#this chapter was so much fun to write i'm so excited to see what people think | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

The average Tumblr user visits about 67 pages every month.

#this chapter was so much fun to write i'm so excited to see what people think

gentil-minou · 8 months

Text

Chapter Three of once upon a time, 很久很久以前

Wangxian AU where all of jianghu has been cursed to live miserable lives in modern times without their memories and only Wei Wuxian can save them...except he doesn't remember either.

Wangxian + A-Yuan + Minor Characters | Ch 3 | 16K | Rated M

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Transmigration, of the townwide variety, Amnesia, of the nearly everyone variety, Mystery, of the shenanigans variety, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Has Self-Esteem Issues, wwx is sad and down bad, Single Parent Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, except a-yuan runs away to find his other dad, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Minor Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending

Chapter Summary

Wei Wuxian is pursing his lips at the uncomfortable feeling of a thermometer in his ear when Wen Qing finally asks, “So, Wei Wuxian, why did Wanyin bring you here?” He pouts and says in his most affected voice, “Bunnies.” Wen Qing blinks at him, mouth set in a thin line, and clicks her pen viciously until Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes before correcting, “The idiot crashed his car into a ditch because he saw a bunny.” Wei Wuxian sputters with offense. Wei Wuxian meets some strange and interesting townspeople, including a grumpy sheriff, a stern doctor, a struggling artist, a flighty teacher, a reluctant diner owner, a mysterious CEO, and more. At least he won't be bored while stuck here.

#this chapter was so much fun to write i'm so excited to see what people think #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #chen qing ling #wangxian #mdzs fanfiction #the untamed fanfic #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan wangji #lan sizhui #a-yuan #wen yuan #mxtxnet #mdzs ouat au #bushy writing #ouat #once upon a time

41 notes · View notes

ao3commentoftheday · 7 months

Note

Do you have any advice and how to write a long fic?

I'll encourage long fic writers to add on in the notes, but as someone who tends to prefer short and medium-length fic, I'll tell you how I go about it.

Get a premise that you just absolutely love. You're going to be writing this thing for months, if not longer, so you want it to be something you're willing to spend a lot of time thinking about.

Embrace subplots. You'll have your main plotline that you want to see through from beginning to end, but you can also weave in some subplots here or there. The way I do this so that I don't get lost down a rabbit hole is that I always make sure that every chapter has at least 1 thing that moves the main plot forward and then if I want to spend 1-2K with some side characters doing something fun I can do that as well. Subplots can extend for the length of the full narrative, but they can also just last a chapter or three. If you're used to writing short fic, these might give you that familiar feeling of "completion"

A chapter is only as long as it needs to be. Don't get hung up on having a consistent chapter length. Don't get hung up on hitting some arbitrary number every time. Instead, figure out what the next part of your story needs to include and write however many words it takes to get that chunk across. Varying your chapter lengths is a normal thing to do and not something to stress about.

The next thing that I find important personally may or may not be relevant to you, but I find that I can't plot anything in much detail. If I get too into the nitty gritty with my plotting, it just feels like I've already written it. I need to keep it at the level of "And then A and B meet C and hijinks ensue." I can figure out the particular hijinks later. It's the characters meeting up that's the next important thing for me to figure out. Getting too far ahead of myself is a death knell for me in writing long fics, but there are other writers who swear by it. Test out different ways of approaching it and see what works for you.

As someone who tends to write more briefly, another feature that's common to longer fics is more extensive descriptions. People spend time painting visual pictures of the setting or the characters or the actions that are happening. Write the more bare-bones style that focuses more on dialogue (if you're like me) and then go back and read through what you've just written and see if there are opportunities to add in more detail. This can lead to some really interesting characterization choices and also help you out with worldbuilding.

When it comes to worldbuilding, you don't have to get it all on the page. You just need to share what's relevant for the reader in that moment and what is useful to lay out now so that it's already there in a future chapter. You can have an encyclopedic knowledge of how your world works in your head, but it's not actually necessary. No one is going to be quizzing you later - and if they do, you can always figure it out at that point.

Most important for me when I'm trying to get myself to the end of a longer fic, have a friend or a group of friends who are also into what you're writing - or at least willing to hear you get excited about it. Being able to get excited about your work is so important. It's like a bottle of water being handed to you on mile 10 of a marathon.

#asks and answers #long fic writers go!#and short fic writers who have successfully written long #how did you go about it?#long post

5K notes · View notes

infamous-if · 6 months

Text

Dec ✮ 12 ✮ 2024 – update

Part of me hates doing these mostly because it's a whole lotta nothing and me just repeating everything I said the last update (lol) but I do like doing it because I like keeping people updated, even if it's a non-update. I may sound like a broken record (pun not intended) but I know a lot of people don't catch my updates every time so it's nice to just keep people informed yk yk

✮ — Part 2 + rewrite

Fun fact: I had written an entire essay about my excitement for the rewrite and chapter 3 and beyond but it got too long!

It boiled down to me wondering why I'm so excited for this rewrite and realizing it's because I feel comfortable enough to approach it with complete creative freedom. I wrote the first iteration of the demo with the constant worries swimming in my head like "I hope people understand what I'm trying to say here" and "I hope this situation is being read the way I intended for it to be read." And I think I sort of had those thoughts tenfold while writing Part 2. If you paid attention, you can probably see where I was trying to shut down certain discussions in the narrative lmao

Recently I had a tiny epiphany and reminded myself that it's not always about what I intend to write, but what is being understood by each reader. And yes this is basic writing 101 but let me have this moment of clarity okay. Embracing that means I can proceed with Infamous without holding back and sticking to my guns in regards to what I want for this story aka I'm just going to write what I write and like....not worry about the rest you feel (while of course integrating the common critiques and suggestions and improving on the things Infamous falls short in—I am not Shakespeare lmao)

ANYWAY my point is that I'm excited to fix up the demo !!! and just go back to it with complete confidence in myself and write whatever the heck feels right to me (and write the rest of the story lolol) and return with a better story than I have now for everyone!!

✮ — December will be for

planning what I'm going to improve and squeezing that in a reworked outline so it can flow much better narratively.

Outlining Chapter 3 and hopefully have the bare bones first draft drafted up which is mostly just be writing blocks of descriptions

I'm not sure I'll have anything substantial to justify looking for beta testers so soon yet but maybe!

work on my spice writing babey writing/reading spice makes me actually physically recoil but im determined to get better! which reminds me to finish the 6k follower gifts!

And also take a small breather because I am moving!

✮ — Patreon

I've already mentioned this on Patreon and a few times on here, but I do want to reiterate that Patreon content is coming out in bulk this month, in case anyone was wondering why I'm not posting as frequently. The content is still the same in terms of the quantity, it just won't be released every few days! thank you guys for being understanding of that <3

✮ —

My activity has is decreasing little by little due to my move but I do read every question and try to at least answer one question a day. I get quite a few mentions lately so I have to sort through those since I do get tagged in things, but I miss them due to my notifications. Usually I hope for the best and hope tracking the tag puts it on my dashboard <3 im not ignoring anyone!

That's all for now! Hope everyone has a happy December and Happy Holidays!

#update #December update #Amy the chatterbox

456 notes · View notes

mochinomnoms · 13 days

Note

*slams open door*

Mochi! Mochi! I have an idea.

So a troupe I see on pixiv fanart is a character swapping with their future selves. I saw one where Azul wakes up in bed with his future wife Yuu and she's teased him because she can tell it's past Azul and he doesn't recognize her. She gives him a hint how to recognize her by some birthmarks she has on her chest.

I've seen a couple artists do it with Floyd as well, and a fanfic with past and future Yuu swapping with each other and poor younger Malleus is overwhelmed because OMG this beautiful woman is flirting with me and she's my future wife? There's something hilarious about the younger guys just not knowing how to handle the future version of Yuu.

So now I'm thinking how funny it would be for Past!PTMYuu swapping places with future!PTMYuu. Like P!Yuu wakes up in an unknown house in somebody's bed and confused as fuck and gets even more confused because suddenly these little kids are running in, telling Mommy it's time to get up and Yuu's like, who's mommy? Then who should walk in but Jade telling the kids to let Mommy rest and then he notices that the Yuu in their bedroom is not his wife(Yuu's still wearing her NRC uniform and shouldn't fit it anymore after getting older and having kids) and ohh he's going to have fun with this. He'll start in with the thoughts "ohh my beautiful pearl was absolutely adorable back at NRC, look at how tiny and cute you were, I know you can hear me pearl..." And fuck he knows about her telepathy. Poor Yuu overloads with the fact that Jade actually married her, they have kids, and is still so damn in love with her as he was at NRC.

Meanwhile F!Yuu is back at Past NRC and is calming down Yuu's friends. No, your Yuu is fine. If I'm right she's with my husband and kids right now and he'll take care of her. Some of the cast are obviously curious about Yuu's husband and F!Yuu is all "nah... sorry I can't say, don't wanna mess with the future." and of course the one who wants to know the most is Jade. F!Yuu is laughing to themselves because man, they remember how down horrendously Jade was in school and he doesn't know at this time that Yuu can read his thoughts. I'd like to think Yuu learned to better control the telepathy so she just tunes into his thoughts every now and then and it's just his thoughts bouncing around like "Oh seven my pearl is absolutely gorgeous in the future. Please tell me I'm your husband. I have to be! What would our kids look like. How many would we have? Do they look like my pearl or me? I hope one looks like my pearl they'd be the cutest baby!"

Eventually somebody figures out how to send the Yuu's back to their right time. Hugs for everybody but P!Jade gets a quick peck on the cheek before F!Yuu hops into whatever portal is sending her back and the last thought she hears from P!Jade is him screaming in his mind how much he loves her.

P!Yuu gets back and now has to deal with Jade's even more thoughts about the future and apparently a few others people thinking that man, Yuu's gonna be such a milf in the future.

Somebody please help Yuu, poor thing can only take so much.

Ah I love silly time travel stories (I ignore paradoxes) and this is one of my favorite tropes! It's what one of the fics from the poll is based on, but with all of the overblot cast instead!

I'm so excited to write it, I have many ideas for everyone, especially Leona and Idia's chapters!!

For Jade though, I think it would be so funny. He's positively enamored seeing milf/dilf Yuu. He's internalizing everything, of course, so no one except Yuu and Floyd and Azul can really tell he's being affected.

He's staring a little longer than he really should, but he's surprised that future Yuu doesn't seem to mind. In fact, they're much calmer than usual. Usually they'd be excitable with their friends and quite shy and quiet with him. But future Yuu looks at him with such fondness that Jade lets himself dream that they look at him like that because they're future spouses.

(In the back of his mind, there is a mix of hope and dread. That's a wedding band on their hand. They're taken, but was it by him?)

Imagine everyone's surprise and shock when, right before leaving, future Yuu walks up to Jade (even in the future, they haven't grown much) to tip toe and press a sweet little kiss to the cheek as they cup his face with the absolute most tenderness.

Jade's frozen, the others are murmuring to each other, and future Yuu disappears and in their place is their original Yuu. Red-faced, covered in a large brown coat that most definitely does not belong to them, and staring Jade down.

Covering their red-face and all. Poor Jade is now giddy and a bit concerned (he hopes that scream was due to flusteredness and not fear, though he does love how entertaining they always are), while Yuu is screaming into their couch as they try to process several things, including the knowledge that they weren't at all displeased knowing that they married Jade.

#mochi asks #twst #twisted wonderland #jade leech #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #jade leech x reader #ptm

292 notes · View notes

boba-beom · 1 month

Text

⋆⭒˚.⋆ late nights, city lights | CHOI YEONJUN

⟢ neighbour!yeonjun x gn!reader

⟢ drabble; comfort, fluff

⟢ after a long day of unpacking, you thank your neighbour for suggesting you take a break while he introduces you to the city you're about to call home.

⟢ wc: 999

⟢ warnings: reader already has a lil crush, a little collision, yeonjun perhaps takes an interest in reader; interpret that as you will :>

⟢ a\n: requested by @blackhairedjjun <3 added details! 'reader just moved to the city on their own & is nervous and excited at the same time about starting their life over there, yeonjun as the cute next-door neighbor at their apartment who the reader hits it off with' I was so excited to write this because I already had some thoughts floating in my head from the prompt :> I had fun writing this one, I hope you like it!

the last cardboard box was finally emptied, only setting aside the contents of it to organise later on, before flattening out the box and shoving it on the pile by the front door. you managed to wake up incredibly early to unpack everything, so all you had left to do was organise things in the next few days before being able to settle in fully.

moving out was hard. but you finally moved out and it was something you had been wanting to do for the longest time now. you had your new job to thank as well as your friends who suggested you take this new chapter in life, hoping to start afresh.

you let out a tired sigh looking at all the flattened boxes you're still yet to dispose of, but just thinking about the trips you'll have to make coming up and down the apartment complex seemed to burden you already. but you're gonna have to get moving since it's already late in the night.

you shove as much flattened boxes into one that's still open, opening your door and picking up the box only to drop it after colliding with what seems to be one of your neighbours. great. you scold yourself before checking on your neighbour to apologise.

"oh gosh I'm so ... sorry." your voice trails quietly when you see a guy of a tall and lean build, long hair and taking off his headphones to hang from his neck before scurrying to help with the cardboard that fell out.

he chuckles, and you nervously laugh with him.

"long day?" he asks and you simply nod, gathering the boxes and holding onto them instead of giving them back to you. he saw the rest of the boxes by your door, and ultimately you pick up on his intentions. "I'll help you with these."

"oh this is embarrassing, the first time I see a neighbour and you're already doing something for me." you worry but you're still thankful all the while.

"don't worry, honestly, it's not a problem. it's about time I met the new neighbour." he says simply, letting out a pretty smile that's just as contagious as his laugh. "I'm yeonjun by the way, my flat's just on your right."

you give him your name and mentally take note of his flat number to make sure you greet him whenever you bump into each other. "again, sorry for stumbling into you, I haven't left the apartment since I got here."

he notices your timid smile and a thought crosses his mind.

"how about you grab a jacket and after we throw these out I'll show you around the city nearby." he suggests, raising his brows in anticipation of your answer.

of course, it doesn't take much convincing since you hadn't had time to explore yet.

"wait, really?" you watch him nod in your direction with full enthusiasm and it just makes it easier for you to feel at ease.

surprisingly, you realised you'd probably knock on his door one way or another to ask where to throw out the boxes, forgetting where to throw them out, but this was a lot easier and less daunting than having to knock on a door late into the night.

yeonjun was truly one of the most down to earth people you've ever met in a long time. his calm nature of making you feel welcome to the city, him walking on the pavement closest to the road while you both walk and converse down the quiet streets of the city.

the lights were bright as ever, thinking that it'd be busy at this time of night until yeonjun told you about which days are usually roaring at night and which ones are a little quieter.

surprisingly, your new neighbour took you to one of the 24/7 convenient stores nearby for some ice-cream. the nights were getting warmer and the jacket was just a precaution. it was becoming hoodie season and it had you observing yeonjun's outfit; an oversized graphic hoodie with wide leg denim shorts that looked like a long skirt. his style was appealing for what counts as 'casual' clothing. you even took a candid picture of him while he was looking up where else he should take you at this time of night.

then within an hour of wandering around, yeonjun took you back to the apartment complex and onto the rooftop where you were able to see the skyscrapers and occasional lights from vehicles beelining their way around the city.

"so, what do you think so far?" yeonjun's voice was a little hoarse, the both of you gazing over the pretty lights below.

your lips turn into a tight-lipped smile, pondering on your first few thoughts about your first night wandering around, even if it was spontaneous and only for an hour.

"I could get used to this." you lean your elbows on the ledge, smiling to yourself.

you were proud of yourself for finally doing what you've been longing to do, even after some people doubted you before. it didn't stop you when you had the right support system to encourage you every step of the way. and now you have yeonjun too.

said male turns his head towards you, a gentle smile crawling on his lips while he scans the relief beaming on your face.

"I can always show you around again." he suggests, "like we can explore during the day. but I don't mind wandering around at night again."

you hum in agreement. there was something so soothing about being in his presence, but also comforting knowing that he was already so open to helping you settle into this new part of your life.

"thank you, yeonjun. I really appreciate this." you turn to look at him too, eyes locking a little longer than you have the past hour. you have a good feeling that this friendship will be a good one.

this is gonna be a good one.

