirely sure why it’s wrong though. He was there for Sam and Claire’s wedding, he knows it’s not illegal to love the same gender anymore. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t fully accepted it himself.

He was so used to hiding away his feelings, burying them deep inside of him so that no one would ever see. So that no one would ever know he was defective. If he didn’t get close to anybody, he couldn’t betray them if they ever found out the truth.

Maybe he thought it was wrong because he truly believed that Pat would never love someone like him. He was cold, a stickler for rules and order. Not to mention that Pat was married while he was alive, to a woman no less. It was clear the scoutmaster was as straight as a pole.

It wouldn’t do any good getting his hopes up. Instead, the Captain would ignore the longing inside of him, he didn’t want to ruin what was quite possibly his only friendship in the entire house.

“Yes, well we have Alison to thank for that. Maybe we could convince her to turn this into a monthly thing. I could do with some time away from that lot every now and then.”

The Captain turned his attention toward Pat as he replied, hoping the younger ghost would be in favour of the idea. With a small nod of agreeance, Pat stood up and offered a hand to the Captain to avoid the struggle of getting up. The two of them slowly made their way back to Button house, the sounds of the other ghosts getting increasingly louder the closer they got. Hoping to stay undetected by the others, Pat and the Captain quietly snuck into the room where Alison and the other ghosts were playing some type of game.

They had almost gotten away with it without anyone noticing until Fanny got insulted at something Julian had said and jumped up to storm away. Seeing the Captain and Pat at the back of the room, she immediately took her complaint to them, the two male ghosts now preparing themselves to be thrown back into the chaos with everyone beginning to talk at once.

Alison made an attempt to calm the other ghosts down and distract them once more but was unsuccessful. It wasn’t until Pat raised his voice that everyone finally quietened down, pointing a finger at Robin asking him to start.

“Where you two go? We all play game, you not here.”

Before either of them had a chance to respond, Julian cut in with a thought that sent the ghosts into disarray once more.

“Probably off somewhere doing the old ‘horizontal tango’ if you ask me.”

“Now listen here, man! I won’t take any of this bum rap from someone of the likes of you. I would never do anything of the sort, and especially not with a brown-noser such as Patrick!”

The room stilled. The sudden silence wasn’t because of the Captain’s outburst, however, instead, the other ghosts looked past him at the short scout leader.

Without saying a word, Pat turned around and walked out, making his way to the dilapidated fountain outside the front door. He wasn’t really sure why what the Captain said had upset him. It hurt, to be completely honest.

Sitting by the edge of the fountain, Pat traced the overgrown vines with his eyes and ignored the presence slowly approaching him from behind.

“Patrick, I’m terribly sorry our friendship was misconstrued in such a way, I understand how embarrassing it was.”

“Embarrassed? You really think I’m upset because Julian’s comment embarrassed me?”

“Of course. Is… is that not the reason you’re upset?”

“No! Julian always says inappropriate things, it was what you said that hurt me.”

The Captain’s hands tightened around his swagger stick as Pat spoke, something in the younger man's tone made him want to embrace the scout leader.

“I don’t understand how, I was simply disproving Julian’s abhorrent comment.”

“That’s how! He said something about us together in passing and you acted like it was the worst possible thing in the world! Am I really that revolting Captain?”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Patrick!”

“Seriously? Can’t you see that I’m angry at you? I’m upset! And you... you don’t even care!”

“How dare you, of course I care! But you’re acting like a child, it’s time to grow up-”

Before he could finish his sentence, the Captain was shoved back, his feet tripping over one another causing him to fall to the ground. Looking up, Pat stood above him, the man’s face a mixture of regret and anger. The Captain watched as Pat turned around, his hands clenched by his sides.

“Cap, you’re a broken man, haunted by the choices you've made. I really thought we were becoming good friends. I’m sorry if I interpreted our relationship the wrong way.”

“Pat…”

“Don’t. Please, just don’t Cap. Sorry I pushed you.”

#bbc ghosts #six idiots #the captain #pat butcher #patcap #my fic #ghosts season 2 #ghosts bbc #ben willbond #jim howick

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bloodys44 · 3 years

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Silence and Cigarette Smoke

Original story and bonus content found here! ↓↓↓↓

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13289933/1/Silence-and-Cigarette-Smoke

(Also I’m so sorry the last chapter posted all jumbled together like that. And also that I’m to garbage to fix it) The issue with chapter 7 not being viewable though ff.net also seems to be resolved so feel free to read some more if you enjoy. :)

Warning//Gore

Chapter 4: The Post Birthday Bloodbath

788

The dull thundering of a train traveling over laid track had always sounded soothing to Lucy. Whether it was a version of simple white noise or one of few comforting memories from her days of running, she could never tell. Something about the rhythmic sway of the train car, mixing with the light hum of the metal hovering. She would argue that she never slept better, besides maybe sleeping near Natsu during the cold winter months. A perk she had come to favor about him over the years. And yet, the rattling of their train compartment lacked its usual lulling charm, her mind wired yet not focused on anything in particular. The dark of the sky had crept up slowly, tearing apart the wicked blue that it had previously embodied. Stella wasn't overly far away, a neighbouring continent overthrown by the Fiore army. Majority of the land was underdeveloped, a cluttered mess of forest and mountains. A singular city near the center was all that resided on the vast land, thus keeping the name of the continent itself. Their train wasn't due to reach the platform until the early hours of the morning, and Lucy couldn't help but let an annoyed sigh escape at the thought. There were at least four more hours of traveling remaining, and time seemed to be passing at half it's regular speed. Not to mention the fact that her companions were sleeping soundly, letting the night slip away without a worry.

They had lucked out with a train equipped well for travel, small, but personal compartments lining down each side of the train's cars. The compartment's themselves were nothing extravagant, simple cloth-covered benches mirroring one another. The sliding door creaking obnoxiously when it was opened. If anything, it's most astounding feature was the lingering smell of old shoes and musty wood.

Lucy glanced over to her pink-haired partner, smirking with slight pity for the boy. Natsu had never served well with travel, a rather astonishing relationship with motion sickness. Even in his sleeping state, she could tell he was miserable, clutching the edges of his stomach with purpose. Porlyusica, the guilds head medical attendant had explained it stemmed from his dragon-slaying abilities. Supposedly his senses were so over heightened, the motion of vehicles rattled his own sense of balance. Still, it didn't make it any less enjoyable to tease said boy about it. Currently, he was seated with his shoulder blades pressed heavily into the cushioned backrest, leaning his head against the chilled window pane. A frame of light fog splaying from where his skin connected, the contrast in temperatures causing the reaction. Natsu was always warm, his average body temperature running much higher than that of a regular human. Though when he slept, it usually spiked much higher, his concentration lacking, barely keeping his own skin under control. He had never voiced it to Lucy, but she knew it was a draining task for him, his wild emotions always causing it to fluctuate. When he got overly flustered or rageful he became damn near scalding. Lucy never really minded it, especially in situations like this, his natural body heat making for a cozy effect. She was curled up on the opposite side of the bench, her back resting against the wall connected to the sliding door. With a muffled groan she moved to remove her freezing toes from the constraints of her boots, deciding to take advantage of the living heater across her. Tucking her feet under his left thigh carefully, she relished in the heat before his sudden jolt startled her. Almost instantly the warmth retracted, simmering under his pores. A slight pout overtaking her lips while she stared at his wide, yet sleep-filled eyes. Of course, he would wake up from the sudden change in atmosphere, the boy always on edge while away from the guild.

"Sorry," He mumbled sheepishly, "Did I get too hot again? I didn't mea-"

"No, it's alright, I was just warming my toes." She cooed, interrupting his typical nervous ramblings. "Sorry I woke you."

"S'all right, wasn't sleeping that good anyway." He shifted in his seat, stretching his strong arms wide with a rough yawn before facing her again. His eyes trailed over the compartment quickly, stopping briefly on all the exit points. The door, the window, and the emergency exit placed snuggly between the roofs panels. His shoulders taking on their practiced tense state as he strained his hearing. Lucy could barely hold back the amused smirk that danced over her face when she saw his nose twitch. Her lips only pulling back wider as he continued his practiced motions, checking the surrounding area for any danger. The nose on that boy could beat that of trained hound any day.

"What, afraid the black wizard might get ya?" She teased, wiggling her fingers at him for emphasis.

Natsu only sighed embarrassingly, scratching at the side oh his throat. Subconsciously acting on his traditional nervous habit."Sorry, Stella always-"

"-Makes you nervous," She finished easily. "I know." She slid her feet deeper under his leg, adjusting until she felt comfortable again. His on edge behavior wasn't unusual when they traveled through Stella, always becoming an anxious mess that intensified greatly the closer they got. He never delved into details about it, always stomping her curiosity with a simple defense. Just a bad feeling. She could practically feel her eyes rolling, hearing his voice clearly pronounce the words in her head.

"Honestly, it makes me nervous too," Lisanna added on a whisper, sluggishly pushing herself up from her resting position. Delicate fingers brushing the sleep from her electric eyes. "After all, its where Zeref was born."

Zeref. The great black wizard. A mage trailed only by the stench of death, or so the legends say. Though he hadn't been sighted in years, his very name still struck fear into the hearts of mages and non-magic users alike. A young boy with the tongue of the devil. His very words a magic vice on your mind. He controlled what he wanted, and that was that. "They say he's immortal." The white-haired woman started again. "A blade couldn't pierce his heart."

Now Lucy's eyes really did roll in their sockets. "Please, your only going to rile him up more." She gestured over to Natsu who served her a practiced annoyed frown. "He'll be on edge until we hit Magnolia again."

Lissana giggled slightly, turning her attention to him. "Don't worry, nobody's seen him in years, it's nothing to stress over."

"Doesn't mean he's gone." He bounced back. "Regardless, there's enough to worry about in Stella with or without him." Lissana's brow arched, curiosity plain as she questioned the statement. "Stella's crawling with royal knights, it's the second base from the border of Bosco."

"I thought there was a ceasefire?" She pressed, to which Natsu scoffed.

"They won't stop until they find Mavis's grave."

"What do they want with the holy goddess?"

"Mavis was the first grand witch," Lucy interjected. "It's rumored her grave carry's the secret to eradicating all enchantments."

Lissana hummed in understanding. "So basically mages should be avoiding this area?" She laughed weekly, crossing her arms with lazy movements. "What a perfect place for us."

"If we keep our hoods up we should be fine," Lucy stated pointedly. "Stella's train station is the major rest point between Seven, Bosco, Iceberg and Joya, there's lots of travelers with new faces. Makes it pretty easy to blend in. Besides, nothing remotely bad has ever happened to us while traveling there. It'll be good to keep our wits about us, but Natsu's major anxiety is a little overkill."

"I just have-"

"A bad feeling?" She finished for him again, rather cheekily. "I know." She nudged him with the top of her foot at his exaggerated eye-roll. "I have no doubts we'll make it back just fine. Lissana peeled her legs from the front of the bench, pulling them upwards to rest her chin on her knee.

"Aren't you from Stella, Natsu?" The man grunted slightly, stiffening and sending the woman a warning look before granting a structured nod.

"Did you ever see him as a child? The black wizard I mean. I think he would have been a few years older, but still a child back then."

"No." His response blunt and harsh, pushed over his teeth. Lucy quirked a brow, scanning over Natsu intently. He crossed his arms at her curiosity, a blank statement that he wasn't planning on explaining the situation further. Lissana sighed, placing a hand under her delicate chin.

"Stella is where Gildarts found Natsu as a child." She explained to the blonde. "He grew up there."

"Come on Lissana." He hissed back. His arms twitching as they stretched over his chest.

"How come you never told me that?" Lucy pressed, fixated on the man's jittery movements. "I thought you didn't remember your childhood?"

"I remember bits and pieces." He slumped backward obnoxiously, deciding that he was definitely stuck in this conversation now. "I just never thought it was important."

"You know where I grew up." She defended shortly.

"Geeze," he scoffed at the blonde playfully. "Like that was a hard one, Princess of Fiore."

The blonde found herself pulling a pout. She wasn't trying to be rude, only holding genuine curiosity about her best friend's life before her. "Well, maybe we could stop at your childhood home before we leave? It would be nice to see where you grew up." Her face warming as she beamed at the boy.

"It doesn't exist anymore." The words forced roughly from his tongue. "I burned it down." She didn't miss the slight twitch of his shoulders, or the way his voice threatened to crack. He puffed out a never mind before claiming he was getting some air, the trains rattling my stomach. A blunt end to their conversation. He was up in a single movement, pushing through the door and ignoring the wine of the sliding mechanics as it slammed back to its original closed resting state.

"Don't take it personally, Natsu's very protective of himself." Lissana tried, (as if Lucy didn't already know that) hopping over to sit next to the blonde. "I shouldn't have brought it up, I only know because I was there the day he arrived. I thought maybe he would have told you, finally opened up to somebody."

"Why would he open up to me? You've known him much longer."

Lissana huffed playfully, tossing her hair with a flick of her wrist. "Even I can see the way he looks at you, all doe-eyed and bashful. It's hard not to notice really."

"Natsu is anything but bashful." Lucy scoffed, giggling slightly. "Though I'm sure I could say the same for you."

"That's sweet of you to say," The fair-haired maiden flushed, "But I have my theories." Lucy stilled for a moment. Was she making a joke? Natsu had never pushed the boundaries that they had established over the years of their friendship, unlike he pushed for the fair-haired woman. Maybe it was because her feelings were so blatant, easy to play off of. Not to mention the comfort fo the family dynamic he shared with her siblings. It's not like she could find any reason she wouldn't want to notice casual pining in her direction, especially from somebody like him, any girl could dream of being so lucky. It was just that it didn't happen like that, and she didn't see any change for the future.

"You're ridiculous." She decided as a response, to which Lissana chuckled fondly. The rest of the trip remained rather silent, even after the dragon slayers return.

Meeting with the client went well, no arguments or concerns from the traveling wizard trio. The client himself was nothing out of the ordinary, a common man whose mother had been a successful wizard. Though he possessed no enchantment of his own, he held the secret of magic secure. The man owned a gracious amount of property in the city, majority of the population's homes falling on his land. Expressing his concerns for the people he bid the group luck as they headed to find the feverish bandit group that had been terrorizing them. Natsu didn't remove his face-concealing cloak, let alone speak during the whole exchange which only left the blonde wondering if he recognized the man from his childhood years. Unlikely as it was, she couldn't shake the suspicion; her friend's body language balancing on peculiar.

The bandit group, Twilight Oger (or so they called it.) had taken up residence in the city's abandoned mine. Converting the tunnels into a makeshift base. The group had established a rather daunting reputation with the city of Stella, the citizens growing too weary to attempt to run them out on their own. The royal guard batting an unusually blind eye. The rumor of their supposed sex trafficking didn't sit well with Lucy either. "We should set up a plan," Lissana suggested lightly. Her voice a much-needed contrast to the silence they had been walking in.

"Walk through the front doors and knock some heads."

Lucy shook her head playfully at the brash fire-breather, shoving his shoulder slightly. "I think we should split up," The peppy white-haired woman continued. "It would be easier to sneak around, a stealthy approach might be best considering we don't know how spread out in the tunnels they are."

"Also easier for one of us to get caught off guard. Aren't these thugs notorious for trapping woman?"

"You aren't traveling with common woman Natsu." The fair-haired woman retorted back. "Don't be so degrading, we can handle ourselves just fine." The peaceful smile she sported did little to sweeten her harsh words. Though Lucy found herself nodding slowly in agreement. "Plus it'll allow me to try out my new spell without you two getting in the way." She winked cheekily.

"I dunno," the dragon slayer mumbled, scratching at his throat in practiced fashion. "I really think we should stick together, I have a bad feeling about this place." Lucy could practically taste the anxiety of his words as they dripped over his chin. They should probably listen, Natsu's suspicions usually turned out to be right. But his overly annoying constant worrying from the city made it hard to distinguish his keen senses from his blind panic. Nothing ever happened to them in Stella. A nieve approach yes, but also a chance to prove herself to the man that always seems to protect her.

"I think it should be alright," the blonde finally interjected. "The tunnels should echo enough to hear one another if we call for help." Natsu simply shook his head muttering an annoyed Whatever under his breath. She felt kind of bad, gaining up on the man. This was supposed to be his birthday mission after all. But in all honestly, Lucy found herself surprisingly excited, an opportunity to show her teammate how far she'd advanced. A fully-fledged Fairy Tail member that could handle her own.

The group traveled to their destination at a quick pace. The air filled with Lissana's constant enamored pestering towards a certain Salamander. Lucy more distracted by the winding paths of the city's streets, decorated sporadically with aged trees and vegetation. She thought it was rather sweet, how well her two teammates were getting along. Even with Lissana's words on the way over. It was nice to see Natsu's pleased expression towards the woman. A long-time childhood friend and admirer. Though their newest member still bristled her, Lucy made a silent promise to invite her out with them more. It was nice to travel alongside another female, and if it made Natsu happy, then she was sure she could live with it.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they arrived, the night sky pouring out for its time to play. The stars blessing Lucy's soul, her magic vibrating deliciously under her skin. Her power almost doubling in the light of the night. The moon's shift was her favorite time to cast. As they stepped through the taped off mine entrance she could practically feel her excitement begin to bubble over. Traditionally she held a rather level head during missions, keeping her partner's explosive personality in check. Yet she found herself letting go, ready to show off her own power.

"I really think we should push through together," Natsu mumbled under his breath. The words so foreign on the rambunctious man's tongue; always ready to run ahead of the group in search of action, yet never far enough away that he couldn't protect those closest to him. It wasn't a secret that he was much stronger than his usual travel partner Lucy, but she didn't want him to feel obligated in protecting her when he already does so much.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Lissana bubbled, already skipping off towards one of the winding shafts. Lucy's lips pulling into a smile as she began following her lead towards another turn-off.

"Lucy." Her name pronounced like rocks on cement, jaded and sharp. She spun on her heel carefully, her smile falling at the dragon slayer's serious tone.

"I can take care of myself Natsu." She mused. "You don't need to hold my hand all the time."

A low grumble resounded in the boy's throat as he ran his rough fingers through spiked locks nervously. "Geeze Luce, I know I don't." She raised her eyebrow at his cautious tone. "It's just.. last time you were on your own I found you beaten half to death in the middle of the forest."

All mocking aside, Lucy felt her temper skyrocket. Of course, he didn't think she was capable. "I'm not a fragile little princess anymore. That was years ago." She spat, anger boiling over. "You don't need to save me all the time."

"I know, I know... I just want you to be careful. Sometimes you have trouble keeping your magic under control during the night."

"Like you're one to talk, you burn everything around you the second your emotions get out of wack." Internally she knew her anger was getting the better of her, words falling from her jaw faster then her mind could process. He was just worried about her, as a caring teammate should be. The pained expression he was now wearing only verified that fact. Mindlessly her fingers began fidgeting at her belt. Her lungs pushing her spitfire attitude out with a breathy exhale. "I'm sorry Natsu, that was uncalled for. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just excited is all. I'll be careful, I promise." Natsu's deep onyx gaze burned into her for a moment before he nodded, although reluctant, it was an agreement none the less. She reached out, squeezing his wrist confidently before turning back to face her chosen path. "You be careful too! Mira will surly cut off my head if I bring you home needing more stitches."

The forgotten shafts were confusing, to say the least. The floorplan coming across as sporadic and unplanned. There was little that argued what a great hideout it made, trapping its victims in a maze until they were prayed upon by vicious ogres. The lack of security flowing down the halls only proving that their targets felt the same way. Lucy had only run into two men along the way, their skills lacking, making it an easy victory for the blonde. The lack of scream's echoing offered that her teammates were fairing the same. Even with their earlier agreement that stealth was the best option, Natsu had never been the quiet/silent type. Especially when fired up in a battle. Either the mine shafts didn't share sound as good as Lucy had estimated, or he hadn't run into anyone just yet.

The must that surrounded her intensified greatly as she progressed, the smell practically suffocating her. Senses dampened by its nature. The only sound around her was the clack of boots connecting to the rocky earth, and the creaky hinge of the lantern strung to her hip. The ground becoming less and less traveled. It was peculiar really, with the placement of the mine so central to town. One would think at least a few curious teenagers would have come to poke around before rumors had sprouted about Twilight ogres appearance. And yet her footprint's were the only evidence of human life.

