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ethanesimp · 3 years ago

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THE OAK TREE // TWO E.T.

Pairing: Ethan Torchio x GN! Reader

Summary: Everyone at the Oakes Academy is aware of the rivalry that exists between two of the school’s best students, Ethan Torchio and Y/N L/N. What nobody knows is what a brilliant team they are when they’re at risk of their reputations being damaged and a killer’s on the loose.

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death and murder, mentions of blood, mentions of death and descriptions of it, mention of suicide (pls read with caution, ily <3).

Masterlist // Taglist link in bio

CHAPTER ONE

A/N: Again, I apologize for the delay, life has been a lil bit crazy this past week. I also wanted to apologize for any possible typos because I’m working on a project but decided to take a break to finish this for you guys! I promise I’ll proofread this as soon as I get some time. Also, in the part where they’re texting, I recommend you check the texts on the Google Drive for context. Otherwise you might get a bit lost.

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT TE AVAILABLE MATERIAL IN THE GOOGLE DRIVE WHICH YOU CAN FIND ON THE SERIES MASTERLIST

Taglist (strike means it won’t let me tag you): @oro-e-diamanti @gretavanfleetlove @victoriadeangeliswifey @cheese-toastie-11 @selenophiliaxx @superchrystaldrug @petit-poussin @bidet-and-legolas @fallingforyou123 @ethaneskin @soft-boy-ethan @teenyweenynightghost @reputationdamiano @cantaraiilmionome @tabi-toast @queen-of-brokenhearts @geklutst-ei @juststalking @cruz-ata @ohtorchio @ethan-torchio-angelo @unitermoonshine @everythingisdefinitelynotfine @marriedwithmarktuan @its-afucking-mess @juststalking @goldenpeaxh

LAST CHAPTER’S WINNING DECISION: They believe it is all real and go search for the body the finger might belong to. (The impact of this decision will be reflected next chapter).

Let the games begin.

You had to read the last part once more, so consumed by the shock that barely any words had registered into your brain. Your hands were shaking as you held it closer to yourself. Maybe it was all part of the disbelief because you found yourself scanning the words over and over again until you had the first paragraph memorized.

But then… then Ethan started laughing.

Short, breathy laughs escaped past his lips, immediately followed by sharp inhales, as if he were desperate to get more air to reach his lungs. You brushed it off and went right back to reading the last few phrases that were on the very back, even said them under your breath to try and make them become real because everything seemed like nothing but a dream, no, a nightmare.

Then it slowly dawned on you after you finished reading the letter. All worry subsided and you had no doubt in your mind you would’ve started laughing too if you weren’t seeing red. Consumed by the sudden rage, you turned to Ethan and didn’t hesitate to tackle him into the ground.

In any normal instance, you wouldn’t have been able to do it, but you’d caught him off-guard, which was confirmed by the surprised yelp he let out as his back collided with the muddy floor and dry leaves crunched underneath his weight. You moved to straddle him the second you felt him shift beneath you, as if he wanted to get up.

You looked at him for a split second. His face was illuminated by the soft glow of the red light. His distress was apparent. He was thrashing around to try and get you off him when you started hitting his chest over and over again. Your hits weren’t hard nor were they intended to cause any damage to him. In fact, he could have easily pushed you off him effortlessly if he wanted to, but Ethan didn’t even try. Instead, he let you continue hitting his chest.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you? You’re… a… fucking… psycho!” Each word was accompanied by another frustrated hit to his chest as tears slowly fell down your face and sobs rattled your body, “You were the only one who knew that. The only person in this goddamn school I ever—ever was stupid enough to tell it to. And you use it for one of your sick and twisted pranks? Fuck you. Fuck you!”

Your head fell and rested on his chest as you kept on crying. However, your words seemed to pull him back to reality. Only after a few seconds of you speaking, Ethan had already rolled the two of you around until he was on top of you.

You firmly held his stare as you tried to get him off you. For some strange reason, it sent shivers down your spine to see his eyes so full of fear. Ethan was always centered and glued firmly to the Earth. No matter the issue, he was always capable of keeping his cool, but now was far from being the case. His voice trembled as he tried to speak up, “Shut up Y/N! You’ve got no right to blame me for something that is clearly your doing. I have no fucking clue what your stupid letter said but mine said something that has me convinced it was you!”

His accusation was followed by him shoving his crumpled up letter into your face. You had to squint in order to see it better with only the aid of the red light. When you read the words placed at the very bottom, your eyes went wide and immediately looked for his in a desperate attempt to convince him it wasn’t you, but he had his head turned away. You firmly grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie so he’d look into your eyes, “I-I didn’t. Ethan I don’t like you one bit but I’d never. Not this.”

Ethan scoffed and shook his head. He got off you and turned around so his back was facing you, “You know what? I don’t give a shit what you did or didn’t do. I’m going to wash this disgusting stuff off me and report this in the morning.”

“What the hell? Are you crazy? Ethan, we're in the middle of a crime scene. We cannot leave it like this. I mean, look at you! You’re covered in blood because, let me refresh your mind, you fell into a fucking puddle of blood and found a finger!” You flailed your arms around furiously at his stupidity and started followed him the moment he started walking away, “What if this is real?”

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at you, “What is real? A threat that looks like it was written by a thirteen-year-old who just finished reading The Analyst? And the blood… it belongs to an animal for all I care,” He didn’t seem an ounce convinced by the way he took a second to come up with an excuse, and he couldn’t even look you in the eyes, “Besides, what do you want us to say, huh? Oh yeah, sorry. We’re out past curfew because of reasons we can’t tell you and we casually found a disembodied finger lying in a pool of blood. Ah! And I almost forgot the most important detail. We’re being threatened with things that are not only good enough to get us expelled but also get us thrown in jail. But everything is fantastic.”

You rolled your eyes, “Fine, do whatever the hell you please.”

Ethan nodded nonchalantly and walked away from you. A long and deep sigh escaped your lips at his stubbornness. You wanted to scream out in frustration at how stupid he was being, but decided it was pointless to stay behind, just in case someone arrived and found you standing there, with your clothes filled with blood.

——— ☆ • ♧ • • ♧ • ☆ ———

When you arrived back at the dorms, the first thing you did was take a hot shower as you tried to assimilate everything that had happened. Despite the water being so hot it almost burnt your skin, you still spent the whole time shivering and hugging your arms to your body.

You had washed the blood off the hoodie in one of the sinks and still threw it in the washing machine afterwards. You didn’t know what was going on and part of you was convinced you didn’t want to know. Either way, you weren’t going to risk being roped into a crime investigation as a suspect.

Afterwards, you collapsed into bed. Your whole body was aching and, if it weren’t for the fact that your phone had exploded with notifications after you connected it, you would’ve fallen asleep. You lazily felt around the small bedside table for your phone and picked it up. Most notifications were just memes Will kept sending to the group chat you had. However, you’d also received a message from Ethan.

Upon reading the first few words, you already felt the urge to throw the phone out the window. He was being annoying, not like that was a new thing at all. You responded to the text nonetheless and left the phone back on the bedside table. You turned around in your bed to try and find a spot that was comfortable and cuddled deeper into the sheets. Then, just when you were about to close your eyes, the phone vibrated again. You groaned and picked it up once more. After reading those texts, you were unable to sleep all night.

———

You spent the great majority of the night crying and shivering despite being covered by layers and layers of warm blankets. Those few hours before your alarm sounded extended into what seemed like an eternity and you didn’t want to leave the room, afraid you’d find something like what you’d just seen at the oak tree.

You only managed to sleep for about half an hour before your alarm went off at exactly six AM. Any other day, you would’ve snuggled back into bed for a little longer, but on that particular day, you’d jumped out of bed and hadn’t wasted a second before getting ready. You’d run out of the building to meet your friends at the dining hall, where you were currently at.

Damiano, Rory, Vic, and Will were already sitting at your usual table in front of the large window when you arrived. The curly-haired boy was practicing for a presentation while your three friends listened and made a few comments here and there on things they thought he should change.

“Good morning everyone,” You murmured, then took a seat in between Damiano and Will, who turned to look at you and frowned, “Are you feeling okay, Y/N?” You nodded and put on the best smile you could manage. Then you stole one of the berries from his plate even though you weren’t hungry at all.

You turned to look at Rory and Damiano, “Hey Ro, has the new phone you ordered arrived yet?” You questioned. After your conversation with Ethan the previous night, you needed to make sure it wasn’t them who had sent the text. Just the thought alone made you shudder in disgust and fear, but you just took a deep breath in and kept a soft smile on your face as your best friend shook their head.

“Funny that you ask that because yesterday I got an email from the store saying the delivery was going to take longer than expected because of the weather issues, so I gotta survive with this piece of crap for a few more days,” They sighed and placed the cracked phone on the table. You wanted to stop holding back the tears right then and there. Rory’s words were the confirmation that someone else had sent the text and you doubted it was Emilia. As much as you didn’t want to, with each passing second you started to believe the threat was true and that someone had died or was terribly hurt somewhere, and you needed to find them before it was too late to save them.

Then you remembered another one of Ethan’s texts and had to resist the urge to get up and go search for him because you needed to talk to him as soon as possible. Instead, you distracted yourself by listening to Will’s presentation practice.

You were close to nodding off at some point as he kept on speaking, “Back in earlier civilizations, it was believed that any type of illness was caused by demons and—Hey, Y/N!” You hummed softly as Will called your name. He poked you on the rib and you swatted his hand away, “Are you sure you’re alright? You look terrible.”

“Thank you,” You mumbled sarcastically, “I’m doing fine. I just stayed up working on a project and barely got a wink of sleep,” You let your head rest on Damiano’s shoulder and yawned.

“I wish I were that productive,” Victoria said as she played around with her food. Everyone had insisted on her eating at least a few bites even if she was still sick, “I never do shit.”

Thomas piped into the conversation, catching everyone by surprise as he took a seat next to Victoria, “To be fair, Y/N always complains about feeling half-dead from lack of sleep. I’ll never be crazy enough to sacrifice my sleep for a stupid assignment.”

“Yeah, and that’s why you’re one project away from failing Year 12,” Victoria laughed and Thomas rolled his eyes, “The other day I put him in charge of finishing this essay thing for philosophy and by the time I went back to check on him, he was already asleep. I honestly still wonder how we’re at this school. I would’ve thrown us out a long time ago.”

“Look who’s decided to join us today!” Damiano exclaimed with a large smile on his face as Emilia and Ethan took a seat right in front of you. It was an unusual occurrence for him to eat with you because, well, you were there and he couldn’t shut his mouth for half an hour while you ate, which usually ended in an argument that made the whole table annoyed.

You frowned at his appearance. He was struggling to keep his dark eyes open and his hand wouldn’t stop shaking. It was very apparent that he hadn’t slept much either from the bags under his eyes and his slow steps. Ethan was almost like a zombie.

He shook his head the moment his eyes met yours and your shoulders slumped. It hadn’t been Emilia either. You got up from your seat abruptly and walked away from the table without an explanation. You desperately needed a breath of fresh air before you went insane. So with quick steps, you moved down the hall until you reached one of the open windows next to a couch. You let yourself fall onto the couch and tightly shut your eyes as you breathed the fresh air in.

“You seriously need to calm down. Otherwise everyone will start to notice just how suspicious you’re acting,” You sighed at the sound of Ethan’s irritating voice and up straight on the couch. You rubbed your eyes with the back of your hands and looked up at him with an annoyed expression.

“You cannot ask me to calm down after what we saw last night. When will it get into your thick skull that whatever this shit is, it’s real. Those threats were real and if we don’t do something we’re both going to end up in jail, or worse, people are going to die. We don’t know who this psycho is nor what they’re capable of doing. We need to do something now before it’s too late,” The words rushed out of your mouth desperately. The urgency in your tone and your voice quivering as you spoke made his face fall. It wasn’t often that he took you seriously, but by the look in his eyes, you could tell he was just as scared as you were and that was enough to make him shut up and listen to all you had to say.

“Shit Y/N, can you lower your voice? We have no clue at all who could ev—” Before he could even finish the whole sentence, the Head Professor cleared her throat. But your heads snapped in her direction and you gulped in fear at the thought of her overhearing the conversation.

Your heart fell to your stomach the moment she spoke, “Just the two I was looking for. I need you in my office right now.”

Your eyes went wide as you turned to look at Ethan, who already had his head turned in your direction. He nudged his head in the professor’s direction and you both followed her as she walked to her office but stayed a few steps behind.

“This is it, we’re going to jail,” You mumbled loud enough so only Ethan could hear. He hushed you and pulled you along when you stopped walking. People were looking at you as you passed by and that only made you feel worse. You loosened the tie around your neck and gulped.

“We are not going to jail unless you don’t pull it together. Now breathe and keep on walking. I’m not your fucking babysitter,” He whisper-yelled and quickened his pace. You sighed and did the same thing. It surely couldn’t be that bad, could it? You were probably just overreacting and the events of the night before had nothing to do with this impromptu meeting.

You kept those thoughts in mind as the professor opened the door to the small office and you took a seat on one of the two squeaky chairs. The room smelled clean in a comforting way and you let your shoulders relax as you played with your fingers nervously and looked around the place.

Her office had always been your favorite out of all the professors’. The place was always warm and during the mornings, you could hear coffee brewing in her old coffee machine in the corner of the room. There were books scattered everywhere and piled in a way that didn’t look messy but inviting. During your first weeks at the academy, when you still hadn’t made any friends, you’d go into her office and read while you sat curled up on the couch and enjoyed the warm and calm atmosphere of the place.

Things used to be so much easier back then and you had no clue how things could’ve changed so fast. Back then your relationship with Ethan was decent and you had no trouble with anyone or anything, now you were being threatened into being framed for murder and being sent to jail.

“You totally forgot about our meeting today, didn’t you?” She asked calmly as she poured coffee into one of her cups, filling the room with the delicious and strong scent. The professor pushed her long dark hair out of her face and straightened out her uniform before sitting down opposite to you, “You looked quite shocked. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important.”

Ethan sat there, speechless, just like you. But then realization hit you and you realized you were just being paranoid and stupid. She’d told you about this meeting weeks in advance. It was supposed to have something to do with your chance to get the sought-after 100% scholarship to study your career at The Oakes.

“Nothing important whatsoever,” You replied quickly and sat up straight as you placed both hands on your lap. Ethan copied your actions and tied up his long hair with the black elastic that had been on his wrist.

Your eyes followed the professor as she dumped a small spoonful of sugar and mixed it around with the dark liquid. You couldn’t help but notice her hand shaking as she poured the milk and even spilled a bit of it down the side of the cup.

She cursed under her breath and apologized as she got up to search for a napkin. With furrowed eyebrows, you shared a look with Ethan, who shrugged.

“I apologize. I’m afraid I’m quite distracted today, but let’s continue. Shall we?” She smiled sweetly and opened up one of the folders on her desk as she sat back down. She grabbed two papers from inside and placed one in front of each of you.

You picked it up and examined its content. It seemed to be some sort of permission slip, “So, as I’m sure you both know, our academy offers a program for all our brightest students that gives them the opportunity to continue their college studies with everything paid. You two are the people with the highest grades amongst the whole generation. The semester is—.”

Her words were interrupted by a few quick knocks on the door before a professor pushed it wide open. He couldn’t stop fidgeting with his hands and playing around with his tie as he spoke, “The council wants to have a meeting, professor.”

“I cannot do it right now, I’m—”

“They want to have it now.”

The professor turned to the two of you nervously and laughed awkwardly. She stood up from the chair after quickly pushing it back, “I’ll see you another day, okay? Meanwhile, please send a scan of that permission slip to your parents and have them sign it, as soon as possible.”

Once both professors were out of sight and had closed the door, leaving the two of you alone, Ethan spoke, “Something’s wrong.”

“No shit. Neither one could stop shaking. I say we go and try to listen to what the council members are saying,” You suggested and stood up, but he grabbed your arm and pulled you to sit back down.

“We need to go back to the oak tree first. Y/N, if this is all real and there’s something going on, we need to find that body before they do,” He said firmly. Both his tone and stare were serious and you could tell that there was no way in hell he’d take no for an answer. Instead of arguing, you agreed and walked out of the office right behind him, but then you paused as his words registered into your brain, “Why do we have to find it before them?”

He didn’t stop walking to respond, so with a groan you started to walk faster until you were right next to him, “You weren’t even attending the school when it happened,” Ethan began to talk under his breath, so quietly you could barely make out the words he was trying to say, “It was years ago so I cannot remember exactly how the story went. You can ask Thomas though, he has better memory than I do,”

“Either way, there was this boy who’d just gotten into college and during the secret society’s initiation, he was told to climb the highest tower at that campus but he slipped and fell like ten stories. Like I said, it was a secret society that neither the public nor the parents knew about. If the story of what had really happened got out it’d ruin the school and some of the most important students would’ve been sent to jail, so they twisted it to look like a suicide and got away with it. The only reason we know about it is because one of Will’s cousins, the duke, was involved in it all and Will told us all about it.”

“I refuse to believe that’s true. C’mon, it’s Will,” You laughed, “The same guy who convinced everyone in class that your family secretly ran part of the Italian mafia.”

Ethan only shrugged and stopped walking to knock on the door of the greenhouse. You’d left yours at your dorm that morning from how distracted you were, so you had to wait for Mr. Murphy to open up and let you through.

When he finally opened the door, his eyebrows shot up in surprise as he looked at the two of you in confusion, “What in God’s name has happened to get you two in the same place without fighting?” He mocked. You rolled your eyes and shook your head as a smile appeared on your face.

“I assure you, we can both be perfectly civil. Besides, it’s for a homework we need to do. And believe me it’s the last thing I want to be doing,” You lied and walked into the greenhouse with Ethan following behind, “Anyways, we’re gonna go to the lake to get some water and—”

“I’m afraid you cannot go out there,” He interrupted. You frowned at his words and tilted your head to the side.

“Why? Did something happen?”

“Nothing you should care about, kids. Just go to class, yeah? There’s someone coming and if you want to stay out of trouble you better leave before they arrive.”

YOU CAN VOTE ON THIS CHAPTER’S POLL RIGHT HERE. THIS POLL CLOSES AT 12:30 PM CDT ON TUESDAY.

#ethan torchio x reader #ethan torchio fanfiction #ethan torchio x you

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harrysweasleys · 4 years ago

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sweet as apple pie //d.m

Summary: hi! i was wondering if you could do a draco x reader where draco is only soft and sweet to a ravenclaw girl but gets embarrassed when other slytherins notice? you can end it however you’d like!

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: i wrote this in like an hour because i was so inspired and in one of those ‘loving draco malfoy’ moods, as always! hope you enjoy! :)

—

The Black Lake, though the thought of going in was slightly terrifying, brought you great peace and comfort on sunny afternoons where you’d find yourself homework-free. Some of your best afternoons were spent here, really.

The soothing ripples lapped against the rocks and shore as you sat in the shade of an old beech tree, the birds chirping melodically and the occasional bee buzzing by to land on a flower. The grass swayed in the fresh spring air and the smell of nature took over your senses.

You’d sit here for hours, reading silently or sketching the view under the comfortable shade, the distant laughter of students being the only distraction you could be faced with.

However, that was proven to be false as Draco strolled across the grass and sat across from you, his face lighting up immediately as you smiled over at him.

“Thought you’d wait for me outside the common room,” he grinned, teasing you as you placed your bookmark in the page you had just been invested in, putting the book aside and turning your attention to him.

“Sorry,” you forced a fake pout, “The sunshine was calling to me and I didn’t want to wait in the mouldy dungeons.”

He placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be offended, “Mouldy? I’ll have you know that’s currently where I reside, thank you very much.”

You tossed your head back against the tree, laughing at his dramatic twist of your words.

“I don’t blame you, though,” he looked up to the cloudless sky with squinted eyes, “It’s a rather marvellous day.”

You nodded, your laughter subsiding, “It is, I agree. The only problem is that you’re too far away.”

“This, I also agree with,” he raised his eyebrows and stood up, walking closer to you and sitting under the same tree, his arm pressed up against yours. He was close enough for you to smell him, to take in the delicate features that graced his face. You could even see the adoration in his eyes — the fondness — causing you to bite your lip in order to suppress your growing grin.

“Better?” he asked with a smirk, catching you in the act of staring at him as if in a romantic daydream. Not that you hadn’t stared at him in that exact same manner on countless previous occasions, of course. But he’d tease you about it anyways.

“Much,” you replied softly, the pink hue forming on your cheeks. You wanted to tell yourself it was due to the heat, but you knew damn well it was Draco’s doing.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you in to his side. His grip tightened slightly as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, butterflies fluttering wildly in your belly at his touch.

Nearly a year of dating and this man still had you as giddy as you were on your first date.

You knew he was well aware of the effect he had on you — he relished in it, actually. He’d send you winks during class to see the blush form on your cheeks, he’d also purposefully leave his sweater behind so he could compliment you non-stop as you wore it the next day. Every little thing he did would cause your butterflies to erupt and your cheeks end up sore after smiling like an idiot.

“Your hair smells like apple pie,” he muttered after a comfortable period of silence, his head resting against yours, “I like it.”

“My shampoo is actually citrus,” you chuckled, “but thank you.”

“Oi, Malfoy!” a loud, abhorrent voice called out and ruined your intimate moment. You looked over with a grouchy expression to see Crabbe and Parkinson crossing the lawn, their eyes squinted under the peak sunlight as they headed straight towards the two of you. You internally scowled as they got closer, already wishing they would just leave.

Draco’s arm retracted from around you and he waved weakly at them, his face dropping and all traces of the soft, loving person he was just moments ago was covered up. Your heart sank slightly as you shifted away, causing the distance to grow between the two of you.

“What is it?” Draco snapped, the tips of his ears slightly pink as he stared up at Crabbe’s obliviously blank expression.

Crabbe’s eyes widened at the tone, “Just wondering where you went. Thought we’d see what Potter was up to.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, wanting to speak up but knowing it was best if you didn’t. Draco’s friends, as witless and brainless as they were, could be quite arrogant if contradicted and the last thing you wanted was to put Draco in a weird position.

“I’m alright,” Draco replied dryly before looking over at you, “I’ve already got plans.”

You relaxed at his words, glad he wasn’t leaving you to hang out with his idiot peers. Not that he ever really had before, but Draco always seemed to hold himself to a different standard around them.

Crabbe and Parkinson looked at you, both furrowing their eyebrows before turning back to Draco.

“Malfoy growing a little soft, is he?” Pansy asked, placing her hands on her hips and grinning down at the boy next to you. You smirked at her teasing tone, knowing how easily flustered Draco could get.

“What — soft? No —,” Draco rambling was cut off by Pansy’s rambunctious laughter.

“Let’s go, Crabbe. The lovebirds clearly don’t want our presence.”

Crabbe rolled his eyes in disappointment and followed after her as she dragged him away, leaving you and Draco in silence.

“So, embrassed by me, much?” you asked, crossing your arms and cocking an eyebrow.

Draco sighed, dropping his head, “No, of course not, love,” he reached for your hands, “I just — I don’t know — feel like I have a reputation to uphold. Especially around them.”

You nodded, not upset or offended, but simply just wanting to know what was going on in his complex mind. There had been a few instances, usually around his Slytherin peers, where Draco would pull away from you or act a little colder when people pointed out the way he behaved around you.

Softer, nicer, calmer.

You loved it. Loved that he cared about you enough to show his softer side. You knew you were the only one he showed it to. But you only wished he was confident enough to not shy away every time someone caught him like that. That he’d be more open to having others see him be more human.

“Draco, you realize no one actually cares if you’re nicer to me?” you smiled at him, “I’m your girlfriend. If anything, it’s better. It’s making you nicer to other people too.”

He shook his head, “Is it? Ask anyone in this school — I don’t think any of them would describe me using the word nice.”

“That’s only because of your stupid reputation,” you mocked his voice, causing his lips to turn upwards into an amused smile.

He picked up on your teasing tone and flashed you a smile, shaking his head, “You’re something, you know?”

You nodded, “Oh, I know. But next time, please don’t shy away. I’m proud of having you as my boyfriend and I want to show that off.”

He failed at trying to hide his flushed cheeks as he pulled you close, “Okay, I promise. I’ll show the whole school you’re mine.”

——

The atmosphere in the Great Hall was tense leading up to tonight’s Quidditch match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. With good reasoning, though, as whoever won this match would play Gryffindor for the Quidditch Cup in a few months.

You looked over to the Slytherin table, noticing how Draco would hesitantly pick at his food and put it back down. Clearly, his appetite was leaving him as the nerves settled in.

Usually calm and collected, Draco would rather die before telling anyone he was nervous. Lucky for you, though, you could read him like an open book.

