#(He's probably used every swear word at some point but tends to use them more literally than anything else)

[awkward-tension-art]

Darkness on Umbara Chp.3 (Rex x Reader)

Chapter 2. Chapter 4.

Marching on

cw: Rex x Reader, Reader is a medic, incorrect military procedure, graphic descriptions of injuries, blood, swearing, death and battle, Spoilers for the Umbara Arc, Pong Krell is an asshole, reader insert, Reader gets yelled at, reader is gender neutral, no use of (Y/N), if i miss a tag LMK

Minors DNI, even if theres no smut

“Quicken that pace battalion, this isn't some training course on Kamino!” 

If you had to hear one more fucking command from Krell, you may just inject him with all the painkillers in your pack.

It’s been almost 4 hours of his self-importance. You were patient, but by all the gods in existence you weren’t sure how much more you could take.

Fives scoffed next to you, “The uh…new General has a way with words.” His tone was directed at Rex, who had wanted you at the front of the march with him. 

His reasoning for such a formation? ‘Keep an eye on the supplies’. In reality? ‘to protect you.’

The clone captain looked to the ARC trooper, “He's just trying to keep us on schedule.”

“By raising everyone’s ire?” You leaned forward slightly to look over at your lover. You didn’t mean to give him any grief, but it was a good question. Just what was Krell hoping to achieve by annoying everyone?

“Either way he's in charge, and we got a job to do.” Rex responded taking your question in stride, “Treat him with respect and we'll all get along fine.”

You sighed, “As long as that respect is mutual.”

“You know we don’t always get that luxury.” The captain looked at you. You could practically feel his disapproving gaze through his visor.

You backed down, not wanting to stress him out any more than he already was, “I know…I know…just…” With another sigh, you gave him a soft smile, “Just want to keep you and everyone else safe.”

“Especially me?” Fives chimed in, a smirk clear in his voice. 

You snorted, “Yes Fives, especially you.”

Rex let out a soft laugh, “That’s enough chatter. We need to focus.” 

“Speaking of.” The ARC trooper nudged the captain and pointed upward, “Do you see that?”

In the distance, two glowing…beasts were flying directly towards your battalion. They had impressive speed as they descended quickly. Their bodies were triangular, with bioluminescent under bellies and spiked tails.

“Yea, ready your weapons!” Rex commanded, pulling his pistols. The other troopers followed his lead. The barrage of blaster fire began as soon as one of them swooped, yanking an ARF trooper, Jock, from his AT-RT. It turned sharply and let go, slamming the clone downward into the ground.

You heard the crack through the blasters.

The second dove and grabbed a trooper behind you. He cried out in pain and fear as it flew upward again, taking him from the ground. The shots continued and you got up from the speeder to tend to the down ARF trooper. 

You didn’t make it far, as the first glowing beast made a second swoop aiming for you. Jesse, to his credit, did a wonderful job of protecting you by tackling you to the ground for the second time in a rotation, “Oh no you don’t!” He growled, aiming his gun upward and firing. 

The bioluminescent creature dodged every shot and made another turn, lifting upward to make another pass. 

“Thanks, second time you saved me.” You nodded to him, getting up and rushing to Jock. His leg was broken, fibula stabbing through broken plastoid. Immediately you administered painkillers. This poor man was probably in agony.

Krell had quickly disposed of the second. The Jedi had leapt upward and ripped the beast's claws open, dropping the other trooper. His size and weight worked to the advantage as the animal couldn’t lift. 

The two of them hit the ground where the besalisk stabbed both his lightsabers through its torso. It died with a high pitched screech before Krell sliced the last one as it tried to swoop, bringing it down as well. 

Rex and Fives kept their guns pointed at the beast, but the new General shouted, “anyone else want to stop and play with the animals!?” He punctuated his point by driving his foot down on the creature's body. It jerked before going still, “Didn’t think so. Now keep moving!”

You huffed, turning back to the soldier, “I got you.” Your voice was kind and soft, “I’m not going anywhere, OK?”

He nodded, gloved hands trembling and gripping his thigh. Even with the painkillers, you knew he must’ve been feeling like absolute hell. 

“Jesse,” You looked up at the senior trooper, “Can you get the speeder please?” The soldier needed surgery, but you couldn’t do it here. Not in the open. 

He saluted and quickly stepped away. 

“How bad?” Kix asked, pulling off his pack and kneeling next to you. He remained calm, despite the earlier excitement, “Damn, Jock. Don’t worry. We got you.”

“We are moving!” Krell shouted somewhere behind you. 

“Give us a few minutes!” you snapped, not looking up as you worked. “Help me stabilize the leg, I can't fix it here.”

“We have bacta and medication to deal with any infections later.” the medic beside you nodded, “Get a splint in place.”

“North, take his AT-RT,” You heard Fives’ command the ARF trooper you treated earlier. As soon as the ARC troopers words were spoken, North had gotten up from the stretcher as Jesse approached with the speeder. While you would have preferred him to rest, that currently wasn’t an option. Thankfully, he was at least conscious enough to operate a vehicle. 

Plus, leaving behind a perfectly functional and even devastating weapon in the hands of the enemy was a very bad idea.

Jock was trembling. Pain and shock from staring at his broken leg most likely. Even hardened soldiers would panic at the sight of one of their bones stabbing outside of their body, “Hey Jock, don’t worry. We got you, ok?” You shifted slightly, lowering your face so he’d pay attention to you and not his wound.

“Troopers!” 

“Can you not fucking see-!” a heavy hand yanked you back and to your feet. You stumbled, but kept upright. 

Krell was glaring at you, a fire of wrath in his eyes,“I told you, we. are. Moving! Do not ignore a direct order!” 

Now it was your turn to be enraged, “Respectfully, General, my priority is to the wellbeing of this army. It is my duty as a field doctor to help them when they’re injured. Surely as a jedi you understand the importance of duty.” You kept your eyes on him, refusing to look away. 

Arguing with your General normally wasn’t an option. However, in your training it was emphasized that your rank as a medic held special privileges, such as ignoring orders that may inhibit you from caring for the wounded.

But something told you that the Jedi in front of you didn’t really care.

You didn’t see how Hardcase held Rexs’ arm, doing his best to keep the captain from making a grave mistake. He was normally able to think clearly and not let his emotions dictate his decisions. Unless it came to you. The one he loved so dearly.

The new General huffed and straightened his back, “You have 60 seconds to get him stabilized and loaded on to the stretcher,” He clasped his arms behind him again and began to walk to the front, he turned his head back at you, “Next time, I will not stand for such insubordination, because it is my duty to lead these troops so the Republic can take the capital of this planet.” 

You swallowed and saluted, turning back to Jock. With the help of Kix and Jesse, the injured trooper was situated on the stretcher. You gave him another dose of painkillers and let him drift off to sleep. 

“You can tell the General we had 20 seconds to spare.” You grumbled to Fives, getting back on your speeder. Within minutes a formation was established again. Your pace was with the men, staying behind Rex, Fives and Krell. 

“Are you ok?” Kix asked as he walked next to you. 

“Yes.” You rubbed your face in your hand, ignoring the small sting of the blaster burn to your cheek. You still hadn’t dealt with it yet. 

Your medic friend patted your back in sympathy. He shared your frustrations. 

Anakin would never have pulled you away from tending to the injured. He would have knelt down and helped you, or had his lightsabers ready to protect you. His padawan would have done the same, perhaps even go after whoever injured the trooper to begin with. 

But Anakin wasn’t here. Neither was Ahsoka. Instead, you were stuck with Pong fucking Krell. 

About an hour later Rex had slowed his pace to walk next to you, “Mesh’la.” He spoke softly, making sure no one else could hear, “You haven’t dealt with the cut on your cheek.” 

Oh. Right, you keep forgetting about it. 

“It’s alright.” You gave him a small smile, “the men are going to need all the bacta they can get. A tiny scratch like this doesn’t matter.” 

He remained silent for a moment before shaking his head, “Please be careful, the men need you.” His words hid the true meaning, from everyone except you. 

I need you. 

“I am, Captain.” You answered, “You just promise me you’ll stay alive to lead us.” 

Please don’t become one of the injured I have to treat. 

“I promise.” His hand twitched. He wanted so badly to cup your injured cheek and kiss it better. But not right now. Not around others. Not in such a hostile place.

“Captain Rex.” Your voice became quieter, “Ner kar’ta.” 

“Ner narser.” He whispered back before straightening up. Your lover became the captain again, needing to focus on the mission at hand. Still, to hide your relationship, he spoke slightly louder, letting others hear, “you can’t disobey orders again, understood?” 

You nodded, “yes, Captain. It won’t happen again,” Subtly, you gave him a smile. 

He returned to his position closer to Krell after that. However, occasionally he’d cast a quick glance back at you. 

After about an hour, you heard some whispered chatter behind you. Looking back, you noticed a trooper, Oz, leaning against Tup and limping. You gave him a look of confusion and slowed the speeder to get next to them.

“It's nothing to worry about, Doc.” Oz informed you, “Just…probably twisted my ankle when that beast dropped me.” It was a clear lie. From your perspective it looked more like something had fractured in his knee.

Your gaze drifted to Jock, soundly knocked out on the stretcher. Why are so many soldiers getting leg injuries? 

“Regardless, we can’t know the true extent unless I get a proper look.” your gaze drifted to Krell. The bastard would flip out if he knew you stopped again. Still, Oz needed to get off that leg, “Take the speeder.”

“Doc?”

“You’ve used one right? It's easy.” You slipped off of the vehicle and pushed it along before Oz or anyone could argue, “Take it, at least to rest the ankle.” 

He paused but Tup pulled him slightly, “Come on, doctor's orders.” 

Without much more fuss, the injured trooper did as you directed. He sat down and let out a small sigh of relief, “Thank you.” clearly he hid his pain behind soldier bravado.

You nodded, deciding to walk next to Tup for now. Your eyes went to North, making sure he seemed alert and aware. For now, the ARF trooper was recovering from his wounds well, getting some weight off your shoulders. Still, everyone needed a breather. It's been about five hours since they started marching and while clones had stellar endurance, they would need a break at some point.

You kept your eyes ahead, focusing on the backs of those in front of you. It was a few hours later when your thoughts were interrupted.

“Are you ok, Doc?” Tup asked you quietly. 

You couldn’t hide the irritation in your voice, “You are the second person to ask me that within the last few hours. Do I not look ok?” He seemed startled at your response and you honestly felt bad. Poor Tup was barely a shiny, so you sighed and nodded, “Just thinking, Tup. I'm alright.” 

Before he could respond, Hardcase draped his arm over your shoulder, “Hey Doc, I got a cut on my lip. Can you kiss it to make it better?”

You snorted, repressing your laugh. Sometimes the soldiers would flirt and joke, all in good fun. Hardcase was especially friendly, knowing went to chime in to lift the mood. Honestly, you appreciated it. 

Tup looked downright offended on your behalf, “Hardcase!” 

Jesse looked back from his position. Even under the helmet you knew he was looking confused. 

“Whatever happens next, I am not a part of it.” you responded with a shrug, looking ahead. 

“See? The doc doesn’t care, ease up.” Now the hyperactive trooper moved on to leaning against Tup. the two bickered quietly as you continued to walk. However, over time their voices died down.

It was around the 12th hour when you realized the silence was from exhaustion. Everyone, including you, was barely hanging on by a thread. The clone endurance you praised earlier had finally hit its limit.

“Kix,” You stepped up next to him, “Tell Captain Rex that we need a break.” your voice was a hushed whisper. You feared if Krell heard you make the request, he’d push the men even harder out of spite. 

The medic agreed with you and sped up his pace to speak to Rex. You, however, fell back next to the medical speeder and checked on the injured. Oz had been doing a good job at controlling the thing, though you could tell his leg was still bothering him. Jock was still out cold, you and Kix periodically checked to make sure he didn’t wake up in agony. North remained coherent and aware as well, he piloted the AT-RT as if he had never been injured, indicating the bacta you’d given him was working well. 

Your observations came to a halt as Krell’s voice pierced the air, “CT-7567 are you reading me?”

“Excuse me, sir?” Your secret lover sounded as confused as everyone was feeling. 

The jedi continued, “I ask you a question, CT-7567 do you understand the need to adhere to my strategy?” Blessedly, he stopped to continue to yell at Rex. Despite how you felt at your lover being targeted so viciously, at least the men had something of a breather. And Rex was a man, he could take an angry General. 

The clone captain shook his head, trying to reason, “Sir, the terrain is extremely hostile, despite the difficulty of the conditions the battalion is making good time. These men just need a little break.” It was a desperate attempt to get some kind of humanity out of the besalisk. 

The General practically snarled and continued his verbal assault, “Captain, do I need to remind you of this battalion’s strategic mission in conquering this planet?” He motioned over all the soldiers behind him, “Look back, see those platoons? Their mission is to take this city and take it swiftly, time and rest are luxuries the Republic cannot afford!” Krell didn’t give up just yet, leaning forward an inch away from the captain's face, “The other battalions are counting on our support, if we fail everyone fails. Do you understand this? Does everyone understand this?!” His yelling was now directed at everyone around him. His critical gaze roamed over the battalion practically challenging anyone to speak up.

When there was only silence, he scoffed and turned, continuing his steps, “Now move on!”

Rex’s shoulders slumped slightly, but quickly, he returned to his stiff and professional posture. With a glance back and a nod, the 501st began to march again.

You shared a look with Hardcase and continued. It was going to be another long few hours of exhausted silence before you stopped again.

[gh0st-t0wn3]

Lmk ss edits + headcanons, Part 4 (Jin & Yin, Ao Lie, Tripitaka, Bai He)

- He/Him, He/They

- Pansexual, Bisexual

- They both have chronic separation anxiety, its why they're never apart; Yin tends to go non-verbal and more withdrawn without Jin, and Jin gets really agressive and paranoid without Yin. 

-  Yin can't sleep if he has nerves, Jin can do nothing BUT sleep if he has nerves

- Jin always forgets something at home, Yin reminded him a hundred times before they left

- Yin doodles on the corner of their blueprint papers whenever they're making something new, Jin cuts them out later and glues them into a sketchbook so they don't get lost

- Jin's hips are constantly covered in bruises because he's always bumping into shit (has NO spacial awareness whatsoever)

- Yin listens to rock music, Jin doesn't have a specific genre

- Somehow are simultaneously the most innocent and dirty minded people, you'll never know what you're gonna get at any given moment

- Yin always finds a way to drown in inch deep water (really bad at swimming)

- ^^^Jin laughs at him

- After they found out Mei and MK didn't like eachother as anything more than friends, they tried to trap him in the calabash again but used Redson to try and seduce him instead, MK immediately knew it was them

- Jin was talking really fast cause he was panicking once and called the Demon accountant "Semon accountant" and has still not recovered

- Yin laughed his ass off when it happened and constantly reminds him of it

- Jin likes his pillow warm (he's insane)

- They both occasionally become self aware and wind up having a weird crisis trying to figure out whether their horns are a part of their skull or something else

- Both are cat people, they're terrified of dogs, being trapped in a room with one is one of their worst nightmares

- Neither of them has clean hair, it is a fucking rock you will not be able to comb that shit out

- Jin rants about new ideas, Yin writes/draws them down

- Yin will bite you if you get near him while he's eating, bro's feral

- Jin stubs his toe atleast three times a day and screams in agony every. Single. Time. Eventually Yin just stopped running to check on him, it's happened so many times that he can distinguish what Jin's scream sounds like specifically when he stubs his toe

- Yin spent several months slowly moving everything in their house slightly to the right everyday, Jin cried cause he thought he was going insane

- Jin smells like cinnamon, Yin smells like caramel (I'm delusional, they both reek)

- Jin's love language is words of affirmation, Yin's love language is quality time

- Yin is terrified of cockroaches, Jin keeps some as pets

- Jin tried to dox Mei during one of her streams, Mei showed up at their house instead, it was terrifying

- The Demon accountant has to use a pressure hose to wash them

- They were banned from the arcade but they kept showing up begging to be unbanned, the staff eventually started feeling bad and let them back in

- Yin always throws out his drawings if they don't turn out how he wanted them to, Jin fishes them out of the trash when Yin isn't looking and keeps them in a sketchbook under his bed

- He/Him

- ??? Bisexual, probably

- Favourite animal is a leaf slug, it just feels right

- Mei's number one supporter

- Ate a strawberry once and found a worm inside, never ate strawberries again

- Constantly bothered Zhu Bajie during their Journey to the west, he thought it was funny seeing him get upset

- "I swear to buddha, if you ask me 'why' one more time" " Why?"

- Wukong pulled a bug out of his hair once and he freaked out and made Tripitaka go through his hair for him

- Heaviest sleeper of the group, when he falls asleep he is OUT,

- Has horrible bed head and his hair takes forever to comb out

- Really bad at math

- Wakes Tripitaka up in the middle of the night to ask the dumbest questions

- Refuses to wear shoes, he's in his horse form for most of their Journey anyway so he doesn't see the point in having any at all

- Would absolutely down a container of melatonin gummies if he had the opportunity

- Had to comfort Wukong while he puked after chugging a gallon of salt water once

- Mei gets her ':3' face from him

- Trips over his hair as much as his sleeves, no matter how much of his hair he ties up somehow it always ends up in his face or under his foot and he's down

- Follow up on the last headcanon, he's tried to cut his hair before to stop this from happening, it did not work, his hair grew back really fast

- He's like a cat, if you tell him not to push something over, he'll push it over

- Favourite colour is actually rose gold, but green is a very close second

- DBK let him hold Redson after the Samadhi removal ritual was over and Ao Lie immediately dropped him (DBK caught him before he hit the ground, but Ao Lie was banned from holding him again)

- Can eat an entire buffet and not gain a single pound

- Smells like Mint

- Love language is physical touch

- Chews on his sleeves when he's bored

- Gets along surprisingly well with Nezha despite Nezha's and Ao Bing's history

- Really good at singing

- Since he's a water Demon, he gets overheated really easily in the sun so whenever they come across any kind of water (river, pond, puddle, etc) he'll just flop sideways and lay there for like 20 minutes to cool down

- Actually thought Mei was his sister for a minute until he realized it wasn't her when they first met

- He/Him

- AroAce

- Sometimes gets visons and dreams of his life as the Golden Cicada

- Tripitaka, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujin can see what their descendants/reincarnations are up to

- He cried on Freenoodles wedding day... it was not of joy, Zhu Bajie also threw up several times

- Once joked about having to shave all of Wukongs fur off now that he's a Monk and Wukong cried

- Absolutely HATES when people enter a room before knocking

- Would probably be scared of popping candy if he ever heard them (bubblegum, pop rocks, etc)

- Hates when people fold the corner of a page as a bookmark

- Constantly corrects people's spelling; "it's 'you're' not 'your' "

- Can't stand the sound of people chewing with their mouths open

- Has naturally long lashes

- Weak ass ankles

- Tried to teach Wukong how to read and gave up in a few hours because he refused to pay attention

- Cries whenever someone brings up his and Zhu Bajie's pregnancy, it's what keeps him up at 3am (if you haven't read JTTW, I'm sorry that this is how you found out)

- Surprisingly has a really good singing voice

- Always writes in cursive and no one can read it

- Understands cicadas

- In JTTW (chapter 39, i think) Tripitaka encountered a demon who impersonated him so well that even with his golden vision Wukong couldn't tell them apart and mistakingly attacked the real one, Tripitaka still gets nightmares about Wukong almost killing him

- Favourite colour is yellow

- Smells like oranges

- Love language is words of affirmation

- Has little freckles

- Extremely texture picky

- Vegetarian

- Has almost lost his hat (???) multiple times due to being kidnapped so often, it's a miracle he hasn't lost it yet

- Loves watching the sunset

- VERY light sleeper

- Smiled at Redson once, who immediately burst into tears (He could see that Tripitaka was the golden cicada and got scared), Tripitaka freaked out and also started crying while trying to calm him down

- She/Her

- Ally

- Has stretch marks as a result of her bones and skin being stretched out while she was possessed by the Lady Bone Demon

- White streaks in her hair from the possession

- Even after being freed from the Lady Bone Demon, her skin was never quite right, always too pale or too cold, with little snowflake markings here and there just barely visible

- Always cold, she has to wear multiple layers of clothing to help deal with it, doesn't matter how hot it is outside, she's always wearing something warm

- Has eyebags because she gets recurring nightmares about the Lady Bone Demon and hardly gets any sleep anymore

- Has very faint freckles

- Definitely believes/believed in those "spells to turn you into a mermaid/fairy/vampire" YouTube videos

- Made potions as a kid (it's windex, food dye, and glitter mixed together)

- Probably collects rocks

- Mei and Macaque taught her how to scam other kids in roblox

- Used to believe that if you ate a seed it'd grow in your stomach and had a meltdown when she accidentally swallowed watermelon seeds

- "Guys, stop swearing!" Whenever someone says "Frick", "Heck", "Dang"

- Cut her own hair once when she was really little, it was a disaster

- Eats whatever anyone gives her

- LOVES kumara

- Always eats lucky charms for breakfast but she'll pick out all the actual cereal so she just has milk and marshmallows

- Her dad is Pigsy's boar rival from across the street

- Loves street food, especially tanghulu and cheese tea

- Chews on her sleeves

- Smells like vanilla

- Love language is quality time

- OBSESSED with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and watches it on repeat (she once compared MK to Donnie because they both fight with staffs)

- Has a charm bracelet with personalized charms she made for everyone she likes/loves

- Loves orbeez and has a heart shaped orbeez lamp that she uses as a night light (I had one as a kid, it was awesome and I miss it very much)

- Dyes the white streaks in her hair pink, but they fade pretty quick so they have to be re-dyed frequently

- Has a tooth gap

- Her favourite flowers are chrysanthemums

[jellyfishandry]

Platonic soulmates w/ Katsuki Bakugo Pt. 2

Part 1

CW: Aroace Katsuki, platonic relationship, not a soulmates au, gn reader, platonic bkdk (sorta), some jealousy, swearing, mentions of violence, reader has a quirk

A/N: Part two... In total this is over 1k words. I think it's safe to say that I like this.

