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unloved-cadillac · 3 years

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Hi! I actually have some angst I’d like before requests close plz. Female reader is an older teen. A young woman but not quite old enough to drink. However, she sneaks out after curfew and gets ahold of loose alcohol. Levi finds her and tries to drag her back to her room, but she slaps him away. She accidentally slurs out that a male cadet got her drunk recently and assaulted her. She then says “Shh. Don’t tell Levi. He’ll be disappointed” No romance, just a captain and his cadet. Thx!

C/n: I like this. There’s not much platonic works of Levi and his cadet readers. So here you go. Thanks for requesting and I hope that you enjoy🤍

Warnings: sexual harassment.

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Just a Sip. (Levi x Reader)

When Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps scouted people to fight for humanity, he knew that majority of them were young people. Most were between the ages of 14 and 17. Every year the cadet ranks were increase in numbers and it made Erwin proud knowing many were dedicated to the cause he believed in.

But with cadets, comes rebellious actions. They were kids after all. Following instructions from elders were such a bore and many just wanted to keep in touch with themselves before either dying in a Titans jaws or losing their minds from trauma.

Y/n L/n was part of the best squad. The Levi squad. She admired Captain Levi. Who didn’t? He was a well-known soldier and the most respected man throughout Paradis. He was fearless and strong and Y/n aspired to be just like him.

But today was just a day that mad she’d exhausted. It was hot, the training was unbearable and her head pounded. She was heading to the taps for a drink of cold water when someone patted her shoulder. She turned and smiled. “Hey, Ryan.” She greets. Ryan was a senior in training. He would make a squad leader soon and Y/n trained under him for two years before.

“Hey Y/n. Say, you got anything planned for tonight?” He asks and she wipes the stray water from her chin.

“I can’t really have plans when we have a curfew.” She chuckles and he smiles. “Curfew? Mm. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Say,” he wraps his arm around her shoulders and leans down to her ear, “a few friends of ours are heading out of base to get a couple of drinks. Join us.”

Y/n’s eyes widen at the mention of alcohol. In Paradis and the army, alcohol was only meant for people older than 18. She was seventeen and had never had a sip of the poison many enjoyed. But she wanted to. It seemed fun watching the other branches sipping whiskey and laughing with red faces.

She smiles and nods. “Alright. Where will I meet you?”

Ryan’s eyes sparkle with glee. “At the old tree just outside of the old stables. Make sure no one sees you. See you later.” He winks at her and leaves her. This was going to be fun. Y/n never had broken rules before and doing it seems exhilarating. She was quite a good soldier on the making since Levi wanted her to join his team.

Later that evening, Y/n ate dinner and left to sleep earlier than usual. When the time came to leave, she snuck out the girls room window and made her way to the old stables. She heard laughing of boys as she neared it. Y/n looked from behind a tree to see Ryan and a few others sharing a bottle in paper around. Smiling, she makes her way to them.

“Hey guys!” She whisper shouts and they cheer. “Y/n’s here!” Ryan says and gets up to hold her. “Come, come. Join us.” He sits her down and follows suit. The boys that were around seemed much older than 20 and it was intimidating. But two were her age even though they acted bigger than seventeen.

“And here you go.” He hands her the bottle and she smells it. Medicine. It smelled like medicine and seemed way less fun than she thought. But with a “screw it” shake of her head, she took a large gulp of the liquid and coughed when she was finished.

“Whoa, she’s good! Very good~.” One boy purrs and sits next to her, pushing himself into her. Y/n giggles and tries to move away, but Ryan sat in the other side of her. “Give her more. She likes it.” The same boy say and places a hand on her thigh and gently squeezed.

Ryan smirks at Y/n’s face. “This is going to be fun.”

~~~~

Levi Ackerman was busy scratching away at his desk when the feeling of uneasiness washes over his body. Something was happening. Trying to brush it away, he resumes writing. He finally gets up and leaves his office after reading over the same line ten times without remembering what he read.

He decided to check the cadets rooms to make sure no one was awake since it was well passed curfew. Everything was fine until he saw a few beds empty. He narrows his eyes and goes out off he building to look around. His eyes caught a wobbly figure coming towards him and before he could call out, they fell.

Levi clicks his tongue and walks over to them. “Hey. What are you doing?” He asks sternly but he only gets a chuckle in response. He knows that giggle. “Y/n?” He asks and he helps her up to her feet. “Can you walk?” She doesn’t answer and he scoffs in annoyance.

He begins to walk her to his office and into the light to see her and when he does, he’s shocked. Her eyes are red and there are bruises on her arms. Also, she stunk of brandy.

“Have…have you been drinking?” He asks and she holds out her fingers in a “little bit” gesture. “What the hell, L/n?” He asks angrily and she giggles again. He holds her upper arms trying to get her to snap out of her state when she slaps both of his hands away. “No. I said no already. I don’t want to do that anymore!” She says and holds Levi’s jacket. “Do what?”

“Whatever their hand was doing in between my thighs. I didn’t like it and they didn’t stop. It felt weird and it burns down there.” She slurs out and Levi widens his eyes. “Y/n? Who did this?” He asks, keeping his voice low to hide his anger. “Ryan and his friends. Mikasa, don’t tell Levi. He’d be so mad at me for drinking. I just wanted to try it! I promise! But they kept pushing me to drink more and more even though I wanted to leave. It tasted horrible.” She mumbles the last bit and lays her forehead on Levi’s shoulder.

Levi holds her steady as he understands what she just said. Gently lifting her up, he lays her on his bed and covers her up fully before leaving his room to give a few boys lessons on how much pain an Ackerman can inflict on the human body.

~~~~

The next morning, Y/n woke up in a bed that definitely wasn’t hers. Her headache increased massively but before she could think, she ran to what looked like the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. She washed up and peed and felt a burn in her privates. She looked down and saw red marks all over her thighs when she remembered what happened. “Oh my god.��

She carefully exited the bathroom to ses Levi standing by his door. “Captain!” She salîtes and flinches a bit. He shakes his head and motions to his bed. She sits down and he crosses his arms. “Y/n, do you remember what happened last night?” He asks, voice like stone. She visibly gulps and plays with the blanket. “Y/n, I’ve asked a question,” Levi says after a long silence, “answer.”

“Yes.” She answers and looks at him, eyes brimming up with tears. “I..drank. After curfew. I snuck out.” She says and Levi kneels in front of her. “That’s not all. Do you remember after that? How you ended up here?” He asks and she shakes her head.

“You told me about Ryan and his friends. And what happened.” He says softly as he notices her tears. “I’m sorry, Levi. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted a sip.” She cries and he shakes his head and holds her hands. “No. Do not blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. I’m not angry at you. Those boys were much older and knew better. I’ve taken care of them. I’m calling Hange here to examine you. To make sure you’re okay. Hey,” he tilts her face up with his finger under chin, “it’s okay. I’m here.”

She closes her eyes and hugs Levi and he returns it. They sat in silence. Levi wouldn’t let go of her until he knew she wanted to stop hugging. She needed someone now. A big brother more than a Captain.

Erwin listened to the whole thing from outside and left to his office to sign for the dismissals and jail sentences for Ryan and his friends.

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🖤🤍Thanks for reading🤍🖤

-Caddy.

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alreadyblondenow · 3 years

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Jaehyun’s Body | Jung Jaehyun

▸ Jaehyun x reader ▸ Smut, Smut, Smut, Fluff, Angst, Demon Jaehyun, Prostitute reader ▸ HALLOWEEN SERIES: 127 HOUSE ▸ 5/5 for NEOHALLOWEEN writing festival hosted by @nct-writers

Summary: Jaehyun is a demon who uses girls to make him stay handsome. He eats girls… literally. Then he met you and he can’t eat you because he’s in love with you.

Word count: 7K

Warnings: Sex, sex, sex, a lot of killings, mentions of killings, Blood, lots and lots of blood, killings again, then another killings, eating of human flesh, filthy (I’m telling you), all kinds of sex, swearing, abduction, mentions of eating children but he stopped don’t worry, pregnancy, murder, attempted murder, suicide (?), prostitution, mentions of sex club, depression, mentions of therapy, mentions of cheating

A/N: Pure fiction, we all know that Jaehyun doesn’t need girls to make him handsome. I made this filthier than ever because it’s my last fic for 127 House. I made a timestamp for this as a bonus preview so if you already read it, yay. Inspired by the movie Jennifer’s Body and Pretty Woman. I changed the ending last minute I hope you wont hate me. Also, I’m sure a lot of you want to read more Jaehyun eating girls, literally, in action. So I will just make another timestamp for that in the next few days.

Taglist: For the last time, if I happen to forget you I’m so sorry :( @chocolattees @floweringtheflowers @huangxx @bumblebeenct @neosculptures @kooksfairyfloss @jaehyunoos @soothingjae @plump-peach @neospirited @jeongyoonohs @shanghai-lu @seriousballoon @sunshinedhyuck @the-universe-in-you-jjh @mira-winterlight @generantionct @mal-nakamoto23 @svteencarat @johnjaespeach @jinsonaz @hyuckshoe69

Halloween present time

“Mom, can you tell me the story about the monster who eats humans just so he can look like one too?” your nine-year-old daughter snuggles beside you on a Halloween night, tired from trick or treating and already sleepy.

“Just because it’s Halloween” you boop her nose and kept her close to you, stroking her head and making her comfortable.

“Once upon a time, there were five teenagers who want to make a deal with the devil. The clueless teenagers did not know that what they were doing was wrong. Meaning, wrong methods, wrong sacrifice.

Given that they don��t know what they were doing, they singlehandedly or accidentally brought a creature into this world. The bothered creature that was summoned ate the teenagers as the creature was so confused, why was he bothered in his own torture cell in hell?

It starved for days, lost in a world that’s not familiar to him. He fed himself with every human who crosses paths with him, men, women, and children. Until it finally knew that eating humans can make him look just like them.

The creature adapted in this world, living like a normal human and walking amongst us, still not knowing how to go home. “

Halloween many many many years ago

“And that creature is me. Happy Halloween class, enjoy the night” Jaehyun finishes his story in front of his class. Watching every student laugh and shrug his ‘scary’ story for Halloween. They thought he was joking, and that was the fun part Jaehyun thought.

“See you on our next session Mr. Jung” a flirty young girl waved goodbye to him, smiling like she wanted to get on her knees and suck Jaehyun's cock right then and there.

“Enjoy Halloween” he winked back at her and proceed to fix his things and leave the classroom.

It was exactly a decade ago when those stupid teenagers brought him to this world. He didn’t have much of a choice but to live like a normal human to save himself. Feed from their flesh, kill every two weeks and get on with life as if nothing gruesome happened inside his house.

Jaehyun targets girls, women in their early twenties or older. He stopped eating children only because the effect on him does not stay for long. Whereas, eating older people can last two weeks max. Luring girls was never hard for Jaehyun because he’s naturally handsome, but without human flesh, he returns to the disgusting creature he used to be.

Tinder is his go-to restaurant. A little swipe right over here, a swipe right over there, and voila! He now has a tasty dinner and for Halloween night, perfect to celebrate his existence here in this world.

As part of his adaptation in this world, he learned how to cook human meals for his victims. Feeding them good food before he eats them. In the middle of cooking in his big kitchen, his doorbell rang assuming that it’s his food that just arrived. He opened his door with a smile, welcoming the young lady inside his beautiful house, smelling her for some time during the hug. Delicious, he thought.

“Wow. Your house is big” the clueless girl exclaims. It’s always the same, every girl who steps inside his house is always amazed at how beautiful 127 House is. It’s white interior always captures the ladies’ hearts and leave them in awe.

“I hope you’re hungry. I made dinner for us” he gave the girl a flirty smile, flashing those cute dimples of his that always make the girls smile.

During dinner, Jaehyun can’t rush his meal and get on with the kill already. He is patient and takes time to know what he’s about to eat. He asks a lot of questions to gain the girl’s trust and fool her that Jaehyun is actually into her. “Do you do drugs?” the most important question for the night. Jaehyun hates eating humans who do drugs because it has a side effect on him as if his body can’t handle the drugs itself that it makes him weak on the spot. So much for being a creature from hell.

“No, I don’t do drugs. Do you?” the girl answered with wide eyes.

“No no. I’m clean” he smiled and put his hand on the girl’s thigh. Slowly caressing it until Jaehyun reaches her damped panties. “Can you open your legs for me?” Jaehyun’s irresistible request made the girl open her legs a little wider under the table. Rolling her head side to side as she feels Jaehyun’s cold fingers brushing on her clothed clit.

It’s time, Jaehyun thought. Dinner is served.

He pushed the plates away, glasses clinking, utensils started to fall from the table. Jaehyun carried her and put her on the dinner table, kissing her wildly to put the girl in the mood and make her horny. It always works. While he’s busy kissing her, his hands slowly remove her panties and spread her legs a little rough and push her on the dinner table.

“We really doing this here?” the girl asks.

“This is the perfect place to eat you”

The girl smiles and felt excited because a handsome man like Jaehyun is about to eat her pussy. Little did she know, that Jaehyun will quite do it literally. He planted kisses on her inner thighs, making the girl moan and tickle her in the meantime. Jaehyun runs a finger on her slit and make her legs shiver, licking his finger as if he’s having a taste of his dinner.

“Eat me already” she protests. Jaehyun chuckled low and puts two fingers inside her before he makes a move.

Jaehyun’s first lick from her pussy makes his head turn and breathe heavily for the girl he’s about to eat tonight tastes delicious. He licks and licks the girl, not listening to her moaning, not minding if she’s calling his name. The way he licked the girl was like he was having ice cream on a hot summer, sucking her arousal and putting pressure on her clit. Unaware of what’s happening to the girl, he didn’t care if she already came and overstimulated. Jaehyun continued licking his dinner even though the girl is pushing him already, but still having the time of her life.

She then felt Jaehyun bite her clit and made her shout a little too loud that her voice echoed around 127 House. She propped her shoulder and saw Jaehyun’s eyes turned plain black. He smiled at her making the girl shout in horror and shout for her life but Jaehyun’s tongue is making her cum again for the second time tonight, harder than the first one she had.

And that’s Jaehyun’s cue to eat her. Bit her off. Letting her blood pool around his dinner table. He ate her flesh by flesh, sipping every drop of her blood, chewing all her intestines, licking the flavor off her skin like an animal. He can feel himself glow as he continues to eat her.

Pouring himself a glass of his favorite wine, he looks at his reflection through the goblet and admires his handsomeness. Skin clearer as ever, eyes without dark circles, firm ass. He smiled to himself as he feels much more alive and young now. Jaehyun went back to the dead body on his table, kissing the girl on the cheek and thanking her for making him handsome.

That is Jaehyun’s life for the past decade. Murder to survive, eat humans, earn money, and repeat it. No thrill. Even getting caught is no fun for him because he can easily eat the witness. But living in this world full of emotions and Jaehyun is indeed a curious demon, he wanted to try to fall in love. Maybe he wants it because he’s been eating girls who are desperate for love and that’s making him desperate too. You see when he eats humans, he eats their emotions too and in that way, he learned feeling things. Anger, fear, happiness. All kinds.

Three weeks after Halloween, he found this one of a kind service that he’s very much interested in. Just like every other human who likes their food clean, Jaehyun likes his human clean too.

We offer house services just contact us and book someone you prefer. We guarantee clean and respectful girls....

Reading the brochure of that sex club who offers special services is like reading a menu in an expensive restaurant. Maybe it’s time to give up Tinder, stop ordering cheap food, and start feeding on expensive ones.

Just in time for his feeding again, the university kept him busy and so he did not have time to eat and settle for human food instead. That’s why he looks awful now. His hair is starting to fall out, his fair skin has acne, dark circles under his eyes, some of his toenails are falling off. He’s becoming weak, and he needs to eat soon.

“Y/n honey, you have a schedule for tonight. A big spender this one.... huh. He paid an overnight promo and even gave you a tip. Wow he’s rich”

As you listen more of the details from the lady at the front desks, you thanked the man mentally who gave you a generous tip that will go straight to your savings, rent, and water bill. Not that you love this job of yours, but you’re excited to meet the big spender and treat him well just so he can get his money’s worth.

While you were drying your hair, you heard your phone ding and it was from your client whom you look forward to meeting. “I’ll send an uber from your house to mine. See you later” it was a bit cold but usually, your clients will just send you the address and it’s your duty not to be late for the appointment. You smiled because he seems so thoughtful and a real gentleman, you became more excited about meeting him and looking forward to the sex.

When the uber driver dropped you off in front of a big white house, you thought that maybe it was a mistake that your date must have pinned the wrong address. You rang the doorbell just to make things sure. Asking never killed anybody. You wait for someone to open the door to you, biting your lower lip while scanning the outside of the beautiful house.

“You must be Y/n” the man who opened the door said. Well, that makes things official. You’re in the right place.

“Yes...uhh, sir Yoonoh?” his weak state is bothering you. He doesn’t look like he can fuck at all.

“Please call me Jaehyun. Yoonoh is my alias. Come in”

The handsome man welcomes you warmly in his home, taking your coat and putting it in a cabinet near his door. He looks handsome but exhausted, coughing a little as he closes the cabinet door. “Are you okay? You look sick” you blurted out and your first words made the man smile. Different. You’re different. You don’t care how big the house is he thought, the first thing you did is care about him. “I’m fine. The weather has been affecting me lately but, I’m good. I hope you’re hungry, I made early dinner” He gave you a weak smile and coughed again.

This customer of yours continues to surprise you. First the uber ride and now the early dinner. For the first time in your life, this wretched job doesn’t feel like a job at all. Jaehyun here made you feel like you’re here for a date and not just to fuck the whole night. You follow him to the kitchen to help him get the meals that he prepared for both of you. As much as you’re amazed by his cooking skills, you are more amazed by how he managed to cook a decent meal even though he’s weak.

Jaehyun started small talk, as usual. Asking you questions before he kills you and making sure you don’t do drugs even though it’s stated clearly that the sex club has clean girls. He made you comfortable the whole dinner time and made sure you enjoy what he cooked for you.

“What do you do outside this job of yours?” Jaehyun asked, cutting a piece of steak as he waits for your answer.

“Nothing. I’m lifeless” you joked, “I take care of myself and save as much as I can so I can have a clean start, which reminds me thank you for the generous tip”

When the air was finally dead, he put his hand on your knee, caress it softly until his hand reaches your upper thigh. You felt his hand shaking like he’s shivering but he’s not telling you. It seems like he’s forcing himself to push through having sex just so his money doesn’t go to waste. But you can’t let him. The man is obviously weak and sick, he will not enjoy the pleasure and his money’s worth.

To his surprise, you cup his face and shook your head ‘no’. “We don’t have to do this today. We’ll end up being sick together on the next day, want that to happen?” he shook his head to answer your question, “I promise I won't tell the club and I will find a way for you to get what you paid for. The dinner is delicious by the way what herbs did you put here?”

So much care for someone who kills to survive. He doesn't deserve any of your kindness. The demon is completely moved. When you were the one who initiated the small talk, Jaehyun realized how he loved sharing things that he does. Like how he likes his steak perfectly well done, he likes his alcohol old and cold, even told you that listening to Chet Baker while drinking wine is his favorite thing in the world. Talking too much about himself was never his thing when it comes to talking to his victims. Then he realized maybe you’re not one of them, that maybe for the first time he had a visitor comforting him instead of making him full.

You were the first person who listened to him. His first friend.

Talking and sharing personal stuff with one of your clients was a big ‘no’ for you. But there’s something about Jaehyun that makes you feel that your secrets are safe with him, even though all you knew about him is his love for music and wine. As the night goes deeper, you two are still talking about random stuff and laughing loudly whenever something funny came up. It was nice. You caught yourself resting your head on his weak shoulders and loved his warmth. Hearing his soft voice near your ear is almost addicting even though he sounded weak. And seeing his smile up close and poking his dimples whenever you want to is a different kind of privilege. The night went on until you fall asleep on his shoulders, unconsciously hugging him like a teddy bear and putting your leg on top of his like you’ve known each other for so long.

He was thinking deeply if he’s going to eat you or not. You are juicy for his taste, like a turkey on Thanksgiving. He removed some of your hair from your face, patting and caressing your head so he knows you’re in deep sleep. Carefully, he reached for your hand and played with your fingers, smelling it and still thinking it through. He put your pointer finger in his mouth, sucking it like a lollipop and tasting your flavor through your skin. You taste so good that his eyes turned into his demon eyes and his demon tongue is ready to taste more of you. But you smiled through the feeling of his tongue swirling around your finger and came closer to him. Unconsciously and still sleeping soundly.

He remembers how your kindness moved him, and how he felt important for the first time in his whole existence. Jaehyun shook his head and stopped attempting to eat you, wiped your fingers, and intertwined his fingers with yours instead. It’s weird how he’s so hungry but he can’t seem to kill you.

To survive, Jaehyun went to the nearest bar and lured a hooker whom he killed in the back of his house. It was his first time killing quietly in his premisses, careful not to wake you up. Even though the human that he just ate doesn’t taste good, well, he just had to look presentable in your eyes the next morning.

When you wake up, you almost jumped out of bed because you thought you were in bed with a total stranger but turns out it was just Jaehyun. His skin is glowing under the morning sunlight, his cute snores make you smile, fucking pink lips begging to be kissed or it’s you who’s begging to be kissed… you smiled and brushed his hair away, accidentally waking the handsome man.

“Morning” he murmured, pulling you for a hug and closing his eyes again but he was smiling.

Even his breath smell nice, “feeling okay now?” you asked softly, not ruining the peaceful morning and nervously smiling brightly because the butterflies in your tummy won’t stop flapping their wings.

“Yes. All thanks to you” he opened his eyes and admired your beauty. He can feel his heart thumping. “I think I owe you something” he kissed your lips passionately and pull your body above him making you put both your legs on his sides. He never left your lips as his hands roam on your sides requesting to remove your dress. With one swift move, you’re on top of the handsome man with your matching lacy underwear, bodies grinding on each other, moaning deliciously, and about to have morning sex. “I’ve seen a lot of naked girls before but none of them made me horny like you do” you giggle at what he said, if every client you had is like Jaehyun, you don’t mind staying on this wretched job forever.

It’s not that Jaehyun is a virgin. This is just his first time having sex without killing the one he’s fucking. Watching you cum above and underneath him without going in for the kill was satisfying and almost addicting. Not to mention that your walls feel amazing around his cock. Warm and tight that he never wants to pull out from you.

You, on the other hand, is so surprised by how Jaehyun is so great in bed like he was craving sex. Every lustful thrust he gives makes you gasp and it just takes your breath away. The way he held your leg up, fuck you deep that you’re skin to skin, makes you claw his back and grip the sheets so tightly that you hurt your hand. He never slowed down but he was not rough enough, he was making you feel good the whole fucking time that you made sounds you never thought you’re capable of. On top of that, his sweet words are making you feel things.

After the most amazing sex you both have in your entire life, he can’t let go of you even just for a second. He’s glued to your body while you make him breakfast, “Can I see you more in my clothes?” he whispered behind your ear, hands resting on the side of your waist while he distracts you with his kisses, blowing cold air on your nape to tickle you and make you giggle.

And when it’s time to go, he was begging you with all his might to stay. “I have to work, Jae” it’s true. And being with Jaehyun made you forget that you’re here for work, he completely changed that. If it wasn’t for your work you will give in and stay.

“Okay, okay. I understand. Have dinner with me this weekend? I’ll cook for you again, I’ll make it up to you” to be honest, he was afraid you might not come back here.

“Mhmm. I’d love to” you left a soft kiss on his cheek and opened his door. You are the first person who steps inside his house that comes out alive and well.

As you leave Jaehyun in his house, he was quick to call the sex club again and book you for tonight. The service was really expensive but as he talks to the person in charge of your schedule, you were worth every dime of his hard earned money from the university.

Happy about how your schedule with Jaehyun went, and happy that you met him, your friend from the front desks informed you of your new client for tonight and you screamed because of too much happiness when he used his real name to book you.

When you got home to prepare for yet another night with Jaehyun, you’ve never been so excited about meeting a client for the second time around. Thinking about how his lips travel in between the valley of your boobs the other night, that sweet handsome smile whenever he catches you looking at him, the way he makes your heart flutter during breakfast with his sweet words. This is definitely a good start to give love a chance and you’re stupid if you let something like this slip from your hands.

When the most awaited time finally came, Jaehyun was over the moon and blushing like crazy when he saw you again at his doorstep. This time, it’s not food he sees but a woman who will love him and will change his life. And if you used to smell so tasty and delicious for Jaehyun well now, you smell like love and new beginnings for him. You were the epitome of change, stepping into his house and in his whole life.

Your second night together was a hundred times better than the first even if it’s storming like crazy outside. It’s like going on an indoor date with Jaehyun, eating a delicious dinner, and drinking good wine together. Rather than having sex the whole evening, you and Jaehyun spend the night cuddling on his huge couch. Talking about life under a cozy blanket that he owns, creating your own special warmth.

“What if you became broke because of me?” you asked and snuggled closely.

“Hmm. Well, then I just have to work more. Get five jobs” he joked but he sounded serious.

“My job will be a great problem if we continue this. I don’t want to hurt you-“

“Hey, no one is hurting anyone. I respect your line of work and I understand the reason why you’re doing it. Until then I just have to wait for you just like the other guys. I have long patience, it’s not a problem” Jaehyun says and boops your nose.

And that is the start of your new life with Jaehyun. Your life is all about him and he is all about you. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. Jaehyun is still in love with the same woman who rang his doorbell and cared for him for the first time in his life. After a few months of looking for a job that does not include having sex with different men, you finally left the club and go home to Jaehyun every day.

Peaceful and quiet mornings are now replaced by Jaehyun’s disturbing kisses while you make him coffee. Leaving each other for work during the morning has been your daily struggle. But the promise of seeing each other at the end of the day is something so hard but worth it in the end.

Slowly, you changed each other’s lives. Loving each other deeply more and more, trying new things together, and loving life even when it’s incredibly tough sometimes. It was more than just flirting with each other, going on dates, and having a lot of sex.

Saying that he’s in love with you and showing it every day is still not enough for Jaehyun to prove you his love. He loves you so much that for the first time in his life he doesn’t want to go back to where he came from anymore. He wants to stay here with you. Live happily, marry you someday, have kids, and be with you until your dying breath.

“Why do you want so many kids?” you asked, drawing small circles on his toned chest while his right arm is securely wrapped around you.

“Kids are great especially when we are the ones who made them. Don’t you think?” He reached for your lips and kissed you.