Groaning loudly, Lucy spun, heading back towards the entrance. Agitated that her luck pulled her towards one of the unused routes. Expectedly her group had already rounded up majority of their targets while she wandered around uselessly. Placing her palm to her forehead she let out an embarrassed huff. All her big talk was for nothing, the harsh tone she had used against her friend making her mood plummet even farther. All she could do now was pick up her pace and hope she could make herself helpful with tying up loose ends. Lucy always hated when jobs turned out this way, especially when Natsu insisted she collected her portion of the reward despite her actual effort. Not that it mattered today, this mission was supposed to be for Natsu after all. And truthfully after Lissana had decided to join them she had done nothing to make the trip enjoyable for her pink-haired friend. Silently she promised to the empty halls that she would apologize to him when they finished their job.

When Lucy rounded the corner back to the entrance she was debating which tunnel to follow. Pacing back and forth in front of Natsu's entrance before resolving that his nose probably led him exactly where he wanted to go. With quick steps she bounded down the winding hall's, trying her best to stay along the path of the firebreathers signature sandal footprints.

A scream that caused her blood to run cold echoed around her with striking prominence. Lissana's sweet tone coming across shrill and ragged. There wasn't a moment to process before Lucy's legs propelled her forward. The sound of angelic sobs guiding her path. Any and all excitement she had previously been consumed with smothered like a candle without oxygen. The shaft began to blossom with light as she rounded each corner, the weight barring planks becoming more and more re-enforced. If that wasn't already enough clues she was approaching the center of the base, the newly constructed grand entrance that appeared before her did.

Acting quickly, Lucy pressed herself against the corner of the doorframe, analyzing the situation before charging headstrong into the commotion. Obviously, the treacherous group had put some work in. The cavern dugout to be much larger than anything man-made underground should be. Large metal lanterns decorating the ceiling with patterned placement. Casting enough light to see, but not enough to dismiss the eerie atmosphere. Small beds, makeshift furniture and gang members coating the outer walls while the center remained bare. Except of course for the probable main event of their evening.

A rugged-looking man stood center a wooden stage-like platform. Greasy hair curling over knarled shoulders. Even in the dim light, Lucy couldn't miss the disgusting gleam of the man's golden teeth. Oh so typical of a rich bandit. But what really caught her off guard was the squirming woman entrapped by his rugged arms, top strewn aside leaving her covered only in lacy white undergarments. His chapped lips smirking into her cheek while he pinned her against his bare chest. His one hand prying dirty fingers into her supple mouth while the other pressed a rusty blade to her exposed stomach. Though not enough pressure to break skin, it was just enough to make Lucy's mouth run dry.

"Let her go." Natsu's enraged voice scrapped over every surface, demanding attention from all living things. Lucy cast her eyeline off to the side, finally noting her partner's presence. His clothes looked slightly battle-torn, but overall he looked un-worrisome. His expression was firm, lips drawn into a tight line while his eyes trained on the enemy standing before him. Even from her placement on the other side of the cavern, Lucy could feel the scorching waves roll off of him. A terrifying might in the face of adversity.

"What are you going to do about it fire boy?" The man's shrill voice causing Lucy to shiver. "Even if you get rid of us, more will come. Those royal soldiers are very eager customers. And there's plenty of women to go around here." Natsu lunged forward, feet indenting the ground with sheer pressure. The man howled playfully, cackling like a madman as he sidestepped out of harm's way. Lissana squeaking at the sudden movement." Natsu spun quickly, fang-like teeth bared while he coiled his muscles, ready for his next pounce. "Make a move like that again and I might have to carve up your little girlfriend early!' The blade against her stomach pressed deeper, causing Lissana to jolt, a high pitched screech crawling between the man's fingers. A sloppy line of red spilling from her torso down the hilt of the blade. Natsu looked frozen, his eyes never daring to stray from the glint of metal. Mind fighting with his anger to consider the safest course of action.

Shit shit shit. This was definitely not how Lucy had expected to reunite with her teammates. Instantly her fingers shot into the confines of her purse, searching desperately for the lone piece of white chalk she always carried. Mind racing dangerously through her memorized incantations. Though her magic wasn't necessarily designed for hand to hand combat like Natsu's, she held a natural talent for spellcasting. Confident that she was capable of at least making a big enough distraction for Natsu to proceed, she started scratching the lines of a practiced magic circle. The white of the chalk easily visible over the dark rock beneath her. Her frantic hand movements made the lines far less legible then she preferred, but it would do for now. The blonde dropped her weight to the floor, careful in her attempt to stay silent as she crossed her legs. Delicate palms slapping against the earth over her created circle. Her eyelids slamming shut in concentration while her lips parted for the whisper of incantation. Almost instantly the very ground beneath them shook with purpose, guiding cracks up the walls and spewing rocks from the ceiling. She didn't worry about frightening her teammates, she knew Natsu could smell her, even with his focus concentrated elsewhere. Hopefully, they could get this situated and escape to safety before she brought heaven's wrath down atop their heads. The spell itself was no easy feat, calling upon the gods light to alter the earth. Lucy only capable of casting it under the light of the moon. No doubt it would bring attention from the townsfolk their way, but at this moment the blonde thought it was the best course of action. She could feel the shudder under her legs as the shafts hidden deeper under the earth collapsed, the roaring sound of rockfall scattering through the cavern.

Natsu's strong tone carried over easily as he sneered cheekily, "Now you really fucked up. Gone and made the angel mad." Even in deep concentration, Lucy felt a smile drum at her lips.

"I already knew there was three of you. We thieves hear of all magic activity in Stella. She's no threat, pesky fairies lack the resolve to drop the ground over the heads of their 'comrades'."

"Bet." The dragon slayer's singular cocky reply sang like a choir to Lucy, pushing her magic to expand outwards. A sickening crack bestowed over them, one of the main support beams snapping under pressure. The scared cries of ogres screaming far louder. The blond's brow furrowed slightly as she felt her very skin vibrate, her magic fluctuating drastically. "You're okay Lucy." Natsu's voice rang true, obviously taking notice in her power surge. Yes, she was O.K. She wouldn't falter so easily when her friend's lives were on the line. She just had to keep the main cavern intact a little longer, enough time for them to escape. She was strong, and she could do it.

The man continued to cackle hysterically, bouncing his weight between his feet. "Bad move fire boy." He taunted. All Lucy could hear was Lissana's blood curtailing wail and Natsu's panicked shouts when she realized they had lost. Her lashes fluttered open, eyes rolling uncomfortably as her vision was obstructed by blinding light. She couldn't stop. She was losing control, just as her partner had foreseen. Her own magic blinding her sight.

"Lucy!" Natsu's worried screech reached from the main cavern. "Cut the fuse!" A pit burned its way into the depths of her stomach, fear of how this situation was going to end if she couldn't regain control. All she had wanted to do was help, and now the situation was only going to get worse. Splinters of support beams rained furiously over her, enraged with being disturbed after so many silent years. She felt her body shake with the earth's pure ferocity. "Please, Lucy!" He tried again, his voice swirling with Lissana's wild screams. She still couldn't stop. She was going to kill them all.

Lucy wasn't sure how many agonizingly slow minutes had passed when her vision finally re-focused, disturbingly strong hands clamping around her delicate wrist's and pulling her back to earth. And god, what an unpleasant sight to be greeted with. Two men that reeked of whiskey and sex smirking greedily at her.

"You's a pretty scary witch when you're casting, eyes going all white and shit. Body twitching like an addict." Lucy scrambled back frantically, her spine slamming into the stone arch. The men leaping upon her with a timed pounce, pinning her tightly against the frame. The first man stretching his fingers around her chin. "But yet, your so pretty. I'd have fun breaking a little thing like you." His alcohol glazed tongue searing along her creamy cheek. Lucy screeched vividly in disgust, springing her knee upwards to the man's groin. He recoiled with blunt movements, swinging his arm around to backhand her. The ferocity splitting her skin. "You sly bitch!" He fired another shot to her jaw. "You's makin' enemies with the wrong person." She tried to pry her head away from the man's violent swings, eyes scrambling to take in her surroundings. Small pebbles and dust still gave way from the ceiling, but the ground seemed to have relaxed, her magic cut out at the roots. The tunnel she had originally traveled down lay in ruin, barley leaving enough space for a full-grown adult to crawl back to the light. Thankfully though, the traumatizing screams had stopped, Natsu's much calmer voice the only thing ringing out.

"You okay Lucy?!"

If the blonde hadn't received another painful blow to her lower lip she probably would have snickered. "A little preoccupied at the moment." She grunted, purposely spitting the blood that was pooling around her gums over her assailant's face. She bucked her legs intently, thrashing around like a child until she freed one of her arms. With a sinched brow she slammed her palm over the first man's chest, muttering a simple incantation that caused her hand to pulse. Holy light rained down again, this time pin-pointed above her enemy's lungs and flinging him backward through the semi-demolished doorway and into the main cavern. A short victory smile produced from her mouth before she felt her body tremor. A light, yet firm reminder of how much magic she had just finished exerting, and how fragile it made her body.

Sucking in a deep breath she tried to muster strength from tomorrow, using her free hand to claw into the dirt. Muscles protesting annoyingly while she pulled herself away from the remaining man. "Not so fast witch." His tone twisting the word to sound like a vulgar insult. The hilt of his own blade striking into the round bone of her ankle. A torn wail exhaled from her, reacting to the pain but thanking the heavens that she hadn't heard the crack of her bones splitting. It wasn't much, but it gave the man an opening, tucking his legs in only to spring them out into her back. Shoving her ungracefully through the frame to join the rest of the crowd. Lucy cradled her ribs carefully, attempting to regain the air that man had so rudely ripped away from her. She was only able to catch a glimpse of her dragon slayers unreadable expression before more greedy hands tore her from the ground, dragging her center-stage to join the 'show'.

"Well fire boy, I suppose thanks are in order." The leader mewled again tapping his now drenched blade against a whimpering Lissana's torso. "Bringing me two of the most beautiful woman in Fiore and barely puttin up a fight to keep them." He was taunting now, voice never losing his deranged laughter. "Don't know why to maidens of this caliber are slugging around with someone like you, but I guess I should give you a little credit," Natsu growled darkly, his body growing tenser (If that was even possible), muscles coiling dangerously. The leader followed Lucy with hungry eyes, watching as Lucy was strung up by another man in the same manner as Lissana. The only difference was the blade pushing fearfully hard against the pulse point of her throat, leaving her stomach out of harm's way. Honestly, she wasn't sure which she would prefer more. She watched Natsu's dark anguish filled orbs bounce back and forth between her and Lissana. She tried to capture his attention, pleading with him by expression that everything was going to be alright. That he should focus on the more injured of the two and leave her to her own devices, but his glance never lasted long enough. "I know!" The leader piped up again excitedly. "It seems a little unfair to steal away both your girls after that pathetic display," He toyed, "So, how about I suggest a little game?"

"I ain't playing shit." Natsu responded bluntly.

"Don't be such a downer fire boy, this will be fun."

"Every time I hear that, things don't usually end up being that 'fun'." He spat. relaxing his tight fist momentarily before clenching it again.

The leader only smiley devilishly, continuing his frantic knife tapping over Lissana's stained skin. "I'm going to let you pick one." He decided. "Pick a girl to take home while one rots away under some pompous sex-deprived guard." The look on Natsu's face practically shattered Lucy's heart. One of absolute horror that something like that had even been offered to him. His singular broken reply of sick bastard weighing heavily on the limited oxygen.

"It's okay Natsu," Lucy offered dumbly, wincing when the tip of the blade punctured her skin. Hot thick liquid oozing down her neck, threatening to break her resolve. "Take Lissana out of here, I'll be alright." She tried to produce a weak smile but Natsu's sad cold eyes froze her as he shook his head. She gulped loudly, feeling the blade press deeper with her every word. Her captor obviously not pleased with her speech. "Please." She tried again, but Natsu only shook his head faster.

"No way in hell."

"This is so not the time to be stubborn." She retched, cringing at the sticky feeling coating over her chest. She tried to ask him again but the blade slid uncomfortably under her skin and all she could summon was strangled yelp. Surprisingly, it did nothing to help the exchange.

The dragon slayer's eyes bulged, raising his arm's defensively, voice frantic and lost. "Stop!" He yelled, "Don't hurt them anymore, give me a second to think!" She had never seen the man look so uncomfortable.

Lucy slammed her eyes shut at her holders' increasingly wild movements, jerking the blade against her without a care. "This is ridiculous lover boy," The leader spat over his laughter. "I, out of the goodness of my own heart offer you back one of the women you practically dropped in my lap. And you cant even decide which pussy you'd rather ride? Pathetic!" He hollered, the rest of his goon's joining in. "I'm good and bored now, you sucked all the fun out of this. I don't even need these girls!" At this point, it was hard to distinguish words through his manic howls. "You have three seconds before I just kill them both." Natsu's attention snapped back to him like his mind was finally processing the events that were about to unfold.

The cold-hearted cheering of a slow count sprouted from the other members. Starting at Three and barley pronouncing the O in One before all hell broke loose. The roaring sound of metal clad boots slamming into the earth above, signaling the extremely overdue arrival of the royal army. Bandits screaming and crawling over one another like wild animals in search of escape from a rabid predator. And Natsu's scalding shoulder crashing into her sternum, throwing her away from the wicked man's grasp. She rolled roughly against the dirt, hand shooting to her throat to pressurize the bleeding. She was gulping greedily for air when she heard the stomach flipping joyful voice cry out above the commotion. "Good choice! I think I would have picked her too." Nothing but freezing, blood-curdling cries followed. Lucy felt her limbs stiffen at the sound, her chocolate irises the only responsive part of her body. Taking in her horrific environment with shocking detail. Natsu was only a few steps away from Lissana, His body recovering quickly from surging towards her, propelling him back to the remaining prisoner. But a few steps was a few too many, and Lucy and her partner could do nothing but watch as their friend was quite literally gutted before them.

Blood had always been red. But nothing compared to the deep scarlet pooled around the stark white of Lissana's being. An enraged bloody titan plucking the clouds goddess right from the sky and dragging her to the fiery pits of hell. That is, if hell consisted of somebody shredding your torso to smithereens and hysterically laughing as vital organs spewed through the skin. Lucy was sure that in this world, nothing would ever hold a candle to the vile scene displayed before her. The grotesque sound of a lifeless body crashing limply over its inner parts. The ferocious roar of a wounded dragon casting thieves to scaper away, a high pitched squeal on their lips. All the while a daunting march of hungry war men encroached on them.

Lucy's head snapped painfully back to reality. They couldn't stay here, the army would swallow them alive. The Ogres were sprinting out of a tunnel near the back of the cavern, no doubt another way out laid beyond it. They still had a chance. With a silent prayer to all that was holy, she pulled herself up from her shambled mess on the floor. Taking rushed staggered footsteps towards her partner and the offending carcass in front of him. "Natsu..." She croaked. "We need to get out of here." She rested her palm on his shoulder, placing most of her weight on him. Her ankle lacking in its career of helping her walk. He didn't seem to notice her. Lips quivering as he muttered under his breath, fingers twitching, coated in the blood he had tried to prevent. "Natsu, we need to go..." She tried again, giving the man a light shake.

"We can't just leave her here..." His broken cry pleaded, head-spinning to meet her gaze. Never, in all the years Lucy had known Natsu, had she seen him cry. His deep onyx eyes swimming with salty tears, his raging passion extinguished. Her strong motivator completely shattered before her, frantically attempting to scoop spilled organs back into a frayed body. The footsteps of soldiers drawing ever closer as her own tears spilled over.

"Please Natsu." She sobbed, gaging slightly as blood bubbled from the split in her throat. She thought his previous expression succeeded in breaking her heart, but the look he was giving her now practically split it in two. A mangled pain-ridden yell erupting from his chest while he grasped Lucy's wrist, dragging her away from their murdered friend and the on slot of guards that inadvertently let it happen.

Again, check out the full story here! ↓↓↓↓

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13289933/3/Silence-and-Cigarette-Smoke

#natsu #natsu dragneel #lucy #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #fairy tail fanfiction #fan fiction #lisanna strauss #zeref #Nalu #nalu fanfic #nalu fanfiction

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high-fructose-lesbianism · 4 years

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A Subjective Ranking of all 18 Books in the Vampire Chronicles Extended Universe

18. Blood Canticle (2003)

It took me the longest to read Blood Canticle of any of the books because I couldn’t read more than about 25 pages at a time before the urge to throw the book out the nearest window got too strong. The story is bad, the characters are the worst they’ve ever been and the writing style is full-on terrible. Blood Canticle is one of the worst books I’ve read full stop.

17. Taltos (1994)

I hated the Mayfair Witches trilogy. While Taltos was at least the shortest of the three, it was a terrible conclusion to the trilogy. The Taltos are one of Anne Rice’s worst ideas. Each of the books delves more into their mythology and it gets worst the more it’s explored.

16. Blackwood Farm (2002)

A major issue I have with Anne Rice is she insists on telling these extremely lengthy backstories of characters we’ve just met who I almost never give a shit about. That’s the entirety of Blackwood Farm. It’s the backstory of a character I just met and don’t care about whatsoever. Blackwood Farm evokes the classic Anne Rice style of bad where it switches between just being insane and being fucking boring at the drop of a hat. I skimmed most of the book because it was so boring. But then I’d tune in to some insanely weird shit about intersex vampires or ghost twins giving handjobs or whatever was happening and yeah, my attention would of course be held by such insanity. But invariably, the book would drift back into describing wildly uninteresting events with too much detail and I’d tune out again.

15. The Witching Hour (1990)

The Witching Hour has a three paragraph summary on Wikipedia. It is an accurate summation of the events of the book. So then why is this fucking book 968 pages? That’s my main grievance with The Witching Hour; it’s way too fucking long. It’s the least insane of the Mayfair Witches trilogy but also by far the least interesting.

14. Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016)

These fucking bird aliens who inhabited Atlantis are just the Taltos 2.0. There’s a lot of insanity and also boring backstory in this one. I skimmed the backstory of the Atlantean bird aliens and don’t feel like I missed anything. What saves this book from ranking lower is I’m a slut for the main VC characters interacting and this one did have such a thing, plus some good Louis/Lestat moments which is my other big priority with the series. Simultaneous highlight and lowlight of this book is when that one dude looses a hand but it gains sentience, breast feeds off him or something and then becomes his perfect clone. Fucking insanity.

13. Lasher (1993)

Lasher is the best of the Mayfair trilogy because there are genuine moments of horror in this horror novel. On the downside, the Taltos are as always, insane. Also, another signature of Anne Rice’s is sexy and sexualized teenage characters which there is a lot of in this book in the form of 13 year old Mona Mayfair, her affair with Michael Curry and the many scenes where this is excused, justified or even somewhat celebrated. That disturbed me and not in the way I want a horror novel to disturb me.

12. Memnoch the Devil (1995)

In terms of writing style, Memnoch is a lot better than many of the books that will rank higher than it. But this is a subjective ranking and I didn’t give a shit about Anne Rice working through her weird, religious baggage in a series that I’m reading to hear about the exploits of sexy, bisexual vampires. The majority of this book is again, a long backstory from a character we just met and I don’t care about. In this case it’s literally Satan which is a good start but Anne Rice sure has a way of taking too long describing everything which leaves me extremely bored by the narrative.

11. Blood Paradise (2018)

Blood Paradise should be lower in this list. It’s objectively extremely poor. Blood Paradise is basically the inverse of Memnoch; I really liked the story but hated the writing style. This one only ranks so high because it is a story that focuses on the lead vampire characters who are my priority. And yeah, I liked the outline for the story. It’s character-based, no major new characters interrupt the narrative and no insane additions to canon are added. Too bad the writing style feels extremely half-assed. Where usually I’m critical of Anne Rice taking way too long to say anything and focusing on unimportant details, this one is the opposite. It feels extremely rushed. A lot of major, emotional scenes that occur between characters are only a few sentences or paragraphs long. But still, at least this one gave me story content that I could just expand upon in my head instead of insane additions to canon that I’d prefer to ignore.