#bhj ᡣ𐭩 #blackhairedjjun ᡣ𐭩 #[ 🧸 ] — mutuals.#smiles' slumber party #yeonjun x gn reader #yeonjun fluff #yeonjun comfort #yeonjun scenarios #yeonjun imagines #yeonjun drabbles #txt fluff #txt comfort #txt x gn reader #yeonjun x reader #txt x reader #txt scenarios #txt imagines #txt drabbles

272 notes · View notes

golbrocklovely · 10 months

Text

dating colby headcannon

requested by anonymous: Could you possible write a dating Colby headcannon with the reader? Thank uuu

A/N: even tho i'm not taking requests, i figured i can do this real quick since it's a headcannon and i'm in the middle of finishing up the next chapter of the chosen daughter. so hopefully this holds yall over a bit longer while i finish that up :) and this is all gender neutral so anyone can read it ! lmk what you think and hope you enjoy.

let's start with how you two met: i think you being a friend of a friend would be how it all starts.

maybe this friend in common gets invited to a party that snc are at, and you tag along. you get introduced to colby, and yall hit it off.

colby is very much into vibes and how well he meshes with another person. so for him to be interested, he has to like being around you. that man does not waste his time around people he doesn't care about.

and i think with colby, things would start off PAINSTAKINGLY SLOW. if you're into a slow burn… that's what your life will be like lol

colby hasn't dated in a long time, it's been almost exclusively hook ups and situationships. so i think the beginning stages will be a bit rough (in more ways than one *wink wink nudge nudge*). i think it would take a long time before anything major happened, just because he's not used to being vulnerable with someone.

that being said, i can see him hooking up with you once or twice before anything serious even remotely starts, since that's his usual go-to method. that doesn't have to be all the way - it could be like making out in the club or in a house party bathroom. a little hidden, a bit secretive, but that makes it all the more fun. it's exciting because he makes you feel like you are the sun in his galaxy, even if it's just for a few minutes. that's how intense he can be.

and maybe you realize, "oh shit i got feelings for him…. will this ever turn into something more?" and that's when you start hanging out with him more, or at least making plans to.

and i think as time goes on, he grows attached to you (because he is a clingy person, respectfully). and he enjoys the parts of his day when he gets to see you. and that's when he starts to feel the sparks. but knowing him, he probably won't act on them for a while.

but slowly, you two get really close, and eventually try to start something. once he can feel his walls crumble, and yours are also down, that's when yall truly start to have a wonderful relationship.

so as for dating him, what do i think that would be like?

colby is very busy guy, no surprising to anyone. so it's hard for yall to hang out as often as you want to (which would be like everyday if you could, and same goes for him).

but colby finds ways of seeing you or talking to you at least once a day.

even if it's just to check in on you, or ask you about your day. colby also likes to tell you about the stuff he was up to, give you little heads up on new projects before anyone else. but only when he knows they're happening bc he doesn't like talking about things that might not happen. very earth sign of him lol

i don't see him sending 'good morning' messages, but i could see him sending 'goodnight' ones. definitely with a black heart emoji somewhere thrown in there.

oooh, pet names. i'm seeing him using baby, babe, darling, sweetheart, love, and possibly honey. especially when he's drunk, he's extra affectionate.

when he goes on investigations, he comes back and HAS to tell you everything. he also loves being around you after because you make him feel so comfortable and at home. and he needs that after being paranormally hungover.

if you go with him on trips… omg, he will be protective. for sure. checking in on how you're feeling every couple minutes.

and if you get really scared, he's ready to send you home. he doesn't want to see you hurt or terrified at all. so sometimes he isn't the most favorable towards you going with him (unless you insist).

yall's biggest past time together: cuddling.

that man needs cuddles, AT LEAST, once a day. otherwise, he will be whiny lol (he might not show it at first, but once he's comfortable, he's gonna be a baby about cuddles, guarantee).

he needs to be touching you at all times, whether out in public or not. he doesn't seem like a crazy PDA type, so nothing too ~sexual~, but he will be holding your hand every chance he gets.

unless, of course, he's feeling a bit frisky… then you run the chance of having to go home early or finding a private area to have your fun sksks

i see him being the type to wrap his arms around you from behind, pulling you tight against him. especially if you're waiting in like a long line or something. he just wants you in his arms whenever he can.

like i mentioned before, he is a very busy man. so i see him doing a lot of at home dates. making pizzas together (or just dinners in general), setting up little pillow forts for movie nights, cute vibes all around. omg and of course - LOTS of camping outside and staring at the stars and talking for hours. that's 1000% for sure.

and maybe if you're the type that likes hiking, maybe you guys would go hiking together.

but i do see him also taking you out to exclusive clubs, bars, and restaurants since he has the hookup and the following to get into places that are new.

emotionally, i think you two would be so deeply into each other. i think being understanding and just getting one another is something major he wants in a relationship. so i think always being open and honest would be the main center point of your relationship.

he wants no drama, and wants love to come easy. and most likely you feel the same way, which is why you guys mesh well together.

physically… i mean, cmon. look at the material lol

he's definitely wants to make sure your needs are met. he's a people pleaser after all. and if you're his person, he's making sure you're pleased.

he's a very giving lover, is all i'm gonna say ;)

#colby brock #colby brock x reader #colby brock headcannon #colby brock fic #colby brock fluff #what you seek

522 notes · View notes

thankskenpenders · 9 months

Text

And now for something new

So, here's something I was never planning on doing, but I just couldn't shake the idea... Thanks Ken Penders is gaining a sister blog featuring an entirely different comic franchise!

Introducing... Thanks Steve Ditko, a blog where I read the Earth-616 Spider-Man comics, starting all the way back in the '60s! It's gonna be much more casual and less thorough than how I run things here on TKP, though, which I'll explain in a sec.

If seeing me post weird bits from old Spider-Man comics sounds fun and you need no further info, then just head right on over to Thanks Steve Ditko. But for longtime TKP readers, I know you probably have questions...

Number one: Why?

Spider-Man's always been my favorite superhero, and with the Spider-Verse movies kicking ass and my excitement building for the new Insomniac game, I've been in a Spidey mood. Inevitably, a thought occurred to me: Maybe I should actually read the comics that everything else is built off of and see the wildly varying contributions of all the original creators, rather than filtering them through big budget adaptations. If I can power through One Piece and all these other manga with hundreds of chapters, it can't be that hard... right?

And, well, after a few issues I quickly realized that my options were to either clog up my other accounts with random Spider-Man panels for years, or to just make a side blog. And so the side blog was born.

Two: Will this blog replace Thanks Ken Penders?

NO!!!!!!!!!

Okay but prove it

To allow the two to exist side-by-side, Thanks Steve Ditko will have a different format than what Thanks Ken Penders developed. Rather than an in-depth guided tour that critically analyzes every story beat of every issue, TSD will just be a place for amusing panels and brief thoughts as I casually read the comics at my own pace.

If you've seen me make a few tweets about reading Spider-Man recently, I'm basically just moving that to a dedicated Tumblr. It's a place for me to dump these things so that it doesn't fill up my media tab on Twitter for the next decade. (You know, assuming Twitter is still around in a decade.) There will be many issues where I only post two panels that I thought were funny. There will be issues where I don't have anything to say at all. Maybe I'll reach a run that I just cannot get into, and I start skipping around more. Who knows!

This may sound similar to what I thought this blog would be before it blew up. Aside from the simple fact that there's already mountains of Spider-Man commentary out there and therefore less of a void for me to fill, one of the main steps I'll be taking to avoid repeating the past is not enabling an ask box on TSD. I do not need people to ask me to go into ten times more detail on everything. I do not need to write seven essay-length responses to questions about Spider-Man minutiae every day. I do not need a place for people to chide me for not covering certain scenes, issues, or ancillary series.

It also won't have any kind of update schedule. I'm trying to keep it very casual. I'm reading these comics at my own pace, and if I feel like sharing a moment or commenting on something while doing so? It goes there. That's it.

(On the subject of format changes, I'm also listing the issue, writer, and penciller in the body of every post. This is a thing I wish I'd done on TKP so that people didn't misattribute every weird Archie Sonic panel I post to Penders.)

Three: So when will TKP come back from hiatus? You said it'd come back after you finished SLARPG!

I don't know! Sorry. I have a couple things on the backburner right now for TKP, but I'm not sure when I'll get back to proper updates where I read more comics.

I wanted to bring TKP back this year, and that's still possible. The main hurdle is that I want to reread my own archive (again) as a refresher, which is, uh. A lot of posts. I've developed a high standard for myself on here, and I feel like I wouldn't be doing my job right if I forgot half the ongoing subplots and character arcs and didn't bring them up in my analysis. Especially when I'm discussing the work of an author as obsessed with continuity as Ian Flynn. Unfortunately, the nature of this blog means that every time I go on another long hiatus for Life Reasons I have even more comic continuity to catch up on than last time.

(This is a big part of why I'm making Thanks Steve Ditko an extremely casual blog instead of promising to become a Lore Expert on 60+ years of Marvel.)

Mostly I've just been very burnt out this year after having finally finished a video game that took almost eight years to make. I haven't really had the energy for any creative projects, including TKP. But I feel a little bit of a spark here with Spider-Man, so I'm chasing that feeling to try to get back into the swing of blogging about comics - no pun intended.

So, basically, bear with me on this as I start this low-energy side project. But hopefully folks will enjoy Thanks Steve Ditko as its own thing, too.

Look forward to goofy shit like this

#tkp post

381 notes · View notes

thebiggerbear · 8 days

Text

Call My Name Chapter 1: Phase 1 is a go - Soldier Boy x Female!Reader

Summary: And so begins Phase 1.

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Female!Reader

A/N: Ahhhh I'm so excited to take this journey with you guys. I've been working on it for forever!!! I really hope you like it. It has been so much fun to write!!!

I have to be honest, I'm still learning all the ins and outs of posting fanfic on here and what that entails so I want to say up front that this is a sort of dark fic but not completely? Without giving anything away, there will be some dark elements. I will absolutely put those warning when that chapter happens but I just want to give you guys a heads up early on in case.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Songs for chapter (also listened to while writing): Prison Fight - Tyler Bates; Run For Your Life - The Siege

Series Masterlist

Warnings: sanctioned assassination; violence/blood; implied gore/death/murder; Soldier Boy being Soldier Boy; language; implied sexual imagery; hints of manipulation

Word Count: 8515

Please do not do any of the above. Thank you for your understanding.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Series Taglist: @mostlymarvelgirl; @deangirl96; @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @ej13928; @rieleatiel

SB Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch; @birdiellie; @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @brightlilith; @muhahaha303; @just-levyy; @solacedthistest; @deansimpala; @foxyjwls007; @onlyangel-444

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat

Some days were tough. Some days were harder than most. But here you were, getting through each day with only one goal in mind. Everything you did, every decision you made, every breath you took — it was all leading towards one specific objective.

And that’s why you were here now, at a black op CIA site, watching as they pulled a comatose Soldier Boy out of containment.

“Are you sure about this?” Grace Mallory asked as you both stared down from the observation deck at Vought’s original Supe they had cooked up. It wasn’t too often that Grace showed her soft side; most didn’t even know she had one actually. But right now, out of the corner of your eye, you could see concern mixed with understanding topped off with a bit of careful hesitation. While you hated the concern and appreciated the understanding, you couldn’t blame her on the hesitation. Soldier Boy was basically a nuclear reactor in human form and he hadn’t gone down under the best circumstances, which was putting it lightly. Not only did he not want to go back under for another deep sleep, but Butcher and his team would be in his sights now. And based on what he did to the last team who betrayed him, you all were in for a shitstorm.

You knew this was a terrible idea, that you could very likely die before achieving your goal and you could bring hundreds if not thousands of people with you if you weren’t careful. But you were out of options and just like Butcher and company had arrived at the same decision some months earlier, you had chosen to unearth the strongest weapon you had in your arsenal in the battle between Supes and humans.

Grace had fought you on it of course. The government had strongly agreed with her assessment; Soldier Boy was too much of a risk to allow him to gain consciousness never mind walk around free. And yet they had no answer when you questioned why they didn’t just destroy him and end it, making the world that much safer. You knew why; they wanted to be in possession of that power, that weapon deep within the Supe’s chest. And that you could work with.

The older woman already knew your backstory and when you pressed the right buttons, backed by Butcher of all people, eventually she came around. You had no idea who she spoke to or what favors she had called in, but sure enough, your mission was greenlit with barely any resistance though a ton of uneasiness. Not unexpected and not entirely unfathomable. Funnily enough, President Singer was kept in the dark on this one; he was too close to Vought and by extension, Homelander and Victoria Neuman. You didn’t exactly mind. It was better for you and the mission as a whole if no one knew that Soldier Boy was still alive. How Grace managed to keep his existence under wraps for all of this time, you had no idea, but you were grateful she was on your side. So when you got the go ahead, you and Butcher took the win and hightailed it to the CIA facility before anyone could change their minds, or worse, figure out what you were up to and try to stop you.

There were stipulations as you figured there would be: daily briefings, a carefully selected unit of CIA under Grace’s command would be monitoring your every move closely, they reserved the right to pull the plug at any time and put Soldier Boy back into containment, and while you were in charge of the op, Butcher was who you had to answer to in Grace’s absence. That definitely set your teeth on edge. You and Butcher had different ideas on how to get things done, but you reminded yourself that you both had the same goal and that was all that really mattered. So you begrudgingly agreed and now here you were ordering the staff to begin the process of waking the original Supe up.

You watched as two men in Hazmat suits appeared to be choosing who would pull the figurative straw. You rolled your eyes; they were wasting time. Before you could hit a button and bark out an order, the one on your right seemed to be the one who had lost and warily approached Soldier Boy to remove his mask, practically darting away once he was finished. The staffer on the left was holding a radiation meter in his hand. From your viewpoint, you could see the levels slowly begin to rise. Sure enough, when you flicked your eyes over to the Supe, you could see movement underneath his eyelids, as if he were having an intense dream.

Grace saw it, too, and she ordered the two men out at once. There was no hesitation in following her command. Once they were out, Grace nodded to the staffer on her other side and he stayed at the ready, finger hovering over a button that you assumed would flood the room with Novichok gas within seconds if needed. Another employee darkened the windows in front of you. You could still see out but Soldier Boy wouldn’t be able to see in. A switch was flipped somewhere and the lights went down. The backup power source came on and the room was flooded with a red halo from the emergency lights. An alarm started to sound throughout the facility, as if someone had infiltrated the building, but everyone’s lack of movement and surprise confirmed there were no intruders. Instead, everyone’s focus was on the Supe who was going to open his eyes at any second.

Grace turned back to you. “Are you ready for this?”

You grabbed the gas mask that had been given to you as a contingency. “Butcher and his team ready?”

“Ready and standing by,” someone informed you both.

You gave Grace a nod and turned to leave the room.

“Hey,” she called, stopping you in your tracks. You glanced back over your shoulder to see that concern again, this time framed by the cold steel you’d gotten to know over the last few months. “If it looks like it’s not going to happen…” She let her warning trail off; both of you knew what would happen if things started to go sideways. She’d do her best to get you out before you got killed, but there was a high chance it wouldn’t happen. Then you’d be sealed in with a live nuclear reactor and that would be the end of you, and all of that would be before Soldier Boy could choose to unleash any of his wrath on you.

Giving a curt nod, you swiveled your head back in the direction you were headed in, determination filling your veins no matter the outcome. People cleared the path for you, fear plain as day on their faces. Not fear of you or even for you, but fear of what lay beyond in that chamber. Fear of what you had lobbied hard for to be woken up that would have been better left sleeping, for all eternity if some of them had their way. You didn’t pay them any mind and held your head up higher, a familiar blanket of cold indifference settling over you. You ignored their terrified gasps as you pulled one of your swords out of its sheath and headed for the open door. Once you were past it, after a few feet, you stopped right before the entrance to what could very well be your death, ignoring the sound of the door sealing shut behind you.

You waited to be confronted by a group that had been specifically chosen for this op by Grace and Butcher. You could hear them approaching, talking low amongst themselves and trying to formulate a plan, which from some of their tones you could tell it wouldn’t hold up very well and not even that long even if you weren’t there to stop them. Sure enough, as you knew would happen with a few more footsteps, they rounded the corner, looking for an exit, only to find you.

The group of men had been dressed as security for the facility and the six of them varied in size. The one in front, a big burly guy who appeared to have declared himself as leader, sneered over at you. “Well, what do we have here?”

The way he looked at you, the vibe coming off of him as well as a few of the others… They had been chosen well; you could already feel the urge to wipe them off the map radiating throughout your body. Your thoughts were running rampant and as one of them leered, you could sense an all-too familiar rage attempting to burn brightly within you that you then masterfully directed throughout your body.

You swung your sword in your hand and tensed, getting ready.

The leader laughed, turned to the other five, and ordered, “Get the bitch.”

The corner of your lips lifted in response. This was going to be a fun little workout for you that you could get in right before facing off with the final boss. Three men came charging at you and your sword flew with incredible precision as you spun in a dance you’d practiced a thousand times during training. You sliced open one and cut the other’s throat before either of them could even dream of laying a hand on you. When the third came closer, you made short work of him, and as you were about to injure the leader, he took one of the other two that had been hesitant to engage you, practically cowering, and used him as a human shield. He shoved the lanky man forward, right into your sword. You left it there and pulled your other one, kicking the dying man to the side. The sixth man cursed out loud and began running in the other direction. You pulled one of your knives from your belt and sent it careening into the back of his head, making him fall flat on his face. You then turned towards the one you had purposely saved for last.

“You fucking bitch,” he hissed. “You want some of this? Then come get it!” He pulled your sword out of the guy he’d thrust onto it and began trying to swing at you. You effortlessly dodged each of his blows and you waited for him to lose energy. He wasn’t even worth parrying with. Sure enough, when you saw the arc of his arm begin to slow down, you made your move. You avoided the blade coming for your torso by dropping to your knees and sliding over to him and cutting into his side with your sword. Your movement propelled you forward, cutting deeply, and he let out the loudest yell you’d heard yet. He pathetically tried to point the sword in your direction but you easily sidestepped the movement, watching him begin to bleed everywhere.

He tried to weakly lift the weapon once more as he held a hand over his gaping wound but you stopped him by bringing your blade down on his arm, effectively removing the limb and forcing him to scream out in pain again. It was like music to your ears and you stood there before him, glaring down at the piece of shit who didn’t deserve to be alive to even have come across you. You had a sneaky suspicion that Grace had chosen this one.

“Now you know what they felt,” you snarled quietly.

He scowled back at you and spit blood in your direction, with you stepping back to avoid the spray. “Fuck you, you dumb bitch! Just like all the rest!”

You gave him a nod and lifted your sword, his eyes slightly going wide at the sight. “Like all the rest,” you echoed and brought the blade down, hard.

Though his screams turned piercing, you took him apart piece by piece within seconds, making sure he felt everything before you finally ended him. It was more mercy than he deserved. He was worse than all of the others combined, not that they were angels themselves. Blood coated you and both swords so you used one of the others’ shirts to wipe the red stains from one of the blades. You pushed it into its sheath on your back once you were finished and held the other aloft as you pulled out the security key card Grace had given you. You could hear Soldier Boy’s breathing increase and you knew you had to get into his room and fast.

You made your way to the control panel on the left side of the doors, scanned the card, and tossed it once the green light appeared. The tell-tale sound of the doors opening sounded and you readied yourself, sword in hand.

Once the doors had pulled aside and a low level of smoke cleared which you suspected was gas (perhaps Grace had to keep him subdued while you were meting out justice on that asshole), you saw exactly what you had come for.