“Promise me you’ll be a great dad. And you will never leave me or- or our future children alone. You’re a great man Jaehyun and my heart will break in a million pieces if you hurt me too like my dad” you were so full of emotions. You remember how your father left you and your family and it made your mother suffer. Jaehyun was quiet and he listened to you. Your feelings were so important to him so he did not dare interrupt and waited for you to finish.

“We will be happy, I promise. Watch me love you every day and fulfill all my promises to you”

The problem is... he can't tell you the truth about himself. Jaehyun is scared to the bone that you might not accept him. The truth about him is never easy to accept and he doesn’t want to give you that burden. Having a demon eating humans to survive is something unacceptable even when love is already involved. But he has faith in you. Someday, maybe he will be brave enough to tell you. But not now.

Dating you made his feeding a little hard because it’s basically cheating. He loves you so much that he despises being a demon and eating humans just to stay alive. Sometimes, he starves himself that he trie so hard to live on raw meat but it only lasts a few hours and it frustrates him greatly. He doesn’t want to meet other girls anymore and pretend that he’s interested in them, he wanted so bad to stop using Tinder. But he can’t. You don’t deserve a demon like him but he loves you and he’s sorry.

Even though you don’t know anything about Jaehyun’s real being, he never hurt you like one of your exes and he’s much a greater man than all of those jerks combined. He is the only man you see your future with, growing old together, having coffee on your porch, racking your chairs, and hopefully die together. Your heart can’t take it if Jaehyun dies before you. That’s how much you love him.

Four years ago

After a tiring day at the office, you’re so thankful that your house is quiet and peaceful, away from the noise of the city. You went straight to the bathroom, prepared the tub, and treat yourself to a nice warm bath with a glass of wine on the side.

“Y/n, you home?” Jaehyun put his keys on the table next to the entrance and removed his coat. He just came back from burying the bones of the three girls he just ate at the back of 127 House. Tricked them into having a foursome but even before they could remove their clothes, Jaehyun killed them already and ate them all until their bones are clean and easy to bury.

“In here” you shout while you put more bubbles in the tub. Jaehyun soon appeared and leaned on the bathroom door. “I just got home from work baby, hows the university?” you invited him inside and he greets you with a kiss on the cheek and proceeds to strip in front of you. For a university teacher, your boyfriend sure does look so hot.

“Nothing special. Students flirting with me, then I fail them” he giggles and joins you in the tub. Sitting behind you and pulling you against his strong chest. He plays with your wedding ring and intertwines his fingers with yours. Home is where Jaehyun is. He is the best thing about this house, coming home to him and enjoy this little world.

It was a silent moment for the two of you but you can hear him thanking you for staying in his life. Jaehyun’s eyes screams ‘i love you’ whenever he’s quiet and smirking liking this.

“Why are you always like that. You know you can always say it. Three words Jae, I love you. Were married already and you never said it to me-“

“But I always show it to you” he giggles and puts bubbles on top of your head and your cheeks, laughing because you look funny. “You will get sick of me if I start telling you those words. That’s why I show you instead. Those are powerful words Y/n, I’m saving it. Trust me, once I told you those words, you will fall in love with me. Again” he winked at you and you rolled your eyes at him. Facing him completely to clean him up.

“Do you fall in love with me over and over again whenever I tell you, I love you?” you asked. Looking in his eyes and brushing your wet lips on his. Touching. But not kissing. You can feel your boyfriend’s heartbeat so fast as you wait for his answer.

“Every time. Like you just walked into this house for the first time again” he smiled and flashed those cute dimples of his and kissed you down the tub until the water overflows and the candles are one by one dying because of the waters splashing.

Two years of happily dating through ups and downs. And two years of being happily married and you still don’t know what you did to deserve someone like Jaehyun. He’s beyond perfect. Like someone made him as a character in a book and poof he became real and find his way to you. “I love you” you whisper. And even though you won’t get a response, you know that Jaehyun does love you too.

One day, your boss made you left work early because he wanted you to go overtime the next day. So you did. You wanted to surprise your husband with his favorite take-out and spend a nice dinner with him. When you arrived in his driveway, you see his car badly parked on his huge lawn. You made your way quietly inside the house and went straight to the kitchen to put the food on the counter.

You heard continuous thumps upstairs, not quite sure from which room. As you walked towards the stairs, you heard another thump followed by a high pitched moan and, “Jaehyun! Don’t stop!” then another thump. At first, you didn’t want to walk further closer to the room where you believe Jaehyun is fucking someone because you didn’t want to see it. But you are his wife and you have every right to call him out even though it hurts you so much knowing that Jaehyun is capable of cheating. You can’t believe it.

As you peek at the door from his study room, you watch Jaehyun eat a girl’s pussy on his table. She looked young. Younger than you and maybe that’s why he cheated. The girl is very much overstimulated and can’t stay put so Jaehyun roughly holds her down while keeping her legs open. You watch Jaehyun hold her so harshly and wonder if your husband has always been into rough sex, “ouch!” she says loudly.

Jaehyun stopped licking her and proceeds to kiss her neck. At this point, you don’t know why you’re still watching your husband cheat when everything is all clear.

“FUCK!!!!!”

Hearing the girl scream like that made you stop from shouting and calling your husband a cheater. Because, lo and behold you witnessed your husband murder her. Biting her by the neck and choking her down so her body won't slip off his table. You gasped sharply when you saw Jaehyun ripped her stomach and reach in for her intestines. Covering your mouth with both of your hands as you can’t believe what you were watching. You would rather face the problem of your husband cheating on you, but murder? Devilry? Seeing him became a creature eating a human felt like you’re watching a horror movie and made you think that you don’t know Jaehyun anymore. Or did you ever?

As you watch him eat her and be scared for your life, you notice that Jaehyun’s face is slowly changing… “This can’t be” you murmured and fainted hitting your head first, making Jaehyun turn around with shock. Jaehyun didn’t know what to do. Usually, he eats the witness too but this time he can’t. Of course, he can’t eat you.

Every bit of the truth was too much for you. Even when you know that he is sincere with everything that he says to you about his true being.

You married a demon. How can Jaehyun expect you to accept this?

“Well, what did you want me to tell you? ‘I’m a demon and I eat humans to survive?’ I’m telling you now and you won't even look at me” Jaehyun was so frustrated already. It’s been a week since he told you the truth and to be honest he doesn’t know what you want him to do or to hear from him.

“It hurts me to see you all scared and disgusted to me, baby. I'm not forcing you to be with me and stay- but fuck I’m still Jaehyun. My feelings for you are true and my love for you is undying. Please don’t do this to us and don’t do this to yourself. You can leave, but please think about our years together” he kissed you on your temple and noticed that your grip on the knife is so tight that your hand is already shaking. Tears fall down your cheeks and you don’t know what it's made of. Was it because you’re scared? Heartbroken? Or confused because you don’t know what to do.

You love him but you’re scared. And that thought alone can make your knees weak and your mind go crazy.

Since you knew about the truth, your marriage went downhill and the house became cold and unwelcoming. A once fire burning relationship is now cold as ice. You decided to leave Jaehyun even when you made a promise to him. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.

For you, leaving was a mixture of loneliness, heartbreak, and disappointment. But for Jaehyun, he was lost, miserable, and incomplete. He wanted to starve himself and never eat humans from now on but he still wants to live for you. Hope and wait for you to come back in his life.

After leaving Jaehyun, you took care of yourself and went to therapy. But a few days after, you found out that you’re pregnant for almost two weeks already and once again you feel cheated in life because you could have had a family of your own and be happy in life. Just how you and Jaehyun planned it to be.

It’s Halloween tonight and Jaehyun just finished eating. He has no appetite, to be honest, and only ate a pair of arms. Then that’s it. He can’t eat the human further, still weak, and still looked like shit. He’s cleaning the mess he made on the kitchen counter, dumping a half-eaten body in a trash bag, and scrubbing blood off the floor when his doorbell rang and expected trick or treaters. He brought the bowl of candies with him, head towards the door, and opened it with a smile. But his smile was soon gone when he saw you on his doorstep, completely clueless on what to do because he wanted to hug and kiss you but he can’t.

“I shouldn’t have left you-“

Glass and candies shattered on the floor and neither one of you cared. Jaehyun hugged you tightly and apologized over and over again while he showers you with kisses. Smiling so brightly but both of you have heavy tears in your eyes.

The feeling of entering his house for the first time again after leaving him for only two weeks almost felt like the very first time. “Are you okay? You look sick” you worry for your husband and it made you feel like a shitty wife because you didn’t even consider his feelings. He was struggling too.

“Welcome home” Jaehyun sobs and pull you inside the house. He kissed you deeply and showed you how much he misses you, lifting you, and bringing you to your shared bedroom with all the strength he has left.

He removed your clothes and his clothes without leaving your lips which he missed kissing. You kept your eyes closed until you’re ready to open them again because you can’t help but see the demon who’s eating humans to survive. “It’s still me” Jaehyun whispers, kissing your hand and intertwining his fingers with yours. “Nothings changed, baby. I’m still the Jaehyun who paid the sex club just so I can spend time with you” he waits patiently for you to open your eyes, hoping that makeup sex will somehow fix your marriage again. You wrapped your arms around him when you feel him go in between your legs.

Slowly, you open your eyes and breathe in and out. “I’m pregnant” you whisper back, kissing him softly. He did not say anything but you know that Jaehyun is more than happy to hear the news.

“Is that why you came back? You want us to be a family?” he smiles and you answer with a quick nod. He kisses your neck all the way to your jaw, down to the valley between your boobs, and ends up in front of your pussy. At first, he was hesitating and kept on kissing your inner thighs but you seem eager, you roll hips continuously waiting for Jaehyun to make a move.

“Oooohh-” you moan out so deliciously, holding Jaehyun’s head in between your legs, raking his hair and tugging his locks every now and then. Before you even cum he stopped eating you out and went back to your lips. He ate you so good that you can taste yourself through his lips. He lines his cock and watches it disappear as he pushes deep inside you. You gasped and breathed heavily, gripping the sheets more when he starts drawing circles on your clit sinfully. He missed how your walls feel around him, biting his lower lip as he doubles his pace and dive in pleasure head first.

You reached for Jaehyun’s lips when you hit your high and asked him to, “Slow down. I want to savor you” he giggled and followed your request, kissing you more as he slowly fucks you while you enjoy your high and until he catches his own. He noticed there’s tears in your eyes when he pulled out and asked you, “what’s wrong baby? Talk to me” he kept you close to his tired and weak body, covering you both with the thick duvet and enjoying this special warmth.

“I’m sorry for distancing myself Jae, I’m sorry for leaving you” He can’t forgive himself hearing you apologize to him when it’s his fault your marriage was ruined. Jaehyun told you that he will stop eating humans until he finds an alternative. And to make things lighter, he thought of baby names until you two fall asleep in each other’s arms.

The plan worked.

When Jaehyun was in deep sleep, you went downstairs to get a knife. The sharpest one that can slit his throat in one go and bravely go on with your plan on killing your husband. As you placed the sharp knife on Jaehyun’s throat, it was so sharp that he is cut already and it woke him up.

Jaehyun opened his eyes and see you holding a knife on his throat, tears falling from your eyes, and obviously hesitating if you’re going to do it. Your husband saw your struggle. The deep shit he put you through. You don’t deserve any of this. If being dead can bring you peace in his life and healing, then so be it.

“It’s okay” he calms you down and holds your wrist, gripping the knife with you. His hand feels cold already. “burn the house and don’t let anyone see you leave here so you won't be accused over anything. I love you and I'm sorry”

It was the first time you heard those three words from Jaehyun and he was right. You remembered how much you love him like waking up in an awful curse but you’re too late. Jaehyun slit his own throat while still holding the knife with you.

Regret hit you like a train and all you can do is cry over Jaehyun’s dead body.

The sun is almost up and you can’t be seen leaving 127 House because there are two dead bodies in this house. You kissed Jaehyun’s corpse and removed his wedding ring from his finger. The only thing that will prove he existed in your life.

You used the gasoline for the barbecue party scheduled before Christmas, sobbed uncontrollably as you think all the memories you had with Jaehyun. His weak smile during the night you first met him, the first time his lips touched yours, all the plans and dreams you both had, how Jaehyun is always full of life when it comes to planning on having a baby…

But you killed him. And you’re about to burn the house and all the memories it holds like it’s just an unwanted photograph. After lighting the match, you drove away from the house as far as you can crying while you focus on the road and trying to find your way back to your old apartment.

As the sun goes up and slowly light up the sky, the image of 127 House burning flashes in front of your eyes and it made you pull over on the side road and take your time to cry. You feel Jaehyun’s cold lips on yours as you imagine his body being eaten by fire.

Halloween present time

“But did the demon really died mommy?” your daughter asked. Eager to hear the answer to her question. Until now telling her the story about Jaehyun, without the gory details and sex part of course, still gives you goosebumps. “You never answer my question. You’ve been telling me this story since I was six, I’m nine years old now. Please please please, answer the question” she added.

“Wow look who we have here” he knocked before coming in, “can I come in princess?”

“Of course daddy. Mommy, won’t tell me the ending of the demon eating-human” your daughter whines. You and Jaehyun just laughed at her and snuggled all together in her small bed.

“He didn’t. Now, will you please sleep?” he strokes his daughter’s soft hair, “mommy is tired already and I’m here to get her. Can I?”

“How can you be so sure he didn’t die?” you and Jaehyun groaned together.

“Okay. That’s it good night. No more stories. We love you, sleep well okay?” Jaehyun used his fatherly might and stopped his own daughter from bugging you both. She’s quite a handful sometimes. You and Jaehyun gave her a good night kiss and left her to sleep.

EXPLANATION

Jaehyun got out from the fire because he’s a demon and demons are immune from fire. He is a smart demon (btw he’s a university professor) so he found the reader again and incase you missed it, the reader regrets it because he loves Jaehyun so much.

Check the comments section for other answered questions.

Thank you for reading!

#nct-writers #kpopscape #kdiner #neohalloween #nct smut #jaehyun smut #nct jaehyun smut #nct x reader #nct jaehyun fluff #nct jaehyung angst #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct demon au #jaehyun x reader smut #jung jaehyun smut

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Prisoner - Part 13

February, 1067

Henry Cavill is a respected Norman baron who has been tasked with finding Lady Thomasin, an ill-tempered Saxon noblewoman, and returning her to London so the king can marry her off to a cruel Norman invader. The two grow close during the long journey, and Henry puts his own life in danger (more than once) to protect the woman he loves.

Masterlist

Thomasin was horribly ill in the morning due to the combination of her courses, sleeplessness, and anxiety. Etheldreda summoned Elaine without needing to be asked.

“Are you often like this in the early days of your time?” Etheldreda asked when she was sure Thomasin was, for the moment, finished vomiting in a bucket.

“Not often, thank God,” Thomasin croaked.

There was a knock at the door. A moment later, a very small Elaine came rushing in.

“Mercia is with me,” Elaine said, following after her miniature. “I hope you don’t mind.”

The little girl looked very much like her mother. Her curly blonde hair was light but still a shade or two darker than Elaine’s straight, pale tresses.

Thomasin did mind but she wasn’t in a place to object.

Elaine removed her satchel and unpacked its contents: around a dozen small jars filled with herbs and flowers. She set a small cauldron of water over the hearth to heat while she muddled peppermint, ginger, and herbs Thomasin did not recognize into a goblet.

The child parked herself beside Thomasin’s bed. “This my doll,” the child said proudly. “Her name Batty.”

“She’s very pretty,” Thomasin said. “Did your mother make her for you?”

“No. It’s present.”

“A gesture of good will from the queen,” Elaine said from the hearth. “It used to belong to one of her daughters.”

“I make her dress. See?” She shoved the poppet straight into Thomasin’s face so she could get a good look at its wrapping.

“Very pretty,” Thomasin said, carefully pushing it away. It had an odd smell to it. Lavender, Thomasin thought, and perhaps milfoil.

Elaine finished ladling hot water into the goblet of herbs and brought it to Thomasin. “You must wait a little before drinking this.”

“How long?”

“Until the water turns brown.”

Thomasin frowned. “Lovely.”

“You sick?” The child climbed onto the bed beside Thomasin. Thank God Etheldreda had already changed the bedding.

“A little.”

Mercia leaned forward like she was sharing a secret. “Is it lady sickness?”

“Mercia,” Elaine called. “Stop bothering Lady Thomasin. She has to drink her potion and prepare for the day.” She gestured at Thomasin to start drinking.

The hot, murky water smelled and tasted considerably better than Thomasin had anticipated, but she would never admit that. She made a face as she drained the cup.

Mercia took the liberty of scooching closer to Thomasin and crossed her little legs. “You got castle?” Mercia asked.

Thomasin looked to Elaine, silently willing the woman to shut her daughter up, but she was back to meddling with her herbs by the fire. “Not anymore.”

“I not have castle,” Mercia said comfortingly. “You have horses?”

“My family had some, yes.” She was without a horse of her own since her mare’s death the year before.

“Not anymore?”

“Not anymore,” Thomasin confirmed.

“I not have horse. You got –”

“Etheldreda, I think perhaps I might bathe. Could you send for a tub? The hot water unknots my muscles.” Thomasin was planning a veritable monologue – as long as she was talking, the child was not – but Mercia had already lost interest in Thomasin.

She crouched beside her mother by the fireplace and plucked dried leaves and flowers from Elaine’s many jars which she then ate.

“A note, milady,” Etheldreda said. She handed the paper over to Thomasin. Thomasin tore it open, expecting something from Henry. It was not. “Are you still ill, Lady Thomasin?” Etheldreda asked.

“It’s from Lawrence,” Thomasin said. All three women fell silent; Mercia tugged at her mother’s hand in a soundless demand for protection and an explanation. “Perhaps I am still unwell.” Thomasin settled back into the pillows.

“What does it say?” Elaine asked.

“He would like to walk with me in the gardens.”

“In Heaven’s name, why?” asked Etheldreda.

“I’m supposed to marry him.”

Mercia wasn’t totally sure what was happening, but the toddler knew how to distract everyone from their problems. Something she heard from Henry and Simon when she caught them by surprise once.

“Goddamn it!”

Thomasin shouldn’t be surprised that Lawrence expected to spend time with her, since they were, after all, engaged.

She supposed she should be pleased in some way. Or that she would be pleased if she were really going to marry him. He was handsome – or would be, if he weren’t directly compared to Henry. He was long-limbed and slim, a combination which made him look foxlike and sly. He was about Henry’s age, which put him somewhere in his early thirties, at least ten years older than Thomasin if not more.

It was a small age gap by most standards; most women wed by sixteen to men at least twice their age, often far more. Justina’s husband was nineteen or twenty years her senior.

As for Lawrence’s personality . . .

Thomasin originally imagined Lawrence to be the sort of man who took joy in chaos and death. Instead, he was reportedly the sort not to find joy in anything at all. According to Elaine, he wasn’t the angry type either. Indeed, he seemed rather disinterested in general.

The snow had started to melt, so Lawrence suggested a walk through the garden. They had no chaperone, but there were at least a dozen others walking along the paths. Etheldreda had altered Thomasin’s borrowed clothes so thankfully she didn’t get mud on the hem of her skirts.

The conversation was bland, to say the least, until Thomasin grew tired of being polite.

“I’ve heard the stories about you,” Thomasin finally said. “How you killed that baron’s wife and daughters. How you let your men rape the servants.”

Lawrence took a deep breath and shut his eyes, summoning his every ounce of patience. “My lady, that is what soldiers do in war. The reason most of these men came from Normandy in the first place was to enjoy the spoils of war. More often than not, those spoils are women.” He took another deep breath and went on walking. “I tell you truthfully, I’ve never had a girl against her will. That’s more than I can say for most of these other barons.”

“Indeed,” Thomasin said again.

“Does it surprise you to hear that most of the men here at court have raped defeated women?”

“No.” Thomasin wasn’t a fool, but she didn’t like thinking about that sort of thing. “But not all of them. Henry and his brothers haven’t. Roger hasn’t.”

Lawrence snorted. “Roger’s perversion sways him from women to men, and the Cavills are an anomaly.”

Thomasin had no idea what the first part meant but she agreed with the second.

“Henry cares for you deeply,” he said after a moment, tone perfectly conversational. “Tis a pity, that. His family are the most honorable men in Normandy if not the world, but I fear he’s a fool.”

“Why are we speaking of Henry?”

Lawrence stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t insult my intelligence.”

Thomasin straightened up. “All right. What’s your point, then?”

“I’m sure the two of you will cook up some plot to overthrow me so that Henry can take my place as your intended. Frankly, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Thomasin made a face which she couldn’t hide. “Then why not just release me and let me marry him?” Her words dripped with judgment at his stupidity

“The king gave you to me, not him. He would be insulted if I gave you up for no reason. Besides, you are the sort that I want.”

“The sort,” she repeated.

“You are beautiful, self-possessed, intelligent, strong. And you speak your mind, which i think saves a great deal of time.” He shrugged. “It’s a sound match.”

Had he just complimented her? The words were kind but his tone was so detached it felt more like an insult.

Thomasin had the thought that maybe she should hold her tongue. Maybe she shouldn’t say what she wanted to. But she did “How sound was your last match?”

His ears went so red that Thomasin thought they might burst.

“There you are!” Elaine said, feigning relief. She conveniently appeared from a bend in the garden path. “I was looking for you.” She folded Thomasin’s arm into her own. “We must get you back to bed or I fear your promenade will be spoiled with sick. Do you mind terribly, Baron, if I take Lady Thomasin back to her chambers for some much-needed rest?”

“By all means,” he said - in a similarly sarcastic tone to the one Thomasin often used. “I’m due to visit your Saxon brethren in their dungeon anyway. I’ll be sure to give them your best.” He smiled and bowed. “Ladies.”

The women curtseyed and muttered farewells.

“Did you hear him?” Thomasin hissed when he was out of earshot. “He mentioned the Saxons.”

“I heard him,” Elaine said tersely.

“Shouldn’t they have been executed by now?” asked Thomasin.

“One of the men told me that William is reluctant. They’re fine warriors, supposedly. The king would rather have their loyalty than their heads.”

Thomasin sighed. “Little chance of that.”

Henry was among the best warriors under William’s command. He was without a doubt a finer warrior than Lawrence, but he was still vulnerable because he adhered to a code of honor that Lawrence did not. Lawrence’s ruthlessness and detachment made him highly effective, though, and Henry would not make the mistake of underestimating him.

There was a large stone courtyard between the castle itself and the wall William was building around it to make it into another bailey. Henry joined Roger, Charlie, and most of their men to train. Knights were expected to keep their skills sharp and were therefore expected to practice their skills, so it wasn’t strange for him to be there. No one suspected he was training for a duel, or if they did, they were quiet about it.

Henry was barely out of the castle before a little voice called his name,

“Henry!”

He turned around just in time to see Mercia, Elaine’s daughter, crash into his solid legs. He barely had time to maneuver so that she wouldn’t run smack into his scabbard.

“Ah, Mercia!” he said brightly, hoisting the girl into his arms. “You must be careful running. You could’ve gone straight into my sword and be chopped in half!”

“I careful,” she said. “I not cut in half. See?” She opened her arms as if to show him she was whole.

“And what about Batty?” Henry asked, nodding to the doll in her hand. “Is she as careful as you are?”

“Batty not a person, Henry. She not need be careful.”

“Ah, of course! That’s why she won’t talk to me!”

In fact, Batty didn’t interact with Henry because of an unfortunate incident in which Kal thought the poppet belonged to him and nearly tore it to shreds. Mercia had yet to forgive the dog. Her mother repaired the doll as best as she could, though it still bore the marks of its ordeal. Elaine was clever enough to replace some of the lost stuffing with the same herbs she used to treat people with similar wounds. It was Simon’s idea to add lavender to it to help the child relax.

“Where Simon?” Mercia asked.

Simon was Mercia’s dearest companion and she was his. He often referred to the girl as his own small angel, and sometimes asked her where her wings had gone.

Henry would’ve gladly been her playmate, ready for a footrace or a game at a moment’s notice, if his older brother had not asserted himself in that role. Simon’s special relationship with her daughter kindled Elaine’s affections for him until they mirrored his own admiration and tenderness for the healer.

Simon, like Henry, longed for the joy and companionship of a wife and family, though his desire was even greater than his brother’s.

Charlie, too, wanted a family of his own, but he would not admit such a thing aloud. He could be prickly and cold to those he disliked while charming, funny, and kind to those he did. He often made up his mind about people quite quickly, and once his opinion was formed it was difficult to change. Such was the case with Thomasin.

“Simon is still in the north, at the castle I told you about,” Henry said to the little girl. “I know he would rather be here playing with you.”

“He coming back?”

“Soon.”

She frowned. “I miss him. He my friend.”

“Am I not your friend, too?” Henry said with false sadness.

“Yeah, you my friend but you not best friend like Simon.”

Henry sighed theatrically. “I suppose I understand.” He looked around but there was no sign of Elaine, only a handful of serving women pinning wet clothes on a line. “Where’s your mother?”

“She with Lady Thomasin.”

Henry broke into a smile at the sound of her name. He always did. “You’ve met Tom?”

The child frowned again. “Who Tom?”

“It’s a name I call Thomasin.”

“Tom is name for boys. Thomasin not a boy,” she explained patiently.

“Of course, of course. Please forgive me.”

“I forgive,” she said, patting his shoulder.

Henry chuckled. “Is your mother friends with Tom? Thomasin,” he corrected.

“Yeah but they not play today. Thomasin not feel good.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

Mercia motioned for Henry to bring his ear closer so she could whisper to him. “Lady sickness.” She pulled away. “Mama say not to talk about it cause it a secret. Cannot tell!”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Henry promised. He was quietly relieved to hear it was nothing serious, but he frowned over it. Was she really sick, he wondered, or had her engagement to Lawrence prompted her to withdraw from court life?

“Thomasin pretty,” Mercia said.

“Very pretty,” Henry agreed.

“I like her hair.” The little girl started wiggling, a silent signal for Henry to set her down. “She sad though cause she gotta marry Lawrence. Lawrence really scary. And it a bad thing so I say, ‘Goddamn it!’” She shouted the curse; a female servant nearby looked shocked and horrified at the sound.

“Shh!” Henry said, putting his finger to his lips. “Who said that in front of you? Where did you hear it?”

“You say it. When Kal sneaked up on you and barked. You jump and you say, ‘Goddamn it!’”

“Shh!” Henry said again. “You mustn’t say that.”

“Cause why?”

Henry didn’t have a good reason handy. “Ask Simon when he gets back.”

“Why you not tell me?” she asked, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.

“Because I’m not your best friend.”

Henry went for two rounds with Roger, winning both. He then sparred with his squire, since it was his responsibility to train the boy, but he lacked the patience for it today. “Practice your footwork before next time, Jamie. It’s too easy to knock you on your arse.”