10. Merrick (2000)

Merrick actually might have my favourite ending to any of the VC novels. I loved Lestat resurrecting Louis from his suicide attempt and then that descends into Lestat, Louis, David and Merrick living in what seems to be perfectly happy polyamory. I totally dug that. But of course, the majority of the book is a backstory of Merrick, a character I just met and don’t care about. Also, we get a bit of David backstory which I seem to remember being him mostly creeping on some young boy who was in expedition with him. Not ideal.

9. Vittorio, the Vampire (1999)

Vittorio is a fairly effective historical horror. Anne Rice did a lot of research and it shows. That’s not exactly my interest but she did well with it. There’s also some really horrific moment where Vittorio meets a clan of vampires in an old castle who do keep humans like cattle and eat babies and stuff. The major downsides is just that this is a character who we’ve never met before and never see again. Also the fact that Vittorio is 16 and is absolutely sexualized. I’ve really grown tired of Anne Rice’s constant belief that’s in almost all of her writing that teenagers are sexy and it’s totally fine to fuck them. It makes me uncomfortable to say the least.

8. Pandora (1998)

This one’s just pretty good. I’ve no major complaints but no specific bits of it I want to champion either. Again, a lot of historical research is done which is not interesting to me but well done. Also nice to have at least one book with a female vampire protagonist.

7. Prince Lestat (2014)

Prince Lestat is not objectively better than the last two books. I rank it this high mostly out of relief. For ages, Blood Canticle was the last book in The Vampire Chronicles. So, when Prince Lestat was released, it was impossible to see this as anything other than a huge upgrade. And of course, I liked that this book returned to focusing on the lead characters of Lestat, Louis, Marius, Daniel etc. It’s still a baffling idea to have Lestat be the vampire head of state or whatever though. But oh man, that Louis/Lestat moment near the end of the book made me feel a whole lotta feelings.

6. Blood and Gold (2001)

This one is another excuse for Anne Rice to do a lot of historical research. And you know what? Better she spends her energies doing that instead of creating weird, tall supernatural beings with specific quirks that are impossible to take seriously. I like the framing of this one because it’s sort of the inverse of usual. Thorne, a new character is introduced but instead of him telling Marius his story, it’s established character Marius who tells Thorne his story. And he does this the first day they met after Thorne’s awakened after several hundred years and they’ve taken a bath together. That’s just good story structure right there. The most memorable part of this story for me is keeping a vague tally of all the people Marius fell in love with throughout the course of the story. In one 100-page stretch, Marius falls in love five separate times. This grew tiresome but I also just thought it was funny.

5. The Vampire Armand (1998)

I’m the most morally against The Vampire Armand. It’s basically the peak of Anne Rice’s love of sexualizing teens. That’s sort of the whole book. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that around the time of its publication, Anne Rice got back into religion. I think she looked over what she wrote and was like yeah okay, maybe I do need Jesus. But I dunno, I remember really liking it. It was well-written and Armand is one of my favourite characters. I think Anne Rice did actually hit the right mixture of the story being sexy, horrific and rather tragic. Also, that bit at the end where Armand eats a drug dealer’s face and heart in front of some new, human friends is one of my favourite scenes.

4. The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)

There’s a lot of good and a lot of bad in Tale of the Body Thief. I love the body swap aspect and this one has some of the best interactions between characters. On the downside, there absolutely is a 2-page description of Lestat taking a piss, he absolutely commits a rape and him turning David into a vampire was #problematic. But even there, the Lestat and David scene is really well-written and works because Lestat is an absolute piece of shit. Tale of the Body Thief is for better and worse, Lestat at his most Lestat. Still didn’t need to hear about him taking a piss in that much detail, though.

3. Queen of the Damned (1988)

Akasha is the only good villain in any of the Vampire Chronicles books. Plus, Queen of the Damned brought all the characters we’d met in the previous two books together and I was absolutely all about that. At this point in the series, I actually did care about the majority of main characters and their interactions were absolutely spectacular. Only downside is again, we get a lengthy backstory of Akasha that I absolutely skimmed.

2. Interview with the Vampire (1976)

Yeah, it’s only number 2. Because while this book is better written and the start of this whole damn phenomenon, Louis is far from my favourite narrator. Dude’s too morose and shit. Still, the writing style is exquisite and it introduced great characters. As the series went on, Anne Rice clearly ran out of ideas but because this one is the first book, that’s not the case. There’s a lot of ideas here and they aren’t even fucking insane.

1. The Vampire Lestat (1985)

I’m really only into this series because of how much I love Lestat as a character. I read Interview and thought I was done with the series. Interview was fine but I didn’t think I cared about the sequels. However, six months later when I decided to read The Vampire Lestat, I knew within the first two pages that this was going to be a problem for me. This is exactly my brand of bullshit. It’s just Lestat being a sexy and shitty person who makes out with everyone and overreacts to everything. I love him. And in the third act when it’s revealed he’s been in love with Louis all along and then Louis shows up in the present day and they reunite???? Oh my god. 16 year-old me nearly exploded. The Vampire Lestat is really the sole reason The Vampire Chronicles happened to me as hard as it did. I love this book and its ridiculous narrator/protagonist.

#the vampire chronicles #vampire chronicles #vc #tvc #the mayfair witches #lives of the mayfair witches #anne rice #new tales of the vampire #generally homosexual

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mnchysmanuscripts · 4 years

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Twenty Twenty

It’s that time of year again, waves of resolutions are washing across my timeline and a sense of self-improvement is in the air. If you think for a second I’m going to miss out on an opportunity for easy compliments and encouragement, you clearly don’t know me that well. But, I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. Creating pass/fail goals over long stretches of time that necessitate radical changes to your lifestyle without accompanying radical changes to your lifestyle never seem to work out. I am a huge fan of yearly themes, however. In fact, I had one for 2019.

Last year was the Year of More. I knew that once I started college I wouldn’t have nearly as much temporal freedom as I once had to waste away and accomplish nothing of value, and so I resolved to branch out and expand my both literal and figurative palate as much as possible before school started. It’s hard to state exactly how successful the year was without concrete data, but I was able to accomplish a few of my goals. I picked up new skills that I use still routinely, I massively expanded my pool of artistic inspiration and intellectual stimuli, I tried a bunch of weird/scary foods, traveled to far off places without my mommy, and moved to a new city across the country. All of these are great victories, but the actual moment to moment of the year was pretty much how the moment to moment of my life had been before it. One of the main goals of the Year of the More was to finish creative projects I had always wanted to but never found the time or place for. That, obviously, didn’t pan out. As it turns out, you can’t do more things just by saying you’ll do more things. Productivity doesn’t really work like that.

Your brain loves crossing out items in a to-do list. There’s no greater feeling in the world than accomplishing your goals and seeing men cower at the sight. But, doing things is hard. It requires time and effort, both of which are limited resources. Not to mention, while your brain loves a completed project, it hates actually performing the actions necessary to complete them. If it’s a matter of life or death, your brain can compel you to do almost anything, but it will continuously try to weasel out of every other scenario until it reaches that point. Besides, your deadline isn’t that urgent. Maybe it won’t be a big deal if you don’t get started right away. You’ve been so good lately too, you deserve a break. You can always get it done tomorrow. It’s here, when your brain is confronted with ambiguity of necessity and genuinely plausible excuses, that it becomes all too easy to become distracted and procrastinate. The problem is multiplied when you have multiple projects you want to work on, because even the act of deciding what project to work on can trigger you to hesitate and become distracted. When you’re distracted, you’re not doing work and you aren’t really having fun either. It’s hard to not feel guilty booting up that video game when you know you should be working, but it’s equally as hard to pry yourself away from it once you start playing. You’re stuck in the middle, all because there was no clear decision to be made. In your hesitation, your brain defaulted to the path of least resistance and you’re paying for it. This sort of thing would happen to me nearly every day of my life. And it wasn’t just my laziness, there’s something else at play here too.

Across the nation, our best and brightest are being round up and employed at a handful of mega-corporations with a singular purpose: to find cool, new ways to sell things to you. This is not a conspiracy, this is not science fiction, this was cutting edge ten years ago and now it’s just taken for granted by everyone who thinks about it for more than a second. Your favorite social media is not a neutral platform that you come to socialize and consume content on. It is a business, and as a business it has the sole purpose of making money, and the way these business makes money is by selling ad space and by selling your data to advertisers. The longer you look and the more you refresh, the more advertisements you’ll see and the more data you’ll leave behind. All the while, that social media platform is making money. Many people I know, perhaps even you reading this sentence right now, get the vast majority of their social interaction and consume the vast majority of their media through these systems which have been designed with the sole purpose of maximizing the amount of time spent looking at advertisements. To accomplish this, social media platforms (and by extension the promoted user generated content on said platforms) intentionally make their websites as addicting as possible. They develop algorithms to show you the posts that will keep you the most engaged, for better or for worse, because they need to keep your attention for as long as possible. It doesn’t matter if you have AdBlock and aren’t literally seeing advertisements, the systems these websites are built on still affect you and are still extremely dangerous. We have become addicted to refreshing the page in the hopes that we will get to see and consume more and more content like pigs at a trough, all for the benefit of the pasty nerds and rich people. Just to be clear, I’m not above this. You aren’t stupid for closing that tab just to reopen it moments later. Like I said, our best and brightest are intentionally designing these systems for their job. They are preying on the mind’s easily exploitable ability to become distracted and using it for possibly the most evil goal fucking imaginable. Facebook broke your brain to spam you with pop-up ads.

And so, as a result of being a scatterbrained creative with too much time on my hands and a stable internet connection, I have the worst of both worlds. I’m pushed by my lack of severe lack of self-discipline and easily distractible set of hobbies, and pulled by algorithms designed by a team of the nation’s top scientists to be as addicting and time-consuming as possible, into becoming a strange being consisting only of wasted time and untapped potential.

But no more, I say. It’s time I take matters into my own hands. These distractions are like the brambles of a jungle-- chaotic and ever-growing. I must cleave through them with my machete and create the sort of life I want to live in. It’ll be a life without distractions, without addictions. It’ll be a life of intentionality, of clarity. I will conquer this jungle.

2020 is the Year of Conquest. I’m taking back my life and making sure I live as intentional of a life as I possibly can. What’s so painful about distractions is how they can eat away an afternoon or an entire day you promised yourself you would spend working. I’m not going to never play a video game ever again, quite the opposite. I’m simply going to clearly define times where I will work and times I will play, there can’t be anymore ambiguity. When I’m working, I’m working. When I’m playing, I’m playing. And, of course, I will try as hard as I can to wrestle with my addiction to social media. I’m not leaving the internet, obviously. I will still use social media but, again, in an intentional manner. I will not allow my tools to seduce me. My phone does not get to beckon me to it with notifications and interrupt my work. I will use it when and only when I choose to.

All this might sound a bit vague, but that’s how themes work best. The Year of Conquest is simply the prompt, the starting point for a whole roster of specific resolutions. I fully intend to get more specific and walkthrough my actual plans/goals for the year, but if I just start listing them all right now then I’ll get a dopamine rush that’ll satiate my self-improvement appetite and I’ll end up not actually doing them. In general though, I’m going to use a combination of incentivizes, disincentivizes, and structural lifestyle changes to try and lead a more intentional life. These carrots, sticks, and tracks definitely can and will be explained in a future post but again that’s a story for another time. Probably tomorrow, it’s my bedtime.

(Send me asks and give me some feedback. It makes me happy to know people are actually reading.)

#munchuscript

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murasaki-murasame · 5 years

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Thoughts on Fruits Basket 2019 Episode 7: “Spring Comes”

Therapist: “Hatori’s backstory episode isn’t real, it can’t hurt you”

Hatori’s backstory episode: *happens*

Me, crying: *shocked-pikachu.png*

Anyway, this was another really great episode. This is the part of the story where it really becomes clear how dark the story is going to get in the long run, and I think they nailed it.

Thoughts under the cut. [Spoilers for the whole manga]

As I was hoping, this episode combined chapters 10 and 12 together, leaving chapter 11 to be adapted in the next episode. I think they’ll spend the entire episode on that chapter, since the next part to adapt after that would be Haru’s intro, which is completely unrelated to the new years part aside from him having a short scene with Shigure in it. So I think they’ll just leave his whole intro bit for episode 9.

Funnily enough this is another case of the reboot’s pacing and structure being very similar to the 2001 anime. I think the Hatori backstory episode in the 2001 anime was my favourite episode of the whole thing, and I’ve always felt that the way they paced it out flowed a lot more naturally than it did in the manga. So I’m happy that the reboot had the same sorta idea and just combined the two Hatori chapters together. It’s not really a huge deal, but especially after seeing two alternate takes on this part that make the same decisions in how they alter the pacing, it really feels awkward that the Hatori part in the manga gets pretty much interrupted halfway through by the new years chapter.

But this episode definitely wasn’t a 1:1 copy of the 2001 anime version of it, that’s for sure. For one thing, some stuff near the end was changed so that they could incorporate the sequence from chapter 12 where Hatori sees Kana walking by with her friends, which the 2001 anime cut out. Which leads into one of the more subtle but cool things this episode added, which was that we got some cameos from characters who don’t even appear in the 2001 anime at all. On the note of that scene with Kana, we see Mayu walking with her and their other friend, which wasn’t even the case in the manga. I really liked that addition, though, since it helps give a little bit more build-up for the fact that she’s friends with Kana.

Similarly, we also get an even more subtle cameo appearance from Kureno, who doesn’t even show up in the manga until like chapter 50. It was so subtle I didn’t even notice him until I saw people point it out. I think it was a really good choice to add that little tease of him this early on, though. I’d always kinda wished that the manga could have had a scene like this where we see Kureno with Akito before we know anything about who he is.

I can see why some people are sad that they changed that whole scene with Akito, though. The scene of her in the window looking at Tohru was pretty iconic, and I’ve always loved it. But I also really love this new version of the scene, as a sort of alternate take on it. It gives us a look at Akito that, by this point in the anime, we haven’t seen yet. There’s the whole deal with us also seeing Kureno in the car with her, but it’s also the first time in the reboot that we see Akito wearing a masculine, western-style outfit. I think it’s also interesting how the way the context and framing of the scene was changed made Akito seem more petty and childlike, if that makes sense. In the manga version of the scene, she comes across as being super composed and ominous and in control, but here we just see her sitting in the backseat of a car someone else is driving, wearing an outfit that she looks like she doesn’t want to wear, and she looks smaller than she usually does, especially since the camera is angled down toward her from Tohru’s POV. It still feels ominous and uncomfortable in it’s own way, and you still get the impression that Akito is someone who Tohru should try and avoid ever meeting properly, but I think it’s really fascinating how the relatively small changes in framing help to expose the more nuanced and vulnerable side of Akito as a character, showing that in her own way she’s just another person bound by the curse, keeping up an outward image she doesn’t want, and keeping a specific person around her at all times out of possessiveness and loneliness.

Come to think of it, on top of the fact that we don’t see Kureno until around chapter 50, I don’t think we ever saw Akito wear that specific outfit until around chapter 100 when the big gender twist reveal happens. Up until that point I think she only ever wore either her kimono, or her black turtleneck.

On the topic of changes, I think the only other notable one is the flashback to Akito hurting Hatori, which isn’t all that different from either the manga or the 2001 anime, but still a bit different. In the manga we never actually see how exactly Hatori’s injury happened, and in the 2001 anime we see Akito directly smash Hatori’s face with a vase, but in this version we see her pushing Hatori into a mirror when he tries to restrain her after she attacks Kana. The 2001 anime version of the scene was really good in it’s own way, but I’m fine with the reboot doing it differently. I actually like that in the reboot it feels more accidental than intentional, with Akito pushing Hatori into a mirror instead of hitting him with a vase. We at least still got the bit with her attacking Kana to make it clear that she’s willing to get directly violent with people. The fact that there were like five mirrors in the room was a bit odd, but it did give us that cool shot of Hatori restraining Akito and us seeing it reflected in all the different mirrors.

Other than that the episode was a pretty faithful adaptation of the manga. It didn’t even have to rearrange too many things, aside from having the end of chapter 10 happen after the end of chapter 12. They did have to change the context of the stuff taken from chapter 12 a bit, since in the manga that happens after new years, but it all flows together really naturally anyway.

Before I forget, I also wanna say that this series still has some fantastic background art, and this episode really showed it off by giving us some different types of environments to what we’d seen before. The winter-y atmosphere of most of the episode was really wonderfully done, and they were contrasted nicely with the vibrant and warm flashbacks to Hatori and Kana’s relationship. A lot of the series in general takes place in the same overall set of locations, and the manga never really put much emphasis on how the backgrounds looked, so it’s nice to get stuff like this in the reboot.

Even though Hatori and Kana’s whole deal is the big centerpiece of this episode, I’m not entirely sure what to say about it. It’s just one of those times where it’s not like I’m able to give my first impressions on it, since this is like the third take on this bit of the story I’ve seen, lol. So I just naturally end up thinking about it more in terms of how it compares to the manga and the 2001 anime, than how it is in and of itself, if that makes sense. It still fucked me up even the third time around, but still.

I do still think this is one of my favourite bits of the whole story, though. It’s pretty iconic, in a way, since it’s the first time we get this sort of big backstory sequence for a supporting character that delves into the darkness of the Soma family. It’s one of the parts that I think sticks with people most, and for good reason. It’s pretty much impossible not to feel bad for Hatori by the end of it all.

I tend to dislike the ‘side ships’ in this series, for a variety of reasons, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Hatori and Kana. I guess it helps that they’d already broken up by the time the series starts, and so it feels natural that their relationship is only really focused on in two chapters early on.

Anyway, I’m curious to see exactly how the next episode will be adapted, since as I said before, it looks like it’ll just adapt chapter 11, which means it’ll almost certainly have a fair bit of original material to flesh it out. The 2001 anime also took that route with it, and I ended up not really liking the result, but I have faith that the reboot will handle it well, since I really liked how they fleshed chapters 5 and 6 out into their own episodes.

Personally, I really want them to find a way to actually show off the Soma family’s new years festival, since we never really get to see it properly in the manga. It always felt like a missed opportunity that we basically only ever saw the zodiac members in their dance outfits in colour pages. So I’d really like to actually get a scene showing Momiji’s dance.

I think it’d also help things out a bit if they add some scenes to include a bit more build-up to the scene where Hana randomly shows up to confront Yuki and Kyo about their decision to leave Tohru alone on new years.

And with how the reboot’s handled it’s original content thus far, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a whole flashback to Tohru spending new years with her mother, which would be really sad.

We’ll see how it goes, I guess. Either way, this was a really fantastic episode. It’s fun seeing new fans get more and more aware of the fact that they’re in for some serious drama and emotions in the long run, lol. I said before that I can’t really have a fresh reaction to this part [or really anything in the reboot that’s not original material] since I’ve already read the manga, but I’m glad that new fans seem to really like this episode.

#murasaki rambles #fruits basket #this was a very fitting episode to watch late at night in the start of winter lol

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letsperaltiago · 5 years

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We’ll sweep out the ashes in the morning |CHAPTER 2|

If you're new here: welcome! And if you're returning for second chapter: bless you :')

Here's to some Peraltiago banter and pining !!

Read it on AO3 or simply enjoy it here! I appreciate comments more than you know <3

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CHAPTER 2: I say we don't know what comes 'cause that's on the way

“I’m home,” Jake called out as per routine as soon as he set a foot inside the walls of his home as the clock stroke 8 PM. The winter darkness had swallowed New York whole multiple hours ago, and the dwelling feeling of this specific day being that longest in a while was stuck in Jake’s tired, cold bones. Yes, today had felt torturously long, but it wasn’t because of the dark season (a national depression and whatnot) or the fact that he’d been out the door for 12 hours by now. No, all day long it’d felt like his phone and hands were constantly burning in what was clearly a move with the intention of provoking him. His body wanted to text Amy so bad; the faster he did that, the sooner he’d (hopefully) get to see her again. Yet he managed to refrain from doing so, figuring that Amy Santiago wouldn’t give anyone or anything but her job the time of day during official work hours.

Next thing he knew and before his thoughts could carry him elsewhere, the sound of a few light steps approached from the living room. Meanwhile he shrugged off his coat to abandon it on its designated hanger; right next to hers and above the already kicked off shoes.

