#Also his last name is Quirke which feels like a cruel joke from the people who named him - because Val is...strange from the get go
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Note
Tell me about Val and Rui! They have fun names :)
Thanks Lano! Interesting choices! And interesting reason for picking them, since both of them have caused me some form of 'naming agony' ANYWAY
Val Quirke When writing Val (or Valen - I flip flop on whether I want to stick with the short form or not), one of the biggest things that I try to keep in mind is that Val Knows Things and is constantly trying to course correct when his plans are knocked askew by other characters exerting their free will and derailing things they don't know about.
Val thinks that he's objective about any situation, even though he isn't, which can lead to the justification of actions that can definitely be read as very petty on his part. He's got his own agenda that neither quite adheres to the plot of Miadhachain Legacy nor necessarily makes sense to other characters. Despite the way that I keep saying that Val has plans and his own agenda he is not 'cold and calculated' in his actions (I mean, calculated? Yes. Sort of.); choices he makes hurt him, they hurt the people he cares about and he hates it. But he's also very much 'the ends justify the means' because this poor guy is a side character playing a seven dimensional cosmic game of Go against the universe, all while trying to maintain the facade that he is a Normal Human Being and not a godly consciousness trapped in human form.
Not that I really plan to give Val a POV chapter, but if he ever gets one, I definitely want to try to make it feel off in a hard to pin down way.
Desai, Rui I feel like I talk about Rui a lot. ...Maybe I just think about him a lot.
Rui is a middle child and first-generation immigrant; he's used to being overlooked and under estimated; he's used to having to do more just to be considered equal to others. He's also hyper-aware of the way that people perceive him and will use this to his advantage to keep them off balance.
When I write Rui's dialogue, his phrasing and formality indicates his state of mind - if he's stopped using contractions, it's a bad sign: he's uncomfortable, he's mad, he's upset etc. and is hiding it all behind a veneer of Proper Language.
Word count challenge: 215 words for Run, Runaway Challenge words to date: 1,241
#I actually find Val extremely intimidating to get on the page the way he is in my head#Val's 'naming agony' mostly comes from how I can't decide whether I'm sticking with 'Val' or 'Valen' as his in-text name#in dialogue he's called either depending on who's speaking to him but in exposition? I dunno which I'm keeping#Also his last name is Quirke which feels like a cruel joke from the people who named him - because Val is...strange from the get go#Newborn Val was left in an angel cradle/foundling wheel and was named by social workers#Rui's 'naming agony' comes from the odd fact that he's got a Chinese given name and a surname that the internet tells me is Indian#Which isn't a huge problem given that neither China nor India exist in the novel he's in but it does make for a bit of a mismatch#Though I think I've made it work :P#it does drive me a little batty that I can't tag Rui with his surname first in posts though because of tag formatting
1 note
·
View note
Text
msby boys finding out their s/o is pregnant
navi | masterlist | taglist
thank you to anon for this wholesome request
content warning ♡ pregnant! reader, sexual references, swearing & fluff
characters ♡ sakusa, atsumu, bokuto & hinata
kiyoomi sakusa
♡ he faltered
♡ there was half a minute of silence between the two of you; him just staring at your stomach while you gazed into his eyes
♡ he was almost certain that he misheard you, so he felt inclined to inquire, ‘huh?’ as indifferently as he could, though he wasn’t doing a good job of concealing the shocked expression on his face
♡ ‘i said i’m pregnant, sweetie.’ you giggled, admiring the emotions he displayed on his face as it wasn’t a sight you got to see often
♡ sakusa continued to stare at you, eyes wide
♡ though he knew what you meant, apart of him insisted that he was mishearing you
♡ his wide-eyes were fixated on you, his lips slightly agape as he tried to process what you just said and what this meant for the both of you
♡ the only emotion you could read of his face was shock. at first, you were sure that he was happy but he was just taking a while to accept it, but now that a few minutes had passed and he was still yet to say anything or even smile, you were starting to second guess yourself
♡ despite the fact sakusa had already agreed that he was on board with the idea of having a child many times before - in fact, there were nights where he’d admit that he can’t wait to start a family with you - but you still worried that perhaps he has now that had a change of heart
♡ that was until you noticed his eyes become unusually glossy and red, along with his cheeks adapting a somewhat red tint, ‘if this is a joke, (y/n), it’s not funny.’ his ordinary, monotone voice was now slightly shaky and low
♡ ‘it’s not a joke, ‘iyoomi.’ you laughed, feeling your own throat go dry and your cheek flare up upon seeing how emotional sakusa had become
♡ before the tears spilled from your eyes, you felt sakusa’s arms slowly snake around your waist, place an elongated kiss on your forehead then rest his chin on your shoulder
♡ he held you close enough that you could feel his rapid heartbeat thud against your chest and his wobbly breath tickle the back of your neck
♡ he stayed like that, silent, for a good few minutes
♡ when he finally pulled away to admire your stomach, you noticed how his damp cheeks glistened in the light and you couldn’t help but smile
♡ although he wasn’t very vocal about how happy he was, his actions spoke a thousand words
♡ he’d insist in home-cooking all your food now because he didn’t want to risk you getting food poisoning
♡ when he’d come home from practise, absolutely exhausted, the first thing he’d do when he gets home is wash his hands then cut you some fruit
♡ when he has free-time, he used to just watch TV but now he’s picked up a few hobbies of reading childcare books, tending to your every need/want and researching good baby names
♡ also, he’s so gentle with you - like, he was gentle with you before but this is a new extreme
♡ excluding the time he almost tackled you to the ground when you suggested atsumu as a baby name
♡ like he baby-proofs the house like a month into your pregnancy lmao
kōtarō bokuto
♡ the corners of his lips slowly curl into a bright smile, ‘pregnant?’
♡ you cocked your head to the side slightly, then hummed, ‘yeah. pregnant.’
♡ ‘like..with a kid?’
♡ you snorted, playfully rolling your eyes, ‘i’d hope so.’
♡ ‘like..with my kid?’
♡ ‘our kid - but yes.’
♡ a while passed and he had yet to do anything besides stare at you in pure adoration so you prompted him by opening your arms
♡ to which he immediately responded by throwing himself onto you, ‘I’m gonna be a dad?! like seriously?!’
♡ luckily you were sitting on your bed so you fell back onto that but you were still being smothered by his chest
♡ ‘bo!’ you squealed and squirmed under his weight and tight grip, glad that he was as cheery as you had hoped but not appreciating being suffocated
♡ he suddenly pulled away but kept his large hands glued to your shoulders, revealing the tears that were already streaming down his cheeks and dampened your shirt, ‘really?!’
♡ ‘yes, bokuto. i am 100% pregnant.’ you declared for the final time before bokuto cupped your face with his hands and pulled you in to a passionate kiss, not stopping until your lips were basically swollen
♡ he’s just so hyped during the first few days of your pregnancy and he’s just super duper ready to become a dad!
♡ like he’s already practising his dad jokes
♡ but then you remind him that he’s gonna have to wait around 9 months before he can actually see his baby and his hair literally deflates
♡ ugh how rude of you
♡ can you not like...make it grow faster?? please??
♡ once you explain to him that’s not how babies work, he kinda accepts it and just focuses his attention on you
♡ he kinda does some research on babies/pregnancy but not prior, he just does a quick google search when he needs to
♡ but the intention is definitely there bc he googles the most trivial of things like ‘what to make pregnegant ppl for breakfast?’
♡ ‘what do pragnant ppl need from the supermarket?’
♡ ‘can my pregenunt wife have peanut butter?’
♡ ‘how to spell preaignant’
atsumu miya
♡ DEEP denial
♡ he thinks you are playing a prank on him bc you don’t ‘look pregnant’
♡ even when you show him your positive pregnancy test he’s like ‘and how much did that cost?’
♡ he deadass acts as if he wasn’t the one who’s been trying to get you pregnant and raving on about how much he wants a family with you for the last few months
♡ but he just doesn’t want to believe you bc he know he’ll get way too happy for his own good and he’s afraid to be let down
♡ plus, it was one of those ‘a blessing of this magnitude couldn’t have happened to me - of all people - so this is probably either a cruel joke or a hallucination.’ moments
♡ he’s just so far gone that after your eleventh attempt at trying to convince him that you’re pregnant for real, you just give up
♡ so y’all just go around your business somewhat normally - except atsumu was more skittery - until your baby bump started to become more prominent
♡ one day, he came back from practise, noticed your bump and pulled you into the most passionate, heartfelt kiss before placing a gentle kiss upon your stomach, a buoyant grin gracing his features
♡ though he doesn’t say much since he is at a loss for words, he mutters a few sweet nothings into your ear as he carries you to the bedroom
♡ for a joke, he pretends to be gutted if you’re libido production decrease but really, he couldn’t care less
♡ but if it increases tho-
♡ expect him to take full advantage of that
♡ also, if he didn’t already treat you like his goddess, he does now
♡ work has moved down his list of priorities and you + his baby are now at number one
♡ usually he keeps his phone on silent/stuffs it into his bag while he is practising but now he insists on keeping it on full volume, out on the bench, just in case you call him for an emergency
♡ same goes for texts; he will literally stop mid-set to rush over to his phone if he hears it vibrate
♡ bokuto thinks it’s sweet but the rest of them get pretty annoyed of his antics quite quickly but whenever they try to call him out on it, he’s like ‘is your wife 6 months pregnant? no! i didn’t think so. i should be on paternity leave right now so be glad i’m blessing you with my presence.’
shōyō hinata
♡ he cannot stop thanking you
♡ as if you’re doing him a favour, which - depending on how you view it - you are
♡ he’s literally on his knees with his hands clasped together, tears of joy streaming down his face as he looks up at you in pure adoration, ‘thank you, (y/n)!’
♡ you tilted your head to the side and stared at him with a perplexed expression, ‘you’re welcome?’
♡ it’s a while before he moves from that position but when he does, it’s only so he can press his ear against your stomach to see if he can hear the baby
♡ ‘shō, i don’t think it’s body has even formed ye--’
♡ ‘shh! it’s speaking to me.’ he chuckled then proceeded to squeeze his eyes shut, intensely listening to whatever the baby had to say
♡ you quirked a brow, waiting for him to finish and once he did, he sprung to his feet and threw his arms over your shoulders to pull you in for a hug - in which he had to stop himself from squeezing you too tightly in fear of hurting you, as if pregnancy meant that your bones were now made of glass
♡ he’s just so happy that you agreed to bear his children 🙏
♡ also, seeing how excited you were to tell him about your pregnancy really prompted him to step up his husband-game
♡ from now on, he loads the dishwasher, does both of your laundry, cleans the house on his own and cooks most of the food
♡ he acts as if being pregnant means you are no longer able to do basic tasks but his real motive behind doing these things was not only to take the pressure off of you but to also prepare himself for father life 👍
♡ also, to prepare him for shopping for his kids’ clothes, he goes out and buys you maternity wear
♡ he does this like...3 weeks into your pregnancy though so the clothes just sit and catch dust until a few months later when you actually need them
♡ and although he is a bit of a pain to go stroller/pram shopping with (he just says buy whichever one goes the fastest), you let him take the reins when it came to buying/preparing the baby’s room and it came out beautiful!
♡ like the cradle was good quality and firm, the rug wouldn’t irritate the baby’s skin, the walls were painted expertly and the plushies/toys he picked out - unbeknownst to you at the time - kept the baby entertained for ages
♡ oh and no matter what day/week/month you are in of pregnancy, he will always look at you and your bump with the same amazement and gratitude as he did the first time you told him
#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu!!#haikyuu fluff#sakusa x reader#sakusa fluff#atsumu headcanons#atsumu fluff#atsumu hcs#atsumu x gender neutral reader#atsumu x reader#hinata fluff#hq hinata#hinata x you#hinata x reader#shoyo headcanons#bokuto fluff#bokuto x reader#hq bokuto#bokuto x you#msby sakusa#sakusa headcanons#sakusa x you#sakusa x y/n#sakusa hcs#hq atsumu#msbyshoyo#👾fluff
845 notes
·
View notes
Text
the bones (2,847 words) (1/1)
(an introspective on jason grace. kind of?)
read here on ao3 or read below the cut!
jason falls in love with the human equivalent of a forest fire
(his mother fell in love with the sky itself)
jason grace grew up being told that his destiny was very, very simple.
his first and most important mission, handed down to him from lady juno and mother lupa, was that jason was destined to save rome. that his destiny lay with new rome and camp jupiter, a new romulus to lead the pack to greatness. he would spill so much blood in new rome’s name that the little tiber would overflow and the gods would crown him with a golden laurel made from monster ichor.
he would be everything everyone else needed.
a spear for the senate, a shield for new rome, a standard to replace the one that had been lost, a sword for the gods to wield, and another pack member for lupa. he would be the perfect soldier, a demigod fashioned by two god-mothers for the simple act of being a weapon.
his second duty was that jason was to be nothing like his father.
his father, evil, unpredictable, selfish and cruel, was to be jason’s antithesis. lady juno stressed this, as did the senate, as did his praetors (though praetor saville jason eventually killed in battle, so jason doesn’t take her words to heart anymore). jason was never, ever to be like his father. all sons of jupiter before him were either driven insane or were killed, and jason’s great destiny could not afford for him to do either of those things.
‘hubris’ lady juno once told him, while going through his latin lessons in the damp cold of the den (or wolf house, as she called it), ‘is the thing that kills sons of jupiter’.
so jason was to never be prideful, but at the same time, never to believe he was inferior. he was to be subservient but never meek, he was to be a capable fighter but never violent. he was to be kind but not a pushover. open but not flirtatious.
he was to be perfect. he could not afford anything else.
then he, in the span of a few months, murdered his prateor after finding out she was a traitor, watched his friend be assaulted by a family legacy of prophetic visions which turned him into a paranoid asshole, watched his other friend assume a leadership role, one which he tried to refuse, and fought an army, killed a titan and toppled kronos’ black throne.
he also became praetor and then was promptly kidnapped by lady juno, leaving said other friend with all the responsibility.
then any and all plans the gods had for him were ruined by a daughter of aphrodite with eyes like the earth and a son of hephaestus with a smile like war.
how could jason be the perfect soldier when his loyalties no longer lay with new rome? he loved his home, he loved his siblings-in-arms, he loved the legion-
he loved leo and piper more than the breath in his lungs, than the sky and earth and more than his destiny. he loved them enough to try and find whatever scraps of himself he had. to create something they could love too.
(heracles killed himself after accidentally killing his family. love killed him in the end)
and so, jason failed in his first mission. he could no longer put new rome above them, above camp half-blood.
jason doesn’t think becoming his father is an option for him, however. his father is prideful and arrogant and his father's likeness, he will eventually learn, belongs only to his prodigal sister.
and so, jason grace finds his last name, a family he never knew, friends he could die for and an empty cabin that seemed less lonely with leo or piper in it.
then they went on a quest, leo built a ship and they all set sail to stop gaia from rising.
then jason lost leo, then jason lost everything, then jason lost himself and then lost piper-
and, in the middle of winter, leo valdez came crashing down on a metal dragon with eyes like a nuclear explosion and teeth made for tearing meat from bone, or tearing jason’s heart from his chest.
and then jason found himself again in the space between the junction between leo valdez's fourth and fifth ribs.
leo valdez is a lot of things. he’s a son of hephaestus and a complete asshole. he’s the first child of hephaestus to be born with the ability to create and control fire in over 400 years. he’s a 5’4ft guy who wears platformed boots to make himself seem taller. he’s so powerful that he obliterated gaia. he’s a genius. he thinks spraying axe bodyspray on himself is the same as a shower. he overworks himself even when he doesn’t have to. he can fight gods and go toe-to-toe with any big three kid and hold his own. he likes to survive on a diet of mango monster energy and takis. he's obnoxious. he's thoughtful. he makes mean-spirited jokes at other people's expense. he's the best person jason's ever met
he’s-
currently late for their date.
It’s not that jason minds, per se, but leo has a nasty habit of getting so completely lost in his work that he can plan a date for the next day, and jason won’t see him for at least three days. it’s one of the downsides of being the trophy boyfriend of a genius.
jason sighs and rocks back on his heels, eyes darting up to the grey, overcast sky. he can almost hear leo in his head, asking if he could pretty please make it less goddamn cold? and his pout when jason refuses to change the weather for him.
it's not that jason won't. it's just that he can't. it makes aeolus snappy.
sometimes he still does it. manipulates the air currents just enough to warm the air around them and leo smiles, a real one, small and soft. like it wasn't meant to be seen. a secret thing, just for jason.
jason doesn't see leo smile like that often.
it's mid-february in new york and jason is kicking around central park in the grey mid-day light. it's quiet, this part of the park, with barely anyone passing jason as he leans against a tree, wet dew dripping into his unstyled hair. it's cold, but not cold enough for a freeze or snow. just the right amount of cold to turn your hands numb and purple from cold
which. if you've never seen leo 'was raised in texas and has fire powers' valdez in new york snow, jason fully believes you've never lived.
he spends another 30 minutes splitting his time from staring into space and wandering around the meeting spot they've arranged. it's peaceful here. jason can even hear some birds twittering and chirping in the trees above. the cold even stops bothering him. jason likes being alone sometimes.
it reminds him of the lupercal and lupa. long days and nights in the loneliness of the redwood forest. just him and the wolves and the stars.
though now jason has sturdy boots and a wool jacket, so not exactly the same.
he's in the middle of trying to coax a timid sparrow onto the hand, crouched on the balls of his feet when he feels a presence beside him. he goes stiff when he realises and then, like all the tension has been zapped out of him, goes relaxed again.
"that," leo whispers, also crouched beside jason, "is one fat fucking bird"
jason represses a grin, "don't say that. he's probably barely eaten all winter," and leo snorts, moving closer to jason so their shoulders brush. the bird regards leo with some caution but his black, beady eyes seem to acknowledge that jason would keep him safe.
"he looks better fed than me, jace. do you care more about this bird than your own poor boyfriend?" leo says, faux-sadness in his voice, "how cruel, jason grace. how cruel".
jason turns in time to see leo shake his head, black curls wild around his face as they shudder like leaves in the wind. his eyes are dark brown, watching the bird watch leo. a staring contest.
leo says his name like no one else does. like it's a name. like it's good. like it's something familiar and warm. he does not say 'jason' and imagine a great hero or a wolf-boy with no past. he does not say 'grace' like a joke, like grasp for power, like it carries too much weight for his tongue to bare.
he says it like it belongs to jason. he says it like it's important. not too fast, but not too slow.
leo turns his head to find jason staring at him.
"jason" he calls, lips quirking up at the edge, pulling out the 'o' like toffee, "i know i'm pretty irresistible but please, keep your longing stares for the bedroom"
jason shoves up against leo's shoulder, blush bursting across his already red-cold face.
he pushes just slightly too hard and leo goes spilling across the wet grass, yelping in surprise.
"jason!" he yells, looking up at jason half shocked and half in amusement. "what the fuck, dude!"
jason can't help himself.
leo is wearing jason's hoodie, the black one mrs.blofis picked out for jason which leo claimed as his own even before they started dating. his new denim, fur-lined jacket (from the hide of the nemean lion they killed last year) is just slightly too big and he's wearing black jeans. he looks like the college freshman he is. he looks mortal.
he looks human. he has leaves in his hair and his cheeks are flushed from the cold, teeth showing through the toothy smile he's giving and-
it's uncanny, sometimes, how well they can pass for normal. you almost can't tell leo's died and come back to life. you almost can't tell he's more powerful than any living mortal.
almost.
jason falls on top of leo in the wet grass, which causes leo to yelp, again, and knee jason in the stomach.
jason groans "dude, what the hades was that for?" and he rolls of leo, onto the wet grass beside him, arms protectively covering his bruised stomach.
"you fell directly on top of me, you big lug," and leo sits up, picking a leaf out of his curls absentmindedly, "if you haven't noticed, you're like a bean-pole with muscle mass. that shit hurts!"
jason pouts up at leo, who manages to look both unimpressed and fond. he rolls his eyes and offers his hand to jason, who accepts and leo hauls him into a sitting position in front of him
"hi, leo" jason says finally, "you're late"
"i'm not late, loser, you're just a nerd and get places earlier than normal people. its super weird," leo tells him, matter-of-factly, scooting closer to him as they sit on the ground. "you should really get it checked. might be terminal nerdiness. the glasses are just the first sign"
jason raises an eyebrow, curviving over said glasses. "i didn't know it could be terminal. oh well, guess i'll just wither away and die from being punctual. what an injust life i lead. how the sorrows never end"
leo pouts, eyes sparking with enough warmth to keep out the cold for decades to come, "don't be so down about it, I hear being a nerd has perks,"
jason moves closer, so his knees are half-pulled up to his chest and he's balancing his weight on his hand. leo fits perfectly in the bracket of his arms.
"oh? do tell?" he asks, and leo is close enough that jason can see the faint freckles on his cheeks. they're fading from how far away leo has been from the sun, but jason loves them anyways.
"yup," leo says, popping the p and smiling like the cat who got the cream. "do you know that all nerds get super hot and funny and sexy boyfriends? as compensation for being such nerds, of course"
jason pulls back his head a bit, just as leo laces his arms around his shoulders, "really?" and his voice is soft, but the smile won't disappear from his lips, "wow, didn't know that. guess I'm lucky that you're such a huge nerd or-"
leo kisses him like coming home. and in a way it is.
jason has known many homes. he's known the small apartment with his mother that smelt like spilt wine and smoke and mold. he's known the lupercal and the redwood forests around it. he's known the barracks at camp jupiter and the feeling of purpose in his chest. he's known cabin 1 and cabin 9 and bunker 9 and on the back of festus and on the argo. he's known the feeling of reyna laughing as he tells her wild stories and of the fifth cohort raising him on their shields. he's known lying in leo's private room with piper and leo, listening to low music and feeling safe with just them.
but the one person who jason has felt like home since they met was leo. his high ground through the tsunami. his parachute during a plane crash. the one point of home. like the north-star.
jason smiles into the kiss, his free hand tangling itself in the rough fabric of leo's dark blue denim jacket. it's soft and chaste, more a press of warm lips than anything. it's comforting. it's familiar. it's everything he wants.
leo pulls back a bit, just far enough to speak but still close enough that his breath brushes up against jason's cold face. "hi," he says, brushing his nose against his, "missed you, bro".
jason snorts, "i missed you too, leo, how's MIT treating you?"
"like i'm it's bitch is how it's treating me," leo tells him, slumping slightly into jason, forehead against jason's. "can we not talk about college? i think if we talk about college I might start crying and then our date will be ruined"
jason pulls back a bit to look at leo. he does look more tired than usual, eye-bags darker and lips bitten from nervousness. he frowns, using his free hand to cup his face. "are you okay? we can just go back to your dorm if you're too tired-"
"ugh, no way" leo groans, "fuck that. i just wanna spend time with you, okay? i wanna be mushy and all that gay shit. i want bad food and to kiss you again and again and do more than kissing-"
jason rolls his eyes.
"-and then go back to mrs.blofis apartment and watch really bad movies you like for some reason and then i'll go to sleep beside you and it'll be gay and shit"
"gay and shit?"
"gay and shit, you better believe it grace. but first-"
and leo untangles himself from jason and stands up, brushing the dirt from his knees leaving jason frowning on the floor.
he offers out his hand, brown skin calloused from work, long, thin fingers curled slightly as the palm faced upwards.
"c'mon, super, treat your louis lane to some greasy new york food before he decides batman has better pay"
jason is so, so lucky he got leo valdez. that the fates decides to make sure that his destiny crosses leo's. that he convinced leo valdez to let down his walls, to stay, that jason wouldn't leave him like the others, or hurt him or betray him.
that jason was in it for as long as leo wanted him to be. that jason only wanted leo to say his name, wanted to give it to leo because leo's the only one who's mouth jason trusts with it. that jason wanted to give leo his past. wanted to show him and tell him where he got each scar.
he trusts leo with this. he trusts leo's hands to not burn it all to ash. because he knows that if leo wanted to, he could. he could burn jason alive with a thought. turn him to ash and glass with a flick of his hand.
jason has fallen in love with a nuclear bomb, with a supernova of a boy and jason doesn't care if it kills him, because he has spent so long pretending to be what everyone else needed, that now he was going to be who he wanted to be. even if it got him killed. even if it burned him alive.
jason grace has fallen in love with the human version of a forest fire. he should be afraid of it, of leo. he is not. he never will be.
beryl grace fell in love with the sky itself. wanted all the stars in heaven and didn't care what happened to her. as long as she knew she had the stars attention. as long as she knew the sky loved her back.
as long as he knew the fire loved him back.
he takes his hand.