Sometimes he comes to you and asks what he can do to be a better friend to Izuku and the rest of 1A. He knows you’re not going to make jokes about it, and that you’ll give him heartfelt advice.  And he knows that you’ll keep private conversations private, no matter how many of your classmates ask or annoy you.  When y’all aren’t in school or training, he likes to hangout in your dorm, or have you hangout in his. But he tends to prefer yours.  It comforts him in a way he cannot describe.  Maybe it’s the pictures of the two of you that you have taped on your walls, or maybe it’s the little gifts he’s given you that live on a shelf above your bed, and that he can never find a spec of dust on.  And when the two of you study together, he insists on dragging the chair from his room to yours so you both can sit at the desk.  There have probably been a few times where the two of you fell asleep together while hanging out.  Aizawa was certainly not happy. He won’t admit it, but during those few times, he got some of the best sleep.  If class 1A has a movie night or something, he insists on sitting next to you, and well get mad if he can’t.  “They’re the most tolerable.” He claims, but everyone knows that he just blatantly likes you the most.  He has some embarrassing pictures of you on his phone, and thinks they’re hilarious.  But if you pull out the stupid photos of him, he gets very embarrassed.  He calls you a weirdo when he finds out that you have a whole folder dedicated to pictures of him, and he acts like he doesn’t have a photo album of you too.  He has an Instagram account, and no other social media.  He doesn’t post anything, but he likes every post you’ve ever made.  If you get any weird or disrespectful comments, he will not hesitate to insult the fuck out of them.  Although he does get a little embarrassed and defensive when you post anything about him. He enjoys the affectionate act, and he’s glad that you’re willing to admit you’re friends with him. He does get teased about it by your classmates, but he’s somewhat tolerable of it.  Hugs are not something he thinks about often, but he’ll never say no if you want to hug him.  He occasionally gets jealous if you hug someone else “too much.”  He’d rather you hug him than anyone else, but he tells himself that it’s a stupid thing to feel jealous over.  He’s secretly a “that’s my best friend not yours.” person. If you go to the zoo or aquarium, he loves to come along so he can spend more time with you and see cool animals.  He likes foxes because of the weird ass sounds they make.  He’ll follow you around occasionally, and it’s just because he likes your presence.  Some of your classmates have pointed it out and called him a “lost puppy” only for him to yell at them. As much as he wants to refuse that he’s a “nerd,” he’ll take time to understand every part of your quirk, including your strengths and weaknesses. He gets mad when you beat him during training, but he’s not actually that torn up about it. He’s your biggest supporter, and he feels stronger when you cheer him on during training or fights. 

Extra:

If you crochet, he’ll love with anything you make him.  But if you crochet a little plush of him in his hero costume, he’ll pretty much go nuts. He puts it in his room and refuses to let anyone touch it. He uses it as “evidence” of who’s your favorite.  “Well they made a plush of me, not you, so I think it’s pretty obvious who they like the most.”

|| Navigation ||

[write-and-wander]

Touch: Chapter 4

Pairing:  Kylo Ren x Fem!Reader

Warnings:  Swearing, angst, and my version of Luke Skywalker's redemption

Word count:  3.9K

Author’s note:  I got the fanfiction author's curse and went through hell, but I also received the fanfiction author's blessing of an iron-will to finish what I started. So, to those of you still reading, here you go. Also, this brings us to the halfway point of my outline, so yay!

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Chapter 4: Love's Pain

Shrugging off the fog of waking up alone in a room that doesn’t belong to you, you gather yourself in the bathroom, giving your face a quick wash.  What was last night?  Did… did that really happen?  How long did he stay?  You sigh, checking over your appearance.  I should get back to my room.  I’m hungry. 

You leave the guest room and head to your own quarters to get ready for the day, following your usual routine.  Stepping out of the kitchen with breakfast in hand, you jump at the sight of an unexpected guest.

Kylo.

“Where did you go?”  You didn’t hear him come in, but even in your surprise, your mind still sticks on the events from the night before.

“We need you in med bay,” he says flatly.  His expression is hidden behind his mask- not that it would offer you anything. 

“Kylo…”  You plead softly, hoping that he would just talk to you.  That’s all you wanted.  To talk.  Really, honestly, talk.  Just to clear some things up. You start to walk towards him.

“Now,” he insists.  Before you reach him, he fades from view.  Another disappearing act.  How does he keep doing that?  With a frustrated huff, you turn back to your small dining room table, warm food still sitting on its plate.  He can make demands all he wants, but breakfast comes first.

Though you’re tempted to push your luck for the sake of asserting your own independence, you still shovel the food in your mouth and leave your room as quickly as you’re able to. 

Walking into med bay, you’re immediately overwhelmed, to say the least.  Every droid in the room is tending to at least one trooper, with many more filling practically every open space the already-too-small bay has to offer.  Even other staff people you’ve never met before are tending to the wounded- likely in response to a desperate call for anyone with medical experience.  Amidst the chaos, with white, grey, and metallic figures filling the room, your eyes are drawn to the opposite side.  A familiar tall, black figure stands in the doorway, watching you.  Just as your eyes catch him, he turns and leaves without a word.  You push down a mixture of emotions- anger, confusion, aching- and force yourself into work mode.  There are people here, now, that need your help.  You jump when a hand comes down onto your shoulder and turn to see Vilya. 

“We’re glad you’re here,” she reassures, “you’re the best we’ve got.”  You nod.  At least someone cares.

With a deep breath and another quick scan of the room, you mentally triage the presently injured troopers and make a beeline for the one in the worst shape, relieving a droid of their work and sending them to another patient.  Though each person here looks, at the very least, treatable, you know it’s going to be a long day.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••  

As you finally tend to the last minor wound and usher the final trooper out of med bay, you practically collapse onto the floor.  The cots are full of resting troopers and personnel, with extra cots crammed into places they probably shouldn’t be.  The droids can handle it from here, you figure.  You’re not sure just how many hours you’ve spent in this room, but it’s enough to leave you utterly drained. 

One droid comes over to you with a bottle of water.  Thanking them, you finish it off and muster the will the stand.  Your sore feet drag as they carry you back to your quarters.  Though you nearly convince yourself to forgo it, you are in desperate need of a shower.  After washing up, you throw on something comfortable, fill your grumbling stomach with food, and plop into your bed.  The world quickly fades to black.

Waking up, you realize that you must have slept through any sort of alarm.  It's hitting late afternoon by the time you come to consciousness.  Your body still aches.  As you get up and settle into what remains of the day, your mind walks through what you remember from yesterday, trying to process all that happened. You decide to take a moment to journal and get your bearings to reset med bay. 

Unfortunately, your written walk-through immediately brings you to the situation with Kylo.  The appearing and disappearing act followed by the cold shoulder leaves you wondering if the night you had spent together- assuming he was there for the entirety of it- had changed things for the worse. And this journal isn't helping with anything, you write.  Maybe talking about it with someone will help?  You stand and walk over to your door, which slides open after a moment.  Vilya turns to you, faithfully standing guard just outside.

“Need something?” she asks, her tone cool in its neutral formality.

“Yeah,” you reply softly, “can you come in?  I need someone to talk to.”  Vilya nods and, after a quick visual sweep of the hall, follows you into your room.  As the door seals shut, she sits beside you on your bed.  She removes her helmet and sets it down, keeping it in her lap should someone else to come in.  You wait for her to settle.

“What do you need to talk about?” she finally asks.

“Kylo,” you answer.  Vilya’s expression changes, though you can’t exactly tell how.

“Okay,” she responds in a questioning tone, encouraging you to keep going.

“I just… don’t understand what’s going on.  We finally figured out how to work together, but as soon as I start to settle, he flips a switch and we're back to square one. And while all of that is happening, something keeps drawing me to him.  It’s hard to explain…”

“Try,” Vilya insists, her tone a little sharper than you had expected. 

You take a deep breath. “We spent the night together once, and-”

“I’m sorry, you did what?” she snapped.  Your eyes widened.

“No, not like that!  We just- well, I just fell asleep in the same bed as he did.  He was gone by morning- I doubt he even stayed the night.”

“That’s…”  She takes a deep breath, reeling in her anger.  “I think your captivity is getting to you," she begins, her tone cold, "you just need to get out more and get some distance-”

“No, Vy, it’s not that either.  There’s something deep down in my mind- in my being- that constantly draws me to him, like we're bound to each other. Sometimes it's small, like I know what he’s going to say before he says it.  But sometimes, it gets even more... strange.”

Vilya shifts, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation at hand.

“Every once in a while, he just appears in front of me.”

“Well, he can be quiet when he wants to be.” she reasons.

“No, I mean I’ll just be going about my day, and suddenly, he’s there, right in front of me.  I can see him, and hear him, clear as day.  Sometimes he talks to me, sometimes I’m ignored...  And then he's just gone.”

“What?”

“He disappears.  He just vanishes in the blink of an eye.”

Vilya sighs, collecting her thoughts. He tone softens as she says your name in a lowered voice. “Honey,” she continues, “I’m… really worried about you.  Have you been feeling okay?  Have you had any other weird symptoms lately?”

“No, Vilya.”  You stand and begin to pace the room.  “He said something about the force bringing us together, and I-”

“-And you believe him?” she interjects in disbelief. 

You stop pacing, looking at your friend helplessly.  You say nothing. 

“No,” she shakes her head, letting out an incredulous laugh, “no, you know that’s bantha shit.  You can’t seriously believe that?”

“But I feel it!” You insist, your mind reeling.  “Every waking moment, there's this voice telling me I need to be close to him. And then I go to sleep, and I have dreams about it. He's always there.”

“The asshole that ransacked your home, killed countless people you care about, kidnapped you, and forced you to work for him?” She starts to rant, her voice rising in volume.  “The one throwing tantrums when things don’t go his way? Who kills his own without a second thought; who abandoned us?”

You freeze.  “Us?” 

Regret washes over her face. 

“Who is ‘us,’ Vilya?” 

She sighs, turning towards you.  You see tears begin to well in her eyes. “His family.  His friends.”  She pauses.  “I haven’t always been an innocent pilot.  I got into a lot of shit way too early on, met a lot of the wrong people, and owed a lot of money I didn’t have,” she shakes her head, reliving a variety of unpleasant memories.

You look down to your fidgeting hands.

“A smuggler took me in. Helped me out, saved my life, became like a father to me.  He told me about Kylo Ren; and even he had a fondness I found hard to forgive.  It was messy all around, I’ll admit, but... it doesn’t change all the evil he's done.” She pauses again, watching you.

You meet her gaze.

“When I got older and paid all my debts, I wanted to hunt Ren down.  Return a favor to the man who saved me, but... instead, someone he must’ve trusted a whole lot told him I should find you.  So, that's what I did.”

You brows furrow together in confusion.

“We have never been friends by chance,” she admits, “I've dedicated my life to protecting you, taking care of you, making sure your naïveté wouldn’t get you killed like it did my overly-trusting parents.”  Tears well up in her eyes. 

You aren’t sure how to feel.

“Don't get me wrong, you've been my everything all along.  Not just because you had to be, but...  because I wanted you to be.”

“Vilya…” 

She stands, walking up to you.  She puts her hands on your arms, looking you straight in the eyes.  “I can get you out of here.  You have a ship now- that would buy us some time.  We can take it somewhere untraceable, destroy it, and I can take you home.  Wherever you want home to be.  You and me.”

“Vy,” you whisper.

She knows your answer, but she continues to plead anyway. “We’ll go back to normal,” she insists.  “I’ll keep taking care of you, you’ll keep taking care of other people.  Ren can forget all about you and I’ll keep you safe in the meantime.”

“I can’t,” you manage, almost inaudibly. 

Vilya steps back, searching for words. “Please,” she pleads, whispering your name, “I can’t stay here much longer.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you stay, with him…  I can’t protect you.”

“You can’t leave me now,” tears begin to fall down your face, “I didn't wanna push you away”

“No, you could never do that. It's just... pretty soon here, I won’t have a choice.  I’ve nearly been found out twice now.  I can’t risk it- they’ll kill me.”

“But-”

“I would give my life for you any day, you know that.  All you would have to do is ask.  But... if I die because of them,” she spats, pointing towards the door, “then I die failing to do the one thing Solo asked of me.”

You drop your face into your hands.  It was like the rug was being pulled out from beneath you yet again. This can't be happening. Your one way out of here, back to the life you so desperately missed, was in direct competition with the one thing keeping you here.

Vilya stands, wiping her tears as she composes herself.

“I can’t make you leave,” she resolves, “I won’t do that to you.” Her tone is cool again.  “But I can’t watch you lose yourself to madness.  Not with him.”  She moves to put her helmet back on.

“Vy, wait, please-”

“I still love you,” she says as she begins to walk out. She stops just before the door.  “I always will.  That’s why I can’t force you to leave,” she looks back to you. “If you really want to stay, then fine…”   With a deep breath to collect herself, she steps forward, triggering the door to open.  “I just hope it’s worth it,” she mutters. Stepping through, she faces forward. The closing door finalizes her departure.

All you can do is cry.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••  

The next morning, after mentally preparing yourself for disappointment, Vilya was, indeed, gone.  In her place was a taller, more broad-shouldered storm trooper.  You take a deep breath and begin to walk to med bay.  As expected, the trooper follows in silence, posting himself outside the door of your workplace. 

You have a crisis to recover from, new supplies to order, and a whole lot of cleaning to do.  A couple of troopers still remain in some cots, and droids are maintaining a close eye on their vitals while preparing various salves.

“How are they?”  You ask softly, grabbing the attention of one of the droids. 

“Stable as of this morning, Miss”

“Are they well enough to return to recovery bay?”

“If you would prefer, yes.”

“I have a lot of clean-up to do here, so, yes, please.  Feel free to take some things with you if you need,” you add with a sweeping motion to the room.

“Understood.”  The droids promptly gather a few things, setting it all on a cart to wheel alongside the cots, and clear out med bay.

Finally, you’re alone.  And it’s quiet.  And you can keep your hands and mind busy- or, at least try.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••  

Over the course of the following weeks, you develop a new routine.  Wake up, get ready, eat, head to med bay.  Clean, organize, provide care, leave med bay.  Eat, shower, sleep.  Over and over again.  With some days being slower than others, you even decide to pick up some side-projects, teaching yourself as much as you can about the medical droids here so you can develop better ones.  You start to program in new medicines and practices- ones that had proven themselves effective during your time as a healer in Coruscant and Chandrila- so that the droids become increasingly self-sufficient.  It’s all outside of your job description and area of expertise, but at least it will keep you working.  Keep you out of your quarters.  Keep you away from thinking about Vilya.  More importantly, keep you away from Commander Ren. 

Throughout those weeks, he stops by med bay to ask you a brief question or two, to which you respond with brief answers.  The both of you can feel tension building each time you're away.  Yet, you both continue to let it do so.  Though you feel as if you can’t stand being away from him, you can also no longer stand being around him for too long.  You can’t bear being reminded that, for reasons you can’t even begin to try to understand yourself, you had chosen your captor and Commander over your closest friend.  The only person you have ever known that loves you. You, too, hope it will be worth it, somehow.  Rage occasionally whispers in the periphery of your thoughts, but you know better than to entertain that anger.  You know that you would easily lose yourself to it if you did.  So instead, you lose yourself to your work. 

And somehow, even that comes all too easy.  In just a few weeks, you successfully apply every upgrade and make every tweak you can think of to the medical droids.  They are now perfectly self-sufficient.  They can make the call on diagnosis and treatment much faster than you can, and their work is all the more precise.  Part of you worries that working yourself out of the equation could lead to your… disposal�� but then again, the Commander insisted that he needed you.  Which meant that Snoke likely insisted the same.  So, you assume- with a generous helping of hope- that you’re safe.

Although your efforts to drown out your grief and loneliness work for a while, you in turn have ended up confining yourself to med bay for weeks on end without break.  You had been in the same room, staring at the same things, going through the same routine every day.  It had grown old, you're always exhausted, and it seems like you’re starting to run out of ways to avoid the Commander. 

Maybe it’s finally time for a change in scenery.

During one of the slower hours of the day, you pack up some clothes and other personal items in a duffel bag you found in your closet.  You leave your room and walk to the hangar, scanning carefully to ensure no one important would see you- or at least, make note of your leave.  You slip between the spaceships to stop into Commander Ren’s personal ship.  After a thorough look around, you feel confident that the coast is clear. You lift the seat you had assumed on your trip to Tatooine.  Still sitting exactly where you left it was the ornate wooden box you discovered many weeks ago.  You quickly slip it into your bag and close the seat, leaving everything exactly as you found it, before quietly making your way to your own ship.

As you take off, you glance back to see Commander Ren walk into the hangar.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••  

Admittedly, landing on Coruscant doesn’t feel like the homecoming you had hoped for; but it does feel like an escape to a safe & familiar place, and that’s much better than playing avoid-the-Commander on the Finalizer.  You hop off the ship and walk into your old home, which had been sitting empty for months now. 

You expect it to feel stale, but, walking in, you realize that Vilya- wherever she is now- has still managed to maintain it while you were away.  Seems like we both have our own special way of dealing with grief. It’s clean, and stocked with some food that could last for a while untouched.  Part of you hopes that maybe this means you will see her again; that she’ll come visit or leave some kind of note for you.  Searching the house, though, confirms that it was a false hope. Other than a surprisingly clean space, there's no sign of life here.

You walk through the rooms in your old home, retracing steps and reminiscing.  Despite everything, it’s good to be home.  Despite your confusion, your heartbreak, your dull melancholy, and your exhaustion, it’s so good to be home.

Night had fallen on Coruscant by the time you arrived.  And your eyelids are heavy.  So, to bed you go.  For the first time in months, you awake without any memory of a dream.

You don’t immediately get out of bed that morning.  Instead, you lie still, staring at the ceiling as your thoughts run circles in your mind.  What’s next?  How am I meant to continue onward?  Months of searching, gaining relationships, breaking them, being held captive, and doing practically thankless work, with no end or resolution to anything in sight.  There has to be a way out.  Another way.  You sit up the moment it hits you:

There is another way.