Dinner ended and he stood up, walking straight towards you as you finished your food and bid good evening to your fellow Ravenclaws as you jogged over meet Draco.

“Are you going to be at the game?” he asked quickly. He had asked the question so quickly that it took you a proper moment before you could process the words that had come out of his mouth.

“Course,” you replied with tilt of your head, “Always am, aren’t I?”

“Wear this,” he peeled off his emerald green ‘Slytherin Quidditch’ sweater, leaving him only in his button up shirt, and handed it over to you, “For my luck, of course. And because you’re my girl.”

You beamed as your cheeks grew hot, “Alright.”

Pulling the sweater on over your head and smelling his cologne, your heart did a jolt. He grinned at you, leaning down and pressing his lips against yours, right in the middle of the crowded Great Hall.

He had only ever kissed you in private before.

Shocked by his open reaction, it took you a second to register the kiss and reciprocate. You wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned into him, deepening the kiss and pouring every ounce of love that you could possibly muster into it.

You heard wolf whistles, whether from his friends or yours, you couldn’t tell. You didn’t care, either.

“Well,” you mumbled as you pulled away, lips feeling swollen and your heart rate definitely increasing, “Wonder how good the kiss will be if you win tonight.”

“Guess you’ll have to find out, love,” he winked your way.

Forget an increased heartrate — your heart was now going into complete frenzy. You nearly forgot to breathe for a second.

Draco Malfoy and his damn charm.

And, luckily for you, Slytherin had pulled off a glorious victory. Draco had caught the Snitch and Slytherin had won loud and proud. You had cheered him on from the sidelines, donning his sweater and grinning like a fool every time he’d pass by you and shoot you a thumbs up.

You could tell his confidence was very much present as he zoomed around on his broom, not bickering with the other team and focusing his attention on actually playing the game. So, when Slytherin won, even though you weren’t in said house, the victory felt very well deserved.

You were one of the first to rush down onto the field afterwards, Draco too busy priding himself over his catch to even notice you charging in his direction. You hopped onto his back, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing a large kiss to the side of his cheek.

“You did it!”

He put you down and spun around, wrapping his arms around you and lifting you off the ground, not even caring that practically the entire school could see the two of you. His smile was wide and his eyes wild. You didn’t even care that he was sweaty and sticky — you were too proud to care.

“Time for my victory kiss, love,” he grinned as you lowered your head and met his lips with yours, the world vanishing around the two of you.

Who’d have thunk that a Slytherin would be so soft for a Ravenclaw?

—

taglist:

@grierpilots

@hxfflxpxffs

@mikumana

@msmimimerton

@pit-and-the-pen

@diary-of-an-onliner

@theweirdsideofstuff

@ickle-ronniekins

@thoseofgreatambition

@theweasleysredhair

(message me to be added!)

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy imagines #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy one shot #draco malfoy one shots #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy reader insert

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katsubuns · 4 years ago

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Chapter 1 - Shock

Bakugou x Reader // Kirishima x Reader

Masterlist in bio; warnings in Masterlist; chapter specific warnings - none really, just a bit of nudity and sadness (let me know if I forgot something pls)

If you had known what this day would bring, you would have stayed in bed, holding onto your husband just a little tighter. You would have told him to stay with you instead of going to work. You would have turned that goodbye peck to his cheek into a kiss full of love and adoration. You would have reminded him of how much you loved him and how lucky you were to be his wife.

If you had known that you would never get to speak to him again, you would have interrupted your work and picked up the phone when he called you.

It would be the last call he would ever make, and it would forever be left unanswered.

But alas, when you woke up on this fateful morning, you didn't know anything about the events that would be unfolding that day. So you went about your morning routine as usual - for the very last time.

▫️ ▫️ ▫️

You groaned when your alarm went off, you weren't much of a morning person. Your husband, on the other hand, was an early bird. Even before you managed to open your eyes, you could already feel his hand stroking your cheek.

"Good morning, beautiful."

You slowly opened your eyes, adjusting to the light. "You're way too happy in the mornings, Eiji," you said with a yawn.

You received a chuckle in response. "How could I not be? Waking up to the sight of my gorgeous wife every day."

You shuffled closer to him, and he put his arms around you. "We got to get ready, babe."

"I know, I know," you sighed. You hated getting up in the morning, it was such a drag. Leaving the bed was cold, and taking a shower was exhausting, but you knew it had to be done.

Eijiro got up first, kissing you softly and patting your head. "Don't fall back asleep, sweetie," he laughed.

"Shut up."

There might have been one instance where you had fallen back asleep, and he just wouldn't let you forget about that. You had missed a meeting that morning which really didn't sit well with your boss Taishiro, aka Fat Gum, considering you had just started out as a sidekick at the time.

So much had happened since then.

You watched Eijiro disappear in the bathroom and heard the shower switch on. You smiled, thinking about your life with your beloved husband. You had gone to the same class at UA and quickly became friends. Not long after, you had started dating and had been going strong ever since.

You raised your hand and looked at the shiny ring on your finger. Some people thought getting married at twenty-three was too early, but Eijiro and you knew that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. You had been married for two years now and recently bought your first house together. Sometimes you had to pinch yourself because you couldn't fathom just how blessed you were.

You stretched your still tired body and laid on the bed like a starfish. You were so lost in your thoughts, that you didn't even realise Eijiro had already finished his shower. He was standing in front of your bed, a towel loosely wrapped around his hips, giving you a first-class view of his toned torso. You couldn't help but stare at him in awe.

"Maybe you should take a picture," he laughed. "It'll last longer."

You looked up at his face. He gazed back at you with this sexy smirk of his, while drying his hair with a towel. He was so goddamn handsome. No matter how hot he was, though, he was also the biggest dork - always trying to tease you. But two could play at that game.

You quickly wiggled out of your panties and pyjama top, now laying naked on your bed. Presenting yourself to your flustered husband. You watched his expression change in an instant. You knew exactly how to entice him, and you also knew that he didn't have time for any morning activities.

He just stared at you, and you could tell that he was struggling. You knew that he was contemplating whether there was enough time for a quick morning exercise. You smirked a little. "You're such a tease, (y/n)," he whined, followed by a long sigh.

"Well, maybe you should take a picture then," you laughed and jumped up, running towards the bathroom. While running past him, he managed to give your bum a slap, and you let out a squeal. "Eiji! That hurt!."

"That's what you get for making me all hot and bothered first thing in the morning," he defended himself.

He heard you giggle from inside the bathroom and started getting dressed. He loved you so much. Every second of every day, he was thankful that it was him you chose to spend your life with. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was that you had fallen in love with him.

He was in the kitchen, preparing his daily protein shake, when you came creeping up behind him, putting your arms around his waist. He loved it when you did that.

"That stuff is so disgusting, Eiji. I really don't know how you can drink that," you stated while placing kisses all over his back.

He chuckled. "I need to keep those muscles toned, (y/n). I can't risk looking less manly, or else you might leave me."

"You're an idiot," you said, letting go of him to prepare some cereal for yourself.

When you sat down at the kitchen table, you looked at the duffle bag that contained his hero costume. You sighed deeply. "I really miss going out and doing hero work," you said with a sad tone in your voice.

He turned around to face you. "We can wait, you know. I understand if you want to work on the field for a bit longer." He gave you a soft smile.

You shook your head. "No, I don't want to wait, Eiji. It's okay, I guess I just feel a bit bored, cooped up inside all day."

He gave you a big grin. "Well, then I make sure to come home early today, and we spend all evening together. I also got the weekend off."

You smiled at him. "Sounds good."

You had been trying to conceive a baby for almost a year now, but it just wouldn't happen. You had done all tests imaginable, and everything was fine. You thought that perhaps the excessive training and fighting while on duty as a pro hero wasn't helping, so you decided to step back from that position and instead work from behind the scenes.

You and Eijiro were still working at Fat Gum's hero agency, ever since your intern days at UA. You had both worked your way up and became pro heroes with reliable sidekicks. So when you had told your boss that you wanted to step down, he wasn't all too happy. But he considered both of you to be a part of his family, so when you explained that you were trying to get pregnant, he was delighted. Kindly enough he offered you the job as his Public Relations Manager.

He had said that you could return to your old position whenever you wanted, and there were days when you seriously considered it. Still, you really wanted a baby, and you didn't want to jeopardise your chances.

Since you had started your new role, you were working from home most days, only going into the office if something major had happened. It was your job to make sure that the heroes in your agency looked good in front of the public eye. You dealt with complaints and rumours, made statements to press and other media and in general just kept the heroes out of trouble. It was interesting, but you missed fighting bad guys.

You could feel Eijiro's gaze on you, so you looked up, right into his beautiful red eyes. "It will happen, babe," he encouraged you. "I have a feeling it'll work out very soon."

You forced out a smile, poking at your cereal that had turned to mush by now. "You say that every month, though."

He walked over to you and turned around the chair that you were sitting on, forcing you to face him. He then squatted down in front of you, placing one of his large hands on your belly, looking right into your eyes. "I promise that I'll knock you up, babe," he said with a smirk.

You burst out into laughter. "You're such an idiot," you giggled, trying to calm down. He was laughing with you. To him, there was nothing more contagious than your laughter. He couldn't get enough of it.

"I gotta go," he said, kissing your belly before getting up and grabbing his bag. God, you couldn't wait to have his babies. He would be the most amazing dad.

You got up, following him through the hallway to the door. "You got everything?"

"Yep," He gave you a bright smile. "And this time, I didn't forget the lunch you made me."

"Good boy," you giggled, giving him a peck on his cheek. "See you tonight, Eiji."

"See you tonight, beautiful," he replied, kissing your forehead.

Just when he was about to leave, you held him back. "Take care and kick some asses."

He nodded. "Aye, Aye, ma'am," he said, saluting like a soldier, making you laugh again.

Once you were alone, you made yourself a cup of tea and walked upstairs into your office. You sighed when you plopped down at your desk. You had a busy day ahead. One of your newest additions to the team had gotten drunk and destroyed public property when he lost control over his quirk. It happened off duty, but of course, it still came back to bite your agency in the ass.

You didn't have to clean up the mess he had made, but you still had to fix the damage he had done to the agency's reputation.

Your day turned out to be even busier than you had initially expected; one conference call after the other, meeting after meeting. You were glad that you could do all this from the comfort of your home, but you'd rather be out and about.

It was almost five in the afternoon, which was when you usually finished work. Since Eijiro said he'd be home early today, he wouldn't finish too much later than you. Thinking about spending the entire evening with your husband made you smile.

"Kirishima-San, are you okay with the proposed changes?" You suddenly heard someone ask through the speakers of your laptop. You had completely forgotten that you were on a conference call. You mentally slapped yourself.

"E-ehm apologies, my connection cut out. Could you please repeat that for me?" You asked, trying to act as if you didn't just space out.

After a few minutes, you got distracted again. Eijiro was calling you on your phone. You really couldn't pick up as the meeting was just moving into the open discussion phase, and there was no way that you could excuse yourself.

He probably just wanted to tell you that he would be a bit late. You didn't mind that at all. Because of the way things were looking for you, this meeting would drag on until after working hours anyway.

It was past six when your call finally ended. You rubbed your temples and shut down the laptop immediately. Usually, you would check your emails, see if anything had happened while you were in the meeting, but you couldn't be bothered. You also switched your work phone off, no more business tonight.

You had completely forgotten about Eijiro's call, so instead of calling back, you started preparing dinner for the two of you. You were dancing through the kitchen, music blasting through the speakers. You were so excited to see your husband and to spend some much-needed quality time together.

But over an hour had passed and he still wasn't home. You tried ringing his phone, but he didn't pick up. You saw that he had left a voice message when he had tried calling earlier, so you listened to it, anxious that something might have happened.

"Hi babe, I'm so sorry. Something just came up, and we have to take out the hideout of these annoying villains I told you about. It shouldn't take too long, though. We've joined forces with another agency, so it'll be a piece of cake. I will be a bit late, but I promise I make it up to you, gorgeous. I love you and see you soon."

Listening to his message was so soothing, nothing was more relaxing than the sound of his voice. But for some reason, his voice couldn't shake the uneasy feeling you had. He had left this message over three hours ago. If it was that much of an easy task, he should be home by now.

You weren't too much of an anxious person, but once something worried you, it worried you hard. You pictured all the worst-case scenarios in your head. You knew you were just silly, but part of you had an awful feeling.

You felt like something terrible was on its way to you. It felt unnerving and made you shiver. You shook your head, trying to calm yourself down. Everything was fine. Things were always fine.

But for some reason, you were afraid to turn on the TV. Something inside of you told you not to look at the news. You sat down in your kitchen, your fingers nervously tapping on the dining table.

Another hour passed, and you still weren't able to get hold of Eijiro. You tried calling your boss Taishiro, aka Fat Gum, but he didn't pick up the phone either. You tried ringing your former senpai Tamaki, who was still working at the same agency as you. But he also didn't pick up.

Deep down, you knew that something had happened. You didn't know what it was, but something was wrong. On a whim, you dialled the only other person you could think of who might have some information. He was his best friend, after all. But Katsuki didn't pick up either.

You felt utterly alone. It wasn't like Katsuki not to pick up. The three of you had been best friends since school, and no matter what people thought about the explosive blonde, he would never ignore a phone call from you.

Maybe you were overreacting. Maybe they were all busy tonight. Maybe it was all just one big coincidence. Maybe everything was okay...

When you saw the bright light of cars pulling up your driveway, your heart sank. There were at least three cars outside your house. The dark of the night illuminated by flashing lights.

No.

Whatever joke this was supposed to be, it wasn't funny.

When the doorbell rang, you were already crying. You knew that it was bad, why else would there be so many people? Eijiro had been admitted to the hospital plenty of times after fights on duty, and all you had received then was a phone call. If he was in the hospital - then where was the call?

Why wasn't your phone ringing? Why did it have to be your doorbell? Why?

You knew that once you would open that door, your life would change forever. You didn't need to know the details. You already knew it was terrible.

The ringing of the bell was replaced by knocking. "(y/n), I know you're in there. Please open the door." You could hear your boss Taishiro from the other side.

This was all the confirmation you needed. Why would your boss be here if everything was okay?

"Please open the door, (y/n)." You heard a much more quiet voice saying. Tamaki was here too.

You were wondering whether ignoring those people would make everything go away. Maybe if you ignored them for long enough, they would leave, and things would go back to normal.

But you knew you couldn't ignore them. You knew that you had to face whatever horror it was that was awaiting you.

With shaky hands, you opened the door and were immediately met with sad faces. Taishiro's and Tamaki's presence had already told you that something terrible had happened. But when you saw the flashing lights of the police car and the policeman that was walking up the stairs to your porch - you knew it.

"(y/n)," Taishiro said, trying to reach out to you.

But you jumped back. "N-no," you muttered with a shaky voice. "L-leave."

Taishiro looked at Tamaki for support, but the anxious man had no idea what to say.

"Kirishima-san?" The policeman had now arrived in front of you, looking at you with a serious expression.

You shook your head. "No. Y-you need to leave. All of y-you." Tears were streaming down your face, and you felt so alone.

"Kirishima-san, I'm afraid I will have to talk to you. There has been an in-" the policeman said, but you cut him off.

"Don't! I don't want to hear it. Please... just leave," you sobbed, shaking uncontrollably.

There were so many faces in front of your door, and you didn't want to see any of them. You felt trapped inside of your own house. You wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to run to.

The policeman sighed. "I know this is difficult, but -" You cut him off again.

"I said go away!" You yelled. You didn't care if he was just doing his job and you didn't care if you were rude.

Why wouldn't they leave you alone? Why did they have to corner you like that?

You needed your husband with you. You needed Eijiro to tell them to leave. You needed him.

"Oi! Get out of the way!" You heard a voice yell in the background. "Yes, that includes you, shit face, fuck off."

You looked up and saw Katsuki approaching your door. You didn't think it would be possible to cry harder than you already were, but seeing his distraught face made your heart shatter into a million pieces.

Your legs gave in, and just before you fell to the ground, Katsuki caught you and held you in his arms. You threw your arms around him and sobbed into his chest. "It's okay, I got you," he said, not letting go of you.

"I think it's time for you all to leave," he growled.

The policeman sighed. "But we haven't talked to her yet."

"Did I fucking stutter?" Katsuki asked, eyebrows twitching.

"W-we'll come back tomorrow," the officer said, quickly turning around to leave.

Katsuki then looked towards the two pro heroes and just nodded. Giving them the silent cue that he would be taking care of you.

And with that, everyone left, leaving you and Katsuki behind. He closed the door and carried you into the living room. You were still clinging onto him, his shirt was soaked with your tears.

He looked down at the sobbing mess in his arms. His heart was hurting. There were two people on this planet that he would call his friends. It had always been the three of you against the rest of the world. He wouldn't always show it, but he loved you both dearly.

But those times were gone. Now there were only two of you left. And he had to make sure to protect and look after the one remaining friend he still had, no matter the cost.

"He can't be gone," you whispered in between sobs. "It can't be true."

Katsuki tightened his grip around you. He didn't say anything in reply. He didn't know what to say. All he could do was cry silent tears and hold you in his arms for as long as you needed him to.

Tag list in comments. If you want to be added please let me know.

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feliix · 5 years ago

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Patio Penetration ✦ PJM (18+)

✦ Pairing: Jimin x Reader ✦ Word count: 2k ✦ Rating: M

✦ Genre: Smut, Romance, Fluff(ish), Established Relationship!AU ✦ Warnings: pwp, unprotected sex, explicit sex, creampie, fingering, teasing, dirty talk(?), Jimin has a big dick, like no foreplay, semi-public sex (maybe?), dom/sub themes (dom!jimin),a tiny bit of begging ✦ Summary: you burn your tongue on some takeout food and Jimin kisses it better

✦ Requested by @hobiance “time to unleash all of the requests ive been wanting to send u but didnt know i could heheheheh okay lets get this started. JIMIN + WINE.” and this anon “Hello!! I saw the drabble and thought maybe I could request from one of my favorite writers? 🥺 Could I have wine with our Jiminie? Maybe something about dates too 👉👈”

✦ A/N: Posting this at 3am because I have 0 self control and because Lainey told me to. also not edited bc its 3am and I’m nothing if not a mess ✦ Written for the BHQ Drinks and Drabbles game hosted by @bangtan-dreamland

It was a Saturday, and that meant it was date night. Tonight, Jimin had decided to pick up some takeout on his way home to have a little make-shift picnic on your patio. It wasn’t all that fancy, but it was intimate and it was special – just the way you like it.

Unfortunately, on Jimin’s venture home from the shop the food had become a little too cold for your liking. So naturally, you just threw what you could in the microwave for a minute or so and it was good as new.

Hot steam wafts off of your noodles and into the air, but that doesn’t stop you from digging in. Patience was a virtue, but it was not a virtue that you had ever learned.

Right on impact the hot noodles burned your mouth. Your immediate reaction is to suck air in through your teeth, attempting to cool down the temperature and relieve some of the pain from your burning tongue. An agitated groan leaves your mouth as you find the strength to chew and swallow your food – wincing from the burning feeling that was destroying your tastebuds.

Jimin glances in your direction, his eyes full of concern as his eyebrows quickly raise. By instinct he grabs the water placed beside you and hands you the glass. Graciously, you take it from his hand, chugging the ice cold liquid to soothe the blistering sensation garnering your mouth.

“Ow,” is the only word that you can muster out as you finish swishing the water around your mouth, momentarily easing the pain. With a deep sigh, Jimin raises from his seat, walking around the table to stand over you.

“Let me see,” he says, hand reaching for your chin to lift your head in his direction. As you tilt your head back you stick out your tongue for his viewing, the light chill of the air slightly easing the pain. He analyzes it closely, eyes narrowing in concentration as he looks at the affected area.

Sun still shining brightly onto your patio, you close your eyes. Once again you forgot to put on sunglasses before coming outside, big mistake. And then you feel it. His hot breath fanning over your face as he inches closer and closer. Your natural reaction to him being this close to you is to get turned on. How could you help yourself? He was just that attractive – even if he was just trying to be sweet and check your tongue for burns.

But you underestimate how sweet his intentions actually are. Or maybe they are, and the soft yet savory kiss that he leaves on your tongue was meant to be a sign of care. It could have been nothing more than just a nice gesture, but the arousal beginning to pool in your panties said otherwise.

You suck in a quick gust of air promptly in reaction to his plump lips meeting your tongue once again; you know this is no longer a gesture filled with good intentions. Snapping your head back into place, you meet his lust filled gaze. His eyes are narrowed and his tongue runs across his bottom lip enticingly. He’s taking in every inch of your body as he looks you up and down, and your stomach flips at the thought of him having you right here.

In an instance you are looping your hands around the back of his neck, pulling him in closer to you. When your lips meet his you feel a rush of relief, the heat traveling through your veins and to your core awakening as his hands begin roaming your body. His fingers trace the hem of your top, lifting it swiftly while breaking your heated kiss to remove the garment. The light breeze brushes against your now bare stomach, small goosebumps rising to the surface as you connect your lips with his once more.

“Here?” You ask in a whisper, your foreheads pressed together as your gaze turns downward to his crotch. Just as you suspected – he was already growing hard.

A mumbled “yes” was Jimin’s only response – well that and ripping your pants off your body so fast that you almost fell off the chair you were seated on. “Flip over,” he says as his hand meets the small of your back, guiding you to stand up. Hands placed down on the chair you were just sitting in, you bend at the waist, ass pointed in his direction as he fumbles with the buckle of his jeans.

Your heart raced as you waited for him to make a move. Desire was growing high and arousal was dripping down your thighs. Of course, this didn’t go without Jimin noticing. His hand parted between your legs, grazing its way up your thighs as he made his way to your entrance. The last thing on your mind was the lingering burning sensation on your tongue.

“Already so wet for me,” you shiver at his words as his fingers circle your entrance. All you could focus on was his erect member rubbing at your ass as the pads of his fingers smeared the wetness along your slit. As a digit brushes past your clit you instinctively wince, so sensitive to his touch it was becoming difficult to control your body. A high pitched moan leaves your throat as he begins rolling your clit between his fingers, pinching it lightly, making you keen over in pleasure.

His fingers trace the extent of your slit back until they meet your entrance once more. Swiftly, his fingers dip into the arousal pooling out of your core. Your bottom lip is caught between your teeth. The slow movement of just one finger plunging into your depths taking your breath away in an instant.

As arousal drenched his fingertips butterflies erupt in your tummy. It was getting harder and harder for your legs to support you and your arms were wobbly and unstable. “I can’t hold out much longer,” you say between breaths , doing everything in your power not to lose control right then and there.

“Not yet,” he orders, an arm wrapping around your stomach to stabilize you as he hovered over your shaking body. With this new position you could feel his tip poking against your entrance, teasing you. And with that was the tip of the iceberg. Clamping your thighs together, Jimin’s hand became immobile; trapped between your legs and no longer able to tease you.

“Jimin if you don’t stop I’m going to cum,” you choke out, tears beginning to gather in the corners of your eyes from holding back your much needed release. With a sneer like laugh he retracts his hand, leaving a quick slap to your ass cheek on his way back. Your muscles tighten one again, the knot in your stomach slowly starting to dwindle as he takes his member in his hand.

Jimin slowly begins pumping his shaft, making sure to gather the precum at his tip and coat his member in a beautiful mixture of the both of your juices. Your legs remain clenched together as you try to suppress the desire flooding your system. All you wanted was him to fuck you right here and now, and you were in no mood to beg tonight.

Leaning slightly forward onto your elbows, you arched your back lower, lifting your ass higher to try and get his attention. He was taking far too long and focusing on catching your breath was more important than asking for what you wanted at this point. What better way to tell him to fuck you already than to rock your hips back, causing the tip of his cock to rest against your ass?

“Use your words, Princess,” a smirk grows onto his face as he takes notice of what you’re trying to do. An agitated whine soon leaves your mouth. You were too tired to beg, and he had already wound you up enough.

“Jimin please,” you moan, “please just fuck me already.” Leg bouncing impatiently as you wait for him, he finally lines himself up at your entrance. A steep gasp passes through your lips as his cock slides itself into you; your velvety walls squeeze the veiny ridges of his member as you take him in.

A string of curses leaves his mouth as his shaft slides into your cunt. The arousal spilling from your hole coating his cock as you clench around him. Jimin’s hands find their place on your hips, holding you steady as you adjust to his size. Even after all this time together, every time you have sex feels like the first. Maybe it was cliché to think so, but acclimating to his size would never be easy.

It was comfortable. Even though you were on your back patio where your neighbors could see you at any moment, the setting was beautiful and everything in this moment was perfect. The sun was just beginning to set and the passing breeze chilled the perspiration beginning to gather on your skin. You’ve never felt better than you do in this moment – speared on your boyfriend’s cock while you waited for your food to cool.

