#BUT SERIOUSLY GIRL JOKES ASIDE YOU GOTTA LET IT BE KNOWN THAT HE MAKES YOU UNCOMFOY AND THAG IT IS NOT OKAG | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cherryobx · 2 years ago

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𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 || 𝐉.𝐌.

requested?: yep

summary: you go camping with the pogues and share a tent with JJ

warnings: language, kinda creepy forest idk, kissing, fluff and bantering

wc: 2.3k (longest fic i've ever written hell ye)

gif is not mine, creds to the owner!!

“Are you sure you’re okay sharing a tent with JJ?” Kie asked as she handed her bags to Pope who placed them neatly in the back of the van.

You all had collectively made plans to go camping for the weekend although you didn’t really enjoy it. But you had decided to cast your dislike for camping aside and at least try to have fun instead. You and JJ were the only people in the group that we're not dating anyone. John B and Sarah were sharing one and so were Kie and Pope. So you were left with the blonde tan surfer who was too cocky for his own good.

“Why wouldn’t she be? I’m amazing. I’ll even sing you a lullaby, Y/N.” JJ shouted from the front seat. He had called shotgun before Sarah could so now the girl couldn’t sit next to her boyfriend and she was definitely pissed.

“On second thought, no. I think I’ll pass. I’m sure I can find a nice tree to sleep under,” you joked as you handed your stuff to Pope as well and then climbed into John B’s van, sitting next to Sarah who was shooting angry glances at JJ.

“No to sharing a tent with me or the lullaby? You gotta choose.”

“Please, for the love of God, shut up.”

“Someone’s mad,” he mumbled but not so quietly.

“Yeah, dipshit, she’s not the only one,” Sarah chimed in.

Soon everything was packed and ready to go. John B turned on the car and drove in the direction of the campsite you had chosen. It was away from the town, quite private and perfect for a few teens to have fun and let loose.

Once you arrived, John B and JJ started gathering wood to make a fire and the rest of you started setting up the tents and everything you needed for sleeping.

“Okay but seriously if JJ starts to get too annoying you can always come and join us in our tent.”

“He’s always too annoying.”

“I heard that!” JJ yelled from somewhere in the woods making you roll your eyes but chuckle.

You actually didn’t mind sharing a tent with him. And the reason was quite simple really. You liked him, had a crush on him or whatever you want to call it.

You finally acknowledged your feelings for him a couple of years ago when he came back from surfing camp and you realised just how much you had missed him. Plus he had gotten a lot taller over the summer which made you swoon even harder.

But you had known him since literally forever. You couldn't remember a time when he wasn’t in your life. He had always been there. Always supporting you, always cheering you on. If you looked up the definition of “Y/N’s best friend” on the internet pictures of JJ would show up. You were thick as thieves. Partners in crime. The bickering and annoying was your love language, your way of telling each other you cared.

“But don’t worry, I’ll manage. I’ll make sure he smokes a lot so he'll fall asleep as soon as he lays down.”

Your friends laughed and continued the task at hand.

“I think a deadly bug just bit me!” JJ yelled as he ran over to you, dropping all of the gathered wood in the process. John B sighed in the distance as he started picking up after him.

“Show me.” You held out your hand and he placed his in yours, vaguely pointing at the bite. He had his head turned away, not looking at the bite himself.

“How bad is it? How long do I have left? I love you guys.”

“JJ, that’s a mosquito bite.”

He whipped his head around, finally looking at the bite and then you. Everyone laughed at him.

“So I’m not gonna die?”

You shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Only time will tell.”

He gave you a look. “You think you’re so funny, huh?”

You giggled. “I do.”

He rolled his eyes and walked over to where John B had started setting up the fireplace while JJ was being dramatic over a mosquito bite. How had this boy made it so far in life was a thing you wondered a lot about.

Finally the tents were set up and everything was ready for the night. Everyone sat around the cozy fire, drinks in hand.

The sky was getting darker by the minute and due to the sun setting the temperature was dropping as well. You didn’t even notice how cold it had gotten until Sarah offered to bring everyone blankets from the van.

“It’s okay, I think we’re gonna go to sleep anyways,” Kie said, Pope nodding in agreement.

Sarah then looked at her boyfriend, you and JJ, eyebrows raised in question.

“I’m good, I’ve got Y/N keeping me warm.” JJ leaned closer to you, resting his head on your shoulder. You ignored the way your heart jumped and pushed him away gently.

“He’s just too embarrassed to say that he wants a blanket. I’ll take one though.”

“If by embarrassed you mean that I’m so hot I don’t even need a blanket then you’re absolutely right.”

“Bring him one,” you said to Sarah who then went to retrieve the said blankets for the 4 of you.

“I don’t want one though.”

“You need one.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Can you guys stop whatever this is and shut up for just a minute?” John B interrupted. “I’m so tired of you two.”

“He’s cranky,” JJ said under his breath for only the two of you to hear. It made you giggle and due to that John B gave you a warning glare.

“Okay, here are your blankets.” Sarah handed you yours but threw JJ’s into his face.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“For annoying the shit out of us.” She sat next to John be and he helped her wrap a blanket around the both of them.

JJ gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. “How dare you!? Y/N tell me she’s lying.”

“I have to agree with her on this one. You are kind of annoying.”

“I can’t believe this. My own friends hurting me like this.”

You shoved a stick and a marshmallow into his hands. “Stop being dramatic and roast this marshmallow for me, please.”

“And now I’m your slave. You’re unbelievable,” he said but still put the marshmallow on the stick and started roasting it for you.

“Your hands are longer than mine. Plus why should I do it when you can do it for me.”

Sarah agreed. “She makes a fair point.”

JJ handed you your marshmallow which was roasted just how you liked it. But before you could take a bite he leaned over and bit half of the marshmallow off the stick.

You looked at him in disbelief. “Hey!”

He smiled at you sheepishly, mouth full of the candy and lips covered with it. “That’s what you get for bullying me.”

“I hate you so much right now.”

He munched on the candy but you could still see the smirk on his face. “You love me.”

“You ate half of my marshmallow, I’ve never hated you more.”

In the corner of your eye you saw Sarah whisper something in John B’s ear and then they stood up, blanket still tightly wrapped around them.

“We’re going to our tent as well. Good night!”

“Good night!”

“I can’t believe these idiots are all going to sleep so early. Relationships turn you into old people, I guess.”

“It’s almost midnight, JJ.”

“So? That should be like 6 pm for us.”

You fell into comfortable silence as you roasted some more marshmallows on the dying fire which would soon turn into a smoking pile of ashes.

Suddenly you heard a noise in the woods. It was like a stick had snapped in half. It startled you to say the least. Your head snapped in the direction of where you thought you heard the sound coming from.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“That sound.”

“What sound?”

You slapped your hand over his mouth as another snap came from somewhere. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to come in the first place,” you whispered.

He licked the inside of your hand which made you pull it away from his mouth in disgust. “Ew, JJ.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean like spending the night in the woods. It’s scary as hell. Someone’s out there right now, just looking at us, taunting us. It could be a murderer or some creep, you know.”

“Or a squirrel.”

“Or a bear.”

“Or a rat.”

“I don’t honestly know which would be worse right now.”

“Rat, obviously. Those little shits ruin everything. But seriously, it’s probably nothing. Just the forest doing its own thing.” JJ said and placed his warm hand on your blanket-covered thigh. It was supposed to be a comforting gesture but you couldn’t help but wonder if it could mean something more.

“I don’t wanna be out here and find out what that thing is though.”

As hard as it was, you stood up, his hand falling from your thigh back to his own lap, and pulled the blanket around yourself as tight as possible. You got chills from the slight fear you had but also the cold that was crawling under your skin making you shiver.

JJ threw some water into the fire pit to make sure the fire had completely died out. He then stood up too and followed you to your shared tent where you were already waiting for him.

“Hurry up. I don’t wanna be out here any longer.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, trust me. The scariest thing here is that ugly t-shirt you’re wearing.”

He zipped open the tent and let you enter it first but followed you close behind, careful not to let any bugs in.

“What’s wrong with my shirt?” you furrowed your brows in confusion.

“It’s ugly.”

“Fine, if it’s bothering you too much, I’ll take it off.” You grabbed the end of your shirt and pulled it over your head, revealing the bikini top you were wearing underneath.

You couldn’t see much in the dark tent but just enough to see JJ’s eyes linger on your figure a second too long.

He cleared his throat before he asked if you wouldn’t be too cold now.

“I have all these blankets,” you pointed at the pile next to you, “I think I’ll be fine.”

You were in fact not fine as the time passed. It had gotten so cold that you couldn’t feel your fingers or your toes anymore. And you were pretty sure that your lips had turned blue.

“I can hear your teeth clattering all the way to here.”

“Why aren’t you asleep already?”

“How am I supposed to fall asleep in a tent with a fucking woodchuck?”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just call me a woodchuck and try to get some sleep.”

You turned your back to him and curled yourself into a little ball to keep warm as much as possible.

A few minutes later you felt the pile of blankets on top of you lift and then JJ joining you under them.

“What are you doing?”

“Keeping you warm. I do not want to be taking care of you when you get sick.” You turned around under the blankets to face him. He pulled you closer to him. Your feet automatically intertwining with his.

“Jesus, woman! Your toes are cold as ice.”

You giggled at his reaction. “You should feel my hands.”

And so he did. “How the fuck are you this cold?”

“I don’t know.”

You snuggled closer even closer to him, inhaling his scent. “You smell good.” You didn’t even mean to say it but it just slipped out before you could stop yourself.

“And you were worried about there being creeps in the woods while the biggest creep of them all is right here beside me.”

“It’s not creepy, JJ.”

“Says the creep herself.”

You smacked his bare chest lightly as you chuckled.

“Please, keep those ice cubes away from me, Elsa,” he said, which made you place both of your hands flat onto his chest. He hissed at the contact of your cold hands.

“Why do you enjoy torturing me?”

“It’s fun.”

“I think you just enjoy torturing people in general.”

“Nope, just you.” Your voice got just a tiny bit quieter but he could tell. He could always see the slightest changes in your behaviour and appearance.

And he was slowly piecing everything together.

“Okay then, we’ll see if you enjoy this.” He hoped to God he was right about this.

You were about to ask him what he meant but you were cut off by his lips crashing into yours. You were caught off-guard for a second because, well, he kissed you. JJ Maybank kissed you. You had been waiting for this for so long that your brain just short-circuited. But luckily you composed yourself quickly and kissed him back.

Your hands flew into his hair and you pulled him flush against you, chest to chest. There was no room left between you two.

You had imagined about this many times before but none of the fantasies were as good as the real deal. He was kissing you with so much passion and emotion that there was no way that he thought of you as just his best friend. You were sure of it.

When you finally broke the kiss so you could breathe again, he rested his forehead against yours. A small gesture but it made your heart skip a beat.

“I very much enjoyed that.”

“Good. Did you enjoy that?”

“I did.”

“Good.”

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zodiyack · 4 years ago

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Being Married To Henry’s Characters Would Include...

Requested by @cuisinequeen: Hi, I love your work. I was just wondering if you could do a headcanon for being married to Clark Kent/Geralt/Sherlock Holmes/Napoleon Solo

Pairing: Clark Kent x Reader, Geralt of Rivia x Reader, Sherlock Holmes x Reader, Napoleon Solo x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, some references, trashy writing lol

Note: This doesn’t include all of his characters, so my apologies if I misled you with the title. Not all that confident in the HCs so sorry about that too

Taglist: @matth1w, @redspaceace-writes, @simonsbluee, @darling-i-read-it, @fandom-puff, @thewarriorprincessxo, @sebastianstanslefteyebrow, @maan24, @beckster07890, @missihart23

Masterlist | Henry Cavill Masterlist

Clark Kent

You know he’s superman, therefore, you gotta expect the unexpected

Kiss: Level 100

helping him keep his identity secret isn’t always easy-

you wanna kiss him even when he’s superman but fuck you need him to remain undetected

but you manage

Little hc of the first few months after getting married:

Clark comes home late after a fight you see on tv

you turned it off before anything else happened, too worried already

he’s beat up

your eyes are red and puffy with tear stained cheeks as you stand and cross your arms.

you bet your ass there were cuddles that night.

Later into the marriage, he still scares you like that, but you’ve grown somewhat used to it and wipe the tears away

He’s protective of you too though

Aight sorry, but the gif is making me addicted to Henry kisses so Imma say it again,

best fucking make out sessions ever

yes, I’m gonna say that for all four.

fuck it, Clark!Kisses HCs

they’re soft half the time, needy the other half

if he comes home from superman duties or you have a run-in with a villain, so on so on, his kisses are rougher, needier, more possessive

bitch, he just needs you to know he’s still alive 🥺😢

Henry in glasses really do be hittin tho.

Stealing his glasses

Calling him a nerd because of the glasses

Probably making it a small joke about superman

Especially with oblivious friends

“I think superman’s a nerd.” “why??” “I just do.”

Having to stifle your laughs every time someone gushes about superman in front of him

Clark has to hold you back so you don’t unleash your wrath of fucking doom upon some oblivious woman who wrote about superman in a news article

She wrote things that would make you jealous, like talking about how she’s curious to his personal life *wink wink* and stuff- you don’t just have a raging fury because someone writes about him

Superman this hoe

You’ve made jokes about how he has to take his ring off when he’s superman, but he’s got a feeling that you’re actually not kidding at all

Exercising with Clark

Cursing him out in breathy pants for being more athletic and cheating with his “alien powers”

he just laughs at you

Ah, the difficulty have having a husband with two identities

When you rant about your husband, it’s so hard not to fuck up and say something about being married to Superman

Forgetting that you’re one of the few who knows his identity

Basking in pride because you’re one of the few who knows his identity

One time, Clark forgot to take his ring off and the person he rescued had known him personally.

He asks where he got the ring-

“What ring?”

“The one on your finger. The wedding ring.”

It felt like his stomach dropped...if that makes sense-

Clark ended up making some random story about finding it on the same plane the guy he rescued was on and that he put it on so he wouldn’t lose it.

The guy still thought he was pretty sus, “why was it on your wedding ring finger then?” but let him off after some time

The guy gave it back to Clark in person, but you had no idea what happened,

so when he gave him the ring, you were watching with the most confused look Clark had ever seen

thankfully, he played it off well and informed you later

He forgot to take off his wedding ring? You “secretly” fist bumped the air- ...he totally saw you though

Geralt Of Rivia

I don’t think Geralt really expected to get married

Jaskier didn’t either-

He’s the only one who stands when the priest asks if anyone doesn’t accept... only to ask how the fuck Geralt got lucky enough to get you

Everyone laughed but Geralt, he just grunted and looked away with a lil’ bit o pink tinting his cheeks

You demand he lets you go on adventures with him

You also wash him after adventures

wink wonk ;)))

Geralt is a stubborn thing

You’re a stubborn thing

Y’all love each other

When I say that Geralt is a confusing husband-

I mean that he confuses the fuck out of you

“don’t do that”

“okay”

few minutes later

“I thought you were doing that-”

“You told me not too...?”

“I don’t recall. Do whatever.”

Minutes later.

“What the fuck!?! Don’t do that!”

He’s hard to read and it bugs you

However, it makes a good game out of it

If he ever introduces you as anything but his spouse, you hold a bitter glare while internally plotting

Before you marry, Jaskier hits on you without realizing that Geralt is interested in you

He gulps nervously as soon as it hits him

You might just use that mistake as a way to get back at Geralt for not saying you’re his spouse

Jaskier pleads you not to

like for real

He’s in tears

CuDdLeS!

Congrats, you have a stubborn manbaby for the rest of however long y’all shall live

Kithes

Geralt is a little distant when it comes to admitting his feelings for you at first

When you’re dating, you’re all over each other

Marriage is that but amplified lmao

Braiding his hair

Teasing him not the wink wonk and getting away with it because you’re his spouse

If Jaskier said anything remotely close to the shit you’ve said, Geralt would probably choke him out

But then resuscitate him cause they’re bros

Seeing the softer side of Geralt

Sure, sex, but getting to know each others bodies? Yes.

Soft!Sleepy!Geralt

His deep n husky morning voice telling you to “get your ass back in bed”

Having the excuse of “because I’m his spouse” anytime you do stuff people are too afraid to do

Jealous bb 1 and jealous bb 2 aka Geralt and Y/n

I think Geralt’s the kind of guy to just pick you up, ignore your flailing limbs, and move you out of the way

He takes shit from no one...well, from you SOMETIMES

Gives in to your requests with a sigh and roll of his eyes most of the time

He was protective of you at first

now he’s PrOtEcTiVe so uh

Basically, number one husband, number two bodyguard

you put yourself first for the bodyguard part, but Geralt doesn’t know that

Sherlock Holmes

He asks your family for their blessing, then asks you-

I can imagine Mycroft just ranting away and Sherlock drops to his knee

“What are you doing?”

He ignores his brother and proposes to you

Mycroft is confused and upset because he wanted to rant about meaningless things and Sherlock decided to change the topic

rude

Being married means constant visits from Enola

Probably being the “second parents” to Enola

Gossip with Enola and Eudoria about Sherlock and him as a kiddo

Kicking Sherlock out of the house for sleepovers with his sister

bet

Helping Sherlock with cases

Dealing with Sherlock telling you it isn’t safe

still being upset when he’s right you know it

Finding Enola and Eudoria with him

Snapping at Mycroft for how he treats the girl and everyone else

Threatening Mycroft by just being a badass bitch and telling him to fuck off every now and then

Long story short, you make Enola laugh and Mycroft scoff as he walks away

He’s a stubborn bean, which now that I think about it- aren’t all Henry’s characters?

While he doesn’t say it much, he loves you

You get paranoid with this character too, as he does work that can be very dangerous as well

When he returns, he doesn’t say much aside from that he’s there now and that he loves you

cuddles with him whispering softly,

“I’m here now.” “I’m safe.” “I’m okay.” “I love you.”

Kisses in public either be quick pecks or minute long for goodbyes, but greetings-

especially after being apart for a while?

HC TIME

He comes home on the train and you’re at the station with his siblings

As soon as he spots you, he sets his stuff down because you’re already running at him

You jump into his arms and kiss him hard, not caring in the slightest about the other people at the station

It makes you smile every time he introduces you as his spouse

You’ve heard it so many times yet it still makes your heart flutter every single time

Napoleon Solo

The amount of times you’ve just dropped everything and walked away because he was being ‘too serious”-

You say something, he takes it seriously, you groan and stomp away

But then you know you can do the same back to him

Napoleon is an all around awesome husband but he’s not going to just pretend to agree with stuff

Will correct you no matter how embarrassed you get

Makes up with kisses or stuff idk

Let me be honest, I don’t know much about writing for Napoleon but he is an icon...sometimes

He’s protective

by that I mean he’s stubborn but really it’s his way of keeping you safe

Would probably lock you in your room even though you’re a, a grown ass adult, and b, his spouse for fuck’s sake?!??!