“We have an audience,” Roger murmured, nodding to a small, barred window at the base of the castle that looked in on the dungeon. A red-bearded face was just visible through the iron grate. One of the Saxon prisoners, no doubt.

“Can I be of service, sir?” Roger called out. He was courteous by nature, but he became excessively so when speaking to a handsome man – even if that man was in chains.

“Are you preparing for a fight?” the man asked.

Henry opened his mouth to tell the Saxon that it was none of his business, but Roger answered instead. “Aye.”

“What are you fighting over?”

“What do you care?” Henry said. The Saxon shrugged. “A woman,” Henry finally said.

The Saxon didn’t approve. “One woman is just as good as another. It is no great tragedy to lose one to another man. Certainly not worth dying over.”

Henry though the Saxon must not have known many women in his life if he thought they were all interchangeable. But fair number of men, Saxon and Norman alike, shared his sentiment: So long as she ran the household and gave birth to sons, a woman was a woman, and her personality was of little consequence.

“I disagree,” said Henry.

“Then she must be the kindest, most loving woman in all of Christendom if you’re willing to die for her,” the Saxon remarked.

Roger smirked. He spoke low enough that only Henry could hear when he said, “She most certainly is not.” Henry shot him a look which he pretended not to say. “What’s your name, Saxon?”

The Saxon sucked his teeth and narrowed his eyes in thought but did not reply.

“I’m Baron Roger,” Roger said. “This is Henry, my brother-by-law. And you are?” he prompted when the Saxon didn’t respond.

The Saxon replied, “Cerdic.”

One of the squires came around with a note from Henry when Thomasin was readying for dinner. It told Thomasin to come to the servant’s corridor at once. She hurried to finish preparing and went straight to the meeting spot.

“Henry?” she whispered, tiptoeing through the silent hall.

“No.”

Thomasin’s hand flew to her chest in surprise; her fist closed around Henry’s ring. “Charlie,” she gasped. She took a deep breath. “You nearly frightened the life out of me.”

Charlie did not look even the least bit contrite. In fact, he looked murderous. “You can’t let Henry get himself killed for you.”

Straight into arguing, then, Thomasin thought. A gentleman of Charlie’s pedigree ought to feign civility before starting trouble, at least in the beginning of the conversation.

“Do you think I want that? That I’m happy to have Henry risk his life?” Thomasin snapped. “Do you think I haven’t tried to reason with him?”

“You must try harder.”

“I must do nothing of the sort.” Thomasin agreed with his sentiment, but the way he spoke to her made her see red. “You try to reason with him! You’re his brother.”

“I have tried,” he growled, each word as sharp as a razor. “He’s determined to kill himself for you.”

Thomasin was ready to murder Charlie. It was a long time coming. “It’s not my fault that Henry fell in love with me,” she snapped. And that was true, wasn’t it? She hadn’t encouraged his affection, at least not at first. Had she? “I can’t control what he does. Go on hating me if you like, but it won’t change anything for anyone.”

“There’s another way.” Charlie swallowed his discomfort. “If you invite him to share your–”

Thomasin shook her head. “I’ve tried that,” she said, blushing all the way to her hairline. “He won’t. He’s too damn honorable for it.”

“Well you don’t need him to now if it’s already been done,” said Charlie.

“I don’t follow.”

Charlie fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I know about that night at the pond, just before you were injured.”

She shouldn’t be surprised to hear that he knew; they hadn’t exactly been subtle. But Charlie assumed too much.

Thomasin took a deep breath and ignored the feeling of blood rushing into her cheeks. “Henry and I didn’t . . .”

Charlie shut his eyes and tried to be delicate. “Madam, you were unclothed –”

“He didn’t bed me,” Thomasin said strongly. A moment later, she added, “Not quite.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just tell the king you are not virtuous; you’ll be released from your betrothal without getting my brother slaughtered.”

Thomasin exhaled through her nose. “I’ve considered this course of action,” she confessed. “But it seems unwise to lie to the king, especially for a Saxon. Besides, Lawrence might demand proof. They’ll know I’m lying if they examine me.”

Charlie believed his brother was too fine a man to take advantage of Thomasin, but he was a bit surprised that she was a virgin – or claimed to be, at least. She didn’t possess many virtues that he was aware of, and he hadn’t expected chastity to be one of them.

“It won’t come to that. Some of the men will attest to what they saw that night in the camp.”

Some of the men? Good Lord, how many of them had seen her and Henry together? The fact that any man had seen them meant the whole group knew what happened; gossip spread through camps like wildfire through a dry forest.

Good. Wonderful. Now she was a shrew and a whore.

Charlie was calmer now but his gaze stayed sharp. “My brother loves you. He says it and shows it all the time.”

Thomasin’s throat tightened. “I know.” There was never a doubt in her mind about it. She had the love of a good man. Not many women could say that.

“Yet I’ve never heard you say you love him. I’ve never seen you show it,” he continued. “I won’t let him die for a woman who doesn’t love him back.”

He was right.

She didn’t love him. She couldn’t.

It would betray the promise she made the night her father died never to forgive the invaders that stole her life away. That promise and the anger and pain beneath it were all Thomasin had left of her old self. She doubted she’d ever see any of her siblings again, or her home. That promise was her quiet rebellion against a change she could not fight.

She was allowed to feel tenderness for him, even affection, but she could not love him.

“You don’t know a damned thing about what I feel,” she snarled. She could hardly contain her fury; her whole body shook with the urge to lash out at Charlie and the difficulty of controlling it.

“Perhaps I don’t,” Charlie said. “But don’t allow a good man get killed for nothing.”

Thomasin’s throat was suddenly dry and tight and sore. “I won’t.”

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

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Riding High

Ch8: Adler vs Adler

Chapter Summary: The gloves are off in court as Frank faces off against his mother.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Talk of suicide.

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: Contains SPOILERS for the film!!!!! If you haven’t seen it please be aware of that before you read on. Also, those of you who do know this film well will see that I’ve changed the dates referenced in the court case, that’s because I brought the timeline of Gifted forward from 2015 (when it was filmed) to 2017 (when it was released). This was mainly to suit Fliss’ backstory of the Olympics. 2015 is too close to 2012 for me to make it work. Also Frank’s middle name is an absolute H/C too as I couldn’t find it anywhere so, sorry if this annoys any of you but, to quote @icanfeelastormbrewing- “my coffee, my fic, my rules…”

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 7

“And love, if your wings are broken, borrow mine so yours can open too…’cause I’m gonna stand by you”

The first bit of evidence the next morning was the findings of the Welfare Department’s investigation. It had thrown nothing out of the ordinary up. The house was clean enough, Mary was fed, but they did point out that their current living arrangements wouldn’t be suitable for much longer as Mary would need her own room as she grew older, something which Frank’s attorney accepted on behalf of Frank, stating to the court that Frank had already considered this. Which in fairness he had. The Welfare Department continued then, stating that Mary’s interview the previous day hadn’t thrown up anything of concern, even if there were some questionable TV viewing habits, namely Ultimate Fighting on a Saturday night, but they were satisfied that overall Mary was suffering no ill effects, mentally or physically from being with Frank.

This took them just under an hour, as they were factual reports. Both Attorney’s requested clarification on certain points but there were no questions or cross examinations to be done. As such they had concluded just after eleven am and there was then a small ten minute break to allow a quick consultation between clients and attorney’s before Evelyn was to take to the stand. As people moved around, passing papers and files to one another, Frank turned in his seat and just as he glanced round, someone left the courtroom and through the open door Fliss walked in, dressed in a smart pair of black jeans and a light blue strappy top. He flashed her a smile and she gave a small wave, settling onto a seat next to Roberta who gave her a hug. She’d missed the early session due to having to sort the horses out but she’d cleared her diary and brought in cover for the rest of the day so she could be there to lend him support.

And even though the morning had, all in all, been favourable to him, Frank felt his spirits raise even more at the sight of her there in his corner so to speak. Tearing his eyes away from her, Frankturned back to Greg who was watching him, eyebrow raised.

“Well that’s a mighty big smile Frank.”

“I just spotted some additional back up, that’s all.” Greg turned to see the woman who was now talking to Roberta and he grinned, spinning back to Frank “Let me guess, Fliss?”

Frank nodded “Yeah, I’ll introduce you later.”

Greg raised his eyebrow, smiling a little. “I look forward to it. Anyway, back to business. That opening report from the Welfare Department was good, well as good as it’s gonna get. But dude, Ultimate Fighting? Really?”

“It’s harmless fun.” Frank shrugged

Greg shook his head “Whatever. This next bit ain’t gonna be as easy.” “No shit.” Frank mumbled, looking at his mother as she said something to Highsmith, her attorney. “She’s going to rip me to pieces, and no doubt enjoy doing it too.” “Yep.” Greg nodded “But just keep doing what you’re doing. No outbursts, stay quiet, focussed and listen. If she says something that isn’t accurate, or you think of anything we can use, note it down and I’ll use it in my cross examination, okay?” Frank nodded as Judge Nicholls banged his gavel down and issued instructions for everyone to reconvene. He called Evelyn to the stand where she was sworn in and Highsmith stood up and began firing questions at her, a well-practiced dance, Frank could tell.

From the gallery Fliss watched intently. She’d been missed the first session but Roberta had hastily filled her in, telling her it had gone well. She shot Frank another encouraging smile, just as the judge called them back to order, and couldn’t help but notice how good he looked in his suit. A far cry from his dirty jeans and ratty work t-shirts. Which, if she was honest, she preferred…

Evelyn took to the stand and Fliss felt herself bristling as she proceeded to utterly character assassinate Frank, depicting him as nothing more than an irresponsible bum, floating around with no purpose to life, a man who didn’t care about Mary’s welfare, preferring to simply fly by the seat of his pants instead of giving her any decent roots or thoughts to her needs. At one point, they started to question his motivations towards taking Mary being more about punishing Evelyn that actually caring about the girl. To this Frank’s attorney objected and as the two lawyers began to argue, Fliss found her nails cutting into her palms as she clenched her fists. Roberta gently reached out and squeezed her arm and she turned to the woman next to her and gave her a tight smile.

“Frank’s attorney, Greg Cullen, he’s good…” Roberta whispered, “He’ll go at her when he gets his chance, you’ll see.”

The objection was overruled, the judge telling Cullen he would get his chance to challenge that statement in his cross examination, and Cullen sat down, leaning over to whisper something to Frank who nodded, his eyes not once leaving his mother. Cullen jotted something down as Evelyn continued.

By the time she finished it was almost one pm so they broke for lunch, Judge Nicholls instructing everyone to be back in an hour. Fliss and Roberta headed outside to wait for Frank who met them shortly after.

“Hey.” Fliss gave him a gentle hug. “How you holding up?”

“About as well as I can for someone whose own mother just tore them to shreds under oath.” Fliss’ eyes narrowed “I hope your guy is gonna give her as much of a shredding as she gave you.” “I’ll do my best.” A voice spoke from behind them. Fliss spun round to be greeted by Frank’s attorney.

“Fliss, this is Greg Cullen, Greg, Fliss Gallagher.” Frank introduced them to one another. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Greg smiled at her, shaking her hand. Fliss looked up at Frank and was surprised to find a faint flush of red on his cheeks.

“All good I hope?” she grimaced and Cullen nodded.

“Oh, very good indeed. I’ve been dying to meet the woman who’s made such an impression on him.” “Greg, piss off.” Frank groaned in a tired voice before he nodded over the road to the café “Shall we grab some lunch?”

They ate together, making small talk, before Greg requested Frank join him alone for fifteen minutes to go over their plan for the rest of the afternoon. Frank stood, and without even thinking about it gave Fliss a quick peck on the cheek. He winced as soon as he had, noticing that Cullen and Roberta were watching him and, knowing Fliss was going to get an absolute drilling from Roberta, he shot her an apologetic look as he walked away. She simply smiled through her blush and shook her head, turning to Roberta who nudged her arm.

“Okay, what was that?” Greg asked as they walked back over the road. “Are you two erm…”

“It’s complicated.” Frank shrugged after a little pause. “We both, well we both like each other but with everything that’s going on we’re just kind of waiting, I suppose. I’m focussing on getting through whatever it is that happens with Mary and then hopefully...what?” he trailed off as Greg was smirking at him.

“Frank Adler. Finally found a girl he likes that much he ain’t simply trying to get her into bed. Wait till I tell the guys.”

Frank rolled his eyes and pointed to the courtroom “How about you concentrate on what’s gonna go on in there instead of what is or isn’t going on in my bedroom?”

Greg gave out a chuckle and patted his friend on the shoulder as they made their way in and headed into the side room they had reserved.

****

“Mrs. Adler, in your earlier testimony here today, you painted a pretty dim picture of your own son don't you think?” Cullen asked, tapping his pen on his note pad. Frank remained stony faced, watching his mother.

“I'm under oath, I take no pleasure in it.” She said with a glance at Frank before she looked down, almost convincingly.

Frank just about managed to refrain from rolling his eyes.

“So, your son is a failure in life, your daughter took her life, you know, you're oh for two.”

Fliss winced and glanced at Roberta as Highsmith said “Objection” in an almost bored voice

“Withdrawn.” Cullen’s voice took on an amused edge but as Fliss watched as Evelyn simply eyed him, completely un-phased.

“If I go one for three, I'm in the Hall of Fame.” she shot back.

“You know baseball.” Cullen pushed his chair back. “Fenway Park.”

At that something flickered in Evelyn’s eye as she glanced at Frank. Fliss followed her gaze and watched, just able to see the side of Frank’s face. His eyes were locked onto her, his expression never faltering.

“You know, I'd like to go there sometime.” Cullen stood up, pushing his glasses up onto his head as Evelyn turned back to him “How often in a year did you take Diane to the baseball game?”

“Diane wasn't interested in sports.” Evelyn replied

“She never wanted to go to a game? Ever?”

“I don't recall her ever asking.”

Cullen moved forwards a step and Fliss saw Frank’s eyes flick to him as he continued to question his mother.

“Just out of curiosity, Fenway, that's a tough ticket. Where do you get yours?”

“My husband has season tickets.”

“And how long has he had them?” Cullen enquired

“Thirty years. But I've only been married to him for twenty.” Evelyn informed him.

“And Diane never went to one game?”

Evelyn didn’t reply, simply raised her eyebrows slightly as if she was failing to see the point. Fliss’ eyes once again flicked to Frank who still hadn’t moved an inch.

“What colour was the dress Diane wore to prom?” Cullen changed his line of questions.

“Diane didn't attend the prom, because she didn't attend the high school.” Evelyn replied calmly

“No prom.” Cullen mused before he asked suddenly.“What sports did she play?”

“As I told you earlier, she wasn't interested in sports.”

“She’s calm.” Roberta whispered to Fliss as Cullen continued to question Evelyn about Diane’s lack of interaction with other children her age.

“Too calm.” Fliss nodded. “But I can see what he’s doing, trying to paint a picture of how she isolated Diane to imply that she’d do the same to Mary. You’re right, he’s good.”

As they tuned back into the examination again, Cullen took a deep breath and glanced to his left

“Mrs. Adler,” he looked back at her, “who's Paul Riva?”

At that Evelyn glanced at Frank, her calm mask slipping ever so slightly but still Frank didn’t move. Fliss could see his expression now carried a faint, and every so sad, smile.

Evelyn gave a silent huff before she looked back at Cullen “He was a boy from the neighbourhood.”

Her tone was clipped and Fliss noticed the judge sit forward slightly at her shift in attitude, narrowing his eyes a little as he watched her curiously.

“Oh, come on. He was much more than just a boy from the neighbourhood. Paul was Diane's first love. Wasn't he?” Cullen asked.

Fliss and Roberta exchanged a glance.

“I wouldn't characterize it that way, no.” Evelyn shook her head.

“And how would Diane characterize it?”

“Diane was seventeen years old at the time. She didn't know anything about love.”

At that Fliss caught the first movement Frank had made since his mother had started talking. He took a deep breath and looked to his left before turning back, his shoulders moving slightly in frustration as he shook his head slightly, his eyes locking back onto his mother who was carefully avoiding his gaze.

“Mrs. Adler, in January 2000 didn't Diane and young Mr. Riva run away together?” Cullen looked at her.

“He coerced her.” Evelyn corrected with the air of someone picking her words carefully.

“And where did they go?”

“Vermont.”

“And you called the police, didn't you?” Cullen stated rather than asked.

“Yes.”

“Because he kidnapped her?”

“Yes”

“And where did the police find young Mr. Riva and Diane?” Cullen looked at Evelyn

“I told you, Vermont.” Evelyn looked at Cullen, her voice suddenly taking on an icy edge which made Fliss lean forward slightly.

“Stowe, Vermont. Wasn't it? A resort town.” Cullen looked round the court room as Evelyn shifted uncomfortably. “Stowe Mountain. He took her skiing. You see, kidnappers don't usually take their victims skiing.” Cullen paused from his explanation. When he spoke again his voice was calm, and slow, stressing the point perfectly “But this is what Paul did because he and Diane were in love.”

“No.” Evelyn refuted firmly

“And when they returned, you pressed kidnapping charges.” Cullen’s voice rose in volume and speed as he spoke. “You filed a lawsuit against his parents, until Paul stopped calling Diane. Didn't you?”

“Yes.”

“And Diane never heard of or saw Paul Riva again. Did she?” Cullen’s tone was harsh, accusatory as he stared at Evelyn.

“Poor girl.” Roberta mumbled besides her and Fliss shook her head, in utter shock at how a mother could be so damned cruel and out of touch with her own daughter. It made her feel a pang of sympathy for Mary’s mother despite never having known her. Fliss couldn’t imagine what she would do without either of her parents being as supportive as they were.

Evelyn must have answered as by the time Fliss turned her attention fully to what she was saying, as Cullen had asked another question.

“And how did she take it?”

“She was upset for a while. She lost focus.”

“She lost focus.” Cullen turned back to the desk and picked up a small file. “Mrs. Adler,” he turned back, file in hand, “in March of 2001 didn't Diane Adler attempt to take her own life?”

“This episode was minor. It was nothing.” Evelyn replied, her tone harsh.

“Nothing?” Fliss drew in a breath, shaking her head. For a moment she almost lost herself in another memory, of one rainy afternoon in Boston in October 2015, but she took a deep breath and focussed on where she was, as Cullen flashed the file at Evelyn.

“I have the hospital report in my hand.” he informed her

“It was nothing.” Evelyn said again, and now Fliss could see she was rattled. “Diane was not like regular people. She was extraordinary. And extraordinary people come with singular issues and needs.”

Fliss watched as Evelyn leant forward, her face creased in anger as she hissed “You have no idea of the capability she possessed. One in a billion. And you would say fine, let's throw that away, so the boy who cuts our yard can make a sexual conquest? Well maybe before you make that decision, you stand in my shoes. I had responsibilities, which went beyond the mother-daughter relationship.”

She took a deep breath and spoke again, her voice louder this time “The greatest discoveries, which have proved life on this planet have come from minds rarer than radium. Without them, we'd still be crawling in mud. And for your information, counsellor, a year after this incident with this boy Diane thanked me for my intervention. She realized she'd made a mistake and she thanked me. You see, Diane understood. She was accountable for the gift she'd been given. And she didn't shy from it.”

Every inch of Evelyn’s face was contorted with a mixture of pain and anger, and she radiated absolute fury across the courtroom as her rant built to its climax

“And I think, if she were here today, Mr. Attorney, she would refute your baseless insinuations, that she would give up her brilliant future and take her own life just because mummy didn't get her a little red wagon

There was a pause as she took a breath and sat back.

“No more questions.” Cullen said simply, turning back to his seat.

Fliss watched Frank who shifted, rubbing his chin with his left hand, his fingers curling round his jaw in an L shape as he stared at this mother, his face completely unreadable to anyone who didn’t know him, but to her she could see the pain in his eyes.

And from the look Evelyn gave him, it was obvious she’d seen it too.

***** When Mary returned home on the school bus that afternoon, Frank did his best to remain positive and keep his broodings to himself, and was thankful when Fliss suggested they head out for dinner with Roberta. The four of them went to the same restaurant he had met his mother at not long before where he ate, not really tasting his food, or listening as Fliss and Roberta chatted away. Instead his attention was completely on Mary who was stood with one of the waitresses at another table, pouring sand out of one of the bottles that was used to keep the tablecloths from blowing away. The thought that she could be without such simple pleasure of looking through sand for shells, and lost to a world of pressure and solitude like Diane had been, was breaking his heart.

He felt someone squeeze his hand at the same time Mary held up a shell and showed it to him. He took a deep breath and tried to rearrange his face into a smile as he turned to face Fliss.

“It’s going to be okay, Frank.” She looked at him and he swallowed, unable to form his words. Instead his fingers tightened around hers and she simply held his hand whilst they finished up their drinks.

Later that evening, once Mary was asleep inside the apartment, Frank and Fliss sat outside the kitchen door, shoulder to shoulder along the top step.

“You know, until I met you I thought sitting on a porch drinking beer was something only red necked hillbillies did.” Fliss teased him.

“Well, according to my mother that’s what I am.” he scoffed.

“And according to me your mother is a callous, cold hearted bitch.” Fliss spat, with such venom it made Frank look at her, his eyebrow raising a little. She took a deep breath, her voice softening “How can anyone dismiss a suicide attempt as nothing.”

Frank looked away, taking a pull from his beer. They sat in silence for a moment before Fliss broke it.

“You know back in 2015, about five months after I’d gotten married, I almost did it you know? Killed myself.”

Frank’s head turned to face her. She wasn’t looking at him, instead she remained focussed on a spot in the distance as she stared straight ahead. “My life was out of my control, and it was the only way I could think of getting some of that control back. So I took a shit load of buproprion and washed it down with half a litre of vodka.”

“Shit, Lissy I’m sorry, I had-” She waved his sympathy off and continued “After that I was offered all this help and support and-” she snorted bitterly, “I still went back to him. He convinced everyone, including me that the issue was the fact that I was still brooding over my career being cut so short, and then told me that having a kid would fix the issue. In reality there was no issue to fix. I wasn’t depressed as such, I was abused. And that was simply another way of him taking control.”

After a moment she turned to look at him, “I’m not saying your mother abused Diane, not as such but she isolated her for her own, selfish reasons, no matter how she tries to dress them up or convince herself that it was for Diane’s own good. That first suicide attempt your sister would have made a normal, loving parent sit up and pay attention to what was going on. I know it did mine, as Bill never trusted John’s explanation, not one word.” “I should have done more too.” Frank’s voice was choked as he looked down at his feet. “But I was so busy, wrapped up in my finals and…”

“Frank, Diane wasn’t your responsibility, you’re not her parent.”

“No but when Dad died, I promised I’d take care of her, always be there for her. I should have done more, and I should have known, when she turned up that day at mine with Mary…”

“Frankie.” Fliss cut him off, her hand taking his. “Take it from me, my mum and dad and brother went through all of this in their head. Did Diane give you any warnings at all because I know I didn’t? Look at the lies and the world of fantasy I let John build up round me and detract from what was going on. I told nobody I was gonna do it Frank. And I told no body why I did it either.”

Frank sniffed and wiped at his nose slightly with his free hand.

“So you can either carry on beating yourself up over something that isn’t your fault or you can concentrate on getting the best outcome here for Mary.”

He reached for his beer which was on the step below him between his legs and nodded. She was right, he knew she was, but there would always be that part of him that wondered if he could have done more, it he should have done more.

“Are you planning on coming tomorrow?” he asked, looking at Fliss.

“Yeah, Joanne is covering again.”

“I don’t want to put you out.” he said gently, but she shook her head.

“It’s sorted.” Fliss smiled. “She wants the week of Thanksgiving off so she’s racking up the favours.”

“Well, from a purely selfish standpoint I’m glad.” He flexed his fingers against hers, looking down at where they were entwined.

“I’m not missing your testimony, if only for the sole reason of discovering what your full name is.” she teased as he looked at her. Frank gave a huff of a laugh “Francis Preston Adler, nice to meet you.” He tipped his bottle in her direction. “Preston?” She snorted “Get out of town! There’s a place in England called Preston, it’s like thirty miles away from my home!”

Frank smiled, before he sighed.

“Last day tomorrow isn’t it?” Fliss looked at him as he stared straight ahead.

He let out a breath “Yeah, well last day of evidence. Then we have to wait for however long it takes the judge to read all the reports and make a ruling.”

“Well then, I suggest you get some sleep, or as much as you can.” Fliss kissed his cheek, and with that she released his hand and stood up. Frank followed her lead, rising to her feet. “Oh, and FYI I got an absolute interrogation off Roberta before when you did that to me. Felt like it was me in the dock, not Evelyn.” For the first time all evening Frank laughed.

******

The gloomy, rainy morning matched Frank’s mood perfectly.

He sat in the dock dressed in his suit, feeling as out of place as anyone could. Greg went through the questions he had coached Frank on, questions designed not to paint him as a saint but to simply be real and portray him as a normal person, doing the best he could for his niece in line with his sister’s wishes. Frank answered them honestly. Was he perfect? No. Had he done things correctly? No. Did he wish he had spotted Diane was struggling? Yes. Did he love Mary and want the best for her? With every breath he had.

The questions continued along those lines until they broke for lunch. And then came the cross examination, and Frank knew he was in for a beating.

“Mr. Adler where are you currently employed?” Highsmith asked sitting on the desk to the left of Evelyn.

“I repair boats.” Frank answered clearly

“Oh, really? At which marina?”

“I don't work at a marina. I freelance.”

“So, safe to say, no health insurance.”

“No.” Frank shook his head

“About a week before your sister took her life what were you doing for a living then?”

“I was a teacher.” Frank replied.

“You're being modest, aren't you?” Highsmith said, standing up and walking towards the dock “You were a professor at Boston University Isn't that right?

“Yes, well, assistant professor.”

“And what'd you teach?”

“Philosophy.”

“Truth and logic. That sort of thing.” Highsmith gestured with his hands and Frank simply smiled as the man continued. “Your attorney said that the primary reason that you took Mary is because it was what your sister would've wanted you to do. Is that a truth?”

“Yes.” Frank implored

“So Diane had visited Pinellas County before?”

“No.” Frank said with almost an air of amusement on his face as he looked at his mother for a second before he glanced down and joined his hands in front of him in his lap.

“She indicated she wanted her daughter uprooted and moved here?”

Frank shook his head, closing his eyes. “No”

“No.” Highsmith repeated “So you decided to bring Mary here, didn't you?”

Frank licked his lips and drew in a deep breath as he simply stared as his mother. He was pleased so see her shift in her seat

“Did Diane had a problem with your health plan at Boston University?” Highsmith pressed.

