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brunchable · 10 months ago

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Winter Prince, Part One: I Was Enchated To Meet You

Pairings: Prince, Soon to be King AU Bucky Barnes x Out of place, Princess Reader Words: 4.5K Themes: Regency Period AU, Instant attraction, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut. Summary: Trapped in the palace gardens, Y/N’s escape attempt is interrupted by a mysterious charming man who offers to help. Little does she know, the man she’s avoiding is the one lifting her over the wall. A/N: You're damn right I took inspiration to Queen Charlotte. Let's call this a "retelling" Bucky will still have his metal arm in this to keep it interesting.

The sound of hooves echoed in the distance, the rhythmic gallop of a horse cutting through the stillness of the early morning. You clutched your dress tighter around you, the fabric tangled in your fingers as you stood before the towering stone wall, your heart pounding. You were almost free—almost—but the moment stretched painfully, as if the world itself held its breath with you.

You glanced over your shoulder, the imposing silhouette of the palace barely visible through the mist. It loomed behind you, a symbol of everything you were bound to—everything you were trying to escape.

Your breath hitched as the soft thudding of hooves grew louder, and you turned back to the wall. Climbing it had seemed easy in the few moments of adrenaline-fueled desperation, but now, standing before it, you realized how futile it was. You couldn’t do it. You couldn’t scale the stone, couldn’t flee the life that had been thrust upon you.

The horse slowed, and you heard someone dismount, the creak of leather and the solid thud of boots hitting the ground. Your fingers trembled as you placed them against the wall, ready to make one final, frantic attempt. But before you could take another step, his voice cut through the mist.

“Running away?”

You froze, heat rushing to your cheeks. His tone wasn’t harsh, nor was it amused—just… curious, and that only annoyed you more.

Slowly, you turned toward the voice, expecting to see one of the palace guards ready to drag you back inside. Instead, a man stood before you, taller than you had imagined, with dark hair tousled by the wind, his sharp features softened by the morning light. He was dressed in simple riding attire, a cloak draped over his broad shoulders, but there was an elegance about him. Certainly not a guard, then?

“Are you going to stop me?” you asked, your voice breathless, daring as your fingers tightened against the stone. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears.

He chuckled softly, and the sound sent a strange warmth curling through you. “I don’t know,” he mused, a playful glint in his eyes as he stepped closer, “Should I? You seem to be doing a fine job of stopping yourself.”

Your mouth parted in disbelief, heat rising to your face again. “Excuse me?”

He nodded at the wall. “Well, you don’t exactly look like you’re about to make it over, do you?”

You scowled, crossing your arms over your chest. “I didn’t ask for your commentary.”

The man raised a brow, his lips twitching into a smile. “I’m just saying, climbing walls isn’t for everyone. Especially not someone in a gown.”

“I wasn’t aware I needed your approval to escape,” you shot back, glancing at the wall again and then back at him, frustration bubbling inside you. “Why don’t you just go about your business and let me fail in peace?”

His grin widened, and he crossed his arms, his posture too relaxed for someone who’d just found a would-be escapee.

“I could help you.”

You blinked at him, caught off guard by the offer. “Help me?” you echoed, suspicion lacing your words. “Why would you help me?”

“Maybe I like seeing people succeed at impossible things,” he teased, the smirk never leaving his face. “Or maybe I’m just curious to see how far you’ll get.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, crossing your arms tighter. “I don’t trust you.”

“Smart,” he said with a laugh. “But if you want to get over that wall, you’re going to need more than distrust.”

You looked up at the towering stones again, dread gnawing at you. He was right, as irritating as that was. But still…

“And what do you get out of this, then?” you asked, glancing at him warily.

He leaned casually against the wall, watching you intently. “A conversation,” he said, his voice suddenly softer, less teasing. “Tell me why you’re running.”

You scowled at him, the heat rising in your cheeks again, and turned your gaze back to the wall. Frustration bubbled inside you, and you began pacing, sizing up the towering stones as if staring at them hard enough would magically make them easier to climb.

“I don’t need your help,” you muttered under your breath, though you weren’t sure if you were talking to him or the wall at this point.

You glanced back up at the impossible height of the stone barrier, chewing on your lip as you tried to mentally map out some kind of strategy—any way to make it work. You huffed, planting your hands on your hips, and shifted from foot to foot, casting the man a glare every now and then. He just stood there, arms crossed, watching you with an amused expression, as if you were the most entertaining thing he’d seen in a long time.

After a few moments of pacing and staring—then pacing some more—you let out an exasperated sigh and kicked a small stone out of your path, turning back to face him, arms crossed.

“Well?” you asked, your voice a little more breathless than you’d have liked. “What’s so funny?”

He shook his head, but the grin he was trying to hide betrayed him.

“Nothing,” he said, the words dripping with humor. “Just… you look like you’re trying to intimidate the wall into letting you pass.”

You glared at him, heat flooding your cheeks. “Maybe I am. Maybe it’ll work.”

His chuckle turned into full-blown laughter, and the sound of it—rich and genuine—sent a strange warmth curling through you, despite your annoyance. He had that kind of laugh that you hated admitting was contagious, and you found your lips twitching upward before you could stop yourself.

“I’m serious!” you huffed, though the playful tone was creeping into your own voice.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, still chuckling softly as he shook his head. “You’re something else, you know that?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, a mix of frustration and embarrassment bubbling up inside you, but you couldn’t help the flutter in your chest at the way he looked at you.

“Are you just going to laugh at me the whole time, or are you actually going to help?”

He raised his hands in surrender, his grin still firmly in place. “Alright, alright. I’ll help.”

He took a step closer, the playfulness still in his eyes as he lowered his voice, leaning just a fraction nearer. “But only because I want to see how this goes.”

“Fine,” you muttered, stepping back toward the wall. “Just… don’t get in the way.”

Behind you, you could hear him chuckling softly to himself again, and though it made your frustration bubble over, there was something undeniably magnetic about the way he seemed to find you so… endearing.

And as you started pacing again, casting glances at the wall, trying to figure out just how on earth you’d manage to get over it, you caught him out of the corner of your eye—his gaze still fixed on you, the smile never leaving his face.

You huffed to yourself, kicking at another stone. Of course, the man who found you trying to escape was now laughing at you, and somehow, it didn’t feel as awful as it should.

“How long will you keep pacing around like that?”

“I’m not pacing,” you grumbled, though you absolutely were.

“Oh, you are,” he countered with a grin. “You’re doing laps. Like maybe if you circle it enough, the wall will shrink. Or get tired of you and let you through.”

Your jaw tightened as heat rose to your cheeks. “I’m sizing it up,” you snapped, planting your hands on your hips as you glanced back at the wall, your frustration bubbling over.

He wasn’t even trying to hide how much he was enjoying this, and it only made your chest tighten with frustration. Why did he have to look so effortlessly amused by your struggle?

“Well?” you demanded, trying to maintain some semblance of authority in the situation. “You know you’re actually not helping?”

“Forgive me, but watching you intimidate the wall might be the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all week.”

You let out an exasperated huff, resisting the urge to stomp your foot in frustration. “I wasn’t intimidating it, I was—”

He cut you off with a light chuckle, waving his hand dismissively. “Sizing it up. Right.”

You were too stunned to respond. The man was infuriating, no question about it, but the warmth in his voice, the look in his eyes—there was something about him that softened the edges of your frustration, made it feel less like a confrontation and more like… banter.

You shook your head, forcing yourself to focus. No, this was not the time to get distracted by some smug, arrogant man who was finding far too much joy in your struggle. You turned back to the wall, determination flaring inside you.

“If you’re going to help, do it already,” you muttered, planting your hands on your hips again.

“Let’s see how far you can get with a little help.” he said, his voice low and teasing.

He stopped in front of you, eyes gleaming with amusement as he glanced at the towering wall. “You ready?”

You crossed your arms, lifting an eyebrow at him. “Do I have a choice?”

He smirked, leaning down slightly. “Not if you want to get over that wall today.”

You eyed him warily, but there was something in his smile, something disarmingly warm beneath all that arrogance. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you sighed and placed your hand in his.

His grip was firm, strong, and you felt the warmth of his palm seep into your skin as he stepped even closer. The flutter in your chest deepened, but you swallowed it down, ignoring the strange thrill of having him so near.

“Alright,” he said, crouching slightly and motioning toward his shoulders, “Put your foot here, and I’ll lift you up.”

You blinked at him, a sudden rush of heat flooding your face. Wait, what?

“I’m going to boost you over,” he explained, clearly amused at your hesitation. “Unless you’d rather keep pacing around?”

You huffed, your cheeks burning.

“Fine,” you muttered, carefully lifting your foot toward his shoulder. “But—” You paused, biting your lip as another wave of heat rushed through you. “Don’t look up.”

His grin widened, but he managed to keep his voice steady. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

You gave him a skeptical look, your heart thudding loudly in your ears as you gingerly placed your foot on his shoulder.

“Don’t look up,” you reminded him, your voice sharper, but the flush in your cheeks was impossible to ignore.

“I heard you the first time,” he chuckled softly, keeping his gaze firmly straight ahead.

He hoisted you up easily, his hands firm at your waist, but as soon as you tried to gain some leverage, the fabric of your gown bunched awkwardly around your legs, trapping you mid-air. Your heart pounded as you wobbled, your foot slipping slightly, and for a moment you flailed, trying to catch your balance. The wall still seemed impossibly high, and every move made your gown twist tighter around you, making it harder to gain any footing.

“Careful,” He grunted, steadying you with his grip. “Got it?”

You didn’t. Not at all.

“This is ridiculous,” you muttered, your voice strained with effort as you tried to move again. The fabric pulled tighter around your legs, making it impossible to lift yourself further. “This dress—how do women escape anything in these things?”

He laughed, and you could feel the vibrations of it under your hands.

“You’re doing great,” he teased, clearly biting back more laughter. “But if you keep kicking like that, I might not be able to hold you much longer.”

You shot him a glare over your shoulder, heat flooding your face. “This isn’t funny!”

“Oh, it’s very funny from down here,” he said, still chuckling, though his grip on your waist stayed steady.

Another attempt to maneuver only resulted in more tangled fabric. You groaned, realizing that this wasn’t going to work. No matter how hard you tried, the dress wouldn’t let you lift your legs high enough to get over the wall.

“Alright, alright,” you sighed, feeling thoroughly embarrassed as you gave up. “Put me down.”

“You sure? You were making great progress,” he teased, but his hands were already lowering you back down to the ground, the warmth of his touch lingering even as your feet found solid ground again.

As soon as you stood, you stepped back, brushing dirt from your gown and trying to ignore the way your heart still raced, both from the failed climb and from how close he had been.

“Well,” you muttered, more to yourself than to him, “that was a disaster.”

He leaned back on his heels, his grin wide and playful. “Not a total disaster. I got a front-row seat to the best entertainment in town.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at him, though the blush creeping up your neck betrayed how flustered you were.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

He chuckled again, crossing his arms to mirror you. “Can’t say it’s not entertaining.”

You sighed and looked around, now you owed him an explanation as to why you’re trying to run away.

“I don’t want to marry a stranger,” you whispered, surprising even yourself with the truth. “I don’t want to be locked away in that palace for the rest of my life, tied to someone I’ve never met.”

He didn’t speak for a second, his expression softening as he studied you. Then, in a gentle tone, he asked, “And who is this stranger you’re so desperate to avoid?”

You sighed, casting a quick glance around as if the mist might swallow you whole.

“Prince James,” you admitted quietly, your words barely louder than the mist. “I’ve never seen him, never even heard his voice. I don’t know if he’s kind or cruel, if he’s young or old. For all I know, he could be—”

“Hideous?” the man supplied, a glimmer of amusement flickering in his eyes again.

You gave a small, reluctant smile despite yourself. “Or snotty. Cold. Aloof. Traits that I most certainly cannot stand nor find attractive.”

The man chuckled softly, shaking his head as he took a step closer. “Snotty, huh?”

“Well, royalty,” you said, with a little shrug. “They tend to be.”

He studied you again, something like amusement flickering across his face, but there was no mockery in it, just something warm and knowing.

“You could say I’ve met him a time or two.”

Your brows furrowed at his familiarity with the prince. “Then what’s he like?” you asked, searching his expression for any hint of truth. “Is he… good?”

He seemed to consider your question, his gaze turning thoughtful as though weighing each word. “He’s... complicated,” he finally said, his voice softer, almost wistful. “Not the man people expect him to be.”

You frowned and sarcastically you said, “That’s really comforting.”

But before he could answer, a loud shout echoed from the palace grounds, and you both turned, startled. Your stomach lurched in panic.

“I need to go,” you whispered frantically, your pulse racing as you prepared to bolt.

His hand caught yours before you could move, the warmth of his skin against yours sending a jolt of something startling through you. You looked up at him, breathless.

“I could still help you,” he murmured, his thumb brushing the back of your hand. His eyes held yours, deep and unreadable, as though he were making a decision only he could understand.

But there was something in his gaze now, something almost… regretful.

“Speak what you need to say.” you whispered, the realization dawning on you in slow, staggering pieces.

He didn’t answer immediately, his eyes searching yours like he could read the thoughts swirling in your head. He let out a soft sigh and tilted his head, a playful sparkle returning to his eyes.

“What if…” he began, his voice low, “what if the prince isn’t some distant, unfeeling man? What if he’s just a person who hates the cage he’s been placed in as much as you do?”

You blinked, confusion tightening your chest. “What are you talking about?”

He took a step closer, his thumb still grazing the back of your hand, sending that maddening warmth through you. “What if Prince James isn’t the man people whisper about? What if he’s spent his whole life wondering if anyone would see him instead of the title?”

Your breath caught in your throat. The weight of his words settled like stones in your chest, and you stared at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “Why would he care? He’s a prince—soon to be King. He’s powerful, he has everything.”

He gave a small, almost sad smile. “What if the power isn’t worth much if it means living a life filled with expectations instead of choices?”

You frowned, shaking your head. “But he could change things if he wanted to.”

James—because you were sure of it now, he wasn’t just some rider—tilted his head, amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. “What if it’s not that simple? What if the weight of the crown is heavier than it looks?”

Your heart raced as the pieces slowly started to click together. He was still toying with you, but now there was a seriousness beneath it, something deeper. You could see the flicker of emotion behind his blue eyes, like he was daring you to understand.

“What if…” he continued, leaning in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper, “the prince is standing right in front of you, hoping you’ll see him?”

The world tilted beneath you. The way he spoke, the familiarity in his tone, the way he carried himself… it all made sense now. And suddenly, the puzzle that had been scattered before you came together in a startling rush of clarity.

“You’re—” The words stuck in your throat as your heart pounded harder, realization hitting you with full force. “You’re Prince James.”

He smiled, a mixture of apology and relief in his expression. “I suppose I am.”

Your mind reeled, his confession crashing over you cold bucket of water. Prince James. The man you had been speaking to, was the very one you were trying to escape. The very one you had feared. Your heart pounded, your pulse a frantic beat in your ears as you looked up at him—really looked at him—for the first time.

Prince James.

"Hello, Y/N." He smiled earnestly, taking your breath away.

You took a step back, your breath hitching in your throat as your gaze swept over him. The dark hair tousled by the morning breeze, the sharp features softened by the mist, the broad shoulders, the casual strength in the way he stood. How had you not realized before? How had you missed it?

Your mouth opened, but no words came. You were speechless. Absolutely, utterly speechless.

His lips twitched in that same infuriating, knowing half-smile, the one that had seemed so harmless before but now felt charged with meaning.

“I suppose I’m not what you were expecting,” he murmured, his voice low, almost apologetic.

You shook your head, still trying to find your voice, but it was like the words had fled, leaving only the rush of your thoughts, jumbled wildly together. He’s the prince. The one you had dreaded. The one you had tried so hard to avoid.

But he wasn’t at all what you imagined. He wasn’t cold, or distant, or cruel. He was standing here, watching you, his expression open, almost vulnerable, as if he was waiting for your reaction, for you to decide what came next.

Your eyes darted over him again, taking in every detail as if seeing him for the first time—the way his cloak clung to his broad frame, the way his eyes, intense and unwavering, seemed to burn through every wall you'd built around yourself.

And then the shouts echoed again, louder this time, and your stomach clenched with a fresh wave of panic. The palace. The guards. They were looking for you.

His gaze flickered toward the sound, the slightest crease forming between his brows before his eyes were back on you, sharp and unrelenting.

“You need to go,” he said, voice low but urgent. Like the moment itself was slipping away.

“I—” You swallowed hard, your words tangled with the storm raging inside you. You—him—everything felt too much, too fast.

He stepped closer, his hand lifting as if to touch you—like he had to—like he needed to—but stopped just short, his fingers lingering in the air, his breath mingling with yours.

“I felt the same,” he said, his words rushing out, fierce, quiet. “Curious about you. Wondering if you were like the rest of them, if you were cold, detached. Wondering if you were trapped like me.”

You blinked, caught off guard, your pulse roaring in your ears. What?

“I was afraid,” he continued, his eyes searing into yours. “Afraid you were someone I wouldn’t want to know. Someone I couldn’t stand to look at. I was afraid of you.”

His words hit you like a thunderclap, stealing your breath, your heart stumbling in your chest.

“But gods,” he breathed, his voice dropping to a whisper, “I was wrong.”

You stared at him, utterly speechless, the air thick between you. Your heart was pounding so hard you were sure he could hear it.

He took another step closer, his eyes wild, full of something unnameable. “You’re everything I didn’t dare to hope for. You’re bold, you’re brave, and you’re—” His voice broke off, and you watched as his gaze dropped to your lips, then snapped back to your eyes, something fierce and desperate flickering there.

You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t think. His words slammed into you, your mind reeling, your heart racing as his admission hung between you, fragile and powerful all at once.

The shouts echoed again, and your body jolted with the reminder of reality crashing back in.

“I need to go,” you whispered, your voice trembling as the world swirled around you.

But before you could move, his hand finally touched yours—fingers brushing against yours, sending a spark through your skin that made you freeze.

“I was wrong about you,” he murmured, his gaze locking with yours, eyes blazing with a heat that made you want to lean into him, to forget the world. “So wrong.”

You swallowed, every nerve in your body alive, humming. His hand slid up, cradling your wrist, his thumb brushing the delicate skin, like he couldn’t stop touching you.

“Go,” he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. “Go before I make you stay.”

Your feet refused to move, your heart slamming against your ribs. But you nodded, turning to slip back toward the palace, your body buzzing with his words, the intensity of his gaze.

But before you could disappear into the shadows, you heard him call out—his voice loud, clear, commanding.

You froze, crouching behind the tall hedge, heart hammering against your ribs as you peered through the mist. The guards had gathered around him now, their faces tense with focus as James, with that steady authority in his voice, pointed them in the wrong direction.

“She went the other way—toward the east gate!” His voice was sure, a lie delivered with the ease of someone accustomed to being obeyed. And just like that, the guards nodded, falling in line with his instructions as they turned, their heavy footsteps fading in the opposite direction.

Your pulse thrummed in your ears as you watched them leave, your body still coiled with tension, waiting for something to go wrong. But James remained still, standing tall as the mist curled around him, his face calm, unreadable. And when the last of the guards disappeared into the distance, he did something that made your breath catch.

He glanced back over his shoulder—directly at where you were hiding.

His gaze found yours through the thick hedges, that same intense, burning look he had given you earlier, and for a brief moment, the world stood still. He didn’t move, didn’t say anything, but his eyes held yours with a weight that made it hard to breathe, the unspoken connection between you hanging in the air.

Then, with a slow nod—so subtle you almost missed it—he turned, walking away, his figure swallowed by the swirling mist.

You exhaled, finally letting out the breath you’d been holding. Your entire body was trembling, your mind reeling from everything that had just happened. He had protected you.

Prince James, had lied for you, bought you time, and now the palace loomed ahead, quiet, waiting. Your fingers tightened around the fabric of your gown as you stood up, pressing yourself against the stone wall, making your way back toward the safety of the palace.

You moved silently, your steps soft against the cobblestone as you slipped through the garden paths, every corner casting long shadows. You had to be careful. You couldn’t risk being caught now.

Reaching the palace doors, you hesitated for a moment, glancing back toward the mist-shrouded garden. James was gone now, but his presence lingered, the promise of his words still echoing in your mind.

With one last breath, you pulled open the door, slipping inside the familiar corridors of the palace, the warmth of its stone walls closing in around you. It was quiet here, the rest of the palace still asleep, unaware of the storm that had passed just outside its walls.

As you hurried back to your chambers, your heart finally began to slow, but your mind buzzed with everything that had just unfolded. James hadn’t just protected you; he had seen you—really seen you. And now, there was no denying it.

You weren’t running from him anymore.

You were walking straight back to him.

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eriace · 2 months ago

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shut up ; nagumo yoichi

oneshot & fluff ↪ in which nagumo and y/n are jcc's most infamous pair of bickering disasters—until a field mission forces them to stop arguing and maybe start falling. ↷ nagumo yoichi ; sakamoto days

↳ an order of black coffee from anonymous in the comeback cafe event !

“YOU'RE STANDING ON my wire, dumbass!”

“I meant to. I wanted to see if you’d fall on your face.”

Nagumo Yoichi and L/n Y/n were the JCC’s version of fire and gasoline—and everyone on campus knew it.

It wasn’t that they hated each other. No, it was something far more annoying. A weird tension. A mutual rivalry. The kind of friction that made professors sigh, teammates groan, and Rion bet money on how long it would take for one of them to snap.

They always sat on opposite sides of the classroom. She claimed it was to avoid catching his “smug little grins” in her peripheral vision. He said it was because she “radiated death and judgment.”

Today, the mission was simple: infiltrate a simulated enemy base and retrieve a dummy target. Teamwork was required.

They were, of course, paired together.

By Rion.

Who was definitely laughing from behind a tree right now.

“Look,” Y/n muttered as she adjusted her gear, “Just don’t get in my way and I won’t kick you into a wall. Deal?”

Nagumo smirked. “Sure, sweetheart. Just try to keep up with me.”

“Call me sweetheart again and I’ll staple your mouth shut.”

The mission was going surprisingly well—if well meant multiple insults, two almost-discovered moments caused by loud whisper arguing, and Y/n accidentally grabbing his hand in the dark and nearly dislocating his wrist.

“That’s not the target, that’s me, idiot!” he hissed.

“Then stop breathing like a creeper behind me!”

At one point, they ducked behind a crate, pressed too close in the tight space. Neither spoke for a second.

