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sanctum-of-ramshackle · 1 year ago

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“I am…You know who I am”

[TWST AU]: What if MC/Yuu was an Iron Man fan and a genius engineer who created their own iron suit?

[Gender Neutral MC/Yuu]

[Synopsis]: In this timeline, MC/Yuu is this variant of Iron Man and they are titled as “Iron Force” in Twisted Wonderland.

[TW]: Some cursing

[(A/N)]: Hi everyone. It’s been quite some time since I posted TWST magic. I have been busy with IRL stuff and working on non-TWST ideas on my main blog (@swiftyangx12). I unexpectedly took a break from the fandom, but slowly getting back into business and honestly, I miss my boys...

[AC/DC - Back in Black]

youtube

Alright, let’s see how this goes…

MC/Yuu was a huge fan of Iron Man and an aspiring genius engineer back in their home world.

After hearing about Stark’s sacrifice, they felt devastated that their idol passed on.

They coped by studying and building inventions, motivating themselves to honor their role model.

Then one day as they were walking to school in New York, something happened.

At first, they were exiting from their usual coffee shop and the next thing you know, they’re confined into darkness.

MC/Yuu: Alright. Not the weirdest thing since being dusted away for five years.

After feeling their surroundings to escape from their imprisonment, they heard somebody chatting about how heavy the door is to open up.

Then after blazing fire hued in blue, blew up the the door and this triggers MC/Yuu’s iron suit (with the latest nanotechnology) to encase them, activated to confront what was a danger to their safety.

When they’re revealed to Grim, he got scared. Because it’s not everyday to see someone in an iron suit and he just screamed as a reaction.

MC/Yuu holds out their hand ready to blast away whatever that creature was.

MC/Yuu: What the hell are you? A talking cat? Raccoon? A demonic alien from another dimension?

Grim: I’m neither of those! I am “The Great Grim”!

MC/Yuu: Who? Look, buddy. I think I got kidnapped and was somehow dragged here. I need to find my way out. *Activates their boosters and flies out of the room*

Grim: Hey wait! *Chases after them*

They basically flew out of the academy and toured around the whole world having to realize they’re not on their Earth anymore.

Then MC/Yuu return back to NRC, clumsily landed in during the Dorm Sorting Ceremony.

Every student was startled by a stranger in an iron suit.

Grim unceremoniously barged into the room.

Grim: You’ll never escape from The Great Grim!

MC/Yuu: Okay. *Holds their blaster up aiming at the menace*

Then Crowley came rushing in, putting a stop to the whole mess.

Crowley: Seize your fighting!

MC/Yuu: Uhh…Who are you? *Powering down their blaster and opens up their mask*

Crowley: I am Dire Crowley, Headmaster of Night Raven College.

MC/Yuu: …J.A.R.V.I.S., scan him.

Crowley: What-

After the chaos was settled, Crowley dragged MC/Yuu to his office for them to explain their dilemma. They also explained what they can offer for NRC with upgrades around the area.

Oh! Grim is still with MC/Yuu because after he listened to what they can do, he decided to be the greatest mage with technological advances.

Grim: MC/Yuu, who are you always talking to?

MC/Yuu: My A.I. assistant. They’re called J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0, “Just A Really Very Intelligent System, but as my own version.” He helps me hypothesize possible outcomes when testing my inventions, and assist fighting bad guys by my side.

J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0: I’m also their assistant for daily tasks and reminders. Grim, you and MC/Yuu are scheduled by Headmaster Crowley to pick up supplies for the upcoming NRC’s annual Magift Games at 7 p.m.

Grim: No way! I don’t wanna do chores.

MC/Yuu: You get to ride with me in my iron suit.

Grim: Oh yeah, I forgot. Let’s go!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

MC/Yuu: What kind of power source I can use around this world? *Snaps their fingers* A Mage Stone. Crowley, by any chance, are there other magical crystals back in that Dwarf Mine?

Crowley: There are, but I mustn’t let you go there since it was closed due to a “monster” you fought last time.

MC/Yuu: Alright. I’m still getting that power source.

[5 hours later]

MC/Yuu: *Inserts the mage stone in their suit* There. My very own Arc Reactor.

J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0: Congratulations, MC/Yuu. You discovered a new element.

MC/Yuu: Definitely. Sourced a new element as this is my first.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Vil: MC/Yuu, explain this. *Shows them an online article*

MC/Yuu: *Reads the article* Oh yeah. I had an interview and became a philanthropist.

Vil: You’re basically a celebrity by this point. What did you do to become this well-known?

MC/Yuu: I just helped some people. Carrying thousands of construction materials, assist upcoming tech companies with my knowledge from my experience and gave children the best rides of their lives…Oh my god, I’m becoming like my idol. Except the rich and player parts.

Vil: You’re a celebrity, MC/Yuu. You would have plenty of Madol from all this exposure.

MC/Yuu: Okay, I’m becoming rich, but I can’t pull no bitches.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[During Chapter 2]

Iron Force: *Charges at Overblot!Leona and kicks him mid-air*

OB!Leona: *Knocked the wind out of his lungs*

Iron Force: Okay J.A.R.V.I.S., any chances?

J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0: 90% success rate of subduing the target.

Iron Force: Then 10% avoiding this mess. *Knocks him to the ground*

OB!Leona: Why that little- *Punched in the face*

Iron Force: *Repeatedly punching him* Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

MC/Yuu: *Wearing glasses*

Azul: I didn’t know you wear glasses. Trying to appear as an intellectual?

MC/Yuu: Hm? Oh, no. My sight is fine. I just transferred J.A.R.V.I.S. in these modified frames.

J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0: Scan completed. You have a slight iron deficiency and recommend a salad in your diet, MC/Yuu.

Azul: Did it just talked?

J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0: Yes. I also scanned your physiology and it reveals you’re 95% suspicious of my existence and 5% envious of me for being MC/Yuu’s A.I. assistant.

Azul: I certainly do not envy your virtual assistant.

J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0: Oddly enough, your biology categorized as relations of Cephalopod.

Azul: …

MC/Yuu: You’re an octopus?

Azul: May we change the subject?

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Iron Force: *Flying around the island*

Ortho: *Flying beside them* Hi MC/Yuu!

Iron Force: What the f-?! *Halts their flight and hovers with Ortho* I didn’t know somebody else created an iron suit in this world.

Ortho: Iron suit? Oh! You mean my structure. Nii-san helped with my upgrades.

Iron Force: You’re not wearing a suit? You’re an android with highly advanced artificial intelligence?

Ortho: Yes!

MC/Yuu: …Whose your brother?

[An hour later]

Idia: *Finishing a difficult level*

MC/Yuu: *Hacks into his door as it slides open* You didn’t tell me you’re a tech genius!

Idia: *Startled* AHH! Who let you in?!

MC/Yuu: I let myself in. Buddy, we need to collaborate-

[That’s how a friendship was made.]

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[Imagine H.Y.D.R.A. somehow created a portal and enter into TWST]

Iron Force: Oh boy. Thank god I made spare suits. *Activates the other suits*

Jack: You’re fighting alone?

Iron Force: Not alone. I made some for you guys to help everyone. *Closes their mask*

[The First Years enter into their respective suits.]

Ace: *In his suit* How do you work in this thing?

Iron Force: There’s an automated mode to help control your suit. You even get your own A.I. assistants I programmed in each of your suits.

J.E.R.K.: Hello, I am J.E.R.K. Your A.I. assistant, Mr. Trappola.

Ace: Really? Jerk?

Iron Force: The words behind the acronym are better.

✨[Reblogs are appreciated and helps create more content]✨

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst #twst au #Marvel #Iron Man!MC #Iron Man!Yuu #Iron Force!MC #Iron Force!Yuu #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland scenarios #twst scenarios #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader

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cafeinthemoon · 1 year ago

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Ever Dream (Apollo x reader)

Chapter 1/1

Wordcount 7,3k

Title Ever Dream

Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Symbols ✔ . 1️⃣ . 💛

Warnings: Apollo is extremely inconvenient in the beginning; angst with a soft, bittersweet ending

Tagging ? (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A. Finally I can fulfill my promise and post this little story with Apollo!

At first, he wasn't appealing to me at all, but as his character was developed, I found myself liking him (I basically understood that my lack of interest in him and his fight was due to me not moving on from Hades' loss, since snv doesn't feel the same for me anymore) Also his personality is a bit weird in this one bc I've started to write it before his flashback came out, and since I've wrote so much it would be a waste to restart my work to adjust his depiction to something more "pleasing", so I just kept things this way. But I hope you have fun with it :)

“Come out, come out

Wherever you are [...]

Give in, give in for my touch

For my taste

For my lust”

(Nightwish, Ever Dream)

Summer days might be the favorites among the mortals, for they were long and favorable to the body and the heart, as a good presage for the ones who needed it, but that didn’t apply to you. Yes, as many, you appreciated cheerful encounters of friends under the shadow of a tree on a warmth afternoon, as well as playing games in the city’s lake with your sisters, but none of these small delights were enough to make you enjoy Summer above the other seasons. Honestly, you would be happier during Spring, when the beauty of the flowers would be in its apex, or during Winter, when you would stay long periods at home, in front of a good fire, with warm food and crafting to occupy your hands; even Autumn had a special place in your heart, with its meadows of red leaves and winds whispering mysterious tunes.

The thing is that you used to work as a gardener during Spring and Summer, and this latter was always the most difficult one, for the land where you lived was always too hot for any activity to be possible under midday sun, so you would adjust your routine to work at early morning or when the sunset approached.

It was a hard work: the plants would suffer with the heat, and you must know the right moment of the day to pour water in them, in order to not burn their roots; some of them would even become dusty with the lack of rain, only to be harmed after sudden, summer storms, and it would take an entire day for you to clean the fallen leaves, broken branches and garbage brought by the wind – not to speak about the mud; and, as if none of this wasn’t enough, you would have to fight against seasonal infestations.

It was a lonely work, also: there would be days when you would stay in silence for so long that hearing your own voice after going back home or speaking to yourself during work brought a sensation of strangeness. But you enjoyed the solitude, using it to perfect your abilities and organize your thoughts.

Some would say that you should start thinking seriously about your situation, that is, that you couldn’t live only for the plants and that you were already in the age of considering marriage, but you would just escape from their demands inside the labyrinths of the garden. Not that you would get angry with them, though. You understood their preoccupations, but you were aware of where they came from: they didn’t understand that happiness could have many sources in human life beyond building a family.

And, as long as your own happiness came from the garden, you would stay inside it.

***

If the humans who knew you were the only ones watching your steps with what you’d call an abnormal interest, you could deal with it. But fate wanted things to be complicated for you, so your peculiar, solitary routine hasn’t caught only the mortals’ attention.

It happened that, close to your garden’s location, upon a greenish hill, a temple was built centuries ago. A temple to honor the deity whose powers were always strong across those lands – Apollo, Son of Zeus and Guardian of the Sun, Master of Poetry and Music, and owner of more titles than you could remember. You’ve never seen him in person, though it was said that he used that building as his temporary residence on summer days, which explained the intense temperatures during that time of the year; it also explained why the lights of the temple would be fed until late hours and why there would be sound of chords, drums and high voices all day. You respected the work of the people living there, of course, but you’d appreciate a bit of silence during a period that was so difficult for you, and there you had another reason to show up only when the sun wasn’t shinning in all its splendor.

Little you knew that, from the highest spot of the temple, upon a parapet only accessible to himself, the Lord of that house, to whom all those honors were directed, has been observing that lonely, little mortal who would come every day to take care of her flowers with the same dedication as Heracles by the time he had to fulfill his twelve tasks.

He couldn’t remember when was the first time he saw you: the only thing he knew was that, while he stood at that temple, he couldn’t spend one day without seeing you. Every morning, before his worshipers woke up, Apollo would walk up the stairs that led to the private space where the highest balcony of the temple was, and he would sit at it, with his back leaning on a column, to witness the girl’s arrival and her preparations before work; he would stay there, watching in ecstatic silence as she separated her tools, touched each plant with those delicate fingers of hers, examined each spot of them and gave them the necessary treatment, smiling and, sometimes, mumbling to herself.

Not only he noticed your diligence and dedication, but it didn’t escape him how much you were beautiful. Yes, you were surrounded by appealing fruit trees, flowers of the most interesting shapes and shades, all of them between intricate green walls that only added in majesty, yet your figure caught the man’s eyes above all of them – eyes that were trained to not miss anything that could be pleasing to one’s sight.

The god would cheer at himself with the fact that you were oblivious to this, while he, at that height, was completely out of your sight. It was like in the old days, where he would observe the mortal realm from his spot at the Olympus, except that this time there would be no difficulties in reaching you: as one of the city’s inhabitants, you were basically his neighbor, and knowing that building like the palm of his hand, he knew the secret shortcuts that would lead him to your garden’s gates.

