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makeste · 6 months

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Plus One For All

so guys. can we talk about how there’s somebody chilling out inside of Katsuki’s mind who’s not supposed to be there.

hello there Mister All Might Vestige sir. you should not exist, just FYI. you’re not some Nighteye-type plot hallucination. because if you were, you would not be appearing here as Cloud Might, a version of yourself whom Katsuki has never met and has no frame of reference for. ergo he did not imagine you. ergo you are, in fact, real.

which means Katsuki has One For All.

because that’s the only way he could have a Vestige -- which is indisputably what this is -- inside of him. he has OFA. so. where did he get it. how does he have it. and why is it only making its presence known now.

let’s discuss.

okay so I’m going to try and lay this all out as clearly as possible while also attempting to be as succinct as I can. but knowing me, I’m probably going to wind up sacrificing the latter in pursuit of the former. I’ll do my best though. here goes.

1. Heroes Rising is canon.

which is a fact we’ve recently been reminded of not once, but twice -- first with the appearance of Katsuma and Mahoro in chapter 405, and then in chapter 406 with the “Bakugou no Kacchan” callback. the timing of this almost certainly isn’t coincidental. Horikoshi wants this to be fresh in our minds.

mind you, it is extremely unusual for movies, even technically!canon ones, to actually be relevant to the plot. but BnHA may be one of the few exceptions. we’ve already seen movie 1 impact the series both with Star & Stripe’s backstory, and with Deku’s new gauntlets. so there’s precedent, and it’s something I am paying very close attention to.

2. Deku giving OFA to Bakugou is canon.

just in case anyone here hasn’t yet seen or been spoiled for Heroes Rising, that is in fact what happens in that film! so yeah, that certainly seems like an extremely relevant detail right about now.

3. we never found out why and how Deku got OFA back at the end of the movie.

okay so I was looking for a clip to link before we discuss this next part, but I unfortunately couldn’t find one that hadn’t been edited to avoid copyright issues, so you’ll just have to make do with this.

skip ahead to about 7:10 for the relevant part. for the purposes of this theory, we’re just going to ignore everything All Might says here, because tbh he has no fucking clue what’s actually going on and is just guessing wildly lol. however, I do want you to take note of one thing which will be important later. and that’s the fact that, when OFA “returns” to Deku’s body, it’s only his body which starts glowing, and notably not Kacchan’s. the latter just keeps lying there unglowingly. nothing to indicate any kind of transfer is actually happening between him and Deku, in other words.

moving on.

4. OFA and AFO are probably the same quirk.

as summarized here and here. which is relevant because if they are the same quirk, or close to it, then OFA can most likely do anything AFO can do. so file that away for later.

5. AFO was able to split his quirk and give it to Tomura while still keeping a piece of it for himself.

what’s more, he was able to do the same with Garaki/Ujiko’s quirk, and presumably other quirks as well. while it’s possible that this quirk duplication has nothing to do with AFO and is simply something Garaki was able to figure out using ~*~Science~*~, I think it’s more likely that the two of them used AFO’s quirk in some way to accomplish this feat. particularly since Tomura not only received AFO, but a bunch of its stored up quirkdata as well, such as the information stored in Ragdoll’s stolen Search quirk.

6. OFA responds to Deku’s feelings and desires.

or at least this is the case according to Banjou in chapter 213. recall this interesting conversation on how Deku first activated Blackwhip.

he was thinking that he wanted to capture Monoma, and so OFA obediently activated his “capture Monoma” quirk. despite him being unaware he even had said quirk. it responded to his need, even though he wasn’t consciously trying to activate anything.

now then, let’s revisit that scene in Heroes Rising one more time.

7. during the climax of Heroes Rising, Deku was NOT thinking, “I need to give OFA to Kacchan.”

here’s the scene one more time for reference. this time you’re gonna want to skip to about 3:57.

here’s where we are going to get extremely technical, because this scene right here is the key to everything. Deku’s lines in this scene are, and I quote: “a way we can protect [everyone]... there’s just one way...!” but he very notably does not specify exactly what that “one way” is.

until we get to this scene a minute or so later, which spells it out for us very clearly.

two One For Alls. as in, “with two One For Alls, we could win this battle and save everyone.”

that’s what he was thinking at the moment of the “transfer.” NOT, “give OFA to Kacchan.” but, “we need two One For Alls.”

which, I think, may have made all the difference.

8. OFA created a copy of itself to share with Kacchan, so that both of them could have OFA and use the two OFAs to defeat Nine.

let’s recap. OFA is AFO. AFO can clone itself. so it stands to reason that OFA can presumably clone itself as well. and that’s exactly what Deku wanted to do. make a second One For All.

he didn’t know that he could do that. but as previously established in the Blackwhip incident, OFA is more than capable of making its own executive decisions in key moments just like this in order to help him out.

which would mean that what we saw at the end of Heroes Rising was not OFA being transferred from Bakugou back over to Deku. it was actually just Deku’s OFA briefly self-activating (possibly in response to his delirious apology to All Might -- kind of a “no worries bro, you’ve still got your quirk actually, so go back to sleep and stop stressing over it” type of thing). and Kacchan’s OFA doing... absolutely nothing. it didn’t actually transfer back into Deku. it didn’t actually go anywhere.

let me repeat that: it didn’t actually go anywhere.

in other words, Kacchan still has OFA. and has had it ever since Heroes Rising. he just didn’t realize it. and neither did anybody else.

9. Kacchan’s OFA went dormant once Nine was defeated.

okay, so. remember all of this exposition from chapter 304?

basically, if someone who already has a quirk receives OFA, using it will slowly destroy their body until it kills them. the Vestiges learned this from All Might while he was researching the past generations of OFA in chapter 241, incidentally. Heroes Rising takes place right around this same time (immediately following MVA if I recall). so by the time the film’s climax rolled around, the Vestiges would have known that giving OFA to Kacchan could have devastating consequences down the line if they did not take action immediately after the fight.

so they did.

once Nine was defeated, the Vestiges shut the whole thing down. the crisis was averted, and they no longer had need of a second OFA. they have this boy who is way too similar to Deku in terms of his willingness to put himself in harm’s way in order to achieve his goals. and they absolutely do not want any harm befalling this boy. more on that momentarily.

so they go dark. and they even seal his memory so that he’s no longer aware of even having the quirk. they are essentially in sleep mode. and if circumstances hadn’t eventually become desperate enough to force their hand, they might have remained inactive for the rest of Katsuki’s life.

now, you might be wondering to yourself, “why is OFA willing to go to such unusual lengths in order to protect Katsuki?” and well, the answer to that is pretty simple.

10. Kacchan does not have the same version of OFA as Deku.

Deku is ninth gen. Katsuki, however, is tenth gen. which means that his version of OFA has one additional Vestige. a Vestige whose presence immediately explains why OFA is so goddamn determined to protect him at all costs.

:’)

long story short, while Deku’s version of OFA has proven itself all too willing to enable him in his increasingly suicidal mission, Katsuki’s version of OFA is very much a different story, on account of it being under the management of what I’m guessing is the most willful Vestige ever to exist. and said management being just the slightest bit unhinged when it comes to Katsuki’s safety in particular. seriously, you can’t tell me this is not exactly how a Deku!Vestige would behave. “oh hell no. no OFA for you!! and no memories either, because you can’t be trusted, goddammit. we never should have done this. what the hell were we thinking. if anything happens to him I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.”

so yeah. dormant.

right up until they literally couldn’t afford to be anymore.

11. OFA can self-activate in moments of crisis to protect its user.

Sports Festival. chapter 33. Deku vs. Shinsou.

aw yeah. it’s all coming together.

12. OFA reactivated itself in order to save Katsuki’s life.

I would now like to briefly draw your attention to this scene from chapter 405, in which Edgeshot explains how Katsuki was finally saved. please note my man is very clear that he did not restart Katsuki’s heart himself. he was basically just performing quirk CPR up until Katsuki’s own quirk returned him to life apropros of nothing.

“what brought you back... was the power you’ve honed.”

except... that should have been impossible. because Katsuki was dead. meaning he should not have been able to activate his quirk on his own, on account of the whole “being dead” thing.

however, if he by chance had a quirk with just enough of a mind of its own to activate in critical situations in order to help its user. situations like being forced under mind control. or, perhaps, being stabbed through the heart. well then. that would certainly go a long way towards explaining all of this.

and oh hey, when exactly was it that we saw this guy, again?

oh? it happened at the exact moment when his heart was stabbed through? you don’t say. well that certainly is interesting.

in summary:

Deku cloned his quirk in Heroes Rising and gave Kacchan a copy of OFA. owing to the hyperprotective Deku!Vestige inside Kacchan’s copy of OFA, it shut itself down once Nine was defeated, and all of Katsuki’s memories of having OFA were deliberately wiped, or sealed away. OFA itself remained inactive until TomurAFO stabbed Katsuki through the heart, at which point OFA was forced to reactivate itself to save his life. which it did, by forcibly restarting his heart.

that’s it. no idea how close to the money any of this is, but I think it would explain most of the lingering mysteries and questions about what exactly is going on with Katsuki. and I’ll throw in one last observation as well -- Katsuki has a nine in his name (BaKUgou), but not a ten. which I know sort of contradicts what I was saying earlier about him being the tenth gen, lol. but he both is and isn’t. if Deku split his quirk, Kacchan would in theory receive everything that’s currently in Deku’s quirk right now, and that includes Deku’s own power that he’s been adding to the mix. so he’d still have the Deku!Vestige. but he’s also still ninth gen, because he and Deku are sharing that distinction now. or at least I think the argument could be made at any rate.

so yeah. I’ve been obsessing over all of this for the past few days lol. what do you guys think?

#bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #one for all #bnha meta #bnha theory #bakugou meta #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #it's also possible that I put way too much thought into this and in actuality katsuki is just using the OFA embers #or something else along those lines #we'll see lol #but in the meantime it's fun to speculate

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spider999sposts · 10 months

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...while I kept you like an oath. —Miguel O'Hara

🕸previous writings: part 1

🕸synopsis: miguel is done keeping you his secret

🕸tags: fem!reader × Miguel O'Hara

🕸warning: suggestive dancing, but that's about it.

🕸authors note: wanted to make up for the asshole miguel in part 1!

It's been a full week. 7 days, 9 hours, and 10 minutes ever since what had unfolded at his birthday.

And not a single day passed without Miguel watching you.

He had his eyes glued to the monitors every night. Watching you in your own universe. You stopped being a superhero, and surprisingly that did not break the canon, everyone was allowed to take breaks after all.

Everyday he watched you. He watched you go back to your boring job as a photographer in that horrid journalism job some of your variants' kind share. He watched you grab your coffee in the afternoon, and he watched you interact with your co-workers. It made his blood boil whenever he saw one of them flirting or trying to make a move on you, and yet he could do nothing about it.

Events of the last day he saw you played in his head. The words 'I don't want to be with a man who is so horrified to be with me.' played in his head over and over, like it was some broken record. You just didn't get it, did you? Perhaps he was being too rough too. He might be standoffish and harsh, but he was self aware. Once he got over his pride, guilt washed over his senses. He spent two days of the seven trying to convince himself that nothing would happen to him if you never saw each other again.

And now here he was. At 2 AM. Staring at his monitors with blood red eyes. You'd realised early on that he would be watching you through your gizmo, so you turned it off. When you did, he asked Jess to go and set up a small device to make him be able to see you. Jess told him to just talk to you, but he somehow thought this was the better idea.

He rubbed his eyes. In your universe, the time was the same. It was the weekend tommrow, you were watching that god-awful hispanic soap opera you used to watch with him. You had dozed off on the couch, while the TV was still on.

"Um, boss, this isn't healthy.." LYLA chirped. Miguel rolled his eyes and got up, waving her away. She zipped to his other side to avoid having her hologram glitch. "You should speak for once."

"LYLA."

"I am just saying. You can't keep watching through monitors like a creeper! Do you know what we do with creepers? We gouge out their peepers—"

"Spare me." He moved away from her, getting off his platform. He knew his little assistant was right though. How come a man who is so obsessed with fixing things in the whole wide multiverse, cannot even muster up the courage to love you as loudly and proudly as he could? And to admit that he's wrong?

He needed to do something. And he needed to come up with it, quick.

----

Hobie visited you queit often after what transpired. You cried on his shoulder for a while, and he did everything he knew to do to comfort you. In his odd little ways.

Today was no different. You were sitting on your couch, eating some ice cream, when Hobie portalled in. It was an odd way to enter but you've gotten used to his antics.

"Hey, Hobie. Come sit, the show is about to start—"

"Oi, listen.." He sits next to you, his colours changing then finally setting on yellow. "Let's get ya out today, huh? I have a little something planned for you."

"I don't want to go to your punk concerts, Hobie, I get too overstimulated by all the—"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, it ain't that," He couldn't believe he was doing this. Following orders. But he wouldn't do it if he knew it wouldn't help. "Just a little something. Some people in HQ miss you, ya know? We planned a little get together, thats all." That was half the truth at least.

You were a bit suspicious of him, but you put your ice cream aside. "Are there gonna be drinks?"

"Lots of em."

"The Unnamed?"

" 'M starting to think I got you addicted." He laughed, "Come on, get off your bum."

You 'got off your bum' and walked over to your room, changing the oversized shorts and tee to something a little more presentable. You returned after making sure your hair looked well and your face looked okay, noticing Hobie had already opened the portal.

He moved before you both could enter it, putting a blindfold around your eyes. "What's this for?"

"A kink of mine." He joked.

"I am older than you, y'know?"

"Age is a conceptual idea...unless you're a child, or something, then age is good...—I'm saying that children cannot mingle with adults even if age is—"

You laughed at his stumbling, and you patted...his chest? His shoulder? You couldn't really see. "I've got it, Hobie."

You heard him murmur under his breath, then he led you through the portal. You haven't felt this nauseous before, and it wasn't the universe-jumping.

When Hobie said some people in HQ miss you..he couldn't possibly mean him, right?

Your thoughts were intruppted when you felt the cold summer breeze on your bare skin. Hobie's hand left your shoulder, and you felt him move behind you. "Pretty chilly." And queit. A little too much.

When he removed the cloth from around your eyes, you got ingulfed in a tight embrace. By multiple people.

You could see tufts of blonde hair at your shoulder, and a pregnancy bump pressed against your side. There was also something..crawling.

When everyone loosened their grip, Mayday slid right into your arms. "Ah, that's where the crawling was coming from." You chuckled, giving her a little hug. "God, It's been a week and we already miss you." says Jess. She looked glowing. As she has the whole period of her pregnancy. A hand slung around your shoulder, "Yeah, Mayday and I missed you! Mayday especially. You know how she never eats her vegetable puree except when you feed it to her." You chuckled at Peter's comment. "I've missed you too, guys." You reached over and messed up Gwen's hair. After you caught up with your friends, a few other people came over and talked to you.

It was after a few moments that you realised that you were, once again, on the roof of the Spider Society HQ. It was a casual party it seems, like the ones you had every weekend. You looked over at Hobie and raised your brows. He grinned at you, and even though he was trying to play it cool, he knew you had him figured out. His colour changed from the usual grey to a pinkish hue.

"Hobie Brown, did you lure me here just to bring me back to the HQ?"

"A man never tells his secrets."

You chuckled, but took a long pause after. Your eyes met his for a moment.

"Did he tell you to bring me here?"

Hobie's colours went a deeper shade of pink, but he still had that stoic look on his face.

Before he could answer you, Gwen and Pavitir pushed him into the dance floor. He looked at you, almost remorseful. Just almost.

You did not see Miguel anywhere, so you just retreated to the bar, seeing that Lego Spiderman was bartending. You asked for Hobie's drink but he looked clueless to what you just ordered, so you just told him to grab you a soda. When he asked for what kind, you just set your head on the counter.

You could hear him trotting away.

You didn't want to be here. You didn't want to see him, and you knew Hobie probably has good intentions but you didn't want to return. At least this soon.

You sighed, but as soon as you raised your head, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. Your senses were going off. Someone was watching you, and you had a pretty good idea on who it might be. Yet when you looked behind you, you saw nothing but the dancing crowd.

Unknown to you that Miguel was just a few steps away. Dodging your gaze as much as he could.

"Breath unregulated. Heartbeat rate is getting higher—"

"Give it a rest, LYLA."

"Maybe I will, but you need to go before you experience a stroke."

Bothered, he shooed her away, but she just appeared on his other side.

"Rude." She mumbled, adjusting her crooked glasses. "Come onnnn, the hard part was getting this whole thing planned right? And it's going so smoothly."

For an AI built by one of the multiverse's greatest geniuses, she had no idea how hard it was. For a man as prideful as him, admitting he is wrong is the hard part.

He just cleared his throat, and held his head up high as he made his way towards the counter.

He noticed the soda can you were sipping on, and a hum came out of him.

"No odd drinks today, It seems."

You chuckled. Sarcastically. And you didn't look at him.

'Comienzo brillante.' He thought.

He leaned on the counter, trying to get a look at you. You weren't even paying any attention to him. It bothered him, there was a feeling in his chest, clawing at him. He knows he deserves this, every action has its equal opposite reaction.

"You came back to my little club-house." That came out meaner than he meant it to be, but it was not his intention. It got you to go at him though. His features softened. Your eyes had a red hue around them, from all the crying, he presumed.

"I didn't. Hobie dragged me here."

For once in his life, Hobie listened to him. Maybe only because he realised how truly misrable Miguel was when he walked in on him watching you through the monitors.

"But you still came."

"I did not know where he was taking me." You replied shortly, putting down your soda. Miguel hummed, "I told him to bring you here."

That made you shoot a glare at him. Thank god, any reaction to his words was enough for him. It showed him that you still cared.

"Yeah, I guessed."

He raised his leg on the foot of your bar chair, and he leaned closer. This was odd. He was at a very close proximity to you, infront of everyone.

"We need to speak." He said firmly, tilting his head at you. "Do we only need to speak when you decide? What if I don't want to speak with you?" Oh, you were trying to get back at him. He couldn't lie, it irritated him. He was a patient man once, but that was long ago.

"But you do." His red irsis glanced at your lips. He was so close that you could smell his musky cologne. It took every muscle in your body not to react to him. You were furious with him, but you could not help it. Your body gave in naturally to him. Put both of you in the same room, and no matter how much you feel like you hate him, no matter how much he upset you, your attraction to Miguel was almost animalistic. Resisting him was like resisting the tides when the moon was closest to the earth.

Almost impossible.

"I–I don't." You didn't like faltering infront of him. You didn't want to show him how he has this hold on you.

Miguel reached up to your face, pushing a few strands of stray hair behind your ear. It was a gentle gesture, and a very obvious one. You pulled away, "What are you doing–"

"For God's sake–" He sighed when you pulled away. "–I...I'm trying to. I'm trying to do something."

"Do something? Miguel, it's been a week since you saw me and—and—" You stood up, your head at level with his chest. "You tell Hobie to bring me here just to play these mind games—"

"¡Dìos Mìo!, I am trying to apologise!"

That was a little too loud. He slammed his hand on the counter and the clap sound it made made some people turn their heads towards the both of you. But their stares didn't last long, Gwen had quickly moved to change the song as to distract them.

You were both staring at each other now. You were panting. His chest was heaving, you could feel his hot breath on the top of your head.

Miguel pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit he only did when he was so stressed he couldn't think straight. He took in a deep breath, calming himself down. You could see it. How his face contorted and how the veins in his forehead stopped protruding.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, his fingers brushing against yours. "I'm sorry I called you childish, and made you feel naïve when that is not the case." He looked geniune, as geniune as the night he told you he loved you. "You were pretty reasonable. I was the one who.." He struggled a bit to spit it out, but when he did, a smile tugged at the corners of your mouth. "...who was wrong."

You weighed his words for a moment.

"Okay." is all that came out of your mouth. Miguel felt like that was not enough.

"Okay?"

"Yes, okay."

"¿Quieres volverme loco?"

[Do you want to drive me mad?]

You laughed at his question. His harsh features softened at the sound.

"I accept your apology. Is there anything else you wanted to say?" He did not acknowledge your biggest concern. If you were to return to him, you were going to do it on your terms now, not his. And so far, putting aside the face–touching and the finger–brushing, he had not came front with how your relationship was to resume.

Miguel looked across the dance floor, and Hobie gave him a small nod. A song, very familiar to the both of you began playing.

Your eyes widened but you said nothing. Miguel, though, extending his hand to you.

"I owe you a dance,."

"Ah, no, sorry, I can't. You know we can't."

"Aye, Deja de ser terca, hermosa."

[Stop being stubborn, beautiful]

His eyes were practically pleading you. And maybe, just maybe, you couldn't keep up with this tension anymore.

You let him lead you to the dance floor. You felt the eyes of everyone on the both of you. The music got louder.

Miguel's strong arms wrapped around your waist, securing you near him. You both swayed to the beat. His head was lowered enough, you could hear him mumble the lyrics, "Y hemos de darnos un beso...Encerrados en la luna" He twirled you, then brought you back to his chest. "You're a good dancer." You mumbled to him, and he chuckled. "Thank you."

"And a good singer. Didn't know you liked to sing."

"I don't." His arms tightened around your waist, as his lips brushed against your ear. You gasped, your hand holding onto his bicep. "You can just say, I really like this song."