Too close.

Nagumo felt the warmth of her shoulder against his. He blinked down. Her eyes flicked to his.

And suddenly he was very aware of how loud his heart was.

“You good?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What? Yeah. Totally.” He looked away. “You smell like explosives and peach shampoo.”

“…You memorize my shampoo?”

“No! I mean—I noticed it once. Shut up.”

She grinned.

Back at the dorms, post-mission, the air between them was weird. Not hostile. Just... loaded.

Nagumo, awkwardly fidgeting with his sleeves, cleared his throat as she passed by.

“Hey.”

She turned. “Hm?”

“You, uh... you didn’t suck today.”

“Wow.” y/n blinked. “Such high praise.”

“No, really. You were good. Like... hot-level good. Not that I think you’re hot—I mean—”

“You think I’m hot?” she smirked.

“That was a trap.”

“You walked right into it.”

Nagumo groaned and covered his face. “Why do I even try with you?”

She stepped closer, nudging his foot with hers.

“Because you like me,” she said, softly. “And maybe I don’t hate you anymore either.”

Silence.

Nagumo peeked between his fingers. “…Really?”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand.

“Just shut up and hold it already.”

The next day in class, Sakamoto blinked as Y/n and Nagumo sat next to each other.

No arguing. No pen-throwing. Just... mild blushing and stolen glances.

Rion lost a bet.

#sakamoto days x y/n #sakamoto days #sakamoto days yoichi nagumo #sakamoto days yoichi #sakamoto days nagumo #sakadays x y/n #sakadays #sakadays x you #sakadays x reader #yoichi nagumo x reader #nagumo yoichi x reader #nagumo #nagumo yoichi #nagumo x reader

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changbinsboobs · 11 months ago

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What attracts SKZ at first sight?

🍄For this reading i used the Erotic Fantasy Tarot Deck🍄

*Keep in mind this post is solely for entertainment purposes and does not state facts!

Chan - Page of Swords

His cards were incredibly easy to shuffle and sprung out very quickly and clearly. He def has something that catches his eye instantly and knows it and doesn't mind sharing information, thats something i picked up on in the past as well, he's very open and kinda even wants to share. Physically he likes athlethic looking women, almost with slight masculine look to them (lean muscular legs, lean (not skinny) muscular stomach, he likes a straight athlethic posture and kind of "hard" vibes. Maybe girls that are a little bit snappy and a tiny bit mean, someone that would tease him or roast him a bit. I feel like he likes powerful, dom looking women, i get siren / mommy typa vibe. Like a bit mysterious and scary, and i think he is kinda into someone that gives off toxic vibes at least based on their looks. And he knows it and is proud of it too😂 doesn't disagree. He likes women that wouldnt mind stepping on someone or hurting someones feelings to protect themselves or to get the respect they deserve. I believe this is something he actually wants to do/be himself, but cant allow himself to do so, and thats why he admires it so much on women. Although if a man were to exhibit those qualities i feel he would be annoyed cuz it would trigger him that another man allows himself to do what he cant allow himself. And by saying that im not assuming his sexuality, its just that this specific piece of information came like that. That specific behavior, when exhibited by women is attractive, when exhibited by men it puts him off. That all being said, based on the reading im getting the vibe he leans more towards women, but with a bit of masc qualities.

Leeknow - Page, Knight, 10 of Cups

The deck was quite for a bit and than BAM 3 cards. All continuous cups, shows he is attracted to consistency in the building of the connection. Someone that seems serious. He doesn't have something to catch his eye immediately based on looks or personality wise. He is open to get to know any kind of person if they show genuine interest and are consecutive in their actions. He wants someone reliable in their emotions, someone who is self aware and comfortable with their emotions. Someone mature, that is visible that they have worked on themselves in the past to achieve the level of comfort and understanding they've achieved in themselves. He wants someone he can grow and build with. Contrary to Chan tho, his reading isn't that focused on romantic or sexual interest. The vibe is more platonic. Which also shows me, for him to actually feel attracted to someone in a romantic/spicey way, he has to know that person on a deeper level and possibly be friends for a while first.

Changbin - King of Cups

The deck acted very dense, as if it wanted to stick together and shield itself from spilling anything. He is someone with deep running emotions, hard exterior but very soft and deep on the inside. He has to be conscious of himself not to overspill as this has caused hem feelings of rejection, pain and feeling misunderstood. I believe he has a bit of trauma regarding that. Feeling like too much for most people. I believe he doesn't "choose" based on looks or even personality. He goes by vibe! Even if he has a specific set of features he finds attractive, they don't hold that much weight in actually attracting him. That said, i think he has A LOT of traits, aesthetics and logical/personality traits he looks for/likes in a partner, when the vibe isnt there right away. I would say he is also someone that doesnt really have a set type, even if he thinks he does. He might have a few versions of girls he has in his head that he likes, but in reality those dont mean anything cuz the girls he actually falls for are never coherent with the type he actually has, and girls that would be his perfect type, he doesnt care for them. This is something thats confusing to him and might cause him some distress in his love life as he feels uneasy trusting his gut, and thinks he should stick to what his head thinks he likes. But he's a very hearty, gutty, intuitive person and generally speaking, in life the best decisions he can make always come from his gut and heart, not from his head. Also im getting the very strong vibe he's into women. Overall a very sensitive, deep person, that doesn't want to see or accept his depth and constantly keeps trying to be "normal" or like the "others" when it comes to this specific aspect, hence why he has over-logicalified his idea of a perfect partner. This may be something causing him to constantly choose a partner thats not really fit for him, leading to a love life full of disappointment and honestly trauma. All those ideas and features he has in mind go all out the window, tho, when he actually meets someone thats meant for him and the chemistry begins "torturing" him.

Hyunjin - Ace of Swords

He likes striking, high contrast features, maybe some sharpness in the face or the body as well, probably someone on the taller side who's also pretty slender. Could be of either gender. I believe he likes more of a masculine look, if its for a woman for example someone like keira kneightly or jung hoyeon. Those two just popped into my mind. Someone with a good style, someone who KNOWS THEIR style. Like their hair, maekup, outfits, jewlery, shoes etc, are all picked up for a reason and consciously put together. He likes it when people put thought into their appearance and express themselves through it. He thinks it sends a message that this person is worth it and deems themselves and is of high value, someone that takes good care of themselves. He likes small charmies too. Like if the person has an incredibly unique charming smile. Or if they have a rare unique eye color or shape. If they have exceptionally long hair or an exceptional hair color. If they have their signature earrings or signature scent, or nails or whatever. He likes a classy aura, well put together style, but with something unique that sets that person apart from the others. Something he can remember them by. People like this leave an impression on hyunjin.

Han - Empress & High Priestess

I immediately get the vibe that he likes older women. Women that are wise, have experience and are of a mothery nature. Women that take care of him. This could also apply to men that exhibit those mothery qualities. There's not much else to add here, this leads me to believe that this specific thing is kind of the "boss" and theres not much else that matters when it comes to first impressions regarding attraction.

Felix - 7 of Wands

The deck kept blurting out groups of cards, but then not, but then yes, then another group etc. I feel like his type changes constantly and quickly so he can't really put his finger on what he likes and doesnt like. This is very dependable on the people itself and what experience he has with them. For example he meets a redhead and they hit it off right away, and suddenly his type are redheads. Then after a week he gets bored and then he suddenly doesnt like redheads anymore. Then he starts vibing with a short person, now his types that. A month later they have a fight or something, now he keeps away from short people, yk...his type fluctuates and is HEAVILY influenced by the emotion thats evoked in him during interactions & experiences.

Seungmin - Emperor

Stern looking people. I think he likes tsunderes. People that look cold and stern on the outside and he enjoys the honor of making them smile, making them soft for him later on. He also admires the stability and confidence they excude. He also sees coldness as a sort of power. Like its an ability to choose who enters and who doesnt, and he likes 1. to feel exclusive when he gets in, and he also likes the privacy of being around someone like that or having a partner like that. I want to say he likes the emptinness a relationship like that would bring. Like theres no unneccessary drama, opinions, etc. theres enough empty space for them to be whoever they want and do whatever they want.

I.N - 2 of Pentacles

Thats very random but he really likes bright green eyes. This is a feature that instantly catches his attention and no matter the other features of that person, if they have green eyes they immediately become highly attractive to him, or at least their attractiveness level rises, like from a 3 they're now a 6. He also likes ankles and looks at the shoes, those are things that can impress him. His reading is very different, he has very set things he knows about and almost actively looks for, i feel like he would be someone that has a list of things he looks for in a partner, some things being even as shallow as the type of shoes they like to wear, and he would date a person just solely based on this list of his that he has. And i think he would be pretty happy too😂 like i don't see much emotion, in the sense that he falls in love without him wanting to because that feeling is stronger than him - no, he deliberately chooses who he feels attracted to.

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volturiprincess · 5 months ago

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I Wanted To Be Yours

Alec Volturi x fem reader

Summary: You thought he felt the same but it turns out you were wrong, dead wrong. Warnings: Angst no comfort, Alec's thoughts are harsh (sorry) A/N: I started this in the summer, but at first it was going to be a happy version vs a sad version with the same concept of being up in a tree but l got a whole new vision for it. Ultimately I just pushed it to the side not thinking I liked the idea of this until I looked at it recently and got inspo for it. So moral of the story is if you start a WIP and then leave it alone for a bit it can later become something else. The inspiration for this was a cartoon (courtesy to my younger siblings, I had no choice but watch) where a family was up in a tree chilling and the song "Jugaste y Sufrí" by Eslabon Armado and "I wanna be yours" by Artic Monkey (a weirdo combo of inspiration for sure). Enjoy💙 Word Count: 3624

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Run

Run!

I move my legs as fast as I can to try to create as much distance between me and the castle. But my human legs can only take me so far, soon enough I'm running toward this grand tree. This tree is perfect to climb upon so I go to the nearest branch. I pull myself up and lean my back against the trunk while I pull my knees to my chest to wrap my arms around them. I closed my eyes as I felt silent hot tears roll down my cheeks. How could I be so stupid? Why did I think he was going to react the same way as I? The way he looked at me with disgust, as if I was not worth his attention or as if I was beneath him. I feel so embarrassed, what if what Master Marcus said about Alec and I is false? That we were supposed to be this fated pair, united by a bond grander than any other type of force in the world.

But why would I have to be here, this is not the life I wanted. I was happy with the life I had in my hometown, I might have not had much but it was home to me. It was suddenly disrupted when I met his eyes that day in the woods. I happened to be picking wood for my fireplace since the season was growing

cold. I had a good stack of twigs but I wanted a couple more for luck. If only I stayed content with what I already had because what happened next changed my life for the worst.

As I walked deeper into the woods I felt a fast cold swoosh behind me. I immediately halted my steps to quickly turn my head to the sudden movement. I was faced with nothing. Maybe it was just an animal running off to find some sort of warmth from the cold. Not wanting to find out the real truth, I keep on walking. I assure myself it's just an animal and I'm just being paranoid because I am alone in the woods. I heard some strange stories of people disappearing in the woods but it's just all rumor, nobody in the village has actually vanished. But rumors have to have come from somewhere.

This time instead of feeling the swoosh, I get this six sense of being watched. Never in the years of going into the woods alone have I gotten this sense of being watched until now. But who could it be? I'm so deep into the woods and the next village is so far away and even people from mine don't dare go deep into the woods like I do. I take a deep breath and continue my stroll to obtain my last piece of wood for my awaiting fire. I finally manage to find a good enough piece and start to walk back when I hear it.

“Stop”

I immediately froze, it was like an instinct or if someone spelled me with just one single word. I felt their presence behind me but the peculiar thing about this is I did not feel warmth from them, no I felt a harsh cold presence, it was colder than the already cold weather. His voice also sounded just as cold as his presence.

His movements were just as silent as the woods are currently. I was faced with eyes that were full of anger. Full of hatred, full of the worst emotions one can feel circled into one. I felt fear, pure fear, the type when you are aware you are facing death itself and there's no way to avoid it. Almost like you are destined to die at that moment. He didn't say any other words, we just stared at one another, no words spoken. I was too frightened to look away from the fear he might catch me off guard and harm me. Even if his stance was intimidating, I couldn't help but think how strikingly elegant he is. I had never seen such a dazzling man in my life, he was clean, well presented, and his posture was linear.

But that could not stop me from fearing him, no matter how handsome he is, it does not cut the idea of how I could die at that moment. I was so locked in gaze with him that I failed to notice black smoke starting to surround me slowly. It was slowly circling closer to my head, I was about to move but I soon realised I could not. I couldn't feel my legs, my arms were not able to move either. What is this smoke doing to me? Is he doing this to me?

Before I could even conclude an answer for my questions, the smoke had enveloped me completely. When I finally woke up I was in a cell. The only source of light I had was a torch that was in front of my cell, it felt so cold in here. How did I even get here? All I remember was that man and then the smoke but that was all. Did he bring me here? Why would he? I don't know him and I have never seen him in my life. I want to go home. I felt the tears come down from panic and fear. What did I do to deserve this?

“I see you have finally woken up”

I looked up to try to find the source of his voice but I could not see him. I knew it was the same man from the woods because he had that cold tone.

Mustering the courage to finally talk to him I finally speak but it comes out in a stuttering mess.“W-why d-did you br-bring m-me here?”

I cursed internally for sounding so weak currently but how can I not when I am in an unknown place and was brought here against my will. I have every right to be scared and maybe sound a bit pathetic. And to add to that I'm also cold, which results in me shivering and my words to stumble a bit.

“I will have some of my companions take you to the Masters”

Masters? I don't think I like the sound of that, and why can't he take me to them, why does it have to be other people. What if they are scarier than him? Soon enough right outside my cell were two tall figures, they were so tall and menacing looking, especially the tallest one, he had muscles that looked like they could crush me instantly.

I backed into the corner of my cell trying to put as much distance as I can from them but that seems useless because I just cornered myself now. They open the door and they come closer to me, my lip trembling slightly as I feel that feeling of fear creep up again but more stronger now. The slightly shorter one reached for me.

“We won't hurt you”

I gulped as I heard him talk, it was so warm, the complete opposite of the other guy. I, with deep hesitation reached for his hand, he gently guided me out of the cell.

“I am Demetri and the tall one is Felix, pleasure to meet you little flower”

I nodded as I introduced myself with a small voice, I felt so small being in between them, I was a little tree between two mountains. I was placed between them as Felix led the way and Demetri was behind me, I did feel somewhat safe with them but I still felt terrified. Halfway to our journey to who knows where Demetri offered me his coat, it fit me big but I started to warm up a bit.

We arrived at a large, pointed dome with pillars all around the room. In front of the room were three chairs, making them appear like thrones, in them sat three men. They were unmovable, motionless, almost as if they were statues. Maybe they are because I have never seen a human be so motionless.

That resolution was quickly popped as the one in the middle gave me a fanged smile, I wanted to turn away and run back to where we came from but Demetri and Felix both were holding my arms now.

I looked around the room and I could sense how the six of us are not alone, there are definitely more people in here that are hiding in the shadows.

“So we finally meet the mate of one of our most powerful guards. What a delightful day it is.”

I gulped as the same man who gave me the eerie smile started to walk over to me. I shifted slightly in the guy's hands but they maintained their grip on me, it was not a tight grip but it was hard to move freely.

“Hello dear, may I see your hand?”

“Why?”

His face for a minute contoured to a bit of irritation but he masked it quickly with an amused look.

“Well you see little one, I am able to see every thought and memory you have ever had”

How is that even possible? I have heard of psychics in my town, my grandma was considered a witch in my village for the strange rituals she did in her little hut. She had the knowledge of what plants or oils worked for different cases. One time I had immense abdominal pain and she told me to drink some herb mixture she made and in a matter of days the pain went away.

But how is it possible for one to see someone’s past thoughts or memories? I was never into supernatural things, sure I heard my fair share of legends but I never believed them. There was a weird feeling in the air, these ‘people’ did not look or acted normal. I felt Demetri move my arm so the ‘mind reader’ could grab my hand. I soon faced all of my memories from childhood, to my teen years, to my now young adult years. I even heard every thought I had, some were harmless while others were….a bit inappropriate and private.

The man finally let go of my hand and took a step back, he gave me a quick scan from my head to my feet and then did that fanged smile once again.

“My dear Demetri will you go fetch Alec, he will want to hear this”

Demetri let go of me and was gone, I was still being held by Felix as the room was once again in silence. The silence was scary, especially in a room where nobody was moving or blinking. Huh I just noticed that, nobody was blinking, there gazes either bored into myself or anywhere but me. Why am I still here? What are they planning on doing to me? Are they going to kill me? I haven't even done anything, I'm already missing my cozy little house. I'm picturing myself sitting by the fireplace while I am weaving baskets that I will use for the spring to pick up wildflowers. It was a simple life on my own but that did not bother me. Why did he have to show up and change it so suddenly?

As I came out of my cloud of thoughts I saw Demetri walking in with that same man from the woods, is that supposed to be Alec? That same man from the woods didn't even tell me his name, nor did the three men on their thrones. He avoided eye contact with me through the whole conversation, Aro, who I only found out his name when one of the other three men on the chairs called to him. I could only remember bits and parts of what was said but my faith was decided for me, I was to stay here for the rest of my life and soon enough I will become a vampire.

The way my eyes snapped open when Aro revealed their real nature, I wanted to laugh from nervousness because there was no way such creatures existed. When he called upon an innocent guard and ripped his arm off revealing how there was no blood but like a crystal like texture inside I almost fainted. At that moment I wanted to cry, how can anything that is being said be real?

With time I started to grow comfortable in the castle, I mostly got along with Felix and Demetri. Jane, who I found out right away has a terrifying ability, has been cold with me. She gives me endless glares of wanting to kill me so I tend to be quiet and distant toward her unless she approaches me for some reason. Alec once in a while comes to me but it's never long enough to get to talk to him. I know nothing about him, I only know about his ability, that he has a twin sister, and…that is all actually.

When winter became spring, I was finally able to go outside for a longer period of time without freezing. It was beautiful this time of the year, the flowers were blooming, the sun gave me warmth, and I could breath in the fresh air. Italy was truly a sight to see at this time of the year, I got to enjoy this new environment and see things I have never seen. Usually when I would go outside, a guard would have to accompany me. I mostly enjoyed when Felix or Demetri would join me because they made being outside enjoyable. But when it was another guard, I felt so tense and felt so uncomfortable. Alec has yet to come out with me, he's always busy with missions or other guard duties so I learned to not get my hopes up with him.

That quickly changed when he surprised me by saying if I would like to join him outside for a walk. The walk with him felt…like we were the only people on this earth. He actually talked with me, that cold tone that he always had when he spoke was nowhere to be spotted. He spoke about his time here with the Volturi and about some of his missions, it was all so fascinating and it left me hanging on each word that spilled from his lips. We went back and forth asking each other questions, the energy between us just flowed naturally. So this is what it's like to be in a bond? Master Marcus mentioned to me about this bond I supposedly have with Alec, he said it's like two puzzle pieces connect perfectly. At the time I did not feel that with Alec but right now I did.

We stopped at a little area in the gardens that had a stone bench, around the bench were blooming flowers of a variety of shades and forms. As we sat there we looked at one another in silence, it was not awkward or uncomfortable. It gave me a moment to admire how his face was twinkling, I never saw him in this light, I only saw the guards like this but not Alec’s yet. It suits him beautifully, he was made to be twinkling like this.

“Does it hurt”

“What does?”

“The way you sparkle, does it not hurt? Or cause pain?”

He gave me a slight smile but it was very hard to notice it unless you lean in closely.

“No, I actually don't feel anything when my skin does that”

“Will I be able to do that?”

“Yes”

Once again we were in silence, a comfortable silence again. I saw how his eyes would give my lips quick glances and I would find myself doing that too but stop when I saw him leaning in. I felt my heart stop beating and my breath hitch. I didn't know what to do so I just leaned in and met his lips half way, they were cold but they were soft. It was a gentle, innocent kiss that made the world stop for a minute.

I felt his fingertips gently caress my cheek until he pulled away abruptly. My eyes opened lazily as my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Did I not do it right? He was my first so I was not even sure if what I was doing was correct. His once relaxed face turned cold once again, his face contoured to one of anger in a matter of seconds. He looked just like he did in the woods all those months ago.

“Never do that again, you dare do something like that again human and I won't hesitate to have you in the cell”

My stomach dropped as I felt myself without even realizing getting up and making a run for it. Which is where I find myself currently, up in a tree, crying. Fresh new tears fell down as I finished recalling how I ended up here. How can someone flip sides in a matter of seconds and cause so much damage with one phrase? Human. That's what he called me. He’s been addressing me by my actual name, it gives me a warm feeling each time my name slips from his mouth. That was quickly discarded in a matter of seconds, everything that we built today was thrown out the window.

He kissed me, why is he putting the blame on me? I thought he wanted that when he kept looking at me with that look. He was leading me on for sure, I even felt his cold touch on my cheek, he was hesitant but nevertheless he did it. How can that suddenly heartfelt moment turn into this so fast? I just wanted ... .to finally be his as I was destined to and yet this is what I get in return. Rejection and a life I never asked for.

Epilogue

Alec POV

A human mate. How unfortunate of events this has become. And to think she will be turned and will have to be by my side for eternity. I am not looking forward to that, I want nothing to do with her. She is nothing compared to me, she's not fully one, she is half. And to think she thought she had a chance with me, how pathetic of her. The way she carried herself makes her look so weak and such a pity to look at. I distance myself from her because there is no way in hell I want to be near her. Her scent makes me want to drain her dry, mate or not, she is carrying my source of nutrition and I just want to keep my thirst down. That..intimate moment was so disturbing to me, I did not like how she was warm, it only tempted me more to drain her. Why did she think I would like such a thing, where in her little head did she think I would enjoy such an act? Have I by any means given a slight indication I wanted her to do that to me? I was so distant with her and avoided her by all means.

The only reason I even went on that walk with her was because Demetri and Felix forced me too, they encouraged me to “get to know her more” and that she is a “lovely person”. I even heard them call her “little flower”, how truly foolish to call a mere human that. The way I had to pretend to get along with her made me actually sick to the stomach, I was given pointers on how to be ‘nice’. I had to be someone else just to make her comfortable. Why does she deserve such special privileges? I am one of the most feared beings but had to set that aside to accommodate a human.