There stood Soldier Boy, glaring at you, his chest rising and falling, his hands in fists. Obviously, having just woken up and gotten to his feet, he was still a bit disoriented but not enough that you could take him by surprise and win. You could also see a sheen of yellow beginning to form in the center of his figure and you knew you only had seconds.

You stepped into the room, knowing there was no going back now and that Grace was watching every move from behind the dark glass. The yellow glow started to manifest and you took a quiet breath in. His eyes narrowed and he moved to face off with you, his right fist clenching harder.

You held up your free hand. “I’m not here to fight you. I’m here to break you out.”

He scoffed in disbelief. “You’re with the Reds, aren’t you? You Commie motherfuckers expect me to believe that again?” He roared with a rasp, the color of the light in his chest turning from yellow to a luminous gold with a pinkish haze.

You lifted your sword and placed it into the other waiting sheath on your back. At the action, Soldier Boy tensed further and took a step towards you.

You raised your other hand. “I’m not here to harm you.” He eyed you sharply, disbelief all over his face. “We’re not in Russia. We’re in the US, in upstate New York, at a black op CIA facility. You’ve been here for the past six months and I’m here to get you out.”

His expression didn’t change. “Why?”

“We can talk about it later. Right now, we—”

“Why?” The Supe yelled, fury lacing his tone, and the gold light got even brighter.

Gas suddenly began to flow into the room from vents in the ceiling and another loud alarm sounded, one you hadn’t heard yet. Shit. Grace was getting ready to lock it down. You’d had your shot and it hadn’t worked. You literally had one minute to get the hell out of there. But you were nothing if not stubborn and determined to see this through.

You pulled the gas mask from underneath your thin coat and held it up for him to see. You tossed it over at him and he caught it just like you hoped he would. His eyes snapped up at you, distrust and anger still clearly in his green gaze. You really couldn’t blame him but right now, you didn’t have the time.

“Like I said, I’m here to help. We don’t have time for me to explain right now. So unless you want to go back on ice…” You nodded your head towards the billowing gas making its way rapidly down to him. He glanced back in the direction you indicated and he cursed, quickly slipping the mask on. You noticed the light in his chest didn’t get any brighter but that didn’t mean he wasn’t locked and loaded, able to go off at any moment.

He met your eyes again and you inclined your head back towards the doors that were just beginning to close. “I suggest you come with me,” you threw at him and then spun on your heel, making your way out of the room. You walked a few feet and stopped, glancing back over your shoulder, hoping like hell he would follow you.

Right before the doors could close the last few feet, Soldier Boy slipped past them and came to a stop in front of you. He yanked the gas mask off but held onto it, breathing deeply of the clean air. You had made it out of the room, gotten him out of it — you’d survived the first phase of the plan and now you just needed to get through the next.

His eyes roamed over the remnants of the scene you both were standing in, seeing the bodies and blood everywhere, and landed on the mask in his hand. His gaze snapped up to you and his expression hardened, his tone dark and dangerous. “Why are you helping me?”

“Because,” you took a step towards him, staring into his eyes, pretending not to notice him tense in preparation for a fight. “I need your help.”

He huffed out a chuckle that was lacking any amusement. “Always a fucking catch. What do you want?”

You took another step towards him and you observed his jaw tightening. “We can talk about it later but right now, we really need to keep m—”

“What do you want?” He repeated.

“I need your help to take someone out.”

“Based on your handiwork,” He gestured to the scene around you with a hand. “I’d say you don’t need any help there, doll.”

Your own jaw clenched. “It’s a Supe.”

His eyes flashed and you knew that he was now aware of just who you were talking about. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, you knew that. There was only one Supe in existence that Soldier Boy had been made to go up against before; the only one that had been as strong as him and he had been evenly matched with; the only one that he would be woken out of a Novichok coma like King Kong and sent to go fight Godzilla. “Homelander,” he spoke through gritted teeth.

You gave a nod of confirmation.

He watched you for a moment and then scrubbed a hand at his jaw. “Why the fuck would I help you?”

You lifted your chin. “He’s always been a problem but he’s only gotten more dangerous and more unstable since you were put under.”

“Not my problem.”

You crossed your arms, narrowing your eyes but trying to keep the rage boiling within you in check. “Actually, it is your problem. He wouldn’t even exist if you hadn’t given Vogelbaum a sample of your DNA to work with.”

He approached you quickly, the fury radiating off of him and the rose gold pulsing in his chest. You stood your ground. “I didn’t know that Vought would make a fucking kid with it!” He roared.

You wanted to ask just what he thought the mad doctor would do with his sperm but you kept that thought to yourself, knowing this wasn’t the time. You never broke eye contact and you watched as he panted harshly, his hands in fists again, the gas mask dangling from one. You remained quiet, waiting to see what would transpire. One wrong move here and you’d be toast, gone before you could even begin the most important mission of your life. One you were determined to see through no matter the cost.

Seeing that you weren’t going to respond or react in any way, the gold light dimmed slightly and his hands slowly relaxed. “I didn’t ask for them to betray me and hand me over to the Reds where I was tortured every goddamn day for years. I didn’t ask for them to whip up some wannabe replacement behind my back. I didn’t ask to be forgotten,” he hissed.

You were a little surprised when you noticed the hurt and betrayal shadowing his gaze, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. You watched as he turned to glance behind him, presumably to glare back at the room he’d been held in. But you knew he was also attempting to mask the tiny piece of vulnerability that had unexpectedly come through. You’d seen the videos of the torture he’d endured back in Russia, read his file back to back, sat through his crappy films, and you’d been fully briefed by Grace, Butcher, and the rest of the team who had exclusive dealings with him the first time he’d returned to the States six months ago. You’d also delved deep into Payback’s history and studied up on each and every one of its members. You knew about his PTSD, how he tended to self-medicate with booze, drugs, and women though he was in denial about having the disorder. You also knew that while some of his toxic beliefs and archaic attitudes were still in place, he was not entirely the same person he’d been before he was strapped to a table and Russian scientists proceeded to check off a list of several hundred different ways to try to kill him. The cocky swagger that had come so naturally to him before that was no longer the real deal. If anything, he overcompensated to try to make people believe he was the same Supe he’d been and just as dangerous as ever, with the added bonus of a nuclear threat sitting inside his chest.

“Maybe not,” you agreed quietly. He turned back towards you. “I can make it worth your while.”

A sly smile began to form on his face as his gaze roved over you. “Appreciate the offer, sweetheart, but you’re not my type. I like ‘em a little older. Although, I will say the swords and the blood, you walking in there like some goddamn avenging angel…kinda hot.”

You fought not to roll your eyes. “That’s not what I was talking about.”

“Well then, unless you’ve got some fucktastic pussy waiting for me to wreck it along with some Bennies and grade A reefer, we’ve got nothing to talk about.” He lifted the mask up in a gesture of thanks and turned to slip down the hallway past you.

Watching him step barefoot in the blood, you waited until he had made it a few feet before saying, “Your freedom.”

He froze at that, turning his head slightly to the side, listening.

You walked up to him, only stopping a foot or so away. “You help me with Homelander, and you get your freedom. No more Vought, no more government, no more pulling of your strings. You’ll be free.”

He slowly turned to face you, his expression hardened though you didn’t miss the tiny glimmer of hope carefully hidden away in his gaze. “Bullshit. You don’t have that kind of pull no matter how you found me and got me out.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Grace Mallory does.”

“Who the fuck is Grace Mallory?”

You took a step closer, noting how this time he didn’t tense in preparation. In his mind, he had already dismissed you as someone he needed to worry about. While that was a good development for your plan, it irked you a little. You may not be Homelander, but you were certainly no weakling. And with this guy, guaranteed he automatically dismissed you as a threat because he saw you as weaker than him, and also because you were a woman. “Someone who does have that kind of pull.” You took yet another step towards him, confirming your theory when he only glared down at you. “You should know, you’ve met her before.”

At his knitted brow, you supplied, “Nicaragua, 1984.”

You watched as he searched through his memories, realization dawning on his features when he found the right one, his brows arching in slight surprise. “Captain Lesbo?”

You gave him a scowl that would have made a lesser man curl up in a ball. Grace and Hughie had warned you about his outdated and toxic takes on the world around him.

That sly smile was back on his face. “She was gorgeous back then. I bet she’s aged like a real fine wine by now.” His tongue ran along his bottom lip and you felt queasy at his obvious lustful thoughts of the older woman. Right. Butcher and Hughie had given you a heads up on that, too.

Before he could get too lost in that fantasy, you made sure to interrupt with “She’s got the pull. So, are you in?”

He eyed you sharply, thinking over the offer. You also knew that he was thinking over how to secure the freedom you had dangled in front of him without having to deal with you or Grace. The sound of approaching security had you both snapping your gazes towards the noise. This was a group you couldn’t dispatch as easily as you had the first considering they were the real deal. Well, you could but you wouldn’t. You snuck a glance at his chest, seeing the gold beginning to shimmer underneath his skin once more. You had to get him out of here before the guards showed up.

He glanced back at you. “What do you get out of this?”

“I told you. Homelander dead.”

“No,” he ground out, taking a step towards you, his eyes burning into you and the light in his chest shining a golden halo on your face from his close proximity. This time, you were the one tensing, preparing to defend yourself. “What do you get?”

“My freedom as well,” you informed him, never breaking eye contact or stepping away. You were telling him the truth. Once the strongest Supe on the planet was no more, you would be free, in a way. He didn’t need to know how, though.

His eyes roved over you and he let out a disgusted huff. “You’re a Supe.”

You didn’t respond; you didn’t need to. “So, do we have a deal?” You both could hear the men getting closer. “Tick tock,” you reminded him.

The anger never faded from his expression but the light in his chest began to grow a little brighter. “How about I blow this place to hell instead and you come with me? I could do with a little entertainment after being locked away in this shithole.” He let his gaze roam over you appreciatively and you could see just what kind of entertainment he had in mind.

You squared your jaw, not at all in the mood for his womanizing machismo bullshit. “If you blow this place up, the deal is off the table. Mallory won’t stand for it and considering my freedom is on the line, neither will I. I don’t need a bunch of CIA crawling up my ass while I go after Soldier Boy Junior. As for entertainment, now’s a good time for you to get reacquainted with your right hand because there’s no way you’re getting any of that from me,” you snarled. “So either take the deal or I leave you to be hunted down by every single agency and military across the globe once word gets out that you’re still alive. And it will get out.”

You both continued glaring at one another but he didn’t say a word. The men were getting closer.

“Best of luck with that,” you snapped, and turned to slip past him, intent on leaving him behind. Your anger wasn’t feigned; you were pissed. You knew he would be stubborn, mistrustful even, given what he’d been through, but this was just beyond irritating. You didn’t have time to stop and hammer out details; you were now on the run for Christ’s sake.

You headed in the opposite direction of the guards, pulling one of your swords, readying yourself for the sprint to the exit you’d planned for. Grace must be pissing her pants right about now; she’d given you both plenty of time to get out of the building. And if she was pissing her pants, you knew Butcher and his team were crapping theirs. Soldier Boy was awake and now it was up to Grace and the CIA to put him back under, your plan a complete failure. It wasn’t your fault that the Supe was indeed the most idiotic one as Grace had stated him to be. You’d given it your best shot.

You surged forward, planning to keep casualties as low as possible should you come across anyone. A hand gripped your shoulder, hard, and turned you to face one very pissed off Soldier Boy. You got ready to start the battle of your life, knowing you were most likely going to lose, but you stopped when you noticed his chest was no longer glowing.

“You got a way out of here?”

You arched a brow up at him. “You’re taking the deal?”

He snorted and released you, his eyes flicking back towards the opposite end of the hallway you were in before returning to you. “You get us out of here, get me some food and the shit I ask for, and we’ll talk.”

“No deal, no dice.”

You went to move past him when he stopped you again, his hand gripping your upper arm. You could feel the superior strength behind it; if he wanted to, he could snap your arm like a twig, exerting very little pressure. But thankfully, he seemed more focused on getting you to listen to him rather than harming you. “You want me to help you kill Homelander?” At your nod, he let out an angry breath. “Done. I would have hunted down that sniveling pussy on my own, anyway. But after you give me what I just asked for. And then I get my freedom,” he dictated.

“We both do,” you tacked on, still shocked that you had managed to get him to agree.

His eyes roamed over your face and then he gave you a nod, letting you go. “So which way to the fucking exit?”

Just then, the guards broke through the door and spilled out into the hallway, spotting you and shouting at one another to take you both down. Soldier Boy turned a ferocious glare on them and began to step around you to take them on when you grabbed his bicep. The action prompted him to glance down at your hand, his gaze then lifting to yours. “This way,” you urged, and began to run. Thankfully, he fell in step right behind you. Bullets were suddenly being fired in your direction and you had to practically fly out of there. Those bullets might ricochet off Soldier Boy but they wouldn’t bounce so easily off of you.

As you were passing a small vehicle that you’d seen security guards traversing in on your last visit, he picked it up and launched it at the guards pursuing you. You heard the sickening sounds of machinery crunching flesh and you could only hope no one had died or had life threatening injuries. Instead, all you could manage to do now was to distract the Supe and get him out of there.

“Through here,” you called back to him. Relief pooled in your chest when you glanced back to find his attention on you. He hurried over towards you and you punched in the code Grace had given you to memorize. The door opened and you ducked as you pushed past it, hearing the sounds of more bullets flying your way. Soldier Boy was right behind you and you hit the button to close the door. Once it was shut you used your strength to punch the control panel and destroy it so the guards couldn’t follow.

You turned to find Soldier Boy’s brows arched at you in surprise before a leering smirk appeared on his face. “Well, that answers that.”

You let out a quiet scoff and slipped your sword back into the empty sheath on your back. “Like I said, that’s not happening.”

“A shame,” he practically purred at you, amusement clear as day in his eyes alongside a fire you hadn’t seen there before. It became quickly apparent just what that fire was. The image of you both tangled up in one another, the blood still on your skin, and him slamming into you up against the walls of the hallway you were now in made the queasiness from earlier reappear. It got even worse when the image transformed into one of you emerging into the room he’d been held in and him taking you right on the gurney he’d been laid out on, neither of you caring who showed up, who watched, or who ended up dying when he was finished. The queasiness had become full blown nausea at this point, and you forced it back down. You had a job to do after all.

You ignored his eyes roaming over your body and lifted your chin. “Time to go.”

You marched past him and continued on the route you and Grace had planned. Thankfully, he followed and the images began to peter out the closer you got to the outside. You were beyond grateful for that; you could only see his face contorted in pleasure as he rutted into you so many times before you would actually throw up. Not for the first time since you’d been turned, you cursed this gift you had been given.

“I take it Captain Lesbo gave you the code back there?” He asked.

“Who do you think told me where to find you?” You countered.

You led the way through another tunnel until you came to a heavy door that supposedly led to the parking lot outside. You yanked out both swords, pulled your hood up, and flicked your gaze over to the Supe. “Ready?”

You watched as his hands clenched into fists once more. “Lead the way.”

You tested the door. It swung open and suddenly both of you were engulfed in the bright light of the sun. You scanned the parking lot when you noticed the office supplies van parked about three hundred feet away, right where Grace said it would be. “It’s a short run but we’ve got to make it fast. She’ll only be able to get us a blind spot from the cameras for a few minutes. We’re headed for that van over there.” You gestured in the vehicle’s direction. “So when I say go, we run like hell.”

The man gave you a curt nod and held a hand over his eyes, looking over the lot as well.

You waited, tensed and prepared for a fight, hoping it wouldn’t be a long one. Grace should have eyes on you by now and Team B should be ready to engage you the moment you both stepped out further. You really wished you had an earpiece for this part but due to Soldier Boy’s extra sharp hearing, it had been decided across the board that it was too much to risk. You would just have to keep trusting in the timing of the plan you had come up with. You could hear the rumbling of a motor coming closer, picking up speed and gaining momentum. You held up a hand near the Supe and began to manually count down from 5.

A box truck was about to pass by as you got to 2, signaling to you that Phase 3 was a go, when suddenly everything went to hell. Soldier Boy stepped out in front of the vehicle, unflinching as it made impact with his body. To your absolute amazement, you silently watched as his feet stayed stationary and the truck began to wrap itself around the Supe, the object needing to go somewhere, and split right down the middle. You could hear the loud screeching of the metal and the terrified yell of the driver before it was abruptly cut off. Your brain barely had time to process what you were seeing when Soldier Boy picked up one half of the sliced truck and launched it in the air as if it were a football. It was aimed at a location where you knew reinforcements were waiting to rush out and engage you from. You heard the tell-tale screams and ensuing splat. Mallory was going to be pissed.

The Supe then turned a glower back onto you. “No need to run now.” You could see that though he had been attracted to you a few minutes ago, had mostly agreed to your deal, and you had broken him out, he still didn’t trust you completely. You could understand that, respect it even. But you couldn’t have him going off script like this if your plan was to succeed. And the plan could not fail. Something you would make clear to him once you were both far away from here.

Truthfully, you should have anticipated something like this. Soldier Boy was volatile, unpredictable at best, but once you had gotten him to switch off the nuke in his chest, you had naively thought you could get him out with a low body count. That certainly wasn’t the case now. You were grateful that you were already mid-op because you knew if you weren’t, Mallory would have immediately shut you down. No way in hell was that happening.

That last thought spurred you into action. You nodded and sheathed both of your swords, heading towards the van. A strong hand on your shoulder stopped you.

“Choose something else,” he ordered.

You shot him an irritated glare. “That’s the vehicle they have set up for us. Which means there’s keys, gas — the works.”

“It also means they can track us.” You were slightly surprised but you kept it off of your features. “Butcher and his cumguzzler thought I wasn’t listening to their bitchfests when they were tracking down my old team for me.” His eyes snapped to yours. “I was.”