Doesn’t tell you when something’s bothering him unless he feels the need to

“I’m not a fucking mind-reader, Solo!”

“Neither am I but I still manage-”

He doesn’t mean to make you feel bad, he just- emotions and him aren’t the best of friends

Emotions aren’t exactly friends with most of his characters

He’d much rather just speak with actions than admit anything

Sometimes you worry that he’s just fucking with you

When he proposed, it scared the shit out of you ‘cause you thought it was a joke

Never admits to anything willingly...?

Yeah sorry...Idk, that’s all I got :\

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not-me-simping-for-blasty · 4 years ago

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Wrong Number, Asshole - A Bakugou Katsuki Soulmate AU

All Parts

Part 24:

You groaned, rolling over to grab your dinging phone off the nightstand.

Rubbing at your eyes, you sat up against your headboard, breathing deeply. As it turns out, a highly emotional day like the one you had yesterday could really tire a person out. It was so tiring in fact that you had collapsed almost the second you fell into bed last night. You had been pretty much dead to the world since.

Opening your phone, you nearly rolled your eyes at the text waiting for you.

You scoffed. He sure was petulant today, wasn’t he?

He began typing again, but deleted his words.

Now, you were a little nervous. You weren’t being clingy- right? Sure, you really wanted nothing more than to see him again, and sort of felt that maybe you were entitled to that considering he was your soulmate, but maybe the feeling wasn’t mutual?

Who were you kidding, he might have texted you but that didn’t mean he liked you as much as you liked him. This was Bakugou after all, and even if he somehow did, he’d rather chew his own leg off than admit it.

You read through the texts again, hoping and praying that you didn’t sound too desperate. It was another few minutes before he responded again. With an answer that really did absolutely nothing to quell your fears.

You blinked owlishly at his reply, before sending him a quick “okay”.

Bakugou always seemed to know when you were overthinking things- and, on one hand, it was annoying because he never understood that him and his dismissive words were the cause, but, on the other hand, it was nice. To finally feel understood for once. And to finally talk to someone who’s responses, when he tried, were intentionally made so blunt that you couldn’t possibly misunderstand them.

Sighing, you pulled your tired body out of bed and headed for the shower. Apparently your plans, which had originally consisted of being lazy the entire afternoon, were suddenly changing. Not that you were complaining though.

--/--

Stepping out of the cab, you noticed the crowd once again swarming the front of the hospital. The horde of people almost seemed to be moving as one mass, pushing and pulsing against the security guards standing at the entrance. There were a lot of people covered in Dynamite merch and face paint, even little kids dressed up like Bakugou and feigning explosions as they played.

It seemed that Bakugou’s heroic deed had put him back in the public’s favor and now they all had gathered in a show of support- and while you could appreciate that as a symbol of community, you selfishly sort of wished they’d leave so visiting him would be less of a spectacle.

You realized suddenly that more of this was definitely going to be in your future; the crowds of screaming people and adoring, over-excited fans. Your soulmate was a pro-hero after all, and quite possibly the loudest man you’d ever met- you should’ve known a quiet life wasn’t going to be an option.

As it stood now, you had almost no idea how you were going to make it through the massive throng of bodies- and, even if you did somehow push to the front, how you were going to convince the guards to let you through at that point.

“Excuse me!” A young girl suddenly grabbed your arm, tiny fingers clasping around your wrist. “Do you know how to get in! I need to get in!”

You were blindsided, stopped in your tracks and held down by the girl. She was young, but not much younger than you- if you had to guess, she was 17 or 18, with bright eyes and a strong grip that surprised you. This, her, was certainly not what you expected out of today.

“I- why do you need to get in so badly?”

“Bakugou!” She exclaims, eyes glazed over starry and adoring. She thrusts out her other wrist, presenting you with a poorly drawn tattoo. “See? I’m his soulmate!”

Your stomach drops, and for a second you nearly believe it- but then you snap out of it, and all you can think about is how strange the situation is. She was young, so obviously young, and so clearly charmed by your soulmate’s hero persona. You thought it was a little funny- if she knew Bakugou like you did, you were almost sure she wouldn’t be as delighted with him.

You weren’t sure how to respond. The immature, prideful part of you wanted to scoff and shake her hands off of you- to tell her just how foolish she looked talking to his actual soulmate. But, then again, you weren’t sure you could say anything about that at all. In all the research you’d done on him, you hadn’t seen a single mention of a soulmate- he never talked about it, never let anyone see even a hint of your name tattooed on him. Maybe he wanted to hide it for the sake of his career? Or, worse, was embarrassed of it?

“H-his soulmate, huh?” You stutter out, unsurely.

“Yep! So that’s why I need to get in there so bad! To make sure he’s okay!” She rambles. “So, will you help me get in?”

“Y/n! Y/n L/n!” You hear a familiar voice yell, and when you look towards the sound, all you see is a flash of red hair and hands waving emphatically.

Kirishima. Thank god.

“I’ve gotta go.” You shake the girl’s hand off, slightly jostling her with the force. “I’m so sorry!”

You hardly recognize the disappointed look in her eyes before your arm is grabbed once again- but this time by a security guard as he leads you to the front. The guard deposits you at the entrance, just a few feet from where Kirishima is waiting for you.

“Sorry about that.” The red-head chuckles nervously, opening the door up for you. “I uh- I woulda said something earlier, but I couldn’t see you to point out for a guard. It’s totally my bad!”

“No, it’s good, you’re good.” You reassure him, following him as he leads you to the stairwell from yesterday. “Thanks for saving me. I was pretty overwhelmed.”

“Yeah. It can get pretty crazy out there- not as crazy as Bakugou, though! You shoulda totally seen him screamin’ and yelling at the window when you walked up. He was super pissed.”

“Sounds like him.” You can’t help but smile. “Doesn’t surprise me at all.”

“Yeah.” Kirishima nods. “Who was that girl- you know her?”

Your silence and the uneasy expression that rolls across your face must give it away- he almost immediately pales.

“Oh! Yeah- sorry, none of my business, right?” Kirishima turns to face you, stopping at the step above you for a moment and throwing out placating hands. “It’s totally cool, don’t feel obligated or anything, I was just curious! Sorry for prying though, that wasn’t manly of me at all.”

You almost couldn’t believe Kirishima was such close friends with Bakugou- he seemed like the total opposite of your soulmate.

“No! It’s fine- I wasn’t offended or anything. Just,” You paused, looking at you feet as they climbed higher. “She wanted me to help her get in. To Bakugou. Said she was his soulmate.”

Kirishima turns around again, his feet nearly catching on the step as his mouth drops open. “She said that? To you! That’s insane!”

“Yep.” You nod, slightly breathless and you finally reached the fourth floor. You let out a small chuckle as you continued down the hallway. “She was young though- definitely a fan, so I didn’t say anything. I didn’t really want to crush her dreams in front of all of those people.”

“Man, that’s good. She’d probably be super upset, right? Good job!” He throws you an enthusiastic thumbs up, all shark teeth and bright eyes. “Still though- I shoulda guessed it was somethin’ crazy like that. You looked totally freaked out back there!”

“Did I really?”

“Mhm,” He nods, finally stopping in front of Bakugou’s door. “I- uh, I better stay out here. He’ll be real mad if I let anyone else through. Especially if you’re in there.”

“Oh. Yeah. Okay.” You push the handle open, turning back for just a moment. “Nice to see you, though. Thanks again for the save, Kirishima!”

When you enter the room, you’re surprised to find Bakugou, grumpy and sitting in a chair next to the window. And not in his hospital bed resting- where you’re almost 100% sure he should be. He’s clad in a weird combination of hospital pants and his own sweatshirt- it only serves to make him look even more petulant as he sits with his pinched expression.

“You seemed real buddy-buddy with Shitty Hair.” He grumbles, but there’s a smile beginning to tug at his lips as you near. “You think he’s better than me or some shit?”

“Oh- yeah. Loads. Loads better actually.” You joke, taking the vacant seat next to him. When you turn to look at him, he’s already glaring at you. “Oh calm down, grumpy, I was joking. Box dye and bandanas aren’t really my thing.”

Bakugou laughs. “He’s been pullin’ that shit since high school. Kinda losin’ all hope he’ll ever be cool.”

“Hey- don’t be mean! Maybe he’s just an extra-late bloomer, you never know.” You sigh, fixing him with a serious stare. “Now, though, we should really move onto more pressing matters.”

“Which are?”

“You in one of these chairs, and not in a hospital bed!” You near shrieked. “Which- by the way, I looked it up- four stories is 40 feet! You fell 40 fuckin’ feet and you’re not in a hospital bed, right now!”

Bakugou just rolls his eyes, fixing his gaze on the window once more. “Stop your freakin’ out already, woman, I’ll be fine. I’m already healed from all the big injuries anyway- so just shut the fuck up about it already.”

“The big injuries- what about the small ones? Bakugou! 40 feet! Do you know how much that is! I feel like you’re not taking this seriously enough!”

“Who cares.” He shrugs, settling into his seat with a slight wince. “Didn’t fuckin’ kill me, so who cares.”

“Me! You idiot! How many times do have to make this clear to you!”

Bakugou just looks at you, eyes widening as he breath catches. He looks genuinely and plainly shocked- easily the most expressive you’d seen him be aside from rolling in pure anger.

“I already told you, you fuckin’ asshole, that I like you and care about you! So of course I’m happy that you’re not dead, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about the small stuff!” You emphasized, sighing as you run an errant hand through your hair. “And I can see you’re still fucking hurt, so of course I’m going to freak out when you’re not in a hospital bed- like you should be, and you’re not sitting there resting- like you should be! Who the hell even helped you up? Why the fuck would they ev-”

“Shut up already. I get it.” He mumbles, and when you look at him his cheeks are bright red and he’s biting his knuckle. His eyes are alive though- bright and simmering and so very, very red. “I got up myself. Don’t go blamin’ anyone else for it.”

“God. Of fucking course you did! You know- you make yourself really hard to care for, right?”

“I know.”

“And it’s just like- I do it anyway, you know! And get shit-all nothing but anxiety and still choose to do it anyway! You’re so fucking frustrating!”

“I know.”

You turn to look at him, but he’s already looking at you, something soft and pleased growing at the edge of his lips.

“No! Don’t just sit there and start smiling.” You huff, pointing an emphatic finger at his stupid smiling face. “I’m mad at you and you need to go back to bed so don’t just fuckin’ smile at me!”

“I get it.”

“No, obviously, you dont! Because you’re not getting up! So, c’mon,” You stand from your chair, offering a hand. “Let me help you.”

Bakugou just looks at your hand, glares at it, and stands by himself. You can see the strain plainly on his face- how the action winds him and how it sends pain shooting through his battered body. When you look at his eyes though, all you can see is resolute stubbornness. With great effort, and even greater determination, Bakugou manages to hobble over to the wall, dropping against it. His shoulders hit first, and then he’s rolling all of his weight back onto them.

You were stunned- not that he chose to do it, because of course he chose to, but mostly that he’d succeeded. You’d seen a clip of his fall, it was playing on the news before you’d left your house, and it looked nasty. When he hit the ground, all of his limbs were so mangled and impact alone knocked him out clean. The injuries he still had, broken bones and cracked ribs, at the very least, must’ve still been causing him great pain- and yet he surpassed those with sheer force of will alone. It would’ve impressed you; if seeing him in so much pain didn’t make you so sad.

“That didn’t look comfortable. I really think you need crutches, angry man.” You point to the bed. “Or you could just go lay back down, like you’re supposed to, and we could forget this whole argument.”

“No thanks. Done bein’ fucking fussed over. The only reason I haven’t left yet is because there’s people everywhere.”

“And because you’re not supposed to, remember?”

“No. It’s good now. Nurse said I could.” He says, groaning when you stare back at him entirely unimpressed. He points to a bundle of papers and medication on the bed. “Look, gave me all the discharge instructions and everything. I’m not fucking lying.”

You walk over, flipping quickly through the packet of instructions. Bakugou wasn’t lying- he really was approved for discharge apparently, albeit under very specific instructions for not over-exerting himself. Which he was obviously doing so great at so far.

Sighing, you folded the papers and placed them in the bag with all of his medicine. Regardless of what he wanted, you were going to make sure he took care of himself. And that included, taking all of the medication and performing the physical therapy outlined on the papers.

“Alright, then. Guess we’re going, after all.” You clap your hands together in finality, before grabbing the bag of medication. “I still think you need crutches though.”

You look him up and down, eyes zeroing in on the way he was huddled against the wall. All his weight was in his shoulders, and in any other situation, you might’ve thought it was an effortlessly cool pose- but not here. Not in this hospital room with him dressed in weird clinical sweats and a childish expression.

“I’m not getting crutches. Lame as shit.”

“Are you kidding me? Your body is literally beat to hell- who cares about how cool you look right now?”

Bakugou just nods toward the window, and you peer down to see the crowd from earlier still gathered below. It seemed like cameras and reporters had also joined, and they were making a worrying amount of headway to the door, pushing against security impatiently. It looked entirely overwhelming, if you were honest.

“If I leave with crutches,” He starts. “Then I gotta hear about that shit for fuckin’ weeks.”

“Are you serious?” You ask appalled. “You’re obviously injured! What the hell are they even gonna s-“

Bakugou just hits you with a pointed stare, and it stops you in your tracks.

He’s right. Any weakness- even crutches when injured- would read bad for his career. It would shatter the illusion people had of him. Of his infallibility and limitless strength.

“It’ll draw too much fuckin’ attention,” He elaborates, pulling the hood over his head. “No shitty sweatshirt could help me then.”

“Wait, that’s your disguise for sneaking out? A sweatshirt?”

Bakugou just nods, suddenly pulling the hood up and over his head. It flattens his wild hair against his forehead, and you nearly squeal. He looks adorable- although still very much like himself. You weren’t so sure this disguise would cut it, but you were pretty much out of other options. It would have to make do.

“Yeah. Okay. I get it, put the hood back down.” You pause, trying your hardest to think of another solution. “How about a wheelchair?”

Bakugou just looks even more offended- like your last request was a front to his very dignity. Hell, knowing him as you did, you figured it probably was.

“Yeah, fine, I get it, angry man- no wheelchair.” You sigh. “At least let me help you then? I mean, it looks like you need something at least.”

“No. I fuckin’ don’t.” He refuses hotly, shifting his weight agitatedly against the wall. “I’m fine.”

You roll your eyes, you should’ve expected him to be difficult about this. It seemed that appearing weak was his greatest fear; you thought that was a little ironic- that his biggest weakness was weakness itself.

“Seriously- please. You look like you’re about to keel over where you stand, Bakugou!”

“I told you not to fuckin’ call me that, anymore.” He retorts angrily, but you watch him wince when he moves too much. “And I told you, I’m fine. So just shut the hell up about it already.”

You watch him for another moment, taking careful stock of the way he leans back on his shoulders and curls his arms around his sides. You didn’t ask him specifically- but you’re sure now, Bakugou’s at least got broken ribs- among many other broken and sprained things probably.

Fine, if he won’t readily accept your help, than you’ll just have to goad him into admitting his own failure.

“Hmm, sure, then step away from the wall then, hot shot.”

He’s quiet, but you watch as his eyebrows pinch and his cheeks redden.

“Why? Stop bein’ fuckin’ weird! I’m just standing for a second, leave me the hell alone, shitty woman.”

You just shake your head. It almost disgusts you how much rolling fondness smothers what should’ve definitely been annoyance.

“So, you’re telling me,” You start, walking a little closer to him. “That if you stepped away from this wall right now- that you wouldn’t immediately fold in half like a lawn chair?”

“No!”

“Okay. So do it then, pop rocks. C’mon. Let’s see.”

“I’m- I’m not just gonna fuckin’ do something just because you goddamn told me too!”

“Not even if it’s a challenge?” You tease, nearing him even more. You’re just a few measly feet away now, staring defiantly up at petulant red eyes. “Because it is- a challenge. I bet you that you can’t do it.”

“Fuck you.” He grits out, but then he’s pushing off his shoulders and standing straight. “See? That’ll teach ya to run your stupid mouth about shit you don’t know dick about.”

“Hmm, good words, Katsuki- expressive, even. We’ll see how long you last.”

He doesn’t say anything, but you can see his jaw clenched down; his shoulder’s strung tightly, the slight twitch in his calves. Katsuki isn’t going to stay upright for much longer.

You move before you even recognize it, sidling up to him and ducking under his arm.

“What are you- Stop! Get the hell away!” He barks harshly, but stands in place, not really doing much other than flushing violently. “It’s- I don’t need your fuckin’ help!”

“No, Katsuki, chill out- stop,” You laugh, rearranging his heavy arm over your shoulder. “If we’re doing this then I’m going to help you!”

“Lemme go! I’ll fuckin’ crush you, I don’t need your help!”

“Okay, yes, fine, maybe you don’t need it, but it would make me feel a whole lot better if you accepted it,” You huff, your hand wrapped tight around his wrist. “And you won’t crush me- I’m a big girl, I promise I’ll be fine. So just stop being stubborn- for me? Please?”

He growls, rolling his eyes to the ceiling- but then he’s shuffling closer to you and shaking his head. If you thought his arm was heavy before, you were sorely mistaken- when Katsuki finally surrenders, the solid weight of all his muscles nearly takes you out. You stumble for a moment before regaining your balance.

“Idiot. Thought you said you could handle it?” Katsuki looks down at you, smirking slightly before once again rolling his eyes. “Now, c’mon, fuckin’ get on with it, sunshine.”

You resist the sudden slight urge to nudge his ribs, or let him collapse to the ground- this was your idea, and you wouldn’t let your child of a soulmate talk you out of helping him.

“So, I was thinking-“ You begin to shuffle with him, slightly breathless. “We sneak out the back. Or something. There’s a crowd outside.”

“Already established that, several times, fuckin’ ages ago, dipshit- and of fuckin’ course there is. It’s me.”

“Oh my god, this is not the time for your ego!” You groan, but still keep a steady pace as you begin, towards the door. “Speaking of, though, one of your fangirls told me somethin’ real interesting on the way in, though.”

“Christ. What?”

“Apparently, she’s your soul mate.” You laugh, shallowly, trying to project a confidence you couldn’t feel. “C’mon, Katsuki, you should’ve told me! Total dick move that I had to find out from her!”

