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yutasbimil · 2 years ago

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Concentration

kenma x fem!oc | haikyuu ff. (time-skip!older kenma) ✦ (2/~) [series fic] !!! also posted on my ao3 acc! { here } tags: fluff, slight angst (not really), smut cw: nsfw minors dni, minor plot, fingering, oral, deepthroating, swallowing, teasing, established relationship, unprotected sex, kinky; light choking and hair pulling, kinda rough, FLUFF!!! D; note: not that comfy w/ 2nd POV, tho no specific characteristics are mentioned on the fem!oc so pls feel free to imagine as y/n or YOU ♡ word count: 4.4k

part 1 | part 3

do not repost © yutasbimil (2022)

Mai admires Kenma the most for his intense concentration, even whilst multitasking. But today, he’s anything but focused. Not just by being spaced out but Mai is not able to talk to him straight the whole day.

She wants to know what’s up.

And what better way is to lure him on the very thing that he’s best focused on?

“Can you teach me how to play this character?”

"Uh-hmm."

Mai swears she saw a glint in Kenma’s eyes as she said that, with him nodding firmly as a pair of cat-like stares stayed glued to her even as she went back to her seat.

She abruptly had to go back due to the bell ringing.

Kenma on the other hand is occupied with another matter. Now he's got to manage to get through the last period, but all he could think about pressing the right fingers next to hers. Her warmth and the sweet, fresh scent of her shampoo as he's near her—

The mere thought of her touch drives him over the edge.

But to Mai of course, she knew that her asking to play with him is joyous for him. If she only knew exactly what it meant to him.

The school bell rings, signaling another school day ending.

Mai stretches out, putting her bag beside Kenma’s desk as she gets by his seat. Getting the vacant chair in front of him, she leans on the chair, with its back facing the guy. “I barely got through my notes. Who even thought of math as the last period would do anyone good?”

She slumps both her shoulders.

It was the opposite for studious Kenma, though (surprisingly), he got through the problem sets with the speed of light.

“I can help you practice the application of equations though, Mai-chan.”

"Help me later then!" Mai chimes.

Another thing that piqued his excitement is her reaching out to him for help, it’s an obvious fact for her friends how Mai can be stubborn for not asking for help, even to the point of just piling up every load till she's at the brink of her waypoint.

So these instances relieve him in some way that she's letting it loose more, now at the means of games and his influence.

That's progress.

"We can also do exercises to prep for the upcoming tests."

When she nodded, it added more to Kenma’s satisfaction, along with her words that followed.

“Maybe a bit after we play the game at your place? I asked for a favor earlier, remember…?”

At the word 'earlier', Kenma made an indescribable expression between excruciating pain and utter joy that it appeared that he was holding his breath in front of her.

Mai tilts her head in confusion.

Here we go again.

She knew saying that was one way to get his attention (as it involves his most beloved games and her). But she can't put away the fact of the noticeable gap between them; on how he’s been acting weird since this morning. Especially around her. Damn, most especially with her.

This is the first time they meet eye-to-eye all day yet it’s not too long since he strays his vision away from hers again.

Kenma didn't have any difficulty around Kuroo or Tora-san at lunch earlier. Heck, he even managed to go through the talkative Levi-chan with no sweat. Even in class as he even managed to recite, what about the group work earlier? She had kept an eye on him and observed her boyfriend to the point it seemed to fire back at her, thinking, that maybe she is the one who did something?

But what…?

Mai held back an infuriated huff, silent as she followed Kenma who seemed hastened and unfazed standing up from his seat. What’s with him?!

“Why are you looking at me like that?” her tone didn't deliver in the most patient manner. Mai can no longer take it, the usual staring and then putting on a stifling face that she’s been getting makes her get sick of him more, adding to him avoiding her all day.

The moment she walked into his room with a fresh set of clothes, Kenma’s eyes were wide towards her. (Not making it an obvious fact that he likes how good she looks in his oversized shirt).

He raises his hand, palm facing her, and makes Mai stop in her tracks, not given a chance to deny retreat but listen to his voice.

“I had a dream, like how you walked in right now through that door. But like, you had a health bar on you, on top of you— that frightened me at the dream, of course, o-oddly. And there’s a boss fight music playing as you approach me, stonefaced– Yeah, Elder Ring– so imagine how much I’ve been laughing and confused as fuck when I woke up–”

Without a second spared, Mai’s fists met the guy’s shoulder, an obvious whine as she fought between wanting to strangle him or laugh with him.

“Dummy! I thought we had a problem! I thought you had some beef with me!” she cries. No wonder he's been acting like that all morning. He needed the whole damn day to construct that silly dream of his?! She understands so it can be delivered in the best, funniest way. But still!—

“I’m sorry, it seems too surreal…”

"You better be!" She even had to overthink just to pinpoint what's up. "Seriously…"

It always seems to be like that, it gets funnier when you retell a story to your friend and that's how it looks between them. As Kenma seems to look more relieved, bursting a laugh off his chest more freely now that he has told her about it.

It's different on the girl's end though.

"It was just—pfttt—s-sorry," Kenma covered half of his face, trying all his might to collect his composure. It definitely won over showing the actual guilt he's feeling with his more apparent sheer amusement. "I-it really was just random and funny. Admit it, Mai."

Mai stands up ready to pounce him as she holds back a laugh, but it comes off as forced. "Haha… You better do get fucking ready for this Boss later!—what's so funny? Oi?!"

"HAHAHA! S-stop it, Mai-chan! Hahahaha! I'm going to bust a gut!"

That was exactly how she looked like in the dream "at her 2nd Phase".

She crossed her arms, lowering her head to hide her beet-red face. Kenma reached out to pat her but she refused any touch (for now).

Looking more keenly at him, she even thought of his tired face as something else earlier. But now filled with irritation, she put together the pieces.

“You idiot, you also have practice today! Yet you stayed up late?!” Mai almost shoved her finger at his eyebags, the darkened circles mocking her on how obvious he had played all night in this new game he’s obsessed with.

“Only till 1 am?”

Mai squinted, her whole face scrunched up. The slight hesitation of him continuing what he answered says a lot on his end.

It took a while for them to calm down. Mostly Mai costs Kenma a pack's worth of cream puffs to ease her nerves.

Soon after, they had settled into their setup for today’s plans.

The couple almost smacked each other, with Mai pushing him down the floor of his bedroom. “KENMA!”

He managed to pull an OP character on the gacha game they’re playing. Kenma was frantically showing her the shiny and flashing animation on her phone screen. The beautifully detailed illustration of the 6-star white-haired magical girl captivated them. “OMFG! Of all people, you got her!”

He quickly went to the inventory of the characters and upgraded it.

“You're way more than halfway to even upgrading it higher.” The guy’s fingers navigated through the screen, with Mai peeking over his shoulder closely. Kenma shows her bits and all on how to use the new character she obtained.

The girl grips both his shoulders, all giddy and happy pulling him near her with warm cheeks crashing next to his.

“It's all thanks to you, Ken-chan!”

To the tutorial and character gameplay…

It’s not long till she’s quiet again as she got her phone back. She's struggling to get through levels, though, and even so, she knew that slacking off is not in Kenma Kozume’s dictionary. Most especially in gaming.

It is not at all just playing games for him.

“Wait, wait— again,” she bit her lower lip, focused with brows furrowed as she’s trying to follow through with the combos and team dynamics of the characters.

Kenma goes to show her again, and Mai is trying to sync her fingers as if she's doing the controls herself.

“Woah, you even managed to pass this level, your weapon is not that great now either,” Kenma says. The ‘CLEARED’ showed through the screen, and the evident awe in the blonde’s eyes shine along with the effects.

“That's how OP this character is, huh.” Mai stares at the screen, mouth agape. She felt a leaning weight beside her, and there and behold, a pouty Kenma.

“Oh, here goes Mr. Salty again.” she declared, her boyfriend just continues to sulk. “I know… but this is just unfair, it took us months to get ours to SS.”

She points out. “Mine is still at S—”

"Still!'

"Hey! It's you who pulled for this character, I just let you."

It even took a while for her to save up for pulls as she's not much of a grinder unlike him.

“Well, at least you got 2.” Kenma slumps himself to the pits of the floor. “Urghh… just thinking of it… how lucky!”

His girlfriend joins him laying down on the floor, patting him. “But even so, it would just add up the pity if I didn't get them.”

Mai gets her phone back and enters an event stage that he just taught her. Now it’s time to put the earlier moves into use. But before doing so, Kenma had another thought in mind.

“Wait, Mai, we also got to ‘practice’ right?”

“What do you mean?” Her eyes stayed glued to her phone screen, he got it back for a moment. She rolls over, her belly close to the carpet as her feet relax in a position near Kenma, he pats her as a prior reminder.

“I mean you still got to practice on what we talked about other than this game.”

Trying to stay put and focus on the game, she also did her best to rerun her brain on what they talked about. She blinked, her lips shaping into an ‘O’ at the realization.

Blushing, it indicated to Kenma that she remembered the intimate details they had agreed on.

She proposed how she wants to improve more and be the one to move instead of just him keeping it active between them in bed. To be specific, how her hips would move consistently on the act, be more stable and what can they do with her stamina for them to stay more active longer, humping—

Startled, he moves her to the bed as she’s spiraling more into her suggestive thoughts.

"W-wait, let me restart the stage—"

Before she could process any of what’s happening completely, Kenma pats her phone back, like kinda shoving it at her hand. "Play."

Dumbfounded, she’s now facing his crotch. “Huh?”

“Suck me while you play.”

“I-I…”

“Come on, this can help you be more aware and active in what you are doing.” His words are as firm as keeping a hold of her between his legs.

"In g-game?...How are you sure it helps on the aspect, eek—”

His sudden aggressiveness makes her feel a pool of warmth down there. As much as it hurts her scalp with his tight grip. This is what she asked him last time. Getting a bit more course than his usual restraints. And yes, the hair pullin—

As if on cue, Kenma pulls her head closer to his boxers, lifting her head a bit as he strips off and pulls it down to reveal his hard-on.

His deep stare and grin are enough for her to listen to him. She had no other choice but to obey.

Looks like the tables have been turned curtly on who's the boss.

Pressing the stage, she continues on but gradually his vague relished noises are enough to distract her.

She hovers her nose tip on his balls, then sucking it with full care as she also slurps her tongue on his head the next. Her mouth in and out sliding in rugged motions by his girth, all the way down till he hisses. Even if the loud clashing sounds from the game are prominent, the faint moans from her boyfriend’s lips are enough for her to miss a combo, then another.

“Fncchhh…” she muffles, the vibration made Kenma buck his hips, making her yelp as his hard length pushes further down her throat. “Ah- ah, focus Mai…”

You’re the one to talk!

She wants to retort so badly, but every bit of her strength and ability of her mouth is full at the moment.

How is Kozume still able to complete the stages flawlessly while I go down on him?!

She is reminded so vividly of those times she would sneakily creep between his legs as he’s in-game, giving him a sweet bonus on his gameplay. This also while, sometimes, he's in-call with his buddies, he even manages to give directions and answer them with poise. But this is anything beyond compare on how collected Kenma is, to now on how he’s going down on her.

She’s losing it, big time.

“N-no, ah-hmm…please.” It adds more to Mai’s crumbling concentration as he reaches for her breasts, devilishly slipping a nimble finger into her tight core. Back and forth, to even curling them in twists and turns, hitting more damage to her already feeble focus.

They are positioned in a way that it is easy for Kenma to reach for her whole body, even his height and stature are at the advantage to handle her.

She regretted the near proximity as Kenma has his own ways to have fun at the moment.

"Ah-shit." She missed another dodge by half a second.

Mai cannot even contain her attentiveness to the screen to the creeping bony hands by her erect nipples, it diverts her focus further away as she cannot ignore the lingering feeling that’s wetting her panties.

Her insides are getting twisted the same as Kenma curls his fingers while he plays with her nipples and bare chest, fitting oh so nicely at the palm of his pretty hands.

“Ahh… Hmmm…” It frustrates the fuck out of her, trying her best to finish the stage. She also wants to finish sucking him fairly with a bang (pun intended). Mai is anything but a multitasker, especially in this case. As playing these types of games requires a lot of attention. And from someone like her, she wants to give her full attention to pleasuring her boyfriend.

But by the looks of how she's struggling, he seems to be enjoying it.

Schadenfreude.

“Heeee—huhu, you're such a sadist!” Mai grouches. Without looking, he hears the sound of how she failed a stage. “Wait, again.”

Kenma just chuckled at her persistent tone, as if he was not at all messing her up seconds earlier. Also, the warmth and sensation when she let go of his dick from her mouth had him startled.

When his erection is released, instead of complaining, a slight whimper from his lips was elicited, followed by an amused chuckle at the girl's pouting.

“You're close to finishing there?” Kenma asks, patting her head.

The stage, or coming?

She just immediately placed her body back earlier when she was playing.

“Isn't that something to ask you, Ken?”

After making sure, she nods, getting back into the mood though it hasn't left Kenma's system at all.

Kenma then suddenly pulls her head down, deepthroating a whole load into her mouth. Her eyes widened as she got caught off guard. “Ahh- hnmmh–!” She yelps which then gradually gets swallowed by pleasure at the sensation hitting the back of her throat. The moaning of her sweet lips sent shivers of pleasure down his spine.

With her eyes clouded in ecstasy, he moved his hips and used her mouth in pleasure. “Babe, wai-haa—”

The sound of his dick going in and out of her precious mouth gagged her ears into redness.

Mai breathes out, trying her best to maintain some air as she’s close to choking on his length. She swallows every bit of breath possible before being shoved down again.

“Ah, Mai…” he groans, already closing his peak with her moaning along as he’s riding out his release. Seconds after, now the insides of her mouth filled with his hot load of cum.

She coughs frantically, though swallowing some of his load left in her mouth and lips. Licking every bit of his sweet release with her tongue, she smiles widely as she has swallowed every last one of his semen.

After being rough, he gets the phone from her to set it aside, patting her head to relax her.

“You like it like that?” Kenma asks, an assuring look as he pulls her close. Along with the words 'Is she satisfied?' She hasn't orgasmed yet and that's one of his main concerns. That's not a problem with her as most of the time, it's the act with him that satisfies her the most, orgasm isn't always the goal.

Though, she was a bit flushed as she felt a different kind of tingling sensation in her body.

With her head lowered, she gingerly shakes her head ‘no’, shy as she tugs Kenma by his sleeve.

“No… I didn't expect you to be that kind of rough.”

“Ohh.” By the looks of how his girlfriend is hiding by his arms, he might’ve gone a bit overboard her threshold. “S-sorry…”

He puts some of her stray and unkept hair off her face due to their messiness. With the back of his hand, he wiped her mouth, each stroke delicate as affectionate as he looked at her.

Kenma quickly pats her and caresses her face, pulling her small stature near for her to come closer to collect warmth. Cuddling into a little spoon, she looks up to Kenma as she touches both her chest sheepishly. “My nipples also hurt.”

“Okay, let's be softer next time.” He’s quick to admit he got carried away, taking mental notes all ready to be done.

Mai promptly noticed this, and not wanting to make him feel awful… she assured him with a tight squeeze on his hand. She actually had fun though maybe she got overwhelmed as this is the first time he has let loose that way. Also with her taking a bit more of what she can handle in terms of both their experimentation on their own bodies. This is only the first 'practice' after all. Tugging a smile underneath her shy eyes, she says. “But I don't mind you playing me like this sometimes, Kenma.”

Kenma prompts up, along with the erection in between his legs still not shying away, and remains hard. It looks like it’s still up for Round 2.

“Again then.”

His firmness and jump in his voice took her by surprise. Especially on him quickly carrying on their course of action.

“Ken–” As he pleases and as she had requested, he’s a bit hoarse.

Kenma pushes, along with pulling her body close to his torso.

“You need to practice more.” He tightens his grip on her hips, causing her heated core to meet his erection. Her legs seem to turn to jelly.

“N-no, wait. Ken-kun…” She pouts her lips, but it makes her boyfriend get more roused up as she asks for a kiss.

It has only been half a day, but it did make Kenma miss her softness, it was made obvious at the twitch of his hard-on. His Adam's apple bop up.

"Mai…"

Kenma leans in, closing in the proximity that seemed to be distanced since its last meeting.

As their lips collided, it still remains the warmest feeling laid on her skin, besides his electrifying yet calming hands near her. To the previously rough handling of him to her… gradually turns gentle by the tips of his fingers as he places his hands on her hips, moving below and lower as they inch deeper and deeper into their sweetest exchange of kisses.

Kenma was quick to take reminders as his touches improved to the twist of his fingertips.

It’s as if they took turns, now with Kenma’s strong frame hovering over her. He shoves his kisses passionately into the crevices of her lips, filling her heart with such euphoria as his hands simultaneously venture and map on her body.

He hasn't even fully collected her yet into his endearing stare.

But she gets lost all the more as he unravels her hair, letting it loose for the both of them as Kenma rests her head, encapsulating Mai into his eyes.

She hugs him, tightening her hold on his arms. It has been quite a while since they have been together but she was still head over heels in love with the way his eyes would be in deep concentration; so sharp, it pierces right through her.

This is something she's willing to get used to for the rest of her life.

"I love you…" she whispered, placing each syllable and its meaning in every pause of their kisses.

He draws himself closer, mumbling the same endearment by her ear.

It made all the sense he feels the same, in the way he’s delicate and intricate in the way he handles her. His weight crashes into hers as if they are one.

Pulling away, their reddened cheeks indicated they had been too lost in the kiss that they both reacted with a laugh, in sync as they got reminded of the background music of the game.

The phone really got set aside along with their attention to it.

"Let's continue…"

Kenma positions her so that both of them can receive and give pleasure to one another. With her back from him, her chest lay on the softness of the bed as she keeps engaged with the phone. It spiked panic in the girl’s system, feeling another wave as she felt his veiny fingers setting aside her panties. The warmth getting hold of her legs gave her goosebumps.

As the stages get harder, it also gets difficult as she cannot entirely see what he’s doing behind her as she’s got her hands preoccupied already.

“Ha-ahhh… Ken… kun.” Mai prods her sensitive cunt onto his face, to which Kenma gladly stimulates, taking full advantage of her position.

It pools moreover as Kenma tries to collect and lick her juices with his tongue, spreading more pleasure to her aching buds.

She lost hold of her phone as she yelped, Kenma sucking her clit which made it all the more difficult to give back the same effort to her fingers. She gulps for air as she feels his nose by her ass, his tongue deeper into her along with his hands playing her swollen bundle of nerves.

Mai then again tries her very best, playing and practicing as he advised. Kenma lets her play his stages get better; with her first try on the stage, "okay".

Though, it cannot really be said the same when putting another stimulus into the picture.

Sensing him pulling down her panties, it alarmed her how the coldness easily contacted her wet core– making it easier for Kenma to put in his dick and fucks her.

She felt her get tight around him as he grabbed hold of her swaying breasts, back arched, bucking his hips harder to the beat unknowingly.

Their breaths get more ragged with Mai unable to leave the sensation of him inside of her unnoticed. All the pent-up arousal is evident in their eyes, enough to eat each other out with stares. How he's spreading her so well as he widens her more. She moves her lips along, moaning as she shamelessly puts her tongue out with her eyes clouding up in bliss.

