#this really got away from me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

snippy-tano · 1 year

Note

hey snips! I've noticed that you haven't written anything about good ol' sergeant Hunter and I was wondering if you could do a Hunter x female senator maybe? In which the senator is placed under the Bad Batch's protection and the sarg falls head over heels for the reader? Thx 💗

so. this one kind of got away from me.

i didn't realize how long it ended up being until the end. sorry not sorry. part of me was like, i should make this more than one part, but then i decided against it and just figured it would be a helluva a long one-shot. either way, i hope y'all like it!

this ask has been in my inbox for a while, so i apologize for that. maybe it's tbb being on that got me in a hunter mood. oh well. i'm not going to complain. i hope you like it anon! let me know what y'all think! or if you want to see more hunter! *wink wink*

((as some warnings, there are threats against the reader's life. nothing specific, but it is talked about quite frequently as there is someone out there threatening her life. also, someone does get injured over the course of this one-shot and there's some canon typical violence. just want to cover my bases!))

masterlist is here!

taglist is here!

tagging: @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life; @marvel-starwars-nerd; @mackstrut; @dissapointingpancake; @ahsokatano-thetogruta; @welcometothepedroverse; @lightningwolffe; @fractiouskat; @mandaloriandin; @lussyyung; @lowkeyodinsong; @str-wrs-fics; @bantha-shit; @badbatch-simp24; @katelynnwrites; @s1st3r; @leotatombs; @torchbearerkyle; @rain-on-kamino; @the-navistar-carol; @bombshe77; @arctrooper69; @social-mockingbird

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Of Senators and Sergeants

The threats against your life were just that, blank threats from individuals determined to slow you down. But they would never slow you down. The now near constant threats showed that you were on the right track. Clearly there were individuals who wanted you to stop digging, stop pursuing the answer, but that was never going to happen.

They would have to make true their threats for that to happen, and you doubted they had the guts to do that.

But your aides were worried.

And because they were worried about the threats and your seemingly lack of interest in the threats, they reached out to the Jedi Council about providing protection.

You didn’t like that. You didn’t need the protection and the Jedi were busy with the war effort. You were a senator from a small mid-rim planet with hardly any pull within the senate. You didn’t need a Jedi to be pulled from work that was benefiting the galaxy just to babysit you.

Thankfully the Council expressed something similar, stating they didn’t have any qualified Jedi handy to keep an eye on you. Which was fine. You didn’t need to be watched.

Unfortunately, they did assign a clone unit to act as your protection until the threats stopped. Apparently they had been on a few continuous missions and needed a “break” from the specialty missions they were always assigned to.

You weren’t against the clones, not at all. You admired their skill and brotherhood. You only wished they weren’t forced to fight in a war.

You were sitting at your desk when Hana, your closest aide, entered. “The unit assigned to protect you is here.”

You let out a sigh. “Show them in please.”

After setting aside your holopad and flimsi, you stood up just as the doors opened and four troopers walked in. You hadn’t been given much information on the men assigned to keep an eye on you. Just the name: Clone Force 99.

Of course you were beyond curious and spent many nights curled up in your apartment, when you should have been sleeping, researching the unit. You came to learn they handled incredibly specific missions designed for delicate care. It didn’t always turn out exactly like planned, but they had a near perfect success rate. Their unofficial name was the Bad Batch.

Honestly, the more you read about them, the more curious you became. Maybe this wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

“Welcome.” You said with a smile, walking around your desk to greet the four men. “I may not agree with needing protection, but I appreciate your coming.”

“Just doing our job ma’am.” The one in the center said, his bucket tucked neatly under his arm. You met his gaze and gave him a smile.

“Thank you Sergeant Hunter.”

“Wait, you know him?” The tallest (and biggest) man said, only to be elbowed by the one with a tattoo of a bullseye over his eye.

You smiled softly. “Not officially. When I learned you were assigned to me, I did some research. It is nice to meet all of you. I again apologize you have to take a break from missions that actually matter to babysit me.”

“Every mission is vital to us.” The man with yellow goggles stated, Tech if you remembered correctly.

“You keep saying you were against protection, may I ask why?” Sergeant Hunter asked and you let out an empty chuckle. You waved to Hana who nodded before leaving. Then you headed back to stand behind your desk.

“I was against protection. Clearly I am on the right path with my inquiries and I do not believe I am in any real danger.” You said, picking up your holopad.

“Your life has been threatened quite extensively. And the threats were incredibly descriptive and accelerating in quantity.” Tech said, looking up from his data pad.

“They are just that, threats. I do not believe I am in any real danger. They are trying to get me to stop digging into their illegal exploitation of my planet and I will not be easily startled.” You stated.

“What exactly are they doing on your planet?” Crosshair asked, playing with the small toothpick in his mouth.

You sighed. “They have been smuggling spice through our agriculture exports. Normally, our police would have put a stop to this sooner, but I fear that the local police have been bought off. It was brought to my attention by several of my constituents who have been starving. With spice being moved instead of produce, their livelihoods have been disrupted. And with the added pressure of the war effort, my people have been suffering.”

“Isn’t that a job for your governor?” Sergeant Hunter asked. “I mean, you’re just a senator.”

“You’re right. This should be the governor’s responsibility. But the current governor could care less. As long as money is still moving and his expensive taste is quenched, he does not bother.” You said. “I am getting close to determining who is responsible, but I cannot quite seem to find the last remaining piece. Your assignment to me was urgent because I plan on returning home tomorrow. There is only so much I can do from my office here. I hope that by going home I will finally be able to put an end to this.”

“Tech, Hana has a copy of my itinerary. Right now, we have an official itinerary that is just a diversion. According to that, I am attending a conference on Naboo. My actual travel plans are only known by her and myself. If you would like copies of both, please see her. From what I read, you seemed to be the logistical member of your team.” You said, turning to the man who looked up from his datapad.

“Excellent observation. I am indeed.”

“More like the most annoying member.” Wrecker laughed loudly.

“I do not see how being logical is the same as being annoying.”

“That’s because you’re annoying.”

“Alright. Tech, go get both schedules. Wrecker, go with him, but keep the arguing to a minimum. Check the hallways while you’re at it.” Sergeant Hunter jumped in and the two left, still bickering. “Cross-“

“-I know. Go check the departure location. There won’t be any surprises tomorrow.” Crosshair said before turning and leaving. The door shut behind him and you continued to flip through your flimsi.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sergeant Hunter spoke and it startled you slightly. You let out a sigh, hands stilling. “I read some of the threats, Tech was being generous with his description. Anyone would be afraid or at least concerned.”

“I appreciate the concern but I am not afraid or concerned. They are just threats. It will take more than empty words to sway me. I will be fine once my people are no longer suffering.”

He clearly wanted to pry further, but you quickly brought him up to speed on everything you had found so far. He didn’t quite buy your distraction, but didn’t fight it. You knew he would likely bring up your blasé attitude towards these threats again, but for now, he at least was offering some assistance.

By the end of your work day, Sergeant Hunter and Wrecker accompanied you to your apartment. You waited patiently with Wrecker, chatting with him pleasantly while the tracking expert cleared your apartment. He returned a few moments later.

“I didn’t see anything. We should be alright to enter.” He said and you strode right past him.

“See? They’re just threats.”

You didn’t give him a chance to answer before you headed into the kitchen. You pulled out a few already prepped meals and placed them on the counter. “This is for you as well. Please make sure you get something to eat. I am going to wash up and get ready for bed.”

Sergeant Hunter nodded. “Wrecker will keep watch outside your apartment and Tech and Crosshair will be on a nearby rooftop. I’ll stay here to keep watch. You will be safe.”

You gave him a nod of thanks, grabbing a piece of fruit before heading for your room and closing the door. You slumped against the door, letting out a shaky breath.

Was this really a good idea? Were you over your head and out of your depth?

You shook your head before pushing off the door. Now wasn’t the time to think like that. You were so close to finding out. You couldn’t give up now.

You spent the rest of the evening taking a long turn in the refresher, packing a light bag, and reviewing all the documents you had gathered up until this point. Earlier, you had sent the records to Tech after he assured you his datapad was unhackable and untraceable. It was nice to know that the Bad Batch was not only protecting you, but had realized they wouldn’t be able to stop you and had opted to assist you in your goal. You only hoped they didn’t end up regretting it.

There was a soft tap on your door just after midnight. You lowered your datapad and called them to enter.

Sergeant Hunter stepped in, not fully entering and keeping his eyes downcast. “Everything seems to be clear. If anything happens or you think you hear something-“

“Don’t worry Sergeant. I will call for you immediately.” You reassured and he nodded once before closing the door. You took another deep breath before setting aside your reading glasses and datapad, flicking off the light.

Maybe tonight you’ll actually get some sleep. Although you weren’t holding your breath.

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

You must have dozed because you awoke to the sound of scratching at your window.

It snapped you awake instantly. You have lived here for years. You knew what sounds to expect for the area you lived in. And those were not normal.

Your heart began to race and you worked to keep your breathing even and not show signs that you were awake. Fighting against all of your instincts to act immediately, you slowly moved your hand under your pillow, fingers closing around the blaster you kept there.

Your entire body was tensed, ready to move at a moment's notice. And then it came. You heard the sound of the window being opened and you moved. You rolled out of bed and immediately fired two shots at the window. There was a shout from the figure at the window and you were forced to duck down when they returned several shots. Your bedroom door burst open and more shots were fired.

There was a brief break in the firing from the window and you peered back over the edge of the bed and fired. A body slammed into you and you were forced to the floor as more shots hit the wall opposite the window.

“Tech! Crosshair! Do you have eyes on them?” Sergeant Hunter shouted near your ear and you winced.

There was a muffled response and then silence.

You let out a breath of relief, slumping further against the floor. You opened your eyes to see Hunter already looking down at you. His body covering yours.

“Still think they’re just threats?”

You supposed you deserved that.

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

You didn’t sleep the rest of the night. Once Sergeant Hunter had deemed it safe, he let you up from the floor and quickly ushered you into the living room. A blanket had been placed around your shoulders and reports from the rest of the batch trickled in.

They weren’t able to catch the culprit, but did find a few clues that may help point you in the direction of whoever hired them. Apparently even though they had been injured, likely from one of your shots, they were able to get away with help. The rest of the batch returned and set up a post much closer to the apartment.

You didn’t report the attack.

Sergeant Hunter had insisted, but you didn’t want anyone finding out because then security would tighten around you. You needed the freedom to move around when you got to your home planet. He also tried to talk you out of continuing with your plan, but you promptly ignored him.

The plans however, did change.

“I don’t like this idea, Hana.” You spoke to your closest aide who smiled sadly.

“You don’t have to like it. But it is what we are doing.”

After Hana found out about the attack, she insisted the plans change. Your official schedule still reflected a trip to Naboo, but instead of just no one attending in your place, Hana had insisted she go in your stead.

“Hana.”

“I am doing this Senator.” She said, placing her hand on your arm. “The guards will not know the difference. We need to make whoever attacked you think you are traveling to Naboo.”

You sighed. She was right, you just didn’t like it. It was one thing to place yourself in danger, it was another to ask a friend to do the same. “I spoke with Senator Amidala. Once you arrive, she will send for you and you will hide out at her private residence until everything has been resolved.”

“I appreciate that.” Hana turned to Sergeant Hunter. “Please make sure she does not get into any more trouble.”

“Hey!”

“I will ma’am.”

You crossed your arms, huffing in annoyance. Hana merely smiled at you. You pulled her into a quick hug. “Please stay safe.”

“You too, Senator.”

You pulled back, sniffling. You turned to the Sergeant. “I’m ready.”

And then the pair of you left. You and Hana had swapped clothes before leaving, but you still pulled up your hood to conceal your face. With the attack the night before, it had been decided that it would be best for the Bad Batch to take you to your home planet themselves. They had their own ship and hopefully those who were trying to kill you didn’t know that they were assigned to your protective detail. It was easier to control the situation with their own ship versus risking public transport.

Before you knew it, you were aboard their ship and on the way to your home planet.