"Andale, eres secreto de amor..." He twirled you again, his hands seemed to get lower and lower by the minute. First they found the small of your back, then, you felt them around your hips. The beat of the song seemed to have changed completely. It was much more sensual now.

Miguel picked up on that, and he turned you around, hips grinding against yours. The friction made your legs wobble. You set your back against his hard chest, and when you did, he bucked forwards, still very much grinding against you. You could feel everyone's eyes on you, you could see how they were staring. Whispering.

"Miguel, they're watching u—" You felt his lips on your neck. He left a tender kiss under your ear, "I know." He whispered. "I thought—"

"You speak too much." He rasped out, his voice strained. You felt his hands roam around your hips again, and before you could register, he turned you around and set his forehead against yours. "I can't control myself around you. I don't like that." He began, closing his eyes. "I don't like not being in control."

"I know."

"But," His eyes opened, and this time, that look in his eyes that you couldn't decipher from last time was present. But you know what it was now.

Desire. Utter and pure desire.

"I'd rather not lose you over my pride."

That was it for you. You cupped his face, and he instantly knew what to do. With one hand pulling you in by the waist, and the other on your cheek. Your lips collided, and when they did, you forgot about space and time. He kissed you dizzy, like his only mission was to make you forget what he'd done, or at least, to make up for being such an asshole, and by the time he was done, you had already forgiven him.

"Swear on my mother, you need to get a room." came a sound from behind you. You laughed at Hobie's comment, but Miguel did not. However, he flashed you a playful, boyish grin. "For once, he is right."

"Miguel."

"Scientifically, it would make us feel better." His large palms squeezed your hips, and you squealed a little. "And you know, we should do it to make sure there are no negative underlying feelings."

"Ah."

"It would break the multiverse if we don't do it."

"And of course, the.." You imitated his voice, making it sound deeper than it actually is. "..'fate of the multiverse' is more important than everything, no?"

He cupped both your cheeks again, this tenderness was new. You could get used to this. "Not everything." He whispered.

There was a cold metal against your warm skin, you took a glance at his hand and smiled.

"You kept it."

"Ah, yes, my 'fucking' birthday gift." You shared a laugh, continuing to sway. He pulled a similar box to the one you gave him from his pocket, and handed it to you. You furrowed your brows, "What for?"

"Consider it an apology."

When you opened it, there was a ring similar to his. A promise ring just like the one you gave him.

Engraved inside was today's date. There were words engraved inside of it as well.

'Till the multiverse do us part.'

"Hm."

"You don't like it?"

"Very corny for a man like you."

"You're the one who gave me a promise ring first. We are not 17."

"And yet, you still wear it."

He chuckled at your remark.

"And yet, I still wear it."

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persevereforahappyending · 11 months

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He Hung Up (4 - Finale)

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader

Summary: “Are you serious right now?” you yanked your shoulder out of Sam’s grip. You took a step back but continued to face her. “You don’t like me, I get it! Right now, Tara’s safety is my only priority. Can we at least agree on that?”

Warnings: Canon typical violence, Death, Murder

Word Count: 4.8k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

You rode the subway, pulling Tara as close to your body as you could. You were surrounded by dozens of people dressed up in Halloween costumes, a good number of them being a Ghostface costume. Anytime someone in a Ghostface costume moved, Tara tensed, and you tightened your grip on her. It was a popular costume, so many people wore one every year. Actually, living out the horror movie though, made all of you not know if the Ghostface walking past you was some random guy who decided to celebrate a serial killer or if they were the real deal and a knife would be sunk into your back before you had time to blink.

Ghostface had killed Quinn, then Anika. You still hadn’t processed that, maybe if you had been quicker, had been stronger, maybe Anaika would still be alive. Anika was to kind of a person, to caring to everyone to be killed that way, to be killed at all. You felt Tara rub her hand up your back underneath your jacket causing you to snap out of your grief and look at her. She furrowed her brow at you. You didn’t have it in you to try for a smile, you couldn’t pretend around her. You tightened your jaw, frowning, dropping your eyes to the dirty subway floor. You didn’t have time to have a breakdown, there was a killer after you. Luckily Tara understood, laying her head against your chest as you wrapped a protective arm around her.

You hadn’t had time to breath since Anika’s death. You remembered looking into Anika’s eyes, her falling, her body lying on the ground. You had flashes of sitting in the back of an ambulance, Tara squeezing your hand as Mindy was patched up. You were vaguely aware when Ethan came walking up, Chad slamming him against a van. Everything was just static though. The only thing you saw clearly was the blood on your hands, Anika’s blood, not your blood. Anika’s blood. Your hands were drenched in Anika’s blood.

You had come out of your head when you heard about the plan to try and catch Ghostface. The second Tara volunteered to be bait with her sister you objected, speaking for the first time. Tara not joining in being bait was the one thing Sam actually agreed with you on. Tara didn’t leave any room for argument though, she said she was joining and walked away from the van. You chased after her, begging her to let you stay with her as she and Sam walked the park, but she refused. You were dragged back to the van by Mindy who refused to let go of your hand.

You weren’t sure how Mindy didn’t hate you. How none of them hated you. Even Sam hadn’t made a snarky comment about you, if anything every time she looked at you, you saw worry in her eyes. Mindy hadn’t said anything to you, but she hadn’t yelled at you either. After getting stitched up she sat next to you and Tara, leaning her head on your shoulder and now she was sitting in the stakeout van, holding your hand. You really wished she would yell at you. You killed her girlfriend, you deserved to get yelled at. You knew you weren’t the one to stab Anika and you weren’t the one to tilt the ladder, but you were the one to let her go. You dropped her. Anika fell to her death because you couldn’t hold on.

You were brought out of your thoughts again when the phone finally rang. Ghostface taunted Sam and it turned out you were all in the wrong place. Ghostface was across town attacking Gale. The plan didn’t matter, nothing mattered, after the call you were all racing uptown to save Gale and you were still too late. Turns out you truly couldn’t save anyone. Now you were on a train headed to a serial killer’s lair to try and kill a different serial killer.

Sam stood next to her cute boy from next door. If you had the energy, you totally would’ve made fun of their relationship. Sam had been so adamant about keeping their relationship hidden but now that she had confessed, she had no problem staying close to him. Danny seemed to be taking everything well considering he had just witnessed a murder and by helping all of you it put a target on his back.

The fact that he was so calm should have been concerning. He should’ve gone to the top of your suspect list especially since he was the reason Chad got onto the subway and wasn’t able to wait with Mindy when she got separated. You didn’t think it was Danny though, he may look strong and intimidating but he was all warm and gooey on the inside, there was no way he was a killer.

Chad stood next to you and Tara; eyes glued to his phone as he repeatedly texted Mindy. The only thing you guys knew was that she was on the next train and that Ethan was with her. Her not being alone calmed some anxieties but also brought forth new ones. Ethan was Mindy’s top suspect, and you couldn’t help but agree, he was so unsuspecting looking that he would clearly be an obvious choice for the killer in a movie.

You got pulled out of your thoughts again when the five of you came to a stop outside of the theater, Kirby greeting all of you as she had already arrived and checked the place. Sam was pulling Danny to the side and whispering quietly to him. You furrowed your brow; Danny didn’t seem thrilled about whatever Sam was telling him.

“She’s telling him to stay outside,” Tara’s voice cut through your thoughts. You turned to her, tilting your head. “Maybe you should as well. This isn’t your fight. You’re only in danger because you’re with me.”

“I’m pretty sure that ship sailed the second I took that phone call for Sam,” you said lightly, trying for a soft smile.

“What we’re about to do, what we’re going to have to do, it’s a lot different than answering a phone.”

“This jackass attacked me in my dorm.” Tara opened her mouth, but you didn’t let her interrupt you. “Let me finish. It wasn’t because of you. It was because I ran my mouth and pissed him off. He’s gonna come after me whether I’m with you or not. Face it, we’re safer together.”

Tara huffed. She looked at her sister who clearly didn’t want you coming with them but rolled her eyes, she seemed done trying to argue when it came to you. Tara then turned to Kirby who just shrugged.

“It’s your call,” Kirby said, shrugging again before making her way into the theater.

“Fine,” Tara sighed. “I guess I would feel guilty if I left you out here all alone, making you an easy target for a psycho.”

You smiled, following the others into the theater as you left Danny outside. You had already seen the theater the first time Gale showed you all, but you hadn’t really paid attention. You wandered past the cases, seeing every different attack and murder. Everything telling the story from the first Ghostface to the one from last year.

“I’m going to double check the perimeter,” Kirby said, wandering off down one of the dark corridors.

Sam made her way up the stage, standing before the glass case that held her father’s robe and mask. Tara gave your hand a comforting squeeze before following close behind. You slowly walked down the path of memorabilia; you hadn’t looked at it before. When you got to the theater the first time all you saw was Anika. You had plopped yourself down at the edge of the stage and waited while the others walked around taking it all in and coming up with the first plan to try and catch this guy.

You were even aware that Tara ran off, having a small breakdown. You wanted to comfort her; your heart broke at allowing someone else to do it. Your feet just wouldn’t move, your head wouldn’t allow you to forget about Anika. Failing to comfort your girlfriend when she needed you was just another thing you added to your list of things you failed at.

You came to a stop at the last display case. The case for last year’s Ghostface. Pictures of the crime scenes hung up, next to drawings of the attacks. The knives used to kill and stab proudly on display, still coated in the blood of their victims.

You saw the images of Tara’s attack, the blood splatter going from her front door down the hall and into her kitchen. So much blood. Tara still didn’t know if Amber had let her live on purpose or she meant to kill her, but the cops arrived too quickly. Either way you couldn’t understand how Tara’s best friend, her girlfriend, could do something so cruel. You clenched your jaw, looking up towards the stage where Tara seemed to be trying to comfort her sister. She wasn’t going to get hurt again. You wouldn’t allow it. She had already survived so much. You were going to make sure she got out of it again this time.

“I’m gonna call Mindy again,” Sam mumbled, stomping off the stage and brushing past you as you made your way to Tara.

“Hey,” you said, giving her a small smile.

“Hey,” she replied, giving you that soft smile she always had whenever she looked at you. Even in a killer’s lair trying to trap another killer she still somehow managed to have that smile.

You intertwined your fingers with hers, bringing her hand up to your lips to give it a soft kiss. She pulled you down the steps of the stage and towards another room. There was a snack bar and a popcorn machine with some popcorn still in it.

“Oof, can you imagine how that tastes?” you asked, eyeing the popcorn.

“If you try it,” Tara said, spinning around to point a finger at you. “You can say goodbye to ever kissing me again.” She leaned against the snack bar, watching you.

“Yeah, death by decades old popcorn is not how I want to go out.” You leaned against the counter next to her.

She stepped closer to you, tugging at the string of your hoodie. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” you shook your head, giving her an awkward smile. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? I mean this is the second time you’ve gone for this.”

“But I didn’t just see one of my best friends die last night.”

You turned away from her, looking at the wall behind the counter. An old chalkboard with the faded prices of candy, popcorn, and sodas was still listed. Your leg bounced as your eyes dropped to the dust covered counter.

“Can we not talk about this?” you whispered.

Tara ran her hand up and down your back stepping into your personal space and placing a kiss against your shoulder. “Baby,” she whispered into your shoulder.

“Please,” you turned your head to face her, you already felt your eyes starting to fill with tears. “I can’t help protect you if I’m having an emotional breakdown.”

“Okay.” She turned your body, wrapping her hands around your waist.

She pulled you into a hug before pulling away just enough to rest her forehead against yours. She stood on her tippy toes, giving you a gentle kiss. You couldn’t help but smile into the kiss. No matter the situation, no matter what was going on in your life, Tara always managed to pull a smile out of you.

“You know I can protect myself,” Tara whispered against your lips. “I’ve done it before.”

“I know,” you whispered back. “You’re a total badass and you’re most likely going to be the one to save me.” She chuckled at that. “But at least let me pretend.”

The two of you were broken out of your moment when Chad burst through the doors. You both jumped, spinning around to face him.

“Sorry,” he said shyly. “Did I interrupt something?” he smirked knowingly.

“Of course not,” Tara said, stepping away from you and smoothing out her shirt.

Chad’s eyes widened, you reacted before he had time to yell. You spun around seeing Ghostface appear behind Tara. He brought his knife down, you yanked her towards you, pushing her towards Chad. The knife sliced down your forearm instead of finding its home in Tara’s shoulder.

“Go!” you shouted.

You heard the squeaking of shoes as they took off down one of the halls. You stood facing Ghostface. He flipped he knife in his hand before slashing at you multiple times. You managed to dodge each attack.

He managed to get you pinned against the counted. You used both of your hands to hold his arm with the knife. It was a losing battle. He was using his weight to push the knife, making it inch closer and closer to your neck.

You kicked at his feet, tripping him up enough that his hand slid. You pushed him away just enough to wiggle yourself out from between him and the counter. He fell forward, impaling the knife into the countertop.

You put your hand on the hilt of the knife, preventing him from yanking it back out. You used your other hand to grab him by the back of the hood and slam his face into the counter. He fell back to the floor with a groan, taking the knife with him.

You took the chance, jumping over his body and running for the door. You didn’t know where Tara and Chad had gone but if Ghostface got in then you needed to find them. The place wasn’t secure like it should have been.

You flung the door open, running right into Sam. You both let out a yelp. She was staring behind you. You looked back to see Ghostface pulling himself up. You grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled her down the hallway, running as fast as you ever had in your life.

You came to another empty room, your eyes darting all around, looking for an exit.

“Where’s Tara?” Sam snapped, yanking you by the shoulder to face her.

“I don’t know,” you said, turning to look for an exit again.

“You don’t know!” she made you face her again.

“She’s with Chad! I told them to run when that psycho appeared,” you gestured back down the hallway you had come.

“How convenient.”

“Are you serious right now?” you yanked your shoulder out of Sam’s grip. You took a step back but continued to face her. “You don’t like me, I get it! Right now, Tara’s safety is my only priority. Can we at least agree on that?”

Sam clenched and unclenched her jaw a few times, glaring at you. She finally nodded.

“Great!” you through your hands in the air.

Something fell causing both you and Sam to turn to the closed door the sound had come from. This time it was Sam’s turn to pull you, yanking you to another door. She swung it open but then quickly stepped back, stumbling into you. You turned to see Ghostface in the doorway, waving his knife back and forth in a taunting motion.

You pulled Sam back just in time for her to get missed by a knife swipe. You pulled her with you to another door, flinging it open and taking off down another hallway. You felt Sam close behind you. She practically pushed you through the next door when you came to it.

As the two of you stumbled through the door you ran right into Tara and Chad, causing all four of you to jump and let out various yelps.

Sam pushed past you, yanking her sister into a hug. She pulled away from the hug to give Tara a once over, making sure there were no new injuries. You did the same then turned your eyes towards Chad, making sure he was okay as well.

“It’s Kirby,” Sam said, as the four of you made your way to the middle of the room. You had managed to end up back in the main room with the stage.

Chad ran to the gate, but it was still locked. Your kill box plan seemed to be working great. The only problem being you were all in the box with the killer. You all made your way through the display cases when Ghostface came out from behind the curtain on stage.

All of you scattered, running different directions around the display cases as Ghostface swiped his knife. Tara ended up getting a cut on her arm, but she managed to dodge any further injuries by diving to the floor. You ran over, pulling her back to her feet just as Ghostface swiped at Chad, missing him, and taking the head off a mannequin.

Sam grabbed Tara, pulling her towards the door with the snack bar. You followed close behind with Chad right on your heals. You all burst through the door, turning to face Ghostface as he came barreling through as well.

He swiped at you a few times, while you managed to jump back dodging each attack. You got him to turn his back to the others. Sam and Tara grabbed each of his arms, pulling him back and pinning him against the counter. Chad dealt a couple blows to his face before the girls released him, making him collapse to the ground. Tara delivered a hard kick to his face.

You moved towards Tara and Sam, instantly pulling Tara into your side. Chad grabbed an old gumball machine, intending to smash it into Ghostface but a second one came out of nowhere, stabbing him in the side.

Tara screamed, trying to run towards him but you held her back, keeping her between you and Sam. The Ghostface on the ground got up, joining his partner as they each held Chad and began stabbing him over and over again. The three of you watched as his body collapsed to the ground, the two Ghostface’s turning to face you as they wiped the blood off their knife simultaneously.

The three of you took back off through the door, back into the showroom. The three of you stood back-to-back as the two Ghostface began to circle you. Sam had a knife while you and Tara grabbed a couple bricks lying on the floor. You got ready to face off against the killers when Kirby came in firing her gun, causing the two killers to run off.

Sam jumped in front of you, and you pushed Tara behind you as Sam held her knife out, keeping Kirby at a safe distance.

“We know it’s you!” Sam shouted.

“No, no, no,” Kirby defended, shaking her head, her gun still drawn. “They knocked me out.”

“Kirby, stay away from them!” Someone shouted. All of you turned to see detective Bailey approaching, his gun drawn and pointed and Kirby.

Both Kirby and Bailey went back and forth accusing each other. They each claimed the other was lying and was most likely working with the killers. You and the sisters stood in the middle of the room, eyes darting back and forth, unsure of who to trust.

“Watch out!” Kirby shouted just as a Ghostface ran up behind Bailey, their knife raised. Bailey fired his weapon, shooting Kirby.

The three of you froze, backing away from Bailey as far as you could.

“You,” Sam whispered.

“Me,” he said with a shrug, both Ghostface’s stepped up, taking a place at each side of Bailey. “I expected more from the two of you after what you did to us,” he directed at Sam and Tara.

“What do you mean us?” Tara asked.

The Ghostface to the right of Bailey took off his mask, revealing Ethan. “Mindy was right,” he said, with a sadistic smile. “This was your grandmother’s, Nancy Loomis,” he pointed to the mask. “And speaking of family, my name isn’t Ethan Landy, is it dad?”

“Dad?” Tara asked in shock.

“Damn,” you whispered. “I really nailed the call about daddy issues.”

“That mouth of yours is exactly why you’re gonna die slow and painful!” Ethan shouted, pointing his knife towards you.

“Wait,” Sam said. “If it’s you two,” she looked between Ethan and Bailey. “Then Mindy?”

The second Ghostface took off their mask, revealing Quinn.

“The fuck,” you whispered.

“Didn’t see that one coming,” Quinn said with a smirk.

“Yeah, cause you died,” Tara said.

“It was a good way to get off the suspect list.”

The three of them began circling the three of you. Quinn and Ethan swiping and stabbing at all of you to make sure you stayed group together. They went on and on about their plan to frame Sam for all the murders, eventually getting to the part where they revealed they were Richie’s family.

“There’s a very special bond between a father and his first son,” Bailey said.

“Well, guess we know who the favorite is,” you mumbled. “But hey I guess when your choices for favorite son are between a film obsessed nerd turned serial killer or this loser,” you pointed to Ethan. “I mean, no competition really.” Ethan gritted his teeth, stabbing at you again but missing.

Sam disrupted their plan by saying how pathetic Richie was. It allowed an opening for Tara to swing her brick, knocking Quinn in the face. Kirby recovered and fired several shots into Bailey, hitting his vest. Ethan ran up and stabbed Kirby, but Sam knocked him in the head with a brick.

“There!” Tara shouted, pointing to a ladder that led up to the second level.

Tara was already up the ladder and climbing through the bars to get on the upper level by the time you and Sam were making your way over to the ladder.

Sam was in front of you, almost at the ladder when you saw Quinn coming up behind her out of the corner of your eye.

“No!” you shouted, moving on instinct.

You jumped in Quinn’s path right before her knife would have entered Sam’s back. Instead, the knife entered your stomach.

“No!” you heard Tara scream.

You coughed up blood. You thought you heard Sam let out a gasp behind you. You only saw Quinn, mouth bloodied, teeth missing but still having a sadistic smile on her face. She gripped one of your shoulders before plunging the knife into your stomach again, and again, and again. You lost count how many times she stabbed you before she lightly shoved you off her knife, making you instantly collapse to the ground.

You saw Quinn run off through blurry eyes, black spots dancing in the corner of your vision. “Oh my god,” Sam gasped out. She was kneeling by your side. She put her hands to your wound, as if she could possibly stop the bleeding. “Why?” she whispered.

You opened your mouth to answer but only coughed up more blood. “Tara,” you managed to get out in a breath, coughing up more blood in the process.

Sam looked down at you, her hands hesitating to leave your wound. She turned to look up to where Tara had been before looking back down at you. If you didn’t know any better, you could swear you saw tears in Sam’s eyes. That was impossible though, there was no way Sam was getting teary eyed over you, clearly you had already lost so much blood and you were becoming delusional. “Go,” you said with one more breath before falling into another coughing fit.

You felt the pressure of Sam’s hands leave you. You saw her figure standing above you through blurry eyes before your vision went black.

You slowly opened her eyes, blinking only to see a bright white light in your eyes. You tried pushing yourself up with your elbows but instantly dropped back down with a groan.

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” a soft whisper came from the side of you. You turned your head, blinking a few times to see Tara standing next to you. Her eyes were red rimmed, but she was smiling when you made eye contact with her.