"More! Ah… Please… d-don't stop." she pleaded. His fervent movements are getting more vigorous, getting her more impatient as she dips deeper, hastily thrusting her hips along with him. She's already a mess just pressing keys to get by but she’s about to lose it.

He also feels himself getting more stirred up as they both moan and groan, the penetrating sensation getting the best of them. She can no longer muffle out her desperate noises for release.

"It feels so good, ah-holy fuck—" She squirms, grabbing hold of anything that might let her reach her peak but the way Kenma is also giving pleasure to her chest got her so worked up.

The change of pace along with the slapping of skin got both of them so immersed. Kenma is getting filled up in arousal, seeing how she engulfs him whole into her, in and out so tightly, he's getting close—

“Fuck… you’re sucking me dry.” Kenma faltered. With a hard thrust, Mai yelps even at the feeling of him slipping off his hard dick… Though, the liquid dripping off her ass felt too warm for saliva. Feeling his head crashing onto her bare back, she turns to look at him.

Turns out it's already his cum.

For obvious reasons, she failed on her second try at the game.

"I cannot really concentrate well like you!" She breathes out, sweeping off his stray hair back already sticking to his sweaty face.

Kenma pats her head. His eyes were full of assurance as he set the phone aside, it was only there to tease her after all. For the most part.

"But as long as we practice the other thing more, right?"

Talking about the sex, she nods in approval. Well, she did last longer this time for another round with him.

Even feeling good now for another. She noticed her body's state; the adrenaline keeps on rushing in.

"I'll show you how you can do it faster." Kenma takes the phone by his hand, rapidly starting the stage as if his own cooldown was that quick.

"Than you coming?" Mai replies. It made Kenma furrow his brows, elbowing her arm as he hits a combo.

"Hey! It's not even that quick."

Mai got the reaction she wanted. A joking tone filled her grin. "You enjoyed it?"

Kenma pressed along with the keys that finished a victory sweep.

"You are the one enjoying it."

As much as Kenma was shaking his head in obvious denial, the stain on his reddening cheeks cannot be negated. Also, the obvious beam in his tone says a lot. The girl could only lean onto him and carry on their antics. Enjoying their newfound anticipation in playing games and multitasking.

It was both of them who enjoyed a test in concentration, but Kenma remains the expert in this field. They have plenty; many chances to practice. Mai will eventually—at the very least—match up with him.

※ my masterlist | #enjeiwrites ※

#kenma kozume #kenma #kenma fluff #kenma smut #kodzuken #nekoma #kenma: flushed series #haikyuu scenario #haikyuu fic #enjeiwrites

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25ticupsinacupboard · 4 years ago

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im still so embarrassed by that post lmaooooo

i mean, its how we became friends so i cant hate it, but soooo many people saw it

we went from being very awkward and being unable to end really long conversations (at least on my end lol. i thought it would be so rude to not respond with the best of my ability) to talking literally all the time about both dsmp and anything sigdjfgsk

idk it just feels so good when you realize a fandom friend has become ur friend friend—y’know? like instead of only talking about ur common interest u start branching out and talking to each other about your lives, your other hobbies, and it’s even cooler to remain close if one or both of you lose interest in the fandom you met in. your bond, no longer dependent on the mutual love you had for some thing—now lies upon the kinship you’ve built. i think that’s beautiful

#your hello makes me think of obi wan's hello there #(i think it was obi wan please no one fight me)#im sorry about your friend #it really sucks when you lose someone you used to talk to a lot #it was still kinda bad that i had online friends in fifth grade #but i really enjoyed hanging out with them #i dont remember why but i wanted to leave the group #we werent exactly close even tho we talked a bit #but i had a friend i was closer with than anyone else #the thing is she had be afk for awhile #a few days maybe even weeks #and so when i said i was leaving everyone got mad at me #because apparently she went to some suicide camp thing #they knew i was close with her and they thought she was gonna commit because of me #i was eleven years old guys #i barely understood what suicide was in the first place #so anyways im still mad at them for it even tho its been years because i srsly thought a girl was gonna die because of me #i didnt even know she was at a camp #oh wait i should probably mention this was a fandom group chat thing and thats why im adding it to this post lol #it was a warrior cats group because i fucking loved that series dfjg #they also didnt know my age (because i was still somewhat smart lol) so maybe that would change the way they reacted #but im still pissed #tw suicide #this is a lot of tags #this story shouldve probably been told somewhere else #but oh well

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curiousscientistkae · 4 years ago

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Another thing that has been bugging me

So once again, I have to start by saying this. All of this is under the cut. It is tagged. Yall do not have to read it so yall can ignore it. This is not made to be argued with. The show is nearly one year out since the ending so my stance won’t change. I doubt anyone else’s will but I still want to put this post out as why so many people are still upset about c/a and s/pop. If you are willing to just listen to the other side and then just move on, cool. If you are looking for a fight, please leave. You will be blocked if you start shit. I, and many other abuse victims, are allowed to be upset and criticize this show that once made us really happy. Please understand that.

Anyway onto something that has been bugging me for a long long time:

There are many things I am upset over in s5. I and others have talked about many before. Today, I am gonna focus on the line Catra said about “I have always loved you” to Adora.

This line is, bullshit. I could write a book on why and give examples for days. However, I will be sticking to five main points. In no order:

1.Season 3 Inside the portal.

Let’s start with this doozy. We know this is a perfect world, so to speak, and Catra and Adora are together. However, things start to fall apart quickly. Adora keeps wanting to figure out what is going on and Catra brushes her off. This keeps going on until a breaking point. The scene I want to focus on:

[cue fight]

Right off the bat, Catra is blaming Adora for something. It does not help that right before this scene, Adora is asking Catra to come with her, saying she won’t leave her again, yet Catra refuses. This is a topic for another day but in s5 Catra also had said “stay just this once” which is a lie since Adora kept asking for Catra to come. This is a topic for a different post. Moving on.

“I won’t let you win. I’d rather see the whole world end than let that happen.”

This line is uncomfortable. One of the biggest red flags for an abusive relationship is the line of “If I can’t have you, no one can.”

This line mirrors that line. Catra does not want Adora to win. She would let the whole world, millions of people, die then allow Adora to save them. This is NOT love. It’s toxic and dangerous and mirrors the biggest red flag on earth for an abusive relationship, for someone who is controlling.

2. Season 2 White Out

Oh boy. This is also a doozy. Let’s hit the ground running for this. After capturing Adora, right after infecting her with the First One’s tech, this happens:

Catra then laughs after this. She is gleeful at the thought of using Adora to attack Adora’s friends. In a point we will get to next, Catra knows Adora loves her friends. That hurting them, hurts her. She knows this and is using it against the person she later claims she has always loved. Now the second scene:

Oh boy. Where do I begin with this? It speaks for itself really. Catra does not want to give up controlling Adora. She WANTS to have control over her. THAT is abuse. That is NOT love. Hell, Catra was telling Scorpia not to destroy the disc. This is not good at all.

3. Season 1 Going for the Heart.

This one is more brief. But as said above, Catra knows about Adora’s love for her friends. How? She says it herself.

Following this, she attacks Princess Prom and takes away Adora’s friends. She knows Adora’s weakness, she is AWARE of it, and uses it to HURT Adora. Love is not supposed to harm, especially going out of your way and knowing the other’s weakness to hurt them.

4. Season 1 Battle of Brightmoon

More on Catra knowing what hurts Adora and using it against her:

Catra is putting Adora down. She is cutting deep into Adora, pretty much going for the jugular. Adora wants to protect others, it's part of her abuse and guilt complex. Catra knows this, she knows where to strike. She wants Adora to hurt. This is abuse, putting someone down, making them feel weak, blaming them for something. It’s horrible.

(not to mention here this the scene where Catra cuts Adora up like on the back which people seem to love to fetishize)

And this is in SEASON 1

5. Season 5 Double Trouble

I was having some trouble finding caps for this but all in season 4 we had DT fucking with the Rebellion. Who sent them?

Catra?

Now thanks to a friend, I was able to find this. We all know Adora and Glimmer had problems in s4. Now it was starting before but who made it worse tho? DT was fucking with them, making them fight more. They added fuel to a fire that was burning, yes. But this scene just is gross also.

Once again, Catra knows Adora’s weakness. She is once again using it to her advantage. She is telling DT to go fuck with Adora’s and Glimmer’s relationship. This also can mirror the idea of in abuse, the abuser not wanting the person they abuse to have other friends. Catra was always mad Adora made new friends (another side note which can be its own post, again Adora asked Catra to come. Adora left an abusive household and asked Catra to come but Catra refused. And in the s5 flashback, we see Catra get mad and lash out that Adora is being friends with Lonnie).

I can keep going on. Honestly. Hell in s5, if we should add more since I have at least one thing from every season, Catra did tell Prime about Adora’s ship. Like oof fam.

So much is just not great. Now, I will give some credit. In s1, we do see Catra giving Adora the sword back and Adora and Glimmer are trying to get out of the Horde. She does say later something to the degree of “you think I would let Shadow Weaver erase your mind like that”

But honestly, that is all I can remember that can be argued for the “I've always loved you”.

Now, people will yell and scream at me that Catra changed. This is yet again, a whole different post. But like, she did not start really changing into s5. S5 had 13 eps and so much else going for it. That is TOO short of a time. Not to mention, everything above and more, that is HEAVY STUFF. It is not simple ‘I hurt you by mistake’.

No, it's Catra wanting Adora to hurt. She wanted Adora to suffer. That is NOT love. I myself have had to suffer through mental and emotional abuse. I have had to suffer with someone putting me down, manipulating me, making me feel worthless but being told they love me. I hate this person and even if they ever change, I will never forgive for the years and years of abuse I had to and still do suffer from. I cannot fully get away from them as they are a family member.

Catra never loved Adora. This is just a lie because so much of the above is not love. Even if I missed this that could be in favor of the line, again, everything I have shown is really bad. Things that cannot easily be forgiven. So please understand why people are so upset and triggered by c/a.

S/pop and c/a could have been something but the crew really dropped the ball and just made it a horrible ship. And this mind you is coming from someone who used to ship it.

#spop critical #salt #discourse #anti c/a #don't fuckin read if you are gonna be an ass #this ship has problems #and people need to point them out #rant #blacklist this #or don't read #critical #salty #anti catradora

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cherryonigiri · 4 years ago

Text

S/O that thirsts over anime/game guys

reposted bc wasn’t showing up in the tags + I want to keep nsfw under the cut

@nononononojustno asked: Okay so could you write a headcanon where 2 random boys (can you pick then? I love all of boys from hq) and Ushi-kun where they walk on their gfs fangirling or thirsting over another anime/game character?And she was talking how hot he is? How they would react?👀😂 have a great day/night and dont forget to eat and get rest, love you💕

A/N: hahahahaha i laughed while writing this. FYI these are all based on legit crushes i had on anime/game characters at some point in my life - see if you’ve watched the shows i’ve watched :) ILY I PROMISE I’M DOING MY BEST TO EAT THREE MEALS A DAY AND GET ADEQUATE SLEEP MWAH. also i went overboard and added an extra boy bc why not. These are a little shorter since there were 4 characters but I hope you enjoy!

Content warning: implied nsfw for Atsumu + slight nsfw hcs for Matsukawa (both are under the cut)

PS: If anyone wants a spicy sequel/one shot for matsukawa i’m open to the idea 👀👀 let me know in my inbox!

Ushijima Wakatoshi

Ushijima definitely knows you’re into anime + games

Having visited your dorm room on multiple occasions he’s seen your extensive collection of manga, anime posters and you always seem to be playing on your switch whenever you have free time

Of course, he notices a significant portion of your collection is centered on male characters

And you’ve definitely mentioned a few games to him - Ikemen Sengoku, Code:Realize, Hakuouki (wow i’m really out here exposing myself) etc.

He doesn’t really mind though? Like - at the end of the day these are 2D men, whereas he is a very real boyfriend

At least he thinks he doesn’t mind

Recently, he notices that you seem to be on your phone a lot, and you seem to be texting the same group chat very often

He asks why and you laugh - it’s not actual text messages you’re just trying out a new otome/simulation game called Mystic Messenger. He finds the name silly but he just brushes it off he’s definitely J E A L O U S

Until one day he walks into your room while you’re calling one of your friends to freak out about that specific game

You sound kind of teary from outside the door “Oh MY GOD OH MY GOD I GOT THE GOOD ENDING WITH JUMIN!” and “[friend name] I THINK I CAN DIE HAPPY I’M MARRIED TO JUMIN HAN WHAT MORE DO I NEED IN LIFE” and “HE’S SO FREAKING ATTRACTIVE UGH I AM BLESSED”

He’s like who TF is Jumin and immediately bursts into your room looking pissed off

Poor babie is all like “you’re married?” and “if you had someone else you were interested in you should have told me.” “Who is this Jumin Han???” 🧐

Oh my god you start cackling, but you manage to tell him that NO you are not married and that Jumin Han is a fictional character from the game you’re playing

Ushijima looks confused after you explain - why would you find fictional men attractive when you’re already dating him?

Tendou almost dies laughing the next day when Ushijima tells him about what happened

Oikawa Tooru

Since practice finishes pretty late he usually goes to see you at your house at night, but tonight things wrapped up earlier - he’s excited to spend more time with you

You’ve finished up most of your homework so you’ve just been rewatching Attack on Titan since you’re super excited for the new season

You’re kinda distracted/have headphones on so you don’t hear your boyfriend knock on the front door. Your mom answers it and lets him in and he climbs the stairs

He can hear your fangirling (freaking out) over something as he walks towards your room

You jump in surprise when he opens the door, because you thought he would be a bit later but immediately release your pent up excitement

“Tooru just LOOK at him he’s such a bad ass like oh my gosh he literally has swords and he’s still running around slaying the MPs who have guns. God whenever he gets angry he looks so hot,” etc. etc.

You’re shoving your laptop in his face, showing him gifs and video of attack on titan, specifically the captain of the survey corps that you are obsessed with

Tooru gets it - for him its space, shitty alien films and astronomy. For you it’s video games and anime - or more specifically, handsome characters from said franchises

Even though he understand that it’s something you’re passionate about he still makes a whole show about whining how you’re in love with Levi Ackerman (lmao i still thirst over our favorite captain) instead of him

“y/n i’m taller than him! And more handsome! He has blood on him all the time! And he’s super annoying because he’s obsessed with cleaning.” *cue pouty Tooru*

You probably shouldn’t tell him that you are an avid follower of the levi x reader tag on tumblr

Tooru still somehow finds out you’re also reading reader insert fanfic and goes BERSERK with his pouting and whining - literally everyone and their mothers have heard his sob story about how “his darling y/n is leaving me for a short germaphobic asshole”

The rest of the team finds it hilarious - the end up pranking him by posting pictures of Levi in his school locker or texting them in the volleyball groupchat (Oikawa is Suffering™)

Makki and Mattsun get him a Levi keychain for his birthday and cackle when he chucks it violently into the nearest trash can

Miya Atsumu

Doesn’t really know you’re into anime/gaming at first

I don’t think that’s on purpose - Atsumu just has such a one track mind when it comes to volleyball and he’s always busy with practice

so he just kinda doesn’t really give all the anime merch in your room a second glance even though it’s a dead giveaway

I bet Atsumu secretly watches some superhero anime - probably shounen stuff like My Hero Academia, one punch man etc.

He probably starts to notice you’re into anime/games because you’ll play games on your phone/gaming device all the time

One day he notices you’re giggling + blushing while looking at your screen. He’s curious to he heads over to you when coach says they can have a break

Peeks over your shoulder because he wants to know what you’re playing - but instead he’s greeted by some 2D samurai guy called Harada Sanosuke asking you to marry him

“Huh, I didn’t know you were into this kinda stuff y/n” tries to sound playful but internally he is screaming / ?????? WOT I DIDN’T KNOW MY S/O WAS INTO OTOME GAMES

Atsumus pretty chill about it at first, he probably teases you a lot about playing the game but isn’t really bugged about it

“Maybe you should thirst over your boyfriend instead of a fictional character babe~”

I mean - he knows he’s attractive and why be jealous? You only really play the game when he’s busy and you don’t really let the game play seep into your dates/hangouts

But one time he walks in on you reading some ~spicy~ hakuouki x reader fanfic and he’s like are u serious

Like you were lowkey quiet screaming to yourself and muttering “omg omg omg” when he walked in and you definitely tried to close your laptop so he couldn’t see what was open in your browser

Too bad Atsumu has mad reflexes and manages to prevent you from making your computer go to sleep

Briefly skims whatever it was that you were reading and smirks at you

“Hey, if you really want something like this, why don’t you let your real boyfriend deliver” before kissing you

Matsukawa Issei

Look, Issei just wants a chill movie/tv show night where the two of you can bundle up on the couch and binge whatever anime you feel like

Has everything set up - this man is ready to go: snacks? he has all of your favorites, couch? filled with soft pillows + multiple pillows. Attire? Comfy sweatpants shirtless 🥵

Last time he chose the series for your binge sleepover so he let you choose what the two of you were gonna watch this time

Turns out you decided to watch Psycho-Pass - it seemed like a pretty cool show, he was down with the whole dystopia/psychological concept

Starts out pretty normal, is appreciating the action + mystery elements and is glad that you chose that show

About halfway through the anime you two decide to take a break - he goes to the kitchen to refill your snacks, leaving to stretch you back.

When he comes back with more food, he notices that you’re hunched over your phone, typing something

He sneaks up behind you after he puts the food down, “Whatcha reading there babe?” You squeak and try to hide your phone, but not before he sees the words kougami x reader typed into your tumblr search bar

Lit-rally exCuSE me what - he’s not mad (more amused than anything else) but he also kind wants to tease you (bc Mattsun is a little shit)

“Is that the reason you wanted to watch this show?” he asks playfully. “He’s pretty hot tho, I kinda agree with you there babe.”

Now that he’s released the floodgate, he can’t stop your occasional comments like “omg how does he look so GOOD when he’s punching someone” or “he could shoot me with his dominator and i’d still say thank you”

The thirst comments are kinda getting to him, so he decides to take things in a different direction

“Let me what I can show you with my dominator~” L M A O I’M SORRY THIS EXISTS

Suddenly you’re being pulled onto his lap, and pressed against his bare chest, Issei barely gives you time to adjust before he’s kissing you roughly, tongue plunging into your mouth

His hands wrap around your hips pressing your core closer to his own, and you can feel his hard-on pressing into your stomach

He’ll be sure to suck a dark hickey onto the side of your neck and his hands travel under your shirt, just to remind you who your real boyfriend is

Needless to say, you won’t remember a single thing about the second half of the show after the night is over couch sex? Couch sex 😏

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morifinwes · 4 years ago

Note

Lauraa I finished all the fics, apart from decay (currently reading that now) and I love it sm! Especially the lip gloss one lmao the whole thing was so hilarious to me XD but also like the concept of lwj wearing lipgloss is >>> -yibobibo

@yibobibo then i'm going to rec you some more!! the lip gloss one was !!!!! ajsksks yes!! lwj wearing lipgloss is just so!! good!!

modern

this one is the painful one i talked about:

visitations by var_abelasan (12K, wip, divorced wangxian, post divorce, most of this is angst, uhm lowkey don't but also do want wangxian to end up together, it's messy, the jiangs & lans are shitty, wwx was in prison (brief mentions of that but it's kind of a major plot point), mxy & xy are the little brothers he never wanted but wwx picked them up anyways)

"Wei Ying-" Lan Zhan says, stutters, "I'm sorry."