I only talked with her just so this whole walk would end soon and she would stop giving me those eyes of hope. Everytime I would walk by her or by some chance I had to go to my now “shared chambers” to grab something she would give me those eyes of wanting me to do or say something to her. It infuriated me, I felt every inch of my body burn with anger and hatred for her. All humans are good for is to stop the burning in my throat.

I never wanted a mate, I was content with the life I had with my sister and my place here in Volterra with the Volturi. Why does such inconvenience have to exist? Why do mates have to exist? This whole ordeal is making my already good life so uncomfortable, Master Marcus already gives me endless talks about this bond, he even brings up his late wife. I do feel sympathy for him in that aspect but look what happened to him now, he’s barely a living being. Barely walking amongst us as an immortal being, barely acknowledging his existence or surroundings. I would rather die than for a situation like that to happen to me.

I don't care if I'm hurting her feelings or that I am not trying to seal the bond, I want nothing from this. If she’s such a good human why don't Demetri and Felix keep her? Yes that works for me, that way she is not my problem to deal with. In this life, we don't want our other half, in this life we don't need our mates, in this life it can be rejected. I wish I left her to die in my smoke in the woods instead of bringing her back here.

#alec volturi #alec volturi x reader #alec volturi imagine #the volturi #twilight fanfiction #twilight renaissance

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minniesmutt · 1 year ago

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♱ ━━━━━━ 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋: 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓

♱ ━━━ CONTENT: ORAL [F. REC] FINGERING, MULTIPLE ORGASMS, OVERSTIM, PET NAMES, UNPROTECTED SEX, NIPPLE PLAY, CUM SHOT, CUM EATING/SHARING, AFTERCARE ♱ ━━━ WC: 1.9K ♱ ━━━ PAIRING: HAN X READER ♱ ━━━ 18+ work!! minors and ageless/blank blogs DNI! you will be blocked, put an indicator on your blog somewhere that you are 18+ before interacting with this work/blog ♱ ━━━ a repost from my old blog

After a short nap, Y/n took to unpacking the things she had brought. It was mostly clothing and a few photos but nothing else. Maybe if she asked, one of them would take her shopping.

She heard the elevator ding and peeked her head out of the bedroom. Chan walked out, hands in the pockets of his slacks. Y/n stepped out of the room and met him in the hallway

“How are you settling it?” Chan asked as he wrapped an arm around her

“Fine, the place is a bit bare though,” Y/n told him.

“I’ll have one of the guys take you out shopping tomorrow. I just came by to see how you were settling in and to go over something with you.”

“Oh?”

“Come on,” Chan pulled her into the kitchen. Sitting down at the table he had put in for her and pulling out a stack of paper

“What’s this?” Y/n asked skimming through the words

“Contract. Jist of it says what you’ll be doing as a front and you will be paid for the work you help us with,” Chan stated

“You guys are paying me but you’re also basically paying everything for me?”

“Think of it as fallback money. If something happens to us for any reason or another, for any amount of time, you’re not left with nothing to fall back on, financially that is.”

“How considerate.” Y/n smiled, “I’m assuming there’s another part that talks about sex.”

“Yeah. Every one of us has our own version of this contract. But you're welcome to update anything in it to your comfort level. Most of it goes over what we are into and that every single one of us is clean.” Chan explained

“Well, so am I, guess there really is no point in condoms,” Y/n smiled

“Only to prevent a pregnancy.”

“I’m on birth control. Don't worry about that.”

Chan explained a couple more things; everyone was made aware of using the traffic light system as a safeword— tapping them twice if she was able to talk for whatever reason as a fallback—, aftercare being important to all of them no matter what, promising her safety from anyone outside of them, etc. Y/n read through the papers as she listened to him, making a few adjustments here and there, but mostly agreeing with what everyone wanted. She signed her name where needed and turned the paper back to him. Chan checked everything and made a quick message about changes to the rest of the guys.

“We don’t expect you to memorize anything either. And it doesn't have to be one way, you can ask us for sex too.”

“Thanks, Chan,” Y/n smiled at him

“No need to thank me,” Chan smiled back

“Is there anything else I should know now that I live here?”

“Say goodbye to your privacy,” Chan chuckled

The two laughed for a moment before Chan got called away. Y/n saw him off before going into her living room. They had been kind enough to furnish the apartment for her so that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. She figured she’d do a little online shopping for a bit. Adding things she just thought were pretty to her cart, even if she didn't need them. She’ll find a use for them.

She heard the elevator again and ignored it after looking up for a second, one of the guys came in to see her, something she was quickly getting used to.

“Whatcha doing,” Jisung asked as he joined her on the couch, laying on top of her as she was laid back against the armrest

“Shopping,” Y/n answered as she peered down at him.

“For what?” He asked

“House decorations, clothes, random shit.”

“Doesn’t sound like fun.”

“Well, I was bored and that’s why I started. If you have better ideas, I’m all ears.” Y/n dropped her phone on her chest and looked down at him

“Just keep shopping,” Jisung smirked

Y/n shrugged and picked her phone back up. Scrolling through the website she was on. Jisung pushed her shirt up a bit then pulled her leggings off her legs. Y/n lifted her hips a bit to help him as he adjusted her legs to lay over his shoulders as he came face to face with her clothed cunt.

Y/n peeked down at him before he started kissing down and licking the cloth of her panties. Y/n let out a small moan as he continued teasing her over the fabric. Nonetheless, she kept shopping.

Eventually, he removed the fabric and softly kissed her clit, licking the bud to her entrance. Y/n smiled as she peered down at him. One hand removed itself from her phone and ran her fingers through his hair, gazing back at her screen. Jisung picked up his pace after a few moments until he was eating her like a starved man.

It wasn’t long till the phone and shopping were forgotten. Her hands tangled in his soft locks and her legs threatened to close around his head.

Han hummed against her clit as she gave him a particularly harsh tug. His eyes cast up her body as flicked the little bud. “Fuck Ji,” Y/n moaned

Jisung didn’t dare let up. Playing with her clit and entrance with his tongue. Enjoying the taste of her juices on his lips and dripping down his chin. He just gave a bit more pressure when he sucked on her clit which seemed to do it for her. Hips rutted against his mouth as he licked her clean from her orgasm.

“So fucking good,” He wasn’t letting up. He continued making out with her sensitive clit. Y/n closed her legs around his head as much as she could. Jisung groaned against her cunt, eyes rolling into the back of his head, just from her thighs suffocating him slightly.

He pushed her thighs up after a minute. Putting them to her chest as he kept going.

“Close,” Y/n whimpered as she grabbed the cushions.

“Give me ‘nother,” Ji mumbled against her clit. He pushed one leg over the back of the couch to free up a hand.

Soon he was pushing two fingers into her and matching his pace to the rate he was eating her out

“Fuck!” Y/n cried as her second orgasm hit her.

Ji kept going through her high. Fingers pumping in and out of her as he pulled his hips from her clit and sat up on his knees. “One more doll. Give one more and I’ll give you whatever you want,” Jisung begged as he pulled her other leg over his shoulder and kissed her ankle

“Need your cock,” Y/n whined, legs slightly shaking

“One more baby and I'll give it to ya’.” a third finger pushed into her

“Too much,” Y/n whined as she grabbed his wrist

“Color?”

“Green!” Y/n called as his fingers curled into just the right spot

“You can take it, doll,” Ji smiled

He pushed forward till he had her coming on his fingers. Her body convulsed under him as he pulled his fingers out, watching her juices flow out of her and soak the cushions.

“Good job doll,” Jisung smiled as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

He gave her a moment to come down and rest. He took off his belt, setting it on the coffee table.

“Where the fuck did you learn to eat pussy that good?” Y/n asked after her mind out of its haze a bit more

“Now why would I tell you?” He smirked as he leaned over her.

“Secrets are hot. You know what's hotter?”

“What?”

“Your dick in me.”

Jisung didn’t waste another second pulling ever fully down onto the couch and unbuttoning his pants and pulling his hard dick out, far too eager to actually take his pants off. Y/n couldn’t help but giggle at his eagerness and worked on unbuttoning his top and pushing it off him as he pumped his cock. He took his hand off his cock to take the white shirt off his body. Her hand replaced his on his cock, pumping him and lining the tip up at her entrance.

Jisung tossed the fabric to the ground before grabbing her hips and pushing into her. Both moaned as they got quickly used to the feeling. Jisung pushed his pants and boxers down more as he let her adjust to him.

“Fuck, move Ji,” Y/n whined

Jisung pushed her t-shirt up over her breast and moved her legs around his waist. He laid his hand on the armrest above her head. He pulled out slowly and thrusted back in quickly. His eyes glanced back and forth from her tits bouncing with his thrusts to her cunt swallowing him.

Y/n was a mess of moans and whines from him going down on her and making her come three times. Her walls were already clenching around him.

“Fucking warm,” Jisung groaned as his hips snapped into her.

Y/n tightened her legs around his waist. One of his hands fell from the armrest to lay next to her body. He lowered himself a bit to kiss between her breasts then sucked on the skin. Y/n ran her hands through his hair as his lips latched onto her nipple. Y/n gripped his hair tighter, clenching it around him.

“Keep clenching around me doll and I’m gonna blow,” his words were muffled against her boob, shifting his ministrations over to the other nipple and giving it the same treatment he gave the other

“Give…me, please.” Y/n whined. Her legs hiked up higher on his waist as she got closer to her next high.

“Got you all dumb on my cock,” Jisung couldn’t help but chuckle at her.

His tip hit right up against her g-spot. She pulled at his hair as her orgasm hit her again. The man above her pulled away from her nipples and gave himself a few more thrusts before pulling out; coming on her lower stomach.

Jisung rested his head on her chest as they both caught their breath. It took a few minutes before Jisung lowered himself down and then looked up at her. Y/n caught his gaze as he licked his cum from her skin. Y/N shivered under the touch of his tongue before he pulled away, bringing his lips back up to hers. His tongue immediately darted into her mouth. Y/n melted as his cum transferred from his tongue to hers.

Ji pulled away after another moment of enjoying her lips. “You could’ve come inside,” Y/n told him

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” Jisung smiled.

He stood up from the couch and fully took his pants off. He scooped her up in his arms making her squeak in surprise. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he made his way to her bathroom.

Jisung sat her down before giving her a forehead kiss. He started a warm bath for the both of them before walking out of the room and grabbing their clothes. Y/n took care of herself by the time he came back and checked the water.

“How are you feeling,” Jisung asked as he helped her into the water after he got in.

“Tired,” Y/n sighed, leaning back against him.

Jisung wrapped his arms around her body and kissed her shoulder, “Go to sleep, I’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you, Ji.”

♱ ━━━━━━ ⇤prev| m.list | next⇥

♱ ━━━ please support writers by reblogging and/or leaving feedback

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selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs · 2 years ago

Note

Reader as Scaramoche/wanderer of genshin impact, who has come to our world for a new beginning.

He knows he's a video game/fictional character, he tries not to think of himself as less human than he already thinks he is.

That's why he sees/treats all fictional characters as human because they might exist somewhere.

How the bungou stray dogs cast reacts to reader/Scaramoche/Wanderer all of his in-game appearances.

Sorry for The mistakes, english is not my First Language.

May you live a life full of happiness and affection.

From: your follower from Brazil 🇧🇷

Scaramouche! Male! Reader

Self-Aware! BSD Characters x Male! Scaramouche! Reader

Description: You knew, that you were fictional for that world. But, you were real in Teyvat. Maybe, someone else is real in different world, but not in this.

Warning:OOC. Slight spoilers for Genshin Impact. English is my second language.

A/N: Thank you for your kind words 😊

You, Aether and Lumine were standing on a big platform up in the sky. Traveler's journey was over. And yours will begun shortly.

Lesser Lord's... Nahida's last words, ring into your ears.

"Be happy, [Y/N]. I wish that you find your home in a different world."

You take a step forward, right behind the Travelers. People, who agreed to transport you to different world. People, who gave you your name.

Scaramouche, The Balladeer, Sixth Harbinger, The Wanderer, was leaving Teyvat.

Forever

______

🐾 It took time, but, you managed to fit in this strange world. There were no gods among humans, no elemental powers.

🐾 Only progress.

🐾 You... liked it here. This world feels different from Teyvat. And you really appreciate it.

🐾 Your life was peaceful. At least, before this strange new game appeared.

🐾 When one day you woke up, and decide to scroll through the social media. You were more of a lurker, enjoying dramas, people started here.

🐾 And you saw it. And advertising for a new game. "Genshin Impact". And you saw Travelers on the poster. Poster for a new version. With you on it.

🐾 For the next few days, you stayed away from the Internet. The bittersweet thoughts were sinking their teeth in your mind.

🐾 Fictional. You were not just a puppet. You were a fictional puppet of a fictional character.

🐾 You spend half of the day in the nearest forest, destroying old trees with your Anemo powers.

🐾 And, after that, you didn't think about it ever again. You are here. You are in this real world. And other things should not matter.

🐾 But something changed in your behavior.

🐾 You start treating fictional characters from TV shows, books, anime and manga as real people. You talked to them, sympathies with them.

🐾 Perhaps, there is the world, where they were real.

______

You were relaxing on your couch after a long day of work. You recently finished daily missions in BSD Mayoi and mindlessly scrolling through the channels.

On your small kitchen, the rice cooker was on. Soon, you will have some delicious Chazuke.

You started to nod off. You don't require sleep, but, you enjoyed napping from time to time.

And, suddenly, your phone starts shaking and gloving. Immediately, you summon the power of Anemo. Winds lift you up. Your hat, that you kept on the top of one of the wardrobes, soar towards you and froze behind your back.

The atmosphere compressed under your foot in a singular vacuum. You were ready to attack.

"Please, don't be afraid, young man, we are... HOW?!" you scared Chief Taneda. And Ango. And Mori. And Kunikida. And everyone.

All of you just froze, staring at each other. You lower your feet, still floating in a midair.

You just kept staring at each other. The silence became awkward.

Dazai take a carious step forward and pocked skin of your ankle. You still were floating.

You hear the rice cooker's signal. Your dinner was ready.

You broke the silence.

"Who wants chazuke?"

_______

🐾 The first meeting was... something. And talk after the meeting wasn't better.

🐾 You didn't hide from them, that you also were fictional. You have no reason. And they deserved to know.

🐾 You were hesitant to tell them, where exactly are you from. It's not like you believed, that they, somehow, will use it against you. You simply need time, before trusting them. Even if BSD Cast knew, how it feels to be fictional.

🐾 On the bright side, Atsushi liked your Shimi Chazuke.

______

You looked around your new home. A big home, where you will live with your... new friends. Together.

A distant memory of Niwa and Tatarasuna scraped your mind.

It was so long, since you lived among friends.

And friends should trust each other.

Later that day, during dinner, you finally tell them the name.

"I am from the game called 'Genshin Impact'".

_______

🐾 After some negotiations, you agreed to let BSD Gang watch walkthrough for Genshin Impact. They were curious to see, how you looked like before.

🐾 Because, yes, you had to change your looks, when you arrived here. Travelers insisted on it.

🐾 So, after some more negotiations, you agreed to watch videos with them.

______

Reaction to Scaramouche:

- During "Unreconciled Stars" event:

🐾 They will tease you about your outfit. You are playfully grumble on them, but you don't feel any real anger or annoyance.

🐾 Dazai created few dozens jokes about you, hats, Chuuya and height. He will add them to hundreds of thousands of jokes he already has.

🐾 Jounou will ask if you are a conspiracy theorist, after hearing about fake sky.

- During "Chapter II"

🐾 Twain joked about your resemblance with that one Elmo meme. You used your anemo powers on him. For the next few days, his hair resembles an abandoned bird nest.

🐾 After learning, that you are a doll, BSD Cast stopped the video marathon to talk to you. You were talking for few hours, they were trying to make you believe, that you are no less than normal humans.

-During "Chapter III"

🐾 They were crying. Crying during your backstory part. Crying during part, where you were defeated.

🐾 Expect even more affection in the future.

🐾 Yosano, Doc and Mori check your head for injuries, after seeing you fall down after you were defeated.

-During "Interlude Chapter. Act III"

🐾 After learning about Dottore's role in your past and his treatment of you, BSD Gang was ready to travel to Teyvat and tear him apart. You quickly assured them, that Dottore already paid for what he did.

🐾 They were nervous, when you and memories about you disappeared.

🐾 Thought, that you were adorable, before you gain your memories back. They won't say it out loud.

🐾 Were cheering, when you got your vision. To entertain them, you float around the room.

______

Reaction to Wanderer:

- During "A Paradise of Providence" event.

🐾 Now Dazai will call you only "Hat Guy". Wait, until he learns about "Bongo-Head".

🐾 Kunikida is baffled of you not taking competition seriously.

🐾 Everyone adores yours and Nahida's relationship.

____

You feel better, after sharing your story with BSD Cast. You will wait for the future. When you can share the rest of the story with your friends.

#self-awarebsd #self-awareau #bungou stray dogs au #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd anime #bsd x reader #bsd x male reader #male reader

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a-bottle-of-tyelenol · 3 months ago

Text

agere hermes headcanons !!

— art by ximena natzel —

— requested by anon —

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

🌻 - hermes is a caregiver!! albeit, he is a rather childish one. he finds caregiving as something that should be fun, rather than something that should be taken super seriously. he values playtime and he thinks it’s one of the most important things a child can do. kids need to play to develop and he doesn’t think that would be any different just because the kid is physically a little bigger. he honestly believes adults would be way better off if they played more too— but maybe he’s a bit biased as the god of games.

🐢 - hermes really likes giving people specialized pet names! this isn’t something isolated to regressors but they do benefit the most from it. he’s a big fan of giving pet names that relate to himself somehow— calling people the baby versions of his sacred animals, for example. odysseus is his great-grandson with wooly hair so obviously he calls him a little lamb! athena literally turns into a bird so obviously he calls her birdie. telemachus, his great-great grandson (god, he’s getting old), is often compared to wolves so hermes switches between calling him a lamb too or calling him a bunny, because who needs to be as fierce as a wolf when you’re so small? he uses other names too, like darling, little one, and sweetheart, but he’s a bit ego-centric in this department.

♠️ - he often gets mistaken for being a flip because of how he plays and interacts with littles. most people are pretty convinced that he must be a regressor too, but this is just how he normally is. despite not technically being the youngest olympian, he practically is and he certainly acts as though he is. zeus lets him get away with all sorts of nonsense and he brings that energy down to earth too. it isn’t enough for his littles to play, he has to be involved in their mischievous schemes and, more importantly, he has to elevate them into being absolutely unforgettable! (and there are certainly a lot of good little!hermes takes out there— but I like the idea of him just being naturally childish as a caregiver)

🍀 - hermes has a very particular way of viewing humans. he sees them a bit as entertainment, something to alleviate the boredom he gets after being alive for as long as he has. which means his view on their rules and expectations is more than a little loose. he’s already the god of thieves and money (merchants— but what’s the difference, really?) so it isn’t hard for him to stretch the rules on practically everything. human rules don’t really apply to him either, so why should they apply to his little? he doesn’t believe in bedtimes, in eating ‘correctly’, or avoiding things just because they might be a little dangerous. worse comes to worst, he can step in and protect them! he is a little stricter on things like xenia and respect but that’s more a product of what values he was raised with and how zeus runs the show.

🍯 - he is constantly using magic. hermes biggest weakness is the fact that he can’t disguise himself as a human without immediately giving himself away. he can’t help it! magic is fun and if dazzles everyone around him. why would he ever want to walk on the floor when he can levitate? why would he ever want to pretend to be ordinary when he’s not? it’s a lesson he tries to instill in his children, making sure they’re aware that there’s no point in hiding the things that make you you. regressors flock to him because he’s the most outwardly, and loudly, accepting of these kinds of quirks. he thinks regression is cool and believes it to be a shame when anyone tries to push down an aspect of themselves that sets them apart from everyone else. maybe it makes him a bit of a peacock, but he doesn’t see showing off what makes you different as a bad thing (even if it’s just a talent you have— like how he’ll always grant a regressor’s wish to see him do something magical).

#dedicating this as an offering to hermes :3 #love u king #my post #my headcanons #agere headcanons #epic #agere #epic the musical #age regression #agere community #epic hermes #fictional agere #fandom agere #epic agere

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mistyresolve · 2 years ago

Text

| His Foresight - Simon “Ghost” Riley X Medic!Reader (Part 5)

Word Count - 3.8

Summary - Honestly, there isn’t any plot to this one. Just sex.

Tags/Warnings - 18+ SMUT, Fingering, P in V, Oral, Unprotected sex, Edging, Size kink, Blood and Injury, Depictions of war and violence, Explicit Language, Character Death, Slow Burn, Maybe a little bit of angst, Mentions of childhood trauma

A/N - I’m back baby...maybe

Part 1 ❤︎ Part 2 ❤︎ Part 3 ❤︎ Part 3.5 ❤︎ Part 4

Masterlist ❤︎ Tag List Form

It was just your luck that there was no hot water, and by the time you washed out the soap from your hair, your teeth were chattering uncontrollably. You could have sworn a minute longer and you’d have ice forming on the tips of your lashes. You couldn’t get dressed into your civi clothes fast enough, a thin but warm sweater and a plain pair of sweats. You packed for warmth and practicality, not seducing husky men, and some small bold part of you wished you had.

Simon was already in the barracks waiting for his turn for a shower. His gear was in a neat pile next to the cot, and he had just pulled off his combat shirt when you entered the room.

He truly was all power and strength, all solid muscle and hardened skin. He was built and bred for the battlefield and imbued with cruel intent. The tattoos that travelled from wrist to bicep were stark against his skin. If you stepped outside yourself for a moment you could see why so many men feared to cross his path. Yet, here he stood 15 feet away from you and not a single thought was one of dread. With you, he was softer, calmer. Even his usual rough tone settled into a smokey version of itself. He still carried a dominating edge with him but he never misused it with you.

And…

And you were staring.

He was crouched down at his pack when he finally looked over his shoulder at you. He had removed his mask and he looked just as good as he did when you saw his face earlier. If not better. If that was possible. His dark hair was unruly like he had just woken up from a nap. His face was dirty with a mixture of paint, sweat, dirt, and more likely than not, blood. He was unkept but more in a charming, alluring way.

Oh, you were in deep. He had you wrapped around his finger and he was well aware he had that much sway over you. Still, he would not make a move until you made it very clear and unmistakable what you want from him. He would give you everything and anything you wanted, but not unless you told him.

“There’s no hot water,” you willed the words to sound anything but bothered.