You stand and promptly walk towards your parents’ old room, grabbing something to eat on your way through the kitchen.  Holding the food in your mouth, you kneel down in front of the back wall and pull out the panel.  You take a bite, grabbing the food in one hand, while you pick up the pyramid with your other hand.  It still looks foreign to you, but you feel like it’s important.  It was one of the only things left behind by your parents.  Is it a model of something bigger you’re meant to find?  Is it a hot-and-cold sort of device that will blink or beep when you get closer to wherever you’re meant to go?  Is it some kind of map of something else?  You can’t quite tell, even when you look closer at the small green light glowing within it, but maybe it will guide you somehow. You bring it back with you to your room.

“I don’t know what you are,” you start, brushing off the voice that tells you it’s crazy to try to talk to an inanimate object, “and I guess this might not be an emergency, but…  I need to go wherever you can take me.”  Something within you thinks of Luke.  Of the ornate wooden box.  Of the contents inside of it.  Of the vision you had seen on Tatooine.  “I need to find Luke.”  The pyramid seems to do nothing, but you feel something.  Like a memory. Triumph, failure, running, fighting, hiding, stealing a map and finding a way to change it with only one person in mind, hoping to retire in the shadows for the safety of those who matter most.

Whether or not the pyramid actually works, you know where you're going- at least, the feeling in your gut does.  You stand, finishing off the food you had grabbed and adding the pyramid to the mess of things thrown into your duffel bag.

Walking out to your ship, you remember seeing the tablet Commander Ren used to track you.  He can’t know where I am.  Not this time.  With the bits of the First Order’s technology that you taught yourself over the past few weeks and a silent prayer to whomever or whatever might listen, you step into your ship, dropping your duffel bag on the floor, and begin searching for a tracking device.  Continuing to follow the gut feeling that got you into this mess to begin with, you find a tracking device, blinking to indicate that it’s working, and get to work.  In what could be a few minutes or an hour- you aren’t quite sure- you manage to remove the tracking device without breaking the connection and place it just inside of your home. 

As far as the First Order would know, you are at home, on Coruscant. 

You take off, and somehow, you’re confident that you know your destination.  So, you go.  And you keep going, until you land somewhere.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••  

Though you seemingly have no way of knowing what you’re really looking for, you know the planet when you see it for the first time, like the trigger of an old, faint memory.  From a distance, the blueish silver hue of the planet’s surface reminds you of Kamino.  There aren’t as many storms, but there is probably about as much water.  You pinpoint a spot on the planet that seems to stand out to you in familiarity and head for it, making for a quiet landing on the highest point of a beautifully green island. 

Stepping out of your ship, you realize that the technology you brought here feels incredibly out of place.  Small, winged creatures with white bellies, orange and brown fur, and big eyes greet you.  You jump at the noise they let out.  As they fly away, you look around to try to get your bearings.  Remembering the things you brought with you, you pull out the wooden box you' have held 've been holding onto all this time.  You turn back around, wooden box in hand, and suddenly realize someone else is here now.

An older man with long, salt-and-pepper hair and beard to match, stands at a distance in thick tan robes.  You jump again, your heart now racing as you press your back against your ship.  Taking a deep breath, attempting to collect yourself, you know that this must be the man you have been searching for.  The man this box belongs to.  Not that you recognize him- it’s just a feeling.  With shaking arms, you hold the box out in front of you.

“This belongs to you.”  Your voice betrays you, giving away your nervousness and forced confidence.  You never expected to be here.  You never thought you’d find Luke.  You feel relief, hope, comfort, unease, and fear all at once.

Luke nods, wordless.  You can’t quite read his expression, and yet, somehow it mirrors yours- but with an added note of fondness, as if your very presence reminds him of someone he really loved. 

“I…  I don’t think I know who I am,” you start, voice still shaking, shoulders finally relaxing as you allow yourself the luxury and freedom of brutal honesty for the first time, “and I don’t know who you are, but I think I was meant to find you- at least my parents must have believed that- and I was meant to give this to you.”  Tears begin to well in your eyes as Luke slowly begins to walk towards you.  “And I don’t know if you can help me, but I know that there are more people out there looking for you, and for some reason- that I hope you can figure out- I’m here first.” 

He reaches you, taking the wooden box from your hands.  He knows you- maybe even more than you know yourself.  He knew why you were here before even a word ever came out of your mouth.  His face says it all. 

As his arms wrap around you, you feel a sense of home that you have never felt before in your memory.  He holds you as you weep.  You both sense that a new hope for redemption, in whatever form it will take, fills the air.  Finally, he speaks.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

(Part 5)

[sercezgazety]

Hello, I read your fic Variations and Fugue on a Theme, and I liked it! I always like when the narrator goes from talking about the present and the past smoothly, without spelling it out for the reader.

Do you have any further ideas for why Herbert mentions being put on Thorazine and (I assume) committed to a hospital as a child? You also write that his parents taught him that breathing through your mouth was bad manners, and that's all I saw that could point to his parents. He's obviously focusing on the most recent important event in his life, but it surprised me a little to see his mind not wander back to his childhood more while in solitary confinement.

I was also wondering what you intended with the repetition of the phrase "you take what you can get". I took it to mean that Herbert is trying to reevaluate every situation he thinks of, and the one he's currently in, to make himself more competent. He can't delude himself into thinking he made no mistakes, but he can delude himself into thinking he's smart enough that the mistakes don't really affect him that much, or actually have secret upsides that no one but him would be smart enough to utilize (like how he insists he likes solitary confinement because unlike him, other people need "contact with the rest of the primates") He has less paper but it doesn't matter, he has most of it memorized, and then he just needs paper for more advanced calculations, and then he can barely remember the word tinnitus and then he's only been writing the word Dan. But he brushes this off; he's "not sure how it happened", and then just flushes it down the toilet. Of course, mentally, and physically since the toilet backs up and overflows, Dan always comes back.

And, why did Herbert break all the fingers in that man's hand, if you have a specific reason.

Hiii, thank you so much!

As for the thorazine mentions, that's how I imagine it went down after Gruber's death - in the extended cut, Meg does mention he was put on a psychiatric observation after the, uh. Exploding eyeballs thing. I'd assume he wasn't concerned that much with his parents; from what the novelization tells us, they died early on and there's a strong suggestion that it was Herbert who was responsible for their demise (something that would probably be very traumatic to a child, but Herbert compartmentalizes shit; also, in my head, the not breathing through the mouth thing was something Herbert was taught not by his parents but in the institution he grew up in). It was Dr. Gruber that Herbert actually trusted and considered a father figure. In the greatest scene in cinematic history, we get to see That Single Tragic Tear Rolling Down Herbert's Cheek when Hill mentions Gruber. After all, Herbert comes to Miskatonic because he has a vendetta against Hill - though it's not his but Gruber's work that the asshole plagiarized. Gruber's death is something that clearly affected him, and I think Herbert dragged Dan into his work not only because he needed an extra pair of hands or, as the fandom tends to think, because he was attracted to Dan. I think Herbert wanted to recreate the mentor-mentee relationship to some extent, though this time, given how much Dr. Hill sucked and how there was no mentor figure available, he cast himself in that role.

Plus, of course, he latched onto Dan for... Reasons, whatever they were, and I'm not sure Herbert's fully prepared to face them, especially after Dan's betrayal. While Gruber's death must have hurt, it was easy to rationalize - but what Dan did? Oh boy. The second person in Herbert's life to be trusted, and he went and violated that trust like that. So, like you said, Herbert tries to brush the entire experience off, treating Dan as less than a person, denying any bond they might have had, swearing up and down this doesn't concern him at all, and still obsessively coming back to the memory of Dan - the man he thought he moulded into something he needed, but in reality, the man he was entirely dependent on. The guy who had the nerve to be his own person anyway, to show Herbert wasn't completely in control. The audacity!

It's pretentious as shit, but I intended to make the fic similar to a fugue - a piece that's sort of structured by a returning theme or a set of them, with numerous repetitions and variations on what we've already grown familiar with. The "you make it work" phrase is one of numerous things that keep coming back (the sound of the lightbulb being the most prominent one). Moreover, it's one of the many lies Herbert repeatedly tells himself (like "you don't remember much," "he'll come," the notion of settling for Dan, not choosing him, the assumption that Herbert remains unaffected by his surroundings and by Dan's betrayal). He's fine. He's fiiiiine, doing great.

He obsesses over those things to such an extent, he doesn't have the time to obsess about more distant past (like childhood). His brain is way too busy trying to delude itself into believing it's not fixating on Dan. Which it very, very obviously is. As for the broken fingers, well, I didn't want to be too specific and I intentionally left things vague, but there are, hmm, crumbs of context for that in the last chapter of The Pending Details (an attempted assault by an inmate who didn't know who he was dealing with and what is Herbert capable of. The answer being A Lot).

Anyways, thanks for reading and thank you so, so much for the lovely message!

[carcasstohounds]

this is fucking stupid so just bear with me

-

from his position behind bruce in the doorway of the manor, tim can see the tension wound tight in talias hand. the same hand that rests on the shoulder of a young boy.

“this is damian.” she starts off, before either of them can fully process what exactly they’re looking at. “he belongs here.”

tim has no idea what that means. he sweeps his eyes across the two of them. talia, obviously, is full of uncharacteristic nerves. she isn’t wearing the league-style uniforms he and bruce tend to run across, instead her clothing is more casual like she’s trying to blend in. the kid is even weirder, with a minecraft hoodie over a league tunic and a sword at his hip. it’s fucking bizarre, if he’s being honest.

bruce would never say that, but it’s clear that it’s what he’s thinking. “talia. explain.” he says, taking on the bat-growl, as it has been nicknamed.

“let us inside, and i’ll explain everything.” she says.

tim is too confused to do anything but back up, but bruce stands his ground. talia stares him in the eyes, like some weird nonverbal argument, until bruce finally steps back, ushering them all to the nearest sitting room.

tim falls back to make sure every lock on the (surprisingly sturdy, considering how old it looks) door has been locked, just in case. with the whole ninja and assassin thing— he’s learned it’s better not to take chances.

he sneaks into the sitting room, trying to call as little attention to himself as is possible. like, he would, but this seems like one of those situations that talia probably doesn’t really want some 16 year-old loudly intruding on. he perches on the chair further from talia and the kid, damian, whatever.

speaking of the kid, tim starts watching him closely. he hasn’t spoken a word, just fiddling with the zipper of his hoodie or rocking slightly back and forth in his chair. the only person he’s really looked at like he was paying attention to, is talia. at this point, tim feels safe in his assumption that damian is her kid.

he isn’t sure if talia has told him about the whole batman thing yet, but he isn’t reacting like she has. to be honest, he isn’t even reacting like most people do in the presence of bruce wayne. he seems so entirely unimpressed it’s almost funny. his green eyes flick around, either cataloguing doors, or looking for someone. tim isn’t sure which one is the better option.

he realizes that he’s been spaced out for too long when bruce’s low bat-growl snaps him out of his thoughts. “absolutely not.” bruce is saying in response to something tim didn’t catch.

“if you would just—“ talia says, but bruce cuts her off.

“no, anything you need to say can be said right here, right now.”

“bruce, i understand your concerns, but this isn’t about you.” talia snaps. tim still has no idea what in hell they’re talking about.

the boy sits and rocks a little. his eyes are trained on something down the hallway.

“you came to my house, you need to tell me.”

talia rolls her eyes. “get over yourself, detective.” there’s venom in her voice in the way she says detective.

“i would like to meet my father now.” damian interrupts whatever bruce is about to say in response. all three sets of eyes turn to look at him, but he keeps looking down the hall, still searching for someone. “mother says he is a very good man.”

tim swears he can see a vein about to pop out of bruce’s forehead. “talia. do you mean to tell me—“

“miss talia, what a surprise. i was unaware that you would be visiting the house. had i known we had guests, i would have prepared tea.” alfred’s voice either breaks the tension, or increases it drastically. tim can’t really tell.

his head whips over to talia, who is smiling, and damian, who is rocking slightly faster.

“pennyworth,” talia greets, her smile widening even more as she rises to her feet. “you are exactly who i was looking for.”

“alfred, i would like for you to meet your son, damian al ghul-pennyworth. heir to al ghul, and heir to the butler.”

what the actual fuck.

-

TO BE CLEAR THIS IS BULLSHIT BASED ON SOMETHING MY ROOMMATE SAID. i do not genuinely think this is like, a good idea. i just thought it was funny. also this is a little bit based on that one timeline where she’s like 150 bc ???? anyway old people can fuck too!!

also i think i accidentally made damian autistic so there’s that. it’s because he is.

[yostresswritinggirl]

Sorry i really need to brainrot about tighnari to anyone for a moment. It's just gonna be a bunch of ramblings about this man so feel free to delete this as you see fit (also has archon quest spoilers)

I don't know why I love tighnari. I really don't know. He's terribly mean at times, always throwing the most creative insults in that stupidly nice voice of his but at the same time, he's also one of the most devoted, passionate and nicest characters i've ever seen. He protected haypasia from the fatui and the first thing he did after getting struck by lightning was not to tend to himself, but to see if she was still alright and even then, he insisted on listening to the traveler first and seeing them and dehya off before doing anything for himself. He's so stupidly stubborn that at that moment, all I wanted to do was bring a first aid kit and just, tend to his wounds, saving nahida be damned because this man can't even be bothered to care for himself when he was the only one who suffered injuries in that. Also, he's simulatenously the smartest and most idiot person i've ever seen-- who the hell researchs mushrooms through oral experimentation? How does he have the audacity to call people for being stupid when he willingly knocks himself out with a mushroom in a dense forest, completely defenseless to anything that could attack him. Are those papers really worth it. Can't you care yourself a little bit more? What would collei think. You practically raise her and told her not to overexert herself but here you are putting yourself in danger for a few papers. What an idiot, yet it only makes me want to kiss this man silly even more. Also his ears and tails are completely unfair. How dare he look so cute with his ears flat on his head in embarassment. How dare he move his tail according to how his emotions are. How could one man be so utterly cute and think that his ears and tails are no different from a normal cat's or dog's. They are completely different because they are on you darling, they are special because you're the one with them and the fact that you don't even realize how weak some people are for them makes me want to ruffle him up so badly. How would he look like when being kissed. Would his ears be pinned to his head as his face flushes completely red or would he be confident and bold. God he's just so cute I can't. But that can't be the only reason why everytime i see him, i smile so foolishly to the point that it probably makes me look stupid. Wish I could punch him in the face every time he does something stupid before kissing him to remind him that there are people who care for his wellbeing. Hate him so much i swear to god

This, all of this, and everything in between

But must you really use the word oral experimentation?!

[happybirfdayally]

Liana ship meme

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice?

Ariana!!!!

Who threatens to leave but never actually does?

I don’t think either of them really? Ariana isn’t above threatening to dump him like as a joke but during a fight, hell no

Who actually keeps their word and leaves?

If it got to that point easily Li, he’s more mature and would just want space?

Who trashes the house?

Ariana, she’s infamously slow to anger and even slower to calm so she’d definitely throw some shit, not at Li or anything but still.

Do either of them get physical?

No way! They like to spar and shit but they wouldn’t dream of hitting each other in anger

How often do they argue/disagree?

Not often, they tend to agree on most things now that they’re together or at least talk shit out enough that it’s barely a disagreement 

Who is the first to apologise?

Probably Ariana, I think she’s the quickest to let shit go in regards to Li. Both out of simpiness and being at odds with Li stresses her out more than whatever fight they could be in

Sex:

Who has the strangest desires?

Uhhh??? Idk man

Any kinks?

For sure, they looove experimenting with each other and they’re definitely into breaking shit when they fuck, idk what specific kinks they have really but it’s a few 

Who’s dominant in bed?

They both r complete dom vibes and probably wrestle over it in bed FREQUENTLY.

Is head ever in the equation?

OF COURSE

If so, who is better at performing it?

Idk about better but I know for a fact that Ariana is the most enthusiastic about it, she’s been dying to slob on his knob since the day they met probably and the thrill will probably never wear off

Ever had sex in public?

Honestly probably. They’re entirely too eager and shameless about this kind of thing.

Who moans the most?

Li 

Who leaves the most marks?

Feels v Li but they both come out with their fair share of bruises every now and then

Who screams the loudest?

Ari!

Who is the more experienced of the two?

Li, for SURE

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’?

Both but they’re v aggressive so it probably ends on the fuck spectrum of softness more than anything 

Rough or soft?

 Rough!

How long do they usually last?

FOREVER, they have insane stamina

Is protection used?

Ariana probably has a shot or IUD, definitely a girlie that enjoys letting Li fill her up like a twinkie without risking anything 

Does it ever get boring?

No way 

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex?

Under the bleachers on a tourney field probably? But literally anywhere public

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children?

They’re BOTH so family focused I simply cannot fathom them never having kids, so it’s definitely in the plan.

If so, how many children do your muses want/have?

I think three or four is a good number for them!

Who is the favorite parent?

Honestly I doubt their kids will have a fave, they’re both so cool.

Who is the authoritative parent?

Li, I think

Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school?

Li? Maybe? I feel like Ariana thinks if they wanna skip they’re gonna have to be smart enough to con her into it.

Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around?

Ariana!!! Li would NEVER! 

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children?

Both of them, enthusiastically if it’s sports related 

Who goes to parent teacher interviews?

Li, Ariana would try to fight someone

Who changes the diapers?

Both

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby?

Both

Who spends the most time with the children?

Uhhh Li? Ariana is a busy Tourney star 

Who packs their lunch boxes?

Li, duh

Who gives their children ‘the talk’?

Li, Ariana is not to be trusted to not stick her foot in her mouth

Who cleans up after the kids?

Li is definitely neater than Ariana

Who worries the most?

Li??

Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from?

Ariana, because she taught them on purpose for a laff

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle?

Ariana, definitely more than Li because I get the vibe that just laying around stagnant is NOT for him when they could easily be fuckin instead 

Who is the little spoon?

Ariana cuz that’s the only way to get Li still

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places?

Both of them easily, but Ariana would definitely be shocked by alll the places Li has fucked and would fuck again

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself?  

Both

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable?

Not looong but mostly because they’d end up nekkid

Who gives the most kisses?

Ariana, she’s still so gagged she GOT him she can’t resist 

What is their favourite non-sexual activity?

Somewhere between sparring and cooking

Where is their favourite place to cuddle?

???

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other?

Li?

How often do they get time to themselves?

Fuck if I kno

Sleeping:

Who snores? If both do, who snores the loudest?

Heihei

Do they share a bed or sleep separately?

Depends on the day rn, Ariana has a thing about Heihei sleeping in his own room and if they’re not at her place she’s leaving.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart?

Cozy-ish but not super on top of each other either

Who talks in their sleep?

Neither?

What do they wear to bed?

Their skin

Are either of your muses insomniacs?

No

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside?

I think so just because sometimes the sleep schedules need a lil help

Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side?

Closer to side by side

Who wakes up with bed hair?

Ariana! But I could see Li with one of those mushed flat on the side looks.

Who wakes up first?

Li

Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other?

Li

What is their favourite sleeping position?

?

Who hogs the sheets?

Ariana and or Heihei

Do they set an alarm each night?

Yes. 

Can a television be found in their bedroom?

Probably

Who has nightmares?

Uhh? Li?

Who has ridiculous dreams?

Ariana

Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed?

Ariana

Who makes the bed?

Li

What time is bed time?

Probably early?

Any routines/rituals before bed?

Other than sex??? No??

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up?

Li? His stoicism leads to coming off more grumpy than Ariana could ever

Work:

Who is the busiest?

Uhh I have no way of knowing if professional tourney is busier than being a ROAR coach

Who rakes in the highest income?

Probably Ariana??

Are any of your muses unemployed?

No

Who takes the most sick days?

Neither they’re both super dedicated towards their things

Who is more likely to turn up late to work?

Neither but I feel like Ariana is more likely to risk being late for it

Who sucks up to their boss?

Neither

What are their jobs?

Pro Tourney player and ROAR coach

Who stresses the most?

Ariana, especially if her team isn’t doing as well as she thinks they should

Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations?

LOVE them!! At least Ariana does but I’m assuming Li also loves his job because he doesn’t strike me as the kind of man to keep at a career he hates?

Are your muses financially stable?

Very v stable

Home:

Who does the washing?

Ariana? But like I don’t think she’s great at color separation 

Who takes out the trash?

Li

Who does the ironing?