At first, Apollo would state that his morning observations were just a hobby, and that with all the work to keep him occupied at the temple and the attentions he would get from the worshipers – particularly from the priestesses – he would soon forget about you and your flowers. However, he wasn’t fool to the point of lying to himself for too long, and soon he would admit that he was interested in you. Well, he was already desiring you, in a way that didn’t happen since… a few centuries ago, maybe by the time of that temple’s inauguration, when he would lure some of the city’s mortals into it. And now, there he was, leaving the comfort of his bed every morning, sometimes even before the sun came up to greet him, for anything but to catch the exact moment when your feet stepped into that garden, wondering how your voice would send shivers all over his body in case you whispered in his ears with the same docility you did to the flowers, how soft your skin would feel if he caught your frail form between his arms, and the heat he would sense once his lips touched yours.

This extended for days, until he finally had enough.

That morning, he watched you as always, but this time something inside him awakened, and he just let his body move away from the parapet and reach for his private chambers, where he caught his best garments and a pair of golden sandals, and then wandered to outside the temple, to the narrow path behind the hill, covered in stones and sand, only known by himself, and in one minute or two, he was standing at the garden’s entry.

Today is the day. The day when I shall make you mine.

***

It should be a pacific, ordinary morning of work at the garden.

You arrived at the usual hour, reached for the spot of the garden where you started working the day before, separated your tools and went to take care of your tasks.

You’ve spent one hour, maybe two like this, so concentrated in what your were doing that the sudden rustling between the leaves somewhere behind you made you startle and drop your garden shears. You turned around…

And found quite a spectacle for that time of the day.

Coming out of a narrow space between two green walls, you saw a young man dressed in garments that you supposed to be only appropriate for the Summer Festivities, not so far in the land’s calendar: he had a white toga around his body, which hems and details appeared to be sewn with golden threads; golden were also the strappy sandals he had on his feet, as well as the laurel wreath on his head. The first rays of the sun reached the space between you at that hour, and the golden light poured itself over the man’s figure as the hug of a beloved one, revealing that the metallic ornaments he carried were, in fact, gold, and conceding a singular glimmer to his eyes, which you thought to be of the same shade. But that wasn’t the only peculiarity seen in his appearance: his hair, falling on straight strands to his waist, were of a soft pink that reminded you of some of the flowers in your garden, but a comparison wasn’t possible, since they were out of sight at that moment.

Yes, the visitor was a beautiful man, though eccentric, so your first thought was that he was the son of a noble family that came to the city to honor the god of the Sun at the temple beside your garden.

He’s probably thinking that the garden is part of the temple’s territory. I must clarify this mistake and lead him back through the right path.

And you were going to do that very thing, but he was faster.

Without waiting for an invitation or at least a question about his presence there, the man approached your spot and stopped in front of you, observing your tiny person surrounded by flowers and tools with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief: was this girl really engaging in physical work this early?, his eyes seemed to ask.

You stepped behind, closer to a bush of wild roses, but glanced over your shoulder before touching the thorns – something that made the stranger giggle. You didn’t like that at all.

The first words said between you were his.

– I’ve always said that wild roses were not my favorites, but the truth is that they’ve scared me and charmed me at the same time, and I just couldn’t deal with it – he stretched an arm to touch a spot above and behind you; not disguising the feeling that he was closer than a stranger should be, your eyes followed his movement and found his fingers reaching for a flower of the bush – A ridiculous mistake from an arrogant heart… – and, turning his golden eyes to you, – Don’t you think, my flower?

Your eyes widened, but you managed to control your mouth to not scoff at those words: you’ve been working at that garden for too long now, and from time to time there would be one and other man who would come to celebrate the Summer Festivities at Apollo’s temple, many of them from privileged houses… and about whom you’ve already had a clear opinion.

Let me see… Extravagant clothing at this time of the day, bad sense of direction, abnormally elevated self-confidence and no regard for personal space. Of course, another womanizer who relies on cheap flirting to win innocent hearts. He knows that this type of chatting only works when the speaker is young and beautiful like him, but things would be very different if we had an old, naughty man in his place.

You knew that, if you didn’t do anything to get rid of him, he would bother you for the rest of the morning, and you wouldn’t be able to complete the works of the day, but fortunately you also knew how to deal with this kind of situation, so you decided to act right now...

By moving aside and bending down to grab the garden shears that he made you drop. You stood up again and started removing the small, green leaves from its blades as you spoke.

– My Lord, I suppose you entered here by accident – you started; and, looking into his eyes, still with the shears’ blades up – Because, you see, despite the proximity, this garden doesn’t belong to Apollo’s temple. No festivities will happen here.

It was with a bit of diversion that you observed the bright smile fading from his pretty face, but you remained impassible, for you were aware that this one was an experienced gentleman and wouldn’t give up so easily.

And he didn’t.

– I must be indelicate and disagree with you, Miss – he moved his hand away from the flower, but, with an eye on your shears, he hid both hands behind his back – For a garden is a never-ending festivity itself, and the one that is going on right here owes all its beauty to the work of your hands.

You swallowed. He did have a way with words, then. But not even this would be enough for you to allow delays in your routine, and you made that very clear.

– If this is the case, my Lord, I must make use of the same indelicacy and interrupt our conversation here – in a swift move of your hands, the shears closed and opened twice with a metallic whisper – And keep working on the garden’s beauty.

And, without waiting for a response, you turned your back on the man and restarted to prune the bush with the roses, just as you were doing when he arrived.

Not even this was able to shake the young man’s confidence, for he just stepped aside and continued to talk, caressing the flowers at the same time. No irritation or offense was sensed in his tone.

– Then I must leave you to complete your mission – and, after a pause, – But I’m trapped here, and you’re the only one who can release me... by letting me know your name.

Your hands stopped and you turned to him again. You weren’t willing to reveal it to him, but if that was going to make him go away, you would do it.

– Y/n s/n.

The young man opened a satisfied smile. But, instead of saying his own name in return, he just stepped back and nodded.

– For this I will be forever grateful, my y/n. I will make sure that Apollo’s blessing falls over you and your work concerning this celebration of beauty.

And without waiting for a response, he turned away and left.

***

If only the Festivities in honor of the Lord of the Sun were shorter, or if your garden was located in somewhere else, the strange events of yesterday involving that extravagant individual would be just a funny story to remember in an encounter between your friends, or even something you would forget after a week.

But, unfortunately, things don’t always go as we plan, so to your surprise – and exasperation – the situation happened again in the next day.

You were pouring water on the soil, in a spot of the garden not so far from the one where your first encounter happened, having only the sounds of the water falling from the can and the early birds singing on the trees as your company, when the rustling noise of indiscreet steps upon the grass caught your attention.

You turned around… and found the shinning figure of the young man smiling at you, his right hand leaning on the tree at his side, his golden eyes upon you with the same enthusiasm of the last day.

You bit your lip.

I can’t believe it. Did he forget everything that happened yesterday?

If he noticed your displease or if he chosen to ignore it, you didn’t know, but he started a casual conversation without waiting for an invitation.

– Good morning, dear y/n! – he left his spot beside the tree and walked toward you with no sign of embarrassment – As I can see, the festivities continue today.

You just gave him a silent nod in reply. The man’s smile widened in contentment.

– That’s good to hear, for today I bring you something that you might appreciate…

Only then you noticed the object he was carrying on his left hand: a bracelet made of gold, in the shape of a vine and with a white gem in its center, with rays surrounding it as an imitation of the sun. You looked at the object and hesitated.

– My Lord, it is not…

But when the words were still crossing your lips, you felt a strong hand holding your wrist and pulling it forward, making you drop the watering can; before you did anything, the man put the bracelet around your wrist and spent a moment admiring it, with your tiny hand between his.

You even tried to pull it back, but the he held you in place. You swallowed.

Heavens, his appearance is the most deceiving thing I’ve ever seen! I don’t know many soldiers who possess this strength!

Because of this, you understood that you might have been in danger since the other day, so that time you kept your mouth shut and waited to see what his next step would be.

And you didn’t know if you should feel relieved or shocked when you found it out.

– Now you were granted the necessary permission, my dear – he spoke with softness; and, pulling you closer to whisper in your ear, – The way to the Summer Festivities has opened to you at the Temple of the Great Apollo.

You had no time to respond, to move away or to show any form of refusal. The man, still holding your hand, pulled you with him and started running between the green walls and trees, rushing toward the depths of the garden and not allowing you to stop.

You glanced behind and your heart ached when you saw your work unfinished and the watering can forgotten on the spot it fell, the remaining water leaking and soaking the soil.

***

The path through which he led you, as well as the environment you found when you entered the temple was what you would sense in a dream: in one moment, he was carrying you by the hand through the green labyrinth, in a pace that defied time; in the next one, you were inside high walls of white, imposing columns with marble flowers surrounding them from their highest to their lowest spot, and countless tables of gold with goblets, jars and trays full of fruits, sweets and other tempting treats that were taken by uninhibited, joyful people dressed in flowing fabrics and barefoot, running, hopping and dancing between themselves to the frenetic sound of chords, flutes and drums. The place was a mixture of sounds, colors and smells that confused and numbed your senses, in a way that you were only able to stand thanks to the strong hold of the young man.

Despite that, you still noticed how strange was that those people seemed to move to the music as if they were just one, yet they acted like they weren’t seeing each other, lost in their particular world, to the point you wondered if they knew what they were doing or if they were just caught under a spell.

Are they really happy, or are they forced into this? It’s unsettling...

The people only showed a believable reaction when you arrived… Well, actually, when they put their eyes on the young man, and started reaching for him with no regard for your presence, pushing, bumping and even stepping upon your feet.

In a way you couldn’t understand, he opened his arms wide to receive them without letting go of your hand, with a satisfied smile on his face that seemed to light up when the first rays of sunshine entered the place, embracing him with the same passion as the people around.

It was when a thought crossed your mind as fast as those rays, and you stared at him with a knot in your stomach.

Could it be that he…?

The chorus around you, chanting the same words in delight, was the confirmation for it.

– Apollo! Apollo-sama! You finally arrived, Apollo-sama! Please don’t make us wait this long for you again, Apollo-sama!

His face brightened up with the call of the humans, as if it absorbed their joy and turned it into vital force, returning it to them with the warmth of the sun; to them, he was god, father, husband and master, and he was more than happy in taking all those roles for himself, in what you saw as a hungry, even predatory way. Though you still found it a beautiful thing to observe, you no longer saw any resemblance with a man in his figure.

He was something else.

Feeding himself with their energies and keeping them gravitating around him is like a diversion to him. How scary.

And with the same diversion, he pulled you to a tight embrace, giving you no choice to walk away, for many people came to him and were no dismissed, so that you were trapped between him and them, and you didn’t know for how long you would be able to breathe.

Somehow, he managed to walk among his worshipers and take you with him before you in fact were smothered, and without decreasing in enthusiasm, he looked around and chanted:

– My children, my flowers! Another day of Summer came to bless you! Enjoy it, cherish it like it’s your last!

Immediately, the people obeyed him and, as if slowly forgetting about his very presence, restarted the celebration, dancing and jumping around and opening the way for you two at the same time, not really realizing what they were doing.

Not wanting to join them and not being able to release yourself from Apollo’s grip, you had no choice but to follow him.

***

You walked up spiral, white stairs with golden banisters, ran through a corridor and ended up in front of an enormous pair of doors, which he opened with a slight touch of his hand.

They revealed a wide room that, even in your lack of experience in these matters, you knew to be worthy of a god: everywhere you looked, you saw comfortable chairs and couches, covered with satin sheets and surrounded by trays of sweets and fruits, and countless jars of wine; there was also a small fountain pouring water, with a jar and cups around it. You also saw books, parchments and musical instruments ready to be used. Everything there was arranged to display beauty and pleasure, as expected from its owner.

Once you stepped inside, you heard the sound of the keys turning to lock the doors from inside and shivered.

– My y/n, will you follow me to the balcony? – Apollo passed to your side – There’s something I need to reveal to you, but it has to be in an appropriate place!

And, without waiting for your response, he tightened his grip around your wrist and pulled you across the room, to reach the said balcony.

You passed under an arc with a pair of curtains of a peach shade and found yourself in a place that could serve as a common room of a human house by its largeness, except for the fact that it was uncovered; on it, there was wine, fod and water as well, and a couch twice the size of the ones inside the room, yet none of those objects interfered while you walked among them.

Apollo stopped at the parapet with you by his side. With his arm stretched over it, he indicated the entire view.