He scoffs, patting your shoulder with the hand strung across it. “You fuckin’ tell her off or somethin’?”

“Nope. I told her that I think you guys would make a really cute couple!”

“Are you fuckin’ serious?”

“No- of course not.” You say stopping in front of the door for a quick break. You suddenly weren’t sure whether you could really do this or not. “I didn’t say much of anything, really, didn’t know if I could.”

“Hah?” He looks down at you funny, red eyes squinting. “Fuck’s that mean?”

“You know, your career? Didn’t wanna say anything just in case.”

“Incase’a what?”

“I- I don’t know,” You stutter, suddenly feeling insecure. You focus your eyes on the tiles beneath your feet so you don’t have to look at his eyes. Eyes that you can feel boring into the side of your head. “Just in case, you know?”

“No. I fuckin’ don’t.” He says, mild irritation coloring his voice from above you. “Stop thinking so goddamn much, I can’t fuckin’ keep up- just tell me what you’re all worked up over.”

“It’s-“ You sigh, ringing your hands together anxiously. “You’re- you’re not embarrassed, right? Because, I know I shouldn’t have done this but I was looking you up again, and I just- I didn’t see anything about you having a soulmate? Anywhere? Ever? Do you just not want people to know or- because that’s totally fine, you know, like I get it, you’ve got this super big career outside of me and I’m totally fine if you just wanna like not say anything to anyone or lik-“

“Idiot. Stop thinking so much.” Bakugou tilts his head towards the ceiling. “I’m not fuckin’ embarrassed of you.”

“T-then why?” You ask hesitantly, while staring at your feet. You’re not sure if it’s the jarring movement as he rearranges his weight or your racing heart, but either way you’re feeling sick. “Actually- you know what, it’s fine, forget I even said anything. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Bakugou doesn’t say anything, just nods and stays silent. Then he looks down at you, at the way you won’t meet his eyes, and he groans.

“Fuckin- fine. God, you always make me say the most embarrassing shit.” He gripes, flushing slightly as you finally look up at him. “It’s not because of any of that stupid shit. It’s- I fuckin’, ugh, I didn’t want somebody else findin’ you or whatever before I did.”

“What? Find me? Who?”

“God, you’re fuckin’ dense.” He scoffs, but when you look up he’s still smiling lazily down at you. “People. Media. Fuckin’ villians probably too.”

“Holy shit.”

“Chill out. I kept fuckin’ quiet so you don’t gotta worry about that now. Besides-“ He turns his head away, cheeks flushing slightly. “I’d blast all those fuckin’ weaklings to hell if they tried anything now. So don’t get all anxious about it or whatever.”

You just look down at your feet, smiling at his words but still feeling unsure nonetheless. You understood- for sure, but that didn’t mean the weight of all these consequences was easy to bear.

“Now can we go? Are we done worryin’ about stupid shit?” He asks lightly, jostling you slightly. “Got more important things to do.”

You nod, opening the door just to watch Kirishima stumble backwards.

“Oi- shitty hair! What’re you leanin’ against my door like that for?”

“Oh! Hey guys!” He greets cheerfully, before taking stock of the situation. He tilts his head. “You guys leaving?”

“Obviously.” Bakugou scoffs, but then he’s leaning in toward his friend, dropping his other hand heavy on the red-head’s shoulder. “Need ya to distract anyone who walks up here though. Gonna leave the other way and go out the fuckin’ back.”

“Oh- yeah, okay! Got it, man! You sure you should be leaving though?”

“That’s what I said.” You interrupt, glaring Bakugou into silence as he tries to speak. “But he insisted- and I’ve got all his meds and instructions so I think we’ll be alright. Maybe. If we’re lucky.”

“Don’t just fuckin’ talk about me like I’m not standin’ right here, shitty woman!”

“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t so difficult all the time!” You retorted. “Now, you can handle it from here, right Kirishima? We really could use your help.”

“Yep! Totally got this! You guys go on ahead, I’ll stand guard right here!” He flashes a bright smile at you, before pointing down the hall. “There’s a staff elevator just down there. You should use that- it’ll probably be way faster. Good luck!”

You just nod, smiling brightly at him as you pull Bakugou in that direction.

“Oi- not so fuckin’ fast!” He shouts, stumbling slightly.

“Keep your voice down, angry man! Everyone’s gonna know it’s you!”

“How the fuck is my voice gonna give it away?” He says, while simultaneously screaming like a banshee in the middle of an otherwise quiet hallway.

“Like that! So keep it down, good fucking lord.” You grumble, a breath of relief leaving your mouth as you finally near the elevator. You push the button, sighing as the doors open.

Bakugou shuffles away from you, leaning against the back wall and staring moodily at you as you press the button. The elevator surges downward, and after a minute or so the doors began to open again. You shouldered his arm once more looking up to see him pulling the hood of the sweatshirt farther down his face. He looked adorable and you couldn’t keep yourself from staring.

“Oi- fuck you lookin’ at, woman?”

“Nothing.” You laughed. “Now, c’mon, we’ve still got a ways to go.”

Sneaking Bakugou out was no easy affair to begin with, and he certainly didn’t help whatsoever. His frame was just too large and too heavy, and there was no possible way he could be quiet, especially considering his thundering steps, even when he wasn’t screaming. He seemed to attract attention no matter where he was or what he was doing. People were starting to stare as you booked it towards the back exit- you needed to move. And quick.

“Jesus christ,” You huffed, breathless and slightly irritated. You point at his stomach as you pull him along. “I know you’re hurt, but could you at least try and engage those core muscles you so obviously have?”

“You said you’d be fuckin’ fine, sunshine.”

“God, you’re difficult.” You shook your head, rolling your eyes at the sight of his amused little half-smile. “You think this is funny don’t you?”

Bakugou doesn’t say anything, but when you look up at him, there’s still that small smile edging at his lips. He seems to hold it, even through his grunts of obvious pain.

“Wow, of course you do. Immature, angry, loud man.”

“Who says I’m fuckin’ loud?” He asks hotly, pulling his shoulders in as you both shimmy through the, admittedly, small back door. “I’m not fucking loud!”

“God, you’re screaming right now! Do you even hear yourself?” You wince, but feel relieved as you help him hobble to the curb. “How’s a taxi sound, pop rocks?”

“Don’t fuckin’ call me that. I hate it. Don’t do it again.” He grumbles. “But it’s fine- whatever, I don’t care.”

“Great.”

You raise your hand up, nearly crying in relief when a taxi rolls up to the curb. When you help Bakugou in, and slide in the seat next to him, you’re almost overcome with satisfaction. Sneaking him out was one of the most difficult tasks you thought you’d ever taken on- both physically and mentally, and god, were you glad it was over.

--/--

As it turns out, explosive personalities don’t always lend themselves to explosive environments.

Bakugou’s apartment was clean, tidy, nearly spotless when you helped him walk in. It surprised you, truly, but he didn’t let you sit on that thought for long. He brushed you off, hobbling slowly down a long hallway without a word. It takes a few minutes, but Bakugou enters the room at the end and slams the door shut behind him.

Oh- What exactly were you supposed to do now?

In reality your fingers were itching to open drawers and rifle through cabinets, and just generally snoop but you, of course, knew better. So you instead chose to read through the instruction papers and medications once more- just to busy yourself and maybe see if there was anyway you could help him. Since, apparently, Bakugou was not keen on asking you for assistance himself.

You hear the door open again, and Bakugou comes unsteadily down the hallway, nearly collapsing when he reaches his couch. He’s dressed in new sweats, and he turns to look at you.

“Fuck you doin’ over there?”

“Meds, angry man.” You say, doling out the few necessary pills from a bottle. “Where’s your glasses?”

“You don’t have to fuckin’ do that.”

“What- you’re gonna force yourself to get up again?” You ask him, unimpressed. “You’re hurt, so just please let me help you. At least with this.”

He nods tightly, mouth pressed into a thin line. “Glasses are in the cabinet behind ya.”

You nod, filling a glass of water for him and walking the medication over. Watching as he took it, you weren’t exactly sure what to do now. So you just sort of hovered next to the couch, arms around your stomach anxiously.

“What’re you doing- sit the fuck down already, idiot.” He pats the seat next to him. “Stop being weird. Freaks me the hell out.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” You laughed. “Just didn’t wanna assume- in case you wanted me to leave or something.”

“Wouldn’t have let you in if I wanted you to leave. Dumbass.” He reaches over, flicking your forehead lightly. “Your stupid thoughts are clogging up the air. Stop it.”

“Hey!” You whine, rubbing at your forehead. “Not nice, angry man! I’ll let it go this time, but try it again and I promise you’ll really be hurting.”

“Mhm. I’m sure.”

He settles further into the couch, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. The mid-day sun floods through the window, hitting the column of his throat, and casting him in gold. You think he’s beautiful then. Far more beautiful than anyone else you’d ever known.

“Yeah, sorry.” You breathe out, suddenly a little nervous by your close proximity to him. “Think those’ll probably make you a little sleepy.”

“Fuckin’ stellar.”

“Don’t sound so grumpy- it’s just a nap. And besides, you should probably be taking one anyway.”

“It’s not that.” He peeks an eye open, lazily rolling his head to catch your gaze. “You hungry?”

“No- I’m good. Are you?” You ask suddenly. “I can totally get you something? Or make you something? What do you have here? What do you want?”

“Jesus, sunshine. Slow the fuck down.” He breathes, turning his head back to the ceiling with a small, fond, smile. He sighs sleepily. “I’m good. Just wanted to ask ya.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

He mumbles something, but you don’t quite catch onto it. It’s quiet for a few moments, before his breathing is starting to slow. Your surprised at just how tired he seems to be, but then again, he was taking some pretty strong pain meds. As it stands now, he seemed minutes from falling asleep, and you were worried about the strain he was putting on his neck.

“Hey- you shouldn’t fall asleep like that.” You touch his shoulder lightly, fingers just barely brushing the fabric of his shirt. “Lay down, I’ll get up.”

Bakugou just opens his eyes, only glancing at you for a moment before he closes them again. Then he’s tipping over, a flurry of heavy limbs and awkward weight hitting your lap. When you look down at him, his eyes are squeezed tightly closed and he’s blushing wildly. He kicks his feet up off the floor, and settles in, quickly becoming deadweight across your thighs.

“O-oh.” You say, breathless. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Mhm. Now shut the fuck up, I’m tryin’ to sleep.”

“Yeah.”

You’re winded, short of breath and flushing bright red from his actions; but still, you find you absolutely can’t help yourself. So, with shaking breaths, you’re carding fingers through his hair before you can think better of it.

When you look down at him, Bakugou’s only gone brighter red, but he’s smiling too. He stills, before suddenly peaking one eye open.

“Wake me up for dinner, alright, idiot?”

You nod and then he’s closing his eyes again, chest rising and falling slowly. He’s asleep and dead to the world in just a few minutes, but you can’t stop staring.

You knew you liked him- liked him a lot, as a person, not just a soulmate. You liked his weird brand of humor and his insults and death threats. You liked his masked concern and blunt words, you were even strangely fond of his yelling- but you weren’t prepared for just how much those feelings would amplify when he was so close. He was close, and warm, and breathing under your fingertips and you liked him so much. More than you’d ever liked anything or anyone else in your entire life.

You were stricken, absolutely smitten, and there was nothing you could do about it. Or even wanted to really. So you just stared, eyes tracking his calm features as you worked careful fingers through his soft hair.

You understood now- why so many of your peers had told you they were jealous. Why they had all sighed dreamily when you told them, before immediately wishing to be you. Having a soulmate was inexplicable completeness and undeniable purpose- it was finality and new beginnings all in one.

You understood now, and you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

//-//

ee soz this took so long!! no excuses lmao i just stupidly started playin genshin and holy shIT was that bad for my productivity ahahaha

hope u enjoy my lovelies!!!!

#bnha bakugou #mha bakugou #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugo fluff #bakugou soulmate textfic #bakugou soulmate au #mha fic #bnha fic #bakugou imagine #bakugou series

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lollytea · 3 years ago

Text

Girl Talk

(ngl I hate this sm. I wrote this fic yesterday, the file corrupted and i lost everything, had a breakdown, rewrote everything the next day because I am obnoxiously stubborn. Anyways Hunter and Luz content. Bon Appetit?)

(READ ON AO3)

“Okay, but what am I even supposed to say to her? Oh! Maybe I could write down some jokes on the back of my glyph slips in case things get awkward. Wait, no, I don't want her to think I'm not taking this seriously. I don't need to be goofy all the time just to hang out with her. I need her to know that I'm serious about her and this whole...romantic thing. And I know she gets upset when she thinks I'm making fun of her so...”

“Alright, so, get this. It says here that there was once this old witch who lived on the outskirts of Latissa and his whole thing was experimenting by mixing paints and magic together. Apparently the stuff he created was like....super powerful.”

“I mean, she said she likes me 'cause I'm goofy and funny and lovable and...and...and I'm sure there's other adjectives I could use but I'm drawing a blank here. So, who am I to deprive her of what she signed up for? But I can't just....ugh, I can't even think right!”

“It doesn't have a lot of info on his specific technique but I'm sure if we did some more research, we could successfully replicate his experiments. We're pretty good at figuring stuff out. Woah, wait. I wonder what would happen if we created glyphs with this paint....maybe it would enhance the spell's level of power. Oh, that would be so cool!”

Luz stopped pacing, the floorboards practically burning after she thoroughly wore down the surface with her frantic footsteps. She set a hand on her hip and turned a withering look on her guest.

“Call me coocoo but I don't think you're listening to a word I say.”

Hunter lifted his head to blink up at her, chewing on the end of a pen. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, boxed in by towers of Eda's Wild Magic books.

There was a glassy look in his eye, as if he was trying to get his bearings after being abruptly yanked out of an alternate dimension.

He had been, in a way. Luz was inclined to call it “Booksville.”

When Luz first met Hunter, this sort of stuff was a big, huge No-No for him. She could've invited him to take a look at any one of those books, packed with information on that obsession of his and of course, he'd be crazy with intrigue but he would hesitate. If he even opened the book at all, he'd card through the pages with an almost jumpy sense of caution, as if the paper itself would sting his fingers.

Well, that ship had certainly sailed. It had taken him a while to get fully comfortable but nowadays, Hunter didn't ask twice before digging into the contents of Eda's books, soaking up every tidbit of every sentence until he had exhausted every page.

He had even brought his own index flags to mark his favorite passages. He had gone on a little rant earlier about how Eda was an outright maniac for dog-earring the page corners.

Luz made a mental note to never show him the state of her Azura books. He would probably cry.

Hunter had become so lost in the Wild Magic sauce, he didn't even seem to care about the fact that he was not supposed to be here.

Of course, Eda didn't mind that he was here. That is to say, Luz didn't technically tell her he was here. She and King were currently out, being menaces to society and all that fun stuff, as they usually were before Luz would sneak Hunter in.

So, to be fair, Eda had never specifically said that Luz was not allowed to let The Golden Guard of the Emperor's coven into their home.

It was probably fine, right?

Yeah, it was probably fine that Luz had been hiding The Golden Guard of the Emperor's coven in her bedroom like some kind of forbidden pet.

Speaking of forbidden pets, that precious red cardinal of his was perched like a Christmas decoration atop his shoulder. That little rascal did wonders for Hunter. He seemed so much cuter than he was when there was an adorable little palisman snuggling up to him.

Once Hunter had processed what Luz said to him, his features screwed up tight. He was offended.

“Whadd'ya mean I'm not listening? I bet you can't repeat anything I was just talking about.”

“Ugh! Yeah, Hunter, I heard you. Paints! You wanna start painting as a hobby and let me just tell you, I fully support your budding creativety and will hype up your work with my entire heart but please. Right now I am having a full blown Amity Calamity!”

“Yeah, okay, that is not what I was talking about. Also, I get that you're freaking out n' all but....what do you expect me to do about it?” He threw his hands about wildly, at a complete loss. “Man, I don't know anything about that stuff,”

“I don't knowww....” Luz groaned. “I just....ugggghhh.” She buried her head in her hands, ruffling her hair into oblivion, like it would miraculously stimulate her brain cells into action. It released some pent up frustration, at least. “I wish it was easier for us to just talk about girls together.”

Hunter perked up. “Talk about girls? Are you kidding? Of course we can talk about girls, dummy!”

“Wait, really?” Luz asked, taken aback by this apparent development.

“Yeah, for sure. One sec,” Buzzing with eagerness, Hunter dove into his stacks of books, emerging seconds later with a worn, dust encrusted volume. It was so ancient, the title had faded away but Hunter still put his finger to where the big letters should be.

“Notable Female Witches of The Savage Ages,” He rattled off delightedly. “They were considered the mothers of Wild Magic. Their style of spell was really quite advanced, see they--”

Despite her frayed nerves, Luz sill managed a weak laugh.

As insufferable as he could be sometimes, she really did like this nerd a lot.

“Okay, Hunter. Buddy,” She said gently. “This stuff sounds really cool and I wanna hear all about it at some point buuuut....when I say girls, I mean...y'know. Amity specifically.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah.”

Hunter's face fell with disappointment but he was quick to snap back into a look of cool indifference. He shut the book in his lap with a soft thump, set it aside and turned his full attention to Luz.

“Sooooo...” he began awkwardly, scratching at his ear. It could not be more obvious that Hunter wanted nothing to do with this discussion. But Luz appreciated that he was trying. “Girlfriend problems, huh? Shoot.”

Luz's cheeks darkened. “Heh. 'Girlfriend'. Yeah, that's...uh...” She was suddenly very inconvenienced by the existence of her own hands so she clasped them together tight to keep herself from fidgeting. “That is.....a word for Amity.”

Hunter frowned, puzzled. “Okaaaay? So, what's the issue?”

“Ohhhhhh, boy.” An ironic, long suffering smile stretched across her face. “Let me just tell you that there is a lot goin' on up here, pal.” Luz tapped her finger against her temple. “So if I'm gonna give you the full unabridged version--”

“You could summarize it.”

“You know I don't know how to do that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Hunter sighed. “Figured it was worth a shot. Okay, let's hear it.”

“Alright but this is gonna be a lot so I suggest you strap yourself in,”

Luz sucked in a deep inhale, with full intent to let the entire flood of thoughts cascade out her mouth.

Hunter's eyes snapped to the floor, like he was actually looking for a safety harness to attach himself to. Then he seemed to realize that was ridiculous, as he scowled to himself. Little Rascal chirped and he irritably mumbled something under his breath in response.

And then Luz took off.