The Batch for the most part left you alone. Wrecker had made a big show of giving you the best seat on the ship, aka the empty bunk towards the back of the ship. It wasn’t much, but it was sweet of him to try to make things a bit more comfortable for you.

About halfway through the trip, Sergeant Hunter came to check in on you.

“That was some pretty good shooting.” He said, startling you out of your review of your findings so far.

You felt your cheeks warm involuntarily and looked back down at your datapad. “It could have been better.”

“You still managed to hit the assailant, which isn’t easy to do, especially without training.”

“Who says I’m not trained?” You replied and he chuckled once.

“You may have been taught to shoot a blaster and have pretty good aim, but there’s a difference between that and proper training.” He said, taking a seat on the steps that lead up into the bunk you were sitting in.

“Is that a challenge, Sergeant?”

“Maybe it is.”

“Consider the challenge accepted. If I survive this, you’ll have to train me properly.” You returned to your datapad.

“Is there a reason you’re so set on proving this, even at risk of your own life? It seems you don’t care much for what happens to you.” Hunter said after a moment of silence and you clenched the datapad a little bit tighter.

“Incredibly bold of you to say Sergeant.”

“I’ve never been once to mince my words. Want to answer my question?” He countered and you let out a sigh.

“My people have always gotten the short end of the stick, ever since I was little. We always were the last to receive aid and no one really seemed to care about our concerns. I wanted to become a Senator so I could fight for my people the way no one else seemed to be willing. This is happening under my watch. I need to fix it for their sake. I don’t care what happens to me as long as my people can live without fear of starving or suffering.” You said, biting on your lip. “It’s foolish, I know, to think I can make a difference. But I have to try.”

“I think it’s admirable.” Hunter said and you looked up at him in surprise. “I don’t agree with your disregard for your own life, but I can admire your desire to give your people the best life they can have. We’ll do our best to help you and keep you alive to see the results Senator.”

You smiled softly. “Thank you Sergeant. Also, thank you for last night.”

Hunter shifted on the steps, clearing his throat and not looking at you. “It was no problem.”

“Still. If we all make it out of this, I will treat all of you to a meal. I promise.”

He smiled and you could feel your heart stutter for a moment. But you quickly pushed it away. Now was not the time for heart skip at the smile of an attractive Sergeant. You had more important things to worry about.

“Hunter?” Came Tech’s voice from the front of the ship. “We’ve arrived.”

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

It was decided not long after landing that was best to split up, but stay relatively close.

Your research pointed to two possible locations of where the smuggling was centered. One seemed to be more heavily fortified and the other was just a hunch of yours and likely wouldn’t pan out. Sergeant Hunter had tried to convince you to stay behind, but you insisted on coming. Besides, if something happened when they were gone, you would be all alone.

Sure you could have handled it, but it was enough to convince Hunter to let you go along. Tech, Crosshair, and Wrecker would go for the more heavily fortified location of the docks. Hunter would accompany you to the location of your hunch. You didn’t know if it would pan out, but you had an unshakable feeling about the small seemingly normal storage unit.

After promising to maintain communication, the groups set off.

Your walk to the unit was quiet. It was late evening and most people had retired to their homes for the night. Which meant your walk was pleasant. Of course you were nervous of what you would find and hoped that you were right. Your people depended on it.

You both arrived near the storage unit relatively quickly. Hunter held up a fist to stop you both and motioned you to follow quietly. Your hand tightened around your blaster as you followed.

The storage unit area was empty, which was a bit strange. There was no one that you could see and you knew from your research that this place was usually pretty busy. It was enough to unnerve you.

The unit you were looking for was towards the back and in a dimly lit area. Hunter again motioned you to stay put and you obeyed, knowing he had more experience than you in this area. He listened against the door to the unit, before coming back to where you hid.

“I hear voices inside, but they’re faint. Almost like-”

“-there’s a secret unit and this is just the door.” You finished and he nodded.

“I think your hunch was right.”

That sent a swell of pride surging through you. You had been right. Something was going on and it did stem from here.

“Do we call the others?” You whispered, leaning closer.

He nodded. “I’ll send them a comm. We’ll wait until they get here and then investigate.”

You were about to agree when the door to the unit suddenly opened. Hunter’s hand found your shoulder and pushed you down, him following the motion. You could feel him behind you, eyes trained through the small gap of the crates you were crouching behind.

“-we need to move the supplies quickly.” came a voice and your blood ran cold.

Hunter must have felt you tense because he squeezed your shoulder. “What?” He breathed in your ear and you turned your head to look at him, nose brushing his chin.

“That’s the governor.”

The only reaction Hunter had was squeezing your shoulder again. You turned back to listen to the conversation and heard Hunter tap at his comm unit.

“Did you take care of the Senator?” The governor asked, clear disdain in his voice.

You winced slightly. Sure the governor and you didn’t exactly get along, but you didn’t think he had this much contempt for you. You didn’t think he cared enough to want you dead. But maybe you didn’t really know him at all.

“They were unable to kill her, but they tracked her to Naboo and will act soon.”

You were moving before you realized it. Even Hunter wasn’t able to stop you in time.

“It’s over, governor.” Your voice surprised the few individuals at the door to the unit, including the governor.

His surprise was quickly swallowed when he sneered at you. “I shouldn’t be surprised you managed to sneak on to the planet, you always were a nuisance.”

“You will be punished for this.”

He had the nerve to laugh. “No I won’t. Because you will never make it out of here alive.”

The men who were with him reached for their guns and once again, you were faster. You had shot one down and were shooting at the next by the time they drew their weapons. Hunter appeared beside you, shooting at the men that must have come from behind. The governor turned and began to ran, several men flanking him.

“Hunter!” You cried and he turned to look.

“Go! I’m right behind you!”

You moved immediately, chasing after him. For being such an old hermit, the governor sure moved fast. You caught up to him just outside of the units where a ship was waiting for him. You shot at one of the men with him, making them fall.

“Stop right there!”

The governor stopped at your words, slowly turning. He was still sneering at you.

“What do you hope to accomplish here? Even if I go down, the smuggling will continue. We are deeply entrenched here, nothing you can do will change that.” He said and you tightened your grip on your blaster.

“Doesn’t matter. I will not stop until the people are no longer suffering.”

He laughed.

“Hard to do that when you’re dead.”

You saw a flash of light and tried to duck, but this time you weren’t fast enough. A blaster bolt hit your arm and you fell backwards. You heard your name yelled and blinked open your eyes to see the Sergeant. His arm was supporting your back and pressing down on your wound.

“Hunter, he-” You started only for him to catch your pointing hand.

“It’s alright, I got him. He’s stunned. You did it.”

You let your head fall back, relief once again washing over you. You lifted your head to see Hunter watching you with worry, his hand still clutching yours.

Another flash of movement caught your eye and you saw one of the criminals getting up and raising a blaster at Hunter’s exposed back. You lunged for Hunter’s discarded blaster and shot, striking the man down before he had the chance to take the shot.

The Sergeant turned in time to see the man drop. He turned back to you as you dropped the blaster.

“Still think I need training?”

Hunter laughed and you felt yourself relax, vision starting to go dark. You could have sworn you heard him say something else, but it was lost to the ether as you slipped into unconsciousness.

In the days that followed, a clone battalion was dispatched and began weeding out the corruption that existed under the governor’s guidance. It didn’t take long, once he realized he was done for, he practically outed everyone without stopping to breathe.

Hana had commed you later in the days following to report that she was fine and would be returning to Coruscant to wait for you. You opted to stay a few days to make sure everything was taken care of. Your blaster wound was purely cosmetic, just a graze. It will likely scar, but you would have no other issues from it.

The Bad Batch had stuck around to help as well and then offered to escort you back to Coruscant. You were going to decline, but they had insisted and you found it was hard to say no to Wrecker, so you obliged.

It was your first day back at the Senate and your door was practically a revolving door with the amount of Senator’s coming to commend you on your actions. Some were genuine, some you could tell they wanted you on their side when it came to upcoming voting. You smiled at all of them and kept your answers as curt as possible. It was better this way.

Late in the afternoon the visits finally stopped and you were able to get some actual work done.

The door opened and you sighed. “Hana, please tell whatever senator that is here that I’m not here. Tell them anything, just let me have a minute to get some work done.”

“I’ll go if you want.”

Your head snapped up to see Sergeant Hunter motioning to the door.

“No!” You said almost too quickly as you stood up. “It’s okay. I thought you were another senator.”

“Tired of their constant praises? You deserve all of it.” He replied and you cleared your throat, feeling your cheeks warm.

“No I just - I just want to go back to work. Go back to doing what I do best.” You said and he nodded as he slowly approached.

“I understand that. I just wanted to stop by before the boys and I head out.”

“Another mission?”

Hunter nodded. “There’s always another mission.”

“I stand by what I said before.” You said, continuing when Hunter looked at you with eyes narrowed. “I want to buy you all a nice meal for your help. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

“That’s not necessary ma’am.”

You said your name and he looked at you, surprised. “Please, call me by my name. I’d prefer it.”

He laughed lightly. “I think I can manage that.”

“Oh before you go.” You said, stepping around your desk and approaching Hunter. You placed a small piece of flimsi in his hand. “It’s my comm number. You did say you would train me.”

Hunter clutched the small piece in his hand before looking up at you with a faint smile on his face. “I’m starting to think you don’t need it. But name the time and place. I’ll be there.”

You smiled back. His hand enveloped yours and you squeezed his hand right back.

Sure your meeting was less than ideal and you did end up getting shot at the end, but you found that you’d do it all over again if it meant you got to meet Hunter. You didn’t know what came next, but you were excited to see where this went.

#wow #this really got away from me #but oh well lol #asks #askBri #hunter x reader #sergeant hunter x reader #clone x reader #tcw #sw #tbb #the bad batch

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link-eats-rocks · 7 months

Text

Zelink Day 12: Princess

Delicate and tired; no one asked her what she thought.

Long lashes covering her lowered eyes. Glossy pink lips with just a hint of a frown.

And when each soldier who'd been given the honor stooped to kiss her gloved hand, that frown grew more pronounced.

He wasn't any different from the other young men in that long row. He wore the same royal blue uniform as the rest and his head was bowed low.

So why had she picked him out?

Why had The Princess taken such a risk?

Link rolled over in his stiff, creaky bunk bed and replayed the events of the day for the hundredth time.

Her voice was stuck in his head like a song.

"Meet me at midnight in the grotto," she'd whispered so quietly he wondered if his mind had been playing tricks, "but only if you wish." She'd squeezed his hand in emphasis. "It's not an order."

He pressed his lips to the silk fabric, feeling the heat of her skin beneath and smelling her sweet perfume.

As if taken over by a spell, he'd nodded.

Then she had moved on.

He rubbed his eyes and checked the old clock hanging on the wall in the barracks.

Maybe he'd go early...

He was definitely going. No question there.

Link held up his lantern and took in the large entrance to the grotto. One had to wind all through the garden maze to reach the mouth of this cave, cut through the cliffside that divided the palace from the roaring sea.

He hadn't been to this cave since he was a boy. He'd always thrilled at the way you could hear the waves once you reached the back of it.

Link looked up at the cloudy, starless sky. The light of the moon shone in the middle or the sky. He checked over his shoulder through the hedges of roses and trees. There was no princess in sight.

Was she already inside?

He took a deep breath and stepped off of the grass and onto stone.

It was immediately colder; a different world only a foot away from the outside. Water dripped from the ceiling into puddles and the thump of the droplets echoed against the broad, high stone walls.

The light of his lantern didn't reach the ceiling.

His heartbeat sped up with every step. The rock surrounding him turned from brown to a glittering gray the further inside he went.

Finally, he reached the heart of it. A large, turquoise pond with a patch of land at the other side of the water.

A small, ornate boat sat at the dock on the other side.

Across the water, there were lanterns illuminating the floor and pond, both shimmering. Old sconces and carvings showed the care that had once gone into keeping up this ancient jewel beneath the palace. Now, it was a secret.

Link had wondered as a child if it was just a secret for him and...

His eyes widened.