Frank wanted to laugh. The guy was doing exactly what Greg had warned him he would do, attack his lack of healthcare, insinuate he wasn’t able or fit to provide for Mary. When he spoke his voice was calm, and he fought to keep his face as amicable as possible.

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Do you think she would want her daughter to have access to healthcare?”

Dumbass question

“Of course.” Frank nodded.

“So what do you do, when little Mary gets sick? You repair a doctor's boat?”

Frank scoffed a laugh as Cullen objected.

“Sustained.” Judge Nicholls shot Highsmith a look and Frank stole a glance at Fliss. If the situation wasn’t so serious he would have laughed at the identical look she wore to Roberta, both glaring at Highsmith like they were plotting his very painful death.

The rain outside continued to drive down as did Highsmith’s questions, the air punctuated every so often by a low rumble of thunder from the outside storm echoing what Frank was feeling inside.

“Prior to Mrs. Adler giving her one. Did Mary have a computer?”

“She used mine.”

“Mr. Adler, does Diane's daughter have her own bedroom?”

“No.”

“Does she sleep in a bed that you bought in a second hand shop?”

“Yes.” Frank looked ahead, focussing on keeping calm as Highsmith walked towards the dock, gesturing now with his hands, his tone winding up

“So, the truth is, Mr. Adler, that you didn't come down here because your sister wanted it to and you certainly didn't come here because it was good for Mary.”

Frank swallowed slightly and shifted a little, avoiding looking at the man as he tapped his hand on the side of the dock.

��No, it was personal. Diane was a star. You weren't. Diane got the attention. You didn't.”

Frank scoffed silently, oh please, and turned to look in the opposite direction.

“..and over the years You got angry. And here comes Mary. What a great way to get even.”

At that he audibly sighed. He had known this was coming, that his mother’s attorney would try and paint him as petty and vindictive but it still hurt to hear it. Hurt that his own mother would have someone attack him in such a way. He’d defend Mary to the hilt if someone was doing this to her…

“You've uprooted that little girl and brought her here for one reason only. To do harm to your mother. You blamed her for your sister.”

“No, I don't.” Frank broke his silence.

“And Mary to you is just a pawn in all this.”

And that did it, Mary wasn’t a pawn. She was a little girl, a little girl who he was doing is best by.

“Diane wanted Mary, to be a kid” Frank’s voice betrayed his desperation and emotion, and he knew that, but now he was past caring, this was the truth, it was how he felt, and he was nothing if not honest. He locked eyes with his mother as he spoke, driving his words home “.She wanted her to have a life. She wanted her to have friends and to play…”

At that his mother looked away, her eyes glistening but Frank kept his on hers as she turned back to him, his final words were almost whispered

“…and to be happy.”

“You realize the consequences of boredom for a gifted child, Mr. Adler? They become resentful and sullen.”

“Mary's not an angry kid.” Frank’s voice was calm once more.

“Really? Did she not attack a child on the school bus?”

Shit.

“A twelve year old tripped a seven year old and she came to his defense.” Frank shrugged slightly

“Did she break the boy's nose?”

“Yes.”

“On October 16th last year, were you arrested for assault?”

“Oh, my God.” Frank groaned, and he looked down before he glanced back up, momentarily locking eyes with Fliss who he noticed had taken a deep breath. He looked back down, shaking his head

“You have to answer the question Mr. Adler.” Judge Nicholls reminded him

Frank swallowed and focussed on a spot on the varnished surface of the wood in front of him, just by the microphone. “A drunk idiot attacked me and I defended myself. What does that have to do…”

“Did you spend the night in jail?” Highsmith cut him off.

“Yeah.” Frank nodded.

“You are in way over your head here. You're depriving that girl…”

Frank stayed still, shaking his head and glaring at his mother, all the while Highsmith continued ranting on at him

“…you're gambling with her future and now you’re being presented with an opportunity to do right by her.”

“Does council have a question for my client?” Cullen asked loudly

“Take the high road, Mr. Adler before she's rapidly damaged.”

“Does council have a question for my client or not?” Cullen repeated, this time standing up.

“Yes, sir. I do have a question.” Highsmith said. “Tell us. Is your continued guardianship really in the best interest of this little girl?”

“You do your best, Frank. And that’s all any of us can do…” Fliss’s voice rattled in his head, and he took a deep breath. No he wasn’t perfect. Yes, Evelyn could provide for her better than he could but could she love Mary like he did. No, no she couldn’t

He stared at his mother, as he lifted his chin and spoke loudly and clearly.

“Yes.Yes, it is.”

“I have no further questions.” Highsmith spoke.

Frank scratched at his head and left the dock.

***** Following the summing up, they were all dismissed. Frank shook Greg’s hand who told him he would be in touch and Frank left the courtroom with Roberta, Fliss nowhere to be seen. He took a deep breath, realising she was probably going to run a mile after hearing about the assault. That wasn’t how he wanted her to find out. However, to his amazement and joy she was waiting for him by his truck. Roberta nodded to him and made an excuse to nip over the road to the store for a water leaving them to talk alone.

“Thought you’d gone?” he said gently.

“No, I had to take a call from Joanne about a lesson. Why would I leave without saying goodbye?” she frowned

“The assault”

Fliss sighed “Okay, I admit it was a shock to hear but…”

“At least let me explain.”

“There’s really no need. You said you were defending yourself and I believe you.”

“He was a drunk idiot.” Frank continued anyway. “I was actually out with a friend, Jacob and his fiancée, Lisa. Jake had gone to the bathroom and this guy bumped into us and sent Lisa flying into the table, knocking a load of glasses over. When I told him to be careful he took a swing at me only he missed and, well I didn’t.”

“You’re a regular knight in shining armour, Sailor.” Fliss smiled before she looked at him softly. “I know that was hard today. I was so angry and the things he was saying to you but it’s done now. Try not to think on it because you can’t change the outcome. Whatever it is, you did your best.”

“You know I remembered you saying that to me.” he smiled, “Right as he was telling me what a lousy life I give Mary.” “It’s not lousy.” Fliss shook her head. “She’s loved Frank. And she’s happy.”

He smiled again as she took a deep breath.

“Look, I have to go, I have a lesson in an hour now this rain has let up, but what are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Working.” he said, chuckling as she raised her eyebrow. “Yeah I know, second Friday night in a row but, well I’m behind thanks to this case and whilst Roberta has Mary I can get a good few hours in during the night and then get my head down for a few hours before she comes back.”

“How about I keep you company?” Fliss offered. “Only if that’s ok?”

Frank smiled “As long as you don’t distract me too much.” “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

**** The next evening, Frank and Fliss were in the workshop at the Marina, Frank explaining to Fliss the different components of the oil filter he was stripping down. She gave a loud, exaggerated yawn and he nudged her playfully. She grinned at him, and he didn’t miss the flash in her eyes as she looked him quickly up and down, taking in his dirty jeans, hands covered in oil and his long sleeved thin blue sweater which he knew fit him pretty well. Part of the reason he had worn it.

“Hey.” a familiar voice said, and they both looked up to see Cullen as he stood in the entrance.

“Hey.” Frank frowned “What’s…” “I got some news, and I wanted to give it to you in person.”

“I’ll er, give you a moment.” Fliss offered, and she went to leave but Frank caught her elbow gently.

“No, stay, please.”

She looked at him for a second and nodded as Frank turned his attention to Cullen.

“What is it Greg.”

“Highsmith called. They want to cut a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

Cullen took a breath. “A foster family.”

“No way.” Frank dismissed the notion straight up and Greg continued to try and win him round, informing him that they could cherry pick and that it would be mutually approved and he’d already found a family in Tampa, which was what he had been working on all day.

“She’ll attend the Oaks, you and Evelyn will get visitation right, and then, when she’s twelve, you can go back into court and Mary can decide where, and with who, she wants to live.”

“You’re supposed to be on my team.” Frank cut his friend off, glaring at him “Why are you bringing me this deal?

“Other than I'm required to by law?” Greg looked back at him, and then suddenly Frank understood.

“You like this deal.” he stated and Greg nodded.

“I love this deal.”

“They think they're gonna lose.” Frank leaned on the work-desk in front of him, looking at Cullen.

“Yeah. They do.”

“You think we're gonna lose.”

“Yes.” Greg replied honestly. “I do, Frank.”

Frank looked down, swallowing before he turned to his friend who sighed.

“I gotta go put my kids to bed. I'll do whatever you want me to do. But, if we leave this up to the judge, Nicholls, he's old school, Frank. Does he like your mother? No. Does he like her income? Does he like her health plan? Does he like her home? You better believe it.”

Frank looked down again, shaking his head, unable to do anything else.

“I've been in his courtroom. A hundred times. And if it's a coin toss...Look at me.”

Frank turned to Greg, his arms still leaning on the top, muscles straining as he grasped at a wrench in front of him in frustration.

“If it's a coin toss, that old boy is going to side with the money.” Greg said gently “So, do me a favour, Frank. Just meet the family. See how it feels. It's all I ask.” With that he took a deep breath. “I gotta go, I’ll see you later. Goodnight Fliss.”

“Night.” she replied, watching him leave.

There was a pause before Frank picked up the wrench in his hand and threw it hard against the wall at the opposite side of the garage, before he stood up tall and turned to Fliss who was watching him, her face contorted in sympathy and sadness.

“I don’t know what to do.” He looked at her, and every single emotion he had been holding back cascaded over him in a wave as he felt utterly and hopelessly overwhelmed. He couldn’t stop the tears brimming in his eyes and he bowed his head, once more leaning on the desk. He felt a warm pair of hands gently on his arm, nudging him to turn slightly and he did so to look at Fliss as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a hug. He pressed his face into the crook of her shoulder, his tears falling onto her soft skin as she smoothed a hand through his hair, gently soothing him.

“Sorry.” he mumbled after a moment pulling back.

She placed her hands on his face, wiping his tears with her thumbs, her own filling her eyes. “Don’t ever apologise to me for being upset, Frankie.”

He let out a soft, watery laugh as he dropped his forehead to hers, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath, composing himself.

“You now no one’s called me Frankie since I was a little kid” he smiled.

“Well it suits you.” she pulled away slightly. “You good?” He nodded, moving back out of her arms. “Do you think I should go?” he asked “Meet this family?”

“Frank, I can’t answer that.” “What would you do?”

“I honestly don’t know.” she shook her head. “I suppose there’s no harm in meeting them. But you have to be sure this is what is right for Mary. I do know one thing though, whatever you decide to do, I’ll be there all the way. I told you, I was here for the road trip, no matter how bumpy it gets.”

He nodded, taking a deep breath. He gently took her hand and raised it to his mouth, brushing his lips across her knuckles. “Thankyou.”

**** Chapter 9

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #gifted #gifted fan fic

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blackfuckistar · 4 years

Text

The juke age gap conflict

I'm going to rant here about something but english is not my first language so sorry if it is confusing.

I think that the discussion about the age gap between man and woman( especially when there's minors in the context) working in movies and series is very important and should be raised more often, but I also think that most times people lose the track of what is really important in the discussion and are just being disgusted and cancelling things and shaming other people who enjoys the shows etc without further information so I will put some topics that should be analyzed along with the age.

I will use Julie and the phantoms as an example because is where I'm seeing this discussion more recently so yeah.

the actress who plays julie is 16 and the actor who plays luke is 20/21 they have a 4/5/6 year gap beteween them aaand she is a minor so yeah it's concerning that they are paired romantically, but let's explore the context of the show ok?

1. Who is directing?

The series are directed by Kenny Ortega (guys you need to have more faith in Kenny Ortega) he is a director who have a lot of experience working with teens and young adults and in doing content aimed at a young audience in general besides that he is a man who knows about the social discussions that are being raised for years and is involved in them.

He is a director who listen to the people he's working with and want everyone to be confortable with the things that are happening, he cares. Another thing relevant in Kenny Ortega works for young audiences is that he usually doesn't makes the romantic ship do a lot of (and unnecessary) contact ( like the kisses in his movies look like the kisses in korean dramas lol ) he prefers more chastes displays of affection like hugs or hand holding, so a kiss happening between luke and julie is not very likely to happen so soon. Besides that he and maddison already said that they want to focus more on the mental conection of the relationship and not on the physical aspects

2. If someone is a minor, is the family involved? Is it a health involvement?

There is a lot of cases where the family don't give a shit about what happens on set or they care but only about the money and forces the minor to do a lot of bad things so is very important to see how the family is dealing with the situation.

In the case of the actress who plays julie, her family is super involved and in a healthy way, her dad is frequently in the set and interacting with her co-workers, her little sister too, and they give her a lot of support and encouragement and i really believe that if she start to struggle with something related to the character they will help her make the best decision.

3. How is the relationship with co-workers and the environment.

It is very important to have a work environment welcoming and respectful and to have a good relationship with the co-workers, with respect and if possible friendships, it makes work easy and fun and healthy.

In the case of the cast of julie and the phantoms it's very obvious that they are fond of each other, they built a cute friendship, and the boys treat Maddison(julie) and Jadah(flynn) like little sisters, so it's very unlikely that they will force anyone to do something that makes anyone uncomfortable because healthy environments are like that.

4. How big is the age gap?

In this industry is very unlikely that the cast will have the same age as the characters or that the actors and actresses will have the same age even more if you take in consideration the way that they will choose the cast, but it's very important to pay attention ate the age gap and demand that the industry stop choosing actors and actresses with big age gaps and it's even more important to demand that when one of them is a minor.

The age gap between maddison(julie) and charlie( luke) is 4/5 years and it's not so big or so worrisome even considering that she is a minor, is it ideal? No but it could be a lot worse like it is in a lot of other shows and is a lot less worrisome when you remember that most of the interactions between them are very chaste. let's remember that have a minor acting with someone older ( if the gap is not so big) when it's age friendly it's very different than having a minor doing sex scenes or something like that.

5. Are you shipping the characters or the actors?

In the series we are very lucky that the characters are almost the same age, it's ok if you ship the characters of any show because they are fictional what is not okay is you shipping the real actors because in the case of jatp they are in different phases of life and one of them is a minor and they treat each other like sibling so disturb them with things like that is not cool.

6. Do you feel disgusted by the age gap or you are trying to take off the focus of the protagonist who is a POC by focusing on a non canon white couple?

I will let this one for reflection because as a white girl I think there is people who can explain this point a lot better so if you are a POC and feel like explaining feel free to add.

Anyway i'm not an expert about the subject, but I wanted to help in the discussions and i think that there is much more to look in than only the age gap, and is importante to keep in mind that is not possible to always have people with the same age in the shows but is possible to demand smaller age gaps and an acting that respect the age difference. We are fighting for no more 10 or 15 or 20 year of age gap and fighting for people in the industry start to respect the actors and stop demanding from them things that are bad when you look in the context.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #juke #julie molina #jatp luke #jatp alex #jatp reggie #jatp flynn #age difference ships #age difference #conflicts #charlie gillespie #maddison reyes

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all-hail-the-witcher · 3 years

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How come ballet is sexist?

oh buddy. not only is ballet sexist but it also objectifies and fetishizes women (esp historically) and its also racist. but the racism part is a whole separate essay.

ive got midterm brain rn so sadly no sources and this might be a little jumbled but my credits for this are that i am a dance and history major.

so back in i think it was like romantic era france? like mid 1800s. ballet was picking up speed. up until this point women were not really allowed in the social sphere it was like disrespectful i guess and they weren't really in the Public Eye but ballet changed that because it allowed women to 1. have a job and 2. be respected and all that shit.

this seems good. however with most seemingly good things theres a lot of not good things.

there weren't really any female choreographers at this time. some of the more well known ballerinas did go on to choreograph and teach after they were done performing but the works by male choreographers are mainly the surviving ones. men also weren't really in ballets at this time cause it was “dishonorable” (except in denmark) so that created something of a double standard. men also created pointe specifically for women. it wasn't used the same as it was today at first, it was more like a little hat trick where the woman would go up on her toes for a second. and everyone would uwu. but marie taglioni who was a pretty well known ballerina in that era started doing pointe kinda like todays pointe because she was pushed to do so by her father, philipe taglioni, who just essentially wanted to get famous. and he kinda used his daughter for that.

but anyway. we have men. notably slightly older men. choreographing and training young women ballet dancers. so ballet is pretty rooted in males choreographing for females. so its a mans vision on a womans body. which is not the best thing.

also. the costumes. as time went on they gradually became more and more revealing but ballet had always been pushing what was socially acceptable in terms of dress. during the romantic era they showed off the girls ankles (ankles!!) with the tutu to show the feet and that was like. scandalous. and that was a males decision to do so. and then they kept shortening the skirt.

additionally, male choreographers started favoring a specific body type. which is, also not great. they wanted the girls to look kinda long and twiggy and almost “alien” so the point where it became a trend to want to look like that. and today you still see choreographers favoring certain body types (very skinny, no breasts, lean muscles) to the point where a lot of the choreography can be a lot more difficult if you dont Have that body type.

so eventually people started objectifying the more famous female ballet dancers, like there was a thing called “tagliomania” where everyone uwued the fuck over marie taglioni. some people in russia actually ate her pointe shoe. it was very similar to the way that celebrities today are ripped apart and judged on every little thing and their bodies are objectified and stuff.

and then as the years went on all that stayed with ballet. its always been these like middle aged men training and choreographing on these very young girls. many ballet dancers today start as young as 16/17 and retire around 30 while its common for most choreographers and teachers to start at 30. every big ballet choreographer had their favorites and a lot of the time their other dancers would look as close to that person as possible. balanchine literally preferred training younger girls (with his famous baby ballerinas being between 12 and 14 when they were performing nationally with the ballet russes de monte carlo which gets into the whole fetishization thing)

also think of all the big name ballets. how many of them have been choreographed by women? not many, if any. its acceptable for the women to portray the mans vision but its not acceptable for women to choreograph their own stuff and when they do they are usually met with backlash.

and then theres just class in general. i take it most of you have never been to a ballet class but there is a lot of touching. the teachers will come over and move your body around to correct you. and youre usually only wearing a leotard and tights. male and female teachers do this to all of their students. and its not always like, just touch your arm or something like sometimes their hands will be on your ass or your chest or your inner leg. same goes for choreography. i was partnering with a guy once and i had to essentially have my face on his crotch for a few seconds. he was excited about that. it was weird.

and also like. you dont really have a say in not doing that stuff cause. if you won't theres 10 people willing to take your place. so dance very quickly strips you of your modesty. i dont find it weird cause ive been doing it since i was 3 and have become pretty desensitized but.

and then theres just movements in general. female ballet dancers are expected to be good at turns mainly and pointe. my body is not built for that. i am much better at jumps. but since i go to class with mostly girls we work more on turns than jumps. sometimes if there are combined classes with males and females they will make the males do separate jumping combinations that the girls are not allowed to do. i want to do big fun jumps :/

so anyway theres a lot of issues with ballet. its very elitist, very sexist and there body objectification and fetishization. im sorry i couldn't go into more detail for you right now but i have a paper to finish

#theres issues with it #is the bottom line #saph screams #ballet #dance

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omgrachwrites · 4 years

Text

Tell a Tale of You and Me - Chapter One

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader

Summary: You knew that making a bet with Sirius Black was like making a deal with the devil but you just couldn’t help yourself. You had never been a heavenly woman.

Warnings: fluffy fluff, the gang being bff’s, Remus being adorable

Words: 1920

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy, please let me know what you think and if you would like to be tagged, I might make a playlist for this series! I love you all very much! xxx

Chapter One

You smiled in slight surprise as you walked into the bright kitchen and you saw your brother, Finn out of bed. He was actually smiling as he poured himself a glass of homemade pumpkin juice, his thick curls bouncing as he moved.

“Good to see that you’re out of bed, kid,” you grinned, ruffling his hair

Finn pouted at you before smiling himself, “I didn’t think that it was such a good idea isolating myself in bed, there’s nothing that I can do about my … problem,” the way he spoke made him sound much older than his eleven years, “and Dumbledore sent an owl to mum, telling her that I’m still allowed to come to Hogwarts.”

You smiled at him proudly as you too poured yourself a glass of iced pumpkin juice, you couldn’t wait to be sitting in the sunshine outside The Leaky Cauldron with your friends, “well, you’re braver than me and of course, Dumbledore would never turn anybody away. You belong at Hogwarts.”

You were pretty surprised that your mum had confided in Dumbledore about your brother’s affliction. She had kept it a well-guarded secret from the rest of the village; she was worried that it would affect her and your dad’s job at the Ministry. They were highly respected Aurors. They were nowhere to be seen at the present moment so you fixed your brother some lunch – a cheese and tomato sandwich with the crusts cut off and you cut the sandwich into triangles, it was the only way that Finn would eat it.

As Finn ate it, he looked at you, “are you going to be on the Quidditch team this year, Y/N?” he asked and you scoffed, sipping your pumpkin juice.

“I don’t think so, I’d love to but my stage fright would never let me, you know that,” you smiled at him cheerfully; you couldn’t feel too down on such a beautiful summer’s day.

Finn pouted at you, his eyes going round, “oh, I thought it would be pretty cool, going to my first Quidditch match and my sister being on the team.”

You grinned at him, he was your biggest supporter and you appreciated that more than anything else. You were saved by replying, for your parents walked out of the living room with a beautiful woman. She was beautiful but she had hard, sharp features, it was her grey eyes that marked her, though they had none of her son’s warmth.

“Ah, Y/N L/N, you definitely grew up in beauty and grace,” she smirked at you; there was no playful glint to it. It was quite menacing to be honest.

“Mrs Black, it’s good to see you,” you lied through gritted teeth; you would never forgive her, not after what she did to Sirius.

It seemed that Mrs Black picked out your lie because her smirk widened, “so, it’s you is it? You were the one who used to pine over my eldest son.”

“A lot has happened since then,” you bit back in a defensive tone, and it was true, a lot had happened since fourth year, that was three long years ago, “I’m going to meet the gang, so I’ll see you later, you little monkey,” you kissed the top of Finn’s head and you bade goodbye to your parents, ignoring Mrs Black.

You walked over to the white marble fireplace and flung your Floo Powder down carelessly, “Diagon Alley!” you shouted clearly and you disappeared in a whirl of green flames.

When you had reached Diagon Alley, you brushed the soot from your summer dress as you carried on towards The Leaky Cauldron. You grinned, shooting a wave at James and Lily who were sitting out in the warm sunshine. Lily’s hair shone like blazing fire in the sun. They had started dating at the end of the previous school year and they were the best couple that you knew.

You walked inside the cool pub – it was alive with many people and there were even creatures such as hags, you also saw some of your Hogwarts schoolmates – and you spotted the tousled hair boy at the bar. You smiled and made your way over to him.

“Hey cutie,” you grinned, standing on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Remus flushed a bright red colour across his scarred cheeks, you loved flirting with Remus but the both of you knew that you would only ever be good friends.

“Hey Y/N,” he grinned as he pulled you into a side hug, “how is your brother doing?”

You smiled, it was so sweet of him to ask, “he’s doing great thank you, and he’s taking it all in his stride. Much braver than I could ever be.”

Remus nodded, “he seems braver than all of us but it’s good that he’s doing well. If I can be of any help, you just let me know.”

You beamed, jumping slightly as you felt two strong arms wrap around you from behind, “looking as pretty as ever, Y/N,” Sirius said in your ear.

You giggled and turned around to give him a proper hug, it was so weird to see him not wearing his usual leather jacket, “you’re still a flirt I see,” you had once hated his flirtatious behaviour but you had recently realised that it was no use. He was never going to change.

Sirius smirked at you before his warm grey eyes looked at something in the distance, and he whistled beneath his breath, “I’ll catch up with you guys, yeah?” he flounced off without waiting for a reply. You and Remus rolled your eyes and shook your heads fondly before taking the iced Butterbeers outside. Iced Butterbeers sounded like a weird concept but it was surprisingly delicious!

“Hey lovers,” you grinned at James and Lily as you pulled out a chair and sat down, “where’s Wormtail?” you asked.

“He’s still on holiday, I think,” James started, sipping his Butterbeer, gaining a foamy moustache in the process, “he’s been pretty secretive lately, but I suppose it’s only to be expected now that we’re getting older,” he sighed, “where’s Sirius?”

Remus snickered around his glass, “annoying some girl, knowing him.”

Moments later, Sirius came wandering over to the table, slamming a box of chocolates down in the middle of the table before he slumped into the free seat with a glum look on his face, “Marlene rejected me,” he muttered before anybody could ask.

You and Lily exchanged amused glances; the both of you knew exactly why Marlene had rejected him. Though, you did feel sorry for Sirius, he probably hadn’t been rejected by a girl before, and if he had, you couldn’t remember it. You glanced at the box and saw that it was a box of chocolate cauldrons, the ones with the Firewhisky centre. They were both yours and Remus’ favourites.

“Well, how about we share them? It’s not as bad as it seems Sirius, trust me,” he looked up at you, giving you a grateful smile that only served to enhance his handsome features.

Your idea seemed to be a good one as the five of you filled yourselves up with iced Butterbeer and chocolate cauldrons; you all laughed and joked with one another. You all lamented over the fact that this was your last year at Hogwarts and reminisced about years gone by. That afternoon was one of the best in your life. You wished that you could all stay that way forever, young, and seventeen. Though, you knew that summer couldn’t last forever.

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

Sirius tapped his quill against his forehead, almost in an attempt to knock the answers from his head, he did kind of regret not doing it at James’ – he’d been living with his best mate for the past year and he couldn’t be happier. He had wanted to make the most of his last summer of freedom; he had spent the best part of it playing Quidditch with James. Sirius looked outside the compartment window at the rolling hills to distract himself from writing his essay.

The compartment door slid open and Y/N came walking in with a relieved smile as she sat down next to Remus, “everything alright?” Remus asked, not once looking up from his book.

“Yeah, everything is perfect,” she smiled, gazing out of the window.

Sirius sulked as he felt a twinge of jealousy; Y/N had been talking with his younger brother, Regulus. It had looked like she was really confiding in Regulus about something and Sirius just couldn’t imagine why she hadn’t talked to him. She wasn’t even friends with Regulus.

“What were you and Regulus talking about?” he narrowed his eyes at the pretty girl that was sitting opposite him and he ignored Lily’s smirk.

Y/N looked over at him with a mocking grin, “if you must know, your mum came over to my house over the summer to speak to my parents. I thought that Regulus might know why. I would have asked you but I think it’s plainly obvious that you wouldn’t know. I know how much you hate your mum.”

“Oh,” Sirius said lamely, the jealousy disapparated from his body, leaving him feeling pretty stupid.

“Were you jealous, Black?” Y/N smirked, causing Sirius to scowl at her.