“Alright, so!” She announced, clapping her hands together. “So me and Amity have known each other fooooor...a while now? Yeah, it's been a while. And we've been pretty good friends ever since and then one day, she rescued me from her scary mom and she had this black flowing cape and her voice went all low and then suddenly, huh. Doki doki, y'know?” She thumped a fist against her chest. “I was gettin' all feelings-y up in here,”.

“And then a little later I figured out that we were both feeling kinda feelings-y and I was all like,” She mimed a brain explosion. “Pshww....”

“Pshww....” Hunter repeated quietly, testing out the little sound effect on his tongue. “Doki...doki....?”

“Yeah. Exactly. Doki doki. Pshww.” Luz nodded, as if he had made a valuable contribution. “So, now we're both here in the same boat, fully shish kebab-ed by Cupid's arrow.”

“Hold up. What language are you speaking?”

“And things are....great? Nice? Sorta hard to believe but stuff actually happens. We hold hands a few times, we...” The volume of her voice dropped to a bashful murmur. “we kiss a few times. There was so many beautiful, amazing romance-y moments that happened, just like in movies, y'know?”

“Movies....?” Hunter's bewildered stare turned from Luz to the bird on his shoulder, as if he was going to get any further clarification from either of them.

“Right! But here's the thing. It sorta feels like all that stuff just went by in a blur. I don't even know how I did any of that. The hand holding, the smooches the....ugh! It was like I was on autopilot or something and now I have no idea how to operate. Now, no matter how hard I try to get the vibe right, I can recreate those moments. So now it's starting to feel like...I don't know how to do anything!”

Luz's arms were whizzing around like an out of control windmill.

“I mean, Sure, Amity takes the lead sometimes but I can't make her carry this entire....relationship? Flirtationship? Whatever it is that's happening here! I gotta act or something! But I've been thinking about it waaaay too much. I never know the right time to hold her hand, I never know if she wants me to tell her she looks cute or if now maybe isn't the right time or...it's awkward, okay?! I've been making it awkward 'cause I don't know what to do! I-I don't even know for sure if we're dating! We've never talked about it!”

The last sentence came out as a squeak and Luz realized she had used up all her oxygen and needed to take a breather.

Hunter had not said a word but Luz did not know what to make of that dissecting stare of his, that studied her with a mixture of confusion and fascination. Like she was some kind of peculiar animal. A flushed, panting, peculiar animal.

“So.” He said finally, holding his palm out for Little Rascal to migrate from his shoulder to his hands. “Why don't you talk about it?”

He asked like it was the obvious solution. Luz was a little irked by it, but she kept her patience.

“Oh, Hunter. Sweet Hunter.” She heaved an exhausted sigh. “It is not that simple.”

He still didn't seem to understand. “Well, why not?”

“'Cause it's--.....Uh.” Luz trailed off, twirling her wrist around as if expecting to snatch an eloquent articulation out of thin air.

“Okay. Lemme put it like this. Amity is....really special. To me. Sometimes I still can't believe that she's real and she's friends with me and she likes me and....whew.” She pressed her fingertips to her cheek, surprised by the warmth. Even thinking that sort of stuff prompted a blush or two but it seemed saying it out loud made her face scalding.

“Anyway, now that we're going through....this, everything feels so much more....fragile?” Her voice rose in pitch, uncertain if 'Fragile' was even a suitable word to describe her feelings. It was just a vague, wishy-washy concept to describe.

“Like I feel like I could break it all so easy, just by....” Wait, she knew. She had figured out her handle on this.

“Just by being me.” She felt an ache just by admitting it, but it was the truth. Luz exhaled unsteadily to compose herself, clasping her fists tight into the fabric of her shorts and she continued...calmly.

“I can't risk doing anything that's gonna push her or make her uncomfortable or scare her away or...y'know, ruin this.” She held up her palms with a heavy shrug. “I-I don't have a plan and it would be way too reckless to wing it. Who knows what would come out of my mouth? She tells me a billion times that my weirdness is what she likes about me but...it can just as easily be the thing she hates if I overdo. I can't overdo it.

Luz was expecting Hunter to look at her like she was dumb again, but surprisingly, he nodded. A slow, thoughtful nod, as he absentmindedly scratched Little Rascal under the chin.

As the silence filled a little longer, she was starting to believe he had nothing else to add, which was fine. She had wanted to rant her heart out but realistically, she couldn't imagine Hunter having any advice for her. This wasn't exactly his area of expertise.

“Hey, Luz.” He said at last, voice surprisingly breezy. “You know those books that you really like? Uhh, with the nice witch Azuzu or whatever,”

“It's the Good Witch Azura!” Luz snapped, hands flying to her hips. “And I know you just pretended to not know her name. You're just trying to be cool.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The corner of Hunter's lip tweaked upwards. “And wasn't there that other witch that you liked to pretend was Azura's girlfriend?

Luz scoffed, finding it utterly unbelievable that this obnoxious little man had the audacity to be so dismissive towards her favorite book series, when she had been sweet enough to smuggle him in here.

“She was not her 'Girlfriend', she was her 'Soulmate' and if you even listened to me talk about it, you would know that. For your information, her name was Hecate and she began as Azura's rival but over the course of the series, they developed a beautiful, unbreakable bond that was jam packed with heavy romantic subtext. I mean, even their declaration of their eternal friendship in Book Five, which was really emotionally poignant by the way, reads so much like a love confession, it's a crime. And it's like...Ladies! Just kiss already!”

“Okay. Right. Sure. I understood some of that.”

“I mean, I guess I've read a ton of Heczura fanfics to tide me over. It's hard to find a fic where they don't kiss. Hold on, you know what fanfiction is, right?”

“Yeah.” The light in Hunter's eyes dimmed. “You made me sit through that three hour long slideshow presentation, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Luz popped a finger gun. “That was fun,”

It was fun, but a lot of work. Hunter was pouting over losing a measly three hours of his time. Well, newsflash, nerd, Luz spent two weeks working on that. Nobody is getting their hours back.

“And what usually happens in those fanfictions?” Asked Hunter, propping his chin up with his hand, as Little Rascal hopped over to a pile of books. “How do they end?”

“I told you, they kiss. A lot of the time they look deeply into each others eye and talk about how they complete each other like two halves of one heart. And y'know, moments of miscellaneous fluff.”

“Uh huh. Interesting,” He mused, tapping his pen against his bottom lip.

Luz knew Hunter could be a little...eccentric but was he really analyzing fanfiction right now? Where did the sudden interest come from?”

“So, uh, besides Azura and Hecate, are there any other...boats(?) that you--”

“Ships.” Luz corrected him.

Hunter snapped his fingers. “Right. Ships. Basically love stories that you really like.”

“We talkin' canon or non canon?”

Hunter squinted at her, lost. Seems somebody was not taking enough notes during the slideshow presentation. “Both? A-all...?”

“Oh, well, there's a bunch.”

Luz had no intention of listing every single ship that had captured her heart. They would be here all week.

“I've spent my whole life reading books, watching movies and anime and--”

“Anime...?”

“Hunter, please!” Luz squeaked as calmly as she possibly could, but she could not deny that she had started to vibrate. “You have no idea how excited you just made me at the thought of teaching you about anime but I'd need to dedicate a whole day to that 'cause I need to meet Amity soon and I'm still sorta in crisis mode. So, let's stay on topic.”

Her brow furrowed. “Whatever the heck the topic is! Why are we talking about ships, Huntifer?”

He waved off her question. “Okay but how does the story usually end for all your ships? The book ones, the anime ones, all of them,”

“We've been over this with the fanfiction discussion. They kiss, Hunter. Geez, you want a diagram or something?”

“But what else?” He prompted.

“What do you mean 'What else?'”

Now this was just getting ridiculous.

“They kiss!” Luz said with a huge amount of emphasis. “And again, miscellaneous fluff. They'll do stuff like pick each other up and swing around, hold hands and....walk off into the sunset, y'know?” She waved off all that extra padding as unimportant to the conversation. (Though Luz did really enjoy miscellaneous fluff.)

“Well yeaaaah,” Hunter was giving off vibes of a grade school teacher who gave her little nudges in the correct direction but ultimately wanted her to figure out the right answer herself. She wished he could just give it to her because honestly, she didn't know where this any of this was going.

“But when exactly do they ask each other if they're dating?”

“Whaa?” Well, that settled it. He had paid no attention to the slideshow whatsoever. “Nah, nah, they don't do stuff like that. They don't have to 'cause they're already perfect for each other. All they gotta do is look into each others' eyes and they just...” Luz shrugged, feeling lightness bubble in her chest at the very thought. She had a feeling her smile looked pretty dopey. “They just know.”

“Right. And why don't you and Amity just know?”

The bubbles burst and the lightness turned to dead weight.

The question speared through Luz's gut. Her entire body went rigid.

She had known but...

She had been trying not to...

Not to think about it.

Because if she thought about it, she knew she'd cry.

But there is was. A culmination of every coil of underlying dread that had been gradually writhing in her stomach in a monster of anxiety, summarized in a short and sweet collection of simplistic little words.

Luz did not just know when it came to Amity. She was constantly taking shots in the dark. That is, if she was even brave enough to take a shot at all.

The two of them together were not as seamlessly synchronized as couples in love were supposed to be.

Her throat stung.

Her vision went cloudy with blotted tears but she managed to catch Hunter's stony expression break into one of sheer panic.

“Wh-- Luz! Hey!” He yelped, scrambling to pick himself up from the floor. He nearly tripped over his books as he stood and hurried over to close the distance between them. He made to reach out to her but his hand stopped, just as it was about to brush against her shoulder. It hovered there for a moment, fingers curling and uncurling with uncertainty.

“Luz, listen, I wasn't....I-I mean, what I meant was...uhh. C-c'mon, cut it out!” Hunter's voice crackled with desperation and despite crying her eyes out, Luz felt the watery chuckle at the back of her throat.

“Aww, does crying make the Golden Guard uncomfy?” She tried to tease but her words came out all wobbly.

In fairness to the poor guy, it probably did. Luz couldn't imagine that dealing with tears in a delicate matter, was ever something he would need to handle in his line of work.

For all she knew, this was his first time having to comfort someone like this.

“You don't get to make jokes and cry at the same time. You gotta pick one.” Hunter snipped, but his tone was not nearly as cutting as usual. Luz was almost tempted to call it soft.

Clearing her eyes with the heel of her hands, she finally felt that warm touch on her shoulder, and then another rest against her upper arm.

Somehow the gentleness cracked all her remaining composure and she dissolved into ragged sobs.

Hunter did not speak nor did he let go out her until she got every tear out of her system. He waited patiently, tracing circles with his thumb into her skin.

Eventually, her sniffles fell silent and her eyes no longer blurred. She took a deep breath and the following exhale was shaky but manageable.

“Are you....good?” He asked cautiously.

Luz nodded.

Hunter removed his hands so carefully, you'd think doing so would cause her physical pain. He must have heard once that people were more prone to being hurt when they were already upset and assumed it was literal.

“Do you really think that...Amity and I....” Luz's voice was low and quiet but her jaw was set tight. She refused to let her words be whimpered. She looked up, meeting Hunter's eyes. “Aren't right for each other?”

“What? No! No, no, no,” Hunter looked positively alarmed at the accusation. “Luz th-that's not even remotely what I meant by that.”

“Well, then I guess you accidentally hit the nail on the head.” Luz managed a strained, bitter little smile. “'Cause it's true.”

“Luz, c'mon,” Hunter groaned, exasperated. “Don't talk like that, you've got it mixed up.”

“No.” Said Luz, tone quiet, polite yet strikingly obstinate. “You were right, Hunter.”

For someone who loved being right, he didn't seem thrilled at all.

“When it comes to Amity, I don't just know. I don't always know what she's thinking or what she wants from me. After all this time, I-I shouldn't still be trying to figure her out,”

Luz wanted to figure her out. Every time she was in her orbit, she wanted nothing more to turn over every last piece of that girl and find every hidden gem.

But now, it like she was barricaded. Something was keeping her from moving forward, from discovering Amity.

“I mean, we've kissed.” The memories of Amity were turning more and more bittersweet by the second “I told her I loved her! We had our happy ending already! A-at least I thought it was a happy ending. But we're not acting like people who are made for each other are meant to act!”

“How do you even know how people who are meant for each other are meant to act?!” Hunter demanded, as though it wouldn't reach Luz's skull unless he raised his voice. “In all the love stories you've read, it always ends with a kiss, doesn't it?”

“And--”

“And miscellaneous fluff. Yeah, I get it.” Hunter shooed the detail away before clearing his throat.

“Point is, they never talk about what comes after. You don't read about all those awkward talks where they decide if they're dating or not and talks about what they're okay with and what they're not. It always just cuts to the perfect, shiny romantic stuff, all tied up with a bow and because of that,” He clutched Luz by the shoulders.”You don't know how to move forward in a relationship 'cause you've never had a frame of reference to help you along.”

“Hey, that's not true!” She tore away from Hunter's grip. “I'll have you know that I imagine my favorite ships as couples all the time,”

“Yeah and lemme guess,” He droned, setting a hand on his hip and launching into a mockingly saccharine tone of voice. “They understand each other soooo well all the time, they can practically read each others' mind and everything is smooth sailing and peachy all the time.”

“Yeah, duh.” Luz didn't quite what he was making fun of. “That's what being a ship is all about.”

“Okay, fine, maybe, but I cannot stress this enough,” He ran his fingers through his hair before making a cutting gesture with the side of his hand, directed at Luz. “You are not a ship.”

“Well, yeah, obviously. I'm only one--”

“I mean that the two of you aren't a ship! Listen to me, you're not Azura and Hecate. You're Luz and Amity. You're real people. You've got like a million different emotions and they're messy and crazy and you don't understand most of them.”

“Okay, Hunter, I get it, I'm a hot mess. You don't have to rub it in.”

“We're all hot messes, Luz!” He exploded. “Every single one of us. 'Cause we're real and not book characters.” He was pacing back and forth now as he ranted and raved, gesticulating like a madman.

“We gotta handle all the awkward conversations that don't fit into books. You gotta talk to real people to get them and you can talk to them for years and years but you're never gonna entirely understand them. In your love stories, it's all kisses and happy endings and it's shiny and sparkly and perfect and nerds like you Eat. It.Up!”

Hunter emphasized his point by poking Luz's forehead, shocking a startled laugh out of her. As wound up as he was, the noise surprised him too.

Her laugh was contagious and soon the room was silent, expect for the sound of quiet, breathy giggles.

One of the knots in Luz's stomach had untangled itself. Hunter did make a point that she could understand. Yeah, okay, maybe she had been a little too wrapped up in fiction to successfully navigate through her own life. Luz had never been the most logical person so it was comforting for a levelheaded counter-argument to whatever was currently inflaming her anxiety.

Obviously, this didn't fix everything. Now, she understood why this wasn't easy but that didn't mean she magically knew where to go from here.

Once the shadow of Luz's smile had finally faded away, she looked up and studied Hunter for a long while. Her gaze may have been a bit intense as nervousness began to creep into his features.

“H-hey. Uh. Sorry if I was a little too--”

“Huntifer, I think you might be on to something with this one,”

He blinked at her before brightening with relief, shrugging it off. “Oh. Yeah, maybe. I dunno, I guess it's worth some thought.

Astonishing how Hunter could switch from the cockiest, most obnoxious kid in the Boiling Isles to a remarkably humble guy. Maybe it depended on context. Or he was just embarrassed that he sorta lost control of himself in his impatience.

Luz nodded. “I'd say a lot of thought. But..I think things are still gonna be awkward. With Amity. I still don't know how I'm supposed to talk this stuff through with her.”

Hunter snorted, loosely folding his arms over chest and resting his weight on one hip. And just like that, with that simple change of posture, he looked full of himself again “You wanna know a secret that's probably not much of a secret?”

He beckoned Luz to lean in closer and said in a stage whisper. “Amity probably doesn't know either.”

Huh. Yeah, Luz knew that. She knew that at the back of her mind but...she hadn't really thought about it much. She was a little too preoccupied with her own inexperience.

Hunter's lofty grin softened. “So, it's a good thing neither of you are doing it alone, right? Don't you think you could figure out how together?”

Figure out how together....

The realization sank from the surface of her mind, and everything was processing very fast then suddenly, everything clicked.

Amity.

Luz knew Amity. Luz trusted Amity. Luz loved Amity. If there was any person Luz believed would stumble alongside her through things they didn't quite understand yet, it was Amity. And it occurred to her that Luz would help Amity in return without hesitation.

With enough notches and trimming and smoothing edges, if they worked through this together, Luz and Amity could click too. Maybe not perfectly, not for a while just yet.

But enough that they could make each other happy.

A swing of confidence so strong flooded Luz's system, she swore she nearly collapsed. She felt the grin tugging at her mouth.

She could try. She could absolutely try. They could both try.

“Is...that a yes?” Hunter asked, gauging her expression.

Luz nodded so speedily, it made her head hurt. But then she realized something else and she turned a very specific look on Hunter.

But before he could ask if she was about to attack him, she held up two fingers on each hand and then placed them on either side of her head so they jutted out just behind her ears.

“Man, I don't know anything about that stuff,” Said Luz, in what she believed to be an uncanny imitation of Hunter's voice.

He frowned. “What are the theatrics for?”

“You lied to me!” Luz was delighted.

“I-I didn't lie!” He loudly objected, pointed ears scorching bright pink. “That was just common sense, you doofus. You know, that thing you lack.”

“You know, that thing you lack.” Luz parroted, swinging her hips from side to side. Once again, her impression remained flawless.

“Don't do that!”

“Don't do that!

“Stop, you weirdo!”

At the peak of riled up, Hunter floundered for a retort that Luz wouldn't shoot back at him with childish mimicking. But then he cracked and wound up sticking his tongue out at her.

Luz simply mirrored him and Hunter huffed indignantly, turning on his heel and stomping back towards his books.

He had barely made a few steps when Luz lunged at him from behind, draping her long, lanky arms around his shoulders.

“Wha—Hey! Get off!” He squawked, struggling to pry her off him as Luz squished her cheek against his.

“Huntifer~” She singsonged. “Can you please calm down for two seconds and let me say thanks already?”

Hunter knotted his arms and his scowl didn't soften but Luz didn't miss how he stopped trying to squirm out of her grip.

“Even though you were kinda rambly and all over the place, what you said helped. It helped a lot. I know this is something I can handle and I know that 'cause of you. Thanks, nerd.”

She waited patiently until she felt his shoulders loosen. And then he glanced back at her and there was a smile. A small, tight, subtle smile but it was good enough for Luz.

And then with a burst of adrenaline, she gripped him tighter and planted a big, wet raspberry on his cheek.