You blinked a few times, getting your eyes to adjust from the sleep. You looked around to see you were in a hospital room. You were somehow alive. You were sure you were dead after you lost consciousness but apparently you were wrong.

Tara came into a clearer view; she was in a chair at your bedside. She had the chair pulled as close as it could get to your bed, and she gripped your hand as if she was afraid, you’d suddenly fade away. You slowly lifted herself up again, this time Tara helping you as best as she could. When you were sitting up you saw Sam sitting in the corner of the room at a little table. When she saw you awake, she got up to stand opposite of Tara at your bedside.

“What happened?” you asked, your voice gravelly.

“You were stabbed,” Tara said, her voice hollow as she tried to hold back more tears. “Ten times.” She wiped away the tears that began to fall. “You were stabbed ten times.”

You nodded, the memory flooding back to you. “Is it bad I’m glad it was Quinn and not Ethan? I don’t think I could handle it if it had been Ethan,” you joked.

Tara let out a laugh, but it turned into a half sob. You let out a small laugh as well before wincing in pain. You settled for smiling up at Tara. You glanced at Sam to see her trying to hide a small smile as well. Shit, you had to be in bad shape if Sam was willing to laugh at your jokes, even if she was trying to hide it.

“What about the others?” you quickly asked. You remembered the last image you had of Chad, him being stabbed then tossed to the floor. You still had no idea what happened to Mindy, you think you remembered Quinn mentioning stabbing her on the subway.

“They’re okay,” Tara said quietly. “Even Chad. They’re all okay. We’re all okay.”

You nodded, letting your head fall back onto the soft pillows. Sam cleared her throat causing your attention to shift to her. She was picking at your bed sheet. You had to still be delirious or very high because it almost looked like Sam was nervous, but Sam didn’t get nervous.

“Thank you,” Sam finally said. “You saved my life. So, thank you.”

“Anytime,” you said.

Sam stared down at her hands playing with the sheet before looking you in the eye again. “Why?” her voice cracked. “You could have died. Why risk your life to save mine? I’ve literally been nothing but cruel to you.”

“I wouldn’t say you were cruel.” You tried to joke but Sam just let out a sob, tilting her head for a real answer. “I told you; Tara’s is my priority. That includes her getting to keep her sister.” You felt Tara’s grip on your hand tighten.

“Well, for saving my life,” Sam wiped the tears from her eyes, she tried to sound like her normal serious self again. “I will now allow you to stay at the apartment.” Your eyes widened at that. “No need to sneak in and out.”

“Really?” you couldn’t help but be shocked by this new development.

“This does not mean I like you,” she pointed a finger at you. “And you better not be there every day, or I will throw you out again.”

You laughed at that. “Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“I’ll give you two a minute.” She quickly left the hospital room, closing the door behind herself to give you and Tara even more privacy.

“I think she’s warming up to me,” you said, trying to break the ice. “Get stabbed a few more times, save her life, save your life, and next thing you know she won’t want me to leave your place.”

Tara ran her fingers through your hair, scratching your scalp lightly. “As much as I would love that,” she said. “I would prefer never to see you get stabbed again.”

“Me too,” you nodded. “This is quite painful.” That made both of you laugh. “Lay with me?” Tara’s mouth parted open, but she didn’t say anything, she hesitated to move. “Please?”

She nodded hesitantly. You smiled softly as you moved as far to the side of the bed as you could, being as gentle with yourself as you could. Tara carefully slipped into the bed next to you, careful not to bump any of your injuries. She curled into your side, resting her head against your shoulder as you wrapped an arm around her before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Taglist:

@screechat

#tara carpenter #tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter x fem reader #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter imagine #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega #scream #scream 6 #scream vi #he hung up

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loving-family-poll · 4 months

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Ultimate Incest Tournament - Round 2

Homestuck fanart by Timsel-kun on deviantart

Propaganda under the cut:

Beverly/Elliot:

Hot lesbians both played by Rachel Weisz! And they're canon in the book it's based on, and like HEAVILY implied to be for realsies in love and fucking in the show. Great lesbianism, great incest

There's literally a scene where elliot is listening intently to beverly having sex in the next room, and she like moans listening to it ok

Beverly's gf breaks up with her cuz she's weirded out by the twins relationship

Beverly likes to attend a support group for ppl with dead siblings and pretend her sister is dead like the psychosexual issues here.....

beverly and elliot were literally trying to have a child together. Elliot (a gynecologist) artificially impregnated Beverly MULTIPLE TIMES

Dave/Rose:

Daverose blondetwin sweep because they were codependent without ever meeting from growing up seeing each other in their dreams

What does it mean to be an abused teenage boy growing up alone and seeing a girl in your dreams every night who is also your best friend. and when you finally meet her you go on a suicide mission together even though nobody was asking you to die with her. and then you are the only two human beings left in the recognizable universe on a cold meteor surrounded by aliens but you’re glad it’s with her. and when you finally touch the girl from your childhood dreams she looks exactly like you. because she’s your sister

I don't have words for how good these snarky assholes are together. DaveRose is brain chemistry changing. They both put up so many fronts, and engage in so much snarky wordplay, and are constantly trying to get under each other's facade. They play off each other so well, witty and sharp, I need them to be together always

We all die & we all die alone are the two cold truths of the universe but dave and rose broke both simultaneously by ascending to godhood together

Their twincest wins because it is just so confusingly tragic? profound? dave leaving rose behind in a doomed world, dave following her to the bomb. they are both so closed & cut off & curt its hard to imagine the depth of these things. but that is their love language: giving up their lives for each other over and over, in a confusing and fumbling and heartfelt love song. i can’t say i love you but i know we’ll die together anyway. because we’re made of the exact same stuff. i’ll find you again at the last moment. that’s love.

THEY DIED TOGETHER, YOUR HONOR

Confirmed canon by the author, (something happened) between them. Parallels of dying by each other's sides in EVERY timeline. They are THE womb-to-tomb. There is nothing platonic about winking at your brother while talking about crushes, that shit is incestuous. Seer/Knight archetype. They will die protecting each other.

do you realize love someone if you don’t follow them on a suicide mission into the gaping maw of a literal fucking sun after they knock you out and psychoanalyze you in your dreams? the blueprint of the “ethereal androgynous blonde boygirl twins” trope. witch/knight dynamics. they find each other to die together in every timeline no matter what (but they’re still emotionally constipated teenagers who bicker and make fun of each other in pesterchum). kids with grown-up powers. perfect little freaks of nature. what if we looked exactly like each other’s eyes

#tournament polls #tumblr polls #incest poll #beverly/elliot #dead ringers #dave/rose #daverose #dersecest #homestuck #tw incest #round 2

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respectthepetty · 4 months

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10 Anticipated BLs for 2024

Since I'm excited for ALL the GLs (Pluto, 23.5, Sunshine in the Wind, Chaser Game, Be Mine, y todo!), I'm making my list of the 10 BLs I'm excited for this year with brief reasons why I'm looking forward to them. In my normal fashion, I cheat my way into having more. All except one is Thai because Thailand loves to tease series three years in advance, then never make them, but I strongly believe these are coming:

The Next Prince

Zee continues to never play a poor person, and a trailer is supposed to drop in the first quarter of this year. I never knew there was so many fencers on BL Tumblr, so I'm looking forward to everyone's commentary on how well the characters poke with their sticks or whatever fencers do.

Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart

It's a heist BL. It has YinWar. It has Prom x Mark. It has Bonz. It's Dee Hup House (we got beef). It's Director Tee and probably Cinematographer Jim. It might have color coding. There is not one thing I can find wrong with this series. It's perfect on paper, and I'm praying that translates well to the screen.

Spare Me Your Mercy

Like that lady in Titanic, I've been waiting 80 years for this series (give me a minute to cry about MaxTul), and it's finally near! I'm getting JJ & Tor in a Dr. Sammon piece, who I feel writes "Be Gay, Do Crime" very well, so I'll be forgiving any of these two gays' wrongs including murder, attempted murder, contemplating murder, and murdering each other in the bedroom (ahhhh!).

Wandee Goodday

Golf from The Eclipse is directing. It's about Muay Thai. It has an older doctor and a younger boxer who start off as bed friends (and I think one is actually a virgin). It has color coding. It has me already seated and waiting with popcorn, and I think it might be the first offering that will be delivered from GMMTV's 2024 lineup.

Sequels: Choco Milk Shake 2, Unintentional Love Story 2, My Doctor

Is Choco Milk Shake 2 gonna finally give me poly? Probably not, but I hope My Doctor brings the same heat the side couple did in Be Mine, Superstar, and the side couple getting the spotlight in Unintentional Love Story 2 will also make my side-couple-supremacy heart very happy this year.

Live in Love

It looks color coded. That's it. That's the reason. Keeping my expectations low because it might not get made since this is Thailand's favorite game.

Red Peafowl

The character reveals were absolute chaos, so I'm hoping that chaos transfers over to the actual series because it can either be a mess or a masterpiece, but it cannot be mediocre with Max, Cooheart, Boun, Mek, and Yacht as supports. Plus, it has color coding and a bird that is quickly becoming a Tumblr god.

Love Upon a Time

Even though it is a historical queer series, which means it could be sad, I think Domundi will keep the sass, so James' character won't be crying in the 1600s club but instead eating fruit seductively to encourage Net's character to put his homosexual skills into practice instead of simply theorizing about them, which is something I need more of. Plus, it has color coding.

Love Puzzle

This is one that might not get made because . . . Thailand. It's connected to Chains of Heart, but I don't care because the cast looks good and Poppy is gonna finally get to kiss a homie. If this doesn't get made, I will cry thug tears. It's 2024. Poppy deserves to kiss a man already.

My Stand-In

I don't understand the plot, but it doesn't matter because Pepzi and Khom are directing, and in case that means nothing, those were KinnPorsche's directors! Then, it has Up and Poom as the leads, plus a stacked supporting cast. I'm here. I'm queer. And I'm ready to be served.

Honorable Mention: Peaceful Property

It's about los espookys and features Tay and New. Will it be a QL? The streets are saying no, but all the characters are color coded, and all's I'm saying is what would be the point of color coding them if I ain't getting a BL main couple and a GL side couple? It's already canon to me.

Bonus: MosBank & JoongDunk

MosBank had like eighty projects announced for 2023, and I got NONE! Big Dragon 2, Big Dragon: The Movie, SunsetxVibes, where you at?! Y Journey: Stay Like a Local and Club Friday do not count. I don't want to watch their horror movie, but gosh darnit, if that comes out before everything else, I just might.

And I am a JoongDunk fan first, and a human second. Give my boys a gym BL already, GMMTV!

#10 Anticipated BLs for 2024 #I've made my list #and I'm checking it twice #thai bls #I'm excited for ALL the gls

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starlit-crossing · 9 days

Text

Lost in Foster (Working Title) Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - A Feeling of Dread

Welcome and enjoy! All characters are of course owned by their original intellectual properties and this story is in no way canon.

- - -

Danny wasn't sure what to think when his parents said they would be collaborating with the Guys in White for a contract. He knew nothing good would come from it. Jazz had even voiced her concerns, citing the times the GIW had tried to steal their work. His parents just brushed off their worries, stating the project was research-focused rather than weaponry. It relieved some of Danny's worries, but he couldn't shake this nagging feeling.

"If its focused-on research how much harm could it cause?" Sam reassured as the collection of herself, Danny and Tucker settled in for movie night in Sam's home theater. The theater was in the basement, red curtains hanging by the large movie screen. A few chairs and piles of pillows were strewn about for the group to chill on. There was even a popcorn and soda machine in the back of the room next to a few classic arcade games.

"Yeah, Danny, what if they finally find evidence to support your side? Y'know the fact ghosts are the same as people and there is good and bad." Tucker piped in as he plopped into the cushiony seat with a bounce, extra-large popcorn and soda in hand.

"I don't know, Tuck. They've found stuff like that before, and they always find a way to twist it to fit their view on ghosts." Danny rambled, running his hand through his hair. "I just hope they'll be careful around the GIW and maybe let some research spill at home so I can eavesdrop."

"You could always follow them." Sam suggested. She watched confused as the boys just stared at her.

"You think Danny should follow his parents into the base of a bunch of ghost hunters hired by the government to research and destroy anything undead?" Tucker asked. "Are you insane?"

"Sorry Sam I'm with Tucker on this one, I don't think I could get close without catching someone's attention, human or ghost." Danny sighed, "Let's just get the movie started, what's on the menu?"

"Femalien 2: Predator vs Prey, Terminatra 7: Back to the Present Again, or Nightmerica: Dreams of Terror." Sam listed off just as Danny felt a cold wisp of air leave his lips.

"FEAR ME! I AM THE BOX GHOST!" screamed the Box Ghost, the cry making its way in from outside.

"Raincheck you guys, boxy shouldn't take me too long." As a flash filled the room and Danny flew through the walls disappearing.

"Ten bucks says Skulker shows up before he can come back." Tucker bribed.

"You're on, we took out his suit last week. Meanwhile, Kitty and Johnny 13 have been fighting again." Sam accepted, starting up a movie knowing it would be done before he got back.

- - -

The following weeks were surprisingly uneventful, a sign Danny took to heart. His parents had been extra careful not to leave out any notes or research in the house, not even in the lab. Refusing to give any hints as to what they were working on. Ghosts had been scarce, nothing except ectopuses and blob ghosts. The GIW agents had been the complete opposite, they were at an all-time high. You couldn't go more than ten minutes without spotting a white van. He was glad he didn't need to save anyone from those agents, but he had a really bad feeling that something was going to happen. School was his only time away from the ghost hunters it felt like.

"Calm down, Danny. So, you have had a few good weeks, you've caught up on homework and Lancer isn't on your back nearly as much." Sam soothed as they took a seat outside in the courtyard for lunch. The hustle and bustle of students drowning out any chance of being overheard.

"Yea, dude even Dash has been picking on you less. Though that could be due to the championship coming up." Tucker added his mouth full of sloppy joe. The bully in question was across the court passing a football with his teammates, Paulina and her socialites sitting on the table watching them. Dash caught Danny's gaze and gave him a smirk dragging his finger across his neck.

"Don't remind me, I still remember last year when we lost. Dash was bully all nerds on sight that week." Danny grimaced as he ate. "But my parents have been really excited this week. Apparently, something big is coming." As if speaking it into the universe the Fenton GAV made its way barreling down the street, some white vans in tow.

"Spoke too soon, dude." Tucker whispered as they watched the GAV dodge and swerve to miss any pedestrians. The vehicle finally came to a stop on the grass with Drs. Fenton and the GIW rushing out to follow a gadget in Jack's hands.

"He's here somewhere, I just know it! Come out ghost scum!" Jack exclaimed barreling straight to Danny. The whole group of hunters stared at the young boy and his friends. "Aww. It didn't work, Maddie. It’s still stuck on Danny-boy." Now that they were closer Danny was able to see the Fenton Finder in his father's hands. It looked like it had been upgraded, it was bigger with handles on the sides and no voice stating where the ghost was. The screen showed simple faces on the screen next to the GPS. The current emoji was a shocked face as the map was pointing and beeping at him.

"That can't be possible, we tested it on other simple ghosts. The upgrade to the Fenton Finder was supposed to show and locate the emotions the ghosts project in order to fool and feed on the humans around them. Even that simple ghost with the boxes was able to show signs of disappointment as he failed to scare his victims." Maddie explained, grabbing the device. With it in hand she fiddled with the settings of the device, swapping it between ghosts till it landed back on the name Phantom. "We had tested this last week; Phantom's emotions reflected his actions time and time again in a hostile environment."

"Well, there's no ghost here, probably still has a few bugs, right?" Sam offered, trying to distract them and keep the focus off Danny. Danny's mind raced with the implications of what was happening. Of course, his parents would find out that ghosts tend to be more emotional than humans and would twist the fact to fit their biased theory that all ghosts were evil. It’s not like ghosts were moody on purpose, when your entire being is based on your mental state emotions tend to play an important part. Not only with obsessions but when interacting with each other, being able to read the emotions of the ghosts you interreacted with was as important as social cues and body language with humans. Sure, you could go without them and function as fine as anyone else, but they were still a great help with communicating if you were good at understanding them. With this they'd be able to tune into any ghost no matter the distance and translate it into coordinates. Not even the ghost zone would be completely safe as they could probably filter through the other emotions using the ectosignature of a previously known ghost. Danny's breath started to pick up, he could feel himself spiraling as he started to think about what that would mean for him in the hands of the GIW. They would never stop looking for him, they would be able to find him anywhere in the country.

"Look Mads, the ghost kid has to be near the emotion changed again." Jack exclaimed, jumping with excitement.

"I see that Jack and it would make sense with the transition of shock to confusion to panic. Though he's nowhere to be seen, Agent O do you have confirmation that Phantom isn't in the area?" Maddie turned, addressing the agents that had been standing by waiting for orders.

"Affirmative, there are no spectral entities in the viscidity on any energy spectrum. Could it be possible that the spectral entity is hiding among the student body? You said yourself that your device is focused on your son and that it’s a common occurrence. Could the ghost have caught wind of your contract with our organization and tried to find out more by hiding amongst your family?" Agent O suggested, eyeing Danny closely, the color draining from his face.

"That's preposterous, our family has ways of protecting ourselves!" Jack boasted, his voice carrying across the schoolyard. "Besides Danny knows not to trust any stinking ghost scum."

"Jack, honey..." Maddie called, eyes glued to the screen. "The emotion just turned to scared." Danny felt like all eyes were on him, going straight through him to his core. It felt like no one was looking at Fenton anymore, no matter where he looked, they all stared at him like they saw a ghost; like they only saw Phantom. Danny even had to look at himself to make sure he was still human. No gloved hands and red sneakers, he was definitely human still. Danny looked at Tucker and Sam, his best friends, looked at him with matching expressions. They both looked as shocked as he felt; they all knew they couldn't do anything, not with the GIW and student body all around them. With everyone's attention on him, he could only think of his sister who wasn't even at school. She was shadowing a therapist and had a college interview later that day. She probably wouldn't hear anything till late that night. It's not like they weren't prepared for it, for Danny to have to disappear without a trace or a goodbye. So long as they were unable to control the narrative, Danny would have to disappear. Danny knew they always thought it would be into the ghost zone, he had allies in there. People he knew would keep him hidden if anyone came looking; that Sam and Tucker would be able to sneak in if need be. They could still see him, bring him homework and food. This, however, meant goodbye and he didn't know for how long.

"Danny," his mom smiled at him with worry filled eyes. He searched them for something, anything that showed she wasn't about to drag him home and put the specter deflector on him just to make sure no ghost was using him as a meat puppet. Her arms reached out to him, as the GIW surrounded their table ready for action. "You have nothing to worry about, sweetie. We're just going to head home."

"Yea, Danny. We'll help ya out, run a few tests and make sure you don't have any evil spook haunting you." His dad tagged on, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder. Of course they'd want to fix this, to fix the ghost within him. One test would reveal the truth, and everyone would know his secret. Then it would be more tests, biopsies, trying to cure him of his powers. That was if they still loved him after learning the truth. The thoughts surrounding the lab became darker in his mind, nightmares he dared not to tell anyone becoming fresh in his mind.

"I'm sorry, mom. Dad. Goodbye." Danny disappearing from everyone's sight as he turned invisible and flew off towards his house. His parents’ cries fading into the distance, a mix of worry and anger as the ghost boy stole their son. Tears stung his eyes as he flew across the sky, Sam and Tucker would know what to do. They would stall for him, as long as they could. The road raced past him, he went through cars and buildings not bothering to fly high in the sky. The less time he wasted the better. As he floated into his room, he had to take a moment. The reality of it all crashing into him, he felt another wave of stress come over him. Choking on sobs he fell to his bed, clinging to the sheets. He had to calm down, he didn't have time to cry or pity himself, his parents were probably still tracking him. Which meant the GIW were still following behind, his parents he could one day convince, could one day explain how it all happened. The GIW wouldn't stop though, so long as they were getting paid and had the government's support he would have to run. He ran to his closet wiping away snot as he phased his emergency supplies from the wall. Extra clothes, a burner phone, and couple hundred dollars thanks to Sam's allowance all stowed away in a backpack. An extra belt with a Fenton thermos, ghost rays, and a pair of Fenton phones for any specters along the way. Finally, five letters addressed to Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Valerie, and his parents.

Sam and Tucker didn't know about these, he didn't know if he would ever need them but knowing his friends would drop everything to follow him, he needed to make sure Amity would be safe. Sam and Tucker's letters were a warning to not follow him, to stay and protect Amity at all costs, even revealing him to Valerie to gain her help in necessary. He couldn't trust his parents or the GIW to not torture any ghost that came into their hands. For Jazz, it was a letter to not look for him and to keep an eye on his parents. If anything changed with his parents, she would be the first to know. He needed her to be the fly on the wall, to make sure he still had parents at the end of it all. If there was ever an end to the running, he thought another wave of sorrow hitting him. He swallowed the hurt and pushed himself to keep grabbing what he needed. Valerie and his parents were the only letters not mentioning his secret. Valerie's was from Phantom explaining he would be gone, and he didn't know for how long. She would probably be thrilled at the thought of Phantom going away, but if she saw anything that had happened today, she might try and follow him too. He knows she cares about Fenton and would probably want him safe but if anyone could protect Amity while he was gone it was her. If she needed any help handling the ghosts she could call the number provided. It went straight to Sam and Tucker's burner phone. Only one for the two of them in case either of them had to hide it for the other. For his parents, it simply stated that he was sorry and that could explain everything if they ever became open to the truth about ghosts. He did not explain what the truth was or how he would know that they were ready. That was for Jazz to tell him with a single message, she held the final burner phone the group of them had. They would be confused, not sure why phantom would kidnap their kid. Their hatred would grow much to his displeasure, but maybe one day they would give up on hate. They would find him and just ask why, and he could finally let them know the whole truth about him.