The Princess sat in the boat with her back turned to him. She was dressed so plainly and hunkered down so small he hadn't seen her at first.

She wore a maids uniform; he could recognize it easily. A long braid hung down her back. She was moving slightly, fidgeting with something.

Link sat down his lantern and placed a hand over his heart, suddenly captured by nerves so intense he wanted to run away.

"Your Highness?" The volume and the way his voice echoed made him cringe.

She looked over her shoulder and the sight of her face took his breath away. She gave him a big smile and at once he knew exactly why he was here. At least, why she'd picked him from the crowd.

"Link, you came after all." Her voice was achingly familiar and alight with childish excitement.

"Of course I did."

She picked up the paddles that were fixed at the side of the boat and she began rowing back across the pond to him. It was a short trip. She looked up at him, her green eyes gleaming amusement as the boat hit a stop against the stone ground. "Even though you didn't recognize me?"

"Princess, I..." He wasn't sure how he was going to manage conversation with this beautiful girl, gazing up at him so sweet and inviting.

She bit her lip. "You do recognize me now, though?"

He wiped his clammy hands on his shirt, suddenly feeling sharply how plain he must look in his stable-wear. It was all he had aside from his uniforms though. "Yes, I do." His voice was shaking. His face heated with embarrassment.

Her smile broadened. "Thank heavens. I was so afraid you wouldn't. Will you go across with me?" She pointed back towards the pretty side of the pond with the statues and bench.

He nodded but made no move to approach.

She waited patiently, staring at him as though she had nowhere else in the world to be.

Finally, he forced his legs to carry him forward. He stepped lightly into the boat and sat down at her side.

Just like earlier, her perfume intoxicated him. It reminded him sharply that this wasn't just any beautiful girl; this was The Princess of Hyrule.

"I'll row," he said hoarsely.

"Naturally. As is tradition."

The heat was stifling. As he picked up the oars, she leaned closer to him, brushing against his side.

Feelings, new and old overwhelmed him, but the enjoyment, the delirium of her company was taking over.

He exited the boat and held out his hand.

She hummed happily and took it.

Sparks.

Neither wore gloves now. Her bare hand against his solidified all the old, suppressed memories of his childhood playmate.

They sat together on the bench. There was a bag beside it that it seemed she'd brought with her. Before she could offer him anything, though, he found his voice.

"You were quite the trickster as a girl. I've been fooled all this time."

She laughed. "It's not my fault you couldn't recognize me in a bit of makeup, Link."

"You'd said your name was Hylia."

"Mm." She clasped her hands and closed her eyes. She bumped her shoulder to his. "Ancient ancestor of the royal family. Do you know your history?"

"No."

She giggled.

The Princess never smiled. Solemn grace was the manner she was known for.

Link wondered if anyone else saw this girlish side of her. "Besides, who would assume it was The Princess that they'd met in a cave? Plus, you dressed like a maid. You'd said you worked at the castle."

She met his eyes, feigning seriousness. "I do work at the castle. You're trying to catch me in a lie but it won't work. I couldn't exactly wear a ballgown in here either."

"That's true."

"My name is Zelda, really though. Of course you know that." She picked at the skirt of her dress, looking almost-shy for the first time that night.

"I'm not allowed to call you that, though."

She looked at him sharply, her smile vanishing. "You aren't allowed to call me anything else, Link."

"But, I—I would—."

"Please."

He swallowed hard. He couldn't possibly turn down a request from the girl in front of him, who was pouting so cutely and invading his space.

"Zelda," he whispered.

She looked as if she might faint. He thought she really might when she swayed towards him. Then her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she kissed his cheek.

He closed his eyes as his mouth watered and his face went so hot he thought he might melt.

"Thank you, Link." She dropped her head to his shoulder. "You must think me mad. I have gone mad, but...it's fresh on my mind; how we used to be. If you don't feel the same..."

He turned suddenly, nose to nose with her as her arms remained around his neck. "I do. I feel the same. You can—We—." He shook his head, trying to regain some semblance of intelligent thought. "It can be however you want it to be."

She gave him a dazed look that made him think this was all a dream and he'd wake up in the barracks cold and disappointed.

"There's a reason I asked you here out of the blue after all these years. When was the last time we came here?"

"I was ten."

"Then I was eight," she said. "Nine whole years. No wonder you didn't recognize me." She dropped her arms from him and folded her hands in her lap.

"Now that I see you up close, I don't know how I didn't."

That brought a small smile back to her lips. "The reason, after all this time...First of all, it was the only opportunity I've had in a long time. Amazing how the knights' training grounds and my area of the palace are a world away. But also, I felt desperate to see you because my father has decided it is time for me to make a marriage of strategic benefit to the land."

"Oh." Strange, how he'd been with her under an hour, after 9 years, yet his heart was already sinking at the thought of her with someone else.

"Link, do you have a family?"

The question caught him off guard. "My father was a knight before me."

Zelda nodded for him to go on as she reached for her bag.

"But he has passed away. My little sister and grandmother live on the other side of the sea."

It seemed he'd given a good answer. As Zelda sat the bag in her lap, she perked up, grinning at him again. Her face even flushed. "Really? On the other continent?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Have you been there?"

He shook his head. "My father saved up money and moved them there before he died. It was safer at the time."

"It's still safer," she said.

He couldn't have said it, but it was true.

Tensions between Rhoam and the Gerudo's leader, Ganondorf, were high. There could be a war any moment, and it had been that way for years.

"Hmm," Zelda said. "Are you hungry?"

He was always hungry. Soldiers rations were pitiful. "Um."

Zelda nodded decisively, as if he'd actually answered, and she unwrapped a baguette and block of cheese from her bag.

"Oh wow," he said excitedly.

Then she got out a a neatly-wrapped brand new hunk of meat.

Link looked at her in amazement and she giggled.

"There's more," she said, elbowing him teasingly. The last thing in the contents of the bag: a bottle of wine.

"Are you sure?"

"It's very old and expensive," she said. "Will you open it?"

Link was thrilled. This would go down in history as the best night of his life. He was eating food from the actual royal palace kitchen and drinking fine wine with the most gorgeous girl in the entire world.

He retrieved his knife from his pocket and popped the cork out of the bottle like he'd been practicing his whole life (although he'd never done it before).

Zelda clapped. "I didn't bring any dishes or silverware so we'll just have to eat and drink like savages."

"Fine by me," he chuckled.

For awhile, they ate and drank in silence.

Maybe Link shouldn't have taken her permission to eat like a savage so literally but he couldn't help it. The meat and cheese and bread were so beyond delicious and normally he didn't get to drink anything but water. In fact, he couldn't recall the last time he'd drank.

Maybe twice with his father. He had no clue how much or at what pace was acceptable but from the amused look on Zelda’s face, he got the feeling he wasn't doing this quite right.

Still, he was sharing and she seemed to be having her fill so it shouldn't matter.

"I hope you won't be sick," she said as Link was slowing down.

"I'm sorry, Princ—Zelda. I haven't had a proper meal in awhile."

She took the wine bottle and held it up to the lantern light. She swished the remainder around and laughed. "You're going to be sick. I'd better finish it off so you won't be alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you didn't drink all this on your own, I suppose." She pressed the back of her hand to her red cheek and clicked her tongue. "Perhaps I should've brought water."

"I have water all the time," he said, annoyed at the mere idea of it.

Zelda polished it off with a wince and set it aside, then packed away the little of the food that was left.

She rested her head on his shoulder and hooked her arm in his. The warmth and her weight against him made Link dizzyingly sleepy. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

"Link?"

"Yeah, Zelda?"

"Remember how I said the otherrr reason I wan'ed to see you was because Rhoam wants to marry me off?"

She called her father by his first name. That figured. He didn't seem like a great guy.

"Yeah."

"How would you feel, an' be honest, about going to see your grandma and sister...with me?"

"You're going to see my grandma and sister?" He felt funny, half asleep but not sleepy.

She laughed and nuzzled against his shoulder.

It made his stomach flutter.

"If you take me to meet them. It feels like fate that you have family far away in a safer country, one where I'd never be found." She paused and sat up, making Link lose his balance.

He caught himself by taking hold of her arms.

She put her hands on his face in return. "Pay attention. I'm serious. Run away with me. We'll sneak onto a boat. I'll sell my jewelry and we'd-hic-have plenty to live off of. And we'll find your fam'ly and I'll be a regular girl."

Link blinked at the three Zeldas in front of him. "That's crazy," he whispered.

Her lip trembled and she nodded agreement. "It's okay. It was just an idea. Because I don't want to get married."

"We've already snuck away tonight. And you're dressed like a commoner. We could leave right now."

Zelda’s eyes welled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Look." She held up the bag for him to see inside. At the bottom was a pile of luminous gemstones wound in gold; rings, necklaces, bracelets, broaches, hairpins.

"You planned it already," he breathed.

"Mm. I thought tonight, I'd either see you one last time or...you might join me."

"Zelda."

"I don’t want to be a princess. I don't want to live under my father’s rule. I don't want to be in this country. It's selfish..."

He traced a hand through her hair, tucking a curl behind her ear. All of his nerves from earlier were washed away with the wine. "Who would he have had you marry?"

Her eyes welled with tears and she looked away. It took her a long time to answer. "Ganondorf."

The name sobered him, at least a little. He shook his head. "No. No, Zelda." He kissed her cheek. "No." Her forehead. "No." Her temple. "No." He trailed down her face in kisses while she cried. "No, no, no, no, no."

Holding her face in his hands he leaned back and tilted her chin up. "I'm taking you away. Far away."

She exhaled a laughed through her soft cries. "My hero."

"Let's go." He took her hand.

That stopped her crying. She looked at him with wide eyes and a grin. "Let's sleep awhile and then go. I'm a bit dizzy. Aren't you?"

He'd forgotten that he was; he was so overcome by the need to protect her.

She closed her eyes. "Just for a little while. No one will find us here."

"No one will find us," he confirmed, his meaning more broad and final.

She sighed and her shoulders slackened. "I'm so happy."

"We'll run for the harbor, first thing."

She hugged her arms around his waist. They were nearly the same height, but she sunk down until her head was against his chest. "Thank you, Link. You are saving my life."

He really was falling asleep this time, so drowsy that the stone backrest and seat were comfortable. "I'll be glad to see my sister."

She squeezed him tighter and he ran his hands up and down her back. "We'll have fun."

"More fun than when we were kids."

She laughed against him, sounding close to sleep. "Even more. We'll be free. No more Princess."

"No more Princess."

#legend of zelda #zelink #zelink au #royalty au #princess zelda #link x zelda #link loz #linktober #linktober day 12 #princess #linkeatsrockswrites #this really got away from me #i have no idea what its supposed to mean #just pointless fluff i guess

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starlitheaven · 2 years

Text

: ̗̀➛ MEET ME AT OUR SPOT — CHOSO

tags. royalty au, knight!choso, consort!reader, food play, tw mentions of naoya, smut, infidelity (sort of)

note. for @laudthingcat for the 1k follower event, hope you like it! this got away from me honestly. based on meet me at our spot by the anxiety ft. willow. *the lone wolf is based on a 70s manga/movie series that i personally think toji would love and relate to.

wc. 2.2k

As a royal consort to the prince and heir of the throne, your purpose inside of this palace is to provide companionship, attention, and to dedicate every single day to Naoya. To refine your skills — playing musical instruments, dancing, reading, poetry, sex — in order to remain worthy of your position. To be worthy of him. You’d be executed instantly for merely entertaining any man who isn’t Naoya Zenin, let alone allowing one into your bedroom.

And yet there you were, in that very bedroom given to you by the palace, entangled in another man.

Your spacious bedroom often smelled of the jasmine oils you were fond of, but right now only his scent invaded your senses. He smelled like the sun. Bright and fresh, like clothes hanging to dry under the warm afternoon sun. All of the expensive perfumes and oils that the servants placed on you for Naoya couldn’t compare — you’d choose this every single time. This warrior who smells of sunshine.