Ariana does not believe that clothes need to be ironed and probably puts clothes in a room with a hot shower running, so if anything needs to be straightened quickly it’s either up to Li or not done

Who does the cooking?

They do it together!! Or Li takes charge while Ari oogles

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying?

They can both cook but Ariana is waaay more likely to get all horned up just watching Li and ruin things

Who is messier?

Ariana and Heihei

Who leaves the toilet roll empty?

Heihei

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor?

Ariana

Who forgets to flush the toilet?

Ariana but only while pottytraining Heihei, when SHE goes, it’s fine.

Who is the prankster around the house?

Neither? I don’t think they’re that interested in pranks? They get their goofs out in other ways

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere?

Ariana because she handed it to Heihei

Who mows the lawn?

Ariana exactly once for the novelty of it and never again

Who answers the telephone?

They both have cells

Who does the vacuuming?

Ariana but just to make sure heihei doesn’t choke

Who does the groceries?

Both but mostly Li

Who takes the longest to shower?

Ariana she’s got a lot of hair

Who spends the most time in the bathroom?

Ariana, she likes to text on the toilet even after she’s finished peeing

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem?

No lmao

How many cars do they own?

Twoo

Do they own their home or do they rent?

Rn they’re both renting their own apartments 

Do they live in the city or in the country?

The city! 

Do they enjoy their surroundings?

Yeah!

What’s their song?

Tide is high by Blondie probably 

What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Lots of sexting.

Where did they first meet?

Hmmmm probably Auradon Prep when Ariana was a freshman and Li was a senior? I think thats their age difference, right?

How did they first meet?

I feel like we kept meaning to decide and never did

Who spends the most money when out shopping?

Li? Ariana’s so anti establishment I actually cannot picture her in a store and not a farmer’s market or craft fair to obtain goods and services 

Who’s more likely to flash their assets?

Neither, Ariana would be disgusted if Li was like that

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over?

Ariana would be such a dick when Li trips like “oh no an old man has fallen and he can’t get up!!” Unless Li mentioned his old injury and thats why he fell or if he hurt it, then she would shut theee fuck up and never stop apologizing 

Any mental issues?

No??

Who’s terrified of bugs? Who kills the spiders around the house?

Neither but Ariana wouldn’t let Li kill the spiders, either Heihei gets to try to eat them or they go out the window humanely. 

Their favourite place?

Somewhere athletic?

Who pays the bills?

They pay their own bills!

Do they have any fears for their future?

I’m sure but I cannot think if them

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner?

Both of themmm, and ofc it’s like handmade fancy not restaurant fancy.

Who uses up all of the hot water?  

Ariana

Who’s the tallest?

They’re the same height as Ariana loves to remind Li so regularly 

Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other?

Ariana “conserving water is always best for our planet!” Waialiki

Who wanders around in their underwear?

Both, they’re very hot people 

Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio?

Ariana, the fact that she can’t sing does not stop her. Unless it’s a song from that time she got cursed. 

What do they tease each other about?

Being old and being young! It’s basically foreplay

Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times?

Do either of them even care??? 

Do they have mutual friends? 

Uhh I think I need to make more friends for Li tbh? All I can think of are Ariana’s friends, primarily the friend group that’s all mutual buddies of Ariana and Aimee even tho those two never chatted.

Who crushed first?

ARIANA

Any alcohol or substance related problems?  

Nope

Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am?

Maybe Ariana cuz she’s partying with her team?

Who swears the most?

Uh both??

[musedbyalli]

𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 / 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐂𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 (Death)

𝙽𝙾. 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝙿𝙾𝙺𝙴𝙽 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂: Literally all of them, even ones that are no longer used.  Benefit of being ancient

𝚃𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙾𝙸𝙲𝙴: high / average/ deep

𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙴𝙽𝚃: yes / no

𝙳𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚁: confident / shy / approachable / hostile / other.

𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴: slumped / straight / stiff/ relaxed

𝙷𝙰𝙱𝙸𝚃𝚂: head tilting / swaying / fidgeting / stuttering / gesturing / arm crossing / strokes chin / er, um, or other interjections / plays with hair or clothing / hands at hips /inconsistent eye contact / maintains eye contact/ frequent pausing / stands close / stands at distance

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐓𝐘.

𝚅𝙾𝙲𝙰𝙱𝚄𝙻𝙰𝚁𝚈:  ⬛  ⬛   ⬛   ⬛  ⬛

𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽:  ⬛  ⬜⬜⬜⬜

𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝚄𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴: ⬛  ⬛   ⬛   ⬛  ⬛

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘. 

𝙵𝚁𝙴𝚀𝚄𝙴𝙽𝙲𝚈:  ⬛  ⬜⬜⬜⬜

𝙲𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙸𝚃𝚈:  ⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜

𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘.

arse. ass. asshole. bastard. bitch. bloody. bugger. bollocks. chicken shit.crap. cunt. dick. frick. frak fuck. fuckity. horseshit. kriff. motherfucker. piss. prick. screw. shit. shitass. son of a bitch. twat. wanker. pussy.

𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓.

christ on a bike. christ on a cracker. damn. goddamn. godsdamn. gorram hell. holy shit. Jack In the Box Jesus jesus. jesus christ. jesus h christ. jesus h. roosevelt christ. lord have mercy. jesus, mary and joseph. sweet jesus. Sweet Rassilon on a Bike

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓

straightforward or cryptic? finding the right word or using the first word that comes to mind? masculinity, neutrality, or femininity? formalities or abrasiveness?praise or equivocation? frankness or lies? excessive or minimal hand gestures?name-calling or magnanimity? friendly or blunt nicknames?

𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.

𝙳𝙾 𝙿𝙴𝙾𝙿𝙻𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝙰 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙳 𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙾𝚁 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁? almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely/ never.

𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁’𝚂 𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙰𝙲𝚁𝙾𝚂𝚂 𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙻𝚈 𝚆𝙷𝙴𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙰𝙺? almost always / frequently/ sometimes / rarely / never.

𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙸𝙽𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙰𝚃𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂? almost always / frequently /sometimes/ rarely / never.

𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚃𝙾 𝙴𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂? almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never.

𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚄𝚂𝙴 ‘𝚆𝙷𝙾𝙼’ 𝙸𝙽 𝙰 𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴? yes / no

𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙰𝙽𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝙰 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙽𝚃. 𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙳𝙾 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈 𝚄𝚂𝙴? but / though / although / however / perhaps / mayhaps

𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙴𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂? walk away / ask if that’s everything / say that’s everything / give a proper goodbye / tell/ask their company they’re done here / remain quiet / they don’t.

𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙰𝙳𝙳𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂? titles / first names /surnames / full names / nickname

𝙸𝙽 𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝚆𝙰𝚈𝚂 𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚈 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙰𝙺 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝚃𝙾 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂? accent / vocabulary / tone / level / politeness / brusqueness / it doesn’t.

tagged by: @truesymphony tagging: Everyone!

[thunderpetal]

How much each of the Chain swear

Ranked from most polite to the worst offenders.

Twilight - Because he spent so much time hanging out with the Ordon kids, he just trained himself to never swear. It was a better option than risking only allowing himself to swear when they weren’t around, in case he accidentally messed up one time. Truthfully, none of the Ordon adults would be that mad at him for prematurely teaching Colin to say fuck - but Twilight is a good lad, and worries a lot about these things. Even as an adult away adventuring, swearing has never come naturally to him and probably never will.

Hyrule - Because so much of his adventures were spent alone, he didn’t know a single swear word for a while. Then he started hearing them in the towns of his Hyrule, and innocently incorporated them into his vocabularly like they were any other word. Because of this, he used to swear a lot, but now he actually knows the meanings behind the words he’s much less keen. He’s lowkey scandalised to hear other members of the Chain swear so freely, especially Legend! Secretly the biggest prude of them all, but no one thinks he is.

Sky - Sometimes swears in his head, but has so far never done so in front of the Chain. Like Twilight, he trained himself to never accidentally swear, cause I mean, he went to school! He was around teachers and responsible adults half the time! And when he began his adventure... he just felt bad swearing in front of Fi gjfkdsgh. She would never have minded if he did, but Sky respects her just as much, if not more than the adults of Skyloft, and he could never bring himself to swear in her presence. Even during the toughest parts of his journey. One day he’s gonna troll the Chain by saying ‘SHIT’ really loudly and then pretending that nothing happened.

Warriors - Swears when bad things happen to him, but doesn’t really otherwise. He used to be terrified of swearing in front of Artemis until he quickly discovered what pottymouths she and Impa are. Still, though, he prefers not to, on the whole. However, he won’t hold himself back from yelling a colourful string of swear words when he gets injured, or when Legend’s being annoying. And if they’re in the middle of a battle and Warriors quietly says ‘...Shit.’, that’s when you know things have just taken a turn for the worse.

Four - He likes swearing, and is probably the kind of guy who will start citing studies about how it’s a good stress outlet and people who swear are more honest (which is ironic considering his whole deal, but whatever) if you ask him why. Basically the exact same vibe as that one post that’s like ‘Writing is all about finding the best word to describe a situation, and sometimes that word is ‘ass’.’ Also, some of the colours, cough cough Blue, like to swear more than others, though all of them tend to at some point.

Time - Swore a lot more when he was younger, but he’s somewhat mellowed out now. I say somewhat. Like Warriors, he will swear when things go wrong or he’s angry, but also sometimes just for the sake of it. Him and Malon are a pretty foul-mouthed couple. He also has the fun bonus of knowing swear words from other lands, with how well travelled he is. The Chain are mostly assuming he’s a prude but they haven’t even seen 1% of his power yet. He tells the others off for their language, but he never actually means it. Every time Wind swears he’s like ‘that’s my boy <3′. I also hc his accent as Scottish, so do what you will with that knowledge.

Legend - Swears liberally and does not care what anyone thinks. He has been through way too much bullshit to restrain himself from saying bullshit. He also knows way more swear words from other countries than Time does, and doesn’t hesitate to use them all the time. Uses insult and swear words practically as terms of endearment. If Legend says to you ‘oi get over here fuckface’ that means he loves you.

Wild - It might be a surprise to some to see him so far up the list, but hey, this is my headcanon. And I see him as an absolute fucking pottymouth. More specifically, I hc him having a South London kinda accent to go along with Flora’s posh British one, and that basically translates to a whole lot of swearing. He picked up almost all the swear words he knows from meeting random people on his adventures, as many of them were invented during his hundred year nap. Wild’s people have created a lot of rude slang to curse monsters with ever since Calamity Ganon came back, and Wild is just a reflection of that. Unlike Legend, though, he hardly ever uses swear words to refer to his fellow Links, but they find their way into almost every sentence of his regardless.

Wind - Absolutely lethal combo of pirate and thirteen year old boy. Wind will use every swear word in the dictionary and then create some of his own on top. He begs Legend to teach him curse words from other countries, and pesters Wild to tell him what the slang he uses means. For Twilight, seeing a boy barely bigger than Colin act like this is basically culture shock. But that’s not Wind’s problem. Around Grandma, though, he totally transforms - never done a single thing wrong in his life, never said fuck, never plundered the great seas, no ma’am. The first time the Chain see him change his behaviour around her, no one wants to tell her what her perfect grandson is really like. But she knows, and she loves Wind all the same. As long as he doesn’t go prematurely teaching Aryll to say fuck.

[theaudacitytowrite]

Softy

Loki x Fem!Reader

A/N: I apologize beforehand for this fic. This is a recycled fic I wrote in ~2016. It’s cheesy, it’s cliché and I love it... even though I cringed a bit while rewriting^^ And of course it’s way too long because I can’t controle myself.

Summary: Thanks to a mix up Loki and you have to share a hotel room.

word count: 3.434

"What do you mean there was a mix up?" you groaned as you stared at the front desk clerk. Your muscles ached and all you wanted to do was to take a hot shower and fall into bed. The mission Tony had sent you on had been more complicated and stressful than expected. Thankfully Tony had the kindness to book some rooms in a nearby hotel for you and your fellow avengers, instead of having the five of you drive for multiple hours in this exhausted state.

"We booked your room twice. I'm really sorry Ms. Y/L/N" he apologized vividly, distress clearly visible on his face.

"So now I don't have a room?" you tried to wrap your mind around this situation.

"I'm afraid so." the clerk mumbled, "Or you could discuss it with the gentleman for whom we accidentally booked it as well."

"And that is who?" you huffed exaggerated.

"A certain... Loki Laufeyson? His room was payed with the same card." the clerk told you.

"Yeah, yeah I know him." you nodded already absent in your thoughts, pondering who else you could ask to share a room with. There was no way you would ask Peter again. He tended to keep you awake the whole night because he loved sleep overs and would practically never shut up.  Nat probably shared a room with Wanda as per usual. Maybe they had a spare couch for you to sleep on. Even the floor would be less humiliating than asking Loki to share a room.

"Did I hear my name?" Loki suddenly chimed in from behind and placed his luggage right next to you.

"What did I miss?" he looked at you friendly.

"Well... this nice clerk just told me that they had a mix up with the rooms and accidentally booked both of us for the same room." you pressed through clenched teeth, trying to keep your cool.

"Oh." Loki frowned, "Aren't there any other rooms?"

"I'm afraid not, Sir. We're booked up." the clerk nervously scratched his neck.

"Then I suppose we have to share." Loki inspected, his face surprisingly cheery.

"Really?" you asked dumbfounded, "I could ask the girls if I can bunk with them or sleep on the floor or something. I don't want to invade your privacy."

"You're not invading anything, darling." Loki chuckled, "We had a tiring and strenuous day love, you're not going to sleep on the floor. And if someone would have to search for another room that would be me. So if it's ok with you we can share the room. After all, it's just one night."

"Eh.. yeah sure. I got no problem with that." you practically stuttered.

It wasn't that you didn't like Loki, you were just surprised that he seemed to be open for this idea. Not everybody would be that comfortable to share a bed with someone they only see at work. But maybe this would finally be the day the two of you got closer. Something you really longed for. You always had been intrigued by him. You could swear behind this facade of sarcasm and grumpiness, there had to be a softer core to him. You didn't want to lean out of the window too far but behind every scary and intimidating guy seemed to wait a soft and cuddly man. You just have to get to know them. And that was what you tried since Loki had joined the avengers.

You were already friends with Thor so you thought it couldn’t be that hard to befriend Loki as well. But it hadn't worked out quite like you had hoped.  By this point you were certain that Loki thought you were just another nuisance he had to tolerate when he lived in the Stark tower. That's why it surprised you even more that he was so willing to share a room and even a probably way too small bed.

~

You stood besides Loki in the elevator, your head hanging low while anxiously biting your lips. Loki noticed your uneasiness as he glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. He cleared his throat.

"Are you ok?" he murmured hoarsely. You must have flinched because suddenly his voice was soft and soothing. "We don't have to share rooms if it makes you uncomfortable."

"What? No, that's not what troubles me. I just don't wanna bother you or make you uncomfortable or even annoy you." you babbled hastily.

"Why would you make me uncomfortable?" Loki raised his eyebrow and looked skeptical at you, as if it was impossible for you to be annoying. Well he hadn't have to spend so many years with you like you had yourself. So you could forgive him his naivety.

"I just thought... well we're not the closest. So I thought it might be a bit weird if we shared a bed." you told him truthfully.

"You're cute." he chuckled deeply, "I think I'm the one who needs to worry more that I could make you uncomfortable."

"Why that?" you asked puzzled.

"Well I can be a bit cold some times and not everyone is a fan of sarcasm. At least that's what I get told a lot." he shrugged, his eyes gazing at the elevator display.

"Intimidating? Nah, you're way too kind to be intimidating. And coincidentally I'm able to handle sarcasm." you had found your confidence again. If he wasn't uncomfortable with this, why should you be?

"Oh thank you. I don't hear that very often." his eyes found yours. He gave you an unreadable look. The elevator made its "ping" sound to inform you that you had arrived on your floor. But you didn't react. You just... stared at eachother. As you became aware of what you were doing you cleared your throat and broke your little staring contest.

"Then let's go get our room sorted out." you exclaimed grabbing your duffle bag.

"Lead the way." Loki agreed and followed you behind closely.

~

To your relief you had a bed in which comfortably two people could fit in. At least you did not have to lay press against eachother... for the beginning. You knew that your sleeping position wasn't the best for sharing a bed with someone. Especially not someone who was your colleague. Because no matter how you would fall asleep, you always woke up sprawled over the whole bed. No matter who laid next to you, or how many barriers were put in between of you. That's why you had stopped sharing beds a long time ago. One time you had roomed together with Wanda and she had the grand idea to push the beds together. You had warned her of your habit but she just waved you off saying 'It can't be that bad.' She had changed her mind when she had woken up in you death grip the next day, desperately trying to wriggle out of it because she needed to go to the toilet. Luckily she was able to wake you up after a while when she intruded your dreams when shaking and kicks didn't do anything. It was close but thankfully she could prevent the worst from happening.

As you tried to think of a solution to not wake up on Loki or with tangled limbs, Loki had already made himself feel at home. He had already showered and left the bathroom to you. You gathered your pj's and your sponge bag and headed for a shower too.

~

Half an hour later you were ready for bed. As you opened the bathroom door you gulped hard. Loki rummaged around in his luggage in just his boxer shorts. An image you didn't want to forget any time soon. You forced yourself to look away, not to be caught while drooling over this sight. No, you would try to be casual about it... like an adult would.

"We're really doing this." you mumbled under your breath, still a bit light headed from the pleasant surprise. You walked over to your bag, putting away your dirty clothes.

"Sexy." Loki grinned at you as you turned around.

"Ah shut up!" you flipped him off. You knew that you didn't look the cutest in your stripped pj pants and your oversized shirt. But you hadn't anticipated that anybody than yourself would see you like that tonight.

"You did great today." Loki commented as he slipped under the covers.

"Thank you." you couldn't bite back the smile on your lips, "You weren't too bad yourself."

"What an honour to hear that out of your mouth." he grinned, "I didn't take you for someone who would be so smooth with daggers."

"Well, how did you expect me to fight?"

"I don't know. But definitely not as someone that graceful and quick. It almost looked like you were dancing." he mused.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" you sat on top of the covers, eyeing him suspicious.

"Am I that bad at it?" he laughed, "I like watching you fight."

"Why's that?" you asked intrigued by his statement. Lokis gaze wandered to the duvet as he straightened the crinkled fabric.

"Only because..." he cryptically answered, "Let's get some sleep!" he distracted promptly.

"Don't you wanna get under the covers? I bet that would be way more comfortable than shivering above them." he teased.

"Sure." you looked at him pensive but decided to let his comment slide. You shimmied under the covers and laid on your back for a while. You felt that Loki was glancing at you every now and then. He too laid on his back. Maybe he wasn't as comfortable and confident as he had proclaimed earlier.

"We have more in common than I thought." he blurted out after a while.

"How's that?" you glanced at him.

"Just fighting technique wise... and style."

"And that just came to your mind now?" you were curious what he would answer now.

"No... I mean I kind of was aware of it the whole time. I mean I noticed it a while ago when we hang out together with Thor and the others. I guess it just came to my mind now." he explained.

"Ahh..." you weren't able to think of anything else right then. Your mind went completely blank.

"Why are we never talking?" Loki thought out loud suddenly.

"I dunno." you shrugged. And you really didn't know because you always tried to strike up a conversation with him. But often times he would just stand there silent next to you, nodding or occasionally even giving you a monosyllabic answer.

Loki went silent again, back to starring at the ceiling. You felt bad for not being able to keep the conversation going. But you just didn't know about what. Rummaging through your brain your blurted out the first thing that came to your mind.

"You know what I will never understand?" you asked while starring at the ceiling.

"What?" he looked at you.

"Why do hotels only put one blanket on a double bed?" Loki snorted.

"Interesting thoughts..." he snickered.

"But for real though." you turned to your side so you could look at him, "These are the questions of importance!"

"Then enlighten me, Y/N." he chuckled, "What's so bad about those blankets?"

"Who in their right mind thinks that two full grown people can share a blanket without getting into a fight? I'd say that's the number one reason why relationships fail." Loki shook his head in disbelieve and pinched the bridge of his nose laughing. He thought about it for a while before he rolled over on his side too, facing you.

"The way I see it, they do that to bring people closer together. Because if both of us want enough blanket, we need to lay close, perhaps we even have to cuddle." his eyes never left yours.