66 notes
·
View notes
Text
small(ish) bkg-centric drabble vaguely inspired by sif’s fic and featuring one of my discarded ocs from blackugou!! open below to keep reading some bamf bkg!
before i get started on the drabble let met give y’all some context about the oc, as his quirk plays a pretty important role in the drabble!! his name is hioki, and he’s in class 1-b. his quirk allows him to project the memories of a person he’s touching into the mind of another person he’s touching. so if he’s holding two people’s hands, he can project memories of the first person into the second person’s head. the sharing of memories involves of not only visuals, but also what the person was feeling at the time; touch, noise, smell, emotions. they project the memory as if the viewer is experiencing it themselves.
hioki does not have to view the memories he’s projecting to other people. he can view them too if he wants, but he can also just project them from one person’s mind into the other’s without having to experience any of it himself.
okay so that’s my oc, let’s get into it!!
tws for vomit, and what could (??) be construed as a panic attack? i’ll tag it just in case. this revolves around kamino, but there’s not too much detail about it. this drabble is… kind of not monoma friendly. people had some pretty strong emotions about it in the server. but he’s not a completely shitty person, and i personally did not write him to be a terrible character; he’s just annoying :’) katsuki is pretty ooc here too, but it’s based off another hc i have (that i’ll be posting sometime soon hsfsdf)
-
it’s lunchtime, and all the students are piled into the cafeteria. once again, there’s a small crowd forming in the center of the big hall, where monoma has once again decided to start taunting 1-a, mainly bakugou. the onlookers are a mix between annoyed at the disturbance and vaguely amused by monoma’s shenanigans. hioki stands at the side, watching with vague irritation. this is somewhat of a daily occurrence, though, so he doesn’t bother interfering. after all, if there’s one thing bakugou is known to hate, it’s people trying to help him.
it takes all of five minutes before monoma makes his first obligatory kamino comment. katsuki stiffens, the way he always does, but to his credit does nothing more than glare at his katsudon venomously. they all wait for monoma to finish, but the guy is laying it on thick today. normally it’s just one or two jabs about bakugou’s being pathetic, or weak, or the cause of all might’s end. whatever, there’s always something. but today he’s brutal, getting personal and downright cruel with his comments. he seems to focus in on the topic of kamino today, seeming to sense bakugou’s bad mood and increasingly furious eyes.
as it goes on, bakugou grows tenser, eyes darkening with something a little unfamiliar that sets the surrounding students on edge. kirishima and the others are already trying to shove monoma away, some of them patting at bakugou’s shoulders in useless attempts to soothe him. bakugou is too busy staring monoma down to even bat their hands away, which speaks volumes of his anger.
he stares for a long time, watches as monoma rambles on carelessly. it’s a little unnerving, because by now he’d be yelling. fuck, if it was anyone else, they’d probably be crying by now with how mean monoma is being. but bakugou, uncharacteristically, just stares.
then, so smoothly most of the surrounding students miss it, katsuki’s gaze snaps to hioki’s. said student flinches back at the intensity of the stare, and bakugou just looks at him like he’s dissecting him mentally. then, he opens his mouth. “hioki, right?” he says, words quiet but still managing to cut through monoma’s impassioned rantings like a hot knife through butter.
monoma falters.
katsuki’s lips slowly, ever so subtly, twist up into a predatory smirk that has hioki recoiling instantly.
“u-um.” hioki says.
katsuki sits up in his seat slightly, abandoning the food he’d been prodding at.
“you’ve got an interesting quirk… hioki-kun."
hioki swallows.
monoma, who stands forgotten at the side, looks baffled and somewhat disconcerted at the smile that’s slowly stretching across katsuki’s face. the entire cafeteria has hushed down by now at this new development.
normally, monoma’s interactions with bakugou are easy. annoying at worst, entertaining at best. typically a mixture of the two. monoma pokes, bakugou snarls, the cycle keeps going.
this, however.
this is new.
"say, hioki-kun. would you lend us your quirk for a moment?” bakugou asks. his voice is quiet, musing, and absolutely terrifying in its gentleness. hioki opens his mouth, before closing it again.
bakugou katsuki knows his name, and his quirk, too? they’ve never talked a day in their lives. as far as hioki’s concerned, bakugou’s never even looked in his direction. the guy can’t even remember his own friends’ names on a good day. and yet here he is, looking at hioki with a placid smile, asking for his quirk.
“i-um. what?” hioki says. his voice cracks rather embarrassingly. no one laughs. (they don’t blame him for his fear.)
even bakugou’s own friends have backed off at this point, watching the trio in muted apprehension. the blonde just chuckles softly.
“no, it’s just. monoma seemed so very adamant that he could fare better than me in the real world.” he stresses the word out with an exaggerated pout, turning sharp eyes to monoma, who shrinks back slightly. “and hioki-kun’s quirk seems… very convenient. that is, if you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is?”
monoma seems to consider this for a moment, looking completely out of his depths in this new situation. he knows how to deal with an irritable bakugou, a grumpy one, a furious one. but a calm one? he’s lost.
nonetheless, the clear challenge in bakugou’s tone has him puffing his chest out in indignance. “what, like it’d be hard?” he jeers, stepping forward. “come on, hioki, let’s get this over with!"
he holds his hand out roughly in the other’s direction, narrowed eyes glued to katsuki’s serenely twinkling ones.
"i-i really don’t think-” hioki stutters, looking between the two of them desperately as if waiting for one of them to announce that this is all a big joke.
neither of them do.
“would you, hioki-kun?” bakugou asks kindly, extending a hand to the other, palm upturned in waiting. “you don’t have to, of course. but it would be… ah. entertaining, for lack of a better word.”
monoma seems to grow even more irate at the indirect jab. hioki helplessly steps up to place each of his hands in one of the others’ waiting ones.
“monoma.” bakugou says, eyes going cold and smile fading slightly. “i’m giving you a last chance to back out. don’t embarrass yourself more than you already have.” his words are serious this time, devoid of any of the light humour that had been lacing them the previous few minutes.
monoma, ever the stubborn mule, just scoffs. "calm down, you delinquent. acting so superior, as if we haven’t faced hardships like you.“
bakugou tilts his head slightly, examining the other.
then, he shrugs.
"okay. hioki-kun, if you would?”
hioki nods hastily, hands already sweating in their grasps. the entire cafeteria watches, rapt, as his eyes close and his hands start to glow a faint, silvery blue.
“oh, and hioki-kun? i think it’d be best if you didn’t witness these ones.” bakugou murmurs, eyes already slipping shut. hioki, palms already clammy and trembling slightly, doesn’t question how the blonde seems to know his quirk in such explicit detail. instead, he just nods again.
“okay.” he whispers. the blue turns stronger, until their connected hands glow a bright white, veins visible behind illuminated skin. the room goes pin-drop silent. they watch as bakugou sits, eyes shut and expression serene. monoma is frowning, brows furrowed and lips twisted in a petulant scowl.
they watch as the white grows brighter, and brighter still.
they watch as monoma’s scowl drops, free hand clenching against his side.
as his expression flickers, twisting into something unreadable and ugly.
then, unmistakably, his breath hitches.
his mouth opens slightly, sucking in a ragged, shallow breath. poor hioki’s hand is turning red under his quickly tightening grip as monoma’s entire body seems to curl forward slightly.
the entire time, bakugou sits. expression unchanging, small, bitter smile still lingering on his face.
monoma’s breathing picks up further, closed eyes scrunching and expression twisting further into sheer terror. his free hand is clenched so tightly in his pant leg that his fingers are turning white.
bakugou’s eyes slip open finally. he watches monoma’s trembling form with detached coolness, eyes gleaming with a silvery sheen that signals the workings of hioki’s quirk. “i think that’s enough, hioki-kun.” he says finally, voice impossibly soft. “thank you.”
the glow of their hands fades away, but monoma doesn’t stop trembling. his breaths are coming in reedy gasps at this point, lips curled back to bare his teeth in a picture of sheer terror as he curls into himself.
bakugou just watches, eyes still glinting with slowly-fading flecks of white. slowly, he lifts his hand from hioki’s and picks up the milk carton at his table. he sips from it idly, leaning back to watch monoma’s still-heaving form with an unreadable expression.
it seems that lunch rush had at some point and reported the disturbance to the teachers, because it’s at this point that a teacher finally storms in.
vlad king pushes to the center of the throng. "what is going on here?“ he demands, before his eyes fall on monoma’s shaking figure.
"what happened to him?"
he turns around, scanning the crowd before his eyes land on katsuki, who’s still watching monoma boredly as he sips at his milk.
"what happened?” he demands again. “someone answer me. monoma, what’s wrong?” he turns to his student, whose rasping breaths are growing louder progressively, and touches his shoulder. at the contact, monoma’s entire body jolts away, eyes finally snapping open with wild panic.
then, the entire student body and vlad king watch with bated breath as monoma jerks away, turns around, and throws up over his own shoes.
vlad king curses loudly, turning back to katsuki. the blonde just blinks at him placidly, and the teacher growls, before his eyes fall on a wide-eyed hioki who still stands in the centre of the circle. “hioki. explain.” he says sharply. hioki sucks in a fearful breath.
“um. monoma was. he was teasing bakugou-kun. and then bakugou-kun asked me to, uh. use my quirk. on the two of them. i don’t know what exactly he showed monoma, though.”
he wrings his fingers anxiously, as they turn their attention back to a retching monoma. vlad king turns to stare at bakugou sharply.
“you.” he says furiously. “principal’s office. now. i hope your little game was worth it.”
the blonde seems wholly unbothered.
“it very much was, thank you sensei.” he responds, smiling cheerfully as he pushes from his seat and brushes past vlad king out the cafeteria, still holding his milk carton.
#i didn't want to add the ending here?#bc it's already so long#and it devolved int a mixture of crack and monoma redemption?#but very badly done#and when i say badly done i mean worse than this shit ^^#anyways :|#bunny's drabbles
208 notes
·
View notes
Text
you make me go uwu
pairing: midoriya izuku x reader
genre: fluff, angst
tags: inspired by the song uwu by chevy
a/n: i'm just projecting my izuku feels and me literally going soft whenever i see his chubby face in the manga ang going uwu over it, also i still have a christmas hangover so sorry if you don't celebrate that or not fond of it! hearts, reblogs & feedbacks are greatly appreciated 💗
midoriya izuku is a lot of things.
he's one of the best students at UA and was quite known to be a reckless person who never thinks twice about helping someone. his knack for breaking his bones was a testament to that fact.
he's no doubt going to be one of the best pro heroes out there soon, with a big heart, a kind soul, and a courageous spirit.
midoriya izuku is a lot of things and possessing such cute, squishable cheeks is one of them. or more likely, being cute is one of them.
this thought occured to you when he offered to help you in one of the classes you're having trouble with. being at such close proximity made you aware of just how green his eyes are and when the sunlight hits them just right, they look like beautiful gems. or how he always seem to mutter under his breath when he's thinking too hard, or how his right leg would unconsciously shift to you like he wanted to get closer.
but one of the things you noticed the most, is his cheeks while he puffs them out of frustration.
he's gonna give me a heart attack one of these days with how cute he is
incident #1
you were currently at the cafeteria, sitting at a table with the dekusquad (kaminari came up with it, izuku claimed their little group don't have a name) which consists of ochaco, shouto, tenya, and izuku.
everything is going well, the group had already bought their food and are now digging in after a collective, “itadakimasu!”
you just had the most fortunate opportunity to sit in front if izuku, of all people, who is too busy eating.
he paused for a moment to answer iida's question who's beside him and it made his cheeks bloated with the food inside.
you choked on your drink because you just felt your heart swell with how cute he looks. it almost reminded you of a hamster.
shouto who is sitting on your left, gave you a concerned look and offered you his water.
“are you okay, l/n-san?” his question made izuku turn to you both, you felt your cheeks heat up when he looked at you while looking like that.
“i-i'm fine, thanks.” you took the water from him and gulped it down to clear your throat, and cool your nerves.
“you should chew your food properly when eating or else you'll choke!” iida scolded, waving his hands in a chopping motion you all grew to be familiar with.
“s-sorry...” you can't help but scratch at your nape in embarrassment.
incident #2
“midoriya, you're up.” aizawa called one afternoon on another day of training.
the rest of class 1-a stood back while izuku stepped in front. this was another one of aizawa's endurance training and one of the challenges was to beat a bunch of the robots from the entrance exam once again. how he can call this endurance training, you don't know.
“SMAAAAASH!” you heard izuku yell, tearing through what was once a robot and turning it into scraps of metal.
he did this to the other robots and he landed on his feet with a very serious look that instead of making him look intimidating, it actually made him look more adorable.
“he's like an angry bunny–” you cut yourself off with a hand on your mouth as you laughed quietly, another flush blossoming on your cheeks.
“i know right?! look how cute he is, but he's scary when he shows how strong he is like that.” mina added, looking at izuku who's walking towards the both of you now.
you immediately composed yourself when his eyes landed on you.
“y/n! are you okay? your face is all red! are you sick? do you need to go to recovery girl? shall i take you to her? what if you're overheating?! it's so hot out and your hero costume's probably too heavy–” he began to ramble and you can only stare at him with wide eyes as he continued with his wild thoughts.
quickly dismissing him with a hand on his mouth as everyone started to look at the two of you, izuku stared down at it and felt flustered at how soft your hand felt on his lips.
he's practially kissing your palm, do you even register what you're doing to him?!
“shh! i'm fine! it's just...you're so–” you were about to tell him that he's just so damn cute but you were called by aizawa.
“uh, i gotta go! see ya later!” you scrambled away from him, heart beating fast inside your chest.
that was close.
incident #3
“hey, y/n? can i ask you a favor?” you looked up from your phone when izuku approached you on the dorm's common room.
worry is written all over his face as he fumbled with his fingers, thinking about you being too busy even though you're literally on your phone all day.
there he goes again.
before he can overthink more, you smiled at him warmly and stood up from your seat.
“sure, what's up?”
izuku gulped, “well, uh, i was thinking of a gift to give to someone but i, um, don't know if they'll like it? i kinda, um, need your opinion on it, if that's okay?”
he stared at you with big doe eyes and you can't help but swoon when he looks at you like that. of course, how can you say no to that face? he looks like he'd cry any moment if you denied him.
“alright! what gift did you get for this particular someone?” you teased, nudging his side.
he led the two of you to his room, which isn't the first time since it became a usual thing for the two of you to study together there or simply hang out and talk about your problems, about what you did that day, rambling about your favorite heroes...basically this has became your second room. and your's his.
“um, i got them this,” he opened his bedside drawer and pulled out a small box. inside it, he revealed a beautiful necklace with a letter D as a pendant.
“it's for ‘deku’ which sounds kind of cheesy since it's my hero name, but i just thought that if i gave it to them then that means i'm with them wherever they are,” he reached for something inside his shirt, showing you an identical looking necklace with a familiar letter on it.
you don't want to assume things, but whoever is this particular someone that izuku is going to give the necklace to, they sure are one lucky person. not only is he kind, thoughtful, caring, and not to mention cute, but they'd be lucky to have someone like izuku fall for them.
ignoring the sudden pang of hurt in your chest, you forced a smile on your mouth and cooed at him.
“aww, that is so cute, izu! i'm sure they would love that very much. i know i would! if they don't, you can just always give it to me,” you joked, laughing to mask your hurt.
“r-really? you think so?” when you nodded in response, izuku heaved a big sigh of relief, “well, i trust you, y/n. i'm sure they would love this.”
after that, you excused yourself out of his room and proceeded to go to yours. sleep didn't come to you easily that night, thinking about the special someone that izuku was talking about and how much it would hurt once you saw them together.
over the years you spent being his friend, you never thought you would harbor such deep, intense feelings for the green-haired boy. you don't doubt he has great things ahead of him, and because of that, you started to like him for how strong he is and how he continues to be a better hero, and an overall a great person. that awe soon turn to adoration. and before you knew it, you're falling hard for izuku.
last incident
it's christmas, and the day before, aizawa had made all of you draw lots for your secret santas. your heart stopped when you saw izuku's name on the paper you pulled from the bowl.
you didn't think too much of it and decided to give him something all might-related and called it a day, still a little sour over izuku falling for someone else.
when the dreaded day came, everybody was so chaotic and high on their holiday spirits. even bakugou, which they convinced to wear a santa hat and haul the gifts in a bag. although, he still had a big scowl on his face and basically threw the gifts to their designated owners.
“shitty hair!” bakugou barked, pulling out a gift from the bag. kirishima hopped over to where bakugou was sitting and accepted the gift with a big smile on his face.
“whoa, bakugou! you're my secret santa?!” he asked in shock, eyes shining.
“it does says my name there, doesn't it, idiot? now hurry up and open your gift already,” kirishima did just that and bursted into tears when his gift was a crimson riot themed crocs. he thanked bakugou over and over while the latter hid his smile poorly with a cough.
“whatever. dunce face! you're next!” he practically threw kaminari's gift to him which the boy almost failed to catch, earning him a snigger from the explosive boy.
“man, why do you gotta be the santa for christmas? you're cruel!” kaminari pouted, turning around to go back to where he was squished in between sero and mineta.
“you got a problem with that, dunce face?!” he growled, his palms crackling with his quirk. kirishima tried to diffuse his anger.
when everything is calm, bakugou proceeded to dig into the bag for gifts.
“here, you shitty nerd.” he tossed your gift to izuku, you almost yelped a ‘be careful!’ but izuku had great reflexes and caught your gift swiftly. his eyes widened when he read who his secret santa was. your eyes met each other but was abruptly cut off when bakugou called your name.
“y/n! here's yours,” he was oddly calm when handing you your gift, albeit a little bored.
that received a lot of complaints from your other classmates and you can only shake your head while chuckling at their antics.
deciding to get some time for yourself, you went to the balcony for some air and sat down on one of the steps at the entrance.
placing the gift on your lap, you read the tag attached to it. it was wrapped in a simple green wrapper with red ribbon that finished the look.
to: y/n
happy holidays!
from: D
the name made you curious and even if you hated yourself for it, lit a sparkle of hope inside yourself. what if it was him who gave you the gift?
you had no time to dwell much on the thought and opened the gift instead. your breath hitched in your throat as you recognized the familiar box. lifting the lid with shaky hands, you felt your eyes sting as you looked down at your gift.
it was the necklace that izuku showed you before. you were such an idiot for thinking it was for someone special and did not think it was for the secret santa.
you carefully lifted it in your fingers and the light from the inside catched the D attached to it. it was beautiful. izuku's words echoed inside your head.
“i just thought that if i gave it to them then that means i'm with them wherever they are,”
“did you...not like it?” the boy in question appeared beside you and upon noticing your tears on your face, he immediately thought it gave a negative effect.
gasping, you quickly wiped away your tears and shook your head wildly at him.
“izu, no! i-i love it! actually, it's kinda funny...”
“funny?” he tilted his head in confusion, concern still etched onto his face.
“i was sad that you care a lot about someone else to give them this wonderful gift. i didn't realize that you would give something like this...to me,” you laughed through your tears, sniffling a bit.
“why would you think that?” his voice is so soft and genuinely confused that you can't help but feel your heart beat even more, and fall for him harder than you should.
“because,” you think of a way to word your feelings better but instead what came out was, “you're you and i'm...me,”
it was stupid, but with the overflowing emotions you're feeling right now, it's hard to voice your emotions.
izuku huffed, his cheeks puffing up once again because of the action.
“what do you mean by that? i mean, you're the most amazing person i've ever met! and you're always there for me when i'm sad, and happy and-and...whenever i'm with you, i always feel this...this...warmth! it's like, when you come home after a long day and you just felt safe and comforted. or-or when my mom cooks my favorite food it just makes me feel fuzzy inside! it's like when i watch my favorite video of all might over and over again and i never get tired of it,” he sighed after his long speech, eyebrows furrowing into a frown as he stared at you with determination.
“what i'm getting at is...i care a lot about you, y/n.” he let out in one breath. he stared up at you with big eyes, those damn eyes that never failed to make your heart jump and stomach do flips.
chuckling at yourself, you raised both of your hands and squeezed his cheeks with all your might making him yelp in pain.
“ow! y/n...” he whined.
“sorry, sorry! i've always wanted to do that!” you snorted.
“i care a lot about you, too, izu–” he suddenly kissed the corner of your mouth, making you shut up in shock. he had a smirk on his lips, amused by your reaction.
“i've always wanted to do that,” he threw your words back at you. feeling your whole face heat up, you turned your back towards him and held out your hand holding the necklace.
“whatever! just help me put this on, will you?” you felt his hands take the necklace from your grasp. you shivered when you felt the cold metal touch your skin but it was quickly replaced by his warm hands.
“there.” he mumbled, voice far too close to your ear. before you can thank him, you felt his lips brush your nape where the lock was and squealed from the contact.
the idiot only laughed at this and ushered you to stand up, helping you to your feet.
“let's go back inside, i heard they prepared a lot of food today.”
without thinking, izuku grabbed your hand and led you inside the dorm. you could only let him drag you as you stared at your joined hands, playing with the necklace hanging on your neck before staring back up at izuku who's smiling at you.
he's the best gift that you could ever ask for.
#💫.izuku midoriya#bnha fanfiction#bnha fluff#bnha izuku#izuku midoriya x reader#izuku midoriya x y/n#izuku midoriya#my hero academia fanfiction#my hero academia#tarou writes 🌹
99 notes
·
View notes
Text
Cruel Summer, Part 3
cruel summer masterlist
AN: I’m really sorry I like posting at 1AM, I guess? Same warnings apply. Drinking, swearing, sexual frustration. Excited to hear what you think about this one...
There are nice neighborhoods in Wendlyn. There are suburbs with sprawling lawns and white picket fences and wraparound porches and two car garages. But Rowan has never seen anything like the Ashryver’s Terrasen summer estate. It took him a full fifteen minutes just to walk up the driveway. He supposed he could have parked on the driveway – he sees most everyone else has, but he’s certain his loud clunker of a truck would have only marred the view.
The house is stunning. It sits on top of a stony cliff that overlooks the North Sea. He cranes his neck up, taking in the mansion. It looks as if it’s four stories tall, and each window has its own personal balcony. The front door is wide open, so he walks through, admiring the high ceilinged foyer. His flip flops clop across the beautiful black and white marble floor, echoing loudly with each step, making him feel more and more self-conscious.
He’s already running extremely late. It took him forever to decide what to wear. Stupid, he knows. But he’s fucking nervous. He’s never been to a party like this. With people like this. He ultimately decided on a t-shirt and board shorts and flip flops – it was a pool party, right? But as he looks around the back patio, at the caterers and full bar, Rowan’s not sure he made the right choice. He looks over his shoulder, desperate for some reassurance from the girl he brought with him for moral support, but can only gape, horrified.
His roommate Manon, has taken off her leather jacket and revealed her outfit underneath – an oversized band t-shirt she’s wearing like a dress, which… barely reaches the tops of her thighs. He knows the t-shirt well, and though it promotes the Beastie Boys innocently on the front, he knows when she turns around, in large yellow block letters it will read: GET OFF MY DICK.
“Fucking A, Man. Put your jacket back on. That is so not appropriate. We’re at my boss’s house.”
Manon flicks a piece of lint off her shirt with her long black polished nails and narrows her eyes at Rowan. “Maybe if we hadn’t just walked four hundred miles down the driveway I wouldn’t be so fucking hot.” She smiles, baring her white teeth from under her dark lipstick. “Anyway, no one’s going to care soon. It’s open bar.”
“I don’t know why I asked you to come to this,” Rowan sighs, running his fingers through his hair. This was a bad idea. Manon isn’t exactly… work friendly, he thinks, as he takes in the ferocious-looking dragon tattoo that wraps itself around her forearm and disappears up her shirtsleeve.
“You couldn’t bear the thought of leaving me alone,” Manon coos, batting her heavily lined eyes at him. “Despite my many protests.”
“You’re a pain in my ass.”
“Don’t fucking slander me like that, Whitethorn. You know I’m the best you’ve ever had.” Manon winks. It’s a joke between them. They’ve lived together now for two years. Manon saved him after a particularly terrible run of bad roommates, and they’ve been cohabitating since. He made the mistake of telling her she was the best roommate he’d ever had one night, and she’s been taunting him about it ever since. Manon loves being the best.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the best I’ve ever had.” Rowan blows her a kiss, and she pretends to catch it and throw it back at him. He clutches his heart, wounded from her rejection. Though it’s par for the course with the two of them.
A throat clears loudly, and they both turn. Rowan’s boss stands with the one person he wanted to work himself up to seeing today. Aelin looks just as good as she did the last time Rowan saw her — if not better, all warm sun-kissed skin and long wavy hair in an ethereal white dress. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes glint with fire. Rowan’s beginning to think that’s just their natural state.
“Lorcan!” Rowan, stutters, unprepared.
Lorcan’s lips tug into a small smirk as his eyes slide over to Aelin. “Aelin, I wanted to introduce you to—”
“Rowan Whitethorn,” Aelin drawls his name and holds out her hand out to shake his.
“I guess your connections came through,” Rowan says with a smile, but it’s not returned, and Rowan feels self-conscious again as he pulls his hand back.
There’s an awkward pause as Rowan wonders what the hell to say next. Aelin doesn’t seem interested in continuing a conversation, and Lorcan isn’t exactly the most amicable guy in the world.
Aelin’s eyes narrow and turn to the girl on Rowan’s right. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”
“What?” Completely flustered, Rowan’s forgotten that Manon is beside him. Manon looks at him, annoyed. “Oh. Uh, yeah.” He shrugs. “Sorry. This is Manon.”