His gaze dripped down your body, watched as your body shivered from the lingering bone-deep chill, “I needed a cold one anyways,” he tossed the dirty combat shirt into his pack and picked up the fresh one. Even in the low light, you could see every dip and angle of his muscles as he bent down.

The summer night air might be warm but it wasn’t warm enough to warrant a cold shower, “Who would take a cold shower on purpose?” you made your way to your own pack, readying to set up your sleeping bag.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he grabbed whatever else he needed from his bag before disappearing into the small shower room. On his way past you, you threw a clean pair of balled-up socks at him, which he unsurprisingly caught before throwing them back at you, “Smarten’ up.”

“I would like to know,” you quipped just before he closed the door. It’s not like you’d die without an answer you just wanted to have the last word. The only reason he let you have it was because he needed to get out of the same room as you as soon as humanly possible. He needed the cold shower to

The cold shower was null once Simon came back out into the room. The moment his eyes locked onto yours, he was just as frustrated and deprived as before. You could practically taste his want from across the room. Could see it in the way he stalked back to his side of the room, his attention locked on you.

He changed into a regular green t-shirt, the colour faded around the seams and fit snugly around his shoulders and chest, and green army-issued sweats. His still-wet hair was pushed back and away from his face.

“You clean up nice,” you tested as you slid into your sleeping bag, your head tilting to the side.

There was a flash of white teeth in the low light, “Keep that mouth of yours shut for me?” his words were more of a plea than an order. He moved to turn off the propane lamps, replacing the light was a singular red light torch which was better for concealment and stealth because it was harder to see from a distance.

“Easy, big boy,” your grin was fiendish, “I’m only making conversation.”

“Yuh huh,” he grunted back at you as he checked the locks on all the doors and windows. The final window was right above your head and after he checked it he crouched down beside you, the torch dangling in his hand between his legs, “You gonna be warm enough?”

“Are you offering to keep me warm, Riley?” you shifted into a kneeling position, and still you didn’t match his height, your knees were almost touching his feet.

His answering smile was wolfish, “I was offering you an extra blanket.”

“And,” you said slowly, “What of you?”

“I’ll be fine,” It was hard to discern whether this desire was coming from someplace genuine or if it was the result of missing him and needing a distraction from today's events. Perhaps it was both. It was evident that he was wondering the same. You could see it in his eyes. The way they turned inquisitive each time you returned his attention. The way he would slow his approach and wait for your response, gauge your reaction.

Your gaze fell to his lips, imagining how they’d feel on yours, on your skin. His grin shifted to something more shy and he looked away, looking into the room's darkness. Another moment watching you and he would have jumped on you like a deprived animal. Which is why you had to take the first move.

Gently you pulled the torch from his grasp, placing it up on the floor beside him. He turned to face you once more. With hands made of air, your fingers drove into his hair. The space between your lips felt too wide and too close at the same time. I felt like time itself was yours, like you were holding it in the palm of your hand, warm and heavy. This moment was well overdue.

It was a whisper of a kiss. A timid gesture that the both of you leaned into. Pressed into. With trembling hands, his fingers curled around your waist, digging into the supple flesh there. The wanton groan that rumbled deep in his chest was gasoline to a fire. Your hands slipped down to the hard muscles of his chest and pushed him back into a sitting position. His free hand caught him just in time to break the fall. You were quick to move into his lap, straddling his hips.

“Woah,” he huffed, the crooked grin returning, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You always have something cheeky to say?” you hummed, hands encircling the back of his neck, running the expanse of his shoulders, his chest.

“I’m working on that,” he leaned back on his hands, allowing you access to all of him.

You lifted his shirt, just enough to sneak your fingers underneath. His skin burned and his muscles twitched beneath your touch, “A rather new development?”

He was all enchanted compliance and keen submission for you, “It’s taken the back seat as of late,” his chest rose and fell rapidly as your hands grazed lower before returning to his chest.

“Never took you for a procrastinator,” Your lips connected with his jaw, trailing lower and lower.

The man underneath you was a complete juxtaposition from the man who prowled the battlefield and lurked in the shadows. Even with everything he was capable of, you felt safe with him. Felt secure. Protected.

“I can’t think when you’re touching me, Darlin’,” When you pulled away his head was tilted back and his eyes were mere slits, foggy with lust.

Right now, he was docile, but you wanted to see him get wicked for you.

You lowered your hips onto his and rolled them. You were met with hard arousal and the compromising heat between your legs shot up your spine and into your throat. There was a synchronized moan that bounced between you and like a knee-jerk reaction a hand was braced at your hips. Your motions quickly turned feverish, both trying to match each other's desperate rhythm. It was all gnashing teeth, open-mouthed kisses, and shared breath.

With shaking fingers you tugged at his shirt, “Off,” you could hardly manage the single syllable. And who was he kidding, the few seconds he had to pull away from you to remove his shirt made him regret ever putting it on.

You paused as you traced the hard tissue of his numerous scars, and wondered which was he acquired during his service and which ones he received from his father. He remained utterly still, even his chest ceased to rise and fall with breath. He was waiting for you to reject him, to recoil from all the imperfections.

You leaned down to press a kiss to one of them, one that looked like it never had time to properly heal. Like the wound was ripped open over and over and over again. Then another kiss to the scar next to it. You couldn’t tell if it was your own heart or if his was so beating so loud you could hear it from where you sat. When you lifted your eyes to him you decided it was probably his you were hearing. His eyes were wide with shock and his swollen lips were parted in awe.

“Simon—”

“I want this,” he gasped, “But if you’re not sure we have to stop now.”

You would have to stop now because it’d kill him if he had to stop later.

Your expression turned sultry and you removed your sweater from your body, revealing nothing but bare, tingling skin, “Be good to me.”

He moved on you like lightning, and with quick practiced maneuvering you were on your back with him cradled between your legs. Gone was the man who let you dominate him a few seconds ago. Calloused hands ran the length of your sides, up to your throat and held you in place. Though he didn’t squeeze your neck hard enough to choke, it was a tight enough grip to let you know that he was in control now. He sucked bruises into the sensitive skin of your collarbone, your chest. His tongue flicked out to lick apologies into the marks he left behind. His teeth scraped against your breast and your breath hitched in anticipation.

But he pulled back, his head tilted to the side, “Since day one,” he murmured before raising himself to a kneel, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe his own eyes, “Since the day I met you I’ve wanted you like this,” his heated gaze flicked to your face, your expression no doubt matching his, “Like that,” his voice trailed off and he lowered himself back down to you, “I’ve wanted you…”

His skin against yours wasn’t close enough, it never would be. You needed him like you needed air. Like you needed laughter. You were starving for him. You were starved of him. There wasn’t enough time in the night for you to be rid of this carnal need for him.

His mouth was back on your chest, nipping and sucking at you. You arched your back into his touch in a plea for more. More. More.

His breath caught between his teeth, his fingers lingering on your thigh. With anguished hesitance, he traced the scar and his head dipped to your leg. Your heart was hammering against your rib cage, begging to be let out so it could wrap itself around his. There was no need for words for you to understand what was going through his head right now. The guilt and bitterness that rolled off him heated your skin.

“I thought you were dead.”

You were sure he was talking about when your vehicle blew up with you inside of it, “Me too,” you murmured into the dark room, fingers finding his jaw, guiding him back to looking at you. It was all you could do to offer him a weary smile, “But, I’m not. Because of you.”

The man used his own body as a shield for you, carried you to safety and brought you back from the brink of death. Without him, you weren’t entirely sure if things would have turned out the same. Not that you wanted to think about it in the first place.

His lips parted, his brows furrowing in preparation for an argument. You didn’t give him the chance to make one, bringing him back down to you for an open-mouthed kiss. Your tongue licks at him to open for you, “No more talking, Riley.”

His answering grin was enough for you, his thumbs hooked into the hem of your pants and pulling them until they were on the floor. He hissed at the sight of you, completely naked, before him. Those tortured dark eyes take in every curve and dip of your body. His dopy smile told you all you needed to know about how truthful he was when he said: “Since day one”.

He placed a chaste kiss on your mouth but quickly moved down the length of your body. It was like he couldn’t get between your legs fast enough, his previous hesitation had melted away with the heat you two made.

“Oh,” you gasped as his tongue found your center, licking a languid swipe up. He placed a heavy hand on your chest meant to keep you still, while the other wrapped around your thigh to keep your legs open for him. You cover the hand over your chest with your own, squeezing and digging your nails in as he licked and sucked at you. You rolled your hips into him, legs curled around his shoulders and panting in desperation. He flattened his tongue against you, and you could feel your arousal and slick leak from you. Eyes squeezed shut and throat constricting with a moan.

You were fiendish for him. You’ve been with men and women before, had both good and bad sex, but this…this was different. This was a release. Within seconds he had you at the edge, but he didn’t let you fall. Instead, he kept you there teetering back and forth.

He added a single thick finger, tracing the outline of your cunt before pushing it inside you. His mouth never stopped working at you, circling your clit. His digits curled inside you in perfect rhythm with your own motions. He was following the lead of your body, listening to the sounds you made and each reaction.

Another finger stretched you, and your legs instinctively closed around his head at the feel of them pressing into your G-spot.

“Ohmygod,” you tossed your head back, arching into his touch. You were shaking and twisting in his arms, your climax was right there.

His fingers left you feeling empty, his arms forcing your legs from his head. You were spread out, soaking, and aching beneath him. Annoyance and discomfort bubbled up into your throat, “You fucking–” you started only to be cut off when he dove back into you, his wet tongue exploring the inside of your mouth.

No more talking.

He didn’t need to say the words. He pulled back only far enough to pull his cock out from his pants. You had your fantasies and imagination to guess the size of him but whatever you would have come up with wouldn’t have compared. For a second you contemplated backing out. He was going to split you in half. You swallowed, the arousal between your legs becoming unbearable.

You needed him. Now.

“I’ll be slow with you,” he huffed, his eyes following yours. He wrapped a hand around himself, making long, slow strokes. Precum beaded at the head. Any other day you’d take your time licking that up for him.

Words betrayed you and it was all you could do to nod at him.

“I need to hear you say it, darlin',” he groaned, his entire body quaking with deprivation.

You dipped your fingers to your core, dragging the slick across your stomach, “Please, fuck me, Simon.”

His answering moan was beyond seductive. He rocked into your cunt, wetting himself on your arousal. Back and forth. Back and forth. Sliding across your pussy, pausing where he would have bottomed out if he were inside you. The tip of him reached your belly button and you slid your fingers up the slit at the head of his cock. He jolted, pulling back ever so slightly. Then he lined himself up with your opening. He pushed just the tip in, stopping there to allow you time to adjust. Pulling out. Pushing in a little further. Pulling out.

You wrapped your leg around him, forcing him in all the way. He swore at the sensation of you being around him. You bit down on your lip to keep from crying out. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes, and the stretch burned.

“You okay?” he immediately cupped your face in his hands, eyes searching your face.

With an experimental movement of your hips, you managed, “Just move. Just move.”

Simon heeded your plea, drawing out before sliding back in. You could almost feel him in your throat, you felt so full of him. You had to time your breath to match his rhythm, if only so his reentry wouldn’t knock the air from your lungs. He leaned down to you, his arms on either side of your head. With every stroke, you could feel him hit your cervix, and every time it elicited a crude moan from you.

“Atta girl, you’re taking me so well,” his gaze burned at where you two connected, watching himself disappear and reappear. You pushed his dark hair back from his face, wanting to see every micro-expression he made. His attention whipped back to you, a roughish smile spreading across his lips, “You’re so beautiful.”

His speed picked up, his breath catching with every pump. You felt your climax swell up again and you clamped down around him. He licked a stripe up the column of your throat, placed burning kisses up the curve of your jaw, and sucked welts into the sensitive skin on your neck. Sweat beaded on your chest like the firey heat inside your core was making it’s way to your skin.

He wrapped his arm underneath you, arching you further into him. His large hands encircled your waist, pulling you into his cock. The angle was too perfect. Your eyes rolled and it made you see stars. Your mouth hung open in a silent scream, the absolute ecstasy ripped any sort of coherent word from your tongue.

His thumb came to rub fast tight circles on your clit, ushering you to your orgasm. You twisted in his grasp, writhing at the sensation. It was too much and not enough. He was too much and not enough.

“Cum for me, baby girl. Show me how good I make you feel,” his slightly pained expression revealed his own proximity to his ruin. He’s been waiting for this moment since the moment you met and he’s been on edge around you the entire time. He was struggling to keep himself railing you into the floor. Until there was nothing left but tears and whimpers. He wouldn’t do that to you. Not yet. You needed more time to get used to him. You needed time to memorize the shape and size of him.

The band he pulled taut inside you finally snapped and your body stiffened. Your orgasm crashed into you so hard that you forgot your name. There was only one thing on your mind and it was him, the feeling of him. The sound that came out of you was one of crazed bliss and pleasure. Your body developed a mind of its own and you tried pushing his fingers away from you, the stimulation quickly becoming too much for you to handle.

He shifted his position, one hand holding your legs around his hips and the other supporting his weight, fingers gripping at your loose hair. He leaned down, burying his face in your neck. His breath was warm on your skin, sending tingles all the way down your legs. You clawed at his back, nails leaving behind angry red lines. He relished in the pain. Prayed whatever marks you left on him would never heal over. He would keep coming back to you for more. He was inside you and still, he felt like he needed you closer. He needed you under his skin. In his lungs. The mere thought of you made him half wild. His relentless pace never allowed you the time to recover from your last climax as another rose from the depths.

He murmured sweetly in your skin, “One more.”

Like the words were gospel, you obeyed them. Tightening around his length you came again. His own release followed, pulling out the last possible second. With a strangled moan, his hot cum covered your stomach and dripped down the sides of your thighs.

The two of you stayed like that, entangled in each other, fighting for breath. He placed a tender kiss on your jaw, then another on your mouth, “You feel way better than I imagined you would.”

You grinned at him, “You think about fucking me a lot?”

“Only every time I jerk off,” he leaned back on his heels, his eyes devouring you, “I think about you all the time actually…” he tilted his head to the side, “and not just about how good you taste,” using his discarded shirt he began to clean up the mess you two made. Wiping all the fluids and cum from your body. He was so gentle with you. So delicate. Like he was afraid that if he spoke too loud or moved too fast you turn into dust. Blow away with the breeze.

You sat back up, bringing his face back to yours, “Shower?” Your hair was still damp from the last one you took, but circumstances called for it.

His face seemed to light up at the invitation, and his eyes darkened with mischief.

Masterlist

A/N - Just recovering from a minor surgery my bad for the delay

Tag List

General - @thychuvaluswife ❤︎ @shuttlelauncher81 ❤︎ @lostinsideourminds ❤︎ @v1naco ❤︎ @purplefishingline ❤︎ @konig-breedme ❤︎ @wolfyland07 ❤︎ @dog55teeth ❤︎ @cumbersome-robes ❤︎ @meaganjean ❤︎ @ddioriez ❤︎ @adelaidai ❤︎ @johfaam0 ❤︎ @mymommy ❤︎ @mychrysanthemum ❤︎

His Foresight - @marytvirgin ❤︎ @stickygumchewer ❤︎ @lauraliisa ❤︎ @jungcoccc ❤︎ @lovelyladymayyyy ❤︎ @lululandd ❤︎ @chrissyfishywissy ❤︎ @naxxsstuff ❤︎ @sididakra-jo ❤︎ @yukisawer ❤︎ @q8852p ❤︎ @kat-nee ❤︎ @meganoreid ❤︎ @thewoodenarcade ❤︎ @kaghost ❤︎ @shadowcldx ❤︎ @aquarose38 ❤︎ @xheera ❤︎ @unsatisfiedanddisappointed ❤︎ @okayyadriana

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miraculouslbcnreactions · 7 months ago

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Having the statue scene be what caused Adrien to fall in love with Marinette feel like one of many spite moves from Astruc. Like once again, he saw how much people hated that scene but instead of addressing the criticisms he instead just point blank tries to force us to like the scene.

I'd go with arrogance over spite. I don't know much about the man, but the quotes I've seen and my limited knowledge of the industry are why my standard take is that he and the writing staff are genuinely trying to tell a good story. While we think they're failing at it, they don't. They think it's good. You're not going to sway me to their point of view, but I do understand how they could get into that mindset.

It's incredibly rare to get professional writers who want to punish the audience. It's incredibly common to get writers who are so far up their own ass that they think they shit gold and anyone who disagrees is just a hater who can't understand their vision. While that viewpoint isn't ideal, it's not a terrible trait for a creative. You're unlikely to succeed in a creative field if you can't get into some version of that mindset.

Speaking as a writer, if you want to succeed in a creative field, then you do genuinely need to be your own biggest fan and learn to ignore criticism. Not because you're above criticism, but because:

Issue 1: A lot of people struggle with the difference between personal taste and actual flaws, leading to some really shitty "criticism". That doesn't mean that it's bad to talk about a thing in terms of personal taste, it just means that your criticisms maybe be highly subjective opinions and not objective flaws that the creator needs to know about. It's why things like book reviews are for the audience and not the author. I know people who have found great reads based on negative reviews because those reviews talked about the book in question in an objective enough way for those people to realize it had things that they loved. That means that those were excellent reviews, they let people know if they'd like the book or not, which is what a review is meant to do! It also means that the reviews were pretty worthless to the authors because there was nothing that needed changing. It was all a matter of personal taste.

Issue 2: Taking point one a step further: more objective, "good" criticism isn't necessarily valuable to a creator. Sometimes creators are willing to include "flaws" because their creation doesn't fit their vision without those "flaws". Creators can get away with that because different audiences will care about different things and you're never going to be able to appeal to everyone. This is not the greatest example, but I think it gets my point across, so I'll use it here anyway. As someone who prefers reasonably healthy couples, if I were to read a story with an awful romance, then I'd probably hate it and have very clear, logical reasons why. But if the author is totally aware that the couple is awful and needed them to be such for the story they wanted to tell? Then my critique has no value to them. It's why good critique is so hard to get and give. Good critique is not about shaping a story into what you'd call good, it's about shaping the story the writer wants to tell into its best form. It's super hard, but also fun and a good learning experience.

Issue 3: A lot of criticism is highly situational and public feedback will only ever come after a work is done and available to the public. That makes it questionable how much value you'd get from reading feedback at that point. For an ongoing work where only a part is done, you might get something useful, but for a finished one? It's questionable if there's any point in reading negative comments. For example, I've received unsolicited critical feedback on fics that are several years old. I have no idea what the goal of those comments is. Even if I agree with them, I'm not going to rewrite the fic for them. I even asked one of them what their goal was and they couldn't tell me. They just wanted me to know and the button said "comments" not "positive comments."

Issue 4: You're never going to be perfect, so even a great work will have flaws, but it's unhealthy to dwell on them. Listening to a thousand people point out what you got wrong is not going to help anyone improve. That's why good creatives are open to feedback, but they tend to have a select group that they go to for feedback during the creative process. They then ignore most other feedback. In most cases, that is the healthy way to approach the creative process. It's why I don't agree with those who complain about someone blocking critics on twitter. Block and move on isn't just advice for the plebs. Successful creatives are allowed to prioritize their mental health, too.

Of course, there is a double edged sword in action here. Because creatives need to be their own fans and develop that ability to ignore criticism, they are always at risk of forming echo chambers that lead them to create lesser works because everyone in their core team thinks the same way they do. They may not even have a core team! It takes a lot of humility and luck to find people who give you good feedback.

The echo chamber issue is especially true when creatives are successful as it's hard to want to change when you're making money off of whatever crap you put out. Once you reach a certain level of success, there will be a whole lot less push back on your terrible ideas. If it's going to make money either way, then why worry if it's total crap? (This is a major problem in the publishing industry, btw. People with large social media followings can get a book deal with relative ease and publish almost anything they want because the publisher knows it will sell and it's not their name that's going to be looked down on.)

Generally speaking, this is what I think happened with Miraculous. The show is incredibly successful so there's no reason to listen to criticism or expand the creative team. Until the show stops making money, it doesn't matter how bad it is, so there's no reason for the writers to question if they've become blind to their own flaws. And by the time the show goes too far and stops making money? It will probably be too late to fix the problems so the show will just die. That's just how this trend works.

In summary, I would not be shocked if the writers genuinely think they're writing wonderful stories and that the critics just can't see it because we're the spiteful ones, not them. People can develop really weird standards for what is good, especially when they're immersed in the industry. For example, it's not like Disney wanted to ruin the Star Wars brand or have their 100th anniversary film - Wish - be universally panned. Studios want to make money. Writers want to tell stories people like. Spite it's rarely the answer when they fail to do those things.

The one caveat I will give to the above is if you're referring to the kind of spiteful arrogance where someone creates a thing, people criticize said thing, and so the person makes more of said thing in retaliation because that's 100% spite. But it's not the kind of spite where they're making a thing bad on purpose. It's them saying, "no, this was good and I'm gonna make more of it because you're wrong and I'm right." People do that shit all the time and, once again, it's not an inherently bad thing. Like all emotions, spite is a neutral force and a powerful motivator. It can lead to great things and terrible things. I can think of spite projects that were wildly successful and spite projects that totally flopped. (Relevant Tumblr post)

If that's the argument you're making when you say "spite", then I could totally see the statue scene choice happening because the writers heard people dunking on it and they went, "No, you're wrong, that scene was awesome! In fact, to show you how awesome, we're going to have that be when Adrien's crush started!" Spite? Yes. Ruining the show on purpose to get back at haters? No.

#anon ask #ml writing critical #ml writing salt #ml writers salt

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lyragrayson4ever · 3 months ago

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Masquerade of Hearts (Lyra x Grayson)

The ballroom was ridiculous—gold-drenched ceilings, crystal chandeliers, an actual string quartet playing like this was some 18th-century regency drama. Typical Hawthorne flair, designed to dazzle, distract, and disarm. All smoke and mirrors to cover the fact that Gigi was still missing, and no one seemed to know what the hell was really going on.

I stood near the back wall, drink in hand, watching the crowd swirl in silks and masks. I'd worn green—deep emerald, off the shoulder, not for them, but because I liked the way it made my eyes look sharper. And maybe because I knew someone else would notice too.

I didn’t want to be here. But the game makers had made it mandatory—for players and “guests” alike. I was used to manipulation by now. That didn’t mean I had to enjoy it.

“You’re hard to miss.”

I turned to the voice. The guy was tall, maybe a year or two older than me, with a confident smile and a silver mask shaped like wings. Definitely not a player. Maybe one of those moneyed onlookers invited for the drama.