“Hey,” he heard a warm voice welcome his eyes to switch in the direction of its owner. Here they met a pair of beautiful, welcoming brown irises. Not Amy’s warm brown irises though, he caught himself thinking… This was so wrong.

Immediately upon realising the betrayal his mind had just presented to him, Jake Peralta felt his heart skip a beat - the guilty kind - along with his gut dropping. It was indeed very wrong (even a rule he’d say) to compare ones current girlfriend, who was currently leaning against the doorframe connecting the living room to the entree, to an old friend slash colleague. Especially when you’d only talked to said old colleague for 3 minutes the very same morning. Her leaning hip elegantly as ever nudged the rest of her figure out of her resting position with his direction as target. “How was your day? It’s kinda late and I was getting worried about you.” Slender hands slid onto his waist as if they were making their way back home, reminding Jake of the fact that there was indeed nothing to worry about. Not when the incredibly stunning and smart Sophia Perez was gripping onto his knitted sweater in order to keep him in place for a welcoming kiss to his purple, frozen lips.

“Sorry,” barely made it out against her lips. Pulling away was his next move. “I had a perp that didn’t exactly feel like confessing, so I had to stay in order to get him to talk. He was not a fan.”

“Always the hero, huh?” Sophia smiled cheekily before turning back around prior to walking back to whatever she’d been doing before he walked in. “I had to bring home an important case that’s due tomorrow, so I’m working on that and already ate… But I made sure to keep a portion of dinner for you. It’s ready to be put in the microwave.” Then she disappeared back into the living room.

“Thank you,” was all there was left for him to call out after her, before making his way to their kitchen. ‘Their kitchen’ was still such a weird concept to Jake; sure they’d been together for 4 years now and had lived together for almost two, but sharing his home with another person still seemed surreal to him. This was of course nothing personal against Sophia, but it’d taken Jake a while to get comfortable enough with the idea of sharing a home with a romantic partner - hence why it’d taken Sophia two years to convince him of the fact that his apartment was a hazardous climate and that sharing the bills in two would ease their respective economies. All that aside, they now shared a quite nice apartment not too far from the 99th precinct and once again there was actual food on the table instead of his usual ‘chocolate milk with whatever cereal was in his cupboard that day’-combo. Not that he expected Sophia to cook or do anything for him… It was more a case of Sophia not really letting him, because she was afraid of him messing up, which to Jake himself seemed to be a fair judgement of character. What a chaos it would’ve been if he’d ended up with someone who couldn’t cook.

Whilst waiting for his food to be heated by the microwave as it quietly purred in the background, Jake suddenly realised he’d actually managed to forget about the burning phone in his pocket. For approximately three minutes. Nice. Without any further hesitation he grabbed the device from the right front pocket of his jeans and swiped it open before immediately clicking the green ‘contacts’ button; dear God, he hoped he still had her number. If not, he’d probably kill- Oh wait, there it was. Jake instantly felt his heart settle again. Yet just as quickly as it had settled, his veins started pumping and of course his heart followed behind, racing again just as his shaky thumb clicked her name then ‘send message’.

Elsewhere, still in her old apartment, Amy Santiago heard her phone give off a rumbling sound that was too loud to ignore. A sigh escaped her otherwise relaxed body in frustration caused by the fact that she’d forgotten to take her phone off vibrate. Trying to fight the global phone-addiction, she liked her evenings undisturbed and preferably without unnecessary use of any gadgets. Though she had to admit that this interruption was no one else but her own fault; and Jake Peralta’s, she mentally added shortly after having put down her book and pushed herself off the couch to check on whoever was trying to reach her after 8 PM. A small, some would say guilty even, grin let its presence be known at the sight before her. Of course it was him; who else?

Jake Peralta: Didnt have ur email saved in my contacts. Sorry:(

Creative, funny enough for her to breath out a chuckle. Even though it was just a few words, Amy had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised by how unquestionably their dynamic fell back into place; something she’d lacked ever since her transfer.

Amy Santiago: I’ll let it slide this one time.

Waiting, staring at the three taunting dots, holding her breath.

Jake Peralta: cool cool cool. so i was thinkin saturday. shaw’s. 8 pm. cool?

Jake’s lack of upper case letters was a mess, which could only cause Amy to feel physically uncomfortable. She was just about to allow herself to comment on it; had he not gone to school? Though she refrained and thus it was quickly replaced by more important matters such as verifying her neatly structured calendar. It would be a lie though, if she claimed to not have made a mental note; Jake really needed to step up his texting game and formal requirements. Simply the thought of his supposed, messy work mails caused yet another shudder, whilst her fingers directed the conversation in a completely different direction.

Amy Santiago: Just checked my calendar and we’re in the clear. Saturday at 8 it is. Hope you’ve gotten better at pool.

In his comfortable spot on his and Sophia’s couch as yet another episode of Queer Eye introduced itself, Jake tried to act if he wasn’t actually afraid of not getting a reply; as if he didn’t fear the fact that Amy had agreed to meet up just to be polite and get rid of him that very same morning. He tried to act as if that would be okay ‘cause it’s not like they meant more to each other than the average old friend slash colleague. People came and went; Jake knew that better than anyone. Though that didn’t mean that he was actually good at playing it off as okay - especially when ‘people’ could potentially be Amy Santiago. Mercifully, a buzz coming from the arm rest beside him drew his attention away from the warm dinner before him and spiralling thoughts. There was no questioning the fact that he did indeed reach for the buzzing device way too fast, but all that fell aside when the lock screen’s preview of the text caused his heart to swell with joy.

Jake Peralta: deal. and dont worry. i’ve been practicing. ur ass will be whooped by 9

A feeling of a potential catastrophe came rushing through his entire body as soon as his finger had pressed the ‘send’ button. Perhaps your third text in five years to an old friend shouldn’t include her ass; especially when you own ass was far from single and definitely had felt… emotions towards said old friend at some point in time. Fumbling fingers quickly typed out a desperate, probably pointless, redeem before yet again hitting ‘send’.

Jake Peralta: sorry!! that was really inappropriate!

“Fuck,” he furiously locked his phone, mad at himself, at the exact same time as the back of his head hit the back of his couch in defeat. Well, if she had no reason to back out before, she definitely had now. Billions of minutes went by (or so it felt) before another buzz drew the heavy head off the back of the couch in a quick snap. In a spur of moment it all very much felt like the pivotal moment of his entire life.

Amy Santiago: Title of your sex tape?

Oxygen once again poured right into his lungs, allowing his chest to open up and his breath to unhinge from the brief, horrid intermission. The widest smile in forever (compared to what, he didn’t exactly know) formed on his tired yet now very content face. Their relationship really hadn’t changed and apparently the student had become the teacher.

Though ‘Saturday at 8 PM’ had seemed lightyears away on that Wednesday, for both Jake and Amy, the weekend and day finally emerged. Unbeknownst to the opposite party, one was more nervous and excited than the other. They’d sent each other a few texts during those few days; small jokes, remarks and other whatnots without importance. Little did they know that every single notification made the other’s heart jump to their throats for just a nanosecond - every damn time.

Amy Santiago: I’m at Shaw’s. Got us two seats in the right corner booth. Where are you?

Jake Peralta: its only 7.48!.. whatever. shouldve known i never had a fighting chance. see ya in 10

Amy chuckled to herself after leaving her phone face down on the oh so familiar, wooden table. Seemingly out of nowhere, the strong familiarity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks: Sitting in a booth at Shaw’s, the smoke from multiple lit cigarettes mixed with the smell of alcohol, waiting for an iconically late Jake, sipping on a cheap beer… If she hadn’t known any better, Amy could’ve sworn that she was back in 2014. There was no way she’d ever say it out loud, because that would mean actually acknowledging it, but she sometimes wished she actually was back in 2014. This would imply still working at the Nine-Nine and more importantly the fact that she’d get a second chance at choosing a different path for herself. A path that didn’t bring her away from what she’d forever consider her favourite work place and best friends; more precisely a path that didn’t bring her so far away from the possibility of getting closer to a certain idiot, sweet manchild. Sometimes she even caught herself redhanded thinking, daydreaming about what they could’ve possibly resulted in if she’d just stayed. If only she’d just stuck around long enough for her to realise that Teddy wasn’t a match and Jake possibly was… If not perfect then maybe at least better.

She must’ve been staring at the tip of her beer bottle for quite some time seeing that as soon as she allowed her eyes to leave it, she gazed right at a smiling Jake Peralta. Almost like he’d walked right out of her guilty daydream.

“7.59,” he briefly threw a glance at his phone, before putting it down on the table. “Nailed it.”

There was that stupid, racing heartbeat again, Amy thought to herself in the midst of trying to play it off with a welcoming smile and what she hoped was a smooth answer. “I’m impressed. Just for that? First drink is on me.” She pushed a second beer, unopened, in his direction. Prepared as always.

“First drink? Damn, Santiago,” he slid himself into the narrow booth and seated himself next to her. “Are you planning on getting me drunk?”

“Shut up.” Honestly? Yes. But she couldn’t admit to that so she settled for a classic eye roll. That at least always seemed to get her out of these kinds of situations, where she hopelessly needed to run from her secret wishes.

“Here’s to reunions and old friendships,” Jake raised his beer into the air, implicitly asking Amy to make this their little moment.

“I’ll drink to that,” Amy complied, clinking her bottle against his before taking a slurp.

Moving forward, flow of the conversation was smooth and seemed infinite. As a surprise to no one, they had a lot to catch up on and there was no sparing of details or sidetracks. The rabbit hole that was their five years apart was wide agape, and with alcohol added to the mix, there was no stopping them. Their phones never left their screen down positions on the table before them, and their eyes never left the other’s. This was continuously the case until they were both three drinks in and Jake’s phone suddenly pinged.

“Sorry. Just a sec,” the beer in his hand was replaced by his phone. “Must be Sophia asking where I am.”

Sophia. Amy mentally repeated the name, analysing it, trying to put it into a fitting context but alas failed. It must’ve shown on her face. She was never good at hiding her true emotions - especially confusion, where her frowning brows would always act as snitches.

“Oh, wait…” an almost regretful, nervous even, expression presented itself on Jake’s face. “You don’t know Sophia, right?” Why did he have a culpable feeling of not wanting her to either? Things were going so well. It might not have been morally right if so, but Jake couldn’t help but consider that an evening without mentioning Sophia would’ve been easier… He knew things with Amy could never head in certain directions, but he also knew that there would’ve been nothing illegal about forgetting about certain things for just a couple of hours, right? Temporarily allowing himself to forget that Amy had left, eliminating alternative fates for their relationship, thus leading him onto a path right into Sophia’s arms. Alas, it too late. There was no way around it, and Jake had to act like he didn’t absolutely loath the cards that were now clearly on the table. “I met Sophia about a year after you transferred to Major Crimes. She’s…” Jake interrupted himself by taking a finishing gulp of his now empty beer. “She’s great. We live together in an apartment near the Nine-Nine and we’re enga- she’s uh-… my fiancée.”

If he didn’t know any better, Jake could’ve sworn that his old friend’s otherwise golden brown eyes were suddenly eclipsed b a darker shade that he couldn’t quite recognise. All he knew was that it could compare to the way sinister thunderclouds would overtake a clear spring day.

“Oh, that’s…” He saw her struggle to form words, her dark eyes returning to the old habit of centralising on inanimate objects rather than people, whenever she needed a second to form her upcoming sentence. “That’s… amazing!” her eyes were redirected back to his, paired with a weirdly contrasting smile. “I’m so happy for you, Jake. You deserve that.”

If it wasn’t because he consciously forced himself to not overanalyse every single thing she said or did that evening, Jake would’ve been worried by this immediate switch of mood. Yet he let it be, acting as if everything was as it should be. “Thank you.” That was a start, Jake thought. “Yeah, I’m… very happy.” He begged to God that he sounded more convincing than he felt. Why was he feeling like this? He was far from unhappy with Sophia and there was no justifying his opposing thoughts nor his feelings.

“Good. That’s the most important, right?”

God, he hated that he loved the way she tilted her head, whenever she would ask a rhetorical question. “Of course… But uh- what about you? Got a lucky guy?” Though he was definitely tipsy by then, he was nowhere near drunk enough for this conversation. Just the fact that he felt the need to be drunk for this particular conversation was reason enough to get drunk.

“No,” she smiled. Not sadly, because Amy Santiago surely didn’t need a man. But maybe her smile was just unaccented enough to imply that she needed something. This alone gave Jake a devilish and false sense of consolation. False in the sense that it was so wrong. On the other hand he also suddenly feel the need to figure out what this something was. “It’s just me, myself and my job,” she added.

“Well,” a comforting smile countered hers. The last thing he wanted was for her to interpret his question as criticising or demeaning. On the contrary, he actually admired (and always had) her professional drive and independence. “That’s not a bad thing. I’ll have you know…” He pushed himself out of booth for the first time since he’d arrived two hours prior, earning himself a confused look frown from Amy. “… I’ll drink to you and your admirable devotion to your job. Beer?”

Amy couldn’t point out if it was caused by the change in the way the lamp’s warm light hit him now that he was standing up; or if it was caused by him taking off his hoodie before throwing it where he’d been sitting, only to reveal his iconic and flattering flannel; or if it was caused by the buzz in her head and heating cheeks that made her wish he would peel of the remaining layers of clothing. Whatever it was, Amy Santiago was frustrated, yet happy - that collision of feelings itself was extra frustrating. She needed to fight it off the deeply wrong and forbidden thoughts with something. “Shots?”

“Shots.” He concluded, checking for his wallet. “Definitely.”

When Jake came back with four tiny glasses of some clear liquid. Amy didn’t recognise that nor the taste, when she downed her first shot seconds later with Jake back by her side. They’d gulped down one each, followed by Jake explaining her what it was, but she didn’t care at this point. All she wanted was to get back on track and forget the pre-shots conversation about the future Mrs. Peralta.

#jake x amy #jake x amy fanfic #fanfiction #peraltiago #AU #b99 fanfiction #b99 #Brooklyn Nine-Nine #jake peralta #amy santiago

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literarytrashcollection · 5 years

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Where Are Any of Us Going? (Part 3/?): Nothing is Ever As it Seems

(Bucky x Reader) Follow for more! I’m just starting out, but I plan to post much, much more!

Bucky insisted on driving me to my apartment, even though Mr. Stark had said an overnight bag was probably enough. Even if it wasn’t, it wasn’t like I lived that far away. I think he just wanted to show off the fancy car he owned because “do you realize what 70 years of interest on a bank account adds up to?”

I didn’t care about the car, certainly not the overly long name that it came with. I cared about the old photo of him and Steve, stuck in the dashboard by the speedometer. I cared about the gym bag that was thrown in the backseat, with the zipper wide open and boxing gloves, knuckle wraps and sneakers just tossed in the back seat. I cared about all the little personal touches that made the car his space.

The drive only took a few minutes and then we were climbing the stairs to my apartment, his steps silent behind me as I heaved myself up the last flight to the fourth floor. I stood in front of the door for a moment, trying to steel myself against what was about to happen.

There was very little that my roommates knew to do to get me out of my room, but they knew that if the Avengers (Captain America) was on TV, I would wanna see it. If anyone was home, they would immediately recognize Bucky and I would never hear the end of it.

“Door stuck?” Bucky asked, warmth radiating off him as he stood too close, trying to peer over my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I pushed the door hard, trying to feign putting the effort into shoving it open.

I crept in slowly, casting my gaze through the kitchen and down the hall before clearing the living room. Thank God.

I was about to dart down to my room, Bucky hot on my heels, until I realized that there was no way in hell he could see my room. My primary reason was the sheer amount of Captain America stuff I had, from posters and pictures on the wall, to the pajama pants that I was pretty sure were still thrown on the desk chair, awaiting final judgement whenever I decided to do laundry.

“Uh, can you wait here?” I asked, touching the kitchen counter to all but leash him in place.

“What, afraid I’ll see something embarrassing?” His mouth turned up at the corner, eyes distant as he tried to imagine what he could find.

“My room’s just a mess,” I waved it off. “I’ll be in and out in a minute.��

He pondered it for a minute. “Make it fast, or I start snooping.” He grinned.

I stared at him, incredulous for a moment at the fact that he was in my fucking apartment. Or that he wanted to snoop around. Or that he was imagining still what embarrassing things he could find if he went snooping. He was trouble.

“You’re wasting precious seconds here, doll,” Bucky murmured, reaching out to touch me, but dropping the hand before it connected.

I scrambled away before I could make an ass of myself. Anything snarky that would’ve come out of my mouth would have only led to more trouble. Besides, the less time I spent in the apartment, the smaller chance any of the roommates would come home, right?

I flicked the light on in my room and quickly started grabbing clothes, tossing them away the second I realized they had been worn and were therefore not worthy to cross the threshold of the Avengers tower. It was completely idiotic, of course, no one would care.

I stuffed what clothing I could find clean into a duffle bag, shutting the door on the way out so fast I almost tripped over it. Raiding the bathroom for all of the necessities only took a few more seconds, then I was in front of Bucky again, trying to lead him out, but he was more interested in reading the notes all of us housemates left each other on the whiteboard on the fridge, his lips moving as he read the words to himself.

“Buck, c’mon,” I urged, grabbing his arm to tug on him. He just laughed, maneuvering quicker than I could register and then suddenly, I was under his arm. He pressed his hand against the small of my back, pinning me against his side as he continued to read. “Bucky,” I whined, trying to push away, but he was still much stronger than I could ever dream to me.

“Shh, will you? I’m trying to read,” he smiled down at me. My heart skipped a beat when our eyes met, and he quickly went back to reading. When he was content with his examination of the refrigerator, he turned back to me, eyebrows raised, “I’ve been waiting, let’s go.”

“Barnes, I swear,” I squirmed out of his grip and marched towards the door. I didn’t care at that point if he followed me, but when I made it down the stairs, he was right behind me, looking cheery as can be.

I was put in the room next to Bucky’s, across from Steve’s. I had my own bathroom, a small sitting area with a TV, and obviously a bed and dressers. Despite Mr. Stark’s promises of only being in the tower for a couple days at most, it was hard to not think about living there permanently. Best apartment I’d ever find in New York, that’s for sure. Safest apartment too.

Once I was settled, I was called back to the lab, where Dr. Banner was now looking over my charts and scans with Mr. Stark, their brows furrowed as they threw words around that sounded like another language.

“Ahh, just who I was waiting for,” Mr. Stark said, waving me closer. “So, whatever they were trying to do, they didn’t finish.” He started pointing to things again, speaking science jibberish. When he recognized my blank stare, he sighed.

“What he’s saying,” Dr. Banner interrupted, “is that when they did whatever they did to turn all your bones into metal, it shifted the composition, but it didn’t bond it all together. It’d be like having wet cement for bones, if that makes sense.”

Mr. Stark nodded, lips pressed into a hard line. “Did you have a chip implanted in your head that you know of?” He asked, still staring at the scans. I shook my head, my fingers automatically going to the scar on the back of my head where glass had cut into me. I had little scars like that all over my legs and torso though, from the car windows shattering.

Mr. Stark turned the scan and zoomed in on my skull. He went past the bone and into my brain, turning it so I could see the tiny, micro-SD card sized piece of plastic that seemed to cling to my brain. “I think they were doing something very intentional with you, Y/N.”

“You’re scaring her,” came a sultry voice behind me. When the redhead stopped next to me, I felt my heart sink through my feet as the real life Black Widow smiled politely at me.

“Natasha,” Dr. Banner nodded at her, his cheeks tinging pink when they made eye contact. “This is Y/N.”

“I know, Barnes told me about her.” She turned to me fully. “He’s on a mission with Steve, should be back later tonight. He asked me to stay with you, keep you company.”

“I don’t need a baby sitter, if you have something else to do.”

“I don’t think that’s what he wanted me to do,” she laughed. “I think he’s trying to impress you.”

“No shit,” Mr. Stark snorted as he tapped away on screens. “I have your arms ready.”

I frowned at him. “They’re still on my body.”