And now Wei Wuxian sees it, the red rimming Lan Zhan's eyes, the rumpled edges of his blazer. There is an old, familiar urge for him to reach over, to hold Lan Zhan's hand and smooth his hair, to tell him that everything will be fine.

"We're all a bit sorry about this, I think," he says instead, and finds that he means it. For Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji and everyone else in that Guanyin temple, the pain must be unbearably fresh, like skin just flayed open. But Wei Wuxian's chest had been cracked open a long time ago, his wounds licked and cauterized and sewn shut over five long years - Ever hurting, but a dull, constant ache, "It's really alright, Lan Zhan."

Five years after being accused of corporate espionage and losing everything, the Guanyin Scandal breaks open and Wei Wuxian finds a familiar face at his door.

please don't let me be misunderstood by sysrae (3K, partly deaf!wwx, lwj notices, nobody else does though, idk wwx is like made out of fucking steel or some shit)

Lan Wangji has known Wei Ying for a fortnight, the first time he sees him get hit by a car.

light by redkosmos (10K, blind!lwj, which causes angst, but they manage it, best friends to lovers, fluff, lwj being insecure and feeling like a burden, college au kind of? but it doesn't matter too much)

The realization slowly dawns on him.

He can never again see the brightness of Wei Ying's eyes, the way they crescent when he smiles, never again see the rich black of his hair, the mess of it in the early mornings, never again see the beautiful tan of his skin, the beauty of the scars and marks adorned on it, how he wears his clothes, how it hugs his frame beautifully, how he looks like he's adorably swimming in cloth when he wears Lan Zhan's, and-

(Lan Zhan loses his vision in a car accident and learns to cope with it.)

don't leave me by trippinonskies (19K, brief very brief mention of lwj cheating, he doesn't but wwx is afraid lwj is cheating on him or just wants to break up with him, (he doesn't), marriage proposal, lwj acting distant = wwx's insecurities show up, fluff, angst and comfort)

Lan Zhan! Where are you lost today?” Wei Wuxian finally asks, at the end of his patience.

Lan Zhan looks a little guilty as he looks at Wei Wuxian, “Sorry, just a lot of work to deal with.”

Lie.

If there is one thing Lan Zhan can’t do, it’s lying. Especially to Wei Wuxian. But he doesn’t question Lan Zhan. He just accepts the reply, too scared to know that he is right. Too scared to know the truth.

// or where Lan Zhan is too hung up in planning the perfect proposal and ends up accidently ignoring Wei Wuxian making the other think that he wants to break up //

want you closer by xiaobucephalus ((3K, HORSES, only in the background tho, but wwx is an equestrian vet, which is so fucking valid bro, the lans own horses, a sick bunny, lwj the bunny parent!, super cute, dark bay throughoutbred chenqing is honestly so valid)

“Thank you,” Lan Zhan said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Don’t thank me, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying laughed again, his voice warming the chill of fear that had settled in his chest. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to get into your hutch for a while anyway.”

safe in your thoughts by anonymous (20K, it's a cherry magic au???? (i haven't watched it, but you have i think?), horny lwj but only for wwx (always for wwx))

Wei Wuxian learns three very important things on the night of his twenty-seventh birthday.

One, that Lan Wangji is ridiculously funny, which Wei Wuxian had known before but what Wei Wuxain hadn’t expected was Lan Wangji to be funny at his brother’s expense.

Two, that Wei Wuxian had finally gone mad, absolutely mental at the ripe age of twenty seven because nothing else would explain the third thing he had learnt.

Third, and the most unbelievable of the lot, that Lan Wangji wants to fuck him.

iura by yoo_im_finally_writing (1K, only added bcs op is right and wwx would've the cutest german accent, it's more fun if you understand german so hit me up if you want translations for the german sentences)

Wei Ying calls in the middle of the night to talk about German law, and Lan Zhan tries very hard not to fall asleep. Or at least, not to let Wei Ying notice he's falling asleep. (As best friends do.)

breathe in the air, the last of its kind by wereworm / @neverdoingmuch (27K, getting together, jealous!lwj, but also kind of supportive, brief mention of cheating bcs of miscommunication, no actual cheating tho, college au, lwj pov)

Following Wei Ying’s line of sight, Lan Wangji can barely prevent a smile from crossing his lips when he sees the short row of rabbit statuettes placed at the front of the display. Silver, with bright gems for eyes, they look elegant yet lively and animated.

“A-Yuan would love one of those,” Wei Ying murmurs, almost as if to himself.

Lan Wangji frowns; the rabbits, while cute, don’t seem like a suitable gift for Wei Ying’s A-Yuan.

...

It’s only when he glances back at the rabbits and notices what has been placed on display behind them, that the pieces fall into place. They’re engagement rings, there’s no doubt about it. Lan Wangji feels his heart sink – Wei Ying isn’t just dating A-Yuan, he wants to propose to him.

Or: the five times Lan Wangji thinks that A-Yuan is Wei Ying’s boyfriend and the one time he learns the truth.

paint smears on sunny days by snowshadowao3 / @angstsexual (53K, getting together, art teacher!wwx, single parent!lwj, they're rich if i remember right, wwx & lwj are both good with kids!!!, this is so good actually, fluff)

To say that he runs to his car would be incorrect, as he is a Lan, and running is both undignified and unnecessary unless in immediate danger. Nor does he slam his key into the ignition, or aggressively swerve around the cars on the freeway, or have a mild panic attack at the fact he is picking A-Yuan up late from school for the first time ever.

He comes close, though.

By the time he arrives, it’s 4:35PM, and he has imagined about fifty different worse-case scenarios. The door is partly open when he gets to it, a messy label of 104B—Art Room scrawled with chalk on a placard next to the faded wood. As he opens it fully, he expects to see a wailing, terrified child, or perhaps a scene of utter misery and betrayal.

What he finds is his son, hands covered in paint, being sung to by a beautiful, dark-haired stranger.

“Ducks live in the pond, yellow ducks, happy ducks!”

Lan Wangji stops in his tracks.

(Or: Falling in love with your son’s art teacher, in five parts)

no bunny compares by gusucloudbunny (4K, god this is cute, fluff)

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian cornered his friend one week before his birthday. “If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?”

Lan Wangji furrowed his brow at Wei Wuxian, not exactly sure how to answer that question in a truthful manner that didn’t involve confessing his undying love for his best friend.

Wei Wuxian is on a mission to get Lan Wangji the perfect gift for his birthday. What Wei Wuxian doesn't know is that the only thing Lan Wangji truly wants is him.

wei wuxian's week of realizing things by photojenny (12K, i have read this multiple times, i always forget what happens, idk why but my notes say it's good, the tags say drunkji makes an appearance and i'm always up for that)

"Lan Zhan, do you like Mianmian?" asked Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji blinked, and stared. It was not the first time Lan Wangji had questioned the perceptiveness of the boy he had a crush on. Wei Wuxian had been smart in the class they had taken together. Yet time and time again, Wei Wuxian had tested the old wisdom that there are no stupid questions.

---

Lan Wangji must figure out how to confess when Wei Wuxian is the most oblivious person he's ever met.

are you my wisdom tooth? because i'd like to take you out by yellowcarnations (1K, crack, fluff, lwj stop flirting with a stranger, even if he is your husband, drunkji but make it to max level)

Lan Zhan wakes up and he has no idea where he is.

There are bright lights and his jaw hurts, he doesn't who this man next to his bed is but oh he might be in love, maybe, probably, definitely.

–

based off that guy-forgets-who-his-wife-is-and-hits-on-her vid but its wangxian.

beep! goes his heart by wearing_tearing (3K, fluff, lwj is like "he, he likes me right? he likes me" and everyone is like "yes, yes he does")

“Wei Ying’s heart monitor,” Lan Wangji starts.

Wen Qing blinks at him. “Yes?”

“It beeps.”

“That’s… what they generally do, yes.”

“The beeps change,” Lan Wangji continues, “when others are around.”

Wei Ying’s heart only sings for Lan Wangji.

canon

obedient and bellicose by thunderwear (19K, lwj is cursed by the lan elders, they notice too late, fix-it fic kind of?, lqr being a good uncle and lxc is a good brother, wwx accidentally uses the curse but he doesn't know about it)

It took Lan Wangji a long time to realize he was cursed. Too long really, anyone else would have noticed so much sooner. The problem was, he liked following the rules.

Ella Enchanted AU that no one needed but I wanted.

hello my old heart, how have you been? by ravenditefairylights (10K, amnesia, fluff, wwx taking care of lwj, so much fluff and softness, angst too but not that much)

The issue is, Lan Wangji brings his thoughts back before they stray too far, that it is impossible for someone to be in his bed, unless Lan Wangji himself invited them. He has not. He would remember doing so, and besides, all his night clothes are still on and there is no headache to imply that he was inebriated last night. No, the situation is simple.

There is someone in Lan Wangji’s bed. It is impossible for anyone to be in Lan Wangji’s bed, and yet that doesn’t seem to have stopped the stranger.

or lan wangji wakes up, and wei ying is there. he doesn't understand how or why, and he can understand even less why his hallucination of wei ying is so insistent on bathing him, and braiding his hair, on holding him and fixing his clothes. why the hallucination of wei ying seems so happy to see him.

teach me the way by likeafox (58K, rogue cultivator!wwx, horny wangxian, lwj wants wwx to teach him how to be a good lover, ....wwx is a virgin, the porn is the plot, but there's less of it than i thought)

"I do not wish to leave my future spouse… dissatisfied with my intimate knowledge,” Lan Zhan says, very seriously. “I am hoping to find an instructor, to better prepare myself for such matters."

Wei Ying feels his mouth drop open. He's pretty sure the Second Jade of Lan just told him he's a virgin who wants to learn how to do sex good.

Rogue Cultivator Wei Wuxian is the stuff of local legends. Some of those legends are even true! The ones about his tremendous experience in bed, on the other hand, are not so true. Which becomes a problem when Lan Wangji, on the verge of an arranged marriage and worried he won’t know how to please his future spouse, enlists Wei Ying's help to teach him the art of love-making. Wei Ying's great at improvisation, though, and is pretty sure he's got this sex mentor thing under control. What could possibly go wrong

other aus

of god: my love unholy by tunnelodfawn (3K, tw blood / war, dark!lwj, god!wwx, kind of poetry)

Lan Zhan takes everything as a sign from his god. The blood staining his fingertips—a holy anointment. He sanctifies himself through blood. The strings of his guqin gleam red in the sun—a divine blessing. This is an instrument of destruction. A single note—a cry of power—and in this note the voice of his god unravels the earthly threads tethering man to earth.

The Yiling Patriarch blesses Lan Zhan with war. Wei Wuxian blesses Lan Zhan with agility. Wei Ying blesses Lan Zhan with love.

The base of the Yiling Patriarch’s shrine is the home of Lan Zhan’s knees. He worships. There is something of the blasphemous and the unholy in his prayers. He prays not for victory but for the sight of Wei Ying. Bless me with your presence, he begs.

Or, wherein, Lan Zhan bridges the gap between the mortal and the divine—the worshipper and the god—with blood.

the river and the sea by sasamelons / @sasamelons (7K, soulmate au, arranged marriage (wangxian with each other), they're both kind of dumb but i love it)

Lan Wangji gritted his teeth, wishing to just be left alone. "I am looking for my soulmate," he ground out.

"Oh."

It took Lan Wangji a few moments to realize that Wei Wuxian had stopped following him. When he looked back, the other boy seemed to be frozen to the spot, eyes wide and lips still parted. He quickly looked away when he saw Lan Wangji looking back. "I see. Well, have a good trip!"

At six years old, Lan Zhan met his soulmate on the streets of Yiling and promptly lost him again.

At sixteen years old, Lan Wangji met his betrothed and was determined not to like him.

#so...i realized i forgot to check the things i already listed but? i tried to avoid listing fics twice?#yes i've mostly been reading oneshots these past few weeks idk why but i can't seem to find any long fics #or at least not ones that i like #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #wangxian fics #mdzs #mdzs fic #cql fic #the untamed #aamna tag #we're almost through the rec list now? i have so much open but idk why i add so few #i'm just really picky when it comes to which ones to write down and which ones not #and then this became a kind of comfort list?#idk?#but also ANGST #not Angst but ANGST #fun fact: Angst means fear in german

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catsnraincoats-archive · 4 years ago

Note

ngl i saw this post in the tags a while back abt how the op thinks the sk8 fandom cares more abt shipping than the actual story and only dislikes ad*m because he " gets in the way of the main ship " and im like bro no we hate him cuz hes been assaulting ppl and being creepy to minors 😭😭 and like even tho shipping is like a big part of the fandom (every fandom actually which is kinda a problem but like oh well) most of us also focus on the story??? how can we even ignore the freaking plot??? 😔 like Bls...

OH i have so many thoughts on this take in general

firstly the "the fandom focus' more on shipping than anything else >:(" is,,, kinda a lukewarm take? ESPECIALLY when the characters are canonically disabled/queer/poc/etc. then like,,,, yeah? I WOULD focus on shipping (romantic or otherwise) because I like seeing myself in those pairings. NOT TO MENTION its just,,, fun? to imagine that? Like without any other motive I just LIKE HCing my favorite characters in qprs and relationships. its FUN.

And. yes, there are a lot of problems w/ shipping being the main focus in fandoms. Even with what I said above, I think it is important to care abt characters that just,, don't date for whatever reason (preference, age range, sexuality, etc.) but even still fandom is a place for fun, and so long as it isn't like. hurting anyone I'm kinda cool with just. doing what you want (though I DO hope allo ppl will care abt other things, I'm not pressed.)

n e way onto Adam- YEAH??? King even if renga like. didn't exist most everyone would still hate him for. y'know. being really fucking weird to children. Also like. actively trying to kill A Child

And I fully agree with you in that most people focus on the plot!!! Like its. kinda hard not to! Even if you ONLY like Renga, their relationship is reliant on the plot/the plot is reliant on their relationship to some degree, so it all kinda ties together, y'know?

#friends #asks

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astralaffairs · 5 years ago

Text

freedom of the press 04 | thomas jefferson

title: freedom of the press

pairing: thomas jefferson x reader

tags: @stargazelaurens @ivory-haired-queens @exoticxchicken8 @assbuttstyles777 @superbarriobrothers @distinguishedpotsticker @fukaaaaaaaa @hereforthepsyche-assessment @ivetoldamillionlies @fangirl570 @thealaddinkid @lasciviouspeach @snazzydoesthings @shy-and-awkward-daveed @rachelhermionerose @soft-weeb-s @gryffinclxw @anamrnk @daveeddiggsit @ayayayayana @marinovakovich --- hope i didnt miss anyone; lmk if you want to be added!!

words: 13.5k

warnings: this still doesn’t go past, like, pg-13, but careful around the end -- it isn’t quite sfw even tho its not rlly nsfw. also, neo-nazi mentions, the loml monica lewinsky mentions, bunny slippers & flaming hot cheetos (hope yall can handle it gettin SPICY 🔥)

desc: you’d just moved to d.c. full time, a promotion at your publication leading to a transfer to another district chapter, and you were more than thrilled to be there, more than ready to immerse yourself in the world of politics. what you weren’t ready for, though, was how the campaign trail you were following made your heart flutter and your stomach turn. you also hadn’t expected it to be so… gaudy? magenta? – or perhaps, though you wouldn’t hear of it, that wasn’t the campaign’s effect at all.

Y/N SPENT THE following days, the next weeks, focusing on herself. She was letting herself get distracted, and with that, distracted by precisely the person she was supposed to be focusing on. It felt ironic, really, but she wasn't amused.

She spent time tapping her sources from and around the campaign trail, trying to establish a connection with other politicians who had been identified as potential candidates for the election, trying to expand her network beyond her small corner of the policy scene. ("The policy scene" was much bigger than she'd thought.)

She reached out to think tanks, to analysts, economists -- she was getting a little off track, but basically, she talked to everyone with no link to the name "Jefferson," despite the precise nature of her assignment.

Her stab at freedom from the now-former Secretary of State was to little avail. While he was the foundation of his campaign, there was enough else going on surrounding the election that she could dance around confronting him.

Yet, not for as long as she'd have liked.

She was knee-deep into finding the perfect person to cold call at Brookings when the crucial blow came.

"Y/N!" Her boss's perpetually peppy voice rang through the hall toward her office, and our fatigued heroine looked up with a brow raised. Ashley stopped in the doorway, appearing elated. "Guess what?"

Her eyes flashed with crazed excitement, and Y/N almost didn't want to ask what. It felt very much like a trick question.

In response to Y/N's expectant stare, silent and unmoving, Ashley sighed and entered. "You should be a lot more excited when I come running down to your office with a 'guess what,' y'know."

She sighed. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry! What ever exciting news could I be missing out on at this very moment?" Her contrived enthusiasm reeked of sarcasm, but Ashley's spirits were too high to be quashed, and she only rolled her eyes in response.

"So, you've been covering the Jefferson campaign for months, right?" Apparently she was ignoring the less-than-thrilled response. Y/N nodded. "And you were out in front of it before anyone else was, right? You know more than anyone else about his platform and history."

Grudgingly, she nodded again. "I suppose so." She was equally unexcited to claim to know Thomas Jefferson's past better than anyone else.

"And, he's projected to be the Republican frontrunner."

"The debates haven't even started, everything could change in a night," Y/N pointed out. "You know that."

"You're right, the debates haven't started." Y/N was clearly missing something. Ashley seemed to be unreasonably thrilled about the lack of pre-existing clash between the candidates. She raised a brow, and Ashley appeared to be holding back a squeal with how she was grinning. "But, the debates are only a few days from now, so, I called in an old contact from NBC, and of course, they'd heard of you--" She paused for dramatic emphasis, but the anticipation wasn't exactly killing Y/N, "And... since the Washington Post is co-sponsoring the event, they want to have you as one of the moderators for the first round of debates!"

With that, Y/N was struck silent. "They...?" She could only gape for a moment, and Ashley nodded excitedly.

"Mm-hmm. It's against precedent, but since you've become the most prominent and consistent reporter covering Jefferson the past few months, they think your input would be invaluable."

"But what about my live commentary?" she asked, still dumbstruck. Everything in her was telling her this was a bad idea; she needed to protest her way out. "I won't be able to provide as good of coverage of the debates if I'm not taking notes and writing during them. It'll hurt my articles. This is too big of an event not to write for."

She knew she was rambling, but Ashley only let out a sigh, as though Y/N was being absolutely ridiculous. "Oh, come on. Your commentary's more valuable on the spot if it can be used to grill the candidates and get Jefferson to talk."