"Us?" you stuttered quietly. Lokis eyebrows raised up and he broke your gaze, clearing his throat.

"I-I meant like people in general." he corrected himself embarrassed. You face palmed yourself mentally for ruining this moment.

"Let's get some sleep now, for real. The day was stressful and we have to get up early tomorrow." Loki reached to his bedside lamp and turned it of, his back facing you now. You could've kicked yourself in that moment. You watched him for a moment, pondering if you should say something. But you had ruined enough for tonight. You decided to turn around as well, turning your lamp off in the process.

You overthought the moment over and over again in your head. Trying to figure out if you could've said anything else. Something that wouldn't have left him feel embarrassed and probably humiliated. It didn't take long until sleep overcame you.

~

After what seemed like half an hour of sleep you slowly woke up. Something, or better, someone pulled softly on your hair. You stirred a bit and figured it must've gotten caught under Loki when he had stirred in his sleep. Only when it happened again you woke up from your sleep. You remained still for a moment to be sure that Loki didn't just accidentally strive you again. You were about to fall back to sleep when you felt his his fingers gently combing through your hair again.

"Still awake?" you whispered into the darkness When there wasn't an answer you decided to turn around. The moon light that fell through the windows was just bright enough that you could make out Lokis eyes. With big horrified eyes he starred back at you. Would've been a bit brighter you would have seen his face being flushed in a bright red color.

"Erm.. I-I..." he stuttered, probably ashamed of being caught while playing with your hair, "I'm sorry, did I wake you."

"Yeah you did. But that's not the problem. Did you play with my hair?" you chuckled. Loki visibly relaxed when he realized that you weren't angry or weirded out.

"....no?" he lied, even though he probably knew there was no point in denying, "I'm sorry it looked so soft and I couldn't resist." he finally confessed. You chuckled on how flustered he had become.

"I'm really sorry. I had a hard time falling asleep and your hair just looked so soft. And I see Wanda and Nat playing with your hair all the time... and I kinda was curious if it's really as soft as they always claim..." he blushed heavily, "I know it's weird and I'm really sorry."

"You don't need to be embarrassed! I'm used to people running their hands through my hair. It's not weird, don't worry. And, did it reach your expectations?" you asked him cheekily.

"It has outdone them actually." he grinned coyly.

"You know, you could've found out much earlier, if you just had asked." you nuzzled into my pillow.

"...really?" you nodded, "So you wouldn't mind if I'd do it again?"

"Not at all. I actually quite like it when someone plays with my hair. It's really soothing." you shrugged. Loki looked at you for a while, seemingly thinking about your words.

"So you're absolutely fine when I do it, too?" he wanted to clear it up a final time.

"Nope, not a problem at all." you grinned. Slowly and almost hesitant his left arm rose towards your hair again. He twisted a strand of your hair in between his fingers cautiously. His gaze slowly wandered from his fingertips to your eyes.

"It really is unbelievably soft." he gushed. You giggled and made yourself a bit more comfortable by scootching a little bit closer to him, snuggling into your shared blanket.

"Now that that's cleared you can go to sleep. Just close your eyes." you established and he followed your instructions. When his eyes were closed, you scanned his face shamelessly. The light of the moon made him look ethereal. His black locks fell tousled in his face, framing his beautiful face. His high cheekbones looked like they could cut glass, yet his sleepy expression contrasting softly. It surely was a picture for the gods. With a content smile you let your eyes fall shut as his hands continued to gently caress your scalp. A pleased sigh left your lips. After a few seconds you could feel his gaze burning on your face again. You slowly opened your eyes again to see him staring, his intensity making you blush a little.

"That's quite the opposite of closing your eyes. No wonder you have a hard time falling asleep." you mocked.

"I know... it's just that I'm not used to sleep next to such a beautiful women. You make me all nervous." You were glad that Loki couldn't see the bright red that flushed your face in the dim room, at least that's what you hoped.

"Since when are you so cheesy?" you playfully pushed his face away with your hand. He chuckled and returned to watch you closely.

"I'm not cheesy, just hopelessly romantic!" you felt his warm hand hovering above your ribs. When he lowered his icy fingertips on your exposed skin where your shirt had ridden up a bit, you yelped out.

"Stop tickling, Loki! That's not fair!" you squealed in between laughs. You tried to wiggle out of his grasp helplessly but it was pointless. Your limbs were thrown in various directions until you hit something and a muffled "oof" escaped into the darkness. Lokis hands were gone in an instant.

"Oh gosh, Loki, I'm sorry." you were still a giggling mess.

"I practically asked for it." he huffed in pain. Once you pulled yourself together, you reached out for his face and cupped it in between your warm hands.

I'm really sorry." you pouted, "Can I make it up to you?" You could see him pondering for a moment, his gaze never leaving yours.

"...actually I think you can." he stopped, thinking about his next words carefully, "How about... you know what, nevermind."

"What is it?" you smiled at him.

"Eh... I really don't want to push my luck." he bit his lip.

"Tell me." you insisted.

"Well you pushed me to say it." he feigned sheepishness, "And you did tell me to ask if I had something on my mind..."

"Just spill it Laufeyson." you laughed, hitting his chest playfully. Loki smiled at you before he began to speak again.

"Well I was wondering... if your hair is even softer than it looks... will it be the same for your lips?" he breathed. Loki took you by surprise and you looked at him in a daze. Had he really said what you had heard? Or were you still dreaming?

"I don't think I can answer that subjectively.. I guess you have to find out for yourself."

'Where did that came from?' you asked yourself. But you had no time to think about that sudden burst of confidence as Lokis lips dangerously hovered near yours. Suddenly you became super aware of the body heat that radiated off of him. And his scent that normally infatuated you, made you feel dizzy. You couldn't bare this feeling of anticipation anymore as you closed the space between your lips. Loki leaned over you as I wrapped my hands around his neck to get even closer to him. As he pulled away he was breathing heavily, a wide grin spread over his lips.

"Wow." he gasped, "Softer than I imagined." he said before he pecked your lips once again.

"Just had to be sure." he chuckled making you giggle in response. Loki laid besides you again, his hand softly grasping yours, entwining your fingers. He smiled at you content.

"Can I just say that this mix up is the best that could've happen to me?" his husky voice made you shiver, "Else I probably wouldn't have had the guts to talk to you."

"Really? But why?" you asked amazed, "I always thought you didn't like me. I assumed that's why we never talked. Am I that intimidating?" you teased.

"What can I say... I'm shy too sometimes." he shrugged.

"That makes you even more adorable." you smiled at him warmly.

"As if anybody couldn't like you!" he shook his head and pulled you close to him. His head resting against the crown of your head comfortably. You smiled against his chest content as you breathed in his scent.

"Oh and you were right." you mumbled into his chest.

"With what?" he mumbled sleepily, on the verge of falling asleep.

"Sharing a blanket ain't that bad if it's the right person you're sharing it with." Loki chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

~

Taglist:  @lucywrites02 @funsized-mimi @silver-lupines @variant59 @austynparksandpizza @tinctureofmaddness​ @user13cabs​ 

Let me know if you want to be added:)

[haikyuu-sins]

Hiiii sweetie I love your Law writings so much! Oh this sounds like your others are bad, no I didn't mean to say that! I'm sure your others are good too, I just didn't read them yet because I'm Law obsessed lately. Anyways, could I request something? It's actually my first time to request something so I hope I did it right??? I'm sorry if I didn't. Coming back to the request, could you do something like Law x reader (preferably female but gn would be okay too though so everyone can relate!) being kinda close to each other and always teasing each other (she is a Strawhat member) and he is deeply in love with her but his heart breaks seeing her hugging a guy of her crew? Like he knows she's a cutiepie and loves hugging her friends but he just gets so jealous seeing her with Zoro or whoever and his mood changes and he distances himself from her, leaving her all confused because he thinks it's impossible for her to like him when it's so much more likely and also practical to date someone of her crew. But then she asks him about him being so weird and cold lately and he kind of let's everything out and confesses? I'm so sorry if this is too long or complicated, ignore it if that's the case! Sending lots of love to you from Germany! <3

Oh my freaking goodness you’re so sweet! I’m glad you enjoy all of my Law writings as much as I love writing for him! Don’t even worry, you don’t have to read my other’s if you don’t want to, if it’s just Law you wanna read the go right ahead! :) GERMANY?! I have people reading my works in GERMANY?! It always baffles me when I get asks that say they’re from another country because I forget that not everyone is going to live near me. Thank you for all the love all the way from Germany! ❤️

Warnings: None, other than some swearing here and there, not proofread in the slightest.

****Law x Strawhat!Reader

He hated it. There was nothing more that Law hated right now was seeing you draped over Zoro’s back while you watched something over his shoulder. He was stupid to think that you wouldn’t have a close relationship with them, of course you would. Law could only grit his teeth and endure it. It wasn’t like the two of you were in a relationship, he couldn’t tell you to stop.

Law actually could think of something he hated more. It was the fact that Zoro didn’t seem to mind, not in the slightest. It was like this was a daily occurrence for him and it was something he was used to. Part of him wanted to see the marimo push you off and act annoyed. But something told him that even then, you wouldn’t care and would simply do it again.

“Hey Law! Come look at what Usopp made-!” you slid off of Zoro’s back and turned around with a smile, hoping to see the other swordsman you had seen just a moment ago. Your sweet smile turned into a frown, then a pout when you realized he wasn’t there anymore. ‘Where did he go?’ You thought to yourself as you looked around the deck.

You knew that the other captain was a bit more reclusive than you’d like since you enjoyed being around him and it never seemed like he wanted to be around the rest of the crew-probably because most of the crew was so boisturious and loud and Law was, well...the opposite of boisturious and loud.

It didn’t take you long to find him. “You left us!” you say to him, playfully feigning like you were upset as you crossed your arms. “How rude!”

“And for a reason.” he simply responded back, not even looking at you while he did.

“Sorry, were we being too loud?” you chuckled and smiled. “You’re gonna have to get used to that on this ship while you’re here with us.”

Am I going to have to get used to seeing you all over your crew as well? Law kept his thoughts to himself while he opted not to give you another response.

“Um...I’ll just…” you pointed back to Zoro and the others, leaving him to be by himself since that’s what you thought he wanted. It was the opposite. He wanted to be around you, but he just couldn’t stand seeing you so close to them as well. As much as he wished that was him, he’d never say it aloud.

It was something that you had been noticing the past few days. The two of you got along great when you were on Punk Hazard together, so what was different now? You felt more comfortable since you were on your own ship and maybe that was it. There weren't any battles happening and everyone was quite lax...so shouldn’t it be the opposite? Shouldn’t he be more relaxed now that he knew he was safe? Or was that even it? You weren’t sure.

It took you a few days to finally approach him about it. You noticed that every time you he was around you and then when you went over to your crew mates, he’d be gone before you even turned back around.

The crew was inside eating and Law had finished first, opting to go outside in the quiet after he was done. You soon followed after you were done and left the loud dining room to find him. It wasn’t difficult since there was only a limited area outside on the deck.

“Don’t like how loud it is in there?” you chuckled as you walked up to the railing next to him. “I’m not sure how long you’ll stay with us, but you get used to it, you actually tend to enjoy it after a while and when it’s quiet, you feel a little weird.”

“I don’t think I’ll be getting used to Mugiwara-ya anytime soon and I don’t know how you deal with…” Luffy’s loud shriek was heard in the distance and Law’s face scrunched up, “that.”

You only laugh at the other captain, “I take it your crew isn’t like this then?”

He rolled his eyes and almost cringed at the thought. “No. They are. I just choose to ignore it most of the time.”

“And does that work?”

He answered almost immediately, “Never.”

You laughed again and Law felt like his breath almost caught in his throat. It was something he would be able to listen to over and over again and never get sick of-unlike your captain.

“I wanted to ask you something too…” your fingers tapped the railing and traced the design of the wood. “Are you okay? Or did I do something wrong? I thought we were getting along really well and lately it feels like you’ve been more distant for some reason. I just...I like talking to you and I thought you did too. We’ll be in the middle of a conversation and I’ll turn to talk to someone and then when I turn back to talk to you again, you’re gone. But maybe I just misinterpreted it and you didn’t want to talk to me in the first place.” you let out an almost pitiful sounding laugh, along with a sad smile.

Fuck...That wasn’t the reason in the slightest and he hated that he made you think that it was your fault he was just a little jealous of your crew mates that you live with.

“No.. that’s not it…” he sighed to himself, feeling guilty that he had made you feel that way. He was fighting with himself internally. Do I say something to them or not? He knew that there wouldn’t be much of a relationship since the two of you were on separate crews. Pair that with the fact that he doesn’t even know if he’ll survive this attack on Doflamingo.

Law wouldn’t want to get your hopes up about anything if you felt the same way about him. At the same time, this could possibly be one of his only chances to tell you how he felt. All he could think about was embarrassing himself. From the first time he saw you on Sabaody, he knew that there was something about you because of the way you never left his mind since then.

It was a stroke of luck that you managed to see him again on Punk Hazard. Since you were relatively new to the crew at that time, you still hadn’t bonded with anyone in particular so he never saw you acting like you do now with them.

You raised your brow in an attempt to get him to continue with what he was trying to say. “Then what is it?” you ask him slowly. “If you don’t want to say anything, that’s fine I guess. As long as I’m not doing anything to make you mad or hate me.”

“I’m not mad at you. I don’t hate you either.” he paused for a moment, gritting his teeth together. Law couldn’t believe that he was even doing this to himself. “Quite the opposite actually…”

Your brow raised again in slight confusion. “Oh?” you hesitated, the thought registering in your head about what he meant. You knew he wasn’t exactly the person who would let his feelings gush out. A small smile slipped out and you tried your best not to smirk.. “Ooh~ I see.” you drug your words out slowly.

As Law went to open his mouth, whether to object to what you were saying-even though he wasn’t-or let you know that you were right, he didn’t get to say anything before your Captain burst onto the deck.

“Y/N-chaaan!!! Come play with us!!” and you couldn’t even object or tell Luffy that you would be there in a minute when a long arm stretched out to grab you. It wrapped around your waist and you before it was able to yank you away from Law, you grabbed the collar of his shirt and planted your lips firmly on his.

“I’m glad you don’t hate me~” you grin as you pull away, not because you want to but because you’re being forced away by Luffy.

Law could feel his cheeks heat up from the sudden kiss and all he wanted to do was grab his hat and pull it over his face. But then he would’ve missed seeing your smile as you notice just how flustered you made him. He wouldn’t mind being a little embarrassed if he gets to see your smile every time.

[rek1s-headband]

hi could i request something? basically just HCS about langa and reki when you guy get into a fight or sum idk LMFAOO, you dont have to do this if you dont want to tho <3

➯ A/N: Thank you for the request! I hope you enjoy. I added a few characters, hope you don’t mind:)

➯ When you guys get into a fight

➯ Characters: Langa Hasegawa, Reki Kyan, Kaoru Sakurashiki, Kojiro Nanjou, Hiromi Higa and Miya Chinen x gn reader

➯ Warnings: angst if you squint, fluff

Langa:

Ok the majority of your fights are generally because of a miscommunication. If things aren’t spelled out for the poor boy, he’ll be completely oblivious to what’s bothering you

When you finally snap, he always seems shocked, asking why you hadn’t said anything sooner, even if you’d been trying to hint at it all week

Not really one to shout, but if things get heated enough he might snap. He always feels awful afterwards though. No matter what, he really believes no one should be screamed at because of something as silly as a disagreement

Rarely storms out, he’s always going to try and stay until the end to try and get something, anything out of you that he can use to try and understand your point of view

Understands space. He knows when you dont feel like talking to him, and he will give you that time to collect your thoughts. When you’re ready to speak again, he’s all ears

Gets overwhelmed really easy. It doesnt really show in what he says, but when you raise your voice his brain goes to putty and he can feel his breath get narrow. He’s not scared, he just doesn’t want to be the reason you’re feeling like this.

Never lets you go to bed angry. He’ll give you your space, but if you’re still quiet by bedtime he’s making sure you’ve eaten and you’re not still really upset by whatever played out that day

Overthinks a lot. How long did he not realise you were upset? What if its actually a much bigger deal than you’re letting on? What if you leave? Of course, he knows a lot of it is completely irrational, but it still lingers in the back of his mind, so you can imagine how relieved he is when the fight is over and you’re back in his arms

Asks people for advice a lot. Reki and Cherry are usual helpers, giving Langa their opinions on the matter without going into too much detail. The rest is up to him.

Gives the best hugs and comfort after a fight. He understands couples can fight, and never really takes the aggression let out by the pair of you too seriously. Rubbing the back of your head and holding you close to his chest, he’ll reassure you that he’s not going anywhere, that he’s not going to leave “just because of a silly fight” while you fight back tears on his shoulder.

Reki

Unlike Langa, Reki is a very open person in terms of his feelings, so your fights are rarely because of closed away emotions. However, many are caused by you feeling he is spending too much time in his workshop, overworking himself and not spending as much time with you as he should.

As for Reki, he gets mad when he feels you’re being closed off from him, not telling him things and hiding your true emotions. It’s not that he doesnt trust you, he just doesnt want you shouldering anything by yourself, and tries to make things easier for you by halving the problem.

A very emotional person, and this really shows when the two of you argue. There’s a lot of tears, a lot of raised voices, yknow those exhausted laughs when you’re tired of arguing with someone? Those. He pulls at his hair a lot in frustration too

Both of you need to walk away from each other a lot during arguments. You’re both driven by your emotions, so its hard to think logically once you’ve both gotten really upset.

The type to sit outside a door after an argument if you’ve locked yourself in a room, pressing against it and quietly talking to you, regardless of whether or not he gets a response

Understands space, to a certain extent. He’ll try and talk to you after an argument, try anything to get you to just answer him, to come out from your room, to stop ignoring him. He knows when you really don’t want to face him though, which is when he’ll go out for a while, either to Langa’s for advice, or just for a quiet skate.

Despite how upset he gets in the moment, he gets over it quickly. Once he’s out of his head and seeing properly, he’ll take some time to think it over and see things from your point of view. He’ll come back to you with an apology, and when you’re ready to talk, he’ll discuss things with you this time around instead of fighting

If the fight lasts overnight, he refuses to let you take the couch. If he feels a fight will last, he’ll glue himself to the couch, making it impossible for you to sleep anywhere other than your bed. No matter what the fight was about, he refuses to have you sleep uncomfortably.

Tends to cry after making up. It’s rarely out of sadness, of course, more relief than anything. He’s just happy to have you back in his arms, no longer ignoring him.

Cherry

A very rational person, fights are very rare between the pair of you. When you do fight, it tends to be because you feel he’s being closed off from you, not being as open and emotional with you. As for him, he doesnt like when you act too aloof about things that are actually serious to him

Fights start out quiet, talking in normal tones and using your heads. However, as the fight goes on, your voices gradually get higher and louder, arms thrown in the air as you get in each other’s faces.

He snaps quite a bit. Petty remarks, snappy replies and other unnecessary comments are thrown out without much thought as he gets more pissed off. Not necessarily because he doesn’t have anything to defend himself, but because once he’s started, he’ll do just about anything to piss you off

Depending on the fight, it could last an hour or a week. Both of you are so petty that you’ll refuse to apologise to the other, forgetting who was even in the wrong in the first place

Honestly, whoever goes to sleep first gets the bed, he’s not as considerate as Reki. However, as the fight goes on, the pair of you will stay up for ungodly hours into the night, trying to outlast the other because they dont want them sleeping on the couch. You’ll never admit that though, which is why you wont just fall asleep on the couch first. Besides, if you happen to fall asleep on the couch before Kaoru goes to bed, he’ll carry you upstairs and sleep on the couch himself. He’ll never admit that though, he’ll simply say you woke up and went upstairs in a hazy half-sleep, which is why you dont remember.