“Not for long,” he grinned, a slightly crazed look that made me fear him a little. He really was a mad scientist, wasn’t he? He walked over to another work bench and pulled a cloth off it’s contents, revealing two midnight black arms. “They have sensors to match your skin tone, so you can tan and they’ll still match, all that.” He shrugged. “If they ever start acting up, you can always come back and I’ll look at them. But I imagine I’m going to have to surgically remove the ones you have to put these on.”

I crept closer, running my finger down the length of the bicep of the left arm. It was a shiny metal, but it felt like silk under my fingertips. It hummed slightly and then in a flash, it matched the color of my hand.

“You’ll still be able to feel. This just makes them more accessible if there’s problems with them.” Mr. Stark added.

“I can’t take these,” I shook my head. “They’re probably worth millions.”

He shrugged again. “Scraps and spare parts, really.”

“Let her sleep off the news you just broke to her before you start taking her apart, Tony.” Black Widow said.

“Besides, Bucky probably wants her in one piece when he gets back,” Dr. Banner chuckled, so quiet, I almost didn’t catch it.

“I’m taking her. Run your tests, figure out how to put her together, but do it with her not here.” Black Widow called, catching one of my hands to lead me from the lab. If only she was strong enough. I stayed grounded in place, still looking over the arms.

Mr. Stark seemed to be watching me. He picked up two L-joint looking parts that matched the arms and held one up to my shoulder. “We’ll attach this to your shoulders, then the arms with snap onto this. The arms are heavy, but with your bone structure and composition, once we stabilize you, you’ll be able to support them no problem. They’ll probably still feel heavy at first but you’ll get used to them.”

“Winter Soldier, times two.” I mumbled.

“Well, essentially. You don’t have all the training or the super soldier serum, but other than that, yeah. We’ll take care of you. Bruce and I are gonna try and figure out how to stabilize your bones and then we’ll get a surgical team in for you.”

I nodded.

“This is nothing, really. You’re not asking anything of us that we aren’t willing to do. Not much else happening right now.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Just do us a favor and keep being good to Barnes. None of us want to deal with him when he’s pissed off.”

“I only met him yesterday,” I felt my heart rate start to pick up. No way in hell was I going to take responsibility for the fucking Winter Soldier. “We’re not… we’re friends.”

“Okay,” Black Widow snorted. “And I’m a ballerina.”

Dr. Banner chuckled. “Get going. Sounds like someone never got the birds and the bees, Nat. You’re in charge of that one.”

Black Widow led me out of the lab and towards the elevator. “You do know what the birds and the bees are, right?”

Fucking Christ, what had I gotten myself into? “Of course,” I nodded. “It’s just hard to believe that Bucky would want to do that with me.”

“You scare him. He’s into that, I guess.” She laughed.

“I scare him?” I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her incredulously.

She nodded. “You look like an easily breakable little thing. In reality, you could probably go hit for hit with him and not break a sweat. That scares him. He misses when everything was exactly as it seemed.”

“Nothing has ever been exactly as it seems.”

“Yeah, but he could tell himself that everything was exactly as it seemed back in the dinosaur age he came from. It’s a false sense of protection that can’t be messed with.” She told me, examining her nails.

“You talk to him a lot?”

She nodded. “We worked together before I started with the Avengers, a lifetime ago. Steve’s his best friend from childhood, but I know what he’s going through with everything in between then and now.”

That made my heart hurt a little. Black Widow was a beautiful woman, I couldn’t help but admire her, but I knew how men were.

“It’s not like that,” she interrupted my thoughts. “He’s not my type.”

I forced myself to look at the elevator doors. She could read me too well.

“I want him to be happy with someone. I want him to have a reason to finally leave all of this,” she twirled her finger in the air to encircle the whole compound, “behind him. He’s been through too much. It was different for me, I wasn’t brainwashed like he was. I knew what I was doing. For him, it’s like he was a bystander while someone hijacked his body and used it to kill hundreds of people.”

“He’s broken.”

She nodded. “He is. He’s got a lot of problems. He’ll never, ever admit it, but he has separation anxiety. He’s going to be clingy, prepare yourself for that one. He’s got this hero complex, like he has to save you from himself.”

I looked down at the floor. My heart ached for Bucky. I wanted to hug him, tell him that he’s not bad, that he had no reason to hate himself. But it wasn’t my place. I had no idea what was happening in his head.

“All you can do, Y/N, is just be there with him.” Natasha said, resting her hand on my shoulder. “He cares about you a lot. I know you only met him yesterday, but he’s smiling more than I’ve seen since he came to the tower. Steve noticed too.”

The elevator doors finally opened and she led me onto the observation deck of the top floor, the New York skyline lit up by the setting sun. We stood on the edge, leaning against the railing.

“When I got in my accident, I woke up in the hospital. They had already attached my arms, but I was all stitched up from where the glass had cut me and just all of the bruises. Once I was fine to walk, they took me down to see my parents bodies. That’s when the survivors guilt finally hit me.” I told her, listening to the whirring sounds coming from my arms as I wrung my hands nervously. “They were at peace, that’s what the doctors kept telling me. But I wanted that, you know? I would’ve traded them places in a heartbeat. I destroyed a whole hospital room. I didn’t know my own strength and then suddenly I was so strong, and I just ripped everything apart.”

She was watching me, her face a blank mask as she absorbed all of the information I was giving her.

“When they finally released me, I went and found the nearest liquor store and just…” I shook my head. “I drowned my grief for a long week before it finally hit me that I was acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. I made peace with their deaths and moved back to the States. And now I’m finding out that these doctors experimented with me. It feels like someone took that peace I made and tinged it red. Like it was all fake.”

“We don’t know for sure that they were experimenting on you maliciously though.”

“If it wasn’t malicious, why wouldn’t they tell me everything they were doing?”

She frowned, then shrugged. “I can’t answer that.”

I nodded, turning back to the window. “I wouldn’t trade my parents places anymore. I’m glad they’re wherever they are, Heaven or whatever. The thought of them going through all of this, that’s worse.”

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storiesbyaya · 5 years

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Story Of A Hero - 19

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“No, you should do it.” “Why? You came across it!” “Because you’re more eloquent than me?” “It may seem confrontational if I do it!”

Wesley trudged in from school to hear Kero and Bayesh, hushedly arguing between themselves over something. It wasn’t a fight- but they couldn’t seem to agree on something, and so Wesley curiously poked his head in. “Hey! What’s up?” he asked, intending to maybe help them break the stalemate… But instead they suddenly stopped, like deer caught in headlights. The awkward silence continued until Wesley spread his arms in a ‘what?’ gesture. Kero cleared his throat. “I- uh, caught wind of an awesome opportunity and immediately thought of you.” “And you’re… arguing about it…?” Wesley asked, not understanding. “We were trying to find a way to tell you that wouldn’t make it sound as if we are trying to force you to get a job or something of the likes.” “Because we aren’t.” “Right, we did not open our home to you expecting you to pay us or something.” “I just think it’s a neat opportunity- I’d feel really shitty if I didn’t tell you about it.”

“The Justinia Conservation Aquarium is hiring tour guides and Children’s workshop guides,” said William, poking his head into the kitchen. Both kero and Bayesh turned to him, each slightly horrified, but their son just shrugged. “What? You guys were just going to keep stalling and never actually get to the point,” he added, and nonchalantly grabbed an apple, before scurrying back off into his room. Flabergasted, they watched him walk away. It was only when he was out of view did the couple speak. “Uh- yeah, so. Aquarium’s hiring. Will said you guys had a great time chatting about watery stuff-” “And we believe that such a job would compliment your studies… Not that, of course, we are trying to discourage you from continuing your training or anything!” Wesley gave a fond laugh. “I’ll look into it,” he assured them. “Thank you.”

------

Upstairs William hopped back into his desk chair. Beside him, Harley was curled up beneath the window, tail swishing. “Have you noticed? Percy’s grades have been steadily improving since we first started our training,” she said. “Yeah, now that you mention it… I guess he took dad pretty seriously when he said we needed to keep up our grades,” he said. “And you! You seem much happier lately, and you’ve been making good progress with your own research,” she added. William went from smiling to suspicious, and looked over to her. That tail swish. It was scheming. Pierce did it all the time. “Yes? Where’d this come from all of a sudden?” he asked. She looked up at him, seeming pleased with herself. “What time is it?” she asked sweetly. William’s eyes widened and he picked up his phone. “Heck! Heck, heck, heck!! I forgot about that entirely,” he shouted, almost toppling over the computer chair while he tried to find the socks he’d discarded upon his arrival home. It was Thursday, not Wednesday! He was late! William, in a hurried panic, passed Wesley as he was going up the stairs and apologized. “What’s got you in such a rush?” Wesley asked him. “Biomed presentation at the Sci-tech museum tonight!” he exclaimed, hopping this way and that trying to get his foot in his boots. “Oh right! Do you want me to drive you, kiddo?” Kero asked from the kitchen. “That would be very nice, yes! Please!” he replied. Kero gave a shrug, kissed Bayesh on the cheek, then grabbed his coats and keys. William followed him out the side door into the garage, hopping into the front seat. He turned on the seat warmer, looking very pleased.

“Guessin; we also gotta pick up Wright?” “Right,” William agreed, nodding. “Wright, that’s what I said.” William groaned, but Kero let out an amused laugh.

The ride was silent for a little while, until William decided now was the best time he’d ever get to ask a question that had been on his mind for a while. “Hey dad? Can I ask you something… Kind of weird?” Kero, ever the dad, was going to make a joke about how that question was, in and of itself, but seeing the serious scowl on William’s face, he decided against the joke. “Of course,” he said encouragingly, and was glad he had when he heard what was on the young teen’s mind.

“I always wondered, but...With recent events, it kind of…reminded me. You took us in, and back then I was too young to really handle what was all going on around me. There were a lot of things people didn’t tell me, right? And most stuff, I just had to hear on my own growing up… You know how people can be, blowing things out of proportion or hiding things. Guess I just want to hear what actually happened… And what made you chose to take /us/ in.” Kero bit his lip, but let out a sigh. He figured that, one day, William would ask. It wasn’t like they’d tried to hide anything from him, but it was kind of hard to hide articles and television reports anyways, especially from such a clever child.

It was different to read something than it was to hear it from people involved. “Second question’s easy. You know we were there when things came to a head, but I literally carried your sister out of that building. The rest is… a little more complex.”

It didn’t see all that complex. Some scientist grew a conscious, blew the whistle on the shady and unethical practices- Conducted on children no less, people rioted, stormed the building, and it collapsed.

Most people were content with this version of the truth- Not exactly wrong, but there was a deeper layer to all of it, one that started far before the riot and subsequent collapse.

The real story began decades before that day. Adex had suddenly appeared,a symbiotic alien life force that fused with human hosts. They were a new mystery, and humans did what they always did with new things. A research facility opened in Cassfeld, with the Kray family as owners, and was eventually passed to the founder’s son, Eric Kray and his wife, Caroline Whynn-Kray.

Did they just not know that Adex were sentient beings that could feel, or did they just not care? Breaking them into pieces as if they were nothing but weird magical rocks, performing all sorts of tests… By the time Eric and Caroline took over, the adex were a little bit more understood. There were people who’d naturally fused with them outside of the labs, and they realized that these things allowed humans to do things they could only dream of. People they were taking off the streets to experiment on, thanks to a little clever police bribing. Dollar signs shone in their eyes. So many people wanted super powers of their own, funding poured in, strings were pulled… But no matter what they tried, forced fusion just didn’t seem possible. What allowed them to put two and two together to realize that Adex caused actual changes in a person, and that those changes to a body were made hand-in-hand with puberty, God only knows. That meant that only pre-pubescent children were compatible with forced fusion. Meaning invasive procedures on children. Some were willing, yet ill informed, and some were not; taken from juvenile detention centers or from poor families with the promise of compensation. There were even some of the previous funders who volunteered their children to go through the process since they couldn’t. And then? Herded like sheep into small rooms, branded with numbers, treated like lab rats, constantly poked and prodded. All of that seemed like a walk in the park compared to what they did next- Some experiments resulted in Meirs, that they then put these newly operated upon children against, to push them to their limits, to see just what they could do- All this,without really being certain what abilities would bloom, whether or not they would even be able to keep the child safe, no fail safes in place, and even no idea whether the process had worked.

An anonymous tip revealed this to the press. The ensuing riot was probably the most united Cassfeld had ever been on a subject. Not just parents who had been lied to, or had their children stolen, but everyone, people from all walks of life. Cassfeld was out for blood. They didn’t just want the Krays, but everyone who had worked on the project- juliet Valentine, Isaac Belladonna-

-- “Hang on. Isaac Belladonna, that name sounds familiar?” William interrupted. Familiar, and not because he had heard it from his biological parents. There was something more there, and the way Kero’s already grim expression darkened, he knew he was right. “Golden Puppeteer. He was Lady Redd’s husband, went crazy when she died, killed a lot of people… Almost killed me… Injured Angel so bad she doesn’t do field work anymore.” “Right. Sorry, I interrupted you,” William apologized, looking aside. A man who’d hurt a lot of people he was close to… including his sister. “That’s alright,” Kero reassured him softly, and ruffled his hair. “My mom always said ‘Know your enemy- speak their name, and let them never live down the awful they’ve done...But anyways, here’s the part of the story you’re really interested in- The stuff no one but we know.”

---

Riots cause a mess, but they don’t usually cause structural collapse on such a grand scale. However, the building’s security rushed to keep the riot contained, and happened to miss something important- They had implemented special inhibitors to keep the children from using their abilities, to keep from ‘hurting themselves’ or the staff. Maybe the failsafe didn’t work on one of the children, maybe it failed. Whatever it was, with all of the attention on the first floor, one- or many, no one’s sure- but one child, lucky or just powerful, managed to destroy core structural walls. The destruction spread until it came to a head, causing a large explosion and the collapse of a large portion of the building. --- “When we showed up, it was a mess. We dug people out for what felt like hours… but your sister, she’s the thing I remember clear as day. Little blond girl in a ripped up hospital gown, covered in blood and soot, breaking down cell doors and pulling other children out of the debris until she collapsed. I noticed she’d gone but hadn’t come back, and I found her deep in the debris, and I carried her back out, telling her how brave and amazing she was. Even stayed in the ambulance with her, held her hand the whole way. You guys were supposed to stay with people who had died in the accident, which kind of put you in limbo, but Bayesh and I plead our case and brought you both home. I hear they would have separated you if we didn’t, and I’m pretty sure such a young kid needed at least something familiar to hold on to… And I know Kat needed you just as much.” William nodded. “I’m grateful.” “I know,” Kero reassured him softly. There was a silence for a moment, while William tried to process everything. Most of it he’d known, but.. “Hey, do you happen to know what happened to all of my parents’ research on the subject?” he asked suddenly, and Kero glanced at him,surprised. “N-Not that I condone their methods, obviously. But...I remember reading about a horrible man who’s torturous research was eventually used to advance heart surgery so… I just want something good to come from the horrible stuff that happened,” he explained. To that, Kero smiled. “You know, I hear there is a group made up of ex-subjects doing some… freelance-y hero stuff, not that I am supposed to know about them...But there’s also your sister, I wanna say that she’s some good that came out of all of this. Speaking of which, Kat’s the only one who knows what happened to the research,” he explained. “Really?” William asked, incredulous. She’d never said anything about it. “Yup. You’ll have to ask her about it.” “I don’t think I will,” William said softly. There was a reason he’d asked Kero about all of this instead of Katherine; he didn’t want to open old wounds.

They arrived at Percy’s home, and he decided to pretend as if this entire conversation had never happened. After all, they had been looking forward to this presentation all week, and he didn’t want to ruin that. It stayed on his mind, though.

He didn’t sleep well.

#SOAH19 #SOAH #Story of a hero 19 #Story of a hero

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fuzzballsheltiepants · 7 years

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Chaol: Motivated by Loyalty? Or Fear?

WARNING: TOD spoilers. Do NOT read if you don’t want to see anything re: Tower of Dawn!!

This was inspired by this post by @my-name-is-fireheart that gave me insight into why so many people dislike Chaol. I’m going to start with a little review, and then I’m going to go into a long rambling dissertation. You have been warned.

Chaol is motivated by two things in his life: his love for Dorian, and fear. Certainly at the end of Heir of Fire, the latter emotion won. I think that much of what we tend to interpret as rigid morality is in fact fear. Apparent loyalty to the King when he didn’t warn Celaena about Nehemia being questioned was in fact a result of him being afraid of the King. When the King first told hime he was going to have Nehemia questioned, he added, “‘I want six men outside the room. Make sure there are no complications or interruptions.’ The look the king gave him suggested exactly the sort of complication he had in mind - Celaena. Chaol knew it was risky to ask questions…” Risky to just ask questions, let alone go against direct orders to keep quiet about it. He then didn’t tell Dorian what it was about though Dorian asked him directly, nor did he tell Celaena, “though part of him twisted until it hurt.” He is already beginning to struggle with the strain between what his morals told him to do (tell Celaena) and his fear of what would result (he or Celaena or both likely killed by the King).

At the end of Crown of Midnight, Chaol now knows that Celaena is part-fae and that Dorian has magic. This could be a death sentence for both of them, and he fears both that and the magic itself. This in turn is why he sends Celaena to Wendlyn and withdraws quite a bit from Dorian (a process begun by their respective relationships to Celaena but made much more significant by the magic revelation). He honestly wants to protect them from the King, but he also fears what they are capable of, especially Celaena. He’s had, after all, a life-long relationship with Dorian but has known Celaena for barely months and doesn’t really understand her and her motivations, and he has seen her mow men down with his own eyes. Much more powerful than reading about it in a dossier.

Throughout Heir of Fire, he begins to try to find his own morality and he struggles greatly. Up to that point, his morality had been defined by how he was raised. He was taught from childhood to trust the King (maybe - ToD hints that perhaps Chaol’s father was not so much the loyal subject), that magic is evil, etc., etc. It’s a beautiful parallel of people who are raised in a strict religious context, who start to get exposed to people from other religions, or atheists, or whatever, and begin to question their upbringing and try to form their own opinion about whether these “others” are good, bad, or gray. This is a very difficult thing to do, especially when you’ve come to realize both you and the two people in the world you care the most about (both of whom fit into the “other” category) are in mortal danger.

Chaol demonstrates quite a bit of self-loathing in HoF, QoS, and ToD. His confidence in his upbringing and moral beliefs has been shaken, and he has found himself making decisions he doesn’t understand out of fear of what will happen to him and the people he loves. It’s a painful journey to watch, but one that so many of us have to go through. He is basically the straight person in a supernatural comedy of errors - his experience and reactions parallel what most humans would do, if we’re being honest with ourselves. We would be afraid of these powers, and that fear would inform our decisions, both for good and for bad.

Here’s where I’m going to go off on a bit of a tangent that I promise relates. I’ve been a life-long horse person, and several years ago I had a catastrophic accident with a horse that were I a hair less balanced in the saddle, did I have a shade less experience, had the horse involved been an iota less athletic, would have resulted in the death of the horse, myself, or probably both. Luckily we both survived, but I will live with the repercussions of that accident for the rest of my life as my non-dominant arm was severely injured and I have residual nerve damage and structural damage to it. However, I still ride, even still ride the horse I had the accident on, who belongs to my very close friend.

Working with animals ten times my size who could kill me easily either on purpose or by accident (the horse in question absolutely did not want to hurt me, he just had a panicked moment), I live in a constant dance with what I regard as a healthy fear. A while back I read a brilliant article by a rider who stated that we should replace the word “fear” with “common sense” when talking about horses. When I throw my leg over a 1300 lb animal who can jump a five-foot fence and run at 30 mph, it is common sense to be respectful of what that animal can do; I have to make the decision every single time to get on, to do something I love, knowing that if something goes wrong I could die. Likewise, when Chaol is interacting with Celaena/Aelin, especially, there is a part of his mind that struggles to not remember that she was beyond deadly even without her magic, her assassin and fighting skill exceed his own, she has killed many while he has killed only one human (Cain). He can’t forget her gutting Archer Finn because it terrified him - for good reason. He didn’t know Archer had set up Nehemia’s death, and Celaena never tells him. All he saw was Archer beg for his life, tell Celaena she was a “good woman,” and Celaena gut him. It is common sense to fear someone who can do that if they won’t tell you their motivations.