“I’ve just been standing here the whole time, you asshole,” Manon chides, and Rowan sends her a warning glare, but she smiles widely and ignores him, holding her hand out to shake hands with Aelin.
“Manon Blackbeak. Thank you so much for having me.” Though Manon sounds sincere, Rowan knows Manon is being anything but. She’s going to be mocking him about this party for days.
Aelin returns her handshake, and gasps upon seeing Manon’s nails — intricate black and white designs on long talon like shapes. Manon says they’re coffin shaped. Because that’s apparently a thing. Rowan shudders. Manon’s nails are the one thing about her that truly frighten him.
“Oh, I love your nails,” Aelin says, admiring them thoroughly. “But it’s such a shame you’ve broken two of them.”
Manon’s amber eyes flash with glee as she gives Aelin a practically feral grin. “Oh, sweetheart, those aren’t broken. I keep those two short on purpose, so I don’t hurt pretty things like you.”
“Jesus, Manon,” Rowan barks out, blushing for Aelin. Watching Manon flirt with the girl he’s had his eye on is enough to send him into an early grave. Rowan scans Aelin’s face for any signs of offense. He doesn’t see any, but feels the need to apologize for his roommate, regardless. “I’m so sorry for her. Honestly.”
Aelin looks confused, her eyes darting between Manon and Rowan at a rapid pace. “…I don’t get it,” Aelin admits, and Manon is about to explain when Rowan cuts her off.
“It’s better that way.”
Manon rolls her eyes and twists her long platinum hair over her shoulder. She preens, admiring her manicure and picks off a nonexistent hangnail before looking back at Aelin. “Something you should know about Rowan is that he’s absolutely no fun.”
“So it seems,” Aelin says, her brow furrowed. Aelin’s demeanor changes in an instant again, giving them a terse smile. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Manon. And to officially meet you, Rowan. Enjoy the party.” And with a flounce of her skirt, she’s gone.
As Rowan watches Aelin disappear back into her house —
“What’s the story there?” Manon asks. “You piss in her cereal or something?” Rowan quirks an eyebrow at Manon, and she laughs. “That girl does not like you.”
Rowan crosses his arms defensively. “Why would she not like me? I’m very likable.”
Manon poked a sharp talon into his arm. “That’s debateable. Regardless, I know you did something.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Rowan can feel the anger swirling around his stomach. There was some fundamental reflex to being disliked that always got the better of Rowan. It wasn’t that he had a compulsive need to be liked, but — okay, maybe it was that a little bit. But also, he hadn’t done anything wrong. And why was he so damn upset about being blown off by a person he’d spoken to just a handful of times?
Lorcan snorts as he finally pipes up. “Aelin’s a handful. Steer clear that drama.”
It’s the most candid Rowan has ever heard Lorcan ever be, so he nods, taking in his warning. Though he’s not a hundred percent sure he’s going to adhere to it.
“Let’s get drinks,” Rowan suggests and Manon follows him willingly. Drinks are definitely an idea she can get behind.
Rowan meets up at the bar with the rest of the Cadre — that’s what the group of his coworkers has named their text thread. He’s not exactly close with any of them yet, but it was nice to be added to the group chat. Fenrys and Gavriel are already wet from the pool and the twins, Connell and Vaughan, pass around beers to everyone.
Rowan’s taken his first swig of beer when he realizes he’s lost Manon along the way. He finds her mid-conversation with Elide, one of the other Playland managers. Rowan isn’t super familiar with the petite girl, and he’s shocked to see that his roommate is.
“You found a friend,” Rowan says, handing a beer to Manon.
“Manon was my Resident Advisor my freshman year at University of Terrasen. Can you believe that?” Elide squeals. “She was the absolute coolest. She always let me sleep on her couch when my roommate kicked me out for slutty sleepovers.” Elide leans into Manon’s side, and Rowan expects the cold, white-haired girl to shake her off, but she doesn’t. She shocks the hell out of Rowan and wraps her arm around Elide’s shoulders and squeezes her, looking down at her with a fond smile. A small pang of jealousy blooms in Rowan’s stomach. He didn’t expect Manon to have her own friends at this party. She was here to be his support. Which he obviously, desperately needs. He’s floundering here.
As Rowan tunes in and out of Elide and Manon’s conversation, giving the appropriate mhms and wows, his eyes wander the patio, searching for the blonde who disappeared on him earlier. He can’t shake her dismissal. He wants to talk to her. Know what’s behind those blue and gold eyes of hers. Know why the hell she walked away from him. He spots her by the pool. She’s reemerged from the house with her hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing only a white bathing suit and freshly painted bright red lips. Rowan can’t help but stare as she slowly makes her way into the pool, the water rising until it hits right at her chest. It’d be indecent if the swimsuit weren’t so modes. The girl certainly knows how to command attention.
“Rowan.” Manon snaps her long claws in front of his face.
“Hm?” Rowan brings his attention back to his evilly grinning roommate.
“I asked if you wanted to get into the pool,” Manon says, her eyebrow raised.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Manon raises up onto her tiptoes and whispers into Rowan’s ear. “Think she’d be down for a threesome? She is fire.”
Rowan’s cheeks heat as he pushes Manon away. “Stop that.”
Manon grins. “But you’re so easy to rile up.”
Rowan finds a free chair for their things and strips off his t-shirt, and Manon does the same. He sighs upon seeing Manon’s black mesh strappy bikini, which looks more like lingerie than swimwear, showing off the artwork inked all over her body. Not that he can talk. He has his own tattoo, which runs up his chest and down his back.
As they make their way towards the pool, Rowan pauses. Aelin is in the pool with another man. He’s pale with floppy brown hair, and Rowan can tell he’s a rich kid just by looking at him. Their hands are all over each other. Aelin smiles and lets him kiss her cheek as she hoists herself onto his back.
“Uh ohhh,” Manon drawls. “Looks like Barbie’s already got herself a Ken.”
Rowan elbows her in the ribs. Perhaps a little harder than intended. Manon scowls at him. “I’m never taking you as a wingman anywhere ever again,” Rowan grits out.
“Ahah! So you admit it. I am here as a wingman because you have a crush on the boss’s daughter.”
Rowan flicks his pine green eyes at Manon. He doesn’t have to confirm anything. Manon has figured him out. So what? He thought Aelin was cute, and yeah, he thought maybe today would be a good opportunity to talk to her again. Get to know her a little better. Maybe start a friendship. Maybe more. Who knows? But it looks like that’s not in the cards. The dismissal was her way of letting him down easy. She’s already involved. Whatever. It’s better this way, Rowan thinks to himself. This way he won’t put his job at risk. Or his heart. It’s fine. He doesn’t know anything about the girl other than how good she looks in a bathing suit. He’ll get over it. He’s sure of it.
Except he doesn’t. The rest of the day is torture. Aelin avoids his gaze, shifting away from him at every opportunity. And it drives him absolutely insane. She splashes around the pool with her cohort, whose name he overhears is Dorian. He swears if he hears her shout out “Dor!” with unbridled affection one more time, he’s going to crack his teeth by how hard he’s grinding them. He tries to distract himself by racing with the Cadre, who’ve taken up the entire deep end, but he tires quickly.
Water-logged and exhausted from the sun, Rowan pulls himself out of the pool. He leaves Manon in Elide’s company and tells her he’s going for a walk. Rowan needs to clear his head. He grabs another beer and heads down the walkway to the beach. There’s something about the salt air and the sand that soothes him. Rowan walks a ways down, admiring the row of mega mansions that overlooks the water, though he can’t help but feel like even more of an outsider than he already is. He does not belong in this neighborhood. By the time Rowan makes his way back to the Ashryvers’ the sun is halfway dipped into the horizon, and dusk is upon them.
He finds a side gate to the house and makes his way through it, surprised that it leads to a beautiful rose garden. Vines crawl and wind themselves around arched trellises creating a magical canopy of flowers. His mom would love this garden. He sits to take a picture for her when the garden lights turn on, lighting the flowers with delicate twinkle lights, giving the garden an ethereal glow.
Rowan’s phone buzzes with a text from Manon. People are leaving. Where u at, bitch?
He laughs to himself and texts her back quickly. Be right there. Just paused to take a pic.
Loser.
Rowan ignores Manon’s reply and snaps another photo of the garden. He wishes he had his real camera and not just his camera phone to capture the light of the garden, but he thinks he manages to take an okay snap of the lit roses with the fading sun over the ocean in the background.
He’s about to head back to the patio when he hears a voice from overhead call out, “Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?”
He looks up, and sure enough, Aelin is dramatically leaning over her balcony, hand placed over her brow, as if she were searching through the crowds for her paramour.
Rowan is positive she doesn’t see him in the dusky twilight, so he chuckles somewhat loudly and gives her a short wave to get her attention.
Aelin straightens up immediately, her posture suddenly rigid with tension. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t see anyone out here.”
“I figured,” Rowan says, running his hands through his hair, a nervous habit of his. He spots a silhouetted shadow emerging from behind Aelin and smiles sadly. “By the way, I think your Romeo is behind you.”
Confused, Aelin turns, and sure enough Dorian appears next to her. He pulls her into his arms, and Rowan’s heart gives a small sad tug as he watches Dorian spin Aelin and lower her into a low dip. His footsteps feels heavy as he walks away and hears her peals of laughter ring out into the slowly encroaching darkness.
~*~*~*~*~
let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters – ask me HERE
tag list:
@thewayshedreamed
@b00kworm
@alifletcher2012
@aknymph
@the-third-me
@mymultiversee
@superspiritfestival
@empress-ofbloodshed
@http-itsrebecca
@queen-of-glass
@but-she-was-aelin-galathynius
@westofmoon
@rowaelinforeverworld
@iliketoasterstrudels
@bamchickawowow
@hizqueen4life
@faerie-queen-fireheart
@giorgia-the-trashpanda
#aelin x rowan#rowaelin#rowan whitethorn#rowaelin fanfic#throne of glass#throne of glass fanfiction#throne of glass fanfic#aelin galythinius#cruel summer au#amusement park au#lorcan salvaterre#elide lochan#manon blackbeak#rowaelin fanfiction#charincharge writes#tog fanfic
204 notes
·
View notes
Text
@thotsforvillainrights
Honestly, he was starting to think that people were suicidal or completely dumb and worthless.... more than he thought already.
He was a man that was feared by most on the underworld. Hell, even speaking his name gave others a chill. He was known of being the most cruel, cold and merciless man of all the universe of the yakusas, his quirk even helping him on his reputation that screamed on his masked face "DANGER".
Yet there were those imbeciles deprived of brain cells and wish for living flirting openly with his companion? Right on his front no less?
Seriously, this entire world was sick. They needed a cure, quickly.
You were a simple and honest kind of person. Mever requesting neither taking advantage of his surroundings or his position like he thought you were on the start. And this only egged him even more on wanting to give you the most of luxuries and goods of a rich life.
Even if the yakusa was in need of money... he still had some savings that he refused to spend on anything last other than you. And come on, he could steal from a minor and incompetent amateur gang at any time, so what is even the waste?
The way you flushed pink, tried to deny due to the price of the thing he brought to you was just simply flattering. The sign made him half smirk evertime behind his mask.
So today's new thing was a trustful restaurant which the Shie Hassaikai had the power over it. The way you looked up and down at the place in astonishment like a little kid entering on a playground for the first time was simply like seing a angel for the first time.
Well, things dont always go in the way we expected. He learned that from a very young age but wouldn't make a fuss about it.... most of the time.
But that son of a bitch? Right there? He was going to torture if he let out even one more flirtatious look. He was tired of giving him any chances.
"This place is great Kai! You sure is not a bother to bring me here?" You spoke, snapping him out of his furious and murderous glare at the worker who just keeps glancing now at then. The disgusting even crossed faces along with him and gulped thick air.
"Kai?" You said worriedly, tilting your head a bit as he sighed out loud and straightened his back a bit.
"Is not. Since this place own us a big amount of money and are in our possession, then it wont even cost us a single pea. They are repaying a portion of their debt, so it doesn't matter." You made a understatement sound as you circled with your finger the hem of the glass.
He smirked at that, the sign of you so vulnerable and so his. Everyone could see that. Sincee he wasn't the type of a man to hook up with anyone neither to get out much, you were evidently his to anyone who looked. So why exactly there were those people that just oh so enjoyed playing with fire?
"Mind if I take the order now?"
Speaking of trash...
"Oh! Sure!" You gave the waiter a smile before looking at Kai "You're going to ask first?"
"Suit yourself." He waved his hand nonchalantly while the garbage of human being right on his side refused to take eyes out of you.
The bastard didn't even blinked, a young soul that clearly screamed he was interested on you as you spoke your own order.
"A excellent choice." They he bonded a bit to give you a flirtatious look "Particularly, is my favorite one as well."
"Oh, really?" You asked, giving a look to Chisaki and even flinching a bit when you saw how he was... dead ass serious, not even moving... but his eyes spoked everthing you needed to know.
He was at least thinking on eighty possibilities tortures for this waiter.
"Why of course!" The waiter winked at you with a charming smile "Such a beauty like yourself should have a good taste."
Oh. That's it. Last fucking straw and he managed to even exploded his pacience.
He took of his glove and touched his atra hand on the table, creating through hsi quirk a sharp spike aiming right on the waiter's throat.
"Give me one negociable reason to still keep your sorry excuse for garbage alive." He said darkly, ignoring your pleas for him to stop and just glaring holes at the waiter's trembling in fear face.
A old geezer came in a rush, pleading for mercy on the part of Overhaul to not kill his youngest child.
"You gave this ridiculous brat a fucked up education to keep flirting freely with others partners like that." He hissed as you he got up, only calming down a bit at feeling your touch on his arm to calm him down.
By the time it passed. He had grew used to your touch, so he rarely flinched or tensed at the contact of your skin with his.
"F-Forgive me sir Overhaul!" The elder said hushed as he pushed the young waiter behind his back "He is just my youngest son, too young and naive sometimes and reckless. I assure you he is not doing anything again with your partner neither going to bother you any longer!"
"That's what is expected." He said darkly as he lifted his head a not before sending a murderous gaze at the responsible of his anger "You're on the luck side. Today I happen to had a good mood, now completely ruined with this... bullshit." He hissed the last word and even you flinched at that.
One thing that everyone who heard and knew Overhaul knows. If he curses, than he is enraged and out of any remaining pacience. But only knew that he was also like that when he was avoided of sleep along with his unusual need of having you close to sleep.
"I should increase the price of your debt with the Shie Hassaikai after this, but is illogical such a thing." He urged you to follow to exit the restaurant "But I hope you have in your mind that neither me or any member of the Shie Hassaikai will be coming over here so soon. Have on your mind that." He said nonchantly as teh old man almost fainted, knowing that if the debtors stopped frequenting then he would not only have to pay with food but with his savings.
You walked besides him as his eyes remained in his usual uncaring look before you smirked.
"All of that because you were jealous of a waiter?" You asked in a teasing tone as he scoffed, awkwardly extending his arm behind your lower back and pulling you close to him as he walked, soon returning his arm back like he hadn't done a thing.
"Bold of you to assume I was 'jealous' at some disgusting horrific brat."
"Oh cmon, he wasn't that horrific-"
"You're joking." He glared daggers at you "You must be blind or have a terrible sign then." He scoffed again.
"What??? But I find you to be the most attractive man on earth! So now I have bad taste?" You asked and giggled at how his face grew pink as he glared at his front.
"Oh shut your mouth already." He growled and opened the door of the car with a huff "Enter. We don't have all night thanks for that bastard, and if it happens again you will be the one punished here."
"What?! But why-?!" You stopped talking the moment you saw the hunger and teh evidential list on his golden eyes as he looked you up and down expectantly.
Oh. That kind of punishment.
#overhaul x reader#overhaul scenario#fanfic overhaul#overhaul#chisaki kai imagine scenario#kai chisaki x reader#chisaki kai x reader#chisaki kai#kai chisaki#bnha imagine#bnha x reader#bnha characters#bnha villains#bnha#my writimgs#zuffer writings
207 notes
·
View notes
Text
FLAME (II) | CS
⁕ genre: fuck boy!san, bad boy!au, college!au, fluff, angst, enemies to lovers
⁕ pairings: choi san x fem!reader
⁕ words: 6.4k
⁕ description: keeping the title of being the best student on campus isn’t easy for you, especially when your mind was occupied only by him and his annoying smirk, the popular bad boy who once decided to sets on fire your heart without anybody’s permission
⁕ warnings: explicit language, suggestive remarks, smoking & alcohol
read the prologue and the chapter one
The sociable cafeteria is filled with people whose names you can't remember, but their curious stares welcome you with affectionate embrace, as soon you enter the huge space of the room. The embrace you crave, since San planted the promising rays of hope in your heart, it's devastating to you, because the only concern which matters are his gleaming eyes, full of chestnut color and mischievous spark. His presence is absolutely breathtaking. You're indeed a fragile prisoner of his burning touch, and the lustful gaze, soon as you would gentle rub affectionate circles on his arms tattoo's beauty, the night before, where the only sound was your rapid heartbeats and heavy breathing. He left the blurry trace of passionate kisses down your pale neck to remind you about his intentions, when you see the purple marks of his unspoken words.
Choi San's eerie relationship with you are the cause of your ruthless nights, but you will gladly suffer for him if it meant he would hold your hand in his warm palms, and smooch your face in kisses.
Rushing at the end of long line to the bufet, you scan the surroundings in a haste glance to spot his glowing figure, seated between the rest of his friends, it's utterly mindblowing, the way your stomach churns with pleasant anxiety when his starry eyes meet with yours. San's dazzling existence throws you into the vortex of emotions, where the love is struggling against the malicious demons of your fears. He's dressed in his usual clothes, the color black highlights his sharp facial features, and the used martens on his feet shows his rebellious side.
You bow in grateful at the elderly woman, who give you the meal of the day, thanking her for the extra portion of rice, as your stomach grumble at the lack of the daily food intake. The kindly gesture make you smile in delight, while the other students talk feverishly about the last soccer game in which the boy, whose angelic voice is like the sweetest honey, Jongho won a golden tropheum for the school's team. He becomes a hero in the eyes of the thousands of people and Hongjoong's, who is proud to call himself a father figure. ATEEZ have a lot of outstanding achievements on their side, they are a gang of gifted kids with deadly stares and auras, for example Hongjoong godly hands are great at crafting, he is a owner of his own fashion brand, called "star1117", in which "Mars" is a main model, and that's your beloved saviour Seonghwa. Yunho's long to heaven legs are born to dance on the big scene, along with Wooyoung's powerful movements and San's acute technique. Yeosang is the expanded mind behind the drones, Mingi is a soundcloud rapper, who still takes baby steps in his career, but is already famous on the campus, and Jongho is a star of the football team.
The pretty girl, who would wave in excitment at seeing your presence in the entrance to the cafeteria, before your spirit had lost his way on earth, to land in the gates of hell by San's intoxicating appearance is your bestfriend. Her name is Yeji and she is a lovable person, the definition of your half missing, with a adventurous heart and daring smile, catching the attention for her stunning looks in both genders, but the confessions of the admirers are always denied in order to search for her unrequited love in Wooyoung's sparkling eyes. You know she deserves someone better than a mere boy, but Wooyoung is a perfect example of being out of her league. The hands contaminated with sins of his could never reach her, as you protect her through the life, like a guardian angel, who failed himself agaisnt the bright side of good, as he signed a pact with the devil, to let his heart rotts in hell.
She is excessively pure to be in a dark place, the same as you, where you are fighting with your sins, doubouting the feelings of innermost love and the power of God. To be honest, you had grown to have a loads of faith in every existence, which drifts in the subconsciousness of your mind, while trying to defeat the ghosts of cruel prejudice, as you want to believe in his sincere words and his innocence. Perhaps Wooyoung's adorable giggles and goofy smiles, that creates with care his mesmerizing crescents eyes, which are underlined with smoky eyeliner, aren't plaugued with demons, maybe his easy going aura isn't fraud in lies, maybe he is way more different than you think.
Truth to be told, you shouldn't ponder over it and you shouldn't be hanging around San or his friends as much as you do, but you can't help the desire to.
You greet Yeji with a soft grin, muttering a faintly "hi", while taking the free spot beside her at the wooden table, at which she beams at you in delighment, happy about your your presence, but soon her strong gaze gets bored of you, and wanders towards the source of her happiness. "What's so interesting, hm?" you say, acting dumbfounded at her behaviour to ignore the pain inside your chest, the betrayl it is. She's long lost to the paradise of him, Jung Wooyoung is the reason behind her loving stares and fast heartbeat, you failed miserably at being her guardian angel, but maybe that's what the destiny write in their galaxies.
Yeji bites her plump lips in anxiety, curling a lock of her black hair between fingers, the feeling of infatuation on her face, and you sigh, while she spares you a glance, it's filled with deep affection, and a smile ghosts over her cherry lips. The view of the boys belonging to the ATEEZ came into your frame, as she bumps her head towards them, where all of them eating their lunch in peace, and her smile is reciprocated by Wooyoung. "Oh, Wooyoung? Is something there between you and him?"
"No, well not yet of course, but maybe soon." Yeji says with a sorrow, it's obvious, groaning in annoyance like a lovestruck teeneger, who can't decide which kind of dress would be the best option for a memorable date with a crush, a cute ribbon dress or sexy tight dress. The mischievous cupidin, who travels the world in search of his miserable victims, not only hit you both with his influential arrow, making you a fools for his entertainment at your clumsy attempts to feel being beloved.
She is dedicateted to the idea of Jung Wooyoung being selected by gods to be her first and last love, but he likes to deny the allegations of being the leading light in her life, even if she deeply cares for him and treasure the feeling of dedication to him.
You want to beliefe it also, maybe some souls are meant to be together, bound by the red thread of destiny to the end of their fulfilled life.
The obnoxious sight of the stupid girls at the left side of the room, who would swoon over the holy eightly of boys, in which Wooyoung's high pitched laugh is heard everywhere, because San's another corny joke about big dicks is hilarious to him, is a painful sight for Yeji. Her significant other is looking at the stranger blonde with a lewd eyes, the picture is what trashes violently your heart and your lungs feel as if on fire, you pity your besfriend, she doesn't deserve the treatment of feeding up with his false hope. Jung Wooyoung likes to play a sick roulette with her genuine feelings towards him, doesn't give a single fuck about the consequences of his sinful actions.
Choi San does seem to care, though, because he catches your furious stare, which could burn the holes in Wooyoung's shaky with laughter figure, the devil itself apologize for the behaviour of his beloved friend. Bad habits are tough to break, blinded by a hand of foolish lust in frail attempts to take the boredom out by being an asshole, as the bitter aftertaste of forbidden fruit never tasted so good. You smile softly to him, to reassure him it's not his fault, because he can't control the actions of the other person. Rubbing small circles on the back of your friend to lift her ruined mood, while Seonghwa notices your gaze filled with adoration towards San, he smirks in a mockery, and you make a disgusted face, as Hongjoong giggles like a sweet kid at your exchanges, but you throw at Seonghwa a middle finger, at which he gaps offended. San's concerned face is what make you bashful of your previous poor actions, as he narrow his cat like eyes at you in order to search for a cause of your outbusrt.
Fuck, Seonghwa you are dead to me.
You hide shyly behind Yeji's small shoulders like a scaredy cat, who was caught at scratching the favourite furniture of his owners, the feeling of shame is creeping at your face, while avoiding his puzzling glare. "So he likes me, huh?" you whisper in a hush, trying to convince yourself once again about the sincerity of those significant words, which sound like sweet nothings in a romantic fairytale in your mouth. The tight grip of yours at the girl's pink blouse is a definition of your tiresome doubts, you wish to the vivid stars to save you from oppression of the snares of love.
You don’t know when you fell in love with him. You don’t even know if you fell for him at some point in life or if you’ve loved him from the beginning of your life, or maybe far before the two of you existed, but his declaration of love locks you in a cage of wonders, making you a helpless bird.
Yeji is astonished, when she comprehend your remark, and she quirks her eyebrows at you. "Wait, hold on. (Y/N) is there someone interested in you or my delusional mind is playing tricks on me, because I heard that someone likes you."
The light shade of pink adorns your face like a spreading flu, the trembling of your hands and the dizziness in your head it's the effects of your disease, which San is the cause. Unlike the flu, it won't disappear, when you treat it with a care, the only way to get rid of the disease it's by hurting him right through with a piercing bullet, but you can't do it, when he looks at you with a smile, that can melt your heart. You quickly shake your head, don't knowing about the breath you were holding, when she ask you the question. "No, what do you mean." She wouldn't let you go so easily, she do know about your defensive position, as you like to run away without giving a proper answer.
She sighs. "Okay, listen. Maybe I'm not the smartest kid in our school like you, but I can't ignore the way San is looking at you. He is eye fucking you everytime he sees you, it's fascinating to per say." she mocks you in a childish manner. "What the fuck? Yeji, shut up! It's embarrassing, while you say it like that." "I don't care, tell me what's between the two of you."