Of course he had been. You could see now that this was something everyone had missed when dealing with him in the past, his most recent foray into the modern world included. Butcher and his team had been so focused on the danger the Supe presented and his lethality, that they hadn’t realized just how closely he had been listening and watching. Several examples of this behavior flickered through his mind quickly and you saw every single one which had always turned things to his advantage while turning badly (sometimes deadly) for others. Butcher and Hughie had easily dismissed him as a fossil who didn’t know what a smartphone was. Even Mallory had said he was the most idiotic of all the Supes to ever exist. And he had let them. He let them think he was the Soldier Boy they had seen on their TV screens once upon a time, in old newspaper clippings, and what had been jotted down in his file over the years he had been active with Vought: the public persona and the demanding celebrity personality behind all of that. But this Soldier Boy…this one was far more clever, calculating, and you knew then that this was where the real danger resided. A quick flash of a woman you recognized as Crimson Countess bound to a chair in a double wide followed by an explosion and another image of her charred corpse afterwards confirmed your suspicions.

Right now, any other person having realized what you just did, they might have turned back. Or they would get him to the next location and bow out, let Butcher and Mallory handle it from there on out. But you weren’t that person and you were fully in this. You had started this and you were committed to see it all the way through. And see it through you would, come hell or high water or murderous Supes. There was no other option; there never had been from the moment you woke up with a foreign chemical running through your veins, enhanced abilities, and fine-tuned senses. What you just discovered about the Supe currently glaring you down could only help the plan in the long run while also ensuring you were even more careful than you already planned to be.

You turned to face him fully and stared into his eyes. “Understood.” You wanted him to know that you knew, even if he didn’t know how yet, and that despite that, you were still sticking to the plan which included him.

He studied you for a moment and you could see that while he was still unsure about you, he was deciding to trust you…for now. He released your shoulder and slightly relaxed his stance.

“Any ideas?” Since he had changed this part of the plan, you figured he could offer up an alternative.

“Don’t care as long as it runs.” He glanced towards the lot filled with other heavy duty vehicles.

“Agreed. But we still need to move. We don’t have long before the cameras turn back on.” You immediately made your way towards a dark blue SUV sitting parked near a curb. You had a feeling this may have belonged to some of the agents he had just killed, but it only meant three things to you: keys, gas, and a working car that could handle the speed and damage you would need to get out of here. You tried the back door, finding it unlocked, and you immediately knew you had been right. No one was coming to reclaim this vehicle, not for a while anyway.

You quickly removed the scabbard from your back and slipped it into the backseat before jumping behind the wheel. Soldier Boy hopped in next to you, watching you as you turned the engine over. You didn’t bother mentioning that once Mallory and Butcher figured out you were in this vehicle, they could track it as well; that would only be counterproductive to the plan and make him more suspicious of you.

You pulled away from the curb and sped out of the lot. When you got near the security booth, a platoon of armed guards tried to flag you down. This was one of the reasons why the office supplies van had been selected. You could have removed your gear and passed yourself off as a delivery driver; Mallory had already greenlit that part of the plan. This…well, you would need to improvise.

You glanced over at Soldier Boy who was scowling in their direction. “Hang on,” you warned. Not that he needed to; he’d already proven that nothing could damage or even dent that super strong body of his. You, on the other hand, had to duck down as you pressed the gas pedal to the floor, gunning it. Bullets began flying towards your car but you didn’t let up, not even when you presumably hit a couple of the guards in your bid to escape. You felt Soldier Boy’s hand roughly push you down further in your seat and his other hand land next to yours on the wheel. A few more sickening thuds, pings from bullets, and wet crunches when the car jumped up slightly as your wheels mowed over those who hadn’t moved, and then you were scot free.

“We’re clear,” Soldier Boy gruffed out next to you, releasing you and moving back into his seat.

You lifted up and glanced in your sideview mirror, seeing the destruction you had just caused getting further and further away. You tried to feel remorse about it, you really did, but that emotion — any emotion — was the gateway to weakness and you couldn’t afford that. Especially not now.

“You injured?”

You weren’t but you slid your hood back and automatically glanced down at yourself to double check. “Nope. You?”

You looked up at him and as expected, his bare muscular chest was smooth, free of any injuries. His arms and face contained barely a shadow of a bruise, never mind an actual wound. He noticed your perusal of him and his lips twisted into a cocky smirk. An image of him railing you in the backseat had you turning back to the road, trying to mask your disgust.

“I’m good, doll,” he assured you. “Real good. Fucking horny as shit, though. It’s been a while. Think you can find us a place to pull over and let me fuck you quick?”

This was going to be a long ride. “Seems to me your right hand is free.”

Instead of being annoyed at your answer, he only smirked wider. “Is that your way of telling me you’d like me to start us off by jerking it while you look for a place?”

“No,” You met his gaze head on. “That’s my way of telling you not to let your wrist cramp up on this mission because you’re going to be jerking it quite a bit.”

He seemed completely unbothered by your words. “You want to see my dick?”

You scoffed in disgust and focused back on the road.

“I’m fully hard right now and let me tell you, it is a fucking sight to behold. Extra strength wasn’t the only thing the V gave me.” His teeth dug into his bottom lip as he continued trying to convince you. “Women love my dick. There isn’t a woman I’ve fucked that has ever walked right again.”

“Wow,” you quipped. “Quite the selling point.”

He ignored your snarkiness. “You see it for yourself, dollface, and I guarantee you’ll be changing your mind. All I’ve gotta do is pull it out, right here, right now, and you’ll be begging for me to slip it inside you.”

You had noticed the bugle in his sweats out of the corner of your eye before you turned away just before; you knew he was telling you the truth. He was horny, hard, and literally about to whip it out. Not unless you shut him down hard. You may not be able to keep him from pleasuring himself right there next to you, but at least he would know there was no way in hell you were going anywhere near his supposedly legendary manhood. You wished you could tell that he was lying but you could only see images of women worshiping him and his body as he thought back over his vast amount of conquests. When you saw his hand reaching into his sweats from your peripherals, you decided the time to make your firm boundaries on this subject known was now.

“I’m never having sex with you so don’t even bother. I’m here to do a job and that job isn’t you, as much as you might like it to be. When we get to the motel, if you want to find an old lady willing to help you with your problem, fine by me. But this,” you gestured between the two of you. “Is never happening.”

He snickered next to you. “You say that now but I’m telling you, doll, one peek at my dick might change your mind. Or when you hear how fucking good I’m giving it to some other gal.” He turned another filthy smile on you. “But just know that when I’m wrecking that pussy, I’ll be thinking of you and how good I know you’d feel squeezing around me.”

The images of you in the throes of pleasure returned and you tensed, your jaw tightening, but you forced yourself to think only of the plan. “What every girl hopes to hear,” you muttered. You glanced in the rearview mirror and very far back, you noticed Butcher’s vehicle following you. You weren’t surprised; Mallory had never really turned the cameras off and it’s not like you hadn’t left a big blinking neon sign back there to get her attention on where you had exited the compound.

Soldier Boy’s hand rubbed over the bulge in his pants a few times before he chuckled under his breath and went to look out his window. “So, you know who I am, you know my name… I don’t know yours. Why don’t you tell me?”

You clenched your fingers on the wheel and held your breath, focusing your vision on the rearview.

A moment later, Soldier Boy turned to look at you, smirking. You subtly let out your breath and relaxed your grip on the wheel, placing your eyes back on the road. “I bet it’s a real pretty one. Come on, tell me.”

You could hear him dialing up the flirtation, switching from being direct to now trying to charm you. “Name’s Persephone.”

“Persephone? That is pretty but it sounds like a Supe name.”

You briefly glanced over at him. “It is.”

He seemed to think it over, nodding after a moment in approval. “What’s your real name?”

“Nope.” You shook your head.

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

You met his eyes once more. “Because you haven’t earned that yet.” You waited another moment before finally breaking away from his intense gaze.

You could see as he took you in, how his eyes roamed over you hungrily, and you knew the moment he decided to accept the challenge he was determined that you presented. Another chuckle escaped him and he looked out his window again. “Alright, doll. We’ll play it your way, for now. Besides, it’s really my name that matters in this situation here.”

Your brows began to furrow and you did your best to get a read on him. What was he talking about? “How so?”

You watched as he turned to look at you and you could feel the rush of desire that immediately ran through him as images of you screaming, begging, and moaning “Ben! Oh my god, Ben! Ben, don’t ever stop fucking me, please! Fuck, Ben! Fucking give it to me! Oh fuck, right there!” floated to the forefront of his mind. You knew what his words would be before he even said them. “Because you’ll be screaming it before long.”

The nausea from earlier was back but you tamped it down and waited until he turned away from you again. Your eyes flickered to the rearview mirror and relief consumed you when you noticed Butcher’s vehicle was no longer anywhere to be seen. Not only had you successfully distracted the Supe but the moment Soldier Boy became interested in the topic of you, Phase 4 of the overall plan began. Now you only had to get him to the motel, get him rested and recharged, and then your work could truly begin. Leading you all down the path to the only thing that mattered: the eradication of Vought, and the end of Homelander once and for all.

A/N: Please let me know what you think. 👉👈

#soldier boy x reader #soldier boy x female reader #soldier boy x you #soldier boy x y/n #soldier boy #soldier boy fanfiction #the boys fandom #call my name chapter 1 #call my name

90 notes · View notes

sailor-aviator · 8 months

Text

Meet Me at the Sea: Chapter One

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Your best friend, Bob Floyd, had insisted you join him for the summer at his family's home along the Carolina coasts. You had been hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed to his request. Now, here you were in a new town with strange locals who spoke in hushed whispers and cryptic retellings about glistening scales, glowing eyes, and haunting songs that echoed from the sea. You didn't believe them at first, but when you wake up on the beach one morning after having fallen overboard the night before, you can't help but think that maybe you hadn't imagine the strong arms and deep, green eyes of the man that had saved you.

Trigger warnings: Alcohol consumption, Sassy Bob, Flirty Bradley, Supernatural elements, Siren calls. I think that's it?

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: Here is chapter one!! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I am enjoying writing it lol I'm so excited to continue this one. Just a quick reminder to you all that I will be out of town Wednesday-Saturday, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update as I will be attending a wedding! As always, reblogs, comments, and likes are greatly appreciated! 18+ ONLY!! You can also follow me on AO3 under sailor_aviator where I will be posting updates as well!

Series Masterlist || Jake "Hangman" Seresin Tag List

You crossed the bridge to North Island a few hours later, the sun hanging low in the sky, but not quite to the point of setting. You marveled at the expanse of water that stretched on beneath you as you drove.

“Not sure why the founders wanted to settle way the hell out here,” Bob grumbled beside you. “We’re too small to even have a damn Walmart.”

“Walmart is overrated,” you told him, turning the radio down. “Besides, small towns are so cute!”

“Not when you’re forced to live there every day,” Bob retorted with a roll of his eyes. You rolled your eyes back at him, repositioning Rusty who still sat on your lap.

“You’re too close to it to see all the charm it has to offer.”

“I give it two weeks before you eat those words,” he smirked. You reached over to smack his shoulder lightly, and he looked over at you in mock shock. “Don’t hit the driver!”

“Well, maybe the driver shouldn’t be such a cynic,” you teased, leaning back. Bob chuckled as the car reached the other side of the bay, passing the crowded beaches. “Does North Island get a lot of tourists?”

“Only during the summertime, really,” he replied. “It’s a calm, quiet little town with white beaches and pretty views all over the island. The founders have really played into the local legends over the years, so we have a lot of souvenir shops dedicated to those.”

“What local legends?” you asked him, quirking a brow. Bob flushed, the tips of his ears turning a bright red.

“It’s dumb,” he grumbled, but you were listening intently now.

The two of you drove through the downtown area, people milling about and enjoying the end of the summer day. The dinner crowd was beginning to pick up and you could hear the music blaring from several different buildings.

“No, come on,” you grinned. “You can’t drop that little tidbit and then not tell me.”

“Alright, fine,” he sighed, glancing at you. “For as long as the town has been around, there have been stories of…things in the water.”

“What do you mean? Like a really big fish or something?”

He shifted in his seat, turning down a side road that led away from town.

“I mean,” he hummed, “things like mermaids.”

You laughed at that, and Bob grimaced. “I told you it was dumb,” he muttered.

“No, no,” you giggled. “It’s cute, really. I love mermaids!”

He rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t if you grew up surrounded by them.”

“There you go being all cynical again,” you scowled. “I would have killed to live somewhere like this with such fun local legends.”

Bob pulled down a gravel driveway and past a grouping of trees. You saw a grand, white house perched at the edge of the hill overlooking the water. A porch wrapped around both the first and second floor, and you saw a path lead down the hill towards the beach.

“I’m glad one of us is excited to be here,” he chuckled, coming to a stop on the blacktop as you stared at the large house in front of you.

“You live here?” You asked, looking over at him in shock.

Bob had the decency to look sheepish as he turned off the car. “Yeah, this is home.”

At that moment, a small, blonde woman opened the door with a wide grin. She rushed out onto the porch as a burly, spectacled man stepped out behind her. Bob opened his door, and you followed suit. Susan Floyd rushed down the steps and up towards you, wrapping you in a warm hug before turning to give her son a matching one. Richard Floyd gave you a warm smile as he clapped his son on the back.

“You two must be exhausted after that drive,” Susan cooed, ushering you into the house as the two men moved to get your luggage out of the car. You smiled warmly at her and allowed her to lead you into the house.

“I’m not too tired,” you told her as she sat you down in a stool by the island in the kitchen. It was a spacious room, opening up into the dining room. A set of glass doors led out onto the back porch, the ocean sitting front and center in the beautiful view of the beach below.

“That’s good,” she hummed, stirring the pot on the stove. “Are you hungry, sweetie? I made some of my special spaghetti. It’s Bobby’s favorite, you know.”

Bob groaned as he stepped into the kitchen with his father. “Mom, I’ve told you. It’s not Bobby, it’s Bob.”

Susan smiled at the younger man affectionately. “Yes, of course dear. Were you hungry?”

“Starved, actually,” he smiled, plopping down in the seat next to you. Susan began piling noodles and sauce onto two different plates before setting them down in front of the two of you. Bob uttered a thanks before shoveling a healthy fork full into his mouth. You giggled, watching as he ate like he hadn’t eaten in months. You took a much smaller bite than he had, humming at how good the sauce tasted. It had a hint of red wine that pulled out the flavors of the garlic and herbs.

“How’s it taste?” she smiled at you, leaning against the counter.

“Ifs delisus,” Bob said through a mouthful of noodles. She scowled at him before throwing a napkin at him.

“Don’t talk with your mouthful,” she scolded before turning to look at you expectantly. You chuckled before nodding your agreement.

“It’s delicious, Mrs. Floyd.”

“No, none of that,” she scowled. “Call me Susan.”

“Yes, Susan,” you smiled. She smiled at you before turning to clean up the rest of the kitchen. Bob inhaled his first plate of spaghetti, and Susan was quick to load his plate up with more.

“Has Bob told you any of the town’s history yet, y/n?” Richard asked you from his spot at the dining room table. Bob groaned, hiding his face in his hands as you smiled.

“He told me about the mermaid legends,” you grinned. You saw Susan pause out of the corner of your eye as Richard gave you a wry smile.

“I don’t know if I would call them mermaids,” he mused, giving a pointed look at his son who refused to meet his gaze. “But our town has a long, storied history, yes.”

“Oh?” You asked, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

Richard hummed, leaning back in his chair. “No, mermaid is an insulting term for what these creatures are. They’re fierce hunters, preying these waters with deadly accuracy. Sometimes they even hunt on land.”

“What do you mean?” You frowned. Susan gave him a warning look, but he continued.

“They say these creatures come out of the depths to prey on humans on the land, dragging them into the depths never to be seen again.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Susan snapped at him, Richard giving her an apologetic look. “I don’t want to hear any more of that nonsense tonight. Why don’t you make yourself useful and go take out the trash?”

Richard heaved a sigh, standing to obey her. He passed you with a wink, dropping a hand to your shoulder.

“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, y/n,” he smiled, turning to head out the door. Susan sighed, turning to look at you once she heard the door close behind him.

“I’m sorry about him,” she grumbled, shooting a glare at where her husband had just disappeared. “He loves those crazy stories. Don’t even pay him any mind, okay?”

“I don’t mind!” You assured her. “I think it’s all very interesting. The most anyone talks about where I’m from is Bigfoot.”

“As much as I would love to hear you go on your bigfoot theories tirade again,” Bob spoke up, rolling his eyes. “I thought you might want to go out tonight.”

“Bobby, I’m sure she’s tired,” his mother started, but you shook your head, turning excitedly to look at your best friend.

“No, it’s fine!” You chirped. “I think it would be fun to go out and get to see the sites. Where did you have in mind?”

“I was thinkin’ I could take you down to the Hard Deck,” he mused.

Susan rolled her eyes at him. “You want to take her to a bar of all things?”

“Why not? The gang is going to be there tonight, I already texted them to make sure. They’re anxious to meet her.”

Susan seemed to brighten at that. “Oh, you’ll love’em, y/n! They’re such a good group of kids, and I just know they’ll love you too.”

“So we have your blessing then?” Bob joked, earning another scowl.

“Yes, you kids go out and have a good time, but don’t be out too late! I think your father said something about wanting to take the boat out tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He mock saluted, earning a smack to the top of his head this time. You chuckled at the two of them as Bob rubbed the back of his head. He turned to look at you with a scowl at your obvious amusement. “C’mon, I’ll show you your room.”

The night was warm despite the cool breeze blowing in through the window from the ocean, and you chalked it up to the densely populated bar you now found yourself sitting in. You had followed Bob inside, having to grab his hand in order to keep from getting separated amongst the crowd.

“Bob!”

You turned to see a group of five seated at a large table on the far wall next to the patio. The only woman in the group raised her hand to grab his attention, and Bob eagerly dragged you over to them.

“Hey, college boy,” grinned a tanned man with long, curly hair that was slicked back. “How’s it hangin’?”

“More importantly,” said the dark-skinned man across from him, looking at you, “who’s your friend?”

“Guys, this is y/n, my best friend from Duke,” he gestured to you with a grin. “Y/n, this is Mickey, Reuben, Natasha, Javy, and Bradley.”