Aelin/Celaena’s biggest flaw is her unwillingness to be honest and up front about things. Chaol is the character who calls her out on that the most, perhaps because he recognizes that same tendency in himself. His fearful common sense reaction to her is strengthened when he realizes she can set the world on fire. He both fears her abilitiees and wants to rely on them to save Dorian, save the world, and that’s a tough conflict to live with. Was he unfair to her when she returned, that he had placed expectations on her that she would come back to save Dorian? Sure - but he was also heartbroken and killing himself for having left Dorian, and had pinned his hopes onto her considerable abilities.

Speaking of which…the biggest thing Chaol had to heal from in ToD was for walking away from Dorian when the shit went down with Sorscha and Aedion, and Dorian’s magic showed itself to spare him. It was fear common sense that made him do so; he knew if he remained he’d be completely unable to help Dorian, while from the outside, with the rebels, he may have a chance. Likewise it was fear common sense coupled with love that had him fight Aelin so hard when she wanted to (justifiably from her perspective) kill Dorian.

Fear Common sense is incredibly valuable - until it is paralyzing (pun not intended). When your fear common sense helps you in your decision-making, it’s brilliant, but when it halts it, it’s catastrophic. Most people who suffer accidents similar to mine continue to ride at first, but find that their relationship with their horse suffers, and over time, they give up on it, or their riding becomes much more limited than it was. They lose the glorious sense of communion with another creature that cannot be matched by anything else; but if you ask them, they wouldn’t say they were afraid. They often don’t even think about the accident consciously. But the subconscious doesn’t let go, and the more you try to beat it down, the more it latches on.

Chaol actually doesn’t become overwhelmed in the moment, but over the ensuing months, his self-loathing for his decision making leads to his paralysis, both physically (because he essentially sacrifices himself so Aelin can rescue Dorian) and emotionally (leading him to cling to Nesryn despite his lack of feelings for her due to the safety she represents, leading him to be harsh to Yrene initially, etc.). The problem he was having, though, It wasn’t until he really was being healed by Yrene that he was able to recognize the fear in himself.

“He had been so afraid - so afraid of magic, of loss, of everything. And that fear…it had driven him to it anyway. It had hurried him down this path. He had clung so hard, had fought against it, and it had cost him everything…Unmoored and raging, he had not wanted to heal. Not really…Some part of him had whispered it was deserved. And the soul-wound…He had been content to let it fester. Failure and liar and oath-breaker.”

Chaol actually was far from a failure. He succeeded in escaping sure death at the hands of the King; helped free Aedion; helped Aelin gain funds for the war (by helping with the Arobynn situation); protected Dorian from Aelin, and ultimately gave himself up to save both the magic-wielders. Was he a liar? Perhaps, to his father; same with the oath-breaker. Perhaps one could argue he was to Nesryn as well, but Nesryn had in fact released him from any oath when she left with Sartaq, and he never really lied to her about his feelings. They were consensual sex partners without commitment in QoS, but never did he really promise her anything other than that he would walk out of the castle (and that was hardly his fault). But he couldn’t see himself as anything else until he recognized his fear, faced it, and saw it through to the other side. Until he was able to acknowledge it, and make the conscious decision to love Dorian, love Aelin, despite the fear common sense they inspire in him. Much as I make the conscious decision to ride my horses every day.

Essentially, Chaol’s role in this series is that of straight man to the supernatural weirdness going on around him. He feels the same fear common sense that we would. His responses are natural, and realistic, and human. He represents the process of getting a moral education, a forced expansion of one’s world, that many of us go through as we mature from children to adults. And he shows beautifully how healing occurs, both physically and emotionally.

#tod spoilers #tod #chaol westfall #healing from fear #tog #sjmaas

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real-life-pine-tree · 7 years

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Leo Will Never Know: Getting Stronger (4/?)

In an alternate timeline, Yugi indirectly prevented the events of Arc-V from ever happening. But how could this small change have an impact on a few selected people? A spin-off of the Arc-V Aftermath series. Based on the hilarious comic by @justanotherotakuandartist. Co-written with @violetganache42.

Within a few days, Ray had regained enough strength to go on the Domino City field trip. She has been looking forward to it before falling victim to the Society of Light because she gets an opportunity to visit her father and see how he's been doing the past few years. Michael admitted that it felt weird to be heading back to their hometown for a visit, but it was also remarkable to walk in the streets of a city where some important historical dueling events took place involving his idol Yugi Muto. He never forgot those words of advice to stay true to himself and he still cherished that memory to this day.

Ray noticed Michael's happy expression. "What got you smiling?" she asked.

"Before we met, I got to talk to Yugi Muto himself," Michael said. "He encouraged me to follow my heart and stick to my beliefs. He's the reason why I'm sticking to my Dueltainment dreams."

Ray remembered him telling her his dream to be a Dueltainer and was honestly impressed to learn how much he idolizes Yugi and was the reason for his future. She then began to ponder about her own future…again. While recovering in the nurse's office, she kept thinking about her possible dream to be a fashion designer. Her simple modifications to the female jackets led her to becoming an idol around campus and open up her own uniform repair business. Earlier that same week, the non-converted students were devastated to learn about her being manipulated into joining the Society of Light and the aftermath that followed, which explained the service's sudden hiatus, but they were all relieved that she's alright and that she'll be heading back to fixing up clothes in a little while. She didn't mind her abrupt popularity, but she has come to understand their undying respect, loyalty, and admiration for her, regardless of her being fooled into "embracing the light". Her talent for sewing and modifying clothes contributed into the life she was now living and left a positive impact on the dress code, and quite frankly, she was highly content with that. She hoped that her dream will leave an influence in the fashion world when she gets older.

"Michael, if you manage to become a Dueltainer, can I design your costumes?" Ray asked.

"Really?" Michael asked in response.

Ray smiled and nodded. "During my time in Duel Academy, I have become well-known for being a fashion designer. What if that's my true future?"

Michael definitely knew how much Ray was admired for her fashion skills. It would be awesome if she does utilize them to pursue her dream to design and fix clothes. He even imagined what costumes she would make for him to wear for his Dueltaining career.

"Sure," Michael said. "Can't wait to see what costumes you have in mind for my performances."

Ray's face became happy upon hearing those words of support. It was obvious that everyone adored the clothes she made and repaired, so being a fashion designer was officially going to be her future.

Not long after the two's discussion, the Duel Academy students arrived at Domino City. Everyone scattered all over the city; most of them gave themselves tours as they went to locations where important events occurred from Battle City while Sartorius headed towards KaibaCorp to talk to Kaiba about something. As for Michael and Ray, they walked down the streets together, talking about how it felt nice to be back in their hometown. She mentioned how she knows what her dad's hours are, so she'll visit him after he's done working. As usual, knowing the couple, they always unintentionally come across Jaden with his friends; this time, they saw him at the pier with Syrus and Hassleberry, who were both arguing about Yugi's duel against a mind-controlled Joey and—not surprisingly—who is worthy of being Jaden's best friend.

"Have you noticed something is a bit off with that Hassleberry guy?" Michael asked.

"Aside from having dinosaur DNA?" Ray asked.

"Not just that," Michael clarified. "It's how he treats Jaden."

"What about it?" Ray asked.

"He seems a little more chummy towards him," Michael said. "He even calls him 'sarge'."

Ray immediately knew what Michael was talking about. "You don't think...?"

"Probably," Michael guessed. "I never saw him express an interest in girls."

Even if Hassleberry doesn't have a preference for females, Michael and Ray both agreed that he wouldn't be the right fit for Jaden. Maybe it was for the best for him to be just his friend.

Later on, as Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry went to Kame Game Shop, Michael walked by KaibaCorp. As he looked at the building's structure, he reflected on how this gaming company was run by someone who ruined his girlfriend's old life. He was glad that she's moving on from it and looking towards the future. Just then, he heard a growl from Odd-Eyes Dragon, almost like he was eager about something.

Michael took out the card. "What's that, Odd-Eyes?" he asked. "You're sensing someone in there?"

Odd-Eyes growled out "Yes", leading to his owner to head to the window where he was sensing not someone, but rather something. It was a Duel Monsters card, leading to Michael to read its statistics. His name was Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and he was a Level 8 DARK Dragon Monster with 2800 ATK and 2000 DEF, requiring 2 DARK monsters—except Tokens—as Fusion Materials. On the turn he was Fusion Summoned, he can gain ATK equal to a special summoned monster the opponent controls until the End Phase. He can also target a Level 5 or higher opposing monster and obtain its name and effects, but it can only be done once per turn. If he was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, his owner can destroy all special summoned monsters the opponent controls.

"Wow!" Michael exclaimed, impressed. "I never saw a card like that before!"

He heard Odd-Eyes enthusiastically roar, as if he may have found a new dragon to include in his owner's deck. Michael wasn't sure if it was for sale or available in stores, but he did hear him call out to him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Michael turned his head to see where the voice came from and it was none other than Seto Kaiba himself, the same person who was not only Yugi's self-proclaimed rival, but also ruined Leo and Ray's lives. The Obelisk Blue student couldn't believe he was actually meeting him…at first.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, sir!" Michael exclaimed. "But it felt like that card was calling out to me and-"

"Say no more," Kaiba interrupted. "I want you to come with me."

Come with him? Was there something important going on? Does it involve the Society of Light? Regardless, Michael listened to what Kaiba instructed and followed him.

"A few years ago, I never believed in fate," Kaiba said. "But then certain events occurred that made me realize things happen for a reason and it's not random."

"What are you saying?" Michael asked.

"I'm saying that if you really think that card called out to you, you can have it," Kaiba answered.

Michael was left stupefied but excited at the same time and thanked Kaiba for the offer. He was finally going to get a second dragon in his deck and Odd-Eyes his first dragon friend. "Wow, thanks!" he happily said. "I was actually trying to find another dragon!"

"Don't get too excited," Kaiba informed. "I'm only doing this because Sartorius told me about what happened to your girlfriend. I'm aware that it's my fault she ended up siding with him, but I had to make sure Solid Vision wouldn't cause the holograms to become self-aware. Leo Corporation going bankrupt wasn't my fault. People just happened to become fast fans of Duel Disks."

It was starting to become clear for Michael about why Leo and Ray ended up going broke. It was partially Kaiba's fault, but the general public was to blame for it. The CEO explained that he had to tell him because he feared she wouldn't believe him.

"You do have a good point," Michael said. "Ray has a tendency to be stubborn."

"So think of this card as my way of apologizing to the Akabas," Kaiba said. "After all, if you two are thinking about freeing the other students from the Society of Light, you're going to need a lot more powerful cards."

Michael immediately knew that Kaiba sensed something fishy was going on with Sartorius and the Society of Light after he spoke to the Arcana Force user. He was then informed about how security was keeping an eye on things at Kaiba Land after the CEO gave Sartorius permission to use the theme park.

"By the way, he also mentioned something about missing a card," Kaiba added. "He didn't seem to mind, but do you know anything about that?"

Michael remembered seeing the card a few days earlier when he was looking for Ray. He still had it with him and took it out from his deck. He explained that Arcana Force VI - The Lovers was originally supposed to be used to describe the couple's future together. It was unknowingly dropped and Sartorius used a different card to lure her into the Society of Light and mentally abuse her into becoming "the perfect Duelist".

"Then perhaps you can give that card to her," Kaiba suggested. "Ray might put it to good use."

"You think so?" Michael asked.

"Seems fitting since you're getting a new card," Kaiba explained. "Just don't waste this new power."

After staring at the Arcana card, Michael thanked Kaiba for the assistance. The two walked over to the display case and the latter unlocked it before handing Starving Venom over to the former and reminding him to take care of it. He said that he will and then exited the glass doors, leaving KaibaCorp.

The onion-haired teen ran through the streets to find his girlfriend and saw her near the city center. He then told her what Kaiba said about how the public's vast support of the Duel Disks was what caused Leo Corporation's downfall; she then face-palmed out of realization because she was so stupid to blame someone for her and Leo's poverty. She was reassured of how she had every right to be upset and was reminded on how Action Duels were rejected because Solid Vision with mass could make the monsters sentient and lead to global doomsday, making it Kaiba's fault for his decision, not the bankruptcy. She softly smiled after hearing this, making it a sign that her grudge against the CEO has lightened or maybe even faded away.

Michael then gave Ray a monster card. She asked what it was and he explained that they were given these two powerful cards to help them in their fight against the Society of Light.

"Wait a minute..." Ray said. "This is Sartorius' card!"

"Not anymore," Michael explained. "This was what he initially drew when he apparently read your fortune, but he must have lied in order to get you to join him."

Ray read the given information of Arcana Force VI - The Lovers. It was a Level 4 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 1600 ATK and DEF. When it is summoned, she must toss a coin to activate one of its two effects; if it lands on heads, she can treat it as 2 tributes for tribute summoning an Arcana Force monster, but if it's tails, then she can't tribute summon Arcana Force monsters. The effects seemed meaningless to her because she doesn't have that archetype, but Michael interpreted this card as a symbol for what her future was supposed to be: a bright and happy marriage with him.

"You really think so?" Ray asked.

"Of course," Michael answered. "You might have had a rough past, but it looks like fate wants us to be together."

Ray looked at the card again. "This could actually work," she realized. "Hope Dragon Flower's secondary ability allows me to special summon a LIGHT Fairy-Type monster from my deck or hand."

She may have found a new strategy she can use with the dropped card. She also pointed out on the card Michael was holding in his hand and he said Kaiba let him have Starving Venom Fusion Dragon because he felt a connection between them. As a bonus, this also made him Odd-Eyes' first dragon friend.

"Are you sure?" Ray asked.

"Of course," Michael answered. "I can hear him as well. He really likes being in my deck."

If that was the case, then Ray was proud of Michael gaining a new dragon partner. Now their next task was to find useful and powerful cards to battle against the Society of Light, so their best bet was to check out the card and game shops around town. Although they weren't able to assist Jaden and Aster due to their card search, it still didn't change the fact their mission to defeat Sartorius and free the students from his influence was necessary.

Not long after the Domino City field trip, the Genex Tournament was beginning shortly because Chancellor Sheppard was returning to announce it. During his absence, he has been giving various and professional Duelists one Genex Medallion to participate. Shortly after the tournament began, Dr. Crowler had called Michael and Ray into his office to speak with them about something important.

"Thank you for coming," Dr. Crowler said. "I wish for you to handle the professional Duelists who are participating in this tournament."

The two Obelisk Blue students were surprised by this request. "How come?" Michael asked.

"Because they are giving the more inexperienced students a hard time," Dr. Crowler explained. "I feel that it is an unfair disadvantage. I have already asked Damon and Belowski for their help and, as the two best Obelisk Blue students in your class, I wish for you to do the same."

"Thank you, Dr. Crowler," Ray said. "We won't let you down."

The best part is they can try out their new strategies now that they got Starving Venom, The Lovers, and some new cards they bought back at Domino. They were both given the last two Genex Medallions to let people know they're participating: one for Michael and one for Ray. They left the office and went outside to the island to start dueling the professionals. Some of them like Mathmatica and Maitre'D make the students afraid because they wish not to duel them due to how strong they are with their skills, but the couple won't back down from a challenge, even if they are from pro Duelists.

"Well if it isn't the rumored Obelisk students of Duel Academy."

The two students turned around to see a figure standing behind them. They recognized the red suit and the light blue and black striped mask anywhere. It was the legendary and infamous Arkana, who was one of Marik's Rare Hunters hired to defeat Yugi during Battle City and tricked into reuniting with his beloved Catherine. Since that day many years ago, he never forgave his former master for deceiving him like that, but he still has his Dark Magician and is no longer a cheater.

Michael stepped forward. "You're the illusionist Arkana," he said.

"Correct," Arkana said. "The one true Dark Magician user."

Michael smirked at that. "As if," he said. "That title goes to Yugi Muto."

"How would you know?" Arkana asked.

"Do you really think you're the only one who likes magicians?" Michael asked, revealing the magician cards in his deck. "I bet my lovely magicians can beat yours."

"You dare challenge me?" Arkana asked.

"Sure, I could kill some time," Michael answered.

The two activated their Duel Disks to initiate the duel and to see if Arkana's Dark Magician can handle Michael's Magicians and Sorcerers, especially the surprise he has in store for his opponent. While that is going on, Ray wished her boyfriend good luck before heading off to find another pro Duelist to duel against.

"Well what do we have here?"

Ray stopped waking to see the person standing in front of her. It was Rex Raptor and his brown hair with purple-dyed strands on his forehead were a clear giveaway. Ray has heard a lot about him since she was a kid and she knows that he has high dueling morals and plays fair despite his arrogant and tyrannical personality.

"So you're the one with the Hope Dragons," Rex commented.

"Indeed," Ray happily replied. "You want to see them in action?"

"Whaddya think?" Rex asked as he readied his Duel Disk. "I love a good challenge, but don't get too cocky. My dinos have gotten stronger over the past few years."

Naturally, he was one to talk because he was cocky. Ray also prepared her Duel Disk as well as she was about to start Crowler's assignment of dueling the professionals along with Michael. If she was going to be honest, she didn't expect legendary Duelists like Rex and Arkana to show up on the island, but it makes the tournament more fun to take part in.

So far, the couple have been fairing really well as they gained more Genex Medallions by defeating many pro Duelists. They spotted Damon and Belowski, who were both exhausted after dueling for a while, so they picked up the pace and dueled more professionals, including those that were defeated by their classmates and Alexis (since she still showed respect and pride for her Obelisk Blue companions). While they continued to search for any more pro Duelists on the island, they spotted a duel was going on and ran to where Jaden, Aster, and Hassleberry were standing. From what they saw, it was a battle between brothers with Syrus going against Zane, who looked and acted much differently than he normally did.

"Weird..." Michael said. "Was Zane always that cold?"

"Probably," Ray answered. "But Syrus seems...off."

Well, they weren't exactly off. Jaden and Aster overheard their curiosity and filled them in on what was happening. After his defeat at the Pro League, Zane soon became sadistic and disrespectful towards his opponents after his duel with Mad Dog. Syrus doesn't like his brother's new personality, so he decided to duel him to try and reclaim the latter's old persona. He was also "off" because of the shock-amplifying devices they were wearing, which electrocutes the Duelist whenever they lose Life Points; Zane was used to the shocks, but Syrus wasn't. He was using a continuous Trap called Life Force where he can reduce the Battle Damage to 0 at the cost of 400 LP.

Ray was absolutely horrified, her hand immediately reaching up to her neck. Despite her recovery, she could still feel the shocks she received during her time in the Society of Light. Why would Zane do such a thing?

Michael instinctively place his hands on Ray's shoulders to calm her down while reassuring her that it was going to be okay. Jaden and Hassleberry recalled hearing the story of the mental abuse Sartorius gave her while she was regaining her strength.

"Sarge and I heard about what happened," Hassleberry said. "Didn't even known that was goin’ on."

"None of us knew," Michael pointed out. "Sartorius imprisoned her in a room and prevented her from escaping."

"You feelin' alright, Ray?" Jaden asked.

"It still scares me from time to time," Ray answered. "But I think I managed to make a full recovery."

"That's the spirit!" Jaden encouraged, doing his signature pose to get Ray to smile.

Ray always saw Jaden's pose whenever he won a duel against someone up to where she can instantly spot it, even at a far distance. It undoubtedly helped her relax and crack a smile on her face. "Thanks Jaden," she said, knowing how he could still remain so calm and happy during dramatic moments.

The Slifer Red student pointed out that he'll do anything for a friend, a fellow classmate, or a student regardless of rankings. The five Duelists watched from the sidelines as the Truesdales' duel progressed. At one point, Syrus fell onto his knees after getting shocked and draining his LP down to 1600 due to Life Force, with his glasses falling off as well. It was nearly impossible for him to respect his older brother when he's like this, but Zane harshly claimed that there's only enough room for respecting victory, even if it means disrespecting his opponents. Hearing this cruel irony shocked Michael, Ray, Aster, and Hassleberry, but not Jaden.

"Syrus, no!" Jaden exclaimed. "It's not true! Don't listen to him! He's wrong, fight it! And don't forget: Zane isn't himself! You need to remind him about respect! Respect for his cards, respect for his opponent, and respect for himself!"