As Jimin began thrusting in and out of you, your hands took grip on the sides of the chair, holding on for dear life knowing what was in store. His movements were beginning to quicken rapidly, the sounds of his skin colliding with yours and the deep moans echoing from his throat filling your ears. Your chest heaves deeper and heavier with each of his movements, soft whines bubbling past your lips as he meets new places within your core.

“Fuck you’re so tight,” he groans, teeth clenching as you squeeze tightly around him. The familiar knot in your stomach was making its way back to you. The repetitive tap of Jimin’s tip deep inside you had you too far gone. With one powerful thrust, you were coming undone around him. Your legs soon begin to crumble underneath you before his arms wrap around you to catch you from falling.

A gentle scream escapes your mouth as you ride out your high, Jimin’s pace only quickening to chase his own. The familiar tingling sensation begins to rush through your veins as oversensitivity starts to set in. When your eyes slam shut all you can see are stars, small white blotches blinding your vision as your pussy continues to spasm around him.

You aren't even able to catch your breath as your orgasm begins to subside. Jimin is too busy pounding into you, his hips meeting your ass with a slap as he bottoms out.

“Don’t pull out,” you say quietly. All that's on your mind is being filled to the brim with Jimin’s cum. You’re aching for his release, squeezing your core as hard as you can to ease it from him. The grip he holds on your waist tightens, his face scrunching as he focuses on chasing his high, “want you to fill me up.”

And with that, he was. Collapsing over you, he held you close as he reached his high. His heavy breathing fanned over the back of your neck, your shirt sticking to your back as beads of perspiration soiled the fabric.

“Love you,” he whispers in your ear, kissing just below it. You can feel the rise of his cheeks against your skin as he smiles. It was comfortable here, with him like this. Almost too comfortable for having sex out in the open like this, but it was past the point of caring as he held you tight in his arms.

“Love you more,” you whisper back as a grin stretches wide across your face.

“I think we might have to heat up the food again,” he chuckles before pulling out of you to look at the food placed neatly on the table.

“I’ll make sure I wait for it to cool down this time,” you giggle as you stand upright, legs still feeling jello-like as you search for your pants.

“I can think of something to do while we wait for it to cool,” Jimin smirks as you turn in his direction. His eyebrows are lifted suggestively, winking at you when you make eye contact. “Round two?”

#ficswithluv #bangtanarmynet #networkbangtan #smutcentralnet #btswriterscollective #bhqdrabbles #kpopuniversenet #magicshopnet #bangtanhq #jimin x reader #jimin pwp #jimin smut #jimin fluff #jimin fanfiction #bts fanfction #jimin one shot

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pinkhairedlily · 4 years ago

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Chapter 3 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

“Good morning, Sensei.”

Long trails of pink hair fell just inches above Kakashi’s face. He opened his eyes from a short morning nap and found Sakura shielding him from the summer sun. The book he was reading was on his stomach, turned down and split on the page he stopped.

“Good morning, Sakura. You let your hair down.”

She grinned at him and took a few steps back as he stood up. “I didn’t have time to dry my hair. I didn’t want to be late on my first day of class.”

“You had time to wake me up though.”

Internal panic coursed through Sakura which intensified more when he yawned and smirked, obviously teasing her, but it emphasized the small mole above his chin – something she was always fascinated about. “It’s bad impression when freshmen students find their teacher littering on campus grounds, Sensei.” I’m so proud of my quick wit. She happily sauntered away from the speechless, heads-over-heels, oblivious student trap.

Kakashi walked with her until the main entrance of the building, easily avoiding Sakura’s inquisitions of his summer break shenanigans and pinning the lack of it on the endless teacher trainings and seminars. Just before he left her to go the faculty room, he took a rubber band from his wrist and gave it to her. “In case you’ll get conscious and want to tie your hair. Have a good day, Sakura.”

She wasn’t conscious at all; she let it down for him, the hair tie in her skirt’s pocket – her pink strands freed at will to demand for his undivided attention, but she opened her palm to receive his offer all the same. She sighed after his fading figure in the gathering crowd.

New class lists were pasted on the bulletin board, and she scanned for names. Two particular people caught her attention. Ironically, they also appeared within her field of sight.

“Oh, Sakura. Good morning!” Naruto’s loud voice was ringing even though he just entered the building. If she would describe him, he was the embodiment of sunshine. He just had that positive energy around him which she liked. Walking close behind him was Sasuke, the stoic genius of their batch, and the opposite of Naruto. “How was your summer, Sakura?”

“Hmm, nothing much.” She glanced ever so quickly at Sasuke and saw him pay no mind. She liked that about him because while he was so unlike his loud, chatty friend, his energy was warm and kind, just hiding behind a tall wall of vulnerability. “I heard you joined the baseball team. Congratulations!”

Naruto shyly scratched his head. “I’m still a rookie though. I’ve got ways to go.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Sakura heard through the vine that he got mad agility skills, and that every sports team wanted him to try out. So much has changed in a year.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late.” Sasuke said.

“I haven’t seen which class I’m in yet!”

He grabbed the blonde by the collar and led the way. “We’re classmates.”

“Yeah, we’re classmates.” Sakura fell in step with Sasuke, Naruto frozen in shock. What an odd trio they must have been.

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

Their seating arrangement was pasted on the board when they came in. Sasuke got the seat beside the window – a good position for daydreams and afternoon naps. Sakura was placed beside him with a nice center view of the room, and Naruto was in front of her.

“Hey, Sakura. I need to tell you something, but it’s quite embarrassing. You see, I tend to fall asleep in the middle of class and since I’m in front of you…..erm….uhhh.”

“What he meant to say is he drools,” Sasuke interrupted. This apparently irked Naruto who full on glared at him.

“Well, yes, I drool. I have short attention span and classes make me so sleepy, but I hope that won’t disturb you. Just please look over my head.”

“How can she when there’s a porcupine sitting on it?”

Sakura chuckled at their weird, friendly banter. “Yeah sure, whatever you say Naruto. I don’t get easily distracted anyway.” She forgot to ask earlier if Kakashi will still be teaching Math for second years or which section his homeroom will be. As if her thoughts conjured him, he walked in their room, his silver hair glinting against the sunlight, and his eyes wandering in search for a face. Hushed gushes of admiration spread through the students, awed by the silent imposition of his presence. Then, his eyes fell on her.

He bridged the gap between them in easy, wide strides. “Ms. Haruno, the student council is looking for you.”

“They really sent you on an errand, Sensei?” No one dared to look beyond their interactions. She was easy-going, casual without being disrespectful, the model cheerful student, and the teachers’ pet. Teasing him with her half-truths hanging in between words was not difficult to cover up.

“Of course, I’m the council’s adviser.” And of course, she was thankful for his obliviousness.

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

“What do you think could it be? Did Sakura get into a scuffle?” Naruto asked after Sakura left with Kakashi. “No, that’s not really possible.”

Sasuke shrugged. He just wanted the day, or rather, the term to end quickly. He purposely avoided visiting the café, going in the mornings rather than late nights, partly because he didn’t want to run into her and partly because he was scared. He was just safely keeping his distance.

Sakura returned just before the next class started with an exuberant expression. The next teacher basically confirmed the news. “Congrats, Ms. Haruno Sakura. Thanks for stepping up to be the next student council president.” The position was left vacant after the initial appointee decided to focus on preparations and review to move abroad for college. The council, with faculty approval, recommended her to take the rein.

Hmm. They trust her abilities to this extent, huh. Sasuke looked outside, uninterested with the unfolding event and the break of congratulations around her. He saw her reflection on the window, smiling widely at her classmates, but her hands told another story, her fingers just solely focused on the rubber tie around her wrist.

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

Naruto had to stay behind for baseball practice which Sasuke was thankful for, but his feet didn’t want to go back home so he hid in their spot, napped for a while, and waited for Naruto’s message. When the blonde finally finished, Sasuke went to the field to fetch him.

“Sasuke, they’ll be joining us for dinner!” Naruto said.

“Sure, invite another team more.” Just his luck, Sasuke hated company, but like all other instances, he kept being dragged within his friend’s orbit. The team waved at him silently, knowing for a fact now that he didn’t respond to anyone other than Naruto.

“Really?” Naruto’s eyes perked up then a moment later realized that Sasuke was being sarcastic. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led the way to their usual ramen house.

“Get your hands off me, you vermin.”

“Awww they told me this was probably your love language – friendly banter.”

“Naruto, that didn’t come from us. We don’t want to get killed!” his teammates collectively chimed behind him. “Sorry Sasuke.”

Sasuke released a heavy sigh, quickly glaring at the players, but also letting the remarks slide. At least, this was a better option than being early at home and alone. After dinner, Naruto badgered him for desserts.

“I think I need a sugar rush. All the sugar left my body during practice. I envy Team Captain Haru.”

“The one with the undercut? His hair looked boring.”

“He has a steady supply of sweetness in his life. His girlfriend, Hinata, always visited during summer break. Quiet but supportive of our practice games. She cheers for him on the side and brings us snacks. I want a girlfriend too.”

“That’s normal, considering you’re a hormonal teenager.”

“Aren’t you the same?”

“Nope, I’m just a teenager.” His feet unconsciously led him to the café where Sakura worked. Ah, shit. “Hey, let’s go to another place.”

“This looks okay, grumpy! Besides, my feet hurt. Please have mercy on your dear friend.”

“You’re not my friend.”

“That’s a part of your love language too. Ehe. Come on now.”

Despite internally wishing she wasn’t present this evening, he found himself face to face again with Sakura. She had the usual disguise, but her makeup was on the heavier side – cat-shaped eyeliner just made her eyes stood up more. When she saw them, the first thing she did was look at him, conveying a questioning look, possibly on whether Naruto knew who she was. Sasuke subtly shook his head once.

Ever the simple-minded, Naruto’s focus was on the sweets. “I’ll have strawberry milkshake and a slice of red velvet cheesecake please!” It was going so well until he saw her face. Leaning in to Sasuke, he whispered. “She kinda looks familiar, don’t you think?”

“Your order, Sir?” Unfazed, Sakura continued doing her job. Her eyes looked towards the last plate of cream puffs.

“One slice of tomato cake and a matcha latte.”

“What?” Sakura and Naruto said at the same time.

“Even the lady agrees that that dessert sound unappetizing!” Naruto stuck out his tongue for a more theatrical effect. “Get a brownie or a cream puff.”

“I’m treating you so let me eat my tomatoes in peace.” Sasuke held out his card to Sakura who was still weirded out by his selection. Did he really give off a strong impression of his cream puffs inclination?

“I feel like we have a vibe going on.” Naruto leaned towards the counter, seemingly flirting with Sakura-in-disguise. “Maybe it’s because you have the same eye color?”

Before he could embarrass himself any further and prematurely confess his yet half-hearted feelings, Sasuke dragged Naruto away from the counter and on the farthest table of the café. “You made her uncomfortable. Stop it.”

“She looked like Sakura! But of course, our student council president looks more ethereal. I bet she’s so busy with school and club activities, she won’t have time for this.”

He spent an hour or so listening to Naruto talk about his baseball practice, the expired ramen he accidentally cooked last night, and the difficulty of their classes. It somehow ended on a note, much more like an imposition from Naruto, that Sasuke will give him supplementary lessons in this café and with his allowance.

They were about to leave when Sakura beckoned them over. She had two paper bags in her hands, and Sasuke noticed the absence of cream puffs. Someone must have ordered it already.

“Here’s a treat on the house – one for each of you. We’re giving freebies if you order within this timeframe. Come again!”

“This is so great! Thank you!” Naruto beamed at her but remembered something. “Hey, I’m sorry if I felt like a creep earlier. It wasn’t my intention.”

“Uh, that’s all right. I get that a lot.” She beamed back at him.

“You have the same beautiful eye color with our classmate. She’s cheerful, assertive, and has this positive energy around her. We hope we could be friends with her. Thanks for this again!”

Sasuke was too late to stop Naruto’s ramble, but he guessed it turned out fine. She just continued smiling like a good ole polite employee. “Get going, Naruto. I want to rest.” The two of them stepped out on the street with the fresh evening breeze.

“I feel like I still creeped her out.”

“Maybe you did.” Sasuke smirked at the tortured expression on Naruto’s face.

When he came home, he opened the paper bag to place the contents inside the fridge. It didn’t occur to him to ask why that promo wasn’t offered to him when he came last time, but nonetheless, he was a bit glad that he had something to munch on aside from processed food. His thoughts halted when he saw the cream puffs inside. His hands fetched his phone and he quickly dialed Naruto’s number.

“Grumpy, you missed me already?”

“What did she give you?”

“Who? Oh? You mean the café lady? Brownies! Do you think I can share these with Sakura tomorrow?”

Sasuke hang up on him without answering his question. He just kept on staring at the cream puffs on his kitchen counter.

Yeah, I better keep my distance.

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 4

#SCPS #student council president sakura #pseudolily #haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #hatake kakashi #uzumaki naruto #sasusaku #kakasaku #narusaku #ugh my heart #i hate writer's block tho

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littlegiantposts · 4 years ago

Text

Episode 2

Kageyama x f!reader

warning: may contain manga/anime spoilers! strong language probably!

description: In which Y/n is a new addition to Karasuno’s Girl’s Volleyball Club

I’m pretty sure this is the pilot episode but hopefully I did this right:

a/n: Okay! here is the next episode! Idk why but I like naming these episodes. Also, if you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to keep in the timeline as season 1. Hopefully that’s not going to be a pain in the ass later, but yeah! I hope you enjoy!

Y/n approached the gym and entered by sliding the steel door. The whole team was there and they were finishing warming up with serves. Everyone was mostly doing overhand serves. But what caught Y/n’s eyes was Etsuko. She had her eyes closed and taking deep breathes. Y/n slightly tilts her head to the side.

What is she doing? Y/n ponders. Yuma sees Y/n and approaches her. She sees how Y/n is staring at Etsuko.

“She can do a jump serve?” Y/n watches as Etsuko starts a run up. The ball hit the middle of the net.

The whole team erupts in fits of laughter.

“No, she can’t.” Yuma clarifies.

“Woah, Etsuko, you’re gonna give Y/n a run for her money!” Rinko exclaimed and continued to chuckle with the other third years. Other players snicker and make some harmless, little jokes.

“Oh, please. At least I am trying!” Etsuko huffs in protest to the teasing. Y/n approaches Etsuko.

‘You’re right. It’s good that you’re trying. The toss was great, the timing was off, but that’s what practice is for.” Y/n says honestly.

Etsuko was not really expecting Y/n’s hard-hitting honesty but it was a breathe of fresh air from the teasing. She takes a long look at Y/n, for a teenager, she sure is mature.

Nonethless, you’re flattery made her cheeks tinge with red, “I was really just copying what you did earlier.” She says shyly.

At this, Y/n eyes widened, “Do I really look that serious?!” She had never really paid any attention to what she might look like towards others while she is in play. Up until now, she only focused on the game because, well, that’s just how she plays. Etsuko and Yuma chuckle at Y/n’s reaction.

“Yeah, it was as if your looks could kill.” The 3 first years turn to the voice to see the captain, Michimiya Yui, “so, I hope you’re all warmed up cause we will be starting the three on three.”

“Right, who will be playing?” Y/n inquires.

“I was thinking Moe and Yuma will be on your team. Then, the opposing team will consist of Aoki, Yua, and I.” Y/n nods at the captains words.

“Wait, WHAT?!” everyone turned to Etsuko’s outburst.

“Oh no.” Yuma quietly mumbles.

“I wanted to play in the three on three!” Etsuko almost sounded like a child that was ready to throw a tantrum. She had her arms crossed, thinking of a plan to get her way somehow. “What about we make it more interesting. The first years versus the third years.” She smirks.

“Etsuko, you turd, don’t go against the captain!” Yuma bonks Etsuko’s heads. Etsuko instinctively held her head and dramatically fell to the ground, “OW! You know my head’s sensitive”, she pouts.

Yui laughs at the interaction and starts to think about her offer. Sudou approaches Yui, “You aren’t actually thinking about that as an actual option, right?”

Yui smiles, “I mean, why not? I already know Y/n is an exceptional player. This three on three really serves as a nice introduction through friendly competition.”

Sudou thinks over Yui’s words, “You aren’t wrong.” She looks over at the first years. All three of them. “What about we add to your idea, Etsuko. Whichever team loses has to be the other team’s servants for,” Sudou puts her hand on her chin and looks up, acting like she is in a real deep thought, “three whole weeks”.

“THREE WHOLE WEEKS?!” Etsuko begins to regret opening her mouth.

“What would we have to do?” Yuma almost didn’t want to ask, afraid of the severity of the word ‘servant’.

“Oh, just the simple, worshiping the ground they walk on, get them or make food when they ask, and help them with virtually anything if they ask a favor.” Sudou smirks.

All the previous color on Etsuko and Yuma’s face were practically gone, looking like they are going to faint. Y/n looks at their state worriedly, How little do you think of yourselves?! You guys can’t be that bad, right? Y/n turns to look at the 2nd years and some are already on their knees, hands together. They’re praying for us?! Y/n gulps.

Y/n reverts her gaze back at Sudou Rinko, the third year. Her classic, neutral face making a comeback as she takes a calming breathe. This girl sure knows how to think of a punishment.

“You’re on.” Y/n holds out her hand. Rinko firmly shakes your hand. She was pleasantly surprised by the guts that Y/n has for not backing down to a challenge.

“Splendid. So, it will be you three, against Mao, Yui, and Chizuru.” All the girls who weren’t playing in the three on three were buzzing with excitement as they took their seats on the sidelines. They made small talk such as conversing on who they think will win.

“Oi, get up. We’re going to start.” Y/n ordered the two first years. Both of them grudgingly got up and stood in front of Y/n.

“Okay, so what can you tell me about Mao and Chizuru?”

The pair looked at each other as if they were talking with their eyes, deciding on who should talk first.

Etsuko scratched her head, “Yeah, um. I don’t really know what to tell you. I don’t really know how to, like, analyze people like you probably do.”

Y/n was mentally pinching the bridge of her nose.

“I know Chizuru has been really working on her receives.” Yuma chimes in. “As for Mao, well, she’s the tallest person on our team, so I’m guessing her blocks and spikes will be difficult to pick up.”

Y/n nods. Interestingly enough, Y/n did not ask the worried pair this question for the actual information they would give her. She asked the question to see how well her current teammates analyze their opponent from prior knowledge.

Y/n has seen the third years play. At times they lacked the spirit and in some areas, the technique, to carry through with both defense and offense, which is coincidentally really important. As third years, they do serve as an example for the grades below them. So, if they are lacking, it’s only probable that the team will follow behind.

Only in some spur-of-the-moment instances she would see the fire ignite within them, but that was really it. While there are many holes in their team, it doesn’t mean they are hopeless.

“Wait, why didn’t you ask anything about Captain Yui?” Etsuko jumped back into the conversation.

“Well, I already saw how she spiked when I sent some sets her way. She’s got power and stamina backing her up, but she is lacking in technique and in game sense, so that will give us some points when blocking.” Etsuko and Yuma looked at each other as Y/n kept talking about what she has observed over the limited time she has been in the gym. They were plainly shocked at how observant Y/n is and can only imagine what she thinks of them.

“Okay, let’s go out there and have fun, guys.” Despite the literal meaning of Y/n’s statement. Her tone and face did not match, so it really just was uneasy for Etsuko and Yuma to experience as Y/n smacked their backs before walking towards where she would start in the game.

“Would you guys want to receive?” Yui asks as she grabs a volleyball.

“Yeah, we’ll receive.” Y/n confirmed, getting into position.

Yui send a overhand serve there way. Etsuko receives it.

“It’s short, sorry!” Etsuko calls out

Y/n runs under the ball, “got it!” And lifts the ball towards, “Yuma!” near the net.

Yuma jumps to spike, however Mao is there, ready to block. They make solid eye-contact that felt like years to Yuma, It’s as if she’s piercing my soul with her eyes. Unfortunately, Yuma got psyched out and almost forgot to make contact with the ball. Yuma ends up accidentally just lifting the ball right over Mao’s block, committing to a feint.

Yui flies towards the ground with her left arm stretched out, she’s able to put the ball in the air.

“Chizuru!” The timid third year bumps it towards the net. Y/n makes a judgment call.

“It’s over the net.” Other players would probably yell that comment, but Y/n never really saw the point in yelling when her teammates are merely a couple feet away from her. Her pain level of volume almost made her two other teammates more on edge due to the unfamiliarity of it, rather than someone screaming the comment.

As Y/n suspected, the ball just barely made it over the net.

“Again!” Mao yells as she bumps it towards Y/n.

With a side glance, Y/n notices that Yui and Mao are guarding Yuma. She takes a quick look to Etsuko and mentally smirked, no blockers, Y/n needed to somehow tell Etsuko without giving it away because with Yui’s speed, she will definitely be able to retrieve it.

It was merely seconds, but Y/n stared Etsuko down and gave a slight lift of her chin in an upwards direction, hoping that Etsuko can decode it and define it as, jump.

Relying on her instincts, Etsuko miraculously picked up what Y/n was getting at. At least, she thinks.

That nod was for me, right? I think she wants me to spike it from where I am. Oh, but I’m a bit far from the net. I’ve only done spikes close to the net because I’m scared of it not going over. Despite Yuma insisting on how Etsuko never thinks before she acts, Etsuko is quite the overthinker.

The thing was, Yuma was confident that you were going to send the ball her way. After all, according to Yuma’s knowledge, Estuko typically put too much power into her spikes, sending them out of bounds. She thought Y/n would pick up on this on how over-zealous she is about practically anything. Thus, Yuma started her run up.

We’ve got you now, Yui and Mao solely focusing on Yuma, making sure they jump at the correct time.

Despite their efforts in blocking, which would have been a perfect one that would kill the ball, the ball hit the ground loudly with a smack. All that could be heard was the ball bouncing from its earlier impact.

The look of surprise on everyone’s faces in that gym was priceless. However, the most shocked person was the person who actually did it. Etsuko looked down at her slightly red hand. She clenched her hand into a fist. She will never get tired of the feeling.

Etsuko looks at Yuma and they both give out unintelligible sounds of excitement. They hug each other as if that one point meant a hundred points.

Y/n let out a breathe she didn’t know she was holding. And she looks over at her teammates. It looks like they opened their hug, expecting a third person.

That’s you, dumbass. You’re the third person. Y/n physically jolted at the realization. Etsuko motioned her hand for Y/n.

Y/n hesitantly put both her arms on the middle of their back, barely touching as if they had a disease. She didn’t know what was too close so she played it safe. Etsuko and Yuma didn’t pay any attention to the awkwardness of Y/n and was rejoicing.

“Hold on, wait a minute! Did you actually use your stupid head? How did you do that? Usually you knock it out of the park.” Yuma didn’t want to praise Etsuko too much, knowing it would inflate her ego too much.

“Oh, shut up. I got the first point, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you’re the most surprised out of everybody. I bet it was a fluke.”

“Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it myself!”

“HA! I’d like to see you’re scrawny ass try!”

“If I’m scrawny, then what are you?”

The teasing would never stop. Y/n intervened, “That wasn’t a fluke.”

Yuma, and even Etsuko, was confused at Y/n’s statement. With her spike track record in recognition, it makes sense for that success to be a one time thing.

“Are you sure, Y/n? You don’t have to be nice to Etsuko if you don’t want to. She’s not intimidating.”

“Why do you always find a way to diss me when you aren’t even talking to me” Etsuko grumbles. “But I agree, partly, with Yuma here. I’m pretty sure it was a fluke too.”

Y/n shakes her head side to side. “It wasn’t.” She turns to Etsuko.

“Etsuko, tell me if I am correct, before this three on three, you have always spiked the ball that was tossed to you right near the net.

Um, isn’t that where you are supposed to spike? Etsuko questions in her head.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Right now, you spiked the ball behind the attack line, and let me add how you didn’t even use a running start.” With this, Y/n now turned to Yuma.

“Now correct me if I am wrong, Yuma, Etsuko will swing at the ball with all her might, regardless of how tired she is.”

“Yeah, you got that spot on”

“You see, where Etsuko lacks in technique-”

Etsuko deflates.

“-she makes up for raw swinging power.”

She immediately straightens her posture and smiles at the complement.

Y/n continues, “it is because of your distance from the net that gave you leverage on actually hitting it within their side of the court.”

“Wait, Etsuko hasn’t ever shot a spike from there, so had did you even know she would even make it over the net? And how did you know that Etsuko would know to jump?” Yuma brings up a good point.

“I didn’t” Y/n simply stated.