To fight her in an unequal battle is hopeless, because the possibility of you winning is none, the victory is negligible, as you would never win an argument with her strong points. She is like a brave lioness who defends her children against the threats by other animals, she also have a soft spot, which is Jung Wooyoung, but you wouldn't dare to touch the burning subject of her love, as you could die in the agony, and there would be nothing left but ashes of your mistake. "Fine, you ass." you roll your eyes at her, maybe admitting to your obscure desires is a good step to believe in impossible. The weight of your insistent insecurity is tugging you down, but your desire to fly between the old friends, made in heaven where the clouds are the epitome of warm embrace is stronger. "I like San." you confess. "He said he likes me, when I was with him in the library, he confessed to me about his love, and the world suddenly started to overflow with it colors. I want to try, but my insecurities are making it hard to believe, but we kissed-" Your voice is shakier and more broken than you’d ever thought it could be.
"Hey, don't. You need to understand that you are amazing." she cooes. "I'm not surprised he likes you, you have heart made of gold and personality who shines like the brightest gem in the world, everything about you screams perfect." her reassuring words, which soothe your strained nerves in pleasure of joy, as you nod in agreement are a reason behind your shy smile. Yeji is a great friend, you believe that the only reason you became best friends was the fact that you didn’t let her vanish into the sea of doubtness, when there was no one who would extend a helping hand to her lifeless body. "Give yourself some time and most importantly trust him, everyone deserve a chance."
Your romance is not like any other love story unless you consider painful longing to the point of self-destruction as normal occurrences, he demolishes your soul and paints the idea of spending more time with him into the world of unknown, because you are, once again, convinced that Choi San was born to mess with your heart. The idea of being devoted lovers, burns the unseen scars at the pit of your stomach, because it feels distant, but also so close within reach, it sounds unfeasible, but also so beautiful, as you think about his hot touches on your skin. You care for him deeply, he knows the struggle of being misjudged just based on the foolish decisions made in past, but everyone do mistakes, which leads to a irritating effects in the future, haunting us like the worst nightmare.
We need to understand that people aren't faultless.
The longing picture of San's getting out of shackles of the rebel, sealed by his sins, drifts into the subconscious state of your mind like a dove of hope, letting you imagine to be the person, who is willing to help him and experience his transformation, it's fullfilling your senses. To dream about the future next to him, where kisses are laced with love, the passion and where fondly words of utter adoration are whispered in the deadly night is deadlier than anything else in this world. But you pray to God, promising to be a good cause of his wrongdoings, which will lead to his change, because no suffering like this would ever break him free. "You are right, thank you."
"We are friends, it's not a big deal. Now promise me, you will never doubt yourself again."
"I promise." you smile.
You're deep lost in the meaningful conversation with Yeji to notice the flaming presence of San, whose delicate hand touches your fragile shoulder to get your attention on him, and you melt the moment his burning touch you. He smells like cotton candy, when he wasn't smoking, and his whole aura seems to brighten entirely at the prospect of your sparkling eyes on his, and you allow a giggle to slip past your, when his cherry lips grins at you in a toothy smile, the round cheeks after the meal makes him adorable, how can he be a personification of the devil. His red hair is styled back, showing perfectly his forehead and the intensity of his eyes, the charming dimples you grow to love don't ever disappoint to take away your breath. "Be at the library at 5PM, don't be late." His tone is soft and gentle and you decide, that you hate Choi San for making you fall so carelessly in love with him. He was gone, by the end of the bell sound, and his intoxicating scent also gone with him.
And the warmth, you are already missing.
"Good luck, (Y/N)." Yeji squeezes your arm, and make her way towards the next lecture.
The rest of the day went smoothly, sharing some classes with San doesn't help you with your studies, it's a poison to your grades, but an antidote for your lonliness, as the monotonous lecture with Mr. Kim is coming to an end soon. You chuckle at his little love letters, which he puts in your sweater pocket, most of them consists of a cheesy pickup lanes, like "For some reason, I was feeling a little off today. But when you came along, you definitely turned me on." and "Kiss me if I’m wrong, but dinosaurs still exist, right?" His hot breath on your neck, makes you shiver in a pleasure, when you sit in front of him, as you decide to abandon your pet's teacher seat in the displeasure of the scolding look of the lecturer, but you couldn't care less. "Come meet me at your locker." the last letter says, and you are introduced the state of euphoria.
The bell once again rings, not only signaling the end of the lecture, but also the rapid beating of your heart.
You turn around, exited to see his beautiful face, but you are slightly late, as he are already nowhere to be seen in the class along with his table partner Yunho, who reminds you of a big polar bear. Packing your belongings, you got a message form an unknown number, which shocks you to the core, "Don't trust him, he is not worth it." those words are driving you mad crazy. What the hell. You don't think much of it, but there is an empty feeling in your chest, as if a dark force settled down your stomach to bug out your day. Choi San has turned your life upside down and has brought you onto an edge that you enjoyed more than you cared to admit, it was too late to take a step back.
"Fuck this." you curse under your breath, exciting the class to look for San.
You take the steps, needed to arrive next to his strong figure, Yunho nowhere to be seen, and you offer him the bestest smile you can, perhaps, filled with every emotion you can't hide. The air around you is suffocating, he radiates an angelic glow, uncommon to him, you can't help but place a gentle kiss on his cheek, when he leanded nonchalantly against your locker, his shoulder relaxes visibly at your loving presence. San sends you a sly grin and tugs at the end of your blue sweater to draw you into his arms, eyes focused onto the sweet source of his happiness. "What was that for?" he pats the top of your head and places his hand on the small of your back, his actions are enough to make your heart stop beating, because his beauty defined by high cheekbones and dark arched eyebrows are the defenition of perfection.
"I don't know." you splutter. "I suddenly got an urge to do it or maybe I wanted to prove to you about the theory of meteorite impact to the ground, which would kill all of the dinosaurs. "
"Oh, why did you make me aware of death of dinosaurs, it's sad. Can you kiss me again to make my pain go away?"
"Kiddo." his forehead presses against yours, as you lean into him and press your lips against his ear, hands intertwined tightly and the scent still overwhelming. You place a fond kiss at the hem of his ear, whispering about sweet nothings, the boldness of your actions are enough to make him stiff in place, as you take your time to look at him, to drink in his perfect features. He’s sun kissed, you notice, and his lips are red and curved into a small smile. Choi San has turned your life upside down and has brought you onto an edge that you enjoyed more than you care to admit. "No more kisses." you laugh.
You pull away from him, and his bottom lip pops out, forming a pout and you have a strong desire to trace it with your fingers and your mouth like you did back then on the balcony, where the bright sun embodied your serene emotions. "I can always steal it, princess." he teases, and you break out into an easy grin, as he placed a chaste kiss at your soft lips.
"Let's go. I'm not in the mood to study anymore."
"There is still one lesson ahead of us, San."
"So what? I want to spend rest of the day with my girlfriend. Now come on baby, don't make me beg you."
He promised to make you fall in a twisted snares of love with him, his burning touches which ignites the fire will be the answer to your hopeless eyes, and he will prove the sincerity of his intentions, when you decide to run away with the knight in laether jacket to find the source of your happiness. There is no place for deep reflections, you want him to degrade you with his dark life, and to be a part of his kingdom, because ruling without the queen was already hard for him. The world can burn in noxious agony, if it means he would be there with your connected soul, holding you closely in a affectionate embrace, as your trembling hands finds way to his sharp face adorned with the most attractive smile.
"Fine, let's go." you mutter under your breath, and San lets out a quiet and triumphant yes slip from his lips, as he eagerly grabs your hand in his warm one, to assure you about the correctness of this choice and leads you to the courtyard, where his black motorbike is parked.
Choi San is the love of your life, you decide, as you watch him, hand held tightly by him. San is everything you want and more, he is fullfilling your senses with wholesome ecstasy, you drink up his presence in the gleaming sun, a view satisfying like the miracle oasis in the middle of tropical desert. You look at him and smile.
He is beautiful.
He attentively puts a helmet on your head, his face scrunch in concentration, his tongue pokes out of his mouth, when he was focused on protecting you from inevitable, he flashes you a dimple grin, which you return. "It will protect you. I hope you aren't afraid of speed." The thrilling feeling of adrenaline kicks in, as San's motor roars in the air like a obsessed mantra, your heart beating abruptly in your chest at the frantic sound. You are terrified, but the look of pacification on his blissful face, you long to is enough for you to hop into the embrace of death, hugging his calming back from behind. "Good girl."
The fast ride through the city with San reminds you of playing with fire, it could be a lethal weapon in the wrong hands, taking away your reckless life, when you handle it without proper caution. Life isn't beautiful without taking a risk, perhaps it's easier to put your faith in devil's sharp claws, than look for the light in angel's halo, because San's calming presence is enough for you to endure the feeling of frighten. He is aware of your trembling hands, you can't control, the swift breaths you take to soothe your racing nerves, while you melt into his figure to gain the courage, as he speeds up down the road. The destination is unknown to you, he hasn't metioned where he wish to take you, kissing you with the burning passion, holding you close in his arms till your worries of unrequited love vanish into the void, leaving a space for an attachment.
You trust San with the remaining strength in you, it isn't difficult, but you can't resist fluttering shut your eyes to ease the throbbing of your heart, you know nothing awful will happend to you, if he is here to remind you of his close proximity. "Baby, we are here. Open your pretty eyes, you can't miss the view." The ride came to an end when his divine voice comes out of his throat, the moment his yearning palms touch your gentle face to reveal you from the helmet, it's devastating for him, he can't let go of your pure smiles and soft chuckles at his sugared praises about your bravery. He is mesmerized by your angelic purity, the taste of blissful heaven never tasted so delectable at his tongue, as he molds your lips in a heated adventure between clouds. His intoxicating scent make you lightheaded, teeth clashing together in a messy battle of dominance and you let his lustful desires win, the low whimper escapes from his mouth. Believing in God is unnecessary for him, but believing in the miracles of blue paradise is right, because he could meet you.
The mesmerizing view of ocean absorbs your attention, it's beautiful, the sun is near to set and the colors of orange and red are visible in the sky, interwined together in a fierce dance to create a gorgeous convolution of emotions, where the stray souls would find the answer for their longing questions. San's head falls down into the crook of your neck, inhaling your sweet perfume, the smell he craves, his warm embrace on your waist grow in strength, as the cold breeze hit his back. He place another chaste kiss down your neck, your delicate hand is gripping at the red hair on top of his head, when your lips tremble at the close inticimaty, but he pulls away completely and you feel cold and empty, as he flashes you a sly grin.
"I thought it would be nice to enjoy the sunset, while we will be busy making out like horny teenegers." San's glowing eyes forms the crescents, his sharp features softens in the vivid twilight, when he teases you, as he ruffles your hair with a precious laugh. He is uterrly beutiful in every way, you think, from the reflection of luminescent stars in his eyes, the freckles on his neck made of stardust, you yearn to explore with your desirable touch, to his flawlessly shaped waist, as it fits perfectly in your arms. But he is brighter than all stars above. "It was a joke of course, but it doesn't sounds so bad in my opinion." He flashes you a mischievous grin, eyes flaming as he stared you down with an interest.
You giggle, subtly pressing harder against him, the heat rolling off his body, he will be the death of you, but the state of limerence is amazing, you can't restrain from his charms, the God had taken his time with him, so why he had to banish him to the gates of hell? "You're gross." you flicker his forehead, smiling with adoration, when his face pouts a disappointment, a little whine escapes his mouth. Then you realize the God is awful, maybe San isn't uninfected with sins, he never prayed, but he tries to be good in his own, unique way.
Because Choi San is open minded, the heavy curtains of the cruel world aren't enough to fool his divine eyes, and maybe you're dancing with the devil, but it doesn't frighten you. Being partly good is better than being artificial pure. San laid his leather jacket that smells like his cologne on your shoulders, as he sees you shivering under the circumstance of cold wind, his arms now exposed fully to you, the antic makes you blush and you throw him a sheepish smile to hide the cherry like flush. "No, just madly in love with you, princess." he takes out the cigarette from the back pocket of his jeans, lighting it up immediately, with a cunning smirk, it's the sin he is addicted to, the smoke surrounding him seems to embrace him gracefully.
The motorcycle seat beneath you is like a safe home to you, when still in place without the danger of speed, it's comforting you in every possible way, and his godly presence makes it even better, it's like the best antidote for solitude. "Are you always this smooth with your words?" you ask, biting your trembling lips, as his intense stare is burning holes on your redden face. He hums in dismiss, heart beating faster and faster as the seconds passed by. "Can I have one?" your breath hitches in your throat, when his large palms clutches your chin in a gentle touch.
Choi San is the cause of the swarm of butterflies in your stomach.
"Can you be honest with me? Tell me, have you ever smoke?" he says, searching in your eyes for a genuine answer, but you can never lie to him, as the weight of the repulsiveun untruth is inordinately heavy, you couldn't carry it throught the life.
"No."
"Then the answer is also no, angel." his delicate grip on you has loosened, as he lets go of your chin, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear, and you whimper in his chest at the lose of his warmth. He doesn't fancy the idea of you being addicted to the awful nicotine because of him, the deadly treat isn't worth losing your flawless purity, and for San you are a good girl made of pure porcelain, too fragile for this dark world. Good girls don't smoke. You clutch at his black shirt, as he lowers his head in order to move his lips to your cheek, while you inhale deeply his intoxicating scent and you’ve never felt more alive than you did then, in San's arms – the one boy who sets your heart in flames.
"But I want to try, please San. Let me, it will be my first and last time. I promise." you whine, the high hopes in your mind, because San can't resist your soft pleadings, as he is a slave of your angelic voice, but he doesn't mind as long, as you are his cause of rapid heartbeat. Truth to be told, both of you are too lost into the world of love, Choi San has committed to you, and you seal the deal with the devil itself, as you press an open mouthed kiss on his neck and then on his jaw, landing on his lips at the end. And yes, maybe it can bring the pain and sorrow, but the embrace of the devil is worth it.
He chuckles, and it’s low and throaty, his right hand ends up on your neck in a firm grip, leaving a trace of hell, which burns you alive. You aren't afraid of his crimes anymore, beacuse Choi San is the reason of the flowing sensation in your veins, as he pushes you harder into his body, taking a deep inxhale from the cigarette with the other hand. He molds together your plump lips in a sensual kiss, the other hand finds the way to your cheek, the metal cold rings on his fingers are sending you to overdive, as his mouth opens against yours and his tongue licks eagrly at the entrance of your lips. You give in to his burning touch, mouth feeling hot and a heavy, the sensation of fullness settles into the pit of your chest, as he kisses you harder and more urgent, exhaling the deathly smoke into your lungs. San is needy, but you don't mind, as your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him impossibly close. There’s no reason to hold back, you desire his proximaty and he desires yours, it's the definition of selling your soul to the bad side.
Your fingers reach for his hair, feeling the fluffiness of his locks, as San breaks the kiss, when the overflow of smoke in your mouth chokes you, and your hazy eyes still fixated on his swollen lips, which forms a cocky grin. "I can't believe you said it was your last, when you are looking at me like this, sweetheart." You struggle to breathe, as his hands cup your face in between them, rough fingertips rubbing circles into the skin, and you blush harder than you thought possible, when a low and guttural moan leaves the back of his throat. "Fuck, it's hard for me to restrain."
"Sorry."
The overwhelming weight of the intense battle, filled with lustful touches and hot kisses, leaves you hot-blooded, and you wish it would last longer, because San is the reason of your mad addiction and sins, which pulls you down into the hole of thirst. You don't regret giving up, the pit in your stomach deepens and your thoughts swirl around in your head like sweet promises, because you can see the love oozing in his chestnut eyes, and you swear you fell in love with him once again. San rests his forehead against your heart, the sound of your rapid heartbeat is like a beloved lullaby for him, cooing him to fall into the marvellous dreamland, but the gates to the underworld of Hades are watching him, proud of his actions, because you sinned, and the God will never forgive you, but if that means rotting in hell together with San, then it's alright to do so. You are sure that you can endure it, because Choi San is your medicine for pain.
"Don't be, it's my fault. I got too carried away, but I can't help it, you are driving me crazy." his fingers brush at the strands falling into your eyes and he presses another quick kiss onto your longing mouth. There is no air left in your lungs, and they burn with need yet you neglect them. "Do you like the place?" he flashes you a gentle smile, pushing up the jacket on you, which had slip when you were too engaged in each other mouths, and he moves away completly from you to let you see the breattaking view, as he stands next to you. It eases your neglected pain.
The beautiful place pulled straight out of a fairy tale, reminds you of the place, where you had spend most of your childhood, but you can't recognize it, as your memories are blurry. "Yes, I do!" you answer, looking at the sunset in awe. "I feel like I was here before, but I can't remember it." you sigh. "I have a feeling that I used to spend a lot of time here, coll-" you say in a daze, but San interrupts you with a unreadable grin, when you look his way, to see how the sun is glowing at his honey like skin, making him a untouchable piece of art, the messy hair stand on all sides from the previous actions, but he still looks saintly.
"Collecting the colorful sheels and screaming about the invisible fishes in the water, which would scare you to the bones?" he finishes the sentence for you, and you, quite simply put, forget how to breathe. San smiles a bright smile, pearly whites on display, and you see the glimmer of the orbs in his eyes. You blink at him in confusion. "Yeah, something like that, but how did you know?" you ask bewildered by his words.
"I was the kid with the blonde streak at the top of his head. Girls swooned over me, and I only had my eyes for a girl, who would smooch my bruises on knees, from falling too many times on the hard rocks near the shore." he chuckles, finally looking at you with beaming eyes full of adoration, the late realization hit you like a bolt from the heaven.
The story of you and Choi San didn't start the moment the saviour Seonghwa introduced him to you, but it started at the very beginning of the hot summer holiday, both of you were still an small mere imitaions of your parents, made of nothing, but the blank pages, who later would be neglected by your bad words and poor choices. You met him at the age of 12, he wasn’t the tallest, but he was endearing, when he walked confidently into the blazing sand, in his hands toys and a happy smile on his face. San had one desire back then, the childish one, to defeat everyone in the competiton of building the highest sand castle, and the prize was a date with the most beautiful girl on the beach, and yes you were her.
He succesfuly won the first place, after many devastating for a kid failures, but his motivation to win was more powerful, just like him today. In this young age boys grossed you out, they were noisy and disgusting, and they were talking only about games, but he was different, a little mysterious. You were under some sort of aura that managed to take your breath away even back then, when he was nothing more than a boy, who was raised by his granparents, with a stupid name "Shiber Choi", but he soon turned to be your best friend and that's how your two months teeneger crush, filled with nervewrecking adventures and deep conversation started.
"What? That was you, no fucking way, San! You were my first love, you asshole!" You flush in delight and raise on your tiptoes to press a lingering kiss to his mellow cheek, putting your hand over his heart. "I love you, San." You whisper quietly into his shirt, sound muffled by the fabric and you hope he hears you, especially now, that you are held by him so tightly. He hugs you tighter and kisses the top of your head, fingers coming to comb through the hair at the nape of your neck.
Choi San is your first love and you hope to also be your last.
#ateez#ateez scenarios#ateez reactions#ateez san#choi san#choi san scenarios#choi san imagines#ateez fluff#san imagines#san scenarios#san x reader#ateez au#choi san fluff#san fluff#kpop#kpop scenarios
112 notes
·
View notes
Text
Match-Up #19
@cheese-ception, your time has come! *insert eternal flame*
Hmm... Well then, given how their public personas seem rather contradictory of each other, I would guess it would be something alike to hiding behind a mask of jokes and confidence and perhaps having interests alike to those of Yoshimoto? Regardless, both of them do share the tendency to self-sacrifice. They also think that they may die at any moment and so, must live to the fullest in the moment (whether it would mean indulging in art or simply choosing not to have regrets). I presume that it could perhaps indicate that a calm partner with a soothing presence would be a good idea? Somebody level enough to bring logic into play when feelings take control?
Mitsuhide (+1) Mitsunari (+1) Shingen (+1)
Only one? Hmm... But which? Eh, leaving me with such a hard task and making me choose, cruel, I say, cruel... Well then, you’re very smart in regards to humans, as in, understanding why they may act a certain way. It may not make it any easier to apply to yourself, though. I would also like to note that in case of a partner being in need of support, I wouldn’t be surprised if you hid your needs for the time being - or to have decided to take care of them completely on your own, had the suitor been in constant need of emotional support.
Nobunaga (-1) Mitsuhide (-1) Hideyoshi (+1) Mitsunari (+1) Ieyasu (+1) Kenshin (-1) Shingen (+1)
Loyalty is truly a treasured quality, indeed. I presume it would be particularly appreciated by those who had to always stay vigilant or lack stability in their lives.
Nobunaga (+1) Mitsuhide (+1) Hideyoshi (+1) Masamune (+1) Shingen (+1)
Oh, being determined to reach your goals? That’s awesome... However, as you’ve pointed out - it’s equally important to know when to give up. As such, I’d perhaps go forward with suitors who would be able to stop your drive a little. If that was impossible, I’d at least advise against those who’d think similarly, as not to amplify it.
Nobunaga (-1) Hideyoshi (+1) Mitsunari (+1) Masamune (-1) Kenshin (+1) Yukimura (-1)
Secrets? Hm... I can see how being able to keep those could be treasured by suitors who fear showing any weakness. I presume that those who need to gather information and employ the art of espionage could appreciate it too.
Mitsuhide (+1) Ieyasu (+1) Masamune (+1) Shingen (+1)
Ahh, cooking! Well, I suppose it can be either a shared interest of... A way of forcing others to take care of themsleves?
Mitsuhide (+1) Mitsunari (+1) Masamune (+1)
I am surprised negative self-image did not make it on the list... But, I am not adding anything to it, no-no-no. :3 Deal with having technically used only 4/5 points, sweets. *evil laughter*
I presume that suitors who are at least somewhat fluent in emotion could be a good idea to counter both anxiety and depression. It may not make matters any better, but at least the chances of them worsening it are lower. Then, to target anxiety in particular, I would perhaps look towards very honest and genuine characters. However, I would also like to point out that they perhaps should not be too spontaneous - it may not be a necessarily bad thing, but being presented with stability from the very beginning may be soothing. Lastly, I suppose that understanding suitors may be a good choice.
Nobunaga (-2) Hideyoshi (+3) Mitsunari (+4) Kenshin (-2) Shingen (+2) Yukimura (+2) Kennyo (+2)
Chronic illness is hard to deal with, indeed. I presume that a lifestyle that isn’t too intense may be preferable. I suppose that a reliable partner would be necessary too. Now, I don’t think they’d necessarily have to know how to do everything... But then, they should be creative enough to solve the issue without relying on their significant other. Another thing to note: I suppose that it may be best if the other person did not experience severe health problems.
Nobunaga (+1) Mitsuhide (-2) Hideyoshi (+2) Mitsunari (+2) Ieyasu (+2) Kenshin (-1) Kennyo (+2) Now, since it happened for the second time: if a character does not appear in a list, but meets criteria for it? It’s because they scored equal number of positive and negative points, hence ending with a zero. They were not omitted.
To counter the third listed point (being better at taking care of yourself when somebody reminds you to and shows effort towards it at first), I presume we could just... List the characters who do that.
Hideyoshi (+1) Masamune (+1) Yukimura (+1)
As for the last point... Since it happened only two times in 34 years of your life, I suppose it may be negligeable. Even though I have an odd feeling that Nobunaga could trigger that. Hm.
1st Summary:
Mitsunari (+10) Hideyoshi (+9) Shingen (+5) Ieyasu (+4) Kennyo (+4) Masamune (+3) Yukimura (+2) Nobunaga (-2) Kenshin (-3)
I’m afraid I’m not a favourite of any of the warlords, so I cannot distribute any points for the last mentioned thing, haha. As for the remaining ones:
Mitsuhide (+2) - treating people as equals, lifting others up Hideyoshi (+1) - lifting others up, treating people as equals, but also: telling others what to do Mitsunari (+2) - treating people as equals, lifting others up Masamune (+2) - as above^ Shingen (+3) - as above ^ + he could like candied ginger - and he definitely would share the sweets.
Points distributed for dislikes:
Nobunaga (-1) - causing situations that could have been avoided (and were not, partially because of his ego) Ieyasu (-3) - at first he judges MC based on assumptions, some situations could have been avoided if it were not for his stubbornness, he tries to change MC at first Masamune (-2) - he may at times go into risky situations that could otherwise be avoided (whether it makes sense depends on perspective, I suppose), he at first tires to change MC
All suitors would be delivered positive points for standing in opposition of disrespecting people based on arbitrarty criteria, such as status - and as such, no points were given out based on this dislike
2nd Summary:
Mitsunari (+12) Hideyoshi (+10) Shingen (+8) Kennyo (+4) Masamune (+3) Mitsuhide (+2) Yukimura (+2) Ieyasu (+1) Nobunaga (-3) Kenshin (-3)
Only characters with positive value by their names will be considered in the last stages of the match-up.
Yukimura (+2) - may seem too juvenile Shingen (+8) - I presume that his way of trying to get close to MC borders coercion (he presents their chats an an opportunity to gain data, but truly, it’s a sneaky tactic to get her attention and time)
It seems none of the remaining warlords would meet any of the listed pet peeves.
It does not help at all, but you get sparkle points for being cute, yes.
Sparkle points: +100
It seems they’ve shown themselves out by now, haha.