“In your dreams, Y/L/N,” he muttered.

Lily laughed at this interaction as she leaned over James to speak to Y/N, “never mind about him, how is Finn feeling about his first year?”

Y/N sighed happily, “oh, he’s so excited, he’s just worried about getting put in Slytherin, I think he’s more worried about my reaction. So, I told him that no matter what happens, it’ll be okay and he’ll always be my little best mate.

“Well, Slughorn was a Slytherin and he’s a nice enough fellow, he didn’t go bad or anything like that,” Lily commented reasonable, causing Y/N to beam and nod at her.

“Everything really will be alright Y/N,” Peter spoke up, taking the words right out of Sirius’ mouth.

“Yeah I know, thank you Pete,” she gave him a pretty smile.

It seemed like all too soon that the six friends were sitting in the magnificent Great Hall as they waited for the sorting ceremony to start. While they were waiting, Y/N engaged Nearly Headless Nick in conversation about his summer. Nick was complaining that his request to join the headless hunt had once again been rejected. Sirius thought that it was very sweet of Y/N to take the time to speak to him. She tried to speak to all of the ghosts, even The Bloody Baron.

The boy’s marauding plans were interrupted by the start of the sorting ceremony; all six of them seemed to be holding their breath when the Sorting Hat was placed on Finn’s little curly head, “Slytherin!” the hat called out, and little Finn looked so nervous as he wandered over to the cheery Slytherin table.

Fury rose in Sirius as Lucius Malfoy looked through the sea of people to smirk at Y/N as Finn sat down next to him, “I’m sorry Y/N.”

She shrugged, smiling at him as Gryffindor gained their newest student, “well, it was definitely the worst case scenario. In a perfect world he’d be a Gryffindor,” she sighed and Sirius wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “as long as he doesn’t hang around with Malfoy then I’ll be pretty happy, thank you though,” she giggled and grinned as the sorting ceremony ended and the golden plates were filled with mountains of delicious foods.

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

Taglist: open

@approved-by-dentists

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ficforce · 3 years

Text

Gokai Part 2

Konro x Reader

SFW

Winter in Asakusa was much colder than in the city, perhaps because it wasn’t as crammed with tall buildings and it didn’t benefit from every home, business and car exuding heating as they turned up the thermostats. Asakusa actively tried to use as little as they could from Haijima and the rest of the Empire, they used generators to heat their homes and a more common-sense approach - putting on more layers was one of them. Many of the energy sources for the homes were struggling with the cold weather and the higher demand so Y/N found herself going out on more calls to repair or adjust them.

It had been nearly two months since she’d last spoken to Konro, she avoided him when she saw him in the street, still feeling the sting of humiliation from his rejection… for thinking he could like her in the same way. She still practised with her wooden sword and had found a new little clearing a bit further out from her home, though it wasn’t as fun as when Konro had been with her.

She knew she would have to face him sooner or later but as she stood outside the entrance of the Guardhouse, she wished it could have been later.

“Y/N!” The woman felt herself smile brightly as one of the twins greeted her as she toed off her boots, she couldn’t tell which one was Hikage and which one was Hinata, she hadn’t gotten to know them well enough yet. Luckily she didn’t have to make a guess as Y/N was pulled in by the sleeve and she had to half jog to keep pace with the little girl, “Everyone’s saying it’s cold - you’re gonna make them shut their faces, right?”

It still surprised her when the twins spoke so roughly, she knew they were being raised in the Guardhouse and their guardians were predominately Konro and Benimaru, but she didn’t think Konro had that bad of a mouth.

Why did she have to think about his mouth?

“Hikage!” Both of them stopped when a man’s voice reached them, Y/N straightened up and turned to see that Benimaru was on the opposite side of the room they were in, “The hell are you taking her? This isn’t playtime, Y/N’s got work to do.” He then mumbled under his breath about the girls being ‘damn brats today’ and she figured that they were learning their speech patterns from Benimaru.

“But, Waka!” Hikage stomped her foot and her sleeve flapped noisily as she waved her arm, “You said Me and Hina could play!”

Y/N saw the subtle way that the Captain’s chin tilted up, blatantly ready for an argument, and she quickly crouched down to Hikage’s level, “You said everyone was cold, right? It is pretty chilly in here, to be honest.”

“Really?” Her eyes narrowed at Y/N, searching her face for any sign of a lie.

“Don’t you get cold when you have ignition abilities?” Hikage shook her head at the question and sighed as she seemed to understand that perhaps it could be an issue for other people in the Guardhouse, she let go of Y/N’s hand so that she could follow after Benimaru to the generators. As they walked in silence, she wondered if Benimaru knew about her stupid move in kissing Konro, they were very close after all, and as she followed him toward the back of the large building Y/N began to feel a little anxious.

Benimaru slid open the doors to reveal two large generators, one had stopped completely and the other was making an odd ticking sound. “Not gonna lie, it’s been a while since either was serviced. Most of us are walking heaters so we don’t notice when it’s cold,” he wanted people to stop complaining that they were cold and he was a little worried about the older folk who stayed at the Guardhouse sometimes. “No point putting people up if it’s colder inside than outside…”

“That’s true.” Y/N walked around the ticking generator and sighed, “This one needs the fuel tank emptying out and a full service, It’ll take me a few hours on my own.” Her knuckles rapped on the metal, “This one, I don’t even know, so I’ll get the first one going before I even look at it.” It could take her a few days on her own, the challenge was going to keep her going mentally but the longer she stayed - the more likely she would bump into the Lieutenant.

The young Captain crossed his arms over his chest and nodded, “I’ll send someone down to help empty the tank out, we’re down a few men and Konro’s sick so I’m dealing with everything on my own. If you need anything you’re gonna have to ask someone else.”

Konro was sick?

Y/N bit her lip at the news, she wanted to ask for more details but it really wasn’t her business anymore, “Okay, that’s not a problem.” Benimaru looked at her for a long second, he appeared to be waiting for her to say something, once he seemed to realise there was no more the Captain gave her another nod and headed out.

The first generator had been disgusting inside, the old fuel had congealed and blocked some of the pipes, the ticking had been the thermostat struggling to work through the clogged pieces. Once she turned it off the whole place got cold pretty quickly. Her breath fogged as she worked and soon she had three or four of the Hikeshi join her, they helped clean and then refill the tank - they must have been cold to come and help out so fast.

She hadn’t seen him.

As the generator burst into life a cheer could be heard from further in the building when the heat began to circulate. Y/N grinned as she was pat on the back and she found herself being pulled toward the rec area, the least they thought she deserved was a warm drink.

During her work, snow had fallen outside, a thick layer of white covered the houses and streets. Y/N couldn’t put up much of a fight when she was advised to stay the night, they had spare rooms and clothing she could use and it wasn’t a problem for anyone there - her only anxiety was Konro.

After she had bathed and changed into a thick yukata she ate dinner with everyone else. She became Hinata and Hikage’s playmate until they decided that Benimaru was a better target, they were quite boisterous for such small girls. In the morning she would get to work on the second generator, with any luck she would be finished by the evening. “Y/N.”

Being pulled out of her thoughts she smiled, “Captain Shinmon?” The man sat beside her, his fingers pulling at the sticky spot in his hair from playing with the twins, they always seemed to be eating something sickly sweet. He made her nervous by association of Konro, did he know what she’d done? Did he have an opinion on it?

“Can you set up a small heater in one of the rooms? Everyone’s staying on the warmer side of the Guardhouse til the other generator is fixed but I don’t wanna move Kon right now, I don’t know how to set up the piece of crap.” He had tried already and failed, “He’s sleeping pretty hard so I don’t think he’ll even wake up.” Konro had been out like a light all day, a few times he had woken up but he wasn’t much use to anyone, Benimaru was concerned but he tried not to worry, Konro wasn’t a little kid and he wasn’t some vulnerable old man either. “You two don’t hang out anymore, huh?”

A small sound escaped her, something between a squeak and a cough, it was pointless trying to hide it as choking on her tea and Y/N let out a large sigh, “Has… Has he said something?”

“Nope,” Benimaru leaned back on his hands and stretched his neck side to side, he hadn’t stopped all day and now he was tired, “I just noticed he doesn’t take so long to come back in the mornings. I didn’t think anything of it but your reaction just now tells me that something happened…”

To her amazement, he had seemed to have nodded off for that brief moment. “Sorry, I was just a little anxious for you to ask.”

Y/N waited for him to ask, she sat tense with her breath held. Waiting…

But he didn’t continue and the woman looked up from her cup to watch him, his eyes were closed and he didn’t seem like he would continue, “Um, Captain?” Benimaru continued to be silent and she reached out to poke his arm - red eyes popped open and he inhaled sharply.

“Ask what?” He crossed his legs and reached for a cup.

Was he messing with her? Y/N could feel her face heating up as she seemed to be digging a hole for herself, “Why we don’t talk anymore.”

“You’re not even talking? Shit, something must have happened…” It wasn’t that he didn’t care, he just wasn’t the kind of person to get involved in other people’s business. Benimaru had learned so much from Konro growing up, he didn’t feel like he had anything to teach the man in respect of life experience. “You’ll set the heater up, though?”

She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to interrogate her further.

She really missed him.

Never had setting up a simple heater been so hard. The woman felt as if everything was working against her, the door to Konro’s room had squealed slightly on the runner, she had stepped on every creaky floorboard under the tatami in the room and had even knocked over an extinguished lantern. Each time she looked at Konro he was sound asleep, his covers were up to his chin and someone had been in to place a cool cloth on his forehead. Silently as she could, she brought the heater closer to his sleeping form and turned it on, she had planned to leave right away but found herself wanting to linger.

Y/N had always thought that Konro looked tired most days, she assumed it was because he didn’t sleep well or worked too hard. It had never detracted from his looks and it didn’t seem to stop him from doing his day to day activities, only right now… he looked sick. There was no heat radiating off of him either. It had always comforted her when he stood close, his warmth and the calm he brought her.

— -

Y/N had fixed the second generator and life continued.

That brief moment in Konro’s room had been playing on her mind all week and one morning she picked up her practice sword and instead of going to the new clearing, she walked across the street to her old clearing, the tree was bare and as she approached it she paused. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Konro was there.

He was sat on one of the low walls, huddled in on himself and still looking a little worse for wear. After a moment of her standing there, he looked up from the snowy ground and seemed just as surprised as her. “Y/N?” Konro stood up and headed toward her - she couldn’t move, had he been coming all this time?

“Why?” Her wooden sword slipped from her fingers and landed silently in the snow, “I don’t understand why you’re still coming here, it’s been so long and… and you’re sick, you idiot! You shouldn’t be out here!” He didn’t stop in front of her as she expected, Konro reached out and rested his hands on her shoulders, his touch lacking its warmth still, Y/N went to him without any effort on his part. Konro was holding her close and she didn’t know why, didn’t care as the hands she missed rested on her and his scent reached her nose.

“You never let me explain.” He said quietly, he had been coming every morning since she had kissed him, he hadn’t wanted to embarrass her further by confronting her at her home or in the street, he had waited patiently and he felt that eventually, she would come back. “I wasn’t trying to reject you, Y/N, I was trying to give you fair warning.”

Y/N placed her hands on his chest and pushed gently away, not far enough to be out of his reach but enough to look at his face and show him just how confused his words were making her. Fair warning? What was there to warn her about, he was kind and handsome and he was obviously an idiot if he thought he had to talk her out of wanting to be with him.

All of a sudden the sound of a scream and a billow of dark smoke rose up into the air from one of the homes nearby. The man zeroed in on the exact home, the front door was open and he heard Y/N gasp as she covered her mouth, the sight of the person rolling on the ground in agony as flames erupted from their eyes and mouth, orange and red dancing on their skin and clothing, blackening them, eating them up until no one could tell they had been human.

The Lieutenant had no choice but to pull his coat hard enough forward that she lost her grip, he drew his sword and approached the poor soul that had combusted. The sound of yelling and the bell from the watchtower filled his ears, it would be best to do this quickly and kindly as possible.

Konro stood in front of her, blocking her from the sight and the danger of the new Infernal, “Get out of here, Y/N” He made to move forward but he was held back by her hands balling into his clothing and she pushed herself into his back, “…Y/N?”

A quick glance back made his heart squeeze in his chest, she was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide and frightened… She’d never seen an Infernal before, never heard it screaming and never smelt anything like it. Y/N was terrified and she couldn’t let go of him, couldn’t move her feet either.

It felt like her feet were glued to the floor, even with the danger all around her she couldn’t seem to get herself to move, Y/N tried to tell the Captain that, tried to tell him to get to Konro and that’s when she spotted another Infernal on a rooftop, it launched itself into the sky and knocked Benimaru off of his perch, sending them both crashing down. “Beni!” Konro’s call made her head whip back to the house where Konro was still fighting with the second Infernal, he was being overwhelmed and Y/N saw his sword had fallen a few feet away from him.

It was hard to tell what had happened from the time he made her let go of him to the time it took him to walk toward the Infernal. Y/N had watched it all unfold but wasn’t able to understand it, as Konro had subdued the Infernal, seconds from putting them to rest, another fiery creature had rushed out of the house and thrown itself onto the man.

The sky above her had lit up and she let out a terrified scream when a matoi embedded itself into the ground next to her, Benimaru’s voice drew her eyes upward, he was riding on another matoi and items around her began to ignite and rise, “You’re in the way, get out of here before you get burnt.”

The woman stumbled and fell into the snow on her first attempt to move, she was scared, she hadn’t been this scared ever in her life but she had to keep going. Forcing her legs under her, Y/N ran toward Konro with her eyes firmly on his sword.

Grabbing the hilt and adjusting her hold, comforted by the wear of his hands over the years and confident in all that he had taught her, Y/N took a deep breath and swung the sword toward the Infernal.

#sagamiya konro #reader #enen no shouboutai #fire force #enn enn no shouboutai

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suitofvibraniumarmor · 4 years

Text

If You Just Realize

Part Four: Full Bloom

Summary: Concerned about losing Milena or anyone else, Sebastian makes a desperate request of his friend. Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader Word Count: 1905 Series Warnings: Death, angst, sadness. Lots of creative licensing, I’m sure. Chapter Warnings: Bit of a cliffhanger. Square Filled: This entire series will fill my realized feelings square for @marvelfluffbingo. A/N: I’ve much enjoyed writing this series, and I hope all of you enjoy reading it! The tag list is open; requests to be added can be done so here. There are bits and pieces of Romanian throughout the series, mostly from Google Translate and the few things I’ve picked up as I learn the language.

This part wasn’t scheduled till tomorrow buttttt I have no chill so ... Happy Reading!

Series Masterlist

“Oprește cu agitația.”

Sebastian did his best to heed Y/N’s warning, but he couldn’t stop fidgeting. He was too nervous about what was going to happen and what he would be told when he walked into the lawyer’s office. Fortunately, he only had to wait a few more minutes before Philip Hobb, his longtime lawyer, stuck his head out of his office and beckoned Sebastian in.

“Please, have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chairs in front of the desk. “I’m sorry for the wait, telephone call went long. I’m so sorry to hear about Irina, Seb. How’s the family holding up?”

Sebastian looked at Y/N, then back to Philip. “We’re doing the best we can. Philip, this is my very good friend, Y/N Y/L/N. Y/N, Philip Hobb.”

The two of them shook hands, and then Philip got down to business. “I’ve already been in touch with the Hills’ lawyer. They are seeking joint custody, as you expected. But that’s not what Irina wanted.”

Sebastian shook his head. “No. Unfortunately, there was never anything on paper, but she had a conversation with my mother about what to do with Milena if anything ever happened to her. Milena’s father signed his rights away when she was born, but his parents chose to stay involved in her life. Irina was always open to that, and I, of course, don’t want to keep them from their granddaughter.”

Philip sat back in his chair, folding his hands over his abdomen. “I want to be sure, before we go through all of this, that you’re not trying to hold on to your sister by holding on to Milena. You can’t bring Irina back, and there’s a potential here for a little girl to go through a lot of hard things for you to only want to keep whatever piece of Irina you can grasp onto.”

Y/N reached out and squeezed Sebastian’s hand. Philip was speaking as a friend — one who was capable of speaking truths no one else could. She saw Sebastian’s eyes glaze over but he didn’t hold long to her hand.

“I just want to do what Irina would have wanted me to do.”

Phillip went back to the notes on his desk. “Okay then. Let’s lock down some particulars. I’ll get it written up and sent to their lawyer, we’ll go from there. Who has Milena right now?”

“After the funeral, we decided to let Milena decide where she wanted to go. She opted to stay with my parents.”

Y/N added, “But I think it’s because she knew Sebastian was going to be there. Maybe I’m biased, though.”

“That’s good to know,” Philip smiled. “I don’t mean to get personal, but are you two …?”

They both chuckled, used to the question by now. Sebastian clarified that they were only friends but also that the speculation was familiar.

“Guess we’ll cross that off as a tactic for our case then,” Philip teased.

Y/N exchanged a glance with Sebastian. “I’m sorry, what do you mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing serious, of course — really, it was a joke. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes, like in the case of a single guy who wants to take custody of a little girl, having a woman around regularly helps. It’s nothing really, we’ve got plenty to help us out here.”

Philip moved the conversation on then, but the thought lingered in both Y/N’s and Sebastian’s mind well past the end of the meeting.

After the meeting, Y/N went back to the Waldorf. She was checking out the next day anyway, since her stay had become indefinite, and Sebastian had convinced her to stay in his guest bedroom for the time being. He went back to his parents’ house to retrieve their things. He would update Georgeta and Anthony on the situation and check in on Milena.

And Y/N would have time to think about some things.

Yes, she had wanted more than ever to pull Sebastian as close as she could over the last few days — since the moment he had called and told her that Irina was gone. She had missed him, so much, in the months since they had last seen each other. She appreciated how comfortable they were with each other, that they could show affection without the gestures being perceived the wrong way.

Except …

Philip Hobb’s question about whether they were together or not, and the teasing that followed, had put wheels into motion in her mind. Sebastian was an attractive man; she found him to be more handsome than most. He was kind, loyal, caring, and he made her laugh. She could be herself around him.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Y/N chided herself as she packed the last few of her belongings into her rolling carry-on. “Your emotions are running high because you want to help him. Sebastian is a good friend, we’re very close. That’s it, case closed.”

By the time she reached Sebastian’s apartment, she had almost convinced herself of that. Scolding herself for reading more into their relationship than what was obviously there, she let herself in with the copy of the key Sebastian had given her when they returned from their coffee date that morning, unpacked a few things, and laid down to take a nap. Once she was rested, she would have more energy to convince herself that she was being overly-emotional and needed to get it together.

The meeting with the lawyer took a lot out of Sebastian, but there was no avoiding his parents’ questions when he returned. He explained that Philip was going to do his best to get him at least residential and primary custody of Milena, if not full custody with visitations for the Hills.

“It’s not going to be pretty, I would imagine,” Sebastian sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Is the little one napping? I might crash out with her for a while before I meet up with Y/N again later.”

Anthony shook his head. “She’s with the Hills. Since she’s been here a couple of days, they asked to see her.”

That was well and fair, but Sebastian admitted to himself that he was afraid, for some reason, that the Hills would never give her back. In the same way he would never see Irina again, what if he never saw Milena again?

Get out of your head, he scolded himself. Hadn’t Philip specifically warned him that he couldn’t fight for custody of Milena only to hang on to Irina? No, it wasn’t that. No one, not even Milena, would ever replace the bond he had with his little sister. That didn’t mean, though, that he wanted to lose anyone else.

As he gathered his things and made sure all of Y/N’s were packed into her bag, he pushed out all thoughts of losing Milena. That made room for thoughts about his friend, though, and the things Philip had said during the meeting.

Y/N had been his first phone call after he got off the phone with his mother that day. He had felt like he was drowning — he was still only treading the surface, occasionally coming up for air — and she was the thing that kept him fighting. He knew that he would push through for his mother and for his niece, but Y/N was the push he needed to put in more effort than simply going through the motions. She was the person he could lean on when it felt like everyone else was leaning on him; she was home when he felt like he had nowhere else to run.

“Keeping thinking like that, you’re going to ruin the best friendship you’ve got,” he mumbled to himself as he shouldered both of their bags.

But the idea that had seeded in his mind and sprouted up once before grew more. Shaking his head, Sebastian headed to bid his parents see-you-later. He would nap at home.

Remember when we first met And everything was still a bet In love’s game You would call; I’d call you back And then I’d leave A message On your answering Machine

Sebastian smiled as he entered his apartment. He could hear music coming from the kitchen, could smell whatever Y/N was cooking. She was singing along to the words, an older song that she had overplayed over the years. He didn’t mind.

After dropping the bags in their respective rooms, he went to the kitchen, and greeted her. She turned to smile at him before going back to the rice she was cooking on the stove.

“Hey, I wondered when you were gonna be home! I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”

Sebastian shook his head and leaned on the counter near where she was standing. “Not at all. Had to catch my parents up with everything, took the long way home to do some thinking. Milena is back with the Hills. They asked to see her.”

Y/N turned down the heat on the rice and put a lid on the pan. She took one good look at Sebastian and threw her arms around his neck. She held on tight, and Sebastian didn’t hesitate to hold her back even tighter.

“Milena’s going to come back. You said yourself that if you have custody of her, you’ll let the Hills see her. You’re not going to lose her, they’re not going to take her. That doesn’t do them any good.” She kissed his cheek. “Everything is going to be okay, Seb. Maybe it’s not going to be easy. But it’s going to be okay.”

She stepped away to tend to the rice, but Sebastian held her tighter. She resumed her embrace, nuzzling against his neck and not pulling away until he was ready.

When supper was ready, they ate together, mostly in silence. Y/N didn’t want to push any issues that were already sensitive for Sebastian, and he had far too much on his mind to talk about much of anything. They cleaned up together, watched a little television, then Y/N excused herself to go to bed.

“Don’t stay up too late, all right?” she warned him, kissing his cheek. “You’ve had a crazy few days. If you don’t get some sleep, you’re not going to be able to keep up with Milena when you get her.”

Sebastian nodded. “I’ll go to bed soon, I promise.”

But it was hours past midnight and he was still sitting on the floor in front of the couch, not even aware of what was playing on the television. He was staring at the picture that had been taken a minute or two after Irina had told him she was pregnant with Milena. He had been staring at that picture for … he didn’t even know how long it had been at this point. Maybe if he stared at it long enough, he’d find some answers to the thoughts racing around in his head. Another hour passed and found him still in the same place he had been for most of the evening.

“Seb? You okay?” Y/N was standing a few feet away, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Sebastian opened his mouth several times before he looked again at the picture. He thought about Irina, he thought about Milena, he thought about Y/N. He could only think of one thing to say, so he let the words roll off his tongue.

“Y/N, would — will you marry me?”

AllOfTheThings: @captain-s-rogers @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @hurricanerin @horsesandbandsforlife @im-not-an-armrest-im-short @captain-rogers-beard @shynara51 @sea040561 @pinknerdpanda @xtina2191 @jackryanplz @beakami @heartsaved @fullprunerebelstatesman @blackwidowismyhomegirl @averyrogers83 @jennmurawski13

IYJR: @elsatxx @tanelle83 @amanda-teaches @etherealwaifgoddess @kmuir1 @ntlmundy @jayankles @rebekahdawkins @denise1605 @rhadigen @peace-love-hobbitness @itsallyscorner @mizzzpink @auspiciousharriet @the-murder-strut-murdered-me @learisa

#marvelfluffbingo2020 #sebastian stan #reader insert #sebastian x reader #sebastian stan x reader #early post #ahead of schedule #look at me go

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z-iridest · 3 years

Text

My Hero Academia: Ascension

Warning: Language

Chapter 1: Birds of a Feather-

The bitter cold winds of Japan’s early morning in the dead of winter felt crisply refreshing against a young woman’s skin as she soared through the air like her brother had done many times before in her childhood. Her white wings flapped up and down as she flew higher and higher still, eventually breaking through the clouds before she retracted her wings, releasing a deep breath out of her mouth as she stayed suspended in the air for a brief moment before her descent from the nostalgia of the past began, her feathery dark hair flowing upward as gravity dragged her down. She tucked her arms into her body as she allowed herself to twist in midair, pulling reckless mid-air maneuvers that she knew her brother would kill her for even attempting. At the last second, her amber eyes snapped open the same time her wings burst through her jacket, the young girl smirking as she effortlessly sped through Japan’s early morning air. Adrenaline pumped through the girl’s veins, her wings flapping up and down faster than before, allowing her speed to increase. She was headed toward a construction area, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes as she flew toward it, toward the perfect obstacle course to challenge control of her powers. She flew through the unfinished building, maneuvering pretty easily around the framework of the rooms that had not yet received windows nor walls, performing sharp turns in tight spots, loop de loops on the higher floors with no ceiling... Would her brother consider this dangerous? Possibly, but he was never a stickler for the rules, so who ever said she couldn’t be similar to her brother in at least that much of an extent? Coming up on the one spot she knew she couldn’t get through without hurting her wings, the girl quickly switched gears, flipping midair as she retracted her wings once more, this time running along the beams to get through the narrow path before somersaulting off again and activating her quirk for the third time that night to soar higher into the air. “WOOOHOOOO!” She yelled in excitement at the top of her lungs as she soared upwards once more, laughing as the excitement began to dwindle down and she began her flight home, allowing the tailwinds to keep her hair out of her face. Right on cue, her phone buzzed against her leg in her pocket. Unbuttoning the designated pocket, she pulled out the device and looked at the caller ID before grimacing a bit. It was her brother, and something in her gut told her he wasn’t going to be very happy if he ever found out about the type of training she was putting herself through this early... Reluctantly, she pressed the green button, answering the call from her brother. “Kei, before you say anything, I just went for a fly to warm up my wings, I’m on my way back right now.”

“I should hope so...And don’t stop anywhere else like you did last time, okay? It’s bad enough that you go on these night flies, but staying out as long as you do leaves more opportunity for a villain to see you, chickadee... You do realize those wings don’t exactly hide you in darkness, right? With how white your wings are, you’re practically a target day or night..”

“Oh, please, like your bright red wings would hide your dumb butt any better? And that one time I didn’t come straight home, it was to grab breakfast for both of us, because if I didn’t, we’d be eating friend chicken for breakfast again.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with fried chicken? It’s my favorite...”

“Yeah, I know it is, bird brain. But the problem with it is that it’s all you ever wanna eat. Chicken and waffles is one thing, but nothing but fried chicken every night? You’re gonna make us both fat.” A laugh left the male on the other end of the phone.

“Oh come on, with all the extra flying you’re doing at night and considering that I work hard as a pro hero, we both burn it off pretty damn fast.” The statement from her brother caused the girl to deadpan.