Yuma and Etsuko looked almost disturbed at her answer. She didn’t have anything backing up her decision?

“You really tried something as risky as that when the stakes are so high?” Yuma questions in shock.

“I know I don’t seem like a person to do something like that without thinking it through but-” Y/n turns her head to the side to look at them, “I feel like I can trust you guys to back me up.”

Etsuko and Yuma almost teared up at Y/n’s confession. The morale in their team was boosted to a hundred because of this, which is just what they needed to keep them motivated. They felt they can take on the world-

“We still need 24 more points to win one set. And then another set.” Y/n looks over at the scoreboard, seeing the 1-0.

At Y/n’s sudden statement, Etsuko and Yuma embarrassingly looked down at how this is the only beginning.

On the other side of the court, the third years gathered to tell each other apologies, to shake it off, and assuring they will get the next one.

It’s Etsuko’s serve.

“Protect your head, Y/n.” Yuma instructs.

“Oh shut it, Yuma!”

Etsuko exhales. I can do this. It’s not that hard. I will be the strongest volleyball player there is. The last statement is basically a mantra for Etsuko. The thing that is special with Etsuko is that she is never afraid to try new things. Even when the probability of her failing is so high and her probability to succeed is so little. To her, that little probable outcome still stands as a chance. And she always takes it, no matter what. She will try anything, finding what works and hone that skill. On the court, it’s deadly. For the opposing team, that is.

She’s not actually trying again to do a jump serve, is she? Rinko questions as she notices that she is far away from the court line.

Yui smiles with a shake of her head, this kid never stops trying.

Etsuko looks straight ahead, just get it over the net.

She hears the whistle blow and she takes her run up and jumps. Her serve whizzes past the net, the third years not touching it.

However, it was out.

Etsuko grumbles and hangs her head in shame.

“Hey. shake it off! It’s alright” Y/n reassures. Yuma merely chuckles, but Etsuko hears her.

“What are you laughing at?! Do I have to beat your ass again?” Etsuko starts to animatedly rolls up her sleeve of her sweatshirt with a prominent vain on her neck. The two start to bicker as per usual.

This is going to be a long game. Y/n exhales a big breathe as she gets down for the next serve.

The score is 23-24. Both teams are clawing for each point. There was never a severe point difference, neither team was able to break away.

It’s Y/n’s serve.

Yuma and Etsuko felt comforted that she will be serving, if anything, they feel confident they will be able to at least do a deuce.

Chizuru mentally groaned. God, her jump serves are so hard to receive.

Y/n looks so focused, many thought who viewed the skilled first year.

She does her run up.

Chizuru instantly recognizes and smirks, This isn’t her usual jump serve! This is a jump float! Just like I’ve practiced.

“Chizuru, it’s all you!” Yui calls out to her, she knows that she has been dedicating most of her time in personal practice on her receives. This is her time to shine.

Just like in practice from all those hours, Chizuru gives in to her muscle memory and makes the receive look so effortless.

Damn it, thought it was a good idea to pull that serve out. So she has specialized receiving jump floats. Impressive. Y/n recollects her thoughts and moves up for defense. Mao sets it to Yui and she spikes, but Yuma is there, block timing on point, killing the ball’s momentum.

Etsuko made the mistake letting her guard down for a split second, mainly because Yui is known for her perfected flying receives, but she thought she wouldn’t be able to pull one off as she just spiked and is on the other side of the court in regards to the ball.

Despite this, Chizuru flies onto the ground and is able to pick up the ball.

“It didn’t hit the floor.” Y/n informs her teammates. They both are shocked, thinking they had it in the bag.

The ball barely cleared the net, Etsuko, being the closest, tried to attempt the same type of receive, but her hand was not able to make contact, resulting the ball to bounce right in front of her eyes.

“The first set goes to the third years!” Rinko annouces.

“Uhg, I’m sorry, guys! I shouldn’t have let my guard down, it’s my fault.” Etsuko furiously bowing up and down again. It’s mainly to Y/n because she has yet to know how Y/n will deal with this. Yuma on the other hand, “Hey, it’s alright, you were bound to make a mistake at some point”, she smirks, taunting yet again just to get her riled up.

“Oh, shut up! I don’t care what you think!” Her apologetic tone disappearing as she talks to Yuma.

“It’s okay, Etsuko! It’s not your fault. We are a team, we take it together. We may have lost the first set, but we still got another one so there’s no time to think about what we could have done.” Y/n explains.

There is a small break to rehydrate and a breather. Nonetheless, the second set was about to start as the three on three switch sides.

The second set was harder than the first. Not because both teams were exhausted, it was as if something was ignited within both teams. They were continuously pushing each other as the set went on. Like the last set, there was no big point gap, but this time, the first years were surprisingly in the lead, as the scores are 19-21.

“Damn, this time the first years beat them in getting in the 20′s” one of the second years said, which was the official setter, Manami Aoki, a second year.

“I think they might take the set!” Another second year chimes in who plays middle blocker, Takei Katsu.

Just like she said, the first years did take the second set. Yuma was able to snuff the ball’s momentum from Yui’s spike for the winning point.

“I honestly thought this wasn’t going into a third set.” Matsuda Yua, a second year. She’s a middle blocker and an outside hitter, she voices her thoughts.

“Hm, yeah. At face value, it seemed the third years would win in straight sets, but it seems the first years got some spunk that’s saving their ass.” Takai rationalizes.

“Yeah, I see that” Aoki agrees with her.

“Yeah, but I think they got more than spunk with that volleyball prodigy on their team.”

The second years turned one to one their fellow classmates, Watabe Nozomi, their libero. She wasn’t one to really talk to other people, which includes her teammates. She was silent most of the time, but she was super reliable, both on and off the court. They never wanted to force her in opening up about herself so for the most part, they let her be one of the most reserved people on their team.

Because of their knowledge of her personality and attitude, they were shocked at how she was actually taking part in the conversation. Not that they minded, they always wanted to get to know her better. The way their team works is that they are more than just teammates, they care for each other outside of volleyball and want the best for them, regardless of what happens on the court.

They form this bond with one another, which makes their actions on the court to be more naturally cohesive. This is one of the strengths that their club possesses. And it’s not that they force this bond, it’s the love for volleyball that brings them together.

“She must be really something if she got Nozomi talking about her.” Rinko looks over the second years as she stands on the side with her whistle.

Nozomi’s cheeks tinge with some red as she gets called out. The second years chuckle a bit at her reaction.

“You really think she is a prodigy?” Aoki asks.

“She seems really in tuned with her body. It’s like she is hyper-aware of her surroundings and makes fast decisions that almost always ensure a point.” Nozomi comments. The second years nod in agreement and acknowledgment.

“I don’t think she’s a prodigy, I mean, those types of people are born with skill. While, Y/n seems she has built upon her skills over the years, which is impressive in itself.” Rinko adds in.

Rinko had it right. Y/n was not a prodigy or some sort of genius. She was someone who practiced, practiced, and practiced some more. She devoted so much of her time and energy into volleyball that it only made sense that she excels in it.

As the third set nears the end, the first years make a surprising break away. The points being 23-19.

“We might actually be getting our own servants” Etsuko pants as exhaust dawning on her.

“Yeah, if we continue to play smart, we might win this thing” Yuma continues.

“We can do this, guys. Let’s play strong till the very end.” Y/n gave a thumbs up at her teammates. And smiled. Well, she tried.

“Uh, what’s up with your face, dude? If you gotta take a shit, then go ahead. We can take a short break” Etsuko assures Y/n.

“You idiot! Can’t you see she’s smiling.” Yuma karate chops Etsuko’s head, resulting in a yelp and her hands to fly to her head at the impact.

Poor Y/n is truly trying her best, but she was not preparing to show much emotion today, or any day for that matter. She had to shake it off and she can worry about being not emotionally available later.

It was Y/n’s turn to serve. All three third years internally groaned. She decides to serve it over to Chizuru, specifically right behind her left foot.

The ball actually lands behind her right foot. Despite being at game point, Y/n couldn’t help but feel irritated at how inaccurate her serve was. The girl holds herself to a high standard. She sighs, she knows she’s getting tired. She needs to assure this win, but what’s the best option?

Y/n is deep in thinking as her teammates are rejoicing at the mere possibility of having the third years as servants.

Then, it becomes so obvious. She does a short serve. The ball flying just over the net, forcing Moa to retrieve the ball with a bump. Yui then spikes the ball over. Y/n smirks.

Yuma receives the ball, sending it over to Y/n.

“Etsuko!” Y/n calls out to her.

They are thinking of doing that attack from earlier, where Etsuko spiked from behind the attack line! Yui resolves.

Yui and Mao push their forces opposite of Etsuko, waiting for the awaiting spike.

However, the spike never comes, but the ball is already bouncing on the third years court.

A SETTER DUMP?! everyone thought they were going to lose their minds.

Yuma and Etsuko was the first to scream out of pure exhilaration of winning against the third years. They tackled an unexpecting Y/n to the ground. Y/n sort of short-circuited. She was not used to this.

“We did it! We actually did it!” Etsuko exclaimed.

“Can’t believe we pulled that off.” Yuma added in.

“However, I really thought you were sending it over to me.” Etsuko crossed her arms and pouted.

“Sorry about that.” Y/n raises her hand to the back of head, “I knew if I got you on the ropes, they would be as well.”

“And hey, think of this way, your gullibility actually paid off this time!”

“Don’t make me beat your ass again!”

“You wanna go?!”

“You guys make a good team” Yui chimes in.

The two stop their bickering at the sound of their team captain’s voice.

“Ha, yeah. I guess we do.” Y/n stood up, while helping Etsuko and Yuma up as they are still looking at each other with looks that are like daggers at each other. “You guys played a good game as well.” Y/n reassured the third years, “I’d be honored to play on your team.”

Yui looks over at Rinko, “You already have it, don’t you?”

“Of course.” Rinko responds. Much to Y/n’s confusion as to what they are talking about.

Rinko walks over to a package that was on the sidelines, opening it up and pulling out a black jacket, representing Karasuno.

Y/n’s eyes widened. She doesn’t understand why she’s acting this way. It’s just a jacket. She had a strong feeling she was going to get in the club, so why what was this warm feeling in her chest?

Before she realizes it, the jacket is in her hands and she is enveloped in a group hug from the whole time.

“I won’t let you guys down!” Y/n declares in a rather former manner.

“We know.” Yui confirms.

Y/n felt safe, but there was a hesitant feeling that she shouldn’t get used to it.

“Okay! Today was meant to be an easy day, but don’t think tomorrow is going to be the same. In fact, it’s safe to say it’s only going to get harder from here.” Rinko announces.

The team collectively groans.

“After we clean the gym, we have some important news. So, hurry up!” Yui ordered, resulting in the team to scatter in cleaning and disassembling the net.

It didn’t take too long, and the team soon sat on the cool gym floor as Yui and Rinko stood before them.

“So, as you may know, we have been lacking the coach department, as in, we have no coach.” Rinko stated blandly.

“But, someone has graciously volunteered to coach us, and just to reassure you guys, so you guys think its not some rando. I did some research on him, and let’s just say he’s like a legend in the volleyball world.” Yui says.

Oo’s and awe’s can be heard among the team.

Who could it be? A legend?! Why Karasuno of all places? Many questions were flying about in the gym.

“Okay, okay. In addition to that, he’s known to be, well, harsh with his training.” Yui continues.

“Harsher than Rinko?” Etusko interrupts.

“Oi, don’t make me give you laps.”

“You’re proving my point!”

“Anyways, we will meet him tomorrow and he has requested that we start immediately in order to see what we need to work on. So, come tomorrow mentally prepared for that.” Yui informs.

“Alright, that’s all. Get out of here and get some good rest!” Rinko instructed.

The only noise that was coming from the gym was now faint conversations of the mystery coach and homework, shoes squeaking, and bags getting picked up. The girls started to leave the gym in pairs or trios.

“Hey Y/n, you want to walk home with us? It’s seems our game went a bit longer than expected and it’s pretty dark outside.” Yuma proposed to Y/n.

Y/n’s cheeks turned pink at the friendly gesture. They want to walk? With her? It’s not that big of a deal but it’s enough for Y/n to feel like she might be actually real friends with them. Y/n smiles fondly at them.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

The three first years make their way out, but before they leave the area, Y/n spots Asahi! With some new-found confidence, Y/n decided to call out his name, “Hey, Asahi!”

There were some boys that were with him, and Y/n could only assume that those were some of his teammates. Asahi tensed up at the sudden call, but as he found the source of it, he reverted back to a calmer state.

“H-hey Y/n”

Y/n noticed that there was a grey haired boy and a dark haired one on either side of him. They were pretty tall in comparison to Y/n.

“So, how was practice?”

Asahi realized how confusing this looked to his fellow teammates. Sugawara and Daichi just looked at each other with puzzled looks.

“Oh, it went good! I think, I’m back on the team.”

“That’s good to hear. I’d like to set for you again sometime,” Y/n looked back to see her new friends who weren’t as puzzled as Asahi’s friends were, but more intimidated by how big Asahi is, “I got to get going. Goodbye!” Y/n waved and started to head back to her friends as they began to walk to the school’s entrance.

“Set?”

“Again?”

“You’ve played volleyball with her?”

“Is that the real reason you’ve been gone for a month?”

“She’s cute.”

“Yeah, is she in our grade?”

“G-guys! I just met her today, I swear!” Asahi waved off all their overwhelming questions. “I don’t know her that well, but I do know she plays volleyball,” he then takes a glance over to Y/n’s retreating figure with her two other friends who seem to laughing at something, “and she seems to be really dedicated to it.”

Little did Y/n know, a certain black-haired boy with blue eyes was also staring at her retreating figure and couldn’t help but overhearing Asahi’s conversation with Y/n. He grew curious and wanted to learn more.

“Hey Kageyama, are you even listening to me?!”

omg ok i hope this was good lol if u liked it pls let me know!! If you want be apart of the taglist, idk really know to do this, but just like comment and say u want in and i’ll just add u lol

Taglist: @riceballsandanime

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu imagines #haikyuuxreader #kageyamatobio #hinata shoyuo #hinatashoyo #asahi #sugawara kōshi #daichi sawamura #kageyama x f!reader #kageyamaxreader #kageyamaimagine #kageyama #kageyama x y/n #Karasuno #tanaka ryuunosuke #oikawa

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conaionaru · 4 years ago

Text

Woman’s game (Ivar the Boneless/Hvitserk)

No time to die

Synopsis: Skuld finally leaves the hut and reunites with Ivar. She deals with the aftermath.

Warnings: PTSD, murder, revenge, suicide attempt, trauma, toxic relationship

Tags: @youbloodymadgenius

Skuld sat in the hut, watching the light stream in from the small crack in the wall. The wall was sturdy enough to hold her in, but at least it gave her some sort of light—the only ray of sunlight since the start of her confinement.

She felt empty, emptier than she did before. She must look like a madwoman - dirty and crazy. Yet she still laughed. At least some things are very still funny to her, like the occasional shadow that passed by the crack in the wall or the hopelessness of it all. That was the funniest thing for her—the fact she will probably starve here before getting to leave.

All these visions of her future, all crushed in this endless darkness, all because she fucked a cripple. Who knows if what Astrid said is true? Did Lagertha truly only notice her cause she slept with Ivar? If Skuld slept with Margrethe like she thought she would, no one would have paid her any mind... Nonsense. Lagertha was intimidated by Skuld's mind, not her bedfellows.

The new Queen had to make sure no one would challenge, so breaking the most ambitious woman in court was a good example. Better a madwoman than a corpse. Oh, but she will pay for that miscalculation. Skuld would wait and kill her slowly. Dragging it out till there will be nothing left of the bitch than legends and whispers.

Meanwhile, Ivar sat before Lagertha, annoyed by her denial of their fight to the death. "Where is Skuld?" He asked the smug Queen; seeing the uncertainty in her eyes made him perk up. She knew where the now blonde was.

"Skuld is locked away for her own safety. If you want to care for her, I can give her to you." Lagertha said diplomatically as the sons of Ragnar frowned. Sigurd and Ubbe completely forgot about their mother's guest.

"And since when is the daughter of an Earl property?" Ubbe asked, watching the blonde Queen frown.

"A guest in need of supervision. Not property." Shieldmaidens brought the girl in. Dirty, dressed in a slave garb with greasy hair and bloody scratch marks on her arms.

The people gasped as they saw her, so strange compared to her usual style. Skuld shielded her eyes from the sunlight, squinting at the harshness of it and the whispers of the people around her. "Skuld," Ivar called out, making her look at him with shocked eyes. He was alive.

She slowly walked over to him, the armed shieldmaidens behind her. Ubbe draped his fur around her as she clenched Ivar's hand in hers. She was shaking and looking around like a wounded animal.

"I am sorry for your treatment, Skuld. But your behavior against me is unforgivable." The Ylvasdottir looked up at Lagertha and tilted her head to the side.

Her blue eyes trailed over to the proud female warrior still standing there, her guard down as she watched her mentor talk. Skuld blinked and stabbed the woman in the neck. Blood sprayed over her face as the gasping warrior fell backward, the other shieldmaidens catching her bleeding body. Out of her neck stuck a chicken bone, bitten into sharpness.

Everyone gasped as they watched the woman die, Ivar watching the emotionless look on Skuld's face. The female looked at Lagertha, empty eyes meeting shocked ones. "I will rip you apart, limb by limb. All of you will die for what you die. Maybe not today or in a year. But your days are numbered. And when my mother returns, I will have enough skulls collected to serve them all mead in them."

She turned towards the crowds of people and pushed back her shoulders. "Your Queen, the usurper, took me captive and imprisoned me! She starved me and made me live in my own filth like an animal. All because she thought me a threat. I would have never raised a hand against anyone if she left me be! If she can do these horrible things to an innocent bystander..."

Skuld turned back to Lagertha and softened her look, looking like she might cry, but her eyes spoke vengeance. "What would she do to her people? Are the men and women too poor to pay the fines, too weak or old to fight? What will she do to those who don't please her? A prison cell or an execution?"

"You are not as innocent as you like to make people think. You just murdered the third shieldmaiden since my reign."

Skuld frowned and looked at the corpse. "Your shieldmaidens kidnapped me and locked me away like an animal. If you do that, you should expect the beast to bite back once it is free. The safest option... is to put it down and save yourself the impending doom. But I am human, not an animal."

Lagertha clenched her jaw as if she wanted to protest, but she held her tongue. Ivar and Skuld left the hall, the other two brothers following behind them. Skuld walked with her head held low, her shoulders hunched, and steps timidly. The more beat up she looks, the more sympathy she gains. And the easier Lagertha's downfall will be.

"Are you alright, Skuld?" Ubbe asked her watching the dirty girl walk.

"I will be. I could use a bath, food, and clothes."

The dress they put her in was a nice change against the itchy one she had before. But still, she felt unclean. She scrubbed her skin till it was red, blood trailing from some of her old wounds. Margrethe entered the room with a timid smile. The thrall was a free woman now and set to marry a Ragnarsson. Maybe she isn't as stupid as Skuld would like her to believe.

"Food will be ready soon. I just wanted to tell you... I am also sorry for what happened." Skuld smirked and looked at Margrethe's false look of pity.

"You are angry. I get that. After all, you very nearly beat for spreading rumors."

"You made me spread them. You said it would save me from Ivar's rage, and instead, Aslaug got angry at me." The blonde ex-thrall glared at Skuld. Angry at the obvious betrayal. She felt like a puppet and couldn't believe she trusted Skuld at all. Someone of Skuld's social status would never be kind to a slave.

Skuld sighed and looked up at the wooden ceiling. "I did what I had to do. You were in no danger, Margrethe. You were a puppet, true, but not a target. Aslaug would have scolded you, not beat you. That's more Lagertha's way, isn't it? She used you more than I did. Worse things."

"Sex slave." Margrethe spat out, annoyed, making Skuld wince.

"Ah, yes. That bitch is long overdue, don't you think? When the time is ripe, she will fall. For you and for me."

"You want me to believe you are killing her for me?"

The older blonde chuckled and watched Margrethe's doubtful look. She didn't believe one word Skuld said. Good. She had potential, after all. "Oh, not at all. You just benefit from my revenge. That doesn't mean you shouldn't support me, nonetheless. Free woman or not, take what you are given, Margrethe. Those who strive too high and have nothing to back it up with end up dead - forgotten, with an unmarked grave and no legacy left behind."

"Why all the advice?"

"I told you... We, strong women, should work together. That's the only way we might survive. Always one step ahead."

Margrethe frowned and shook her head. "Is that truly how you live? Always scheming and plotting, expecting betrayal from everyone? Then I truly pity you."

Skuld scoffed and pushed back her shoulders; she looked more terrifying like this. Like a queen about to execute her enemy. And if Margrethe continued to talk, she would become her enemy. "I don't need your pity. This is the world we live in. Where men can do what they want, and only the strong survive. Love, emotion, trust all means weakness in the end. Always expect a dagger in your back; that way, it won't surprise you when it comes. Call me crazy, but I survived. And when all of this is done. All those legendary men will be dead, and the only thing left behind is me. Queen Skuld. Wouldn't it be a nice fate?"

"For a slave to become a Queen? Yes, it would." Skuld smirked at Margrethe's ambition. The fool would die before she ever touched the crown.

"Then I wish you all the luck in the world, Queen Margrethe. After all, you are going to need it." She hunched forward and leveled the ex-slave with a glare. "Not leave. I am still not finished."

Margrethe slammed the door behind her, and the moment they closed, Skuld threw herself on the bed and burrowed herself on in the furs. The walls around her felt small, and the light kept irritating her eyes. Even the voices outside the room were getting on her nerves.

"Never took you for a killing type." Ivar'd voice commented from behind her as he crawled over to her from the door.

"There are many things you don't know. For instance, right now, I don't want to be around people." The Ragnarsson chuckled and moved up on the bed to lie next to her. But instead of touching her like she thought he would, Ivar just laid there, watching her.

"Sorry about your parents." She whispered, watching the anger and sadness on his face.

"It wasn't your fault. We have something in common now, other than than the sex."

Skuld scoffed at his words and rolled away from him to avoid his offended look. "A common enemy is not relationship material, Ivar. You romanticize it too much."

Ivar rolled his eyes and watched her breathing even out. The scratches on her arms looked terrible—some with newly dried blood on them. "How long were you in there?"

Skuld swallowed and turned on her back. If she looked at the wall for too long, it seemed as if it was inching towards her faster. Ivar's need to talk was driving her up the wall as well; she felt trapped all over again. "I don't know, since Lagertha attacked the village. I was walking, and some shieldmaiden kidnapped me. I killed two but was overpowered. I have no idea how long I spend in that hut."

She felt too vulnerable, admitting it to Ivar. Maybe if she showed some emotion, Ivar would get spooked and leave. Instead, he hummed and took her thin hand in his. "That was two months ago."

The blonde sucked in a breath and froze. Two months in that hell hole, no wonder she went crazy. She was crazy,... Wasn't she? Only insane people can see walls moving and imagine enemies in every shadow. "Are you alright?"

Ivar's words went to deaf ears as her breathing picked up, her chest falling and rising in panic. Her blood rushing and heart-pounding drowned out his voice in her ears. Skuld clawed at her forearms again; a knock sounded from the door, Ubbe's worried voice asking if they are okay.

It snapped her from her trance; she sprung from the bed and marched away, shouldering past the oldest Ragnarsson, his wife, and Sigurd. The door banged against the wall as she runs down the hill, needing to be as far away from people as possible. She stopped near a cliff and took in deep breaths to steel herself.

The voices in her head got louder, the pounding of her heart following every sentence like a war drum.

"You would have never been a hostage if you just didn't sleep with Ivar. Lagertha would have never noticed you if you didn't strive so high."

"I am calling you a dangerous woman with love for violence and death..."

"Deranged whore."

"Glorified drunkard."

"What in Odin's name is wrong with you?! Why are you so weird?"

"What do you mean you don't know what empathy is? Have you never felt sorry for someone?"

"You are manipulating them. They are your puppets, not friends."

Skuld held her head in her hands, her hair tightly clenched between her fingers as her breathing grew harsher by the second. It felt like her heart would explode out of her chest any moment now and jump off the cliff...

She dropped her hands back to her side and closed her eyes. Pushing her shoulders back and holding her head higher did wonder to her look. The blonde now seemed more in control despite the ruffled hair and scratched arms. Her face was still a little bit red from her panic attack. She turned on her heel and marched away from the cliff. Not even ten steps away from the edge and Skuld turned around again.

"Why did you do that?"

"Mercy. It would die anyway. Why let it suffer?"