There was no one else in your heart besides him. No one else has gently carved a place for themselves in your heart like he has. His large hands, roughened from lifelong labor, suddenly grab your waist and pull you into his lap, flush against his broad chest. He takes advantage of your surprised gasp and meets your lips with his. He’s clumsy in his excitement, but it only makes you laugh into the kiss. Choso kisses you like it’s the last kiss you’ll share, all desperation and heated passion. His hands roam down your backside and settle over the back of your thighs, giving them a rough squeeze. The dig of his nails over the soft flesh makes you moan and he swallows them hungrily.

Most of his life has been dedicated to others – whether it was raising his younger brothers or serving a royal family that he despises – Choso deserves to be selfish and greedy.

He tastes like ale and fresh grapes from the silver platter on the ground beside him (he prefers cold ale over the customary sweet canary wine). The servants pick fresh fruit every single day for the royal consorts in order to prepare platters and spreads for them, giving extra attention to those who will spend the night with Naoya. Apple slices, grapes, cheeses, whipped cream, honey, olives, nuts, crackers and jam. You’ve learned that everything about being a royal consort involves serving; you’re meant to hand-feed this all to the Zenin heir.

The thought of doing so makes you physically ill, makes your fingers curl into the wool of Choso’s shirt. It’s so rare to see him out of his armor, to see him dressed as himself, not the Captain. The fabric is softened from overuse, but still sturdy. Comfortable. Warm. Just like Choso. You pull away from the kiss slowly, and there’s a thin line of spit connecting your lips. The sight of Choso, so dazed from a mere kiss, pushes all thoughts of Naoya from your mind.

The thing is that you were deliberately placed to be a royal consort for Naoya – it’s all part of the plan. Your lord pulled several strings and called upon questionable favors to turn you into the intel against Naoya. Like Choso, you were raised to be a warrior. You’ve trained most of your life to become a respected fighter, all in the hopes of taking down this disgusting and terrible family, starting with the current king and his heir. But Naoya has a type–and you’re exactly it. That, and the Zenin family only allows men to fight for their name. Again, disgusting.

Falling in love with Choso was most obviously not part of the plan—he had merely been your comrade when you first arrived to the palace and met under that wisteria tree to discuss your role. Lord Gojo and Maki had told you of him – they told you to be nice – and the rest was history. Choso Kamo was a gentleman if you’d ever met one. He had boldly stated to you that he takes care of his own, you included, and you remember waving his words off. But he’s risked his life and the entire plan just for you several times. This man would die for you. He had more honor on one thick finger than the entirety of the Zenins.

If anyone deserved to be pampered and hand-fed, it’s him. So you do just that, guiding him to remove his white wool shirt and remaining snug on his wide lap as you begin to slowly feed him from the spread. But the sight of his exposed chest is too tempting.

The wide expanse of sun kissed skin, the hard muscles he hides underneath big shirts and armor. It calls to you—makes your mouth water. So you gather honey with your fingers, to his surprise, and place them over his bare chest.

Choso groans as you delicately spread warm honey over his nipples; the dusky buds hardening under your touch. He’s surprised at the turn of events, but freezes as you lean down. “Mmm,” you hum, lapping up the sweet flavor before taking his nipple into your mouth, giving it a hard suck. He lets out a breathy whine that sounds like your name.

He’s hot on your tongue, and the honey would overwhelm you with its sweetness if it wasn’t for the salt on his flushed skin. You continue to lap it up, making sure to be as noisy as possible about it. Choso goes crazy when you act a little filthy. When you finally pull back, you hold in a laugh at the look on his face. A mixture of shock and arousal.

It isn’t difficult to keep his attention on you, and his focus increased tenfold as you grasp the opening of your robe.

Slowly, enough to make him impatient, you unravel your silk robe. You feel pride bloom at how intently he watches the fabric slide over your skin and revealing your bare chest to him. Intimate moments like this, away from prying eyes, are few and far between. Most times you meet Choso is in the afternoons under the wisteria tree for daily “meetings”. Here alone, it’s different. You can act on the tension that builds in your time apart— the heat in his eyes as he stares at the delicate curve of your neck, the sound of your voice murmuring his name in greeting, the alluring scent of jasmine on your wrist as you remove fallen leaves from his hair, and your playful smile as you do so.

He’s woken up hard from dreams of taking you beneath that tree. Laying you down on the soft grass and taking you apart for anyone (Naoya) to see. He’s tripped up during military meetings from imagining what you’d look like with the lilac petals of that tree littering your naked skin.

You draw Choso away from his thoughts as you dip two fingers into the honey, gathering some and raising them over Choso’s lips with a gentle nudge. It’s sticky on his pink lips. You hum in encouragement, keeping your eyes locked with his dark ones as his tongue darts out, licking the thick sauce from your skin. His dark eyes lower in arousal as his hot mouth begins sucking on your fingers, reveling in the sight of your lips parting with a silent gasp.

Mesmerized, you begin sliding your digits in and out of his mouth. He looks good like this, you think. “Tastes good, doesn’t it?” you hum, taking your fingers out. His grip is tight over your hips now. “Try some more…”

Choso nods obediently, looking at you like the gods that warriors pray to before they fall. He looks raw like this; dark almond hair loose over his shoulders, cheeks flushed a deep red, lips wet with spit, sleepy eyes glazed with lust. Grasping his thick wrist behind you, you gently guide him to gather whipped cream on his fingers and place it over the valley of your breasts. His hand is shaking slightly as the rough pads of his fingers sensually run down your chest.

Your eyes flutter shut when you feel the flat of his tongue drag over your skin. Choso licks up your chest and mutters more before grabbing an apple slice and dipping heavy into the honey. He lets the fruit hover over your chest, waiting as the thick honey slowly dribbles over your breasts, painting them in sweetness. He wastes no time in cupping your breasts and begins suckling the honey off of them, dragging his tongue over your pert nipple and leaving little nips. Heat pools in your groin, heady and unbearable.

“Ahh,” you whimper, tethering yourself by tangling your fingers into his brown hair. Opening your eyes, you find that Choso is looking up at you, breathing out through his nose as he continues sucking on your tit. You don’t even notice that you’re rolling your hips over his groin.

It surprises you to see just how much he enjoys nursing from you like this, and the thought only makes you wetter. His lips part with a pop as he peppers kisses along your chest towards the other breast, glossing his lips with the splattered honey. You’re panting now, sticky and wet as you continue to grind on him with growing need. Choso bucks his hips up, and your responding moan tells him you felt his growing cock.

The heat in his eyes forces you to keep your eyes locked with his. “Look what you do to me.” he rasps, bucking up again. His eyes are wild with lust now. “Feel that?”

Yes, you do. The fabric of your robe is so so so thin that you feel the outline of his hot cock right over your backside. You lick your lips absently at the thought of it.

“Do you want it?” he asks through gritted teeth, giving your ass a hard squeeze. You nod again, leveraging your arms over his shoulders. The rough slap over your ass is unexpected and makes you gasp. “Say it. Tell me that you want it. Speak, starlight.”

The words spill clumsy out of your mouth. “I want it, I want your cock,” you simper, feeling your mind fog up in submission. You’re rutting against him now. “I want you, please. Please.”

Like always, Choso takes care of you. He takes you apart with ardor, unraveling you until you’re laid bare before him. Those honeyed lips messily kiss your clit as he works your tight cunt open with his calloused fingers, moaning into the heat of you. You’re too out of it to notice the way he humps the soft rug as he eats your pussy, drunker on the taste of you than the ale from earlier. You taste yourself on his lips as he finally slides inside of you, keeping a steady rhythm that has you seeing stars. And at the last moment, Choso slips out of you and finishes himself off over your chest, painting your tits in his come the way he did the honey.

Afterwards, he gently cleans you up and settles you against his chest. You trace the scar on his collarbone as he absently hums a lullaby in a language you don’t understand. There’s still so much to learn about each other and you can only hope to be able to someday.

“I should go soon,” Choso sighs, chuckling when you whine at this. He doesn’t remove you from his hold either, though. This man has made you soft and pliant with his love, and you don’t hate it. He places a tender kiss over your sweaty temple, always ready to be the voice of reason. “What if Naoya comes by? I’ve heard he’s been sleeping here more lately. That he’s favoring you now.”

Your lips raise in a teasing grin. “Aw, are you jealous, Choso?”

“No.” he frowns, looking more petulant than anything else. Perhaps it’s his puppy dog eyes, all droopy and dark. “Well, sometimes I am. But I’m more worried than anything else. It’s dangerous to have the attention of someone like him. He can be unbelievably cruel to things he likes. We can’t get caught and risk the plan. He needs to die.”

These are words that can only be spoken in whispers from the comfort of your own room. Anyone caught speaking ill of the prince – the heir – would be punished. Not only that, but Choso is a knight—the Commander who should be the embodiment of loyalty to the Zenin crown and the one to strike down anyone who challenges it. But the truth was that Choso abhorred the Zenin rule, and Naoya most of all. There’s already talks of what a wicked king he’ll become. Choso thinks he’s nothing but a disgusting worm.

Choso’s brows are drawn together, so you reach up and gently run your fingers through his brown hair. “Naoya has been coming to my bedroom, but he doesn’t stay the night. That’s exactly why he’s been favoring me.”

“What?”

“He uses me as a way to leave the palace, because the king makes it difficult for him to do so in his own quarters. So he comes here and sneaks out to go into town. He never returns until morning.”

Choso looks perplexed. “What for?” There’s really only one reason a man would sneak into town at night, but Choso clearly has no idea. It’s cute how innocent he can be with things like this while also being brutal in battle.

“Brothels. He visits them pretty often.” you say, laughing at your lover's scandalized reaction. It’s understandable, as the Zenin family is very traditional. Even a prince like Naoya isn’t exempt from judgment; his father could easily strip him of his title and shun him for being tainted. Yet he’s allowed to have over ten consorts. These people don’t make sense. “Don’t worry, it seems like the plan will finally begin soon. I found Megumi’s father.”

And this was the true intention of Choso visiting you tonight; to update him on the advancements of the resistance’ plan to overthrow the Zenin. There’s a man who was once exiled from the palace long ago—a man who was kept hidden from everyone except the royal family and was treated like an animal, despite having Zenin blood in his veins and being the king’s nephew. Not only did you find Megumi’s father, but he’s someone that the entire region knows of.

“The Lone Wolf?”

Who would’ve thought that the mysterious mercenary turned warlord would be the man you’ve all spent years looking for?

“Mhm, he’s on his way to town to meet Megumi. Lord Gojo said he’ll rush back as well, but I reckon he’ll be late as usual.”

When Megumi meets his father, he’ll tell him of the plans, and once the Lone Wolf discovers that it was the Zenin’s who killed his wife and Megumi, who was also thought to be dead…

Overthrowing the Zenin family was no longer a far fetched idea. The possibility of it was right there on the horizon.

#winter i'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted fjskdf #this really got away from me #and i'm sorry i can't write smut :(#choso x reader #choso x you #choso x y/n #choso x female reader #jjk x reader #jjk smut #choso smut #choso #choso kamo

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writerownstory · 10 months

Text

✨we will fight to shine together✨

HEAVILY inspired by When in Rome by Sarah Adams. I will always always ALWAYS recommend her books. also shoutout to @bex2313 for not only encouraging me to read When in Rome but also being my go-to to talk about Sarah Adams related anything☺️ (if you’re looking for a sunshine pop star x grumpy small town baker—this is the book for you)

Luke notices Julie isn’t beside him just as they’ve passed the town’s hair salon.

He typically doesn’t pay it any mind, usually just because the women always try to talk him into getting haircuts he doesn’t actually need. But Julie stares at it like she’s lost something inside.

A dismissive comment floats through her brain that sounds suspiciously like Caleb, “Think of the maintenance with natural curls! This looks so much cuter on you!! You don’t want to look like a puff ball, do you?”

At the time, Julie vaguely remembers questioning it, but trusting Caleb and his professional opinion. He knows this business better than anyone. Why would he do anything to hurt her? But now Julie realizes her mistake. Caleb only cared about how much money she could make him, not about her as a person.