Each of them waved to you at the mention of their name, and you waved back with a small smile. The mustached one, Bradley, grinned up at you before shuffling over on the bench.

“Ain’t no need to be shy, sunshine,” he winked at you, gesturing to the now open seat next to him. “We’re all friends here.”

You sat down slowly next to him, Bob scooting onto the bench across from you and next to Natasha.

“So, y/n,” she smiled, leaning forward with intrigue clear in her eyes, “where you from?”

“Oh, I’m from Missouri,” you smiled at her.

“Missouri?” Mickey snorted, earning a ribbing from Javy. You chuckled, feeling your cheeks heat up.

“Yeah, it’s not glamorous or anything, but it’s home,” you explained.

Reuben leaned around Bradley to look at you. “So you were in the same major as Bob, right? How did you even get into that?”

“Oh, I’ve always had a fascination with the sea, I guess. Felt like I might have been a mermaid in another life,” you joked, and the group chuckled, earning a look from Bob as you looked around uncertainly. “Did I say something funny?”

“Nah, sunshine,” Bradley grinned. “It’s just cute is all. Imagine you being a little mermaid.”

“In fairness, I was five,” you blushed, and he reached down to pinch your cheek gently.

“Don’t go gettin’ shy on us again,” he drawled. Javy rolled his eyes, taking a sip from the glass of beer in front of him.

“You’re almost putting Jake to shame right now,” he chuckled, causing Mickey and Reuben to both snort. Bob looked around the bar, brow furrowing.

“Speaking of, where is he?” He asked the rest of the group. Bradley let out a low chuckle, resting his arm behind you as Natasha rolled her eyes at the name.

“Mandy has been especially clingy, as of late,” Reuben frowned, peering towards the bar with a pointed look. Bob turned, frowning at what he saw. “Been dropping hints left and right for weeks. She barely leaves his side.”

“Well, yeah,” Bradley scoffed, taking a swig from his bottle. “I’m not surprised since it’s almost time for-”

Natasha cleared her throat, giving a pointed glance to you.

“Almost time for what?” you asked, looking around at the table. No one said a thing, giving small glares at Bradley who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He cleared his throat and looked down at you, an easy smile spreading across his face.

“I just noticed that you don’t have a drink, sunshine,” he said. “Why don’t you come with me to the bar, and I’ll get you something?”

You gave one last look around the table before nodding slowly. “Yeah, okay. I could use a drink.”

You stood, Bradley close behind you, and you looked over at Bob. “You’re usual?”

“Please,” he said, giving you a tight lipped smile. You returned it softly, following Bradley up to the bar.

“Bradley,” hummed the older woman behind the bar, green eyes narrowing in on him as she saw you next to him.

“Penny,” he smirked, leaning against the counter. She walked over to the two of you, placing a hand on her hip as she frowned at him.

“What can I get you?” She asked him.

“Two beers and?” He turned to you, eyebrow raised.

“A jack and coke, please,” you smiled at her. She returned the gesture warmly, moving to make your drink.

“You best be careful around this one, honey,” she drawled, eyeing the man next to you. “He has a habit of goin’ around breaking hearts.”

“Penny, you wound me,” Bradley cried in mock hurt, gaping mouth quickly turning into another grin. He shot you a wink. “I would never do that to sunshine here.”

Penny snorted, handing him two beers and you your glass. “Right. You’re no better than Seresin over here.”

She jerked her head to the other side of the bar. You followed her gaze, seeing a blond man turn at the sound of his name. He glanced over to where Penny was looking at you and Bradley leaning up against the bar. He had an easy smirk on his face that rivaled Bradley’s, and when he turned his green eyes to you, you swear your heart stopped beating for a moment. His eyes were like sea glass, a frosty, almost moss colored green. It was like the world faded to black around you as you looked at him. You felt something that you could only describe as a tether snapping into place as his eyes bore into yours. If you didn’t know any better, you could have sworn his eyes started glowing as he continued to stare into the very depths of your soul.

“Y/n?”

Your eyes snapped to the side where Bradley was watching you worriedly. You shook the silly thoughts from your head. “I’m sorry, what?”

Bradley chuckled down at you, a hint of worry still tugging at his lips.

“I was just asking if you were ready to head back to the others?”

“Oh,” you trailed off, glancing back at the stranger across the bar. He was still staring at you, face unreadable. The brunette standing next to him looked very put out as he continued to ignore her.

“Jake!” She hissed at him, gripping his jaw and turning his face to look at her. “Are you listening to me?”

Jake looked down at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Huh?”

“You are so dense sometimes,” she snapped, dropping her hand back to her side. The stranger, Jake, glanced back over at you, and the brunette followed his line of sight, scowling when she saw you. Bradley let out a low whistle before nudging you with his elbow playfully.

“Would sure hate to be him right about now,” he joked, an exaggerated grimace making you giggle. “Mandy is no joke when she’s pissed.”

“Jake!” Mandy shrieked. You chanced another look across the bar. Mandy looked like she was about to blow a fuse as she stared daggers between you and the man at her side. Said man was now frowning, eyes darting between you and Bradley. “I’m talking to you!”

“C’mon, sunshine,” Bradley said with a roll of his eyes at the couple across the bar. “If we stay any longer, I might lose my hearing.”

You followed him back to the table silently, still feeling the heavy weight of two green eyes on your back.

You slept with the window open that night, eager to feel the sea air on your skin as you slept. Your curtains billowed lightly as the moonlight poured into your room. You tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position to fall back asleep in. Your bed wasn’t uncomfortable, quite the opposite in fact, so you weren’t sure what had woken you up. You glanced at your phone, the numbers on the screen showing that it was far too early in the morning to still be awake. You huffed out a sigh, listening to the waves as they crashed against the shore below. That was when you heard it.

You weren’t sure what it was at first, it was so unlike anything you had ever experienced. It was a low hum that slowly turned into a lamentful cry amongst the breaking waves. You tossed your blankets back, quickly getting up and padding over to the window. The cry turned into what you could only describe as a song, not too dissimilar to one a whale would make, but this sounded almost…human? You peered out the window, heart racing as you continued to listen to the strange song. You felt a yearning unlike any other crescendo inside of you, calling to you from a distance almost like it wasn’t even your own. Your mind began to feel heavy, hazy with what, you weren’t sure. The song continued, calling to you, begging you to follow. Your eyes grew lidded, skin warm as you felt the call seep into your skin, drowning everything out but the inherent need to obey. You turned, taking a step towards your door.

A dog began to bark, causing you to jump and the song to stop. Shaking the cloudiness from your mind, you looked out the window once again. You caught sight of what you could only describe as a fish’s tail, silver scales gleaming in the moonlight, rising up before disappearing back beneath the waves.

#jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x you #top gun hangman #jake seresin x you #jake seresin fic #jake seresin fanfiction #hangman top gun #hangman x reader #hangman seresin #hangman imagine #jake hangman seresin imagine #siren au #mermaid au #mermaid!siren!jake #meet me at the sea #mmats

233 notes · View notes

ratmonky · 9 months

Text

Devoted Innocence

word count: 9.2k

warnings: manipulation, gaslighting, bullying, stalking, alcohol, corruption, jealousy

ao3 link

chapter 1/2

finally it is here, nanami's coi sequel! i hope you guys enjoy it I'm so excited!! let me know your thoughts!! this chapter is a bit tame since it's the base of the story but i hope i did good!!

“What are you doing out here this late, Nanami?”

Nanami gazed blankly up at Gojo’s face. He exhaled the last bit from his cigarette before speaking, “Same goes out to you.”

Gojo scoffed and stood next to Nanami who was sitting on a bench by their old dorm. “I just got finished with work,” he answered.

Nanami reached his pocket to grab a cigarette but he had already finished his last packet. Shit. He had to sit here just talking then. Lame. “What do you want?” he asked, trying to sound dismissive.

“Brings back memories,” Gojo abruptly said, swaying his head back towards the night sky. “We would all hang out here and smoke.”

Nanami hummed, he did remember. Their smoke corner was here, the bench was put up here after they all had graduated. He used to smoke standing or sitting on a large rock here with Geto and Shoko and also…

“I wonder what she’s doing,” Gojo sighed with a dreamy smile, watching the moon. “I miss being young and careless.”

“You are still careless,” Nanami said but he didn’t comment on what he said. As if he was waking up from a nightmare, he saw a memory abruptly pop up in his mind. He crumbled the cigarette packet in his hands.

Gojo must have noticed this because he was grinning. “You could also still be careless.”

“We’re not kids anymore,” Nanami sighed audibly.

“We weren’t kids back then either,” Gojo said.

That was true. It didn’t matter how much Nanami wished the opposite. There was no need for him to frown and curse at his coworker. However, he was different from them. Gojo and Geto were the ones at fault.

Nanami was quiet for a while.

“Anyway,” he groaned while stretching his arms over his head, getting ready to get up from the bench. “Need to head back home soon. My nurse is waiting for me.”

Nanami was still surprised about that. The school nurse in Kyoto was pretty but it was hard to believe that Gojo was moving on from the past.

“I’m taking her out this Wednesday.” Gojo stood up, stretching his legs now, getting ready to teleport. “You should come.”

“No, thanks.” Nanami had his eyes on Gojo’s face, studying his expressions.

“Your loss,” Gojo snickered and waved at him. “Goodnight-”

Nanami didn’t bother to say it back as Gojo’s body disappeared from in front of him. He shoved the crumbled cigarette packet into his pocket and decided it was time to go home.

It was unfair that he was still living in the past. Everyone was moving on but him. He had heard from Gojo that Geto…

Nevermind.

~~~

Today he ordered a double-shot espresso while he was reading through the documents he was assigned. The place was never crowded, naturally, the only noise would be coming from the coffee machines and the cutlery, which was the perfect white noise for him since he enjoyed doing his work at this coffee shop. However, with each page he turned, the more complicated the paperwork became and he found himself drinking his second double-shot espresso. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he slowly lifted his head from the paperwork and stared out of the cafe window.

The street was cozy to look at, and watching the people walking past was fun. There were so many differences between each person, whether it be their style, face, or hair. It was just so fascinating that the world was full of so many people yet he could only imagine the face of someone he met in Jujutsu High.

He clicked his tongue and took a sip from his coffee to ease himself. His eyes then landed on someone who was sitting outside in front of his table. You were holding a big book, he could see that you were moving your hand on it. Maybe you were writing? He had never been a nosy person but he found himself moving his head to see what you were doing.

The first thing he noticed was that you were drawing. The second thing he noticed was that you were drawing the person sitting a little further at the front. Nanami looked up from the drawing to the man, he was an ordinary salaryman but there was a flyhead on his shoulder. He returned his gaze to the drawing and tilted his head just right to see the entire drawing.

The flyhead was in the drawing too.

Nanami chuckled to himself, it wasn’t every day that he met random people who could see curses. He wanted to ignore you but you put your sketchbook down and walked inside. At first, he got a little surprised and had a small moment thinking that you had noticed him but you were here just to order another drink.

Without realizing he got up from his table to order something too, standing behind you and watching you drool over some strawberry cake that was on display. He wasn’t earning enough to offer to buy you a cake and nevertheless, you were a total stranger. He was only observing you right now, watching your eyes read through the menu to find something to order. When the person in front of you in line finally moved, you smiled at the worker and Nanami felt like someone threw boiling water on his face. He got hit with flashbacks of the past, the same smile he had seen so many times yet not enough times was right in front of him right now. The same bright innocent smile.

He could hear his own heartbeat and feel each droplet of sweat forming on his forehead, he could only see you in his world. With anticipation, he watched you open your mouth to speak. He was all ears now.

“I’d like to have today’s special with this-” You pointed at the strawberry cake on display. “Please!”

The worker asked about the usual stuff, things like if you would like extra syrup or cream in your coffee. You shook your head instead of talking. You had this cute aura oozing out of you, someone so sincere and innocent-

Nanami balled his hands into fists, stabbing his palms with his nails to snap out of it. When the worker asked him what he would like to order, he mumbled his words. “Filter coffee with cream.”

“It’ll be served right there,” he informed and Nanami moved to the small counter to pick up what he ordered. You were standing next to him, gently bouncing on your heels. He heard you humming very softly to a song he had never heard before. It took him every single rational thought he had to not stare you down and keep quiet.

He wasn’t a kid anymore.

He wasn’t a kid back then either…

No, he was a grown man now.

This wasn’t like back then, he was a grown man now. He was at that age where every one of his actions had consequences, he was responsible if someone got hurt. He wasn’t a stupid eighteen-year-old like before.

Yet he knew he was still seeking that thrill of being able to control someone fully. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered a certain person, someone who was so gullible yet sweet, someone he knew to be his only obsession.

Ever since he had graduated, he had been looking for someone similar, someone to be corrupted by his sinful hands. Sins that were overflowing from his hands would paint their bright future black, he would rip off their wings so they could never escape.

Unlike what he did back then.

Thankfully, he got his order first and was able to leave you alone as soon as he could. He was going insane. Was he even himself? Gojo had gotten to his head that night. How dare he move on? He was the one who had forced him into the whole thing and then as soon as they graduated it was gone. They left Nanami. He knew they were still toying with her after they had graduated, he knew that they continued to share her for as long as they could before it ended.

He never asked and he didn’t want to know. But he was angry. He never got to f- He never managed to say goodbye. He never even got to see her smile.

Today, he did.

No, that wasn’t her.

You had the same bright smile. The same joyous tone in your voice and the same adorable gestures.

Nanami’s thoughts got interrupted when he saw you take your place on your table again. The salaryman was gone but your drawing was finished. You looked around as if to decide what to draw.

That was when you looked behind and locked eyes with Nanami. He was caught off guard. You beamed at him and waved as if to apologize for the awkward eye contact. He wasn’t sure what he looked like to you at that moment but he felt his blood run colder as he smiled back. He could feel the connection.

To you, it had been a simple momentary glance, he knew because you turned around like nothing happened and started drawing a couple sitting on a bench across the street. He tried working and the more he forced himself the more worried he got that you would leave when he wasn’t looking.

You were there every time he looked up. Your sketchbook got fuller and fuller with sketches of random people. He smiled and got a refill, hoping to watch you a while longer. When he was back, you were gone.

That night Nanami couldn’t sleep.

He let his hand move under his boxers like he did every other night when he couldn’t sleep. Stroking his cock slowly, he closed his eyes. The scenario was always the same. He was in his room with her and drinking. They were smiling at each other and she was being all cute. He would tell her something that would make her blush, she would get shy and stutter like she did when she got flustered. He would grab her by the chin, kiss her hard, and undress her. She would put her hands on his chest, and try to push him away because “It’s embarrassing, Nanami.” He would move his lips to her chest, kissing and sucking on her tits until he could feel the wetness of her panties. She would press her legs together because she was always so shy about having sex. She was so pure. He would fuck her hard until she cried until she could only mumble out his name, and until he made her his. He wanted to mark her as his so nobody else could have her. He would look at her face and... And-

Nanami opened his eyes, he didn’t remember her face.

He got all hot and sweaty.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to remember and continued rubbing his cock hastily. He was close but he would go into the bathroom to finish soon.

Her face was all blurry, her smile was the same and her voice only got cuter. Her face formed into yours. Your half-lidded eyes filled with tears looked up at him, your lips parted, “Nanami, please.”

Nanami came abruptly, he was out of breath as the image of you was burned into his mind. He couldn’t even worry about getting his sheets and boxers dirty, all he could think about was you. He knew he would never see you again and he hoped that would be the case because he didn’t know what he would do if he saw you again.

~~~

“Oh, and Suguru says hi!” Gojo chirped as Nanami organized the paperwork on the desk. He had been aimlessly talking and talking even though Nanami was refusing to talk to him. “He wants you to come over sometime! Like a reunion, you know! Shoko was there this weekend and it was fun.”

No answer.

“Pipsqueak asked about you.”

Nanami’s body froze, hands trembling. “What did she say?” he asked in a calm tone.

Gojo smirked, “I lied.”

There was a violent silence that filled the office room.

“But it would be nice to see her again, in your dorm room, right? Just like the first time?” Gojo’s voice was distant.

Nanami glared at him, where did this idiot get the confidence to talk like this?

“Admit it, you wish you could have been a part of it for longer. If only you weren’t on such a high horse, she’d give you the attention you sought.” Gojo grabbed Nanami by the shoulder, “Maybe even forgive you for all the times you hurt her. Maybe if you took me and Suguru’s advice and learned from us, you could have gotten away with anything you did to her.”

“Shut up,” Nanami hissed, his eyes were wide. He could feel his body heat rising, he was getting angry and he could hurt someone. Specifically Gojo.

“You ruined everything for yourself by trying to ruin it for us. What did she do in the end? You remember?”

Nanami abruptly stood up and grabbed Gojo while raising his fist to punch him but before his fist could come in contact with his smug face he jolted awake in his bed. He was out of breath, his jaw hurting from possibly when he was clenching it during his sleep, and sweaty.