Why let me suffer? And so she spread her arms and let herself fall off the cliff. The freezing water surrounded her and made the world go dark.

#vikings #history vikings #ivar the boneless #ivar ragnarsson #ivar lothbrok #ivar #hvitserk lothbrok #Hvitserk Ragnarsson #hvitserk x oc #Hvitserk #ivar x oc #original character #original female character

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ardenttheories · 4 years ago

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ardent, I have a real rough question to ask you. is it worth it to read hs^2? Ive been avoiding reading it because I didnt want to ruin what I loved about homestuck, but seeing the amount of art and interaction makes me feel like I'm missing out. I know it's not going to be good, but do I still take the risk? are there homestuck fanprojects you'd suggest instead?

An anon asked: Hi, may I ask what is your opinion of fan creation inspired from Homestuck? I'm not the biggest fan of where homestuck is heading but was wondering on your opinions of fan comics. I'm leaning towards reading them over Homestuck2 because of some of the writing that Hussie and his team of writers have produced in Homestuck2 feels off and a bit weird for Homestuck. (Ps. Have a lovely day.)

I forgot to answer the anon when I first got it, but since both mention fanvantures, I’ll combine the two!

I would absolutely not recommend reading HS^2, personally. There’s just a lot wrong with it that I genuinely don’t like and am deeply uncomfortable with. Futanari Jade making Rose cheat on Kanaya to have a baby she then completely abandoned is really just the tip of the iceberg, from what I’ve read and seen; there’s also just an outright lack of care for triggers (the warnings for which were taken off chapter by chapter, so you’ve got no idea what you’re going into anymore) and so much bullshit around facts from Homestuck not being taken into consideration during writing (for instance, Rose tells Terezi about the Exiles despite Terezi being the one who told Dave about them back in Act 5).

It’s uncomfortable, sloggish, uncaring, actively written to ruin Homestuck for fans, and overall just unpleasant to read. Not only is it a bad continuation, it’s just bad fiction in general. Some of this of course is exacerbated by the writers themselves, which is another reason I refuse to read it; I do not want to support them in any capacity.

I wouldn’t say you’re missing out. There’s some genuinely interesting things in HS^2, but a lot of it is overshadowed by how bad it is. That’s why I stopped reading, personally. You could always give it a go, see what you think and if you can handle it or if it appeals to you - because it’s different for everyone! Some people genuinely like it, and that’s okay, too - but I wouldn’t recommend it.

If you read the Epilogues just fine, you should be okay? But if they were rough for you to read, I’d definitely say HS^2 will be worse. You can still enjoy the content on the peripheral, though; for instance, acejams/sarcasmprodigy draws some HS^2 bits, but only really the designs that she likes. Consuming fan content while avoiding the comic itself is no issue, as far as I can tell.

That said, I’d 100% recommend reading fanventures. There’s a lot of benefits to them, actually!

Firstly, since they’re made by fans doing it for free, there’s a lot of love that goes into them. You know that what you’re getting is going to some degree be a homage to Homestuck, and that even if it’s an AU or divergent somehow, it’s still going to be loyal to characters you love.

There’s a lot less - and I mean a lot less - bullshittery in fanventures than HS^2 proper. It’s done for fun, for love! It’s going to connect with you, as a fan, a little more, because it’s literally written by fans for fans; by people who know what the fandom wants because they’re actively part of it.

Also, the writers don’t want to ruin the characters, so that’s an incredible bonus.

That said, here are a few fanventures I’d recommend:

SOULSTUCK: A fanventure that takes place in the Soul Eater universe, following Roxy and Dirk as they work towards getting that sweet, sweet final Witch soul to become a proper duo. I haven’t read too much of it, but the art is beautiful, the writing is well in character, and it’s also pretty faithful to the original Soul Eater while staying uniquely Homestuck, too.

Guidestuck: A pretty wellknown fanventure that started up again recently, following a kidswap universe where the kids’ initial sprite prototypings (the Harlequin doll, Jaspers, Bec, and Cal) are the kids (Cal Strider, Bec Harley, Quinn Egbert, Jaspers Lalonde), and our kids are their associated items (John’s a plush toy; Bro and Dave are dolls; Jade is a puppy; Rose is a cat). Also features a very unique look at what Alternia would be like if the lusii were the sapient species, and the trolls the symbiotic one.

TLCstuck: Double Death of the Author: A fairly interesting redo of Homestuck, taking control of the narrative a little after Game Over - so, essentially completely changing the story of Homestuck partway through Act 6. There’s a FAQ to give you more information - on how it’s written, how it’s changed, and how it works overall.

Note for TLCstuck, though; it’s very explicitly ship-neutral. This means that although characters’ sexualities remain the same, no actual shipping generally happens in the comic. It also, since it continues from Game Over, doesn’t have a lot of the content that occurred in the Retcon timeline - including DaveKat and Davepeta (alongside the other combosprites). Keep this in mind on whether or not you want to read it, but I think it’s still a good read regardless.

Act 8: Might be one you’ve seen in the tags before! Unsurprisingly, it picks up after Act 7, and works a little like TLCstuck in that it changes the narrative from that point on. Just before the kids can go through the door to Earth C, the white door explodes. It’s animated beautifully, drawn amazingly well, and is well written! If you want to continue Homestuck’s story with the Retcon changes, this would be best for you to read.

Well, that, or...

Act Omega: Like Act 8, it picks up after Act 7, only this time before they can claim their reward, a foe we’ve seen before appears to take the win from their grasp. It’s incredibly well animated and drawn from what I’ve seen so far, with an amazing initial fight sequence. It’s well written, and even from a cursory read-through, they reintroduce most of the main characters (including the Alpha trolls) for a second try at characterisation. Pretty nifty!

Homestuck: Subscript: I know significantly less about this one, except that there is some gorgeous art and design in it. It’s an interesting take compared to the others, since it actually happens on Earth C - so it’s more of a HS^2 replacement than anything else I’ve shown so far. It’s also incredibly different, though, and takes a little more a of a Candy route in so far as it focuses a lot more on relationships. It depends on your tastes!

Karkat goes to a Convention: Everything I know about this comes from a friend talking about it. It’s entirely satirical, I think, and a bit of a pisstake more than anything else? It’s quite literally what it says; actual Homestuck Karkat ends up at a normal, everyday convention. From what I understand it does get more detailed and involved as it goes on, but it’s also good for laughs.

Abodebound: A webcomic a friend of mine wrote! It’s a completely original fanventure, essentially a fansession. There’s music and animation, as well as Homestuck-eqsue writing and original comedy, and some really sweet videos. I’ve never read it all the way through (life’s a bitch like that) but it’s what inspired me to create my own fanventure, and for something completely original but with the same feel as Homestuck, it’s pretty spot-on.

Also, though it’s never been finished, what little exists of Heinoustuck is a delicious treat if you’re into horror. And Prequel -or- Making A Cat Cry: The Adventure is a really good Skyrim comic done in the old Homestuck style. Definitely NOT Homestuck, but it’s got the same art and humour, as well as games and animation - so it’s pretty sweet to look into, if nothing else.

#long post//#homestuck^2 critical #ardenttheories out of theory #homestuck fanventures #princefaux

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thewingedwolf · 5 years ago

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Not Telling: A Study in How Much We are Actually Told About The Characters, Part One of Two

AKA that meta I started writing/promised to post fully a year ago and then never finished or posted bc I’m a mess. It’s being posted in two parts because it got a bit long.

So we all have our own idea of what the characters look like although many people believe the characters look roughly the same, with some minor differences from headcanon to headcanon. But what does the text itself tell us? The answer is...both more than I expected but also in keeping with Not Telling, not a whole lot at all.

I want to start this with a caveat that I kept very good notes on TT, ACoK, and TaT, mediocre notes on KoA and passable ones for QoA lol. however, it does give us a decent picture of what everyone looks likes. This is like 70% quotes and 30% extrapolation, but I try to explain my thought process on some of my conclusions.

Eugenides:

There’s a few instances that I remember reading (mostly in The Thief) that I forgot to mark but I know all of those dealt with his height and hair - that his hair is long, that it’s dark, and that he’s smaller than Pol and the Magus. So here we go:

“..the man wearing it was tall. Taller than I was, of course, but taller than the magus as well.” - Note that he’s talking about the one of the gods here, which indicates that

eugenides is very short at this point

the magus when compared to other people is probably pretty tall

“Scabs that were black against my prison-fair skin.” - Indicates that his skin has lightened noticeably since he was in prison although that’s the only indicator we get about what he looks like until literally the very ending with...

“He mentioned an Eddisian mother to explain his dark coloring.” - Which is exactly what I mean in Not Telling - we are told enough to have a clear blue print of him, but we are left to fill in the details of how he looks.

About his wound: “it’s taken a divot out of your face...it might heal clean.” and “I was quite certain I’d have a feather-shaped white scar.” - Note that Eugenides thinks this is a sign of approval from the Eugenides the god.

We get just as little in The Queen of Attolia, although note that this is the first time we are getting Gen from someone else’s point of view, instead of him describing himself:

“...his dark hair covering his face...He’d grown...he was not quite her height, but with his hair cropped short under his helmet, she hadn’t looked twice at him when she had seen him.” - that’s the only real description we get of him in the beginning of QoA before It Happens, and it’s from Irene’s point of view. There’s also several references to him looking “young” “naive” and “guilless” - young pops up about half a dozen times, and she remarks often on him being “a boy” and “half-grown.” Obviously part of that is guilt, but I did want to note that when we’re in Gen’s mind, he doesn’t focus on how short or young he looks, but when we’re in someone else’s mind, they immediately zero in on how young and small Gen is.

There’s a lot of descriptions of him after The Thing but it’s all involved in how sick he looks ie bruises showing against his yellowed skin, being so pale that his scar looked dark against his skin, that he’s lost a lot weight, stuff like that. It gives us the sense that he is very sick but no real indication of how he looks when he’s not suffering from fever and blood loss.

“His dark hair blended into the darkness behind him…” - first physical description in KoA

“The Queen was several inches taller than Eugenides…” in KoA during the dance scene

“His usually dark skin was so pale the scar on his cheek showed against the lighter skin around it.” - during the assassination attempt

“Costis was sufficiently taller than the king…” - I think this is our first reference to Costis being very tall, but of course nowhere near our first reference to Gen being short.

“His face was pale, his normally dark skin yellowed.” - My note has nothing to do with his look, but the fact that his skin is usually dark but is now both pale AND visibly yellow makes me think his liver was damaged by the assassin and that’s why it took so long to heal.

“He chose Mede coats with the long bell sleeves because no fighting man who’d seen the muscles in the king’s wrist would have underestimated him the way the Attolians had. His other wrist with no hand at the end of it appeared oddly narrow and delicate. Costis tried not to stare and found himself looking instead at the king’s scars. The long line across his belly was an angry red, but there were other marks: ragged tears around his knees and elbows, and lighter shining bands around his ankles that could only be the mark of fetters, as well as the various lines left by edged blows on his chest and arms, and one long one on his thigh. There were also a number of bruises, some newly purple and black and some fading almost to nothing. Costis wondered where they could have come from.” - WHEW long description for the first time and its all about Gen’s scars.

“...skinny and prison pale, incongruous with the clean clothes the Magus had picked out for him.” - Sophos’ PoV from AcoK. This seems to imply that Gen is usually darker than he is in the Thief - which we’ve been told before, that he’s darker skinned but stints in prison and a number of serious injuries seem to frequently make him look sickly and pale - but also that he’s usually heavier - whether that means, like Sophos believes, that Gen is normally not as skinny or that he’s gained weight since becoming Attolis is anyone’s guess.

“I kept going until I could see his face, see every detail—the quirk of his eyebrow, the twist at the corner of his mouth, the mark on his cheek, where he’d said the Attolian guards had once shot him when he was running away…” - Kamet’s description of him.

“I remembered him as a boy, small for his age. I found him taller, broader in the shoulder, much older than the intervening years would explain, with a hook where his hand had been—wholly changed, in fact, but for the scar on his face and that smile.” - Gen is finally like a normal height lmao, but also he’s gotten bigger in general, which seems to imply IMO that re: Sophos’ assessment earlier, most of the weight (and likely muscle as Costis points outback in KoA) is the result of his time in Attolia and not weight he lost in jail. But whether THAT is due to him like, eating more potentially or having a different fighting style/routine that is bulking him up, or just a natural consequence of getting older or a combination of the two is again, your guess.

Helen:

“By far the least attractive of the women stood up.”

“She had black hair, like Attolia, and her gown was red velvet...tended to stand like a soldier. The ruffles on her shoulders made her arms seem long enough to reach to her knees. Her nose had been broken and reknitted crooked, her hair was cut short like a man’s and curled so much over her simple silver crown that crown itself was nearly invisible.” - all Gen’s point of view.

“She was short and too broad to be called petite. Her father had been broad shouldered, Attolia remembered, and not over-tall. Eddis had a serious expression.” - From QoA, in Irene’s pov. It seems the shortness of Gen is something that runs in the family.

“She’s ugly...she’s short, she’s broad-shouldered, and hawk-faced with a broken nose. I would say no, she is not ideal...I’ve seen men fall on their knees and get to walk across hot coals for her after one of those smiles.” - Gen talking about her with the Magus. I feel like it’s relevant that Gen calls her “the least attractive” when he’s with her, but only “ugly” when talking about her with other people.

“You look a little vulpine yourself.” - probably more a personality quirk than anything, but I still wanted to include it.

“Eddis reached to touch her own crooked nose. ‘If I laughed,’ she said, ‘it is only at the idea that we make a matched pair now, you and I.’” - for both her and Sophos here. Love flirting in the form of pointing out your irregularities, girl’s got game.

“The queen of Eddis is as beautiful as the day and as brilliant as the sun in the sky..he chuckled and quoted Praximeles about beauty being in the heart and not the eye..” - obviously Sophos’ opinion is colored by his love for her, but STILL, he does offer a description that she’s beautiful, is immediately contradicted by Akretenesh, and then basically thinks “it’s not my fault you’re stupid as fuck.”

Irene:

“Her hair was black and held away from her face by an imitation of the woven gold band of Hephestia. Her robe was draped like a peplos, made from embroidered red velvet. She was as tall as the magus, and she was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen.” - Gen’s PoV in the Thief. We have a hint of his feelings for her in the way he describes her, and also there’s her Hephestia cosplay as well.

“Her hair was held away from her face by the ruby and gold headband that crossed her forehead just above her dark brows. Her skin was flawless and so fair as to be translucent. She dressed as always in an imitation of Hephestia.” - Gen calling out her Hephestia cosplay lmao. I also notice that she’s specifically not just “fair skinned” like Sophos or other Attolians, she’s described as almost weirdly pale.

Sophos:

I KNOW I forgot to mark a scene where Eugenides describes Sophos in TT as like...fair or pink-cheeked or something like that but I’ll be damned if I can find it.

“They were both obviously well bred...I wondered if they were brothers...the older one had darker hair and was better looking.” - obviously the older is Ambiades.

“One member of the crowd, a young man with a broken nose, a lip twisted by scar tissue, and dirty clothes that combined to suggest a person of violent and criminal habits…” - good description that also tells us that Useless the Younger looks significantly different since we saw him four books (and several years) ago. It’s not just that he’s older, or scarred, it’s that he *looks* dangerous now.

“I was taller than Malatesta by inches.” and “I wasn’t heavier than [Hyacinth] but I was taller and bore him to the ground.” - both give us an approximation of his height, weight, and strength.

“I felt my upper lip and rubbed my thumb against the scar tissue. I could feel it distorting my mouth. My nose had a new bump in the middle of it as well.” - scar healing badly

“Measuring myself against [The Magus], I realized we now saw eye to eye.” - considering several references to how tall The Magus is (which we’ll get to), this means Sophos is incredibly tall.

“...my hair all cut away and ragged.” and then they mention they dyed it. Once they get to Attolia however, “A barber came in to trim and shave us, taking off the last of my darker hair and leaving it tidy, if short.” So it’s gone back to his natural color, but this implies he usually wears his hair long.

There’s also a mention of him eating a lot, which isn’t a physical description, but does, IMO, imply something to his size - like how many sheer calories a lot of Olympic athletes have to eat a day.

“I smiled until I felt the scar tissue tighten...I had never let him see what I looked like when I smiled: my uncle.” - ICONIC.

ALSO - Sophos is frequently compared to animals. These animals include a lamb, lion, rabbit, bunny, puppy, and then back to lion.

Costis Ormentiedes:

I couldn’t find any description of him beyond a few references to him being tall in KoA which either means that I just missed it bc I got to emotional over KoA (which is likely) OR we don’t get a real description of Costis until TaT which is an interesting choice. ONWARDS:

“He was a very large Attolian…” - Kamet’s first impression of Costis, yet again reminding us how big Costis is

“He was a typical Attolian: sandy-brown hair, a broad face, light-colored eyes. Altogether he had a simple, straightforward look to him, and he seemed perfectly serious.” - gives us a general idea of what Attolians as a people look like.

“He was large, as I already knew, and a soldier. He had the scars on his hands and forearms and the unmistakable muscles from swinging a sword day in and day out. I had no doubt he was good at what he did - he rather reminded me of an ox, very strong, not terribly quick - but I thought killing was his work, not his pleasure….he moved easily, so he was no veteran crippled’s in his country’s service, but he was too young to have done his twenty years - my own age, or perhaps younger.” - Lots of information here from Kamet. The ones that stick out to me are: moves easily, which means Costis has likely not even been minorly injured before, but he has scars, which of course means he’s had a lot of flesh wounds. The other thing is that Kamet instinctively knows that Costis doesn’t like killing - I don’t know if that means Kamet is a good judge of character or if there’s something about Costis, whether it be the way he carries himself, or something physically like his expressions, his youth, his eyes, that tells Kamet this, but it *could* be something physical.

Kamet makes several references to Costis being hot lmao. He uses the word “attractive” several times in several different chapters and others agree with this assessment.

“She sent him to the potter to see if he could use a young man with a strong back.” - more comments about how ripped Costis is.

Kamet

Couldn’t find any description of Kamet in QoA, and he doesn’t really describe himself in TaT. I’m worried I missed something, but this is what I found:

“Normally as warm-toned as myself…” - Kamet comparing his own skin tone (undertone?) to Laela’s.

He also describes himself as small and skinny compared to Costis several times - once saying his face is roughly at level with Costis’ chest - and mentions flogging scars on his back.

EDIT: THANK YOU FOR COMMENTS, we get this like in QoA about Kamet: “The slave’s almond shaped eyes and red-brown complexion set him apart from the Attolians.”

—————

Not sure how to end this but anyway that’s what we’re given for the main PoVs. Surprisingly, we get more description for Helen than we do for Irene, and barely any for Kamet. There were some things that I had misremembered - I thought Gen was described as “brown skinned” but instead it’s “dark skinned” or “dark coloring” and I thought he described Helen as ugly more than once, but it’s just to the Magus, when they’re discussing Sounis’ potential marriage, which is....interesting to me, and sounds a lot more like Gen trying to downplay his cousin so the Magus will fuck off, especially when he offers Agape as an alternative that is, notably, prettier and also holds significantly less power. I also thought Costis was described as “blonde” or “fair haired” like Sophos but instead he’s “sandy brown” and I think the idea of him being Blonde was a fandom thing that I just misremembered.

#the queen's thief #megan whalen turner #the queens thief #rani attempts meta

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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

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Galactica, Chapter 45 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Aiden’s jealousy worsened, and Bianca invited Courtney to lunch.

This Chapter: Courtney, Adore and Violet all receive unexpected invitations.

***

It was kind of amazing. How Courtney could be sitting across from one of the most influential, powerful women in New York and feel so...well, comfortable. She knew that any sane person would feel horribly intimidated in this situation, but Bianca just kept on making her laugh so much, it was like she forgot to be nervous. Or...well, she wasn’t exactly not nervous, but it was a fluttery kind of excited nervous, curling pleasantly in her abdomen as they bantered back and forth.

“So...what class are you taking later?” Bianca asked, stirring her latte.

“It’s a street jazz class at BDC,” Courtney replied.

“BDC?” Bianca raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, it stands for Broadway Dance Cen-”

“Yeah, I know what BDC is, I’m not a moron,” Bianca interrupted, and Courtney bit back a laugh, finding her abrasive style somehow endearing. “I just didn’t realize you were a dancer.”

“Oh. I’m not really. I just uh...want to get into music. Eventually. Like, pop music. When I got to New York, I went on a bunch of auditions, and I realized that my dance background was nowhere near strong enough to be competitive-” Courtney stopped abruptly. Was she saying too much? As nice as Bianca was, she was also one of Fame’s best friends.

Bianca didn’t seem concerned though, simply listening, nodding, a soft smile on her face. She really was so beautiful. Courtney’s heart hammered a bit faster.

“Do you mind...um...not telling Miss Fame about that? I don’t want her to think I’m not committed. I just, feel like she’d disapprove, and I really need that job, so-”

“Your secret’s safe with me.” Bianca’s smile deepened, dark eyes shining.

“Thanks.” Courtney smiled back as the waitress set down their food, relieved.

“So how’d you end up at Galactica, anyway? It’s not exactly a direct path from there to being a pop star.”

“Uh, it’s kind of a long story. I was applying for like, any job that would let me stay in the country, and when I saw the opening with Miss Fame, I was thrilled. And then Adore and I were at this club, and we ran into Violet, and...I guess she kind of put in a good word for me.”

“Huh. I wouldn’t have expected that,” Bianca mused.

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s just… Violet’s always seemed a bit...uptight as fuck?”

Courtney had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud, explaining, “She takes her work very seriously.”

“Oh yeah?” One of Bianca’s brows raised a little, challenging. “Do you?”

“Of course! I’m so lucky to have that job, a million girls would kill to be in my shoes. And Miss Fame, you know, she’s a great boss.” Courtney blinked at Bianca, watching her muffle a laugh with her hand. “What?”

“No, nothing. You’re just cute when you lie.”

That fluttery feeling was back in Courtney’s belly, stronger than ever, as she insisted, “I’m not lying! She’s great! You’re her best friend, you should know-”

“Exactly. I’m her best friend. That’s how I know you’re lying.” Bianca bit down on a sweet potato fry, eyes twinkling.

“Okay, maybe she’s a little…”

“Yes?”

“Well, she’s not the easiest boss, or the most predictable, but that doesn’t mean she’s not a good one.” Courtney crossed her arms, a pretend little pout on her lips.

“Fair enough.”

And with that particular landmine safely side-stepped, Courtney let out a relieved sigh.

“Hey, uh, here’s a question. Do you have any Thanksgiving plans? I know you’re not American, so-”

“Really, what gave that away?” Courtney asked, lashes fluttering.

“Lucky guess,” Bianca laughed. “Anyway, Adore and I usually go home to New Orleans. But my sister Liz is going through a divorce and she’s apparently just an absolute cunt to anyone who dares even look at her. So we decided to stay in town and avoid that nightmare altogether.”

“That’s nice. Very supportive.”

“Hey, I’m paying for her attorney,” Bianca defended herself, and Courtney laughed. Of course she was paying for her sister’s divorce attorney; she was quickly proving to be one of the most generous people Courtney’d ever met. “But yeah, so...would you have any interest in joining us?”

“Really?”

“Sure. I know Adore would love to have you there,” Bianca said quickly, and after a moment of hesitation, added, “And hey, I’d like to encourage her to hang out with people who read. So, you know, win win.”

Courtney bit her lip, Bianca’s sarcastic deflection as she folded up a napkin in her hands making the whole thing painfully cute.

“No pressure, I just, uh...wanted you to know you’re welcome.”

“I would love to,” Courtney said, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the invite, knowing that this was a holiday people spent with family. “I should warn you though, I just went vegan.”

“Oh shit, invite rescinded.”

Courtney giggled, twirling a lock of her hair. “I know, I've already lost 3 friends over it. And I think I’m on very thin ice with Adore. Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s no big deal. I actually eat a lot of vegan food, even tried it myself for a few years,” Bianca said. “I am a lesbian, after all.”

Courtney leaned forward, intrigued. “Is that like a thing?”

“Oh yeah,” Bianca nodded.

“Why do you think that is?” Courtney asked, lifting her glass to her lips, trying to find the straw without looking.

Bianca thought for a moment and then said, “Well...part of it is probably just lefty-feminist politics. And then of course there’s the purely unscientific belief that a plant-based diet makes your pussy taste amazing.”

Courtney choked, spitting out some of her smoothie, cheeks flushing hotly.

A mischievous smile spread across Bianca’s face as she handed over some napkins. She looked both terribly amused and a bit proud of herself.

“Sorry,” Courtney sputtered, wiping up the mess. “I was...not prepared for that.”