Luke backpedals until he’s standing beside her again, but she doesn’t move. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she says immediately, but once she realizes what she’s said, she tries again. “I just… I haven’t worn my hair naturally in years because…” She reaches up to play with the end of a smooth, loose curl. Luke’s not sure she’s aware she’s even doing it. “Caleb always said it wouldn’t be good for my image.”

And it breaks Luke’s heart because he can’t imagine anything about Julie being anything less than perfect. Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone, especially not her. Not right now. It’s not fair to either of them. “That can’t be true,” he finds himself saying. “If your fans care about you, they’d want you to do what makes you happy. This Caleb guy can screw off. If you want to do it, Jules, I say do it.”

Her head whips around at the nickname and Luke fears he’s overstepped.

But as Julie looks up at him, eyes wide and full of hope with a tinge of fear, any worry immediately goes away. “Will you stay with me?” She knows she could walk in there by herself—Ray and Rose didn’t raise a wimp of a daughter, when a Molina woman set her mind to something, that was it!—but if Luke is there, it certainly makes things a little less scary.

Now Luke truly has no business in a hair salon. He’d be wildly out of place and usually cannot sit still for his life, and he knows that if he really didn’t want to be there, Julie would let him off the hook. But for Julie Molina? He wants to be on the hook, for everything, always, as long as she’s involved. It drives him nuts, how easily he’ll bend over backwards for this girl, but he can’t bring himself to stop. “Anything for you, Julie, you know that.”

Luke is rewarded with the warmest, brightest smile and he’s pretty sure the sun has some competition. He guides her inside with a hand on the small of her back, totally unsurprised when Carrie perks up immediately, like she hasn’t been watching them through the window.

“Hey Luke, Julie! What brings you two in here?”

He looks at Julie, who seems frozen in place. She must feel his gaze because after a beat she turns to him. “I don’t… I don’t think I can do it.”

“Hey, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, okay? Not here.” Luke’s voice has dropped to a soft whisper to afford them the slightest privacy in the otherwise busy salon. “But if you’re still worried about what Caleb or anyone else thinks—that’s not what’s important. What matters is how you think and feel about yourself.”

Julie nods resolutely, his words giving her the final burst of courage she needs before turning to Carrie. “I want to try to restore my natural curls. I’m sure there’s damage from the amount of heat over the years but—“

Carrie holds up a perfectly manicured hand. “Say no more. You’ve come to the right place.” She pats the empty chair in front of her and Luke has to give it to Carrie. He doesn’t know a thing about hair, let alone what to do with curly hair but Carrie handles the whole thing with practiced ease.

For only having met her a handful of days ago when she and Luke were shopping together at the grocery store (Luke insisted Julie accompany him grocery shopping to prevent her from burning down his house—you start a small fire cooking pasta one time!), Carrie talks to Julie as if they’ve been friends for years instead of days, and it absolutely warms Julie from the inside out. She isn’t treated like world renowned pop star Julie Molina. She’s just… Julie. Just the way she likes it.

At some point, Luke ends up falling asleep with a magazine covering his face until he’s awakened abruptly by the smallest tap on his shoulder. He startles, sitting upright and causing the magazine to fall haphazardly into his lap, but the sight that meets him threatens to knock him right back down.

Julie stands in front of him, looking exactly the same as she did before except now she has a halo of the most beautiful curls Luke has ever seen—he’s probably a bit biased, but sue him. They’re much tighter ringlets than he’s used to seeing on her, but he’s fallen more in love with her already. What he’d give to have the ability to play with those curls while Julie rests her head on his chest while they—wait. Whoa. What? This is not protecting himself or his heart!!! He shakes his head at the thought, focusing back on the girl in front of him. He can tell the time in Carrie’s chair has had an effect on Julie already.

She’s positively glowing, looking much more comfortable in her own skin. Luke doubts he’s ever seen her with her natural curls, but he can just tell. This is the Julie everyone deserves to know and see. This is the Julie he wants to—alright, this is getting ridiculous.

“Luke? What do you think?”

The words come tumbling out of his mouth before he can give it a second thought. “I think you look perfect.”

She laughs in disbelief, like she thinks he’s just being nice (he’s not) but the blush to her cheeks tells Luke his words had their intended effect. Julie turns back around to face the wall of mirrors where Carrie is cleaning up her station. She swishes her hair around, back and forth over her shoulders like she doesn’t quite believe that this is her reflection she’s looking at. “Carrie, how much do I—“

“Absolutely nothing. Well, if someone asks you where to go…”

“I’ll tell them to come see the one and only Carrie Wilson,” Julie finishes. “But seriously, I can pay you for—“

Carrie shakes her head. “Julie, please. Don’t you think if I wanted your money by now I’d have taken it?” She glances over Julie’s shoulder where Luke now stands, talking with another one of the stylists, but his eyes keep floating back to Julie. “Between you and me, you’re doing the whole town a favor by making that boy happy.”

Julie glances back at Luke who shoots her a wink. She turns back to Carrie. “Trust me, I’m the lucky one.” There’s really no use in hiding it at this point. So what if she’s kind of really in love with Luke Patterson and his stupid flannels and his moody expressions or the way his eyes give away his every emotion even if his expression tries to show something completely different? So what if she knows they can’t be together because she doesn’t want to go off on tour and hardly see him for months on end because she knows it how much it would hurt him? He’d explained as much when she finally admitted her feelings to him anyway. He said he wasn’t looking for a relationship, and he wasn’t ready to have one as potentially complicated as theirs. And Julie respected that.

Which is why when it comes time to say goodbye, Julie is really proud of herself for not crying… until she gets in her car. A weight settles on her chest all the way back to LA, and it gets heavier with each passing day she’s away from Luke, Reggie, Alex, and everyone she’s met. She does feel some excitement for the tour—definitely more than she did before escaping LA—and she does love performing, seeing her fans, and getting to see in real time how much they love her music. But as more calls to Luke goes unanswered, Julie feels a sense of dread settle in her stomach. Maybe he no longer wants to pursue anything with her, platonic or romantic. Maybe she will just have to tuck the memory of him and her trip away, only to bring it out when she needs to remember why she loves music in the first place. This realization doesn’t really lend itself to the bright stage presence that she usually likes to have, so when it comes time for soundcheck she plasters on a smile that satisfies Caleb and everyone else except for Flynn. (She’s also really good at dodging Flynn.)

It isn’t until she gets back to her dressing room after the opening night of her tour that she feels like she can finally let herself relax. Julie collapses into the chair in front of the vanity, glaring grumpily at her reflection.

“Hey Molina, why so bummed?” She hears his voice before she sees him appear in the mirror behind her. “You’re making this face.” Luke contorts his face into an overexaggerated pout and if it were any other time she’d roll her eyes at him, but instead she jumps out of her chair, throwing herself at him.

“What are you doing here??”

Luke catches her easily, and his chuckle vibrates through her chest, loosening the heaviness she’s been carrying around. “I needed to see you.”

Julie pulls away just enough so she can see his face. “Yeah?”

Luke grins down at her, his hands holding her face gently as he takes her in. His eyes trace over her stage makeup and the glitter left on her face. Her curls have been pinned into some half up do, with colorful butterflies placed within it, but beneath it all she’s still Julie.

His Julie, he hopes.

“I made a mistake. Letting you go was the dumbest idea I’ve ever had. And I’m never doing it again.”

Her face falls, shaking her head slightly, but Luke doesn’t let her pull away. “I won’t let you give up your life for mine. That’s not fair. What about the band? Or the boys? What about you? What about your dreams?”

“All I want is to play music with the people I love. Reggie and Alex can meet us sometime while you’re on tour. But you, Julie, you’re part of my dreams now too.”

Her hands cover his, but she still doesn’t move. “But you… you hate the city. And traffic. And most modern technology.”

“Guess I’m gonna have to learn to live with it, if I want to date the greatest musician of our time.” Luke succeeds at hiding his smug grin for all of two seconds.

Her eyes widen, beautiful brown orbs shining up at him. “You mean…?” Her brain can’t comprehend it, it’s too much, too good to be true.

He leans in, brushing his lips against hers once, twice, before the third turns much more passionate, both of them pouring their hearts into this one exchange.

When Luke pulls back, Julie’s eyes are still closed, and there’s a hint of fear in her voice when she says, “I need to hear you say it.” She’s already declared herself once, and the feelings still stand, but she won’t put her heart on the line again.

“I want this, Julie. I want you. I know our lives are different and that we’ll have a lot to figure out. It might be complicated and maybe messy and sure, we’ll be apart sometimes. But I want to know you’re always coming home to me. And I’ll do the same for you.”

Julie’s eyes flutter open, glossy with tears now. “Really?”

He nods. “I love you, Julianna Rose Molina. And I want everyone to know it.”

Her hands have slipped around his neck without him noticing but it makes it easy for her to pull down him down to her in another heated kiss.

When they finally pull back, their foreheads touching and heavy breaths between them, she says, “You Googled me.” Her mind is still caught up his earlier comment. A title some random entertainment reporter probably gave her that she rolled her eyes at when Caleb or Flynn presented it to her. But when Luke says it? It sounds genuine. Like the best honor she can receive.

Luke doesn’t seem very ashamed to admit, “I missed you.”

“I love you too.”

#the ending sucks but 🤷🏻‍♀️#happy juke jeudi!!!#this really got away from me #but I don’t hate it for once????#so that’s cool #juke fic #jatp #julie and the phantoms #jatp fic

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steventhusiast · 8 months

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STWG daily prompt 5/9/23

prompt: growing pains

characters/pairing(s): steve and dustin

If there's one thing Steve knows, it's the feeling of being left behind.

Ever since that day in 1983 where his life and his perception of the world and the government got flipped upside down for the first time, he's felt... stuck. And at first, everyone else was stuck too.

Nancy wasn't processing her grief. Mike had an unhealthy attachment to El. Max became more closed off emotionally. Robin coped through nothing but finding the humour in situations. Hopper drank.

It sucked, but they were in it together.

And then...

People started leaving him Hawkins. Nancy and Robin went off to college. The Hopper-Byers family moved to another small town permanently.

And Steve's been coping with that. They are ready to be done with Hawkins, but he can't. There's a rock that sits deep and unsettled in his gut that tells him if he leaves Hawkins it will come back. What 'it' is changes by the day. Sometimes, it's the demogorgon that will come back if he leaves. Sometimes it's a gate opening. Sometimes it's Vecna coming back from the dead.

He wants nothing more than to leave, to not see places he will forever associate with pain and fear and suffering every day. But if he leaves, bad things will happen and it will be his fault. So he's stuck. He stays. He copes.

Or, he copes until Dustin comes running into Melvald's -- Steve took over Joyce's job there when she left -- holding an envelope up like it's precious treasure.

"Whoa whoa, where's the fire, Henderson?" He jokes as Dustin slides across the linoleum floor when he tries to stop at the cash register. He's out of breath, and a mixed expression of nerves-excitement-fear is clear on his face.

"My- I got- Letter-" Dustin says between laboured breaths, holding up the letter still as he leans on the counter.

"What?" Steve says. He tries to get more information by looking closely at the letter now that it's inches away from him. In the corner are the letters 'MIT', and it's clearly addressed to Dustin.

"I got my letter from MIT. I want to open it with you." Dustin states when he's caught his breath. Steve's still confused, so he elaborates, "I'm.. nervous."

"MIT is.. one of the schools you applied to right?" Steve checks, feeling the presence of that rock in his gut all of a sudden.

Ever since the kids entered their senior year, he's been secretly, selfishly hoping they'd choose schools in state, ones that are close by. Maybe even ones that wouldn't require them to move out of Hawkins.

But obviously they're all due for bigger and better things. They're too good, too smart. They're growing up.

"Go on then, open it!"

He fakes the enthusiasm he knows Dustin needs, and watches him tear it open. Already, he knows Dustin's gotten in. He's too smart to have been rejected. And Steve's happy for him, but he's also dreading everything.

Dustin's eyes dart across the paper as he reads the first line aloud.

"'On behalf of the Admissions Committee, it is my pleasure to offer you admission- holy shit! -to the MIT class of 1989!'" Dustin stops reading and just looks at Steve with wide eyes.