– Let your pretty eyes enjoy what’s in front of them with no shame, my dear – he laughed – Trust me, the view of your lands from the Olympus is no match for this!

And you were, in fact, impressed with what you saw.

From there, you were able to spot various things, from the mountains that surrounded the city, passing through the town itself, with its marketplace and daily movement, to nearer places… such as your garden, its open fields and the very spot where you were working this morning when Apollo arrived and abducted you.

Your face burned with the thought.

He has been spying on me from here? Since when…?

You never had the opportunity to inquire him on this, because he had no shame in telling you the whole story.

– Since this Summer started, though I cannot precise the day, I’ve been trapped in this balcony, just as I am now – he turned to you with a strange glimmer in his eyes; you sensed his hand letting go of your wrist and wrapping itself around your waist, bringing you closer as he spoke – I’ve been trapped by you, my flower, for I couldn’t spent one morning without seeing you from here, cherishing with your whole figure, your steps, the work of your hands, all for your precious garden…

You put your hands between you and him, in an attempt to prevent him from approaching even more.

– My Lord, with all the respect, this is my work – you managed to speak – I would never be able to properly take care of a garden if I refused to pour my heart into it…

The god’s response was to widen his already present smile, giving to it a hint of something that would be called presumption if he was a mortal man.

– I know it! I know well how these things work, and for this I am jealous – he caressed your face for an instant, his eyes swallowing each traits of yours with greed – I am jealous of your flowers, of your trees, and everything that has been blessed by the touch of your hands…

You gasped.

– My Lord, I think this is going too fa…

Your words were cut off by his next act, which consisted in wrapping his arms around you and lifting you from the floor, taking you to the couch you saw before, not so far from your spot on the parapet. There he sat you down, then knelt to take off your sandals – of course, without missing the chance to let his fingertips wander through your feet and legs. With no visible ways to escape this situation, you could only observe the scene in silence.

The door is locked, I don’t think I could open it as fast as he closed it, he’s too strong for me to put a physical fight and is too lost in his own fantasies to hear a word I say. I see no solution besides climbing up the parapet and jump.

While this thought was still crossing your mind (and your eyes glancing at the parapet), Apollo was already climbing the couch. You tried to move away, but he was faster: holding your jawline, he pulled you close to him, his lips brushing yours as he spoke.

– I beg you, my little flower… stop making me jealous… pour your heart to me… be mine…

You opened your mouth to speak, to reply, to try and reason with him one last time, to ask for his divine favor and beg him to let you go, but Apollo didn’t even give you the time to breathe: convinced that actions would teach you better than words, he covered your mouth with hungry kisses, his tongue reaching for yours in a hurry, his hands grabbing your body with voracity. With the lack of air, your lungs started to burn and your eyes got filled with tears.

Your hands, still free, pulled him away by his chin; he stared at you in incredulity.

– Please… my Lord… – you forced your words out, alternating them with gasps – Please… reconsider…

For the first time, Apollo seemed to have his patience tested, and the slight twist in the color of his eyes instilled fear in your heart like you’ve never felt before.

– Too late to think, my y/n… It’s time to act.

He pushed himself upon you on the couch and a second kiss happened, longer and hotter. Now that your attempt to stop him failed, desperation was taking over you, leaving you with two choices: letting him continue or dying for opposing to a god’s will.

The latter seemed less painful for you, so you opted for it.

Beside the couch, just like the other seats at that room, there was a small table with a metallic jar on it; you glanced at it when Apollo let go of your mouth and brought his kisses to your neck, and supposed that it was full. An idea came to you, but you had to be careful.

If I fail at this, it’s over for me.

With slow movements, you managed to bring your body closer to the table’s side, taking the god with you, leaving him too occupied in his caresses to notice anything around. You even reciprocated some of his touches to disguise your nervousness, and waited until you were sure that your hand would reach the jar’s wing.

When the moment came, you stretched your left arm… and your fingers closed around its wing, lifting it from the table with all the strength you could find.

Everything happened too fast for your eyes to follow: catching him in a surprise was your only and greatest advantage, and you managed to do it. The jar flew from the table and hit Apollo’s head, forcing him away from you and dropping the laurel wreath from his hair; confirming your prediction, the jar was full, and the water spread all over the place as the metal clanged against the floor.

You wasted no time: you dragged your body out of the couch and fled the balcony, leaving your sandals and a paralyzed, dismayed Apollo behind. You crossed the room like a ray and somehow unlocked the door easily despite your shaking hands; not only this, but you had the nerve to take the key with you and lock the door from outside to slow the man who would certainly come after you.

***

Your feet barely touched the stairs while you walked down. Behind your back, there was still silence, but you knew it wouldn’t take long until Apollo reached the door and found a way to open it, so you wouldn’t stay to see what was going to happen.

You soon were back to the wide room where his worshipers were celebrating, and it was with no surprise that you found them as happy as before, and that, as you joined the crowd to reach the exit, they barely remembered you. Still, you couldn’t help finding it scary to be squeezed and pushed to all sides by those strangers, who screamed, sang and danced with no regard for each other and for themselves, as victims of a sinister spell.

***

The image of you running away from him was the most terrifying of the nightmares.

Apollo could have ran after you, grabbed you and pulled you back to the balcony. He could have also stretched his hand toward you and used his golden threads to wrap your body and force you to stay, to submit to him. He even managed to raise his hand while you turned your back to him and moved away, passing under the arc that separated the balcony to the rest of the room… but he didn’t do anything.

He just stood there, paralyzed by the surprise with your reaction and the resulting dizziness in his head, his vision darkening as he came to the shameful conclusion.

What I did… there was nothing beautiful about it.

***

The sun was higher in the sky when he regained his consciousness and left the balcony. It must have been one hour or two, judging by its position now – long enough for the effects of the strike to diminish. His head hurt so much that he was sure he would be dead if he was human.

He left the balcony and passed by a mirror, not so far from its entry. He spotted the bruise on his forehead and flinched: it was darker, deeper than he first imagined. Not that he should be worried about having a permanent scar, of course, but it would ache for days.

The god crossed the silent room and stopped by the doors. One look to the lock and he noticed the absence of the key; the shadow of a smile came to his lips.

Clever girl. Trying to slow me down.

He raised his left hand and, working with his golden threads, he involved the doors and pushed them out of their hinges, destroying both with a thunderous sound. He walked out of the room in firm steps, the wreckage cracking under his golden sandals as he approached the stairs and walked them down.

In a minute, he has reached the first floor, where his worshipers continued to celebrate, yet this time a wave of uneasiness has spread silently among them, clearly provoked by the sound of wrecking materials upon there.

Of course, he was eager to leave and start chasing after you, but he was empathetic with the ones who were there just to love him, and made sure they were all calmed down by his words; with this, they were free to go back to their worshiping, knowing that their Lord would be back in a few moments.

He left the temple and rushed to the garden, as his feet were led by instinct to the place that first connected you, but it was with no surprise that he saw you weren’t there; you didn’t even use the garden as escape route. Still, his heart didn’t ache less with the sight of your tools on the soil, and your flowers abandoned, for they meant only one thing.

Not only you were gone, but you weren’t coming back.

***

Autumn came sooner to those lands that year.

The Temple of the Sun closed its gates long before the last week of Summer, and the worshipers returned to their homes with a strange weight in their hearts; it was clear that their god wasn’t content, but the reason was only known by himself, and perhaps as an act of mercy, he protected them from his wrath by sending them away, assuring them of their innocence and promising a warmer season of festivities for the next year.

The days quickly became short, and the winds of the new season were colder than they were in the previous years; the city’s inhabitants were caught in a surprise, and even feared what Winter has reserved for them. The streets were empty, the markets saw their clientele grow thin, the richest traveled to distant lands and the common people were hidden inside their houses. In the wild, the beasts and the small creatures were sharing the same difficulties, and just as it happened with the humans, there was no guarantee that they would make it through the longer period of cold.

Apollo, on his turn, stood in that house alone, instead of traveling back to his place and his divine fellows at the Olympus: he missed their company, but had no strength to face them after the ugliness he created; it has been a monstrosity and a shame, and this was something he must endure all by himself. And so he did it, spending his days and nights wandering among the cold walls of marble, inside which the sound of chords, voices of adoration and the wine being poured in the goblets wouldn’t be heard, and the echo of his own steps were his only partner; the fires lightened by his followers stopped making him warm even before they turned into smoke and cinders, the sweetness of their incense made him sick and the golden altars and objects of devotion turned gray to his eyes.

All because of what he did to you. Because in his eagerness to make you stay, he ended up scaring you away, and the sun that should have kept you content and safe almost burned you to death. How, he asked himself, how did he deprive love from its natural beauty, he who lived to exalt the beautiful? But silence was the only thing to reply.

***

Apollo visited your garden every morning, staying there for a while before returning to his temple and to his dark meditations. Protecting his physical form from the cold with a gray cloak, he wandered through the natural walls that were once green, but now had only brown and red to offer to his sight; the grass was now a shadow of what they were, just dried vegetation that would crack and whiter under his feet, and the flowers came undone to the touch of his fingers.

Many times he passed by the spot where he abducted you, and tears would fill his eyes as he looked at the watering can and the tools rotten on the cold soil, useless after so long time without executing their functions. One morning, he even considered touching them, but when he approached his hand no remnants of your spirit could be sensed in them, and he moved away.

Well, your presence just vanished from the garden itself, and even from the town: sometimes, he would disguise himself among the mortals and seek for your face in the corners of the streets, but he knew the search was worthless. You were long gone.

Actually, you left and hid on the other side of the land, and even your acquaintances haven’t heard about you since Autumn began. But even you couldn’t deny that the season was less merciful that year… and it didn’t take long for you to realize it had something to do with the episode at Apollo’s House. Maybe he couldn’t accept that a mortal woman defied him, and decided to punish her entire land in return; or maybe he just decided to leave sooner, and with him Summer has left. It was hard to be sure when it came to the gods.

However, as much as you weren’t willing to try and seek for his favor against your will in order to save the people of the city, innocent and defenseless against Nature, your heart has been yearning for your garden, your true house, where your happiness and strength and life purpose were. You’ve been struggling to stay in your hideout and wait until the god’s wrath was over, but you just couldn’t take it anymore.

One morning, despite the cold and the adversities, you dressed up and traveled back there. You had no idea of what you were going to find once you stepped into your beloved garden, and a thousand nightmares haunted you while you were on your way, and the times when you thought of giving up and return to the hideout weren’t few…

But all of this noise disappeared when you found yourself, in fact, standing before the garden’s gates. A breeze passed by you at that moment, coming from inside the garden, and sent a chill through your body – a chill that reached your heart.

You forced your feet to move ahead.

As you walked, farther from the entry and closer to the depths of the garden, you noticed that the sensation of loneliness that you were anticipating didn’t come. Yes, the flowers were dead, the grass was dry and the birds disappeared from the trees, but you had this strange feeling telling you that you weren’t the only living being wandering among the reddish vegetation.

A sudden instinct led your feet to the very place where your watering can and shears were left the day you were taken away by Apollo. Were they in the same place, still waiting for your return? You’d only know if you reached there.

And you did. And they were there. Covered in dirt, dead leaves and ivy.

But they weren’t alone. Someone was watching them in silence, standing among the desolation as if they were just a part of it that was waiting for you to come back as well.

And, perhaps, they were, for when they turned to you, your heart dropped.

It was him. It was him, there was no way for you to be mistaken.

The golden bright in his eyes has faded away, and so was his smile. The pink of his hair was no longer glowing, and the paleness on his skin was unsettling. He was still the god of the Sun, but the Sun just settled.

Suddenly, you were scared. What if he was there waiting to cease your existence in revenge? What if that was just a vision to deceive you, and you were now in a new trap, from which you had no chance to escape like the first one?

You tried to move your feet, but they wouldn’t obey you. Your heart ached inside you, and your eyes were getting filled with tears.

Is this how I’m going to die, then?

Apollo left his spot and walked toward you. He was still silent, but no sign of his intentions could be sensed, and you were too scared to try and guess them. Still, something wasn’t right – and when you finally had the courage to look straight to his face, you understood what it was.

From his eyes you saw tears rolling. And in his expression there was only room for incredulity and pain. It was when you knew: it wasn’t a vision; it was really him. And he couldn’t believe you were there.

Apollo stopped before you and you flinched, not knowing what to expect. You shut your eyes tight… and no touch, no extravagances nor punishment came.

You opened them again and found the proud god kneeling on the dirt soil, taking his cloak from his shoulders and leaving it beside him on the ground, his eyes glued on you all the time, as if you could disappear at the slightest distraction.