As Danny left the letter for his parents on the kitchen table he heard the stomping of feet, the whine of ecto-guns and slamming of doors as his father led the charge into the house. He was gone before they even reached his room. Leaving with what letters he had left to deliver and flying away as quickly as he could. He stopped at Tucker's house first, then Sam's, Valerie's and then flew as high as he could into the sky. He looked down at Amity Park, his home, his entire life, and afterlife. It always looked so peaceful from up above the clouds, he watched the GAV ram its way through the city. It was good to know there was a slight delay on the GPS, the emotions were able to update in real time but could only follow his trail not his exact location. They had moved on from Tucker's neighborhood and onto Sam's. He took one final breath and tried to steel his nerves. If they were searching for him with emotion, then he would just have to have no emotion. He wouldn't be able to think of home, his friends, his family, or he would start to miss them, an emotion. He couldn't think about how close the GIW were to him, or he'd become anxious, scared or even angry that they had forced him to flee. He had to stay calm and focused on running, to where he had no clue. If he headed west there was a chance of running into Vlad and he didn't need all the emotional baggage that would come with that. So that just left heading to the East coast and hopefully out of the country. He'd have to stop using his powers at some point to make sure he was untraceable.

"Goodbye, Amity. Hello worst road trip ever." he spoke softly flying off into the night.

- - -

Hello! Author here, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! It’s intended to be sort of a prologue and set up the rest of the story. This is a crossover, but I wanted to get some establishing chapters in focusing on Danny and why he is running. I am still very rusty when it comes to writing so feel free to recommend any fixes and critiques. Let me know if I miss any typos!

The goal is to try and update weekly on Fridays or Sundays, so if I don’t post on Friday that probably means it will go up the following Sunday. Thank you to those coming over from Tumblr, loved the hype for another Dannymay fanfic! I’ll be trying to get more stuff posted there!

Let me know what you think through the comments, even if it’s just a simple one-word so I can know you’re enjoying the story! See you next week, byee!

Master post - Chapter 1 Prev. <<< Next >>>

#danny phantom #dc x dp #dc x dp crossover #batfam #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic writing

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hyperfixiation-station · 1 month

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Guilt-Tripped Pt.2

TW: Canon-typical violence Part 1 part 3 Pairing: Ghostxreader(ish) Summary: The mission does not go according to plan

Wc: 1758 A/N: The fights scenes are fast-paced/rushed intentionally, I was trying to give off the feel of combat, if it did not work please let me know and I'll fix it :)

You were off your game, that much was clear. Not only was this mission located in your mother country, but the base you were clearing was one you had been “trained” in. You were anxious, and you knew Ghost could tell. But, true to form, he did not pry. That was one of the reasons you liked him. Everyone else would have asked questions but Ghost didn’t. He respected your privacy, understood that not everything is meant to be shared.

“Ghost, how copy?”

“Solid. Moving in.”

“Copy.” You unsling your gun from your shoulder, following Ghost into the abandoned building. You cover his six as you clear the building, finger hovering over the trigger of your gun. The ghosts contained in the walls were dogging your footsteps, begging for you to turn and listen to them.

“Again”

“You’ll break them.”

“Only the weak.”

“No, please!”

“Do it again!”

“Do not defy me.”

“Again.”

“Y/N.” You snap back to attention, “Buildn’s clear.”

“Ay. Let’s look for the intel then.”

“It’ll go fas’er if we split up.”

“Ah…I guess.”

“Stay frosty.” With that Ghost heads up the stairs, leaving you to pray he doesn't find anything he’s not supposed to. You take a deep breath and turn away, searching the rooms more intently this time, on the lookout for files and a USB drive instead of hostiles.

The first room has nothing, just some rotting pieces of wood that used to be furniture. Still, something about it leaves you feeling deeply unsettled. You step out and head to the room across the hall, your hairs standing on end. The second room is basically the same, as are the third and fourth. And fifth. And sixth. After the final room reveals nothing, you head upstairs to help Ghost.

The stairs creak under the weight of you and your gear, the sound adding to the already eerie atmosphere. You grit your teeth, forcing yourself to walk through the hallways that haunt your nightmares.

Ghost is in the first room you come to, his face lit up by a computer that somehow is still working. Alarm bells ring in the back of your brain, but you ignore them, instead focusing on the video that is playing.

“Again.”

The video is grainy, but you know the scene well. 3 girls stand side by side, guns in hand.

“Again.”

They drop to the ground, legs swinging around before standing.

“Again.”

They fire simultaneously, one loud gunshot echoing through the room.

“Again.”

“Aga-

The video cuts out, but you still see what happened next.

“-in.” You are faster this time, the girls next to you running out of stamina. You had been at this for hours, a constant stream of crouch, stand, fire, reload. You drop into a crouch, sweep your legs around, and come up, you and the girl to your left firing at the same time. You don’t even flinch as the girl to your right is dragged away.

“Again.”

Crouch, stand, fire, reload.

“Again”

Crouch, stand, fire, reload.

“Again.”

Crouch, stand, fire, reload.

“Again.”

Crouch, stand, fire, reload. And once again, you are faster. The girl to your left is dragged away, leaving only you. Your palms are blistered and your knees are torn open, but you won.

“Y/n.” You stare at the target in front of you, breathing hard.

“Y/n!” You raise your head, searching for the woman in charge of your training. Except the voice calling for you is male, and…British?

“Y/n!” A hand touches your shoulder and you don’t think, just react. Your gun is buried between the persons ribs before your vision even clears.

“Fuck. Ghost I…fuck. I’m s-fuck.” You stagger back, blinking hard as you holster the weapon. Ghost has his own weapon trained on you, though his finger is not on the trigger.

“What in th’ bloody hell was that?” He hisses. You inhale, exhale, and shove your emotion down where they won’t bother you.

“I am sorry.” You say softly, “I zoned out and you…scared me.” He doesn’t say anything in response, just grunts and shakes his head, holstering his gun. You hold your breath as he stares at you with an indiscernible look in his eyes.

“We'll talk when we get t’ base.” He says finally. You nod, fingers trembling as you follow him into the next room. You hadn’t noticed when you were clearing it before but the rooms up here are much more preserved. This room is empty, save for a barre attached to the wall, the one way mirror above it shattered into a million pieces.

The girls dance in unison, repeating the moves over and over and over again. Your tutu makes your skin itch, and your toes are bleeding from the hours of non-stop practice. Still, you don’t complain. Even at seven years old, you know better than to voice your sorrows.

“Good y/n. Again.” Legs burning, feet aching, skin itching, you begin the routine again. You bring your leg up but your ankle rolls, your form wobbling.

“Oh y/n. I had such high hopes for you.” Your body is thrown across the room, stars dancing across your vision as the acrid smell of smoke fills your senses. Wait…smoke?

“Y/n!” You inhale sharply, looking up at Ghost. But he’s not there. In his place is an aging man with a road face and short beard.

“Dreykov.” He’s older, much older, but you would recognize him anywhere. You look around the room, trying to find any sign of Ghost. The simple movement sends waves of pain through your skull, makes your vision blurry. But you've operated in much worse condition before.

“Where’s Ghost?” Your voice sounds oh so far away.

“Hello to you too darling.” You shiver almost imperceptibly at his voice, “Why don’t you use that pretty little head of yours and tell me?” You can barely hear him over the high-pitched whine bouncing around your skull. Oh, right, your ears are ringing. Ringing, why are your ears ringing? You blink hard, taking in your surroundings. The room is filled with smoke, the remnants of the outer wall scattered across the room, the result of an explosion. Something sticky trickles down your face, dripping into your eyes as you put two-and-two together.

You and Ghost had walked into the room, you’d been violently thrown into a flashback, and while you were off in la-la land, Dreykov must have blown through the wall. But that still didn’t explain where Ghost was. You inhale slowly, trying to focus your vision. And-there! You spot a hole in the floor, and the only thing you can think is that Ghost fell through.

Later you’ll blame it your disoriented state for forgetting he was there, but really you just didn’t want to face Dreykov alone. You leave him in the room, leave him to escape with the intel you'd come to collect, and sprint down to the first level to find Ghost. You jump over fallen bits of ceiling, dodging debris as the building slowly falls apart around you.

Ghost is prone on the ground, a Widow prowling around his body. They always did like to play with their food.

Without thinking you launch into the fray, tackling the Widow over his back. It is a short but intense fight, serving as a distraction as Ghost forces himself up. It ends when she throws a sloppy punch towards your face. You grab her wrists, yanking her forward and sweeping her legs out from underneath her. She hits the ground at the same moment you unload your weapon into her chest.

“You always did think you were better than us.” You spin around as you reload, swaying slightly as your vision blurs again. Another widow, one you failed to notice, stands behind Ghost, a gun pressed at his head.

“I did not.” Your voice is calm and even, not betraying your inner distress as your eyes dart around the room as you try to find a way to get her away from him.

“Yes you did.” The widow snarls. She draws another weapon, slamming the butt of it into Ghost's skull with startling force, leaving him to collapse like a ragdoll.

“We were always second best, always the ones punished, always the ones in trouble. Nothing compared to you.” You begin to circle each other, your eyes trained on the gun she has aimed at you. The motion makes you sick, and you can’t hear anything over your focus on staying awake.

You blink, and suddenly the widow is in front of you. Just as she wraps her finger around the trigger Ghost, who'd be faking his apparent unconsciousness, tackles her. You can see how the scene will play out, and it doesn't end pretty.

You throw yourself at the Widow Just as she plants her gun in Ghosts chest, sending both of you flying across the room. She ends up on top you so you buck your hips, sending her flying forward. You're moving on pure instinct at this point, to dizzy to think.

You wrap you arm around hers and swing your leg over her side, using the momentum to flip positions so that you're on top. You draw your firearm, but are a millisecond too slow.

She flings you off, your skull bouncing of the pavement as you fall to the side. You manage to keep a grip on your weapon but God's does your head hurt.

You blink yourself back into awareness, coming too just in time to watch Ghost grapples with the Widow for he gun. Ghost may be good, but the Widow is great.

You are too dizzy too see straight, but that's no problem. The Institute had made sure you could shoot a target blindfolded, so you close your had around your 9 mil, raise it front of you, and fire.

You are awarded with a female cry of pain, a thud, and silence.

"You...solid?" You wheeze, gun still held tight in your hand.

"Aye. Y'...y' no' lookin' t' gud there." You can barely hear him, swaying slightly where you stand. Gods your head hurts.

You step forward, practically collapsing into Ghost. You can feel his heart beating rapidly, and you think he's talking to you, but you can’t hear him. Though blurry, your eyes are drawn to the Widow laying in a pool of blood, her brown hair pillowing her head.

It makes you sad, almost, to see someone who didn't get saved. Survivors guilt is what your court-therapist had called it. You thinks it was a load of bullshit but it's not like...is she moving?

You flip around Ghost without thinking, unloading your weapon on the Widow just as her bullet pierces your flesh.

tbc

Tell me what you think!!

@greatkittencloud

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lokisprettygirl · 6 months

Text

Close Ties (Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Modern AU) (Non canon) (18+)

Read Chapter 1 // Series Masterlist

Chapter 2

Summary: Things between you and Daemon get complicated as he hooks up with Cassandra. It was about to get worse though.

Warning: 18+, dad's best friend trope, canon (we don't know her), familial uncle niece sort of relationship but he's not really her uncle, there will be smut later, significant age gap but reader is in her mid twenties, mention of infidelity, divorce, smoking and alcohol drinking,

He was baffled by your words, what did you even mean when you said he meant more than just an uncle to you? You were just a child back then. He really wanted to go back to the beach and get drunk to forget about this when his phone started ringing and as soon as he saw who was calling him he just put his phone back in his pocket and found Cassandra, maybe it wasn't the wisest decision for a man his age but at the end he was only a man. Cassandra kissed him as soon as he was in her room. It felt weird to him to be with a younger woman like this but he shut all the voices in his head and kissed her back.

He was just a man after all.

He wanted to forget about Stella and he didn't want to think about the repercussions of his actions, Cassandra was your best friend, your supposed best friend, he knew things would get messy if she would get her emotions involved so he really wanted to be clear from his side.

"Just one night yeah?" He asked her as he stopped undressing her so smiled

"Mmm if you could quit me after one night then yeah ..just one night" she smirked and it made him smile too. Both of them were adults, they could be mature about this right? That was the last thought he had, once he began to enjoy his time with her he stopped thinking about it, it has been a while and he really needed this.

Your saddened face that he had witnessed just now did flash across his mind once or twice but he ignored it, you were dealing with stuff of your own and you weren't in the right mind frame, your words probably meant nothing.

Next morning you woke up with a huge hangover and you immediately regretted drinking so much last night, you felt even worse when you remembered what you had said to Daemon.

"Fucking stupid dumb fuck" you groaned as you made your way to the bathroom, your dad was calling you to get to the breakfast buffet asap.

You put on a simple tee shirt and jeans after the shower and made your way towards the elevator, you also had a bunch of missed calls from Cassandra so you texted her that you'd see her at the buffet.

Maybe it was just your bad luck that you noticed Daemon was heading towards the same elevator as well and you'd have run far away if he hadn't already seen you.

This was going to be super awkward but you hoped he'd just forget about what you had said last night.

"Good morning darling pixie" he said as you both stepped into the elevator so you smiled so widely that it almost seemed unnatural, which to be fair it really was.

"Good morning to you too dearest Uncle"

"Hungover?" He asked you so you sighed and then gave him a nervous laugh,

You looked to the side but you couldn't tell if he was side-eying you since he had black sunglasses on, he was wearing a pastel floral shirt loosely tucked under his pants, there was a simple chain hung around his neck and he smelled like..well you didn't really know what he smelled like because you weren't a greyhound who could detect every scent the world but you knew he smelled good.

Why did he have to be so handsome? Things would have been so much easier if he wasn't that good looking.

"Yeah I feel like shit"

"Figured"

You didn't say anything after that and as you both reached the buffet Cassandra ran towards him and kissed him in front of everyone, there was a shocked look on your face and as you looked at your parents ..they were just smirking. Why didn't they care more about this development?

"Morning handsome" she said to him so he smiled and kissed her cheek before he wrapped his arm around her waist and all of you walked towards the buffet to grab the breakfast before heading towards the table your parents were sitting on.

Cassandra was sitting next to you and then Daemon was right next to her.

"Oh my god I need to talk to you about last night" as soon as she mumbled in your ears in that chirpy voice you felt your heart sinking immediately. They fucked, you just knew they fucked each other. You didn't want her to see how affected you were by the news so you grabbed the glass of lemonade in front of you and chugged on it only to realize that it was margarita.

You immediately grimaced and all the attention was drawn towards you, including Daemon's,

"Why would they serve alcohol during breakfast?"

You mumbled in your mouth and luckily for you your parents had a spa session booked so they had to leave now, Daemon also received a phone call so he excused himself as well.

"Sooo what happened" you asked Cassandra as you pretended to be cheerful about it,

"Oh my gosh you know he came back to me after he checked up on you Andddd we danced for a while before I dragged him to my room and then we kissed and then oh god i had the best sex of my life, guys our age just don't know anything now do they? Woooo" She said everything in one breath so you gave her a blatantly fake smile again. Why did you care so much? He wasn't your boyfriend and never will be so why did it matter that your best friend was getting to have sex with him?

"Wowww I'm happy for you..he seems like a dreamboat"

You mumbled to her so she giggled in response.

"You know i thought I'd just give him a night or two of my life but I don't know..there's something about him like it's not as if he's the most handsome man i have ever been with but he has such a distinct charm and he's so fucking attractive upclose and things he said in bed..like oof he was so dominating –"

"I get it cass " you giggled nervously as you interrupted her, not wanting to hear about his sexual prowess in bed , your fantasies were already deep in the trenches, you didn't need to hear more.

"Are you alright? Oh god I'm so stupid" she mumbled as she hugged you and for a moment you feared that she knew about your feelings for him,

"Cass I'm alright..what do you mean?"

"I keep gushing about a guy when you just had that nasty breakup..I'm the worst" she groaned so you hugged her back and sighed, Cassandra was a bit over dramatic but she wasn't a bad person, you both had fun whenever you were together, however every time she was with a guy, she became all about him until she'd get bored of that guy. And this time you really wanted her to get bored of him, sure him being with anyone else would bother just as much but your own best friend revealing each and every detail to you was just excessive salt on your wounds.

Once Daemon came back he sat down on the other side of the table instead of sitting next to her. You looked down as he looked at you, why did you have to make it awkward between you two? Did he remember what you had said? Was he confused by the statement? You had no idea. Before any words were said Cassandra got up and walked towards him to sit down on his lap. She mumbled something in his ears and then he said something to her. You really wanted to hurl.

Daemon wanted to go snorkeling with the manta rays so Cassandra got up and went to her room to put her swimwear on, you told him that you weren't in the mood so you really just wanted to stay in your room. And cry.

As you made your way out of the buffet room, you heard your name being called so you stopped in your tracks and suddenly he had grabbed you by the arm to take you aside, he let go immediately and pulled his glasses up to look you right in the eyes,

"Are you really okay with this?" He asked you so you crossed your arms and shrugged as if you weren't hurt by the situation between him and Cassandra.

"I'm okay..just hungover .."

"That's not what I meant..are you okay with me and Cassandra hooking up?"

The way he casually admitted to hooking up with your best friend was a punch in the gut. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know and even if he did he wasn't going to care about your stupid crush on him. Cassandra was beautiful and young and she wasn't inaccessible to him,

"Why won't I be okay? Both of you are full grown adults" you said to him so he nodded.

"Alright..just wanted to make sure, I'm your uncle..she's your friend.. I just thought--" before he could finish his words you cut him off,

"Yeahhh..well if things do get weird you can just disappear again since you know all about that" You said to him and he was taken aback by your comment, why were you this way with him, were you still upset about him leaving? But why would you be upset? It didn't make sense to him. Was he really that important to you?

As you reached your room you cried your heart out and then you realised that you shouldn't have been so fucking rude with him, you can't just keep taunting him for leaving like a scorned girlfriend especially when you didn't even know why he had left so suddenly but you felt so lonely and heartbroken at the moment, this vacation felt more stressful than your actual life.

In the evening as you went to the resort's dining area you found Cassandra and she told you that Daemon was in the smoking area so you headed outside and found him sitting under a hut with his head resting on the back of the couch, the shirt he had on was unbuttoned showing his bare chest. His hair was wet from the shower and he had a cigarette between his fingers. For a moment you wondered if you should disturb him but then you really wanted to apologize to him before things would get more awkward between you two.

"Uncle?" You called out to him so he put his head up and gestured for you you to sit down next to him ..

He grabbed the pack of cigarettes and offered you one but you shook your head so he placed it back down on the table and then turned his body towards you to listen to you, you had a floral dress on that fitted you perfectly, he was trying his best to not glance at your cleavage. He should have kept his sunglasses on still.

"I uhhh ..just wanted to apologize to you about what I said and how I said it..i was way out of line and i shouldn't have been so rude to you" you said softly so he smiled in response, he didn't really seem upset or affected by your attitude before. You couldn't tell whether it was a good thing or not .

"Don't bother Pixie, I'm not a child, you're hurting due to your situation and took it out on me..i understand that" he said to you so you gave him a confused look.

"What situation?"

"The whole breakup thing"

"Oh yeah that –" you chuckled nervously as he said that, for a moment you feared that he knew about your feelings for him.

And he was definitely completely wrong about his assumption as you weren't even thinking about Dylan unless you felt completely alone. He grabbed your chin between his fingers and made you look at him, his touch sent shivers down your spine, he didn't even know how he was making you feel whenever he was being this way with you..

"If this thing bothers you I'd end it right now..you just have to ask"

He said to you softly so you sighed,

"Why would you do that uncle?"

"Because you're like my…niece. I care about you and i don't want to fuck this up again"

He cared about you, at least he cared enough about you to do this.

"Do you like her?" You asked him so he looked to the side and into the distance as he took a puff from his cigarette.

"She's.. exactly what I need for now..harmless fun"

"Did you tell her that?"

"I did..but I'm afraid she didn't really understand..my marriage has just ended..I'm not looking for a serious relationship and the drama that comes with it"

You nodded as he said that, you weren't the only one feeling completely broken, as you looked in his eyes you realized how broken he was as well, the only difference was he had found his distraction.