“I hope I didn’t destroy your innocence,” Bianca said, voice soft and teasing.

“I’m not that fragile. I’ve been Adore’s best friend for 4 years, remember?” Courtney reminded her.

“Right.”

As Courtney set down the napkins, she looked up and caught Bianca’s eyes again, both of them breaking out into matching grins. She couldn’t quite explain the way her heart thumped faster every time they looked at each other--all she knew was that looking into Bianca’s warm brown eyes, she felt better than she had in months.

***

“Fame?”

Patrick toed his shoes off, resisting the urge to dump his tennis bag by the door. He played tennis every other Saturday morning, tennis and his occasional swims the only form of exercise he had ever found bearable, even though Fame had tried to get him turned into yoga more times than he could count.

Patrick waited for a second, either expecting his wife or his dog to come down to greet him, but neither happened, instead, all he could hear was the faint sound of the TV.

“Fame? Darling?”

Patrick put his bag down, vowing to himself that he’d remember to come back and pick it up, before he made his way into their townhouse.

He found her in the living room. Fame was sitting on the couch in a silk robe, the TV on, the curtains drawn, Charles' head resting on her lap.

“Did you have fun?”

“We finished 5 sets.” Patrick smiled, Fame not actually asking how he had done at tennis, the rules of the game on the long list of things she didn’t care about, though she had shown up to watch him play, the shorts apparently making it worth it. He walked over to the couch, sitting down and leaning in to give his wife a kiss on the cheek, when he felt Fame’s hand on his face, blocking him.

“Don’t-” Fame turned her head, pulling herself away from her show as she looked at Patrick through her fingers. “I just had my skin done, and I refuse to let you mess up my microneedling.”

“Ah. Glad it’s not a chemical peel month.” Fame always looked absolutely insane after those, her skin flaking off. It was rather disgusting, and he tried not to be around for those, seeing your wife shed like a lizard weirdly enough rarely doing wonders for a sex life.

“Shut up.”

Patrick grinned, and Fame smiled as she pushed him back, Patrick settling in on the couch so Fame could snuggle up against him, her head resting on his shoulder. “And what are we watching?”

“Snapped.”

Patrick had to hide a snort, Fame absolutely devouring any and all true crime media. When she’d first gotten addicted to that particular show, all about women who murdered their partners, he’d wonder if she was trying to tell him something. Her response when he’d asked, “Keep asking questions like that and you’ll find out,” had made him burst out laughing, his wife’s sardonic, grisly sense of humor one of the things he loved the most about her, only coming out in rare instances but always a delightful surprise. Almost as surprising as her porcelain chicken collection.

“Your bag better not be flung anywhere.”

Ah.

Busted.

***

Katya hummed to herself as she was setting the table, a bottle of wine for Trixie and sparkling water for her chilling in the fridge.

Trixie was locked up in their bedroom, working away on the cost predictions for the Spring prêt-à-porter collection, sweating over numbers and doing everything he could to make sure everything was running smoothly.

He had promised her to come out for dinner, so Katya had arranged a surprise, a gigantic order of Chipotle on its way.

“Hey Katya?”

Katya looked up from where she had been folding the napkin, to see Pearl leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed. She was wearing a pair of drop-crotch sweats and a sleeveless jersey tied up around her midriff, certainly not her typical going-out clothes. Was it possible that she was staying in? On a Saturday?

“Everything okay?”

Pearl gave a slow, unconvincing nod, walking forward a few steps.

“Are you sure about that?”

“How did you know that you wanted to be with Trixie forever?”

Katya paused, the napkin still in her hand as she considered Pearl’s question. Normally, she would have made a joke about Trixie’s luscious butt, but judging from Pearl’s face, this wasn’t the time.

“I honestly…still don’t know.”

“Please,” Pearl sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs. “I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Katya smiled. Pearl and Trixie had been friends for forever, but they didn’t become best friends until after Katya and Trixie had started dating, Pearl moving in with Trixie while she was in rehab for that final time. “I liked being single. I liked having little whirlwind romantic flings and then going back to starfishing across the bed when they were over.”

Pearl laughed, shaking her head, and Katya declared a small victory for making her crack a smile.

“If I’d been single forever, I’d have been perfectly fine.”

Maybe not perfectly fine, but Pearl didn’t need to know that, the things Katya had done before Trixie came into her life not really things she was particularly proud of.

“I liked being free.” Katya shrugged, trying it out.

“Mmmh?”

Bingo.

Katya hid a smirk, Pearl straightening up the moment freedom had been mentioned.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Pearl was struggling in her relationship with Adore, that her friend was probably freaking out about being with someone for any extended amount of time, since Katya had never seen Pearl do anything like what she doing now, long-term relationships not really the Liaison brand.

“But I met Trix, and I like him more than freedom. Or, well, that’s not really accurate. Actually…” Katya sat down beside Pearl. “The truth is, I feel my freest when I’m with him. Knowing that he’s in my corner. But I mean, knowing for sure? I just don’t think certainty is in my nature. Luckily, it’s in his. That’s why we’re a good team.”

“Yeah. That makes sense. You guys are a good team.” Pearl sighed.

“Do you feel like you guys are a good team?” Katya asked carefully.

“Sometimes. I mean...we’re a lot alike. Maybe too much alike. I dunno.” Pearl avoided Katya’s gaze.

“Here’s a question...are you happier with her, or without her?” Katya asked.

“I...don’t know.”

Katya reached for Pearl’s hand. “Pearl, listen. I like Adore, a lot actually. I think she’s sweet and beautiful and funny and she obviously cares about you so much. But I also think that stringing her along when you’re feeling like this...it’s not fair to either of you.”

“I just don’t want to give up so fast!” Pearl exclaimed. “I always do that. I promised myself that I would actually try this time.”

“Well, then maybe you just need to be reminded of why you got together in the first place.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Also...now I don’t want to sound like I’m preaching here,” Katya began.

“No, it’s fine. I asked for your opinion,” Pearl said.

“Well...in my experience...it’s really hard to maintain any kind of real relationship--friendship, romantic, whatever--if you prioritize your ego over the other person’s feelings.”

Pearl blinked at her for a few seconds, letting the comment sink in, before dropping her head to the table with a soft, “fuck…”

Katya chuckled and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. “You’ll be alright.”

***

“Drink drink drink drink drink drink drink drink YEAHHHHHHH!” The girls cheered as Adore finished her beer and slammed the empty glass down on the table.

Adore laughed, wiping her mouth, looking around at the group. Originally, when Courtney had introduced her to these girls years ago as “my sorority sisters,” she was picturing stuck-up, prissy little spoiled brats, who would judge her and never accept her - the punk rock lesbian who walked around in bare feet and no bra most of the time.

She was pleasantly surprised when they ended up being fun, and mostly turned their Mean Girls Judgement on others, or each other. Somehow Adore became the untouchable and beloved mascot of the group, the cool, alternative one who gave them all street cred. Tyra loved her because they were both from the South, both from big families and both of them possessed deeply developed bullshit detectors. Tati enjoyed doing shots with her and wreaking havoc (and was good for a sloppy drunken makeout session at least a few times a year) and Morgan - well, Morgan was kind of a cunt, but in the very best way. It was part of her charm, and, as she explained it, part of her Scottish heritage.

This night out with her friends was exactly what she needed to take her mind off her current relationship drama. She’d only spoken to Pearl once since their fight the other day, and it was tense, Pearl claiming to be running into a meeting. After that, nothing. No messages, no calls--she still wasn’t 100% sure where things stood between them.

Adore turned to Courtney, who absentmindedly stirred her drink with a straw, staring into space. She’d already noticed a bit of a change in her mood from a week ago - there was definitely something lighter about her. Still, quiet wistfulness wasn’t her general M.O. in a club - usually she was the first one on the dance floor. Adore nudged her gently with a hip.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Courtney turned to her with a little smile, green eyes soft.

“Are you having fun?”

“Of course! I always have fun with you,” she said, wrapping her arms around Adore’s waist and cuddling closer, laying a head on her shoulder.

Adore pressed the kiss to the top of her head before asking the other question on her mind, “So...um...what’s going on with you and my sister?”

Courtney’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I heard you hung out today…and that you’re joining us for Thanksgiving?”

“Oh. Right. No, I just ran into her by chance.”

“Where the hell are you hanging out, where you run into someone like that?” Morgan asked. “The fuckin’ SoHo house?”

“It was a bookstore.”

“Ugh, smart bitch.”

“And like…she bought me lunch because she knows I’m poor,” Courtney explained, “and since you guys will be in town and I don’t have family here, she just asked if I wanted to come.”

“Oh yeah, no big deal,” Tyra cut in, “She just took you on a date and then invited you to a family holiday…”

“It wasn’t a date!” Courtney said, laughing. “It was really all just very casual. She was just being nice.”

“Being nice for no reason. Sounds like Bianca alright,” Adore said, one eyebrow raised, and Courtney giggled again, shrugging.

“Maybe she’s nicer than you think.”

“Listen, Courtney, I’m glad you’re gonna be there because I love you. But just...you know, my sister is very...uh…”

“Yeah?”

“No, she’s great. Like, she’s the best. But…” Adore trailed off, grabbing a shot from the round Morgan was setting on the table and tossing it back.

It felt weird to be having this conversation. Did she really need to warn Courtney about Bianca? After all, B had joked about hitting on her before but never actually done anything. And what would she even say? ‘My sister is very good at charming the pants off every girl who catches her attention--especially the blondes’? ‘Beware the dimples’? She was certain that Bianca would never make a move on someone who didn’t want it, so...why not just leave it alone?

“You know what? Nevermind. Whose phone is that?” Adore felt her pocket, realizing that the out of control buzzing was her own phone--hopefully not her sister being an impatient cunt about Courtney’s number.

PEARL: Hey. I’m sorry about how I acted on Thursday.

PEARL: And yesterday

PEARL: There’s a warehouse party in Brooklyn tomorrow

PEARL: At the navy yard. Wanna go?

PEARL: It’s right by Grimaldi’s��

PEARL: Best pizza in NY

PEARL: My treat

ADORE: So you like pizza again, huh?

PEARL: It’s my favorite ;)

ADORE: Lol, okay, I’m in. <3

Adore looked back up at her friends, grinning at the group. “Let’s go dance!”

***

Sutan wasn’t nervous.

He wasn’t, because that would be ridiculous.

Sutan took a sip of his coffee, watching people walk by the cafe he was sitting at. It was a surprisingly sunny Saturday for October, the air crisp and fresh. He had already waited for 20 minutes, Violet once again late, but Sutan had asked for a chocolate croissant with his first cup of coffee, his girlfriend's time management skills surprisingly terrible.

Sutan was planning to invite Violet to Aspen with him, Raja and Raven for their annual ski trip. It was a tradition of theirs, Raja and he owning a cabin together that they visited every year. He wasn’t a brilliant skier, but he liked the mountain air, the sense of freedom, and of being disconnected while out on the slopes.

He had thought about inviting Violet along for weeks, Raven needling him about whether or not Violet would be coming with him.

Sutan wanted Violet to join them. Wanted to see her all dressed up in winter wear, wanted to teach her how to ski and have drinks by the fire in the evening.

There was just the teeny tiny insignificant detail, that the last time he had asked someone to come with him and Raja to Aspen, it had been a terrible time.

He didn’t hate Kahmora, at least not any more, their divorce lasting longer than their marriage, but he still felt a sense of dread every time he visited L.A. - which was why he avoided the city as much as he could, Kahmora thankfully relocating once they severed ties.

Violet wasn’t Kahmora though, actually, they were as different as day and night.

“Hey.”

Sutan turned his head to see Violet come walking towards him, her coat closely around her, her new bag in hand, and Sutan was glad he had splurged for the largest model Dior made, the purse already stuffed.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Violet pressed a kiss against his cheek, sliding in on the other side of the table, her dress brushing against him. “Have you eaten?”

“I was waiting for you.”

Violet didn’t need to know that he already finished a chocolate croissant, that sin between him and his trainer.

“Ah,” Violet looked guilty for a second, brushing a bit of her hair behind her ear, her earring of the day a tiny golden hook. “Sorry, I was at work and time just flew by-”

“Work?” Sutan twisted his wrist, taking a peek at his Rolex. “It’s 10:33 on a Saturday?”

“I went in at 6.” Violet picked the menu up, the fact that she tried to pretend that she wasn’t going to order avocado on rye kind of cute. “I know I have to turn my dress over to tailoring sooner or later-”

“But you want to finish as much as you can?” Sutan smiled, emptying his coffee cup. “Of course.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not,” Sutan held up his hands in defense. “Promise.” He couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Violet’s right hand, her fingertips thankfully not the raw red points he had helped wrap and put ice on. “It’s just very dedicated-”

“This is my first chance to get an actual piece on the runway. It has to be perfect-” Violet was cut off as the waiter came over, Sutan hiding a grin as she ordered avocado on rye, his second breakfast a plate of scrambled eggs and salmon.

“Speaking of perfect.” Sutan moved his chair while the waiter walked away, his stomach tied up in a knot. “I was wondering, if…”

“Yes?” Violet tilted her head, clearly listening, her brow eyes resting on his face.

“If you’d like...” Sutan had no idea why this was so hard, “to come to Aspen with Raja, Raven and I in January?”

“What?” Violet looked genuinely confused.

“Raja and I own a cabin, and-”

“Like, in Colorado? Like Aspen Aspen? Like posh skiing Aspen?”

“Yes?” Sutan lifted a brow. “Do you know any other Aspen?”

“No, but I-” Violet bit her lip, her white teeth sinking into it. “I don’t know how to ski?”

“Oh,” Sutan laughed, the admission not at all what he had expected. “Well, lovely eyes.” Sutan smiled. “I can promise you, that that is not a problem.”

#rpdr fanfiction #thedane #veronica #galactica #bitney #adore x pearl #vitan #courtney act #bianca del rio #miss fame #katya zamolodchikova #pearl liaison #adore delano #raja gemini #violet chachki #lesbian au #m/f au #fashion au

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jibbyscorner · 4 years ago

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Crunch! Jibby's Guide to Cooking the Crispiest Potato Chips Ever!

featuring ice cubes

School friendships come in all forms. There can be instances when you're all busy because of the overwhelming—and over piling—school works that you need to finish. Navigating through all of this would be like going into a massive labyrinth, with multiple routes and choices all leading somewhere, including a serendipitous destination. But sometimes, it can also lead to an unsatisfying dead end. An impasse, if you might say it in a fancier terms. One with no good moments to see. It's just so... unexciting and anti-climactic, you know? No bother, because all challenges can go through this outcome. No school friendship is perfect, there can be times where you're all just living in a low, lack of energy.

But when you're stuck on a research chapter with tired mind and empty belly, you might want to do something with it before you all try a different path. There may be deadlines, but you can't explore through a maze while you're all still hungry. And there may be a solution for this. All you need is a bunch of potatoes, some cooking oil, a pot (or a pan), more kitchen utensils, and of course, any source of heat. (Most recommended? A stove.)

There's a bunch of appetizing snacks that you can make with a good potato. But what if I tell you that you can cook a really crispy, mouthwatering potato chips with only a bowl of iced water?

Well, you can! And as a parting gift for the last days of my eleventh grade, I am going to teach you on how to make your break time, a great time. Prepare your notes, folks! This is my way of cooking a really delicious, ultimately crispy potato chips. Once you've tried this, you certainly won't regret it!

Of course, you can do this alone. Or if you want, you can definitely try this technique with a team! You can also take turns, especially as this cooking techinique takes time. With great potatoes, comes great amount of minutes... and also cold water and a good knife. This isn't exactly a quick process, you got to put some love in this.

So what is the first step? Well, first, you have to pick the best potatoes. Not exactly the extremely expensive ones, just the right potatoes in the right condition. Take some time on choosing, ask for them, the good potatoes will call on you... if they don't, just choose the ones that are normal, potato-looking potatoes. Personally, I prefer the oval-sized potatoes. I also want them to be a little rough, so I could peel them easily with a spoon.

<< For a quick guide, two medium-sized potatoes would fill a medium-sized bowl. The more potatoes you got, the more satisfied taste buds and bellies you're going to get. >>

And yeah, you've read that right. A spoon! This is a trick that I've learned from my classmates while we're cooking for our TLE subject on ninth grade. Using a peeler or a knife can lead to you losing a layer of good, crispy potatoes. That would be such a waste, doesn't it? Especially since vegetables are so pricey right now! So, you take your spoon (choose the thinnest one), and then you just peel them using the said utensil. This is why I told you to pick the right potatoes, because the right and good ones will peel easily, and you won't lose a layer of potato goodness. Make sure to wash them first before spoon-peeling.

The next step is of course, to cut them. I wouldn't judge you on how you cut them. But when I cook these potatoes, I use a butcher knife (when you're going to use this, please be careful!). Using a butcher knife, I like to cut them in halves vertically. In this way, you're going to end up with two, oval shaped potatoes, with a flat surface on one side. The next step is to cut them as thin as possible. Now, with a butcher knife, you would be able to perform this smoothly, it would take about five minutes to cut six half of potatoes, and you will be good to go!

The next step is to get a bowl, just the ones that would fit your uncooked potato chips, with room for water to fill in. Wash it with clean water. If you observe them, the water would eventually turn into hazy, gray (sometimes light brown, because of the soil in the potatoes), and this is not a bad thing! It's just the starch roaming around your water. Once you see this milky water, you spill them out. And then fill the bowl with water again. Rinse the potatoes with your clean, sanitized hands. And spill the water out again. Do this process as many as you want, and in a few minutes, your potatoes will sink in with clear, transparent water. This meant that the starch is out the surface of your chips and it would make it more crispy when you cook them.

Now, the special part. The best way to make a crispy, and at the same time, flavorful potato chips is to soak them in cold, iced water. Put the cold water onto your potato bowl. Feel them, the more numb your fingers get, the better it is for the potatoes. The cold bath would help your potatoes lose more of its starch, making it look like a real chips when cooked. Wait for a moment to let the potatoes soak and settle in with the cold water.

This is the waiting part. You can wait ten minutes. While you're waiting, let's have a quick talk, shall we?

I actually discovered this technique while doing a group project with my classmates. We were exhausted, drained, and the worst part? We were all hungry. It doesn't help the fact that we were all craving for fries. Good thing about our house is that, our kitchen always has a variety of vegetables, and potatoes were one of them. And so me and our classmates cooked our fries.

It was good! In fact, we really enjoyed it. But I can't seem to not mind the shiny look on our fries. It's too oily, not exactly a turn on for me. And so I had this urge within me that told me to look for a technique that would make my potatoes dry and not too oily-looking. And that's what I did.

After numerous amount of attempts, I finally achieved it. And now I am sharing it with you guys! I've really come a long way with potatoes.

Okay, back to our cold bowl of potatoes. The next thing you're going to do is to open your stove in between medium and low heat. Then you're going to choose your pot, I recommend a medium-sized one, just make sure that it would fit your potatoes perfectly! Just let the pot heat for a moment. One thing I've noticed is that if you put oil on a warm pot, it would make your potatoes stick on the surface. So make sure that your pot is hot and slightly smoking before putting cooking oil.

<< In putting cooking oil, make sure that it would cover all of your potatoes. The more oil, the better. When you're done with oil, let them heat up again for a couple of minutes. >>

Also, while you're waiting, you can now drain your potatoes! It would be cool, pun intended, that you put your cold potatoes on hot cooking oil. Just be careful with the bursting hot oil, you would not want them to touch your skin. Once you've put them on, stir them. Make sure that all of your potato chips are covered in oil. Also make sure that they're all spreaded out evenly! So they can all cook in the same amount of time. Turn the stove to medium heat.

Now this is where you put your insticts in. The best way is to wait a couple of minutes so you can leave time for your potatoes to slowly cook. I say wait for three minutes before checking on them.

I'll start the timer. And while you're waiting, let's get to know each other!

[3:00]

Okay, so how are you doing? Are you feeling good, okay? Or stressed because of school works?

[2:45]

Well, if you ask me, I guess I'm doing fine. I'm trying really hard not to get myself stressed. It's really bad if I get stressed because it would affect my performance! Wouldn't want to have that effect on your essay, right? I guess the best remedy for this is to just find your comfort zone. For me, it's doing essays while playing Netflix on the background. It helps me feel relaxed and at my comfort zone, I just love watcing movies and TV shows so much!

[2:05]

What's your hobbies, do you like reading, watching, baking, cooking, or maybe even gaming? Are you into sports?

[1:35]

If you could go somewhere, anywhere in the world... assuming if we're not in pandemic, where would you go?

[1:00]

For me, I would certainly go to a bookstore. I've missed going there so much. I miss the smell of books!

[0:40]

Have you tried experimenting with potatoes? They're a really versatile food, huh? You can do everything with them, and that's what makes potatoes really special!

[0:20]

For me, I've actually tried doing other things! I've tried doing Mojos, of course, fries, and even mashed potatoes! One time I've tried them with my friends, and while they're not looking, I put some sopas soup on the mashed and mixed them. It turned out really good, I promise you have to try them at some point. It's amazing!

[-0:07]

Oops! We almost forgot about the potatoes we're cooking. My bad! Okay so, once the three minutes is up, you have to check them out. Usually, they don't get crispified at three minutes. Sometimes in my experience, it takes ten minutes to cook them really well. We're looking for a golden look on the potatoes. And you'll feel them with your spatula once they started getting crispy under the boiling oil. You have to take time, always check on them! Because once they turn crispy, it would be also a really quick time before they turn black and burn.

Once it's crispy, prepare a sheet of tissue towel and strainer. Put the tissue on the strainer and place your cooked crispy potato chips over there! You can leave them over there for a few minutes. The tissues would absorb the oils and it would make your potato chips dry and golden-skinned. Once dry, put them on a bowl and sprinkle some salt! Or, if you want, you can put some cheese powder or any condiments on them. That's the beauty of potatoes, it dances on your taste buds regardless of its flavor!

And that, my friends, is how you cook a crispy, mouthwatering, delicious, perfect potato chips. You can pass them on to your friends, to your friends of friends, or even to your acquaintances! I really do think it would be nice if this snack I've experimented on for years would pass on and satisfy other potato lovers. And to all of you hardworkers out there, this snack would be a great delight for you! May the break of these potato chips on your teeth encompass a satisfying break time for all of you.

So if you're out there, doing research, or going on any hard path the labyrinth of a life may give you, always remember that you deserve a break, you truly do. The great beyond is just out there, it's waiting. And if you feel like getting a snack break, how about you try my potato chips, eh? I'm sure it would make a worthwhile snack!

Feature Article by Abdullah Jibril Y. Dandamun

Photos by Jibril Dandamun

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d2kvirus · 4 years ago

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Dickheads of the Month: January 2021

As it seems that there are people who say or do things that are remarkably dickheaded yet somehow people try to make excuses for them or pretend it never happened, here is a collection of some of the dickheaded actions we saw in the month of January 2021 to make sure that they are never forgotten.