You didn’t know how long you stood like this, having only the winds to voice your anguish, but the silence became unbearable, and you opened your mouth to speak – but, as always, he was faster.

– Forgive me.

Two words only, but enough to shake your spirit and think of how strange reality could become. A god apologizing? When would you imagine such a thing?

– Forgive me, my flower – he repeated, since you stood quiet – For those things I’ve done weren’t but terrifying.

He stretched his hand to touch your clothes, but gave up on the gesture as to prove his feeling of shame.

Again, your heart ached, and your mouth dried out. You couldn’t just stand there with no reaction, no word, after traveling for so long to reunite with your beloved garden. But you didn’t know what to do or what would be right, so you just let your body decide.

You knelt on the soil too, before the astonished god, and didn’t try to stop yourself when you saw your arms throwing themselves around him, your head resting on his shoulder, and your skin shivering to the warmth of that embrace. You should be scared, you should be aware of any spell working at that very moment, you should be disgusted to see him there – but you weren’t.

– Yes, Apollo-sama – you murmured, not recognizing your own voice – They were terrifying. But I’m no longer scared.

And that was true. All your fear was leaving. And with the first signs that the Autumn was going away with it, you were strangely in peace.

#snv x reader #ror x reader #apollo x reader #ror apollo #snv apollo #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie apollo #record of ragnarok x reader #record of ragnarok apollo

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purpleqilinwrites · 22 days ago

Text

quietly.

a/n: for the pixel café network's spooktober event. if you'd like to read more, the event masterlist is here!

fandom: haikyuu!!

character: ushijima wakatoshi

genre: angst

info: zombie apocalypse au; takes place around the time-skip; established relationship (ushijima is your boyfriend / fiancé)

warnings: might not be canon-compliant; mentions of gore; mentions of injury (one of them self-inflicted); major character death

synopsis: the world ended not with a bang, but quietly, in a room with blue wallpaper.

word count: 3.5k

Ushijima Wakatoshi

It was quiet outside. Too quiet.

The thought of something – or a group of someones – catching you by surprise prevented you from falling asleep, and you got up from the makeshift bed you threw together to stand guard by the smudged window again. Ushijima stirred from your abrupt movement, moving his arm to tug you back to him but only snagging a handful of air.

"They're not active when it's dark," he said, his voice still laden with sleep. You felt bad for waking him. He was the one who's been doing most of the hard labour keeping the two of you alive, and you thought that safeguarding him while he rested was the one thing you could do for him in return. You weren't much good at any of the survival things, despite being quite savvy at the games you played that simulated this exact situation you found yourself in. "Let's just sleep."

Cutting through the rotting flesh of a zombie was stupidly easy a few months prior, when all you had to do was press several buttons in quick succession. Ushijima had wondered what you found so fascinating about playing a character trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. You didn't know either. Maybe there was something about being a hero that you liked. The main character almost always won at the end, after all.

"Be back in a minute," you said, crossing your arms to ward off the late autumn chill. Ushijima left it at that, turning his head to the side where you should've been sleeping and closing his eyes.

You remained on your feet by the window for maybe half an hour after you heard him start snoring again. The only movement you detected outside was the trees bending at the waist to the strong hand of the night winds.

When the food you'd amassed was close to running out, Ushijima decided that it was time to move on from this defunct power station. With several jelly drinks and two granola bars safely stored in the fanny pack under your jacket, you followed him out of the ruined front gates once the afternoon began to wane into the evening.

It was all open terrain once you were out of the compound.

You were soothed knowing that if there was a zombie or two approaching, it would be easy to spot them since there was nowhere for them to hide. On the other hand, there was no avoiding another bloody confrontation once the zombie had been spotted.

The weight of the borrowed wrench in your hand did little to assuage your worry. It was cold against the heat of your skin. Colder than the evening breeze that whipped at your face once the stars began to wink at the pair of you from above.

You stopped Ushijima for a moment to admire them, and just for the slow count up to ten, everything was alright again.

It felt like you'd been walking for days on end when a town a little ways ahead came into view.

You exhaled your relief, your breath condensing into a misshapen mist that was quickly eaten by the breeze. "Let's hurry," Ushijima said, adjusting the straps of his backpack and then gesturing for you to keep up with him.

The house that was the first to greet you looked the way you felt, with the door missing, all its windows smashed in, and an entire chunk of the front wall lying scattered about the overgrown lawn in hunks of debris. As you approached, there was a pointed odour of decay rushing out from deeper within the house through the missing section of the wall.

You continued down the path that led to several more houses in the town instead of stopping at the first one, and all the houses in the row were alike in sight and smell. There was a much larger house at the north end of the town from where you started. Despite its less than hospitable condition, you said, "It'll have to do for now," and Ushijima acquiesced with that little wrinkle in his brow that told you he didn't want to stop there in the meantime if he could help it.

Less than two meters from what would've been the front gardens of the large house was a mostly intact concrete wall that reached only to your waist. There were several rust-coloured blotches splattered around the corners. It was arduous work putting the thought of what those dark stains could be to rest, but you managed. Across the one face of the wall was a metal plaque inscribed with a mostly faded name.

This town used to be a retirement village.

You shivered, even if you didn't feel particularly cold. Ushijima retraced his last ten or so steps and came to stand beside you when he realised you hadn't moved for a while, and his palm was warm against your bicep.

"Let's not stay here long," he said. "Just for the night."

The aluminised plastic rustled when you rubbed the packet of onsen salts between your hands. It didn't impart any warmth to you, but you still palmed at it anyway.

Ushijima looked up from taking stock of what was left of your food reserves because of the noise. "There's no running water here," he said. "You can't take a bath." A mirthless sound left your lips at his innocent reminder of your situation. It's been a few months already since the last time you took a bath. You wondered how long you'd be stewing in the medicated water if you knew beforehand that it would be your last soak for a while.

Even the ability to rinse your sweat-smeared face with clean water instead of drinking it was a luxury so far out of reach.

"I know." You spoke after a moment of silence, reading the words on the packet as if it were the first time you were seeing it. "I was hoping looking at this would make me feel better. Remind me of the days before all this."

You felt him scoot right up to you, his arms wrapping around your midsection as he leaned in to take a closer look at what you were holding. "We went there for our anniversary last year. And to celebrate my contract with the Adlers being renewed," he said, poking at the telltale logo on the upper left corner of the packet. You didn't miss how he let his touch linger on the packet of onsen salts in your hands. "I liked it too. The onsen."

For a man as stoic as Ushijima, though you knew it wasn't on purpose that he presented himself that way, that small gesture absolutely ripped your heart down the middle.

The next place you took refuge in was at a fishing port.

All the buildings along the port were repurposed shipping containers, the outer layer of paint dulled all over and peeling in some places, exposing irregular patches of rust. Ushijima stopped in front of the least damaged container and tried to open the door. When he determined that it was locked, he forcibly opened the door with his hammer and stepped in.

After a moment, he emerged from his initial scan of the shipping container's interior and beckoned for you to join him inside. "Come. It's safe for you."

Whoever owned this shipping container was a godsend.

The weariness you've been shouldering all these past few months seemed to seep out of your bones and evaporated as you hungrily took in the sight of the rows and rows of emergency food supplies and bottled water. You felt something wet trail down your chin. Swiping at your mouth with the back of your free hand, you realised then that you had been drooling. Even the wet sensation of your own spit on your face felt unfamiliar.

Ushijima was hauling the display cabinet at the other end of the container to fortify the now busted door when you came back to yourself. You began pulling where he was pushing, and the two of you made quick work of turning the display cabinet into a barricade.

Dinner was a comparatively extravagant affair now that you had options other than to have a bite of something for now or to save it for later.

You crunched on not just one but two cups of instant noodles, enjoying a forkful of canned tuna between bites of noodles. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Ushijima simply watching you eat, his own dinner of canned beans in tomato sauce with a sleeve of wheat crackers sitting yet untouched in front of him.

"You want some?" You reached over with an especially hefty forkful of tuna, which he easily accepted. As he chewed, he placed a cracker loaded with beans over the mouth of one of your empty noodle cups.

"I like this," he said, and you had an inkling he wasn't referring to the food in front of him. "It's been a while since I saw you smile. It's nice."

His sentimental declaration completely disarmed you. Even with the cracker he shared with you shovelled partly into your mouth, your eyes filled up with tears that quickly began running down your face as if by the bucket. Your tears surprised him, and with your vision partially obscured by them, you saw how he almost dropped the cracker he was eating. It made you laugh, despite yourself. Despite the cracker chunks sticking uncomfortably to the roof of your mouth. Despite the reality of things outside this shipping container.

There was something boneless about how you felt – a good kind of boneless feeling, if there was such a thing – when he put his food down to hold you until you were done crying around a mouthful of beans and a broken-off corner of a cracker.

This situation with the zombies has been a reality for exactly a year and eight months since the first time you got bitten.

It was in what used to be a covered shopping street. You remembered coming here with your friends from elementary school, your wallet heavy with coins so that you could spend hours and hours playing in the arcade. For a moment, you wondered about them as you walked behind Ushijima along the ruined corner of the shopping street where that arcade should've been.

This was a place brimming with good memories from your past. It filled your mouth with an acrid, bitter taste that in your present, this place would signal the beginning of the end.

You mourned the loss of two fingers from your left hand, your little finger and your ring finger that you had to cleave off if you wanted to avoid transforming into a zombie. For months and months after the fact, you suffered from irregular bouts of a phantom pain that was real enough to seize you from your sleep, and you were always left kicking and screaming until it passed.

Sometimes, when your mind cleared and you became aware that the wound had already healed into an uneven mass of a scar, you found yourself grieving also that if this zombie situation were ever resolved, you'd never wear a wedding ring where it was supposed to be worn.

After a particularly nasty run-in with a group of other survivors, the two of you collectively agreed to remain on your own. You wanted to ask "Until when?" but the words evaded you when you noticed that the clench in Ushijima's jaw had become a permanent fixture of his face. His natural expression was never angry, before all this.

The remains of Shiratorizawa Academy loomed over the residential and semi-commercial buildings that surrounded it, casting a shadow even in the late hour.

At first, you thought he wanted to stay there for the time being, and so you followed at the usual two paces behind him. Ushijima stopped without warning in his approach, and you rammed into his back. The sight of your shared alma mater cast a spell on him, and he paid no mind to you as you stumbled and latched onto his elbow to right yourself.

The last time he'd held you, the angles of his bones didn't jut out this much.

"I wanted us to get married here," he said, turning around to face you. You had expected him to say something about volleyball instead. Something about the way his palm tingled pleasantly after he spiked the ball. Something about Satori-kun and the other Shiratorizawa boys he used to play here with. After all, he loved the sport before he loved you. You never once thought to equate these two loves of his. Even so—

There was that pinprick of warmth at the back of your eyes that warned of the tears to come, but that was the end of it. Maybe you were too dehydrated to retain the ability to cry. You blinked, as if to prevent a tide of nonexistent tears from falling.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but a low growl from within the abandoned Shiratorizawa compound made him close it.

There was a part of you that was too tired to run. You've already spent more than two years – or more? Had it been three years already? Five? More? – running and hiding and starving. When was the last time you were happy that you were still alive?

Ushijima appeared to be able to hear the words on the tip of your tongue that you haven't yet said, and he made the decision for you. As a swarm of zombies materialised from the twisted shadows of Shiratorizawa, he grabbed your forearm and yanked you after him.

The two of you narrowly missed the most nimble zombie in the horde. The one who relentlessly chased after you on all fours with a good portion of his face and most of his right arm missing.

It was in another school when you got bitten again.

This time, there were no memories attached to the place. Neither of you went to school here. It was too far north of Sendai where the two of you met. You took it as a small consolation, no matter that it was insignificant, that nothing in your past was sullied by this thing that happened in your present.

You poured an entire travel-sized vodka bottle onto the wound once you managed to duck into an underground shelter a good distance away from the school. Dipping your hand into your fanny pack left you disappointed; you had nothing else to clean the site of your injury with.

The wound festered unnaturally, darkening into the sickly purple-grey of a bruised plum beginning to mould. Even the flies that gathered around the corpses of people who died a natural death avoided the parasitic rot making its home in your body.

It occurred to you that you might need to self-mutilate once again, for the sake of survival. You brandished the one clean knife in your possession before you processed the thought, aligning the cutting edge with the curve of your lowermost rib on the right side. The exposed portion of bone, off-white from the poor nutrition of the recent years and mostly smooth when the bite was still fresh, had succumbed to the thing that was going to kill you.

If you didn't do this now—

Ushijima caught you with the pocket knife within its sheath, but still tightly enmeshed in the meeting of your two hands. There was a pleading look in his eyes that made your heart twist painfully in your chest. You couldn't bear to maintain eye contact for longer than a second, turning your cheek to him instead.