Final Ranking
Mitsunari (+12) Hideyoshi (+10) Kennyo (+4)
Mitsunari
Confessed first: You - and only then did he realise that the emotion he was experiencing was just that, love.
Makes tea in the morning: You.
Hogs blankets at night: You.
Is the little spoon: You, most of the time.
Possible points for conflict: Mitsunari has a strong tendency to overwork himself. As much as he’s trying to counter it, he still may forget about sleep and eating if situation demanded it... And he may be a bit hypocritical in that regard, as he’d surely get worried if you did the same. In other words: the infinite loop of “you must take better care of yourself”.
Free time ideas: Mitsunari reading you books aloud, simply lounging and taking a moment to breathe while petting Kitty, going out to eat, cooking together - with Mitsunari trying to be truly helpful and not just an obstacle in the way
Favourite date spot: The garden opposite of archives.
A secret you share: Mitsunari is aware of your health conditions, but he would never tell anybody about them without your consent. He oftentimes goes a bit out of his way to accomodate for them, which sometimes rises confusion among the other warlords - he just brushes it off as his own new quirk.
His favourite thing about you: How knowledgeable and truly smart you are. It would suffice to say that you’ve broadened his horizons a lot.
His message to you: “Thanks for loving me despite all of my flaws. I will do my best as to work on them, prince... My love.”
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
Cupid’s Blind Eye | Of Eternity and Euphoria (3)
Pairing: Park Jimin x Reader
Summary: A demigod looking for love meets the god of love himself.
Warnings: N/A. This might be the fluffiest one so far. wait I lied it’s not fluffy at all. It’s really angsty. I’m sorry.
Word Count: 5.4k words
A/N: I have a lot of ideas for this series. So much so, I’m ignoring my other series. Like Hamartia and The Pact which I was s u p p o s e d to start by now. Smh this is what happens when I have too many ideas. I’m planning a spin off series for a Male!reader for this...I also wanted to tie this more into the overarching plot, but it’s okay, I’ll get you more park jimin okay. Consider me your supplier.
AS:ASJFLKWJQ:W it deleted my first draft >:(
Other:
Series Masterlist
Normal Masterlist
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged cupid painted blind - William Shakespeare
-
-
Your knees hurt already. It had been all of 15 minutes, but the gravel under your legs wasn’t exactly comfortable. You had spent the last hour praying for the god of love to show himself and you fell to your knees desperately in the last 15.
“Oh, god of love.” You drawled sarcastically, ready to leave the dilapidated altar. “Answer my prayers.” You practically rolled your eyes, sick of this nonsense.
You stood slowly, realizing he probably wasn’t going to show himself any time soon. You swiped the gravel off your knees, not noticing the presence behind you.
“You should know not to be so disrespectful to your gods, darling.” A sly voice called. You froze. No way. When you turned to look, a man leaned against the pillars of the altar. He radiated lust and love, an inhuman aura. There was no doubt this was the god of love, lust, and passion.
And unlike him, you radiated a sort of pure aura; compared to him, of course. It drove him mad.
“Oh.” You were at a loss for words. His build was literally of the gods and his face, oh his face. You couldn’t find a single flaw in his face. From his adorable nose to his plump lips. You found yourself staring at his features for way longer than necessary. He smirked. This was a typical response to his appearance.
“Why do you seek me out?” He stepped forward, peering into your eyes.
“I want to know my soulmate.” You clenched your fists. Everyone you knew already found theirs. Your friend, Jennie, had explained that the god of love had helped her, but you didn’t believe her. You thought she was pulling your leg. The god quirked his head to the side.
“Why do you need to know that?”
“Because I’m sick of being alone.” You admitted, mouth feeling awfully dry as you nervously shifted from foot to foot.
His gaze softened, heart thumping.
“You won’t be alone forever.”
“It feels like it sometimes.”
“You’re a demigod.” It suddenly clicked. Your blatant disrespect of the gods, the odd aura surrounding you. Almost godly, but not quite. Not many demigods had a good connection to the gods. They were often cast aside, looked over, thought of as wannabes when many just wanted to live their lives. His altar wasn’t any different than the other crumbled ones around, the only indicator was the Greek letters above, but only a demigod would be able to read that.
“And you’re a god. I’ve come to learn that it doesn’t matter who you are, we all die in the end.” You frowned, thinking of your godly parent, one that had faded a long time ago, sentenced to eternal darkness for the atrocity of giving birth to you. However, being a demigod came with its perks. As long as you stayed healthy, you had longer lifespans while staying youthful. You had stopped aging around 25, but now you were around 60. You would likely begin aging around 100 and then die around 200. You had lived a long life so far without finding love. At first you thought it was possible, but as the years went on, no one gave you that spark, that burning sensation, that claimed them as your soulmate.
“Listen.” You sighed, “I just want to know if they exist. I’ve spent years searching and I thought fate was supposed to bring us together. Are they to be born in another timeline? Shall we never meet?”
The god of love frowned at your lack of faith in him as a god. He stepped forward, close enough for you to make out his face in detail. He radiated love, lust, and passion. His eyes were intense, but you didn’t find yourself scared. In fact, it was almost comforting. He was the definition of love.
“Do you have so little faith in me? Fate has brought you here.” He gently reached out and touched your shoulder. He just needed to check. It was silly to think that the god of love, could not seem to find his lover. There. That spark, that burn. It spread like a wildfire, consuming your everything. It felt like your atoms had rearranged, yearning to be completed by him.
You couldn’t do anything except stare at him. There was no way you were fated to one of the gods whom you so dearly despised. The gods had abandoned you as a child. Was this some cruel punishment? He softened his expression, taking in your frustrated form. Scared, worried, and anxious were reactions he expected from his soulmate, but anger was not one.
“I don’t have to be with you, you know?” You said bitterly. “I can choose to stay away. Not all soulmates stay together.”
Your words clearly had an effect on him because he nodded and stepped away. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion and hurt flashed across his face.
“I won’t force you to join me, but please reach out if you change your mind. You know where to find me.” He gestured to the altar. He, out of everyone, knew that you could put two perfect people next to each other in a room, but you couldn’t force them to love each other. Love was a tricky thing and Jimin knew it best. “Just ask for Jimin.”
Then he was gone, the wind seemingly taking him away. You rushed forward, looking for that sneaky god, but you couldn’t locate him. You had to admit you felt bad about reacting that way. He didn’t expect this either. With a sigh, you called out to the stones. “I’m Y/N. Lovely to meet you, Jimin.”
And of course he heard you. His eyes trailed your back as you ran back into your small town. It was one of the last towns who truly believed in the gods, that’s why so many had altars up. A smile made his way onto his face. Now it was just wait and see.
-
-
“Oh come on. You are way too boring, Jimin.” The fiance (I’m sorry I don’t have accents on this computer >:( ) of Yoongi rolled her eyes.
“___, You must understand, love just doesn’t work like that, You have to let it happen.”
“I bet she wants you to chase after her.” ___ continued. “Here, invite her to the wedding. She can be your plus one!”
“You’re too kind. I fear she may be afraid of the underworld.”
“Didn’t you say she’s a demigod?” Yoongi’s fiance quirked her head to the side. She was a human before a goddess. She had no bias against demigods and Jimin felt she was the best to approach about his encounter.
“Yes.”
“Then I doubt she’ll even bat an eye at the underworld.” She viewed her nails, thanking the workers and standing from the salon. “You came all the way to the human world just so you could whine about your love life to the goddess of the underworld. Seems right.”
Jimin scoffed, crossing his arms defensively. He was at a loss for words, however, and he bit his lip. “I came to you because she seems more human than god and I wanted to know your experience.”
“Well, Yoongi basically kidnapped me, but not really. I just knew I wanted to go with him. Then he and I hit it off from there. I fought with Taehyung, stirred up some shit, and now I’m going to be the downfall of Olympus.”
The other gods didn’t like her joking about the downfall of Olympus, but Jimin could always laugh.
“At least my nails will look good while it happens, yeah?”
The love god laughed along with her and the two walked over to the park. The park, known as Plyosum Park, was a great hotspot of godly energy. It was the quickest and easiest way to get to Olympus.
“Now, I must be going.” She smiled, “But, have you ever thought, Jimin, that she’s no more human than she is god? Maybe she just wants to be treated as the person she is; a demigod. That’s why I don’t think I can help you much. I wish you luck, however.” She sent a small wave to him before ghostly hands reached up and dragged her under.
Jimin sighed. She had a point. He’ll just treat you like any person. He let his wings grow out as he prepared to travel back to Olympus. They were a feathery white with golden flakes scattered in between. Many called him cupid for this, but he preferred the name Eros.
-
-
You opened the letter with caution. It had appeared on your desk when you arrived home and it definitely hadn’t been there before. The handwriting looked familiar, though you couldn’t place your finger on it.
Dear Y/N,
I am writing to you today because the god and goddess of the underworld are getting married. They have requested I bring along someone and of course my first thoughts were of you. It would be lovely if you are able to join me, but it’s quite alright if you don’t feel comfortable. Please consider my offer, but I will not hold it against you if you choose not to come.
Best,
Jimin
You had to chuckled at his formal phrasing, but you couldn’t blame him. He wanted to give you space and you respected him for being so cautious to your boundaries. It wasn’t expected of the god. After all, he was a god. He could have just kidnapped you on the spot. Maybe he just understands love doesn’t work like that. That made more sense. You carefully wrote back.
My dearest Jimin,
I would be honored to attend such a momentous occasion. Sadly, I seem to be at a lack of formal wear suitable for this kind of event, what do you suggest?
Best,
Y/N
Of course you had to shoot back with your own formal tone. You hoped he understood the sarcasm in it as you hiked to the only place you knew he visited. His altar was old, crumbling, very un-beautiful for the most beautiful god you knew. Then you remembered that you would be meeting many beautiful gods and goddesses in a short time.
You placed the far messier letter down at his altar and hurried back to the village. Jimin was waiting, hoping to catch you, but you were gone before he could even speak. He bent down and slowly picked up the letter. He hastily tore it open, smiling fondly at your words. It was a shame he didn’t get to see you properly before you rushed off.
It was in your nature, as a demigod, to be skiddish around most things; though you seemed to have more of a fight in you than other demigods. The issue was that demigods didn’t fit in anywhere. The gods despised them and regarded them as abominations, hybrids, wannabes. The humans weren’t much better, fearing anything they considered other. Demigods would rarely be able to rest without being hunted by one group or another.
Jimin looked to the middle distance, thinking about what outfit would best suit you. He wanted you to fit in with the other gods and goddesses. While he was a great believer in “love is love” other gods may try to bring you down simply because you were a demigod. It made him feel ill to think of what terrible things could come your way because of your mother’s mistake, not that you were a mistake. He mentally scolded himself. He was constantly on the fritz of checking himself and making sure he said the right things.
He shook his head, returning to his place in the clouds.
-
-
When there was a knock at your door, you jumped in surprise. It was not often that the village people visited you. You lived a lonely existence, but you decided this was fine.
“For: Y/N.” You read carefully, surveying the package on your doorstep. You glanced around, eyes flicking to the house next door and traveling down the empty road. Hurriedly, you grabbed the package and hauled it inside your house, slamming the door shut.
The box was more of a rectangle. It was long and flat and there was no return address. You had a feeling you knew who had delivered it. You walked to the kitchen and grabbed a pair of scissors. Then you approached the package, unsure of how to open it. If this was what you thought it was, you didn’t want to damage it. You gnawed at your lip, brows furrowed in concentration as you painstakingly cut through the thin strips of tape. This is ridiculous, just rip it open. You couldn’t bring yourself to do that, however. You didn’t want to rip the contents. So you continued your work before the box flaps finally undid themselves.
Your breath caught in your throat as you looked at the dress. It was a light pink, an innocent color. You rushed to your room to try it on. Of course it fit perfectly. It had a tight bodice, hugging the upper half of your body in a flattering way. Then the rest of the material flowed from the bodice. Layers of tulle and silk fluttered to the ground. In the box also came a delicate silver crown, headband, thing. The silver was twisted into delicate branches that curved every which way, forming a sort of bramble. It looked so elegant and graceful. The accessories that came with the dress included silver earrings and bracelets. The most important was a necklace. It was an graceful, thin, silver chain, but at the bottom it was weighed down by a light pink gemstone. It seemed to glow, like a beating heart. You didn’t expect anything less from the god of love. You were stunning.
You couldn’t wait to wear it to the wedding in a few days. Jimin would surely be impressed. You found yourself blushing girlishly at the thought of impressing him. You wanted him to want you. To see his eyes light up when you entered a room. To kiss him. You gently placed your fingers on your lips, thinking of his plush ones on yours. You knew he would oblige you if you asked, but you had only met the once and the soulmate bond was inexplicably strong already. You were worried it would consume you if you let it. Would you still be standing if it did?
-
-
Days go by and now you stand at his altar. It’s desolate, looking lonelier than ever before. You shift nervously, having done your makeup to reflect the lightness you were sure he wanted to portray. You knew he was trying to get the other gods to like you and you were still wary of meeting them. However, you promised yourself that you would try, even if the other immortals didn’t. You didn’t want to pace, having already painstakingly made sure your dress wasn’t muddied on the way up. Where is he?
You were beginning to worry. Little did you know, Jimin was freaking out. He was pacing and getting far too worked up for a god.
“Hyung! What if-what if she gets scared and doesn’t want to see me again?” He whined to the sky god. He strutted up and down the hallway that led to his altar. He knew you were there, he could feel it, he just couldn’t bring himself to step through.
“Jiminie, she’s a demigod, she’ll be okay.” Jin squeezed his younger friend’s shoulder. Jimin had trusted Jin enough to tell him about you. He thought of telling Namjoon, longing for the elder’s advice more than anything, but there was something sneaky about that god that held him off.
“What if she doesn’t like me?”
“Why would she show up if she wasn’t interested?”
Jimin ran a hand through his hair and Jin could tell he was about to complain more so he stepped in.
“Hey, you’ll be okay.” He said softly, pushing the god of love towards the door. Who knew that such a suave man was so...scared of love? “If you’re worried about jumping off the deep end and drowning,” Jin had heard that falling for your soulmate often felt that way. “Then it’ll be okay. You’ll learn how to breathe underwater.”
The elder god then took the, now quiet, god by the shoulders and steered him down the hallway. The god of love took one heavy step after another. “Go, you’ll be late otherwise and that won’t do any good to lighten the other gods’ positions on her.” Jin said, almost scolding. The younger god just kept his mouth shut, nodding way too easily to his friend.
“Wait, Hyung-”
“Go.”
Then he was shoved through the doorway.
-
He stumbled straight into you, hands reflexively reaching out to stable you. You gasped in surprise, heat rising to your cheeks.
“Jimin! I thought you weren’t coming.” You said in a huff. The god stood there sheepishly, scratching his head.
“Right, I’m so sorry, I was...” Honesty is the best in any relationship. “...I was nervous.”
You tilted your head to the side. Usually it was the other way around with all the assholes you’d dated in the past. They were always entitled, never asking you about anything.
“Oh, I see.” You said awkwardly. “Well, it’s getting late.” You drifted off. Then you noticed him staring at you. Your cheeks flushed pink again at his gaze. It was intense, searching, as it took in your outfit. You heard him let out a soft breath.
“You look...ravishing.” He breathed, finally putting into words how he felt. But nothing could describe how you looked. You looked like a goddess. Perfection, beauty, grace, intelligence, all in one. He swallowed, trying to keep himself in check. He held out his hand, “Well?”
You hesitated, looking at his soft hands. Hands that had never worked a day in their lives. You cautiously place your hands in his and he pulled you close.
“Let’s go.” He murmured. How he managed to make two words sound so enticing was lost on you.
-
-
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms...?” The goddess in front of you purred, holding out her hand. She somehow made it seem condescending. You and Jimin had been glued to the hip since you arrived, but he had briefly left to get drinks, leaving you to fend for yourself. Every god and goddess in the room was intrigued by you. You just kept thinking back to how extravagant the ceremony had been, but you had been more taken with how gracious the bride was. She was so bright compared to the god of the underworld, but somehow they got along.
“Y/N.” You smiled, your lips pressed together. You looked, and in someways were, like a goddess, but everyone knew there was something different. Your impostor syndrome was driving you mad.
“Right.” The feline-like goddess strolled away. You turned, trying to ignore the headache you had, only to bump into another god. He looked startled, jumping back quickly. He had an airy quality of innocence and bright light around him. He was handsome, devilishly so.
“Oh! I’m so sorry.” You exclaimed genuinely, looking at the god with confusion. He had this air of familiarity about him that you couldn’t quite place.
“No, no, it was my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He said shyly. Then an arm wrapped around your waist, a drink being handed to you softly. The man before you got visibly more pale at the sight of the god holding you. He didn’t seem scared, just sad, maybe even heartbroken. “Oh, I see.” He nodded quietly, mood doing a whole 180.
Jimin grimaced as he watched the other man retreat. He felt his heart strings tug, but pushed the pained feeling away. You could sense the tension so you carefully unwrapped yourself, taking his hands.
“Let’s dance.” You said softly. You weren’t sure what just happened, but it didn’t feel like your place to pry. As you place your hands on his shoulders and he planted his firmly on your waist, he let out a sigh.
“I know you’re curious, you can’t hide things from me.” He glanced around as you both blended into the crowd of other couples slow dancing. “That was Agape.”
You nodded slowly. That’s why you felt so familiar. Anyone who was close to Eros understood Agape well.
“Is that was he goes by?” You knew Agape to be the innocent love, the first love, and Eros to be a more sexual love, one filled with desire. You also knew that Jimin didn’t go by Eros, he went by Jimin. People often got him mixed up with Agape, claiming him as cupid, but Agape usually handled first love scenarios.
“No.” He said quietly, as if losing his will to speak. “He... he goes by-” He suddenly cut himself off. “Actually, he doesn’t like it when people refer to him by his real name. Just know that I like you now. You don’t need to worry about him.”
You frowned, eyebrows knitting together. “I never thought he would take you away from me? I was just interested.”
“Ah, yeah, there’s been...tension.” He didn’t give you any more explanation so you sought to change the topic.
“Tell me about the other gods.”
He seemed glad to change subjects. Instead, he told you about Seokjin, the friendly sky god who knew of your predicament. Then he went on about his Taehyungie, Kookie, and then his hyungs. You smiled warmly at all his fond remarks, discussing them as if they were his blood relatives. It humanized them, though you weren’t sure if that was intentional on his part. You had just warmed up to the idea of meeting these gods when someone screamed.
-
-
It wasn’t a happy scream. It was a blood curdling, ear piercing, shriek. A goddess ran from the entryway, clearly alarmed. You jumped and Jimin’s hold on you tightened.
You could see Taehyung pull his lover closer and Yoongi pushed his wife behind him. Other gods were taking defensive stances, eyeing the goddess warily. She was obviously a low level god, her aura faint and you were sure she was to die out soon. Seokjin carefully approached her like a wounded animal. Being the oldest, he had this responsibility; to meet all threats to his circle with full force.
“Ah, Ms. Lee, what troubles you today?”
The entire room stilled, watching Ms. Lee carefully. Seokjin spoke calmly, but there was a fierceness to his voice, a demanding power.
“We’re under attack up above. They’ll be here any minute!” She was inconsolable. You gripped Jimin’s arm and he held you impossibly closer. And attack? By who? The enemies of the gods were long gone and any god who tried to cause trouble was sure to be eliminated quickly. All the gods seemed troubled except a certain war god.
“Great! Then we’ll go to war!” He shouted, anger in his voice. Being the war god, you were sure it was his natural voice. Jimin started radiating a more dominating aura. You realized then that he had hidden most of it as to not freak you out. Now he glowed a luminescent light pink. You knew he was quite literally a lover, not a fighter.
“Now, now, how do we know this isn’t just a set up?” Yoongi narrowed his eyes, clearly not wishing to discuss war on his wedding night.
“Well either way we’d still be under attack.” The girl beside Taehyung breathed. She had a point, you couldn’t deny that. Jungkook’s eyes met briefly with Taehyung’s lover and you could almost see the spark of tension despite being a little ways away. Taehyung put himself between the two subtly. You had a feeling there was a story there.
“Jimin?” Your voice was a whisper as to not break the very thin surface tension of the room. He squeezed your hand in response to tell you he was listening. “Are we in danger?” Your heart beat rapidly. You knew you were the most human here. You were strong, but you wouldn’t last a second against a god. Okay, scratch that, you might last two seconds, being a demigod, but you were still severely disadvantaged. You didn’t want to a) be a burden and b) be killed.
“I’ll keep you safe, love.” He murmured quietly, leaning down and pressing a kiss on the top of your head. You felt your body heat up, wishing those lips to be on yours. You just nodded along, not trusting yourself to say anything else. Then there was a bang outside and the sound of the guards running. You turned to him. eyes wide.
Taehyung was already pushing his lover and Yoongi’s wife together, having another god usher them somewhere safe. You paused, wanting to join them. You even saw Yoongi’s wife turn and look at you expectantly. All the gods and goddesses who valued their lives were running. There was another bang and it was chaos. Those who had been frozen in place were now running and those who wished to fight were materializing their weapons. Jimin looked between you and the door, clearly debating. You gently pushed him towards his friends, knowing he wouldn’t want to leave his brothers.
Then you pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. He flushed red.
“Maybe you’ll get a kiss on the lips if you come back unscathed.” You joked, winking playfully as if he wasn’t about to go out and face...whatever was behind that entryway door. He didn’t respond, just nodding firmly. You rushed to join the other two women who were considered V.I.P.s because of their status and relationships to the inner circle. As you were ushered out of the room, you heard the door burst open and you prayed Jimin was safe.
-
-
You shivered, the dress not doing any good to keep you warm. The women beside you had hardly spoken a word to you except one, who was the bride herself. She had introduced herself to you and then gone quiet. Obviously, she was worried for her new husband. The other woman was shaking like a leaf. You were surprised the relationship between her and Taehyung worked, but you knew love worked in mysterious ways. The bride offered you a small smile, pulling off her pristine white cardigan and handing it to you. You thanked her lowly before resuming your staring contest with the wall.
It was a nice room, a library somewhere even more underground than the underworld. The goddess of the Earth was obviously more wary of you than the one of the underworld. Though, from what Jimin had briefed you on, she had once been a human too. You were all worried sick for your loved ones, of course. No one could think of much else. The constant shouting was driving you over the edge. You just wanted some peace and quiet.
Having always been introverted, you didn’t enjoy crowds for long periods of time. Keeping to yourself and staying out of the way was the best. As much as you disliked the gods, you and the women in the room were sharing a bond. A bond of fear. You were quite the opposite from Jimin in that way. He was a very social person, always going out of his way to talk to people, his words always smooth and graceful. You, on the other hand, were just...there. You stumbled over your words, rambled, and had trouble concealing your emotions as well as him.
There was a knock on the door. You all looked at each other, eyes wide and waiting for the password to be spoken. There was none. It’s not them. You mouthed. The door flew open before you had time to react. You counted your seconds. Two seconds against a god. You had two seconds.
You were just confused, however, when you were met with a familiar face.
“Mom?”
-
-
The long forgotten goddess didn’t even flinch at the anger in your expression, nor the tears that betrayed your pain. It was all too much. She had changed so much. Once the goddess of wisdom, the original goddess long before Namjoon, she held herself with grace. But her frame all bones, no fat, her face was gaunt, and she looked liked she had just walked out of a halloween store. Your breath caught in your throat as she grasped your arm, hard enough to cause a whimper of pain. The other women were forced to follow along as well.
She escorted you out to the ballroom. You felt yourself go pale, stomach dropping to the floor as you surveyed the room. Blood, everywhere. You couldn’t tell whose was whose. Gods are gods, but they bleed. And when they die, they must wait to be reborn once more. You felt your heart clench, seeing the inner circle on their knees. They looked defeated. Seokjin was comforting a sobbing girl, only to have her ripped away and whisked somewhere else. This made the elder god snarl, but he stopped almost immediately after looking at their captors. And who wouldn’t?
They were ghastly creatures, looking like demons out of a novel of pain and horror. Some of them had melted skin, others had hollow faces and haunting stares. All brandished with various “K”s on their bodies. You noticed your mother had one on the side of her neck. The gods were arguing with someone, but you couldn’t make out everything, the argument in full on Greek. Then there was a loud cough. Your mother threw forth the other two girls first. You watched Taehyung and Yoongi’s eyes go wide, before going back, completely feral, to arguing. Then your mother pulled you in close.
“Y/N.” She said coldly, despite her seemingly motherly embrace. “You have disappointed me greatly, I pray Kronos spares you.” Her lips were a thin line as she threw you to the ground too. You tripped over the debris and landed on your hands and knees. You looked up, meeting the eyes of Jimin.
You saw a quiet fury. You knew Jimin was diplomatic, he wouldn’t yell, but you could feel his anger from across the room. He mouthed ‘I love you’. And you frowned a little. This was not where you wanted to be confessed to. You wanted him to say to you, alone, and secluded. You selfishly wanted that. Now the enemy had stolen your first I Love Yous as well.