Once again, we knew that Donald Trump wasn’t going to take losing well, but when a legion of his most boneheaded supporters storm the Capitol demanding the election result be overturned because a certain thin-skinned orange gobshite had spent several weeks screaming about electoral fraud and, by the way, also set the date of January 6th for some major event, even Mike Pence couldn’t sanction his buffoonery any longer - especially when said buffoonery involved him saying “I love you” to people who were guilty of sedition and, by the way, murder - all of which led to him finally, finally, getting the boot from various social media platforms

...all while Lauren Boebert appeared to be trying to help out the insurrectionists by livetweeting the location of Nancy Pelosi, presumably because Boebert forgot about that Glock she claims to take to work with her every day and was looking for a convenient meat shield, which naturally has nothing to do with her tweeting the day would be like 1776 earlier that morning

...but the real victim in all of this was Melania Trump as it interrupted a photo shoot she was doing, which she somehow thought it was a good idea to mention several days later in a statement riddled with two opinions: “both sides” and “me, me, me” which shows she didn’t realise the optics of rearranging the china as Washington burned around her

...but according to Laura Kuenssberg it was merely a “scuffle” at Congress, as opposed to an organised group attempting to stage an armed insurrection against the government complete with at least one member carrying zip ties

...and finally, we had Ian Austin reminded us that he’s still alive by saying the exact same thing would have happened in the UK with Jeremy Corbyn supporters storming parliament, as if that happened in the four years Corbyn was wishing Austin would go away, then did go away, but sadly didn’t go away

Once again the Tory government think they know better than virologists, epidemiologists and pharmacists with their one-two punch of thinking they can just mix and match the various vaccines available rather than give people two doses of the same vaccine, but they further weaken any chance of vaccination succeeding by ignoring Pfizer’s recommendation the second dose be given within three weeks of the first by adopting a policy of the second dose is given three months later, and it it’s just as likely to be the less effective but cheaper Oxford vaccine they get a dose of

...swiftly followed by the BBC did their bit to encourage people to get vaccinated by reporting a story of a nurse getting a dose of Covid six weeks after her first vaccination jab not by reporting how she was three weeks overdue for the second dose (or, if you prefer, six weeks before her second one) but simply saying that people vaccinated can get Covid, which goes beyond the BBC’s sociopathic inability to criticise Tory fuckups into being downright fucking dangerous - as does their putting sentient testicle Toby Young on Newsnight to say how we’re all overreacting as it's not as bad as all that

Of all the things proven liar Boris Johnson should have said when the UK’s Covid death toll officially passed 100,000 (as opposed to unofficially, which would have been last December), “We have done our best” was not it, because if their best includes not going into lockdown in order to protect landlords, having Dominic Cummings dictate herd immunity in spite the fact that you need vaccinated people for it to work, refusing to have quarantine at airports until July, thinking it would be a bright idea to tell people it’s their patriotic duty to go to the pub, giving them £10 vouchers to go to restaurants, putting children going back to school ahead of any concerns about every single school could become a petri dish and countless other horrifically mismanaged instances, then we should be kept up at night dreading what their worst would be

The fact that Chartwells were given a contract to provide free school dinners with a budget of £30, and the supposed lunches that arrived had £5 worth of food in them which begged the obvious question where the other £25 went, is appalling - but not surprising, as the Tory government gave them the contract and, equally unsurprising, Chartwells was founded by a Tory donor, and equally unsurprising their response to their grift being exposed was to tell all the public school clients they cater to a pack of lies while hoping nobody found out about them doing so...which worked about as well as you can guess

Something possessed the EU to ramp up the row over the AstraZenica vaccine not passing the rigorous tests for over-65s by threatening to trigger Article 16 and limit the number of vaccines that Northern Ireland received, and that something was it was hopelessly misguided as it allowed the Tories to get their hapless response to the pandemic off the front pages for a few days and let the Leave headbangers say this is why we left the EU...in spite this threat would have never been in play if we were still in the EU

There is no way to make jokes about Kellyanne Conway posting what was, in effect, revenge porn photos of her 16-year old daughter, because that sentence is so far out there that it is borderline incomprehensible

In the space of less than twenty seconds proven liar Boris Johnson claimed that there was no prior warning of the new strain of Covid, he had the SAGE paper stating it was coming which was handed to him last September held up in his face, and then said the government acted accordingly. Yes, you read that right, he claimed the government acted accordingly to something they had no prior warning about, which is literally impossible, all in the space of ten seconds

In the latest hire by the BBC which is cause for both comment and concern, they announced their new chairman would be Tory donor Richard Sharp, whose credentials for the position are being Rishi Sunak’s ex-boss at Goldman Sachs, donating at least £400,000 to the Tory party, and having no background in journalism whatsoever

Smirking bully Priti Patel said that the UK should have closed its borders in March 2020 in order to prevent the spread of Covid. Presumably she forgot that she was a.) Home Secretary in Marsh 2020 so could have done that, and b.) Home Secretary when she said that the borders should have been closed as that indicates she doesn’t know what’s going on

The terrifying world which Alison Pearson lives in has now started to cross over into our reality due to her responding to one of the four people she hasn’t blocked on Twitter calling her what she is - namely a liar - by siccing the Torygraph’s lawyers on them claiming libel, doing the usual cry bully tactic of learning the person she is harassing works for GlaxoSmithKline so promptly went to their CEO demanding he be fired, and howling about the hate campaign being waged against her - while telling the person, who was saying he was thinking suicidal thoughts after the pile-on that Pearson had instigated even after he had deleted the tweet and apologised , that “You’re finished”

Someday in the future, scholars will study Ted Cruz responding to Biden rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement within hours of getting his feet under the Oval Office desk by pontificating about how terrible it is that Biden is more interested in the citizens of Paris than the jobless of Pittsburgh and wonder just how somebody who doesn't know why the Paris Climate Agreement was named the Paris Climate Agreement ever got to be a senator

...and judging by how Lauren Boebert also latched onto this brainless rhetoric, not only can it be asked how she got to be a senator when she had the opportunity to actually realise Cruz’s mistake, she also begs the question how she can be a senator after her publicly trying to use Nancy Pelosi as a meat shield during the Capitol riots

Unifying force Keir Starmer stated that Labour should be devoting their time to fighting the Tory government rather than fighting court cases, somehow forgetting that by breaking the guidelines of the EHRC report (which he pledged to follow without question months before it was published) is the reason that they’re fighting court cases, and just so happens to be the reason why people are asking how a meeting attended by Starmer, Angela Rayner, Len McCluskey and others either didn't have a single person taking notes, which is David Evans’ entire defence, or they did take notes by quite conveniently lost them

Oh boy, did Wall Street cheerleaders not take it well when r/WallStreetbets exposed to the entire world that the stock market is little more than a game people play with other people’s money - because the teams the Wall Street cheerleaders support started losing, and all it took was a few Redditors investing in Gamestop and Bed Bath & Beyond

Nice of Shaun Bailey to remind everyone that he’s a Tory by giving his suggestion for how the homeless could get on the property ladder, namely by saving a minimum of £5000

Clearly Marjorie Taylor Greene didn’t get the memo about the Streisand Effect, as the first thing she did after taking her seat in the House of Representatives was go on a mass deleting spree of Facebook posts - which only served to draw attention to her video saying that Nancy Pelosi be executed for treason, her track record of spreading conspiracy theories about the Parkland and Sandy Hook shootings, and her claims that a Jewish space laser is responsible for the 2018 California wildfires

Insufferable self-promoter Jess Phillips got her 2021 off to a good start by tweeting out that, as Britait has happened, we should shut up and accept it. To the surprise of nobody other than insufferable self-promoter Jess Phillips, this led to a lot of people saying that, no, they will not accept an advisory referendum somehow being bolted onto the Ten Commandments, especially as numerous things that were promised wouldn’t happen such as a border in the Irish Sea, leaving Erasmus, losing freedom of movement, leaving the Common Market have all happened

It is wrong to say that smirking bully Priti Patel has lost 150,000 police files. The actual figure is closer to 400,000 - which begs the obvious question as to what those files were, for example if those files also happened to fall under the same category as the ones that 55-year old ex-minister Mark Francois might want to have disappear for the sake of convenience

At last CD Projekt Red took some responsibility for Clusterpunk 2077 being such a cyberfuck...if by “taking responsibility” you mean “taking responsibility, dumping it all on the QA testers, and saying that everyone should blame them for everything” - and then with perfect comedic timing CD Projekt Red released an update for Clusterpunk 2077 that was so broken they had to release a hotfix for their broken patch

Expenses-fiddler Robert Jenrick decided that the most important thing to protect in the United Kingdom at this exact moment in time is...statues. Not key workers, not the vulnerable, not any human life at all. Statues.

So either Rafael Behr wrote a column for The Guardian where he tried to blame Jeremy Corbyn for his heart attack which saw Guardian higher-ups remove that passage from their print edition but forgot to remove it from the online version of the article, or The Guardian deliberately left the passage in the online version of the column in order to get some form of engagement from rage clicks while allowing Behr to act as if he is suffering some great injustice

Of course it wouldn’t take long for Steve Baker to try and claim some spurious victory for Britait, namely him claiming that tampon tax he spent so long fighting against being abolished is proof of the sunlit uplands of our post-EU nation...which ignores the fact that a.) It had nothing to do with the EU in the first place, and b.) The fact that Baker voted to keep it in place in a 2015 Commons vote

Employer of the year WWE went for an interesting twofer, as one minute they were proudly stating that WrestleMania would go ahead with a prospective 30,000 in attendance without any concerns for social distancing or any other Covid preventative measures, and the next telling the wrestlers on their roster that they would not be supplying them with Covid vaccines at the exact same time the NBA were floating the idea of providing vaccines for all their players

Make no mistake, the criticism that Erik Lamela, Sergio Reguilon, Giovani Lo Celso and Manuel Lanzini have received due to the four of them flouting lockdown regulations to attend a New Year’s party is justified - however, the fact that Duncan Castles tried to chase a headline by claiming that Lo Celso and Lamela had tested positive for Covid in a swiftly-deleted tweet is a new low for the noted barrel scraping rumour monger

Self-awareness sceptic Laurence Fox was entirely predictable in his response to the news that talkRADIO had been booted from Youtube for repeated violations of their ToS, specifically the part about spreading Covid misinformation, screaming the usual things about being “cancelled” - and then, within hours, responded to the BBC announcing a plan of educational programming to help during Lockdown III by saying he will be shielding his children from being “indoctrinated” by the BBC’s “left-wing bias” - which not only means he’s cancelling the BBC, but also had people remember that Billie Piper has custody of his children so it's not like he can even enforce his rules on what his children can and cannot watch

...by the way, Fox said nothing about Lord Sumption appearing on the BBC’s Question Time (the same show where failed actor on the grift Laurence Fox announced his new career as a clueless right wing irritant) where he told a woman with bowel cancer that her life wasn’t valuable, it was merely less valuable as she has less life left. Yes, that is eugenics getting free airtime on the BBC, thanks for noticing

Somehow the best choice of words the BBC could find when reporting the death of Phil Spector was “talented but flawed” as if murder is some character flaw instead of, oh I don’t know, a criminal activity?

You would have thought that Twitch would have simply retired the PogChamp emote permanently in the wake of Gootecks going all insurrectionist, but no, instead they thought of having a rotating cycle of emotes of various creators, in spite of those creators telling them this would be a bad idea - and those creators were proven right when Critical bard was inundated with racist and homophobic abuse in his chat that led him to close his social media profiles when he was selected for rotation, with Twitch doing fuck all about it

Fashion editor no matter what she claims she is Hadley Freeman had a really clever take about The Sopranos...actually, no she didn’t, she had an absurd belief that it’s the exact same show as Sex in the City but people overlook it Because Misogyny, and when she was lambasted for missing the point so badly she had noted dipshit David Baddiel rushing in to her rescue to mock those getting “triggered” by her insipid take while saying he never liked The Sopranos because, as he isn't an Italian-American mobster, the show did not speak to him - in other words, he made himself a subject of equal mockery

...but there was no sign of Baddiel when Hadley Freeman then jumped on the BidenErasedWomen bandwagon alongside the TERFs of Twitter as soon as Biden got his feet under the desk, which also happened to show hard centrist extremist Freeman say how she thought Trump did far more for women than Biden ever has, which as takes go is so bad that the best explanation is that she briefly forgot the difference between the words “for” and “to”, before she then deleted the tweet and tried to deny ever posting it with increasingly nonsensical explanations that rapidly looked uncannily like gaslighting

...although David Baddiel wasn’t quite done being a bellend, as he was soon yukking it up with professional victim Rachel Riley about his latest book which accuses the entire progressive left of antisemitism

The oppressed underclass known as Manchester United fans really showed their colours, first by responding to a loss to Sheffield United by sending racial abuse to Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial on social media, and a couple of weeks later responded to a draw with Arsenal by sending racial abuse to Marcus Rashford, because apparently when your team drops points the most important thing is to look for which member of your team you can racially abuse

And finally, oh so finally, we have Donald Trump and his discovery of electoral fraud at last - electoral fraud that consisted of Donald Trump calling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger demanding he change the result and all he needs is Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes while also saying that he had proof of vote-counting machines being removed early...and when told they were still in Georgia, changed his lie to say the inner workings had been removed without anyone noticing. By the way, the only reason anyone knows about this is because Raffensperger told Trump that he wouldn’t release the call to the public if Trump didn't say anything about it - so, of course, the Orange Overlord took to twitter, ran his mouth, and the Washington Post had one hell of an exclusive as a result

#dickheads of the month

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morphedphaseblog · 5 years ago

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The starless sea by Erin Morgenstern

Goodreads version

The introduction

This is just to warn everyone that I'm not a literature student, an English major nor a native English speaker, so I'm sorry in advance if this is a jumbled mess. I tend to ramble a lot but I've really tried to keep this as short as possible. (Short meaning a little bit over two thousand words for one review, I've never written a review this long.) I wrote this for self indulgence and for my lovely book club @readerbookclub

The first impression

This book pleasantly surprised me, it was like a very long dream that you don't want to wake up from. The moment I finished it I wished that I hadn't because I couldn't part from it just yet. It would feel almost like cheating, I wanted the intertwined stories to continue and for me to remain in its trance, lost in the beautiful writing and bizarre world.

I will be the first to admit that when someone says the story is written almost poem-like, in prose, and similar, I will immediately think of meaningless quotes that are there just to look pretty. Characters saying things just to sound deep, frilly writing that leads nowhere, and dragged on descriptions that had no place being that long and boring. Those are the first things I think of when I'm confronted with someone explaining those kinds of books to me, and that's completely my fault. This book was none of that, it was captivating from the first page to the last.

"There is a pirate in the basement. (The pirate is a metaphor but also still a person.) "

I can tell you, when I first read this, on the first goddamn page, I was hooked. This book has a strong bizzare sort of setting, one that almost reminds me of Neil Gaiman, distinctively Neverwhere with its underground society and twisted perceptions of reality, and yet this book stands out on its own as an individual. It's definitely a unique book, one that I'm still hesitant to part from.

The writing

This book has a very unique writing style, one that is extremely consistent throughout the book. There's nothing I hate more than an inconsistent writing style that changes without a reason. The author plays around with words and describes things simply yet poetically. There were only maybe two instances where I thought the writing was a bit pretentious, but ultimately the good outweighs the bad.

I don't know what exactly it is, but I will try and explain through the next few quotes:

"The book is mis-shelved in the fiction section, even though the majority of it is true and the rest is true enough"

(This really gives you the sense of vague foreshadowing in the book, where even though the description tells you sweet sorrows is mostly true you don't realise how true it actually is. I never saw the fact that the characters in that book would be actual people that interact with our main characters. Plus the writing is really pretty)

"It's binding has been cracked a handful of times, once a professor even perused the first few pages and intended to come back to it but forgot about it instead."

(Is it just me but these small detailed descriptions really give you a sense of real world happenings and that the story is really set in the real world. You can imagine people passing their fingers over the spine of the book before glancing around and getting distracted with something else. The professor taking it into his hands and skimming it but ultimately forgetting all about it later, and finally Zachary reading the whole book from top to bottom.)

"His dark hair is grading at the temples, framing a face that would be called handsome if the word rugged or unconventionally were attached to it."

(Now I'm in love with this kind of mental visual, it's fun and it almost plays with your expectations. I just really like small things like these, they immediately make my reading extremely entertaining.)

"Someone in the corner is dressed as a highly recognizable author or, Zachary thinks as he gets a closer look, it might be that highly recognizable author."

(Again as before, this is the kind of writing I like. It plays with your imaginary visuals of what's happening and making them ten times more fun, especially when we confirm a bit later that that had indeed been that highly recognizable author.)

"He walks over bones he mistakes for dust and nothingness he mistakes for bones."

(Yet another example of those fun visuals, I didn't even realise how many of these I had marked until I had to go through them for this review. I just adore this writing style.)

I have so many more of these so here are just a few more to really make this review even longer:

"A portrait of a young man in a coat with a great many buttons but the buttons are all tiny clocks, from the collar to the cuffs, each reading different times."

"His face is so much more than hair and eye colour, she wonders why books do not describe the curves of noses or the length of the eyelashes. She studies the shape of his lips. Perhaps a face is too complicated to capture in words."

"There are dozens of giant statues. Some figures have animal heads and others have list their heads entirely. They are listed throughout the space in a way that looks so organic that Zachary would not be surprised if they moved, or perhaps they are moving, very, very slowly."

"The figure in the chair is carved from snow and ice. As her gown cascades down around the chair the ripples in the fabric become waves, and within waves there are ships and sailors and sea monsters and then the sea within her gown is lost in the drifting snow."

"Allegra watches him with studied interest from the other end of the table, the way one watches a tiger in a zoo or possibly the way the tiger watches the tourists."

"It sounds strange and empty now, in her head. Rhyme can hear the hum of the past stories though they are low and quiet, the stories always calm once they have been written down whether they are past stories or present stories or future stories.

It is the absence of the high-pitched stories of the future that is the most strange. There is the thrum of what will pass in the next few minutes buzzing in her ears- so faint compared to the tales layered upon tales that she once heard- and then nothing. Then this place will have no more tales to tell." .

(Probably one of my favourites, it really highlights everything I like about this style of writing.)

Another kind of writing style I noticed in the book was an abundance of making things literally feel alive, giving human emotions to objects, personification. I don't come across this too often in other books, and when it happens it isn't repeated as often in that same book,since it tends to get old, but as we have already learned Erin Morgenstern never makes this boring. She plays around with this and never seems to stop, adding another layer to her writing cake. I love how she gives these characteristics to even the smallest of crevices hidden in shadows, something just people wouldn't even think of.

"He takes his torch and explores the shadows, away from the doors and the tent, among jagged crystals and forgotten architecture. He carries the light into places long unfamiliar with illumination that accept it like a half-remembered dream."

"Outside the inn the wind howls, confused by this turn of events. (The wind does not like to be confused. Confusion ruins it's sense of direction and direction is everything to the wind.)"

"The wind howls after him as he leaves in fear of what is to come, but a mortal cannot understand the wishes of the wind no matter how loud it cries and so these final warnings go unheeded."

"If the sword could sigh with relief as it is taken from its scabbard it would, for it has been lost and found so many times before and it knows this time will be the last."

One more thing that caught my eye in the writing was also the composition, where we technically start with in medias Res. We find out by the end of the book that everything that has happened was one big ass story wrapped in stories and overlapped with other stories. So Zachary literally comes in not even in the middle of the story, but at the very end that has been overdue for quite some time. This makes for a very interesting storyline as all the other storylines intertwine into eachother, it makes for an even more interesting read as our MC comes in only when the plot is at its end, tipping over the very edge.

(I also got the feeling that the entire book is almost told through the perspective of the story, if that makes any sense whatsoever. It's almost like the story, that is bound together like the most complicated twister game, is alive and is smiling over our characters smugly waiting for everything to run its course. Like an omnipresent god, that's at least the vibe I got reading the book. )

The world building

Now in my opinion the world building goes hand in hand with the writing in this book. Every detail I mentioned before builds the atmosphere and the base of all the world building in this book. The way the plot is written is written also contributes to the world building, as all the stories overlap and meet at the very end. The looping plot line is actually my number one favourite thing in the entire book.

There isn't that much to say except 'what the hell is going on?' in the best way possible, to the world building, because as confusing as it can be it's amazing to read and I think that it's one of my favourite aspects of the book.

The Characters

Now is time for the weakest part of the book, its characters, who even though I think are amazing, are definitely flatter than everything else in the book.

In my opinion most characters personalities I just can't pinpoint, and even though this personally doesn't take away from my enjoyment too much, I know a lot of people love well defined character personalities.

For some characters I can understand the constant change in character, like Mirabel, whose multiple lifetimes make it so it makes sense why her personalities overlap and make little sense. She constantly felt a bit inconsistent to me, but again I personally didn't think it ruined the book.

The most well developed personalities I could feel were Kat and the keeper, and at times Dorian. Zachary is a weird gray area for me, because even though I loved his character, I can't really tell who he is besides the son of the fortuneteller. I think that most of the character building was sacrificed to make the plot and the world feel alive. As I said before, it feels like the omnipresent god and the world is more developed than any of the characters personalities.

I usually love marking all 'character moments' where I feel like I can understand what kind of person the character is, their sense of humour, friendship, socializing, thinking and so on. But I found myself marking basically nothing of that kind in this book, just the beautiful descriptions of the world. The story was just more alive than the characters in it.

I liked all the romances even though they all lacked some depth, but the fairytale style writing of the romance definitely made them extremely enjoyable. If it weren't for the fairytale vibe all the romance would have been just flat, and I wouldn’t be invested at all.

The Conclusion

I wouldn't reccomend this book for everyone, as I think great many people wouldn't be fans of the writing, and so the lack of character depth wouldn't help either and there would be no good to outweigh the bad. I truly think this book is a perfect 4 starts but to me personally it is 5 stars. I am just such a big fan of the looping storyline, I still haven't gotten over that. To finish it all off here are a few extra quotes that I liked:

"No one takes responsibility. Everyone assumes someone else will do it, so no one does."

"It is critical to steep the tests in ignorance to result in uncorrupted responses."

"They all have similar elements, though. All stories do, no matter what form they take. Something was, and then something changed. Change is what a story is, after all."

#books #book review #the starless sea #erin morgenstern #book club #reading #bookblr #bookworm #quotes #goodreads

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nelllraiser · 5 years ago

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all my days | jared & nell

TIMING: directly after the failed summoning of bea’s ghost. LOCATION: jared’s home. PARTIES: @nelllraiser and @themidnightfarmer SUMMARY: nell shows up at jared’s after failing to find bea, seeking comfort, and to tell him what’s happened.

When Bea hadn’t shown up at the Summoning, it had simply been another nail in her coffin, another confirmation that Nell’s sister was well and truly gone. At least she had the locket now, the one Blanche had found at the site of death, and handed over to Nell. It was latched safely around her neck, a piece of Bea to keep close. But more than that it was a reminder of Bea’s sacrifice, and the guilt that was settled deep in Nell’s gut. She couldn’t forgot, she needed that fire to make sure she didn’t slip completely into the numbness that seemed to be gripping her body, to make sure that she kept trying and kept looking. There was nothing more than could be done tonight, though. And beyond that, there was still someone who didn’t know. She hadn’t wanted to tell Jared for selfish reasons, hoping that if she didn’t, they might somehow keep trucking along in their little, happy bubble. After tonight though, it was obvious that wasn’t an option, so here she was one Jared’s front step, wasting no time in raising a hand to knock. “Jared?” Her voice was smaller than it’d been in years, even smaller than when she’d called him after her break up when she’d been abroad. “Jared, it’s me- it’s Nell.”

Usually he was on the move, fixing something, observing his herds, prowling the greenhouse. But Jared had gotten an odd text from Nell that had brought him back to the house. It felt odd to just be sitting there on his couch but there he’d stayed until he heard a knock. It felt like something heavy dropped in his stomach when he heard it. Usually she came bustling right in, but their usuals had been thrown away for that night it seemed. He stood and wrenched open the door to look down at her more worriedly than he’d originally been planning. His face was set and he took in her whole demeanor. He’d been considering what was wrong, what she needed to tell him but in that moment he was downright terrified. What could it be? “Hey.” he says quietly, stepping back and making space for her to come in. “What’s…?” He didn’t finish but he did look at her searchingly.

Something about seeing Jared when Nell was upset had always been a salve, as if his mere presence could help to soothe the ache. Nell has been frightened that this sorrow and numbness would have been too great for there be any sort of similar effect, but she’d still hoped. And she was right to. The hole in her heart was still gaping in the middle of her chest, but as soon as she saw Jared her shoulders sagged forward, as if her attempts to keep them pulled back and strong had melted away, knowing she didn’t need to do that in front of him. “Hey,” she offered back, not knowing where to start. She could tell that he was wondering, worried about whatever it was that had brought her to his doorstep in this way, but her throat felt tight, and she couldn’t find anything else to say for a moment. She’d been telling people about Bea for what seemed like far too long already, the wound of her death seeming to reopen every time she did- and she’d been doing it for her sister, for the ones her sister had loved and that had loved her. But this one- with Jared- it would be for her- this one could be on her terms. So she simply stepped forward, hands gingerly going to his wrists and resting there with a light grip. “Could I- can I hug you? Please? Just for a second.” Another thing she didn’t often ask, not feeling as if she ever needed to when she knew the answer was most always yes.

He watched her with intense eyes, trying to take in every microexpression on her face. Jared had truly no idea what was wrong, but if her tone of voice hadn’t been giving it away, the words she was saying definitely did. She asked for something so simple but Jared felt weight behind it far beyond that. He didn’t even answer her before he’d taken her into his arms. Wrapping her tight and holding her to him. Stood in the doorway still but Jared didn’t dare try to move them one way or the other. He simply held her. “For a second? ‘Till the cows come home’ isn’t even the limit.” he mumbled idly. Not letting go, hands moving as if to hold her even closer than was physically possible. Jared didn’t want to ask again what was wrong, he didn’t want to rush her if she was in so much distress that she felt the need to ask for things he was already so prone to just giving to her. She had him wrapped around her finger and she knew it, to have her confidence in that shaken even a little had him spooked.