With a soft curse spilling from his lips, he sat up on his bed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. What a way to start another miserable day.

~~~

The heavy door of his office room opened with a loud creak, turning all of Nanami’s attention to the expected guests. He got up from his desk and fixed his suit to greet Ijichi coming in to introduce his new Jujutsu Sorcerer partner.

“Ijichi,” he greeted but his composure almost faltered when he saw a shorter figure behind him. It was…

“Hi!” you bowed, giving him a polite smile. “I’m (name).”

Ijichi smiled, “Mr. Nanami, (name) will be in your care.”

Nanami’s mouth felt dry as he tried to school his brain back online. He wasn’t sure as to what to do or act like. You of all people… You were going to be his-

“Let’s get along well,” you chirped, reaching your hand out to him.

He looked at your hand and then up at your face before giving you a handshake. “Nice to meet you.” The handshake lasted longer than a regular one but he made sure to keep it professional, he had been caught off guard but it wouldn’t happen again.

You were still smiling, nodding at whatever Ijichi had to say about you and your sorcerer grade. Nanami’s eyes didn’t leave you for a second, staring at your smile was enough to make him sweat and shiver in anticipation all at the same time.

“That is all,” Ijichi bowed, “I’ll be leaving now, please don’t work too hard!”

“Bye-bye!” you smiled, waving him goodbye as Nanami collected a file from his desk. “So,” you turned around on your heels, still grinning, “Nanami, what do you say to giving me a tour around Jujutsu High?”

He paused for a moment and put the file down instead of checking if the report was complete. That could help the two of you warm up to each other, he could do that. “Sure. Jujutsu High is close to us.”

You clapped your hands together, “Amazing! I’ve never been to the Jujutsu High in Tokyo. I’ve heard so many great things, you’ve gone to school here, right?”

Nanami led the way, walking in front of you and out of his office. “Yes, I have.”

“How was it?” you asked, catching up to him and walking beside him.

Not a second passed but Nanami got lost within two years of his youth. The second year was full of her and his third year had been- “Well. Principal Yaga is an exceptional teacher.”

“Oh, I see!” you smiled, eyes looking around the garden he led you to.

The campus was huge and he gave you a wonderful tour. Showing inside the classrooms and even the large library.

He was done with the tour in an hour, his stories of the place were short and only about the classes. This was where he first executed a curse, that was the first cursed tool he used and there was the training dummy he had broken. Memories of his academic years.

“What about that building?” You pointed at the large building with two floors.

He looked at the building and his lips formed a frown. “That’s the student dormitory.”

“I’d like to see it too!” You started walking by yourself and didn’t look behind you to see if Nanami was following you.

He stood where he was. He didn’t want to go inside. He didn’t want to walk those hallways again and he didn’t want to see the traces of his youth there.

“You coming or what?” You turned around, beaming at him with such bright joy.

He found himself unable to resist your smile, your peppy personality, and he wanted to corrupt any joy you had ever felt and would ever feel.

He took a step forward and your smile only got brighter. “Don’t make a lady wait, Nanami.”

He scoffed at that, shaking his head. You were ridiculous but not as much as Gojo. He could tolerate you.

You waited until he was next to you and then started walking again with a proud puff of your chest. The dormitory was empty when you two got inside.

“Students are on a field trip with their teacher, I think the tour will be faster this way.” Nanami walked inside the common room, it didn’t look any different from what it looked like before. The TV was a newer model and the broken coffee decanter was gone. Now they owned a better one. He showed you the small library and the laundry room.

Then the pictures on the walls of the common room. Every single graduation picture was taken at the end of the school year.

“Where’s yours?” you asked, smiling as you looked around.

He felt a tinge of sorrow as his finger tapped on a picture frame.

Your smile faltered momentarily as you looked at the picture of Nanami and him only in the graduation picture. He was the only graduate from his class and he looked dreadful in the picture, glaring at the camera while holding a bouquet and a diploma.

“That’s horrible, didn’t you have any friends or classmates?” you asked with genuine sympathy.

“My classmate passed away during our mission in our first year. My other classmate repeated the first year. I had my upperclassmen but we weren’t exactly close.” He tapped on the picture frame that came before his picture.

It was a picture of the golden duo. Gojo and Geto. Shoko and she was there too. The girl was between the two guys while Shoko was lying on the ground in front of them all with the bouquets. She was grinning from ear to ear while she was showing off her diploma to the camera. The other girl was making peace signs with a hand and she was holding her diploma with the other. Gojo and Geto both had an arm draped over the girl. Gojo had his diploma folded in his school jacket and he was kissing the girl’s cheek next to him while he was holding his sunglasses up. Geto was squeezing the girl’s cheeks together with his free hand and his diploma was tucked under his arm.

“They look very close,” you said, eyes on the girl in the middle, taking all of the attention. “Sad that you didn’t get to graduate with them.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “They are all very close.”

You must have realized he was drowning in misery because you moved on. “Show me your old room!” you giggled.

He stumbled on his words but didn’t refuse. He led you down the hallway of the first floor of the dormitory and opened the door to an empty room. Nobody was staying in this room right now so he didn’t feel like he was intruding.

You gasped, “It’s bigger than I expected!” Walking up to the bed, you sat on the mattress and grinned while looking around.

“I spent most of my time in here, reading and studying.” He realized your eyes were fixated on something.

“What’s that?” you asked, still smiling.

He followed your stare and found himself looking at a blood stain on the tatami floor. The traces of his sins.

“I don’t know,” he replied because it was the best you didn’t know how he used to have his hand around his cock on the bed you were sitting and stare at that stain to relive the moments of that night.

“Creeepy~” you giggled and stared at him. “Thanks for the tour, I feel like I know you better now, Nanami!”

He nodded languidly, “Sure.”

“Ugh,” you sighed, “Let’s not be so formal, I’d hate to work with you if we don’t become friends. It would definitely make us hate coming to work!” Getting up from the mattress you stood in front of him. “Let’s make sure to get along well!”

He forced a smile, eyes on your beautiful face. “You’re right,” he relented. “Let’s get along well, (name).”

~~~

Today’s task was to finish the paperwork. This task had always been Nanami’s favorite since as soon as he was finished he could go home but also this meant Gojo piling all of his paperwork on him.

Yet today he had you. You were excellent at helping him finish all of the reports and check for any mistakes without complaining and instead enjoying the work.

“Would you like some coffee, Nanami?” you asked as you got up with your empty cup.

He gave a slight nod and watched you take his cup from the desk before walking out of the office. When he was sure you were out of the room, he leaned back on his chair and sighed, you were so overwhelming in the most beautiful ways. He found himself staring at you when he should have been doing his work, watching your eyelashes flutter and eyes follow the long trail of words printed on paper.

He couldn’t help but notice the small things. The small taps of your finger to fidget and the way your brows furrowed before you lifted your head to ask Nanami something you didn’t quite understand.

He was lost in it all.

When the door opened again he turned to greet you but Gojo’s stupid face greeted him instead.

“Why are you here?” he grimaced. “I’m too busy, Gojo. Come back tomorrow.”

“I’m not here to see you,” Gojo whined and looked around. “Where’s the fresh meat?”

Nanami’s jaw clenched, and he raised his eyebrows. “Don’t speak like that.”

Gojo scoffed as he closed the door and walked further inside. “Oh, you’re calling dibs?” He let out a chuckle, “That’s a first Nanami~!”

“Knock it off and leave if you-”

“Calm down, I have a clingy girlfriend,” Gojo sighed, shaking his head dramatically. “I’m just joking with you! When did you get all serious?” He paused and grinned, “Ah, you were always serious. My bad!”

“You should leave,” Nanami argued.

Gojo smiled again as he nodded slowly. “I’ll leave after I’ve seen the new pipsqueak,” he said, before breaking into a laugh.

Nanami glared at him but before he could say anything you walked into the room with a tray.

“Ah, you must be the new girl!” the tall man chirped. “I came here to say hi!”

Nanami felt his hackles rising.

You were dumbfounded as Gojo approached you with a grin. “Hi, I’m (name)! And you must be Satoru Gojo.”

He continued smiling, “Guilty!”

Your brows rose and you stared at Nanami, nervously chuckling, “Is he always this friendly?”

Gojo responded instead, “Only when they’re pretty.”

You blushed faintly and finally moved towards the desk to put the tray down. “Would you want to have something to drink as well?” you asked with a smile.

“He’ll leave soon. We all have work to do,” Nanami’s tone was cold and it made you look at him in question.

“Yes, how could I forget,” Gojo hit his forehead jokingly, “I need to work! I left the students back in Osaka. I should leave.”

“Travel safe,” you joked.

“Nice to meet you and see ya! Promise to visit the Jujutsu High a lot!” He let out a laugh and waved at you before disappearing.

As soon as he disappeared you let out a sigh, “He’s way too overwhelming.”

Nanami didn’t look at you or stop reading the file in front of him for a moment. “Exactly, that’s why I don’t like him disturbing me.”

You chuckled, “Do I fall into the same category?”

“It depends,” he shrugged and looked up to take his coffee cup from the tray. He saw that you had brought some pastries too. He took a small piece. “Will you annoy me more than a curse?”

“Sorry, Nanami,” you sighed, grinning. “I’ll be your curse. The worst burden you’ll ever have.”

Nanami rolled his eyes but a scoff escaped his lips. The rest of the passing hours were calm and filled with work. Neither of you complained and he found that peaceful. When it was time to go home he felt a bit sad about it. Yet he still laid awake at night with his hand around his cock, eyes closed while imagining shoving his cock down your throat.

~~~

You were only a coworker. You didn’t ask to drink coffee after work or ask to go to a bar. You always left for home as soon as the work was finished. You didn’t even take Ijichi’s car which made it impossible for Nanami to be able to talk to you. You had your car and you had your things to do in your private time.

Nanami was going insane. He needed to spend more time with you. Outside of work.

~~~

“What are you eating?” you asked with a grin, taking a seat in front of him in the kitchen.

“Curry and rice,” he replied as you were opening your bento box.

“Hmm, do you cook yourself?”

“I’m able to cook for myself, so yes.” He spoke only after he was done chewing his first bite.

“That’s good! You should cook for me,” you chuckled. “I’m tired of cooking every day to eat. But buying lunch is too expensive so I have to cook.”

He shook his head, “It’d be irresponsible for me to cook for you. It’s your responsibility.”

“Have pity!” you giggled and showed him your plain bento box. “This is the third day in a row I’m eating veggies and rice!”

He snickered at that, lips curling up to a smile as you whined.

“What is it with men and refusing to help women?” you sighed, speaking to yourself. “You are more than capable to cook for two.”

“Are you incapable of cooking for yourself?” It came out cold but he had been going for a flirty tone.

“I’m just lazy!” you huffed and returned to your food. “I’ll get a boyfriend and he’ll cook for me then.”

“It’s better to learn how to be a responsible adult,” he said and you shook your head, refusing to listen to his advice. “I don’t cook for others.”

“I’ll eat my shitty meal outside, maybe that will give it some flavor!” you declared with another grin, “I’ll also check if Shoko is up to trading her lunch with me.”

“You’d rather go there?” He let out a disappointed sigh as you left. This building of the professional sorcerers was close to the Jujutsu High because they were sharing paperwork with the school. Gojo didn’t do his paperwork so it was Nanami’s job at some point to write his reports or send them to Kyoto when it became too overwhelming.

Curses were all at bay nowadays, nothing too dangerous. Especially with Itadori being a sorcerer himself. Gojo was keeping the balance with Geto as always.

Nanami?

He was seen as a kind person. He had never shown a weak side to others, he was pretty stoic but there were certain emotions he could never let out.

He didn’t want the pity of others.

He liked being seen as a selfless and hardworking man. He didn’t want people, more importantly his coworkers to see his vulnerable self. The selfish alter ego. The one that wanted everything for itself, wanted all the attention on himself.

His mind tended to remind him of the exact moment when he joined their game. He remembered how that was the only time he felt like-

Nanami wanted to be useful to others to cleanse himself from his past mistakes. He made sure to be a good mentor and a good sorcerer so everyone around him would smile and live a restful life.

Nevertheless, deep down he was nothing but a mess.

Nanami was a mess even before he met you but you fueled his fire somehow. He wanted to have you but you didn’t look like you wanted to with him.

Nanami was no good to anyone anyway. He knew that. He was a burden. A curse. He didn’t deserve their attention or time. He was a nobody.

For another ten minutes, he stood in front of the sink, collecting his thoughts while washing the dishes.

"Up to wash my container?" you asked, walking into the kitchen.

"No," Nanami said, moving away from the sink. “You are not a kid.”

You pouted and put your dirty container in the sink, glancing at him. “Shoko said you used to help her with cooking. So you do cook for others!”

He paused.

You noticed the sudden pause and raised a brow, “Caught in a lie, huh?”

Shaking his head, he walked towards the coffee machine. “I’m just surprised she remembers all of that.”

“Oh, was it a long time ago?” you hummed while turning on the sink, grabbing the clean sponge to wash your dishes. “It’s never too old to relive the past, you know!”

He was quiet for a single moment. He used to help Shoko cook only because Geto and Gojo threw him in the middle. To him, those were just simple memories, not something he would bring up in a conversation. Was Shoko telling you about the past? If so, how much did you know? Did you know about-

“If we can start the fieldwork today, I’ll get you something.”

You turned off the sink and glanced at him over your shoulder, grinning in mischief, “Cook me something, you mean?”

That broke his composure, he let out a breath through his nose and smiled. You almost made him snort! “Yes, I’ll cook you something,” he replied.

"Let’s finish the paperwork then!" you laughed, the day had barely started but you were too pumped up to get back to work.

"Finish washing the dishes and get to work then," Nanami poured some coffee for himself.

You turned to the sink and hurriedly washed your dishes. He took this moment to stare at your back, watching the way your shoulders moved and how you stood. You were leaning on the counter and you wouldn’t stay still, shifting your weight from one foot to another. That made your hips move in a way he found hypnotizing. He was now staring at your pants and how well they hugged your ass.

He broke out of his trance when Shoko entered the kitchen. He could guess that she walked you here. She liked the company of others.

“Hello,” she greeted, an unlit cigarette between her lips. She grinned at Nanami, “The new girl said she was gonna make you cook for her to save money.”

“Hey!” you laughed, “I told you to keep it down!”

Nanami sighed, “I’ll do it once. To be a kind mentor.”

“We’ll see about that,” you mumbled.

“I like this one,” Shoko put her hand on your head, petting your hair. “She’s got quite the personality. I think she’ll brighten you up in no time, Nanami.”

“This is a work environment, we need to keep things professional.” He took a sip from his coffee, “We don’t need another Gojo.”

Shoko scoffed, “Whatever you say. (name) could beat Gojo.”

“I could?” you froze, dropping your clean dishes back on the sink.

Chuckling, Shoko lightly shoved you in the arm. “She’s so gullible too. You remind me of my best friend.” She had a gentle smile on her face as she looked at you. “God, I wish she was here right now, she was the only person who made Nanami laugh.”

You beamed, “Really?” As you turned your head to look at Nanami, you found him already looking at you. He had a tense look on his face. “Ah, I can imagine him laughing but how did she do that?”

Shoko looked at the ceiling to think, “She was just so gullible. Came from a clan where they kept her away from the real world so she was easy to mess with. I think the boys loved making up things for her to believe. They once convinced her that Turkey was in Africa.”

Your beaming smile died down slightly, “That’s… sad. Did she really believe them about everything?”

“Yeah,” Shoko nodded. “I guess. She didn’t mind them messing with her anyway. She was this cute little pipsqueak. Everyone’s favorite. I think that’s what makes her special. She was so innocent when she came here.”

“That’s enough,” Nanami interfered. “We need to get back to work.”

“He’s right,” Shoko let out a sigh. “We should go somewhere after work. Could be a better option for you to get to know everyone.” She was talking to you and you were nodding with a smile.

It was decided.

The next hour, you finished all of the paperwork and headed out together in Ijichi’s car since you decided the three of you would go to the bar together. Ijichi was keen on taking the driver role for the sake of letting everyone else drink. You thanked him for his sacrifice and rode in the car with Nanami.

He was happy enough to sit next to you during the entire ride towards the woods. At the location of your first job with Nanami, Ijichi put down a veil while the two of you observed the place.

It was an abandoned and unfinished building.

“What do you think this curse is?” you asked, stretching your arms and legs. Ijichi approached you to give you your cursed tool from the trunk of the car. It was a sword.

“It is a first grade, maybe a special grade but nothing we can’t handle.” Nanami paused, “Besides, haven’t you read the report? We had all of the information there.”

“I like the way you already count us together,” you chirped, ignoring the last part.

He shook his head.

“I’ll be waiting here,” Ijichi said, bowing his head.

Nanami nodded in acknowledgment and you bowed your head, thanking Ijichi for the ride. When you stood again, you noticed Nanami was already headed towards the building. To catch up with him, you had to jog a little.

“You didn’t even wait for me!” you whined, out of breath.

“You are wasting time, I don’t want to work overtime,” he mumbled as he opened the large metal doors for you and let you walk into the building.

You walked past him with a smile, “Thank you!”

He walked in after you, “I’m surprised you managed to finish all of the paperwork today. Did you really do it for a meal?”

“What do you think?” you winked at him, grinning.

Before Nanami could say something else, a shadowy figure bolted out of the dark corner of the building and forward at full speed toward you.

He reached for his cursed weapon in fear of your safety but you were able to draw your sword and stopped the blow of the shadow figure. Your sword clashed against the thick skin of the curse with loud ear-scratching noise as if its skin was made of something more solid.

Nanami jumped back and held his cursed weapon tightly, only for you to attack the curse in full force once again. You managed to slash its flesh and the curse let out a scream. You continued your attack, driving your sword further inside the curse and fueling it with cursed energy to exorcise it.

You were doing a good job and Nanami was watching you from a safe distance just in case you needed help but you exorcised the curse by yourself. As you were putting your sword away, he smiled, “Good job.”

“Be honest, did I look cool?” you were smirking.

“Should you be looking cool while doing your job?” he asked.

“Ugh!” you whined, rolling your eyes. “Can’t you just have some fun?”

“We’re working,” he sighed. “It’s not exactly fun.”

You groaned in frustration.

“So, are we really done?” you spoke while the two of you began heading out of the building to meet up with Ijichi. “Are we going to the bar now?”

“I would guess so,” he said, cracking his neck. “Good thing we finished early.”

You had a proud smile on your face, “All thanks to me!”

“Yes, thank you,” he smiled.

“I made you smile!” you excitedly pointed at his face, still grinning. “This is great!”

He rolled his eyes. “Did you make a bet with Shoko?”

“No,” you replied and gently poked his arm. “Just with myself!”

Ijichi opened the car door for you while Nanami paused for a second to enjoy the meaning behind your words.

“To the bar?” Ijichi asked once everyone settled into their seats.

“To the bar!” you confirmed.

Although Nanami hated after-work gatherings, he didn’t miss this one.

The two of you had finished all of your paperwork and started the fieldwork. Shoko had worked overtime because the students getting injured frequently during their training lectures. Gojo had recently gotten a girlfriend.

It was time to celebrate getting all the work done and more.