“Put her with the others.” You understood that part. The masked leader gestured to an underling who unceremoniously dragged you over to the other women. You huddled together as they shoved you into a cage with the crying girl from earlier. Yoongi’s wife wasn’t crying, but she did seem to be in a state of shock. Taehyung’s lover was crying, trying to conceal her sniffles. You gently shrugged off the cardigan from earlier, handing it to her. She took it quickly, hiding her face. You even heard the smallest thank you. Underlings surrounded you like specimen, watching you like you were zoo animals.
“Yoongi!” The bride called out, panicked. You felt it too. There was something bad coming. Then the cage moved and you felt nauseated from the sudden movement. You panicked fully for the first time. Where were they taking you?
“Jimin!” You screeched, hand stretching out. His eyes widened farther.
“Y/N!” He called back, fighting the restraints and lunging towards the cage.
Taehyung’s girlfriend sobbed loudly and Taehyung looked over, concern evident as he struggled to reach out, mental focus just on getting to his lover.
“I love you!” You cried. “Please look for us, don’t give up on us.” Came out your broken plea.
“I’ll search the ends of the universe just to see your face, Y/N.” You heard him say. The underlings restrained him and you sat back, feeling defeated already. The others knew you weren’t a goddess and they immediately babied you, knowing your body to be far more fragile from theirs. Tae’s girlfriend shot you small smiles of encouragement and you did so in return. Yoongi’s wife rubbed your back and the third mystery woman remained silent as you were driven to gods know where.
-
-
Last minute A/N: OKAY OKAY I admit it, I didn’t give this...a great happy ending. BUT BUT BUT I promise you a happy ending in the future-
#bts#tatawrites#of eternity and euphoria#bts x reader#jimin#park jimin#jimin x reader#fluff#god!BTS#God!Jimin#Demigod!reader#love#proof reading is dead to me#I'll just fix it later if I have the guts to reread my work
31 notes
·
View notes
Text
Young!Remus Lupin x Hufflepuff
Yasss I’m back! I was so frustrated because this one didn't work out for me, took me forever to finish. I hope you like it although it’s something like a first approach, too soon to be dating... it’s more like they are building the relationship? IDK I just loved writing about Remus, I think he deserves all the love in the world! Feel free to comment if you want or a like, would be really appreciated. Thank you!
Nereida Wellstrom was probably one of the most popular Huffelpuffs girls in sixth year, she was the daughter of one of the most important magizoologists of the moment and her family was owner of a natural reserve for all kind of magical creatures. Aside from everyone wanting to get along with her because of her father and his influence, she was also well known for her lively and distracted character; she always forgot that cheating step on the stairs or was so distracted talking to someone that the ghosts of the castle always pierced her. Of course, she was the target of many of Peeves' pranks. Nereida's reaction was usually to laugh at these accidents. Another of Nereida's quirks was that she was always up to something. Despite being one of those people who caught your attention as soon as she entered the room -with her toasted skin, her shiny short brown hair, the sweet bangs that fell over her chocolate eyes, the smooth shape of her face that gave her a sweet and boyish air as well as her short height for her age it was as if a toasted pixie walked through the halls of Hogwarts cheerfully- she had managed more than once to avoid being seen by her companions and thus save some fairies who were going to cut their wings like ingredients for a potion that they had to work in class. No one had seen her but everyone knew it had been her as soon as professor Slughorn appeared in the classroom very disappointed that they wouldn't be able to work on the potion he had prepared for that day. Everyone expected Nereida to be elected prefect and if the letter came that she had been named as such, she didn't tell anyone. There were rumors that she hadn't been given the position due to how clueless she was and it was even said that she herself had rejected the position but no one could confirm them. In short, Nereida was -as everyone said- perfect. So perfect that couldn't even be prefect. Actually, what was happening was that the girl was too busy studying magical creatures like her father and the rest of her family. Her passion led her to break Hogwarts rules from time to time like that incident with the fairies, the Cornish pixies she released in her second year, her strange friendship with the giant black lake squid or her late night escapes in the early forbidden forest to try to find those wolves so smart from the rumors.
-I'm telling you they are real! -she exclaimed as she left the dark arts class.
As almost always, Nereida was surrounded by girls: two Hufflepuff girls who were her dorm companions and three Gryffindor girls looking at her with humor, one of those Gryffindors was Lily Evans. Nereida and Lily didn't always agree on many things but that was the basis of their friendship, a healthy rivalry in which in the end they ended up helping each other to improve. In fact, it was Lily who spoke in a frustrated tone as this was a recurring theme.
-Listen to me, Wellstrom. That thing of the wolves is only a rumor, it isn't known if they inhabit the forbidden forest. -But there are records that those wolves exist, Evans. Read a little, will you?
The girls had stopped a few steps from the classroom door they had just left and were openly arguing in the middle of the hallway. All wanted to give their opinion and none gave their arm to break. In fact an arm appeared between the girls, trying to shamelessly wrap around Evans' shoulders.
-Try it and I'll hex you, Potter -the redhead threatened without blinking an eye. -Evans! -James greeted without losing his smile- What are you talking about now? -Ladies -Sirius greeted smiling at the group of girls and causing the giggles of some of them.
Nereida watched the four boys with renewed interest that only Remus Lupin noticed because the other three were distracted by the girls, as always. A curious fact about her that not many people knew was the strong connection she had with magical creatures. Let's see, everyone knew about Nereida's passion with any living being, magical or not, but almost nobody knew Nereida's ability to perceive the emotions of the creatures that surrounded her. It was an overwhelming skill that she kept secret despite her popularity. So she couldn't remember a single time that Remus was close to her without feeling anything. Anything. Fear, emotion, nerves, relief... But since last year, whenever the group of four boys was around, she had this unpleasant feeling of feeling a hundred emotions at once. Frustration, pressure, confidence, nonchalance, nerves... It was as if there were a thousand animals surrounding her and each of them felt something so strongly that she couldn't help but notice it with even more intensity. Once, because of this she had ended up in the infirmary lying about how little she had slept from staying awake studying. The Hufflepuff noticed something different about them and although she couldn't say what, a sensation was so strong that she took Lily's arm -which was the one closest to her- in search of stability. The redhead looked at the girl with a frown but said nothing as one of the other Hufflepuffs informed the boys -Sirius specifically- of the conversation although Nereida suspected she was only informing them to get their attention. Sirius and James were smiling openly seemingly carefree and attractive to almost the entire group of girls, Peter struggling to feign half the confidence his friends displayed while Remus clutched the books under his arm and prayed that the conversation would end soon. At the request of the Defense professor, the group began to move towards the end of the corridor and towards the stairs, towards the Great Hall.
-So smart wolves -Sirius summed up looking at James and Remus with an ironic smile that neither of the girls understood their true meaning- Who believes those things? -For your information, Black -started Nereida who had already regained color on her cheeks- It’s a real study. It's only happened twice, that is known, but werewolves... Do you know what they are, Black? Do you listen in Dark Arts? -Every now and then I think a teacher talks to me but I'm not quite sure, Wellstrom -he joked earning the laughter of the girls to which he replied with an arrogant smile. -What do werewolves have to do with wolves in the Forbidden Forest? -James asked, now was hard for him to pretend the security that Sirius showed. -The thing is, when two werewolves pair during the full moon... -Stop there, Wellstrom. There are ladies in front, are you really going to tell us a naughty story like that?
Nereida rolled her eyes and Lily sent her a knowing smile as the other girls feigned shyness and laughed to gain the attention of the attractive boy. They had to stop for a few minutes and wait for the stairs to return to their previous position to continue on their way to the Great Hall.
-The result are puppies that will never take human form -she finished explaining to James's watchful eye who soon looked at Remus who was turning pale at times- The rumor is the international magic security ministry entrusted Albus Dumbledore with the care of one of these litters and is rumored to be at Hogwarts. In the forbidden forest to be more exact. -And you are interested in that rumor... why? -Remus dared to ask, earning a look from Sirius and Peter while James didn't bother pretending to be curious about the answer to that question. -Werewolves, Lupin! They are natural predators that only attack humans, wouldn't you like to know why? -Not especially... -Remus muttered looking at his friends. -Well I do. I know werewolves are dangerous, but aren't they fascinating?
The gaze of the entire group towards her made her blush. Some gestures went from annoyance to surprise, others shame and strangeness. She coughed.
-If those wolves are there, if there is a pack of smart wolves in that forest and they can understand me enough, maybe I will discover something new about werewolves. There's a potion to calm them down on full moon nights, what if there's some way they can keep their consciousness on those nights? What if there’s still something to discover? Wouldn't be fascinating to be the first person to discover something so important that would benefit a large group of people who have been oppressed and mistreated for generations, for being something that not many have chosen to be?
The awkward silence that followed her speech made her feel very small for a moment. These were the downsides of popularity, as soon as people understood how rare you are they would actually leave you alone. Nereida didn't mind being alone once in a while but she couldn't bear to be treated like crazy by her closest friends. Lily Evans was the first to laugh while the other girls didn’t know what to say and the boys exchanged intense glances with each other.
-I love that you look for the good side of the most dangerous creatures. For real. That just show how sweet you are but... don't you think if there was a remedy like the one you say it wouldn't have been discovered by now? -That's the problem, Evans! There is a small part of the magical community that suffers with every full moon and nobody cares! And meanwhile, there are cruel murders of which the perpetrators aren't aware and have to bear the blame for crimes they don't remember. Or even incriminate them at the slightest opportunity! It's unfair! -I love your enthusiasm, Wellstrom. You're adorable. But you're only a sixth-year student, shouldn't you lower the bar a little? -Did someone tell to the great Scamander to lower the bar? Evans, he is the author of... -Fantastic beasts and where to find them, I know. It's your obsession since I know you. -Always with the name of Scamander on the lips. Not that you were in love with that old man -Sirius joked, slapping Remus on the back to distract him from his thoughts. -Like Professor Dumbledore said... -Lily began to say, watching the other girls get rid of this awkward conversation by sneaking down the few stairs that separated them from the Great Hall- If Newt Scamander hasn't found it, it's not worth finding. Have a good afternoon, Wellstrom.
And without further ado the redhead followed the other girls to the Great Hall. Nereida stared at Lily a second and then turned to the boys who were still sharing mysterious glances and seemed to want to get out of there as soon as possible.
-You believe me, right? -I believe you’re a crazy little pixie but you're cute, Wellstrom -Sirius smirked as he pinched her little nose before running downstairs pulling Peter with him. -I believe what Lily has said. Sorry, Wellstrom -James summed up following his friends.
Nereida stared at the boys with a slightly offended gesture, her cheeks red from helplessness as she found no arguments to back up her theory.
-If it’s of any use, I think it's a very beautiful dream.
Remus spoke so softly that Nereida almost forgot he was after her. Actually the boy had gone down a couple of steps while he was talking and now they were almost at the same height. Remus's gaze, normally calm and friendly, was nervous now and his eyes tried not to stare at hers for long. His scars only intensified the sweet look his nervous eyes hid.
-I'm sorry that they don't believe you.
Nereida closed her eyes for a second before open them and smile. The boy no longer conveyed to her any overwhelming feelings as before. She held the Defense Against the Dark Arts book to her chest and looked at him with her characteristic joy.
-You know? It's the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers. -Wise words. Do you mind if I take note?
The boy's smile this time did make her feel something, but this time it was a feeling of her own that made her blush without losing her happy smile and her nervous laugh.
-All yours! Thanks for your words, Lupin. -Remus! Sirius is going to eat your part if you don't come!
It was James smiling at his friend from the big doors of the Great Hall. The two laughed together and headed toward the room to head to their respective tables, sit with their different friends, and enjoy a carefree, laughter-filled lunch. No one would say that from time to time the cheerful brown eyes sought that sweet and shy emerald gaze only a few tables away. She didn’t know that the boy in question was still talking about the topic they had had on the stairs with their friends. The four heads were close together as they ate as fast as they could while talking about that remedy that Nereida had mentioned. It would be a dream come true for Remus and his friends thought to study all the possibilities. So for the next few weeks the marauders began to haunt the library for information, any kind of information, to give them a clue about the potion Nereida was talking about. Surprisingly, it was Peter who suggested that they look in all the books about lycanthropy in which the name Nereida Wellstrom came as on of the last readers. Occasionally, Nereida herself found the four boys at different levels of boredom or attention as they struggled to read the complicated texts before them. Lily even told her that it was the first time she had found Potter minimally attractive with his nose stuck in the book in front of him and barely paying attention to his surroundings. Nereida cheerfully commented that people could surprise us for good if given a chance. The little Hufflepuff was at one of the tables with the Gryffindor redhead, both comparing the conclusions of their respective essays for the potions class, with a certain touch of rivalry between them, while the two girls from Ravenclaw, another Hufflepuff and another Gryffindor they were trying to finish their own essays.
-Evans, lovely as always. -Potter, annoying as always -she replied without looking up from her parchment.
James, Sirius and Peter walked past the girls' table laughing and sat at their usual table, each with a few books under their arms. Nereida smiled widely as she sneaked a glance at Lily as the redhead's eyes strayed at last from the parchment towards the boys. The brunette tried not to laugh with all her might, so to avoid a new discussion with her friend, she decided to get up and look for another book to compare the information in her essay, even though she knew that the information was correct. Leaving behind a couple of bookshelves, she found a well-known boy with scars and shy eyes searching the books. He hadn't noticed the girl's presence yet, so she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was seeing her and took a few silent steps toward the boy, biting her lower lip in anticipation.
-Hello, Wellstrom -the boy greeted without even turning to look at her. -Why do these things never work for me? -the girl's broad smile settled on her face as she took a couple of steps back, hands behind her back, trying to put on an innocent smile and failing miserably. -Try a less strong perfume -he commented absently picking up a book and opening it to see the list of latest readers.
He didn't seem to like something because he closed the book and tried another one again.
-Today I haven't put perfume -she replied absentmindedly picking up a lock of hair and smelling it to check it.
The boy finally looked up at her in surprise and a surge of nervousness enveloped her again. The boy's cheeks glowed subtly red.
-What a fine nose you have -Nereida laughed, downplaying the matter. -Yeah... I have to go, the boys are waiting for me -the boy tried to run away where she had come from and the girl pulled back a little to let him through. -Did I say something that bothered you? -she asked in time to stop him before he came out of the small corridor that formed the two shelves that covered both of them with foreign eyes.
He took a few seconds to turn around and look at her with guilty eyes as she stared down at the ground not really expecting any response.
-No... It wasn't you. It's just... We're investigating something and... -I have noticed it -she replied smiling a bit and looking at him at last- You have broken a record, Lupin. Potter and Black in the library several days in a row. It must be the insignia of the prefect. -Must be -he dared to laugh slightly, shifted the weight from one leg to the other, and dared to say- About your perfume... It's not too strong... it's... nice. I'm sorry, Wellstrom. -Nereida -she smiled broadly and cheerfully, a slight blush on her cheeks- Please, I can't bear such courtesy when we're friends. -We're friends? -I think?
He was genuinely surprised and she was still smiling broadly with that slight blush on her cheeks that made her really look like a little pixie about to burst with excitement. She brushed a lock of hair from her face, further exposing the blush on her cheeks but when she fixed her eyes on the boy he seemed suddenly concerned.
-I... I have to go now... Nereida. -See you later, Remus.
The young werewolf returned to the table with his friends still a little worried about the conversation. The others were so engrossed in the books that they paid no attention to his red cheeks or to the fact that for the next hour he pretended to be reading as his leg moved frantically. Discreetly casting glances to the other side of the library to see how Nereida was trying to suppress a laugh while Lily was looking at her annoyed for some reason, her friends also trying not to laugh at the situation. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. It was one thing to watch her from a distance, talking to her only when the occasion required or was necessary for some class. Another, very different, was to let a friendship develop and allow something else to grow because... Merlin, he could smell her nerves every time the girl approached him, he heard her heartbeat when he released a subtle compliment about her intelligence or her looks and he could literally feel her gaze across the room. Someone like him -someone so horrible and monstrous- feeling something for someone as her -so sweet and pure-? It was destined for failure. He wasn't made to have that kind of relationship. He looked at the boys sitting with him. Peter was taking notes as he turned the pages of the book in front of him. Sirius was leaning back in his chair, holding the book at his eye level to force himself to continue reading. James took the opportunity to give him a bright smile of encouragement as he put down the book he had been reading and took another from the pile they had formed in the center of the table. Friends. Something unknown to him until he got to Hogwarts. A wonderful feeling since he had discovered that this was a relationship that was allowed for him. Friends. Something he could handle. Beyond a friendship? Nothing. Not even try. Impossible. Prohibited. The noise of moving chairs caught the attention of his green eyes, quickly moving towards the source of the noise. James made a comment to Lily that she ignored. Nereida gave him one of her happy and dazzling smiles. He was screwed. The little Hufflepuff gathered her things, still chatting with her friends all of them significantly taller than her. Even he had to lower his gaze to meet her eyes but it was worth it. She had the happiest and kindest eyes he had ever seen. Not even James who treated him with the greatest kindness could compare. Sirius put an arm around him, causing him to fall backwards to support his back on his chest, Sirius' arm around his neck and the other hand tousling him.
-Enjoying the views, Moony? -No! I was... I just... -Don't be ashamed, the girls of our year aren’t bad at all -laughed James.
Remus's cheeks found a new color of red while Sirius was still tousling him.
-It will be dinner time soon -Petter commented rubbing his eyes and leaving the book in the middle of the table next to the others. -We're leaving now then -said James getting up. -We should pick this up guys -Remus tried, pointing to the books they had left on the table. -And take away work from the librarian? How cruel, Moony. What will she do if we do the work? -was Sirius's carefree reply as he dragged him to his feet and leave the library.
Still down the hallways on the way to the Gryffindor common room, Sirius kept wrapping his shoulders, making him walk awkwardly, while also hugging James and complaining that they hadn't done anything fun with their lives lately. Lily Evans and Nereida Wellstrom glanced at them as the four passed the girls on their noisy march from the library. The redhead looked annoyed as the brunette looked at them amused. By the time the boys noticed Remus' feelings for a certain Hufflepuff, it had been several months since they finished their search for any werewolf elixir and the end of the year was fast approaching after exams were over.
-And you haven't said anything to us all this time? -James said as they celebrated the end of the exams with a few bottles of butter beers in their dorm- Us? Your brothers? Your companions since we can remember! -James, we met in first year. -As if that mattered, Moony! -Sirius yelled with tears in his eyes.
At this point in the night and after so many butter beers they began to act funny. Who would say that those two would get drunk on simple butter beers? Remus and Petter had to make efforts not to laugh because they hadn't drunk as much and because those two alone were making enough noise in the dorm, they didn't want to be noticed.
-I have told you everything about my Lily, how much I like her, since when I like her, my wedding plans... -Yes, Moony! Even the things we didn't want to hear, even when we told him to stop he kept talking.
Petter laughed at this statement and Remus rolled his eyes. Sirius took another drink to his beer.
-Exact! -exclaimed James dropping his butter beer- Because that's what friends are for, Moooony. To talk about our feelings and open up to each other as we will never open up with our girlfriends. -Even if we'll never have a formal girlfriend, Moony! -You two are ridiculous. We should go to sleep. -Oh, come on, Moony. It's getting funny -said Petter as Sirius hug him. -It's getting ridiculous and loudly.
The others would complain about this. The both of them continue complaining about girls, how they always wanted more or never have enough or always being annoying, each of them with a different thing to complain about. Remus just roll his eyes, Nereida wasn't like that and they didn't have anything they were just good friends.
-But that's what they want -Sirius murmured wrapping around Remus's shoulders and pulling him closer to whisper but he wasn't whispering at all then he started talking trying to imitate a girl but it sounded ridiculous- Oh, Rem, I love talking to you, let's be friends. Let's spend more time together. Let's start dating! Why are you afraid of getting a relation, Remus? Am I not enough for you? -That's enough, Pad -Remus laughed breaking free from his friend's hug- and that last one sounded a bit like Marlene. -She hates me again, guys! -he yelled dropping backwards until he rest his back on the ground and stare at the ceiling. -Well, you were kissing her last week -Petter accused him before taking another sip of his beer. -Yes... She kisses well... Why are girls so complicated? Remus, forget what James tells you. Get away from that Hufflepuff, friends before girls! -he threw his fists into the air, making the other three boys laugh.
As Remus predicted earlier, one of the senior prefects came to shut them up so they went to bed as quickly as they could. When Remus was sure that his companions were asleep, he allowed himself to think long and hard about the brunette that had lately occupied his thoughts. He had tried to hide it, pretend nothing was wrong but by now it had become an impossible task especially when he couldn't help but blush if she caught him staring at her, his heart raced when she talked to him about something about caring for magical creatures and she leaned in toward him -her elbows brushing or she resting her hand on his arm- to whisper something she didn't want anyone else to know. She made him feel like they were the only ones in the room sometimes. She made him feel like he was worthy sometimes. Lost in thought, he missed James's first attempts to get his attention and only when the other's pillow landed on his own scarred face did he turn to look at him.
-What, Prongs? What do you want now? -he spoke in whispers so as not to wake the others but his friend heard him perfectly. -We were being honest, Moony -he sounded serious and concerned about it- I know it seemed like we didn't take your feelings seriously... -I don't have those feelings, Prongs -he responded by throwing the pillow back. -Yeah, Moony. Whatever -the other laughed, receiving the pillow and arranging it to drop comfortably onto it- You are always there to cover our backs and clean what we dirty. You take great care of us and we want to thank you. If any of us deserves a little happiness, that's you Moony. -And what about Sirius? -he appreciated the darkness of the room because he felt his cheeks flush. -He knows how to handle himself, is stronger than you think. He also cares about you, even if he doesn't say it and is always joking. -I know...
Remus and James were silent for a few seconds, the werewolf thought that the other had fallen asleep but when a loud snoring from Sirius's bed broke in the room, both boys laughed together.
-Thanks, Prongs. -Anytime, Moony.
Friends. What a wonderful thing. Sometimes they can be your greatest comfort. And others can be so annoying that you wish you had killed them when you had a chance. The last weeks of the course were accompanied by a last full moon that left Remus exhausted and with even more reasons to try to make his friends abandon their efforts to get him a girlfriend because that was simply not going to happen in this life. The very petite brunette was unaware that three Gryffindors and seemed blind to any comments they made. Sirius and James were so subtle with Remus' secret that every time the girl entered the same room as them, they both instantly looked at Remus with malicious smiles and made unsubtle comments. Remus felt embarrassed and tormented by this, his friends didn't understand how far their insecurities went and they pretended not to matter but they did matter. For him they were everything. The central pillar of his life was a great deal of insecurities and fears as much about what he could do to the people around him as what people could do to him if were known he was a werewolf. At the same time, the young Hufflepuff was seen to be increasingly interested in Remus. Remus Lupin to her had always been a mysterious and nerve-racking person in more ways than one, he always seemed concerned about something and for some reason always seemed to hold back as if something he could do or say brought out the most horrible of the secrets. Nereida on the other hand wasn't interested in having any formal relationship or she said to her friends, she had had several dates but no boy who had shown interest in her seemed really interested in what the girl had to say so Remus Lupin losing his shyness to talk to her from time to time it was a breath of fresh air throughout the course. Remus, ignoring all the suspicions that he might arouse in her thanks to her secret gift or what she had heard and seen with her own eyes, seemed genuinely interested in everything the girl wanted to share with him and didn't get bored or interrupted her when she started to get excited about her passion. It was new, refreshing and something she had never felt before. Sometimes even she could feel her own nerves playing with her and her heart racing in anticipation and excitement or flushing red when she was with him. She didn't really know what these reactions were about but they were generally good feelings and she allowed herself to enjoy them without losing her happy smile and laughing as a reflection of the nerves she felt. Finally, the last day of class came and as the Marauders boarded the express and occupied the same compartment they always sat in, James struggled to get Lily's attention, Sirius pretended not to notice that Marlene was kissing a Ravenclaw in front of the boys' compartment, Peter was spending all his money on candy for the trip. For her part, Nereida could barely find an empty compartment so she ended up in the same one as Lily Evans and a bunch of other girls she felt comfortable talking to, but throughout the trip she hardly enjoyed her seat. There was always someone who wanted to talk to her, there was always a girl who took her out of the compartment and took her to another to the other side of the express because something she had to know had happened, some boy stopped her in the hallway to try to talk to her and the line for the bathroom was endless. She didn’t realize that if she paid attention to one of the compartments that she passed continuously, there was someone very attentive to every little gesture she made debating with himself whether to speak to her or not. With only a couple of hours to go before the trip, when Lily dragged her back down the hall to go take off their uniforms and put on normal clothes, when the Marauders had already changed into casual clothes, when Sirius left the door of the compartment open to lean on with James watching people pass by and waving to some from time to time, when the two girls returned to their compartment laughing because a boy from Ravenclaw had tried to flirt with Nereida and had been cut off with a scathing comment and smart of her... James interrupted the girls' way to comment on how pretty Lily Evans was in casual clothes, the redhead responding annoyed at the comment while Sirius couldn't help but laugh. The brunette's eyes searched the interior of the compartment and finally found those shy eyes that could barely look at her for several seconds in a row. She smiled at the boy's shyness and waved happily. He did the same. Peter saw this interaction and got up from his place to push Sirius and James out of the compartment, Potter colliding with Evans and causing another discussion, excusing himself that they had to accompany him because they had run out of chocolate. Nereida was very happy with this new opportunity and to Remus' torment the boys sent him gestures of encouragement while they were lost in search of more sweets, the brunette excused herself with the redhead and entered the messy compartment that was full of candy wrappers that the boys had been eating the whole trip.