"'Get Jefferson to talk'? This is a debate, not an interrogation." She blinked, visibly put-off. "Besides, it's not like I'd be controlling the floor. I wouldn't be doing much good anyway, and it really wouldn't get me much notice." She paused a moment, trying to gauge Ashley's reaction, and swallowed. "I think I should stick to my own territory."

"Y/N." Her tone was firm now. "This is the biggest opportunity you're going to get for people to notice you as a political journalist. It wasn't easy to get you this position, and besides, you're perfectly equipped for it. You've spent hundreds of hours by now researching the issues, contacting think tanks for different perspectives on them, contrasting Jefferson with the other candidates, and..." She took a thoughtful pause. "And I can't even scratch the surface of what you've been spending all this time on. If anyone should be moderating, it should be you. This isn't the time for cold feet."

Ashley had begun monologuing, and Y/N knew right there that there was no getting out of this job. It's not about getting cold feet, though, Y/N thought, I can do it, easily. What Ashley didn't know, though, was that there was more there.

The growing pause following her boss's speech was heavy with expectation, and finally, Y/N sighed, knowing she didn't actually have a choice in the matter if she cared to keep her job.

"Fine. Should I book myself a hotel in Detroit?"

"Don't bother. It'll come out of company funds; it's the least we can do."

She sighed, turning back to her computer, closing the tab she'd just opened. "Michigan, here I come."

_______________

THAT CONVERSATION HAD taken place Monday, and, as Y/N later realized, the first round of debates were that Wednesday, so she had approximately 48 hours to pack, fly, and get situated in Detroit. That evening was a whirlwind -- Ashley texted her that the flight the WaPo had booked her left at 10:00 on Tuesday morning, she immediately began her frenzied packing. Which, in turn, brings us once again to the apartment, filled with Y/N's anguish, the hair she was tearing out with stress, and clothing strewn over the carpet's full surface area.

"What do I wear, Ang? I'm gonna be on national TV, I need to look good but so, so, so professional," she wailed, looking up at her friend who was perched on the edge of her bed. Angelica gave her a sympathetic look.

"You're overthinking it, honey," she said, "No one's worried with what you're wearing, alright? It's what you say, not what you look like."

"But I'm..." She sighed, arms going slack along with the three different dresses she'd been holding up to the light, shoulders slumping. "I dunno, it's just the first time I'm gonna be that clearly in the public eye. When I'm writing I can just hide behind the words."

"The time for hiding's over." Angelica pushed herself off the edge of the bed, joining Y/N in the garment tsunami that threatened to claim her furniture. "You got the spot with the debates because people wanna hear from you, so pick an outfit. Doesn't matter which."

"But it does." Y/N looked over at her weakly, everything in her expression reading dejected, from her furrowed brow to her little pout. Angelica gave her a pointed look, and she huffed. "I just... It's not only the public, y'know? I'm also up with all the famous newscasters and the fucking Republicans, for God's sake."

"Since when do you care what Republicans think of you?"

"I..." She hesitated, considering herself. Angelica made a good point -- since when did she care? "I don't, really. I just don't want to look bad on national TV on my first gig where I'm... visible."

She pursed her lips, praying the issue wouldn't be pushed further.

Finally, Angelica huffed, beginning to pick through the pile of Y/N's clothes, seemingly resigned to the angst that deciding one outfit had apparently proved to be. With a sigh, Y/N slumped against the footboard of her bed, her dejected stare meeting the multicolored flood piling around her ankles. She carded a hand through her now-disheveled hair as she checked her phone, unable to stifle a grin at her Twitter notifications coming from all different corners of the political compass -- not to mention, now, John Adams. Her recent article on Jefferson's voting history was blowing up.

She began to respond to a tweet, nails tapping frantically against her phone screen, and though she couldn't see it, Angelica raised an eyebrow.

She let out a soft giggle as she read another response to her post: this time, the successive Secretary of State, his voice being behind her loud and clear. The feedback on her writing was only making her progressively giddy. Her smile curled with self-content, though, as she saw James Madison's message about her post, sent directly to her. Angelica raised another eyebrow.

"Y/N?" Angelica's tone bordered on cagey as it cut through Y/N's laser focus. She looked up, eyes wide. "The concerns about your outfit wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the Jefferson campaign, right?"

"Well, of course they do." She blinked, unable to place the intent behind the skepticism heavy in Angelica's words. "It's the only reason I have this gig, anyway."

Angelica pursed her lips; apparently, that hadn't been quite what she was asking. "Would it have anything to do with a specific person from the Jefferson campaign?"

Y/N paled. All-too-vivid memories of the state dinner that was now months past fought their way to the forefront of her mind -- her attempts to curb them hadn't been in vain till Angelica popped the question. "I'm sorry?"

The pause that followed as Angelica examined Y/N's look of near-panic was anything but silent, both their trains of thought threatening to derail themselves with conjecture. Angelica took in a shuddering breath.

"I just mean..." Y/N could hardly bear to meet Angelica's wary gaze. "D'you have a thing for James Madison?"

The next beat that passed was simply stunned. Y/N could hardly conceal her laughter in a huff; she had to swallow her amusement, every nerve in her body immediately relaxing.

"What did you just ask me?" She shook her head, small grin breaking out across her lips as her shoulders slumped. Angelica didn't look so sure. "I am not lusting over James Madison, Ang. He's literally married."

"Marriage isn't forever, babes." She pinned her with a skeptical stare, to which Y/N could only laugh.

"I swear to you, Angelica. You will at no point see me trying to jump James Madison's bones."

"So why'd you react how you did when I asked you about the Jefferson campaign, hm?" Angelica folded her arms, plainly unconvinced, and Y/N's breath caught. She'd supposed she was off the hook.

"What do you mean?" Y/N wished the question hadn't come out so breathily.

"Y/N," Angelica started, exasperated, "You've been messaging Madison on Twitter. You've met him multiple times and have spent your fair share of hours detailing to me each of the times you've met. You were just giggling at something he sent you." She was fully deadpan by then. "You don't need to hide it, I just want you to talk to me 'bout it."

"I promise, it's not that I'm in love with Madison." Y/N's smile as she returned to packing was meant to have been placating, but functioned as anything but. She needed to get back to packing before Angelica could press the matter. "Blue or green dress?"

"Don't change the subject!"

"I'm not, but I'm gonna be on a plane in twelve hours!" she said, "I need to finish packing."

"So there's no ulterior motive to how you're approaching the Jefferson campaign?"

For a moment just long enough to evoke doubt, Y/N paused. She wasn't inclined to reminisce on the last time she'd actually talked to anyone from the Jefferson campaign, but her psyche had other priorities. A nearly undetectable chill ran down her spine -- she could still feel his heavy hands trailing down to her hips, hot breath brushing over her cheek; she could even feel the sculpt and contour of his body as it pressed against hers, muscles rippling under his stiff button-down. Her skin burned still where rough calluses had grazed her neck.

"There's no ulterior motive, Ang." She wanted her words to be true, fighting back a shudder as she bottled up the memory. "I swear."

Angelica didn't look convinced.

________________

ABOUT TEN HOURS, a mildly annoying trip through TSA (the Post had paid for her pre-check, otherwise she'd have been less forgiving of the experience -- and the line), and two hours on a plane later, she rolled into her hotel lobby in Michigan, small suitcase dragging behind her. She knew she wasn't exactly a sight to see, just off a plane at noon in her socks and sandals, her oversized sweater. She certainly wasn't feeling as high-end as her hotel appeared to be.

The high ceilings, crown molding, and arched entryways all reeked of wealth, not to mention that the space was crawling with men and women in sharp suits, appearing as though they were on the verge of being willing to cut anyone who held them up for a moment too long. She shifted her weight uncomfortably from one Birkenstock to the other, waiting for the manager to return to the front desk so that she could check in. As she warily eyed the man marching through with a clipboard, aggression in each step, she had to wonder why the Washington Post had decided to drop here there, of all places.

She would've loved to disappear into her sweater, at that moment.

The manager returned to her position, looking just as sleek and professional as everyone else there, and Y/N's appearance seemed to give her pause. "Can I help you?"

"Hi, yes, I'm here to check into my hotel room for the next three nights." She gave the manager her warmest smile in an effort to diffuse some of her tense nature, but it was to no avail. "I'm here with the Washington Post, but I think it should be under the name L/N?"

Y/N waited a moment, trying to roll some of her post-travel soreness out of her shoulders as the manager typed away at the computer before her. She creased her brow, frowning for a moment. "Y/N?"

"That's me," she said, enthusiasm weak in her voice.

"Alright, you're up in room 569, so let me get you your key." She paused, rooting through drawers as her coworker appeared next to her, apparently taking a post at the next laptop over. She looked back up. "Alright, you should be all set," -- she slid the keys across the counter to Y/N -- "but it's still early, and I'm not sure your room's been checked out of quite yet. Excuse me for a moment to go see about that."

Before Y/N could say another word, she was gone, and Y/N let out a heavy sigh. It'd been a long 12 hours, and all she wanted was a proper bed and a nap. It seemed rest wasn't what the universe had in mind for her, though.

She began checking her Twitter while she stood in wait, paying no mind to the energetic bustle of who she'd worked out to be politicians and the like, given the snippets of conversation she'd picked up standing there; however, tuning out became significantly more difficult when a familiar voice sounded next to her.

"Yes, only the next three nights. The room is registered for the surname 'Madison'." If she couldn't guess from his voice, his words were a dead giveaway. She looked up, and sure enough, there was the man himself. Well, shit.

Not only was she painfully opposed to having to interact with him in her near-pajamas and slipper socks, feeling like the biggest mess she'd ever been, but she also knew that where he was, Jefferson wasn't far behind.

She immediately busied herself with something, anything on her phone, facing down and away from him in the hope that he wouldn't notice her. She'd just pulled up a scintillating article on diabetes in labradors, when--

"Y/N?" The man at the desk helping him had disappeared when she reluctantly turned to face him -- busying himself with something other than helping protect her from social interaction, apparently. James, however, looked all but amused.

"Hey, James." She did her best to return the positive sentiment he perpetually seemed to give off, but she knew it came out weaker than intended. "Should I assume I know what brings you here?"

"Should I assume that it'd be the same thing that brought you here?" He quirked an eyebrow, unable to resist eyeing her outfit. She sighed.

"That might be fair," she conceded, small smile resting on her lips. "Is the campaign all ready for the first round of debates?"

He laughed; not a polite chuckle, but a full-bodied laugh, as though he couldn't believe the question. "Something like that. We've prepared Thomas as many talking points as we could think he might need, but I'm worried the moderators--" He gave her a pointed look, wearing a knowing smile, "--may end up grilling him regardless."

A wry smile crept onto Y/N's face. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Word travels fast, especially from the Washington Post's Twitter account."

"You really are always one step ahead, hm?"

"You're the one with the questions, last I checked."

"Well, I'm sure your campaign will be thrilled to hear them -- following you is why I got the gig, anyway." She only shrugged, despite the self-content etched into her grin.

"Oh, really?" Amusement was deep-set in his smile.

She nodded. "I'm forever grateful."

"Grateful enough to go easy on Thomas?"

"Not quite," she laughed, "When following his campaign makes me my first million, then we'll talk."

"Sounds like we'll have to step it up, then."

"Running on a deadline, James," she warned him in a singsong voice, folding her arms.

"We'll win you over by the end." He grinned, turning back to the woman at the desk, handing her his credit card, and shot Y/N a sly glance. "Thomas has always loved a challenge."

Her stomach turned at his words for reasons she couldn't explain, amused smile faltering for only a moment as James slid his card back into his wallet and tucked it into his coat pocket. James raised an eyebrow at her silence, her moment of hesitation.

To her delight, that was the moment the concierge returned, wearing a wide (and contrived, but that was how customer service was) smile, stepping back up to the desktop Y/N stood before.

"Alright, your room should be all set, Ms. L/N." She returned to quickly tapping at the keyboard, before pulling out a number of brochures. "These are for room service and the various hotel amenities. Our pool is on the second floor, gym is on the third along with the spa, meeting rooms are on the fourth, and the business office is on the fifth, fully equipped with desks and printers." She hesitated, glancing with disdain down at Y/N's choice of travel outfit. "Are... you here on business? Or... ?"

As she trailed off, Y/N sighed, returning the less-than-candid customer service smile. "Yes, I am, actually. Thanks so much for everything."

She nodded. "Alright! Don't hesitate to come let us know if there's anything else you need. There will always be someone here to help you."

"Perfect." She turned back to James as she folded up the brochures, shoving them into the side pocket of her purse. "Well, sounds like I'll be seeing you around, then."

"Thomas and I look forward to it."

Then, the automatic doors of the lobby slid open, and a rush of cold air, as well as a grand entourage, made their way in, catching both of their attention. "Well, speak of the devil."

At that, Y/N realized exactly why there was such a crowd, and it became immediately clear why the Washington Post had chosen that hotel to set her down in, among the countless in the area. Thomas Jefferson had just entered, along with a bustling crowd of Secret Service and reporters, all orbiting him like he was the sun. He wore a broad grin, laughing and shaking hands, and Y/N stared for decidedly a moment too long, longer yet than James had. Her breath caught as Thomas looked over at her, and she found herself frozen, rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on hers.

Thomas, too, was stunned when she caught his eye. His pause was minuscule enough to be unnoticeable, hardly a fleeting glance that even Y/N didn't think anything of, but his self-consciousness couldn't let it go in that moment. His smile faltered for a moment, softening to become small, apologetic, and certainly more sheepish than it'd ever been, all the teasing self-content drained out of it. For the first time, she returned the smile -- tense, nervous, but real.

The flash of a camera broke their gaze, and the moment ended as quickly as it came.

_______________

Y/N CRASHED ALMOST immediately into her hotel bed upon reaching her room; she'd had less sleep than she'd have liked during the past thirty-six hours, anxiety keeping her awake. She was shaken from her long-overdue nap, though, by her phone buzzing angrily next to her. She groaned as she recognized the number as belonging to Ashley, her boss, and declined almost immediately.

After that, though, despite her best efforts, her nap seemed to have ended, and much to her dismay. She made the mistake of instead opening her email, then, deciding productivity was the obvious cure for sleeplessness -- until she opened her most recent email from Ashley. (The subject line read 'IMPORTANT, IMMEDIATE, AND URGENT.' Got any synonyms for 'redundant'?)

The oversized, highlighted body text blared at her to the point where her eyes began to water, still adjusting to the light and certainly not ready to be staring directly into all the light of the sun her boss had managed to stuff into a single communication.

There's no reason to use font size 25, she thought, rather irked, and highlighting every word in bright yellow goes entirely against the point of highlighting.

She could only bring herself to skim the message, but when she did, she groaned at its contents, falling back onto her hotel bed in annoyance. Thomas Jefferson was having another campaign rally, apparently, to garner support going into the debates. And she was being prodded to attend.

It was expected to be a small ordeal; the venue was modest, and around 100 people would be in attendance, maximum. So, she went. Grudgingly, with a full 30 oz cup of coffee, and in jeans and a tank top, but she went.

She showed up just over 20 minutes before the event -- a town hall on his policy, as it turned out. She felt a bit out of place, the look she was rocking from her hiking boots to her disheveled post-nap bun not exactly screaming 'distinguished professional,' but she liked to think throwing a blazer atop the whole look saved it.

The venue was small, homey -- she'd read that it was generally used as a comedy club, but that the space could be rented out (obviously). Y/N figured the best use of her time there was to get to know Jefferson's base of voters. Who were they? What did they care about? And, most importantly, how long could they keep her occupied so she never actually had to speak with Jefferson?

The first person she met, though, wasn't exactly a supporter.

She'd tucked herself into a back corner as everyone swarmed Jefferson, who was busy giving his opening remarks, but she was content just to record them, to reserve judgment for the time being (verbally, at least). She had the audio being taped, all but absentmindedly taking notes for herself for the debates. Yet, there wasn't much substance in most of what he was saying.

"This seat taken?"

She looked up with her eyebrows raised, surprised to have been approached. What met her was the smiling face of a vaguely-familiar Democratic reporter, and eyebrow cocked in question.

"I... No! No, please sit." She smiled, motioned to the metal folding chair beside her. "We've met before, right? Ben Arnold, New York Times?"

"That's me. And it's Y/N, yeah?" He pulled out the chair, swinging a leg around it and resting his forearms on his thighs as he looked to her. "You're from the Washington Post, the one tracking Jefferson."

She sighed. "That seems to be everyone's first reaction to meeting me, hm? Jefferson's media adversary?" Her tone was joking, but there was a certain bitterness in them at her career now being irreparably tied to Secretary Jefferson. She hoped Ben didn't take it personally. "Yeah, you've got the right girl, though."

"To be fair, you've become famous for digging up info on him that no one else seems to have." He shrugged. "I've read some of your recent stuff, since we're following the same campaign; hope you know you're famous in your own right, even if it is tied to him." He nodded toward the stage with that, just as applause broke out and Jefferson began taking questions from the crowd.

She chuckled, though it was all but mirthless. "Thanks, but I'm not so sure about that. Everyone loves gossip, and they only know me because they think I'm here to dish out the dirt on Jefferson."

"Now, that's not true." She raised a brow, and he grinned. "They follow you because you knowledgeably and eloquently dish out the dirt on Jefferson."

"Oh, that's so different." She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help her laugh at his words.

"It's true!" he protested. "C'mon, there's a reason the public has latched onto your coverage and not mine."

"I dunno about that." She pursed her lips, stifling her small smile. "I've read your writing. It's really good."

"Aw, you've looked up my writing? I'm flattered." He appeared touched, though mockingly, placing a hand on his heart and plastering on an exaggerated pout, causing her to laugh.

"Well, you did give me your business card."

He sighed, nodded sagely. "Ah yes, I suppose the media circus is easily Google-able, huh?"

"What can I say, clowns recognize clowns." Her gaze drifted back toward the stage with this, turning toward Jefferson as she cast Ben a sidelong glance. The corners of her lips quirked up. "And we are all caught in this circus, too." The pointed look she gave Jefferson at that was entirely devoid of subtlety, and Ben laughed.

"Are you claiming Jefferson as part of our circus? A bold move, Y/N."

"Good point, good point." She leaned back in her chair with a grin. "So what are we, then? Consumers taking advantage of free entertainment?"

"I dunno, we're making money off this circus." He pursed his lips. "Shit, what d'you call the people who like, run the circus?"

Her eyes widened in amusement as she looked back over at him. "What, we're the ringmasters?"

"Yeah, yeah, exactly!" She couldn't keep herself from laughing at that, the idea of Jefferson as a circus freak or a traveling sideshow too comical to entertain. He cracked a grin as well, unable to take himself seriously. "C'mon, hear me out -- he's up there playing the fool, and we're making the big bucks off of it, hm?"

"Fair enough," she conceded, grin now chronic and apparently contagious. "Anyway, what're you here for? Just general info from the town hall, or looking for something specific?"

"Well, I figured this was my chance to question Jefferson before the debates, y'know?" He nudged Y/N at that. "Or can I just pass my questions off to you for tomorrow, since I've heard you're moderating now?"

She sighed. "Word really does travel fast when Jefferson's name is attached, huh?"