He’s definitely programmed Carla to apologise to you for him at least once, rolling her into the room you’re in before quickly walking out to the sound of “Y/N, I-am-very-sorry-and-I-was-wrong-please-forgive-me” in Carlas robotic voice

If you ever go to Joe’s restaurant to cool down, he’ll make a big fuss, swaying and sighing, dramatically shouting about “however will these lovers reconcile!?” Once his act is over though, he’ll comfort you and give you your favourite meal, tutting over the pair of you and thinking of ways to help you make up

Literally won’t let you go of you for at least a week after you fight. This mf is hanging off you, constant forehead kisses, the whole deal. He’s gone without your affection for a long time while you fought, he’s simply making up for lost time

Joe

You get really pissed at him when he flirts with other girls. He doesn’t mean to, he’s just a bit of a girl magnet and it’s his nature to entertain them. Of course, he all yours, but he forgets sometimes that jealousy is actually a thing

Doesnt take arguments as seriously as he probably should. He’s the type to tell you to “calm down” in the worst possible moment, its usually what makes you explode, actually.

Absolutely dense. The type to listen to you shout for five minutes, and only then have the audacity to ask you just what your problem was

It’s not his fault, bless him. He’s just a little unobservant when it comes to your emotions. When he realises you’re actually upset though, he’s apologising profusely and promising to never do it again

His apologies are always so genuine, you generally forgive him. However, if he does something that really pisses you off and you dont forgive him, he’ll give you space to think

Fights are usually resolved within a day. Like Langa, he refuses to let you go to bed angry

Cooks for you every meal regardless of whether or not you eat it. He’ll leave meals outside your door as a sort of truce, quietly pressing against the door and asking you to please come eat with him, that he hates the idea of you holed up in there all alone

Like Kaoru, he tends to reply with snarky remarks that have little to do with the argument, but they have a little less bite to them. More petty, if anything

Another big reason for why fights never last long is because this man literally. Will. Not. Survive. Without. You. You’ll be trying to ignore him while he comes in every five minutes, asking you how to get a certain channel on the TV, or stupid things you know he’s only asking because he misses talking to you

After you make up, he literally wont even look at another girl for at least a week. Mf will literally turn his head the other way if a girl comes near him, shouting about how he’s spoken for

Shadow

The biggest hothead. He says a lot of things he doesn’t mean in the moment, which will cause you to storm out and he’ll immediately regret it

The fight almost immediately escalates past hushed voices, swear words thrown around as you get in each other’s faces

He’ll get really upset, but he’ll mask it with being pissed off and angry, clashing pots around and acting like a literal baby. He doesnt want to admit it, but he always feels awful right after a fight. He knows youll need a bit of space after the intense shouting, so he’ll give you that space before even attempting an apology

Aggressively cares for you. Like he’ll say things like “I made food, it’ll taste like shit if you leave it, so I suggest you have it now” or “nope, I want the couch, I’m gonna watch something” he’ll never admit it, he just wants to make sure you’re alright even while fighting

If the two of you go to S while fighting, it’ll be very obvious. Usually you’re attached at the hip, but now you couldn’t be further apart. However, he’s still looking out for you, keeping an eye on you to make sure you’re alright. If you’re ever getting hit on by some creep, the fight is forgotten and he’s back at your side, daring the stranger to come any closer to you.

Reki is always the first to notice, poking him and pushing you over to him, trying to get the two of you to make up. Surprisingly, it actually does help clear the air

He can never stay mad at you for long though, he’s completely soft for you

Makes you bouquets to try and apologise. He’s taught you a lot about the meanings of flowers, so he’ll specifically pick ones with hidden meanings like “I’m sorry” or “I love you”

Not very good with verbal apologies. He knows when they’re needed though, and they are usually delivered through a series of grumbles and sad expressions. The thought is there though

Gives very gentle, long hugs after you make up. He’ll hold you close, suggesting a date or a movie to help the two of you relax

Miya

Literally the biggest bitch out of the six to fight with. He’s so petty, he will refuse to admit he’s wrong for the longest time. Once he’s in, there’s no accepting he’s not right

At least for a while anyway. He’ll start to feel bad once he sees just how upset you’re getting, frustrated with his inability to see anyone’s point of view but his own

King of the silent treatment. He’ll hide away behind his switch, drowning out his guilty thoughts with the white noise of animal crossing

He’ll skate to take his mind off things, practicing new tricks until he’s exhausted

Makes really snide remarks that have absolutely nothing to do with the argument. The type to bring up shit that happened 4 months ago just to help his case

Reki is usually the one to make him see sense, telling him just how petty he’s being, and that he cant get so defensive when he’s in the wrong. He knows this, obviously, he just can’t help it sometimes.

Although he’s not one for real apologies, he’ll slowly begin to stop ignoring you, bringing you small snacks or sending you funny things he saw on his phone. He’ll sit beside you, acting as if it was completely unintentional, but will slowly inch closer and closer until he’s curled up at your side, mumbling about how he wasn’t completely right after all

Will literally hit anyone who tries to comment on how the pair of you have made up, talking about how “its not even that big of a deal, just shut up”

Ad*m

Yall fought cause y’know. He’s ad*m

Sat outside your house with a speaker and an ugly ass sign. It started raining and his sign got ruined and his makeup ran

You broke up with him and he cried

Slipped in the rain while leaving <3

[flowerwrites06]

break my mind’s eye I — jjk

Plot: Jungkook thinks marriage is the only way to seal a deal. 

Pairing(s): Druglord!Jungkook x Fashion Designer!OC (Name: Belle) 

Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+

Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series

Parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Special 

Word Count: 7k+

Genre: Mafia | Angst/Smut/Fluff

Tags & Warnings: drug dealing, marriage through trickery, explicit smut, drug use, dubious consent, prostitution 

Authors Note: finally i was able to conclude that bmme can be reposted!! please welcome back this precious gem of mine 

The first time she saw was before one of her fashion shows. Small event compared to the likes of Gucci or Louis Vuitton but for her the biggest night of her life was about to happen. Unfortunately minutes before the show started, Belle got a call from her uncle to pick Taehyung up from their place and his tone sounded utterly bleak.

Walking away from a highly angered manager she rushed off to pick him up only to find him sitting outside on the porch in the cold wind, laughing a little to himself before swearing at no one. It was the first day Belle found out the things he had been taking.

Weed, ecstasy…she even found a small bag of cocaine hidden in his hoodie after getting him cleaned up.

“Where the hell did you get money for cocaine?” Belle tried to search his expression but Taehyung was too busy stumbling as he finally fell onto her bed.

“I know a guy. I promised to pay him back soon.” Taehyung mumbled turning to rest on his back, his limbs refused to stay still to a point where Belle started to get annoyed.

“Tae, how much do you owe this guy?” She asked, heart thumping a little knowing cocaine especially was not inexpensive and that mixed with other drugs…

His body being ruined was one heart-wrenching thing but she dreaded the amount of money this all cost.

Her brother stayed silent closing his eyes to let out a few breaths which caused her blood to boil even more.

Belle understood why Taehyung turned to something so putrid to relieve him of their recent troubles. There was a moment in time where she even thought to do so, maybe to ease some of the pain of they both went through. But it was getting out of hand.

-

The next morning Belle fixed him up a proper breakfast to distract him from taking another dose of the things he bought. Or was loaned anyway since he didn’t have a job or savings to pay for any of the products she found.

Taehyung didn’t even come to the table.

Instead as she walked towards the bedroom, she found him shirtless snorting something up his nose as he quickly threw his head back. Just hearing his sigh of relief made Belles’ stomach churn to near sickness.

Fuming, Belle grabbed whatever pieces of his stash she could find on the table and threw it in the bin pushing it away when he tried to savor anything that could be fished out. She saw his eyes widen so much that it almost seemed his eyeballs were going to fall on his hand.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Taehyung yelled, voice growly while his nose still had remnants of white powder dripping and his eyes bloodshot more than ever. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to get shit like that?!”

“I don’t care, you’re done with this!” Belle stood her ground but kept her voice calm, her own glossy eyes fixated on his.

“You don’t fucking get it!” Taehyung winced, face contorting it looked like he was about to cry. “I need it, okay? And I got that shit from a guy that works in the Jeon Cartel!” He gestured over to the entrance of the apartment. “I can’t ask for anymore, I haven’t paid for anything.” He yanked at his hair whining under his breath like a spoiled child not getting the toy he wanted.

Belle shook her head slightly, tears forming at the brim of her eyes. “Tae…” Her voice grew shakier now. “How much do you owe them?” Her bottom lip quivered watching his chest rise and fall heavily.

He stayed silent averting his gaze.

“Taehyung.” Her tone quickly turned firm though her heart pounded painfully. “How much do you owe them?” Belle truly hated acting like the oldest between the two.

Taehyung used to take care of her every single day almost more than her own parents since they mostly focused on their oldest son because he had ‘a lot more potential’. Her stomach ached looking at all the potential slowly going down the drain right in front of her eyes.

“A few hundred…six…maybe seven…” Taehyung muttered trying not to look directly at her when he spoke. He probably knew exactly the kind of shock gripped her face and he was damn right.

Belles’ entire body turned cold, her fingers almost wanting to fish out the substances herself just knowing how much money it cost to get it. But she curled them up into fists wanting to look strong. “I don’t…know how it feels…I do know it hurts and I know why you’re doing this but…I can’t lose you too.” She whispered, vision getting blurry as a lump grew in her throat. “You’re my big brother, you’ve always looked after me.”

Taehyung bit down his bottom lip lowering his head in slight shame.

“Please let me look after you.” She pleaded in a whisper trying to search his expression, to see any sense of softness or thought.

Her brother sobbed a little, running his shaky fingers through his matted hair before nodding but still trying not to meet her gaze. “Okay.”

Belle let out a trembling sigh of relief, a tear escaping slowly down her cheek when she finally relaxed. “I have savings you can use to pay for the drugs you asked for.” She stated in a gentle tone this time as Taehyung stared at her, shaking his head.

“That’s your boutique money, you can’t—”

“Yes I can.” She forced a smile across her face to reassure him. “My boutique can wait. I want you to get better.”

Taehyung gulped down carefully padding over his sister before leaning his head on her shoulder at an attempt of a lazy hug. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered against the fabric of her sweater, a light whimper under his breath. “Thank you.”

The chill that spread through her body now warmed up as she wrapped her arms around her brother, feeling like the younger sister if only for a second. “Who do we have to pay?” Belle asked sniffling a little.

“My debts’ too high…” Taehyungs’ grip tightened around the girl. “…the guy who gave me the drugs tells me I need to go straight to the boss for questioning if I come back again.”

Oh god, Taehyung…what did you get yourself into?

-

Much to Taehyungs’ discontent, Belle insisted on coming with him with the envelope of the payment in her hand. She figured cash would be more believable instead of bank transferring especially since there was so much money piled up for just debt. Her older brother looked at her a little surprised at how well she knew how to maneuver these things. “Being in the fashion industry doesn’t just mean I draw and sew clothes, you know.” She replied simply as she drove the both of them to the address Taehyungs’ guy told him to go.

During the trip she wanted to mention how sneaky it was to just give them the address and not come along. But then again…this wasn’t exactly an ethical business to begin with.

Of course it wasn’t difficult in the slightest to find the Jeon household considering it was on the outskirts of the city. A large sandstone colored mansion with vines growing off of the sides and golden detail on the windows and pillars. They drove in front of the closed entrance where Taehyung told them his name and that he was being expected which thankfully caused the large gate to slide open with a painful screech sound.

Heart pounded so hard it could have ripped out of her ribcages, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and her palms a little sweaty. The guards lined up in front of the door with their suits and shades making her homemade white floral dress look like peasants work. Even from here she could recognize that those uniforms were not made from some random ordinary designer. Even though the design itself was quite ordinary.

Taehyung walked out of the car first before Belle followed suit.

As soon as she walked out, one of the guards held his hand out.

“Ma’am, the boss requests that you give away your car in the duration of the meeting.” He spoke in a robotic tone.

Belle wasn’t even sure if he was looking at her directly since the shades were so dark but she gave him her car keys anyway. The feeling of emptiness eerily seeping through her already nerve-wracked body. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how Taehyung must be feeling around all of this.

They were led into the mansion by three guards. The entrance was really just a big hall that stretched across the whole expanse of the building. When they passed a large open archway then Belle could see the furnished details; a few couches circled around in the middle of the large space with the fireplace behind the sitting, a bar on the far right with some maids tending to the dust while there were stairs on the left leading to the upper level.

Why would they want meet them personally for a few hundred dollars? It looked like a small loss looking at the quality of this whole building down to the outfits their guards were wearing.

Maybe it was more greed than the amount of the money.

“Please be seated. Master Jeon will speak to you shortly.” The same guard declared before moving back to his post and standing there like a statue.

Taehyung and Belle sat at the couch that faced the fireplace. Thankfully the maids were kind enough to turn it on since she hadn’t realized how cool it was going to be in the house. They offered them tea which they both turned down. An empty stomach meant less likely for her to throw up from the anxiousness. Taehyung, on the other hand, lost interest for food altogether barely eating anything but crumbs.

She noticed the hollowness of his cheeks and the darkness under his eyes. How long had it been since she saw a smile stretching across his lips? Taehyung used to be filled with light and passion beyond anything Belle had ever seen. He was the reason she pushed herself to pursue her own dreams despite the side-eyes from their parents. He defended her passion. He protected from unfair treatment always giving her shine he thought she deserved.

Now Belle had to repay the favor. She needed to encourage her brother to restart his path back to one that made him happy instead of one that slowly destroyed him to the core.

Footsteps brought her back out from her thoughts, eyes trailing over to the stairs. A tall built figure dressed in an all-white suit with a button-up shirt to match, loosely done up so his gold necklace could glimmer in the light. Belle noticed the gold cufflinks shimmering from his wrists. Hair styled somewhat neatly with a side part and strands hovering his eye when he moved, lips a rosy hue and his face looked for younger than she expected.

When people said ‘drug lord’ she imagined a stumpy old creep with similar attire except traditionally unkempt with facial hair and untrimmed chest hair that hung over their shirts.

Despite his pleasant appearance, Belle was not going to be blinded to the fact that this man thrived off of her brothers’ suffering.

The man finally met her gaze after only glancing a little at Taehyung before sitting down on the couch in front of them. Legs spread apart ever so slightly, he leaned back with one of his arms extended out. “Mr. Kim.” He spoke in a soft tone, eyes going back to her older brother now. “Do you recognize who I am?” He searched his expression.

Taehyung kept his head lowered but nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Who am I?” He pressed on like a father calmly scolding his child.

“M-Master Jeon Jungkook…” He muttered helplessly almost glancing up to meet his gaze but quickly looking down once again.

“So you do know…” Jungkook nodded, pressing his lips together. “Here I was thinking you consider me a joke. Taking bags and bags of my products while assuming I won’t try to track you down. Is that you what you thought of me?” His tone grew firmer.

Unlike Taehyung, Belle kept her head up, maintaining her gaze on the stranger. It seemed like Jungkook had a good eye for noticing when he flickered over to look at her instead.

“No, sir.” Taehyung shook his head frantically. “I-I just n-needed to get my money together.” He explained in a shaky voice not noticing that his precious ‘sir’ was staring at Belle a lot longer than she was comfortable.

Maybe he was waiting for her to duck her head down like her older brother.

The urge to do so was stronger than ever but Belle persisted. Until Jungkook glanced over at Taehyung again.

Her brothers’ fingers trembled violently at this point. Belle itched to comfort him somehow but she wanted him to try and face on his own to some extent. Coming here and sitting next to him was already being far too lenient but she couldn’t let him do this completely alone. Not when the healing process was so fresh and people like Jungkook would do anything to make sure he stayed addicted.

“Where’s the money?” Jungkook gestured towards him.

Belle took a small breath, placing the envelope on her lap onto the glass coffee table. “One of your men said he owed seven hundred.” She spoke up now trying to keep her voice as steady as possible even though her heart was beating out of control. “The envelope has eight just in case he wasn’t accurate.” A chilly feeling brushed over her body when her savings just sat there on the coffee table. Nothing but petty money for Jungkook but to her, it was the only way she could afford the vacant building in the city for her boutique.

“And you are?”

“His sister.” She muttered, glancing over at Taehyung who let out a deep sigh.

Jungkook stared down at the thick envelope for a few minutes with a raised brow. “Jongho…” He curled his fingers in towards a guard who quickly rushed over to stand beside him. “Please escort Mr. Kim to the second living room for a moment. I’d like to have a word with Ms…”

“Belle.”

“Belle…” The corner of his lip curled up before he gestured again towards the man called Jongho and he immediately led Taehyung away from them.

Belles’ heart raced seeing his helpless face looking back at her not sure if he was trying to apologize or if he was terrified of why they were being separated. “Why’re you taking him away?” She asked, being as polite as possible but her tightening fists told a different story.

“I’m not going to hurt him.” Jungkook murmured. He leaned in to rest his elbows on his knees, eyes searching her expression closely. “I thought it’d be better if I had a private conversation with a more steady minded person rather than your brother.” He nodded behind her.

Her brows furrowed glancing down at the closed envelope before staring up at him. “We got you the money, why do we need to have a conversation?” Belle’s voice was low just enough for only Jungkook to hear and no one else. Not that she could raise her voice even if she tried from how closed up her throat was.

“Because I’m honorable to an extent but I also hate people taking advantage of my kindness.” Jungkook shrugged lightly. “Your brother had been freely given all the products he consumed and he waited three months to give me my payment.” He let his sentence linger in the air to add more effect. “Three months of losing product and receiving no profit in return is not a risk I like making, Belle. Nor do I want to make it again.”

“So…what’re you saying?” Belle thought of the worst possible scenarios. Would they take Taehyung away and punish him? Or kill him? Was he being punished right now and Jungkook was just lying to prevent a scene? She watched his soft eyes trail up and down her form trying to be subtle but Belle caught it immediately feeling the urge to hide away into the couch.

“I’m saying the deal’s changed.” Jungkook declared in the most casual way like you would cancel a simple outing to the mall. “Look I can get money anytime I want to…you know that, don’t you?” He tilted his head a little searching her features. “I asked for this personal meeting on the basis of principle. Taehyung and many people like him need to understand that we stand by codes just as much as anyone. I’m not a money pig that just drools and accepts cash when it’s given to me.” He raised a brow.

Belle winced lightly, shaking her head. “Then why are we here? What do you want?”

Jungkook did nothing for a minute and gave her a soft smile. “Something he can take a little more seriously than cash…well—someone.”

Blood drained from her body from her aching head to her toes. Belle pierced into his smug gaze hoping…praying that he didn’t meant what she thought. The last thing she ever looked to be afraid of but now became the ultimate bane of her visit.

A visit thought to be quick and sweet with cash exchanged. How could she be surprised? These people wanted so much but still asked for more. What more could she expect from the man that took just to have the power to take some more? “Taehyung’s a good man.” She whispered. “He won’t do this again.”

“That’s what a lot of people tell me for years about their relatives or friends, Belle.” Jungkook murmured under his breath keeping the conversation to themselves despite the maids and guards standing around. “My grandfather heard it…my father heard it…every single time those people come back begging for more and then we get blamed for the dead bodies.” He sighed in slight defeat but she didn’t buy it in the slightest.

There was nothing noble about this request. If he were any other man gaining the audacity to say something like this, he would expect a hard punch on his nose. Except now it wasn’t just her own safety in question. Nor was Jungkook any ordinary man who could be taken by police or a punch looking at his build. “What am I supposed to do?” Belle murmured, heat flushing in her body making her more exasperated than grateful at the running fireplace.

Once again, a smile stretched across Jungkooks’ rosy lips. If it were taken out of context you’d think he was some sweet boy admiring something. But the reality was far from that lie. “You’re not going to be my prisoner, if that’s what you’re asking.” He smiled a little wider, eyes glimmering. “I’m not that evil.”

Debatable.

“You’re a lot more intelligent than you let on.”

“You just met me.”

“But I meet a lot of people…a little too many. So I tend to rely on first impressions and hope I’m right.” Jungkook shrugged.

“And if you’re wrong?”

He chuckled under his breath gesturing over to his guards. “They’re not there for decoration…and I don’t always negotiate like this. I’m just having a good day.” She saw his expression grow dark but the smile still remained making him look utterly sinister.

Visions of Taehyung tied to a chair, sobbing flashed across her mind making her mentally slap herself back to reality. She couldn’t look weak in front of him of all people. That’s what he wanted…for people to cower in front of him as he spewed his threats around to get everything he asked for. But denying him completely and storming out wouldn’t exactly be the smartest decision either considering she didn’t actually know where her brother was. The mansion was still mystery to her and Jungkook could easily hurt any of them as he so subtly stated with that stupid, fucking smile.