Nell hadn’t really let herself do this since Bea had died, feeling as if she’d been fighting for survival every step of the way, and then trying to be strong for those that had also lost Bea, letting them have their moments to grieve and be comforted. She knew people would have done it for her in return in a heartbeat, and to an extent they certainly had, but this was different. Jared had always been different. And in a simpler sense, it hurt less to look at him than it did with the others. He’d only just returned, and the memories of her past few months in White Crest, since returning to her hometown and living with Bea again were only tinged with him through the means of FaceTime and otherwise. For some reason, that made it easier to be here with him rather than somewhere else, because he was clean- clean of everything that had touched her since coming home. A shuddering sigh left her as he pulled her close, and her own arms wrapped around him as if she’d been simply waiting for this moment, all of her emotions in the last few days building towards it. Her face buried into his shirt as she simply stood there, listening to the sounds of their breath. It was a long moment of silence before she spoke again. She had to tell him. “Bea’s gone. I should have told you sooner- I’m sorry for disappearing it was- there was no time. But she’s gone- she’s- she’s dead, Jared.”

Of all the things his mind had been spinning, trying to figure out what had gotten her to act like this- to be so visibly distraught - what the reality turned out to be was something else entirely. Jared's reaction was slow, even as his mind leapt to it’s conclusions at every word that left her mouth. His heart rate sped up and a jolt ran through his body. Gone had been explained away as if she’d left like Nell had years ago, only to be swiftly followed by the hard truth of the matter. For a moment he almost pulled away, to pull Nell back so that he could look at her face, confirm the story. But in the end he didn’t move her. His grip on her tightened and he drew a sharp breath. Nell wouldn’t lie about something like this. The emotion of this new reality took hold then. Jared and Bea might not have been best of friends, or even really that close. But she’d been Nell's family, and Luce’s family. She’d invited him to dinner, joked around with him waiting for Nell to leave the house. The being that had been the oldest Vural sister was gone. Jared was quiet for a moment, and when he did speak it was slow, quiet, and thought through. “Don’t be sorry Nells.” He refused to ask her how, she didn’t need to be answering questions like that. The how didn’t matter at that moment, the simple fact of her sister being gone was strong enough on its own. He slid a hand up to the back of her neck, as if he could press the reality out of her and ease everything she was feeling. “What do you need? What can I do?”

When he refused her apology, Nell’s next words were barely breathed, more a sigh than anything as she continued to simply stand there in his arms, feeling as if she were melting into him. “It’s my fault.” The tone was resigned, accepting of what had happened, not trying to hide or change when it came to the things that had occurred, and her imparting them to Jared. “And I didn’t want to worry, you. I never want to worry you,” she simply finished in the same, tired tone all her words were colored with. “There was just- so much happening. So much to do. So much stuff still to do. I wanted to see you, though. I just-” She was here because Jared was safe, a place where Nell knew she didn’t need to be anything other than what she was in whatever moment she and he were occupying at any one time. “I just-” What did she need? The hand on the back of her neck seemed like as good an answer as any as she could find to that question. “This- this is...good. What we’re doing now?” It didn’t fix things, it didn’t make the numbness in her soul melt away, but it did ground her, his touch and closeness reminding her that she was still real in these moments, too. That she wasn’t simply a husk of a person walking around. She could be touched, held, hugged. Unbidden, a cold wind from the night air sent a shiver down her spine as she rested against Jared. “Sorry- I’m just- standing here in the doorway. We should- inside is good, right?” Again she pondered the question he’d asked. What did she need? “I just wanted to be with you.”

It was time to pull away slightly, if only to tilt her head up and brush her hair out of her eyes. The blame game was one they both took too seriously. There’d been many instances where they’d argued intensely about who was to blame for something. And Jared was still refusing at that moment to ask for the story. He was sure the story would explain her reasoning but he didn’t care. He just wanted to make it better, and while death was something he couldn’t counteract he could at least not make her talk about it until she was more settled. What she wanted and what she needed were well within Jared's capabilities. He’d been ready to do anything, absolutely anything she wanted of him. But something so simple wouldn’t be overlooked. She shivered and he shuffled around so that he could walk backwards into his house, not letting go of her. “Stay as long as you want. You know you don’t have to knock, you have a key. Stay forever if that’s what you want.” Although he wished it were under different circumstances, he wanted her to have a place to be. A place she could be that wasn’t a house where Bea used to inhabit. Jared was confident Bea had never once come to the farm, even Luce didn’t come on the property, even if she ran the trail alongside the outer fencing. This place was free of memories of the sisters save for only Nell.

Nell was sure she’d tell him before the night was out what had happened, but she was still enjoying these quiet moments, and the closest she’d come to feeling at peace since Bea had died. As he shuffled back into the house, arms still around her, a dry, only vaguely amuse chuckle fell from her. It wasn’t that she’d come to realize something, she’d simply remembered it, been reminded as he stepped back while making sure he did all he could to continue comforting her. And it wasn’t that she’d forgotten how good Jared was to her while she’d been away, it was simply that...it’d been so long since she got to experience it in person, to experience him in person, to remember not only the stupid laughs they had together, but the way they also held each other up when they needed it. “Thank you, Jared. Really just...thank you.” But the two simple words felt lacking when it came to describing how grateful she was to be here in his arms, how grateful she was for him. It was the best she could do right now, though. He was right, though. It had been strange that she’d knocked in the first place, but she’d felt awkward barging into his home when she was bringing sorrow rather than her usual laughter and grins, as if she was used to needing permission from herself to be weak. And he’d granted her that permission simply by being himself. Finally, she slipped from his arms for a moment, letting her hand slide into his as she tried to guide him towards a nearby couch, hoping to simply sit there with him.

“I’m here for whatever you need Nells, you know that.” He’d always be here, until the day she moved on from his friendship, he’d be here waiting. Jared considered himself a little selfish in that, but his usual selfish thoughts were far from his mind in this instance at least. How could he be glad of her holding him when it was the thing comforting her from a terrible truth? He wouldn’t be able to look at himself if he let himself enjoy being needed like this. It was wrong. Nell was his priority always when she was around, the years they’d been apart didn’t change that one bit. Nell slid out of his reach and he let her, his arms lowering slowly. Only to have his hand taken to pull him away from the doorway. He followed her blindly, eyes on her rather than on the destination. He was able to see her face properly now, take in her demeanor past the gripping hug. A few days she’d said. She looked as tired as she’d sounded trying to tell him what had happened. He sat down heavily on the couch looking up at her, holding her hand tightly. He spared a moment before leaning forward to questioningly wrap his arm around her waist. Lifting her into his lap. So that he could encompass her in his arms completely again. “Is this all I can do?” he asked again.

“I know,” Nell said gently. Because she did know. He’d proven it time and time again, even beyond their joking, daily antics. Jared was always there, even when they weren’t next to each other, or even in the same country, he had only been a call away. Perhaps that’s why it had been so jarring to come back to White Crest, to find the town without him. But it didn’t matter now. They were together again, weren’t they? He was putting arms around her, taking her in once again as if he already knew exactly what she needed before she even knew it for herself. There was no hesitation as she let herself be brought in, settling into him as she simply lay against Jared, listening to the sound of his breath as his chest rose and fell beneath her. Bea was gone, and it felt as if that’d never sit right with her. After all, how could it? But at least in these moments she could let herself simply just...be. But his question brought a small frown to her lips, her head lifting to look at him with drawn together brows. “All you can do?” she echoed. He didn’t even realize, did he? Didn’t have the slightest inkling of how much he was doing for her in these moments simply by being here, by letting her rest in his arms. Bea hadn’t known either, had she? Nell had lost out on telling her sister just how much she valued her, needed her. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Her small hands came up to rest on either side of his face, her thumb resting gently on his cheek. “Jared- you- I didn’t tell Bea but- I don’t want to forget to tell someone again. Because- because apparently our days are fucking numbered, and I- if you didn’t know-” She wouldn’t tell him the whole truth, but she’d at least make sure there was no question left in his mind about just how much he meant to her. “You mean- more to me than I can even figure out how to put into words. You know I’m shitty at words. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think how lucky I was for running into you at that party, for everything that’s come after. You- just being here with you- you’re giving me so much just by being here.”

The melancholy tone of her news settled in at that moment, that quiet moment with her just sitting in his lap. Both of them silently taking in the moment and Jared felt his heart ache for what she must have been through the last few days. He had no idea what she’d meant by being busy, but a death was such a serious thing. Even kept busy there’d be moments of silence where it would all crash in. He ached for Nell and Luce, he took the moment to close his eyes for Bea. Comforted by Nell in his arms, safe and present. Jared felt hands on his face and he opened his eyes to look at her. He searched her eyes as she spoke. How he wished for the second time in the night that things were different. That she was so close for something other than a passing wish to be clear where she hadn’t been able to be with her sister. He gave her a sad smile and tipped his head forward and rested his forehead on hers. He’d give her the world. It shouldn’t have been like that, as a nymph he was supposed to despise humans to some extent, and yet growing up as he had it was impossible. Nell had been part of his life for longer than he’d even known he was fae. He’d risk it all in different circumstances. But as it stood he just closed his eyes again and nods lightly against her. “Bea knew Nells. I’m sure she did.”

Nell’s eyes closed as he leaned forward, and their foreheads came together, letting her hands stay where they were, feeling the warmth of him underneath her fingertips. It helped to ground her, to make sure she didn’t get pulled beneath the surface as the undertow of all that had happened, all that was still happening threatened to drown her. But then her head gave a gentle shake, wishing his words were true, but also knowing they weren’t. “She didn’t- she didn’t- I know she didn’t. Things- since I got back- all we did was fight. Butt heads and yell at each other. What if she thinks I hated her? That’s why-” she paused, uncertain how he might react to her new news. “I’ve been looking for her ghost. That’s where I was tonight, trying to summon her with Blanche so I could see her again. To tell her.” He hadn’t said anything after what she’d told him about the way he’d come into her life and demanded every bit of it without even knowing, how he continued to fill corners of her heart she hadn’t even known existed. “But, you too. I just- I just wanted you to know. To- to thank you.”

Jared’s heart ached for her. She spoke with such certainty, she was almost completely convinced that her sister hadn’t known Nell loved her. And that was a hard thing to imagine for Jared. But arguing would get him nowhere, at least not for now. Instead he shifted his arms a little and pulled her tighter. He didn’t believe that Bea wouldn't have known. Families fought, but they’d lived together. His discontent with her conclusions only made way for shock at her admittance. She was already looking for ways to talk to her sister. He raised his forehead from hers and looked at her searchingly. “Trying? No luck?” he asked gently. Jared was integrated with the supernatural side of town and had been for years, but he still had wide gaps in his knowledge. He didn’t have very much under his belt in the way of ghosts. Only that people were usually trying to get rid of them if they appeared, they didn’t usually appear with the best intentions. He was worried about her, would she start running down an even more dangerous road. Make promises with fae and deals with the devil to get her sister back? “You’re being carefu-” His quiet thought was cut off and Jared gave her a soft look. “And you, Nell. Are my favourite person, ever. Thank you for keeping on with me even after everything. We’re in the same boat Nells, I want you to know how much you mean to me too.” He’d hang the stars or tear them down, all she had to say were the words and give him the direction.

As Jared’s hold tightened, Nell’s shoulders relaxed once again, letting herself sink into him for the umpteenth time that evening. Nell bit her lip, some of her frustration surfacing as she thought about how Bea hadn’t surfaced, how there’d been no sign whatsoever that Bea would ever return. “No luck,” she echoed, jaw set in a firm line. “Not even a ‘boo’,” she tried her best for a joke that fell flat, it being impossible to ignore the way her hopes had been momentarily dashed. But she wouldn’t stop, Nell never knew when to give up, and this was her sister. “I’m not giving up, though. I’m going to find her.” That was a promise she’d made to herself, to Bea. As his tone and face softened, she mirrored him, hands finally slipping from the sides of his face to rest on his shoulders as he spoke. His words managed to break through her numbness for a small moment as she looked at him with a trace of wonder in her eyes, unknowing how she’d managed to earn him in her life. “We’re in the same boat,” she repeated softly, warmth pooling in her chest where she hadn’t felt it for days.

Her insistence that she would not fail in this goal was a little concerning to him, but he could understand the need for it. Her sister had only just died. God it still didn’t feel real, even if he knew it was true. Bea was such a strong spirit in life, it felt wrong that she was gone. “Be careful will you?” Jared would never stop Nell from doing something she wanted to do, it wasn’t his right to tell her what to do and what not to. But he could at least remind her to care for herself. “You’re important too, okay? Just remember to look out for you too.” And then the way she was looking at him caught him by surprise. He was captured by her eyes, looking at him as if he were something special. As if he could be something more than the farmer best friend she’d known forever. More important than he knew himself to be. It was so captivating a feeling that spread in him he leaned forward, like he could kiss her. It was only at the very last second that he was reminded of the circumstances. No. He couldn’t. Not right now, not ever. He lost his chance back before she left for five years. He was too late. His head listed to the side and he instead pressed the kiss to her cheek and tangled a hand in her hair to pull her face to his shoulder, if only to cover the disappointment on his lips. “We’ve always been in the same boat, just you took control of my half an age ago.” he mumbled incoherently.

Be careful, he’d said. Nell wasn’t sure she could promise him that. There wasn’t much of anything she wouldn’t do to get Bea back, no length she wouldn’t take to see and feel her sister standing in front of her just as whole as the day she’d died. But it was hard. Part of her mind had also told her to take caution at times, to make sure that Bea’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. After all, what thanks would it be to throw away her life after Bea had spent her’s to save it? “I’ll...try to remember.” It was the best she could offer him, not wanting to give him false hope that she wouldn’t make dumb decisions in her desperation. Her brows drew together, unsure what was happening as he gave her a look she’d never seen on his face before, though it made her heart feel as if it were a little bird thrumming in her chest. Instinct took over, that same heart beginning to race as she inched the smallest bit forwards in return, not pausing to question what was happening, accepting the gift that was being offered without hesitation. Her eyelids were already beginning to flutter closed of their own accord when she watched him pull away, shift so that his lips found a different mark. Pink sprouted on her cheeks- embarrassed that she’d thought that- even for a moment- no, she shouldn’t be wondering that, especially not now. Instead, she simply settled into the space he’d made for her, breathing still shallow as she tried to calm herself. “That’s not fair,” she tried to say as lightly as she could. “I let you have the boat sometimes.”

Nell said she’d try, so Jared promised. “I’ll keep reminding you.” He knew his advice would take a back seat to whatever she was planning on doing for her sister, but he wouldn’t stop trying, reminding, and just insisting that she at least consider herself from time to time. “Oh you didn’t steal it, I fully offered you the sails. I accepted my fate at that party nine years ago.” he hummed softly. The moment had been missed, and he was resigned to the fact he’d never get what he wanted with her. But he wasn’t going to ruin their friendship over some stupid crush he hadn’t been able to shake for five years. That would be ridiculous, they were so close he couldn’t imagine it changing. He didn’t know what he would do if she wasn’t there anymore. Even further out of reach because acting on his feelings was likely to push her to never sek to him as well. He let out a soft sigh and fell quiet, calming himself with thoughts of outside as if he could hear the herd and sense them meandering past the farmhouse, over the gravel path. Right now he was here for Nell. Here for Nell in a time of extreme pain and mourning. He couldn’t betray her and take advantage of her feelings. He’d definitely imagined her closing her eyes and leaning in as well. Wishful thinking.

Here on this couch, lying against Jared and talking with him...it felt the most normal Nell had in days, though that hole Bea’s death had left was still pulsing in her chest, a constant reminder. But Jared promising to remind her was only one of the many reasons she appreciated him. He knew that she was reckless to a fault, but he never tried to change her, just gave her gentle nudges to remind her that perhaps she wasn’t always invincible, that perhaps it was okay to slow down every now and then. Jesus- nine years ago, though. Had it really been that long? “That’s almost a decade. I’m surprised you’re still standing,” she joked softly, though the words still sounded unpracticed, as if she were getting used to using those mental muscles again. Soon enough, that constant tiredness that was plaguing her these days began to rear its head once more, and she let every part of her go lax, letting herself enjoy the comfort Jared offered by simply being here and holding her. And whether her mind finally went silent due to his presence or the sure but slow process of falling asleep on the couch with his arms still around her was something she wouldn’t think to examine.

#all my days #ch:jared #chatzy #wickedswriting

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evanbuckbuckley118 · 5 years ago

Text

Golf On TV (Songfic - Maddie x Chimney)

Hello everyone! This is my first fic for the 9-1-1 fandom, I appreciate all critiques!

Prompt received: “Hey. I noticed that you said you enjoy writing song fics. Could you write one based off of the song Golf on TV by Lennon Stella? Could you make it Madney centric?” (From @maddiehans)

Inspiration: The parts of this song that stand out to me are the themes of healing from past relationships, being confused at how things are in a new relationship because of previous learning experiences, and being confused about people’s tendencies. I took these three themes and tried to incorporate them into this fic!

Lyric: “Some people think it's supposed to hurt/Like it couldn't be real/If it's putting you first/But some people watch golf on TV/And neither of those things make sense to me”

Word Count: 1740

Cross-posted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604478

Dating Doug had taught Maddie a number of things. First, chivalry was dead - so there was no need to expect any kind gestures from her husband. Every gift or minuscule kindness Doug gave came with conditions, adding up to a score Maddie could never repay even if she dedicated a lifetime to doing so. There was also no room for Maddie to shine. Instead, in public she became the figure that stood behind Doug, hiding behind his shadow because that was where he made her feel as though she belonged. Due to this, Maddie had spent a good portion of her adulthood trying to shrink herself. The goal always became to hide, to disappear, to avoid any reason for punishment.

But then she met Howard.

It'd be a cliche to say everything changed, because it didn't really. Maddie still had remnants of the girl Doug had shaped her to be, but her growth was undeniable. She was attempting every day to learn her worth, and a lot of that was because of Howard’s encouragement.

Dating Howard forced Maddie to confront the pieces of her identity left behind after Doug. The way Howard insisted on opening her car door for her at her every entrance and exit confronted the belief that had been instilled in her that she wasn't allowed to have others put her before themselves. The way Howard seemed to only have eyes for her and refuse interest in women who made advances on him when they went out to karaoke made her wonder how Howard didn't find interest in having multiple partners, because prior to their marriage (and suspicions and threats during) Doug had always expressed interest in other women, pointing out the flaws in which Maddie didn't match up to his standards. The way Howard showed her off in public didn't make her feel like a piece of property being owned, but rather Howard showed her off with a pride and adoration that left Maddie floored. There was no reason or opportunity to hide when she was with Howard, and she wasn’t used to the spotlight after years of walking in Doug’s shadow.

Every aspect of dating the man known by the 118 as 'Chimney' was in direct opposition with everything Maddie had learned about love. There was a kindness, a patience, and a sense of equal footing and stability that were never present previously in her life. Howard never raised his hand (he hardly ever even raised his voice), he didn't treat everyday gestures as an constant adding score that had to be re-payed, he never pressured her many boundaries and treated the progression of their relationship with such patience, and he treated every person he met with endless compassion.

Maddie finds herself overwhelmed sometimes, and unable to fully express the honesty of the feelings she has for Chimney, even when she knows those indescribable feelings are reciprocated. These emotions were too foreign for her to find the words to properly describe, and she didn't want to use the kneejerk terms she'd used to defend herself in the past from her abusive husband. Doug always told her that a lesser man than himself would have left Maddie a long time ago because of her mannerisms. Yet, throughout everything, Chimney remained. It puzzles her on the best of days. There is a part of her that's been ingrained to feel unworthy of Chimney's love.

The intensity of these differences and her own feelings catches her off guard some days more than others. Like today.

Maddie had come over in the evening for their regular weekly date night. It was too easy to remember the nights that Maddie had previously spent alone slaving in front of a stove, struggling to make a quality dinner before Doug came home - but those nights were being rewritten in real time as Maddie and Chimney split the work of preparing dinner while recounting their work days and cracking jokes. There were no worries about the mess on the counters, or if the final outcome tasted less than spectacular. It was about time spent together, and there was nothing Maddie loved more than her time with Howard.

After dinner, the two of them traveled to the couch. Before they moved, Chimney had grabbed two glasses and a wine bottle from his cupboard. As he sat down, he looked over at Maddie with one hand under the bottle and another behind its neck, showing it off with a signature smile. "I figured we'd end the night with your favorite white wine," he stated, before attempting to pull out the cork.

Maddie attempted to tell him that pulling it out wasn't going to work, but was cut off by her own giggles. The cork remained stubbornly in place, certainly not for a lack of effort on Chim's part. She loved how tough Chimney was, but even his strength was no match for the task at hand.

He hung his head in defeat, and with a small laugh said "My apologies Maddie, I'm going to have to grab the corkscrew from the kitchen."

While Chimney rummaged in the kitchen, Maddie turned her eyes to the television. The television had been left on some sports channel since her arrival, possibly long before. The muffled sportscasters had been the soundtrack to their night, but the volume was so soft that Maddie had muted it in her mind during their previous conversations. "I didn't know you liked golf?" She questioned, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot that was on. I like watching the tournaments sometimes," Chimney lightly shouted from the kitchen, his voice just raised enough to reach across the distance without booming in the small square footage of the apartment.

Maddie pursed her lips. "Have you ever played yourself?"

Rounding the corner of the couch, he stepped in front of the coffee table to be able to pour the wine. "God no," he laughed. "This is a sport best left to professionals, I'd probably let go of the club mid-swing and cause an injury."

"But you still like to watch it?" Maddie questions.

Placing the bottle down, he wipes his hands on his dress pants before moving to sit down. It was endearing to Maddie how nervous he still felt around her, wanting to impress her, oblivious to how much he impresses her every minute just with his presence. "I know a lot of people think it is boring, but these guys sometimes play in grueling weather conditions for hours on end," Chimney explains while passing Maddie her filled glass. "The game is so competitive, every shot is crucial. Sometimes the players hit the bunker or the water, and that sucks. But, I think it's fascinating how they pull themselves out of their heads and shake it off. They continue to aim for that coveted hole in one. There is no greater excitement than that."

Maddie sipped her drink longingly, fascinated how this man can conceptualize such a deep life message out of what she considered to be one of the most boring games imaginable. "That's really beautiful Howie."

"We don't have to stay on it though-" Chimney started, leaning forward to grab the remote.

"-No, if you want to we can watch it-" Maddie interrupted, shifting herself to lean into his side as he leaned back again. She slotted herself under his arm, looping one of her own around his waist as she pillowed her head on his chest.

"-I don't want you to watch anything you don't want to watch," Chimney finishes with passion, passing the remote with a light grip over to Maddie.

Maddie couldn't help but tense. There had been nights with Doug where she'd criticized his viewing choices for the night, and ended up with a remote thrown at her temple in retaliation. The instances where she had gotten to choose their entertainment choice for the night were few and far between.

But as she looked up at Chim with confusion on her face, she realized while looking into Chim's eyes that his words and gesture were genuine. Maddie could only guess that the look in his eyes was adoration, still not having enough experience to trustingly label it as such. Chim's vocal tone and subtle handover of the remote weren't vicious in the way Doug's had often been. Instead, by saying that Maddie shouldn't watch something she didn't want to, what he was really saying was more generalized - he was saying you shouldn't be forced to do anything you don't want to.

And that's the true difference isn't it? Maddie is working hard on her recovery, but the hardest thing has been learning to ask for what she wants. She's spent so long being submissive to others that she's forgotten how to ask or take from others. Maddie knows that Chimney knows this, and probably knew it before even she could acknowledge that part of herself.

The truth is that Maddie does know what she wants. Pushing aside the selfishness and the realization that her growth does involve leaving the guilt her younger self would feel for taking what she wants behind, Maddie slowly pushes upwards to steal a kiss on his lips. She focuses on nothing else but cherishing the moment, while simultaneously breathing all the trust she has for Chimney into the kiss.

"The game is almost over anyway, we'll switch it after," Maddie compromises when they break. As she sinks back into his side, Chim slowly brushes one of her curls over her ear.

His classic smirk breaks across his face at her antics, knowing she wants to appease him as much as he wants to treasure her. "Sounds like a plan.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the night is through - there are two things Maddie still cannot understand about the men who have been in her life. With Doug, she cannot comprehend what part of him thought it would be okay to treat Maddie the way he did. With Chimney, she cannot comprehend why the man prefers to watch golf in his free time.

What she can understand is which of these issues she'd rather have to deal with, and which man she'd rather have by her side. This was the next chapter in Maddie’s fresh start, and if Chimney could put up with the remnants of her trauma - she could put up with his choice of television, regardless of how boring.

#911 fic #911 show #911 fox #911onfox #911 fanfic #madney #Maddie x chimney #chimney x maddie #evanbuckbuckley118 #fandomismymiddlename #fanfiction #fanfic #xv13

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