"Toshi, please," you said, and pushing those two words past your lips drained you. "I don't want to turn into a zombie. Let me do this, please. Please–"

If you didn't do this now, you'd have to ask him—

The last clinic the two of you stumbled upon was devoid of anything useful. All that met you within the shattered glass walls were the lifeless bodies of what looked to have been at least two groups of survivors fighting over the last of some medical supplies. You checked a can of disinfectant spray lying by the severed leg of the least decomposed corpse, and the way it rattled when you picked it up told you it had been empty for a while.

"We've already been through so much. We'll get through this too," he said, prying the knife from your trembling hands. You were prepared for the physical pain of what needed to be done, but there was nothing you could do to steel yourself against the cruel knowledge that you had to leave Ushijima behind soon.

"I can't– Do this anymore," you said. "It hurts. Everything– Everything hurts."

His eyes were watchful while you lay shivering and sweaty and grey on the stained mattress. You were bundled up in an assortment of clothes Ushijima had collected from the other apartments in this building. It was the heat of summer, clammy and thick, but it felt like winter to you.

You gathered the strength to wave your hand at him to properly get his attention, but your efforts fell short, your forearm rising only to flop back where it came from. The closest you came to swearing was a broken, wispy groan.

He was looking at you, but not seeing you. It was the same way you were looking at him, and all you could focus on was the repetitive floral motif on the pretty blue wallpaper behind him.

"–Toshi," you managed. It took maybe five or six seconds for him to register that you had spoken. Once it did, he rose from his seated position on the floor close to the mattress to kneel beside where you lay.

You mustered all the strength you had left in your quickly rotting body to nod to him. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't summon the words to your lips and push them out so he could hear you. So that he knew that this was it. That it was time for you to go, and he had to let you go. All you managed was a singular decisive nod.

It felt like a moment that should've been tearful. This was goodbye, after all.

These few – or maybe more than a few – years you survived because of him. You never knew how much it cost him because he never let you apologise for being one more thing for him to take care of. Ushijima only accepted your feelings when you said, "Thank you" and "I love you" and "I appreciate you".

You gave a strained nod that sapped what remained alive in you, and he nodded back with his mouth flattened into a solemn line.

He leaned forward to press his lips to yours one last time. In the blurred vision of your one good eye, it looked like he was about to cry as his face drew nearer to yours. Since you couldn't bring your arms around him, you settled for two dull taps of your index finger onto the plush surface of the mattress and hoped he understood. Did he even see it?

You wanted to ask him not to cry while you could still be aware of it, but you've already asked too much of him.

He stood up, leaving your narrow field of vision for a moment. When he came back into view, the pocket knife you'd been using as your weapon of choice was in his dominant hand, the deep green of the weathered handle standing out against the colour of his skin.

Ushijima leaned over you, shivering and sweaty and grey.

His right hand passed over your face, and he mapped out the line of your jaw, the curve of your lips, the slant of your nose, the shape of your eyes. The calloused pads of his fingers were gentle as he shut your eyes for you.

"I don't want this," he admitted, nestling his cheek against your forehead. His voice was close to your ear, and you could hear the fissures in it worsening as he spoke. "Not when I was ready to die before you."

The cool of your grey flesh greedily soaked up the warmth of his body when he lifted your upper body to cradle you to his chest, safe in his arms as you've always been. You wanted to snuggle into the crook of his neck one more time before it was time for you to go, but there was no more energy left in you. Your life had run out, and it was time—

"I love you," was the last thing you heard but not the last thing you felt.

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyuu!! scenarios #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #fic #angst #kaija writes #kaija writes: haikyuu!!#event: spooktober #cw: gore #cw: major character death #i just watched pearl #and it inspired this a little bit

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k-s-morgan · 6 months ago

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TGSTLTH related

Ok so I decided to do it here cuz I don't know will AO3 allow me to write essay hahahahah 😂😂😂

I don't even know how to start this. I've been reading fics for 13 years straight, like I don't remember the period of my life where I didn't read them cuz I always have some ship active and I'm crazy BL fan. Only a small number of them can make me crazy to the point I don't wanna sleep, eat, skipping my obligations, killing the pain and your sebaciel did everything. I haven't felt like this reading fic..,maybe ever? This is totally another level of me being fascinated by some writer.

I adore sebaciel, I'm in fandom since 2016 but the biggest problem I had with their fics is that - either people go too much OOC with them orr they rush up the things between them, going quickly with sex and feelings. It bothered me so much so I was crawling for good SC fics as crazy!!

After some break with SC, I came back to ao3 and saw your long fic. I started reading it but I dropped it after 3 chapters, I got bored cuz I thought you are gonna just re-type manga and do classic thing which another people do. Quickly, I got disappointed with another one and idk how but I decided to give your fic one more chance and dear lord......that was one of the best thing I have ever read. Maybe even the best.

Like, how smart are you? What's your IQ? Your manage to explain me some things about Kuro plot which I haven't udnerstand by myself. And the way you write Sebaciel relationship. That's everything I have ever wanted. Everything. They have normal conversation and that's it, that's all I need cuz there is everything. I feel electric every time when they talk, fight, do things together, goood the little touches svbjhsdjvbvbvbvbvbsdjvhbdf. I was tense whole fic. I read it for like 10 days, abandon everything until I finished it and now I feel sad ahahhaahha. But you are really something special, cuz I always used to say that manga itself is the best fiction cuz Yana knows the best how to create good Sebaciel energy. You, next to Yana, did the best job. You kept them as they are, never broke the character, and that's what I am most grateful. Slow burn, with drama and angst, love and attention, all misunderstanding, you put all necessary spices for 5 star meal. My fav part is when Ciel told Sebastian to add slamming doors to his most dramatic moments of his life ahahahahahahhaha 😂😂 I laughed like crazy, they are so precious♥ And I really wanted kiss to happen when Ciel lied Sebastian about another demon, that was sooo svbjhsvjhjhvbdf. But okay, you know the best, I trust you fully with this♥

The fact that they are ready to kill each other before they have normal conversation about their feeling is my fetish. I am in love with toxic things. Ciel ready to throw all game just to prove Sebastian that his value is not only his soul, right after he told himself for 1000 times he needs to stay on distance..... I LOVE ITTTT!!! I also need to say that you find PERFECT balance for good plot and romance. Your games and their cases...I just don't know, deep bow for you queen🔥💯After all, you didn't retype drama ahahaha but you manage to keep it canon without changing anything but still adding your spices so it's not ordinary Kuro plot we see every day....

I just have one question. From time to time, I was like a Bard ahahhaha, so sick of their games and my head hurting me, but on a good way. I am clear about Ciel but what about Sebastian and his disgust for Ciel's nicer, soft, emotional side? I know Ciel doesn't have it a lot, but would Sebastian still be grossed out about it as he was at the beginning of a contract or not? Keeping in mind that he is more and more obsessed with a boy?

So, that's all. I don't know how to use Patreon/PayPal, but for you I'll try cuz I only have credit card and that's all I know ahhahaha, I like to keep money in my hands😂 I'm sad about the situation in your country and all under - war countries. It's not bringing any good for anyone, specially for civilians. I hope you are okay and I wish you alll the best, the good karma must hit you really quickly cuz you made one person really, really happy here♥

Looking forward how will you finish this story, have a nice day❤

PS - this is the longest comment for fic I have ever left ahhaha, it's crazy how you got me sooo hyped up bjcvsdghvbds.

Hi! Ooh, thank you so much for your amazing, wonderful essay! I can't tell you how happy it made me! I think the electricity was already started being cut off when I got it, so I could see I have some really lengthy ask, but it wouldn't load. It was the torture of the most delicious kind :D

Like you, I've been reading fics for ages now, and the moments where I find some fantastic story that won't let me sleep or work or even blink are always the happiest and the brightest spots I remember. So it's extremely flattering to know that my story has become something similar to other people.

I love writing about smart characters, but most of them are definitely smarter than me! The benefit is that since I'm writing, I can think and plan everything in advance. In real life, I only wish I were as quick-witted and inventive. Alas, the best ideas and arguments come to me when they are no longer needed.

I love slow burns, and I love characters who abhor the idea of expressing their feelings, so Ciel and Sebastian have the most perfect dynamic in my eyes. I feel like I could spend the eternity just enjoying their Gothic world with their games, arguments, plots, and so on. Them antagonizing each other only to instantly team up against the common enemy is my most favorite thing in the world.

As for your question, right now, Sebastian would be thrilled if Ciel were to show a softer and more vulnerable side - at least in relation to him. Well, a part of him would feel the automatic need to mock him for it anyway, some habits don't die easily, but Sebastian's feelings have evolved a lot, plus Ciel is cold more often than he is not. So Sebastian treasures every word of praise, every hint of appreciation and need because they are so rare - he's come to crave them, and he has memorized all known cases of them by heart.

And no worries about supporting me! I really appreciate you taking your time to leave such a fantastic review, it made my day!

#my fics #black butler #kuroshitsuji #sebaciel #ciel phantomhive #sebastian michaelis

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novamariestark · 1 year ago

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Kiss Cam

First can I just say ^^^ Damn 😍

Summary: When you and Parker go to the Cubs game, you end up on the Kiss Cam.

Warnings: mention of death.

Word count: 1639

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: Alden Parker x f!reader

Kiss Cam

Once you got used to Alden being around instead of Gibbs, you began to get to know him. Soon you found out you had things in common, like, you both like the Cubs. You were born in Chicago and your dad always took you to a game when he was on leave. It was your thing. But after he died, you stopped going. It was just too painful to go without your best friend.

Parker had asked you if you wanted to go to a couple of games now but you always declined. Partly because it was your father-daughter bonding activity. But also because you now harboured a large and not very subtle crush on you new boss and being alone with him both excited you and scared the crap out of you. You knew you’d do something stupid and then you’d have to quit.

Everyone on the team knew. In fact, everyone in the building knew. All except Parker. Or at least he didn’t show any indication that he knew.

Jess was the first to notice your longing looks. Then Kasie, then McGee. Torres was the last to notice and he ended up handing Jess, 20 bucks. Over the next few months, they start to notice that the boss may feel the same way. You didn’t believe them. I mean the guy was quite possibly the sexiest guy you’ve ever seen.

Soon they get sick of the two of you just looking at each other all the time when the other isn’t watching. So, Torres and Jess buy you two some tickets to the next Cubs game and they weren’t going to let you say no. McGee told them not to push you but they didn’t listen but then again, they didn’t know the reason you said no.

McGee did. He was there. He was there with you through it all. Your dad came back from a tour and he was hit by a car which put him in a coma. McGee sat with you, in the waiting room, in your father’s room. When you found out your father was brain dead, he was right there with you. He was right there when you had to make the decision to turn off the life support. McGee used all his comp time to stay with you. For so long it was just you and your dad and when you lost him, you lost yourself.

You didn’t leave your house in months, not until McGee decided to drag you out and take you to the one person, he knew always made you smile. Ducky. The guy was like a grandfather to you. You reckon your dad would have like him too, because he was a sucker for a good story and Ducky had plenty of them.

Slowly you began to realise that you still had family and you still had people who cared about you. McGee, Ducky, Abby, Tony, Ziva and Gibbs, who became your secondary parental figure. You almost broke down again when he didn’t return, but when McGee told you about what he said, about Shannon and Kelly and how he was finally at peace, you were happy. Maybe you’d find that one day too.

When Jess and Nick presented the tickets to you both, they claimed that some friends gave them to them and since they weren’t fans, they wanted you to have them so they didn’t go to waste.

“You wanna go?” Parker asked you. You looked over to McGee, your eyes pleading for him to help you, “I take that as a no,” he sighed, moving towards Jess to take the tickets but Jess pulled them out of his reach. His eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

“You both should go. You both like the Cubs, so why not?”

“Jess, she doesn’t wan…”

“I haven’t been to a game since my dad died,” you admitted aloud, your eyes looking at your feet. You sniffled, wiping your eyes trying to compose yourself before raising your head to look at Parker, “It was never because I just didn’t wanna go with you. It was just,” you paused, shrugging as you glanced quickly at McGee then back to his gorgeous hazel eyes, “I-it was something we did together, father-daughter bonding, you know?”

Parker smiled softly, nodding his head. He was glad that you weren’t trying to actively avoid him but seeing you cry made his heart ache, it took all his power not to pull you to him and hold you until the pain numbed, “We can leave if it gets too much,”

You thought about it for a second, looking over at McGee who nodded and mouthed ‘go on’

“okay”

***

It’s the day of the game and you were nervous. Why? Because you had no idea what you were going to wear. Should you wear your jersey and cap or should you wear something to impress the man that you spend most of your time thinking about?