“So…what do you say, Belle? Do we have an accord?”

-

Taehyung was led back into the main living room, slightly yanking off of Jongho’ grasp and giving him a glare when he walked away. He looked over at Belle, her back facing him standing in front of Jungkook. “Belle?”

Belle looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile as she walked closer. She let out a sigh of relief seeing no sign of injury on the older male.

“Did he do something to you?” After the longest time, Taehyung sounded like an older brother again looking after Belle whenever she looked the slightest bit distressed. “What did he say?” He whispered.

She stayed silent, gaze lowered to look at his T-shirt before flickering up to force a smile at him. “It’s going to be okay.” Belle murmured. “He even offered to pay for your rehabilitation and get you back on your feet.”

Brows furrowed now gaining the urge to glance over at Jungkook but he couldn’t seem to stop searching his sisters’ expression. “Why would he want to pay for—”

“I told him to.” Belle gulped, smile fading away into a small frown.

“Belle, we can’t pay him back for all of that.” Taehyung held onto her bare arms feeling the cold skin underneath his.

She nodded. “Yes we can. He’s only asking for one thing.”

“…What?” He whispered.

Belle bit down her bottom lip, chin quivering a little before she smiled again even though her eyes grew glossy. “He wants me.”

Taehyungs’ heart plummeted making his whole body feel heavy. “No…” He shook his head, grip tightening around her arms as if she was going to disappear if he let go. “He can’t do that.”

“I agreed.”

“Belle!” It was more a loud whisper than anything but it managed to turn a few heads. “He’s going t—”

“I know what he’s going to do.” Belle rubbed his chest soothingly. “But this is the only way I can help you.”

“You have the money, why won’t he take it?” He gestured towards the envelope on the coffee table which now looked long forgotten.

Belle lowered her gaze. “Because he thinks you’ll just do it all again. He doesn’t trust you.”

“And you trust him?” Taehyung retorted causing heat to bubble up inside Belle.

“I trust you to do your part in this promise.” She tightened her jaw, wincing as the lump in her throat grew painful. “Unless you have a better idea to escape a pissed off drug lord then you will do this.” Tears flooded at her eyes threatening to escape but her gaze persisted on him. “Please promise me you’ll try to get better from now on.” Her lips quivered. “I didn’t know how else to help you. But now you need to help me. You need to heal and get back on your feet.”

Taehyung brushed against his fingers through the hair rested on her shoulder. “What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Belle shook her head as an attempt to reassure him but he didn’t look at all convinced. “I’ll be fine.” She smiled faintly, a few tears escaping down her cheeks which he wiped off gently.

“I’m so sorry…” He whimpered, fingers curling around her hair. “This is all my fault, I should’ve just come here on my own.”

“He would’ve killed you.”

“But you’d be happy.”

Belle chuckled sadly. “You really think I’d be happy if I lost you?”

“But you wouldn’t be here.” Taehyung side glanced over at the guards who looked completely unfazed by the whole ordeal while Jungkook had his back turned to them, gazing out into the garden outside.

“Everything’s going to be fine.” Belle wasn’t sure if that was directed at her brother or herself. Was this meant to be her big fork in the road? The path she was supposed to determine her whole life. Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she was amount to only one thing… but she’d be caught dead before she cowered begging before people like Jungkook. If he wanted her then he could have her. But he’d be an idiot to think she wasn’t going to use that to her own advantage one day. “We’re allowed to see each other so you’re not losing me, okay? I’ll be there whenever you need me.”

Taehyung sighed in frustration averting his gaze, boring holes in the back of Jungkooks’ head with his glare. “I want to kill him.”

“Then we’ll never get out of here.” Belle replied simply.

Finally Taehyung succumbed to his sisters’ wishes, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead before letting go, physically deflating as he was led out of the mansion by one of the guards.

One of them, same Jongho walked over to her. “I’ll drive him back safely, Ms. Kim.” He gave her a reassuring smile before following Taehyung out of the mansion.

The double doors closed blocking out whatever light that came from it leaving her empty.

“Taehyung will call you when he gets home. So you know he’s safe.” Jungkook spoke up now in a gentle tone but Belle kept her back to him. “And your personal belongings will be moved here in a few days.”

She licked her lips before lowering her gaze, letting a few silent sobs before wiping the tears away. “Where can I freshen up?” Belle looked down at her fingers seeing the light mascara smudges, trying to wipe at the corners of his eyes to wipe any traces away.

Jungkook seemed like he gestured towards one of the maids because a kind looking woman padded over and touched her on the shoulder.

Her grey hair wrapped up in a bun and the smile lines around her face showed when she gave her a sweet grin, making her look like the only person that seemed somewhat trustworthy in this building. “Let’s go upstairs, dear.” She held onto her arms and led her towards the stairs. “I’ll get some new clothes sent up as well.”

Belle didn’t glance at Jungkook but she could feel his gaze on her when she was led up the stairs to the now shared master bedroom.

-

Similar to what a hotel suite would look like, the master bedroom adorned a modern design with an opaque black curtains drawn to keep the room cool and ambient with the warm lights. A king-sized bed with classic white sheets with some gold detail matching the aesthetic of the whole mansion itself. There was a marble partition that had a small gap on the bottom with a modern looking fireplace on to keep the room warm, situated on the immediate left when they walked in.

On the other side of the partition was a desk with a closed laptop and some files. Another open archway on the right that led to a walk-in-wardrobe with lit up shelves that accentuated all the different shoes and shirts.

Upon walking through the archway into the wardrobe, on the right, there was the private bathroom just as big as every other small area in the monster of a bedroom.

Belle was led into the bathroom by the kind maid where she saw a shower that could have been the size of her laundry room, a sink just in front of it with a bathtub on the far end. The white bathtub contrasted against the grey marble floor with a large window that showed a forest-like view.

“It’s an illusion.” The maid explained as if to reassure her that her baths were not going to be displayed out into the world. “The Master asked for a glass case that held shrubs but the foggy forest is an intricate painting by one of the familys’ personal artists. He likes the feeling of being disconnected from the modern world when he’s relaxing.”

Normally the design would impress her greatly. The idea of having the illusion of a calm forest without the hassle of actually moving to one was genius and the greyish light gave the bathroom a relaxing morning feel. Right now however it made her feel more trapped than ever. Even the view outside was just an illusion in her new cage. Nothing felt solid and real at this point like Belle was a ghost floating around in a dream that never seemed to end.

“Your towels are over on the stand there, dear. I’ll have robes and a change of clothes brought to you outside soon.” The maid smiled patting her lightly on her arm. “Don’t fret too much, darling. I don’t think the master has any intention of hurting you.”

“It’s not him hurting me that’s making me nervous.” Belle smiled sadly, grateful that the woman even cared to reassure her somehow.

“Ah…” The maid smiled and nodded knowingly. “I’ll get you some of my special tea…it calmed me down on my wedding night.”

Belle’s heart sank seeing the woman smile at her a little sadly too. “Is the secret ingredient whiskey?” She tried to lighten the mood which successfully made the woman chuckle. Somehow seeing the way the woman helped her in her own way reminded her of why she was in this glass case in the first place. She remembered Taehyung smiling again, throwing away all the things that tarnished all the peace in his heart and being free. She needed to be strong.

“Not really but…I’ll see what I can do.” She whispered the last bit with a cheeky smile before turning on her heel to leave Belle in a few moments of solitary freedom at the very least.

-

It may have been dark by now.

At least when Belle peeked the slightest outside the curtained window, the sun had been dipping into the hills to give the sky a pinkish hue. Her heart pounded at the lack of notifications from her brother. Her body felt fresher now that she had a comfortable long white nightie with a thin robe to keep her arms somewhat cozy. But skin still heated up significantly with her anxiety.

Then minutes passed before her phone buzzed and her heart released a thousand sighs of relief seeing Taehyung’s name.

“Belle?”

“Yes it’s me.” Belle whispered with a biggest grin on her face from the sheer relief. “You went home okay? They didn’t hurt you?”

“No, no they were just… fine.” Confusion trailed in Taehyung’s voice. “That guy has way too much fucking power, they just dropped me off and left saying they’ll come back to drop me off at the rehab center. Normally his men tried to rough me up whenever they saw me.”

“That’s because they knew you’re the guy that doesn’t pay.” Belle cringed mentally hearing herself defend their actions but…she was a little too good at considering perspectives, she guessed.

“I guess…also I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking you if you’re okay.” Taehyung corrected but Belle let his words linger in the air for a moment.

Sitting in the luxury bedroom wearing a clearly quality robe with people working at her beck and call, in a first glance people would call her lucky. Digging deeper into the surface and seeing that Belle was manipulated into being in his position then people would call Jungkook a monster.

Was it only one of them? Was it both? Was it neither? Was this just a game that Belle had no choice but to play for a time until her brother got better? How far did Jungkook even think this through? Why was he so interested in manipulating Taehyung the most? Did he do this to every sister, brother or parent that came around? Did they even come this far?

“Belle, you still there?”

“Yeah…yeah, I’m okay. I’m just sitting.” She quickly explained.

The thoughts crowded in her head making it ache but thankfully the maid—her name she found out was Nana—gave her a piping hot cup of tea apparently laced with some herbs that helped calm anxiety and nerves. It was an ancient herb given to young girls so they could go through their wedding night without having an anxiety attack or breaking down. Blowing away some of the steam, Belle took a few sips ignoring the bitter taste on her tongue.

“I don’t know what he wants yet but I think I have an idea.” Belle spoke solemnly.

“You really don’t have to do this, Belle.” Taehyung whispered desperately.

“We don’t have any other choice.”

“You could just come back home and I’ll just handle it.”

“You had three months to handle it.” Her voice grew firm quicker than she even expected but she kept her head cool. Silence ran on the other end of the line making Belle sigh to calm herself down. “We just need to keep our heads. We’ll be fine.” She didn’t mean to make her tone sound so dreary but this wasn’t exactly the cheeriest of moments in her life. Her fingers absentmindedly played with the fabric of her soft nightie trying to empty her mind for a little while. “I need to go, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay…Belle…”

“Yeah?”

“…I love you. Be safe.”

The lump in her throat grew again suffocating her when she forcefully swallowed it down. “I love you too.” Belle whispered before hanging up. Taking longer sips from her tea now, it took a few seconds for her feel her limbs loosen like ice melting near a fireplace. Her body cooled down from her heated anxiety to a comfortable warmth she could melt into without the worries of the troubles around her.

For a moment, she could close her eyes and relish in the new found relief wanting to silently thank Nana for providing her this cup of momentary tranquility.

The door opened with the familiar white-suited man walking in giving her a glance as he shrugged his blazer off. “Nana got you some clothes…good.” Jungkook muttered, walking into the walk-in wardrobe and placing his blazer back before taking off his cufflinks when he walked back in the bedroom. “Is it comfortable?”

“Yes.” Belle replied, brushing her palms across the smooth sleeves of the robe. She never worked with satin a lot but whenever she felt it under her skin it gave her the tingle of pure luxury. “I just spoke to Taehyung…he came home safe.”

“I told you he would.” Jungkook murmured, unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it off his shoulder before placing into a hamper for the maids to take care of.

Belle noticed the stencil like silhouette of a phoenix etched into the right side of his chest as he walked over to his side of the bed. “You kept to your word. Thank you.” Not that you deserve it but…common courtesy.

She caught a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips while he unbuckled his belt and threw it on the floor.

“Do I sense a little bitterness, Ms. Kim?” Jungkook mused.

“Why? You don’t like a little bitter taste on your tongue?” Snakes must get used to it by now, she thought.

“I know you’re not a fan of me.” He stated the fucking obvious. “But you could say no anytime. I’ll just deal with your brother without bothering you again.”

Belle tightened her jaw, gripping onto the fabric of her nightie averting her gaze forcing a long silence to plunge into the room.

Jungkook finally sighed. “I didn’t mean that.” He muttered but Belle was mostly trying to focus back on the relaxation the tea gave her again. “Our accord is as solid any other contract so I’m not allowed to touch your brother…while you’re still with me anyway.”

“Is this how you get all your girls?”

He chuckled walking over and standing in front of Belle, forcing her to look up at him. “Would you be pleased if I said no?” Jungkook placed an index finger under her chin while his thumb hovered for a moment over her lips.

“Only if it’s the truth.” Belle replied simply, her knees melting into the surface of the bed.

Jungkook smirked moving his hands into her hair. “I don’t invite just anyone in my bed, no. But you’re not just anyone.”

“Why do you think that?” She asked as he slowly leaned in closer, fingers sliding down the crook of her neck letting the sleeves of her robe and nightie slip down with a mere touch.

“Because you were the only one brave enough to come this far.” He whispered pushing down the other side of her sleeves to leave her shoulders exposed. “Girls love the bad boys but never seem to understand what they’re asking for.” Cold fingers brushed against her collarbones, across her chest up her neck until he finally caressed her bottom lip with his index finger.

They want a fairytale. Beauty and the Beast. But eventually they find out that the Beast was never a prince in the first place. They realize that a mere kiss won’t break the curse.

“You know exactly what you’re asking for… don’t you?” Jungkook asked in a tone of a warm coo.

I’m not asking for this, Belle bit her tongue. But I do know what I’m getting myself into. What you gave me no choice but to get into. She stared at him determined to keep his gaze no matter how much she wanted to close her eyes. He wasn’t going to overpower her, not in that way. I received a beast instead of a prince…but you’re not getting any vulnerable fucking princess either. Keeping her eyes on his, she parted her lips and took his finger into her mouth barely waiting for Jungkook to make any move before she began suckling on it.

“Of course you do.” The mere action was enough of an answer for the male as his smirk grew darker. Jungkook took his finger away pushing down her nightie and robe further down until her breasts were displayed to him.

Belle was grateful for the warmth from the fireplace spreading through the room at his point. But in mere seconds Jungkook used his glistening finger to brush across her nipple causing it to stand erect almost instantly. A light gasp caught in her throat as she pressed her palms on the surface of the bed making her chest push out a little. When she threw her head back a little, he quickly took the opportunity to devour her lips, tongue pushing against her teeth which she kept clamp shut.

Long enough for him to get impatient and bite down her bottom lip a little. Then she allowed him to push through and explore her mouth. Jungkook knelt down but kept their lips locked as he sneaked his hands under her nightie, pushing the soft fabric, nails grazing against her skin causing a tingle down her spine.

Belle lifted a little to let him push the dress further up until he completely pulled both pieces of clothing off over her head. Before she could even comprehend her exposure, he picked her up a little and shifted so she could rest her head on the silk pillows. Her heart raced against her ribcages but she stopped being sure of why at this point, instead she thought about the herbs Nana gave her. Maybe thinking about how it can help would psychologically increase its effects? Stupid but maybe.

When she looked down at the male out of curiosity, she saw him discard his pants and boxers before climbing back onto the bed.

Belle kept her legs closed loosely before he pushed them apart, hands gliding down her inner thighs to her panties. His thumb pressed against the clothing right against her hiding nub making her jerk her hips a little at the suddenly awakened nerves.

He didn’t waste any time to hook the hem of her panties and strip it off her before dipping down in between her legs. His mouth feasted on her clit, tongue licking around her slit before sliding in teasingly slow and moving back to suckling on her bundle of nerves.

Her chest rose and fell as her eyes focused more on the ceiling, biting onto her bottom lip, light whimpers emitting from under her breath.

Jungkook released her clit with a pop sound before settling his hips between her legs. His already hardened shaft teased her slit a little more, wet sounds tickling her ears before she felt him stretch her out.

A moan finally erupted from her throat, clenching around him making him groan.

“It’s okay…” He whispered in her ear when she turned her head to the side. “Does it hurt a lot?”

Belle’s head felt like it was trying to find a straight line in a completely scribbled piece of paper. Her core ached for a moment. She felt Jungkooks’ thumb rub at her clit making her walls relax a little as she focused on the light wash of pleasure rushing across her lower body. Slowly she shook her head moving back to face him again. “No…it’s okay.” She whispered, meeting his gaze when he still wasn’t moving. Leaning up she pressed a shy kiss on his lips.

It took mere seconds before Jungkook began moving in and out of her, still slowly rubbing circles on her erect clit.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, their foreheads pressed against each other as he grinded into her slightly nudging the spot that sent sparks through her body.

His pace quickened, both hands pressed down on the surface of the bed as he thrusted into her in a steady pattern letting the sounds of skin slapping linger in the air.

Belles’ skull felt numb, her mind locked up all her thoughts and allowed her body to succumb to his consistent pounding. Head threw back against the pillow as he chased his own orgasm, her own juices spluttering onto his lower belly. She hummed lightly under her breath which seemed to encourage Jungkook to go faster until the bed started to shift.

Jungkook lowered down a bit more, pressing wet kisses on her neck, trying to muffle his moans against her skin as his thrusts grew sloppy.

Belle felt a gentle wave of pleasure before Jungkook quickly pulled out with his release splattering all over her belly. She let out a small sigh, rubbing circles on her clit again to prolong her small climax before her bundle felt too sensitive to touch making her legs close up again. She watched the other male catch his breath still kneeling in front of her before crashing on the space beside her.

Whatever piece of physical satisfaction swirled around her body melted quickly into her chest clenching painfully. It didn’t take too long for her to notice all too clearly what spilt on her skin but Jungkook had already pulled out a wash cloth and wiped her clean. The traces still burrowed in her mind now.

Jungkook threw the wash cloth away before resting back on the bed again, shutting his eyes for a moment. Both of them catching their breaths and finally dwindling back to their fucked up reality.

“I can’t break this deal.” He murmured looking up at ceiling similar to her. “If I do, I’ll have to kill your brother.”

Belle swallowed the lump in her throat, a small tear spilling from the corner of her eye. “Am I supposed to be your sex toy until you’re done with me?”

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not allowed to have…sex toys.” Jungkook sighed. “There’s another reason why I changed the deal.”

She finally turned her head to face him, brows furrowing. “What did you not tell me?”

The male took a deep breath before meeting her gaze. “My uncle and aunt have been forcing me to get married to someone of their choice. It’s gotten so pressing to a point where they’ve paid them to seduce me so it doesn’t look arranged.” Jungkook explained, running his fingers through his hair before resting on his head on his arm. “My rejections have stopped working. So I thought I should get a courtship with someone I choose before I’ll have to succumb to my uncle and aunts’ wishes.”

Belle could practically hear her own heart slamming out of her ears, more tears burning in her eyes. “So… you just…saw me and decided that you were going to make me your wife?”

“Did you want me to ask for your parents’ blessing or something?”

She averted her gaze back to the ceiling. “My parents are dead.”

“…I didn’t—”

“Of course you didn’t fucking know, we don’t know each other.” Belle inhaled a shaky breath before closing her eyes to calm herself down.

You are a fucking beast.

“Darling I gave you a chance to turn back.”

“So you wouldn’t hurt my brother.”

“Your brother was already dead if he kept going the way he did.” Jungkook winced a little before sighing in frustration. “I told you I’m not trying to be evil. A lot of people look at me when they want to see power. The world I live in chews up people who are too merciful.”

“My brother is innocent.” Belle sobbed lightly, forcefully biting down her bottom lip.

“He’s vulnerable to what I offer. Did you really think he was going to stop taking drugs just because he paid the money?” Jungkooks’ question lingered in the air for a while. “Correction: just because you paid the money.”

“So you want me to be your wife…” She swallowed thickly. “…or you’ll kill my brother.”

“When you say it that way, I do sound evil.” Jungkook pondered. “But yes. Everything else in the deal still stays the same. You’re free to do whatever you want.”

“Except leave you.” Belle corrected.

“Except leave me.” Jungkook confirmed in the most casual fucking tone ever.

Belle did nothing but stay silent and turn to her side, back facing him making the male sigh in slight defeat. She felt his hand on her shoulder squeezing slightly as if it was going to give her any kind of comfort.

“A lot of marriages can be worse than this, you know.” He squeezed it again. “You’re going to have to work with me for this to run a lot smoother, yeah? You did so well today.” Jungkook pressed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. “I promise it won’t feel so bad after a while.”