Predictably, Hunter blew his top. He screeched furiously and his hands went wild to push her off but Luz was stronger than she looked. And so help her, she would give Hunter this affection or die trying.

Dying trying did not seem unlikely, actually. Hunter had told her once before that if he ever murdered her, it would probably be her own fault. Luz could not argue with that.

“That is so gross!” He griped, once Luz had finally released him.

“You're gross~” She chirped, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Hunter wiped the spit off his cheek with his palm before looking up at Luz with narrowed eyes

Luz did not have time to brace herself and suddenly she was tackled to the ground. She kicked and she screamed as Hunter dragged his disgusting wet hand across her face.

“GrossGrossGrossGrossGrossGrossGroooooss!”

Hunter cackled maniacally the whole time.

They carried on like rowdy toddlers for a while until Luz had to go meet Amity, leaving Hunter and his palisman to themselves.

It was too weird to admit out loud but he was disappointed that she was gone. Hanging out with her like this wasn't that bad. Talking with her, arguing with her, wrestling with her. It all made Hunter feel....so much like a kid.

Something that he had realized recently was that he still liked being a kid.

In spite of the doom and gloom of white of gold, of the clawed scars in his shoulder, of the spear that grazed his hair, a spark of childishness remained in Hunter that had never been entirely snuffed out.

It wasn't until he met Luz that he began actively trying to keep that spark alive.

The sun had long since fallen asleep by the time Luz returned and the moon was pooling in the sky. A little after sun down, he heard the downstairs door slam shut and the loud exuberant voice of The Owl Lady boomed from the floorboards beneath him. By the sound of it, she was celebrating a successful day's work. Hunter wondered what she and the cute little demon had managed to steal today.

His snoozing palisman was tucked snug in the crook of his neck, a pleasant warmth against his skin. It was a good idea to keep the bird close. If someone other than Luz came barreling into the room, he'd better have his staff on hand to magically conceal himself.

But once an hour passed and the chatter of the witch and the demon below gradually faded into loud snoring, Hunter presumed they had passed out on the couch. For the time being, he should be fine.

Hunter hoped that creepy owl tube thing wouldn't rat them out. Fortunately, Luz had promised that Hooty was willing to take a bribe but unfortunately, gossip spread fast in the Boiling Isles. Now The Golden Guard had a reputation for being a lunatic who visited the night market several times, buying dead mice in bulk.

He snorted to himself, combing through 'From Bones to Fire: A Study of Wild Magic Volume 2'. Everything he went through just to get his hands on knowledge.

Well, also to be young with Luz.

Yet another hour passed and somehow, being surrounded by his own obsession, Hunter got a little overstimulated. To give his brain a rest, he was now flipping through some tattered old magazine that Luz brought with her from the human realm. Some of the articles were practically gibberish to him but overall, it was okay. He learned he was a Scorpio. He didn't know what that entailed but it sounded cool.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as Luz burst into the room, announcing her return.

Startled, his palisman flew into a fluster, cheeping like crazy before it settled down atop his head. Hunter, meanwhile, had flung the magazine away so fast, it was like it had contaminated him, and snatched up the closest book to pretend he was reading it the whole time.

Thankfully, Luz didn't notice.

“Hey there, Little Rascal,” She cooed, prancing across the room and plopping down next to Hunter. “And hey, you little bookworm, you.”

“Bookworm?” Hunter knocked his shoulder against hers. “You looking for a fight, kid?”

“Whaaaat? Hunter, you wound me, I was just....Ohhh, my bad. I always forget that our bookworms and your bookworms are two waaaay different things.” She paused thoughtfully before shaking her head. “Actually, I don't retract anything. You look like a bookworm.”

“Yeah, well, you smell like a selkidomus.” Hunter smirked.

“Hey!” Luz bumped their shoulders. “Can you blame me? I've had one heck of a day with lots of nervous sweating!”

He was surprised that got him laughing but that tended to happen around her.

“So, how'd it go?” Hunter asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Luz's beam was as bright as a dozen of her light spells. The corner of her lip was twitching, as if she wanted to smile wider but it was physically impossible.

“We're dating.” She stated, no more than a whisper.

It obvious since the moment she entered the room, far bouncier and bubblier than usual but Hunter still grinned.

He had expected her to scream it from the rooftops, to grind his ribcage into powder with the force of her hug, to set off a riot of firework glyphs, spelling it out in lights.

No matter how she could have chosen to tell him, he would have been just as giddy as she was.

And yet, despite the lack of fanfare, somehow, it still felt so much like Luz. Though he knew that in the morning, she would tell the entire Boiling Isles, right here, right now, only Hunter knew. Something about that felt nice.

But the quiet serene scene was momentarily ruptured when Hunter spotted Luz re-adjusting herself out of the corner of his eye and he was immediately on high alert. Another raspberry, he could sense it.

“Luz, don't you d--”

It wasn't a raspberry.

The feather-light peck against his cheek was gone before he fully processed it, as Luz drew away with that big stupid smile still plastered on her face.

Hunter blinked away the surprise, looking to her with a raised eyebrow.

“What's that look for? In this family, we give each other hugs and kisses~”

He felt his lip quirk upwards as he scoffed, turning away with a shake of his head.

“That was so gross.”

“You're gross.”

“For real, it was even more gross than the raspberry.”

Luz burst into giggles and Hunter could understand why everything was suddenly a million times funnier to her. She will still fizzling with that giddiness that Amity had kissed into her and now it was all spilling out.

To be honest, listening to a teenage girl gush and squeal about her girlfriend did not seem like something Hunter would ever willingly subject himself to.

But this was Luz. His friend, Luz.

He lightly pinched the pudge of her cheek. “Heeeey. You wanna tell me all about it, don't you?”

Luz snapped her head over to gawk at him, astonished. And then the excitement took hold and her hands started flapping and she looked about ready to explode with delight. Her mouth was already flying open to give every solitary detail of her evening with Amity Blight.

But then she stopped, a crease forming on her brow. He caught that unreadable look she gave him and the way her eyes skimmed over the books that scattered the floor around them.

“Hmmm.” She stroked her chin with an over dramatic 'thinking' face. “Y'know what? I'll think I'll keep it all to myself.”

“Oh, really~?” Grinned Hunter. “I can only imagine all the romantic schmaltzy sickening stuff that occurred tonight. Miscellaneous fluff, right?”

Judging by the blood that stained her cheekbones, he must have been correct.

“Hey, Hunter.” She said quietly, resting her weight against his side. “You've been lost in your books for hours now. Would you mind telling me all about the most interesting you read about today? Reading myself is fine but it's way better to hear all about it from a bona fide nerd.”

Frankly, it was embarrassing how fast the giddiness practically electrocuted him and suddenly he found himself rambling. He rambled until his voice gave up but it didn't bother him at all because it was just Luz.

Luz hung on every word he said.

#the owl house #toh #luz nozeda #the golden guard #toh Hunter #lumity

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camelotsheart · 4 years ago

Text

MERLIN CHALLENGE 2020 Day Thirteen - Favourite Cast Member Katie & Julian in 5x13 commentary

I know this is a very big stretch from the theme, but Katie and Julian in this commentary were honestly iconic. Includes: mentions of bondage, incest, so, so much subtext and just a horrendous amount of queerbaiting. I’ve compiled a list of the funniest/most important exchanges below the line.

At the start of the commentary:

J: There are no homoerotic undertones to Merlin of any kind.

K: I think so. I mean, whenever I played any scenes with Millie it was always straight in my mind.

J: No, there are definitely lesbian undertones in those.

When Merlin tells Arthur he has magic:

J: It's a very beautiful moment between two men. [Katie tries to hold her laughter]

K: ...You are not helping this commentary at all, by the way, Julian.

J: No, I'm not.

K: I think you possibly have been waiting for the sixty-five episodes to do this one commentary.

J: Yes. I've always been a bit more serious in the previous ones.

K: No he hasn't, actually.

Also in this scene:

J: ...On no level is magic metaphorical in this show.

K: It's funny, because I don't actually feel like you're being sincere.

J: I'm always sincere.

K: You're the exec. You are never sincere.

J: Believe me, I'm a fountain of truth and honesty.

K: Julian is lying right now. Lying.

When Gwen is back in the castle and Leon reports to her that Arthur is still missing:

J: We've gone to the spurned wife who wants to know where her husband is.

K: But she has Sir Leon. Why would she need...?

J: Ah... Well you see, that's another undercurrent in Merlin, isn't it?

K: Sir Leon?

J: Sir Leon.

K: Oh no. It's definitely-

J: Sir Leon and Gwen.

Also in this scene:

K: ...We know that you never gave me any love interests.

J: I gave you Morgause.

K: [She laughs] He says -- in all seriousness!

J: Incestuous lesbianism. What more can you want?

K: You cannot make a show without lesbianism, in all fairness.

J: It's gotta be said.

Also in this scene:

K: I do worry about you guys, actually. I worry that there are men sitting in a room with Merlin just trying to come up with the most ridiculous scenes that they could get past the BBC.

J: That's...

K: He's nodding.

J: Not true.

K: He is nodding! He's nodding -- it's so true!

J: It's a family show.

K: Not in your head.

When Arthur tells Gaius Merlin is a sorcerer:

K: Did Gaius know?

J: What, that he was a sorcerer?

K: That's not what I asked. About the undertones.

J: No, Richard would never think of anything like that.

K: You're right, he's a gentleman.

J: He's a gentleman... A man of genuine innocence.

When Arthur gives Gaius the royal seal:

K: The seal... He's passing the mantle to the woman-

J: Yep. That's the last vestige of his heterose-- I mean, sorry. That's the last vestige of his marriage--

K: Oh my god! [They laugh] This has descended to a level. I mean, I thought I was bad in these - playing up - but I have got nothing on Julian Murphy here. I think we should just throw it all out the window.

J: The way we directed the scene where Gaius tells Gwen is basically the thing of it.

K: I think you must just think of most of these scenes in this episode (as the thing of it), if you don't go-

J: It always helps, I swear.

K: You know, he ain't lying again. He has told me this.

J: If you want to find the emotional truth of it, it does help.

When Gaius comes back to Camelot and talks to Gwen:

J: That's a tricky one for Gaius to explain - why he's not come back to his wife.

K: You-- You're seeing an entirely different show here than a lot of people, aren't you?

J: Yeah, I know. I do.

When.... er, Julian describes it better:

J: This is the scene where Merlin feeds Arthur... I'll just let that hang in the air.

K: I will input what I can. Alex Vlahos is lost in laughter listening to this. He can't quite believe what's coming out of your mouth.

J: It's actually quite a moving scene.

K: And yet that's not what you want to comment on.

And uh, yeah... another one:

J: Now Merlin is giving Arthur a drink.

K: I think he's just giving him a drink there.

J: Yes. They just spend the whole episode on this journey. It's quite simple.

K: Feeding each other?

J: The feeding thing, I think, is in your mind, Katie.

K: You just said it then. I'm just repeating back to you what you said. Don't try and blame this on me! For a start, you guys came up with the episodes!

When Gwaine and Percival are attacking Morgana:

J: This entire sequence is actually a homage to Tom's arms.

When Morgana has tied them up:

J: Oh, Katie. You've tied up the man again.

K: I know. I just like them where I want them, you know. I don't want them to go far.

J: And as you say, thousands of girls watching Merlin want them in that position.... You've tied them both up!

K: Well, like I said - I don't want them to run away when I want them.

When Merlin uses his magic to lead Saxons on a false trail:

[Arthur: All these years Merlin, and you never once sought any credit.

Merlin: That's not why I do it.]

K: Liar!

J: Well, he knows.

K: What are you--

J: You can never be too sure about these things.

K: It's all the meaningful glances now after this DVD commentary that I'm just going--

J: I should say that Katie, just before we wrote this episode, insisted that it ended with a kiss between Arthur and Merlin.

K: That is not what I said. That's what you put into it. I had the most amazing ending.... My ending, which you didn't use, which I thought would have been amazing, is -- Arthur. Mortally wounded on the battlefield. Merlin comes up and cradles him in his arms. Merlin to Arthur: I have magic. Arthur takes his face in his hands: I know. I think I've always known.

When Arthur and Merlin rest for an hour:

[Arthur: Whatever happens--

Merlin: Shh. Don't talk.

Arthur: I'm the king, Merlin. You can't tell me what to do.]

K: Awww

[Merlin: I always have. I'm not going to change now.]

K: [laughs] oh my god....

[Arthur: I don't want you to change.]

K: [continues laughing] Do you know how much trouble we're going to get in from people saying this was a beautiful moment and all you guys can do is laugh?

J: Well I think you need to have both sides of it. And to be fair, we did genuinely think of the episode as a love story between two men. That's what I think it is. Jokes aside and innuendos aside, I remember talking to Justin and saying that's what it's about.

K: You can't deny that Merlin and Arthur love each other. On whatever love way you want to think. There is no denying it.

J: I think it's a purer love than you, say, had for your sister.

K: You say I had for my sister. [Julian laughs] Ok. I don't know how you read that into it.

J: No. We'll stop there.

K: Oh, we won't.

When Morgana rides her horse through the woods:

K: More Katie galloping.

J: I think you did that just so you could see my boobs.

K: I definitely didn't.

When The Scene happens:

J: Now we're nearing the moment. I'll show you where exactly I'd pick is the...

K: ...where it's all been building to -- almost sixty-five hours of TV. Special moment.

... [Arthur: Just hold me, please.]

J: There you are.

K: [gasps] I can't believe you put that in.

J: Well I think it's... you know, he's dying. The man he loves is dying, so he's holding him.

K: I don't think that's what you meant at all when you put that line.

J: It is!

Shameless trivialisation of ruining everyone’s holiday:

J: I don't know how the nation's gonna feel on christmas eve, but anyway.

K: Yeah, it's kind of a downer.

Katie being literally everyone in the Merlin fandom:

[Kilgharrah: No man, no matter how great, can know his destiny.]

K: Hold on a second here, hasn't the dragon been telling him his destiny this entire time?

J: Yeah, but that's the sort of annoying comment that people make when they're not just going with the flow.

K: Oh really? Oh really, is it? [they laugh] Fine then!

#no edits today #but it was enjoyable nontheless #this is the only commentary I've listened to #will listen to the others if i get time #bbc merlin #merlinchallenge2020 #katie mcgrath #julian murphy

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ecclais-fouoras · 4 years ago

Text

Sometimes moving on is good

Chapter 3&4

The two of you met often for drinks and chatting, while you exchanged a few messages.

You : Hey😝✌️ what is up ? I haven't heard from you today, is everything ok? Btw i finished your recipe but the cake 🍰 was not looking good😭🤣

Diane : hi, sorry i was busy with work. what happened with the cake? Oh i know you must have overcooked it, i used to do that all the time at first. What does btw mean? And why are there little faces on my phone ?

You :🤣oh honey...those are smileys you use that to had emotions to texts. AND Btw means by the way, everybody knows that diane.

Diane: haha ! Well I don't, anyways I finally finished the book you handed me last time.

You: OMG ALREADY??? IN 3 DAYS ! did you at least like it?

Diane: i did especially because of Jude’s past. Oh, and then Jude’s present, because sometimes life just keeps knocking people down, even when they’ve already suffered more than anyone ever should.

You: yes ohh it was so sad. I almost shead a tear. Which does not happen often !

Especially when reading... But I'm glad you liked it.😘

Diane: well i did the writing was really good, and the plot was interesting, what do you mean especially when you read ?

You: well... I always have trouble connecting to a book, especially when I have to read it, AND WHEN IT'S LONNNG🤣

In all seriousness I just have a hard time reading for as long as I can remember.

Diane: oh...why is that??

You: well I was diagnosed with An Oral and Written Language Learning Disability with impairment in reading and a specific reading comprehension deficit years ago. So basically my brain don't wORK.

Diane: i apologise that was intrusive of me

You: oh no don't worry I'm fine with talking about it, it's not that big of a deal, it doesn't stop me from messing up your cake🤭😭.

Diane: 😂 you'll do better next time don't worry. Do you know what are the causes ? You don't have to answer. It's just, well medicine interests me a lot.

You: apparently an abnormal cortical development, that occurs before or during the sixth month of fetal brain development, may have Abnormal cell formation known as ectopias, and more rarely, vascular micro-malformations, and microgyrus.

It's all big words but yeah those are the latest studies about dyslexia sais.

Diane: oh okay, i never thought it was actually physical, it's good to know

you: me neither until I searched it ! Even if I had it🤣. Sorry i gotta go I'm gonna be late for work !

Diane : sure, have fun! well Don't have fun...you know what I mean

Goodbye y/n.

When you got back from work you directly went on your phone hoping that diane sent you a message just so you'd have an excuse to talk to her. You had just seen her a few days before but somehow you still missed her, and little did you know she was missing you too.

After a few weeks you grew closer, and she invited you over for lunch or brunch, but tonight, you were going out. Together. You had asked her on a date a few days before.

"Hi Diane ? Yes it's me I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me on Friday ?...mmm...yes well I know a great place next to the cinema... Totally we can go out to the movies and then diner...what do you want to see ? Okay, cool see you then."

Yes, you were neighbors, you could've asked her in person, but you didn't want to be rejected face to face, it seamed easier to do on the phone.

And tonight was the night, the movie didn't start until a few hours, but you had already started getting ready. You picked up a nice outfit, Classy but casual, and put on just a little make up.

On the other side of the road diane was also starting to prepare, she was -not gonna lie- overall a bit anxious, why did you ask her out? Was it a date ? No it couldn't be, you'd never think of her like this. She was lucky to call you her friend, maybe you didn't even think of her as a friend ? God I'm so silly i got carried away, she probably doesn't even like me back. She was completely overwhelmed with thoughts, her breathing was shallow and she could not get in the right headspace as she put on her outfit.

She didn't notice that it was almost time, and that you were going to show up anytime to pick her up.

She offered to drive but you said you'd like too since you worked from home and didn't drive your car out often.

next thing she knows, her doorbell rings and as she goes down the stairs you hear her say "coming !" in a soft voice.

"I'm so sorry I barely even finished getting ready... Here come in I just have to find my shoes and I'll be right there." She looked so beautiful in her bordeaux dress that you didn't register her words.

"...o.. okay.." you manage to say while eyeing her up and down. Even if she didn't seem to know, she was beyond beautiful and you were going to make sure she did.

"You look.." you couldn't finish you sentence before she started rambling and letting all of her anxieties taking over her speach.

-" what too much, oh no i should have never put on that, sorry i thought it was cute but I'm too old for this and ugl...

She didn't have time to finish you just cut her off;

-"NO ! No i ment you look beautiful like this"

You couldn't help but feel attracted to her right now, but you put it aside, she didn't like women obviously?