"Women tend to ignore the obvious signs sometimes especially when they' are into the guy more than they're into them so just be clear about what you want from her, don't give her mixed signals" he nodded as you said that

"I am into her..I don't want her to feel used..i just don't want her to get her feelings involved"

"Alright then" you got up as you felt a bit saddened again, you really needed to get a grip on your emotions regarding him, you'd never get to have him, that was the sad reality of your life. You were on a vacation in a beautiful place, you really needed to let your hair down and not think about your devastatingly sexy uncle. You didn't want to ignore him but you didn't want to be around him either because you knew it would only hurt to see him snogging your best friend.

The next evening you went to the beach and headed straight to the bar to get a drink when your phone started to ring and when you saw it was Dylan calling to talk about god knows what you put it down again. Music was blaring so you looked around the area, you were in Bali surely you could find a guy to distract yourself right? It was harder to do so than your imagination, you weren't like Daemon or Cassandra, you didn't do casual flings and even when you tried you weren't really good at it.

Out of nowhere you suddenly felt a tap on your shoulder and it was Daemon so you smiled.

"Come dance with me" he said to you as he put his hand out for you so you smiled again and gave him your hand,

"Where's Cass?" You asked him as you didn't see her around, he pulled you closer to him but you both still had appropriate distance between your bodies, he placed his arms on your waist so you placed your hands on his shoulders, you remembered dancing with him like this on his wedding day, however you weren't tall enough back then so you had to hold onto his hands.

You also remembered how he had his eyes on his beautiful wife all night long.

The more you thought about your past self the more you found yourself feeling creeped out by your own behavior.

"She got a phone call from some guy" his voice made you snap out of your thoughts so you nodded in response.

"Ohhh did that bother you?" You asked him curiously, you really wanted to see if he was starting to catch feelings, last night you couldn't really sleep because you kept having images of them fucking each other.

"No, why would that bother me? She can do whatever she wants" he said to you nonchalantly so you smiled, all the guys Cassie had ever been with always fell for her and she only got bored of them but with Daemon you could tell that she liked him alot, even though it's been just three days she had been extra giddy around him as compared to other guys she had hooked up with.

"Did you ever think about us after you left? I mean me and mum..did you miss us?" You asked him softly so he leaned down and kissed your forehead, he had no idea what he was doing to you, this is why you wanted to stay away from him, he was just being an uncle to you while you harbored these sexual feelings for him.

"Of Course I did, i always did think of you two" he mumbled softly as he brought his hand up to place it on your cheek "I should have said goodbye to your mum and to you..I'm really sorry that I didn't do so darling"

Your eyes teared up as he said that so he pulled you in for a hug, you sighed deeply as you found yourself wrapped in his warmth, you heard him let out a small almost inaudible gasp as your fingers clutched onto the fabric of his shirt and rubbed against his lower back, that's when he pulled you away from him to get back to his reality, he wasn't ready to feel this way about you.

"And if I ask why did you have to leave you won't tell me right?" You questioned him to get rid of the sudden tension between you two.

"It's between me and your dad, I'd keep it that way" he said to you so you nodded,

"So you have forgiven him for whatever he had done?" He chuckled as you questioned him,

"How do you know it was him? It could have been me who was at fault here"

"You could be.. but that day..the last time I saw you..you –"

Before you could finish your words Cassandra approached you both so he let go of your arms, as she hugged him from the side and kissed on his neck he wrapped his arm around her waist..

"Y/n your parents are looking for you" she told you so you hummed in response, you had left your phone at the bar so you excused yourself.

"What was going on" Cassandra asked him as soon as you were out of sight

"What do you mean?"

"You were dancing with her" she giggled

"So? She's like my niece, we have danced before" he chuckled

"She's not thirteen anymore though dae..she's around my age"

"And your point is?" He raised his eyebrows at the inquisition, he had seen you on your own all the time during this vacation so he really just wanted to make sure you weren't feeling isolated. Sometimes when he looked at you he really felt strange, especially just now when he was so close to you he felt the attraction, he felt the chemistry between you two but he was a man you trusted, someone who had been around you since you were twelve, he never wanted to break that trust or hurt you in any ways. You were his friend's daughter and you would always remain untouchable for him.

"Nothing..it's just you're a very handsome man and she seems infatuated with you..she's my friend I can tell even though she never shared anything with me" Cassandra said to him as she caressed his cheek with her fingers,

"Well if she didn't share it with you then you shouldn't assume things" he said to her firmly so she smiled and pulled him closer to kiss him,

"Okay sorry daddddy"

His eyes widened as she said that to him, he had never been called that in such a sexual manner "You like that don't you?" She grabbed his crotch and it made his cheeks flushed,

"You're so fucking indecent"

"Mmm then punish me"

And so he did. This was new for him, exciting even, his sex life with his wife had gotten stale with time, he had tried to keep things alive in the bedroom but her idea of excitement was finding new guys to have sex with, in the past five years every time he saw her happy he knew he wasn't the reason behind her smile. It was his own fault that he had stayed for so long just because she promised to change after every incident.

Now he had realized that he should have left her after the very first time she had cheated on him and soiled their marriage forever.

You had watched the whole thing from a distance and it only made you feel more miserable as they left for his room. In that moment all you wanted to do was be her.. you couldn't help but wonder how it felt to be touched by him in that manner..

"Are you okay sweetheart?" You snapped out of your thoughts as you heard a man's voice in front of you, there were tears in your eyes and you seemed seemingly lost, maybe that's why he noticed you.

He seemed around the same age as yours or even younger, you couldn't really tell at first. He introduced himself to you and surprisingly he was from London as well..He also had the same blonde hair as Daemon and it almost triggered you, you felt as if you had seen him somewhere before but you couldn't really tell where. About two hours later as you met with everyone for dinner you had him by your side, he seemed nice enough and you really needed to find a distraction. However you weren't ready for the shock of your lifetime.

"Uncle Daemon? Is that you?"

Daemon stepped up from his chair as he met his one and only nephew standing right next to you. There was a look of shock and surprise all over his features as he spoke to the young boy.

"Aemond..what are you doing here?"

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

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@serving-targaryen-realness @annoyingsweetsstranger @anukulee @mcufan72 @insertsomethingsillyhereple-blog @silentf @ajthefujoshi @stupidthoughtsinwriting

#daemon targaryen #daemon targeryen x reader #daemon targaryen x female reader #daemon targaryen x reader angst #daemon targaryen x reader smut #daemon targaryen x reader fluff #age gap relationship #modern day au #non canon au

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gold-rhine · 3 months

Text

What the guard dogs are for

There are some things you never want to hear your secret years-long crush saying, such as “I’m getting married,” “I think we should stay friends” or “I’m the destroyer of the present order, the one who shall judge all gods, and the foe of humanity.” Wriothesley’s very bad, no good day of trying to unravel conspiracy theories, fumbling a tea party with Chief Justice and learning Teyvat’s ancient history and vishap lore from the leading expert lector.

Genre: angst and misinformation campaign

Characters: Neuvillette\Wriothesley, Enjou

Warnings: sfw in a sense that nothing even remotely sexy happens, but there is dissociation, ptsd episode, brief mention of self-harm, and Enjou doing same thing he does in canon, which is not quite gaslighting? Anyway, let me know if you feel any other warnings need to be added.

Chapters: 1 out of 2. Wordcount: ~8k

With his morning tea, Wriothesley riffled through the reports as usual. Nothing was marked urgent, so he started with the most boring part, - the official ones. The production numbers, coupon consumption statistics, everything is prepared for Neuvillette’s upcoming inspection, which was mostly a formality, but he would want it to go as smoothly as possible.

Reports from the surface informants. Traveler stirring up a ruckus with the research institute… Well, about time, that pit couldn’t go on forever pretending that massive explosions are just a part of science routine.

Next, creatures called “vishaps” appeared recently in Erinnyes Forest. These vishaps are apparently a lesser form of dragons, and connected to Liyue vishaps, also lizard-like creatures, though in Liyue they are aligned with geo, not hydro. Non-hostile to humans, aside from one accident. But in that one they fought back against the hunters sent by nobles to capture them as novelty pets. So the only regrettable part was that they didn’t get the nobles, only their lackeys. For shame.

Next, there are gangs with new lingo going around, which generally was a good thing to pay attention to as they usually ended up in Meropide. Wriothesley frowned, reading the lingo translations, as he suddenly felt old. “Trendy Zaytun Peach” was something he’d got called for taking it up the ass a lot in his days, but now it’s a hip and cool nickname with the youngsters.

Informal internal reports. Victims of beret society are rehabilitating fine, preparations for the wedding are underway. Good. Albert, a new guy from the shop, is sending him tea. Quite good tea at that. Obviously a bribe attempt, though he didn’t ask for anything as of yet, so it was basically free. Everything was fair in love and bribes as far as Wriothesley was concerned. You could throw everything at the feet of your beloved as to the feet of your targeted bureaucrat, and receive nothing and you would have no claim to complain. Now, the fact he wouldn’t take it into account when making decisions about their proposals, and sometimes would even consider it a negative, was a different matter altogether.

He perked up reading the last report. There was a new conspiracy, whose agenda was not very clear, as they were more careful than the others, but the gist was something against Neuvillette, so Wriothesley was tracking it for some time. It was hard to get anything concrete though, as they were pretty good at keeping a low profile, but now apparently one of the members by the name of Jacque got into the Fortress on unrelated charges, and he was reportedly not the brightest shank on the block.

Wriothesley made the arrangements.

Half an hour later, he happened to stroll by when Jacque was being beaten up by three guys in the shadowy corner.

“Hey, what’s going on here? Leave him alone!” he said, walking up to them.

“Oh yeah?”, said one of the bullies, turning to him. “Well, make me!”

They were paid double for the pretend fight. It might have been an overkill, usually Wriothesley would go for just scaring them off without combat. Especially because anyone who’s been in the Fortess for some time or had a head on their shoulders would understand that nobody would try to openly fight the Duke outside of the fight club arena. But Jacque was as fresh as they get, allegedly stupid, and it was Wriothesley’s first chance at any info in two whole months, so he decided to make it as impressive as possible.

He went as easy on the guys as he could, they theatrically threw the fight and retreated.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, kneeling next to the guy in the corner and putting his hand on his shoulder for emphasis.

“Yeah, yeah, I think I’m fine,” Jacque muttered, shaking his head.

“Why did they attack you?”

“They don’t want me to spread the truth...” Jacque said with heavy emphasis. “But uh, thanks for helping me out.”

“No need to thank me. I feel bad enough that honest folk like yourself get picked on in MY Fortress. That’s not how I want to run my place, so it’s only natural that I stand up for you.”

It took a moment, but finally the guy gasped.

“Your fortress? Are you… the Duke?”

At least he knew what “Duke” is.

“Yeah,” Wriothesley grinned, turning up the charm. “And allow me to get you a couple of drinks to compensate for the rude welcome you’ve received so far.”

He got them to the Coupon Cafeteria, where best meals were already arranged, and generously poured alcohol into the poor guy, listening to the story of his life and misfortunes that brought him to the Fortress, nodding empathetically. He didn’t ask about Neuvillette at all, to not spook the target, trusting that he will come to this anyway, and finally his patience was rewarded.

“You know, you’re good!” the guy said drunkenly after some time, clasping his hand on Wriothesley's shoulder, which he beared stoically, grinning with all friendliness in the world.

“You know, they say we can’t talk to you because you’re bought by that lizard, but I think you’re a good guy. You just don’t know all the facts!”

“Which are?”

The guy leaned closer to him and lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper. “Neuvillette is an evil dragon!”

Wriothesley choked on a laughter, which was way too obvious to turn into cough even for the dunce this stupid.

“No, you don't understand! Dragons were enemies of humanity that Celestia conquered. But they come back when killed! They reincarnate! He is a hydro dragon who was reborn in a human form so he could more easily trick us!”

Wriothesley blinked, remembering Neuvillette standing under the rain, and the old children’s song. “Hydro dragon, Hydro dragon, don’t cry….”

“He put our rightful archon Furina on that trial, right? No one else saw the verdict, so he pretended she was declared guilty. He forced her to abdicate and took the power for himself!”

Wriothesley realized long ago that Neuvilette, of course, was not human. It was clear to any idiot who talked to him for longer than a minute in an informal setting, not to mention a lifespan of at least five hundred years. But there were a lot of options other than “evil dragon”. There were old gods who did not receive archonhood, but instead decided to serve the archon, like Liyue’s adepti, and he always assumed Neuvillette was of the same kind. But the idea that Iudex was some kind of evil monster with a grudge against humanity was ridiculous. Especially when he showed up at the Fortress and saved the entire Fountaine and Wriothesley’s own hide from the flood.

“Really?”

“Yeah! We should restore our true archon Furina to her rightful throne!”

Furina’s insurrection? Interesting. Wouldn’t peg her for someone capable of this type of conspiracy.

“And did Furina herself give us her blessing?”

“She can’t speak publicly, as this monster threatens her.”

Hmm, inconclusive on Furina’s involvement.

He spent more time with the drunk Jacque, trying to get more details, but couldn’t get much more than unhinged ramblings on how evil the dragons are and how insidious it was for a dragon to pretend to be a human. He had to leave to prepare to Neuvillette's arrival the next day.

_____

Neuvillette stepped out of Opera Epiclese into the rain and slowed down his pace to prolong the sensation. It was a bit of what humans called guilty pleasure, as he felt guilty from inflicting rain on humans for his own pleasure. Though from his understanding, humans felt guilty because they saw this pleasure as something bad for themselves. Even if often this supposed harm made no sense to Neuvillette. Eating too much food until a human's stomach hurt was at least understandable to see as such, but he heard one of palais’ secretaries say that romance novels were her guilty pleasure. How could humans feel guilty for something as simple as reading? He stopped and asked her why she would feel guilty for reading, because melusines kept telling him that socializing with humans is very easy, you just need to ask them questions about themselves and let them talk about what they like. Well, it didn’t seem to work, as the secretary stumbled, started hyperventilating and emanated levels of panic and anxiety comparable to someone in the defendant’s chair. Sensing human emotions did not actually help Neuvillette in communicating with them, as he could not discern the reasons. He asked her if she perhaps came into possession of any cursed texts? He could generally sense the stench of corruption and there was nothing on her, but there was always a possibility that it was a curse he could not register. She panicked even more and vehemently denied. At this point he decided to give up on socializing, as it was obviously very distressing for humans, but felt obliged to tell her that if she ever did read anything she felt was cursed, to inform him. He hoped it would assuage her fear of reading. She thanked him, stuttering, and after that day avoided him at all costs.

The rain was a compromise solution in any case. Neuvillette always felt a bit strained and uncomfortable in his body, but after obtaining full dragonhood and most of the memories of past lives, the human shape felt downright stifling. He now remembered thousands of years of being something much bigger, long coils that could easily crush the spire of Opera Epiclese. Now, when he looked at his own reflection, it was hard to comprehend that this small and ridiculous frame was actually him. In addition, all of his memories and instincts called him to be submerged in water. But even with his poor understanding of humans, he realized that seeing the Iudex floating in the river would alarm humans much more than him standing under the rain. So rain was the closest solution he could get at his position.

He summoned rain instinctively, to be as close to engulfed in water as possible. It was a bit embarrassing that even humans noticed it and composed a rhyme, even if that rhyme was inaccurate. He didn’t cry, as vishaps didn’t cry at all and even his current human shaped body didn’t have tear ducts. The closest he could pinpoint to human experience, as he understood it, was being stressed and desire to be comforted, for which water was his best remedy.

And currently he was quite stressed, looking over the Fontaine laws in an attempt to revise them. The current system that treated justice as theater was clearly imperfect, which he realized long ago. But he never saw himself as authorized to change it, as humans were the responsibility of the archon and even without it, he was well aware he didn’t understand humans, so he knew it wasn’t his place to question the human justice system, to which he was only a temporary guest. But now, as fontanias became part of Teyvat after his decision, and so, a part of his responsibility as Teyvat’s god of life, even if the usurper tried to deny him, he couldn’t ignore the need for change any longer. The problem was that he did not understand humans any better, so it was very stressful to try and restructure their systems of governance.

He extended a hand, catching raindrops on his palm, when he noticed a silhouette near the elevator to the Fortress, and stopped himself from visibly controlling the weather.

Wriothesley caught his eyes and grinned, approaching him at brisk pace, umbrella over his head.

“Greetings, Monsieur.”

“Good morning, Your Grace.”

Wriothesley always somehow managed to make a “Monsieur” sound more impactful than Neuvillette could “Your Grace”, despite one being a noble title and another just a polite greeting.

“Would you like to…?” Wriothesley extended his arm with an umbrella, without actually covering Neuvillette with it. In the past, as a part of playing a role of “normal human”, Neuvillette accepted such offers, though there were not many aside from Wriothesley who dared to approach him with it. But now, as he was a full-fledged dragon, at the height of his power and influence in this land, surely he could afford to discard this role? Surely he could afford to be himself at least in this?

“No, thank you,” he said, smiling and trying to sound as cordial as possible, so that Wriothesley would not think it was a slight against him personally. “Don’t take it as offense, but I actually like being under the rain.”

The Duke smiled back, shaking his head.

“No offense taken, but why didn’t you say it last time? I felt like an idiot forcing you under an umbrella.”

“Really?” Neuvillette perked up, falling in step with the human. “You could tell that I…”

“Hated it? Yeah, for sure.”

“....prefered not to have an umbrella.”

Wriothesley let out a low, guttural bark of laughter that somehow got to the dragon despite him not being interested in humans in general.

“Not only I could tell I disturbed you, but I had to walk on the flowerbed to get to you, and then I trailed dirt in the Palais while everyone here glared at me for the audacity. Meanwhile you walked on the same dirt, but stayed pristine!”

“I’m sorry for…”

“Hey, don’t apologize. I’m just kidding, don’t worry.”

Neuvillette met the greyish blue eyes of thawed ice directly and sensed that he was truly not bothered, which didn’t make much sense. But Wriothesley was one of the very few humans who was not scared in the dragon’s presence. He was, probably, the only one who emanated only positive emotions at their meetings. Neuvillette mostly encountered negative reactions in his daily life at the trials, so he could not tell apart which positive feelings exactly that he read from Wriothesley due to the lack of exposure. But perhaps…

“I wouldn’t want you to feel unwelcome at the Palais,” Neuvillette said after a short pause.

Wriothesley grinned with a careless shrug.

“Then I will be there, even if the rest of your bureaucrats make faces. As I said, don’t worry.”

Neuvilette frowned, but didn’t see much point in pressing this further. After a confrontation with Navia, the dragon realized that his lack of understanding of humans hindered him, instead of making him truly impartial. Especially now that he was de facto in charge of the entire Fontaine government. And practice showed that only direct interaction with humans could give valuable experience, as watching from the Iudex seat did not allow him a nuanced understanding.

So perhaps, if Wriothesley was a rare human who was not scared of him, and he proved rational and trustworthy in the years they knew each other, Neuvillette could confide in his true nature and maybe ask for advice in understanding humanity?

“Perhaps staying for some tea would make up for this past offense?”

Wriothesley stumbled for a moment.

“Seriously?” He sounded as casual and ironic as usual, but the surprised burst of positive emotions from him was bright and obvious. “After all these years you finally decided to deign my humble office with your presence?”

“It’d be a completely unofficial visit, of course.”

“Sure, sure. It was never my secret plot to bribe you with a tea party, trust me, even I realize my tea is not that good.”

His voice was ironic, but for a moment Neuvillette could see his crooked grin turn into a genuine smile. So, reassured that he was not imposing, Iudex nodded and followed the human into the Fortress’ entrance.

_________

The inspection itself was mostly a formality. The Court of Fontaine technically had no direct authority over Meripode, but it provided guards and substantial resources, and so it had a right to oversee the use of these assets. The actual budgeting was done on the regular in behind the scenes reports though, as the data was not visible in the in person visit. Still, it was a time honored tradition that got Neuvilette to show up regularly.

“Take a seat. It will take me a minute to make tea.”

Neuvilette gracefully sat down on the visitor’s chair In Wriothesley office, folding his hands on the cane. He still sat with a ramrod straight back and perfect posture, but there was a certain lightness to him today, which was hard to put into words.

“The inspection is over, yet you are still nervous.”

Wriothesley knew he had a poker face good enough to cover it, yet Neuvillette saw it anyway. He had theorized for a long time that the Iudex could sense emotions, but usually he would not acknowledge it directly like this. “I wasn't nervous about the inspection to begin with. But inviting a high and mighty Iudex himself to the tea for years and then disappointing him when he finally accepts would be a devastating faux de pas. They will mock me on the first pages of all the papers tomorrow.”

Neuvillette frowned slightly.

“I must underline that I’m not here in any official capacity, and I would hope I’m talking to Wriothesley, not the Warden or the Duke. If you agree, I would ask that we leave the titles at the door.”

“No, of course,” Wriothesley, who had fantasized about leaving titles at the door and then clothes on the floor for actual years, said quickly, frantically recalculating how he could turn the tea party to wine tasting, which best wines he had confiscated in his storage and how he could make turning on the gramophone and then maybe leaning against the edge of the table in front of Neuvillette look natural and smooth. “Absolutely. I was just joking anyway, don’t mind it.”

“Ah, I see. I apologize, I’m unfortunately prone to missing humorous intent, so I appreciate your clarification.”