Steve offers him a smile, even though he knows he's about to be left behind again.

#stwgdailyprompt #steve harrington #dustin henderson #they're brothers your honour #this really got away from me #drabble #ficlet #stranger things #steve and dustin #dailydrabble

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monochromatictoad · 6 months

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Gabriel and Marie were around the ages of 30-40 during the time frame of LoS1. I personally think they would be closer to 33-36, but they never get a confirmed age, just a guestimate. The models also show this, as both have middle aged models in both games. Both have clear wrinkles, even Dracula!Gabriel has them.

Anyways, that's not the point. The point is, that their marriage was a strange one. Technically, Marie was a higher status, coming from a wealthier family than Gabriel. But, yet they both were blessed to marry in 1039. Making both of them in their early twenties, which makes sense, that was a fairly normal marriage age in the 11th century. Trevor was born in 1046 and Marie was killed in 1047. How many times did they try for a child only for it to fail? Maybe Gabriel thought that God didn't think he was good enough to become a father, so he became a father figure to the other orphans in the Brotherhood. Then Marie was pregnant with Trevor, only to be told that she had the fate of the entire world in her decision, so she chose to keep the pregnancy quiet and give Trevor up to the Brotherhood for his safety. How much pain was Marie in? Knowing that Gabriel and her finally were with child, only for it to be stripped away from them, without Gabriel even knowing of his son's existence. What if Gabriel walked past the crib in the orphanage, unaware that the child's blue eyes and dark hair matched his and Marie's? What if he hears the baby's laugh, and thinks that it matches Marie's, but it's just a coincidence?

What if those blue eyes, now filled with hatred and vengeance, remind Gabriel of something he hasn't recognized in years? His own reflection. Those blue eyes, fading quickly, and dark hair, matting with blood, laugh at him as he can now see the resemblance to the dying man and Marie. The same man, he knew nothing about, but now tries everything to save him. He never wanted to hurt his family further. The same man, sealed in a tomb, his father not being able to stomach giving a proper burial to the son he never knew. The same man, who wakes up 30 years later, only to find that his own son has come to the cursed castle to tear apart the one who's caused all the damage. Gabriel recognizes the blue eyes he faces off with, he also recognizes those gold eyes glaring at him. As Gabriel gets staked, he can only whisper, "I'm sorry. I love you. I'm proud of you." Before fading away, into a temporary blissful death. One that doesn't last long. Not long enough for him to repent. Not long enough for him to gain the peace he so desperately yearns for. Only to stare into those golden eyes, as his son makes an offer to him. Those golden eyes are calmer, accepting the cursed fate brought up on one who never deserved to become a monster, serious, and maybe even yearning for a father he never knew. He accepts the offer. He will do anything for his wolf son. Even if that means 500 years of pain. He deserved the pain anyways. Maybe this will allow him to repent and make good with his son.

I'm having thoughts.

#i have to be awake at 5 for work #its almost 12 am.#toadscreech #toadwrites #this really got away from me #i was going to do more info on marriage and relationships in the 11th century.#ill do it later.#toad talks Castlevania

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sophieswundergarten · 1 year

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Alright I know I made a whole impassioned speech about the gorgeous symbolism in Milligan's name and everything last night.

But.

Mr. Stewart. Sir. My good man. Author of one of my favorite series of all time and all around creative genius. As much as I absolutely adore your books.

What was going through your head with your naming system???

Some of them make complete and total sense, and some of them are just odd in the most weirdly intriguing way? I respect the decision on all of them because they fit the characters amazingly (for the most part), but, on occasion??

Therefore, I am going to rank all of the names from the main people in no particular order, according to my own research and slightly goofy reasoning.

S. Q. Pedalian - Exquisite character. But his name is a pun?? And it's an ironic pun, because "sesquipedalian" means to have a lot of syllables or use long words, which S. Q. continually struggles with!!!

7/10 Sad, and a little bit funny, but all in all clever and a really unique name for a sweet boy. Very calm and soft colors and connected to a very curly and gangly word that fits him quite well. I think he would really like using the word that is his namesake, whether he knows it or not.

Constance Contraire - "Constance" is, of course, a name meaning "constant" or "steadfast". "Contraire" is just an actual French word that means "opposite", which is an amazing summarization of her personality.

10/10 Hysterical and one hundred percent accurate, and it is alliterative! Very poetic. The "ire" at the end feels very defiant and Constance-y, not to mention that "Ire" as a word means "anger".

George "Sticky" Washington - "George" means "farmer" or "someone who works the earth", while "Washington" likely means "home of the Wassa people", and can be attributed to a place in England. Now, the very obvious connection is to George Washington the historical figure, who is likely someone Sticky looks up to, and also had a lot of pressure on him, there is something to be said about the metaphorical meanings of "home" and "settling" in conjunction with "farmer" (someone who works hard to grow).

8/10 Not as much fun in the meaning, but still a solid and green/blue cool colored name. It feels like a particularly friendly frog with sticky frog skin.

Kate Wetherall - "Kate" is short for "Katherine", which means "pure" ("Caitlin" is also a form of "Katherine"). I've talked about "Wetherall" being a play on "Weather all", but it is just so spectacular I had to go over it again. There are not a lot of credible sources, and while one mentioned that it might mean "place where wether sheep are kept" (wethers are male castrated sheep), I am much more inclined to think that it is made up, as it makes more sense.

7/10 Still love the way it communicates her independence and how hard she works, and the "pure" part is a nice association to her and Milligan's relationship with water (and the both of them being strong swimmers). Her last name also feels very windmill-y and helter-skelter energetic, like her.

Reynard Muldoon - "Reynard" is from a Germanic name meaning "strong in council", which is beautiful and poetic and just the best name for the one who tends to guide the group and continually falls back on them for reassurance. "Muldoon" is just one of those old Gaelic kind of names that means "descendant of whoever".

9/10 Lovely hidden meaning, and even more so when you consider that the only person to purposefully continue calling him that is Curtain. Really soothing colors, warm browns and more reddy colors, soft like a sweater.

Jackson & Jillson - I don't know their last names, so they get put together. First off, "son" as a name suffix literally means "son of". Some people say "Jack" is a form of "John", meaning "God is gracious", but there are one or two other theories. "Jillson" is a name of dubious realness, as I can't find a lot about it. Some sources (very, very few) say it might mean "Son of Juliana/Gills", but it is highly unclear. "Jill" by itself means "youthful", so the "son" suffix doesn't make much sense there either.

10/10 Even though they don't really make any sense, the "Jack and Jill" theme is evident and they both feel suitably pointy to be executives. Wonderfully silly and yet sharing the facade of trying to be Serious and Official.

Martina Crowe - "Martina" is a name derived from Mars, the Roman god of war, and "Crowe" is to do with the bird, and can be used for someone with black hair. It is also possible that "Crowe" means "hound of destruction", but either way it works with her aggressive and competitive spirit.

10/10 Perfectly fits her, black hair, need to dominate and all. It is a sophisticated sounding name, and comes across as authoritative. It is also prickly, and you can feel the prioritization of winning over social graces.

Milligan - Not really a name, but has the inherent meaning of his promise to take Kate to the "mill again" and is therefore a great name full of the most heartbreaking and incredible symbolism.

∞/10 I can't describe how well this name works in every conceivable way.

Number Two/Pencilla - Despite both of them being hints at her pencil-like appearance, I really like all of the love you can see in "Number Two". Her decision to go by her code name is initially out of her dislike of her legal name, but it is also a reference to her being Mr. Benedict's second in command (and possibly to the fact that she was the second person to join his organization, depending on when Milligan arrived).

10/10 A terrific way to show her commitment to her work, and, in a similar way to Milligan, how her name changes to be what those who love her call her.

Rhonda Kazembe - "Rhonda" can either mean "good spear" or "noisy", depending on who you believe. "Kazembe" is the name of a traditional kingdom in Zambia, from what I could find. This has very little to do with her personality, but it sounds really pretty and is distracting, which I think may have been the point. Similar to her appearance when she was initially introduced to the kids, her name is unusual and draws attention to her (which is why I included "noisy" as a meaning), and it aids in her misdirection.

8/10 Not a lot of symbolic meaning, but I very much love how it sounds, her first name is full of nice round sounds and warm smiles, and her last name reminds me of the fun patterns on her clothes.

Dipika Perumal - "Dipika" means "light", and "Perumal" means "great one". While "Perumal" 's meaning is in reference to a version of the Hindu god Vishnu, in a literal sense it is quite accurate. Miss Perumal is a great light in Reynie's life, and in the lives of the others she meets. She is a guide and a kind but truthful source of advice.

9/10 It sounds like tea being poured into a cup. A lovely name that describes her in an intimately accurate way, as well as her surname being in Tamil.

Nicholas Benedict - "Nicholas" means "victory of the people", and "Benedict" means "the blessed one", both of which are in line with his personality. He is fighting for the people of the world, and while he may not consider himself blessed, he is certainly a blessing and a benevolent figure to others.

9/10 Extremely comforting name, fits him and his intentions amazingly. It has just the right amount of whimsy while still being grounding and secure.

Nathaniel Benedict/Ledroptha Curtain - "Nathaniel" means "gift of God", and with the surname "Benedict", it is easy to see how this applies to him. He definitely believes that he is a blessing, God's gift to the world. "Ledroptha Curtain" is a whole other story. Either it seems to be his real, actual name and some crazy people named him that, or maybe he made it his legal name (the books), or he definitely made it his name, for some weird reason (the show).

5/10 I'm really pleased with whoever made the decision to make his name "Nathaniel" for the show, but I just can't condone the stupid pun that he never uses!! What was he going to use it for?? He basically never interacts with a curtain, especially because his master plan isn't really physical!!

We're including Garrison and Crawlings because I feel like they're sort of each other's counterparts? Seeing as one is show-only and the other is book-only.

Dr. Garrison - "Garrison" can be both a name and a real word, and both mean "fortress" or "stronghold". And while Garrison may be considered a stronghold of secrets, she also hides herself in many strongholds, first on the island and then in the rootcellar.

7/10 Very thematic, but I wish we had learned her first name. I feel like it could have been just a little more creative and well-fitting.

Crawlings - That's just his name. There isn't really a way to find meaning in it, especially as it's only one word. I suppose it conveys a creeping, spooky, unsettling feeling, but he just sounds odd.

?/10 I don't really know what to do with him.

And, lastly, because I felt bad for leaving him out:

Jeffers - It means "Son of Jeffery", which, in turn, means "peace" or "God's pledge". Now, this does not really refer to his personality, because he is never at peace, poor man. It may refer to his goal to keep the peace, sort of?

7/10 Just a good goon name.

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momentofch-aos · 2 years

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M's Marvel Thought of the Day (tis a long one - hold onto your hats)

Two similar conversations Daniel Sousa is likely to have had at two different points in time.

tw: mentions of PTSD

this got wildly out of control and long in the second part, i apologise

[ The Stark Mansion - 1947]

As he stepped out onto the patio that Jarvis had pointed him towards, he caught sight of her by the pool. It had been a little over 48 hours since they'd shared the kiss in his office. Since then, they'd attempted to leave the office to finally get that drink only to find out Jack had been shot and then jumped straight into their investigation. Between guarding Jack and pursuing any lead they could find, they had probably had 3 hours of sleep between the two of them in two days, and if Jarvis hadn't arrived at the hospital and dragged them to Stark's for dinner, they no doubt would have carried on till they collapsed.

Although he knew how exhausted she was, he couldn't but take in her graceful beauty as she perched on the edge of the pool, both legs of her jumpsuit rolled up to her knees as she dipped her toes in the water mindlessly. Clearly deep in thought, she didn't sense his presence until he came up besides her, her face turning to smile up at him.

"Mind if I join you Carter?" She gestured to the spot besides her as he very carefully lowered himself to the floor. Arranging his prosthetic so it hung over the edge of the pool, he sat a little further back than her. "What's rattling round that big brain of yours Peggy?"