“Not trying to blend in,” I replied coolly, taking a sip of my drink.

He grinned. “Dance with me?”

I hesitated for a beat. Not because I wanted to, but because I was curious how long it would take for someone else to notice.

“Sure,” I said finally. “Why not?”

We stepped onto the dance floor. He wasn’t bad—his hand rested at my back with a little more familiarity than I liked, but I didn’t bother correcting him. I had a feeling the moment wouldn’t last long.

I didn’t have to wait long.

A familiar presence approached, quiet but impossible to miss. Grayson Hawthorne moved like a shadow slicing through light—controlled, composed, and vaguely intimidating. He didn’t say anything at first, didn’t make a scene. He just... appeared beside us. His eyes—gray steel under his mask—locked on mine.

“Mind if I cut in?” he asked, polite to a fault, but his voice had that edge. The one I’d learned meant he wasn’t actually asking.

The other guy blinked. “We were in the middle of—”

“She said yes,” Grayson interrupted, still looking at me. Not rude. Just... final.

I sighed and stepped away from the stranger without a word. Grayson held out his hand, and I took it. I don’t know why. Maybe because I was annoyed. Or maybe because I wasn’t.

“What was that?” I asked once he’d pulled me into a smooth turn, his hand warm at my back but not too familiar. Always careful, this one.

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you,” he said simply.

I laughed, more surprised than anything. “Since when do you care how people look at me?”

He didn’t answer right away. Typical.

“I don’t make a habit of standing by when someone gets too comfortable around someone I respect,” he said finally. “You’re not... part of the show.”

“That almost sounded like a compliment.”

“I meant it as one.”

We moved in sync, like we’d done this before—even though we hadn’t. I was hyper-aware of how close he was, how tightly wound he felt. Not angry, but something adjacent. Something warmer, quieter, more dangerous.

“You know,” I said, tilting my head to study him, “you could’ve just asked me to dance. Instead of—whatever that was.”

His jaw ticked. “Would you have said yes?”

I smirked. “Maybe.”

He didn’t smile back, but his gaze held mine for a second too long. “Then I’ll ask next time.”

From somewhere behind us, I heard muffled laughter. Jameson’s, probably. Xander’s for sure. Of course they were watching.

“Your brothers think this is hilarious,” I muttered.

“They usually do.” His voice was dry. “I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it.”

I studied him for another second. The lines around his mouth. The tension in his shoulders. It wasn’t jealousy in the petty sense. It was something deeper. Protective, quiet, and frustratingly hard to read.

“You’re acting weird,” I said, leaning in slightly. “Is this your version of flustered?”

He actually blinked, like he hadn’t expected me to call him on it. Then: “I don’t get flustered.”

“Right. That’s what this is.”

He spun me once, clean and precise, before pulling me back in, just a breath closer than before.

“I just don’t like watching you get distracted by people who don’t see you clearly.”

I didn’t say anything to that. Not right away.

Because the thing was—he did see me clearly.

And that scared me a little.

But I didn’t pull away.

Not yet.

#books #gigi grayson #grandest games #grayson hawthorne #inheritance games #lyra kane #the inheritance games

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apricustar · 2 months ago

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Hii JD! I was reading your take on Buck talking about transferring and IDK if this is too personal, but the way you write about Buck sometimes really hits close to home. I do a lot of similar things where I feel like things are on me even if they might not be. How do you break that pattern? What do you think it would take for Buck to break that pattern?

hi nonnie, first of all, thank you for this message, and for trusting me with something personal! (the og post for anyone wanting to read)

let me start by saying this: it hits close to home for me too. i think a big reason i write about buck in the way i do is because i see and understand him; or maybe more truthfully: because i see myself in him.

watching him at times feels a bit like looking into a mirror. i know why it is he does the things he does, because i've done them too.

there’s that awful feeling of never feeling quite good enough—for someone to stay, to choose you, to love you the way you so badly want to be loved. feeling like too much—like you're taking up too much space, talk too loudly, say too much. believing that if anyone were to fully, really see you, they'd leave; because eventually, it feels like everyone does.

so you start to preempt it. you pull back first. shrink yourself down. maybe start a few arguments, say and do some things without much thought. you make it easier for people to walk away by convincing yourself they were going to anyway. it feels easier if it's on your terms—more manageable, less painful.

i know that spiral all too well. someone's voice changes and my first thought is always what did i do? what did i say wrong? (i wrote more in detail about buck doing this here if you want to read that...) like, okay, the other day i came home and said hi to my roommate. she said hi back but sounded VERY subdued; i took it as her being upset with me. which was made worse by her not asking about how my classes were like usual. instantly my brain was like oh god, she's mad at me, what did i do??? i ran through a whole list of possible offenses and felt so anxious!!!

and then later she came around and told me she'd gotten a grade she was upset about. we talked about the grade and stuff of course, but then i told her i thought she had been mad at me. she was confused and laughed and then i laughed and we then were both laughing and i was like shit! more than 9 times out of 10 it has nothing to do with me, but still, my first instinct is blaming myself and i feel this horrible stomach-dropping anxiety.

so, so. so buck. how do you break that pattern? how will buck break that pattern? well, to be clear, i am not a mental health professional, nor will i claim to be (though, i am getting my degree!). but from where i stand, i think the first step is recognizing the pattern for what it is: a defense mechanism. a way of trying to grab onto whatever thread of control you can in situations that feel uncertain and overwhelming.

it comes from somewhere, of course. when you grow up having to guess what version of love—what version of your caretakers—you’re going to get (if you get it at all), you start to prepare for the worst. you scan for danger. you take blame as a shortcut to control: if it’s my fault, maybe i can fix it. maybe i can be better.

and that kind of self-blame becomes automatic—deeply and painfully familiar. a thought cycle that loops endlessly, until it feels like instinct. the truth is, it once served a purpose. but it doesn’t have to keep defining how you move through the world.

one of the best tools for breaking those loops—besides awareness and practicing self-compassion—is learning how to challenge and reframe the thoughts themselves. this is where something like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be incredibly powerful. buck struggles with thoughts like: i ruined everything. i make things worse. if i were better—if I tried harder—this wouldn't have happened. this is all my fault.

CBT helps you slow down in those spirals and ask things like: is this true? is there evidence for it? is there another explanation? it teaches you to catch these thoughts and gently rework them—not 'i always ruin everything,' but 'i made a mistake this time, and that doesn't define me.'

buck's healing won't come from just rewiring those beliefs internally. it's also going to come from the outside—from safety, from consistency, from relationships that stay steady even when he falters. he needs to find someone who doesn't just say 'you matter,' but shows him—again and again—that he doesn't have to be perfect or performative to be worth staying, worth loving.

he has this in the 118– in eddie. he just needs to start believing it.

and that in large part comes from experiencing it over and over again. from letting people close, even when every alarm in his brain is telling him to brace for impact. from trusting that silence doesn't always mean upset, that distance doesn't always mean abandonment. from realizing that real love doesn't evaporate the moment he stops proving himself.

healing doesn't always look like big revelations. sometimes it's choosing to stay—to keep trying—even when you're afraid, especially when you're afraid. it's trying to be kind to yourself even when you feel like you're on a hamster wheel going a million miles. it’s pausing to breathe. to rework the story you’re telling yourself. to stop turning every misstep into a sweeping conclusion about your worth.

it’s learning to believe the kind things someone says, even when they feel impossible. it’s understanding that being loved isn’t a transaction—it’s a truth.

and maybe that's how the pattern finally breaks: not all at once, not in one giant grand gesture, but in the quiet, day-to-day moments. when buck allows himself patience. when he forgives himself. when he doesn’t run. when he lets someone stay. when he starts to believe that maybe—just maybe—he was never too much to begin with. when he allows himself to simply receive affection and care without first questioning it or believing it an impossibility.

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cptindanvers · 1 year ago

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you (remastered)

summary: y/n is best friends with nancy wheeler and barbara holland. but after her boyfriend, steve cheats on her with nancy and barb disappears, y/n becomes best friends with jonathan byers and helps save hawkins from the evil that lies beneath its surface.

word count; 1,837

set in season one, platonic! jonathan byers x reader

warnings; angsty

It took four "no"s for them to finally mean something to Steve when he asked (more like begged) you to come to the small party he was having. Steve had a record of taking advantage of his parents' frequent absences but they usually only induced your presence in his room.

You had planned on attending, initially. But when a headache formed and only intensified throughout the day, you were positive that another minute of being around Tommy and Carol would drive you clinically insane.

Frequently, different versions of how your life could've gone run through your mind. What if you'd gone? Would you and Steve be together still? Would you still have your two best friends?

You figured Steve was annoyed with you for really not showing up last night - he hadn't picked you up, hadn't waited by your locker. It would've worried you if you weren't so aware of how people's eyes hooked onto you, questions evident over their heads as they wondered why your famous boyfriend wasn't by your side.

You're starting to get really pissed off by the time the last bell rings. Steve isn't standing by the door of your last class like he usually is, ready to kiss you in the middle of the hallway without a care in the world. He doesn't take your things to your locker or carry your bag to his car, ready to take you anywhere you want to go - at least, for a while.

It's chilly once you get out to the parking lot. Maybe a walk in the finger-numbing air will help clear your mind.

You're only a few steps in before you recognize your boyfriend's side profile, threateningly looming over someone else. It doesn't take long to identify Tommy, Carol, and... Jonathan Byers.

Steve wasn't one to take things that far. He still had a reputation to maintain, both at school and with his parents. But you watched as he tore up photographs and dangled Jonathan's camera carelessly in his hands.

You've rerouted yourself, feet taking you in their direction without your brain approving the request first.

Usually, you'd stay out of it but if Steve was already ignoring you then there wasn't much else for you to lose.

And maybe you were a little exhausted, too. Perhaps you'd spent far too long being nothing more than a bystander, guilt and shame bubbling up until you've finally reached your limit.

Jonathan Byers had already lost his younger brother - he really didn’t need this.

"What's going on?" You ask to no one in particular.

"None of your business," Tommy retorts immediately.

You glance at your boyfriend expectedly - but he just shakes his head.

“Just get inside, alright? I’ll catch up with you.” Steve places his hand on your shoulder, attempting to direct you away.

It's useless - especially once you spot the photos you watched Steve tear up. Ones of your best friend undressed in his room.

You pick up one of the crudely ripped pieces from the ground, breaking out of Steve's loose grasp and stepping closer to Jonathan, fury in your eyes.

"What the hell is this?"

Jonathan's eyes jumped from you to the photo to Steve. He saw the anger in Steve's eyes but, under the tightly drawn brows, there was something else. Something in his eyes was pleading.

Jonathan averted his eyes as if it'd save him, looking at the ground as he made his choice.

"Nancy was undressing in Steve’s room last night.”

As soon as those words came from Jonathan’s mouth, his camera paid the price, glass smashing as soon as the device hit the ground.

"It's not what you th-" Steve steps closer from behind you, after the camera has left his grasp. Priorities, right?

Before he could even try to lie his way out of things, you turn sharply, your hand coming up to slap him before you could even think a rational thought.

“You’re an asshole, Steve Harrington.” You say, picking up the pieces of the ripped pictures. You weren’t sure why you decided to keep them. Proof? Revenge?

“Come on,” You begin, taking Jonathan’s hand and walking away, knowing he would be dealing with much worse than a broken camera if you left him.

You hadn't even gotten ten steps of distance before a painfully familiar voice caught your attention.

“What’s going on?”

Your head snapped to the right only to see Nancy standing there, wide-eyed and nervous.

Your anger hasn't mellowed but people are beginning to slow in their steps and turn their heads.

“I really can’t believe you, Nancy," you say quietly.

You drag Jonathan along, leaving Nancy behind with tears slipping down her cheeks.

⁂

You're not sure what you were thinking, pulling Jonathan out of there with you. You'd wanted to avoid a scene, for sure, and you didn't know what Jonathan's confession would entail for him other than punches.

"I'm sorry," you begin, words spewing out before you can control them. "For the camera. For letting them treat you like that. Not just today, for all the days."

Tears are beginning to well in your eyes and you turn away from Jonathan. Too many emotions are begging for an outlet, mainly shame and embarrassment. But the hurt is threatening to start seeping in soon now, too.

You try to focus on your breathing, on anything other than your own self-pity.

Jonathan surprises you with a cautious hand on your shoulder, as if he was scared to touch you. "Would you, um... do you want a ride home?"

⁂

"Jonathan, I need your help."

It'd been a few days after the incident with his camera and Jonathan giving you a ride home. You'd expected it to be much more awkward than it initially was - but eventually, the two of you began talking. About what Jonathan had been doing that night, about the hunt for Will, about Barb.

Perhaps that was another big source of your anger towards Steve and Nancy. Apart from the intoxicated infidelity, wasn't it their fault Barb was missing?

"Yeah?"

"Well, I... okay, this is gonna sound stupid, but listen..." There's not much of a defense you can build for yourself considering how crazy you sound - especially saying it all out loud. But you try to explain yourself, try to explain the faceless, humanoid figure you saw around Steve's house when you went looking for her the day prior - and its resemblance to a strange figure in the corner of one of the photographs Steve had ripped up.

“I know it sounds crazy.” You say, eyes looking into Jonathan’s, pleading for him to believe you.

“Yeah, it does," Jonathan nods and your heart sinks. "But I trust you." He places a hand on your shoulder, comforting you once again.

⁂

After figuring out that thing you saw had also been spotted by Jonathan’s mom, you two decided you two better learn some self-defense, just in case.

So, Jonathan taught you how to shoot a gun.

⁂

After coming back from the strange dimension in Mirkwood, you asked Jonathan to stay with you. This whole thing was beginning to get to you - other-worldly places, monsters, kidnappings. Honestly? You were terrified, and sitting alone in an empty room wouldn't do you any favors.

Jonathan gave in eventually, knowing he wouldn't be able to stand sleeping alone, either.

Having someone else in the room soothed you, enough to eventually fall asleep - even if the lights stayed on.

⁂

Whatever this monster-thing was, it was attracted to blood.

Well, it was a working theory. Jonathan had noticed Barb holding her hand like she'd injured it and, although it wasn't much to go off of, it'd do for now.

Perhaps the two of you were in over your heads but you and Jonathan had made your decision - you were going to kill that things.

Jonathan drove you two over to the gun supply store. Somewhere along the way, you began laughing.

"What?" Jonathan asked and, although he was clueless as to what was causing your amusement, he was smiling.

"Nothing," you shake your head. "It's just..." You turn to face him, even if his attention is on getting all your purchases into the trunk of his car. "A week ago. Not even. Two completely different worlds, right?"

Jonathan closes his trunk. "And now you get to suffer the consequences."

You furrow your brows.

Jonathan shrugs. "People talk."

Before you can respond, a loud honk catches both of your attention.

“Hey, freaks! Can’t wait to see your movie!” Someone calls before driving off.

“What was that?” Jonathan asked, obviously confused.

But you knew.

Steve had tried to call you and asked you to the movies to “start over”. You never picked up the phone, but you heard the voicemail.

Jonathan’s confusion only grew as you took off, a walk turning into a run as you stood outside the movie theater, Jonathan attempting to keep up. The both of you stared at the new addition to the Now Showing picture - both your names, spraypainted in red.

You knew your reputation had taken a turn once you'd broken up with Steve - it was inevitable, really. Your popularity really only was thanks to Steve. But it'd nose-dived instead of tapered off when you'd started hanging around Jonathan.

It wasn't like you didn't hear what everyone whispered, but you could usually shut it down with a look or with the truth, albeit put harshly. Depended on who was asking.

Laughter floated from the alley beside the theater. You turn into the alley, facing Steve, Carol, Tommy, and the other girl whose name you never bothered learning.

“Oh, here comes the freak couple!” Carol taunted, making kissing sounds as you stop in front of Steve.

“What the hell, Steve?” Your arms cross in front of your chest. You're on edge. Defensive. So many months together and this is how he's gonna do things?

“Well, it’s obvious you two are a thing,” Steve replied casually, shrugging his shoulders.

“What? So you can sleep with Nancy but I can’t hang out with Jonathan?"

“Oh, it's Jonathan now. So, what was Jonathan doing in your room?”

The question makes you falter - usually, when you're with Jonathan, it's out. Never at your house. Except...

You scoff. “Were you spying on me?”

“Answer the question.”

“We were- I just-” You shook your head, finding it difficult to explain that the only reason Jonathan had slept in your room was because entering another, very slimey and dark dimension had terrified you.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Steve scoffed, crossing his arms.

It's not worth it. You shouldn't have to explain yourself in the first place. Steve's upset you never called back but he was the one who fucked up. Not you.

“Come on,” You say, grabbing Jonathan’s hand and walking away for the second time that week.

“You know, Byers, you’re a screw-up, just like the rest of your family. Honestly, I’m not surprised that Will is dead. I mean, nobody misses him anyway-” Steve started, shoving Jonathan repeatedly. Steve quickly shut up when Jonathan’s fist met his face.

“Jonathan, stop!” You yell, trying to pull him off Steve while simultaneously trying to avoid getting hit.

The fistfight finally ended when the cops showed up, arresting Jonathan while you put your face in your hands in shame and frustration.

⁂

You found yourself at Hawkins Middle. You weren't sure exactly what you were doing there, something about a girl and a pool you needed to fill with salt. You were still a little confused and even more lost as to why Nancy was there. You're sure it had something to do with Mike.

Everyone was sat around the girl, El, as she floated in an inflatable pool in the middle of the school gym. She had been voicing almost everything she saw, trying to find Barbara and Will. Everyone hung on to her words, tension and anticipation hanging in the air.

“Barb…dead.”

Blood rushed in your ears as the weight that had been sitting in your chest for days began to ache. Your throat tightened and god, you couldn't breathe.

Your feet take you outside and your body folds over, hands on your knees as you try to breathe.

It feels like forever before your strangled gasps become shakey breaths and you barely register the opening of the door behind you.

Nancy's here and your resolve breaks.

Somehow, your arms find each other. Somehow, you manage not to blame her.

There was no time for tears. Nancy's eyes were full of fury once the two of you managed to pull away.

“Let’s kill that son of a bitch.”

⁂

There was a knock at the door almost immediately after you all bandaged your bleeding hands. You stuck your head out, careful to not let whoever knocked see the traps and light inside the Byers home.

“Jonathan-" Steve's presence makes your eyes widen. God, you should've made Jonathan answer it. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Something about the scene bothers him sincerely.

"Steve, you should leave," you say seriously.

Steve shakes his head and any annoyance off. "No, no. Look, I- I messed up, alright? I need to apologize.”

“No, Steve, you seriously-” You're cut off by Steve reaching for your hand - the one you'd just sliced open. Shit.

“What happened to your hand? Did Jonathan do that to you? I swear if he hurt you-”

There was no stopping Steve at that point. He managed his way inside despite your insistence, his brows furrowing at all the Christmas lights.

“What the hell is going on here?” Steve yelled, looking around in utter confusion.

Desperation was beginning to consume you - at the end of the day, you didn't want Steve involved in this. You wanted him far, far away.

“Steve.” You say steadily, picking up Lonnie’s gun and pointing it at him. “You need to leave.”

“What the hell?" Steve shouts, scared by your strange behavior. "Put that thing down! Look-”

Nancy calls your name, motioning to the flickering lights, but your attention is stuck on Steve. On making him go.

“Steve! Get out!”

Jonathan yells your name, finally grabbing your attention. “Look!”

Your head snaps, noticing the lights flickering around you.

“Shit.”

⁂

After a lot of initial screaming from Steve, the four of you had done a considerable amount of damage to it before it disappeared.

Now, Jonathan, Nancy, and you had to explain what was going on to a very overwhelmed Steve while heading back to meet with everyone else.

Most of the slack had fallen on you, naturally. It was strange, you and Steve in his car like before, only this time you were stuck having a conversation you couldn't conjure up in your wildest dreams.

"So- so that thing-"

"Demo-something. It's from... it's from a game the kids play."

"That thing is what took Barb and Will?"

"It, um, likes blood. Which is why..." you gesture to the bandaid around your hand.

"And- and Christmas lights?"

"Look, I don't really get it either-"

"No, no," Steve shakes his head. He's quiet as he pulls into a spot at Hawkins Middle but he doesn't move after putting his car into park. "I'm sorry."

It's silent as you try to find the right words to say. With everything happening, you really haven't given Steve much though. You hadn't had a chance to work through your anger or to think of something witty to say in this exact situation.

But you're still angry. Very angry.

"Just forget it, Steve."

"No, I want to apologize-"

"Just forget it. We were never gonna work out, right?"

You don't spare him a glance as you get out of the car. You have bigger things to worry about right now.

⁂

It didn't take very long for you to forgive - Nancy, at least. Drunken mistakes aside, she had never tried to go after Steve before. Plus, you think the two of you needed each other right now.

It was early December when she asked you for permission to pursue him, officially.

"It’s completely alright if you don’t want me to, we just started being friends again and-”

“Nance, it’s okay, really. You two were both drunk and you both apologized. If you like him and he likes you, then who am I to stop you?”

She gave you a big hug after that, but you couldn’t help the tug in your chest.

⁂

“You ready to go?” You asked Jonathan as he climbed back into his car, escaping the harsh December winds.

“Yeah,” Jonathan replied, turning to you. “She kissed me on the cheek.” He said, a small smile spreading on his face.

“Woah there, Byers. Aren’t you moving a bit too fast?”

Jonathan chuckled, lightly punching you on the arm. “Yeah, she’s dating your ex, but hey, a guy can dream. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You and Steve?” Jonathan asked, his smile turning into a smirk.

“Steve cheated on me.” You retort, rolling your eyes.

“Yeah, well, you can dream, can’t you?”

The two of you laughed, a comfortable silence filling the car.

“Hey, why don’t you stay for dinner? Mom always cooks enough to feed an army.” Jonathan asks as you pull into his driveway.

The offer takes you by surprise. Perhaps you'd thought that once all of that was over, your friendship with Jonathan would be, too. “Oh, no, I couldn’t.”

“Come on, spend time with your favorite Byers?” Jonatha smiles, leaning over to open your door. It was really a nicer way of saying I know you don't have anything better to do - except maybe wallow.

“Fine!” You sigh dramatically, getting out of the car.

“You know you love me.” Jonathan nudges your shoulder, a grin matching yours on his face.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever," You shake your head.

Despite everything the two of you had lost, at the very least you'd gotten each other.