-"Oh...wait really ?" You could feel the shakiness in her tone

"Yes...of course you look cute, and the dress is amazing on you. Don't even worry about it you are a very beautiful women diane."

You said in a firm voice that made her knees go weak.

"Well we should get going sweetie, do you have your shoes?"

"Yes..let's go" she closed the door blushing widely as you opened up the door to your car.

You bowed as you said "Milady" in a formal tone

She giggled softly and it was the most precious sound in the universe.

The car drive went by in a comfortable silence as just the soft music and a bit of humming could be heard.

You invited her to the movies, she offered the popcorn and choose your seats.

It wasn't necessarily a scary movie, but when things got a little tense, you could see her clench the armrest, so you scooted over and offered her your shoulder so she could hold on to you. After a bit of esitaton she accepted your embrace and the two of you cuddled together while the movie played. She gasped and then laughed at herself a few times.

When the credits started to roll none of you wanted to move, but you broke the silence and told her;

"As much as I'd like to stay here and cuddle you... I think the dude standing there with the bucket needs us to leave... Also the reservation is in ten minutes."

She sighed softly in defeat, gathered her bag and started to get up.

She rose too quickly and felt dizzy as her legs started to buckle. But you cought her hips before she could fall.

"It's okay...I got you", you said softly in her ear.

"Are you good? Can you walk" you asked as you still held her hips firmly. Which send a shiver down her spine, and a tingle down further to the both of you.

"Yeah.. I'm good thank you I just got up too fast".

You both went to the restaurant, the waiter took your orders and you both started to chat about anything and everything, the movies, life, cake, and even your delicious pastries.

"I was NOT scared !?"

-"YES you totally were ! you clang on to me the whole time I heard you whimper at Thé screen everytime there was something scary on."

-"sorry about that..."

-"why are you apologizing ? If it had bothered me i would have told you so..."

-"oh..okay, but I wasn't scared, just sometimes the movie was making me anxious ! I mean like that part in the stairs...brr..gave me chills."

-"alright alright fine..you weren't scared...I'll give it to you.. just because your cute"

She nearly choked at your comment and became as red as your wine.

"It's okay you don't have to be shy with me."

-"Do you really think I'm cute?"

-"Yeah, already told you you were cute today; and well not just tonight"

-"thank you y/n"

"Anytime diane, you are beautiful i want you to know that"

She didn't want to cry in front of you but you saw the tear she was desperately trying to hide run down her cheek, and got worried.

"Oh diane...are you okay ? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable... please look at me" you moved closer to wipe the tears off of her face, and gently stroked her cheek.

"I'm fine y/n, just it's been a long time since anybody called me beautiful"

-"Well that's a shame then, and I'll make sure you hear it a lot more."

"You don't have to do that... I don't need to hear it"

-"You do. And you should be hearing it, i don't know why it stopped but I'll make sure it doesn't ever again"

She sobbed at your words again

"Oh No...sweet girl don't cry.. please... you're okay diane, I'm here always, I'm your friend"

She calmed down a bit, and felt butterflies in her stomach at what you said.

-"You are? You mean you actually want to be ?"

"OF course silly, i wouldn't have invited you to diner if I didn't at least like you diane."

Just after that sentence left your mouth the waiter arrived to pick up your plates, you breathed out 'thank you' as he left.

"You know, I don't understand why you didn't think I liked you, at leaaaast a little ?"

You joked as you took a sip of your glass.

"Well.. I've been alone for so long now...I don't know...i thought you were just hanging out with me because you didn't have a choice...".

You were saddened by her words

"Diane..I... if I had known you felt that way I would have said something a long time ago ! I don't want you to think for a second that i am here out of pity or because I got nothing better to do. I'm here cause I wanted to have a nice evening out with you."

You said as you put your hand on top of hers, when she didn't draw back you started to gently stroke it.

"Would you two like some dessert ?"

You pulled away to take the menu form the waitress.

"Do you want some dessert diane? They have apple pie, and tiramisu?"

-"i don't know...I'm not that hungry for both but i don't want to choose."

-"we can share you know"

-"huh? What do you mean"

-"well, i take the apple pie, you take the tiramisu, and we split"

-"are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother y..."

You cut her off before she could go any further.

"Yes I'm sure diane"

"..o..okay then"

"Are YOU sure??" You asked in a funny tone

She giggled and nodded.

You asked the waiter for both and shared when they arrived. After fighting a bit over who would pay you told diane that you had asked her out and therefore you should pay, "and if you want to pay so bad... you'll pay next time."

Both of you were full, you had spent an incredible night, it was dark but you offered diane a quick walk around the park, and she agreed. The two of you made your way back to the car after laughing your asses of and getting even closer than before.

You drove her back to your...her house. And before she entered her home you softly said;

"Well diane, i had an amazing night, we have to do that again sometime."

-"yes we do, i had so much fun too"

-"And I ment everything i said tonight,.."

For a few moments you just looked at each other, your gaze met her lips and she thought about how sweet they would taste before thinking 'who am i kidding she'll never kiss me, get those thoughts out of your head diane'

Before you could process what was happening, both of your bodies grew closer and your eyes shifted between both of your lips you kissed her, softly. it was a calm and quiet kiss. You broke off for air and looked into her eyes. You caressed her cheeks and put your hand on the small of her back before kissing her again, she moaned inside your lips and you took the chance to put your tongue in her mouth. Her hands flew to your neck and she kissed you back.

After a few minutes of making out you pulled away, you didn't really want to break the moment but you asked

"Diane... it's late i should go back home..."

She looked a hurt and a bit sad while she let you go.

"No don't.. I don't regret kissing you Diane don't worry. I just want to take this slow"

"Oh alright I thought you didn't... nevermind. Go home y/n, it's getting cold out here" she looked down at her hands and

"..you don't regret it don't you?"

"No i enjoyed it" she said blushing slightly.

"Good... I'll see you tomorrow then... Good night diane"

you kissed her sweetly again before leaving and you both smiled like teenagers who just had their first date.

-"Sweet dreams y/n"

#diane sherman x reader #diane sherman #sarah paulson fanfiction

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softest-cinnamon-roll · 5 years ago

Note

i don't know if your requests are open or not but: can you please write richie talking about eddie on his comedy show and eddie watching from the wings and just realises how in love he is with richie.

(sorry this took so long, I hope you enjoy it either way!)

* * * * *

Eddie watched the colour drain from Richie’s face as he made a beeline to the sink after hearing the roaring crowd from beyond the red curtain and he followed him quickly. He placed his hands on his best friends’ shoulders, squeezing them in an aid of comfort, but it didn’t seem to help as Richie only wretched more brutally.

“Rich, come on, you’ve done this thousands of times! What’s the difference?” Eddie asked, trying to settle Richie’s mind about the whole thing. This was a huge deal as after years of performing his stand up in clubs and at open mic nights and then gaining a spot on the radio, Richie finally had sold out his own show.

Richie pulled back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring at Eddie as though he had grown an extra head, “Yeah, Eds, in bars and clubs! This is a fully sold out hall! I’ve never done this before, what if I screw it up?”

The panic was clear on Richie’s face and Eddie shook his head, squeezing Richie’s shoulders. “You have nothing to be worried about. You’re hilarious, Rich and all those people out there have bought tickets to see you because they also find you funny. You could talk about boats for an hour and a half and they’d still laugh at your jokes!”

An announcement came over the PA system, letting the audience know that the show would start in ten minutes and they should take their seats. Richie paled once more and Eddie gripped his shoulders tighter. “Eds…” He breathed, swallowing thickly.

“Listen to me, if at any point in the set you feel scared or unconfident, just look at me.” Eddie cut him off. “I’ll be right here in the wings, okay? I’m not going anywhere. You’ve got this Rich, this is everything you’ve always wanted and it’s right at your fingertips, now go take it. Okay?”

Richie ran his hands through his hair, swallowing thickly as the lights dimmed in preparation for him to go on. “You know something, Eds? I don’t think I could have done this if you weren’t right here beside me.” He placed a hand on Eddie’s shoulder and squeezed it tight.

Just then the announcer came over the intercom, asking the audience to take their seats as the show was about to begin. A few moments later, the lights on the stage came on and the announcer spoke once more; “Now, without further ado, may I introduce your entertainment for the night, up and coming comedian: Richie Tozier!”

The audience burst into applause as Richie walked backwards to the stage, never taking his eyes off of Eddie until he couldn’t anymore and turned to the mic, greeting the audience and opening the show with a joke to set up the whole evening.

Eddie couldn’t take his eyes off of Richie, at the way he thrived on the stage, working the audience with his smile and charisma. He knew Richie was funny, Eddie had been to see a few of his shows at the bars he frequented at, but this was different. There was something new and exciting about watching Richie perform in front of a real audience who had bought tickets to come and see him, as well as on a real stage.

It all changed about halfway through the show. One moment Richie was joking about a childhood memory, and the next he turned his head in Eddie’s direction, their eyes meeting. “You know, through all of the childhood trauma I had to endure growing up in a homophobic town in Maine, but there was one thing that I would never regret about it. That thing, or rather person, is my best friend. All jokes aside, I have six friends, we all grew up together and called ourselves ‘The Losers Club’. Everyone hated us, but we didn’t care because we had each other and we knew that, one day we’d be getting out of there and those assholes would be working in a McDonalds or washing our BMW’s.”

The audience broke into a laugh, softer this time, as though they could read Richie’s tone of seriousness. “I loved them all, but there was one certain friend that meant a little more to me than the others. His name is Eddie Kaspbrak, he is backstage tonight as my wingman, he always has my back and I could never thank him enough. He is the one constant in my life and I guess I just wanted to...thank him for being there for me even though I can be a bit tough to handle.”

Eddie swallowed, his throat closing up as he moved a little closer to the stage, a little closer to Richie. There was something fluttering in his stomach, something that had been there for a long time, but Eddie was ignoring. Hearing the way Richie was talking about him on that stage, in front of all those people, it made all those feelings rise to the top once more. He broke into a smile, shaking his head a little as Richie continued with his show, breaking into another perfectly timed joke.

He took a glance out at the audience and his eye caught onto someone sitting in the third row close to the right side of the stalls. When Richie admitted his passion was to go into comedy and perform in front of large audiences, Eddie made it his mission to research talent scouts. Right there, where his eyes had spotted, was one of the most well known scouts of the comedian sector...and he was laughing.

“Let me tell you about the time my friend Staniel got gum stuck on his hair and we had to lather it in peanut butter…” Richie spoke into the mic on the stage and Eddie turned his attention back to the star, a softer smile making it way onto the stage.

He was in love with Richie Tozier, and after the show, he was finally going to tell him.

* * * * *

Tags permanently

@bi-bi-richie @bovaque @derrylosers @eds-trashmouth @eduardoandale @girasol-eddie @halfway-happy353 @inthebreadbinwrites @isaacslaheys @its-stranger-than-you-think @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @lifesucksheres20bucks @loserslibrary @losers-gotta-stick-together @madidraw @mars-14 @marsisaplanetyall @moonlightrichie @njess04 @oldguybones @pink-psychic @purplepoisonedgem @rebecca-the-queen @reddie-to-cryy @reddiesetandgo @richietoaster @richietoizer @roobarrtrashmouth @rreddies @s-onora @s-s-georgie @sedanleystanley @sloppybitchreddie @spirited-marvel @stellarbisexual @studpuffin @that-weird-girls-blog @thegoshdiddlydangdoor @thejadeazalea @thorn-harvester-ven @tinyarmedtrex @tozier-boy @tozierking @toziesque @trashmouthtozierr @twoidiotsinl0ve @violetreddie @wilding-throught-thehallways @xandertheundead

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #writing tag

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okay-j-hannah · 5 years ago

Text

Case of the Giggles

Smosh : Fic

Shayne x Reader

Word Count: 2047

Warnings: Just... holy heck - I think this boy is just too pure for his own good ❤ I think any girl would be lucky to have him

Request: This is just from my own head 😊

A/N: Shayne has this ridiculous habit to incessantly laugh and joke around you, everyone knowing it’s obviously because he likes you entirely too much

“How is a cinnamon roll sweet and spicy?” (Y/N) muttered, scrolling on her phone. “It’s a dessert.”

“Why don’t you order it and find out,” Keith grumbled, slouching into the couch and leaning into her. “Or better yet, just get a hot chocolate.”

(Y/N) continued to look through the Starbucks menu on her phone, “Noah, which sounds better: A pumpkin spice latte or a cinnamon roll Frappuccino blend?”

“I think ice sounds better,” he responded from the adjacent seat, “It’s so hot in here.”

“That’s not the LA autumn spirit I was asking for!” she retorted, throwing a pillow in his direction.

Keith hummed under his breath, “Laugh alert in 5, 4, 3, 2…”

“Hey guys!” Shayne appeared with the biggest grin on his face, “What are we doing?”

(Y/N) gave Keith a sideways glance before responding, “We’re thinking about getting Starbucks before the production meeting.”

A small laugh escaped Shayne, him awkwardly putting his hands on his hips, “That’s – that’s so funny. I was thinking about doing that too!”

You could almost feel Noah staring at Keith to ensure he didn’t roll his eyes, “We can get your order if you like.”

“We’ve been discussing festive drinks,” (Y/N) continued, watching Shayne continue with his ear-to-ear grin. “But Noah thinks it’s too hot for any of…”

“Because LA is still so hot in the fall…” Shayne finished quickly, jutting out his hand to make a point, a giggle in his chest. “I don’t blame him. You’re already sweating from the sun and then you go to get a sip of a refreshing drink and then burn your tongue and like WOAH – AH that’s hot! You know?”

(Y/N) subtly pursed her lips to refrain from giving him a weird look, “Yeah, I get it. I just love autumn from back home. Sweaters and leaves and books and pumpkins – I love pumpkin.”

“Then just get the pumpkin spice l…” Keith began only to be cut short by the man bouncing on his heels.

“Oh, I highly recommend the pumpkin spice latte! 10/10 would recommend,” he waved his arms around to emphasize his words, ending in another boisterous laugh. “But – uh, whatever you guys are getting just get me a small one. Please. A-And I’ll be in the Games room… thanks.”

(Y/N) watched him leave with a little snicker, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand him.”

The way he grinned almost looked like it was uncomfortable, like it was forced. But he’d been smiling like that just about as long as (Y/N) had known him – she supposed that was just how it always looked.

“Yeah, I don’t think you ever will,” Noah sighed, messing with his curly hair. “But sometimes…”

“I wish he would stop!” Keith retaliated, pulling at his jacket, “The guy can’t make a move to save his life.”

Noah leaned forward, giving Keith a piercing stare, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Shayne’s behavior.”

(Y/N) looked between the two friends, eyebrows slowly raising at the reaction Keith was having.

“Oh, no – nu uh… I can’t defend him like that anymore. Five months ago? Sure – but this has gone on long eno…”

“That’s not for you to decide,” Noah stated, subtly tilting his head towards (Y/N). “He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.”

(Y/N) shook her head, holding up her hands, “Okay, why am I so far out of this loop?”

“Shayne just needs to buck up before you move on,” Keith stated, earning a kick to the foot by Noah.

“Are you… are you saying that Shayne only acts like that around me?”

Noah sighed again, biting the inside of his cheek, “Um… maybe – but it’s nothing to worry about. It’s not that he doesn’t like you.”

“It’s because he really likes you,” Keith mumbled, pulling his knees up to protect them from getting smacked.

“Are you kidding?” (Y/N) stated, finding a new serious edge to her voice. “Please tell me you’re not kidding.”

Both boys sat straighter and looked at her with speculating eyes, each taking their time in assessing her reaction before speaking.

“Do you like him too?”

“Seriously?” she laughed, “I thought I was being obvious. The only reason I didn’t do anything was because Shayne always acted like that. I assumed he wasn’t looking for anything.”