Syrus stood up and put his glasses back on face before drawing a card, which was revealed to be Power Bond. He wasn't expecting to find it in his deck and looked at Jaden until he realized that his friend went to his dorm room to look for it and shuffled it with the rest of his cards. Michael had to muffle a laugh when that was revealed.

Ray asked what was so funny until she spotted Power Bond and Syrus' comprehended expression. She could've sworn he was afraid of using that card yet the look on Jaden's face said that now was a good time to use it and to help remind Zane about respect.

As Cycroid and the Equip Spell Training Wheels returned to the field, the Vehicroid user used Power Bond to Fusion Summon Pair Cycroid with its ATK doubled to 3200, but was decreased down to 2700 by activating its effect to remove 500 ATK in order to declare a direct attack. Zane activates Power Wall and sent 27 cards to the Graveyard to nullify the attack, resulting in his younger brother to play a face-down. Power Bond's final effect would cause Syrus to take damage equal to Pair Cycroid's original 1600 ATK, but thanks to his face-down Mirror Guard, that damage is redirected to Zane, who activated Fusion Guard to cancel the effect by sending one Fusion monster to the Graveyard.

Once the Cyberdark user drew a card to start his turn, he used Warp Bean to reduce Cyberdarks Horn and Keel from 2800 to 800 ATK by sending Infernal and Exploder Dragons to the Graveyard and removed 200 more ATK on both monsters to attack his opponent directly. Life Force was activated twice, bringing Syrus' LP down to 800, and he used it a third time after Cyberdark Edge attacked directly through halving the Battle Damage, lowering it down to 400. Zane activated his face-down Rebirth Judgement to declare all monsters in both Graveyards as Dragon Type; he then used Instant Fusion to Fusion Summon Cyberdark Dragon by using Horn, Edge, and Keel as Fusion Materials. By using Cyber End Dragon's first effect to equip itself onto the special summoned monster, the ATK ricocheted from 1000 to 5000, and because there were 38 cards in his Graveyard, Cyberdark Dragon's third effect gives it an ATK for every discarded card x 100, making its total ATK 8800.

Zane targeted Pair Cycroid, but Syrus played Emergency Provisions to give himself an extra 1000 LP by discarding Mirror Guard and activated Life Force again to reduce the damage to 0 by costing 400 LP, bringing it down to 1000. He thought he won because that meant there were no cards left for his older brother to draw, but in an unexpected twist, De-Fusion was used and Cyberdarks Horn, Edge, and Keel were on the fields with 800 ATK each. They all dealt a direct attack to deal 2400 damage to him, causing the devices to electrocute him once more as his LP dropped down to 0 and he collapsed onto the ground as a result. Aster was left speechless at the duel's outcome while Michael and Ray were terrified; Hassleberry shouted out to Zane as he walked away while Jaden ran towards Syrus to see if he was okay, only to see his friend pass out. It was clear he needed to be taken to Nurse Fontaine's office right now.

"I don't know what's worse," Michael said as Ray was panicking due to the duel still reminding her of Sartorius' abuse. "The Society of Light or a deranged version of Zane."

Already knowing Ray was in a state of panic, Michael hugged her as much as she could to help regain her senses. Just witnessing the duel led her to become so terrified that she stated she might not be feeling well. This was a sign of her suffering from PTSD, and the shock-amplifying devices sending electricity to the Duelists were the triggers.

Michael started stroking his girlfriend's hair. "I see you hiding all alone," he started singing. "Crying oh so softly. Eyes looking down, feeling low." He started speaking normally. "Come on, RayRay. You love this song."

The song he was singing was the song "99%" by BOWL. He wanted to sing this to remind that despite the struggles she's been suffering, there will always be someone to help her through life's hardships.

"Rethinking all those memories," Michael continued singing, now having to separate from the hug to try to get her to dance with him. "Sadness comes across you and casts a frown. But things are more than they seem."

A small smile started to appear on Ray's face. "When darkness turns to daybreak," Michael sang. "Go out and seek for your sake. The people of this world may share with you your pain. But when a wall surrounds them, discourages and drowns them, they get up. So why don't you do the same?" As he sang that last part, the onion-haired teen booped his girlfriend's nose.

There was no point in resisting as Ray gave in and started dancing to the song. Michael may be dorky sometimes, but she was glad that he was her dork and she didn't want anything about that to change.

Ultimately Michael stopped singing and the two embraced in a sweet hug. "Thanks, you big dork," Ray said.

"Don't mention it, sweet princess," Michael replied.

For the rest of the school year, they continued participating in the Genex Tournament. They eventually lost all their Genex Medallions to non-Society students, but that moment meant they were now officially ready to take on the Society of Light. They joined Chazz—who wanted to make amends for his actions during his time at said organization—and a group of Obelisk Blue students as they freed most of them from the Society's grip while the dark-haired teen now possessed their Medallions. Ray felt this was an interesting way to take out her grudge against Sartorius, who was now under complete control by the Light of Destruction and dueling Jaden with the fate of the world at stake.

Just as Chazz was getting ready to declare himself the winner of the tournament, a disguised Blair Flannigan showed up who wanted to win this tournament and get into Slifer Red. Even though she soon lost and her opponent was officially the Genex Tournament Champion, she was still able to be accepted into Duel Academy as a Slifer Red student. It was also good timing too because Jaden defeated the Light of Destruction, freeing Sartorius from its control and disbanding the Society of Light for good.

#Arc V Aftermath #yugioh arc v #Zarc (arc v)#Ray Akaba #GenesisShipping #ZarcRay #Leo Will Never Know

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caramelstroopwafel · 7 years

Text

brief visitation

aka the mp100 timetravel fic no one (but ao prob) asked for. it's the 19th where u were born so happy birthday u lemonhead

The distant sound of the city’s heart floats in through the ajar window, a muted cacophony of chatter, soles on pavement, and rolling engines. The climate is an odd mix of arid and humid this time of year. The sun is shining, grand cumulous clouds are painted generously just above the horizon, and the sky’s endless blue makes for a good medium to drown oneself in. It’s a beautiful day.

Reigen sits back in his sofa with an open book sitting in his lap and an unlit cigarette in hand. He leans heavily on his side as he twirls the cigarette in his hand. His gaze darts up to the lighter sitting next to the ashtray.

For now, both the eastern and western-facing windows are ajar, inviting a gentle breeze that both cools and keeps the air fresh. There have been no customers to walk in since opening up. He contemplates having his fourth smoke of the day.

The two-note chime signalling a customer rings out in the empty office, and his aborted movement shifts as he moves the book to the end table in a fluid motion. He tucks the unlit cigarette into his jacket pocket for later.

The door to the office closes with an audible click, and he spins around as he affects his brightest smile. “Yes, hello, welcome! What do you need?”

The first thing Reigen thinks is that the man who just walked in looks awfully cool for such heavy clothes. A black turtleneck? Seems a little much this late in spring, in his opinion, and the grey blazer over it doesn’t seem to be made of a light material in the slightest.

The man blinks, then smiles--a small, but strangely warm thing from a stranger. “I guess I’m here for a consultation.”

Reigen has been in this business for a year, which is plenty of time to develop a sense for the type of people that generally frequent this building. Troubled is a solid, general term that fits, as is uncertain (and privately, “gullible” is another, though he prefers to use the words “trusting” and “wise” out loud). A quick glance gives Reigen the impression that the man doesn't seem particularly troubled or uncertain. But he doesn’t turn away potential customers, so.

“I see, I see,” he says as he strolls over to his bookshelf to grab the small chair nestling at its corner. He scoots it into place directly before his desk and makes his way to his own seat, gesturing in front of him with his smile still in place. “So what seems to be the problem?”

The man just manages to make it to the chair when Reigen continues to speak, arms waving about in wide motions. “Is there a heavy weight on your shoulders? Shooting pains? A feeling of someone--or something--watching? A sudden turn of bad luck? Whatever it is, I can surely resolve it!” He pauses, affecting a look of belated realization before turning to his stack of flyers to the side. “In fact, I have a bargain going on right now, with varying reduction rates depending on which course you go with…”

“There isn’t a problem.”

Reigen pauses to glance at the client. His expression is hard to read, but he still seems relaxed.

“Not really, at least,” the man continues. “It’s...something that’ll smooth out eventually. I suppose I’m just passing the time, for now.”

“But if you wait, the problem could get worse!” Reigen shouts emphatically, leaping from his chair. “That sort of lackadaisical attitude is exactly what leaves clients at a loss, making possession a very terrifying possibility and leading to an even worse situation--especially when a particularly malevolent spirit is involved!” He slams his hand down on his desk, staring down the man with a grave look. “Waiting for things to blow over never works with spirits. The more time you spend not doing anything, the more time they have to--“

“No, I think I’m all right,” the man interrupts smoothly. He looks amused. “But thank you.”

Reigen takes a moment to examine the individual sitting across from him, expression smoothing out into one of neutrality. “... Well, if you don’t need any help then I don’t see any reason for you to stay.” He falls into his chair and throws his arms out in a shrug. “I understand that you might be bored while you wait for, for whatever it is to fix itself, but I’m running a business. Can’t afford to lose foot traffic just because a window-shopper without any issues is hanging around.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay you for your time.” The man fiddles with a strand of hair to the side of his face. It’s a bit of an old-fashioned look, but it’s worn well. Seems like one that he’s comfortable with.

A lot about the man seems to be comfortable and relaxed.

Reigen isn’t as much.

“My prices are cheap compared to a lot of other places,” he says, “but it still isn’t something pocket change can cover. My cheapest price for exorcism runs at two-hundred.”

The man waves his hand in the air dismissively. It’s an uncomfortably familiar motion. “I have the money, it’ll be fine.”

Reigen bites back the immediate reply of no, and takes a quick glance at his watch. It’s half-past three, and aside from the man sitting across from him he hasn’t had anyone walk into this office since opening up. He doesn’t run this business for money, but it’s pay he could use, and it isn’t as though there’s any guarantee an actual customer will come by anytime soon.

(And if they do, he can just kick the guy out. Or sucker him into helping, if he’s so keen on sticking around.)

“Fine. You can hang around or whatever for a little while.” He juts his finger at the man, eyes narrowed in an intimidating way. “But don’t try anything funny. I’m a green-belt in Shorinji Kenpo and I get ornery customers all the time.”

The thinly veiled threat doesn’t elicit the desired effect. Instead, the reply is a small shrug and a simple, “yes, of course,” before the man about-faces and wanders over to the coffee table.

Reigen pulls his laptop closer and adjusts the angle of the screen when the glare shines harshly in his eyes. He watches the man through his peripherals, his gaze lingering somewhere in the corner of his laptop screen.

He seems to wander the room a bit, taking in the structure and placement of objects and...who knows, really. He picks up the ashtray and inspects it for a few moments before putting it back down in its original position.

He hardly seems to care that he’s hanging around a stranger’s workspace, whether it’s discomfort at the fact he’s in an unfamiliar place or common courtesy in the “don’t touch what isn’t yours” way. Reigen doesn’t really care, and if he did he wouldn’t have relented in the first place.

He does feel an odd swell of offense when the man walks over to the plant and pointedly swipes a finger across one of the leaves, rubbing dust between his fingers. He doesn’t even look over at Reigen but the message (self-fabricated or not) is still there.

A couple more minutes of quiet observing and mere curiosity has Reigen relaxing, figuring the man is trustworthy enough to not filch anything. (Not that there is anything particularly worth stealing here, but Reigen still likes his belongings right where they are, so. The worry was still there.)

With one last glance to the uninvited guest, Reigen pulls up a webpage and decides to surf the internet to pass the time.

Cat video. Cats. Oh, that’s a cute dog. What a good dog. Huh, I didn’t know snakes could do that. What is he doing with that hose? A how-to-bake video… Chocolate chip cookies sound good right now. Oh. It’s one of those videos. With the eggs. Why is he wearing a pink bodysuit?… Is he okay? Oh shit that--fireworks to the ass, all right. Ouch.

Reigen clicks on the next video with an interesting-looking thumbnail, leaning heavily on his left arm when a black screen pops up. He taps his mouse impatiently as he waits for the five second timer to end.

It’s a twenty-second video. Why does it even have an advertisement?

Personally, he thinks it’s a waste of money to have these useless ads on videos. There’s a five-second cooldown that makes any minute-or-more advertisement pretty much pointless, since anyone there for the video is guaranteed to skip the ad. It’s not like it actually nets a large amount of customers. If anything, in Reigen’s own experience, it just makes him want to spitefully avoid whatever it is that’s being advertised.

He also knows he’s talking (thinking) out of his ass and just irritated at nothing.

Now, making his own videos and letting big corporations burn cash by setting their skippable ads on his content… That’s something that could work, actually. Maybe. How does monetizing on this website work? Reigen’s never really thought about it before, but business has been pretty slow this month. Maybe he could use whatever business opportunities reaching out to the internet communities will give him…

He pauses halfway down the FAQ page and sits back in his chair with a sigh.

Of course, he’s not even sure he’s going to continue this business for much longer. The original appeal of having his own spirits consultation office has faded away to a feeling of monotony. He mostly gives people massages, and being a masseur isn’t anything really interesting to him.

Something is dropped on his desk, and his gaze darts over to the book now sitting to the side of his laptop. It’s the book he was skimming earlier.

“Throw this away.”

Reigen turns his gaze up to the man staring down at him, a remark already on the tip of his tongue--

“Ibara Masato is a scam artist,” the man says before he can get a word out. Looking carefully, his expression is more dead-serious than anything priggish. “His works have some credence, but it’s mostly due to him collecting official works from licensed individuals and piling them together to create something that’s half truth and half bullshit.”

Reigen takes a moment to mentally interject I got that book for free, so that’s not too surprising, followed by I guess all con artists operate by that code.

“Read something from Lian, or Zang-hee. They’re licensed individuals with experience in the field.” A pause. “I wouldn’t recommend you try acupuncture without formal training, though.”

Reigen snatches the book away, waving his free hand wildly in the air to dismiss the thought. “Obviously. I only read the books, I don’t--I’m just curious. I wouldn’t actually try something like that on a customer.”

He’s not even lying, either--his interest in this book in particular was only for the information on pressure points. Massages are one thing, acupuncture not only requires the proper materials but is a pretty invasive procedure. Sure, he’s entertained the idea, maybe to test on himself first but…

“I figured I’d let you know anyway. It’s better than trying it on yourself and accidentally paralyzing your arm for a day.”

Well that’s weirdly specific.

Reigen stares at the book in his hand, scrutinizing it carefully as if gazing at it long enough will magically reveal all of its secrets. Unsurprisingly, nothing happens.

He settles for placing the book at the edge of his desk for later consideration. When he looks up, he finds the man is seated in the far sofa, apparently having commandeered another one of Reigen’s books to actually read instead of criticize this time.

~o~o~o~

Something in the corner of Reigen’s eyes shifts, and he forces the startled surprise from showing on his face when he remembers that yes, there was someone else here.

I forgot he was here. How did I forget there was someone here? I mean, he doesn’t look like anyone really memorable sure, but he’s in my office and--how…?

The man walks up to the desk and Reigen affects a questioning, expectant look.

“I have to go soon,” he says, withdrawing what looks to be a small notebook from his pocket. He motions for Reigen to take it, and hands it over.

It’s not a notebook.

“What--” Reigen stares in shock at the bills folded neatly between leather, but he isn’t so shocked that he can’t thumb through them surreptitiously and shift them into the light to check for counterfeit--oh, okay, they’re real. Holy shit.

Did… Did the guy just give him his damn wallet?

“Um.” A true intellectual inspiration.

“It’s not my wallet if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s not your wallet,” Reigen blurts out, “then whose wallet is it!? I don’t--I’m not going to take stolen money!” He feels just slightly frantic because, sure, he runs a business that isn’t entirely honest but he doesn’t steal and--

Just who the hell is this guy if he stole this much money!?

Silence falls in the office, Reigen waiting for the man to pull out a knife or something and say that it was all a ruse, blah blah “give me all the money you have,” while the maybe-maybe-not criminal stares at him with wide-eyes.

The moment passes and the man laughs.

Which, is kinda surprising, but why beyond “oh god he’s laughing, is that confirmation or something else” is something Reigen can’t actually figure out. Maybe he shouldn’t have come to work today.

“It’s not stolen, either,” the man says eventually, laughter subsided but eyes still creased around the edges. “It’s honest money. I just… I can’t take it with me, is all.”

Reigen is doubtful, but the man doesn’t really…seem...like he’s lying. And Reigen has enough pride in his ability to handle people that he trusts his intuition. Sorta. “This is still too much,” he says, grimacing as he holds the money--a small fortune, why the hell is this guy carrying around a small fortune in his pocket--out to the man. “About a whole digit...or two...too much. This isn’t--“

“Use it to buy some better reference materials. And maybe something for the empty corner over there.” He glances over to said empty corner by the door. He turns back and smiles, the tilt barely discernable but genuine all the same. “This was interesting.”

He blinks, expression fading back to neutrality, and turns. “I’ll show the client in.”

Reigen glances from the man, the far wall, and the wad of cash in his hand. He is confused.

But as the man reaches the door, the chime goes off. A quiet “Excuse me,” is heard, and Reigen hears the man reply “he’s right inside.”

Reigen stands abruptly as the woman is led inside. The man smiles, nods his head and disappears around the corner.

It belatedly occurs to him that he never learned his name.

“Um, excuse me?” the woman hedges tentatively, “I’m here for a consultation…”

True to form, Reigen snaps back to reality. “... Uh. Ah, I mean--yes! Yes, come in, make yourself comfortable…”

He makes one last glance to the door, now shut, before directing the client to his desk.

(It’s something a quick massage fixes easily, and not even an hour later the client is leaving with a content smile on her face. Reigen leans heavily into his sofa and wonders about possible careers, weird customers with too much free time, and bowl cuts.)

(Five minutes later, a client of diminutive size and voice steps into the office. He is troubled.

His name is Kageyama Shigeo, and he is an esper.)

i heard @athanatosora wasnt feeling good so heres ur recycled timetravel trash i hope u feel better saltfry

p.s. pls excuse my dusty af writing it’s been a while+present tense doesnt like me. p.p.s. i cant title for shit but i hope u liked it anyway

#cara writes a thing #mp100

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batwayneman · 7 years

Text

Antidote

Inspired by the first episode of Powerless, but has nothing to do with the actual show. Watch for the Read More.

Bruce had just finished putting the files from their last project away when Tim returned from his coffee run. He nodded in thanks, and took a long drink as Tim sat back down at his half of the enormous desk. When they were both working at the Wayne Enterprises building in Gotham, it was easiest for everyone if they were in the same office.

“Kinslow is sending someone up for a proposal. From the Med-Chem Research team, I think,” Tim said, taking a sip of his drink, and flicking the mouse to turn his computer on.

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows and hummed, taking another sip. There were various research teams that were funded by many subsections of WE; scientists were given freedom to use the grant money for whatever research they wished, and were given a fair cut of the profits, if any profitable ideas ever came from the research.

It was a very competitive grant, to say the least.

All sort of products had been produced by WE through these teams; the most recent being a super durable polymer that could be used to create strong, but lightweight rope. The Air Force had happily bought it to use in their parachutes.

Bruce had been able to modify it to be part of the newest model of his grappling gun.

“I didn’t know a MedChem research team was close to anything,” Bruce mused.

Tim shrugged. “I didn’t think so either. I don’t know what this is about,” he paused. “Hopefully not supervillainy.”

“I would hope that Kinslow wouldn’t send them directly to us if it was supervillainy,” Bruce deadpanned.

“Yeah but he’s an idiot, so you never know,” Tim scoffed.

Bruce smirked into his coffee. Kinslow was the head supervisor of the MedChem subsection at WE, and had made the mistake years ago of remarking how ‘adorable’ it was that Tim wanted to help run WE. Tim had never been forgiven him. To be fair, Kinslow certainly wasn’t the most intelligent supervisor that WE employed. He was a hard worker with years of experience, but was known to be a terrible communicator.

There was a loud knock at the door. Bruce automatically slouched more in his seat and put a more open expression on his face. After so many years of flitting between ‘Bruce’ and ‘Brucie’, it had become easier to slip between them.

“Come on in!” He called.