After much internal debate, you decided to go in your jersey. Simply because you argued with yourself so much that you didn’t leave enough time to figure something else out.

A knock sounded at the door and your inner teenager squealed as if this was your first date. Don’t be stupid. You thought to yourself. It’s not a date. No way someone as sexy, beautiful, handsome, hot, gorgeous… okay stop before you get too carried away.

You picked up your purse and headed for the door, you quickly opened it and you were greeted by Parker. In a cubs sweatshirt. Something you never thought you’d find so sexy and yet this man proves you wrong.

He looked up at you, looking at your cap, “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” you said, grabbing your keys from the bowl you kept beside the door. Something you had to do because at least you knew where they were.

The car ride was mostly silent, until Parker noticed your leg bouncing up and down. He reminded you that you could leave at any time if it got too much. You reassured him that you were okay, just nervous.

When you got to the Ballpark, as if on autopilot, you went to get a hot dog. You apologize to Parker when you realise what you’d done. He just smiled and told you not to worry about it.

You got to your seats and the game began. At first you felt guilty for having fun but soon when you see Parker enjoying himself and being very enthusiastic, you start to relax and just enjoy the moment. You laughed when the kiss cam came up, remembering when you and your dad appeared one year, on your 12th birthday and he kissed your nose. But then something happened. You and Parker were on the screen.

You try to cover your face as everyone around you cheers. Both you and Alden shake your heads and the cheers turn to boos. The cam finally moves on to others and the game resumes. Then it happens again. Several times.

You rolled your eyes, fed up, “Oh, for fuck sake!” you yell before grabbing Alden’s face, bringing his lips to yours. What were you doing? Although, he’s not pulling away. Cheers erupted but you barely register them. All you can think about is the feeling of his silky smooth lips on yours. His moustache tickling your nose. But your about to get too carried away. You wanted nothing more than to deepen the kiss, to straddle him, to be as close to him as possible. But you were in public, so you reluctantly pull away, blushing. Quickly you turn your attention back to the field as the game resumes, to hide the heat that was coating your usual pale complexion.

“I wonder why they kept coming back to us,” Alden spoke up after about half an hour of silence. He was in shock that you made a move. That you kissed him, on tv, for the world to see. Him. An old man.

You looked at him and shrugged, “Don’t know,” before turning your gaze back to the game.

Yeah, you didn’t know, but there were two people who did.

“Thank you, my good sir,” Nick said as he slipped a hundred bucks to the camera man.

“Think it’ll work?” Jess asked as they both make their way out.

“It was my idea, of course it’s going to work,” Torres cockily replied.

Jess rolled her eyes at him, “I’m amazed you can still fit that big head in the elevator,”

After the game was over, Parker dropped you off back home. He began to apologize about the kiss cam and for being the one they made you kiss. Did he seriously think that you thought kissing him was a bad thing?

You wanted to eliminate those thoughts from his mind, so without the thousands of screaming fans, telling you to kiss. You told yourself. You brought your hand to his face, his beard slightly tickling the palm of your hand and brought his lips down to yours.

This time, it was slow, sweet and private. But now being alone, your self control was slipping away. You brought your other hand to his hair as you deepened the kiss but all too soon he pulled away.

“What are we doing?”

“Kissing,” you shrugged. “You apologized for me having to kiss you on the kiss cam. But it’s something I’ve wanted to do for months,”

“Why me?”

“Don’t you own a mirror?” you asked him, he laughed and pulled you back into a kiss, this one more needy, more desperate. Tongues colliding, teeth clashing. When you pulled away for air, you let your head fall to rest in the crook of his neck and the next words you said would change your relationship forever.

“Stay”

[A/N] hope you liked it. Sort of inspired by the movie "Set it Up" love Zoey Deutch, she's just so adorable and funny in that.

#reader insert #female reader #alden parker #alden parker imagine #alden parker x reader #ncis x reader

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eddiediazismyhusband · 3 months ago

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i think some people get so lost in this idea of eddie being this loner loser type that they don’t realize that eddie diaz does in fact have game— he just doesn’t want to

like this man has had women flirting with him COUNTLESS times yet he always brushes it off/ignores it bc he’s not interested

just bc his three serious relationships have failed due to his inability to commit to them over his husband doesn’t mean that he couldn’t go out and pick up people if he wanted to…. again, he just doesn’t want to.

we also have to take into account that ana and marisol both stayed with this man FARRRRR too long for him to not have any bedroom skills

like that man treated both of them like glorified babysitters yet they both stayed with him and actively chose to be w him/were upset when the relationship ended…. you cannot tell me that their bedroom activities were not clouding their judgement there.

eddie canonically is a crippling people pleaser due to his desire to please his family…. he quite literally gets off to pleasing people in bed which is why he probably hasn’t realized he’s gay; he thinks that he has a duty to please his partners, and take no pleasure for himself (although his pleasure comes from giving pleasure) so the fact that he ‘seems’ satisfied in these relationships is clouding his judgement of what he actually wants bc he thinks he doesn’t deserve what he wants (and also comphet pressuring him into thinking that what he wants is wrong but that’s another topic)

to say he’s bad in bed bc he’s “solely focused on the pleasure of his partners” is just blatantly incorrect…. whether he’s good in bed or not is objectively about whether he leaves his partners satisfied, which we know CANONICALLY he does…. im not saying he’s a fucking freak in the sheets who’s the best they’ve ever had, but you can’t negate the fact that there is evidence within the plot that people find eddie very attractive, and that the few times he’s been with someone onscreen (in this case shannon and marisol since we never saw anything of the sort onscreen between eddie and ana), they have canonically been very satisfied and pleased with eddie’s prowess to the point where shannon came back to him solely for sex, and eddie was having to run and hide from marisol to avoid having sex.

this man canonically fucks, and getting into the psyche of his own sexuality/pleasure isn’t the point here- the point is that objectively in canon eddie is found to be very attractive, snd has left his partners very satisfied, so because of that you can’t say he’s objectively bad in bed or that he has no game.

bc again: just bc he doesn’t accept the advances doesn’t mean the advances aren’t there.

(also this idea that eddie has zero friends when he quite literally plays poker w a bunch of the lafd outside of work ASIDE from the 118 and has also been shown to be friendly with multiple parents from chris’s school…. i understand that we love to hc eddie as this loner boy w no friends, but objectively he has a lot of friends in his life, he just choses to trust his 118 family the most— that doesn’t negate his other friendships though.)

anyway, i just think s lot of people don’t quite get the point of an object question; when you try to start expounding on the fact that eddie subconsciously isn’t deriving pleasure from sex as proof that he has no game and is bad in bed when onscreen we’ve seen that sex leaves both him and his partners satisfied as well as people flirting w him left and right your argument is teetering more into headcanon territory rather than what we’ve actually been shown— headcanon is one thing in fics but as far as what we’ve seen, eddie canonically IS the sexy macho guy he tries to be— even if he subconsciously wishes he could be that for buck.

(again, don’t take this as a personal attack if you disagree: i just think we as a fandom have a tendency to ignore objectivity at times for questions like that poll and there are some moments where digging deeper than surface level either isn’t required, or delves too far into nuance that you start to negate the entire reason the question was asked to begin with which was asked objectively)

#911 abc #911 #911 on abc #eddie diaz #buddie #buddie 911 #911 discussion #evan buckley

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dystychiphxbia · 4 months ago

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☆ - on a different league | narumiya mei

this could've been a longer story but the daiya fandom is not at its peak anymore so i decided to sum it up into this one shot but it just doesn't have the right vibe </3 i did finish it though so im posting it, not proofread she/her pronouns for reader wc: 1.7k

You met Narumiya Mei in your first year of high school.

You went to Inashiro for their track team. During middle school, you harbored some honorable records and thus managed to score a scholarship - your parents would've never afforded to send you to a private school otherwise.

You were excited for your new school life - focusing on your club activities and training hard, getting new friends...You never thought that Narumiya Mei would become part of your life.

He was your classmate. He had charm, you had to admit, and soon enough your whole class seemed to be infatuated with him. But you could see past that.

"And then I got the guy with my ultra super awesome changeup-"

"Changeup? What was that, again?" A smug grin appeared on your face as you watched Narumiya's smile drop. You were now in your second year, and he had gotten into the habit of bragging to you whenever he did something "cool".

"I've told you tons of times, (L/n)!! Are you stupid or something?!" "You've seen my grades, Narumiya. I think that answers your question." You watched the blond grit his teeth.

Narumiya was someone who did not need to worry about his grades - his future lay in baseball. Yet ever since your first year, he wanted to compete with you in every single subject. He just never failed to get the hint - that academically speaking - you would always be superior.

"She's so infuriating, Masa-san!!" Was Narumiya's most common phrase when he arrived to practice. And everyone knew that they were in for a long rant about Narumiya's so-called 'enemy'. They had started placing bets on when their ace would realize that he was most likely head over heels for you.

If one of them even hinted at something like that, Narumiya's face would twist and turn into a look of grimace, and he pretended like he was about to throw up.

But the thing is, even he was not so sure why he was so keen on speaking with you. Everyone else always enjoyed talking with him, he just had tons of charisma, you know? But, you. You. You never smiled, genuinely, only grinned smugly whenever you somehow gained the upper hand. You didn't know the rules of baseball despite attending a school that regularly went to Koshien - and the rules wouldn't stick in your head no matter how many times he explained them to you.

And you. You always focused in class, wrote your notes diligently, raised your hand way too often. You would only ever look at him to glare if he was whispering too hard with some other (female) classmate. "Jealous?" His smug grin would ask you - and you would raise your hand, outing him to the teacher for disturbing class.

You never came to any of the baseball team's games. He always asked you, even invited you, but you always said that you weren't interested. Sure, Narumiya knew that you had your own club, in fact, he heard that you were one of the track team's most promising members. But everyone else found time to come to the games, at minimum the finals, why didn't you?

Seriously, who came to Inashiro and then claimed to not be interested in baseball?

He would occasionally see you running around the campus. The track field was high quality and had plenty of space, yet you would always warm up by running around the school grounds. Why, he did not know.

He did once ask you, but you just shrugged. "I enjoy watching the other clubs being hard at work." "Even the baseball team?" "No, not the baseball team."

You were strange.

Maybe that's why he always seemed to spot you in crowds. You were different - and not entirely in a bad way.

''(L/n), do you have any friends?''

Your brows furrowed - you did not like what he was implying. ''What kind of question is that, Narumiya? I have plenty of friends.'' ''Is that why you are always sitting alone and reading a book?'' Your eyes darted up from your book. Narumiya was sitting on the chair in front of your desk, facing you, and resting his head on your desk.

''Are you trying to imply that I'm a loner?'' ''Well, you are always alone, aren't you?'' ''No, Narumiya. I'm always with you.''

That afternoon, Inashiro's ace pitcher couldn't focus in practice. He was always surrounded by people, whether or not you were there. He hadn't even realized that he did spend a lot of time with you.

''Masa-san, I think she's a witch.'' He had announced in the bullpen. ''Hah? That's a new one.'' His catcher had answered, kind of curious to see what Narumiya had on his mind this time. ''Yes, she's a witch. And she's put a spell on me.''

The school year seemed to fly by. The baseball team went to Koshien in the summer, got defeated, and tried again in the fall. Yet they had lost in a game that was supposed to be a guaranteed win. And yet again, you were not there to watch. Narumiya tried to spot you in the bleachers, even though he knew that you wouldn't be there.

''You aren't bragging about your latest game.'' You pointed out, closing the lid of you lunchbox. ''We lost, (L/n). There's nothing to brag about.'' The blond whined, glaring at you for reminding him. ''Really? You didn't do even one good play?''

Narumiya thought back to the moment he had disagreed with his catcher - his first mistake. It all just went downhill from there. ''No, this time there really isn't anything to brag about.''

''Ah, is that so? So are you still crying yourself to sleep every night, then?'' Narumiya narrowed his eyes at your words. ''No! I've gotten over it already!''

He had never realized, but you actually knew quite a lot about him. ''I think she's a mind reader, Itsuki!'' ''Mei-san...you've been classmates with her for two years...'' ''She can read minds, I'm telling you!!''

Whatever helps him sleep at night.

You were now both third years. You found it hard to describe your relationship with Narumiya. On the outside it really did seem like you were friends. Because you did often eat lunch together, he would tell you about his baseball team and you would always find something to make a witty remark about.

But you did not have his phone number, you did not talk about what either of you did during the weekend, you never laughed at his jokes.

You weren't sure how to feel about him.