“Kei, you literally do nothing but walk around and send your feathers flying to do the work. It’s me burning off the fried chicken you always feed us both.”

“Hey! Hasn’t no one ever taught you to respect your elders, young lady?”

“You’re my big brother who’s nearly 8 years older than me, you don’t count as an elder when you’re not even that old.” A sniff from the other line caused the girl’s eyes to go skyward.

“Hinaki, why are you always so mean to me?” Her older brother whined. Hinaki sighed heavily in response, pinching the bridge of her nose in partial annoyance. ‘Why do I even bother with him? I swear...’ She asked herself.

“I’m almost home, Keigo, and please, for the love of God, no fried chicken for breakfast this time.” Hinaki told him.

“Okay, that was uncalled for, I haven’t even...”

“Keigo Takami...”

“Fine... Ugggh, you’re so mean, I swear.”

“You mean just like how you’re annoying at times? Damn straight, and I love your bird brained dumbass anyways.”

“Love you too, baby bird.”

"Okay, when are you going to stop calling me that? I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Yeah, I know you’re not, but you still are my little sister, Hina.”

“Not so little anymore, but...”

“I know, I know... See you in a minute, birdie.”

“See you in a minute, bird brain...” Came Hinaki’s soft reply before the siblings hung up the phone. A sigh left Hinaki’s lips before she glided down to the front gate of the home she shared with her older brother...

Since childhood, Hinaki knew of the hero world, having been raised within the Hero Public Safety Commission only because Keigo had refused to train if she hadn’t been with him, kept safe and protected from potential threats. Not too long after she turned four, she gained her quirk: Steel Wings, and she still had the scars on her back from the first time she found out why her wings needed to go back to normal before retreating into her back. Wings that she could use to fly as fast as Hawks, if not faster, and feathers she could use as weapons or just use the entirety of her wings as a sturdy shield. The white wings had grown with her as she had gotten older, relying on her big brother to teach her how to control her newfound power of flight and the rules of combat in order to defend herself in his absence... Training that came in handy in more ways than one, as she came to realize. The first time she watched Keigo fight as a pro hero, she knew exactly what she wanted to use her quirk for... Though telling her brother that she wanted to become a hero hadn’t exactly gone smooth as silk at first....

Keigo was waiting in the kitchen with a protein shake waiting for Hinaki when she set foot in the house. “Hi, birdie.” He greeted her as he took in the wide awake eyes that were identical to his own in shape and in color. Both Takami siblings shared the same golden brown, triangle shaped eyes with two little triangles just below their tear ducts. Though, while both siblings had feathery hair, Keigo’s was ash blonde in color, while Hinaki’s was darker, closer to chocolate brown like their mother’s had been. At 22 years old, Keigo was known to the rest of the world as Hawks, though in the current moment, he was just Hinaki’s laid back for the most part, but protective, older brother.

“Hi, Kei.” Hinaki greeted her brother back, stretching her arms a bit before accepting the protein shake and taking a gulp of it.

“Drink up and replenish those muscles, kiddo. After morning training, you’re hitting to books and studying today. The entrance exams for UA are just a few months away, you know.”

“I know, it’s not like I’ve been training for the past nearly 6 months now for nothing... I know the deal, Kei. Train hard, study hard in order to get into UA. I’ve been working really hard...”

“So you can have the choice I never did in becoming a hero... But not just that. You’ll be learning from pro-heroes that had been students at the school years before you. You might even get to make new friends and be able to interact with new people your age.”

“Oh, goodie...” Hinaki’s voice dripped with sarcasm, making Keigo give her a look. He knew why Hinaki had made that comment, meeting new people was not one of her strong suits, tending to hide away and allow him to do the talking more often than not. Deciding to attend UA alone was a huge step for her, not only in becoming a hero, but also in conquering the anxieties she felt about meeting new people before it hindered her as a pro hero.

“Hey, none of that, you’re gonna be fine, you’ll see.” He firmly reassured his sister. The look she shot him told him she wasn’t exactly convinced of it herself. Before she could walk away from him, he made her turn back around to face her and cupped her face in his hands. “Hinaki Takami, you’re one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. You’re quiet, sure, but you’ve got a heart of gold. You’re quick on your feet, and even faster in the air, you’re talented, smart... I might be your brother, but trust me when I say you’re going to become one of the best heroes in the world if not the absolute best and I’m not just saying that. You. Got. This. Baby. Sister.” The grin on his face made Hinaki giggle, the sound making Keigo’s grin grow even wider. With the final words of encouragement, the two Takami siblings went their separate ways, the younger counterpart heading to her school: Jakku Jr. High. Due to her silent nature, Hinaki didn’t have many friends, preferring to eat lunch on the rooftop, where she could be alone and think. But, as she ate lunch that day at school, all she could think about were the upcoming exams. What kind of tests would U.A. put her through? She knew there would be a practical exam and a written exam, but she was more worried about the practical part of it. How would they test the students quirks? The only thing she knew she could do to prepare was study for the written and train so she’d be ready for anything when it came to the practical.

Over the next four months, that was exactly what she did... She trained hard the nights she couldn’t sleep and every chance she got after school, she studied hard and aced every test she was given in school. Her hard work didn’t pass by her brother, who came home to a plate of food in the microwave and his sister either studying, training outside in the backyard or fast asleep on the couch. He smiled every time he caught sight of her and ate his food before either training with her, studying with her or carrying her to bed in his arms. A couple months before the entrance exams, after carrying his exhausted sister to bed, Keigo decided to do something he knew Hinaki wouldn’t like... But, hey, it was for her own good.

The morning of the exams, Keigo had to leave early for work, but left notes of encouragement by Hinaki’s beside, in the bathroom, and next to a plate of warm and nutritious breakfast for her. When Hinaki woke up to her alarm clock going off, she noticed the little note her brother had left on her bedside. She picked it up and read it: Hey chickadee, sorry I couldn’t see you off, but I know you’re gonna do great. I’ll see you after work, kiddo, and I love you.

- Your Big brother, Keigo

Hinaki shook her head with a smile before gathering a backless high collar top, a pair of black shorts and other things she needed before going into the bathroom and kick starting her morning routine. In the bathroom, she found the note Keigo left for her on the mirror.

Take a look at the mirror, chickadee and you’ll see the hero I’ve always seen in you. By the way, there’s a plate waiting on the table for you, don’t skip giving your brain and body power, ‘kay?

Hinaki glanced at her reflection in the mirror, shaking her head as her brother’s written words echoed in her mind as if he had spoken them to her just before he had left. He had always seen a hero in her? How? She shook the doubt out of her mind and continued getting ready.

As she descended down the stairs just a few minutes later, she pulled her dark, feathery hair back into a ponytail, her hair swaying as she headed toward the food waiting for her on the table. Next to the plate was the third and final note.

Eat up, chickadee, you’ll need to feed that smart brain of yours. I won’t tell you good luck because I know you got this. I believe in you, kiddo, more than anyone or anything... And that’s saying something, because you know how much I look up to Endeavor.

By the time Hinaki left, she couldn’t remember what she was so nervous about... With a brother like the one I have, who has time for insecurities? Hinaki asked herself as she flew toward U.A. High School. Though it was early in the morning, her bird’s eye view was able to pick up a few people commuting to work and or school, including a green haired boy training on Dagoba Municipal Park Beach below her. She notice him look up for a second and gave a friendly wave to him as his eyes landed on her.

As she touched down in front of U.A. High, however, the confidence she’d had earlier dissipated. The school was HUGE. She blinked for a second before shaking it off, forcing herself to walk forward and shoving down the doubts that threatened to make her turn on her heel and run away. Her body slightly trembled as she walked through the doors of U.A. for the first time, but she steeled her mind against her fears. If she was going to be a student at U.A., let alone a pro hero, she couldn’t let her fears get to her, no matter how nervous she was... She took a seat in the designated area, looking around. Not many people were there, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall told her that she was actually early. She sat silently for a moment, observing everyone else as more and more people entered the room, talking among themselves. The hushed whispers of the first few slowly turned into a buzzing noise as it grew closer to the time appointed for the entrance exams to start. Hinaki closed her eyes, letting her ears not focus on one single voice or conversation, but allowing herself to block it all out. If her wings had been out, she knew they’d be vibrating like crazy from the noise, thankfully being tucked away for the moment...

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” A voice interrupted Hinaki’s thoughts, causing the winged teen to open her eyes and turn her attention to the source. A girl around her age was standing near her. Her hair was jet black, tied up and out of her face in a high ponytail, her eyes a charcoal grey color. Only shaking her head in reply, Hinaki silently gestured for the girl to sit down next to her. The teen next to her bowed. “Thank you.” She replied before sitting down next to Hinaki before taking out a thermos and a mug, unscrewing the cap as she continued to speak. “Would you like some tea? I noticed you were looking a little nervous earlier, and since tea always calms my nerves, I figured I’d offer.” Straightening up a bit as the girl poured the tea into the mug, Hinaki nodded, murmuring a small,

“Thank you.” As the girl gave her the mug of tea. Keeping her hands warm around it for a moment, Hinaki watched as a part of the girl’s stomach began to glow before another mug appeared, making Hinaki’s eyes widen. Noticing the look on Hinaki’s face, the girl giggled.

“It’s my quirk: Creation. I can use the lipids in my body to create anything non-living... That is, as long as I know the chemical makeup of it. The more I eat, the more I can create.” She explained.

“That’s a pretty cool quirk.” Hinaki commented, making the girl blush in embarrassment.

“Oh, please, you’re too kind... I’m Momo, by the way. Momo Yayorozu.” She introduced herself. Hinaki smiled softly in response.

“I’m Hinaki. Hinaki Takami... It’s nice to meet you, Yayorozu-chan.” Hinaki replied, an identical smile spreading across Yayorozu’s face.

“Same to you, Takami-chan.” Yayorozu responded cheerfully, the girls talking a bit more while drinking tea. After a bit, all the chatter in the room was interrupted by the intercom going off.

“YEEEEEAH! HELLO, LISTENERS AND WELCOME TO THE U.A. ENTRANCE EXAMS!” The voice over the intercom boomed. The girls exchanged looks.

“Was that Present Mic?” Hinaki asked.

“I believe so...” Yayorozu trailed off before Present Mic continued.

“ALL RIGHT, YOU COOL CATS ARE HERE BECAUSE WE RECEIVED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL OF YOU! HOWEVER, AS YOU’RE ALL WELL AWARE, ONLY SIX OF YOU WILL BE TAKING UP THE RECOMMENDATION SPOTS, SO I HOPE YOU’RE ALL READY!”

“6 spots, huh... That sure is a lot of pressure...” Yayorozu murmured, meanwhile Hinaki’s mind was racing to figure out why she would be part of the students who were recommended to the school faculty. But, her thoughts came to a halt on the one person she should’ve guessed the first time around and deadpanned at the thought of her brother sending in a recommendation into U.A. for her. Really, Keigo? She thought, making a mental note to talk to her brother when he got home.

“ALL RIGHT, SO THIS IS HOW IT’S ALL GONNA GO DOWN. ALL OF YOU WILL BE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS, AND EACH GROUP WILL HAVE THE WRITTEN AND PRACTICAL EXAMS AS WELL AS AN INTERVIEW! TO ENSURE THAT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT, THE PRACTICAL EXAMS WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR EACH GROUP!” Present Mic finished explaining the entrance exams before a different voice came onto the intercom.

“We’ll start with the interview. When your name is called, you will be interviewed by one of the teachers here before the written exam. Good luck.” With that, the intercom shut off.

“Not exactly words of encouragement...” Hinaki mumbled under her breath, her nerves returning.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Takami-chan.” Yayorozu encouraged her new friend, Hinaki giving a small smile back.

“Thanks... With any luck, we’ll both end up getting into U.A. and be in the same class.” Hinaki grinned at her new friend, making the other girl smile back in response.

“I hope so too.” Yayorozu replied before Hinaki felt a chill in the air and shivered slightly, glancing around the room before noticing him...

The boy looked around 5 foot 9, 5 inches taller than her, with red hair on the left side of his head while right side of his hair was white in color, and Hinaki's sharp eyes caught that his eyes were the same way: His right eye was a grey color while the left eye was a turquoise blue that looked familiar to her for some reason... Over his left eye, however, Hinaki noticed a huge scar and wondered what happened to him to cause a scar like that...

Just as her thoughts started to run, he turned his head, the cold look in his eyes making her feathery hair ruffle before she quickly looked away. "What's wrong?" Yayorozu asked, noticing the look on her face. For a moment, Hinaki considered telling Yayorozu about the boy, but chose to keep her mouth shut, shaking her head.

"It's nothing, don't worry." She gave her friend a reassuring smile before it dropped as soon as Yayorozu looked away. What was with the cold look in the boy's eyes?

"Hinaki Takami." A female voice on the intercom called Hinaki's name. Hinaki swallowed before standing up, feeling Yayorozu gently pat her back to silently wish her luck. Hinaki smiled at Yayorozu in thanks before walking toward the closed door to the office. She paused at the office door to take a deep breath in order to keep herself calm before opening the door. She was greeted by a female hero, one she recognized as Midnight. “You must be Hinaki Takami, correct?” She asked. The younger girl nodded in response.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Hinaki politely responded with a bow, Midnight smiling at her.

“Go ahead and have a seat and we’ll begin.” Midnight told Hinaki, the younger woman taking the seat across from Midnight, her back straight as the interview began. It went on for a good hour or so, and Hinaki found herself more relaxed the longer she talked with Midnight. “All right, Hinaki, I only have one question left for you at this time.” Midnight said as she adjusted the papers on the desk before looking at Hinaki once again. “Every hero has their reason... Some are in it for the fame and fortune, others simply want to do what’s right. I guess what I’m asking is, what’s your reason for wanting to be a hero?” Midnight asked. The question caused Hinaki’s eyes to look away in thought. It was certainly something she didn’t think about too often, the training she went through with her brother was bonus time with him whenever she could get it while learning how to defend herself. After a moment, Hinaki’s amber eyes returned to Midnight, the woman’s eyes showing her eagerness, yet patience, to hear the answer to the last question of the interview. The young girl’s reflected her determination.

“I want to be a hero to protect people. My brother didn’t react well at first when I told him I wanted to be a pro hero, and who can blame him? The line of work itself is dangerous, but I can’t sit still on the sidelines anymore, especially not when I have the power to help... Not with my brother risking his life as a pro. I’d give anything to be a hero and protect people, even my quirk. I’d rather be quirkless in a world safe from villains rather than have a ton of power in a world where innocent lives are constantly put at stake. I’m risking sounding like Hawks here with this next part, but I think the goal should be a world where pro heroes have too much time on their hands.” Hinaki answered, Midnight smiling at the girl’s response.

“Thank you, Hinaki. That’s all the time we have, but I wish you the best of luck in the written and practical exams.” Midnight told the young girl as both women stood and bowed to each other.

“Thank you.” Hinaki replied before she stepped out of the office. Hinaki caught glances with Yayorozu on her way to the area for the written test, giving her new friend a smile and a thumbs up before entering the designated area for the written exam. Now that the interview was over, she knew it’d be a piece of cake for her. She’d studied pretty damn hard to ace the written test, and it didn’t hurt that she had grown stronger from the training with Keigo either, but the nagging question of whether or not it’d be enough kept tugging at the back of her mind. That one insecurity kept rearing its ugly head like a parasite no one could get rid of. Sitting in a seat near the back, Hinaki shook it off once more. No... She could do this. Keigo believes in her, and he’s the 3rd ranked pro hero in Japan, as he had been for the past 4 years. She just had to have confidence in herself, no matter how difficult it was for her...

Before Hinaki knew it, the written exam was complete, and she was lined up with her group at a pair of giant gates, dressed in her workout clothes. She looked around at the fellow examinees around her before her eyes landed on a familiar head of jet black hair. Hinaki smiled and once Yayorozu’s eyes caught sight of her, Hinaki waved in greeting, gaining a smile and a wave back. “Takami-chan, how do you think you did with the interview and written exam?”

“I feel like I did good with both, hopefully it was enough to get in.” Hinaki replied, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “What about you? How do you think you did?”

“Honestly, I feel like I did well, but that just leaves one test remaining...”

“Right, the practical.” The girls faced the gates. “What do you think the practical exam's gonna be?” Hinaki asked.

“I’m not sure... It could be anything, from endurance to strength tests... Honestly, that just means we have to be ready for anything." Yayorozu told her, the other teen nodding in agreement.

"Right." Hinaki replied. Before either girl could say anything more, the intercom turned on.

"Right, then... Group Gamma, your practical exam is simple: Defeat as many faux villains as you can. There'll be certain targets that are worth a certain amount of points, but the biggest targets are worth zero. Try to avoid the biggest targets as much as you can. You'll have 10 minutes to gain as many points as you can. Good luck." The girls exchanged glances.

"Faux villains?" Yayorozu asked.

"Sounds like they'll be robots.... Least, that's my guess. I doubt they'll put us against the faculty when we're not even students yet." Hinaki responded, speaking what was on her mind.

“That’s true.” Yayorozu stated before the gates slowly began to open. The girls stood at the ready.

“Here we go.” Hinaki told her friend. Just as she finished her sentence, an air horn sounded off, sounding the start of the practical test. Hinaki’s feet automatically moved, running through the gates with the others. Once she was clear from the others, her wings sprouted from her back, allowing her to take off into the air as she pulled two feather blades the size of swords from its sheath on her back, flying straight for the robots in her path. She sliced through them both with ease, taking a sharp turn to encounter more. She sliced through them, at the same time, keeping a watchful eye on the other examinees as she took down faux villains. She sliced through robot after robot, all the while, a few of her feathers left her wings to help the fellow examinees in harm’s way. Yayorozu paused for a moment as she watched the way Hinaki fought... Something about the airborne female’s movements reminded her of Hawks... But why?

Just as the thought entered her mind, a few white feathers flew past her to dig into the faux villain that had snuck up on her, allowing her to follow up with an attack that destroyed the faux villain all together while Hinaki flew by several feet above her, the feathers she had sent out returning to her wings. “Might wanna pay attention to the fight, Ponytail.” Hinaki teased from above her head. Yayorozu rolled her eyes at the smirk on her face.

“Thanks for the assist.” Yayorozu thanked her, ignoring the joking comment and gaining a salute in reply. One by one, the number of smaller faux villains shrank more and more in size. As Hinaki sliced down yet another, she heard a scream. Turning her head, she saw one of the students frozen in fright as one or the bigger faux villains headed toward them. Judging by the looks of those scratches on the robot, they had tried taking down the faux villain only to realize that their quirk didn't have enough power. She looked toward the other smaller faux villains before ultimately reaching her decision and diving for the student. While she sent a few feathers to get the student to safety, she somersaulted in mid air, pulling her wings into her back for a brief moment to let herself fall, slicing the robot in half as she fell before landing nimbly on her feet, her feather blade held out to one side as her wings reemerged from her back, straightening out behind her. Her wings flapped a little as she stood up straight, her snow white feathers returning to her as she turned to the student she had helped. "You okay?" She asked the student, holding out her hand. She noticed it was a female around her age, with crimson eyes, pale skin and ebony black hair that hung in her face slightly. The girl glared at her before smacking her hand away and standing up on her own.

"I'm perfectly fine, you shouldn't have helped me." She snarled in response. Hinaki blinked in surprise before her eyebrow went up and she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, so I was supposed to let you get crushed by that thing? What kind of hero would that make me?" She asked.

"You're not a hero, you're nothing but a wannabe trying to copy her big brother." The girl snapped in retaliation.

"Oh, really? Then why are you here? You talk about how I'm a wannabe hero, but you're here for the same exact reason, aren't you? I know you want to be a hero too. If the opposite was true, you wouldn't be here right now." Hinaki pointed out, the girl pausing before growling.

"Just stay out my way, bird brain." She snapped before hesitating a minute. Just as Hinaki opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, the girl manipulated some water from the pouch that was slung across her shoulders. The water covered the girl's hand and made it glow aqua blue as she touched a deep cut on Hinaki's right wing, a cut that the winged teenager herself had failed to notice. The wound itself glowed aqua blue itself before disappearing entirely as the girl lifted her hand. "There, bird brain. Now, we're even." The girl told her, not meeting her eyes before runnning off, not giving Hinaki a chance to thank her. Hinaki blinked as she watched the girl go. What the hell was that about? She asked herself before shaking it off and continuing to fight.

Before she knew it, the airhorn blared once again, marking the end of the practical exam. Hinaki once again sheathed her feather blades and relaxed so her wings once again retreated into her back. She spotted an old woman hobbling toward her. She noticed that the old woman looked like a nurse and smiled, recognizing her as the healing hero, Recovery Girl.

"Are you all right, dearie?" She asked the younger woman. Hinaki checked herself over and nodded.

"I have a couple scratches, but it's nothing I can't take care of myself. You'll need your strength for those who truly need it." Hinaki told her with a smile. Recovery Girl smiled back before nodding and walking away toward the next examinee. Hinaki's amber eyes searched the area for her new friend, the smile dropping and her brow creasing when she didn't spot her. She was about to release her wings out of her back to look for her when she heard a shout behind her.

"Hey, Takami-chan!" Hinaki turned at her name, relief flooding her face as she spotted Yayorozu behind her.

"Yayorozu, glad to see you're okay." Hinaki replied.

"Same to you. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out together sometime. Even if one of us doesn't make it in, I still want to keep in touch and be friends... If you're willing to, that is." Yayorozu replied. Hinaki smiled.

"I'd like that." Hinaki replied, making Yayorozu excitedly squeal before creating a pen, taking Hinaki's hand and writing down her phone number. "This is my cell phone number. Call me when you get home, okay?" She asked. Hinaki nodded before taking the pen and writing her number down on Yayorozu's hand.

"Here's mine, just so you'll know it's me." Hinaki replied with a smile, causing her new friend to smile back before the girls left the arena together.

A few hours later, Hinaki was studying at home for the finals to wrap up her 3rd year at her junior high. She was listening to music with one earbud in while twirling her pencil in her hand, her golden eyes scanning the pages of her textbook. But, for some reason, she couldn't focus... Why had the boy in the hall looked so familiar to her? She sighed and shook her head, rubbing her eyes a bit and glancing at the time on her phone. 9:30... Kei should have been home by now... Hinaki thought to herself. She had made dinner a couple hours before, and had already eaten. Keigo's plate had been left in the microwave for him like always, and yet here she was, studying on the couch just to wait up for him. She shook her head once more to keep herself awake. However, her eyes kept sliding shut despite her best efforts to stay alert long enough to continue studying. She felt tired, but she couldn't sleep now. She had a test to prepare for....

She jolted awake a while later to a pair of arms slipping under her and lifting her from the couch. She automatically lifted her fists before the soft hushing from her brother caused her to relax against his chest, fatigue taking over the young woman. "You gotta stop staying up so late, chickadee. I know you were studying, but you're gonna end up brain fried if you don't give your all-star brain time to rest too, you know." The 22-year-old's voice rumbled in his chest as he told her, his comment earning a small grunt in response as the pro hero carried her with ease up the stairs and into her room, setting her down on her bed and tucking her in. By the time Keigo had kissed her forehead and left the room, Hinaki had already gone back to sleep.

The following week was nothing short of torturous waiting for Hinaki. Between studying for the upcoming final exams plus training, she had very little free time to worry about the results... "Hey, you know, rumors have been flying around that All Might's gonna be teaching at UA this year." Keigo told her one night during dinner.

"Oh, yeah? That'll be interesting. Wonder what subject he'll end up teaching." Hinaki replied, her head tipped to one side in thought. Though her voice and face didn't show any of her excitement, her mind was bubbling with the possibility of the Number 1 Hero teaching her.

"Probably the Heroes 101 if I had to guess... He is number one, after all. If you're gonna learn how to be a hero, you might as well learn from the best, right?" Keigo asked before smiling a bit. "By the way, I can tell you're excited just by that news, you can hide it from anybody else, but forget it when it comes to me. I can read you like an open book."

"Kei, I'm not exactly holding my breath here, it's just rumors for now... But, the thought of being taught by All Might is really cool." Hinaki answered her brother with a sheepish smile before blinking, her smile dropping. "Don't get me wrong, training with you is just as awesome too..."

"Chickadee, calm down, it's okay. Besides, I know we haven't had much time to train together especially in recent years... I taught you as much as I could from a big brother stand point. Now, it's up to the teachers for the boring but essential part of it." Keigo told her.

"That is, if I get in." Hinaki replied, glancing off to the side.

"Hey, what did I say about that? Stop it. You're gonna get into UA, and you're gonna be freaking awesome because you're Hinaki Takami, damn it. You're a badass through and through, on the ground and in the air. You're gonna be an amazing pro hero because you've got the heart and the drive that every great pro hero has. If I'm wrong, I'll never eat chicken again." Hinaki stared at her brother. Those were words that she thought he'd never utter in his life. "What?"

"You're that serious?" Hinaki asked.

"Hell yeah, I'm that serious. Kiddo, I've been watching you since you were little. You've always worked hard to become a pro since you first got your quirk and I'm proud as fuck with how far you've come. You've got just a bit further to go, but I can already tell that you're gonna help so many people, birdie." Keigo told her. Hinaki smiled.

"If I am, it's only because I had the best big brother anyone can ever ask for growing up." Hinaki responded to her brother's praise. Keigo grinned at her counter praise and winked, shifting so he was close enough to wrap his arm around her.

"And as your big brother, I'll always be here to continue helping you. Always." He promised, giving her a side squeeze that made her giggle. He grinned in response before letting her go and the two continued to eat together.

"By the way..." As soon as Hinaki spoke again, she watched as Keigo stiffen slightly. "I was told a certain little bird sent in a reccomendation letter for me. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Hinaki asked before her brother laughed nervously. "Keigo..."

"Okay, so I did, but come on. You deserve it. The kids that train under the wing of the Hero Safety Commission? They don't do half the shit you do when it comes to training, let alone have to go to school at the same time like you do. Besides, if I can give you a hand in becoming a pro, I wanna do as much as I can." Keigo pointed out.

"Yeah, but the whole point of me training was so that you wouldn't have to." Hinaki told him.

"I mean, it's already been done, what'd you want me to do?" Keigo asked with a shrug and a slight smirk. Hinaki rolled her eyes. "Hey." Hinaki looked at her brother. "I love you, birdie. I was only trying to help, you know."

"I know, and I love you too." Hinaki replied as the two finished their food, bringing their dishes to the sink.