-What a feast -she laughed as the boy's cheeks turned red as he tried to remove some of the clutter for the girl to sit on. -You know the boys -he managed to smile between the shame he felt at that moment. -Yeah, they are specials, right? -You don't know how much -he whispered but she didn't understand the message as she sat in the seat he had cleaned for her right in front of him.
A comfortable silence settled between them, Remus seemed about to lose his nerve trying to focus his eyes on anything but the girl in front of him while the girl was biting her lower lip thinking about what to say. Her feet were barely touching the ground so he swayed them a bit as he thought about a topic of conversation.
-Well... Summer, finally huh?-she tried. -Yeah -he nodded absentmindedly, mentally cursing himself for not being able to give a consistent answer and he was supposed to be the smart Marauder. -Any interesting vacation plans?
She didn't seem to mind Remus's lack of words, she was smiling as always while gently swinging her legs giving her a childish and tremendously adorable air in the werewolf's eyes. It was as if her small body couldn't wait to share something with him, like a true pixie.
-The usual, I think. I will spend the summer with my parents and visit James and Sirius.
Again he wished he had come up with a better answer, his summer suddenly seemed so boring although while planning with the boys it seemed like the most amazing thing that could happen to him. For some reason he found himself wanting to surprise her because she always had better stories to tell. He, of course, had good stories to tell but couldn't share them with anyone else or his secret would be revealed and he would be kicked out of Hogwarts or worse. Her smile, however, did not seem disappointed by Remus' plans although she did expect something similar. A chocolate frog jumped between them from a pile of sweets that they thought were empty. The poor chocolate frog jumped to Remus' knee, picked up momentum, and went out the window. The two laughed together at the scene and for a moment Remus' nerves seemed to slow down significantly as he could now look the girl in the eye with a calm smile on his face.
-And you? What plans do you have? -Oh, I think I'm going to visit my uncles in Romania. My father hasn't confirmed yet, he wants me to help him in the reserve because in a few days the diricawl will be born and he still cannot find a new assistant to study them. -But you are wanting to go to Romania, right? -he smiled knowing the answer beforehand. -Dragons, Remus! -she finally exploded with emotion, her eyes shining at the idea of those dangerous creatures- Authentic, huge and majestic dragons! Nothing to do with the illustrations in the books. Miss that for some harmless birds that disappear when they get nervous? -And don't forget that they are dangerous too. -Only if you tickle them, haven't you learned anything from Hogwarts? Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus
His response was to laugh and agree, in the end he always agreed with her because it was easier and because of the triumphant smile that appeared on her face when she won. The two continued talking for a long time, he was finally relaxed and able to carry on a conversation with her while she was unable to stop smiling all the time. When the other boys returned to the compartment, Nereida had moved to sit next to Remus while explaining how they managed to take care of the diricawl in the reserve. Remus didn't want to end the conversation but they were about to arrive at the King's Cross station and she had to go back to her own compartment with her friends. James, Sirius and Peter squeezed against the door to make way for the girl as they smiled at Remus, who he preferred to ignore. Once the girl was out of the compartment and the boys regained their seats, the brunette turned around, preventing the door from closing, surprising the boys who were going to start bothering their friend.
-Would you mind if I wrote to you this summer?
Remus's cheeks flushed before Nereida's cheery eyes and nervous giggle as James and Sirius exchanged a mischievous smile and Peter pulled out the new candy they had bought.
-Definitely! -Sirius exclaimed when he saw that Remus was slow to respond and the girl's confidence began to decline discreetly, putting an arm around his friend to wake him up. -And he will also write to you -James replied -He will be waiting anxiously for your letter -completed Sirius for Remus’ torture.
The girl laughed, more from nerves than from the boys' responses, as Remus struggled to get rid of Sirius's arm that was preventing him from breathing well. She said goodbye to them, smiling especially at Remus and closed the door at last to go to her seat next to Lily to whom she had to tell a lot of things suddenly but she only took a few steps when the door opened and Remus stumbled out trying to avoid to his noisy friends.
-Nereida! -the boy's voice attracted her attention and she turned around waiting for him to speak, which took a couple of seconds more than it should but in the end he managed to say- I hope you can go to Romania.
Nereida expected something else? Probably since the boy almost fell as he left the compartment and also it seemed that the nerves were winning him again while his cheeks reddened again. But all she did was smile, ignoring her own blush and the nerves growing in her chest.
-I will write you whether I go or not. -I will read anything you write to me.
The girl's cheeks glowed even more red and her nervous giggle won the battle this time.
-Have a nice summer, Rem. -The same for you, Nereida.
The girl's cheeks glowed a new shade of red when she reunited with her friend and the other girls but in the end she said nothing about what had happened between her and Remus. It suddenly seemed too private between them even if it had happened in front of James, Sirius and Peter. Even she didn't know why, but she was looking forward to writing with Remus and knowing more about him and maybe seeing each other during the summer.
Suddenly going to Romania didn't seem so exciting.
#Harry Potter#harry potter fanfiction#harry potter oc#harry potter imagine#harry potter x oc#marauders era#marauders fanfiction#marauders imagine#marauders x reader#marauders x oc#remus lupin#remus lupin x oc#remus lupin x you#remus lupin x y/n#hufflepuff#gryffinpuff
45 notes
·
View notes
Text
SURREPTITIOUS - DRACO MALFOY
PROLOGUE: THE GIRL WITH A SECRET
SUMMARY: Leslie Greyscale is given advice. WORD COUNT: 1.1k NOTE: I’m so excited to start this story! I’ve had the idea since before Fantastic Beasts came out and now that I’m (somewhat) motivated, I’m thrilled to share! There will be a lot of chapters taking place in the past, as well as a mix of past and present storytelling in the same chapters, so just something to remember. Thank you for reading!! WARNINGS: none (yet)
MASTERLIST
RELAX. BREATHE. FEET FLAT. BACK straight. Exhale. Focus.
Try harder.
Harder.
A pair of strained brown eyes pierced a man across the park who pushed his son on a rusty swing. The screams and groans the metal gives nearly set the girl in a rage. How is she supposed to focus with such a shrill sound? The girl considered leaving to go somewhere quieter to practice, but an old voice from an old memory reminds her that practice, even in the worst circumstances, is necessary for her to learn.
Rolling her knitted sweater over her clammy palms, a small girl of eleven with long brown hair and even darker brown eyes took a sharp exhale before cracking her neck. Balling her fists, she focused on the man once more. The boy had been easy; his small incomprehensible mind was full of nothing but rubbish. This made it simple for her to gain access. The older gentleman however had more secrets and life on his shoulders. She knew from the moment she saw him that it would be a difficult time entering his mind.
Leslie Greyscale could not describe her gift. It was not necessary mind reading, for the mind is not as mundane as a book, but not quite Legillimency either, which is the rare talent of being able to navigate through the many layers of a person's mind. Due to the lack of a better title, she called herself a Legillimen, this not only giving a name for her talent but also a label which isn't terribly known to the common wizard. Her father insisted that she was something more powerful though, more rare than a natural born Legillimen. Leslie's family line has had their fair share of the natural gift, however Leslie's father believed she was different from them. When Leslie was born, it was quickly deduced that she was given the ability to read people's emotions but that soon manifested into something much more complicated. With the proper focus, Leslie discovered she could wiggle her way into someone's mind, not only sensing what they are thinking but delving into memories or future plans, essentially seeing glimpses of a possible future. She can tell what a person may or may not accomplish in their life long before steps paved the road just by taking a look into their past, thoughts, current emotions, anything. Of course, these things involving what could happen are subject to change.
For instance, Leslie didn't think the small boy will grow to be a thieving criminal just because he desires to steal more toys from daycare. She knows he'll become a murderer or maybe a spy based on his consistent lying, mischievousness, and his lack of emotion.
But again, everything can change.
This is one of the last times Leslie has to practice without completely making a fool of herself. In two months time, she would be on a train off to a magical school. Her brother had attended his first year two years before her, bringing home stories that scared her even more. It was all a cruel joke, but hearing the lies still frightened the poor girl. For many students, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a second home, but Leslie was dreading her first year, for she's never been away from home before, let alone for nine months. During that long time at Hogwarts, students from ages eleven to seventeen learn how to wield their natural magic abilities all the while exploring the depths that is childhood. Hogwarts, though its name may not sound like it, is one of the most well renowned magical schools in the world. But for Leslie, the reputation didn't matter if the idea chills her to the bone. Even if she found herself comfortable within the school's walls, she still had one threat: social interaction.
Since a young age, Leslie had not been skilled in the art of friendship-making. She had several children to run around with when she was barely walking, but they had been her parents' friends' children. It was not like she had a choice, nor they. And if they did have the option, there was no doubt they would have left many years ago. Eventually, most grew tired of how odd Leslie would be at times, abandoning her for brooms or other kids. Unlike many of her father's peers' children, Leslie did not feel the urge to make friends based on status, differentiating her from most of her childhood mates. Instead, she much rather enjoyed the company of herself and her pet owl.
Staring with a quite angry look on her face, oblivious to herself, people had begun to notice the odd young girl at the park bench, opting to leave before she could make a scene.
"You're being obvious."
The voice caused Leslie to jump. She had not noticed a man sit next to her. His shoulder length light brown hair blocked his face from view, but she knew who he was from the moment she gained notice of him.
"Huh?" She asks.
The bright blue eyes of Janus Greyscale peered down to his daughter. The wealthy man is a proud owner of a winery simply called Greyscale Winery and when he isn't fishing for catering events, he can be found overprotecting Leslie from any possible foes. Based on her strange attitude and quirks and the reputation of his acquaintances, many guests were not permitted to have a relationship with the girl, only seeing her for a few moments at a time. Janus looked over to the boy and father, now trying out monkey bars. "Darling, you've been making the same face for the last ten minutes."
Her face flushed, embarrassment gaining weight in her cheeks, heavy enough to droop her face downwards. "I'm trying to practice. Sometimes it's hard."
Sighing to himself, Janus brought his daughter in for a hug. "I have no doubt. We just need to work on making it not nearly as obvious. Your gift is a blessing, but it can be used as a tool for someone with bad intentions." Janus looked up and spotted a man and a woman both looking in their direction before turning their heads to leave the park. His eyes narrowed until they disappeared out of thin air with a loud crack.
"No one must know."
#surreptitious#draco malfoy#draco fanfiction#draco x oc#draco x reader#draco malfoy fanfiction#draco malfoy x oc#prologue#harry potter#tom felton
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Stone Heart Gambit
Part 1 - Chapter 4
“Is it me, or is trying to walk down stairs in the dark kind of not fun.”
The librarian- the faerie, the liar, her friend- whatever he is to her now, he casts her a backwards glance and raises a hand, which begins to glow. It’s not like the light of a bulb or even a flame dancing on the wick of a candle, it’s like bottled daylight, the serene glow of a merry spring day. All Soso wants to do is stare at it, bask in it. It brightens the stairwell, but doesn’t make watching her step much easier. Surehouser grins knowingly at her. She huffs.
“Show off.”
Eventually she does manage to tear her eyes away and look around. The library basement is a proper dungeon. The stairs seem to go on forever, the stone walls are streaked with mildew, and as they delve deeper she notices tapestries and even an old battle-axe mounted on the walls. They’re marked with a variety of emblems, intricate and beautiful, but none the least bit familiar to her. Part of her wonders if it would change her opinion of them, knowing whether they are relics of the humans or the fae.
She’s still processing the overwhelming amount of information Surehouser has placed on her, the knowledge that not only are the creatures of myth real, but apparently are her ancestral enemies. Surehouser himself doesn’t seem bothered by it, so maybe she shouldn’t be either. After all this war he speaks of was so long ago that she can hardly conceive of it. On the other hand, for Adamantius, humankind’s champion, the wounds seem to be a lot fresher. He won, but it doesn’t sound like he got to reap many of the rewards.
That’s the part that puzzles her most. Both sides had to lay down their arms for the sake of creating peace, but she doesn’t understand why that would lead to Adamantius being sentenced so cruelly. If he was truly humanity’s saving grace during the war, why did no one before her come to rescue him?
The passageway opens onto a subterranean archive of sorts, which darkly mirrors the charming little library directly above it. The shelves here are far less welcoming, set in rigid lines like rows of headstones in a military cemetery. It’s lit from a above by hanging lanterns which flicker to life upon their entry, as if they were expecting the pair’s arrival. And still, the stairs don’t end, rather continue to a lower sublevel, and another below that, far further down than Soso can make out.
“How deep does it go?” she asks.
“As deep as you can imagine and deeper. There’s an entire floor set aside for illegal poisons, and a special wing for forbidden texts on summoning demons.” He isn’t quite gleeful as he says it, but neither does he seem properly horrified. Soso sure is.
“Why even keep all this stuff? Why not destroy it, if it’s so dangerous?”
“Everything you can find down here is a part of history,” he explains. “The darkest part of our shared history, but history none the less. So much knowledge was lost when the world was split, so much that most humans no longer even remember us outside of stories. The idea of sacrificing even more was unthinkable, and between you and me, I think some people feel better knowing they could theoretically still access this garbage should we ever go to war again.”
He walked through the aisles, pointing out spots of interest as he went. “Books of banned spellcraft here, manuals for the construction of basic torture tools, recipes for Gnomish explosives. Someday I must show you the section for djinn containment bottles, it’s quite the treat. Of course, you’ve already met the crown jewel of the entire collection.”
She resists the urge to argue the point again. She’s coming to suspect that he only brings the former gargoyle up to try and rile her, maybe trick her into confessing that this was all some plot of long-belated human vengeance after all.
“How did I not know about this?” she asks instead with a slight shiver. “How does no one know about any of this?”
“I wouldn’t say no one, but as for most, I think you can guess. It’s because it was better that way. When the human forces won and claimed our shared world as their own, the fae assembled a council of powerful magi to split the world and create the land of Underhill, where the fae could live peacefully, unseen in humanity’s shadow. Apart, each side was free to heal, free to forget the past. Still, not everyone has that luxury. Now you’re one of those in the know. How’s it feel?”
She swallows. “Kind of like riding a rollercoater with a full stomach.” She looks at the librarian. “How do you deal with it? How do you deal with having this huge secret just sitting inside you like dead weight?”
“Drinking mostly,” he says cheerfully. The joke falls flat. He sighs. “You know, before this I was living a wonderful carefree life in Underhill, enjoying all that the endless summer had to offer. Then I was told that because my family line descends from some faerie noble that was on the peace council nigh millennia ago, I was expected to live up to my pedigree. It was either take over watching the vault of wartime horrors or go into politics, and if there’s one thing I hate more than wasting away in this nothing town guarding a pile of dusty relics, it’s politics.”
“And they didn’t tell you ahead of time that the job included watching a prisoner of war who also just so happened to have razor-sharp teeth and horns?”
The man broaches this next subject carefully, uncertainty writ plainly on his face. “I knew about Adamantius- vaguely! I just didn’t expect that he would ever be quite so… alive.”
“Isn’t turning a soldier into some kind of life-size trophy post war against the Geneva convention?”
“It may seem cruel to you, but you must remember that he isn’t human. He may claim to be a son of man, but even the human side didn’t want him when they had nothing more for him to kill. He was built for destruction. He can’t be allowed to wander freely.” His voice takes on an uncharacteristically grim note. “As I understand it, the terms of the treaty exempted him from execution, but he was, and is, too dangerous to just be let go. This, this should have never happened.” He fidgets nervously. “But it has, which means, Soso, that a great burden, a great responsibility has fallen to you.”
She takes a reflexive step back. “Responsibility? Me? What am I supposed to do? Put him back in the rock?”
He shakes his head. “Perhaps there might still be a way, but for now, just keep him occupied. You set him free. That means, in his eyes, he owes you a debt greater than his very life. You are the only one who can control him. And you must, or he’ll be the end of us all.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, Adami might have some… quirks, but he’s not some mindless monster. He- he helped me.” Granted it had been because of him she had nearly passed out on the kitchen floor, but he had caught her and carried her to bed. He’d been gentle despite the sharp shape of him. “I think he wants to do right, he’s just sorta confused about what that means.”
“Are you claiming since he’s been awake he hasn’t done any harm,” he asks, disbelieving.
The image of clawmarks and frightened frat bros flashes through her mind. “Well…”
The man nods. “Come with me. I want to show you one last thing before we go up.”
Down they go to one of the lower lower-levels. Surehouser counts shelves and follows the cryptic keys until he finds a thick book of yellowed parchment. It’s almost too large for him to maneuver open on his own while keeping the ball of magic light aloft and the cover is inscribed in something that, to Soso’s inexperienced eyes, looks like a cross between German and Old English. Thankfully the inside looks to be more pictures than words. The illustrations remind Soso of the decorated margins of medieval bibles and bestiaries. The linguistic aspect may be lost on her, but art history had been one of her more preferred courses in school.
The design Surehouser flips to is much larger, taking up the bulk of both pages. It depicts armored soldiers being besieged upon by a familiar figure. Here, Adamantius is painted in red, making him look like a classic Christian devil. He’s tearing the retreating knights limb from limb, and smiling as he does it. Soso isn’t inclined to believe everything she reads in strange old books, but the altered likeness is disconcerting.
“He was called by many names back then, I’m told,” says Surehousr, breaking her thoughtful concentration. “When I first heard the story as a child, Adamantius the unmerciful was the popular title.”
Soso shakes her head. “I thought you said you were a neutral party,” she accuses. “You said it yourself, it was horrible for both sides. He was a soldier, not some gleeful mass-murderer.”
“Oh dear, do you still think there’s a difference?”
No more words are exchanged as they begin their ascent back up to the main floor. Soso is pensive, her head full of questions she doesn’t trust herself to voice. Not a day ago her biggest concern was building up the courage to talk to her parents, now she was supposed to be responsible for some sort of living breathing war machine? She doesn’t seem to have much choice other than to defer to the librarian’s relative expertise. After all he’s a real life faerie and until quite recently she hadn’t known that faeries existed. Still, the situation doesn’t sit right with her.
Adamantius is waiting where she left him in the doorway. He seems anxious, or as anxious as a formidable creature like him can be, and she wonders if he’s been like this ever since she left his sight. When he said he would stay by her side, she’d thought it was a sweet, if a little strange, declaration. She doesn’t know what to do with the reality of his dedication.
“Told you I’d be back,” she says, trying to keep her tone light. She shoots him a reassuring smile and it actually doesn’t feel as forced as she might’ve expected. Somehow, seeing him waiting for her is still a comfort to her. Maybe it’s all those days of spilling her guts to him in statue form. Somewhere in the back of her mind she can’t shake the feeling that this man is her friend, no matter what some people a thousand years ago had to say.
“I believed you,” he says lowly, casting a sideways glance at the librarian. “But faeries can be tricky.”
“Well I’m fine, and I’ve done some thinking too. Adamantius, I know you think you owe me something, but I don’t want you to serve me. Instead, if I ask you for a favor, can you please try your best to do it for me?”
Instantly the warrior lights up. If he had a tail he’s surely be wagging it, she imagines. “Anything. I would do anything to please you, Lady Willoughby.”
He’s missing the point, she thinks, but the enthusiasm is nice. With a great deal of caution, she takes his clawsome hands in her own. “Then here’s what I’m requesting. Stay here at the library with Mr Surehouser.”
Both of them look at her with alarm. “What?”
“I know there’s some bad blood between you two, but I consider you both my friends and I don’t want you to fight. Besides,” she admits. “I can’t really put you up at my place without someone finding out, and I’m pretty sure you’re a wanted criminal by now.” Anticipating his protests, she adds, “I’ll still come by every day. It’ll be just like before, except better because you’ll be free.” She lets her eyes drift over to meet Surehouser’s troubled gaze. “You’re going to stay free.”
Adamantius bows his head, although it seems to be just as much about hiding the sour look on his face as it is about any sense of fealty. “As you wish.”
“It’s going to be fine,” she assures him. “Just try not to kill each other when I’m not around.”
As she does her best to console the beast, Surehouser walks away shaking his head. She doesn’t stop him. She knew he wouldn’t like her decision but it’s the only thing that makes sense. This way she can keep Adami from terrorizing the neighborhood without having to take the responsibility of ordering him around. He’ll come around, she just knows it.
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
i’ve never written a soul bond au before. so, naturally, when i did, i somehow made it as angsty as possible.
here’s a fic about clint barton accidentally soul bonding with a recently recovered bucky barnes. i’m very sorry, and someday, when i have time, i’ll write a happier ending for them.
It’s an accident. Neither one of them would’ve chosen this, if choice had anything to do with it. But broken brains bond easy, the mind’s deadbolts sheared off by trauma, and Clint Barton takes one look at the Winter Soldier and feels the bond snap into place between them.
It feels like a hook catching in the meat of his heart. Like a hand closing around his throat.
Like a bear trap. Like a guillotine. Like cancer.
It’s for the best, Clint tells himself. He tells himself that over and over, tries to wear down the instinctive horror, the selfish rage. Bucky Barnes is in a tailspin. His mind is eating itself. Without Clint’s thoughts to bolster him, without his awareness to steady him, he would lose his fucking mind. And God knows what that would look like. God knows how many people would end up dead.
What HYDRA did to Barnes is every kind of illegal, but it was HYDRA, so Clint doesn’t know why people seem so shocked.
“They bonded him to every handler,” he says, in debrief. Across the table, Steve looks like he’s going to throw up, which has to be a hell of an experience for a man who hasn’t been ill since the 1940’s. “They defrosted him, drugged him, and synced him. When the mission was over, they broke the bond.”
“Every time?” Hill asks. Her voice is even and professional. Her hands are steady as she types. But she’s pale.
Clint reaches into the whirling storm of Barnes’ thoughts. It’s easy to do, because he’s split wide open. Well, it would’ve been inconvenient for HYDRA, owning a puppet that could keep secrets.
Every time? he asks, because it’s polite. Because no one’s asked Barnes a Goddamn question in decades. They just reached into his mind and took whatever they wanted.
Barnes’ brain chases itself, a snake swallowing its own tail. Misery eating misery eating misery. He doesn’t think so much in complete sentences, just spills the answer out between them in flashes of memories Clint really doesn’t want to see.
Not that it’s his choice. He’ll see anything Barnes wants him to. He’ll see anything Barnes doesn’t want him to. The both them, they’re just open wounds.
Clint blinks his eyes open, takes a breath. “Sometimes he’d keep the same handler for a couple missions in a row,” he says. “They didn’t break it then. Just stored him until they needed him again.”
And that is its own kind of horror. Body stuck in cryo, mind walking. Coffin dreaming of the other half of his soul, starving for every scrap of information his handlers tossed his way.
Hill sets her tablet down. She considers Clint from across the table. “You can communicate with him at this distance?”
Clint laughs. He shouldn’t, but he can’t help it. “I can feel him breathing at this distance.”
Hill’s face is unreadable. That’s never a good sign.
Across the table, Natasha unwinds. Her gaze on him feels like a knock on a door that Clint can’t ever open again. “Should we break it?” she asks.
Steve’s hands curl into fists. Tony chews on his lip, shuts his eyes. It must sound horrible to the two of them. It must sound unimaginably cruel.
Clint bonded with Natasha the first time he saw her, right through the scope of his rifle. They were together for a decade, living in each other’s heads, trading intel and jokes and strength and secrets. She was with him, no matter what, no matter where, no matter how high the cost. She was his, forever, and he was hers, and then Loki broke into the heart of him and ripped and ripped until he pulled her out like a loose tooth.
You break a bond once, and it can’t ever be fixed. That’s why manufacturing the drugs that break bonds is an automatic life sentence in half the world and a death sentence everywhere that has one.
Loki broke their bond like it was a party trick, left Clint screaming into a line that went nowhere, thoughts spinning in a space too small for them. Right up until he slashed in deeper and stole Clint’s brain for himself.
“Don’t,” Steve says, and then nothing after that. He ducks his head.
To him, it must sound like torture. But what would he know about it? What he and Tony have is fraught, but it’s never once hurt them.
Loki unmade Clint like he was pulling the stuffing out of a doll. It was vivisection without anesthetic. He felt every inch of his inner-self pulled out, cast aside, trash down a drain. It hurt like nothing’s ever hurt in Clint��s life, before or since. Hurt more than Natasha being torn out of him, hurt more than the aching, nauseating wrongness of being alone.
But Clint doesn’t know how to say that to Steve Rogers. He doesn’t know how to communicate the terror of it, that dizzying, suffocating, animal fear of someone you can’t trust and don’t love in your head.
If you haven’t felt it, you can’t understand it. But Clint knows how it feels. Stuck in a trap, someone else in every thought, like a jailer living under your skin. Breath on the back of your neck, forever. Someone else’s fingerprints on everything you touch.