"Or it's because your name's attached." She gave him a skeptical look, and he held up his hands defensively. "I'm serious! People care about what you have to say now, y'know? Given, it is about his campaign, but really, it's your take on the next election that they want -- it's no longer just about him."

Y/N had to pretend her chest wasn't swelling with pride at that. Perhaps he was just feeding her ego, talking her up because he wanted to be able to use her for sources, but it was nice to hear regardless of the motive behind it. Her small smile grew. "Well, thanks, I guess. I'll certainly take it."

"You should." He looked like he was about to continue, but his following sentence was broken off by a sudden uproar of excitement. Hollers, cheers, and applause sounded loudly from the center of the room, and they both looked over to see Jefferson exiting the podium, moving down to begin talking to the voters there to see him, and Y/N sighed.

"Guess we'd better get a move on if we want anything out of this event."

"I suppose so." He huffed as he lifted himself out of his chair, and Y/N immediately followed suit, tucking her laptop into her bag. "You headed to talk to Jefferson?"

"Nah, actually." Her gaze darted through the room as she tried to find where to begin. "Just tryna find out what his supporters care about for the election. Needa know what points I need to drive home tomorrow at the debate." He nodded, and she cocked an eyebrow. "Care to join me?"

"Think I'll have to take a rain check, unfortunately. My editor wants direct quotes from Jefferson, and this is most of my window of opportunity." He glanced over at her with a small grin as they walked together toward the center of the room. "Come find me if you get sick of the Republicans, though. I'd be more than happy to abandon Jefferson for a cup of coffee at the place around the corner."

He winked before he made off toward where Jefferson stood, and Y/N was left stunned a moment. Shit, was he hitting on her? She couldn't help it as her eyes raked over his retreating form, biting her lip as she decided that she certainly wouldn't have minded if he was. After all, even the clowns need company in the media circus.

She didn't let herself dwell, though, but instead fixed her focus on the task at hand. She floated throughout the room for the next hour or two, meeting Ben's eye in passing here and there, receiving a wry grin. A few trends emerged from Jefferson's supporters, and they were fairly generic. Russia, China, healthcare, the crushing weight of existence and the feeling that they were running out of time, fear of the impending race war, healthcare -- y'know, the usual.

(Perhaps she'd spoken to one too many alt-righters. The fact that they were at the Jefferson town hall spoke volumes.)

A few hours deep, she checked her watch, concerned about how long this would go on, leafed through her notes trying to determine whether she had enough to just jump ship, to climb into her hotel bed, order room service, and take her pants off. She glanced back up at Jefferson warily.

Her gaze traveled lazily around the room as she decided talking to one or two more people wouldn't kill her, wincing internally even as she made the decision. She braced herself for just a few more minutes of crazy.

"Y/N!"

Oh, the voice that came from her left was melodic, sounded of angels singing, of her walking miracle saving her from the political shitshow, and she turned with a smile. Walking toward her brightly was Dolley Madison, and her brows shot up as she reached her.

"Hey, Dolley, what's up?"

"Not much." She pulled Y/N for an unexpected hug, grinning as she pulled back to look at her from arm's length. Her hands still rested on Y/N's shoulders. "Fancy meeting you here, though. What are the odds?"

"Oh, so low. Especially considering my job and your marriage, who knew we'd both end up at Jefferson's town hall?" Her tone was playful as Dolley rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't gimme that. I'm just glad to see you."

Y/N laughed as Dolley finally pulled back, settling beside her. "Jesus; tell me about it. D'you know how many crazy voters I've had to pretend were completely normal in the past few hours. Even just your sanity is a breath of fresh air."

"Yeah, the American voter." Her smile was amused as she eyed the crowd. "Really gives you hope for the future of our country, hm?"

"Of course." Y/N laughed, tucking a hair behind her ears. "Comforting to know these are the people who determine our president for the next four years."

"I'm sure." Dolley glanced back up toward where Jefferson stood, James apparently now beside him making his way through the crowd. "Though, I do find a bit of comfort in the idea of Thomas being the one behind the wheel for the next four years."

"That makes one of us." Though Y/N's tone was joking, her words were dead serious, and transparently so. Dolley grinned as she caught her eye.

"Yeah?"

"I might be just a little bit biased." Y/N shrugged. "To be fair, I've spent the past four months digging up all the dirt there is on him, and reviving any and all skeletons in his many, many closets."

"Yeah, I gotcha. I keep up with your articles." Dolley winked, and Y/N could feel herself flush. The fact that Dolley Madison actively kept tabs on her writing felt like quite the honor. "Didn't think any of it was all that damning, though, to be honest."

"No, I agree with you." Y/N nodded reasonably, eyes fixed on Jefferson as he moved fluidly through the room, weaving between people and families, shaking hands, taking selfies. "And I'm glad it comes off that way, too. I try to keep the tone of my writing neutral, but as a journalist, I have to look at everything with a critical eye, y'know?"

"I've gotcha. I may be biased too, considering my husband is probably gonna be his running mate." Dolley grinned as she caught James's eye and waved to him. He was at the opposite end of the room, but he began walking toward them almost immediately.

"James may be what saves the ticket in my eyes, to be honest." Y/N returned the smile as he neared them, and turned to Dolley. "If not, though, is it too late to take you up on covering my therapy costs?"

She laughed, squeezing Y/N's forearm lightly. "I'll just have to hope James helps keep your sanity these next few months."

"What's that about Y/N's sanity?" James furrowed his brow as he reached them, a small smile resting on his lips, but his gaze full of concern.

The two women shared an entertained look before Y/N turned to James. "Just that when I lose it, the two of you had better find me a comfy asylum."

James's visible confusion deepened as Dolley's grin grew. "Don't worry about it, love. We were just discussing Y/N's writing about the campaign."

"Ah, so that's why you're losing your sanity?" He raised an eyebrow, and Y/N nodded in confirmation. "Then no worries, we'll find you the best therapist money can buy."

She let out a soft 'aw,' placing her hand over her heart. "When you do, I'll be sure to write an exposé on the generosity of the Madisons. You'd better be honored when I cross party lines for you two."

James grinned. "Abandoning partisanship for the Jefferson campaign? Never thought I'd see the day."

"You won't. It'll all be for Dolley." Y/N shot her a wink. "I'll throw all my weight behind Jefferson when Hell freezes over."

"You do so much for me," Dolley sighed dramatically, wiping away an imaginary tear as she squeezed Y/N's hand, pretending to be moved by her words. Meanwhile, James folded his arms, wearing a small smile.

"He'll see to it that that's sooner than you think."

________________

SHE ABANDONED JEFFERSON'S rally not long after, having no desire to breathe any more air that reeked so heavily of contrived charisma and shitty cologne, but having all the desire in the world to snuggle into her warm pajamas and pop open a bottle of hotel wine. After all, the debates didn't start for nearly 24 more hours.

She was about to pick up her nap from earlier right where it'd left off, but had first to piece together what she'd taken away from the rally and forward it over to Ashley. Not to mention the unfortunately necessary hours of preparation between her and the debates. She couldn't mess up her first run on TV. It was two hours and half a bottle of wine later that she sent off the culmination of her notes and recordings from the afternoon, and by the time Ashley emailed her back, it was nearly eight PM. After that, she resolved to spend no more than two hours writing and revising her questions for the following evening.

She groaned at the fourth email from Ashley -- she had too much criticism, but not nearly enough suggestion. If all my ideas are bad, Y/N thought, frustrated, why don't you have any better ones? After shooting her a response, she decided to take a well-deserved break.

At this point in the night, shame was a non-factor in her decisions, and she was far beyond caring if anyone down in the lobby was going to judge her tank top or bunny slippers. She just wanted whatever candy went best with shitty, five-dollar, red wine, and a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos, and she knew the hotel's food kiosk was the most convenient place to find both.

"Wait, hold the elevator!" She only really kicked into gear when turned the corner on her floor to see the elevator's doors about to close, and she really didn't have the patience left to wait for the next one down, let alone actually take the stairs. To her delight, a hand darted out against the door at her words, and they bounced back open. She breathed a sigh of relief as she finally reached them, ready to sing her mystery savior's praises -- that is, until she saw who was standing in the back of the elevator, and her eyes widened; she'd be lying if she said she didn't seriously consider braving five flights of stairs just to reach the ground floor undisturbed.

"Oh, I-- Y/N..." Jefferson's voice trailed off, surprised, as she stepped hesitantly into the elevator, keeping her distance from him even in the small space. "Hey."

"Secretary Jefferson." She only acknowledged him, not meeting his eyes as the elevator doors finally closed. He glanced over at her with an eyebrow raised at that, though, almost surprised that 'Thomas' had somehow reverted to 'Secretary Jefferson' in just the past few weeks, but he couldn't pretend he didn't know why -- that was why he didn't say a word about it, especially since they both knew, and both wanted to deny, that they couldn't help but still think about the last time they'd met. The tension was heavy in the growing silence.

She could feel his gaze over her shoulder, could see him out of the corner of her eye, but she was determined not to catch his eye, looking instead firmly down to her phone screen, responding to Angelica and Alex's texts from earlier in the day (keeping her brightness down, though, so he couldn't see those, either). She swallowed thickly as he looked back up, biting her lip as she glanced over at him. She looked back down for a moment, anxious in the deafening silence, eyes unfocused but toward her phone screen, but she figured she was safe to sneak another glance at him -- apparently, he'd made the same calculation.

She froze as their eyes met, breath catching in the back of her throat and heat rushing to her face, and he only smiled, waiting to see if she would make the next move. She was determined to ignore him, but it appeared as though she'd been caught. He held her gaze a moment as the elevator descended; it appeared she wouldn't be the first to speak.

She bit her lip, looking up at him as his eyes traveled down her form, grin widening as he caught sight of her pajama pants and slippers, and he raised a teasing brow. "Harry Potter? Really?"

She glanced self-consciously down at her Deathly Hallows pants, her face growing hotter by the second, and she looked back up at him weakly. "They're good books, okay?" she said, tone defensive as she folded her arms, fixed her gaze back on the elevator doors before them, and he chuckled.

"You won't hear me arguin' with that." He had to choke back another laugh as she rolled her eyes, letting out a nearly-inaudible huff. "Aw, c'mon, I'm just teasin'."

She scowled as she looked up at him, feeling more-than-flustered and far from entertained. "What do you want from me, Jefferson?"

He quirked up a brow at her. "Really?" He paused, seemingly in disbelief, and she shook her head blankly at him, waiting for him to continue. "We just never gonna talk about that state dinner, then?"

Her face was now burning; she couldn't meet his eye. He'd finally pointed out the elephant in the room, and for once in her career, it didn't happen to be the one that belonged to the GOP. Just the one that had decided to sit directly on her ego and crush her spirit. "I certainly wasn't planning on bringing it up."

He sighed. "C'mon, Y/N." She didn't look up. "Alright, fine, pretend it didn't happen. But I just wanted to say that--"

That was the exact moment the elevator dinged as it reached the ground floor, catching both of their attention immediately. He cut himself off as the doors began to open. As they caught sight of the numerous people standing before them in the lobby, waiting to get onto the elevator, he glanced back down at her to find her looking up at him, biting her lip but her expression unreadable.

"Some other time, Secretary Jefferson."

She exited the elevator without another word, and he did the same, although slow to follow suit. He didn't continue after her; he couldn't see the point. There was no way he'd be able to have that conversation with her in a lobby full of politicians, but his stare was still attached to her as she left. He really didn't know what to make of her -- but he intended to figure it out.

________________

THE NEXT EVENING was the first night of the debates. To be quite candid, to Y/N, nearly the entire night was a blur. She'd gotten ready with a series of emails to her boss and with Angelica on Facetime, helping her strike the perfect balance of femininity and professionalism (it'd proved to be a tough line to walk), and arrived at the venue hours early as per her official instruction. She steeled herself for the ordeal, determined to ignore any lingering tension between her and Jefferson. She had a job to do there, and she intended to do it right. After the debate, once she began to remove her microphone and slowly make her way out, she avoided him at all costs -- even if the confrontation was inevitable, with the unfortunately large overlap between their lives, it was neither the time nor the place, and she intended to put it off as long as possible.

Chatter filled the room behind her. Everyone who had shown up to watch the debates live was now slowly filing out, apart from groups here and there of stragglers or of people who wanted to approach the candidates afterward. She handed her microphone off to a tech intern with a warm smile and a 'thank you,' collecting her notes before she went backstage to retrieve her coat. (Michigan winters, she'd learned, were brutal.)

She shuffled everything back into her folder, glancing at the crowd behind her, when she caught sight of a familiar face. She furrowed her brow and squinted. She paused, considering whether to go down to greet him -- she hardly knew him, after all -- but he beat her to the punch. He waved, beckoned her over when he caught her eye, and warily, she obliged.

"Hey, it's Lafayette, right? We met at the state dinner; I'm Alex's friend, Y/N."

He grinned as she reached him, clutching her papers to her chest and extending a hand in greeting, which he took without hesitation. "Oui, I remember. It is good to see you, Y/N, although Alexander neglected to mention zat you would be moderating ze debates."

"Oh, what, didn't he tell you how important I am?" She shrugged, shaking her head with a grin as though it was obvious. "Next I'm coming for Anderson Cooper's job, just you wait."

He laughed, folding his arms as he glanced up toward the stage. "I do not doubt it for even a moment. Are you moderating again tomorrow night?"

She nodded. "Mhm. You coming tomorrow night?"

"Oui. I came all ze way to Michigan for zis; it would be a shame if I was only 'ere for one night, hm?" He raised his eyebrows, and she shrugged, nodded. He flashed her a sly grin. "Besides, since I now know zat you are going to be 'ere tomorrow, zat gives me all ze more reason to show up."

Her breath hitched a moment, before she laughed nervously, running a hand through her hair. "Ah, yes, can't miss my political commentary and passive aggression for two hours onstage. Isn't that your idea of a perfect Thursday night?"

"More or less." His smile was sharp, his gaze all but wolfish for a moment, and a chill ran down her spine before his expression softened. "Would it be against your ethics as a journalist to tell me which of ze candidates you are supporting?"

Y/N shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not a fan of any of them at the moment, but we'll see how it shakes out after the second night of debates. After all, the candidates are only human, so I've gotta find a way to look past the skeletons in their closets."

Lafayette raised a wary eyebrow, looking concerned. "Ze 'skeletons in their closets'?" he repeated, and she cracked a grin.

"Yeah, like the bad things from their past?"

He stared at her, expression deadpan. "I am from France. You will 'ave to forgive me zat we do not use murder as an idiom for all wrongdoings."

She couldn't help her laugh at that, covering her mouth with her free hand. "Cut me some slack; I've grown up with it."

He raised his eyebrows. "With murder?"

"No! With the English language!" she defended, laughing, and he couldn't stifle his grin any longer.

"My apologies, chérie. I could not 'elp myself." He held up his hands in his defense, and she rolled her eyes. "Is it safe to assume you are not voting for any of ze candidates zat 'ave murdered anyone?"

She shook her head, amused. "Yeah, that's a fair guess."

"I am glad to 'ear it." He paused a moment, grinning as he nodded to someone behind her, and she raised a brow. She glanced over her shoulder to see none other than Thomas Jefferson approaching, headed down the same stairs she'd taken to reach Lafayette several minutes before, and she groaned internally. Just her luck. Would it be rude to immediately run the moment he reached where she was standing? "Thomas! 'Ow 'ave you been?" Lafayette immediately pulled him into a hug as he reached the pair of them, greeting him like an old friend, and Jefferson pulled back with a small smile of his own.

"Gotta say, I've been worse," he said, "Especially when you weren't here. Spendin' all that time over in France, abandonin' us." He put a hand on his heart, shaking his head with a playfully mournful frown, and Lafayette rolled his eyes.

"Oui, I am sure I was sorely missed." He huffed, shaking his head, and Jefferson cracked a grin. "I left you with an open invitation to come and visit me whenever you pleased, and you never came. I did not feel particularly missed, Monsieur Jefferson."

"Ah, I'll find a way to make it up to you." He shot Lafayette a wink, and in the midst of the interaction, Y/N considered just silently slipping away. They seemed to have forgotten she was there, and if there was ever a time to escape, it was right then. She hesitated. "Though, you never came to visit me back in D.C., either," Jefferson pointed out to his friend, who scoffed, "So who's really to blame?"

"I resent ze accusation, Thomas. I was busy. I am a very important person with very important things to do, and I simply could not find ze time. I tried to visit you, but alas, ze people of France must come first." He sighed dramatically, his entire proclamation made in jest. Jefferson rolled his eyes.

"You implyin' I'm not doin' anything down in D.C.? That hurts, Laf, really."

Lafayette grinned. "Of course not."

It was then that Y/N began to back away from the pair, seemingly forgotten in their enthusiastic greeting, and she figured that she'd be able to escape without a problem. Just after she began to turn, though, Lafayette spoke.

"Ah, Thomas, you know Y/N, hm?" She froze at that. Her retreat no longer seemed as secure as it had previously. His tone was jovial as he motioned to her, and she reluctantly turned back around to face them. "Obviously, from zis," --He motioned to the stage, and Y/N met Jefferson's eyes warily-- "but ze two of you met at ze state dinner, non? With Alex?"

Jefferson seemed to be taking his cues from Y/N at that point, watching her with raised brows as she sighed, plastering on a smile as she turned to Lafayette. "Yeah. Yeah, we've met."

What followed that was a momentary silence. Lafayette had obviously detected rigidity of the interaction, but he hadn't quite figured out what to do with it, and Y/N wasn't at all inclined to force the conversation to happen. She had no interest in making small talk with Jefferson. Lafayette cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at Jefferson, who sighed.

"Yeah, a couple of times now," Jefferson added tiredly. "State dinner wasn't the first."

"Oui? When else?"

Y/N and Jefferson shared a tired glance. The whole interaction was painfully out of character for both of them, their actions and words forced, and while neither of them seemed up to carrying the conversation, it certainly seemed Lafayette was doing his best.

"Just, through work, Lafayette. Nothing all that exciting. I've been covering his campaign for a while now, so by the state dinner, we'd already met once or twice," Y/N explained, offering Lafayette a weak smile. "Y'know, exciting stuff."

"Actually, about the state dinner." Both Y/N and Lafayette were surprised when Jefferson spoke up once again, instead of just letting the conversation entirely drop. She was concerned as to where this was going. "I just," he paused, meeting her eyes, "wanted to apologize, if I ever made you uncomf--"

"Don't worry about it, Secretary Jefferson," Y/N cut him off abruptly with a sigh before plastering on an understanding (obviously forced) smile. He raised his eyebrows. "It's fine; it was a mistake. And this really isn't the time or the place. We can... talk about this later." She huffed, clutching her papers even more tightly against her chest. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't hide how flustered she was.

He paused, searching her expression, clearly not quite believing her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She smiled stiffly.

"Alright," he sighed. He made pointed eye contact with her, squaring his shoulders. His gaze was determined if not frustrated. "We will talk about this some other time. See you around, Lafayette, Y/N." He nodded to both of them, holding Y/N's gaze for just a moment too long, his expression steely. She could feel her heartbeat in her head; the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and he turned and left. Lafayette and Y/N both stayed there a moment longer, frozen to the spot and stunned for entirely different reasons.