With how far the Iudex went out of his way to assure people of his good intentions in informal situations, Wriothesley really didn’t understand how everyone found him so intimidating. Especially because he very often had to interact with assholes in positions of power who did try to intimidate him on purpose and the contrast was very apparent. Neuvillette projected an aura of power without really wanting to, and then tried to over-explain himself to make others feel at ease. His earnest awkwardness was something like the clumsiness of a huge beast like an elephant trying not to step on the gaggle of kittens at his feet.

“In any case, there is nothing to be nervous about. After all, tea is liquid, and it’s really hard to make liquids unpleasant. So far I think only Fonta truly managed it.” Neuvillette drummed his fingers on the table and glanced at Wriothesley. “To be frank, if crimes against water could be prosecuted, Fonta would receive life in prison.”

Wriothesley snorted. “So no sugar in your tea, I take it?”

“No, thank you,” Iudex said politely and then, after a short pause, “And to clarify, I was not serious. There is nothing wrong with people liking sugary drinks, of course. I was just making an attempt at a joke.”

He really was horrendously bad at pretending to be a human. How could anyone hear him talk and still believe he’s a scheming manipulator was beyond ridiculous.

“No, I got it. It was a good joke,” The Duke grinned, placing a teacup in front of Neuvillette and sitting down across the table with his own.

Neuvillette gave him a graceful nod with a little smile and picked up his cup, giving it a swirl before tasting.

“Hmm. Interesting. Poignant. Bitter,” he said thoughtfully, tilting his head.

Wriothesley was about to mention that this sort was not usually bitter, but Iudex continued.

“Not by nature, but forced by circumstances. Not nearly enough water to be nourished, so it had to adapt and conserve strength, letting leaves seen as unimportant to die and concentrate on survival of the main branches. But there is not just hunger… there is a dream of rain. An ache of something not ever known, but yearned, longed for, without realizing what it is. But then…” Neuvillette closed his eyes for a moment. “It happened. There is a memory of luminous joy of water not gathered by mere drops, but drank in full, overwhelming, a feast after a life of fighting for scraps of morning dew. It had tasted rain at least once in the end.”

Wriothesley put his own cup down, leaning forward in disbelief.

“No way. This was a harvest from a drought year and it’s normally a mild sort, considered unusually strong in this season. How could you know this? Are you cheating?”

“You’re welcome to test me with other samples,” Neuvillette said with an air of a magnanimous ruler granting a boon and put the teacup down with a delicate clink.

“Oh, I’m taking you up on your word, trust me,” the Duke grinned, but then paused. He didn’t want to spoil the mood, but he remembered how strongly Neuvillette felt about the perceived melusines conspiracy. Wriothesley had to tell him about the evil dragon idiots just to make sure he’s not thrown off balance later. That’s what the guard dogs are for, after all.

“Actually, before we move forward with testing your psychic tea reading abilities, there is something concerning official business that I think you should know. And then we can forget it completely.”

Neuvillette inclined his head with a small smile.

“There is a small group of conspirators, - and I must reiterate, it’s very small - who operate on the ridiculous idea that… uh, that you’re some kind of an evil dragon who schemed to overthrow Furina.”

Neuvillette's smile froze.

“You don’t have to worry about it, really. It’s negligibly small, and well, anyone with a working brain would not believe that you’re a monster in disguise.”

Iudex was silent for some time, not meeting Wriothesley’s eyes.

“Are melusines implicated in this?” he said finally.

“No. No, there’s no connection to them in this stupid theory.”

“Good. That's good. They do love living with humans so much.”

Wriothesley suspected that Iudex was taking things kind of out of proportion again.

“Listen, it’s really nothing…”

“No, no, I understand. It would be so unacceptably horrifying for humans to learn their ruler is a… monster.”

Neuvillette's voice wavered, but his face was impartial, strict, previous lightness gone completely. Wriothesley saw his hands tighten their grip on the handle of his cane a moment before he abruptly stood up.

“I must apologize for impropriety, but I have important business in the Palais which was inappropriate for me to neglect for so long. I must beg your leave to depart.”

Wriothesley stood up too, scraping to understand what he did wrong.

“Wait, it’s not…”

“Thank you for your time, Your Grace.”

Wriothesley shut his mouth, the title feeling like a slap for the first time in his life. The formality and politeness somehow only made it worse. He took a deep breath and willed himself to sound calm.

“I hope you have a nice evening, Monsieur Iudex.”

Neuvillette left in what for his usual dignified pace could be considered a hurry. Wriothesley followed him without being seen, partly to make sure he doesn’t get bothered by inmates and partly on an instinct to investigate.

At the Fortress’ entrance, he watched Neuvillette walk under the rain, lifting his head upward. The blue strands of his long hair glowed and so did his coat-tails. They extended, shining brilliant bioluminescent blue, trailing behind the Chief Justice, in a moment looking like fish’s fins, then the next - as colossal snake’s coils. Sea waves crashed against the ridge without any wind, rising high, reaching to a lonely glowing figure of Iudex. With bated breath, Wriothesley watched Neuvillette extend a hand, as if catching raindrops - and rain stopped mid-flight in the air, lingering over his palm, waves frozen cresting over the earth. The raindrops gathered in a shuddering spheres, and then stretched upwards, against all laws of gravity. Wriothesley’s heart skipped a beat as Neuvillette closed his fist and the rain flew backwards to the skies.

Wriothesley stormed back into his office and frantically searched through the reports, pages flying about, until he found the one about vishaps. He looked at the photos, seeing similarities he would never look for before. The dark blue color of vishap’s hide was nearly identical to Neuvillette’s attire, but that was small beans, easily written off as coincidence. Their eyes, bright magenta with white vertical slice of a pupil, resembled Iudex, but there was room for debate, as his eyes were much paler, lilac merging into gentle blue instead of a bright pink, even as white vertical pupil was so similar. What really struck Wriothesley after all this, was actually the little blue feather at the side of the head of both vishaps and Neuvillette. It was identical and looked so… deliberate. It had to be chosen and placed precisely like this.

Still, this was not enough. He needed more evidence. He needed… he needed answers.

He walked to Jacque's block as quickly as he could without alarming inmates, but when he got to the conspirator’s room, Jacque was sleeping on the bed and a man was sitting on the chair next to him, reading a book. He looked up when Wriothesley walked in and stood up, clumsily dropping the book. He was tall and gangly, had dark hair, Inazuman features and light brown eyes behind the glasses.

“Who are you?” Wriothesley was really not in the mood for playing games.

“Well, my organization caught wind that you are interested in learning some… historical information, and our poor Jacque is really not the best source, which is why I’m here to answer any questions you have,” the man gave him a groveling smile. “You can call me Enjou.”

“Not here. In my office. Follow me.”

When they got there, Enjou whistled musingly.

“Uh, what a nice office! Must be a pretty sweet gig. I wish I had an office instead of slinking in dump ruins all the time.” He sighed theatrically. “So, I assume your main questions are on the vishap situation. I…”

“Wait,” Wriothesley said, walking up to one of his wall cabinets. “You can’t expect me to just believe you on your word.”

“Oh, of course, of course! You’re free to rough me up a bit first. Maybe a little bit of torture? But only a little bit, I’ve got a glass jaw, haha!”

Wriothesley didn’t live so long as an undisputed champion of fight club to not recognize a freak who gets off on pain. He grimaced, walking up to the table where Enjou was already trying to rifle through the papers. He stopped with an apologetic grin and put his hands up. Wriothesley put a glass vial on the table.

“Drink.”

Enjou raised his eyebrows.

“Are we dining and wining first or?...”

“It’s a truth serum,” it was a secret project of the Sumeru Akademiya, before the sages were overthrown. Dendro Archon reportedly could read the thoughts of people, and sages were trying to replicate the effect at least partially. Wriothesley came into possession of it after using his network to get the sages connected to the needed people in Fontaine institute, as Fontaine was at the cutting edge of mech technology and the sages were apparently building an artificial god. Didn’t pan out for them, but the serum worked. Wriothesley was sure of it, because he tried it on himself first.

“Oh! How exciting! How does it work? Will it perhaps burn my insides in agonizing pain if I lie?”

“Drink,” Wriothesley said through gritted teeth.

Enjou smiled and drank the vial in one shot.

“Well, nothing is burning so far, but the evening is young, haha,” he said, smacking his lips.

Wriothesley took a deep breath.

“Why are you here?”

“Huh? What do you mean? To explain the history to you, as I said.”

“Because of the goodness of your heart? What’s your agenda? Your goal?”

Enhou cleared his throat.

“Well, first of all, I do believe in uncovering and spreading so-called “forbidden” knowledge. But with your particular case can you really question my agenda? I didn’t come to you first. You were the one who sought us out. I didn’t even want to be here! I was doing my own thing without knowing about you, to be honest! But, well, I am in an organization with some unfortunate morons who thought that recruiting a convenient idiot and then sending him into underworld prison to make sure he isn’t heard is a great plan. And then when the Warden takes note of the idiot and gets him to blabber, these same morons go, Enjou, you have to get there, because you’re a vishap expert! Ugh.”

Enjou shook his head in seemingly sincere frustration.

“But um, yeah, I’m not trying to recruit you or anything. We know how you’ve disposed of House of Hearth agents and how you generally obstruct Fatui’s activity, and we just don't want you to do the same to us. Because we’re not your enemy! So I’m here to provide you with the necessary context to see that.”

Wriothesley drummed his fingers on the table.

“Okay. Start talking about Neuvilette and vishaps.”

“Well, Neuvilette is a Hydro Dragon, that should be obvious. To clarify, Hydro Dragon here means Hydro Dragon Sovereign, because technically all hydro vishaps are hydro dragons. If you didn’t know, which is understandable, as you’re more of a fighter type and not a bookworm like myself, haha, vishaps are primordial elemental creatures, original rulers of this land and mortal foes of humanity. Long before Archons, there were Dragon Sovereigns in charge of each element. Then there was a war with Celestia, specifics of which are not widely known, but we do know that Celestia won, dragons were largely eradicated and the huge chunks of powers of Sovereigns were taken from them and given to the Archons. Hydro Sovereign was killed.”

Enjou made a dramatic pause, before leaning forward with a grin. “But you see, vishaps reincarnate. Neuvillette is a Hydro Sovereign reborn in a human shape. There was actually an Inazuman prophecy about it, recorded in the Byakuyakoku Collection. That Hydro Dragon will descend in a human form, and it specifically mentions a cane. This really baffles me, to be honest. How could they predict the cane? Why does he even need a cane? Surely not because of any weakness, he’s an immortal dragon, 500 years is very young for him. And the records say when Neuvilette took his position as the Iudex some 400 years ago, he already had a cane. Was he born with it? Like, had he sprung fully formed, with a cane? Did he pick it up as, I don't know, honorary agreement with a prophecy? Or were his fashion choices actually predetermined to the degree that the prophecy knew them millenia ago?”

“Get back on track,” Wriothesley growled.

“Oh, sorry. Hmm, this serum works by forcing you to spell your thoughts out loud, yes? Well, then it’s not my fault I’m even more blabbering than usual!”

Wriothesley clasped his hands together and said slowly, carefully watching Inazuman’s reaction. “Even if he is a hydro sovereign dragon, as you say, this alone does not make him evil, as your conspiracy claims.”

Enjou fixed his glasses. He really had the hands of a bookworm, no work calluses or fighting scars. But there were spots of reddened, peeling skin that looked like burns that didn’t get to fully heal before getting burned again.

“Did you miss the “mortal foe of humanity” bit? But okay, sure. This is Fontaine after all, presumption of innocence and all that. I mean, I can’t read his thoughts to tell you under oath that he’s evil, so don’t take me to court, hehe!” Enjou grinned, clearly pleased at his own joke. “But I can tell what I know and ask some questions. My first question is why, after losing a war and presumably being killed by Celestia, would an ancient dragon god want to serve a servant of Celestia? The Archon, who rules with what is actually his own power? Unless he had some sort of agenda, perhaps? And come to think of it, why would Hydro Archon put a mortal foe of humanity into a position of such institutional power?”

“Are you implying Neuvilette forced Furina to give him the position of Iudex?”

“Well, I wasn’t here!” Enjou raised his hands defensively. “But why else would he become the Iudex?”

“There are higher beings and gods serving archons in other nations. Like Liyue adepti serving Rex Lapis.”

“Morax was known as the prime of the adepti. None of them could compare with him at strength. Same with yokai and Baal in Inazuma, she was the strongest by far. It’s natural that they would accept servitude. But here…” Enjou glanced at Wriothesley with a sly smile. “If you had to make a bet on a direct fight between Neuvillette and Furina, who would you bet on? Come on, I know tales that her own court would not listen to her until the Iudex tapped his cane.”

Wriothesley couldn’t really argue with this. When the Primordial Sea started breaking out, he himself sent for Neuvillette and didn’t even think to ask the actual Archon.

“In that case, why didn’t he just kill her immediately? Why would he play the judge?”

“Well, you see, he would not get his power back from just killing her. It would just pass to the next Archon. No, the Hydro Archon had to destroy her own throne. And running out the ruler requires a long game, as you know very well yourself, You Grace.”

Wriothesley kept a calm face, but something must have given him away, as Enjou grinned predatorily.

“Next set of facts and questions. You know of the infamous Archon trial, of course? When it was revealed that fontanian people are actually oceanids, given human shape by the previous hydro archon, Egeria? And the prophecy of the flood works because Primordial Sea waters dissolve fontanians into their oceanid forms. Well, the flood actually came. Why were fontanians not dissolved?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me that.”

“Hehe, yes. It was because Neuvillette turned them into real humans with his powers of Hydro Sovereign. How generous of him, yeah? The question is, why did it take him so long? It’s been 500 years, and yet fontanians were made human only minutes before the flood.”

Despite a feeble bookworm posturing, there was a shadow of unhinged madness in his eyes, dangerous enough that in any other case Wriothesley would cut contact. But the stakes were too high right now. He needed to get all the information he could out of this lunatic.

“You might also remember that on the same trial it was proven that Furina is not a Hydro Archon. And I can tell you that the actual Archon, Focalors, was in the Oracle machine the whole time. Sorry, I’m not even trying to pronounce that full name, haha!”

The urge to punch this bastard was overwhelming, but Wriothesley kept himself in check, mostly because he could tell he was being baited into it and he didn’t want to give the piece of shit the satisfaction.

“Anyway, Neuvilette had an audience with her right after a trial, and as result she killed herself and gave him power back. You see, Hydro Archon doesn’t have the ability to turn oceanids into real humans. All of you were just… things, playing at being humans,” Enjou said with a smirk that looked more fascinated than mocking. “But Hydro Sovereign, the original god of life, does have the power to do so. And he also, conveniently, has control over the Primordial Sea, which you, Your Grace, already know as he stopped the flood in your own Fortress.”

Wriothesley raised an eyebrow and Enjou smiled with a shrug.

“Again, I was not there! But I do know Hydro Sovereign controls the Primordial Sea, and that there is an entrance to the Sea in the Meripode Fortress. I also know that there was some emergency in the Fortress, where inmates were told to run as close to the surface as possible, and then Monsieur Iudex visited and the disaster was somehow avoided.”

Wriothesley frowned.

“If he was really a mortal enemy of humanity, why wouldn’t he just let the gates of Meripode break and the flood happen right there and then? We would all be gone and he wouldn’t need to lift a finger. Instead he ran to help when I… when the Fortress called.”

“And what would that achieve? He still wouldn’t get his power back,” Enjou shrugged dismissively and then smiled, almost wistfully.

“No, you know what I would do if *I* was the Hydro Sovereign with an ability to take human form? And if the Archon who held my power hostage was relatively weak AND had the prophecy involving a flood of the Sea I control? Well, I’d infiltrate human society, take a position of high authority and make sure the humans not only see me as the personification of law and justice, but also respect me more than their own Archon. And when the prophecy deadline is coming up, I’d make sure I have people loyal to me in some key positions. Such as Royal Duelist… and the Warden of the Fortress.”

“He didn’t make me the Warden,” Wriothesley gritted out.

“No, but he did make you the Duke, didn’t he?” Enjou smirked with a wink. “Our sources say the Court was not thrilled to give the highest noble title to you. And if the Iudex did not throw his own weight behind it, it would have never come to pass. How generous of him.”

It was true, Wriothesley’s own informants reported that the Court loathed to give him a title, let alone as high as the Duke. Neuvillette was the only one who fought for him and fought hard, because usually Iudex’s one word was enough to make a decision, but here the stalemate lasted for two months. They wanted to compromise and give him the viscount, but Iudex wouldn’t budge, so in the end, they caved.

Wriothesley never asked Neuvillette for the title. Neuvillette never mentioned what he did for the Warden and never dropped anything even as close as a hint of asking anything in return.

Unless you see it as a part of centuries long game, where mundane favors didn’t matter, but being called first to the access of the Primordial Sea did.

“Ah, you’re starting to get it, don’t you?” Enjou sensed blood in the water, like a proper shark would. “Then I would orchestrate a public court hearing to absolutely discredit the current ruler and corner the actual Archon. And when Focalors is forced to talk to me…. I would make a bargain. Saving the lives of all fontanians in exchange of getting my full power back and Focalors dying. Isn't it ironic that the dragon playing human was the one to turn human-shaped water things into actual humans?"

Enjou leaned back against his chair, grinning with satisfaction.

“And then I’d have an entire country loyal to me as a ruler, which would make a great foothold to use for attacking Celestia.”

Wriothesley took a deep breath.

“You really expect me to take you on your word? You might believe it yourself, which will pass the truth serum, but the word of a lunatic is not evidence.”

“Oh, of course not! I would never expect you to take my lowly word for it. Instead, why don’t you take Monsieur Iudex’s word?”

Enjou made a dramatic gesture of spilling a heap of conches onto the table. Wriothesley raised his eyebrows, when the other man poked one of them awkwardly.

“Now that I have reclaimed one of the Seven Authorities from the hands of the usurpers, I have regained my true form,” a calm voice that was undoubtedly Neuvillette, said out of nowhere. “I am now a fully fledged dragon, powerful enough to judge the rest of the gods. My final destiny is to judge the Usurper-King in the heavens above.”

“This could be faked,” Wriothesley said automatically, just to argue, but his heart already fell.

“You wound me! These are his words, and I spent an entire night fishing them out for you, I’ll have you know. It’s quite hard to capture this. You’re welcome to listen to all of them and see for yourself.”

Almost against his will, Wriothesley reached out and touched one of the conches.

“…I shall fulfill my vow to judge all of The Seven in turn, even if the sky should fall and the ground give way.”

Wriothesley took an abrupt breath through his teeth. Enjou sighed and stood up.

“I think it’s better for you to listen to this alone. After, you’re welcome to reach out to us, but please don’t make any hasty decisions. I’ll see you soon, Your Grace!”

Enjou walked down the stairs, and by the time Wriothesley got to them, there was no one there. The Duke couldn’t bring himself to focus on that though. Instead, he walked up to one of the wall cabinets and took out a bottle of whiskey he was saving up as a possible gift.

He didn’t bother with the glass. He fell down into the chair in front of the conches and clenched his fingers on the bottle, icy veins springing up from under them. He took a sip and touched another conch.

“…my grievances with the usurpers have yet to be settled... They owe a debt of blood that shall not be forgotten.”

He drank, staring blindly into the distance, and listened, and the quiet words burned worse than whiskey sliding down his throat. He caught himself on a familiar thought. “This can’t be happening. This is too monstrous.” The same feverish thoughts he had when he discovered the truth about his foster parents.

As if by now he shouldn’t have learned that nothing is too monstrous in this world.

“As a survivor of the dragon race who has regained my full dragonhood, I must fulfill my oath and obligations even if it means returning all the water in the oceans back to the heavens.”

It really did sound exactly like Neuvillette. Wriothesley tried to find the lie, something that sounded fake, but not only the voice, but the cadence and word choice fit. And it sounded calm, impartial as usual too. And then there were hydro vishaps appearing in Erinnyes…

Fuck, was it really that easy to fool him? Was he really this big of a fool? He learned to distrust sweet words and warm smiles, and he was so sure that he wouldn’t get caught in the same lies ever again, even if he sacrificed his ability to love for this. But all it took was a seeming opposite, direct and harsh, too cold and intimidating to appear manipulative, but endearingly awkward just sometimes, just enough to make him believe that… That there was something true and clear in this rotten world. That he could trust in *someone*.

“Nothing will stop me from rendering judgment on each of The Seven.”

He went through all of the recordings, frantically at first, wanting to find contradictions, then, when none were found, numbly re-listening to the few that hit the worst.

“…also the destroyer of the present order, the one who shall judge all gods, and the foe of humanity. “

Wasn’t it too obvious in hindsight? Why would the Iudex stake his own reputation on Wriothesley’s title? How could you not see it coming? Oh, because you thought you “deserve” it for turning this dog-fighting pit of a prison into something with a modicum of fairness? Because you thought he recognized your redemption? Gods, what are you, fucking fourteen again, did you learn nothing, why would anyone ever care about you, you naive goddamn idiot?

Soon, the bottle was somehow almost done. At this point he was running one recording on repeat, mindless and purposeless except for repeating slashes of pain, familiar rhythm like the knife on his wrists years ago.

"Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don't cry." Whoever had penned that rhyme, as well as the Fontainians who came to believe in it, must not have known the Hydro Dragon all that well, considering that they thought the Hydro Dragon could cry. What did they take said Dragon for, some sort of bleeding heart who grieved for humans and the heavens alike?”

If this was true… If this was true, then Wriothesley didn’t just get fooled himself. Then he helped a monster take control of the country and potentially use it in war against heavens.

He clenched his hand and it took him a moment to realize he broke the bottle he was holding in it. That pain from glass pieces in his palm felt small and distant now. But at last, it spurned him into action.

If this was true, he only had one shot. He’d already told Neuvillette of the dragon conspiracy, like a good little idiot eager to please. And any tyrant worth his salt would make sure to take him out after his, especially now that he outlived his purpose in giving access to Meripode vaults. He might have some time because of how oblivious he was, dismissing the conspiracy openly, but it couldn’t be long.

He couldn’t take his time. He couldn’t hope for the better. He had to act like it’s the worst option possible. More than anything, he needed to confront Neuvillette, dragon Sovereign or not. He had to fix this, no matter the cost.

He realized he needed leverage. Brute strength was out of the question. Even before the flood, Neuvillette absolutely destroyed Fatui Harbinger in one flash, quicker than anyone in the audience could see what happened. Wriothesley would put himself against Harbringer with no hesitation, but he wasn’t an idiot. If this was how powerful Iudex was before, then after allegedly gaining his full power, there was no way Wriothesley could threaten him. No, he needed something else.

He took out the paper and wrote a note, taking care to not stain it with blood. Fortunately, he held the bottle in his left hand, so he could keep it out of the way.

“....and so confess that I, Wriothesley, Warden of the Fortress of Meripode, killed Chief Justice, Iudex Neuvillette.”

He finished the note and carefully put in his signature, then folded the paper into an envelope and closed it with his personal seal. Then he walked up to a safe, one of the hidden ones, and punched in a code. When the safe opened, he rummaged in it for a moment, until finally taking out two vials.

This was sold to him as the poison that could kill a god.

#rhine writes #rhine writes light #neuvillette #wriothesley #wriolette #genshin impact #enjou #i had a lot of fun with enjou here #anyway let me know what you guys think

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quasi-normalcy · 8 months

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Star Trek series rated by horniness (as rated by me, an asexual, so you know its objective):

Star Trek: The Original Series - what is there to say for the series that invented slashfic, fuck-or-die, and Thiess's theory of titillation in costuming? The universe is full of greased-up pecs and scantily clad women wondering what is this thing you call...love? It's easier to mention the episodes that *aren't* horny. 10/10, for how could it be otherwise?

Star Trek: The Animated Series - It's a Saturday morning cartoon series from the 70s, and yet... 3/10, for the surprising number of scantily clad muscular guys

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Oh, we *start* quite horny; Roddenberry is keen to let us know that the android has a penis in the second episode; but then Roddenberry dies, and by the final season even Troi is wearing a sensible duty uniform. 6/10 for Will Riker, though

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - We've got Quark's, where the women are scantily clad, the holosuites are for fucking, and the waiters give themselves ear infections from doing too much oo-mox on themselves. We've got Jadzia Dax, who has three hundred years worth of sexcapades in two genders and will tell you about them at the drop of a hat. We've got Bashir and his sad blue balls for the first two seasons. We've got Klingons breaking each other's clavicles to initiate coitus. And we've got an enemy power led by the perpetual mind-melting gangbang that canonically is the Great Link. 9/10

Star Trek: Voyager - Weirdly conservative in its sexual politics. I mean, it goes out of its way to stick poor Jeri Ryan in that body condom, and there's a whole episode about space whales wanting to fuck the ship, and another one about Janeway wanting to fuck an Irishman, and *two* episodes about Pon Farr...actually, you know what? 6/10.

Star Trek: Enterprise - You know what, let me tell you about this series; this series is like a 14-year-old asexual boy boasting about his supposed sexual conquests in the hopes that it will endear him to the cool kids. It doesn't work; there's nothing genuine about it and everyone knows it; no matter how many innuendos he throws in, it's clear that there's no joy in it for him and he'd be happier if he could just go off and read comic books. Secretly, he wishes his friends still wanted to play with action figures. -1/10

Star Trek: Discovery - The show presents us with wall-to-wall gays who just...never seem to shtup each other. Like, I of all people know that sex doesn't define queerness, but...really? I guess maybe they're afraid of being less than wholesome? Anyways, 2/10 for that time that the Emperor went off to fuck a couple of Orions in the middle of a dangerous secret mission on the Klingon homeworld.

Star Trek: Picard - A series so sexless that it can't even show its main canonical couple enjoying each other's company for more than 5 seconds each season. And yet the chaste Jurati/Borg Queen pairing manages to be the hottest thing ever in the history of fiction. Anyway, I guess they technically had Agnes sleep with Rios in the first season, so 1/10.

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Oooh boy, we're at the heavy hitter now, my god. Completely, unashamedly horny. Gene Roddenberry *wishes* he could have done that orgy scene that people on Twitter were freaking out about. 11/10

Star Trek: Prodigy- They're *kids*. 0/10

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Not really a lot, surprisingly given their TOS pastiche. Still, we get some stuff with Spock. 3/10.

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cityzenshark · 2 months

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Terran Mirage with Malto Terrans -- Jawbreaker

1 - Hashtag | 2 - Twitch | 3 - Jawbreaker | 4 - Nightshade | 5 - Thrash

(disclaimer: this is a fanfic, don't take it seriously with the canon)

[A.N: the full story is now fixed! Enjoy reading!]

Mom said hugs heal all hurts yet told Jawbreaker not to give Mirage a hug unless he asks, which didn't look like it'll happen anytime soon. So how can Jawbreaker help make the Diaz Terran get comfortable with the Maltos?

“Let him help you find an alt mode,” Hashtag suggested, “with the power of cinema!” she gestured at the video camera JB was holding.

The next thing Jawbreaker knew he was holding Dad’s tablet reading interview questions prepared by Hashtag while Mirage sat next to him, confused out of his mind.

Even though the whole take went awkwardly, Mirage shared that he simply wanted his alt mode to look pretty and that he did not think much of its function. Having a pretty alt mode sounds nice, thought JB, but he did not want it to be just pretty. He wanted his alt mode to be… He has no idea.

So Hashtag brought him and Mirage to see Megatron and Elita-One.

Though still feeling lost, JB took Elita’s advice to spark that his alt mode didn’t need to be a vehicle. He also noticed that she kept staring strangely at Mirage to which he asked her about it. The Autobot answered it was nothing.

After Nightshade chose an owl alt mode, it clicked to Jawbreaker that he could choose to have a beast form. However, every large animal photo he went through did not resonate his spark still. While his siblings stop pushing him to keep searching, Mirage kept suggesting whatever large animal that seemed most suitable for JB. He appreciated it a lot but his indulgence ran out of enthusiasm eventually.

On one late night Jawbreaker went to the cow paddock alone, his mind empty whilst his spark continued to long for an alt mode he has yet to have. He thought he’d be alone with the cows. To his surprise, Mirage was there as well, staring longingly at the night sky.

“What are you doing?” asked JB.

“Night sky-watching.” Mirage answered.

“You mean stargazing?” Twitch and Thrash said they’ve done it many times before knowing how to sleep.

“No. I’m looking at everything in the sky. The moon, the clouds and the stars, too.”

It made sense. “Can I join?”

Mirage appeared hesitant. “I don’t want to talk right now…”

“It’s okay. We can night sky-watching together.” Jawbreaker heard from Dad that if someone didn’t want to talk didn’t always mean they were refusing company. Maybe Mirage needed one now.

It turned out he did. He thanked the bulky Malto and two watched the night sky for hours on end.

They did it again on the following night after Bumblebee’s ruined race (after Twitch hurt Mirage). And again to calm down after the not-so-peaceful lesson at the Spacebridge Memorial. And for the last time when Mom and JB’s sisters brought him back after the terrifying incident in the city, this time with Hashtag and Nightshade accompanying them both.

Jawbreaker couldn’t understand why Thrash did not like Mirage Diaz. The ‘envy’ in their link hurt. His triplets agreed. Hashtag was very upset at Thrash whereas Nightshade advised her and JB to not be harsh on their big brother even though Nightshade was upset at him, too.

On the day when Mirage was about to leave with his family for New York, Jawbreaker promised to inform him whenever he finally gets an alt mode. When they meet again weeks later, the now orange and spiky JB ran to him in excitement and transformed.

“My favorite dinosaur!” Mirage hugged stygi Jawbreaker by the neck and squealed in pure delight. Jawbreaker curled tighter to the embrace, feeling happy himself.

#transformers #transformers earthspark #earthspark #terran mirage #tf malto #tf mirage #tfes #rotb mirage #rise of the beasts #tf rotb #tf jawbreaker #jawbreaker malto #tf fanfic #tf fanart #macaddam #fixed it

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elvensorceress · 1 month

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So there is a "leaked" script that claims Eddie asked Marisol to move in, and is it just me, or is that completely out of character for Eddie? He dated Ana for longer, and they weren't living together. we are really supposed to believe that he would ask Marisol to move in after a few months of dating? Unless Eddie is unable to process anything after learning his Buck. Is dating a man that is not him, and instead of breaking up with her like he planned, he pulls a Buck and asks her to move in with him.

Eddie does not deserve to be stuck with someone like Marisol.

According to 7x04, he apparently needs a live-in babysitter so he can go out with his shiny new boyfriend. So… 🤣 And it took a whole relationship and a blackout before Ana was his babysitter! Just from that much I’m still going, yikes. Like, girl, do you not have friends? Do you not have someone who will tell you this relationship is red flags all over the place? Can we not call up your Folger brother and have him talk some sense into you?

You’re very right though. Eddie deserves so much better.

I have heard about the supposed leaked scripts and I’ll talk some about that under a cut below in case anyone wants to read my thoughts on it.

But what I’ll say in general is that in some of the interviews we’ve been seeing recently especially with canon bi!Buck, Mr. Showrunner had scathing things to say about love interests who are just there to be love interests. He didn’t like that they couldn’t interact with any of the other characters and that they weren’t part of the overall story.

Given we’ve had what, two? offhand comments and maybe five whole seconds of screen time this season with her, if they wanted to actually develop that relationship for the audience, they could have done that. And should have done that a long, long time ago. (For example, see Eddie and Tommy’s relationship. In one whole episode they did more to build that up than they have done for Eddie/allegedgirlfriendconfirmedterf in all of season 6 or 7.)

Instead, they showcased the bond between Buck and the Diazes and the trauma that Eddie and Chris still have over Shannon leaving and them losing her. And also Eddie’s new friendship with Tommy that sounded like they were both spending every day, every moment together.

So far for Miss Homophobe, we have—

hey mari it me eddie from the hardware store

the phone call where they set up a date

it's not MY date it's CHRIS' date (r u sure, dude? why is she there then 🤣)

her chaperoning Chris’ date with Eddie

her babysitting twice off screen

Obviously, she’s in the next episode and they have a pizza date while Eddie has to stare at his bestest friends while they’re on a date. But at this point, if you want the audience to root for the relationship or enjoy it at the very least, it’s a little late in the game for that? We have nothing to go on and it doesn’t make sense if we’re taking it at face value.

All this to say, if he does ask her to move in with him, there is no way for the audience to buy that it’s genuine, reasonable, or a smart move. It reads like Buck asking Taylor to move in with him because he cheated and he’s desperate and clinging. Even if Eddie and the terf show up and are all happy and handsy and lovey, it’s not convincing. There’s been no development. It would come across like Buck and Ali apartment hunting and being touchy and giggly, and then her dumping him at the end of the episode. It sets up a contrast between what we think is happening and what is really happening. Perceived happiness vs the reality of not knowing each other and their relationship crumbling.

I don’t remember who said it or when it was said, maybe it was Kristen? But I know someone talked about how Eddie rushed things with Ana and they were wanting to do the opposite when continuing his story. Dating someone for (how long has it even been? 2-3 months? Idek? Does Eddie even know?) Mere months and asking them to move in reeks of, “something is going wrong and I have to fix it by doing something rash and ill-advised to keep us together.”

Remind me to do a post about Eddie also being someone who clings and stays because it’s convenient and he doesn’t want to be alone.

It would be completely out of character if it is a sincere, legit thing. However, as a panic response? I buy it. But that also doesn’t bode well for their future. Darn. Hold on, I’ll get the champagne. That relationship is just waiting to be bones. And in an episode called, “You Don’t Know Me,” is where they’re putting their relationship under a microscope? Hildy, cue up the ominous music.

I doubt the glorious day we are free of her will be this week. I think they are just starting whatever they have planned. Unfortunately. I would hope they kept her around and brought her back for a reason like what they did with Eddie/Ana. I want there to be something satisfying about the end and the fact that we have to suffer through this. It just needs to happen quickly because I am so over homophobic terfs who know what fucking show they’re on and what the story is and still persist in their assholish bigotry.

Now? My thoughts on the leaks?

IF we are to believe they are legit, and who knows if they are. But if we are saying they are legit, then Buck comes out to Eddie at the very end and Eddie is surprised. So, Eddie likely wouldn’t be jealous or weird about Buck and Tommy dating if he didn’t even know they are dating. Plus, they just had a whole episode dedicated to jealous!Buck and it would be redundant to immediately take that into, now EDDIE is the JEALOUS ONE. I think they’d have to take the story further for Eddie to really consider how he feels about Buck and Tommy dating.

Maybe it will come down to him being displeased by it (for some unknown reason he just can't put his finger on) and grappling with how he genuinely likes Tommy a lot and that’s a new thing for him and one of Buck’s love interests? But it wouldn’t happen this week. In theory, this week is about Buck feeling like he’s hiding because he just realized he’s bi and hasn’t told anyone yet. Hence, more of the “you don’t know me.”

Obviously, I am rooting for Buddie. All the way. All the time. I like Buck/Tommy just fine but they’re not BuckandEddie. But I think it will take a while before we see anything that might really develop the Buck & Eddie storyline. They’re working on Buck’s bisexual awakening and his first time dating a man. WHERE OH WHERE ARE MY EDDIE STORYLINES. I just want them to do some justice for my boy. Give him something interesting! And for the terf to gtf away from him. :D

And apologies, I rambled a lot at you. Love and hugs!

#911 spoilers #911 s7 spoilers #911 season 7 #jenwyn gets mail #and talks way too much sorry #leaked scripts #?? supposedly? idk how to tag THAT #oh sorry this is so long 🫣#long post

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cutesyscreenname · 1 year

Text

A Cowboy Like Me : Chapter 2

What Must It Be Like

Chapter 1

Series summary:

I've had some tricks up my sleeve

Takes one to know one

You're a cowboy like me

Javier Peña is a playboy, sleeping his way across Bogotá, never settling down. And he's used to being the only one. What happens when he meets his match? A friendly challenge between friends couldn't hurt, could it? Unless that friend is you...

Chapter Summary: Javier thinks over everything that happened at the bar as he and Steve get you home. He shouldn't be feeling like this...

Pairing: Javi Peña x f reader

Rating: 18+ minors DNI

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: drinking, hangover, language, angst 😉

Notes: So this is turning into a much longer endeavor than originally intended 😂 I thought it would only be a few parts but I capped this bad boy at 3k and we only made it halfway to where I thought we would. The next one will likely be even longer so hopefully y'all are down for it.

Here is the song mentioned at the end (there's no canon for it but I feel like Javi would have a few records from the 70's he brought from home and Santana would be one of them):

And the full playlist:

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?

With your hair falling into place like dominoes

My mind turns your life into folklore

I can't dare to dream about you anymore

From the moment your eyes closed until you reached the parking lot of your shared apartment building there was no sound but the dull rumble of the engine and a gentle crooning over the radio.

Javier leaned his dark curls against the headrest, staring straight ahead but seeing nothing in front of him.

Steve’s eyes flickered over to his friend with concern but he held his tongue. The man was a million miles away, gears turning so quickly behind his eyes Steve swore he could hear the faint sound of metal scraping over itself in a desperate grind.

A cowboy. Like him.

I do what Javi does.

I'll prove it to you.

I hear it every time I try to sleep.

You're declarations float around Javier's mind in a jumble, a record that someone keeps lifting and dropping the needle onto at random.

You were a tricky one, no doubt about it. It’s why he liked you, why he wanted your friendship. Smart but not pretentious, guarded yet forgiving, sure footed but still a little reckless, and the biggest heart that you thought no one could see. Maybe they couldn’t, but he could.

He had imagined your romances before; tentative coffee dates, sweet kisses shared in taxis, most of your suitors left disappointed aside the select few who manage to be invited up for a night cap.

He had supposed not even these lucky finalists would prove to meet the standard for dating you longer than a week, a month tops, nor should they. The man you would keep long enough to mention, to bring to drinks, to invite for dinner at Steve and Connie’s, he couldn’t build such a human in his mind’s eye.

Javier had posited all of this and a million other things but none of his thoughts matched what you had just divulged.

Entertaining my companions.

Like Javi does.

The evening in review plays on the projector screen of his hippocampus.

Quick like a bunny, sweetheart, or I won't tip ya.

Even though it was for the sake of a deprecating joke, you’d never called him sweetheart before that night. It made his ears burn and he’d practically bolted to the bar to hide the involuntary flush sure to be staining his cheeks.

Pinche mocosa, he’d thought to himself, the smallest smile tugging at his lips. The smart little mouth on her.

Later in the evening you’d groaned when Javi appeared with three tequila shots in hand.

‘Come on, we don’t have to be at the office tomorrow. Plus, Steve is a better conversationalist when I’m drunk.’

With a ‘good point' from you and ‘fuck you both’ from Steve the three of you licked salt from your hands, kicked back the poison, and pressed your teeth into limes like sucking venom from a snake bite.

His gaze couldn’t help but linger on the way your flat tongue slid across the skin between your thumb and forefinger to collect the salt crystals, his breath hitching when your lips rolled over the edge of the citrus rind as you sucked the juice from it’s flesh.

A deer in the headlights, he’d been snapped from his reverie by the man across from him.

‘Ooooo-wee. I’m switchin’ to beer after this. Someone’s gotta get you two geniuses back home later.’

‘Awww, thanks dad.’ You’d said ruffling Steve’s hair.

After your glass had emptied and refilled once and then twice more, Steve started poking the bear to amuse himself, going after the way the drink colored your words with a heavy Texas twang.

Javier relished in it, your lilting voice drawing him in like a moth to a porch light. It felt nostalgic, like the polaroid of his mamá that rested between the pages of the book on his nightstand; intimate, like a secret piece of you, buried beneath the Gulf Coast clay, awaiting your return home.

Ever the co-conspirator, you followed his lead to help him land a crude joke. Not his finest, but enough to make you laugh which was plenty for him. Then something shifted.

‘Oh it’s what they ALL say, I hear ‘em every time I try to sleep at my place.’

You’d tormented the man about his noise level before. Hell, just that morning you'd been playfully ribbing him for it. It’s not like Javier tried to keep it down. He could hear the creak of your wicker ceiling fan when he lay in his own bed chasing sleep.

The paper thin walls between you concealed nothing. Sometimes Javier swore he could hear you thinking too hard on the other side of the studs and drywall. So it stood to reason that no matter what he did to dampen the lewd soundtrack you’d hear it, and if he couldn’t shield you from it he figured it was moot to even try.

The tone in your voice tonight, though, it was different. Still playful, still antagonistic, but there was a rough undercurrent slipping through. If it weren’t for Steve’s uncanny knack for levity, Javi might have gotten caught in the undertow.

‘Girl’s out to catch Escobar all on her lonesome.’

A solid deflection but you spurred on.

I do like Javi does.

A cowboy.

Like me.

I’ll prove it.

His mind was reeling, trying to amend the portrait of you in his mind. It felt impossible. You must have been fucking with them. He was really feeling the alcohol, more intoxicated than he’d been in a long while. He was reading it wrong. Back to the script. Back to the game.

‘I don’t fuckin believe you, cariño.’

If you thought he wouldn’t call your bluff you had another thing coming. With all the cool and confidence he could muster, Javier dug his heels in even more.

‘In fact I think you’re home every night. Ear pressed to my fuckin wall, apparently.’

Yup. That would do the trick. The point goes to Agent Peña. But no-

A wave of anger flashed across your eyes, making Javier’s throat run dry.

I’ll prove it to you.

If his mind had been racing before, it short circuited when you took two of your delicate fingers and pressed them to the exposed skin of his chest. He couldn’t fight the shiver that ran through his body so he just hoped you hadn’t noticed it.

And then you- God. Fuck.

You reached up and tapped his cheek gently with your hand, your determined gaze softening just so as you peered up at him. He almost leaned into the touch. Get yourself together, Peña. She doesn’t see you like that. Goddamn tequila - una idea estúpida. He turned away from you, trying to collect his thoughts, but in his periphery he could see you were on the move.

Too sloshed to walk without stumbling, you’d swayed dangerously when you stood in pursuit of another drink. Acting on instinct, Javier had placed his steady, calloused hands around your waist. The warmth of your skin through your t-shirt seemed to creep up his fingers and send a searing current down his spine.