The door opened and two people entered the office. They looked like brother and sister, around Dick’s age, both with straight black hair, and high cheekbones below slanted eyes. The brother looked apprehensive, while the sister looked on the edge of anger.

“Hi there, what can we help you with today?” Bruce asked, smiling.

“I’m Janice Sosa, and this is my brother Alan Sosa. We’re a team from the MedChem independent funded research part of WE,” Janice said abruptly.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Tim said appeasingly, “But why did you need to meet with us? Project specifics are usually discussed with your supervisor, and funding problems go to Mr. Fox.” Bruce and Tim usually only get involved at the very end to approve products.

She pursed her lips into a tight, angry line.

“We did speak with our supervisor, and that stupid, selfish asshole told us to come talk to you-” she stopped talking abruptly, having just realized she called her boss an asshole to two heads of the company. She flushed angrily, but did not take the words back. Her brother looked like he was about to throw up.

“Okay, well, why don’t you start at the beginning, so we can figure out exactly why Mr. Kinslow is a stupid, selfish asshole,” Bruce said jovially. Tim snorted.

Janice and Alan looked taken aback, like they couldn’t decide if Bruce was being genuine or patronizing.

“We created a cheap, effective method of producing an antidote for the Joker toxin,” Alan finally stated, much more soft spoken than his sister.

Bruce raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Really? You have the compound and the synthesis process ready to go, right now?” Tim asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Janice said, “We have several months of lab results that proves that is has almost identical effectiveness to that used in hospitals, and the process to create it is faster and cheaper.”

Tim started typing frantically on the computer. He pulled up their research file, and started skimming through it.

“So it’s not the same compound used in the hospitals?” he clarified as he read.

“No,” she replied, “The chemical structure is different; but it doesn’t affect the effectiveness at clearing the toxin from the body, and makes it easier to mass produce.”

“That’s absolutely incredible,” Bruce said sincerely, and Tim nodded. Alan gave a small smile and, seemingly despite herself, Janice relaxed marginally.

“Is there a production outline for the antidote? I’d love to go over it with you,” Tim asked, still scrolling rapidly through the file.

“There is a summary at the end, but the process starts with-”

Bruce let his eyes glaze over and mind wander as he listened to them go over the synthesis of the compound. He trusted Tim to tell him about it later, and they wouldn’t be expecting Bruce Wayne to understand the details of pharmaceutical chemistry.

He remembered the night the first time Joker had used his toxin. He had stood silently beside Jim as both of them stared around the building that had been gassed. There had still been a slight green tinge in the air; the colouring agent that Joker had added to the gas hadn’t dispersed as quickly as the actual toxin. Bruce had assumed that the colour was added so that people knew that they were breathing in a poison. It was terrifying to be in a room that was filling with a clearly poisonous gas, but being unable to leave. Trying to hold your breath as long as you could, but eventually running out of air and gasping it in, knowing you were killing yourself.

The bodies were always horrific, the characteristic wide, bulging eyes and the terrible, frozen grin on people’s faces. Bruce remembers one woman who had died clutching her neck with one hand, the locked door with the other, eyes frozen wide open, and that horrific smile on her face.

He also remembers the relief of finally creating an antidote that could stop the poison, and the desperate rush to try to deliver it to all the places that had been attacked that night. He hadn’t looked at the process since then, too content that the chemical worked to look into it any further. As he watched the siblings explain their product, both looking much more comfortable now that they could talk about chemistry instead of business, he was happy that someone had been attentive into what he had overlooked.

“-the waste products are no worse than any industrial waste, so they can even go to the same processing plant,” Alan finished. Bruce refocused on the conversation.

“This all sounds spectacular, and I know you don’t need me to tell you this, but you should be proud of yourselves,” Bruce smiled. “I guess the next step is for you to talk to Mr. Fox and start figuring out marketing and sales, and I’m sure Tim would love to help-”

“No.” Janice snapped, suddenly looking furious again.

“What- no?” Bruce asked, an exaggerated look of confusion on his face.

“I will not have our product be sold to the highest paying, greediest customer.” She snarled. She looked at her brother, who nodded. “This product is too-” she stopped, a multitude of emotions on her face, too overwhelmed to continue to speak.

“Go on,” said Tim gently. She took a deep breath.

“We want to create a distribution device, so that people in Gotham could carry in their bag, so when there is an attack, they could administer the antidote themselves.”

“So like an epi-pen,” Tim remarked.

“Yes,” said Alan quietly.

“Our production method is inexpensive enough that we could sell this product cheap so that anyone could afford it,” Janice paused. “And we will only allow you to use our method with the understanding that it is to be sold as cheaply as possible so that everyone can afford it,” she paused. “Our father was killed in one of the Joker’s first attacks, years ago. There wasn’t an antidote back then. But if he had our product, he could have lived.” She stared them right in the eye, daring them to disagree. Alan still stood beside her, unmoving.

Bruce slid the box of tissues towards her. She glared at him cautiously, but eventually took one and wiped the tears off her face, and blew her nose.

“How long did you say the shelf life of your product was?” Bruce asked.

Janice and Alan glanced at each other, confused by the non-sequitur.

“It’s about five years. The toxin is volatile, so our compound can degrade up to 70% and still be effective,” Alan finally said uncertainly.

“That’s great! So people only need to buy now ones every couple years! Tim, do you have-”

“Yup,” Tim interrupted. He finished writing a name down on a piece of scrap paper, and handed it to Janice. “This is the name of the girl you want to talk to in manufacturing, she can help you design a delivery mechanism with minimal materials to keep the costs down.”

“We’ll talk to Mr. Fox, he’ll contact you about specifics in price and marketing or anything else. I’m afraid I’m pretty useless at all of that,” Bruce chuckled.

“Wait, wait, that’s it? You’re ok with not making a profit off of this? I want it as cheap as possible,” Janice insisted. Bruce looked her in the eye.

“Your product can do a lot of good, and the cheaper it is, the more people it can help. We think you’re right to sell it affordably. You’re doing a wonderful thing for the people of Gotham,” Bruce said seriously.

It was sometimes difficult, when your night job involved actively seeking out the people trying to hurt others, to remember how many citizens in Gotham who still wanted to do good; who were still trying, despite all opposition, to make it a better place. It was always refreshing to be reminded that his family was not the only ones trying to save Gotham.

Janice and Alan were still standing in the office, looking thunderstruck.

“Let me guess,” Tim said, smiling, “Kinslow said that there was no way we’d go for it, that the purpose of a business was to make money, and sent you up here hoping you’d embarrass yourselves?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Alan said.

“I’ll speak with him, you’ll both be getting a written apology. He’s your boss, but he’s supposed to work with you, not dismiss cases without talking about it,” Bruce assured them.

“Okay, um, thank you,” Janice said, as they turned to head out of the office. Tim nodded at them as Bruce waved. The door closed.

“So when you say you’ll speak with him, you mean I can speak with him, right?” Tim asked slyly, turning to look at Bruce.

“No,” Bruce replied. Tim huffed.

“Fine, but I want to be there,” Tim said. Bruce pretended to think about it for a second.

“Sure.”

“I told you that Kinslow’s an idiot.”

“I know he is,” Bruce sighed, “But he only has a few years until retirement. Think you can wait that long?”

“Maybe a little public shaming will un-stick his head from his ass.” Tim mused.

“We can only hope.” said Bruce, and Tim chuckled.

“Their work checks out?” Bruce asked, taking a final sip of his coffee.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, it’s really fantastic stuff. We’ll go over in detail later, but it looked like everything checks out.”

“Great,” Bruce nodded. He opened up his email, and started writing an email to let Lucius what about the new product.

“Why didn’t we think of this?” Tim asked, looking at Bruce of the corner of his eye. Bruce returned his gaze.

“We have been a little busy.” Bruce pointed out. Tim smirked and rolled his eyes.

“Well, at least someone was working on it,” Tim said, as he started to type.

Bruce smiled.

AO3

#bruce wayne #batman #tim drake #joker #batman fanfic #wayne enterprises #writing #mine #fic stuff

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zinniapetals · 7 years

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um not sure how specific should i be but? oikage meeting in their 20s and getting together? :'D it's my favourite thing T_T kageyama is in national team //cough// and not sure what oikawa's doing, could be in another team or he's studying/working in another field but they aren't angsty about things either way (bc we have that enough lmao). just cute healthy oikage T_T

lmao i have done so many fics on them getting together because this ship has so many possibilities on reuniting and loving each other !! I just love oikage!!! and yessss, healthy oikage 💯💯 thanks so much for the prompt!! 💖 (fic is under keep reading)

Despite common misconceptions, Oikawa was afan of going into supermarkets in the dead of night. He loved the overly brightfluorescent lighting of the store, the empty aisles of brightly coloredpackaging, the tired mother with her sleeping baby wrapped close to her chest,the sleep-deprived college student that was the cashier who often gave him freecoupons, everything about late night shopping was Oikawa’s aesthetic.

No one would try to make small talk about thebags accumulating under his eyes from too many all-nighters, people wouldn’tbother him as he picked up another bag of Epson salt and a couple of milkbreads for the days when volleyball kicked his ass hard, he was allowed to readsports magazines leisurely without being glared at by the strict manager, itwas perfect.

He hummed as he made his way to aisle twelve, left side,about five steps in, the last shelf. He bent down and reached for his go tobrand of medicinal cream for muscle fatigue when another hand grabbed his leastfavorite brand of Epson salt.

“Just for reference,” he started, not wanting to sound tooimposing, but the other person just hadto know. “That brand is terrible for people with sensitive skin, not to mentionthe smell is less than pleasant.”

“Oh…”

Oikawa glanced at the person’s shoes, worn out Nikes, trailingupwards, he saw a pair of form fitting sweats that emphasized strong calves andeven better thighs. He grabbed his ointment and stood up, offering the strangera pleasant smile that was ruined by his loud ‘geh.’

“Ah, Oikawa-san,” Kageyama blanched, his wide eyesdisplaying the shock that wasn’t present in his voice. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” he replied, eyeing Kageyama’s tiny basket thatwas filled to the brim with water, sport drinks, granola bars, and a singlemilk carton. “You?”

“Tired.”

The brunet raised his brows at the honest admission, pursinghis lips at the now visible slouched stance that Kageyama was in, as well andthe white sports tape that were wrapped around each individual finger

“How was camp?” Oikawa asked nonchalantly, grabbing a coupleof ace bandages and an extra ankle brace from the other side of the aisle. “Ah,I wouldn’t recommend that either.”

Kageyama paused at grabbing a different bag that labeledlavender infused bath salts and pointedly stared at him, eyebrows scrunched asif to determine if it really was Oikawa in front of him. “Camp was fine.” Hereached for another brand only to stop at Oikawa’s loud sigh. “Okay, which one should I get?”

“Let’s see,” Oikawa drawled out, scanning the shelves andnot finding the one he uses the most. “Oh, I guess they ran out.”

“Then it doesn’t matter right?”

“It does,” Oikawa muttered reaching out to grab medicinalbath oil that was almost as good as his favorite brand of Epson salt. “This ispretty good. I would advise you to use twice the recommend amount though.”

“Thanks?” Kageyama said, his voice lifting at the end as heread the bottle that was given to him.

“Don’t mention it,” Oikawa offhandedly replied, turning aroundand headed for the cash register, not even caring as to why Kageyama appearedbefore him. “See ya Tobio-chan.”

That’s probably the only con about walkinginto supermarkets that are open all day every day, Oikawa thought to himself asa cashier rang up his purchase, you’ll never know who you’ll meet.

Oikawa jogged inside the store, shaking off the suddendownpour from his clothes and hair, glancing around the empty store as hewandered in trying to find the things he was searching for.

Although chain stores usually had the same policies, thesame building structure, and the same items, the placement of these items wereusually different in each store and varied by city.

He sighed loudly as he went through the aisles once more,looking closer this time to find what he wanted. Finally finding the aisle heneeded to go into, he went towards the over the counter pain medicine area,trying to find the cheapest meds that would work just as well as doctorprescribed ones.

“Those are pretty weak, I suggest you pick these onesinstead.”

Oikawa looked to his right and there was Kageyama, drippingwet, offering advice on medication at three in the morning.

“Congratulations on your first match,” Oikawa offered inreturn, grabbing the brand that was recommended to him. “But I have to say,your serves were pretty weak.”

“I know.”

Oikawa tilted his head and frown at the sullen Kageyama,patting his shoulder when he passed by. “It was a joke Tobio-chan. You did verywell.”

He didn’t look back, because if he did he might have haveseen the dumbstruck face of his old teammate.

The sun was shining bright, the day was hot, the streetswere crowded, and Oikawa was not pleased. Of all days for his parents’ AC tostop working, it had to be the day when he popped in for a surprise visit intotown. He hurriedly went into the nearest shop, praying that they had the rightsize of screwdriver; they did, and waited in line.

“Oikawa-san?”

To say that Oikawa was pleased at hearing that voice wouldbe an overstatement. He could feel sweat forming between his fingers as he kepthis hand closed around the handle of the screwdriver. Licking his lips andrunning his free hand through his hair, he turned to face Kageyama.

“Tobio-chan, what a surprise to see you here.”

Simple pleasantries. After five times of meeting each other,it’s become a habit to speak first and think later.

“Is that alcohol I see?” Oikawa teased, smirking at Kageyamawho hid the bottles behind him.

“There’s a Karasuno get together later today…” He trailedoff, leaving the rest for Oikawa to imagine. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting the family,” Oikawa replied, handing the cashierhis single item and handed him 2000 yen. “The rest will pay for his stuff.”

“You don’t have to-” Kageyama started, only to beinterrupted by Oikawa.

“I know. Bye Tobio-chan. Have enough fun for the both ofus.”

Oikawa sort of stop counting their encounters after the twelfthtime. It was similar to the snowball effect. Chance after chance, they keptmeeting, and somewhere in between they exchanged numbers, which led to them totalk more and to stop accidently meeting each other and start planning to meeteach other.

“Are you listening Oikawa-san?”

“Yeah yeah, something about cheesy pizza right?”

Kageyama huffed loudly and frowned, the screen glitchingslightly as he moved to grab something off camera. “You weren’t listening.”

“Sorry, busy typing up this report.” Oikawa mumbled, pushinghis glasses up as he glanced back to his word document. “Wow. You are beingincredibly noisy, what are you doing?”

“I was trying to find something I got for you, but I think Ileft it in my bag,” Kageyama explained, sitting back into his chair and made aface that slightly resembled a pout. “Did you get new glasses?”

“Nah, they’re spares. I broke my other ones.” Oikawa brisklyreplied, rereading what he just wrote, changing a word and then added a comma.“Oh, you glitched again.”

“Did I?” Kageyama’s mouth moved, and the audio followed twoseconds later. “This internet isn’t the best.”

“Clearly,” Oikawa joked, content with where he was at in hiswork and closed off the document after saving it multiple times. “What time isit over there?”

“9,” he answered, scratching his neck slightly. “I’m gonnahead to practice soon. You have a later class right?”

“Unfortunately,” Oikawa groaned, leaning back and rubbed hiseyes beneath his glasses. “I wish you were here to make your famous hot cocoa.”

“I wish I was there too.”

Oikawa stopped in his tracks, tilting his head at whatKageyama said. It wasn’t like him to respond like that. He would normally scoff or make an offhand remark about howdramatic Oikawa was being, but saying that,now that was weird.

“Crap,” Kageyama blurted, reading something off his phone.“The captain’s making an emergency meeting, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you laterOikawa-san. Bye.”

Before Oikawa could say his own goodbye, Kageyama ended thecall, leaving a very confused Oikawa behind.

“Red looks better on you,” Oikawa commented, leaning forwardto fix Kageyama’s skewered tie. “Has anyone ever told you that you wear toomuch black?”

“Occasionally.”

Oikawa nodded at that, and took a step back humming as heraked his eyes over Kageyama’s outfit. He slapped Kageyama’s hand away frommessing with his bangs, tsking softly as he reached forward to fix the sideswept bangs.

“You’re like a little kid,” Oikawa commented, flickingKageyama’s forehead as the younger male began to gnaw on his lips. “Nervous?”

“This is my first interview as being starter of the nationalvolleyball team. Safe to say, I’m a little nervous,” Kageyama admitted, closinghis eyes as Oikawa raked his fingers through his damp black hair. “Will youcome with me?”

“What?” Oikawa asked, nearly a shriek, but not quite. “Ah,that’s sort of short notice you know? Plus, I would have to take a shower, andI doubt I have anything good to wear. Not to mention I have my midterm tomorrow,which I know I’ll do fine in but I still have to study some stuff and-”

“If you don’t want to, you just have to say no,” Kageyamainterrupted, cheeks tinted pink at the drawn out rejection. “It’s not a life ordeath situation.”

Oikawa stopped his tirade of useless excuses, blinking twicebefore admitting that yes of fuckingcourse I would love to go and pleasestop smirking at me like that, ok it’s hard to admit that I would kill to meetall the members of the national team.

“Did you know that it’s been a year since we first met eachother?” Oikawa asked, busy wasting time on Facebook, scrolling past thememory from April that said guess who Imet at the supermarket…should I have asked for an autograph? lololol andshared another recipe that looked good enough to try out.

“Really?” Kageyama muttered, eyes focused on the tablet thatwas resting on Oikawa’s sprawled out legs. “So when did we officially gettogether?”

Oikawa huffed loudly, digging his heels into Kageyama’sthigh. The younger male hissed at that, glaring at his boyfriend with no realhostility.

“I’m heartbroken that you can’t remember. We definitely gottogether the day I found you aimlessly walking the streets after yourdevastating loss and invited you back to my place and watched you cry.”

Oikawa looked up from his phone, lips turning upwards atKageyama’s bottom lip jutting out in disappointment. Oikawa leaned forward, onehand on Kageyama’s shoulder and pressed his lips against his boyfriend’s.

“Wait, I’m sure it was when I invited you to one of my gamesbut you could only come to the after party and we ended up sleeping on the samebed in my hotel room.”

Oikawa could barely contain his laughter, as Kageyama lookedeven more putout at this statement.

“Oikawa-san, don’t tell me…you don’t know when we actuallygot together?”

“Oh please, of course I do,” Oikawa scoffed, rolling hiseyes as he kissed the tip of Kageyama’s nose, content with teasing Kageyamaenough for the day. “It was the day you came back from Italy. That was when Irealized our feelings were mutual.”

“Really?” Kageyama asked, his head tilted and mouth slightlyagape. “That was only a couple of months ago though.”

“Well, yeah…why do you look so upset?”

“Don’t laugh okay?” Kageyama mumbled, putting a hand to hisface to hide his embarrassment. “I’ve been telling people we got together afterour phone call when I was in China.”

“But that was in September..” Oikawa trailed off, groaningwhen he put the pieces together. “You mean the day I was wasted and told youthat you got hot and asked if you were single?”

“…Yes.”

“So the rumors of you dating a girl after you told areporter that you had a special someone were about me?” Oikawa watched asKageyama nodded his head quickly as if that would stop the bright blush spreadingover his neck and face. “And those videos of you staring lovingly into youphone from your teammates twitter and instagram accounts were because you weretexting me?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Kageyama muttered, finally pullinghis hand away from his face to give Oikawa a playful shove.

“So that means,” Oikawa said, prolonging the last word.“That means, that you fell for me first!”

“Did I?” Kageyama asked, angling his head towards Oikawa ina confused fashion. “But you confessed to me first?”

“Tobio-chan,” Oikawa cautioned, “just because someone callsyou hot, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have romantic feelings for you.Hey, don’t give me that stare! I’m being serious here! I’ll seriously beworried if you think that someone calling you hot means they like you.”

Kageyama snorted at that, and got up from the couch,stretching from being in that same position for too long.

“If you don’t remember that’s fine.”

With those mysterious words, Kageyama sauntered into their bedroom,taking off his shirt as he counted the seconds until Oikawa would barge in andbeg him to tell him what he meant.

#@accidentalyandere #oikage #lizwrites #i hope you enjoy this!!#i got so carried away with this and had to delete a lot because it went down an angsty route #it also got way too long so i had to wrap it up an wow i realized i do not know how to end things properly lmao #but yes thank u for the prompt!!!#if u liked this then feel free to send more whoever or whatever lol

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