There was a skip, before Lafayette broke the silence.

"What happened at ze state dinner?" Lafayette asked, turning to her, but she didn't even hear him. She was still fixated on Jefferson's parting words. Her heart was in her throat as she watched him retreat. Jesus, fuck.

We will talk about this.

___________________

Twitter

@gilafayette started following you.

Y/N raised an eyebrow from where she sat on her hotel bed. The debates were only a few hours away.

@Y/N_L/N: As the second night of Republican primary debates nears, keep up with the biggest issues and the who's-who of the candidates with the Washington Post's recent article about night 1 of the debates. Join us tonight on the official live stream, co-sponsored alongside NBC, and hear it all firsthand from the candidates themselves.

Quoted article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/fakelink/clowns

@BenArnold started following you.

Replying to @Y/N_L/N: @BenArnold: or you could just read my recap, but to each their own ig

She rolled her eyes at the tweet, though smiling to herself. She considered replying to it, but then thought better of it -- his tweet was so clearly in jest, and it was too easy to misinterpret tones over the internet. She opted to like the tweet.

@JamesMdson retweeted your recent tweet.

New message from @A_Hamilton:

@A_Hamilton: wanna grill jefferson about our war debts with france tn???

@A_Hamilton: i could even write u the questions

@A_Hamilton: wait omg open it up to audience questions and claim it's from someone else if u don't wanna attribute it to urself

@A_Hamilton: Suzie from Mississippi asked: why the fuck would you decide not to engage in France's war as secretary of state, not even try to assist them when we HAD the funds and they'd just helped us in our war, and then oppose an improved centralized banking system so that we could unilaterally balance the national budget, asshole?

@Y/N_L/N: have u been drinking again

@A_Hamilton: ok ok hear me out. like he wouldn't suspect a thing!!!! he doesn't even know we're friends why would it b me

@A_Hamilton: wait shit we saw him at the state dinner

@A_Hamilton: fuck nvm just pin the question on lafayette as a bitter french diplomat

@Y/N_L/N: alex.

@Y/N_L/N: i swear to god, you are the ONLY voter THAT invested in our debt to france

@Y/N_L/N: isnt it just like a trade deficit, anyway??

@A_Hamilton: YES THATS THE PROBLEM

@A_Hamilton: he can't even deal w our relations with one of our oldest allies, he was a shitty secretary of state

@Y/N_L/N: clean up the language and ill lead the conversation there

@Y/N_L/N: it's not a completely shit idea

@A_Hamilton: ur the only reporter that matters ily

✅ Read, 5:27 PM.

@gilafayette wants to send you a message. Accept?

@gilafayette: what happened at the state dinner between you and thomas

@gilafayette: i tried to ask him but he is very evasive

@gilafayette: i am concerned about him since then

Y/N's eyes widened as she accepted the message. She'd expected it to just be dropped, for Lafayette to entirely let it go, as it truly wasn't his problem, but there she was. She raised a brow at the last message, though.

Messages to @gilafayette:

@Y/N_L/N: it was nothing important, but why are you concerned about him??

@gilafayette: he has been acting strange since we saw you

@gilafayette: he and i went for coffee and he was preoccupied for the whole time

@gilafayette: and when i tried to ask him he was being very evasive

@Y/N_L/N: it really wasn't anything monumental. hes probably preoccupied w/ the debates, don't read into it

@Y/N_L/N: have u tried just asking him what's on his mind?

@gilafayette: brb

She rolled her eyes at the message. Of course he hadn't even thought to consider the obvious solution: communication. There seemed to be a disconnect between Lafayette and the obvious, though..

Messages to @gilafayette:

@gilafayette: he says he is fine and not to worry

@gilafayette: but i worry

@Y/N_L/N: did he say what was on his mind

@gilafayette: no

@gilafayette: brb i will tell him you asked. perhaps he only does not want to talk to me.

Her pulse skipped as she read the message; her eyes widened. Shit.

@Y/N_L/N: no lafayette pls don't say that

@Y/N_L/N: i didn't ask. i just wanted to give you a better idea for what to ask.

@gilafayette: yes you told me to ask

@gilafayette: exactly

@gilafayette: what is the difference?

She let out a groan, burying her face in her hands. This whole interaction felt so middle-school to her. Y/N said to ask Lafayette to ask Thomas if he's still thinking about her!

@Y/N_L/N: please lafayette just keep me out of this

@Y/N_L/N: don't wanna get involved in ur relationship with him. if i wanted to ask him something id do it on my own time

@gilafayette: wait he has just responded

@Y/N_L/N: so you still sent the message???

@gilafayette: it was too late, i am sorry!

@Y/N_L/N: what did he say??

@gilafayette: "if she wants to know, tell her to ask me herself"

@Y/N_L/N: lafayette i stg

@Y/N_L/N: please tell him this was just a misunderstanding and it wasn't MY question!!

✅ Read, 5:49 PM.

She groaned, letting herself fall back onto her bed as she saw the read receipt. Just her luck.

@Thomas_Jefferson wants to send you a message. Accept?

Oh, fuck. She didn't want to open the message, but at the same time, she was desperate to see what he had sent. In the midst of her internal struggle, it occurred briefly to her that if she didn't just open the message, he'd find some way to confront her about it in person that night, and -- to her dismay -- her mind was made up.

Messages to @Thomas_Jefferson:

@Thomas_Jefferson: did you really just avoid every time i tried to talk to you abt that night and then ask lafayette what was on my mind???

@Thomas_Jefferson: im going to come talk to you after the debate tonight. don't leave the building.

✅ Read, 5:56 PM.

________________

WITH JEFFERSON'S WORDS still in mind, Y/N fled the second night of debates the moment she could cut loose, calling an Uber before they even gave her the go-ahead to leave, not having a second to waste.

She caught his eye on the way out, him surrounded by three campaign staffers and James Madison, and he raised an eyebrow at her. The intimation was obvious: wait up for him.

She broke the eye contact immediately, shaking her head lightly. She had a blue Toyota Camry and a driver named Mandy to find out on the snow-coated street, and she was off long before he had even a chance to try to follow her.

She'd assumed the ordeal was over. She thought it was over with, that she'd somehow managed to escape scot-free, and that she'd managed to avoid Jefferson privately confronting her once and for all.

Boy, was she wrong.

She spent her final evening in the hotel carefree, drafting the second night's article as Lizzo played in the background. She'd packed most of her things, aside from the previous night's bottle of wine and the second pack of Flaming Hot Cheetos she'd bought with her future self in mind (she was patting herself on the back for that one, of course).

She strolled over to the business office on her floor with a pen in her mouth, still humming along to her long-abandoned music, as Ashley had requested that she fax over her handwritten notes from both nights of debates -- she'd called down to the front desk to ask first if they had a fax machine. She hadn't intended to get out of bed if she didn't have to.

Balancing her notes across the keyboard of her laptop in one arm, she opened the door to the office, eyes still fixated on the screen of her computer as she pushed the door with her shoulder. When she looked up, she was met with more than just a printer and a fax machine.

His nose was no longer buried in the book he held on his lap, seemingly distracted by the sound of the door opening, and he had his sweatpant-clad legs propped up on the desk before him, his glasses discarded on the table next to him. She froze when their eyes met.

"Y/N," Jefferson said, looking as stunned as she felt. She blinked. A beat passed. She almost responded, before she remembered the pen she still held in her mouth, continuing into the room and letting the door click shut behind her so that she could put her papers down. "Shit, uh... I can leave if you need the room, or--"

"No, no, you're fine." She finally took the pen out from between her teeth, withdrawing her papers from her laptop, closing it atop the desk. "But I can, ah, come back, if--"

"No, 'course not." He gave her a soft grin, fiddling with the page of his book. "Seems like you're the only one who actually needs the room, anyway."

She returned his smile, though hesitantly, feeling awkward to be alone with him in the small space. "Thanks."

She began shuffling her papers into the fax machine one by one, and the silence grew heavy. She tried not to feel the need to fill it. Yet--

"What brought you here, anyway?" She glanced back at him over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised and found his gaze still trained on her. She shifted her weight, and he chuckled.

"Just tryin' to escape."

She furrowed her brow, not sure if she understood, and another moment passed as she fed her last paper into the fax machine. Now she just had to play the waiting game (which was unfortunately long, considering the number of papers Ashley demanded). "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He shrugged, lifting his feet off the desk's edge as he leaned forward to rest his forearms atop his legs. "Just needed a moment to myself. I'm sharin' my room here with James, and since I started runnin' for president it hasn't been easy to find some time alone."

She nodded, glancing down at the book in his hand, and grinned. "And you're spending that time reading?"

"You got any better ideas for me?" He raised a playful eyebrow when she turned to lean against where the wraparound desk met the back of the incredibly small room. She only shrugged.

"Could spend this time cleaning up your entire political platform," she suggested, and he laughed.

"Now you're just baitin' me."

"Never!"

He rolled his eyes as he turned the office chair to face her. "Now tell me why I don't believe you."

"Beats me." She plastered on an innocent smile, ultimately pursing her lips, though, to stifle her grin.

"Mhm." He shook his head in amusement, wide grin adorning his lips as he looked down once again, thumbing the nearest page of his book. Y/N raised an eyebrow.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Nietzsche." He held up the book, showing her the name scrawled across the cover and the spine.

"Zarathustra? Really?" She eyed the book with a wary gaze, and his eyebrows shot toward his hairline, amused.

"Don't tell me you've read it?"

"It seems we have annoyingly similar taste in literature, Secretary Jefferson." She grinned. "Can I get past you to the printer real quick?"

"Hm? Oh, 'course." He glanced over his shoulder, standing and taking a step over immediately as he realized the chair was situated directly in front of where she needed to be. She thanked him softly as she moved past him to collect her newly-inked papers. There was a skip; he hesitated. "So it's back to Secretary Jefferson now, huh?"

She looked over to where he stood beside her, eyebrows raised and heat creeping up the back of her neck. The look in his eyes was expectant, but not demanding. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," he said, wearing a small, almost comforting smile, and she couldn't help but return it, before he added with a grin. "Thomas is better, though."

Despite the amusement in his eyes and the mischief dancing in his smile, Y/N let out a sigh as she pushed herself onto the counter beside the fax machine. "I'm sorry, I really just--"

"I know. 'M sorry. We don't have to get into it, if you don't wanna."

She paused as she met his eyes. The understanding tone he was taking now felt like a far cry from how he'd been earlier in the day, but sitting alone with him in that hotel business office after hours, both of them out of their suits and into their sleepwear, joking about his reading material, she felt like she was just then seeing him clearly. "I..." She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"You never responded to my message on Twitter, though," he continued, a grin once again breaking across his face, and she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "C'mon, don't pretend, I saw that you read it."

"Lafayette was out of line!" she defended, "God, he was asking for advice on what he should say to you because he was worried, and somehow I became his advisor, and I literally just told him to ask you what was wrong. I wasn't trying to pry after avoiding you the past few days."

"I kinda figured, after Laf's next couple messages. Basically told me you were chewin' him out for askin' that," he laughed, but raised an eyebrow as he met her eyes. "But you admit you were avoidin' me, though, huh?"

"I--" She paused, mouth open to respond, and eyebrows raised, but she didn't know how to respond. The question caught her entirely by surprise. "I guess so, yeah."

Her face burned as he chuckled lightly, and she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She bit her lip, folded her arms across her chest. "Don't act like it's some big confession, now; it was kinda obvious. You said all of three words to me in the elevator, shut me down when you were talkin' to Lafayette, and then today, at the debate?" He raised an eyebrow, seemingly enjoying watching her squirm. She didn't look up at him. "Now, that was the most obvious of all. You read my message, made direct eye contact with me, and then were still the first one outta the building. You aren't subtle, sweetheart."

She sighed, crossed her ankles where she sat on the counter, and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I guess that's fair," she sighed, finally looking up at him, and he didn't say a word, waiting for her to continue. He cocked an expectant eyebrow. "Just, after the state dinner, and what happened -- or really, what almost happened," she sighed, and the corners of his lips quirked up. "I really didn't wanna talk to you, or know how to, and I'm sorry, I just-- What would I have said? What was I supposed to say? 'So, I know I, like, almost let you kiss me three weeks ago, but now I'm gonna grill you about fiscal policy on national television! Isn't that fun?'" She plastered on an exaggerated smile, mocking the hypothetical, and he laughed.

"That would've been a good start." She rolled her eyes, bit her lips, and his smile softened. "Could've at least let me talk to you, though."

She sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I should've, but I think I just scared myself into thinking talking to you meant my immediate demise."

"Now, that offends me a little," he teased, "I'm nothin' if not approachable, and I don't like hearin' you suggest otherwise."

She pursed her lips as she met his eyes. "Oh, of course. The Republican presidential frontrunner, who's always surrounded by people much more important than me, and is never seen in public without an entourage. The easiest to talk to." He didn't comment on the thinly veiled confession of insecurity contained in her dry sarcasm, but instead raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't I?" His tone, his wide grin both seemed to suggest that he was joking, but something in how he looked at Y/N made her breath catch.

"Yeah," she said, softly, "I guess you are." She swallowed, looking down at her feet, and the only sound reverberating through the little room was the cranking of the aging fax machine that still held her notes. The hush that fell over them only stretched on.

"Can I just--"

"I wanted to--"

They both looked up at once, though, voices overlapping as they chose the same moment to break the silence, and Thomas grinned. Y/N let out a light laugh. "You can go first."

"Yeah?" he asked, hesitant. She nodded, shooting him a wink.

"The floor is yours."

"Much appreciated." They shared an anticipatory glance, the tension in the room magnified by the close proximity the little space had pushed them into. They weren't even feet apart. "Anyway, I just, at least, wanna apologize."

Y/N quirked up an eyebrow. "What for?"

"The state dinner." She sighed heavily, raking a hand through her hair, and he continued, "C'mon, don't pretend there's nothin' to talk about there. I can't let myself ignore it, so I'm sorry." She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from squirming under his gaze, afraid to break the eye contact as he searched her expression. "Seemed like I scared you that night, and I wanna make sure I didn't make you feel unsafe, or uncomfortable, or... Just felt like I put you in a bad position, or made you feel like you couldn't leave because of me, since I was still the Secretary of State and all, and..." He trailed off as he saw Y/N raise an amused eyebrow, failing to stifle a grin at his words, and hardly stifling a laugh. He huffed, but there was no real frustration behind his smile. "Gimme a break, it's happened!"

"What, you've cornered other hot reporters in your office and leveraged your title against them?" she teased, and he rolled his eyes, cracking a grin.

"I usually go for hot Congresswomen, but none were around, so I figured you'd have to do."

"You've tried to stick it on Nancy Pelosi?" she asked in mock disbelief, and he laughed, carding a hand through his hair, "Can I quote you on that?"

"May wanna keep it off the record, just this once." He winked, and she couldn't help her light huff, playful disappointment mingling with amusement. He pursed his lips. "But seriously, Y/N, hope I didn't scare you."

"No sweat, Thomas, I don't scare easy." She gave him a soft smile, and he raised a brow, surprised to hear her using his first name again, but he held his tongue. She swallowed thickly, realizing it at the same time. "I'm not about to become your Monica Lewinsky, if that's what you're worried about -- you didn't put me in any position I didn't wanna be in." Her last few words had even her taking pause, surprised at having said them aloud. It felt more like a confession than a reassurance, and with that, Thomas's brows shot toward his hairline, and a small smirk rested on his lips. Y/N could feel her heart in her throat as she waited for him to respond.

"'I didn't put you in any position you didn't wanna be in,' huh?" he repeated slowly, his smug smile growing as her eyes slowly began to widen; she didn't like watching him take pleasure in this.

"I--" She cut herself off as he took a step toward her, pushing herself further back where she sat on the edge of the desk. "Yeah," she breathed, worried that her heart would beat out of her chest if she said much more.

"So--" One of his hands landed beside her on the desk as his stare became increasingly self-contented, "What if you ended up in that position again, hm?" His other large hand came to rest on her right knee; he was now hovering just inches above her, and her pulse threatened to stop altogether as she looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"Thomas," she said softly, biting her lip, and she couldn't help but notice him track the movement, his gaze falling momentarily to her mouth. His hand lifted from her knee to her jaw, brushing a hair away from her face before running his thumb along her cheekbone, cupping her cheek. "What are you doing?" she asked, breathlessly.

"This time, is it a position you don't wanna be in?" he asked, the hand that previously sat on the desk now meeting her waist, pulling her closer to him. Something about his smile told her that he was confident in what her answer would be. He raised an eyebrow.

"What..." Her voice faltered as he pulled her into him, her legs now straddling his waist from atop the desk, and she prayed he didn't catch it when her gaze fell to his lips, if only for a moment. (The way he grinned told her he'd definitely caught it.) He stilled millimeters away from her lips, and the movement wasn't even conscious as her arms wrapped around his neck. "Thomas."

He smiled, his nose brushing against hers, and he couldn't help that his grin grew when she shivered at the contact. "Y/N," he whispered, too close even to make out her full face, but he could see every detail of her shining eyes clearly, could trace every ridge of her lips.

She was terrified. Every nerve in her body seemed to be standing on end, and she could feel everything. Even the slightest movements made her pulse jump -- the pads of his fingers digging into her waist, his breath as it fluttered across her cheek, him pulling her impossibly closer, yet still, not quite close enough. She swallowed hard, looking into his eyes. "Kiss me."

He obliged her immediately, his hand gripping her jaw as his lips moved against hers, and she reacted in the same moment. One of her hands weaved itself into his hair, while the other sank into the back of his old college t-shirt. His tongue pushed insistently past her lips, and she arched against him in an effort to pull him ever closer, pushing herself toward the edge of the desk. His hand slid down to hook itself under her thigh, and his grip tightened on her leg as she sighed against him. He nipped at her bottom lip, tugging it into his mouth, but nearly lost it when he yanked at her hair, and she let out a soft, needy whine against his mouth -- the kiss immediately became harsher, faster; in seconds it was all teeth and tongue. Y/N didn't know when his lips had begun to trail down her neck, didn't realize his hands began to tug at her shirt until she felt his fingers brush against her stomach, and she shuddered. She gasped as he scraped his teeth over the base of her neck, sucking a hickey into the skin, and she rolled her hips involuntarily up against his. He groaned against her.

"Fuck," she whispered as his hands finally breached the hem of her shirt, pressing into the bare skin of her waist, and she dragged her nails down across his back, feeling his muscles rippling in his shoulders as he pulled her harshly against himself.

"Shit, sweetheart." She yanked at his hair, began kissing along his jawline, grinding her hips persistently up against his. "Y/N," he groaned, his nails beginning to dig directly into her hips. Her movements faltered a moment. She swallowed.

It must have been then that she came to her senses. She couldn't have placed exactly when, or why she broke it off, but it must have been when she heard her name out of his mouth, against her skin, when she realized exactly where she was. She pulled back from him, gasping for air, her hands against his chest, and he raised his eyebrows.