Just a few days after the conversation, Hinaki sat motionless on the couch, staring at the envelope addressed to her. The seal on the back indicated that it was from UA, more than likely with her test results. Should she wait for Keigo to open it? Or just tell him what the letter held for her? She blinked a couple times before shaking her head. Better late than never... She ultimately decided before she broke the seal on the back, her hands trembling from the anticipation. But, instead of a letter, was a little metal disc. She raised an eyebrow, turning it over and over in her hands. What the? But, just as she set it down on the coffee table in front of her, it lit up, coming to life. A loud, boisterous laughter filled the room before a muscular figure came in view. His eyes had been sucken in over the years, but his bunny ear like blond hair and bright grin were more than a little recognizable. "Hello, young Takami! I am here to give you your test results!" Hinaki blinked in surprise.

"All Might? So, the rumors about you coming to teach at UA were true, then." Hinaki answered.

"That's right, young Takami! However, I'll be only one of the teachers at UA High this year! Now, before I get too ahead of myself, onto your results! You passed the written exam at the top of the recommended students, and the practical allowed you to shine brightly, only coming in second to one recommended student. But, young Takami, you didn't just gain Villain points in the practical. You see, there was a secret point value we were looking for... After all, what's the point in being a hero if you can't rescue those in danger? You didn't hesitate to help one of the fellow examinees in trouble, earning you 50 rescue points. But, there's one more thing I want to show you before we move ahead." All Might stepped off to the side as a small video popped up, showing a video of Midnight.

"For someone so young, I have to admit, it surprised me a little that Hinaki has a level head on her shoulders. She shares the same idea as Hawks in that we should aim for a society where heroes have too much time on their hands, yet in contrast to Hawks appearing relaxed no matter the situation, Hinaki looks more than ready for even the worst case scenario, which is something we need in more heroes if I'm completely honest... I can't wait to see the hero she's going to become."

"That's right, young Takami. Though Hawks was the one who recommended you, he's not the only pro excited to see how you'll continue to grow as a fledgling hero. With that in mind, young Takami, it's my pleasure to officially welcome you to the Hero Academia. You've made it in, welcome to U.A." All Might congratulated her. Hinaki smiled brightly back.

"I can't wait to learn from you, All Might." Hinaki replied before All Might signed off and the Holographic disc went quiet once more. Hinaki trembled with excitement before a holler of joy left her, her wings flapping hard and fast in excitement to lift her up into the air slightly before she touched back down. A laugh left her as she ran her fingers through her feathery dark hair, her golden amber eyes lit up in joy.

Wait till I tell Keigo....

Taglist: @bisexualmattholtstan @lirinstaalem

(Message me if you wanna be added to the taglist! Hope you enjoy the first chapter of MHA: Ascension! ^.^ )

#big brother hawks #Hinaki Takami #MHA #ascension #Todoroki Shouto x Oc

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gusu-emilu · 3 years

Text

Cantatio: Chapter One

Ships: Lan Zhan / Wei Ying (POV Lan Zhan)

Summary: Lan Zhan and Wei Ying romp around the Cloud Recesses and bother each other.

“Well…it’s just that…” Wei Wuxian leaned toward Lan Xichen and lowered his voice. “I don’t think Second Young Master Lan likes me very much.”

Lan Wangji furrowed his brow. At least this boy understood the position he was in. This was exactly what Lan Wangji wanted to hear.

Lan Xichen smiled. “Then perhaps you should win his favor, and he might give you a lighter punishment.”

Cloud Recesses Academy AU, Rated T - read on AO3

Ch. 2 > | chapter list

Three years ago, Lan Wangji watched his older brother pass under this stony white arch and disappear into the mist of the Cloud Recesses. He was proud of his brother for attending the most prestigious cultivation academy in the land, the only school to bridge every major sect. Yet there had also been a tug of envy, buried within Lan Wangji’s juvenile heart just like the reclusive Cloud Recesses Academy was tucked away in the mountain fog.

Of course, Lan Wangji was well trained in quelling his mind, and that bit of envy had been quickly overtaken by anticipation—anticipation for this day. Today, Lan Wangji would watch Lan Xichen pass under the arch once more, and this time he would be following. He would be a student at the Cloud Recesses Cultivation Academy.

Not that Lan Wangji was unfamiliar with the Cloud Recesses. He grew up on the outskirts of Caiyi Town in the valley below, from which the Cloud Recesses was only a short hike up the mountain. Although its elegant architecture was not visible from Caiyi Town, its spiritual energy overflowed into the riverside village, granting it a tranquil sense of security. Lan Wangji and his brother absorbed this tranquility until it ran through their blood. In Caiyi Town, they lived to a perfect schedule. They spent their mornings meditating at the rocky banks of the river, their days drilling swordsmanship through thick heat or gentle snow, and their nights memorizing the teachings of the Lan Sect.

Every three months, their uncle Lan Qiren came down to evaluate their cultivation skills. Although children were rarely allowed in the Cloud Recesses, a few of Lan Qiren’s visits ended with a treat: an overnight stay at the secluded academy…and a strenuous exercise for the Twin Jades to grow their discipline.

Yes, Lan Wangji knew the Cloud Recesses. But he had never entered the Cloud Recesses while classes were in session. This was his opportunity to fully refine his skills, and he even had the privilege of being selected as a head disciple for his class. He was ready to work his hardest and bring honor to the Gusu Lan Clan.

He lifted his chin and strode under the arch. Immediately, the air tasted crisper and fresher. Pebbles shifted under his feet with a faint, satisfying crunch as he glided forward to his brother’s side. The lush vegetation and bubbling creek filled Lan Wangji with—

“Wei Wuxian!”

“Pig head!”

“A-Xian! A-Cheng!”

Lan Wangji winced. He had never heard such chafing voices, not even from the butcher’s wife in Caiyi Market, never mind in the sacred Cloud Recesses. Lan Wangji turned around, and his brother mirrored his fluid motion.

A group of disciples in purple robes was headed toward the gate, led by two bickering boys and a dainty-framed girl. The slimmer boy’s side bangs flew into his face as he swerved out of reach of the other boy, who nearly tripped while trying to snatch something from the slender boy’s hands.

Lan Wangji clenched his jaw. These were the Yunmeng Jiang Clan’s best disciples?

“Give me my chestnuts back!”

“Give what back? You practically ate them all already!”

“Yeah, because they’re mine!”

The chestnut thief dodged with a jump that propelled him onto the rock wall lining the path, swiped the tip of his sword across the rocks, then leapt down out of the other boy’s reach. A shower of pebbles pelted the enraged boy left underneath.

The trick was not impressive or clever in the slightest.

The young woman folded her hands in front of her and shook her head with a tired smile. “A-Xian, that was unnecessary. And A-Cheng, just let him have a few, we’re about to enter the Cloud Recesses.”

“Haha! You heard her, Jiang Cheng! They’re mine now!” The slimmer boy cocked his head and stuck out his tongue.

“Wei Wuxian!”

Lan Wangji could not bear to watch this level of impertinence any longer. The Cloud Recesses was a hallowed enclave of the Gusu Lan Clan that Lan Wangji felt honored to enter, and these boys were fighting over snacks without an ounce of respect for their surroundings.

Lan Wangji lunged forward. In a flash, he was behind the two unruly Jiang Clan disciples, trapping each of their forearms in his iron grip just as they were about to smack each other.

“Shouting and fighting without permission are prohibited in the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Wangji said.

Wei Wuxian wriggled his arm, but Lan Wangji only tightened his grip. If he had not been staring directly ahead, Lan Wangji would have noticed that this young man possessed a wild, intrusive handsomeness that Lan Wangji resented very much. But he did not notice that.

Wei Wuxian gave Lan Wangji a bewildered smirk, looked him up and down, then glanced over his shoulder at the other disciples.

“Who’s this grandpa, eh? We aren’t even in the Cloud Recesses yet! How can you already try to impose these rules on us?”

Lan Wangji felt a spark of heat in his cheeks. He tightened his grip even more.

Grandpa?

“Ow, ow, ow! Easy, easy!”

“Be quiet,” said Jiang Cheng through clenched teeth.

“I believe we can trust them to follow decorum once they are properly in the Cloud Recesses. Wangji, you may let our friends go,” Lan Xichen said. He had finally sauntered down the dirt path to meet them. He bowed to the Jiang Sect disciples.

Lan Wangji released the two boys’ wrists and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother for another round of bows. He hoped for one more round to sift the air and cool the hotness surrounding his face—or was he imagining that?—but Lan Xichen remained still.

“Young Master Lan, Second Young Master Lan. My apologies for our misdemeanor,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Not a problem, Young Master Jiang. I am glad that the journey to Gusu has not been too tiring for you and your peers,” Lan Xichen said with a hint of mirth. He then turned to the young woman and smiled. “Lady Jiang, it is a pleasure to see you again. Madam Jin informed me that you would be assisting her for your graduate studies. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Young Master Lan. I’m looking forward to hearing about your upcoming apprenticeship in Ancient Texts,” Jiang Yanli said.

“I’d be happy to fill you in,” Lan Xichen said. He tilted his head. “Where are Clan Leader Jiang and Madam Yu?”

As Lan Wangji listened, his gaze drifted over to trace the fidgeting outline of Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. The boy was rocking back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back and his chin held much too high. His heels carved crescent-shaped dents in the dirt.

Lan Wangji snapped his focus back to the conversation.

“My father came across an old acquaintance in Caiyi Town and wanted to pay respects to the man’s family, so my parents sent us ahead to get settled in the Cloud Recesses,” Jiang Yanli replied.

“Alright, then. We look forward to their arrival. Follow me,” Lan Xichen said.

Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen walked side-by-side to guide the Jiang Sect disciples, who thankfully were now silent, to pass through the gate once more.

A cracking sound jolted through Lan Wangji’s ears. He listened to the footsteps behind him to calculate the opportune moment, then whipped around and caught Wei Wuxian mid-bite. The side of his mouth was chomping down to break the shell of a chestnut. With a huff, Lan Wangji snatched the chestnut out of Wei Wuxian’s mouth with one clean swipe.

“Hey! So rude! You can’t just take my food like that! What if you broke my teeth?”

“No eating in the nature reserves of the Cloud Recesses.”

“I’m not in the!—oh wait. Hehe, oops.” Wei Wuxian craned his head to peer up at the white arch that lay just inches behind him, then flashed Lan Wangji a coquettish grin. “Okay, you caught me. I’ll listen to you, Lan Er-Gege.”

“Boring.”

Lan Wangji set his jaw and rejoined his brother at the front of the troupe as they followed the winding path through the misty forest.

In a low voice behind him, Wei Wuxian said, “See that, Jiang Cheng? In one move, he did what you’d tried to do forty times! You’ll have to be careful around here.”

“You should be careful around me, because unlike the Lans, I would knock your teeth out.”

Lan Wangji ignored the smirk he could sense growing on his brother’s face, just as easily as he ignored Wei Wuxian’s gleeful chuckling. And with even greater ease, he ignored that he had no idea what to do with the soggy chestnut in his clenched fist.

Littering was prohibited in the Cloud Recesses.

* * *

Lan Wangji had hoped that he and his brother would be the first to arrive. Lan Wangji wanted nothing more than a few hours to himself in the Cloud Recesses at its quietest and emptiest, with free time to peruse the rare collection of its legendary library. However, not only had the noisy Jiang Clan disciples arrived at the same time, but the Nie Clan and a few other Lan disciples were also waiting for them in the main courtyard. There were more clans yet to arrive. It looked like for the rest of the day Lan Wangji would be stuck in a perpetual cycle of meeting-and-greeting. If only Lan Xichen hadn’t spent such a long time chatting with residents of Caiyi Town or brushing his hair, then they could have arrived in the early morning.

Still, just seeing the exquisite design of the Cloud Recesses brightened Lan Wangji’s mood. The white gravel paths were accentuated with prim patches of grass and interlocked with dark, polished wooden pathways. The buildings had elegantly curved roofs and a perfect balance between rich mahogany panels, sleek ivory walls, and embroidered sky-blue banners. Past the roofs were foggy outlines of peaks adorned in greenery. The air was clean and crisp. It was as if the mountains and clouds themselves had been carved just to house this academy.

After a short detour to dispose of the disgusting chestnut, Lan Wangji joined his brother at the center of the courtyard, where the Lan Clan, Jiang Clan, and Nie Clan disciples stood with their luggage in a scattered circle in front of the Main Hall.

Everyone performed the customary greetings. Lan Wangji noticed that two people were missing.

Lan Xichen also realized at least half as much. “Mingjue, where is Huaisang?”

“Eh? He was just here,” Nie Mingjue said as he swung his head around. “HUAISANG!”

Numerous disciples flinched at Nie Mingjue’s baritone roar, including the usually stoic Nie Clan members.

Since last year, Nie Mingjue had been the leader of the Qinghe Nie Clan. Even before he assumed this position of authority, every disciple feared his hot temper, brute strength, and giant saber Baxia. Because Lan Wangji’s older brother happened to be best friends with Nie Mingjue, Lan Wangji was familiar enough with the clan leader to not fear him outright, although he did prefer to keep him an arm’s length away. But other than Nie Mingjue’s inability to use an inside voice, Lan Wangji thought he was a man of integrity.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Brother, I’m over here!” a voice called from the woods.

Nie Huaisang emerged from behind a tree at the edge of the clearing. His hands fiddled with a closed fan.

“Ge, I was just introducing myself to Young Master Wei, but he accidentally scared my bird out of my robes…now he’s helping me catch it,” he said.

“WHO?! BIRD IN YOUR ROBES?!”

“Wei—"

“Me! It’s me! I’m helping him!” chimed someone above Nie Huaisang.

Wei Wuxian was halfway up a tree, climbing toward a yellow-bellied songbird perched at the edge of a branch. He grinned and raised a hand to wave as he announced himself.

“Wei Wuxian, get down from there!” Jiang Cheng said.

“HUAISANG! You’re chasing after a bird instead of greeting the other disciples? I thought I told you not to bring that lousy pet!” Nie Mingjue yelled.

“Don’t worry, I’ve almost got it!” Wei Wuxian said.

How many rules had Wei Wuxian broken in the last fifteen minutes? And now four people were shouting in the Cloud Recesses! Lan Wangji felt his stomach drop as he realized that the amount of trouble this boy caused seemed to increase exponentially.

Wei Wuxian leapt several feet upward and landed on the bird’s branch. The bird startled and flew away, but Wei Wuxian pounced into the air with outstretched arms and soared right over the disciples’ heads in pursuit of the bird.

“Don’t hurt her!” Nie Huaisang cried.

Wei Wuxian cupped his hands around the bird, flipped four times in midair, and landed at the foot of the Main Hall. His back knocked into a potted penjing on the walkway. He looked over his shoulder in concern at the small wobbling tree, but it remained in place.

Several disciples chattered in amazement. Even Lan Wangji almost gasped.

Wei Wuxian cheered with triumph and raised the bird above his head, purposely making a show out of his success.

“Hahaha! I hope I didn’t scare you all!”

He was agile, charming, and arrogant. He acted as if the world were made to bend to his will, and the world was so delighted to do so that it would risk snapping itself in half as long as Wei Wuxian commanded it to.

Thoroughly intolerable. Someone had to keep the world from falling into pieces at his feet. Lan Wangji had come to study in a civilized learning environment, thank you very much.

Wei Wuxian started sprinting over to Nie Huaisang, but Lan Wangji blocked his path.

“Running is prohibited. Climbing trees is prohibited. Performing stunts without permission, celebrating shamelessly, and disrupting walkway decorations are prohibited.”

“Then how was I supposed to catch the bird?”

“Catching birds is pro—”

“Wangji, Young Master Wei.” Lan Xichen placed a firm hand on each of their shoulders. “Let’s make our first priority returning the bird to Huaisang. After that, we can discuss appropriate behavior for the Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Xichen glanced at Nie Mingjue. He was in the midst of loudly scolding Nie Huaisang, who wavered between cowering from his brother’s shouts and standing on his toes to peer at Wei Wuxian. Both of these actions further enraged Nie Mingjue.

Lan Xichen sighed. “Even the best of us could use a reminder of proper conduct sometimes. Young Master Wei, come with me.”

Lan Wangji’s shoulders tensed. He knew his brother was prone to being lenient. When his uncle returned to the Cloud Recesses from the outskirts of the reserves, things would be handled differently.

They approached the Nie brothers. Wei Wuxian walked with a sharp, insolent swagger that swung his annoying black ponytail and its red ribbon behind his back. Yet his hands cradled the bird with a delicate tenderness.

“Mingjue.”

“What is it, Xichen?”

“It is up to you whether Huaisang can keep the bird, but at least allow him to receive it from Young Master Wei. And please, lower your voice.”

Nie Mingjue exhaled and let go of his brother’s arm.

“Is she okay?” Nie Huaisang asked.

“She’s perfect! Not a scratch, just like I promised.” Wei Wuxian slid one hand to the side to reveal the songbird’s confused face.

“Oh, thank you so much, Wei-xiong! You’re too awesome!” Nie Huaisang held the bird to his cheek, where they both cooed to each other.

“Next time, let’s just use birdfeed instead of heroics,” Lan Xichen said.

“Understood,” Wei Wuxian said with a grin.

Then he skipped away to join the rest of the disciples, brushing past Lan Wangji without a second thought.

“Hold on, Young Master Wei,” Lan Xichen said.

“Hm?”

“As Head Disciple Wangji pointed out, you’ve broken quite a few rules of the Cloud Recesses.”

Wei Wuxian rubbed his nose. “Ah, yes, about that. I didn’t really know the rules in the first place. I was just trying to help! I won’t be punished for doing a good deed just because I broke a few rules I’d never even heard of, will I?”

Lan Wangji glared at him. “Gusu Lan Clan rules were assigned reading.”

“Second Young Master Lan…” Nie Huaisang said, “no one really does assigned reading before school starts.”

“Huaisang!” Nie Mingjue snapped. “You told me you read—”

“E-E-Except me! Except me! No one reads them but me and Lan Wangji, right?”

Lan Wangji stared at the white pebbles on the ground.

“So, if that’s settled then, I’ll leave you all be,” Wei Wuxian said.

“Not yet.” Lan Xichen smiled. “Wangji, since you have already confronted Young Master Wei for his infractions, and you are head disciple, I will let you decide the consequences. Young Master Wei may be informed of his punishment tonight.”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth dropped. “Him? He gets to pick? Isn’t that a little unfair?”

“Why would you think so?” Lan Xichen asked.

“Well…it’s just that…” Wei Wuxian leaned toward Lan Xichen and lowered his voice. “I don’t think Second Young Master Lan likes me very much.”

Lan Wangji furrowed his brow. At least this boy understood the position he was in. This was exactly what Lan Wangji wanted to hear.

Lan Xichen smiled. “Then perhaps you should win his favor, and he might give you a lighter punishment.”

And with that, Lan Xichen strode away with Nie Mingjue, leaving Wei Wuxian with a quivering lip and Lan Wangji with a bitter taste in his mouth.

* * *

To Lan Wangji’s relief, Wei Wuxian had only stayed behind long enough to bother him with a few shameless remarks, then hurried over to the rest of the disciples with Nie Huaisang. They welcomed Wei Wuxian with praises and patted him on the back. Except Jiang Cheng, who rolled his eyes and overpowered the others’ voices to berate him instead.

Lan Wangji stood at a distance from the rest of the disciples, motionless and dignified. He emptied his mind by meditating and connecting with the atmosphere of the Cloud Recesses. With each breath of the cool air he drew in, he felt greater harmony with the placid lake of spiritual energy that surrounded him. However, his attention kept being pulled toward the crowd of disciples. Not to that energetic disciple from the Jiang Clan that he expected to scurry over at any moment to ‘win his favor,’ but for some reason didn’t. Not him. Just the group in general.

He changed strategies and passed the time by making mental lists of his upcoming studies instead. This proved to be a more effective distraction.

While Lan Wangji was preoccupied with noting the auxiliary founding texts of the other clans that he might have to read, Wei Wuxian popped up at his side, startling Lan Wangji—at least, as much as Lan Wangji could be startled.

“Lan Er-Gege! Whatcha up to?”

Lan Wangji flicked his gaze away to stare at the farthest point from Wei Wuxian.

So the troublemaker had come to kiss up to him after all.

“You know, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet! I’m surnamed Wei, my name is Ying, and my courtesy name is Wuxian,” he said as he bounced to the other side of Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji stiffened his shoulders and averted his eyes once more.

“What about you?”

“Surname is Lan. Name is Zhan. Courtesy name is Wangji.”

“Wow, you’re bluer* than the sky! Lan Zhan, that’s a cool name! Can I call you that? Lan Zhan? You can call me Wei Ying too, no need for formalities between us.” (*蓝 “lan” and 湛 “zhan” both mean “blue”)

An unwelcome warmth filled Lan Wangji at the sound of his birth name.

“No.”

“Ah, alright, Lan Er-Gege. You know, I’ve heard about you before. You’re the strongest swordsman of our generation! My shijie graduated from here with your brother, she said that Lan Xichen was amazing at swordfighting, and that he told her that you were even better.”

Wei Wuxian winked and rested his arm on Lan Wangji’s shoulder. Lan Wangji flinched at the touch.

“That must mean you’re the number one swordfighter here!”

Wei Wuxian flashed a bright smile. He placed his hand on his hip and gazed at Lan Wangji with grey eyes that twinkled with admiration. It seemed genuine.

“Best or worst is inconsequential. Ranking one’s skills is vanity,” Lan Wangji said.

“I suppose you’re right. Then I look forward to sparring with you in class, since it won’t matter to you when I beat you!”

This caught Lan Wangji off guard.

“…You are trained in swordsmanship of the Jiang Clan,” he said.

“That’s right!”

“Then you cannot win.”

With long, quick strides, Lan Wangji set off toward his brother.

“Hey! Hold up!”

Lan Xichen had been spending his time fluttering around the courtyard to chat with each of the disciples, and therefore Lan Wangji had not been able to use him as a shield for incoming social interaction. Now his brother had finally settled in one place next to Nie Mingjue, just in time for Lan Wangji to escape Wei Wuxian’s pursuits.

However, Wei Wuxian was fast, and he soon cut in front of Lan Wangji.

“Hey! What makes you so sure? Isn’t it a little vain to underestimate an opponent?”

If Lan Wangji was being honest, as he visualized Wei Wuxian’s previous acrobatics, he had to admit that it may be a tough fight. But he was indeed sure that he would win. He understood Jiang Clan sword techniques. Moreover, Wei Wuxian had proven that he was impulsive—a characteristic easily exploited in battle.

“An arrow shot at the right crack can topple a fortress.”

Wei Wuxian scoffed. “So I see you’re the type who likes to speak in riddles. I have riddles too! I’ll share some fun ones with you."

Upon realizing that hiding behind his brother would not be enough to shake this pest, Lan Wangji sharply pivoted his feet and speedwalked toward another side of the courtyard.

Wei Wuxian panted as he kept pace. “Okay, listen up! A baby is perched in a tall building of the palace grounds, overlooking an arched entrance. I am not that baby, and I have no connection to any palaces, yet this scene has great meaning to me. What is it?”

Lan Wangji was offended by how nonsensical and self-centered this riddle was. He changed his walking direction again. The milky white gravel crunched under their feet in a brisk rhythm as Wei Wuxian closed the distance between them.

“Can’t figure it out?”

“Hmph.”

“Come on, Lan Zhan, you know the answer. Just say it!”

“Your name*.” (*魏 “wei” is just a surname but it can also mean “a tower over a palace gateway,” 婴 “ying” means “infant”)

“That’s right! I’m Wei Ying! Okay, another one. A muddy puddle of water became transparent. At the same time, a poor man learned that he no longer had to pay his debts. The same thing that happened to the water also happened to the man’s debts. So, what happened to the water?”

This play on words barely required a thought to solve.

“It was cleared.”

Wei Wuxian gasped. “Lan Zhan! Is it true what you’ve said? ‘Your name,’ ‘it was cleared.’ My name is cleared! So I’m off the hook for breaking the rules? Oh, Lan Zhan, thank you so much! I knew you wouldn’t punish me!”

A nerve twinged in Lan Wangji’s neck as heat rushed to his cheeks. He disliked Wei Wuxian more with every second.

“Boring.”

“Hahahaha!”

“Wei Wuxian! Stop bothering Second Young Master Lan!” Jiang Cheng scolded as he punched Wei Wuxian’s arm.

“Ow! Okay, okay, I’ll come with you!”

Lan Wangji would have told Jiang Cheng that hitting was prohibited in the Cloud Recesses, but he felt that in this particular instance it was justified. Finally safe from Wei Wuxian, he marched over to his brother and Nie Mingjue.

“Hello, Wangji. Have you been enjoying your conversations with your classmates?” Lan Xichen said with a flicker of amusement.

“Brother.”

“Yes?”

“You can assign Wei Wuxian’s punishment.”

The corners of Lan Xichen’s mouth twitched upward. “I think it would be more fitting for you to choose. You will be spending more time with your classmates than I will. It will be your responsibility as head disciple to keep them in line when your seniors are occupied.”

“You are not occupied.”

“I will be soon. Just think of it as practice.”

Before Lan Wangji could reply, a hum of voices came from behind him.

“The Jin Clan has arrived,” Nie Mingjue said.

The golden-robed Jin Clan was the largest, wealthiest, and most regal of the clans, but also the most conceited. Even Lan Wangji thought so. The Jin Clan disciples approached the edge of the courtyard from the wilderness path, headed by Clan Leader Jin Guangshan and his wife Madam Jin. Surprisingly, the leaders of the Jiang Clan—Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu—were also at the front of the troupe. They must have run into each other in Caiyi Town. Knowing that Madam Yu and Madam Jin were such dear friends that they arranged a marriage between their children, it made sense that the two women would insist on traveling up the mountain together upon seeing each other.

The stern-browed Madam Yu and the full-figured Madam Jin were deep in animated conversation. Their colorful robes and clinking jewelry rivaled each other in opulence. Jin Guangshan stood in front of them with a haughty expression, pointedly ignoring whatever his wife was discussing behind him.

In line after the two women were Jiang Fengmian and the Jin Clan Leader’s son, Jin Zixuan. Jiang Fengmian appeared to be making an awkward attempt at conversation with the young heir, who nodded and mouthed a few terse replies with even greater awkwardness.

With an air of intimidation, Madam Yu and Madam Jin turned their heads over their shoulders periodically to check that the two men were still talking to each other.

Once the Jin Clan arrived at the center of the courtyard, another round of obligatory greetings rippled through the crowd. Lan Wangji let himself fall into autopilot as he bowed, bowed, and bowed. At least Lan Xichen was at his side to redirect any personal inquiries.