The bar Shoko chose was close to the school and was a regular hangout place for sorcerers like you. Ijichi and Akari sat together while chatting, the two didn’t drink any alcohol as the designated drivers. Shoko was smoking while Gojo had all of his attention on you. Nanami sat next to you, observing your manners and wishing Gojo to drop dead.

“Would you like more sake?” you asked, offering to pour some for Nanami as the waitress came into the private booth with more bottles of sake.

He let you pour more sake into his cup while Gojo sighed. “I wanna drink too!”

You turned to him, “You told me you didn’t drink earlier?”

He pouted, looking at you over his sunglasses. “I can’t drink in public. Need to be on guard at all times.”

“Boring!” you laughed and poured more sake into your cup.

“You’re so full of life!” he laughed with you and grinned from ear to ear. “It’s such a shame you’ve been attended to him!”

You shrugged, “I’m pleased to work with Nanami.” You poked his arm, “How about you?”

Nanami was caught a bit off guard, he nodded slowly while lighting his cigarette. “You’re a good partner.”

Your stare stayed on him and after Gojo finally moved on to annoying Ijichi, you spoke to him.

“Is everything alright, Nanami?”

Nanami took an inhale of his cigarette smoke. “Yes,” he mumbled.

You put a hand on his arm, beaming up at him. “Am I that boring?”

“No.” He was quick to shake his head.

“You should loosen up,” you declared.

Grumbling under his breath, he took a sip of his drink. It was already his third one. “Are you ready for more fieldwork?”

“Yes! Can’t wait to impress you with my skills!”

He glanced at you and you looked exactly as he had imagined. So bright and full of joy. “Are you trying to impress me?” he asked out of nowhere.

“Well,” you started, eyes trained on his outfit. “You are my mentor and I’d like to leave a good impression.”

Nanami raised a brow. You reminded him of Takuma Ino. He liked it when he was respected and you were so full of hope. He could imagine you looking at him like he was a hero, admired and respected.

“Ah! Listen to this!” Gojo laughed, eyes shining even behind his sunglasses as he looked at the screen of his phone. “Suguru is coming!”

Shoko raised her glass with a chuckle, “Told you he’d be down to meet the new girl!”

Nanami’s shoulders tensed, and he looked at your expression. You were practically smiling so hard that your cheeks were puffing. How excited…

“It’s always a pleasure when Geto joins us,” Ijichi said, Akari nodding dreamily to agree.

“You’ll love him!” Gojo assured you, “He’s my best friend!” His toothy grin and sparkling eyes indicated that he was telling the truth. “He’s one of the teachers, helps me a lot with the students since we have so many first years this year.”

“Mimiko and Nanako are also graduating,” Shoko added, smiling. “Time flies.”

“Yes, they’ll either continue to Jujutsu College or they’ll get to working!” Gojo pointed at Nanami, “You promised to take them in once they graduate!”

“It wasn’t a promise, you told me to do it.” Nanami took a sip from his sake. “They had to repeat the third year twice now. I’m not sure if they’re dedicated.”

“The third time is the charm!” Gojo laughed at pointed at Ijichi, “He repeated the first year thrice! That’s why you were all alone in the second year and graduated alone!”

Ijichi let out a nervous chuckle, “Am I supposed to take that as an insult?”

Your eyes kept following whoever was talking, you tried keeping up with the conversation but it almost felt impossible.

“Nonetheless, sure,” Nanami sighed, “I’ll take them in when they manage to graduate.” Whether it be how puzzled you looked or the guilt of leaving you out of the question, Nanami leaned down to whisper in your ear. “They’re Geto’s adopted daughters.”

“Wow, isn’t he too young?” you asked, even more puzzled.

“He was. He saved the girls from a village during a mission gone wrong after he graduated. The curses eradicated the village and he only managed to save the girls.” Nanami watched as you took notice of his empty cup and poured more sake for him. He could feel his tongue loosening, he could also feel himself getting more confident.

“Aww…” Your sad eyes looked up at him and you pouted, “I hope the girls are doing better now.”

“They are!” Gojo said and pulled out his phone, “They’re a part of our family. Here!” He held his phone out to your face to show pictures of two beautiful young girls with him and Geto at what looked like a crepe shop. He then moved on to the next picture where they were all in school uniforms in front of the Jujutsu High garden. “They’re growing up so fast!”

You smiled, eyes softening, “Having kids so early on must be nice, but also expensive…”

“You’re so right! They want designer stuff and beg me to take them to places. It’s not like Suguru doesn’t have the power to fly them over to any city!” he feigned annoyance and shook his head.

You were laughing.

Nanami continued drinking.

“You live in Tokyo?” Gojo said.

“Yes, I moved here about a few years ago,” you smiled, making the move to pour more sake into your cup.

“Are you single?”

“That’s private, Mr. Gojo,” you forced out a giggle, still smiling politely. “What about you?”

“Well,” Gojo winked, “Unfortunately, I’m not.”

“Unfortunately?” Shoko asked, taking a long whiff of her cigarette. “Already?”

“Yeah, something like that,” he shrugged.

Shoko rolled her eyes, “Gojo and his love life never fails to amuse me.”

“But it always fails, huh?” you joked.

“Exactly,” he sighed and took a sip from his coke. “It’s hard to find the one.”

“Oh, I think we all know you’ve already found the one,” Shoko scoffed, “You’ve missed your chance and now you’re asking for pity.”

Gojo pouted, “There’s always the one that got away.” His stare found Nanami, he winked again and it made the blonde one glare at him.

Shoko let out a soft sigh, exhaling the smoke of her cigarette.

You raised a brow but didn’t question further.

Then Gojo and you started talking about your hobbies. You mentioned drawing and writing poems. He made a joke about how you should draw him.

“I actually can’t draw that good,” you said.

Nanami didn’t know what came over him but he found himself objecting. “I think-” No, that would be a little creepy if he told you he had seen you before. It was a coincidence but still, it felt a little odd to mention to a new coworker. “I believe you can draw well. Art isn’t all about talent, it’s about expressing yourself and your emotions.”

You smiled at him, “That’s nice of you to say,” you softly spoke. “If I have to be honest, I’ve drawn you, Nanami. You’re pretty easy to draw.”

Gojo laughed but his existence was a background noise now. Nanami was baffled, he hadn’t seen you drawing anything since the two of you started working.

“You see,” you started, a bit nervous and shy. “I’ve seen you a couple of times in the city where I hang out and drawn you a couple of times. Or enough times to make me mentioning this to you creepy.”

Nanami chuckled, “That’s interesting.”

“I can bring them to work tomorrow, I’d love to show them to you,” you said and although it was merely to make small talk, you had no idea how happy that made Nanami.

“I’ll be looking forward to that,” he said. He was.

“I’m gonna get more drinks,” Shoko announced, getting up from her seat, “Does anyone else want anything something other than sake?” Almost everyone started talking at once. She scoffed and shook her head, “I’ll get everyone beer, that’s all.”

“Ah!” Gojo raised his hand but Shoko slapped it away.

“I’ll get you something non-alcoholic.”

With that, she left.

Nanami watched you finish what was left in your cup while Gojo was busy texting. There was a comfortable silence between everyone until the door to their private booth opened again.

It hadn’t been long enough for Shoko to return so that only meant-

“Good evening,” Geto greeted everyone with a smile, closing the door behind himself.

“Suguru!” Gojo cheered, “You made it!”

Some collective greetings were being said to Geto as he sat next to Gojo, the two poked each other while smiling. They were speaking to each other when his eyes landed on you. “You must be the newbie.”

Gojo smirked, “Yes, she’s Nanami’s new partner.”

You bowed your head, “Nice to meet you, I’m (name).”

Geto stared at Nanami, squinting his eyes ever so slightly, “Is Nanami treating you alright?”

Chuckling, you nodded, “So far, yes!”

A smirk plastered on Geto’s face, “That’s good to hear, he can be pretty dense at times.”

“That never happened,” Nanami spat, rolling his eyes. “Could you stop badmouthing me in front of me?” It was more of an order.

“Well someone can’t take a joke,” Gojo laughed, raising his hands to surrender. “You see, (name)? He’s so dense.”

They were trying to turn you against him, make you dislike him and it was working. He hated that they were making a fool of him and how he took the bait every single time. He was tired of the constant state of fighting.

“I’m going out for a smoke,” Nanami abruptly said, getting up from his seat.

Geto followed him. Then Gojo.

Nanami groaned softly when he noticed them following after him and hurried outside. The cold night air caressed his face as he pulled out his packet of cigarettes. Without having the chance to put his cigarettes away, the packet got snatched from his hands.

“She’s pretty,” Geto said, taking a cigarette from Nanami’s packet and handing it back to him. “Any plans?”

“What plans?” Nanami said, patting on his clothes to find his lighter, Geto was faster again, he pulled out his lighter to light Nanami’s cigarette first and then lit his own.

“The plan where you apply the things we taught you to get the girl.” Gojo walked to stand in front of the two guys. “I mean, it’s obvious that you find her attractive.”

“This isn’t high school and nor am I horrible people like you,” he spat coldly.

"Let me break it down for you," Geto said out of a sudden, exhaling his smoke at Nanami’s face. “You are in denial. We weren’t the ones who hurt anyone. It was you and your obsession. Satoru, did we ever make anyone cry?”

Nanami could feel his blood boil, anger was taking over him.

“Nuh-uh,” Gojo smirked while shaking his head. “Pipsqueak maybe? Tears of joy when we were giving her the time of her life before the graduation ceremony?”

Nanami glared at the white-haired guy, his eyes were sharp enough to cut him into pieces. “I never made anyone cry.”

Geto started walking around Nanami, inhaling from his cigarette. “Really? From what I remember, you don’t know how to handle a woman. You always waited for us to invite you and then acted like we were the worst. In your head, since you are madly in love with whoever’s the next victim, it makes everything you do out of love, right?”

“Don’t be so mean, Suguru.” Gojo folded his arms over his chest, “Nanami loves making us the bad guys because that’ll justify everything. We dragged him into everything, right?”

Geto scoffed, furrowing his brows. “If that’s what happened, then why do I remember him knocking on my door? Begging to be let in? Begging to be a part of it? Did we also force you into that?”

Gojo shook his head. “I don’t even remember asking him to go into Pipsqueak’s room late at night, do you?”

Nanami bit the sponge butt of the cigarette hard enough for it to break and fall, he spat out the half that ended up in his mouth. “Don’t you dare,” he warned.

Lifting his hands, Gojo’s lips curled up in a devilish grin, his eyes were wide and crazed. “I remember that she came to us. She sought the comfort of the horrible people because of-”

“Satoru,” Geto softly spoke, a smile in his voice. It made Gojo stop immediately. He offered a satisfied nod to his best friend and a soft, kind smile to Nanami who was on the verge of losing his composure. “No matter how much you try to act like you’re better than us, we all know the truth. We know. If you want to make enemies with us, then we will be your enemies.”

“What do you say, Suguru?” Gojo walked up to his friend, draping an arm on his shoulder. “Wanna go halfsies on (name)? Like the old times?”

Geto’s smile turned sinister, eyes still on Nanami, watching him get riled up wordlessly.

The blonde one clenched his jaw and kept quiet, staring at the ground. His whole body was tense but he felt helpless like a mouse caught in a trap, he didn’t know how to react, what to do or say.

“Should we do the overly friendly guys?” Gojo chuckled, “Or the mysterious guy and the funny guy? Or the best friends who are rivals?”

Nanami’s lip started twitching.

“Nah,” Geto waved his hand, his playful tone returning. “Leave that to Nanami.” He turned around with Gojo, slowly walking back into the bar. “She’s not my type.”

“Yeah, your type’s more…” Gojo jokingly hummed in thought, acting like he was trying to decide.

“Innocent,” Geto filled in with a sigh.

They left Nanami alone in the cold, crisp night air.

To calm his nerves, he decided to take a walk.

On the way, Nanami vomited thrice. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, ignoring the strong smell of acid, and grabbed onto his pack of cigarettes instead. He couldn’t believe he had been humiliated by those two idiots.

They were careless, as always.

They were horrible, as always.

He was hopeless, as always.

Nanami felt a sort of sorrow in his gut, maybe they were right? Maybe he had been too blind to see himself honestly. He wasn’t sure what made him this way. He remembered liking those two until they became third years. Perhaps it was the reality of the situation settling in. Maybe because he knew he would never be able to continue what they were doing once they were gone. Or perhaps because he wanted everything to last forever but they had to grow up eventually to become a part of society. To become adults.

He remembered that day he saw the new transfer student visiting Jujutsu High and immediately told Gojo about it. It would be their one last game. One more before they became part of society.

Yet, it had ended so soon.

What?

Did he want it to last?

He felt his legs get heavier, so he sat down on a bench, inhaling from his cigarette.

He wanted to believe that he was a good man.

He wasn’t.

A chill went down Nanami’s spine. His throat felt dry. He let out a deep breath and pushed a hand through his silky hair.

No matter how much he played this character of being a responsible adult, he was still tainted with these dark thoughts and urges that he couldn’t get rid of. He wanted to be able to act careless, be something so precious and big in those hopeful eyes of yours. To make you feel like he was your God and your savior. He wanted to play the game one last time.

He wanted to play with you.

Nanami wasn’t a good actor, or maybe he was. He had been playing a character for over a decade and it had worked for so long. He could do it.

The mischief started to bleed through his composed expression and his lips curled up.

Gojo would have been so close to you, practically sticking to your side and putting his hands on you while pretending to be this over-friendly coworker.

Geto was calmer. He liked how Geto was able to sweep women off their feet with just his words. He kept this mysterious aura around him and spoke only when he needed to. He would say things that weren’t true but since they came out of his mouth, they would become true for whichever pitiful girl was the next victim.

Nanami knew how they played this game.

He knew the first thing they did was to decide what character they were going to play.

Nanami wasn’t good at that.

He was good at being a bystander.

The one to comfort you when he knew you needed it.

The one you would trust because he was the good guy.

Nanami was good at that.

#tw noncon #i put this tag just to be safe for the moment #nanami kento x reader #nanami coi sequel

168 notes · View notes

yuri-is-online · 1 month

Note

TD anon here, I do feel you on the "torture" scene with Taiga, I didn't want my last ask getting any longer lmao.

While the scene definitely made me squeal, for me personally it was undercut by the emotionally charged scene that happened immediately after with Romeo lmao. It's exactly how I felt with Frostheim too, being excited over the dance with Jin, and then immediately after we get the cigarette kiss scene with Jin and Tohma LOL. But it only makes sense, MC has only just showed up at the school, not enough time to bond, and honestly with these kinds of joseimuke games I don't have much expectations of interactions between the cast and MC so in TD she's already much more involved with the whole comic thing anyways.

Eating the Like Dove raw... was really a raw scene lol. He seems to be attracted to blood for some reason? Since he paused when MC's cut started bleeding, I think he was about to lick the blood tbh.

And yeah I do wonder if his shoddy memory has anything to do with his deal's cost. Another vibe theory time, I feel like his fear of the Like Dove might've been... ingrained in him somehow? Maybe he had a run-in before but can't remember it. The reason why I think this is because when MC met him alone, when she reminded him that she was the Honor student, his response was "Oh no wonder I didn't kill you on the spot", he literally forgot about her but his body/instinct made him aware she's someone he's not supposed to kill.... if that makes sense?

He feels like an even bigger enigma than Towa, I'm curious to know what's going on in his head in the moments he goes eerily quiet. Not to mention he's the poster boy of the game, has to be a reason. Luca feels more in line to be the poster boy but it's Taiga...

I enjoyed Haru's drunk spiel about how helpful MC is lol. Also my eyes going wide when Rui said he wants to know what she's made of too... what does that mean....... I need more Rui content, I love his blatant flirtations lol. I got a campus event with Rui, Haru and Romeo in the bar before I even read the chapter, their unexpected friendship is very cute ngl.

(sorry in case this is sent repeatedly, smth wrong with my net atm)

Generally speaking I have found tumblr doesn't post or send things twice but it sure as hell reblogs them with the same tags 42 times making me look like some sort of freak

for me personally it was undercut by the emotionally charged scene that happened immediately after

Yeah I get this. The cigarette kiss with Tohma and Jin took me off guard, but that was mostly because I thought this was an otome game? Come to think of it I don't think we've had confirmation of the whole joseimuke v otome game thing beyond the existence of the like dove and individual character affinity... Well and that when this was announced it was supposed to be an otome game. I know that the otome games subreddit has been having some, shall we say spirited? Discussions lately about how players feel about ros getting into relationships with each other. The general opinion was that a lot of times the ro x ro relationships feel more fleshed out that the ro x mc ones, and I agree. I actually stopped writing something I wanted to be an otome game because the story started shaping up to be more about the mc's mentor than them, and I personally do not think that is very fun. People do like laid back mcs, they do not like mcs who have no place in the narrative, and some writers aren't good at balancing that. TDB mc is doing pretty well when it comes to interactions with the main cast compared to something like Twisted Wonderland if what you want is explicit romance, so far it feels like Season 1 of og Obey Me! from what I remember of that game, so we'll see.

I didn't get the same level of intimacy from Romeo and Taiga as I did Jin and Tohma? But I think that's because in both cases I thought the like dove had appeared before Romeo got there and was talking to Taiga and the second scene made me think Taiga was angry at him for interrupting his "fun." Whatever that "fun" was going to wind up being because yeeeeeah he seems like he has a blood kink of some sort. I think he was going to suck on it and bite her a bit, but licking seems like a logical first step and less influenced by what's wrong with me. Like I said over here the scene with the Like Dove fascinates me... it says more about Taiga than any other character in the game that we get to see the dove twice and that when given the chance he shoots and eats it... if that isn't a metaphor for denial and emotional repression then I am not sure what is.

he literally forgot about her but his body/instinct made him aware she's someone he's not supposed to kill…. if that makes sense?