He noticed the change in her demeanour after they'd visited Jack for the first time. He was still unconscious, pale and small of stature against the sheets. There had been a falter in Peggy's expression, almost imperceivable, before the mask she usually wore resumed.

"It's silly really." Her foot moved in the water, the ripples moving away from them as he watched.

"Tell me anyway."

"In the desert, Mr Jarvis and I... we argued. In the heat of the moment he said something, that he has since apologised for, but the more I think about it, the more it seems to be true." He didn't push, that wasn't the way to handle Peggy. Instead he waited for her to continue when she was ready. "Everyone around me dies." The catch in her voice as the words spilled out made his head immediately pick up, taking in her now slightly hunched shoulders.

"Peg..."

"Cannot say it isn't true. My brother, Michael. Steve. Colleen. And now Jack..."

"Jack Thompson is too stubborn to die. You know he'll be making us crazy for years yet. Plus remember the doctor said things were looking positive. He's stable and improving." Daniel tried to reassure her.

"Still. It seems to be a theme in my life. Everyone I care about comes into danger by being near me. Ana. Jarvis. Jason. You."

"That is not your fault." She moved to rebut his statement but found herself cut off, his hand landing on her arm in a soft grip. "Ana made the choice to go and confront Frost, she said so herself. Jarvis ran head first into danger at the first opportunity. And Steve... he made his choice, for the greater good. And as for me, it's my job Peggy, just as it is yours. We put ourselves on the line to protect everyone else, no one forced me just as no one forced you."

Her gaze was soft on him as she listened to his words, the honesty shining through. She leant into his shoulder, resting her head against his neck.

"I don't want to lose anyone else." She mumbled, feeling his strong arm loop around her waist and scoot her closer.

"I don't either, but the best we can do is continue to fight. Together, if that's what you want."

"It is. If you'll have me Chief, I think I'd like to stay in California for a while." She smirked up at him, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"I think we can handle that."

***********************************

[The Lighthouse - 2020]

Despite being familiar with all the Shield bases in his own time, the extensive corridors and seemingly endless levels of the Lighthouse had been completely alien to Daniel. Luckily, he'd been accompanied by Daisy for most of the time since they had returned to this Shield team's timeline. It had been a steep learning curve for Daniel in the past three weeks, but the team had been endlessly supportive and helpful as he learned to adapt.

This morning Fitz had been making some improvements to his prosthetic, which Daniel had thought was pretty much perfect until Fitz adjusted something and there was a relief of pressure he hadn't even realised he'd been able to feel. The engineer made him run drills and lift weights to monitor the performance of the limb and once he deemed it satisfactory, he'd been let go, with the knowledge that there would be periodic adjustments in the future.

In awe of modern technology, he wandered down towards the bunks to find Daisy. She had been excited to see what upgrades Fitz would have in store for him. Rounding the corner to her bunk, she saw Jemma quietly shutting Daisy's bunk door, flinching slightly at the click of the lock. When she spotted Daniel, she put a finger to her lips and beckoned him towards the common room. Doing as he was told, he caught up to the biologist.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a hush tone.

"Everything will be okay, I need you to know that." Jemma said to the visible concerned man out of time.

"Jemma..."

"Daisy's having a bit of a day. She suffers with these anxiety attacks occasionally, which is expected after everything she's been through." Daisy has filled him on a lot of the team's activities before they met him and he'd read her file when she handed it to him a couple of weeks ago. "Similar to what you might call 'shellshock'. We call it PTSD now."

"Is she okay?" The concern laced through his voice.

"She's asleep now. Alya fell while they were playing and hurt herself... she's absolutely fine, clumsy like her father. But I think an overtired Daisy and the fact she feels responsible for everyone around her, may have just pushed her to the edge." Jemma fidgeted nervously with her sleeve. "She feels so much all the time, for everyone, that when she gets overwhelmed it bubbles over. She just needs time, needs to actually sleep. Hopefully, now she'll be okay for a few hours."

"Are you saying she's not been sleeping?" Jemma shook her head.

"She struggles with a proper sleep pattern outside of missions, you know what it's like. But I think with everything Enoch told us and the fact she knows things are changing, everyone...moving on. I've found her up at all hours a few times when I've been up with Alya."

"I didn't know-"

"That's not your fault Agent Sousa- Daniel sorry." Jemma caught herself. "Daisy bottles things up, doesn't want to inflict her pain and worries on anyone else. She's a tough person. If she doesn't want you to know something, you won't."

"Still..." His hand carded through his hair.

"Just give her some time, I'm sure..." Jemma was cut off by a tremor rippling through the base. The pair locked eyes before they both took off at a sprint towards the source. Flexing the new prosthetic, Daniel powered down the corridor to reach it first and find the door locked. He stepped to one side as Jemma appeared, pushing a fingerprint to the lock pad, the system disengaging as the door swung open.

Without much forethought to his own safety, Daniel threw himself through the door, taking the sight of Daisy curled into a tight ball on one side of her bunk, fists clenched in her comforter. Her face was scrunched and tears streaming out of closed eyes.

"Dais- Daisy, wake up sweetheart. Daisy." Daniel knelt by the side of her bed, a hand on her shoulder. "Cmon sweetheart. Daisy, come back to us. You're okay. We're here. We've got you." His hand cupped her cheek in an attempt to wake her and she leaned into the contact, the tremors settling as her eyes blinked open slowly. "There she is."

"Daniel? Whats.." Her eyes flickered to Jemma, who was crouched besides Sousa. "How bad?"

"Rattle the chandelier, not knocking down walls." She joked, smiling down at her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Still fuzzy." Daisy pivoted herself into a sitting position, realising as he let go that Sousa had still had a hand on her arm. "Sorry."

Jemma sighed besides him, making him shoot her a look before she started to explain. "She always apologises. This is not your fault." She fixed her best friend with a look, which made Daisy crack a smile.

"Is Alya okay?" The worry hit her all at once as she remembered what had happened.

"She is absolutely fine. Mack took her for ice cream. She's having the time of her life."

"Good. Good, she deserves that." Daisy's gaze fixed on the blanket now and Jemma gripped her knee.

"She loves you Daisy, just like we do. Okay? You're her aunt." Daisy nodded in agreement. "You need rest, you've been pushing yourself too hard."

"Yes doctor." She mumbled, a small smirk on her face. Daniel who had been watching the interaction from his perched position, moved to straighten up and give her space to relax, only for Daisy to reach out and grab his hand, a silent question in her eyes.

He nodded and pulled up the chair from the corner of the room. Jemma hid her smirk as she bid them both goodbye.

"You good?" Daisy asked as she settled back against her pillows.

"I'm okay." He wasn't going to push her to talk about it, despite his endlessly curious about the woman in front of him.

"Thank you for staying, it... gets a little much."

"For as long as you want me here, here is where I'll be." He said, sitting back in the chair.

"You might not want to say that." She murmured. His questioning look made her sigh a little. Her instinct was to bury everything, to hold it her chest and keep it to herself. But something about him made that feeling wasn't so strong. Maybe it was a mirroring thing. He'd her about losing his leg when they were back in the barn and they'd had more open conversations. "You remember the team of Shield agents that were killed protecting me when I was a baby?" He nodded. She steeled herself with a slow breath.

"There was an agent we found shortly after I joined Coulson's team, he was one of the first on scene in the aftermath. His colleague was killed after dropping me at Saint Agnes's. He warned Coulson and May 'Wherever she goes, death follows'. They chose to ignore him, but I can't help but feel like it might..."

"No." He cut her off, shaking his head as he sat forward to be closer to her. "You can't think like that."

"But it's true, everyone dies. Trip, Lincoln, even the ones that come back. Coulson, May, Fitz. I put everyone at risk." The tears reappeared as she wiped them with her shirt sleeve, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Daisy..." He moved then, sitting on the bed in front of her. "Their deaths are not on you. It's the job we sign up to do, we put ourselves on the line, to be a literal shield. To protect those who can't protect themselves. There are always risks, but that's what we sign up for. It doesn't make it easy and we let ourselves mourn, but it is not your fault." She looked up at him with glassy eyes.

"You really believe that?"

"I do. You are one of the best agents I've seen. And i've seen a lot in all my years." His joke made a small smile flicker over her face. "Is that why Alya falling upset you?"

"I just don't want anyone else to get hurt. Not on my watch."

"And she's a lucky little girl to have you looking out for her." There was a beat of silence, as if she was digesting his words.

"That speech seemed familiar to you. Like you'd said it before." Daisy questioned, with a tilt of her head.

"You might not be the first person I've had to convince about things like that."

"Because some of your favourite people are people like me?" The smile that lit up her face made his heart flip in his chest. He chuckled.

"Because some of my favourite people are people like you."

**************************

If ya'll made it through this mess of words you deserve a gold star ⭐️

the parallel came to me while i washing up and then this happened.

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thebluemoo · 1 year

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So, I've been seeing lots of winter Robin outfits, either doodles or compilations of panels, and I love them all.

I cannot stop thinking about the "skin tone tights" to match the usual Robin outfit. I mean, don’t get me wrong— it works! But the idea is so funny to me. The refusal of pants in the face of practicality, the skin tone match so good that you can't tell he's wearing tights, how small the knit must be. I can't stop pilling on fleece-lined tights to save my life; how many pairs do you think he went through?

And then— why change it? Did Alfred get tired of the endless parade of ruined tights and put his foot down? Were tights eventually just not warm enough? These are New Jersey winters we're talking about. Was it the first concessional step in letting go of the leotard homage in favor of something a little more practical, both for warmth and for armor ?

Maybe something happened some night on patrol. Maybe, he saw some kid shivering in the dirty snow. An unfortunately common experience in Gotham, Dick knew all too well. In the winter it was pretty much every night. Check for frostbite, get them to a shelter: that was the standard operating procedure for people who clearly needed help with the cold winter weather. Over time they had realized that was the most effective way to help as many people as possible— Bruce Wayne ensured there were enough safe places for people to go to; Batman and Robin helped people to get there.

So, maybe, he swung down when he saw a kid shivering in a T-shirt and shorts, with no more protection from the cold than a tattered old blanket. Of course he would have, it was freezing out. The kid grinned back when he smiled and let him do the check- over no problem, thank God. He was on his way to frostbite, but he'd be alright if Dick could just get him to a shelter. Plenty of people, kids especially, didn't trust the shelters. It was fair. Not trusting easily was a survival skill in a city like Gotham. Didn't do much against the cold.

Robin's insistence was usually enough, that he could get them somewhere safe, get them out of the cold. This kid was still fighting, though.

“I understand, you’re nervous,” not scared, he couldn’t say scared, “but look at how much exposed skin you’ve got. You’ve almost got frostbite right now.” Dick let a moment of hope flare in his chest when the boy looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I’ll be alright!” He looked so enthusiastic, even as he shivered so hard that his teeth clanked against each other. Dick thought he might chip a tooth. “Its not too cold for me to be out yet! I’ve got more skin covered than you!”

And— for all intents and purposes, he looked just like he always did in the Robin costume. It really did look like his legs were completely bare. Bruce had wanted to respect Dick's request to pay homage to his past. He'd come up with very insular tights —(warmer than leggings because they didn't leave any exposed skin) that practically looked just like Dick’s skin.

He pinched the material and pulled it away from his skin before he let it snap back. He tried to put on any face that let him hide the guilt settling in his stomach. "Nope." He popped the ‘p’. "Batman gave me these to keep warm. But you need to get somewhere warm.”

The kid’s shoulders slumped a little and he held out his arms for Dick to pick him up. And Dick let out a breath in relief, because at least this kid would be somewhere safe and warm. He tried to ignore the voice in the back of his mind that asked him how many kids? How many kids stayed out in the cold too long, waited to get to shelter, just because Robin was “fine”.

#This really got away from me #dick grayson #batfam #robin!dick #Dare I tag #pre-robin!jason #Dick's winter suit

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chase-the-windandtouch-the-sky · 2 years

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TICK TICK BOOM - By ChasetheWindTouchtheSky

ao3 link | 31k | S6 Spec

“Did you know if you put a frog in water and slowly bring it to boiling, it won’t hop out?” Chris is chattering as Buck makes a quick dinner while Eddie argues with his gas company on the phone. He can hear the occasional swear word in Spanish as his voice raises. Eddie doesn’t like to raise his voice around Christopher – the very thought makes Buck want to kiss him full on the mouth – so he decided to take it to the living room while Chris sits with his homework in the kitchen and Buck cooks.