She knew now. Kissing the beast didn’t break the curse.

It made one.

NEXT CHAPTER >>

[robininthelabyrinth]

Lao Nie and Nie Mingjue have a good day together and bond. What was their relationship like before the qi deviation?

Boys - ao3

“Two paths, hmm?” Lao Nie said, squinting at the road markers in front of him. “Well, I don’t see why we can’t go down this one to the right –”

“No.”

“No? Why not?”

“Because little uncle asked me not to let you meet any new dangerous women,” Nie Mingjue said, looking as serious as ever – only his little hands, swinging to the side, revealed that he was just a ten-year-old. Still a child, no matter how mature he tried to act. “And a place called the Springtime Ghost Valley sounds like it probably has dangerous women.”

“Hey,” Lao Nie protested mildly. “Who’s the father here, me or you?”

“If a-die wants a new wife, little uncle will find one that isn’t inclined to kill him.”

That sounded like a recitation.

“Then what’s even the point,” Lao Nie grumbled, and reached out to ruffle his son’s hair, enjoying how Nie Mingjue yelped when he did, glaring up at him with offended dignity.

In all honesty, Lao Nie had no idea how he’d ended up with a son as serious and sincere and earnest as Nie Mingjue – he himself hadn’t taken anything seriously in years. Probably it was his mother’s influence.

Now that was a woman.

Not that his foxy second wife hadn’t been woman enough to blow him away either…

Hmm.

Perhaps they had a point about his taste in women.

“How about men?” Lao Nie suggested. “If it really means so much to you, I could swear off of women entirely –”

“A-die.”

“Mm?”

“Leave Sect Leader Wen alone.”

Lao Nie cracked up.

-

Because Lao Nie was the father, however easy-going he might sometimes be, they ended up heading down the right-hand path regardless. They were supposed to be night-hunting, after all – it was the perfect bonding experience according to Jiwei, though Lao Nie suspected his saber of having selfish intentions there – and deliberately avoiding a place with ‘Ghost’ in the name was hardly appropriate for scions of a Great Sect like theirs.

Although the reference to springtime was admittedly a little worrisome.

If it turned out to be a brothel, with the ghost thing being just a clever if somewhat tonedeaf marketing ploy, Lao Nie was turning around and taking them both home at once. He wasn’t going to risk little Nie Mingjue turning out anything like that awful Jin Guangshan – or, nearly as bad, having to explain anything more about the joys of sex to those earnest little button eyes and dimpled cheeks with no time to prepare first. He still hadn’t recovered emotionally from the last few times Nie Mingjue had asked him a question like that.

When they finally reached the end of the path, turning a corner to behold a clearing that was probably completely ordinary during the daytime, Lao Nie found that he’d been both right and wrong.

“It’s a ghost brothel,” he marveled. He’d never seen anything like it in his life.

“Dangerous women,” Nie Mingjue reminded him.

“A-Jue! Let your father live a little!”

Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes.

Lao Nie virtuously ignored his slightly judgmental brat of a son. It wouldn’t do him that much harm to go visit for a while, with the risk of Jin Guangshan-ness being relatively minimal; they were ghosts, after all. It was the duty of every cultivator to fight against evil, wherever it lived, no matter its form –

“Fighting? Is that what it’s called?”

“Who taught you sarcasm?” Lao Nie asked, knowing perfectly well that the answer was himself. “I ought to smack them.”

Nie Mingjue crossed his arms over his chest and pouted at him. “Fine, it’s fighting, we’ll go fight them. Do you want me to start drawing ghost-repelling talismans?”

“Liberate first!” Lao Nie sang out. “Come on, let’s go see what they’re like – er, that is, I mean, see what grievances they have that are keeping them here, of course. There’s no harm in dangerous women. Just don’t let them eat your yang energy!”

“It’s not my yang energy that I’m worried about, a-die…”

-

The ghostly madame was an extraordinarily charming person and Lao Nie liked her at once.

Not liked her liked her – he’d fallen head over heels with both of his wives from the first word, and that hadn’t happened here – but still, conversing with her was an extraordinarily enjoyable way to spend time.

She was witty and clever, with a broad range of knowledge and a gift for keeping a conversation lively and exciting; she could meet every verbal riposte with ease, and looked utterly gorgeous and composed the entire time. Sure, she kept trying to lure Lao Nie into an orgy in which all of his yang energy would be slowly sucked out before his body was ripped to pieces and his bones cracked open so that the ghosts could consume the marrow within, but what a way to go, right?

Nie Mingjue spent his time making friends with the ghost prostitutes.

Lao Nie wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting.

Well, he supposed he’d been expected a range of things – anything from Nie Mingjue getting suckered in by one of the ghosts and needing to be rescued by his father to Nie Mingjue just pulling out his Baxia and trying to stab them because he felt offended by their existence. He wasn’texpecting his ghostly conversational partner to suddenly frown mid-sentence and say, “What is he talking to them about?”

Lao Nie turned his head slightly and started listening.

“– just because you’re a ghost doesn’t mean you have to work allthe time, surely,” Nie Mingjue was saying, completely serious and earnest in the way he so often was. Lao Nie’s son had in fact inherited his sense of humor, only it tended to be buried fairly deep down and make its way up to the surface in an understated way in the most unexpected times; the rest of the time, he was straightforward to a fault, treating everything sincerely. “The birds in the trees, the animals in the fields – even among prostitutes, even the street-walking ladies know they need to take time to rest! I can’t believe you really have to work every single night. How long has it been since you had a night off?”

The ghost prostitutes around him had contemplative looks on their faces.

“Isn’t the whole point of becoming a vengeful man-eating ghost that you have more power than regular humans? I don’t know, it kind of seems like a bad deal if you have even worse conditions after all that –”

“I’m sorry,” the ghostly madame said, looking irritated underneath all her carefully painted smiles. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment…”

Lao Nie had to bite his hand to keep from laughing out loud.

-

“I think we’ve all learned a valuable life lesson today,” Lao Nie announced.

Nie Mingjue was pouting again.

“I don’t think we did,” he said, sounding profoundly skeptical. A filial child like Nie Mingjue shouldn’t sound so skeptical of his beloved father’s words of wisdom, really; if Lao Nie wasn’t so heartless, he might be offended. Of course, the skepticism might have originated from the heartlessness, so it was all six of one, half a dozen of the other in the end. “Those poor ghost ladies! They were still fighting each other by the time we left!”

“I’ve never seen a ghost pull another ghost’s hair before,” Lao Nie conceded. It had been brilliant. “One day, someone’s going to figure out a more reliable way to use ghosts to fight ghosts, mark my words.”

“Isn’t that demonic cultivation?”

“Oh, sure,” Lao Nie said, still cheerful. “If whoever it is does too much of it, eventually it’ll build up into a backlash that’ll kill them in some grossly horrific manner. Probably ripped into pieces by the backlash. And that’s not even counting how they’d be ostracized and hunted by the cultivation world first! But still, imagine how exciting it’d be in the meantime!”

“A-die…”

Lao Nie patted Nie Mingjue on the head again, earning another glare. “Immortality is a lie, A-Jue. We’re all here for a short time, each and every one of us, and only the length determined by fate and man. All that matters is what we do with the time that we have, and whether we’ve used it well.”

“To fight against evil wherever it lives, no matter its form?”

“To leave the world a better place than when we entered it, and to let our memories linger in the hearts of those that love us,” Lao Nie said. “Fighting evil is the best way to accomplish the former, and living a good life the latter. And you might as well have a good time doing it, if you can! Everything else is just extra.”

Nie Mingjue thought about that for a moment. “And a-die likes to have second helpings of extras?”

That was true. Lao Nie was a man of prodigious appetites of all sorts.

Despite that, he protested, “That wasn’t the point I was trying to make. I was being serious for once.” Seeing Nie Mingjue’s skeptical look, he made a face. “I can be serious, sometimes!”

“Can you?”

“It’s been known to happen! A date written on a wall will be right once a year.”

“Not if the wall gets painted over.”

“Ouch,” Lao Nie said. “I don’t even understand the metaphor you’re making, and I’m still going ouch.”

“Uh-huh,” Nie Mingjue said, utterly unimpressed. “You know, if you wanted one of the ghost ladies to be Third Mother, you would’ve been better off with the one playing the qin, not the ghost madame. She was much more powerful.”

Lao Nie arched his eyebrows. “Was she?”

Nie Mingjue nodded. “She had claws like a lizard.”

Lao Nie tried to remember which one of them had been the ghost girl playing the qin. He couldn’t quite remember at first – the women there were all surpassingly lovely, almost to the point of over-saturation – and then suddenly an image came into view, a beauty with a veil and sharp sword-like eyebrows, leaning over the qin with the shining pearl hanging in the center of her forehead dipping down.

And, yes, claws like a lizard.

“Hmm,” Lao Nie said. “That might have been a dragon, actually. You should be careful of those, they’re tricky.”

They’ll rip you and three dozen other cultivators besides into more pieces than can be picked up without blinking an eye, he meant, and you won’t even know what hit you. Avoid at all costs.

“Oh,” Nie Mingjue said, blinking. “Oops.”

“…what do you mean, oops?”

“Nothing bad! If I’m not supposed to interact with her, does that mean I should go and give back the gift she gave me?”

“She gave you a – give me that,” Lao Nie said. “This instant.”

“But a-die, you said there’s no harm in dangerous women –”

“For me, you foolish child!”

-

“I suppose it’s fine,” Lao Nie finally concluded, having inspected the dragon pearl from all angles several times over. “I don’t know how you do this, A-Jue.”

“Do what?”

Lao Nie thought about how his foxy second wife had cooed over his eldest son with a (slightly disturbing) fervor that she otherwise reserved only for eating snacks, and how viciously she’d dealt with anyone who’d even thought of interfering with Nie Mingjue in any way. He was fairly sure he himself had only survived his second marriage on account of having such a charming son.

“Don’t worry about it,” he finally said, mostly because he wasn’t entirely sure how to explain – or if he even entirely understood. “Anyway, it’s nothing dangerous. Rather the contrary! Dragon pearls like this are given to baby dragons to protect them.”

Nie Mingjue frowned. “What feeds on baby dragons?”

“…I think it’s mostly to protect them from themselves,” Lao Nie said, feeling a little uncertain about it himself. “And if it’s not, I don’t think I want to know, to be perfectly honest. There’s fighting evil, which is only right, and then there’s suicide, which is a waste – a wise man should know how to judge the difference between them. Anyway, that wasn’t the point I was trying to make.”

“It wasn’t?”

“It wasn’t, and you aren’t allowed to start worrying about the fate of theoretical baby dragons – I forbid it.” Nie Mingjue scowled. He’d probably started worrying already. “My point was actually that a pearl like this is a remarkably powerful protective tool for cultivators – one of those things that can only be found by chance and not made. Keep this on you, and you’ll never have to fear your opponent in battle.”

Nie Mingjue looked thoughtful.

-

“What do you want to do with that pearl, anyway?” Lao Nie asked after they’d gotten home and split up just long enough to take a nice long relaxing bath and gobble down dinner. “Do you want to put it in the treasury?”

Nie Mingjue blinked twice, which for him was practically the same as looking terribly shifty-eyed.

“You already did something with it,” Lao Nie deduced. “Something that isn’t using it as intended.”

“Oh, no,” Nie Mingjue said, looking shocked at the mere suggestion. “I’m definitely using it as intended.”

Lao Nie looked him up and down. “You’re not wearing it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t use it. Protection from your opponents in proper battle – that seems like cheating!”

Lao Nie felt a slight headache coming on. People who said they wanted a good boy for a son had no idea what they were getting themselves into, he reflected. Why couldn’t he have birthed a complete rascal instead?

“All right,” he said, instead of saying any of that because at the end of the day, bewildering as he might be, Nie Mingjue was his son and he loved him more than anything. “So what did you do with it?”

“I gave it to Huaisang.”

Lao Nie blinked. He supposed that really was using it for its intended purpose – protecting babies from themselves – although he suspected the dragon lady had been thinking of Nie Mingjue as the baby.

“Although…”

Lao Nie raised his eyebrows.

“…I think he may have swallowed it.”

My boys, Lao Nie thought, and had to sit down and hold his ribs because he otherwise feared he might split his sides from laughing so hard. Only my boys.

[thefanficmonster]

Infatuation

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: FLUFF, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: It’s not a secret that Corpse prefers taking care of his hair himself rather than going to a hair salon to get it trimmed and/or tampered. However, he only has so much knowledge of how to properly do it without having to obliterate his budget. Luckily, his girlfriend comes to his rescue.

Requested by Anon. Hi lovely! Thank you so much for the incredibly fluffy request! I’ve been very pumped to write it and now here it finally is - so sorry it’s taken me so long to complete and post it but I still hope you come across it and give it a read! Love, Vy ❤

“Um, what are you doing?“

I just walked into Corpse’s apartment to find him barricaded in the bathroom, giving himself a hair appointment. We were supposed to have a chill night in watching movies, but it seems to me like those plans will either have to be delayed or canceled, given the chaotic state both Corpse and his bathroom are in. I mean, how dumb was I to expect he was actually doing his hair justice when he told me he styled it himself? Why didn’t that immediately raise an army of red flags in my head and lead me to question his methods?

I’m honestly quite jealous of Corpse’s hair. It’s always so soft and silky and no matter how much or how little effort he’s put in it, it always looks good: either evidently carefully styled or boyishly messy, it leaves me with heart-eyes regardless. But to see him massacre it like this, it makes me wish I could report it as a crime.

“Ain’t obvious?“ He sounds rather frustrated and I feel at least slightly better due to this fact. He deserves to be as frustrated as I am by the sight of the crap he’s doing. “Sorry, you’re gonna have to wait for me for...a little while. I just need to get this under control and, um, clean the mess. Sorry for ruining your night like this, babe. I-I really wasn’t planning on it to take this long but I forgot to buy one of the products and I thought I could wing it without it but...I very clearly can’t so...“

“Please, stop talking. I don’t need to know what sins you’ve committed - if I do I’ll probably have to give you the silent treatment for like a week or so.“ I call out to him as I quickly skip over to the kitchen to leave the food I bought on my way over before returning to the bathroom and carefully taking a step inside, mindful of where there are hair strands on the tiles. Even severed, his hair is beautiful and I have a ton of respect for it - ok fine, I adore it. Corpse definitely doesn’t appreciate it properly. I walk over to the shower, reaching out to the two shelves inside which are lined with different types of hair products. “Oh fuck...“ I let out the whisper without even realizing it because I’m so stunned by the brands I see on those shelves. “Corpse, um, what the actual fuck?”

He turns to me, eyes wide and terrified because of my menacing tone. “What? What is it?” His gaze searches the spot where mine was just pointed at, looking for anything that could’ve provoked such a reaction from me. Seeing nothing but the hair products, he meets my deadly glare yet again, “What’s wrong?”

Alright, this man-child needs some serious help

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong.“ I say, stomping towards the exit of the bathroom, “You’re gonna stay here and wait for me to come back and don’t you DARE, even touch your hair, let alone bring a pair of scissors or any chemical near it. Copy?“

“Copied and pasted, ma’am.“ He salutes me, knowing better than to ask questions when I enter my commander role. There are quite a few things that set me off into this bossy-ass persona, and hair mistreatment is most definitely one of them. Thing is, Corpse doesn’t know that. Well, he didn’t know that, pretty sure he’s guessed it by now.

Feeling myself soften at his obedience and trust, I give him a smile and a wink over my shoulder as I go to grab my bag and leave the apartment to complete my mission, “Good boy.”

                                                              *  *  *

“Isn’t that a lot better?“ I ask, gently running my fingers through Corpse’s freshly cut, washed and dried hair. I’ve spent a good five minutes just smoothing through it with my fingers. I bet he’s expecting me to say ‘my precious‘ at any moment now, and trust me it’s tempting, but I still don’t, I won’t give him the pleasure of predicting my actions. Wow, we’ve really reached that level of being familiar with one another that I predict that he’s predicting what I’m gonna do next. While I’m a guessing game for him, I tend to think of myself as more of an open book. You just gotta be fluent in the language it’s written in to understand it.

I’ve gone off-topic, my bad.

“Yeah, you’re a lot less scary now.“ He tells me, his hand finding mine in his hair and taking it to his lips to place a kiss on my knuckles.

We’re positioned so that we’re in front of the bathroom mirror with Corpse seated in a chair in front of me and I’m for once in my life towering over him from behind. Our height difference was threatening to be a hinderance in my work on his hair, but we easily figured it out.

I can’t help but laugh, “You know what I meant.“ I curl one of his already curly strands around the pointer finger of the hand that’s still wandering around the soft dark curls while the other remains in his gentle hold, resting on his shoulder.

“And you know what I meant.“ He shifts in his seat to look at me directly, not via the mirror, “Since when do you have a hair infatuation?“

I roll my eyes and retract my hands, defensively folding my arms over my chest, “It’s not an infatuation with hair, dummy. It’s an infatuation with your hair.” I correct him, doing quick work of styling the stray strands that fall over his forehead and eyes. “I really like your hair, you already know that. I can’t handle the thought you’re doing such a shitty job taking care of it.”

He shrugs, furrowing his brows, “Hey, I was buying top-shelf products, cost me a fortune every month, my hair was being treated like royalty.”

I roll my eyes once again, “High price doesn’t always equal high quality, Corpse. Did you ever stop to read what was in those products?” I don’t let him answer, I don’t need him to confirm what I already know. “Even if you did - which you didn’t - you wouldn’t know what each of those ingredients do to your hair. You see, taking care of hair, especially hair like yours, takes patience and knowledge. It’s practically an art form. It’s not like you can just buy any product that has ‘suitable for curly hair’ on it. There’s a lot more to that.”

It’s only after I finish my monologue that I realize he’s looking at me with amazed amusement in his gaze, almost like a parent listening to their kid talk about their wish of becoming an astronaut. “Since when do you know so much about hair? You’ve been using the same shampoo and conditioner since I know you and now you wanna lecture me on hair care?”

I raise an eyebrow at him, exasperated by his stubbornness on the matter, “Who said being consistent with your hair products is a bad thing? You know, frequent changing of brands has the potential of being damaging as much as aiding.” I explain with the most amount of patience I can muster, now taking over the parent role myself, “And as for your previous question, I know so much because my mother is a hairdresser.”

His eyes widen in surprise. I can practically see the gears in his brain turning as he tries to recall if I’ve ever told him this before.

“How come I don’t know that?“ He asks finally after a long moment of silence. “Why haven’t you told me?”

“You ask that as though I just tell you things like that on the regular. Did you also want me to drop the info that my dad’s a mechanic in passing conversation about video games? Cause that’s a little hard to shoehorn in....“ He cuts off my sarcastic rambling with a brief peck to the lips. He’s the only person allowed to shut me up, and only like that. Anything else will earn him either an earful or a silent treatment. 

Just kidding....unless...

“So, does that mean you’re continuing the family business?“ he asks when he pulls away, “I mean, you’re technically my personal hairdresser now.“

I furrow my brows playfully, “Wait, what? Since when?”

“Since I hired you approximately an hour ago.“ He beams up at me, satisfied that I’ve fallen in his trap.

“And what about my payment?“ I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.

He looks to be contemplating for a second before he stands up from the chair, taking my hand in his leading me out of the bathroom, “Well, each appointment you’ll give me a different price, Miss Y/L/N. But, considering today was your first day, I choose to pay you with dinner.“ He sends a wink my way, laughing when he’s met with an unamused expression on my part as I stop in my tracks, causing him to halt his movements as well.

“You really plan on paying me with the dinner I bought?“ I raise an eyebrow at him, freeing my hand from his so I can put both my hands on my hips for the complete 'I’m far from impressed’ look.

“Yeah...? Problem?“ He asks, faking nervousness and guilt as he closes the distance between us, once again returning to the default of towering over me instead of it being the other way around.

“Several actually. First of all...“ I raise my finger in the air accusingly, ready to go off but the arm that wraps around my waist and lifts me off the ground causes my words to die down, evaporating in a frightened squeal, “Corpse no!! Put me down!“

Of course, he ignores me, carrying me into the living room while I don’t know whether to thrash or stay as still as possible. 

Tsk, so much for gratitude

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