You never decided to be friends. And thus, you think that you aren't. Because Narumiya was out of reach for you, so far away.

Yet you found yourself reaching for him. Hanging onto the little thread he was handing to you, which he would eventually just cut down. Because you just weren't meant for each other.

''She was quiet today.'' Narumiya's expression was difficult to read, but he seemed distressed, at least in Itsuki's mind. You held such power over him, Itsuki was worried that they would one day lose a whole game because of you.

''Who was quiet?''

Narumiya was about to throw another pitch, but instead dropped the ball on the ground. He looked at you, his mouth wide open. ''(L-L-L/n)?!'' His hand trembled as he pointed at you.

''Yes, it's me. You look like you've seen a ghost, Narumiya.'' You were clearly fighting back a laugh. This was the first time Itsuki had ever seen you - and you did not match Narumiya's stories at all. You were beautiful.

Suddenly Itsuki understood why Narumiya paid so much attention to you.

''W-w-what are you doing here?!'' You had never shown any interest in baseball, yet here you are, standing on the field. You are wearing your track uniform - seems like you were in the middle of warming up.

''Oh, me?'' You pointed at yourself, acting like you were confused. ''Yes, you! Don't play dumb!'' At this point, Narumiya had stomped over to you - his pitching practice long forgotten.

''Oh, I'm here to see my little brother.''

''Huh?''

''You know. My little brother. The one who joined the team this year.''

''WHAT?''

Itsuki connected the dots. But for Narumiya, it seemed impossible. ''Who's your little brother?!'' ''...(L/n)? Do you not know your first years by name?'' ''No, I do not! Point them out for me!'' He grabbed your shoulders, turning you towards where all the first years were currently running.

You squinted your eyes trying to spot your younger brother in the crowd. When you finally did so, you raised your hand to point in that direction, and Narumiya desperately tried to follow your line of sight. ''Him, over there. The one with (hc) hair.'' ''That's one of our most promising rookies???!!!!!!''

He turned you around, shaking you around lightly. ''You claimed to know nothing about baseball! And now you are telling me that a super rookie is your little brother?!'' ''Did I claim that? Oops, I lied.'' You stuck your tongue out at him.

Narumiya's hands left your shoulders - slumping down. ''I can't believe you have lied to me all these years...''

You laughed. Oh, you laughed for a long time.

You had started the game of acting dumb because you enjoyed the reactions Narumiya gave you. And, because you wanted to kick him off his high horse - to you, it seemed like you were successful.

''I'm so hurt, (Y/n)!! How could you!'' Your laughter stopped. Did he not even notice that he called you by your first name? It was a stage you thought you could never reach.

''Mei-san, the coach will get angry at you if you don't get back to practice...'' The younger catcher tried to grab the ace's attention - who just continued sulking. Itsuki gave you an apologetic smile, but you just shook your head. You were used to Narumiya being like this.

Your little brother had noticed you and came to talk to you, but instead he was startled by their team's ace pitcher. ''You-! Why didn't you tell me that you were related to (Y/n)?!'' Narumiya had pointed at him, accusing him of withholding information. In truth, your little brother did not even know that you were ''friends'' with Narumiya Mei.

Sighing, you had flicked Narumiya's forehead. ''Don't drag my dear little brother into this. I was the one playing with you this whole time.'' Narumiya held his forehead, refusing to admit that it actually hurt, though his expression said otherwise.

''Then...as an apology, will you come to our next game?''

''I'd be happy to, Mei.''

#narumiya mei #narumiya mei x reader #mei narumiya #narumiya mei x you #diamond no ace #ace of diamond #daiya no ace #diamond no ace x reader

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toscrollperchancetomeme · 5 months ago

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Is there a life after IwtV Season 2?

So, Interview with the Vampire Season 2 is over, you have already rewatched it a dozen times and don’t know what to do with yourself?

Here’s a list of suggestions!

Read the books

I might be biased because I have been a fan since the early 2000s, but they are genuinely worth a read. A lot of people struggle especially with the first book, which I understand – but you can absolutely skip it and start right away with The Vampire Lestat! Especially The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned are a great read and they are what is coming up next in the show. A lot of the plot of QotD happens at the same time as The Vampire Lestat, so I expect that material from both books will come up in the next season.

If you have a brain that enjoys audio books, they are actually available for free on youtube (though the narrator pronounces Louis’ name wrong). The version on the commercial audio book platforms read by Simon Vance is better though, if that’s an option for you. :)

The books after that are very much a mixed bag, but they all have some great and some downright crazy stuff in them, because Anne Rice’s writing was pretty unhinged at times. It’s a ride, but imho one worth taking.

Watch reaction videos on YouTube

I think I have by now watched all reactions that are available. For me it really brings a lot of joy to relive the experience of a first-time watch by proxy. Some are frustrating because people talk over important dialogue, some hold genuine galaxy brain moments by people who know nothing of the material. I will not recommend anyone, because vibes vary for everyone, but I’m sure there’s a reactor out there that YOU will vibe with.

Watch other shows/movies with the actors

Did you know that “Talk Radio”, written by and starring Eric Bogosian is available in full on youtube? I haven’t watched it yet, but I hear it’s really good.

For Sam Reid, I can’t recommend “Lambs of God” highly enough, and I hear great things about The Newsreader, which I sadly can’t get my hands on at the moment. “Belle” is also a beautiful movie, but his part is rather small as far as I remember.

Then of course there’s Hotel Portofino for Assad (but I’m not yet that desperate).

I actually haven’t watched anything with Jacob Anderson except Game of Thrones, which I will NOT rewatch, so I’m happy for suggestions there!

Watch the movies that have been namedropped by Rolin Jones

Hedwig and the Angry Inch – a phenomenal movie and stage show in its own right. It’s fun, it’s beautiful, it’s queer as fuck, the music is excellent and it’s an absolute must-watch.

Rocky Horror Picture Show – honestly, if you have never seen this movie, what are you waiting for?

The Dirt – Rolin Jones has mentioned the book, but there was actually a pretty decent movie made about Mötley Crüe a few years ago, that I really enjoyed.

Also, I have seen Amadeus mentioned several times, I’m not sure if that came up in an interview but it’s an excellent movie and the parallels to the relationship between Lestat and Armand are definitely there.

Honorary mention: Fight Club, not because anyone has mentioned it but… the parallels warrant an essay that I might one day have to write. (Themes: Queerness of male on male violence, imaginary boyfriends, idealization of toxic masculinity)

Read the books from Rolin Jones' reading list

I have now spent 10 minutes googling for that interview where he lists the books he’s reading for Season 3, but can’t find it. Someone please drop it in the comments?

Learn French

Want to feel closer to your favorite actors? Why not go through the same hell as them and get bullied by the Duolingo owl while at it? ❤

Discord servers

I’m not active there right now, but I have found several fandom servers that seem like great communities.

Read Fanfic

Honestly the reason this is down here is because it’s so obvious. :)

Get creative

Write fanfic, draw fan art, roleplay, edit videos, make unhinged memes!

And always: Support the content creators!

Everytime I scroll the tag I see new creators entering the fandom and let me tell you, after almost 20 years of drought, I am overjoyed. Same goes for fic writers, youtube reactors and reviewers! Leave them a like, a comment or whatever is available on the platform they are using.

Edit:

Watch the musical!

I completely forgot! There’s a Lestat musical by Elton John. Yes, you read that right. This lovely YouTube account has full bootlegs for you to enjoy some camp broadway fun!

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #amc iwtv #iwtv amc #vampire chronicles #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire chronicles #fandom #rolin jones #hedwig and the angry inch #rocky horror picture show #the vampire lestat #queen of the damned #anne rice #the queen of the damned

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scarfacemarston · 10 months ago

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You seem to be one of the few who can admit to that parallel of Arthur leaving Eliza and Isaac behind ALSO makes Arthur a “bad” father as well. (although he obviously regrets it & there may have been reasons.) .

I know it isn’t that serious, and they are just fictional characters but there are some who act as if Arthur can do no wrong.

I adore them both , but they’re alike in so many ways.

I don't know if it's a media literacy thing or what. The parallels are there on purpose, and I don't think people pick them up OR they don't want to. I'm so sick of some of the fans who think Arthur is perfect. He's not. The literal point of the story is he is not perfect. People act like he is their perfect baby outlaw who just needs a hug uwu. I love fluff; give me all the hurt/comfort, hugs, kisses, everything. I believe Arthur would love that, but don't forget he is a grown-ass man. He is literally 36, yet people infantilize him. Do people realize they're not doing him a service as a complex character when this happens? He is a literal killer, and his first instinct would be to rob you. That is who Arthur is for most of his life, and it's only until later in the game that he changes. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't see the softer part; I'm just saying that people refuse to see the whole picture. They pick and choose what they want to see. We all do it.

About Isaac and Eliza: Yes, someone else made a GREAT post and I don't know if they would want me to give details about the post or their name because they could be targeted by the fandom, and I don't want that. But there was another great blog that brought up Eliza and Isaac, too, and I was so happy. I've been active in the fandom since RDR 2 came out. (But a fan longer than that) and it is only recently that I'm seeing a few posts about this.

Arthur is only marginally better than John with how he treats them. He brings them money, okay, how much? Is it enough for a single mother during this time period? I genuinely hope so. A child needs their father; how often did he see them? He was traveling to different states /regions quite often with the gang. Was it once a year, twice a year? More often than that? How does paying a bit of child support and occasionally dropping in THAT much better than John? I think he helps Jack and Abigail because of the guilt he feels towards how he treated Eliza and Isaac, and he is attempting to atone. It's just horribly sad it came too late.

On top of that, Arthur was a drunk for years. Hosea and Dutch both say this. I have all the audio files. There are plenty of files that talk about how the gang doesn't like it when he drinks. I've posted whole conversations where Dutch tells Arthur to stop going back to his drinking habit………………just like John.

You know who was considered an idiot like John? Arthur. People praise Arthur for being far more intelligent than people think he is - that's exactly how John should be perceived. People bash John for his intelligence yet joke light-heartedly about Arthur or defend him from the jokes. Yet Hosea and Dutch always talk about Arthur's intelligence.

You know who was considered a bit of a brute by the gang? Arthur. Arthur was considered a very angry, violent man. Hosea and Dutch are very clear on this. They mention how he'd use his fists rather than his smarts to talk about things. Who else is considered a very angry man? John. Who else used his anger to solve problems? John.

Arthur does not necessarily sound like a likable man at 26……………..Just like John. If we had a game set when Arthur was that age, we probably wouldn't like him as much.

There are parallels for sure, and I don't know if it's people who want to ignore it because they don't like John or if they don't see it.

#john marston #arthur morgan #rdr 2 #van der linde gang #hosea matthews #dutch van der linde

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cloveroctobers · 6 months ago

Text

BODYGUARD — VICTORIA HUGHES [Summer Writings]

A/N: where is the fandom on this site? Nowhere to be found and only on Twitter! Easily became my fav fem character of the series and would have loved at least ONE MORE SEASON. Would definitely watch if they decided to do a crisis one spin off in the future. Anyways Vic deserves all the love she can get and it’s a special month so here I am—if you catch my drift 😉

SYNOPSIS: life in DC has taken some time getting used to but thanks to having Travis by Vic’s side she manages—although she’s sure she would have figured it out regardless! Vic has begun navigating Crisis One on her own and being in charge of a team leads to her spending the weekend with a member Vic’s not entirely sure likes her but decides to push her pride aside through persuasion of her best friend…later bringing on further rejection?

WARNINGS: curse word dropped + fem reader has southern roots + a few OC’s added just for the purpose of this mini story + mentions of injuries and procedures & Travis still being Travis…

<- read my previous summer anthology fic here.

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~WASHINGTON, D.C.~

A few bruises, a very large angry mosquito bite, and the stench of a cigarette is the first thing Vic notices when she spots you looking out into the distance above the river. You’re not far from where your RV is parked along the growing grass and Vic snorts to herself, realizing that you weren’t bullshitting when you chatted about your ride/home down at the center. You were the first to show up before everyone else on the official start of crisis one (always on your electric scooter with a seat attached and a small wired basket in the back) tipping your, “bless your heart,” trucker hat in greeting along with a apple lollipop hanging in between your lips.

Granted the crisis one team would all receive their uniforms in due time but it certainly wasn’t what Hughes was expecting just based on your file and word of mouth from HR. Vic liked to say she handled herself well trying to work with this new team but there was something about the woman from Texas that liked to throw Vic for a loop.

“Just go over there and hint at the idea of spending some one on one time together,” Travis whispered to Vic who threw her hands up in the air in annoyance.

“We’re not even supposed to be down here! The event is back that way and I don’t even know why I let you talk me into taking a walk.”