At his other side, he noticed Jin Zixuan greeting Jiang Yanli, whose face looked as white as bone. Jin Zixuan opened his mouth to say something, then jerked away without speaking and approached a Lan Clan disciple.

“How is he a blabber-mouthed peacock all the fucking time, but when it comes to Shijie, his fiancé, he doesn’t even speak to her?” Wei Wuxian said.

“Because he’s a dick,” Jiang Cheng grumbled as he crossed his arms.

Lan Wangji shot them a glare that said, Swearing is prohibited.

Wei Wuxian grimaced and gave a sheepish wave. “Well, looks like our tally of offenses just increased.”

Lan Wangji turned his attention back to Lan Xichen, where a short, timid young man bowed before him. Lan Xichen clasped the boy’s hands to intercept his bow.

“Guangyao, it’s been too long.”

“Xichen-ge, I’m glad to see you,” Jin Guangyao said.

Meng Yao—now known as Jin Guangyao—was the bastard son of Jin Guangshan. For his entire childhood, he had been scorned by his father and treated as a laughingstock, until in a turn of fate he was taken in by the Nie Clan, had his reputation built up by Nie Mingjue, and then was recruited to the Jin Clan by the father who had once kicked him down the stairs. Lan Xichen had met Jin Guangyao during his visits to Nie Mingjue and had always viewed him fondly. Since Jin Guangyao moved from Qinghe to Lanling last year as a servant to Jin Zixuan, Lan Xichen had complained that he missed seeing the young man.

Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao smiled warmly at each other.

“Oh my god!” Nie Huaisang cried.

Some disciples looked at him with concern, but many ignored him. Everyone who knew Nie Huaisang was used to him causing a scene.

“What is it?” Wei Wuxian asked.

With wide eyes, Nie Huaisang pointed a shaky finger toward the forest pathway and whispered, “It's the Wens.”

* * *

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, you can be a supportive sibling like Jiang Yanli by liking, reblogging, and visiting me on AO3! New chapters posted every Monday on AO3 and Tuesday on Tumblr.

Ch. 2 > | chapter list

#mdzs fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #the untamed fanfic #wangxian #wangxian fanfiction #mdzs #the untamed #cql #lan wangji #wei wuxian #lan zhan #wei ying #cantatio #the untamed fanfiction #wangxian fanfic #emilu talks

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biggest-stupidhead · 3 years

Text

Who We Were Before (Levi x OC)

Summary: Three girls living in a society where ghouls are despised by humans. They must find out who they are in order to be with the people they love. Lust, jealousy, unrequited love. And the need to fight for what they believe in. Will they hate the CCG forever? Or will some people change their beliefs? Can they break the cycle of hatred that has been push upon them? Or are they just what everyone thinks? Monsters.

Word Count: 2.2K

When the world has labeled you a monster, you can't help but fit into that role No matter how you feel, you will always be an ant they must crush under their boot. How could she be any different? When she looks into the cracked mirror, all she can see is a ghoul. The red in her eyes is persistent as she tries to keep her hunger down. Her stomach growls angrily at her, as she looks across the way to see her neighbor closing his blinds. She thinks how easy it would be to finish him, nobody would know. He's old and has no family, he's alone. Just like her, she wonders if when people look at her they see what they see in him. Ugly, unwilling, all alone. A reject to all society holds dear. She shoves those intrusive thoughts aside and refocuses on the task at hand. She can hunt later, but now she needs to get ready for work.

Yomo usually carries some extra food on him in case of emergencies. But his food comes with a cost, a cost that she'll never hear the end of. Besides, she's not one to beg. If she's lucky Itori will let her off early and she can snag a drunk in a back alleyway. She finishes pulling on her white button down shirt and checks her appearance in the mirror. She has the same sunken eyes, the same messy mane of blonde hair. Her curls are harder to manage nowadays since she has such little strength. She really should start taking better care of herself. How can she love herself when nobody else does.

The walk to the bar is usually a lonely one but for some reason, tonight the streets are bustling and crowded. Her stomach twists painfully as the smell of human flesh wafts into her nostrils. She's so focused on controlling her hunger she doesn't see the small child in front of her. The small girl crashes into her and smiles apologetically up at her. She looks at her small frame and thinks about how easily she could crush her bones. With great self restraint she pushes past her, the child whimpers and calls out to her mother.

She reaches the bar and like always it is mostly empty, except for the usual trio that sat perched upon the barstools. At first she was apprehensive of the older male ghouls, but overtime she's come to respect them greatly. Itori stands to greet her with a wide smile, although she can see Yomo behind her with an irked expression on his face.

"You're late." Yomo quipped, setting down his wine glass harshly.

"Won't happen again." she said, shooting a cold look at Yomo. He huffed and took a sip of his blood wine, averting his gaze. As she settled behind the bar, preparing herself for a long boring shift, Uta held his glass out for a refill. She pulls out a bottle of blood wine and pops the cork, the smell washes over her and her stomach growls loudly. Uta chuckles as he tops him off, Yomo looks at her knowingly.

"When was the last time you ate?" Yomo asks with a hint of concern in his voice. She rolls her eyes and pours herself a glass to tide her over.

"Don't worry about it, I've got it under control." she says not meeting the tall ghoul's eyes. He reaches into the deep pockets of his trench coat to produce a neatly wrapped package. He slides the package across the bar without another word. She snatches the parcel and unwraps it with urgancey. Itori chuckles as the young woman scarfs down the bloody hunk of meat.

"Geez Emi take it easy, not like it's going anywhere!" Itori teases as she swirls her wine in her glass. Uta chuckles at Itori's jab and watches Emi wolf down the food, her eyes dark, irises glowing red. Yomo clicks his tongue and frowns at Emi, who was now wiping the corners of her mouth free of blood.

"Always such a lady." Uta sighs wistfully as he holds out a handkerchief for Emi. She accepts the napkin and wipes the remaining blood off her chin daintily in spite of Uta's remark. She then turns to take stock of the alcohol, even though it's rarely used, only kept in case a human patron comes through. Her pointless task is interrupted by the chime of the familiar bell. She turns to see who has entered, her eyes widening at the sight of three familiar faces. Reiner leads the trio into the small space, all of them wearing matching suits. Emi quirked a brow and smirked as they sat down a few seats away from the older ghouls.

"What brings you to this side of town?" Emi inquired as she poured them some blood wine. Emi hadn't seen the younger ghouls in some time, almost a full year now.

"What, we can't come visit our dear friend?" Reiner smirked as he accepted the glass Emi handed to him.

"Bullshit." Emi smiled at him playfully, leaning across the bar.

"You caught me." Reiner chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender.

"So what do you want?" Emi asked, her eyes roaming over the trio, they'd changed a lot.

"We have a job for you if you're interested." Annie spoke up, swirling the blood around the delicate glass.

"Depends on how dirty the work is." Emi sighed, grabbing her own glass to take a sip.

"Oh it's dirty alright." Reiner said with that same smirk that made her want to sock him in that square jaw of his.

"Not interested." The blonde says, going back over to top off Uta who has a large smile on his face as well.

"We can offer you money." Bertlot says, his eyes glued to the bar.

"What do you take me for, a prostitute?" She asks him, her cheeks turned slightly upward. Annie gives her a small chuckle, not into her games that she usually likes to play with the trio.

"Will you do it or not?" Annie asks again, more demanding than before.

"If i do, this will be the last time." she says, looking at the three.

"Fine. This will be a good send off." Bertolt says, finally meeting her eyes.

The young woman nods, and the muscular boy writes out the address she must go too. Even putting his number on the napkin. He hands it to her, she smiles to him and rips off the part with his digits.

Halfway across the dazzling city, an annual ball is commencing. Ghouls from all over have come to take part in the feast that Shuu Tsukiyama has prepared. The event is well known and very prestigious, only the richest members of the ghoul society are present. The patrons fill the balconies eagerly awaiting for the main event to begin. Two girls walk into the ring, their hands intertwined, looking eerily similar. They wore pristine white dresses, framing their delicate features. They almost looked like dolls. Everything matched, perfect carbon copies, even their masks were identical. Mainly featuring perfectly hand crafted masquerade masks that matched their dresses. Dainty lace lined the bottom of the mask, falling onto their noses, leaving the lower half of their faces exposed.

Shuu flicked his wrist to signal for the gates to be opened. The crowd cheered loudly, clapping and stomping and shaking the arena. A large man came stumbling out of the darkness, clearly he was owned by one of the patrons. He laughed at the sight of the two ghouls, knowing that he could take them easily. They looked to Shuu, who gave them an encouraging nod. The two broke apart and ran along the outskirts of the arena. The oafish man turned his head sluggishly as he tried to follow the girl's quick movements. He lashed out at the girl to his right, who easily dodged his slow attack. The other rushed in from behind and leapt up onto his broad back, wrapping her legs around his thick neck. He choked and stumbled backwards, his fat fingers clawing at the girl's creamy thighs.

The girl in front of him unleashed her blue bikaku kagune and swept him off his feet.

"No fair!" the man screamed as he threw the girl off his neck. She slid in a puddle of blood, her white dress now stained in the dark liquid. She snarled and unleashed her red and blue bikaku kagune as she rejoined her twin, the two rushing him from the front. He barely blocked the blue kaguned girl as she lashed out at his large belly. The other girl's punch landed successfully and managed to penetrate his vast stomach. The man choked on his own blood as he fell backwards. The twins stood over him, looking up at their master for his order to finish off the man. Shuu nodded proudly and the two launched into the air, their kagunes flashing in the light as they descended to administer the final blow. The crowd cheered loudly as life drained from the man's eyes, fat tear rolling off his cheeks. They intertwined their fingers once more and bowed as the audience gave them a standing ovation.

The pair retreated into the dark underbelly of the building, leaving the loud arena behind them. With an exhilarated chuckle one of the girls pulled the white wig and draped it over her arm.

"That was awesome!" She giggled as she shook the excess blood from the wig.

"It was sloppy." the other snarled as she ripped the wig off and shook out her dirty blonde hair.

"Don't be so uptight, Shuu told us to have fun with this one." she said, placing the wig on a mannequin's head sloppily.

"When you have fun you get careless, and one of these days you'll have too much and get us killed." she reprimanded, reaching to fix the wig and place her own down.

"Lighten up Addy, nobody likes a party pooper." the girl pouted as she pulled her skirt up to inspect the deep gouges that the man had left in her thigh.

"Nobody likes a corpse either, Alice." Addy lashed out, gripping her sister's wrist for her attention. The other girl pulled away as if she'd been burned.

"If I don't have fun then what's the point?" Alice scoffed, smoothing her skirt down.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten. We're in this mess because of grandma, she needs us." Addy says glaring at her sister, not knowing what solicited this behavior.

"It's always about grandma." Alice sighs as she watches some blood drip onto the floor.

"Yeah because she's sick." Addy snapped, her posture tense as she watched her sister.

"Forget about it, I need to go clean up." Alice mumbled as she marched out of the small dressing room to find some bandages. Addy sighed as she watched her disappear into the darkness before turning to inspect her appearance in the mirror.

Alice ran her fingers absentmindedly over the textured cobblestoned walls as she wandered through the basement. She froze when she noticed a dark silhouette standing outside of the bathroom. The shadow pushed off the wall when he noticed the girl's presence.

"Nice work out there." his smooth voice cut through the thick silence. She dared to take a few steps closer to the mysterious boy, thoroughly intrigued.

"Thanks..." she said carefully as she stepped into the dim light that was barely illuminating the corridor.

"Shame you're wasting your talents here." his teeth flashed as his lips peeled back in an endearing smirk. She chuckled nervously and shifted her weight a bit awkwardly.

"Where do you think they'd be more useful?" Alice asked, playing into the stranger's alluring aura.

"There's a group called Aogri, you can do whatever you want when you want to. I think you'd fit in nicely." he spoke slowly as he closed the space between them. Alice stood tall as she tried to not fall into his deep purple eyes.

"You wouldn't even have to wear those silly costumes.If you're interested meet me at the abandoned mall in the 1st ward." he said softly as he brushed a lock of her blond hair off her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat as she dipped her head to hide her blush. He chuckled and dropped his hand, much to her disappointment.

"Alice I-" Addy froze, a roll of gauze in her hand as she took in the scene before her.

"Who are you?" her voice turned hostile at the sight of the stranger.

"The name's Ayato." he replied, stepping away from Alice, who seemed to be in a daze.

"I don't care what your name is, what are you doing with my sister?" she snarled, stepping between the male and her sister protectively."

"He's just offering us a job." Alice said, snagging Addy by the back of her dress.

"I don't give a damn." Addy snarled, still looking at the boy accusingly. Ayato held his hands up in surrender as he took a few healthy steps backwards.

"You know where to find me if you change your mind." he winked at Alice before disappearing into the shadows. Addy huffed and steered Alice into the bathroom to clean her wounds.

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rohad93 · 3 years

Text

Worth the Fight

Medival Au, cause i am nothing if not predictable in what i like to write about. dont expect these updates as quickly as MM. im still working out the plot.

Trees, fields, and more, big surprise, more fields. Sometimes she spotted the occasional wild animal scampering through the grass, though that was the most interesting thing she’d seen so far.

”Are we there yet?” Luz asked for the third time in an hour as she and Eda trudged along the dirt road they had been following for two days as it wound through the fields and forests of the countryside.

“Do you see the city?” Eda asked as she glanced at her apprentice out of the corner of her eye.

“No…”

“Then we’re not there yet!” Eda threw up her arms. “Kid, relax, we’ll get there when we get there, I know you’re tired, I’m tired, hell, King is tired.” She gestured to the demonic dire wolf trotting along beside them, tongue lolling out of his mouth. His black fur shined in the sun but was near blinding against the white fur on the top of his head that created a distinct skull-like pattern across the top of his face.

“Poor baby…,” Luz cooed as she reached out and scratched the space between his horns, making his tail wag.

“He’ll live….” Eda rolled her eyes. “but you might not if you ask me if ‘we’re there yet’ one more time,” she grumbled, adjusting the light plate armor on her shoulders. It was the height of summer and as used to traveling in the stuff as she was, she was still baking under the sweltering midday sun.

Luz just pouted as they walked along. The leather of her boots was rubbing raw spots on the soles of her feet with each mile they walked.

Two days ago Eda had shaken her awake from where she and King had been lying curled up in a pile of hay. The seventeen-year-old had been half asleep and had missed most of what the older woman had been saying to her, just trying to keep her eyes open as Eda rambled on and shoved their meager belongings into an old rucksack.

What she managed to glean from the rapid-paced, one-sided conversation was something about a job, money, and leaving town, which did catch her attention.

They had been to a lot of towns over the years she had been training under Eda, and some were definitely better than others in terms of how the locals treated humans, but the one they had been staying in for the last year was probably the worst of them all. It got to the point that when Eda went to meet potential clients for jobs, Luz had to stay behind because they would take one look at Luz trailing behind her and decide that no matter the older woman’s reputation with a blade, they didn’t want the human girl around.

They’d see her rounded ears and sneer, glaring down their noses at her. Surely any self-respecting witch or sell-sword worth her salt wouldn’t be letting a human follow her around. Eda would say something snarky that almost always resulted in a near brawl and Luz would stick her tongue out at them as Eda stomped away, grumbling colorful words under her breath.

Eda was on her side, but it eventually boiled down to being able to eat and Luz decided it was best to just stay behind, even though it meant she wouldn’t get much in the way of training in swordsmanship or the combat magic that went along with it, not that she could actually do the same kind of combat magic that was natural to Witch’s anyway, being human.

As Eda had once explained it to her, witches had an extra organ, a bile sac, she wasn't entirely sure that's what it was actually called, she learned a long time ago that Eda had a tendency to make things up if she didn't know the answer. Supposedly it was an extra organ that allowed witches to absorb the natural magical energy of their world and use it to add powerful effects to items, especially weapons. Those that did were witch knights, the strongest and some of the most respected members of society, and Luz wanted so badly to be one, to prove that she was worth something, human or not, but without a bile sac, she was lacking the magical aspect, which left her at a distinct disadvantage. Heck, she didn’t even have a real sword, so she couldn’t even do the most basic jobs to help Eda feed the three of them, King alone ate like a horse, with Luz trailing behind him. She was a growing girl after all! Eda always said she’d get one when she thought she was ready, not before.

She’d usually just use the dull-practice blade Eda had given her to work on her stances and strikes, beating the living tar out of whatever trees she happened to come across in the woods while she waited for her to come back with King trailing along behind her.

To say she was glad to be out of that town though was an understatement, even if Eda still hadn’t told her where they were going, and as glad as she was to have left the dreary little town of Beldville, she was so tired of walking!

She pulled at the collar of her violet-colored tunic, sweat was making it stick to her clammy skin, but she knew better than to say anything, they were both hot and tired.

They continued the silent trudge beneath the sun, which thankfully was slowly, but surely sinking closer and closer toward the horizon, though it didn’t lessen the heat any. Eventually, the sun had moved to dip just below the horizon, nearly blinding her with its bright orange rays, as it sank and dark blues were starting to rise up over the horizon line in response to the waning light.

Luz shielded her eyes with a hand and glanced into the distance. The dark smudge in the distance was slowly growing into the silhouettes of buildings and she grinned.

“Is that it?” she pointed excitedly toward the end of the road.

"Nope," Eda said, popping the 'p'.

"Whadda ya mean 'nope'?" Luz whined. "That's a town!"

"It's a town, and we're going to spend the night there, but that's not where we're going," she informed her and Luz groaned, shoulder slumping.

"Where ARE we going?" she huffed.

"Patience, apprentice." Eda wagged a finger and grinned at her, making Luz grumble.

Eda always said that when she didn’t feel like explaining herself, which was often.

It was a small town, and although it was nearly dark there were still a number of people milling about the streets.

A few people glanced at her and Luz frowned, pulling up her hood to cover her distinctly rounded ears from view. There was no need to draw any unneeded trouble when they were only going to stay one night.

Eda noticed the motion but said nothing as she dug through a pouch on her belt.

"Here, Kid." She held her hand out to Luz, who held up her upturned palm as Eda dropped a handful of coins into it. "Go get yourself something to eat and I'll meet you back here at this inn." she hooked the thumb over her shoulder to the worn building behind her.

Luz broke out into a wide smile at the silver coins in her hand.

“Thanks, Eda!” She turned and dashed off down the road with King hot on her heels. Eda just smiled as she watched her disappear around the corner.

Luz trotted down the street, she didn’t know this place, but she knew most towns had pretty similar layouts and the market was always at the center of town, and sure enough, she soon found herself walking through the market with King at her side, most people gave the cloaked girl and the demonic creature a wide breadth, understandably. Usually, creatures like King were wild, bloodthirsty monsters that would just as soon rip off your arm, and she’d seen him do it the last time she’d been attacked by a villager with a human problem.

Luz had never feared him, he’s always just been Eda’s silent companion and her big baby ever since she’d started traveling with the gray-maned sell-sword.

She reached over and scratched that certain spot behind his right ear that made him let out a low growl that almost sounded like a happy hum to her.

“Hungry buddy?” she asked, smiling as they walked and he snorted.

There were days Luz was almost sure he understood every word she said. There was just a certain, almost intelligent look in his rusty, red-colored eyes when he looked at her.

“Let’s get some food then!”

She glanced around at the different shops and a few stalls before her eyes fell on a storefront and lit up.

‘Tomes and manuscripts’

“Book shop!” Luz whispered excitedly to herself and made a beeline for it. “Wait here, King.” She turned to the beast, who snorted and plopped himself onto the ground outside the shop. She pushed the door open and grinned as the smell of ink and old parchment filled her nose.

Luz loved books, though she rarely had access to them. Having to carry everything you owned with you at all times meant that you just couldn’t have some things, and books were heavy and took up space that could be put to better use, for food or supplies, that’s what Eda said anyway. Luz would reluctantly admit she was right, but she didn’t have to like it!

“Welcome!” a voice called from her left. She looked over at the old witch peering at her over his spectacles at her. “Can I help you find anything?”

“Uh, thank you, just looking.” she waved a hand.

He nodded and she walked down the many shelves packed with worn leather-bound tomes, grinning to herself as she ran her fingers over their spines, feeling the smooth, cool bindings beneath her fingertips. So many stories, knowledge, and wild adventures aplenty crammed between two hard leather covers. Luz adored books, a lifelong love affair lit aflame by her mother, who had taught her to read and write at a young age. Something uncommon among the lower classes of witches and unheard of for humans in the Empire of the Boiling Isles, who were the lowest class citizens of them all, but her mother hadn’t been from the Isles. She’d always told Luz about a beautiful place across the sea, with fine grain, white sand beaches, and tall trees very unlike the ones here, that dipped and swayed with the wind, their leaves long and few, but still perfect for blocking out the strong rays of sunlight on a clear day.

Luz sometimes wondered what it might actually be like to see it with her own eyes, she doubted she ever would, her mother had always told her it was far away and she’d left to escape a war, bringing only her native tongue and a sack of food.

Luz hummed to herself as she continued browsing up and down the dimly lit rows of books with rapt interest. She turned a corner and glimpsed a small table covered in old, worn books, and felt drawn to them.

They were all hefty tomes and she flipped through the first few on the stack, nothing of any real interest, some play scripts, and something about treaties on the great war. She set them aside and picked up the last one in the stack. It had a dark brown cover with gold inlay around the corners and spine. It’s worn leather bindings were pockmarked with scratches and divots, some worse than others. She flipped it open and found some of the pages were yellowed and crinkled in places as though they had gotten wet and been left out in the sun to dry at some point.

The pages were full of runic writing that she couldn’t even begin to guess at, but as she flipped through the pages she stopped on one with a drawing, a perfect circle with several lines that made up some kind of symbol.

There was very little text in the book that she understood but one set of runes did stand out, the symbols meaning ‘light’. She’d learned them years ago when her mother had told her that her name meant light.

She ran a finger over the crisp, inked lines of the glyph.

They glowed.

“Augh!” she nearly tossed the book across the room, it clattered across the floor with a heavy thump and she grimaced as it landed on the wooden floor. She held her arms up in defense, but the book only continued to lie there.

After a moment quickly scooped it up and gazed at its gold bindings before she flipped it back open to the page with the illustration. She hesitated a moment, hand hovering over the illustration before pressing her fingers over it, skin running across the rough parchment beneath.

The lines began to give off a pale light as she traced them, till eventually, the entire thing was awash in soft glimmering light.

Luz stared at the glowing drawing with open awe and wonder.

“Magic…,” she breathed.

She’d done magic, she wasn’t sure what kind or even what it was supposed to do, but for the first time in her life, magic!"

She needed to look through this, all of it.

"I'll be closing shop in a few minutes!" The shop keeps voice carried out through the store making Luz jerk.

A few minutes wasn't nearly enough time! Her mind raced with thoughts before finally deciding as she slapped the book closed and hurried to the front counter where the shopkeep was still standing.

“How many snails for this book?” she set it on the counter and he eyed it for a moment.

"This? Bah, ten snails, it has little value to any witch, merely theories on old magic.

"I'll take it!" She slapped half the money Eda had given her on the counter.

Only King would be eating tonight it seemed, but the chance at magic? Worth a hungry night.

He nodded and accepted the coins as he pushed the book back toward her, but as he did, got a glimpse under her hood and spotted her rounded ears.

Luz knew what happened the second it happened. His brows crinkled between his eyes and his once, disarming smile, curled into a sneer.

"A human, in my shop!?"

Luz snatched the book off the counter and bolted for the door.

"No take backs!" she squealed as she burst out the door, making King jump up as she did.

She dashed back the way they had come, the black beast loping along behind her with an excited, rumbling bark.

It didn't take long for them to get out of sight, turning the corner and ducking into an alley.

She pressed her back to the wall, clutching the book to her chest, and waited until it finally seemed like she wasn't being chased; she peeked her head out and found the street clear.

She turned back to look at the worn leather-bound book in her hands and grinned.

She couldn't wait to look at it better later.

King whined at her side, scratching at her with his paw.

"Ah, right, right. Let's get you some food, buddy." She smiled at him and snuck toward the other end of the market, spending the rest of the money Eda had given her to buy meat for the beast, who wolfed it down in record time, practically swallowing it whole before they made their way back to the Inn.

"Get some grub?" Eda asked from her place sitting in one of the beds when they walked into their rented room. King immediately trotting over to the empty bed and jumping up on it and curling up into a massive black ball of fur.

"Fed King, yea." She nodded, pulling off her cloak and kicking off her boots before she climbed into bed, shoving King over.

He growled at her but she just shoved harder till there was space for her to lay. He snorted in response but never lifted his head as she laid next to him, book in hand.

“What about you?” Eda narrowed her amber eyes at her, noticing how she only mentioned king. “And where’d you get the book?”

“Uh…” Luz stalled and Eda sighed.

You bought the book instead of eating, didn’t you?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Yeah…,” Luz mumbled and Eda sighed.

"Well, what was so much more important than eating? If it's another flowery love story, kid, I swear…," she trailed off, rolling her eyes.

"It's not!" she insisted. "It's a book about magic!" She flipped it open and opened to the diagram and ran her hands over it, creating the same glow as it had in the bookshop, which made Eda sit up.

"Well, look at that…" she tilted her head. "What's it do?" She looked back up at Luz.

"I'm… not sure yet…" She shrugged. “I need more time to read it." Eda hummed, looking at the glowing glyph on the paper before shrugging and plopping back down on her bed.

“Whatever kid, just don’t stay up all night looking at it,” she grumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket up over her head.

“You go it, teach!” Luz promised as she snuggled back against King and flipped through the pages.

She really wished she could read any of the writing around it other than the runes for light. She flipped some more pages and found another diagram, a sketch of a sconce, or something similar with a circle drawn above it and little lines indicating rays of light. She hummed to herself.

She had only the basic knowledge of how Eda did magic. She could just kind of think about what kind of effect she wanted to apply to an object and would press her hand to the blade of her sword and it would glow for a second before taking effect, she’d made her show her enough times to know.

Luz pursed her lips and leaned over to her satchel sitting on the floor by her bed and dug out a piece of charcoal she liked to use to draw when they were on the road or she was waiting around on Eda, ignoring the angry rumbling of her empty stomach. She pulled her training sword out of its sheath and looked at the blunt, reflective weapon for a long minute before carefully drawing out the glyph across the flat of the blade.

she glanced back and forth between the book and her blade, humming to herself when the last line was completed. She hesitated a second before pressing a fingertip to it and the glyph glowed before the bright light spread across the entire length of the blade, lighting the room up.

Luz stared at it in awe, before a bright grin stretched across her face, empty stomach forgotten.

She’d done it.

She’d done magic!

#the owl house #worth the fight #eventual Lumity #Luz Noceda #King #Eda Clawthorne #toh #medival AU

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