YES. I wanted to talk about this but it sort of got into conspiracy theory territory and my answer was getting long. I don't know if anyone remembers, but waaaay back in Book 1 when mc tries to escape the school she isn't able to get anyone's attention. It's like they don't see her, is that because of her curse or is it because of preventative measures put in place by the school? I want to lean towards the latter because it makes more sense BUT I also want to be delusional and say that it's part of mc's curse. There's something about Taiga's instinctual fear of the Like Dove and his comments to the mc that make me think his body knows her but his paranoia and memory issues keep him from knowing it.

This is just me writing fan fic... but Taiga is technically the first ghoul you meet. He is the poster boy of the game, he is the first person to bring mc into the main loop and tell her there's a spy. I want so badly for him to have known her at some point but to have been robbed of his memories... Romeo seems to think he is trying to forget stuff on purpose "gone off the deep end" and "escape reality" are both things he says to describe him though granted that last one was due to a misunderstanding about what Taiga was trying to do with the anomaly. Something real bad happened last year, something I feel like Taiga doesn't want to acknowledge unless he can get revenge on whoever caused it. I mentioned in another post, but I sort of want MC to have something to do with Clementia and that's why she's there at the dorm beyond it just being empty due to the clash. (I do get why Luca isn't the poster boy; he's not a dorm captain and those seem to be what the game wants to push. well them and towa lol)

Haru and Rui

Rui is a bar tender who is described as being "popular with the female students" probably because of how flirty he is ha. I love his dynamic with Haru and Romeo, just a barman and his two favorite customers shooting the shit and trying to relax. Rui is cursed to kill whoever he touches, so I think he wants to talk with MC more because he can relate to her in a very unique way. And he got gate kept from doing so by Haku in book one so he's extra curious now. I have his SR so I'll put him on my homescreen for a bit and see what voice lines I can shake out of him. For the little bit I did have him there he called him and mc "curse twins" which I thought was very cute. In a dark sort of way. The entire section at the Obscuary bar endeared me to all three of those idiots.

But especially Haru. He called Peekaboo his child this chapter too ;-; he's such a good dad. I wonder if he is going to show up next books at all? Or if it's going to be like the previous books and we'll instead see Taiga and maaaaybe Towa? Since he's friends with Zenji. Nothing to do but wait for May 0-0

#<3 asks #tokyo debunker #td anon #hotarubi anon??? art thou the same?#taiga hoshibami #tdb #rui mizuki #haru sagara

55 notes · View notes

conkers-thecosy · 1 month

Text

Five Fic Feedback!

Tagged by: No one! Seen this floating about a few fandoms, and decided to bring it over to bagginshield!

Rules: Pick five fics you've written, then tell us about how you feel about it vs how readers have received it!

1 - Bad Blood

My Thoughts: This one is way bigger than I meant it to be! It was going to be about 5k words and the only scene I had in my head was Bilbo biting the elven guard, haha! Readers: People really seem to love this one! I feel like feral Bilbo is always a crowd-pleaser, and this fic got much more attention than I ever expected it to! - 2 - Soldier My Thoughts: I'm really proud of this one. It was my first bagginshield fic, and it was after a loooong break from writing. Even though it's a bit weak in places, I have such a soft spot for it. Readers: I ended up re-posting this one after some harassment kicked my confidence down the toilet, but since then the reception has been very positive! - 3 - Poet My Thoughts: I'm sorry to say it, but this is probably my least favourite fic I've written. If it wasn't so popular I'd have removed it and altered the end of Soldier so it was just one fic! Readers: This fic seems to be very popular, and was the first time someone made art of my work - and more than once! I remember posting the first chapter and not expecting very much, only to come onto tumblr and see random posts where folks were super excited to see it was updating! It was such a lovely feeling! - 4 - My Ego Dies My Thoughts: I genuinely love this one, I think it's probably my personal favourite. I really enjoy playing about with the idea of "forgiveness" between Bilbo and Thorin, and this fic really scratched a particular itch for me! Readers: Probably my least popular fic - statistically, at least! I've found most folk weren't into it for one reason or another, but the people who love it, really, really love it! -

5 - Stealing Moments, Moments Away My Thoughts: I wish I'd taken more time with this one in some ways, but in others it really is the reshirement fic I wanted to tell. Again, I got to tinker with that "forgiveness" trope, and have a good look at what survival might realistically have meant for Thorin. Readers: This one is a quick read, and it's soft and fluffy, so I think readers enjoy it for that reason, though I believe some found it a bit boring. It was being updated almost daily, and the folks who were invested came back to comment and read practically every time I updated, which was just amazing to me! - 6 - Backs To The Wall (Sorry, I've written six, so I wanted to do all of them!) My Thoughts: I wrote this because it was something I wanted to read, and couldn't find. It's been amazingly fun, and I told myself when I started (knowing it was going to be fairly long - even if I didn't realise quite how long at the time, haha) that I wasn't going to take it too seriously, and I was really only writing this for myself, as the most self-indulgent kind of nonsense, ever! Readers: I can't begin to tell you how utterly blown away by the response to this I've been. Like?? It's just crazy to me how much folks are enjoying this, how excited and supportive everyone has been! I've been so grateful for everyone reading, and genuinely shocked down to my bones, haha! 💛 - No pressure tags for: @fantasyinallforms @lucigoo @lordoftherazzles @domesticgoddesswriter @thatfancygirlinwhite @lauramkaye @sass-y-squatch @mintedwitcher (and honestly anyone else who sees this and wants to do it, *waves a wand* you are Tagged!)

#tag game #bagginshield #bagginshield fic #thilbo #thilbo fic #fic writer #fic game #fandom #fandom game #conkers corner #bad blood #soldier poet king series #my ego dies #stealing moments moments away #SMMA #backs to the wall #BTTW #conkers-thecosy

68 notes · View notes

louroth · 10 months

Text

Hello hello everybody! It is time for another months progress, and I am so excited to share with you, all the things I have gotten my grimy little gremlin hands on. First off, what we are all here for; writing. I have been on fire, to be honest! Last month I churned through the last of the first batch of erotica stories (there's 6 (!!!) of them on my patreon already) and set them up for publishing along with two more unseen ones- I'm still going over the logistics of where to publish for the best revenue (I know this sounds boring, but I have to make an income somehow, and hopefully find another audience as a smut writer on other platforms 💀 I love writing it so why not!), and I am making headway, learning the ins and outs of self publishing. On patreon, there are also two Q&A's that are written in a bit more fictional manner, in character: a more fun way than just writing answers straight up and down. I have enjoyed those so much! There's a bunch of other stuff I haven't even mentioned- honestly, I have to say, I'm really proud of my output on Patreon even though I have been really anxious about writing full time. It's going great! I have to thank my new friends and support-network on discord; you make this all worth it. I cannot express how fun it is to shoot the shit with you in vc, gaming together, or seeing your shenanigans in gen or your in depth theories (thanks for the brainworms!) or memes or staring longingly at the fanfic channel or drooling over your art (ouro related or not) or... Gah. You are just amazing people, and I will waste no opportunity in saying so. Thank you forever and ever and ever an-

When it comes to OUROBOROS, I am happy to announce that the next chapter is damn near done! I was halted because of the discovery that dashingdon is no longer supported by it's creator, and have been working on the twine version ever since, earlier than I expected- it's tough work, but I am so excited to make this an actual game made entirely by myself, and not submitting to a company that quite frankly leaves a bitter aftertaste. It is taking long to make because I want to make it mobile compatible from the start, which there isn't a lot of resources for. But I'm doing my best! The plan is that I will be posting the next chapter for Patreons in the coming month, and then treat you to a full twine release here on tumblr. I haven't made any rewrites when porting the twine build, but I would like to do that too... so we will see; this plan is not set in stone. I will just have to see how it evolves over the next month. Yes, beta-readers is still on the schedule, just holding off a little while while I wrap my head around this new coding landscape.

Other than that, I have been working on the set aesthetic for ouro, which has been really hard, a lot harder than I expected. You all know I am no wizard when it comes to graphic design, but I want to at least develop a set palette and imagery and portraits that is cohesive to the story. The work is ongoing, and I don't have much to say about it- even though it is taking a lot of my brain power. I'm hoping I can come to some kind of set and in depth conclusion that I am happy with before the twine release, because I want the game to feel like a treat to open up and play; a world to get lost in.

That's it! If you want to see weekly and more in depth dev-logs, you know where to go. I hope you have an amazing day or night, and we will see each other soon. xx

#OUROBOROS #ouroboros-if #interactive fiction #twine wip #progress report #dev log #I am SO sorry I haven't been around a lot to answer asks- there is so much work to be done and only so little of me to go around whuhuhuhu #send help lmfao. tuck me into your pocket. keep me safe!!!! I have no idea how people manage all this. But I promise and cross my heart I a #Doing My Best™#other things not mentioned: I have been going through The Stress with my doagy who injured her leg but today we finally took a full hike t #together- she really scared me with how much pain she was in but we made it through 😭 I cannot thank my patreon supporters enough because #your support is making me breathe easy about the upcoming vet bill. why are blood samples so expensive. wah #yeees yees im bursting with butterflies and rainbow emotions. but truly- I can't thank you enough #Onwards! We keep moving!I am so excited for all this-damn all the stress and the insecurities-I am Doing It!!! It is Happening! Wahoo!

230 notes · View notes

piracytheorist · 7 months

Text

Episode 33 reaction!

*incoherent screaming*

WHY DID THEY MAKE THIS CUTE. WHY DOES IT WORK. I LOVE IT.

Yor talks about how they'll just put them in that inflatable boat and then go to the other ship, but would that really work with the amount of assassins on board? All they'd need to do would be fire with a sniper while the trio were boarding.

Anyway. Caught by the smell, after all. And indeed Yor doesn't seem to have a scent that super-smeller Turtleneck Guy can pick up. Interesting!

I love how Anya didn't even have to negotiate this. She wasn't even direct about it.

Also, it looks like Anya got a little more comfortable hearing a myriad of passionate thoughts around her? Like, remember episode three, where she passed out from the amount of thoughts around her. Here she didn't seem bothered at all and thought she could "look around" for Yor's thoughts. Is that a sign that she's getting stronger and gaining more control of her power?

I love how Yor saw the two guys standing by the hallway and went like "These are probably assassins" and they were indeed assassins.

Okay. This spread is hilarious, with all the different expressions side by side, and I'm glad I had the manga in a physical copy and could see it in all its glory XD

It was so sweet, how Olka tried to calm down Gram 🥺 the voice actress did such a great work there!

They actually fit three full chapters and one short chapter in one episode, and it still didn't feel rushed, what the hell! Like they took their time showing everything. This is amazing.

I love how Gram got excited over jumping around in Yor's arms XD

The sniper got an order to kill the baby too, if possible! The fuck!

Setting a fight between assassins - which includes a lot of shooting - amidst a firework show is brilliant. The plain guests had no idea what was happening just a few meters away from them.

AND YOR GOT HURT!

The difference between their reactions at the other dodging was hilarious. The sniper went like "She dodged that???!?!" and Yor was like "Aw shucks, he dodged it."

Then. Yor. Fucking. DESTROYED. A DAGGER WITH HER BARE FINGERNAILS. What the actual fuck! (I accidentally typo-ed "bear fingernails" there but was it actually incorrect? This woman is a beast!)

And Gram is still having fun! Fireworks? Time to cry. People trying to kill them? Laughing his heart out :D

My god! The assassins coming out, and Yor doing her tricks with her stilettos before preparing her stance? The animators really understand the assignment!

Some good quick action there, McMahon coming to their help and I THINK I MIGHT HAVE SCREAMED WHEN ZEB GOT HIT.

Like they were actually falling and I was like. Please tell me he wore a bulletproof vest. Please tell me he won't die. PLEASE DON'T DIE ;_;

So yeah. I was so relieved to see he had a vest. And it's also funny that they took a humorous tone with that. A bit of an emotional whiplash was expected there XD

There's so much good animation there I can't even begin to comment on it. I'll have to gif a lot tomorrow :D Probably :D

Anyway. THEY MESSED WITH THE WRONG BITCH

Glorious.

McMahon cleaning up! Both preparing to fuck shit up!

I love how Yor apologized for using a guy's dead body as a shield from bullets. Kindness over all!

And then Loid wondering why Anya is still so excited after a long show of fireworks. He would lose his mind as a modern parent whose child could listen to Baby Shark a million times in a row.

A literal bloodshow ensues! Yor killing guy after guy and McMahon cleaning up after her!

Meanwhile, Anya and Loid enjoy the fireworks, and the office dudes win a fortune. Wins all around!

Though shit! The mace guy broke one of Yor's stilettos! Sacrilege!

They didn't pull back. With the soft song accompanying the action, we then get a hilarious (!!) montage of Yor taking out the assassins one by one and HOW DO THEY DO THAT. How is the humor in this show so effective I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Like, Endo's writing is funny in and of itself, but then the anime manages to pick up from that and use make it over the top! I love it.

Turtleneck guy thinks he's in the position to judge Yor??? Shut up my dude.

So McMahon is a pretty traditional dude, huh. Interesting. And did Turtleneck Guy really go like, "No, YOU will be eaten by sharks!" Like was that the best you could do XD

But then! Things get deeply serious! McMahon isn't dead, is he? O_O (don't answer)

Oh my god there's so much more I can barely comment! The katana guy being over the top! Yor worrying over breaking Loid and Anya's hearts! BECAUSE SHE'LL DIE. The haircut moment XD

But then Yor had her moment of wondering and then got her ass kicked and shit.

It is not clear in the anime, but it looks like in the manga Yor ripped the earring off her earlobe to stop Turtleneck Guy from moving on.

It's kind of tragic, how the Briar siblings ended up. Yor got into a dangerous, soul-eating job to protect Yuri's carefree life, and Yuri, seeing the sacrifices she made for him, did the same for her. They're so desperate to protect each other from the evils of the world, because they're all they have...

But now she's got even more of a motive...

So what if I cry? What if I dissolve into a puddle of tears and feels? So what? T_T

WHAT IF I LOSE MY MIND. BECAUSE HE DOES UNDERSTAND. IT'S THE VERY SAME THING HE DOES.

One last moment of logic that yes, she did rip her earlobe.

And now I continue screaming. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#thoughts for the extra part will come later cause!! fuck!!#Spy x Family #sxf reaction

100 notes · View notes

romanarose · 3 months

Text

2000 followers!!!!

Graphic by @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog 🥰🥰

Wow, I'm in tears y'all I can't believe I'm at 2k!!!!!

I'll be straight up, the 1k celebration was a lot ;-;

And with school, I can't commit to a whole lot especially writing things for people who don't interact with my shit at all. So, I decided to do something specific

My talent lies in series more than one shots. It's where I shine. So I think the celebration will be centered more around my different universes! Acceptable universes will be listened an linked at the bottom.

Here's how to participate!

Fuck Marry Kiss

Pic 3 canon characters or OC's from any universes. If you say "Marc Spector" Specify if its from Seattle or Sunshine. Make sure I know which series bc there slightly different characterizations sometimes. Same with reader. MOST of my readers have a nickname like Little One or Madonna. Example: FMK: IYWBW Santi, Lorenzo, and Puppy Girl reader

2. Bonus chapter or thoughts (or thots)

Ever wanted to know how Zach and Lorenzo fell in love? Ever wondered what Jana and Will's friendship is like? Wanted to see what Guard Dog! Joel and Reader do for fun? Now is your chance! Please be clear if you're looking for thoughts or an organized chapter. Example: Can I please request a scene with how Santi calms down Laci when she has PTSD now that's she's a few years into healing? Example 2: Was wondering if you had some random thoughts of what shows Jake and Sam have watched together over the years?

3. Crossovers!

Want two characters from different universes to meet? Have a cross story ship? Think two readers or OC's would be besties? Think a pair of characters would be fun in a different AU? Come on over!

Example (From Fen): Leather and Lace Santi and Laci meet The Wrong Way Joel and Little one

Example 2 (Also from Fen): What if Sam met Becca.

Example 3: I think Angela from Blessed be the Fruit would absolutely love Candy and they should date.

Acceptable universes to ask for fics or crossovers from:

If You Wanna Be Wild (Santiago Garcia x Latina!Reader/OC x Javier Pena) with @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction Sunshine Starlight Sweetheart Brightside (Steven Grant x OC x Marc Spector) Seattle (Marc Spector x Jewish!OC) Leather and Lace Universe (Santiago Garcia x OC, Frankie Morales x AfroLatina!OC, William Miller x Vietnamese!OC, Ben Miller x M!OC) Awakening (Reader x all 4, IronPope, FishBen) Darkness on the Edge of Town (Joel Miller x reader, no age gap) DBF!Joel Miller Holiday Fucks (Joel Miller x reader, large age gap) Pieces from my dark side blog @romana-after-dark are allowed too. I have 2k followers here but Ill want to open the worlds in here to the event.

The Wrong Way (Dark!Joel Miller x reader, Dark!Tommy Miller x reader DDDNE) Guard Dog (Dark!Joel Miller x Dark!reader) Blessed Be the Fruit (Dark!Joel Miller x darkish!reader) Puppy Girl (dark!Joel Miller x reader, pet play) Room's on Fire (Reader x Santiago, Francisco, Will, Ben, FishBen, FishPope)

If you have other ideas, just ask!!!

Spring Break is coming up so im excited to do some of these and my commissions!

I CANNOT thank my lovely followers enough for all this!!! I love writing so fucking much and many have reached out to me about fics being healing for them

so, thank you. I mean it. Man of these stories, like LaL universe or TWW have been healing for me, processing a lot of feelings through them and i pu tmy heart and soul into my stories, so it makes me so happy and proud yall want to read.

#romana's 2000 follower celebration #triple frontier #moon knight #marc spector #steven grant #santiago garcia #jake lockley #joel miller #moon knight fanfiction #tlou #the last of us fanfiction #triple frontier fan fiction #dark joel #dark joel miller #santiago garcia x reader #follower celebration #romana is blessed

58 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

life-motivation-168

Welcome to Life Motivation!

ask-dr-kujo

go away

whimsical-loveseat

Whimsical Loveseat the betta

johannaarc

Art Dump

dopplegangrel

Bleh