"What...?" he breathed, equally winded, "What's wrong? Did I do somethin'?"

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him, shaking her head slowly, but her expression was despairing, the gravity of the situation just then beginning to sink in.

"I..." She trailed off, letting out a huff as she ran a hand through her hair, "No, no, it... it's not you, but..." She pulled further back, pushing him gently away as she broke out of his grasp. The look in his eyes was worried, but more so disappointed. "We can't do this, Thomas. Fuck, this was a mistake. What were we thinking? I just--"

She groaned softly, burying her face into her hands before hopping off of the desk, scrambling to collect her laptop and her papers. His eyes widened as she began to rush to leave the room.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart!" He grabbed ahold of her arm as she began to turn away, and she yanked it from his fingers. "Y/N, c'mon, wait a minute."

"This can't happen! Don't you get it?" she said. "This was so fucking stupid. I'm a political journalist, Thomas, and you're running for President, for God's sake! Can you imagine what would happen if we hooked up? If that somehow leaked?"

"Wait, be reasonable--"

"I'd become the next fucking Monica Lewinsky, and there goes your campaign, and there goes my career. Next I get accused of biased reporting, and you get accused of foul play with the media." She shook her head, shuffling her papers together as she turned to leave. "I'm sorry. I... I'm so sorry, this was such a mistake."

"Y/N." His voice was steady, but firm. "Listen to me: no one's losin' their career, no one's life is shatterin' because of this. Relax, darlin'. Leave if you want to, but relax. I'm not gonna try to make you stay."

She hesitated as he rested his hands on her biceps, as they ghosted down her arms. He smiled. "Don't get me wrong, you're more than welcome to stay, but I won't hold it against you if you don't."

"I can't do this, Thomas," she breathed, and he chuckled. Despite his small smile, and despite what genuinely were his best efforts, disappointment clouded his gaze, and he did a poor job of hiding it.

"Okay. Then go." His voice was soft, gentle. "If you ever change your mind, though, just know that I'm the only one with access to my Twitter messages. You know how to reach me if you want to." He grinned as he said that, and Y/N’s eyes widened. Did he just offer himself up as a booty call?

The thought had her breath hitching in the back of her throat. The look in his eyes told her that he was being perfectly sincere.

"I'm sorry,” she finally said, voice only just above a whisper, and he nodded.

"Don't worry about it.” There was a skip. “I'll see you soon, Y/N.”

“Bye, Thomas.” She held his gaze a moment longer, struggling to bring herself to leave, but knowing she couldn’t stay. He sent her a wink, and she finally began to move.

She was out the door without another word, her breathing shaky as she rushed back to her hotel room. She was desperate to immediately open her phone, to text Angelica or Alex, but shit, if that wouldn't ruin her life. Angelica would find some way to convince her to quit her job, or somehow weasel her way out of her assignment on the 2020 election, and Alex would be worse yet -- he'd take it straight back to Thomas and confront him.

She groaned into her hands as she walked into her bathroom. A cold, cleansing shower was what she needed at that moment. The first thing she saw as she walked into the bathroom, though, was a deep purple hickey, at the base of her neck; she'd be covering that up for weeks, she thought as she drew closer to the mirror, running a hand over it as she examined the area. Yet, it also left her with several 'what if's -- what if she hadn't stopped it? What if she were to let this happen? What if, for once in her life, she stopped worrying, let herself live, took a risk?

What if she'd decided to stay?

She met her own eyes in the mirror as she entertained the thought, and she swallowed roughly.

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yooniesim · 5 years ago

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𝓢𝓤𝓖𝓐𝓡 𝓕𝓡𝓔𝓔;; Update

hey everyone!! so i’ve just about collected all of the sf entries, and i’ve been getting them all organized and in game. but you’re probably wondering, what happens now? so i thought i’d go over a few faq type questions in this post!! (if you have anymore questions, please let me know and i’ll add them)

general questions

what are you doing with our sims, anyway?

well! at the moment, i’m sorting cc, giving them lil makeovers so they all fit together/in my game, and figuring out where they fit in everything i already had planned. this is a teeny spoiler, but all of them won’t be auditioning- some are already trainees with SF! but knowing how they DID audition was important, so that’s what i asked for~ hehe. i didn’t want anyone to get hopes up because not everyone will be in the posts all the time- i’m still writing and figuring out dynamics and stuff, and i have my own characters too of course- but i’m hoping everyone will show up at least once.

what exactly are you changing about them?

i’ll be changing their appearance somewhat in terms of some skin details, makeup, and clothing (dependent on the scene in question). but i’ll be keeping them as close to the original sim as i can while getting them a lil closer to my style (and lessening the load on my poor poor mods folder, lol). also, personality wise there may be some changes, just to fit the plot. i’m keeping 99% of everything you guys said, but i’ll be adding some things too. just because, though there won’t be any over the top “villains” in my story, people (especially young vulnerable teens in a stressful situation) are complicated and have flaws!! but i won’t be making them totally different sims or anything like that.

can we talk to you about our sims more?

yes!!!! if you have something to add, feel free to message me anytime. i love bouncing ideas off people, it just makes stories 10,000 times better imo (and i’m more of a roleplayer than an author at heart, i admit it willingly lol)

what the heck is this story even about???

like i said in the casting call post, it’s about yoonie’s entertainment agency, sugar free. yoon isn’t a main character in this, exactly, bc i wanted to focus on new sims, like a next generation type of thing, but it IS his company. so his life will have a lot of influence over what’s happening in the story, even if it’s not all on screen (which is relevant to the next question). but overall it’s about the trainees.

are there any potential triggers i need to know about?

yes. note that a large amount of these mostly have to deal with backstory, and while they may be mentioned, might not actually appear in the posts themselves. however, i will still tag EVERYTHING appropriately just to be safe. and will do warning text posts in advance if something i didn’t think of before pops up. here’s the list for now:

transphobia

homophobia

misgendering

body dysphoria

fatshaming

mpreg/trans preg

miscarriage

child abuse

eating disorders

depression/postpartum

attempted suicide

racism/colorism

i don’t intend this to be an over the top “dark” or mature story exactly, like i said a lot of this is rooted in backstory mentions, but there are some things that also just go along with the subject matter (homophobia, colorism, eating disorder, etc). it’s not drama for the sake of drama, but realistic i’d say. i’ll treat everything as sensitively as i can and, like i said, include appropriate tags. esp. regarding transphobia as my yoonie is trans and very candid while being in an environment that isn’t always accepting and kind.

how will the posts be formatted?

i’ve gone over this a lot in my head, because i’m always caught between doing subtitles on posts and writing in the description. so this is what i think i’ve settled on: the posts themselves will usually have dialogue subtitles. however, down below i’ll write a much more descriptive version of what’s going on, including all the dialogue from the subtitles. i hope this will help especially with people that find it difficult to see subtitles on pictures/just don’t like them that much, as well as people that don’t want to read everything in big blocks of text.

do you already have posts finished? is there a schedule?

i already have some posts finished and i’ve been doing a lot of writing. however, since i just got everyone’s sims, i’m still working out some plot points with new characters. there won’t be a formal schedule. i just wanted to share from my personal universe in a fun way (and see all you guys’ amazing sims hehe).

in-universe questions

when does this take place?

2028. bangtan has been disbanded for seven years. sugar free entertainment is still in its relative infancy as a subsidiary of big hit entertainment. big hit still has the same CEOs, while jin holds a president position. source music still exists as a subsidiary, and so gfriend is still a thing, but txt does not exist here. for reasons... you’ll see eventually.

where does this take place?

two countries: us and sk. i’m using sim cities too, but i consider them to be “american” cities (ex. san myshuno). sfe is based in korea of course, but yoon does a lot of traveling and capitalizing on the western market (so he holds auditions in usa, canada, etc too)

simlish? english? korean? what’s going on with languages?

just because i like simlish (lol), in this universe simlish replaces english. but of course, i’m still typing in english so everyone that is an english speaker can understand XD plus, that’s the only language i’m fluent in... tho being fluent in simlish would be an achievement, haha. all other languages still exist, korean, japanese, etc.

i think that’s all for now, but if you have any more questions pls let me know :)

#text #ceci speaks #sf updates #sf faq

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dearmrsawyer · 5 years ago

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@kaspbrakeddie tagged me to do this thank you so much!! This is going to be further evidence of the disaster that takes place when i’m asked to make decisions!!!

Rules: pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions, tag some other people

Lost

Supernatural

Fringe

Community

The Flash

i’m really not sure who is invested enough in tv shows to want to do this! i’m going to tag @nightwideopen @gratitudecafe @gloryhalleloujah @candybarrnerd but please please if you love tv please do this. i’d love to know what shows you love and also your answers.

i feel bad about the length of this so i’m going to put it under a cut

who is your favorite character in 2?

(supernatural) mr sam winchester my first and dearest love! lately i’ve been stopping a lot and thinking about the fact that i’ve followed his journey for FIFTEEN YEARS which is more than half my life and that i love his character just as much now as i did back then! and he’s grown and changed and evolved a lot, and my reasons for loving him have grown and changed and evolved as well!

who is your least favorite character in 1?

(lost) oh, i guess of the main characters probably Michael, he/his backstory just wasn’t as interesting as the rest of the survivors, but he DID have tough competition.

what is your favorite episode of 4?

(community) IMPOSSIBLE. gah picking FAVOURITES if my life depends on picking favourites i will surely die. okay i don’t know if this is truly my favourite but whenever i’m asked to pick a standout Community episode i always think of “Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design” with the mysterious night school. just so STUPID. just peak stupidity i love it with my whole heart.

what is your favorite season of 5?

(the flash) ok ok i’m going to go with season 5 aka the season with Nora! oh what a GIFT. making my most beloved characters have to take on the role of father? oh yes give it to me >:) give it to me all the way i’ll take it deep into my heart.

who is your favorite couple in 3?

(fringe) well Peter and Olivia are one of the few couples in the show but they are one of my fav couples in general re: television so i’m happy to go with them! honourable mention for Alt!Livia and Lincoln tho ;__;

who is your favorite couple in 2?

(supernatural) there hasn’t been a single successful romance in 15 years so jkdgdfjklgdjl tbh tho Sam and Eileen have really hit my heart hard, i haven’t been invested in any of the romances that cropped up over 15 years because i knew there was no point! but even if Sam and Eileen aren’t endgame their brief flicker really touched me.

what is your favorite episode of 1?

(lost) finally an easy favourite omg my favourite episode is the FINALE. in all honesty my most special tv experience ever, like the most moving... the most moving and emotional and satisfying and fulfilling thing i’ve ever had the pleasure to watch on screen, just the most beautiful episode! the most! beautiful! episode of television i’ve ever seen! i remember that night so clearly, and how i felt at every moment, and how i felt after. just so beautiful!! and not for everyone i know but really for me! REALLY so special for me!

what is your favorite episode of 5?

(the flash) i love the episode “Welcome to Earth-2″ when Barry and Cisco travel to Earth 2, that episode is so so funny and their run-ins with Barry’s doppelganger omg. its one of the episodes that makes me laugh soo much

what is your favorite season of 2?

(supernatural) well this is difficult since there are FIFTEEN. a season that always stood out for me was season 8! i’m tempted to choose one of the most recent seasons but let’s give a throwback shout out to season 8, which gave us the first real angel storyline and was sooooooooooooo good, and one of the best season finales of the entire series!!! i LOVE the arc of that season. i feel like after Eric Kripke stepped down post-season 5 the show took a couple of years to find its feet, i really enjoyed season 6 and 7 but i could tell they hadn’t quite nailed a big picture plan yet, you know? it felt a bit like living season to season, which is not how supernatural works best since its got such an epic premise. but season 8 really found its big picture feet and i distinctly remember feeling the seeds of it begin to plant, and regaining that feeling from the earlier seasons where we were headed somewhere bigger!

how long have you watched 1?

(lost) it finished in 2010 but i watched from the very first episode to the very last as their aired! it’s been so many years since i’ve watched any of my tv on tv, it feels so foreign to look back and think, that’s how i watched lost for its entire run! i watched it on tv every week with all the ads and the waits and i loved every second of it! i wouldn’t have changed that experience for the world. even before streaming got so big, i couldn’t do that for long after lost because my internet behaviour changed, and it just wasn’t feasible to wait until shows reached Australian tv. i would’ve been spoiled as soon as it aired in the US, before it came here 4 months later. i do genuinely miss that a lot. i liked the ritual of an episode a week at a time outside my choosing, when i knew millions of others were watching it too. i’m so glad that’s how i watched lost. my experience was wonderful because of it.

how did you become interested in 3?

(fringe) i genuinely. don’t remember? i feel like it may have been the fact that it was a JJ Abrams production, and after Lost i was so eager for anything JJ had touched. i started watching it not long before Lost finished so it gave me something to think deeply about in the void Lost left behind lol.

who is your favorite actor in 4?

(community) oh well i think Donald Glover gave some of the best comedic performances in the show, but also the DEAN. what didn’t he give as a performer rofl.

which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?

(lost, supernatural, the flash) Lost is my fav show of all time hence why it is #1!

which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3?

(lost, fringe) I’ve seen all the episodes of everything on my list!? That is why i’ve picked them! There are more episodes of Lost so i would say Lost!

if you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

(community) oh brother let’s not delve too deep here, annie for her wardrobe lol.

would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

(fringe, community) that would be incredible. that would be. but which show’s perspective would the crossover be from? because i think they would deliver different tones! i would sort of like it to be from Fringe’s perspective to see how on earth they’d handle being confronted with the tone of Community.

pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple?

(lost) i am NOT interested in playing with the author’s will but look, i think pairing just about anyone with Sawyer would have interesting repercussions. mostly because even though he is supposed to be prickly i think (esp with his character growth) he is probably the character most likely to be widely compatible. Sawyer and Sun! Okay! i’m picking Sawyer and Sun.

overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5?

(fringe, the flash) Fringe had some of what Lost had, which was beautifully intricate storytelling that for me just sits above most television. I really do hold those shows on a pedastool and so of these options i have to pick Fringe, because i would probably pick it over anything except Lost.

which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

(supernatural, community) okay okay since supernatural doesn’t really have theme music are we counting Carry On My Wayward Son as its theme music? Because............. i may have to go with that.

#meme

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msnikkimoneypenny · 5 years ago

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Ship History Meme

Embrace your past and get to know your friends' fandom orgins.

Rules: Post gifs of your fandoms / ships starting with your most current hyperfixation and work backwards. (Bonus points if you share any stories about how or when you got into that ship! But not necessary!!) Then tag anyone whose fandom history you’d like to learn about!

Tagged by @goldfishangie 🥰💋 I ship every couple of every show I’ve ever watched so these are the ones that I still remember fondly.

I'm going in order from the first to most recent.

1. Tommy and Kimberly from Power Rangers

Okay yeah Kimberly was the valley girl who could be stuck up and annoying. But she was a good person overall. Not to mention when Tommy's fine ass came on to the scene that we all started rooting for them. The movie only added to their appeal. They were just a sweet cute couple. I hated when Katherine came on to the scene thirsting after Tommy. I personally stan that Kim always got back together with Tommy.

2. Inuyasha and Kagome but then it shifted to Kagame and Sesshomaru

Okay bare with me. I was initially into these two being together. Kagome taming Inuyasha and those two eventually falling in love. But Kikyo ruined that shit for me. Inuyasha couldn't get over that hoe (even tho she was dead and brought back to life). Kagame deserved better. And I hate the way the series ended with Kagome choosing to stay in the feudal era with him.

Anyway I started shipping Kagame and Sesshomaru (Inuyasha's evil big brother). That was a fandom move for me. It was never canon. But it would be the ultimate payback. Inuyasha not seeing Kagome for who she is. So she moves on and her Sesshomaru get together. Isnt it the ultimate ship. Good girl and evil bad guy who has sex appeal get together? Sesshomaru taking Kagome from Inuyasha and making her his queen with ultimate power.

Sesshomaru looks way better then Inuyasha too. Plus he is a full Demon while Inuyasha is only half demon.

3. Morgan and Garcia from Criminal Minds

Let's face it. How often do we see the hot popular guy flirt with the nerdy girl. But it worked. Garcia was the technical analyst for the FBI. Morgan was the supervisory special agent for the FBI. These two on surface look like an odd match. But Garcia had no shame when it came to flirting with Morgan and he flirted right back. This bloomed into a beautiful deep friendship with an intimate bonds. Garcia was Morgan's 'baby girl'. And they always went to each other when for emotional support. I just wish they actually hooked up for real. But there is fanfic.

5. Beth and Rio Good Girls

I saved the best for last. Okay first we have our suburban housewife who husband cheated on her multiple times and lost all their money so they are gonna loose the house. Then you have Detroit's kingpin whom you wouldnt have known was a dangerous crime Lord from looking at him but he is. Put these two together and you have Brio (ship name). Beth and her friends rob one of his stores that he is laundering money through, is how they met. Of course he and his boys show up to collect or kill. But that was in the beginning. These two are the worst and so toxic but in a sexy way. Their relationship is a push pull. People judge Beth as a meekly housewife but she is showing that she has fangs. Her relationship with Rio has become a push and pull for power. Their on screen chemistry will destroy ovaries. They have a love hate relationship. And yes they have fucked. But shit is so complicated. This man is dangerous. Beth has shot him 3 times too but he survived. Shit is about to fet real.

And with that a tag @anijade and also @annika77. Its yall turn.

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theboardwalkbody · 5 years ago

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That’s me (in my nursing cap because it’s my most recent photo and capping ceremony was cancelled so I took pics in my house to send to nursing school buddies instead): Amanda - meme - Manda 28 NJ Tired AF And bored so I am answering this Ask Meme I found by @myautisticjournal

What music have you discovered or listened to lately?

I’ve been listening to my Recently Added playlist on iTunes. Only “recently added” has been adjusted to include the last 28 months. lol But I did discover Blinding Lights by The Weeknd and that song’s been making me happy. Hurricane (Reimagined) by I Prevail has hit me in the Depress and next week The Used’s new album comes out so I’m waiting for that.

Have you made any new playlists since quarantine times? If they’re on Spotify, maybe drop a link?

I haven’t made any Quarantine Playlists because ALL my music is about being isolated and depressed anyway that like... what’s the difference?

Make a three-song-minimum playlist of songs that make you happy!

Blinding Lights // The Weeknd (also makes me think of Data because I discovered it around the same time I started watching TNG so now they Go Together) Paradise Lost // The Used Dance Monkey // Tones and I

What’s your go-to show that you like to binge watch? Why do you like that show?

Currently its Star Trek TNG - because Data And One Day at a Time because that shit hits real.

Are there any shows that you‘ve been planning to start watching? Why do they interest you?

It was just Star Trek and I did start watching. Interested because I wanted originally to watch ST Picard because Harry Treadaway but having never seen any ST before it didnt make sense (obvs) so I went back and started watching TNG. I didn’t want to start with the original series because honestly my attention span is garbage and I just was always curious about Data and so I started with him.

What movie(s) always comforts you?

Twister, Forrest Gump, The Lion King (1994). I’m currently wearing Lion King pjs lol. Pirate Radio is a relaxing feel good movie, too.