Travis gave her a side eye, “hey, I stopped you from jamming a foam board over Duke’s head, you should be thanking me.”

Duke Conway was another member of Crisis One, a bit of a airhead surfer dude that came from a wealthy family that also helped fund this program. The event held vendors that showcased many programs over the state that didn’t mainly cater to mental health services but also just health in general. There were pamphlets, foods proven to uplift your health, demonstrations, games and even other various of activities for all sorts of ages! It was a beautiful scorching hot day out here at the recreation area that felt as big as Central Park! It also started off as a good day until Duke began blabbing to the others about how he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to purchase this new surf board on this salary (yes in DC!), purposely ignoring this elderly woman who wanted more information on crisis one.

That ticked Vic off since she always has a soft spot for the elderly, her personable trait coming into play as she assisted the woman, apologizing for Duke’s actions and answering most of her questions before Travis took over so Vic could tell Duke a thing or two. That of course led to Duke still being oblivious and Vic ready to flip on him since he’s done nothing but kick back and act as if this was some chill weekend outing.

Which led to Travis leaving the booth in Vic’s second or third in command—Travis always assumed it would be you and should be since you two seemed to work together best besides the few times you agree to disagree but instead it went to Duke’s cousin on his mother’s side, Arlington Wraith. Who was a bit of a classist snob but agreed with Vic on their cousin’s stupidity but felt they should be the only one that got to say it—despite Vic out ranking the both of them.

To cool off, Travis and Vic decided to take a walk and now Vic felt like maybe this wasn’t the best idea. The braided haired leader wasn’t sure where you ran off to since one minute you were there with the rest talking to a man that approached the vendor and then in the next you were yards away.

“Thanking you for what exactly?” Vic pulled her bottom lip into her mouth by her teeth, then used a finger to scratch at her scalp in confusion, “Trying to meddle with my love life?”

A freckled face Travis lolls his head around, “Vic it’s been how long since we’ve been in DC?”

Vic lifted her shoulders exasperated, “I dont care and I don’t need to constantly be in a relationship.”

“Who said anything about that?” Travis replied with a frown, “You two may just have sexual chemistry.”

Vic rolled her eyes at this, finding this statement to be so typical of her best friend.

“Again, been there and done that! And this isn’t even what this day is about. I’m supposed to be working and she should be too which means we should only have our heads in the game.”

Travis shrugged, “well maybe your head can be in her game.”

Vic twisted her face in disgust as Travis laughed to himself, “I can’t believe you just said that cringy garbage to me and if you want to be horny—save it until one of your late nights down at those clubs you spend twelve hours in, it’s like you think we’re in Europe or something.”

“Hey, I’m single and like to have fun.” Travis argued with his hands raised.

Vic mumbled, “Yeah that’s your problem.”

Travis fires back, “And your problem is not being laid enough.”

Vic pinched the space in between her brows, “Travis…I love you truly and i broke my celibacy a while ago and still chose to focus on my work even after that but we’re older now. Supposed to be smarter even! I’m pretty sure I’ve had this conversation with you before but I think I’m ready for more than just a lay again. I’ve worked so hard to be here and sure of myself and I want to share that along with having an endless love that lasts until I’m ready to kick the bucket.”

Travis softens his teasing as he reaches to grip Vic’s shoulders and then caressing them, “that’s sweet and I love that for you but how do you expect that to happen if you don’t take another leap of faith with someone that’s right in front of your face?”

“Again!” Vic yells, “Did the whole dating a co-worker and someone that works in the same field as me.”

Travis nods his head knowing of Vic’s dating history, “fair but you’re the one that thinks she doesn’t like you…and you could at least try to be friends since it’s actually nice having someone in your corner in the work place. I mean hey look at us! So go over there and just try.”

“You’re acting as if I’m some kid at the park that’s scared to go play with the other kids or something.”

“Well I think you are honestly,” Travis states making Vic raise her brows in disbelief, “it’s just you and I out here and I know someday will be the day where you’ll want to build a family—outside of me—with someone else and she might be the answer to that.”

Travis didn’t mean that in the sense of having children since he was sure that really wasn’t in Vic’s cards. She liked being the cool aunt to Maya and Carina’s kids and basically being the godmother to Pru, who she shared conversations with every other day but a family didn’t always have to mean producing children, it could be with the people you already surrounded yourself with.

“What exactly am I even going to say? It looks like she’s in deep thought along the horizon and I’m not sure I want to disrupt that.” Vic makes excuses now, molding her lips together as she awkwardly swayed her hands back and forth.

Travis gives her shoulders a shake, “you’re Vic Hughes…I’m sure you’ll manage,” before he circles around Vic to lightly shove her in the direction of a potential love interest, “I can confirm that they also identify as queer.”

Vic whipped around to face her best friend who grins at her, “how? What? That doesn’t automatically mean—

“Sure it doesn’t but I didn’t exactly get the chance to ask if you’re her type.”

“Uh, I’m glad you didn’t! You’re so embarrassing.”

“That’s my job. Now shoo!”

Vic glares at Travis who sends her a thumbs up in encouragement. Turning to face where you stood, it appears that you’re now facing in their direction, watching their exchange but Vic isn’t sure for how long. You pluck the cigarette forward, leaving Vic to pause and shake her head as she now charges forward to stomp it out.

“Seriously?” She holds her hands down at the stomped out lipstick covered cigarette.

Your hands goes to your hips as you await for Vic to get closer, “what?”

“Not only are you killing the environment but also your lungs and possibly other organs, you do realize that don’t you?”

“Sorry mom,” you respond while Vic rolls her eyes.

Vic fans the air before taking an inhale, “What’re you doing all the way out here instead of you know, helping back at the vendor?”

You blink, “it’s actually my day off but I pushed myself to be there since I’ve been parked out here for awhile.”

“What?” Vic looks off to the side in thought, “I don’t remember that on the schedule.”

You joke, “ah, forgot all about me as soon as Duke and Arlington showed up instead huh?”

“Yeah because they give me ulcers.”

You chuckle, “And what do I give you?”

“Hmm…Second-hand smoke?”

“That’s my first one in six months!”

Vic folds her arms, “You’re right, I remember you saying that you quit so that adds more to my disappointment.”

“Oh no, what will I ever do without the approval of Victoria Hughes?”

“Okay, I’m the only one that gets to be sarcastic here.” The brown eyed woman points, leadership kicking in just a bit.

“It was more snark but—

“Whatever! I’m here to ask about your well-being.”

You stare at Vic then, “You don’t need to do that.”

“I know I don’t but if everything doesn’t flow right then I need to check on the state of my team to make sure that it does and I can tell you’re not exactly thrilled about that but…you’re on my team.”

Watch this curveball, “Right…and you’re deflecting from what you really came over here to ask me.”

“Excuse me?”

You’re waving your hand about now, “You and Travis really know how to use your outside voices so…go on ask me already.”

Vic blinks rapidly and tightens her crossed arms as she studies your shell of a face with a clear of her throat, “I don’t even know what you’re taking about I—okay.” She exhaled before continuing, “Would you like to go on a date or hangout with me sometime…even though I’m not sure you even want to be bothered with me?”

“Wow you’re really selling it,” you snort, “what’s the matter, been out the streets that long?”

“Okay, never mind. Screw this.” Vic whips around, ready to walk away until you speak again.

“I would have said no anyway.”

Vic halts and turns back around, arms still crossed as she sways from one leg to the other as the sun burned the back of her bare arms, “What was that?”

You shake your head with your eyes closed, “And not because I don’t like you or find you unattractive because that would be a huge lie. I’d say no considering I also put in time off because I’m getting surgery.”

Vic frowns for another reason now and not just at the rejection although her mind is still spinning, “oh…is everything alright?”

“Cataract surgery…I know that’s usually an older person’s problem but I beat the odds.” You unconsciously rub at your blurry eye, “They said it’s a mixture of genetics but mainly from trauma—

Vic exhales, “from that call we received a month ago? You mean to tell me you’ve been dealing with this since then? You were cleared, I saw that paperwork.”

Vic remembered that day, witnessing you double over after a schizophrenic patient rammed a pen right into your eye. The patient was calm until you turned back around to assist with wheeling them out of the home. Everyone seemed to miss checking the pockets of her robe, where a pen with a frog top was pulled and aimed right at an off guard version of you.

It felt careless and stupid and most of the team knew this. Errors were meant to be made and it should have been one of the first things they checked after securing her but it was a small pen that held quite the damage.

You nod, “yeah guess I wasn’t as cured as they thought. It’s only in that eye so it’ll take less amount of time.”

“When is it?”

“Thursday.”

“And you’re working up until that time?”

“Yup.”

“Well send me the information so I can check up on you.” Vic holds out her phone while you take it with a curious stare.

“This a way to get my phone number?”

“I can get it anyways,” Vic honestly answers, “but i also want the details…you do have someone looking in on you afterwards right?”

You shrug, not wanting to get too personal, “I’ve got Uber and Limbo.”

“Uh…limbo?”

“My ferret.”

Vic says, “You have a ferret…of course you do, you live in a freaking RV!”

You laugh as you send a text to your own phone, listing the details in the message before handing it back over to grab your own phone to send a thumbs up emoji, “if this is your idea of a date you’re more of an oddball than I am.”

“This isn’t a date! It’s simply checking in.”

“After I told you that I’m going to be preparing myself to get my eye scrapped like nails on a chalkboard.”

“I did not need that mental image.” Vic winces.

“I know,” you smirk.

“Are you nervous about it?”

“Do I seem nervous?” You question.

Vic does that thing where she talks fast but in this circumstance was to hide the fact that she may or may not being caring in different ways about you, “Some people tend to hide their emotions better than others so I can’t exactly tell.”

You lift your shoulders, “not really afraid of a little surgery but I’m open to you holding my hand later…if that’s not crossing a line that is.”

“It is crossing many since I’m essentially the head of crisis one but I was also the one who approached you about going on a date or hang out.” Vic exhales in realization that this was basically another pattern that she ultimately wanted to avoid.

Yet here Vic was acting up in the summer time with the stamp of approval from a best friend who still hasn’t gotten their own love life together.

Funny stuff, really.

You reminded, “Which I sorta rejected.”

“Until a later date.” Vic added.

“Until a later date,” you echo meeting Vic’s eyes, “…for now do you want a shot of whiskey? I’ve got some of the best in my humble abode…and don’t worry I’ll bring it out to you to avoid any other problems.”

Vic emphasized, “We’re on the job…”

“You’re on the job.”

“And you’re about to get me into a world of trouble aren’t you?” Vic laughs with her head thrown back, somewhat scared but excited to jump into what’s to come.

There’s a glint in your eye at that as you step even closer to Vic now who feels like she should be breathing regularly but knows that she’s not, “you’ll learn to love it if you haven’t already, Victoria Hughes…so? What do you say?”

She inhales with a pretty smile, “I say sure, I’ll take a shot but just one. I don’t know much about how you Texans get down.”

“I’ll teach you.” You wink, which makes Vic’s belly flutter.

“I have no doubts about that.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“…I’m gonna walk away now so you don’t kiss me.”

Vic scoffs but her face is tight with humor,“Please get over yourself.”

You walk backwards to your RV, “Never, it’s what makes you so fascinated with me.”

“Oh god…I didn’t realize your head was so abnormally big!”

“With the brains to match.”

Vic pushed her lips out not even mad at that comeback, “…Alright I’ll let you have that one.”

You hum with another wink, leaving Vic for a few moments while Vic peers down at her phone at the text message, adding a name to match the number. When she glances over her shoulder, Travis is nowhere to be found—which actually makes Vic relieved until the creaking of your door hits her ears.

Down the steps you go, making your way back to Vic with your baggy ripped shorts, holding two shots of brown. Vic carefully takes it and holds it out to the center, “what are we toasting to?”

“Better beginnings?”

Victoria nods with crinkles by her eyes, “Better beginnings.”

“Should I be cheesy and say, together?”

“Please don’t.” Vic groans, “I’ve had enough corny for today.”

“Noted.”

They clink their glasses as you tell, “make sure you make eye contact or it won’t seal the deal.”

“So you’re superstitious?” Vic makes a mental note of that.

“To a certain extent but it’s common courtesy.”

“Fine.” Vic comments with a sigh as they briefly break eye contact to place their glasses to their lips before holding each others stares again.

One winces while the other grins, “to better beginnings.”

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Continue with my summer anthology writings & prompts here.

#station 19 #summer writing #station 19 abc #victoria hughes #vic hughes #travis montgomery #Victoria Hughes x f reader #Vic Hughes x reader #Vic Hughes x f! reader #queued #Spotify #barrett doss #travic

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