⁂

masterlist / read part 2 here! / read part 3 here!

remastered, reworked... happy almost 5 years to this fic! if you'd like, you can read the original here, though i advise against it!

(p.s. part three is coming)

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington angst

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kaliforniahigh · 1 year ago

Text

MEDUSA - Part Two.

REPOSTED VERSION!

This begins with the events of Part 1 seen through Noah's eyes.

Warnings: guns, talks of student loans, Y/N being a little sad about her life.

WC: 1.697 words.

Summary: Y/N is a private dancer at a Gentleman's Club called Medusa. Noah Sebastian is a crime boss. Their paths cross when one night, Noah pays for one of her dances and they can't seem to be apart from each other.

Series Masterlist

Noah never really came to places like this. He guesses his friends had had enough of his behavior as of lately, and nearly forced (which is a strong word, Noah Sebastian never really does anything he doesn't want to do) him to go out and have some "fun".

One of his gun shipments got stolen that week, which is not something that has never happened before, but coupled with the fact that there is a rival group trying to take his place, his attention and stress was at an all time high.

He didn't know what he expected when he stepped into the club. He didn't arrive a minute before scheduled time, but he could notice the plush seats and the expensive golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Jolly has spoken really highly of this place, and he trusted Jolly, so he could say he was somewhat comfortable.

Nothing could have prepared him for what was about to happen in the next 20 minutes though. He was in entranced as soon as you stepped through the door. Your robe falling loosely on the tops of your thighs and your elegant heels clicking on the ground. He could not keep his eyes off of you even if he tried.

He was done for by the time you sat on his lap, he was hyper aware of every sensation. Your weight on top of him, the contours of your body. He couldn't help himself, he knew he wasn't allowed to, but his hands had a mind of their own when he tried to reach out and touch you.

He was a little shocked and lot turned on when you whipped his hand away. This is so much better than anything he could've hoped for. And suddently he wished he had paid for an hour of this, instead of just 20 minutes.

When you reached for his lapels, a sign that you wanted it off, he suddently felt the weight of his gun that was tucked into his waist. Like an everyday accesory to him now, he completely forgot it was even there. He guesses they truly trust the patrons here, because he sure as hell wasn't searched before coming in to the room. Or maybe it was an unspoken rule only he wasn't aware of.

Even covered by the mask, he could tell you were a little taken aback by the hardware he was carrying. No words were shared between the two of you up until that point, but he suddently wanted to reassure you, tell you that he means no harm, that he truly forgot to leave it at the door, that he didn't mean to be an intimidating prick. But he had no time for that, because the timer went off, signaling that your time together was over.

He watches as you gather your things, spare him one last glance and shut the door behind you. he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and runs the palms of his hands over his face. He now felt more stressed then when he came in to the club.

He doesn't know why he cares so much. He's shot people with intent before, he's held a pistol to many people's heads, never without the intentions of pulling the trigger, he's ordered his man to kill people before. Why does he care if a girl he's never met before feels scared of him? feels unsafe around him?

He thinks he really doesn't need this. He came here looking for a good time, and now he has your gaze burned in his irises and in his mind.

You, on the other hand, had no other clients for the night, so you decided to not stick around, because if you did, you knew that Ava would give you some meaningless task to keep you occupied. And you really needed some time to think about what has just happened.

His beautiful, almond eyes didn't leave your mind as you changed into the clothes you arrived in earlier in the day. You decided you were going to take your make up off at home, while taking a warm shower. You grab your bag, say goodbye to the girls and make your way to the back door reserved for staff only.

As soon as you came out into the open area, you see a black Escalade parked just a little to your left. It wasn't unsual, because there was also a back door reserved for patrons. Seconds later you see him stepping out. His suit jacket is back on, and as there was a magnetic pull, his eyes instantly land on your.

Even though you had your mask on the entire time you were with him, you knew he could tell who you were. You decide to just make your way to your car and hope that this guy isn't some freak. You knew he was definetly important, because he was cruising around in a Escalade. But just how important that he had to be carrying a gun all the time? You didn't stay to find out.

As you sit at the table eating your dinner, you contemplate about your life. You often do that. You don't hate your job, you're good at it and it pays you well, but sometimes you wish you worked somewhere more dignified. You wish you could tell people you meet or love interests what you do for a living.

You wish you had a dating life, you wish you were on Tinder and you wish you didn't find it so hard to be with a man who thinks it is okay for his girlfriend to be a stripper. But you know you're not going to have that. Your nursing diploma stares back at you as if it is laughing at you, mocking you.

You could've been working the night shift, complaining about your work hours and how the lunch at the hospital tastes stale. You could be taking care of people and feeling like you're making a difference in the world. But you're not, you're making a living dancing for powerful man, and if you're destined to do this for the rest of your life, you'll have to find a way to make peace with it.

Noah knew he shoudn't do this, knew he shouldn't dig himself a bigger hole, but he just can't help it. He knew it was you leaving the club at the same time he stepped out. The somber look on your face told him everything he needed to know, but he wanted more.

"Folio, I need you to do a background check on someone", he said as he approached his friend who was sitting at the table, laptop in front of him. Folio could look like a big Golden Retriever sometimes, but he was his best man when it comes to technology.

"Okay, what is their name?", he looked at Noah, slightly unintested, after all, he did this almost every other day.

"That is the thing, I don't have her name", he scratched the back of his head, actually looking a little flustered. He didn't catch your name, and you're sure the club just wouldn't divulge this information if he asked out of the blue. He could threaten them, but he tried not to be like that if he could help it.

"Oh. So it's a woman?", Folio looked surprised. "Do you think she has affiliations with the group that stole our guns?", he looked a little apprehensive.

"I don't know, that is why I was asking for that background check", Noah said as if it was the most obvious information ever. "She works at that Medusa club, I'm sure you've been there. She is a private dancer and mostly works backstage. I'm sure they have some kind of electronic system to keep track of customers, or even to pay their girls. See if you can find anything on that"

So he got to work. He tracked their billing information from the credit card Noah used to pay for your work, after that he could track the bank account the money was deposited to, and in les than 10 minutes he had your full name, adress and any other valuable information.

"Seems like her name is Y/N. She's been working there for a few years. She actually has an affiliation with NYU, she graduated there as a nurse before she started working at Medusa", Folio kept looking at your information, growing more curious by the second. Finally, he asked what he wanted to know "Noah, why are we after a nurse? You know we don't", he stuttered a bit, but kept going "you know we don't do women like, right?"

Noah looked at him, a bit offended by the implication, but responded anyways "I know that, dumbass. What? You think I'm going to kill her? Obviously not. I just needed some information and that is it. Send this to my phone, please" He turned to walk away and heard Folio muttering a "you're welcome, by the way", he laughed to himself, but didn't respond.

Minutes later, as he was walking up the stairs to his room, his phone pinged with all the information Folio could get on you. He laid on his bed and unlocked his phone, reading everything.

You graduated nursing school as one of the top students in your class. It seems like you never practised as a nurse though, because you started working at Medusa almost as soon as you graduated. He wondered why. You seemed like a bright person and extremely smart, so why not pursue the career you chose?

The next information gave him his answer. Your student debt was still not paid and it seems like it amounts to almost 150 thousand dollars. He suddently felt a pit in his stomach. Thinking about you having to do what you do to pay off student loans.

After sighing out loud and rubbing his eyes, he decided it was enough digging done for the day, and finally locked his phone, turned around and tried to sleep.

As per usual, feedback is appreciated. Hope y'all like it!!!

Dividers: @cafekitsune

#noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian smut #noah sebastian imagine #noah sebastian #noah sebastian fluff #noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian fanfiction #bad omens one shot #bad omens fanfiction #bad omens smut #bad omens imagine #bad omens #medusa

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midnightshard06 · 5 months ago

Text

My Past and Your Future

Summary: After a week of planning the time comes for Shadow and Sonic to visit the other world. Things go well enough, just as planned really, until something odd happens which throws everything off and Shadow ends up having to discuss something he thought he'd left in the past at this point. The Black Arms.

Warnings: Mild dissociation (kinda)

Word Count: ~8300 words

You can check it out on ao3 here if you prefer.

"You're sure you're capable of handling this?" Shadow asked as he handed over his communicator to Rouge.

The bat rolled her eyes as she took it. "You've only made sure I was for the past week." Rouge shook her head but there was a fond smile on her face. "I'll be sure the other you is fine, and if big blue's counterpart comes here too I can handle it." She waved him off. "Besides I have Omega for back up if I need it."

"I wouldn't consider Omega a good person to look after children." Shadow gave her a flat look.

"At the very least he'll be a nice distraction." Rouge winked before her expression changed to something more serious. "You're sure this is a good idea? Don't get me wrong I'm glad I got more of a heads up this time..." She gave him an accusatory look. "But are you sure?"

Shadow sighed as he glanced over at where Sonic was having some sort of conversation with Omega. "I'm sure." He looked back at Rouge. "As much as I don't want to admit it, Sonic is probably right. Our worlds are connected for a reason. I intend to find out exactly why."

"You big softie." Rouge gave him a knowing look. "Don't need to hide it from me that you actually like those kids."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Shadow crossed his arms and looked away.

"I'm sure you don't." Rouge pat him on the arm. "Now get going before you're late."

Shadow waved as he walked over to Sonic. "Ready?" He pulled the ring out of his quills.

"Yep!" Sonic grinned.

With a deep breath Shadow visualized the house he'd been in last time. Through their planning throughout the week it had been deemed best for them to come straight to the house. Less other people would see them that way. Apparently there was still a fair bit of news about his appearance out there. Best to not add any more fuel to that fire if he could help it since folks like them weren't commonplace on the planet. The town of Green Hills was a safe place though. Everyone was well aware of Sonic and the others' presence.

Once Shadow was confident with his visual he tossed the ring. On the other side was the same house he'd been in before and through the ring he could see the alternate versions of Team Sonic watching them with varying degrees of excitement. Though Shadow's gaze was drawn to the fourth person there. His own alternate self. The two of them locked eyes and Shadow couldn't help but see his younger self in the other hedgehog. There was almost something... lighter about him. There was still loss there but it seemed like perhaps he hadn't been through quite as much as Shadow. Not yet. He hoped it stayed that way.

Shadow offered him a nod, one which was returned. With all the planning that had occurred in the previous week the two of them hadn't got the chance to speak with the chat the other Tails had set up. Though Shadow also felt as if a face to face conversation would be more appropriate. If they could figure out how to exist in the same world that is. He had a few ideas but nothing he was really ready to test yet. Soon. Maybe.

"We going?" Sonic tapped Shadow's arm.

"Yes." Shadow sent the other hedgehog an annoyed look before walking to the ring. With one last look at his counterpart he stepped through. Just like before the transition was smooth, but noticeably his counterpart was no longer there. As he turned back to look through the ring he spotted him shaking his head and blinking a disoriented look from his eyes.

"Fascinating" Tails trailed off. "It was instantaneous the moment you walked through. Our Shadow just vanished and reappeared on the other side."

"We'll have to see what's causing it another time." Shadow turned away from the ring. "This is what we planned for anyway."

"Alright, I'm coming through." Sonic warned from the other side of the ring. Shadow kept his eyes on the other Sonic who was watching the ring with interest. Time to see if what happened to Shadow's own counterpart would happen to Sonic's.

As his Sonic stepped through... nothing happened to the other Sonic. The smaller hedgehog blinked and looked down at himself briefly. "So do we think it just takes longer for me or..?" The other Sonic asked before glancing at Tails.

The fox was frowning in confusion. "No. If it was going to happen to you it should have just happened the same way it did Shadow. Theoretically." He tilted his head and Shadow dutifully ignored the sound his Sonic made at that. "Something about the Shadows just... don't let them exist in the same universe."

"Interesting." Shadow crossed his arms and turned back to the ring portal which was slowly closing. "Take good care of him Rouge." The bat gave him a salute and the portal closed.

Before Shadow could grab the ring, Tails tapped him on the arm. "Any chance I could look at that while you're here? It seems like it might have gained some unique properties after we gave it to you. I'll give it right back once you're ready to head home of course."

Shadow looked the fox up and down. Perhaps it would be beneficial for someone like Tails to look at it. "Very well." Shadow nodded and gestured to the ring. Tails grinned and picked it up.

"So we meet face to face..." The smaller Sonic was sizing up Shadow's Sonic. Ugh they were going to need to figure out how to refer to each other or this would get annoying. "Ready to eat my dust?" He grinned.

"I would say that..." His Sonic grinned right back. "If it wasn't going to be the other way around."

"Remember Tom and Maddie said 'don't do anything near the house which could damage it in any way'." Tails reminded the group.

"We have a designated battleground for the two of you." Knuckles nodded. "A route that was approved of already."

"And this time I won't overshoot the goal." The other Sonic rubbed the back of his head.

"Before we do anything." Shadow cleared his throat. "I believe we should come up with a way to refer to each other other than our names. At the very least the Sonics and myself. As well as my counterpart at some point."

"That would be a good idea yeah..." Tails nodded his head slowly. "It's bound to get confusing eventually."

"Well if we're going for nicknames you can call me Blue Justice." The other Sonic grinned as he placed a hand on his chest.

"I had a different suggestion." Shadow kept a straight face. "You have a last name I believe? I think that would be easier."

"What if me and Knuckles need to go by other names?" Tails tilted his head.

"Probably won't be an issue for a while." Sonic waved the fox off. "Those two are off doing their own thing for a while."

"Well I guess going by Wachowski works too." Wachowski shrugged. "Even if Blue Justice does sound cooler."

"What of you then?" Knuckles gestured to Sonic.

"I mean... I guess I can just stick with Sonic for now." Sonic shrugged. "Only two of us and I don't happen to have a last name like the little dude so..."

Knuckles stared at Sonic for a bit before nodding. "Very well." The echidna turned to look at Shadow. "What about you and your counterpart?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "When necessary I suppose you can refer to me as Terios. Though it seems unnecessary to do that on this occasion."

"Terios huh?" Sonic snorted. "Where'd that name come from?"

There was no way Shadow was about to admit that the name was something he'd used when Maria had coerced him into playing superheroes with her a few times on the Ark, because "all superheroes need different names to hide their identity", so he simply settled on brushing off the question. "None of your business blue hedgehog."

Tails nodded. "Now that we have that sorted..." His eyes trailed over to Wachowski.

"Get ready to lose." Wachowski put a fist against his palm. There was a very familiar competitive look in his eyes.

Sonic mirrored the expression perfectly. "Bring it on."

"Better lead us to the spot you have ready before the two of them try to start things here." Shadow looked over at Tails and Knuckles.

The echidna nodded. "Onwards to your field of battle hedgehogs!" He herded the two of them out of the house. Well, this should prove interesting.

"So how are you feeling hun?" Rouge started to lead Shadow towards the house.

"Alright." Shadow admittedly felt somewhat awkward in the bat's presence. The last time he'd seen her face to face he'd attacked her. People around him after waking up seemed to have an odd habit of forgiving him for doing that though.

"Injuries healing up well?" Rouge asked, holding the door open. The house was just about the same as it was last time. It perhaps felt a bit more recently used.

"As expected." Shadow's eyes were drawn to the photos of this world's Sonic and Tails together as he followed Rouge into the living room. Several other photos included people he didn't know, but they were people like him, Sonic, and the others. A few had Knuckles, though he did look somewhat different to the one Shadow had grown used to. In every picture they seemed happy. Well at the very least Sonic did, but for the most part there were smiling faces all around. There were a large variety of backgrounds to the photos as well. They must travel a lot. His gaze stopped on a picture of this world's Sonic and Shadow's counterpart. His counterpart looked like he'd rather not be in the picture at all, but Sonic had a massive smile on his face. Shadow couldn't help but wonder what had been happening when the picture was taken. Clearly his counterpart had been caught off guard and if he looked closely enough the two hedgehogs seemed to be scuffed up somewhat. Soot or perhaps just dirt covering their fur and quills in places. Yet despite that Sonic was grinning. Seemed about right.

Finally he looked away from the pictures. It was... odd to have a glimpse into the life of alternate versions of themselves yet this was perhaps becoming his new normal. What a strange position he'd found himself in.

The bat hadn't said anything for a while, so Shadow looked around to see where she was. Rouge was sitting on the couch looking through some sort of magazine. She looked up at him and rose a brow. "Something you need?"

"I... suppose not." Shadow's ear twitched as he heard the heavy footfalls of the robot, Omega he believed, enter the room.

Rouge's look softened some. "I'm just giving you space. I know my Shadow enjoys his time to himself." There was something unreadable in her expression for a moment. "I figured you could use some quiet after being in a house with those three for so long." A smirk made its way onto her face.

"IF YOU WERE NOT INJURED I WOULD REQUEST A SPAR." Omega spoke up, sort of startling Shadow. "OUR SHADOW PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT CHALLENGE TO KEEP ME SHARP FOR DESTROYING EGGMAN'S INFERIOR UNITS. I AM INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW YOU WOULD KEEP UP AFTER OUR LAST ENCOUNTER."

"Maybe when the kid is feeling better." Rouge gave Omega a tired look.

"You both seem... oddly at ease with this whole situation." Shadow hummed.

"When you have proximity to Sonic and his friends for any length of time you start to get desensitized to odd things." Rouge shrugged. "Besides, I'm used to dealing with Shadow and I have to say so far you're a lot more agreeable than him." She chuckled to herself.

"AGREED." Omega chimed in. "SHADOW IS A COMPETENT ALLY BUT AT TIMES IS AN UNPREDICTABLE FORCE."

"We put up with him anyway though. What are friends for right?" Rouge winked at Shadow before going back to looking through the magazine.

It felt good to know that his alternate self had people that were close to him. People he could trust. Friends. There was still something he wanted, no, needed to ask though. "Can I ask a question?" His voice came out far more hesitant than he'd intended.

"Of course." Rogue nodded.

"The first time we swapped..." Shadow hesitated. It shouldn't be this hard to ask right? He'd seen the two of them alive and clearly not in any sort of G.U.N. facility. Something was different here and even if they weren't the people he knew it would be nice to see them. Well... at the very least Maria. His feelings on the professor felt rather messy at the moment. "I appreciate you agreeing to watch me." He changed gears for a moment. "I was wondering though about... his..." He gestured helplessly. Why was it so hard to just say her name out loud?

Rouge was giving him a puzzled look before finally understanding came onto her face. Shadow mentally slumped in relief. That relief was short lived though as a look that seemed like pity replaced it. "Why don't you sit down hun? I'm sure your legs are hurting." Admittedly they were starting to sting a little so he obliged and joined her on the couch she was on. "He lost them too." Rouge looked him right in the eye once he was settled. "When we saw you that first time we were going through a... bit of a weird one. Time was being messed with and the two of them ended up being pulled from the past to our present." She hesitated. "Temporarily. Once Shadow beat the monster that was keeping the place stable they were sent back to their own time."

Shadow felt his chest grow cold. All this time he'd assumed his counterpart hadn't lost his sister like he had. Yet the thought of his counterpart not only having to lose her once, especially if it had been anything like it had been for him, but losing her twice hurt more deeply than he expected. He'd relived the moment he lost Maria on repeat for 50 years in stasis, yet he wasn't sure he would have been able to lose her again while he was awake. Not if he'd gotten to see and feel her again for real. "I see." Shadow looked away. "How did he lose her the first time?" The question sort of slipped out, but he needed to know just how alike he and his counterpart were. If they'd experienced the same thing beyond just loss.

"A raid on the Ark." Rouge's voice was solemn. "Apparently G.U.N. wasn't too happy with how things were going up there and decided to seize Project Shadow and destroy all other evidence of his existence." Her face grew grim. "That included anyone who knew about him. From what Shadow has told me he tried to escape with her. Soldiers caught up but she managed to send him down to earth. She was one of the several casualties from the raid."

Shadow took in all the information and turned it over in his brain. The way certain things were worded had him interested but it was hard to breakdown the wording when a blanket of grief had settled over him. He'd never slowed down to properly grieve the loss of Maria. Not that he'd had much time after waking up. ...had his counterpart grieved? Either time? Somehow it felt invasive to ask the bat about that. He certainly wouldn't want someone to ask something like that about him to someone else. He shut his eyes and let his mind sort of go blank. He was thankful that Rouge didn't try to push him right now, instead leaving him alone to stew in his thoughts for a while. Right now wasn't the right time to let grief overcome him. Clearly he needed to address it but he was far too tired right now. Instead he focused on the sounds in the room. The flipping of magazine pages. The tick of a clock. Various mechanical sounds from Omega. It was grounding and soothing in a way. He'd need to talk to his counterpart soon. There was clearly a lot they needed to talk about.

"Rules are simple other me." Wachowski held up a finger. "One, first one to the goal is the winner." He held up a second finger. "Two, there are no other rules."

"Sounds good." Sonic started to stretch. "Where's the goal?"

"Here." Tails turned around the small device in his hands and pointed to a spot on the map that was on the screen. Shadow watched as Sonic scrutinized the map, taking glances out at the surrounding landscape. Clearly he was plotting a route in his head. Sonic's expression was oddly focused and Shadow got the feeling that Wachowski's confidence was going to be his downfall. If there was one thing Shadow was confident about when it came to his rival, it was how competitive he could get. Suddenly he wished he'd brought popcorn.

"Alright." Sonic nodded, focused look still on his face. "I'm ready."

"Your Sonic is rather focused." Knuckles hummed as Tails got the two blue hedgehogs to line up on a starting line. "I fear my brother will learn a lesson today."

"Sadly that will only inflate Sonic's ego further." Shadow sighed. "But I think you're right."

"Ok. On your marks... get set..." Tails held a flag aloft. Both Sonics were watching it with laser focus. "Go!" The fox had barely swung the flag down before the Sonics were off. "Wow." Tails blinked. "They weren't holding back."

"Both are striving to prove their worth and uphold their titles." Knuckles walked up to Tails. "When a warrior has something to protect they will often fight all the harder."

Shadow watched the two blue blurs vanish from sight before he turned to Knuckles and Tails. "Shall we head to the goal to see who arrives first?"

"How are we supposed to beat them there?" Tails tilted his head in question.

A small smile tugged at Shadow's face as he pulled out the emerald he'd brought with him. "Easily."

Wachowski grinned to himself. His counterpart was already nowhere to be seen. Guess all that big talk had been for nothing. A little disappointing but hey, at least he could now claim the title of fastest creature in the multiverse . Yeah. That had a nice ring to it. As he jumped over a ridge and gained some air he couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction. Maybe he should slow down a bit. Give the other him a chance? Nah. As he hit the ground he poured on more speed. It'd feel more satisfying to really crush the other Sonic.