Are you an arts-and-crafts person? If so, what types of art/craft do you enjoy?

I try SO HARD to be lol. So far during quarantine I’ve tried crochet, I’ve tried making string bracelets as if it was 2005 and I was in 8th grade again but I forgot how to make them and my brain refuses to re-learn its too full of music, nursing school, and data now. I tried coloring and lost patience. I have been working on a Quarantine Photo-Journal. Every day I post a tiny update and a few pictures (mostly memes since i cant leave the house and several Data photos lolololol) but my printer isn’t working right all of a sudden so I can’t print out any new pictures which I guess that one project I was really enjoying is out the window.

Do you have any planned projects to work on during self-isolation? If you’ve started any and you’re willing, share a photo of what you’re working on!

Here’s a pic of page like 3 or something lol

If you had to recommend an art or craft for people to get into, what would you recommend and why?

Man. Just do what makes you happy. I saw someone on TikTok making GIANT ass Worms on Strings and honestly. Pure genius.

What are your favorite YouTube channels? Why do you like them?

Achievement Hunter. Rooster Teeth. Markiplier. They make the funny. Various ASMR channels. They make the sleep.

What is the weirdest YouTube video you’ve ever watched?

Conspiracy Theory videos probably. I don’t really know.

Recommend a book or book series to read!

Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis read it and fangirl with me I am so alone.

Are there any books that you’ve read multiple times? If you could re-read a book that you loved as if it were the very first time, what book would you choose?

The Islander by Cynthia Rylant. I don’t know why but the first time I read it it just transported me into the middle of it and it was amazing (I was like 11) and it was so mysterious and everything. I’d like to read that one like the first time. Also Living Hell by Catherine Jinks did a similar thing

What’s your favorite book genre? Why do you enjoy it?

Science Fiction. Because I like science. and Fiction and space and robots and things.

If you were to write a fanfiction about your own life, how would it go?

LOL The tags would be like : #depression #anxiety #ptsd #childhood abuse #adulthood abuse #i miss having sex but at least i dont wanna die #except i still do #twsuicideideation #badluck #dontread lol

What’s the best fanfiction that you’ve ever read (or the top three if you can’t choose just one )? What about it made an impression on you?

My brain hurts too much to pick a top three but I will say I am currently reading May I by @ladyfogg and it’s been giving me the squishy feels and I am loving it and ya’ll should read it. Her OC is relatable and also inspiring and I think at this point I don’t need to mention Data anymore. (But I did).

Do you listen to podcasts? What kind of podcasts do you listen to?

Off Topic podcast and used to listen to RT podcast when Burnie was still on. IDK what kind of podcast that is other than ‘usually wild’

If you could make your own podcast, what would it be about and who would you invite to make a guest appearance?

It would be about anything and everything. I’d invite anyone for an appearance lol

Are you addicted to Animal Crossing: New Horizons? If yes, what’s your favorite thing about it so far?

Yes. My favorite thing has to be CUBE. CUBE I LOVE CUBE. I WOULD DIE FOR CUBE.

If you had to recommend ONE video game, what would it be and why?

Cube. I mean, Animal Crossing.

Have you tried any new recipes lately? If yes (and if they were good), share it with the class! I’m sure everyone is as bored with the same old foods as I am by this point.

I am too lazy to cook even when I want to so I always end up getting take out or delivery.

What is your favorite website to waste time on? (Is it, perhaps, tumblr?)

Tumbebells. (Tumblr yes)

How are you finding ways to stay connected with your friends and family? From video calling to playing online games, what would you say has worked the best for you?

Nothing. I’m sitting here wallowing in deep loneliness and it’s killing me. It’s just my grandma and my cat and that’s why I can’t go out or work (I am a Patient Care Associate and I know the hospitals could use help but my grandma is 83 years old and it’s too high of a risk for her for me to be working in a hospital and coming home from there).

If you have pets, first of all share some photos! Second, how have you been spending your time with them?

LOLA. L-O-L-A LOLA. LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LOLA She doesn’t leave me alone. Her new trick has been LAUNCHING her 7lb body on to my back while I’m standing and pretending she’s my goddamn backpack. And earlier today she decided to pull the socks out of my sock drawer. Because she loves me.

Share your general quarantine experience so far. How are you handling it?

Bad. I often forget to take my meds, we’ve been on “spring break” from nursing school this week so I have 0 sense of time and no routine and I’ve sometimes been going to bed at 4am, sometimes 4pm, sleeping until like 9-11 regardless and I spend 95% of the day in bed. I can’t be bothered to change, sometimes can’t be bothered to really eat, and I care 0% about showering and Doing Anything. lol

I mean it’s been great guys. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba I’m lovin’ it!

I did somehow loose 2lbs without trying tho. That’s a total of 7.8lbs lost since March. Only 125 more to go BUT THE GYM IS CLOSED AND IT HAS BEEN COLD AND RAINING.

I’ll shut up.

I tag @lyrslair, @ladyfogg @datalaur and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it even tho its really long and I fucked up the layout so instead of 25 questions they’re ALL NUMBER 1. lol

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lailaliquorice · 5 years ago

Text

and sunrise washed our hate away

alternate title: I BRING SOFT ARAGON AND MOTHER/DAUGHTER ARAGON AND BOLEYN starting writing this last week, got inspired by the posts about writing aragon better and finished this off today. longer than I expected it to be but I actually really like it, I love the dynamic between these two so much. I promise it gets so soft even tho they’re at each others throats at the start. also I support jane almost breaking down doors to rescue her friends in terms of where it sits in my other one-shots, it takes place after ‘our lungs are full’ but before ‘one more chance’. tagging @qualquercoisa945 because you mentioned wanting an aragon boleyn redeption arc: I present a whole ass redeption arc in 3k words

It wasn’t often that Anne and Aragon fought anymore. They’d bicker lightly about pointless nonsense and tease each other, that much was true, but very rarely did they really fight.

But when they did, it was enough to bring the whole of London to its knees.

“What do you mean it’s my fucking fault?” shouted Anne, backing down the corridor towards their dressing room as Aragon stormed towards her.

“How in God’s name isn’t it?” Aragon snarled, “You got in my way and I tripped over you. I wouldn’t have fallen and made myself look like an idiot on stage if you’d stayed where you were supposed to be!”

Anne was oblivious to the other Queens watching the argument unfold, or Anna hovering awkwardly since they were in the doorway of their dressing room. “Shit happens! You learn to deal with it, otherwise what sort of a performer are you? You can’t go blaming everyone else for every tiny thing that goes wrong!”

Shaking her head, Aragon ploughed on as if Anne hadn’t even spoken. “But it’s not just that, is it? If you stayed in your own fucking lane for a change then we wouldn’t have half the issues that we all have!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Anne retorted.

“You’ve always got an opinion, haven’t you? Always got something to say that isn’t wanted by anyone, always sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. You’ve just got no idea what proper manners are!”

“Well what about you?” Anne challenged, finding her feet after the shock of being turned on the minute they were backstage had faded. “Everything I do is a problem for you, you can’t just let me live my goddamned life for one day!”

Aragon huffed. “I wouldn’t need to get on your back if you’d just act like an adult for a change and not some child who hasn’t aged a day since the sixteenth century!”

“Ladies, please!” shouted Cathy, her voice loud enough that it echoed off the corridor walls and silenced them both. She sighed as she walked towards them, Jane and Kat following on behind at a distance. “It’s not important. Let’s just go home.”

Anne deflated at the weary look on Cathy’s face. “I’ll meet you at home. I still need to get changed,” she said, refusing to glance towards Aragon as she walked into the dressing room even though she knew the other woman would have to follow her in.

She vaguely heard Anna’s quiet “I’ll come with you,” before footsteps headed towards the theatre exit and left only silence.

Changing quickly into her own clothes, Anne left her headpieces and fake eyelashes abandoned on her desk and didn’t bother with the rest of her hair or makeup before bundling her costume into her arms. The door of the wardrobe department was propped open but empty, since the wardrobe team usually dealt with everything the morning of a show rather than working late, so she set about folding her costume to add it to the pile with everyone else’s. She was walking towards the door to head back to the dressing room and get her coat when suddenly there was Aragon right in front of her, and neither girl had time to react before Anne was knocked over backwards.

After a beat of silence in which the door slammed shut behind them, she twisted her face into a snarl as she stood back up. “Oh now look who’s getting in everyone’s way,” she mocked viciously, her patience already worn thin after the first round of getting berated.

“And there you go again, acting like a child,” Aragon said, marching past Anne without looking at her.

“Says she who started it in the first place!”

Aragon glanced up from where she was sorting her costume out. “I can’t imagine what sort of mother you’d have made if you can’t grow up yourself,” she commented, voice carelessly casual.

Anne recoiled as if she’d been stung, but refused to leave without getting the last word. Against her morals and her better judgement she shouted “Yeah, but I was clearly a better mother than you looking at how your daughter turned out!”

She regretted the words immediately, but there was nothing to be done as they hung heavy in the air between them. “Oh you just don’t know when to quit, do you,” Aragon hissed.

“Clearly not if I’m such a child,” Anne snapped, but there was hardly any bite to it since her anger had deserted her and left only guilt in its wake. Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible she turned towards the door and pushed roughly on the handle.

It didn’t budge.

More frustrated than anything, Anne rattled it in both directions before taking a confused step backwards when it wouldn’t move either way. Then the realisation hit her; the wardrobe door was set to lock itself after 10pm and would only open to the wardrobe staff’s key cards. All the pulling in the world wasn’t going to get them out of there.

“What is it?” Aragon’s voice sounded behind her, quiet and wary rather than furious as she’d been before.

Anne gave one last hopeless tug before her hands fell to her sides in defeat. “Door’s locked. We’re stuck in here,” she said, risking looking round to meet Aragon’s gaze.

Aragon paused for a moment then shook her head. “The front of house staff will still be here, they’ll do a backstage check before they lock up and-“

She was interrupted by the lights suddenly shutting off, plunging them both into darkness save for a stream of moonlight shining in through the one tiny window.

Anne had jumped back with a gasp when the lights went off, but recovered quickly to flick the nearest light switch to no avail. “They must have seen the others leave and thought we were with them too,” she said after a moment as the thought dawned on her, almost jumping again as her voice sounded so much louder in the dark.

“Call one of the Queens then?”

Her hand went to her back pocket at Aragon’s suggestion, but then sighed as she realised her phone wasn’t there. “Left it in the dressing room,” she said, a groan sneaking into her tone as she added “You have as well, haven’t you?”

Anne could just about make out Aragon nodding from the pale moonlight illuminating the room. “Looks like we are stuck here then,” she said quietly.

“Yeah,” Anne breathed out, glancing towards the window just as it started to rain.

~ ~ ~

It had been raining throughout Anne’s last night in the Tower.

The thought wouldn’t leave her mind as she sat looking at the barred window and the stormy weather outside. She’d climbed up onto the top washing machine in an attempt to put more distance between her and Aragon, who was sat on a table on the other side of the wardrobe room. Even from her high vantage point Anne was almost scared to look at her, afraid of seeing the anger that she definitely deserved to have directed at her after her final comment. But the rain and the dark had put her on edge enough that being shouted at anymore would probably make her panic, and the last person she wanted to do that in front of was Aragon.

To Anne’s surprise though, when Aragon did break the silence there was only emptiness in her voice. “I’m sorry,” she said, making Anne glance down towards her. “For blaming you. It wasn’t your fault.”

Anne only blinked at her for a moment, before clearing her throat roughly. “It was though,” she muttered, swinging her legs around to dangle over the edge of the washing machine. “It always was. I’m not surprised you blame me for everything, I deserve it really.”

“No.”

“But-“

“No,” Aragon repeated harder, and Anne’s protests fell quiet. “I’m not just talking about now. Back then too. It was never your choice to marry him, never really any of ours even though I did love him. We all did what we had to do to survive. I don’t hold that against you.”

Silence followed Aragon’s serious words, with Anne shocked at the older queen’s confession. But then she shocked herself just as much by saying “You know the whole ‘I wore yellow to your funeral’ thing? It wasn’t meant to be nasty. I knew what the colour would have meant to you, I wanted to say sorry properly. I just… I’m just not good with words and stuff sometimes.”

Aragon nodded, the beginning of a smile at the corner of her mouth. “I knew,” she said.

Anne’s mouth fell open. “How? No-one else does. They all think I’m a thoughtless twit.”

“When we were reincarnated and someone told me, I couldn’t understand why they said it as if it would make me hate you. I was touched by the gesture. I only play into it for the good of the show. I’ve always known what you really meant.”

Anne watched her through wide eyes for a moment, letting out a quiet “Oh,” when she finished.

A quiet laugh came from Aragon. “You’re more thoughtful than you think you are, Boleyn. Than you assume everyone else thinks too.”

Anne gave her a half-hearted smile, but in truth she was touched by how Aragon had bothered to look to Anne’s real self when she owed Anne nothing at all. “Thanks. I mean that,” she said, hoping Aragon would understand how much she truly did.

When quiet fell between them it was comfortable, the frosty edge having disappeared in the wake of their hesitant confessions. But Anne could easily sense how uncomfortable Aragon was when she spoke again. “I don’t blame you for things because I think they’re your fault. It’s so no-one can think they’re my fault.”

“What do you mean?” Anne asked quietly. She didn’t know why Aragon was opening up to her but she wanted to be there for her now that she was.

Aragon paused for a long moment, moonlight heightening the shadows in her expression. “When he annulled our marriage I asked myself what I could have done wrong. Why I hadn’t been good enough. It was easy to blame you, it meant that I stopped tearing apart every decision I’d ever made. And it’s still easier now.” She hesitated, drawing in a shaky breath before continuing. “But that doesn’t make it right. You don’t deserve to be a scapegoat just so I can stop fearing that one mistake from me will end in you all asking me to go.”

Anne could only stare at her when she trailed off, before shaking her head. “We’d never throw you out no matter what you did,” she said, leaning over in an attempt to catch Aragon’s eye. “Look, you’re one of us. We’re not gonna abandon you ever.”

“Thank you,” mumbled Aragon, her voice almost inaudible yet still so fragile.

Anne smiled, then dropped her head to run a hand through her hair. “While we’re here,” she started uncertainly. “I only act stupid because it feels safe. It means people don’t get to know me properly. No-one can hurt me if they don’t know how.”

“I know how that feels.”

She huffed with laughter at Aragon’s muttered comment. “Yeah, think we all do really,” she said, looking up to give her a wry grin.

The sudden crack of thunder startled them both, Anne jumping so hard that she almost slipped off the washing machine. A sharp stab of pain in her neck had her hunching forwards, hands around her scar as she squeezed her eyes shut and begged for it to go away.

“Anne, are you alright?”

Anne hummed in affirmation as she waited for the pain to subside, sitting up again slowly as it began to dissipate a little. “Yeah ‘m fine. Just hurts sometimes when I think about it too much,” she said, opening her eyes to see a worried Aragon standing a few feet away and looking up at her. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Aragon watched Anne carefully, noting how much she flinched when lightning illuminated the room for a split second. “I’ll believe that when pigs fly,” she said, her maternal instincts kicking in when she saw the younger girl in pain. “Come on down before it gets worse.”

Nodding silently, Anne took Aragon’s outstretched hand as she jumped from the washing machine to the table it sat on then down to the floor. Once standing she looked over at Aragon like a scared child, her shoulders hunched and head low making her look terribly small. Another roll of thunder had her turning away from the window, hands over her ears and breathing hard through her nose in what looked like an attempt to calm herself.

“Let’s sit down,” Aragon said, placing a hand on Anne’s shoulder to gauge her reaction before gently pushing her down to sit on the floor. Aragon sat down next to her with her back leaning against the cupboard, closer to the window so she could do her best to shield Anne from the thunderstorm. When Anne touched her neck again Aragon asked “Does it happen often?”

Anne shrugged. “I have nightmares sometimes and it’s bad when I wake up. Last time was a couple of weeks ago, Cathy helped me through it though,” she said dully, shame in every line of her expression as she refused to look at Aragon.

“That’s good,” Aragon nodded. Before she could think twice she reached over to tilt Anne’s head up with a finger under her chin, careful not to go anywhere near her neck. “Listen. It’s not your fault what happened. You can’t help how you feel so don’t feel ashamed by it.”

There were tears in Anne’s eyes when she nodded, before moving to lean her head on Aragon’s shoulder. Aragon hardly hesitated before she wrapped an arm around Anne’s shoulders, letting her rest against her comfortably. The thunder continued and Anne shuddered every time it crashed overhead, but Aragon just stayed firm beside her throughout it all.

~ ~ ~

The sound of several people running through the building roused Aragon, realising she’d fallen asleep and it was now morning when she noticed the sunlight streaming through the tiny window. Upon hearing a soft snore she looked down at Boleyn still asleep curled into her side, looking younger and more peaceful than Aragon her perhaps ever seen her. She smiled fondly down at her for a moment, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear just before the door was thrown open with a deafening crash.

Jane was standing in the doorway, brandishing one of the wardrobe staff’s key cards and looking frantically around the room until her eyes landed on Aragon and Anne. “Oh thank God,” she sighed, rushing in followed by the rest of the queens. “I thought you two would have killed each other!”

“Hmm?” Anne yawned, lifting her head from Aragon’s shoulder to look blearily up at Jane. “Oh hey everyone. Nice of you to join us at last,” she quipped, grinning brightly at them.

“We’ve been waiting outside for the last hour for someone to get here with a key,” Cathy explained, walking past Jane to smile amusedly down at Anne.

Anna gave a pointed hum. “I had to get up early to come join the rescue effort,” she huffed, but there was no bite to her voice and a grin on her face. “How’d you two even end up stuck in here anyway?”

“The door slammed shut while we were both in here and locked us in,” Aragon explained, dropping the arm from around Anne’s shoulders. What she didn’t notice was that Kat had pulled her phone out to snap a photo of the two of them before she did so.

“Well I’m just glad you’re both alright,” Jane said, offering a hand to help pull Anne to her feet. She paused when Anne’s knees threatened to buckle for a second, muttering something about pins and needles, before asking them both “What even happened between you two?”

Anne shrugged, reaching out her hand to help Aragon stand. “Oh, you know. Talked a bit then just fell asleep really,” she said, feigning being casual for the sake of both their reputations.

Aragon willingly accepted the help, her own legs cramping after spending so long sat in the same position, then turned to smile knowingly at Anne. “Yeah, pretty much. Don’t even know what you mean Jane.”

They both just grinned at each other in their refusal to elaborate, leaving everyone else in the dark as to what had actually been said between them that night. But in the weeks that followed, Anne made an effort to tone down her façade in the wake of her conversations with both Aragon and Cathy, and Aragon let herself relax a little more around the other queens in the knowledge that she had at least one person who would fight her corner if it came to it. Anne knew she had someone else she could trust for maternal advice and Aragon felt as though she’d found someone to somewhat fill the space that losing Mary had left. It was a truce that the others didn’t quite understand but were more than glad of nonetheless.

But they never mentioned the truth behind wearing yellow to a funeral. Some secrets were better kept to themselves.

#six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #catherine of aragon #anne boleyn #laila's writing #and now im going to go and make cookies

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