He would’ve lobotomized himself to get free. He would’ve cut and kept cutting until his brain broke free or just broke apart.
But.
He isn’t Loki. And what he’s doing to Barnes, it wasn’t his choice. It wasn’t deliberate or malicious, and he isn’t hurting him on purpose. It’s not enough, and he knows it, but he tells himself that the distinction matters. Like intention is any kind of absolution. Like, in the end, he’s somehow better than Loki because at least he didn’t mean to.
“He’s not stable enough,” Clint says. “We break the bond, and he’ll sync with someone else.”
There’s a long silence where no one says anything, and then Natasha leans forward. “This way,” she says, “we can control it.”
Their bond’s been broken for years now, and she’s still stepping in to say all the horrible shit he can’t.
“Control it,” Steve says, suddenly looking up, eyes narrowing. “I think he’s had enough of being controlled.”
“Sometimes, Captain,” Natasha says, tone mild as milk, jaw tight enough to make a garrote nervous, “a little control is helpful. His mind is wide open. Would you like a list of all the people we don’t want whispering into the Winter Soldier’s brain?”
“His name is James Barnes,” Steve says. “And he can make his own decisions. We should ask him what he wants.”
Clint doesn’t drop his head into his hands. None of this is Steve’s fault.
He tries to think of how Natasha must have felt when Clint came stumbling back from Loki. But it was different for her. Clint didn’t surface and immediately bond with someone else. The last time Steve saw Bucky, they’d been linked since childhood, the kind of bond that’s meant to last a lifetime. HYDRA broke it before they even finished amputating Bucky’s arm.
“He wants what I want,” Clint says. He tries to keep his voice even. “Steve. He isn’t—this isn’t the person you knew. They hollowed him out.”
Clint can feel echoes of every handler the Winter Soldier ever had. It’s like staring through a pane of glass smudged with dozens of fingerprints. If he squints, if he tries, he can find pieces of Bucky Barnes left. But everything is surface-level, vague emotions and vestigial quirks and brainstem-level habits. There aren’t enough scraps left to sew together anything meaningful.
What Bucky wants, more than anything, is to be and do exactly what Clint wants. They hacked into Barnes’ mind so many times that they ripped the fucking doors off. He doesn’t even know how to be his own person anymore.
Clint remembers what that’s like.
He remembers, also, that he got better. All by himself, alone in his head.
God, he would’ve given anything to have Natasha with him then. Anything. His soul, his hands, his eyes. He would’ve given up the world to have Nat back. To have someone to wrench him out of his nightmares, push back the memories, put air back in his lungs.
It’s not the same. He isn’t Nat for Barnes. He isn’t anybody.
Well, he’s not a HYDRA agent. He’s not a trickster god. He’s not a bored sadist with access to a defenseless mind that he can wipe clean after he makes too much of a mess of it.
He tells himself he’s better than nothing, but the reality is that it doesn’t matter. They can’t afford to leave the Winter Soldier in the privacy of his own head. It took Clint three months of quarantine and practice before he could ward off bonds, and Loki only had him for a handful of days. It’s not clear that Barnes will ever have the capacity to rebuild his defenses to the point of self-reliance.
It’s an accident. It’s no one’s fault. Clint didn’t choose to do this.
I’m sorry, Clint says. No one’s said that to Barnes for decades, either. Although, judging from the memories fluttering through Barnes’ brain like ash after a wildfire, the Winter Soldier found reason to say it plenty.
You’re going to get better, Clint says, to the remnants of Barnes’ mind. It’s like he’s talking to the aftereffects of a firing squad, like all of who Bucky Barnes used to be is just blood splattered on a wall, a cooling body on the ground.
I’m going to help you, Clint thinks, as hard as he can. His own walls aren’t strong. Like the Maginot Line, they only work one way. Barnes is in, so he’s in. There’s no pushing him out.
Something stirs in Barnes’ head, hooking into Maginot Line. Clint gets a flash of a uniform, three chevrons, a mouth forming words in the dark: name, rank, serial number. He gets blood and fear and a question, a desperate focusing, a sieve trying to hold against its nature, trying keep something in.
War, Barnes thinks. It’s the first word he’s formed, the most cohesive thought he’s had so far. He’s slipping, scrambling, trying to hold. There was a war.
The war’s over, Clint thinks. He tries to hold images of peace in his head: Tony bitching about coffee grounds in the kitchen sink, and Steve at a baseball game swearing at the Giants, and Natasha in borrowed sweatpants, reading Steve’s newspaper. Lazy mornings and daytime TV and knuckles clean and unbruised, unbloodied. His bow in its case, and his mind all his own.
It’s too much for Barnes. He shatters apart. That whisper of a mind is gone, and there’s just static humming Ready to comply.
“We’re keeping the bond,” Clint says. He’s not looking at anybody. His eyes are unfocused; he’s chasing Barnes in his head. “I can help him.”
And then maybe, afterwards, Barnes can forgive him.
207 notes
·
View notes
Text
|| Sweet Like Coffee || 12
prev << >> next
pairing: Nct Dream x Reader [female]
genre/au: fluff | teeny bit of angst (to come) | enemies to lovers | Everyone is just a clueless bunch of weirdos, you get the drill… or so you thought.
warnings: slight swearing, immature content, underage drinking
A/N: its’s my first fanfic so no judgment lol | Longer Chp | here we go~
_____________________________________
Your cheeks were on fire as Haechan eyed you up. Your stomach knotted, a soft panic began to rise in the depth of your heart. You glanced to Jaemin who seemed relaxed, almost calm. But his posture was too straight. You were now aware of how close he sat beside you. Aware of how you didn’t move away. Haechan was persistent, awaiting your reply. The silence roared. You couldn’t take it anymore.
“I—”
“Leave her off Haechan.” Jaemin got there first. Amusement lining his deep voice. He was enjoying this.
Satisfaction leaked from Haechan’s unpleasant smirk, making you tense. His expression, that look made you feel uneasy. Contentment found in the darkness of his ebony eyes. His longing stare. He knew something.
He could see you were all too close. He could see Jaemin’s simper. He was aware. You hoped for the best. Pleaded that he didn’t know about your kiss in the dark. But his face, that cruel smile told you otherwise.
You could feel the heat of Jaemin’s gaze on you. Watching your reaction. But you didn’t give in.
Jeno came back just in time to lighten the mood, handing you the glass of water.
“It’s a game night, right? Are we gonna play some games or-”
“Yeah Mario Kart, duh.” Renjun laughed.
Haechan turned back to Lila with a glowing smile, but Jaemin kept his unlawful eyes on you. It was irritating, to say the least. You turned to him, prepared to finally ask ‘what’, but instead he moved his gaze to the game console. Gesturing to the now free game controllers.
“Think you can beat me?” He said.
“Is the pope Catholic?”
His eyes wander to the floor for a second, almost processing, thinking about your words.
“Oh my go- yes of course I can beat you.”
He quirked his eyebrows, a smile taunting his lips.
You settled yourself onto the floor. Hands gripped the controller comfortably. You were a master at video games, but playing against Jaemin made you doubt yourself.
“And if I lose?” He added. For if you were going to play, there had to be a consequence.
“If you lose,” you thought for a second, “bring me in coffee for a week.” You did love coffee, and he knew that all too well.
He nodded his head, smirk growing. “And if you lose, I’m walking you home tonight. I might even try to meet your brother.” He winked at Haechan discreetly. You would’ve missed it if you weren’t staring right at him.
“Well, then I won’t lose.”
You picked your characters for the race and the pathway. You chose ‘Princess Peach’ in spite of his nickname, and he chose Wario. Everyone was watching, all eyes on the two of you. You were both competitive, both stubborn and both wanted to win. What else could you want for a great game.
As the screen counted 3, 2, you leaned forward, repeatedly pressing the acceleration button. You got a head start, speeding into the lead. A bend appeared, you drifted, keeping tight on the corner. You were ahead, first. You held your position until Jaemin sent a green shell just for you. You reacted fast, swerving to the left, avoiding it.
You kept right in front of Jaemin, making sure he couldn’t pass you out. But he was good. He drifted early on the bend, using the slipstream to speed past you.
You sighed, hands cramping.
You saw a shortcut Jaemin had stupidly missed. A smirk tugged the corner of your mouth. You just might have a chance at winning this. As the shortcut ended you pulled out on to the road at perfect timing, right in front of Jaemin. You soon drove through a mystery box, collecting a banana. You dropped it immediately in front of Jaemin. He was too close behind, he couldn’t swerve or move. He drove right into the banana, spinning out to the side.
An agitated grunt slipped from his mouth.
You were in the lead yet again, but you didn’t underestimate him. You kept your turns tight, avoiding any shells sent your way. But the finish line was in view. You were so close, almost there.
Until Jaemin speeded up beside you out of nowhere, with the help of a mushroom. But his speed wasn’t going to last long. He failed to overtake you. You kept your speed up. You were ahead by a fraction, by a breath. You sped through the final set of mystery boxes but you were too focused to get anything. A thundercloud appeared above Wario’s head, giving him that final boost. But the finish line was close. He swerved. He just barely touched you.
A lightning bolt began to spin above your head. It flashed. You were hit. You stopped just for a second. But it was too late, that was enough for Jaemin to drive right through the shining finish line. That stupid smile glued to his face.
“What’s your brothers name again?” He asked, getting even more arrogant.
“Uhh, I’m pretty sure it’s ‘Fuck off’.” You tried to hide your laugh.
“Don’t be a sore loser now.”
Renjun had already snatched the controller from your hand before you could stand up, challenging Jaemin to another game.
“Bring it on.”
———
The rest of the night was packed with multiple people losing to Jaemin, you beating Jeno more than once, and Renjun insisting he’s actually good at Mario Kart. It was hard to admit, but that night was actually a lot of fun. Maybe because you were was temporarily relieved of the heavy weight balancing on your conscience.
Jeno seemed to be back to his 'regular self’, or his ‘good self’, cracking jokes left right and center. Bad jokes at that. Haechan was preoccupied with Lila for most of the night, acting suspiciously nice to her. As for Jaemin, you thought his company was okay. Well, annoyingly enjoyable to say the least. You two could finally get along, finally agree on something -> that Mario Kart is at least in the top five best games ever created.
But as they say, there’s always the calm before the storm.
———
“Don’t forget I’m walking you home.” Jaemin whispered as you watched Lila and Renjun attempting to dance.
“Oh, how could I forget?” At least it was a short walk to your house.
Jeno had already left, to complete ‘unfinished business’. Haechan was gathering his stuff to leave. He shouted out a ‘thanks’ before disappearing out the door.
“You ready?” Jaemin added.
You nodded your head. It was getting late and you couldn’t stand to watch Renjun dance any longer.
“You’re leaving already?” You heard Renjun shout as you opened the door. If you stayed any longer to answer that question, he’d never let you leave.
The air was warmer than you imagined as you stepped out into the night, Jaemin following. Although he didn’t speak for a while, you two just walked in silence.
“Since when were you such good friends with Renjun?” You broke the silence. Unable to hold back the seriousness in your voice.
“We hung out at the party, and yesterday we all had to help Haechan clean up. We got to know each other then.”
Of course, the party. The party where Jeno had changed. The party where you kissed Jaemin. You took a quick glance at his lips. The party, how could you forget. It was all too easy to forget Jeno’s words that night, all too easy to forget Jaemin’s tricks.
You began to feel the pressure of unsaid words between you both. Stretching. Screaming. Begging to be released. Finally, Jaemin gave in.
“So, Jeno huh?”
You knew what he meant. You knew what he wanted you to say. But you played innocent instead. Avoiding the question, the real question lurking in his words.
“Yeah, what’s up with him lately?”
———
POV - Jaemin
———
“So, Jeno huh?” He tried to chuckle, tried to laugh, but his throat was closing in. He wanted the truth. But he knew you wouldn’t tell him of all people.
He could see you thinking it through, processing every inch of his voice. He could see your thoughts before you spoke. For your face thought before you did.
“Yeah, what’s up with him lately?” A diversion. How clever.
He could’ve easily told you what’s wrong with Jeno, what he was doing. He could’ve easily ruined Jeno’s disguise, his plan. But what would you say? What would Jeno do then? So instead he swallowed the truth clawing its way up his throat. Ignored the plea in his heart. He decided to let you be fooled, for you were a fool all the same.
“He’s the same as always.”
———
POV - y/n
———
There was a tension between you both. Taking up space in the darkness.
“He’s the same as always.”
Was he though?
You couldn’t help but wonder if Jeno’s change was due to alcohol or lust, or if he was just battling between two different sides of himself. Nevertheless, you were beginning to miss his kind gestures and warm smile.
Your eyes finally settled on Jaemin once again. On his chest rising and falling with each breath. On his hair gleaming thanks to the moon. On his vulnerability in the darkness, which he tried ever so hard to hide, which you tried ever so hard to ignore. It was getting harder and harder to remind yourself of his reputation. Of who he really was. Haechan’s warning rung in your ears.
The next you knew you were at your doorstep.
“Why did you want to walk me home?” The words fell from your lips casually. Surprisingly.
“Did you kiss Jeno?” He also spoke casually. Finally allowing himself to speak the words that had been crawling up his throat all night.
Your eyes widened. “Wh-what?”
“Nevermind.’ He hissed, turning around.
“No.” It barely escaped your lips.
He spun back around to meet your gaze. The light in his dark eyes barely shinning. He stepped closer. A string pulling up the corner of his mouth. He was satisfied. He got what he wanted.
“Oh and y/n,” his expression bringing back that ache inside of you, “thanks for letting me win.”
You scoffed at his confidence, something you should be used to by now. But before you could retort, he was already walking away. He got what he wanted, what he asked for, an answer. So why should he spend any more time in your presence.
You were grateful nonetheless, because sadly, horrifyingly, he was also becoming harder and harder to resist. Something happened at the party, something happened to you after that kiss. Something that you wished you could get rid of, dispose of, ignore.
But you were forgetting, neglecting one fact, one detail, that that kiss only stemmed from Jeno and his watching eyes.
———
POV - Jaemin
———
Something like guilt tugged at his seams when he looked into your eyes. He knew the bet was wrong, he knew he shouldn’t mess with your heart, with your mind. He didn’t want to hurt you. But he also didn’t want to lose. He was winning, his lips had already fused with yours, but he didn’t dare underestimate Jeno.
He got his answer from you, yet still, he wanted to stay, wanted to keep admiring your features, your lips. But that same sense of guilt that pulled at him everyday and night tormented him, until he couldn’t take it anymore.
———
nanajaeminn: be early for school tomorrow, we need to talk.
———
Monday [8:06am]
Jaemin swore he’d never been in school that early, but things had to be discussed, and they would more than likely take a while. He walked into the cafeteria and sat down at their table. Of course, he was first. Not long after he noticed Jeno sauntering in, bag falling off his shoulder.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, we just need to discuss something.”
“Let me have a guess, the bet?”
Jaemin nodded his head. “Oh by the way, how was Mina last night?”
Jeno chuckled, “She was good, if you get what I mean.” He winked.
The door opened as Haechan appeared. Bags gathered under his eyes, most likely from lack of sleep. His hair was messy, his jacket was half on. He more than likely just woke up. “What did I miss?”
Jaemin cleared his throat, gathering their attention before he spoke. “Let’s stop the bet.”
Jeno and Haechan looked at him with wide eyes, speechless. Until Haechan attempted to gather some words together.
“Wh-wha, why, it’s just getting fun?”
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of losing?” Jeno piped in with a snide remark.
Jeno was taking this discussion as a joke, but Jaemin was deadly serious. He had no idea what he wanted to say, or what he was going to say, but he had to say something. For the guilt was torture.
Jaemin swallowed. The guilt, the regret pulled at him, shook him until it exploded. Until he burst.
“It’s not fair to y/n. Let’s just stop it, okay? Why can’t we just stop it?” The ache, the torment ceased. He could finally breathe.
Jeno began to laugh, but it wasn’t amusing. “Since when did you care for her?”
Haechan kept his mouth shut as Jeno continued, “You’re the one who started it in the first place.”
“I know, but I regret it.” Jaemin sighed. He wasn’t used to being the good guy, the guy who wanted to stop someone from getting hurt. He hated that y/n brought it, pulled it out of him.
“Look, the bet is still on unless you want to give up. But I think you’ll be losing anyway, because I’ve still got some tricks up my sleeve.” Jeno stood up, and walked away.
Jaemin knew exactly what he was going to do, he could read it off Jeno’s face.
He just feared y/n was going to fall for it.
———
POV - y/n
———
There was no Renjun that morning with your coffee; he probably stayed up all night to improve his Mario Kart skills. Instead, there was Lila.
You walked to school together. She seemed to glow (more than usual) and a smile was plastered on her face. She normally hated mornings, and could barely drag herself out of bed, but this morning she was practically skipping to school And let’s just say, she hated school even more.
“Any reason why you’re so happy this morning?”
The smile disappeared in seconds, as she began to glance at the floor, “Uhh, uh-em no, nope.”
You left it at that. She clearly didn’t want to tell you, but when she was ready, she would.
‘At least she’s happy’
You arrived at school earlier than usual, but there was still a good few people in. You parted ways with Lila as you entered your classroom. You looked up to see Jeno at your desk, reading a new book. You nearly halted, for Jeno was never in this early. You had expected to come in and get some work done alone, but with Jeno there it might be a bit difficult. Not because he would talk, but because your eyes would constantly feel the need to look at him, at his perfectly carved features.
You tiptoed over as to not disturb him, but he looked up regardless.
“Jeno,” you laughed awkwardly, “what’re you doing here so early?”
“Y/n hey,” and he smiled that irritatingly perfect smile, “Just to read.”
“So early?”
“It’s just quieter here.” he chuckled softly.
You took your seat and pulled out some Biology books. Putting in your earphones as you opened your notes copy. Music made studying a lot easier. The sun began to shine inside the classroom, and finally your heart was at peace. With Jaemin and now Jeno being so confusing (as well as your own heart), it was hard to relax, hard to stop thinking. But studying was always a way for you to forget, to ignore your problems.
A while passed, until Jeno pulled out one of your earphones. The corners of his mouth upturned into a charming smile, his eyes crinkled.
“I forgot to ask you something.”
But that smile was soon replaced with that same expression he held in the dark, at the party. Something clouded his raven eyes, his smile turning into a smirk. Whatever had changed him made you feel uneasy. The usual ache grew in your stomach, dragging your heart down with it.
His eyes snagged on your lips. The room began to darken, as well as his face. He spoke again, his words charged with confidence, voice trapped in appeal, husky and deep.
“Care to go on a date with me, y/n? But I’ll warn you, I don’t take no for an answer.”
_____________________________________
See you next time -> Thursday 31st xx
-------
A/N>> hope you liked it!! Are you ready to hear y/n’s reply?? Or see what Jaemin does next? Stay tuned for Thursday!!
_____________________________________
#nct#nctzen#nct dream#nctdreamfanfic#nct dream imagines#nct dream x reader#nct icons#nct angst#jaemin#jaemin fanfic#jaemin x reader#jaemin scenarios#jaemin boyfriend#jeno#jeno boyfriend#jeno fanfic#jeno x reader#jean shorts#jeno imagines#renjun blurbs#renjun#haechan#jisung#chenle#nct x reader#nct x you#nct fanfic#nct 127#nct dream fanfic
53 notes
·
View notes
Text
Spotlights Will Guide You Home - Chapter 3
Summary: Richie meets up with Beverly, then has his world turned upside down.
Previous
Next
Pairing: Reddie
Words: 1274
The coffee shop was quiet but not empty. A few students from the college down the road were tucked together in corners, slouched in armchairs with their heads tucked deep into thick textbooks and numerous papers fanned out around them. The sky outside was grey from a gathering of storm clouds, an indicator of the oncoming rain. The distant whirr of the working coffee machines was a welcome background noise, the rich and comforting aroma of the coffee invading his senses.
Richie had always liked it here, it was calming, the atmosphere always managing to soothe his racing mind when he needed that relaxing silence the most. The park over the road was a nice view, watching people go about their daily lives while his felt like it was constantly crashing around him.
A figure hurried past the large glass windows and into the shop.The bright red hair caught his eye, a comforting constant in the ever changing whirlwind he called his life. She smiled when she saw him, stepping across the tiled floor to pull him up and into a tight hug.
“It’s so good to see you again, Rich,” She smiled, her hair had become lighter since he last saw her, the caramel highlights shining under the soft lighting. She grinned, sticking her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, she seemed relaxed, happy.
Everything that Richie wasn’t.
“It’s good to see you too, Bev,” He replied, returning to his seat, a wordless offer for her to do the same.
“How longs it been? About six months?” Bev reached for the coffee Richie had ordered for her, cradling it between her hands. Even after so long apart he could still recite each of the losers’ coffee orders off by heart.
“Something like that,” Richie replied, thinking back to the last time he had seen any of the losers. They had all flown out to New York for Bill’s latest book release, about three months after the engagement party. It had been good to see them all again, like a breath of fresh air, a much needed reprieve from the stuffy streets of LA.
“You holding up okay?”
He knew what she meant. Bev had always been able to read him, when he was younger he secretly thought she could read his thoughts. She could tell how he was feeling from the quirk of his lips, the finger that tapped absentmindedly on his coffee cup, the bags under his eyes that he hoped the rim of his glasses hid. She knew he wasn’t fine.
“I’m fine, really i am.” He wasn’t “But what about you? How’s the future Mr and Mrs Haystack spending their days? And please, don’t spare any of the juicy details, i’m recording this conversation to sell to Hello! after this.”
Bev rolled her eyes. “Everythings just been so crazy lately, what with planning the wedding-”
Of course, the wedding. It was the easiest thing to distract Bev by turning the conversation to. Ben had proposed exactly one year after they had rekindled. One year to the day. Which also happened to be one year to the day of Eddie’s death. No one had noticed that but Richie. At the time, he had resented Ben and Bev for it, for being so happy. Why did they get to have the happy ending? The white picket fence with the kids and the dog, while his lay decomposing in the Derry sewers.
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Bev, it’s fine. I’ve been busy too.” It wasn’t technically a lie, he had been busy. Another tour was lined up, hopefully one that would help him to successfully draw in a european audience. So, when asked, he went on stage, smiled, laughed and became Trashmouth Tozier, before lapsing back into what he had become now, a shell of the person he was. The jokes and quips had become harder to think of after returning from Derry, like he’d left that part of himself back in the sewers to fester and rot away. Sure, there were times when one slipped into his mind but it was… rarer than it used to be. “I have a Netflix special coming up, flying out to London tomorrow to film it.”
“Oh, Richie, that’s great!” Bev gushed, reaching across to place a friendly hand on his wrist. Richie smiled softly, he knew he should share his friend’s enthusiasm, yet he couldn’t bring himself to.
“You are excited about it, aren’t you?”
“Oh of course. I���ve heard Brits are a tough crowd but if Trashmouth can’t make ‘em laugh, nothing will!”
Bev laughed, light and airy.
And he did, within five minutes of the lights going down at the O2 Arena he had them eating out of the palm of his hand. Turns out Brits liked dick jokes and toilet humour as much as Americans did. The lights that beamed down on him were overwhelmingly hot, a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead from them. The brightness of the spotlight was always the worst part about performing, it turned him blind, the faces of the audience fading into the darkness beyond the stage, all he could hear was their laughs, a faceless beast that existed to provide him with a cynical sense of validation.
The show passed by in a blur. If you asked Richie what he remembered of it, he would say nothing. It was another nameless show. Sure, one where TV cameras caught his every move, but still one that had instantly faded into the back of his mind. No heckles that had caught his attention, no diversions from his normal stand up routine. It was just… normal.
And that what Richie hated about it. He hated that this had become normal for him. To only feel anything when an audience laughed at his jokes. He hated that the routine he had once loved had become so mundane to him. He hated it, yet he was stuck.
“Rich! You were great, pal! As always,” His manager exclaimed, awkwardly throwing an arm around him. Even though he was a full foot shorter than Richie - but who wasn't? He had always been obnoxiously tall - it was a habit they had started right off the bat. “Now, there’s a guy here i want you to meet. He’s an actor, trying to break America. For now, America is still very much intact. You could do great things for each other. His name is-”
“Eddie?”
Edward Kaspbrack stood in front of him, very much alive and breathing. The same beautiful boy he’d left in Derry years ago.
Richie felt like he was going to pass out. This was all too much. It had to be some sick joke. That, or he had finally lost it, hallucinating the entire thing. But there Eddie was, as alive as he had been back in Derry.
“Richie, right? Good to meet you, man,” Eddie smiled, offering his hand.
Richie stared, bug eyed. If he took Eddie’s hand would all of this just fade away? Was this just a dream? A cruel dream, yet one that was intoxicating at the same time. And as soon as he took that hand Eddie would fade away again, once again just existing alive and warm in his mind.
“Yeah, uh, good to meet you too.” He shook Eddie’s hand. “I’ve, um - sorry i’ve got to, um, i’ve got to go.” He rushed past Eddie, making a beeline for the restroom he knew was nestled in a little alcove around the corner.
“Rich, wait-”
The slam of the door muffled the rest of his manager’s shouts.
13 notes
·
View notes