His ear twitched as he felt a rush of air blow past him. Not something that was made by him and there was nothing else that really could have caused it except for... His eyes widened as suddenly there his counterpart was in front of him, running backwards . "Really?" Wachowski gave Sonic an unimpressed look. "And just where did you come from? I've been crushing you this entire race!"

Sonic grinned knowingly. "A hedgehog has his secrets." He turned around to be running properly. "See you at the finish line!" With that he shot ahead, much to Wachowski confusion.

"Oh there is no way I'm losing now." Wachowski poured on the speed and managed to catch up to be side by side with Sonic. "What weird tricks are you using!?" He pointed an accusatory finger at Sonic.

"Nothing that doesn't come natural!" Sonic sounded smug but his gaze remained focused on the road ahead. "Gotta be on my a game if I'm gonna beat you with your home field advantage!" He suddenly peeled off. Wachowski blinked in confusion until his attention was brought skyward. There was the other Sonic, seemingly flying through the air. It wasn't flying though. Wachowski had flown when using the Master Emerald. This just looked like he'd flung himself into the air with his speed and was just riding it out until gravity pulled him back down. That might explain things. If he was avoiding all the obstacles that Wachowski was still weaving around he'd be covering the ground much faster. Even if Wachowski knew this forest like the back of his hand.

Well jokes on him Wachowski knew where he would land, plus it wasn't like he couldn't do that too... right? Yeah of course he could! He narrowed his eyes as he rushed towards where Sonic should land. Thankfully he was right and he got there barely after the other hedgehog had touched down. "Not bad kid!" Sonic grinned, but there was something sharp, competitive to it. "Really giving me a run for my money here."

"I'm not the fastest thing alive for nothing." Wachowski put on a confident grin. "Soon to be fastest creature in the multiverse once I embarrass you in this race."

"Quite a title you're going for." Sonic looked thoughtful. "You said there's no other rules besides the winner is the one who gets to the goal first right?"

Wachowski gave him an odd look. "Uuuh yeah?"

"Great." Sonic's competitive look was back in full force. "Sorry bout this then." He rushed ahead, some sort of trail following him as he looped around a tree.

"You really think some sparky trail is gonna scare m-" Wachowski started but he was cut off as the tree cracked once a full circle was made around it. He had to desperately swerve out of the way as it fell. What the heck!? By the time he recovered from the forced redirect he couldn't see the other Sonic. Oh there was no way... He rushed straight towards the goal and he was shocked to see the other Sonic already there. He'd lost!?

"Better luck next time kid." Sonic gave him a cocky grin.

Now the look alone Wachowski miiiiiight have been able to handle. Sure it certainly bruised his pride a little but he could live. What rubbed salt in the wound was the fact that both Tails and Knuckles were looking at the other hedgehog with looks of interest and respect respectively. At least Shadow was just shaking his head at the whole scene, but if Wachowski looked close enough there was amusement on his face. If he had any consolation prize about this whole thing it was that his Shadow wasn't here to see it.

"You fought well brother." Knuckles put a hand on his chest. "But you have been bested this time."

"Gee, thanks for reminding me Knux." Wachowski frowned.

"I think what Knuckles is trying to say is that you did really well Sonic." Tails grinned at him.

"You weren't very far behind him." Shadow gestured to Sonic as he walked up to his side. "Consider this a learning experience and improve for next time."

"I was going ea-" Sonic was cut off in the middle of his sentence by Shadow elbowing him. Wachowski winced in sympathy as his counterpart doubled over for a moment. "Ahem I mean ." Sonic's face still looked pained but he was standing up straight now. "There's a lot I can teach you too kid. I'd be willing to bet that a good deal of what I can you you'd be capable of." His smile was reassuring.

"What I wanna know is what that weird sparkle trail was that down a whole tree like it was nothing." Wachowski pointed a finger at Sonic. "Next time we're setting more rules."

"Ah." Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "Don't think you'll be able to replicate that one. A little leftover thing from my adventure on the Starfall Islands. The cyloop." He held up one finger and once again the trail started to follow him as he ran. He made a quick loop around a rock and the thing was pulverized once the circle was completed.

"That's... new." Shadow was the first to comment. There was a contemplative look on his face.

“I have several questions.” Wachowski frowned. “Mostly though what the Starfall Islands are and why did visiting there give you weird sparkle trail powers?”

“Ancient technology.” Sonic said casually like that made any sense at all as an explanation.

"A formattable ability." Knuckles hummed. "How practical is it in combat?"

"Very." Sonic grinned. "It's far from the only trick I picked up on the islands." He wiggled his fingers with a grin. "Learned a lot of useful stuff there actually."

"I wish to see these skills in combat one day." Knuckles nodded. "That day is not today. However." His gaze shifted to Shadow. "I do wish to test your skills if you find a spar agreeable?"

Wachowski looked between the two with interest, crushing defeat and questions forgotten for now. Now this could be interesting and maybe just maybe Knuckles could win a point for Team Wachowski here. "I'm open to it." Shadow took a step closer to Knuckles. "I remember you saying you wanted to test my strength the last time I was here."

Sonic tapped his chin with a finger but said nothing. Wachowski wondered what he was thinking. "Then our field of battle will be here." Knuckles seemed excited. "Hold nothing back hedgehog."

"Well maybe you both need to hold a little back." Tails chuckled nervously. "Tom and Maddie won't be too happy if anyone gets seriously hurt."

Knuckles hummed. "Very well. I do not wish to upset them. A more friendly spar then, trying to avoid injury as best we can?" He rose a brow and held out a hand for Shadow to shake.

Before Wachowski could warn him about Knuckles' handshakes the other hedgehog had already taken Knuckles' hand. Oddly there was no crunching of bones which was typical for a Knuckles handshake. Even the echidna looked mildly impressed. "Agreed." Shadow said simply.

The two separated and got into ready stances. Wachowski watched as Tails scampered over to him and the other Sonic. "So who do you think is gonna win?" Wachowski asked as the two stared each other down.

"Hard to tell..." Tails hummed. "I mean our Shadow did beat all three of us when we first encountered him so..."

"Beat all of you huh?" Sonic glanced at them briefly. "Guy must be strong." Wachowski appreciated that Sonic didn’t at all imply that they were weak by any means. His Shadow must be pretty strong too then.

"Very." Tails said, sounding tired. "We thought Shadow had broken Knuckles wrist for a little bit there..."

Sonic winced. "Yikes."

Shadow apparently decided to take the first move. Eyes flashing for a moment and dark energy of some kind forming around him before he rushed forward smacking Knuckles into the air and sending him back down the Earth. All three of them on the sideline sucked in a sharp breath of sympathy. Well... you couldn't win them all, but they'd all wait to see how things turned out.

Shadow suddenly felt a jolt run through his body and much to his annoyance he fell off the couch before he could catch himself. Rouge was there instantly. "What happened?" Her voice was laced with concern. Though he wasn't sure how to answer her at the moment. Something about his body felt wrong. He looked down at his shaking hand, but despite how it felt it looked normal. Something was watching him that wasn't the two other occupants of the room. What was it? Where was it? It was a faint feeling but it was there all the same. It made his skin crawl and he fought the urge to scratch at his own skin to see if it would get the feeling to stop. The feeling reminded him of how he felt when the scientists would look at him. Study him. Mentally pick apart his very being with every small move he made. He'd always hated those looks. Whatever this was felt like it was peering beyond him. Into his very soul maybe. He wanted it to stop.

Rouge's voice managed to cut through the haze some. "Omega! Get him outside. I'm getting in contact with the others!" She sounded somewhat frantic.

Suddenly he felt cool metal all around him. He tried to focus on it and not the all consuming feeling of being watched. Picked apart. It was only mildly successful. There was a humming in the back of his mind. It felt like mental static. It became increasingly hard to focus on anything. Then there was a commotion around him, so many voices. None of which he could place right now. "Back up!" A voice sharply cut through the haze in his mind. It carried weight, authority. "Give him space." The voice growled. "Crowding him won't help." Other voices chimed in, much more subdued. They still weren't clear though. Why was only the one voice clear?

"Sonic." The voice was there again. "Get me the emerald you have on hand. I want to try something." There was a burst of wind and some more talking. Shadow just tried to reach out for the voice. Not physically but mentally maybe. Anything he could do to understand what was going on. He mentally brushed against something and the thing brushed back with a hint of surprise. The connection seemed to drive back the odd thing watching him, if only a little. There was even a faint echo of surprise from whatever it was as well. "Alright." The voice sounded a little unsure. "Hand him to me." There were other voices, this time far louder. They seemed to reject the idea for some reason. "What harm is there?" The voice sounded annoyed. "If I don't manage to stabilize us with the emeralds we'll just swap places again." The other voices dropped significantly in volume and he felt himself being passed over to the person the voice belonged to presumably.

Once he left cold metal arms everything seemed to snap into focus instantly. The static in his head, gone. The feeling of being watched, gone. He looked up groggily at the person who was holding him now. It was his counterpart, who admittedly looked rather awkward about the whole arrangement. "Is he ok?" Sonic, his Sonic, tentatively asked.

"I believe so." The other Shadow hummed. "His eyes are clear now." There was a well hidden look of worry on his face as he looked over Shadow.

"Great." His Sonic sighed. "What happened though!?"

"He just suddenly fell off the couch." That was Rouge. "Wasn't responding to me when I tried to check on him and his quills were sparking so I had Omega bring him outside and got in touch with you all."

"I appreciate you trying to make sure my brother's place stays intact while he's gone." That was the other Sonic, there was a hint of amusement in his voice but it sounded forced.

"I felt like I was being watched." Shadow spoke up quietly. His counterpart's ear twitched as he looked down. The others were talking so he didn't think they were listening intently enough to hear him. "My body felt... wrong and I couldn't think clearly."

His counterpart's face fell ever so slightly. "Are you at all familiar with the Black Arms?" His voice was tentative, and just as soft.

The Black Arms? He didn't think he'd ever hear the name before, but something in the back of his mind perked up in recognition. "Maybe? Something about the term seems familiar but I don't remember ever hearing it before."

The other Shadow sighed and set him down on the ground. Thankfully even though the physical connection between them was broken the odd feelings didn't come back. "I'm not sure how long the emeralds are going to be able to keep us stable in the same universe but... perhaps I should tell you about them. That way you might be a little less blindsided than I was. Of course I can't speak for what they're like in your universe but some information is better than none."

Shadow took a deep breath. "Right. Let's talk then."

Shadow sighed in relief at finally being able to get his younger counterpart away from the group. Everyone had been panicking to different degrees even after Shadow had helped him. The younger ones’ especially. Well perhaps it wasn’t fair to say all of the younger ones. It had mostly been Wachowski but still. Even if it was entirely overwhelming for both of them at the moment he was glad to see that the others clearly cared about his counterpart. They’d all immediately jumped to wanting to help Shadow’s counterpart when they’d received the message from Rouge that something was wrong. Despite his thought that the trio were a bit immature they’d shown they could focus when it counted.

Though he was starting to feel the strain from using the two emeralds on hand to keep both himself and his counterpart stable in the same universe and would like to get this conversation over with before he couldn't maintain whatever this was anymore. Whatever force didn't want to allow the two to exist in the same universe was fighting back and making this whole thing much harder. He was thankful the emeralds were working at all, but this talk needed to be quick. "I wish we could have a more drawn out discussion, but unfortunately time isn't a luxury we have at the moment." Shadow sighed. His counterpart nodded.

The younger hedgehog had been rather quiet. Likely still disoriented from... well clearly something related to the Black Arms. The kid had even accidentally reached out to him through the hivemind. Shadow wasn't going to say it out loud but having anything prod that, even if it was completely benign, had been unnerving. The last time he'd felt anything related to the Black Arms, Black Doom had been trying to take him over. Of course he made sure to remain calm for the kid's sake.

"The Black Arms... are a race of aliens that intended to take over earth." Shadow started. "Their leader Black Doom made a pact with my creator, Professor Gerald, and I was made with their DNA. Black Doom came to earth 50 years later and told me to get him the Chaos Emeralds. Gerald's end of the deal." He frowned as his counterpart's face scrunched up in confusion. "I defeated them." He held his tongue about the genocide of the entire race for now. "Black Doom messed with my head. Tried to get me to submit to him." He shook himself off as if shaking off the phantom feeling of losing control of his body. Even if it had been brief.

His counterpart looked down. "And now you think that maybe these Black Arms are coming in my universe?"

"It's possible." Shadow wished he had better answers. All he had was speculation based on his own experience though. "What you felt could be them... establishing a connection. Though I admit nothing like that happened to me until they’d actually arrived." Besides, the connection had come about when his counterpart wasn’t even in his native universe. The whole situation was odd to say the least, but there wasn’t enough information yet to figure out exactly what was happening. All Shadow knew is that his own Black Arms and Black Doom were gone. He’d made sure of that… multiple times.

"I wasn't... created like you though." The other Shadow's face scrunched up with some sort of unreadable expression. "The scientists told me I came down to Earth in a meteor, but I don't know anything about where I came from."

Shadow frowned. That was... different. His counterpart hadn't been created like Shadow had? It was an odd thing to think about honestly. A version of him that was a natural born creature... He shook his head. Now wasn't the time. "Well I can't speak on where you came from, but I know they're involved simply based on what’s happening now. To what degree they are and what they want I don't know. I suspect it's nothing good though."

"What should I do then?" His counterpart looked so vulnerable in that moment and Shadow barely kept his face neutral at the sight. It was almost as if he could see his own fears and doubts reflected in a face so much like his own.

"Rely on your... friends." Shadow glanced back to where the others were no doubt still milling about. "In the end they came to my aid, even if I hadn't really shown my willingness to accept their help."

"Are people going to get hurt?" His counterpart looked down.

Shadow wished he could tell him no, that everything would be fine but that would just be setting him up to fail. He wanted to make sure his counterpart was prepared, but he had to toe the line between preparing him and comforting him. ...he was well out of his depth right now. "Unfortunately." Shadow finally settled on. "The Black Arms are... not ones to be reasoned with. They likely want to conquer earth. That's what mine wanted at least."

His counterpart squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. When he looked back up at Shadow there was a determined look on his face. "How did you stop them?"

"I destroyed their leader." Shadow started. "They operate on a hivemind. Without Black Doom, or whoever it happens to be in your world, the others won't have direction. They lack individuality." He looked away. "I also used the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the comet they came to the planet in." He looked back up. No getting around letting that bit of information slip he guessed.

"We might have a slight problem." His counterpart winced. "Our Eclipse Cannon blew up."

Shadow sucked in a sharp breath. That could be... problematic but it was also likely his counterpart's Professor Gerald had no idea about the Black Arms and as such wouldn't have made the cannon to destroy them in the first place. There would probably be another way. Hopefully. "You take things as they come then." He eventually settled on saying. The strain he was feeling was starting to get to the point where he couldn't handle it. He wasn't sure which one of the two of them would get sent where when he couldn't maintain it anymore, but he wasn’t keen to find out. "We'll do what we can to help."

His counterpart looked like he wanted to ask more but based on the way the other hedgehog held his tongue, Shadow guessed his struggle was evident on his face. "We'll keep you informed with what's going on." His counterpart eventually said.

"Good." Shadow gestured back to where the others were. "I need to get you back. I'll see if I can gather some more information for you to look over after this." He led his counterpart back towards the others. Wachowski and his friends all perked up at the sight of the two of them remerging. Meanwhile, both Sonic and Rouge looked between the two of them with thinly veiled concern. "I'm sending you all back for now." Shadow internally winced at how strained his voice sounded as he fished the ring out of his quills. Once he had it, he tossed it out trying to envision the house. Thankfully the ring flared to life with no issues.

"What's going on though?" Wachowski asked, glancing between the two of them nervously.

"I'm sure Shads will explain later. One of them." Sonic hummed as he herded Wachowski towards the ring. "Right now we need to get you all back as we try and figure out our next move ok?"

Wachowski didn't look happy but he didn't resist as Sonic nudged him through the ring. "Fine." He sighed. "But you two will tell us if something happens right?"

"Course." Sonic grinned. "We're in this one together."

With one last glance Shadow's counterpart went through the ring. All the strain seemed to leave Shadow abruptly and he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He grabbed one of the emeralds and regarded it. "Maybe with more of the Chaos Emeralds it would be easier to keep us stable."

"We can go hunt them down if you think so." Sonic tapped his chin. "If something big is going down having them around might not be the worst thing anyway."

"Wait those are your Chaos Emeralds?" Tails blinked in surprise. "They're so big!"

"Are yours... not?" Sonic tilted his head.

"The emeralds are much smaller." Knuckles hummed. "Your emeralds seem more comparable to the size of the Master Emerald, though still smaller than it. It seems your emeralds are separate from it as well."

"While interesting, I believe we have other things to focus on for the time being." Shadow cleared his throat. "Like I told my counterpart I'll see what relevant information I can gather for you."

"And we'll go looking for our emeralds. I suggest you do the same. Just to get a jump on things." Sonic nodded.

"The Master Emerald is already in our possession." Knuckles nodded. "The emeralds will be ready should we need them. Though we would prefer to not rely on them if it is not necessary."

Before Sonic could say anything, Shadow jumped in. "As long as you know where they are and have access to them should you need them it's fine. We'll talk with you later." He waved them off.

"Best of luck in your quest." Knuckles waved as he walked through the ring.

"We'll be in touch." Tails wrung his hands nervously as he walked through.

A moment later the ring closed and Shadow retrieved it. He sighed heavily. "Well, things were getting a little too calm around here anyway." Sonic spoke up, a tint of amusement in his voice. It did sound sort of forced though.

Shadow felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Rouge. "You ok?" She watched him closely. Seeing if he was going to lie or not probably.

"I've been better." Shadow gently shrugged her hand off. "Never thought I'd have to deal with the Black Arms twice. Let alone three times."

"I knew you cared about those kids." Rouge looked smug.

"Not a word." Shadow pushed her away. "I need you to get together whatever information you can about the Black Arms. I'm sure G.U.N. still keeps a record of them around."

"Consider it already done handsome." Rouge winked.

"WILL I GET TO DESTROY THEM MYSELF THIS TIME?" Omega turned to look at Shadow.

"The possibility exists." Shadow sighed.

"I FIND THIS AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER FOR NOW." Omega flexed his hands.

"Great." Shadow rubbed his temples. "Stay here for now Omega. Don’t let any harm come to the fox’s home. Rouge, information. Me and Sonic will track down the remaining emeralds." He side eyed her. "I don't suppose you have any leads?"

"I'll forward what I've got to your communicator." Rouge flared her wings. "I'll see you boys later. I've got some files to... borrow." With that she took off.

"Guess we're going on a little road trip then." Sonic elbowed Shadow. "I'll go get Tails' emerald radar. That should make things smoother."

Shadow bat at Sonic's arm. The other hedgehog chuckled before he sped off. Things would work out. They would. He’d come out on top of every other confrontation with the Black Arms. This time would be no different.

"Alright. What's going on?" Sonic immediately turned to Shadow once the ring portal closed.

Shadow internally sighed. There was going to be a lot of talking tonight wasn't there? "Whoa whoa what's going on?" Tom walked into the room, looking between them all with a mix of concern and confusion. "I thought you were hanging out with the others today?"

"Something weird happened with Shadow." Tails wrung his hands. "Terios, what the other Shadow said we should call him, seemed to help and know what was going on."

"We're... going to have a problem soon. If what my counterpart said is to be believed." Shadow averted his eyes for a moment. Based on how his counterpart had looked during their conversation he did fully believe him.

"I'll go get Maddie and we'll meet you all in the living room ok?" Tom nodded as he put a hand on Sonic and Tails' shoulders. After a moment he left the room.

Shadow silently padded into the living room. Honestly his head was still swimming and he could feel whatever it was in the back of his mind. It was keeping its distance for now though. It was... wary maybe? Whatever his counterpart had done was keeping it manageable at least. He just hoped it lasted. "Are you alright hedgehog?" Knuckles was suddenly there at his side. The echidna's face was hard to read, but there seemed to be a bit of concern there.

"That will depend entirely on how whatever happens next goes." Shadow's ear twitched.

"Whatever comes you will not be alone." Knuckles put a hand on his shoulder. It was far gentler than Shadow was expecting. "We will be ready and we will take care of things together."

It didn't take much longer for everyone to assemble themselves in the room. The two human occupants were doing their best to get everyone calm as Shadow stood stock still in front of them. At some point Knuckles slipped away from his side to join the others. "Okay honey." Maddie smiled reassuringly at Shadow once everyone was settled. "What's going on?"

Shadow sighed. "When I was in the other world something odd happened. There was a sort of... fog in my mind. I felt a presence." He shook his head to shake away the phantom feeling. "I couldn't think clearly at all. At least until... Terios was there. He did something, cleared my head." He sighed. "After that he told me briefly about a race called the Black Arms. He was... made with their DNA and they attempted to invade his Earth. They were stopped. He's worried that the same is happening here now though."

"Wait." Sonic held up a hand. "Other you was made? Cause Walters said you came from a meteor right?"

Shadow nodded. "Correct. We... didn't have much time to chat about that."

"Terios and the other Sonic advised we gather our Chaos Emeralds and keep them nearby." Knuckles hummed. "These Black Arms must be a worthy threat if they advised such power be on standby."

"They said they were going to gather their emeralds too..." Tails put a hand on his chin. "I have so many questions not only about their emeralds but what would happen if two sets of Chaos Emeralds were in the same world in the first place."

"Well..." Tom glanced over at Maddie. "This certainly sounds big. Guess it's a good thing we'll have help from some people with experience in this oddly specific circumstance."

"We?" Shadow scrunched his face up.

"Course." Tom smiled as he threw his good arm around Maddie. "We'll help however we can."

"Maybe a bit more out of the direct line of fire this time though." Maddie pat Tom's shoulder gently.

"If they try to mess with Earth we'll just boot them back to where they came from." Sonic put a fist in his palm. "Besides if other you could do it, there's no way we can't."

Shadow nodded despite feeling unsure about the whole thing. Part of him was... excited to find out more about where he'd come from but he couldn't help but feel angry at himself for feeling that. If the Black Arms here were anything like they were in Terios' world then them coming to Earth was a bad thing. Another sudden thought had his blood running cold. G.U.N. would no doubt notice whatever was to come. Would they try to recapture him? Would Sonic and his family get hurt in the crossfire? There was no way he'd let them put him back in the tube, but he also didn't want the Wachowski's to get hurt because of him again. "Terios said he'd see what other information he could get me on the Black Arms as well." Shadow took a deep breath and forced himself out of his thoughts.