His hands stay curled around you for what feels like an eternity and he wonders when you’ll slap them away. To anyone that asked he’d say he had kept hold on you because he couldn't let you fall over. Really, though, he couldn’t let go if he’d tried, a man electrified, hands locked in place on the raw, exposed wire of your form.

He'd flashed a pleading look to Steve and nearly collapsed when the man took you by the hand, breaking the circuit.

He trailed behind as Murphy helped you to the car with a strong arm around your shoulders, taking the opportunity to run his hands over his face, trying to calibrate his thoughts. He sealed himself in the front passenger seat and slipped into silent thought as you slid your eyes closed.

The next sound Javi took note of was his friend’s voice.

“Jav- we’re here, man.” His tone was gentle and Javi couldn’t tell if he appreciated the care or resented what bordered on sounding like pity.

“Let’s get you both upstairs, be good to sleep it off a little.”

Javier nods, not moving at first as Steve glances at the back seat where you lay, still lost in slumber.

The man in the driver’s seat reaches back and gives you a firm shake, calling your name a handful of times before sighing.

“I’m gonna need your help getting her upstairs, bud.” Yup that was definitely pity, Javier decided.

Not wanting to prove the man right, whatever he was thinking, Javi exited the car briskly and opened the back door on the side opposite your head. Lifting your calves from the where they hung over the edge of the seat, he hooked his hands beneath the crooks of your knees and pulled you to the threshold.

When he chanced a quick look at your face he took note of how soft, how peaceful you looked. Would you even remember the night's events in the morning?

Steve moved to help but didn’t get the chance as Javier steeled himself and swiftly maneuvered you, first sitting you upright in the seat before lifting to carry you in front of him. One arm beneath your legs, the other supporting your back, and your head slumped drowsily into his shoulder, he steeled his expression and started toward the apartment wordlessly, Steve hustling to catch up and help with the door.

“Can you tell where her keys are at?”

Javi sighed as they reached the landing. Your warmth pressed into his torso and he found himself torn between wanting to hold you tighter, to soak it in, and needing to get as far from you as possible.

“Well her pockets are clearly empty, so I’m guessing she keeps ‘em next to her cash. Not sure about you, Murphy, but I’m not lookin’ to cop a feel of an unconscious woman.”

It was the smart move, keeping your pockets empty and stashing the necessities in your bra, but it was a hindrance at this moment.

“Yeah that’s a game of go fish no one would be pleased with. Alright. She can crash with me and Connie.” Javi gave a quick nod to acknowledge his friend and turned you both toward the Murphys' door.

The lock turned almost silently under Steve’s careful movements but the hushed entry proved unnecessary when they walked in to see his beautiful wife, Connie, standing at the kitchen counter.

“Hey gang.” Her voice was soft and warm, gently welcoming the three of you in as though it was home to you and Javier as well. “She okay?”

“Yeah, honey. Just can’t find her keys and-“

“Say no more.” She waves off the explanation.

As Javier settles you onto the couch, Steve steps into the kitchen to speak with her quietly.

“What are you doin’ up, baby?”

She matched his hushed tone, just low enough to evade Javi’s range of hearing.

“Well when I woke up a bit ago and you weren’t here I figured drinks ran late. I’m about to put the kettle on, I thought at least one of you could use some tea and aspirin.”

“Let’s skip the tea and leave her some aspirin. Javi’s in no shape for company. I’ll tell you later.”

She nodded while Steve went to fill a glass with water for you.

As if on cue, “Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you, Connie, but I’m gonna head out.”

He finished pulling a blanket over your limp frame, slowly turning toward them with apologetic eyes.

“ No worries, Javi. I’m on my way back to bed anyway. Thanks for helping Steve get her inside.” Her knowing smile had him feeling uneasy.

“Anytime.” He replied softly. He and Steve exchanged quick nods and Javier slipped from their dwelling to his own. He locked the door behind him and leaned against it with an exhausted sigh.

What was he even thinking? Why should he be bothered? There was no good reason.

You were his friend, perhaps his best friend, and he had learned a surprising fact about you. That was all. He had no right to be anything but slightly surprised, maybe amused.

He didn’t worry for your safety, he’d seen you take down grown men twice your size on the job. You could handle yourself, no problem.

And so what if you were chasing away your demons? Lord knows he does the same. Columbia was vast and humid. The underbelly of the drug trade held the country in its bloody grip, pressing in on you from all directions. The assignment was full of uncertainty and it left Javier so lonely in the silence of his government issued abode.

He would do anything to fill the empty spaces, to stave off the cold tendrils that would pull at the walls of his chest when he lied awake, freefalling through the dark skies of his mind until morning. He could never fault you for doing the same.

Slumping into the worn sofa, his eyes shut slowly. Nothing is wrong. I drank too much and I'm being dramatic. She doesn't even think of me that way. It's not a big deal.

Still, as the weight of the day sank into his bones, sleep beckoning softly, his mind drifted to your faint sigh as you had nuzzled into his neck in your sleep while Steve unlocked his front door. When he opened his eyes again it was morning.

You awoke with a low groan, a sharp pain throbbing a wild cumbia rhythm behind your eyes. What happened last night?

You cracked open one eye cautiously, then the other, thankful to find the room somewhat dim around you. Only the small lamp across the room from you was on, blinds and curtains muffling the sunlight that tried to peek through the window behind you.

Eyes adjusting quickly, you recognized the comfortable sight of the Murphys’ living room. It was the same exact layout as yours, but Connie’s warm touch made all the difference. The soft decorative pillows, kitschy knick knacks, and framed candid photos transformed the small unit into something that felt like a home.

Okay I'm on Murphy’s sofa. So- Your gaze finds the full glass of water and bottle of aspirin on the coffee table. The puzzle pieces begin to fit together quickly. Just as you start to recall what happened the night before, what you had said, Steve slipped out of his bedroom and noticed you stirring.

“Heyyy good morning. How ya feel?” Thankfully he kept his tone low, guessing the answer to his own question.

“I’ve been better.” You croak, sitting up gingerly.

“I thought that might be the case. You see the Aspirin? Connie made sure to close the curtains for ya.”

“Yes thank you.” You tap two pills into your palm and kick them back with a healthy glug of water. “Is there a chance I could have some-“

“Already on it.” Steve was moving to fill the coffee maker with water before you asked.

“Where is that angel you tricked into marrying you?”

“At the clinic, unfortunately. Somebody called in sick and they’re so shorthanded as it is. She said to give you her best and inform you that you’d better come for dinner soon.”

You raised your eyebrows as Steve raised his hands in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger, kid. I’m just quotin’. You know she won’t take no for an answer.”

You chuckled in reply.

Once your mugs were filled with rich black liquid, Steve placed them on the table in front of you, taking a seat on the sofa. You both sipped in silence for a few moments before you decided to break the ice.

“So…last night. Um. Did I-“ You did not want to ask but you needed confirmation. “Did I basically tell y’all all about my sex life in no uncertain terms?” You wince when you hear the words out loud.

“Well, my friend, in no uncertain terms… you said that Javi’s lady friends are so loud you can’t sleep so you conduct your own ah – activities – in other venues, namely the homes of your own dates.”

You groaned loudly and covered your face with your hands. It wasn’t a dream. You’d definitely made a tequila shaped mistake and said the in-your-head thing out loud.

“Do ya wanna hear the rest or should I just leave it be?”

“There’s MORE?” You didn’t want to ruminate, better to rip the band-aid off. “Let’s hear it.”

“Okay. So that, and then I guess Javi thought you were kiddin’ so he tried to push your buttons and you said somethin’ about provin’ it to him.”

The confirmation was all you needed, the words flooding back to you all at once.

Ear pressed to my fuckin’ wall apparently.

Ah yes, the anger. You were remembering quickly. Pendejo. Why wouldn’t he believe that about you? You weren't a delicate flower, some witless debutante in need of safekeeping. You were his friend and his fucking equal. Of course rubbing his nose in it seemed appealing, especially after so many drinks.

Polishing off the contents of your mug, you placed it on the table and stood, crossing to the door.

“I think I should go back to mine. I just-“

“Yeah. No. I get it.”

“Thanks for not diving for my keys, by the way. And ya know…everything else.” You smiled weakly at the man on the sofa.

“Yeah we, uh, figured that wouldn’t work out well. For all involved.” He chuckled. “As for the rest, anytime, kid. You know that.”

You nod and open the door. “I’ll call Connie soon.”

“Oh believe me, if you don’t she’ll be at your doorstep. She knows where ya live.”

You smiled, shaking your head. “Bye Murphy.”

Once alone in your apartment, you stripped off your jeans and t-shirt, collapsing on your bed as you vowed to shower after another round of sleep.

You could hear the faint sound of Javier’s record player, the muffled melody lulling you into relaxation.

I am just a mirage

Oh, I am just a mirage

When you look at me

Through your crystal glass you will see

That I am now your past

But you give your love to me

In your life I wasn’t meant to be.

Oh I am just a mirage

Just a mirage fading away like water

The faint guitar licks pull you towards sleep like a receding tide carrying you out to sea. Even as you sink into slumber, you almost swear you can hear Javi thinking too hard on the other side of the paper thin wall.

Let me know if y'all wanna be on the tag list! I'll have one going as long as Tumblr cooperates 😂

@heythere-mel

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softshrimpy · 1 year

Text

How To Woo A Hot Principal

Chapter 3: Step 3: The not-date

Summary: Working at the weathervane was exactly what you needed. The routine, the people, your co-worked. It certainly helped that a certain tall, blonde, fucking gorgeous woman happened to frequent the cafe. Now some may call hopelessly flirting with your customers inappropriate behavior.

But truly, when it came it Larissa Weems, who could blame you?

I let them shenan once, now they've shenaned again- also this fic will sort of follow canon, but fuck it where I decide I want to. They joys of being a writer. Also so sorry this update took forever, I was depressed as fuck. Love ya 🦐

Chapter 2

Cross Posted on AO3 Here

HTWAHP Masterlist

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

“So you’re telling me, the woman of your dreams, the one you’ve been in love with for months-“

“It’s-it’s just a crush let’s not-“

“The very woman you have literally not shut up about since meeting,” James continues, ignoring you, “invites you to accompany her to the harvest festival coming up and you don’t see it as a date?”

“We don’t even know if she likes women let alone me.” You argue.

“Babe you need to open those brilliant little eyes of yours. Of course she’s gay.”

“You don’t know that for sure-“

“No, but I do know no straight woman would experience your sorry ass flirting with them and invite you to the fucking harvest festival.”

You groan, dropping your head against the coffee machine. James had been arguing with you for at least half an hour on whether or not Larissa Weems had invited you on a date when she had asked you to join her at the harvest festival. Now, having only just moved to Jericho you honestly had no idea what the harvest festival even was. Did that stop you from immediately saying yes when she asked though? Absolutely not. You figured any time spent with Larissa, no matter what it was you ended up doing, was time well spent.

However, you did ask James what it was (your first mistake). Which was how you had ended up in this little argument.

“Even if she is gay, she’s so far out of my league.”

“While that may be true-“

“Ouch, thanks for the vote of confidence.” You interrupt, earning you a slap on the arm.

“She seems to want to spend time with you. So you must be doing something right. Anyway, my shift is over but we will talk more about this tomorrow.”

“Oh no, however will I survive without your constant teasing and invasive questions.” You comment.

“I know, you’ll truly suffer. Maybe I’ll ask Galpin to join in on the teasing that way-“

“Don’t involve that poor kid in your devious plans, he need not be corrupted by you.”

He leaves at that with a snort, waving as he goes. Tyler arrives a little while later, giving you a shy wave before getting behind the counter. You decide to take your break, things being a bit quiet at this time of day and let Tyler know before heading into the back.

So all in all, a very normal day so far.

So imagine your surprise when you came back in to find Tyler standing next to Wednesday surrounded by three sad looking pilgrim boys who were laying on the floor groaning in pain. Truly it was almost comical, almost.

“What in the name of fuck happened in here? I was gone for like 10 minutes!” You asked.

“Well-“ Tyler started, only to be interrupted by someone coming through the front door.

And that someone was none other than Sheriff Galpin. You really had nothing against him personally but any and all law enforcement just put you on edge.

“What happened in here?” He asked, eyeing the boys on the ground and then Wednesday.

“They were harassing a customer, she just defended herself,” Tyler replied.

“You mean to tell me this tiny girl beat up these three?”

“I’m sure this was her showing restraint,” you mumble, coming to stand behind the two teens. “Anyway now that that’s all cleared up-“

You’re interrupted by a very troubled and frustrated Larissa stepping through the door. She glances at the boys on the floor, pursing her lips before levelling Wednesday with a look that could make anyone burst into tears.

“Sheriff, apologies. This one…slipped away from me,” she apologizes, “Come on Miss Addams, time to go.” She grits.

“Addams? Is Gomez Addams your father?” The sheriff asks, eyeing Wednesday with what you can only call malice. At Wednesday’s nod, he continues.

“That man should be behind bars. I'm guessing the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'll have my eye on you.” He warns before storming out.

The four of you look at each other, Larissa’s glare burning holes into Wednesday’s head, while Tyler looks embarrassed and confused.

“Tyler, no offense really, but your dad is a prick.” You say.

“Sorry.” He sighs.

“You two are all right though? None of these prissy pilgrims hurt either of you?” You ask, giving each of them a cursory check.

“Yeah Wednesday handled it, you should’ve seen her-“ Tyler starts but stops himself when he notices the intense glaring match between Larissa and Wednesday.

“Right well, Wednesday,” you start, hoping to ease the tension a bit. “I’m sorry these boys caused trouble for you. But you two probably have to get back to nevermore?”

“Yes. We do. Miss Addams, please go wait in the car. And don’t run off this time or else,” Larissa threatens, earning a huff from the girl as she exits the shop.

“It seems you’ve got an escape artist with you.” You joke.

“I do apologize. Wednesday is- she-“ she sighs rubbing her face.

“Hey it’s okay,” you start grabbing her forearm and squeezing it reassuringly. “Are you alright? Need anything?”

She shakes her head, and you must be imagining things because it almost looks like she’s blushing.

“No, I should get her back before she tries to escape again.”

“She’s probably already hatching plans. But remember I’m always here. Or just a phone call away. However, I don’t have the arm strength for digging graves so...”

She snorts at that, shaking her head and grabbing your hand, giving it a squeeze before leaving. You watch her go, smiling before turning around to see Tyler grinning at you.

“What?”

“So you and Principal Weems huh?” He snorts.

———————————————————————

You had to admit, for a small town, Jericho did know how to hold a pretty cool festival.

You were standing at the entrance to the harvest festival taking in the sight. There were stalls with games set up (no doubt rigged to hell and gone) and various carnival rides set up. You were a little impressed with how well put together the event seemed.

But the time to lose your money at carnival games and eat overpriced food was later. You had to find Larissa.

Honestly, it wasn’t hard, for one she was a walking goddess and tall as fuck so she was easy to spot. And second, the minute you saw Wednesday Addams, you found Larissa close by.

You stopped when you spotted her, standing in her greenish(the lighting wasn’t helping your color analysis) jacket with gloves on. She almost looked out of place; someone who dressed so prim and proper at a little festival with sticky food and children screaming. But she really did always look immaculate.

You decided to stop staring at her like a creep and hurried over to her. She was currently standing at one of the booths, feigning interest in the prizes but actually watching Wednesday. She was so focused on the girl that she didn’t even notice you standing next to her. You stood there for a solid minute before whispering.

“Worried she’ll pull another escape attempt?”

You had expected to scare her, yes, but what you hadn’t anticipated was Larissa letting out the most adorable shriek. She turns to face you, sporting a slight blush and clearing her throat.

“Ahem, sorry about that you uh- you startled me.” She stammers

You giggle, actually giggle, and immediately slap a hand over your mouth, slightly mortified. The two of you stand side by side, embarrassed and blushing like two teenagers. Speaking of teens, not ten seconds later a smirking Wednesday and beaming Enid appear in front of you both.

“Miss Sinclair, Miss Addams,” Larissa starts, regaining her composure, “I hope you two are enjoying yourselves.”

“Oh immensely. Bright lights and laughter are where I feel most at home.” Wednesday deadpans, earning a snort from you.

“I’m super excited. Wednesday said she’d try win me a prize!” Enid squeals.

“Oh? She did?” You ask, grinning. “That’s so nice of you Wednesday.”

You swear you see her cheeks turn pink before she huffs and walks away, mumbling to herself. Enid apologizes before running off, leaving you and Larissa alone again.

“They’re totally in love.” You comment.

“Indeed, I wonder which of them will figure it out first.” Larissa chuckles.

“I’m putting my money on Enid. She seems more in tune with her emotions.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate Miss Addams, she can be quite intuitive when she wants to be.”

“I don’t know, she seems the type to avoid her feelings as long as she can.”

She snorts at that before linking her arm with yours and heading further into the festival. She started telling you about the previous years’ harvest festivals and how she often spent them. You noticed she liked to talk with her hands, well hand in this case.

She soon dragged you over to a table and told you to wait while she went to get what she called “the best by far” hamburgers from a stall nearby. You sat at the table, quickly checking your messages when Wednesday appeared in front of you carrying a rather large stuffed panda.

“Did you win that for Enid?” You asked.

“It’s for Weems. You give it to her.” You said shoving the big guy in your direction.

“Wait what? Why did you- and she’s gone.” You remarked watching her black pigtails disappear in the crowd.

A few moments later Larissa returned with the food. She sat next to you, handing you a burger before speaking.

“You must try these, I look forward to them each year.” She smiled, before noticing the panda. “Where did you get that?”

“Oh uh- well actually it’s for you?” You started, picking up the bear and holding it toward her, “you’d never guess who-“

You had squeezed the lil guy when all of a sudden a voice played from it.

“I love you!”

You froze, staring at the bear and feeling your cheeks heat up. Of all prizes Wednesday could’ve given you, she gave you the one that said that? You wanted to believe she had no idea but a part of you wondered if this wasn’t revenge for your teasing earlier.

“I-I didn’t- I had no idea it would-“ you stammered.

She chuckled, pulling the bear out of your hands and giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“That’s very sweet, thank you darling.”

You’d have to thank Wednesday later (assuming she hadn’t tried to run away again). Larissa put the bear down on the bench before sitting down next to you bumping your shoulder with hers before instructing you to start eating.

The two of you sat and ate, and goddamn she was right the burgers really were delicious. Not that you doubted her. Although the entire experience would’ve been a lot less magical had it not been for Larissa sitting next to you, so close your shoulders were touching as she happily ate her burger and spoke to you between bites.

The two of you then headed back into the festivities. You insisted on trying to win Larissa another stuffed animal (you wanted it to be from you, not from Wednesday, even if the one you ended up winning was a considerably smaller stuffed duck.)

You had to admit, it did feel like a date. You kept trying to stop yourself from thinking like that, Larissa was just being friendly and you hadn’t really had a close friend who was a woman for years so you had no idea if this was just regular friendship or she was actually flirting with you.

But you pushed all those thoughts aside and just enjoyed the time you were spending with her. Well, you were enjoying your time together before a young girl came running up to Larissa, she honestly looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“Principal Weems I- I’m sorry to interrupt but Wednesday said Rowan’s been attacked and-and killed in the woods. I don’t- she said it was some kind of monster? I-“ she stammers, obviously troubled.

“Alright, deep breaths. Okay, there we go. Right. Go find Miss Thornhill and tell her to get her to gather the rest of the students and head back to Nevermore. I’ll call the sheriff and be with you shortly. It’ll be alright Miss Barclay, thank you for coming to me.” She says, ushering the girl away.

Bianca nods before turning on her heel and running off to find the teacher Larissa mentioned. Larissa turns to you, smiling apologetically.

“I’m sorry darling. This is not how I envisioned this evening ending. I need to go but promise me you’ll head straight home? If-if there is any merit to Wednesday’s story I would be beside myself if something were to happen to you.” She murmurs squeezing your hand.

You nod, assuring her you understand and you’ll head home. You urge her to be careful and you’re about to let her leave before you stop her.

“Give me your phone.” You ask, holding out your hand.

“Darling I- what?”

“I’m putting my number in your phone so you can message me when you get back to Nevermore, safe and sound.” You insist.

She looks shocked for a moment, then confused before finally settling on a rather flustered expression before handing you her phone. You hand it back to her after adding yourself as a contact(you saved yourself as ‘Favorite Barista’ which makes her chuckle.) you reiterate that she has to message you when she returns to Nevermore and give her a kiss on the cheek before ushering her away. As soon as her blushing form is out of sight you head back to your car and drive home.

It’s only after you’ve entered your small apartment that your actions register. You are absolutely mortified that you behaved the way you did and can’t help but overthink every action for the next hour or so. You’re wallowing in self-loathing and misery when your phone pings with a new message.

You quickly check who it’s from, noticing the unknown number and hastily open the message.

Hello darling, it’s Larissa. I’m back at Nevermore, safe and sound. There was no sign of Rowan, despite Wednesday’s adamance about what she saw. All this to say, everything is fine.

You sigh, relieved she and the kids are safe. You’re about to send a reply when another message comes through.

And thank you for looking out for me tonight. It’s been a while since anybody has worried for my safety. I appreciate your care.❤️

#larissa weems x reader #principal weems #larissa x reader #larissa weems #wednesday #principal larissa weems #HTWAHP

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