“Girl, you need to go talk to him right now,” Keith immediately stated, pushing her off the furniture, “Go before I have to listen to his rambling again.”

~~~

“Shayne, can I talk to you?”

He instantly jumped, bumping into Courtney who he was talking to, “(Y/N)! Wh-whatcha doin’?” His face lifted into that painful looking smile, his hands beginning to mess with his pockets, no doubt to keep them from shaking.

She could see Courtney giving him a sympathetic look from behind.

“I just wanted to ask you something – I’ve been hearing things and wanted to know if…” she reached out to maybe pull him aside for more privacy, but right upon contact with her hand he practically ran away, jumping into action.

“HEYO! Look at that, my phone’s ringing,” he pulled out his cellphone to show an unknown caller ID on the screen. He began backing away, making strained expressions and shrugging his shoulders, “I should probably take this, don’t want to leave people hanging. Get it? They’re hanging cause I’d have hung up on th… AWOO!”

He skid to the next hallway with his face growing ever more pink. (Y/N) stood there, one hand still in midair from where Shayne had backed away.

Courtney crossed her arms, “Please tell me you know what’s going on.”

“Does Shayne honestly have that big of a crush on me?”

“Thank God!” Courtney sighed, letting her whole body relax before sucking in a deep breath to begin a fresh pot of spilt tea, “We were literally just talking about you before you showed up. He was saying how stupid his hot drinks bit was earlier.”

“So he really only acts that crazy around me?” she questioned, “I thought Keith was making things up.”

Courtney started a round of guttural laughs, slight stress in her eyes, “You don’t even know the half of it, babe. It’s almost like his greatest fear is you finding out and rejecting him so he just masks all his flirting in loud jokes and obnoxious laughter. His new favorite topic is how stupid he acts around you and how much he wishes he could stop. And he’s basically got the whole office on contract to not say anything because heaven forbid that you…”

“I really need to talk to him,” she began, backing away and looking towards where he ran.

“He really is a sweet guy, (Y/N),” Courtney stated, falling into a more sincere tone. “He’s just afraid of messing up – that you won’t like what you’ll see. Just give him a chance, please.”

(Y/N) gave her a quick glance, and although she knew Courtney was being genuine, she could see the slight strain that was on the brink of becoming begging for her to get Shayne to stop his incessant behavior.

“Who said I was considering not giving him a chance?” she responded, seeing her friend break into a grin, shooting both hands into the air.

“WOO, budDY! I gotta call Damien so he’s prepared.”

(Y/N) giggled, setting off at a quick pace down the adjacent hallway, looking into rooms and meetings for this boy that couldn’t master the art of hiding. There was a new urgency in her step as she peered into more doors, desperate to put an end to Shayne’s anxiety. It must be so exhausting acting like that every time he saw her.

He was just too nice for his own good.

And finally, she spotted him sitting in the break room, leaning into a table with his head in his hands. She was cautious when she advanced him, whispering.

“Shayne?”

It was like he was trained to the sound of her voice. He immediately tried to stand, knocking his chair, and himself, over in the process.

“(Y/N), hey,” he started laughing, something that now resounded as fake in her ears. He was scrambling to fix his chair, running fingers through his hair, “I didn’t think you… I thought that I – woah, wowie, yessirie.”

He was cracking, trying to keep his funny composure. But she could see how red his face was, how tense his shoulders were at her presence. He was now avoiding looking at her but continued to plaster that smile on his face.

“Shayne, I need to ask you something before you decide to run off again,” she stated calmly, not daring to advance him for fear of scaring him. “Do you like me?”

He whipped his sparkling blue eyes to hers, arms snapping into a crossed position, “Wh-what? Why would you think that? I mean… don’t take that the wrong way, I just – ah…” he started his nervous giggling, subtly swaying side to side. “I think any guy would be lucky to have a girl – WOMAN like you.”

He held a hand up to catch himself, continuing as his voice grew faster and louder, “A woman like you. You’re smart, funny, pretty and cute and beautiful. Uh…” he put fingers to his temples, “Those all mean the same thing – the point is I don’t actu…”

“That’s too bad,” (Y/N) stated, keeping her eyes warmly on his nervous face, “Cause I really like you.”

Shayne immediately shut his mouth, silencing the rambling, “Hm?” It was the first time (Y/N) had ever seen him with a serious expression.

“This is where you give me a sincere smile and ask me on a date,” she couldn’t help the warm feeling seeping into her insides at the look on his face. It was the most still it had ever been, still enough that she could see the real emotion in his gaze.

“You’re not kidding?” his voice was heavy, so different from what she was used to.

“I thought the hot drinks bit was cute,” she stated, letting her lips curve into a smile, “I think the way you try so hard is cute.”

If possible, his face got even more red as he took a deep breath, “This is really embarrassing.”

“The only thing that’s embarrassing is this ketchup stain on my shirt – right when the guy I like is about to ask me on a date.”

It was the first time she had ever seen him fall into a real, genuine smile.

“You don’t care that I’ve been acting like an idiot this whole time?” he sighed, fidgeting with his fingers. “Pretty attractive, right?”

“Oh, you’ve never been more handsome then when you fell out of that chair.” They both shared a laugh before she continued, “Let’s honestly do a date, nothing forced and nothing fake.” She gave him a pointed look that made him grimace.

“Gave you a little taste of my ‘date-Shayne-persona,’ it’s not my favorite either.”

“Then give me you, Shayne. The real you,” she grinned, “And if you start rambling or close off again just be warned I’m probably going to hold your hand and steal your food until you stop.”

There was a split second of silence between them, smiles on both their faces, but you could see the love and appreciation swelling in Shayne.

“I’ll have you know I am very fond of my fries,” he stated, walking to her side as she gestured to leave the room. “And the hand will come off if they are stolen.”

They traveled down the hallway, light conversation appearing, “Yeah, but I’ll be too quick and snatch a few and then accidentally burn my tongue and like WOAH – AH that’s hot! You know?”

He nudged his elbow into her, laughing sincerely, clapping his hands together, “Sounds even funnier coming from you.”

“That’s because I am, in fact, funnier than you,” she nudged him back, rounding a corner towards the production meeting.

Shayne hummed quizzically, “That was funny too! What a good joke.”

They shared more laughs, unbeknownst to them a hoard of Smosh members were spying on them as they passed. Keith clapping hands with Noah while Courtney pushed Damien out of the way to get a better look.

“It’s a miracle.”

They all snickered, Keith beginning a very snazzy victory dance behind them.

~~~

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medea10 · 4 years ago

Text

My Review of Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

How did I… *giggles inappropriately like a 7 year old* What the hell kind of anime is this? Does this anime take place on the crapper? Shit, I gotta watch this mess!

And seriously, who animated this? Was it the same guys that did Danganronpa?

Let me see…Studio Lerche…YEP! And that also explains why the main boy is played by Megumi Ogata again!

At Kamome Academy, there’s said to be seven wonders haunting the school. One of the wonders revolves around an apparition by the name of Hanako-kun. Hanako resides in the third stall of the third floor to the girl’s bathroom. It is believed that Hanako has the ability to grant any wish when summoned. We begin our tale with young girl, Nene Yashiro, seeking Hanako’s help to get a young boy to fall in love with her. But when she summons Hanako it is quickly discovered that Hanako is a boy living in a girl’s bathroom stall.

Your guess is as good as mine! Add another questionable character Megumi Ogata plays!

Due to a misunderstanding with a mermaid artifact, Yashiro is now bound to Hanako. Kind of like a slave or a hostage or a new friend. However you interpret this contract! And then there’s this monk in training (named Minamoto) who has a vendetta against Hanako. So we see this guy throughout the series as well.

Let’s have fun with the wacky misadventures of Yashiro, a gung-ho monk, and the toilet-bound spirit, Hanako-kun.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: This is a FUNimation licensed anime and they managed to dub several episodes prior to the COVID pandemic. I never got a chance to watch the dub, so I’ll just focus on the sub. Megumi Ogata is back to play another mysterious boy. And as for Akari Kitou, I’m starting to hear her a lot more often in the last two years. I really enjoyed her as Yashiro. Almost reminds me of her voice in Hitoribocchi! She’s in quite a bit of animes in 2020, so I would watch out for her. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from!

JAPANESE CAST: *Hanako is played by Megumi Ogata (known for Haruka/Uranus on Sailor Moon S, Yukito on CCS, Kurama on Yu Yu Hakusho, Naegi on Danganronpa, Shinji on Evangelion, Ayato on Angel Beats, and Yugi on YGO)

*Yashiro is played by Akari Kitou (known for Aru on Hitoribocchi, Kotoko on In/Spectre, and Kaho on Blend S)

*Minamoto is played by Shouya Chiba

ENGLISH CAST: *Hanako is played by Justin Briner (known for Deku on My Hero Academia, Yukito on CCS: Clear Card, Luck on Black Clover, and Mitarai on Danganronpa 3)

*Yashiro is played by Tia Ballard (known for Happy on Fairy Tail, Yamato on My Love Story, Kagura on Fruits Basket 2019, Komari on Little Busters, Zero Two on Darling in the FranXX, and Megumi on Shiki)

*Minamoto is played by Tyson Rinehart (known for Daru on Steins;Gate, Enji on Tokyo Ghoul, Hifumi on Danganronpa, Matsuda on High School DxD, and Bartolomeo on One Piece)

SHIPPING: At the beginning of the series, it seems as though Yashiro was the type to fall in love easily with pretty-looking boys. But will always meet up with disappointment as all these boys prefer someone else or they suddenly have standards. There’s even a running joke about Yashiro having fat ankles (or daikon legs), that has been a turn-off to some of the boys that she falls for. But a few episodes later, we notice Yashiro having a little crush on Hanako. I shouldn’t question a little girl falling in love with a ghost who loiters around the girl’s bathroom because this is Japan. Absurdity at best! There’s also this sort of admiration that Minamoto has for Yashiro. I really didn’t think too much on that due to this anime laying on the Hanako x Yashiro ship thick. And also…

…

I support Minamoto x Mitsuba.

I found this cute and I really wish for more between these two characters if this series gets a continuation. Don’t at me! I don’t care if Mitsuba’s an apirition and dumbass over here has to exercise demons. This is cute!

ANIMATION: Aside from this animation looking like it came from the ghost of Danganronpa past, I would like to commend this on something else. So one thing I do have to give credit to is that this anime, more often than not feels like you’re reading a manga from the way the design is setup. I just thought that was neat and felt like saying something about that.

ENDING: Pretty much all of the strange anomalies surrounding the school are just rumors (but the ghosts are very much real, just the tales about them are fake). And the one spreading those rumors is Hanako’s twin brother (who is also a ghost), Tsukasa. I should also point out that Hanako’s real name is Amane. But we really shouldn’t worry about this sibling rivalry as we know nothing about how or why Hanako killed his brother and it’s not brought up all that much in the finale. Yeah, this is balls-to-the-wall trippy.

Instead, we get a small arc of Minamoto befriending a spirit named Mitsuba. However this goes south really fast when Mitsuba’s soul is used by one of the seven wonders of the school and is then manipulated by Hanako’s twin brother Tsukasa. After that, Mitsuba is unable to know why he died or even the time he spent with Minamoto is erased.

In the final episode, we kinda go back to aspects of the first episode. As you may recall, Yashiro swallowed a mermaid artifact that makes her turn into a fish whenever she gets wet. Yashiro is visited by two fish spirits who want her to drink this mermaid blood potion so that she can cut the hold Hanako has on her and become the mermaid princess in their realm. Yashiro was kind of in an awkward situation as she cares for Hanako, but is constantly thrown bags of reality at her with how Hanako has treated her since forming the contract. They promise her popularity, a harem of eligible fish bachelors, and an escape from her body issue with her “daikon legs”.

Hey, you’d develop a complex too if people constantly taunt you for having fat ankles!

Anyways, she denied their request. But they were rather persistent and grabbed her by force. Thankfully, Hanako wasn’t far behind and saved her and set the fish packing.

Yashiro and Hanako’s relationship as a whole takes a turn for the better as Yashiro decides to stay by Hanako and he will eventually confide in Yashiro about his past.

This was a unique series. I mean, it was all over the place in where this story was going to go. But in terms of conclusions, not so much! I mean, Hanako’s brother is still spreading rumors around the school and unsuspecting students repeat it despite it being mostly false. We’re unsure of many things about those ghost brothers and the drama that went down when Tsukasa died. Hell, I’m not even sure the manga is that far ahead either. I loved the animation to this. Sure it looks like a Danganronpa clone, but again Studio Lerche animated it. But their direction of making this feel like a colorized manga at times was something I like to commend it for.

Each episode had a nice, quirky vibe to it whenever Hanako’s on the screen. So I say give it a try. It’s not a long series.

FUNimation has all 12 episodes available for streaming. Now that FUNimation is doing simuldubs again, Hanako-kun has a few more episodes available in English.

#anime review #toilet bound hanako kun #nene yashiro #jibaku shonen hanako kun #hanako kun #tsukasa yugi #kou minamoto #sousuke mitsuba

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trickkombowerskru · 5 years ago

Text

Right Here-Julian Spitzer Imagine

Request: No here is the 2nd day of the 25 days of trickkombowerskru! which goes to @poruchik-logy and they wanted a Julian imagine where reader is his best friend, who always supported him(or at least tried to), but due to the events of the show (or general depression) julian became negligent towards reader, who had a crush on him for years. but in the end of a day, he understands that reader is the real deal

A/N:I'm writing this before ep 7 where it is pretty clear that they'll at least hook up, but as of ep 6 nothing has really happened so we're gonna pretend things ended between them here. Also damn look at ya girl back at it making gifs again bc there are practically no Julian gifs

Warnings: None

You were laughing as you and your best friend talked. Usually on Fridays before his class he would come over to hang and just talk about stuff he hadn't earlier in the week. He checks the time and stands, picking up his skateboard.

"Aw shit I have to go,"

"You just got here like 30 minutes ago."

"I know and I'm sorry I gotta leave early to get to class I was late last time."

"Ah. Well I don't want you to be late. It's okay Jul go."

He needs practically rushing the door not even hugging you like he usually does, making you frown after he leaves. You had known Julian pretty much since diapers, you were always there when he needed you -especially after what happened during highs school- and vice versa.

Aside from the few times he tried to protect you with a lie you always knew when something else was going on with that boy. You shake your head wondering why he would have to lie to you. And the next morning you get your answer when you show up to a very very hungover Julian’s house. He gets so red in the face as he recalls to you the events of last night.

"Wait you puked after you told her that her boobs were amazing?"

"Yes." he replies hiding hid face in his pillow.

"I mean just apologize for over doing it and I think you'll be just fine."

"Thanks Y/N."

"What are best friends for?”

It was after that Julian unintentionally started neglecting you whether it was leaving earlier than usual again or only talking about her when you hung out, it was killing you to him so hung up on Eve, especially because of the crush you've had on him since like the 7th grade.

While you knew it was better to stay quiet since you knew he wouldn't feel the same, tonight he was also blowing off movie night to hang out with her. Of course you told him it was fine, while the age gap was weird to you, all you wanted was for him to be happy. So it was a surprise to you when a sad Julian showed up at your front door.

"Hey Jul what's wrong?"

"She put a stop things before anything could happen."

"Aw shit I'm sorry. Come on let's watch shitty Christmas movies to get your mind off of things."

He gave you a sad smile and came in putting his skateboard near side of the stairs and sat down.

"You wanna talk about it?"

He shakes his head so you go into the kitchen to make snacks. When you return and set the bowl of popcorn and your own version of trail mix down, a silence falls over your living room. It wasn't really a comfortable one either.

"I'm sorry too by the way."

"For what?"

"For being a shitty best friend."

"Jul it's fine."

"No it's not lying at first and then blowing you off...it was really stupid and I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

Another silence fills the room this one slightly less awkward after he broke the ice.

"Who knows. Maybe.....maybe it was for the best nothing happened. I mean I want you to be happy and all, but are you sure it was a good idea to get involved with Brendan Fletcher's mom in the first place? The guy who made your life a living hell and who actually managed to break my heart after cheating on me only two weeks into our relationship?"

Julian shoots up with a laugh now sitting up straight.

"Yeah why did you date him anyways?"

"I've told you a thousand times. He asked me out and I thought it would get him to leave you alone, and I mean for a week it did. Then the stupid, charming, smug bastard actually made me fall for him. Even though I was expecting things to not work out I didn't think it would fall apart that fast."

"Still."

You roll your eyes at him, hitting him with a pillow.

"Like I was saying. Not that you can't do what you want, but the age gap was kinda weird. I mean how do you know she wasn't gonna dump you after fulfilling some weird sex thing?" you joke.

"Weird sex thing?" he humors you asking in a funny tone.

"People are MILFs Julian. Besides I'm not kink shaming, but you really don't need another mommy." you snicker earning an adorable scoff and a light slap to the shoulder.

You slap his shoulder back and all the tension disappears...well almost all of it.

"Seriously though why Brendan? It always confused me why you let him break your heart like that."

"I told you why."

He gives you a look that says he knows you're not telling the truth.

"Fine I was also trying to get over someone. There are you happy?"

"Wait you always tell me when you like a guy, I didn't even know you had a crush on someone that year."

"Yeah well I did. So can we change the subject?"

"Who was it?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it."

"Was it Ryan?"

"No."

"Was it Chris?"

"Julian can you please just drop it?"

You see him thinking before hitting the realization and staring deep into what feels like your soul with those gorgeous bluish green eyes of his.

"Was it.....was it me?"

The look on your face mixed with your sigh before looking away told him all he needed to know.

"Y/N why didn't you tell me?"

"What was there to say? Hey dude I've been head over heels for you since we were 13? I mean I just didn't wanna wreck everything. So I thought even if it lead to heartbreak that Brendan would be a good distraction. Plus like I said I thought it would get him to leave you alone."

He just nods processing the truth bomb you had just unleashed onto him. Julian turns to face you again, moving some stray hair out of hair face, and cupping your cheek with his hand.

"Jul I know you aren't that kind of guy, but if you're even thinking of trying to use me as rebound please don't."

"I'm not. You know I'd never do that to you."

He leans in and after 6 years of crushing you finally get to kiss him and fuck was it bliss.

"Y/N I really like you. I was just too scared to admit it to myself I thought it would keep things less complicated."

You kiss him again and then start the movie marathon of shitty Hallmark movies curled up in his side.

#mrs fletcher #julian spitzer #julian spitzer imagine #julian spitzer x reader #owen teague

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polaristranslations · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 1 - The First Generation Maniwa Koumori

This is a story from when this country was a warring country, when times were troubled times.

◇　　　◇

Maniwa Koumori was the possessor of talent recognized by everybody in the Maniwa village, but regrettably, there was a flaw to his character. Greed, violence, treachery, wickedness—he had none of those things. In fact, he was the complete opposite of them.

Koumori lacked ambition.

He lacked a goal.

He had no desire to do anything.

And thus, he had no ambition to accomplish anything.

He simply did as he was told, which one could say made him a model for ninja.

He excelled, but he lacked a certain something.

He surpassed, but he lacked a kind of charm.

That was the ninja known as Maniwa Koumori.

But it wasn't that he was a man of strict morals. He was plenty flexible, he appreciated a good joke, and if you associated with him one-on-one—for example, if you worked together with him on a task—he was extremely easy to deal with.

He treated others with respect, to the point that he never asserted himself.

For the Maniwa Ninja Corps, a gathering of shinobi with strong senses of individuality, he was quite the rare existence, and on top of that, he bore the responsibility of being the core of the Maniwa village.

The only flaw being that he himself wasn't aware of that fact.

"Y'know, 'bout me,"

expressed Koumori one day to his fellow ninja.

"I feel like I'm kinda one of those underling types—like, there'd be nothin' easier for me than if someone decided for me what my goals were, or what I wanted to do in the future, everything like that. Living? Life? There's no rule that says I gotta decide all that for myself. If there's a commanding officer that can make use of my talent and my ninpou (ninja arts) better than me, then I won't go against them. Even if they can't really make use of it, I won't complain as long as they're gonna take responsibility."

Well.

This would be fine to hear from some town youth, but hearing it from one of the top ten influential people in a village of shinobi did not look very good for them. Nonetheless, Maniwa Koumori was still young, with a long life still ahead of him—so the villagers remained optimistic that he would one day become aware of his true ability as he completed his tasks.

However.

Showing no signs of reaching such awareness, Maniwa Koumori continued to live out his days—and that was when the Maniwa Ninja Corps came up with the plan to reorganize so that they would not take directions from just one chief, but appoint Twelve Chiefs to take directions from.

◇　　　◇

"Aah, there he is—so you were in a place like this, Koumori-chan."

In a small thicket just outside of the village, Maniwa Koumori was dozing off upside-down with his legs hooked over a branch of a sturdy-looking tree when a voice called out to him. And that voice belonged to Maniwa Kyouken.

Though her appearance was that of a girl.

Her entire body was covered with tattoos.

After being called, Koumori opens his eyes ever so slightly—and in his field of vision, he sees the form of an upside-down Kyouken.

"—What is it,"

replied Koumori with a displeased tone.

Though it wasn't because he was actually displeased—he was just sleepy.

"I'm sleeping. Don't bother me right now."

"If you're gonna sleep, then sleep at home—just because your name means 'bat', it doesn't mean you have to sleep like that."

"You suuure like to complain."

Flip.

Letting go of the branch with his feet, Koumori did a half-rotation in mid-air and landed neatly on the ground.