"I doubt whatever information they have over there will be 100% accurate here but it'll still be useful to have." Tails' namesakes twitched.

"Having some heads up is better than none." Tom nodded. "Every other time things have just happened."

"Do we have any idea of how long we have?" Maddie looked between everyone.

"Not yet." Shadow shook his head. "It's all... speculation at the moment. Based on my counterpart's own experiences."

"Well. We'll just make sure we're ready for whenever it happens then." Maddie nodded.

"Together." Sonic held out his fist towards Shadow. Shadow tilted his head in confusion. He... wasn't sure what Sonic wanted. "It's a power bump." Sonic grinned. "It means an unbreakable promise."

"It is true." Knuckles nodded. "Me, the fox, and the hedgehog used a power bump to seal our vow to protect the Master Emerald." He put his fist next to Sonic's.

"Yeah!" Tails quickly jumped up and put his own fist on the other side of Sonic's hand.

Shadow slowly put his fist into the mix so it touched all three of the others. Well he'd been told to rely on his friends, so despite all his reservations he'd do just that. At least for now.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic au #sonic fandom #shadow the hedgehog #sonic movie 3 #sonic movie #sonic movie 3 spoilers #shadow swap au #fanfiction

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pedrostylez · 7 months ago

Text

The First Time: Part 2

pairing: Din Djarin x fem!reader

chapter summary: Mando struggles with figuring out how to tell you how he exactly knows you, and you're just trying to fix your ship...

rating: 18+ (no minors please)

word count: 4.5k

Warnings: Time travel, confusion, fluff but barely we are only just getting to know ourselves here, Din wants to show affection but restrains, flashes of wanting and yearning ya know, inaccuracies about Star Wars megaverse, please forgive me.

A/N: It's been so long, but I have chapter 2. This has been a crazy few months for me (get laid off a job, find a new job, fail my tests for certification, etc, etc) but I hope that everyone else is doing well. I miss all of you and I miss sitting down and feeling the motivation to write. I hope for all of it to come back eventually to me :) Anyways, love y'all!

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Din doesn’t know what to say to you.

The Jedi don’t exist in your time? The thought is baffling, and he almost starts to laugh. But the look on your face, wide-eyed and confused, leaning toward him and his visor indicating your heartbeat picking up, has him holding it back. “Can we speak alone?” He asks, resting an arm on the seat behind you.

You glance at how he has spread himself closer to you, then around the room. “We are alone.”

“No, I mean elsewhere. Away from prying eyes.” He asserts, standing before you can say anything else and offering his hand.

His nerves are getting the better of him, tempted to pull his hand back and away from you when you stare at it for longer than he anticipated. You’re so hesitant and unsure of him, that he is second-guessing himself. But yours slowly reaches for his, squeezing tightly to use him as support to stand until you can retreat, waiting for his lead.

He guides you to the front door, his hand hovering at your lower back, wanting to press into your skin to feel you, but he resists, aware of Lugho’s menacing stare watching the two of you leave.

Stepping out the front door, the suns are brutal even with his armor on. Your eyes squint from the discomfort and lean toward him to try to escape the glare. He brings you around the building, the tapestries covering the alleyways and the suns on the other side, the temperature drastically drops.

Din pauses, glancing around to see no one is near, his visor not picking up anyone nearby, and he turns to you. He wants to tell you everything, right then, with your rapt attention on him, your eyes somehow able to find his below the visor. But he knows he can’t; not unless he wants to completely disrupt the timeline. “I found your ship.”

The change in topic confuses you, your brows furrowing before crossing your arms over your chest. “So…the Jedi asked you to find me because…I crashed?” You guess, tilting your head to the side.

Din remains silent, his fingers twitching in his gloves just slightly. He thinks he could strangle you and kiss you all at the same time, for how much you’ve scared him, pissed him off, and turned him on.

But you don’t even know that. You’re not the same…you, that made him angry to begin with.

“I don’t know why the Jedi asked me to find you.” he lies, letting his breath release slowly as he watches your eyes, darting around the front of his visor before drifting to his chest. He swears they dip lower, and he feels heat burst inside of him, not from the suns. “But I do what they ask of me.”

“The Jedi aren’t alive.” You say quietly, leaning your back against the mudbrick behind you, your face turning from his toward the open road. “I…thought they were killed off.”

He stands still, waiting. Your eyes look back to him, waiting for him to contribute more information, but when he doesn’t you sigh more heavily. “Is there something on my ship that someone left…that maybe the Jedi want?” You try again.

He ponders your offer, shifting his body to rest one hand on his hip. “Maybe.” He says quietly, surprised when you scoff and roll your eyes at him. This version of you has been so….timid. So caught up in your own world, and apparently trying to not draw more attention to yourself, that Din was beginning to forget that you typically came with an attitude. He finds himself smiling behind his helmet, the flick of your hair and tilt of your neck to crack it familiar to him.

“Well, then let’s go to my ship and see if there is anything you need. Clearly, I don’t need it.” you mumble, pushing yourself off the wall and bringing a hand up to cover your face. “I should work on it anyways…”

Walking next to the Mandalorian, or “Mando” as he mumbled at you after you asked what you should call him, is a strange experience.

Through the streets, you can feel everyone’s eyes on you, as if you are Mando’s captured bounty. You refrain from yelling out that it isn’t the case, keeping your eyes down with him walking closely behind you. Going through the streets, fewer and fewer people are around, but you continue to feel the stare, and you begin to wonder if it’s actually him who has his eyes on you.

Every time you look up at him, his darkened visor remains facing forward, intent on the direction you both are going. His head only tilts down to you when the bag of tools Lugho let you borrow slaps against your leg with a loud thud.

You turn your head away from him, embarrassed of being caught as you step further into the denser forested area that is familiar. “I think it should be up here, somewhere.” You say quietly, continuing straight.

“To the left.” He agrees, pointing ahead of you.

You feel the blood rush through your system as you stutter in your steps, clearing your throat. Right…he already knows. How much did the Jedi tell him?

The idea that the Jedi, who you had been told in both war and at home were long dead, were actually alive made your head spin. Were they hiding and so people assumed? Why does Mando have access to them, and why is he doing their dirty work?

What in the stars have you done to–

Mando’s hand grabs your shoulder, yanking you backward and thumping into his chest with a groan, his other hand coming up and covering your mouth. Your eyes widen in panic, thinking that he is hunting you and he had lied to get you alone. You almost drop the bag before he leans toward your ear. “There’s a cave here that you walked by when you first crashed.”

You breathe heavily through your nose, not speaking as you hear a cry of something that makes your spine straighten and your skin breaks out in gooseflesh.

“It’s Condor.” He mumbles. “Let’s hope they’re babies.”

Mando releases you, leather-covered fingers slowly peeling away from your mouth and moving your body to face in a different direction. His fingers dig into your shoulder just enough to let you know that he does not want to stay in the area for longer than necessary.

Taking his lead, you walk quickly for a few minutes, a sweat breaking out on your brow from how fast Mando had moved you through the undisturbed terrain. His hands had dug into your upper arms, practically lifting you to control the speed, but you resisted enough that your legs still carried you, and your heart beating so fast that you swear this walk in closer to a run. When he’s decided you both are far enough away from this cave, he lets go, and you lean over yourself to breathe. You’ve dropped the bag with a loud clang, supporting your hands on your knees to take in as much oxygen as you can. “I…I didn’t…”

“I know.” He says quietly, standing next to you without so much as a huff of discomfort, and waiting patiently as you have this moment of panic. “It worried me greatly when I was tracking you.”

His admittance catches you off guard, and you shake your head when you’re able to stand straight again. You notice he has picked up the tool bag himself, waiting for you to move. “Tracking me?”

Mando lets the silence be his answer, staring at you. It frustrates you, how he’s able to answer you without any words, but the fear from a moment ago is still coursing through you. You hold out your hand to take the bag back, but Mando steps around you to continue in this new direction.

“I can carry it.” You huff, following him through the brush. You hear him grunt, an obvious “not anymore” that has you rolling your eyes.

“Not much longer.” His voice rings out, not bothering to look back to see if you’re behind him as he creates the path for you to your crashed ship. Walking behind him with your arms crossed like a petulant child gives you just long enough to take in your surroundings.

The trees are almost a dark purple to your eye, the leaves swaying in a breeze you don’t feel. You wonder briefly what type of plants are on this moon, when your eyes drift to the back of Mando’s head. The beskar shines, and the suns are able to peek through the leaves just enough to reflect off of him. Your eyes travel lower, his shoulders so broad and taking up space in a way you’ve never seen a man take up space before.

You think briefly of who your mother hoped for you to marry before you left for war, remembering the slimmer-built man that made you wonder what exactly he ate. The resources on your home planet were not as sufficient as others, and many were unfortunate. But this man in front of you, you assumed a man, at least, was broad, supporting heavy-looking armor and carrying much through this densely packed forest.

A feeling of warmth begins to spread through your chest as your eyes drift lower, the beskar on his upper thighs trying to hide what you so clearly see; how he fills in this armor, how he wears it like it’s a second skin, and you wonder if he ever takes it off–

You slam into the back of Mando with a quiet oof and a thunk of your forehead against the back you were just thinking about, reaching up to rub at your face as his head turns to look down at you. “What are you thinking about?” He questions, his body turning to reveal the backside of your crashed ship in front of him.

“N-nothing.” You lie, clearing your throat and moving your eyes to the broken window of your ship. You go to take a step, but he stops you.

“I could feel you looking at me.” He gruffs out, and you swear you hear him hum it instead of the modulated flatness that usually comes out of his helmet.

That heat in your chest spreads out further, embarrassment and something else has you shaking your head. “Really, nothing. Let’s just–”

“Gedet’ye…” He growls, his free hand coming up to your chin to focus your eyes back on his visor. “Tell me.”

You’re locked in a trance with the dark helmet in front of you, his thumb sliding back and forth over your chin as if he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. Your mouth finally catches up with your brain, popping open to take a breath of air in. “J-just your…your armor. It’s shiny…”

You close your eyes, embarrassment flushing your skin as you hear yourself. It's shiny? You begin berating yourself mentally, wondering why you would ever say something like that when you hear the smallest indication of Mando laughing.

Your eyes pop back open, his hand falling away from your face as you distinctly hear the chuckle. “Let’s take a look at your ship.” He announces, turning away from you and toward the hunk of metal that crashed here.

Din misses you.

It’s hard for him to figure out in his head, since you’re right in front of him, or beside him, or trailing quickly behind him, but Gods, he misses the you that knows him. In a way, it has worked out that you don’t know what is going on, because the last time he saw you, you argued.

But now you’re in front of him, on hands and knees with your arms disappearing into the electrical panel of your ship, asking him to hold the flashlight that Lugho had in his mechanic’s bag, and he doesn’t know how to tell you.

Din knows that you’re curious; that you feel something like he does that is hard to describe or understand. An inability to stop looking at each other, but you’re so unaware…how did you tell him?

As he is trying to remember his first jump through time to find you, he hears you clear your throat. “Uh, can you hold the light steady please?” You try to sound firm, looking up toward him for a moment and then back to the wires. His hand had drifted, no longer on the area you were working on and he’s quick to snap it back into place.

He knows his face is red and he’s thankful you can’t see it. But he begins to feel the heat in his cheeks spread further, his neck pulsating with the temperature as his eyes drift over your body turned away from him again.

Gods, you’re bent over in front of him, and he’s only just now beginning to register how your hips are moving slightly whenever you pull at the wires. How the fabric of your shirt has ridden up and he can see the exposed skin of your back peeking out at him.

He reaches forward and rests his gloved hand on the skin, freezing when he realizes what he’s done. “I’ll take a look, you hold the light.” He chokes out, letting his hand remain on your bare skin as you look over your shoulder at him.

The memory of you looking over your shoulder at him in the Razor Crest as he pushed his hips against yours flashes over his vision before you nod, shimmying your way backward. “Sure.” You mumble, handing him the wire cutters and slipping the flashlight from his grasp.

Din clears his throat, thankful to be able to hide himself in the inner workings of your ship and to think straight. Now you dutifully hold the light, your foot tapping somewhere behind him as he strips a green wire to connect it to a blue.

He doesn’t actually need you to hold the light, his visor switching to night vision as soon as his head sticks into the shadowed panel, but he lets you have it anyway. He doesn’t want you to know what he’s thinking at this moment, just as you did not want him to know what you were thinking just before you bumped into him.

He smirks to himself while he strips another wire, the red sparking against the yellow as he remembers you stumbling over your words. Yes, he knows you feel it too. He’ll have to get you more relaxed before he can tell you exactly how he knows everything, though. Din has never had to try to get to know you in this way; where you are so hesitant. All other times he’s found you, you’ve already known him.

Din is lost in his thoughts long enough that the lights in the ship turn on, a gasp of surprise heard above him as you give a quiet cheer. “There’s still power!” You exclaim happily, your hand coming down and slapping at his back lightly.

He chuckles, beginning to back out of the panel when he feels the ground beneath him rumbling. Din frowns, facing you to watch as your brow lowers, the lights flickering off again. “What was that?” You ask, not looking to him for an answer, but sliding yourself closer to him.

Din goes to respond when the ground shakes again more violently, his hand reaching out to balance himself on the ground and you tumbling toward him. Your eyes widen, the flashlight forgotten as you crash into him while the whole ship itself shakes. A hand squeezing at his shoulder, he’s turned over enough now for you to fall into his lap ungracefully, your forehead banging against his visor.

“Ow…” You whine, unconsciously reaching up to rub at your head when the shaking stops for only a moment before starting up again. It is similar to turbulence he thinks, but he knows there is something outside of your ship that smells the two of you.

“Quiet.” he snaps, wrapping an arm around the back of your shoulders and pressing you to his chest. He clicks at the side of his helmet, looking through the side of your ship and watching the Condor push at the broken glass. “Don’t move.”

The ship shakes around you, his head tilted up toward your ceiling to observe while you shut your eyes and duck, concerned that any debris may fall on you. A gloved hand comes toward your head, covering the top and just barely brushing the hair back. You don’t question this as the side of the ship rumbles again and your eyes squeeze tighter.

This is not what you were hoping for when you came out here.

You thought that maybe you would get a better understanding of what your ship needed to be up and running again, that Mando would stand stoically and not speak to you. That maybe what he was looking for would be on a silver platter and he would snatch it up and leave you alone. But now, you find yourself wrapped up in him, melting further into his chest, listening to another final shake of the ship. Your teeth sink into the inside of your cheek, attempting to hold back a gasp as thumping slows down close to the ship before retreating and quieting in the distance.

Mando’s hand still cradles the back of your skull, and something deeper inside you screams at you not to pull away from him. But your head tilts up, his visor tilting down to meet your gaze and you swear you can see him through it, even if only for a moment.

You’re unsure how long you’re staring at each other, but at some point you blink and his hands have loosened around your body, and you have to shake yourself. “S-sorry.” You mumble sheepishly, adjusting your torso to get your legs under you. Unintentionally, your center brushes against his, and you freeze at the contact.

You hadn’t realized that you had gotten…warm, there, and the cool flight suit against your pants has you embarrassed. Mando grunts, and your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Oh gods I’m–”

“It’s alright.” He rushes out, letting you scramble the rest of the way away from him before he smoothly rises. “The…Condor moved on.”

You nod, reaching down to the tools that were about to be forgotten. Piling everything into the bag, you zip it shut and sling it over your shoulders. “Let’s not stick around for it to come back.”

Mando stays put for another moment before nodding in agreement, letting you lead him out of your ship. He watches you jump down from the door to the ground with a soft oof before he does the same, holding out his hand toward you. “I’ll carry that.”

You shake your head, wrapping your hand around the straps tighter. “You carried it most of the way here, Mando. I got it.”

His hand slowly drops back down, sighing heavily before taking a step around you to lead again. “Your ship only needs a couple more patches to fix the siding, but otherwise the diagnostics show you landed relatively safely.”

You shrug. “Didn’t want to die.” You half laugh, looking up to see his head snap to the side before looking forward again. “I miss having a full crew to help when issues come up in the ship, but I don’t need them.”

Mando hums, quiet except for his boots hitting the dirt. He’s creating a new path, similar to the one he came in on, but avoiding using the same landmarks as before. You wonder briefly if it is to avoid the Condor. “Why don’t you need them?” He eventually asks, holding a branch out of the way before snapping the tree limb out of the path.

You give a quick scoff, distracted by how his bicep moves under his flight suit and trip over a rouge tree root before setting yourself right again. “I thought you knew everything about me already?”

“Tell me anyway.” Is his immediate response, tilting his head in your direction to make sure you’re okay.

It’s a complicated thing to tell Mando what exactly you’re doing. You still don’t know if he is trying to gather a bounty on you before you turn yourself in, or if he is genuinely curious. You decide quickly to give him just a little bit of information; at this point you’re not sure it will hurt. “I’m returning home, so I don’t need a crew.”

He seems to think this over, his stride not faltering for even a second. “Won’t you go out again?” He questions, your eyes looking down to where you’re placing your feet.

The trees are thinning as you think of how to respond, the forest turning into an overheated dunescape of a village. “No…I planned on…staying.” You huff out, lifting your chin to look forward. You see the cantina in the distance, wondering if it is too early for a strong drink.

He hums again, turning his body more toward you before pausing. You stop with him, wiping at your forehead as you look to his visor. “You just wanted to go home?” Mando questions, and you almost hear the disappointment in his tone, but you swear you’re making it up.

“Yeah…sorta.” You shrug, stretching your neck muscles and sighing happily when your neck cracks. “Think it’s the right thing to do.”

You kick at the dirt in front of you, not sure why you stopped with Mando, but decide to lean in the direction of the cantina, trying to indicate that you both should continue on. Your fingers are fiddling with the straps of the mechanic’s bag, and you’re trying to not show that it is heavy, but you can’t help but move it to the other shoulder when Mando still doesn’t move.

Instead he stares at you, or at least, in your general direction. You can feel his eyes are tracing over your movements, watching your fingers fidget with the strap of the bag, and you are more than positive he is watching the sweat droplet move down your hairline and off your jaw. You clear your throat hesitantly, wiping at your face again. “Are we…taking a break?”

He doesn’t respond, reaching his hand out slowly as if he is going to offer it to you to hold, but instead snatches the bag away from you, holding it at his side. “Just for a moment.”

“I can carry that.” You huff out, trying to hide that you are instead grateful for him to be taking it.

“I know you can.” Is his quiet response, turning back in the direction of the cantina. “Come, I hear Lugho.”

You follow after him, frowning. “You can hear him? From here?” Gods, how much can he hear after you’ve gone up to bed? How far can he hear?

He doesn’t respond, just picking up his pace to reach the uncovered village like he’s taking a stroll through a park, the sun reflecting off the shoulder of his armor in a way that makes you have to move to the other side of him.

Your sweating hasn’t stopped by the time you both step into the cooled cantina, Lugho nowhere in direct eyesight. You sigh, grateful to be in the shadowed building even if the cooldown won’t last long. It’s still early afternoon, so the cantina hasn’t yet filled up with the moon’s whole population of workers yet, but when all of the different bodies pack themselves into the building, the temperature increases.

There’s a reason you go up to your room earlier than the others.

You step around Mando to the bar, wher Lugho’s other bartender is cleaning glasses. You’ve not yet learned his name, not usually around when he is, but when you hold up the bag of tools he nods toward the staircase.

You smile in thanks, heading toward the stairs and calling for Lugho. “I have your tools back! Thank you for letting me–”

When you get to the top of the stairs, you see your room’s door is wide open, Lugho’s body sticking out just enough to show a shoulder, maybe a hip. Mando bumps into the back of you with a quiet huff, unaware that he was following you to begin with. You look over your shoulder at him in confusion, his body quickly stepping in front of you as he sees your room door open.

“Mandolorian!” Lugho calls, relieved. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“At my door, Lugho? What the hell, why is it open?” You chirp unhappily, throwing your arms up as your toss the bag in his direction.

“It was open.” Lugho says gravely, his eyes darkening unhappily as he looks over you as if he’s checking for injuries and then to Mando. “That’s why I was looking for the Mandolorian.”

“Someone broke in.” Mando annouces, taking heavy steps forward and pushing past Lugho into your room.

“What?” You feel frantic, stepping in after Mando and looking around for your stuff. It seems it’s mostly there; your clothes scattered around, your food rations from the ship still in a neat pile on the table. Your face flushes in embarrassment as Mando stands in the center, turning only his head to examine everything as you snatch at underwear and ratty shirts you sleep in to be hidden again.

“Is everything here?” He asks, his gaze on you as you try to clean up your mess of clothes.

“Uh yeah, yeah I think so.” You affirm, pushing your hair out of your face and looking to the door to see Lugho hovering. “Who was here earlier?”

“The usuals.” Lugho confirms, crossing his arms. “But…I wasn’t here all day.”

As you’re packing your clothes back in your bag, you notice that the bag itself, while flimsy and seeming not worth a lot, has been touched. You move the clothes still folded in the bottom out of the way, frowning at the hidden zipper that has been opened. “Wait…my–”

Your breath gets caught in your throat. Your badge from the war, hidden away in the pocket of this bag, is missing. Not only is this badge something you need to identify yourself when you go to turn yourself in, but you had carefully pasted a photo of your family on the back of it.

Unexpected tears are beginning to build up in your eyes and you try to blink them away. Why would someone take that? You’re thinking yourself into a spiral, unable to understand when a warm hand rests on your shoulder. You look up to that same, darkened visor that is now in front of you, kneeling beside you.

Mando takes a deep breath in that you can only see and not hear before he says. “We’ll find them, Kar’ta, don’t worry.”

And even though you don’t know the Mandolorian, and have no reason beyond him protecting you from the Condor in the forest to trust him, you immediately nod, your nerves calmed.

This is what the Mandalorian does. He finds people.

Condor Dragon: Per wookieepedia, “Condor dragons, also known as mantigrues, were a species of flying, predatory reptavian native to the Forest Moon of Endor. They were distinguished by their bony dorsal ridges, large fangs, clawed legs, and red, leathery wings. Their yellow eyes had sharp vision, and they inhabited cliffsides that ran through the forests.”

Gedet’ye → Please

Kar’ta → heart

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #din djarin #din dijarin x reader #the mandolarian #mando #mando x reader

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