“Hmm?” Buck asks, unable to fully pull himself out of Bobby’s baked mac and cheese recipe. It took him years, but he finally convinced the man to write it down. Bobby’s handwriting was juvenile at best on a good day, but this was nearly unreadable. Buck wonders if he did that on purpose. “Frogs?”

“Yeah!” Chris states. “My teacher said that if you put a frog in a pot, you have to make sure it’s not immediately boiling. You put them in water and then slowly raise the temperature and they won’t realize what’s happening. Then once they realize, they have no place to go. They can’t jump out.”

S6 Spec: Buck decides he doesn’t need therapy, reverts to some bad habits, and explodes. Or, the Breakdown Fic.

#911 #buddie #911 fanfiction #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buck x eddie #breakdown!fic #911 fan fiction #911 on fox #christopher diaz #bobby nash #hen wilson #chimney han #maddie buckley #the buckley parents continue to be the living worst #I really am leaning into that #this really got away from me #apologies for that #lindsey writes

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onigirintarou · 2 years

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Spicy Calendar

Continuation from this post

Kuroo gets some odd looks when he proposes the idea to his bosses. With the recent success of the all-star game though, they take the chance on him. After all, he hasn’t steered them wrong yet. So he sets off with his backpack and starts to recruit players for the calendar.

He figures he should start local this time so he heads off to find Bokuto. Kuroo doesn’t even get the chance to explain the concept to him before his bro excitedly agrees. Miya Atsumu, who has an unfortunate habit of listening into conversations, also pipes up with his assent. Atsumu then does what Atsumu does best, and begins to run his mouth. He bets that his spread would be the most popular, which gets the attention of his former teammate, Suna, who agrees to join just to prove the bottle blonde wrong. Komori, being Suna’s current teammate, also joins citing that he couldn’t pass up the chance to join forces with Suna and mess with the blonde setter.

And when it comes time to convince Kageyama, it doesn’t take a lot of effort on Kuroo’s part as the younger man is already well aware of his status as a sexy setter. Kageyama being part of the calendar also means that Hinata calls Kuroo up and practically begs for a spot. Ninja Shoyo is going to be a big sell to the international community.

Kageyama also talks to Ushijima about what a great opportunity the calendar is to attract fans to the game. The stoic man sees his point and also agrees to pose for a picture.

Of course, Ushijima’s participation gets back to Oikawa who then proceeds to leave a lengthy voicemail for Kuroo - How dare he ask Ushiwaka? Why hadn’t he been asked first? Was Kuroo not aware of the amount of fans he had? It was almost enough to make Kuroo wonder if having Oikawa in the calendar would be worth it. In the end, he couldn’t deny the amount of interest Oikawa would draw so he agrees to let the brunette join.

Getting 8 players was good, but obviously not enough to fill a calendar. So Kuroo decides that the last four slots would be decided through a fan vote with the #1 pick being the choice for December.

It is now a week later and the fans have made their voice heard. Kuroo keeps the results a secret from the players. He cackles as he looks at who won knowing that at least one of the participants would be very unhappy. He wasn’t going to miss that reaction and so he decides to arrange a Zoom meeting with the players and makes them promise not to open the calendar until they’re all in the call.

It isn’t until a month later that the boys receive their calendars in the mail.

September goes to Suna whose piercing stare and expertly done eyeliner captures the gaze of many. Bokuto gets October because the masses are obviously enthralled with his muscles (his ass!). And to the surprise of even the man himself, Komori gets November. His wide grin and even thicker thighs captivates the hearts and likely also the underwear of many voters.

Then there comes the man-of-the-month for December.

“Are ya fucking jokin’ me?” Miya Atsumu screeches because there on the cover is his twin brother.

Osamu’s wearing an apron. He’s only wearing an apron. It’s so small that his nipples are peeking out and it only falls to his upper thigh. In his right hand, he brandishes a sharp knife as he holds a much sharper grin on his face.

“Damn Miya!” Oikawa exclaims in awe at the picture. “He could devour me any day.”

Ushijima nods his approval. “I agree.”

“Myaa-sam looks so hot!” Bokuto shouts excitedly.

Atsumu groans as he buries his head in his hands. “Stop talkin’ bout my brother like that!” And then he pouts at Kuroo. “Samu ain’t even an active player anymore. What the hell’s up with that?”

Kuroo chuckles. “The fans wrote him in and you know I only do what’s best for the sport.”

#kuroo #bokuto #miya atsumu #kageyama #suna #hinata #komori #ushijima #oikawa #haikyuu #osamu #this really got away from me #...whoops 😝#hazel.writes

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indynerdgirl · 2 years

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So I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in January. With the support of my wonderful & amazing doctor, my family & friends, and the help of a dietician who specializes in diabetes I drastically changed my eating habits and learned how to manage my blood sugar. Just with those changes alone I've been slowly losing weight all year.

Last night I had a moment in a dressing room that I thought would never happen - I zipped up a pair of size 22 jeans and they fit perfectly fine.

I was wearing a 26 in January.

I started wearing a 24 in August.

I haven't worn a 22 since high school.

I sat down on the little bench in the dressing room in total shock and almost burst into tears. Both in joy at this accomplishment and in sadness & frustration at myself, wondering how much sooner I could have reached this milestone if I had started this journey 10 years earlier.

I've been plus-size my entire life and (with the best of intentions of my mother & grandmother) have been on almost every fad diet since 5th grade. It wasn't until my mid 20s that I learned that both the weight gain and difficulty in losing weight were due to an underlying health reason - polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS.

[the rest of my story is under the cut because this post ended up way longer than I had anticipated]

TL;DR - I'm 35 and I've been working on my health this past year and while I'm so happy to celebrate my successes, I wish I had started this journey sooner. Please don't do what I did and ignore symptoms for years. And if you have a young girl in your life that has irregular periods, get her checked for PCOS. Because if I had been given that diagnosis & started treatment decades earlier (and no, being given birth control is NOT a treatment for PCOS - it's lazy medical treatment at best and malpractice at worst) I know my life would be different right now because the majority of my life has been dictated by my size.

I'd had irregular periods my entire life but for some reason, none of my childhood doctors or even my mother ever thought to check for it. I was checked for thyroid issues and vitamin deficiencies but for some reason, PCOS was never brought up (not that I would have known to ask about it as a child). But one day I was having a physical done by a new doctor (not my current doctor) and when I mentioned my irregular periods she started asking me more questions about them and after looking at the rest of my medical history decided to have me checked for PCOS. And low and behold I had it.

I can't tell you the relief I felt finding out there was an actual medical reason for why I had struggled with my weight my entire life. Because up until that moment I'd always been made to feel like it was all my fault that I was fat. If I just ate better or stuck to a strict diet or exercised more (I can't even begin to describe the embarrassment and humiliation of being forced to go to exercise classes with your mother when you're 12yr old and you're the only kid in a class full of adults). It was never ever directly said to me, but it was obvious in the way things were said and the way people acted around me.

The doctor also explained to me that I was pre-diabetic as PCOS can cause diabetes if left untreated (this will be important to remember in just a minute). So we started working on getting my hormones back on track and I was told to try to cut back on my sugar intake. Unfortunately not too long afterward, the job I had at the time decided to switch our health insurance provider. Suddenly my doctor was out of network and continuing to see her was becoming very expensive for me as I wasn't making a whole lot at the time (I was working at a childcare center). Add in the fact that she was on the opposite side of town from me and that it was almost impossible to get time off work for appointments, I just kind of stopped seeing her.

The next part of my story is where I wish I could go back in time and shake some sense into my younger self. Because did I try to find a new doctor that my insurance would pay for? Nope. Did I at least try to cut back on my sugar and eat a little better? Also, no. For the next almost ten years, despite knowing I had PCOS and knowing I was pre-diabetic, I didn't change my eating habits at all. Every once in a while I'd get on a "health" kick and go for walks at the park and try to eat more whole wheat bread than white bread, but those never lasted long. I wasn't in the best space mentally either so there was also a lot of emotional eating as well. I figured as long as I never had to go up another pant size I was doing all right just "maintaining". If I got sick and needed to see a doctor, I just went to one of those minute clinic things at Walgreens. Yeah, mid & late 20s me was an idiot.

Fast forward to a few years ago when it started being pretty obvious that I had crossed the line from pre-diabetic to actually diabetic. I had all the classic signs and symptoms yet I was still being an idiot and ignoring my health. Unfortunately, I've always had a horrible bad habit of thinking if I just ignore whatever issues or problems I'm currently having that they'll just go away. Yeah, I know. I finally get to the point where I know I can't ignore my health anymore and January of 2020 I make it my New Year's goal to start getting myself back on track. By the time I worked up the courage to call and set up an appointment with my old doctor (I had a new job by then with better insurance that included her again) two things happened: March of 2020 and the building her practice was in was destroyed in a fire.

So I told myself I'd just "wait until this whole covid thing was over" before trying to set up an appointment again. And we all know how the rest of 2020 went. Now it's December of 2021 and I still haven't made an appointment with my old doctor. But I was at an eye doctor appointment that I'd also been putting off for years despite knowing it was time for a new prescription. After checking my eyes, the eye doctor tells me that I need to see my doctor as soon as possible because he saw signs of diabetic retinopathy in my eyes. And as someone who's always had poor eyesight and one of their greatest fears is going blind, THAT was the kick in the pants I needed to finally see a doctor.

I ended up having a heart-to-heart with my mom about my health (something I would always avoid talking about with her) and admitting that I really didn't want to go back to my old doctor because I never really felt a good connection with her but I was willing to deal with that issue since she was also a practicing Catholic and it's hard to find not only a good doctor but a Catholic one as well (I know there are plenty of good doctors out there who aren't Catholic, but as a practicing Catholic, it does make things so much easier when your doctor also follows Church teachings when it comes to health & medical issues). My mom then suggested I set up an appointment with her new doctor who is not only a general MD, but also specialized in treating PCOS and also just happened to be Catholic as well.

So I set up an appointment with Dr. Holly for after the New Year and the rest, as they say, is history. She's just a few years older than me and I have never in my life been so at ease with a doctor. She and I hit it off right away and when I explained everything to her she didn't make me feel bad for waiting for so long to do anything like I was afraid she would. Instead, she listened to all of my concerns, validated them, and then right there came up with a plan of attack listing out all of the health issues we needed to tackle right away (getting the diabetes under control & start treating the PCOS) and what health issues weren't immediately pressing (some small patches of eczema & trying out meds for my ADHD again).

It also helps that she's diabetic as well so she knows exactly what I'm going through and have to deal with on a day to day basis. With her help and support (plus the advice from the dietician she recommend to me), I brought down my A1C from a staggering 12.7% to a much better 7.2% at my last appointment with her and, of course, have been slowly and steadily losing weight.

I decided early on that I wasn't going to obsess over the numbers on the scale, instead mostly tracking my progress by how my clothes are fitting. Since January I'm down not only two pant sizes but also a shirt size! I'm able to comfortably wear again all of the 2XL shirts I own and I've gone to a few events where I was able to buy a shirt as a souvenir because I didn't have to worry if they had a 3XL because I knew would be able to fit in a 2XL.

I still have a lot of work to do (I really do need to start actually exercising) but I am so happy with what progress I've made so far already. If you had told me last year that I'd be wearing a size 22 pair of jeans, I would have laughed in your face. I still can't believe it sometimes, but then I look at pictures of myself from last year compared to this year and the differences are kind of shocking. And that's been another little victory for me - actually not hating how I look in photos. I've taken more photos of myself/allowed myself to be in more photos this year than in at least the last five years if not more.

I never know how to end posts like this, so if you've actually read this far down, thanks. 💙

#personal #about me #this really got away from me #but it ended up being kind of cathartic to write it all out #health journey

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