"Everyone's all rowdy today. I can't sleep like that."

"Well, that's for sure."

Kyouken laughed wryly.

To Koumori, it didn't really seem like a laughing matter—but feelings like that weren't really her problem, and Koumori knew that very well.

"Going from one chief to Twelve Chiefs, huh—it's like, what on earth are they thinking, right? If we do that, the chain of command is gonna become a mess. Our organization will stop being an organization—there isn't gonna be order or anything."

"Organization. Order. Never thought words like those would come outta your mouth,"

said Kyouken while laughing.

"Well, I'm sure Houou-chan has his reasons."

"And you're okay with that? The whole basis of the Maniwa village is about to be toppled over, y'know? The village of the Maniwa that's stronger than anyone—"

"What's important isn't just to leave our mark, okay?"

Kyouken shrugged, though it wasn't clear if she was serious or not.

"Plus, I'm really just an advisor here—the brains of this village is all Houou-chan. Houou-chan decided this reorganization was necessary for us to survive in this warring country's troubled times—so I'm not going to oppose him."

Not to mention the dispute with the Aioi Ninja Corps is getting worse—continued Kyouken.

Tch, went Koumori under his breath.

"You shoulda said that in the first place—'sides, when they decide on the Twelve Chiefs, you'll for sure be set up as one of them, y'know? After that you won't be an advisor or anything. You won't be able to act like you're just an observer in this village after that."

"If that happens, then it happens. I'll accept my fate. ...But aren't those words something you should be hearing? Koumori-chan."

"......"

That was indeed the case.

The chain of command would become a mess and the organization would stop being an organization—but Maniwa Koumori was not so admirable to worry about such things. He was not the type to respect the idea of keeping order. He was just a shinobi that followed whatever orders he had from above. Though he had a will, he didn't have a goal—that was what Maniwa Koumori's character was.

That's why, the problem was.

If twelve people were to be appointed as chiefs, then without a doubt—Koumori would be chosen as one of them.

"Well, putting aside Houou-chan as an exception—Koumori-chan, Kuizame-chan, and then Kamakiri-chan and Umigame-chan are sure picks, I'd say. After that, I wonder who else—"

"I feel like if you're gonna be chief, you gotta have the capacity to be the chief—and I don't have that capacity. I'm the kind of guy that gets used."

"You're the only one who thinks that—everyone else is waiting for you to just grow up."

Including me, said Kyouken.

Even though her appearance looked to be far younger than Koumori, her way of speaking seemed to be far older than him.

She didn't call herself the village's observer just for show.

"Then they can give me that role after I've grown up. All of them, seriously. They keep coming at me assuming I'm definitely gonna become the chief. There's no end to them."

That's why.

There's no way he could sleep at home.

One after another, someone would keep visiting Koumori, who was a "Twelve Chiefs Candidate".

"People change when they're put in positions of power—and shinobi are no exception. Like how it's meaningless to just leave appearances behind, it's important in a way to start with appearances, y'see."

And with that, you can take on the appearance of a someone with capacity—said Kyouken, finishing her statement.

Koumori had come to the thicket to escape from the eyes of others because he'd gotten fed up, from the bottom of his heart, with the way people seemed to be blowing smoke at others, even though they surely had no ill intent. However, now that he'd been discovered by Kyouken, it seemed he'd realized this place was no longer a safe haven.

"...So?"

said Koumori.

"What do you want, Kyouken?"

"Hm?"

"Since you came looking for me and all—don'tcha want something from me?"

"Ah, nah—it's not really anything major."

You'd get in the way of a person's good sleep for something that wasn't major, was what Koumori thought, wanting to snap at her. But with Kyouken, if you snapped at every little thing she said, there'd be no end to it.

"It's just that, right now, there's a pretty interesting exhibition going on down at the square—so I came to invite you."

"An exhibition?"

"Haruzemi-chan—you know, right?"

"Ah..."

Maniwa Haruzemi.

It wasn't to the same extent as Koumori's or Kyouken's, but the name was certainly well-known in the Maniwa village. And even though it was called a village, it wasn't a particularly large village—if someone had wits or behavior that stood out, they would soon become well-known. That meant that Maniwa Haruzemi had either, or perhaps even both. He'd never met him directly before (at the very least, he'd never worked with him before—Koumori certainly never forgot a partner he'd worked together with), but he'd definitely heard of the shinobi.

If he saw his face, he'd probably remember.

"Rumor has it he's a guy with quite the lust for power."

"Yeah. That's why he's naturally aiming to be one of the Twelve Chiefs—although, as for whether he has the qualifications, to be honest, I'd say it's about fifty-fifty."

"Is there a problem with his personality?"

"'Having a problem with their personality' applies to everyone—in the first place, the Maniwa Ninja Corps is a group of people each with their own individuality, and not a group with strong camaraderie. It's fine as long as they can show results. Plus—it's just as you said earlier. People change when they're put in positions of power."

Perhaps, added Kyouken this time.

She was smirking.

As the self-proclaimed observer of the village, she surely knew more about Maniwa Haruzemi than Koumori did.

"...So? What's that Haruzemi doing in the square?"

"He's demonstrating a new ninpou,"

said Kyouken.

"In other words, showing off his accomplishments to get picked for the Twelve Chiefs. Unlike you and me, it's clear he actually wants that extra push to become one of the chiefs—"

"And, that new ninpou is that 'extra push'?"

Hmm, thought Koumori.

Koumori didn't want to be one of the Twelve Chiefs, and yet he didn't think he could refuse if told to be one, which put him in a bind. So the fact that someone actually wanted to become one of the Twelve Chiefs seemed kind of ironic to him.

He didn't suppose Haruzemi could take his place.

If he actually wanted to be one, then they should just let him, thought Koumori.

"So—what kind of ninpou is it?"

"Oho. Are you curious?"

"Don't mess with me. I'm only asking because it looked like you wanted me to ask."

"Mmm."

Kyouken made a face as if she was at a loss for words.

"Well, I guess it's a variation on the doton-no-jutsu (earth submerging technique)?"

"Doton-no-jutsu? He's going after something pretty plain, isn't he."

Although, you could say that made it practical for combat.

It seemed like it could leave a much better impression than ninpou that was overly flashy.

If that choice was planned out, then aha, he must not just be a person with a simple lust for power.

"However, you don't really need a lot of training for something like that, right? Even I can do it."

"You can pretty much do most things, though—by the way, I can't do it."

"If you would just put your mind to it, you'd be able to do it any time."

Koumori intentionally spoke as if he was insinuating something, but Kyouken responded unconcerned, continuing the conversation with an "Even so."

"I said it was a variation, right?"

"A variation, huh. I wonder what he's changing up. No matter what you say, doton-no-jutsu is just holding a bamboo tube in your mouth and hiding yourself in the ground. And then it's just a matter of how you pay attention to the presences aboveground—"

Koumori thought there wasn't any part that could be changed up.

It was a ninpou that was basically perfect, with no room for variation.

"—So yeah. You hold a bamboo tube in your mouth, right?"

"Well, of course. Although, it doesn't have to be a bamboo tube—it's just any breathing tube. Without it, you'd just suffocate. Although, you can't last a long time—at some point you'd have trouble breathing. That's more or less the doton-no-jutsu's weak point."

"So yeah,"

said Kyouken.

"The point of Haruzemi's revision is to strengthen that weak point."

"......"

"To not need a breathing tube. Moreover, to be able to stay submerged in the ground for a long time—that's the new doton-no-jutsu."

"The new—doton-no-jutsu."

"He called it the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi (Submerged Chrysalis)', you see—"

Being told that.

Koumori wasn't sure how he responded.

Ninpou "Moguri Sanagi".

If that was possible—it would be of great use for everyone's work. But as a result, it seemed entirely too idealistic—he thought it was a ninpou that couldn't exist.

Whether it was a bamboo tube or something else, the traditional doton-no-jutsu required a breathing tube—in other words, it meant that it indicated your location submerged in the ground to those aboveground. And, though it was a technique for concealing yourself, you couldn't conceal yourself for long—however, it wasn't quite right to call that a weak point.

It wasn't a weak point, but a necessity of human physiology.

However, Haruzemi's ninpou supposedly managed to compensate for that.

"...There's no way."

That was all Maniwa Koumori could say after being told about a ninpou that couldn't possibly exist. At the very least, it would have a great effect were that ninpou to be actually performed.

"If he manages to do that—he'll be one of the Twelve Chiefs for sure."

"Indeed. I think so, too."

"But what's the logic behind it? If there's no need for a breathing tube, that means he figured out some other way of breathing—"

"Well, it's not like I can tell you even if you ask me about it. Apparently he thought of it on his own, so it's probably not something especially mysterious, but the 'Moguri Sanagi' is Haruzemi-chan's weapon for the sake of becoming one of the Twelve Chiefs. He's not going to just teach it to someone else just like that."

"Well, guess you're right."

"Also—it's not like he's succeeded yet."

Hence—the exhibition.

Koumori was convinced.

Plus, a bit of curiosity welled up within him.

"Apparently, the grubs of a cicada can live in the earth for seven years or whatever. By absorbing nutrients from the roots of plants. I think he said the logic had something to do with that."

"...Sounds like a stretch."

It was hard to believe humans could follow the same logic as cicada grubs.

Nevertheless, it wasn't like Koumori could come up with a different logical explanation for it.

"Well, it's a ninpou that's rather befitting of the name Maniwa Haruzemi—that is, if he manages to succeed."

"Yup."

"So, what about the exhibition? How's he doing it?"

"Mmm... Well, you see."

There, Kyouken tilted her head.

"It was maybe a bit misleading to call it an exhibition. After all, there's really nothing to see if he's underground—basically, he dug a hole in the square. With the help of one of his subordinates, he was able to bury himself—afterwards, it's just a matter of some genin, his subordinates included, standing guard."

"Standing guard? What for?"

"So that he doesn't secretly come aboveground or whatever."

"Ah."

"And, just like that—for now, it'll go for one week."

Saying that, Kyouken raised one finger.

"Apparently, Haruzemi himself said he'd be able to last for years at a time, just like cicada grubs, but it's not like we can wait that long for that—if we waste too much time, it won't just be the dispute with the Aioi Ninja Corps, but the troubled times themselves that are gonna end. You know, that new shogun that conquered the six daimyo? Apparently, he's been on a roll lately."

"The new shogun, huh?"

The new shogun.

In actuality, he hadn't become the shogun just yet, but there existed a military commander that called himself that. The Maniwa village was a unit of hired mercenaries that did not belong under any one influence, but on the other hand, it meant that they could take action regardless of whatever influence commanded them—and among those, Koumori couldn't help but think that the influence of the new shogun felt a bit ominous.

It was hard for Koumori to imagine someone that could unite this country at war that was disarrayed by disorder, but if someone like that did exist, it was surely a being not unlike the new shogun.

—That was.

That was, most likely—someone with the capacity to stand above others.

"...Oi, Koumori-chan. Are you listening?"

"Hm? Yeah, sorry. Um, what were we talking about?"

"Like I was saying—for now, it's one week. If he can stay hidden underground for one week—then it will be considered a success."

"Well, a success, huh? I'd say three days would be enough."

If he wanted to be extreme, he'd be fine with even one day.

After all, if a normal person tried to last that long buried underground, they would definitely pass on.

"Well—it doesn't end there, right?"

"Right. Afterwards, he has to be able to come out of the ground on his own, without any assistance—and after that, he has to correctly guess who was standing guard over him."

"......"

"It's not like the same people are going to be standing guard for the whole week. Every day, they're going to take turns standing guard—and he's going to have to guess the order correctly."

If he's unable to grasp the state of affairs aboveground while buried under the earth, then it wouldn't be much use as a ninpou—said Kyouken.

"Of course, the order gets determined after Haruzemi is buried. So there's no way anyone will have informed him beforehand."

"I see..."

It didn't seem like there was any room to cheat.

It was very thorough.

"As long as the ones standing guard aren't all his accomplices, seems like we're gonna have to recognize it as a new ninpou if he succeeds."

"There's no way they'll all be his accomplices. While there are subordinates of Haruzemi, there are also subordinates of those hostile to Haruzemi."

"Hostile?"

"Well, it might be an exaggeration to call them hostile. Maybe I should describe them as rivals? Haruzemi isn't the only one aiming to be one of the Twelve Chiefs, after all."

"Oh yeah."

"From their point of view, if Haruzemi fails here, then it'll be a good chance for them—so they'll probably cooperate for that reason."

"He's really thought it through."

However—it was quite tenacious of him.

It was surprising how far he'd go for such a thing, thought Koumori.

And, he felt just a little bit embarrassed at his own lack of enthusiasm.

It may sound nice to be able to claim that he had no lust for power, but could that actually mean that he was lacking in affection for the Maniwa village?

"Seriously—if he wants, he can just take my place."

"That's no good, either. There's no way someone can just take someone else's place—even with your ninpou, for example."

As a result of the words of the honest Koumori, Kyouken couldn't help but smile.

"So, what are you gonna do? Do you want to go and watch? I'm going to go head there right now, if you are."

"—Well."

Maniwa Koumori.

Lazily shook his head from side to side.

"Maybe if I feel like it."

And, having said that.

Koumori would ultimately not go to watch Maniwa Haruzemi's demonstration of his new ninpou, 'Moguri Sanagi', in the village square.

◇　　　◇

It was a week later when notice of Maniwa Haruzemi's death spread throughout the village. Normally, it would've been the day that the success or failure of his new ninpou was ascertained, and since it had been a ninpou that had gathered a lot of attention due to the exhibition, the reality of Haruzemi's death stretched out to the corners of the village in an instant.

Naturally, it also reached the ears of Koumori, who was dozing off in a nearby thicket as usual.

At first, Koumori thought,

"Oh."

So he failed, was what he thought.

Though he'd boldly claimed how he'd revised the doton-no-jutsu into a new ninpou, it must have still been in the experimental stage in the end. Since the plan to reorganize the Corps to have Twelve Chiefs itself was decided rather suddenly, Haruzemi must not have had enough time to test out his new ninpou. Of course, in a way, the odds had been in his favor—after all, if things always turned out as expected, there would be no need for ninja in this world.

But, as expected, one week was too long a period for a human to stay buried underground. It wasn't just a matter of breathing—there were definitely more problems than just that. In other words, it meant that Haruzemi's revision failed to resolve all those problems—that was what Koumori thought.

However.

When he heard the details, apparently, that wasn't actually the case.

Success, and failure.

The problem was something that came before that.

After the week-long period had passed and Maniwa Haruzemi had not reappeared, the genin that were standing guard had decided that he had failed, and moved to dig Haruzemi back up. While it was probably too late, perhaps they could make it in time to resuscitate him.

Just as expected.

Maniwa Haruzemi was dead.

It was death by suffocation—however, the genin discovered something from Haruzemi's body that wasn't just as expected.

On the back of Maniwa Haruzemi's neck.

They found the mark of a rope imprinted clearly on his skin.

Underground, Maniwa Haruzemi had been hanged—

And murdered.

◇　　　◇

"—What's the estimated time of death?"

Maniwa Kyouken peeked into the hole where Haruzemi had been buried—the hole in the village square that had been dug out and not refilled—as she spoke the following.

"According to the Shiryouhan (Death Healing Squad), it was five days ago. In other words, from the start of the unveiling of his new ninpou, it was about two days. For the five days after that, he was buried here as a corpse."

"I see—"

It was Koumori, standing directly behind Kyouken, who responded.

There was nobody else around.

They'd ordered everyone else to stay away.

Right now, the ones in the square were—Kyouken and Koumori, just the two of them.

"—So the genin that were standing guard were just watching over a corpse, huh. What an empty task."

"Well, it certainly is empty. Of life—"

Hup.

And with that, Kyouken dove into the hole.

It wasn't that deep a hole—but it wasn't that shallow, either. It had a depth of about one jou. For any ninja from the Maniwa village, it was a depth that they would easily be able to enter or exit from.

Kyouken lay down at the bottom of the hole.

"Hey, do you mind burying me for a bit?"

"Hm? Sure."

Being told that, Koumori went to the mound of dirt beside the hole—most likely the dirt that had been dug up—and began dropping it onto Kyouken's body, one lump at a time.

However, soon after.

"Blech, I give up,"

said Kyouken, standing up and jumping back out of the hole.

"It's no use, it's way too intense."

"Of course it is."

Koumori had a dumbfounded look on his face.

Kyouken, covered with dirt, tried to dust herself off.

"In the first place, trying to spend time underground completely cut off from the outside world is going to be pretty uncomfortable."

"Yeah. In that sense—if it had been completed, it would've made for a really useful ninpou. The ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi', that is."

"Maybe it actually had been completed?"

said Kyouken.

"Maybe that's why—he was murdered."

"......"

The fact that Maniwa Haruzemi had died.

In itself, it wasn't that much of a problem.

For shinobi, life and death weren’t that big of an issue—to them, living and dying may as well be the same thing.

Even Koumori had that level of awareness.

However—being murdered was a different matter.

"Not to mention, it's one thing if he was killed while being careless on a job—but since he was killed right in the middle of our village, that's not something we can ignore. No matter how much I pretend to be an observer—and no matter how much you pretend to be a hermit."

"I don't remember pretending to be a hermit, though,"

said Koumori.

He looked back into the hole.

"Well, the first suspects that come to mind would be those Aioi Ninja Corps that are constantly after us... But I wonder. It feels like it's fine to actually cross them off the suspect list in this case only. If they were able to infiltrate the village for this, then that would be another problem entirely."

"That's for sure. So that can't be it—the Maniwa village hasn't fallen so far that they wouldn't notice any intruders. Not to mention, Pengin-chan and the others have been setting up a barrier—"

"So that means,"

said Koumori, sounding fed up with the whole thing.

"It was someone among us that killed him, huh."

"Indeed."

There wasn't even a need to confirm it a second time.

Koumori had already realized it when he'd first heard the news, and had confirmed it today when he was called out by Kyouken.

After all, Maniwa Kyouken...

Was extremely sharp when it came to these things.

"And that's why I said we should stop this Twelve Chiefs stuff—Houou shoulda known that struggles for power'd turn into us killing each other."

"You're probably only against the Twelve Chiefs plan because you're too lazy to get your noggin running. Don't act as if you foresaw this happening—and if we're talking about Houou-chan, then I think he already took this situation into account."

"Huh?"

"Basically, it's thinning out the ranks. Uncovering the kind of immature person that would kill their comrades out of a lust for power—maybe."

"That's not really fair to the person that gets killed, is it?"

"Well, if they're going to get killed, then that makes them pretty immature, too. A person that gets betrayed lacks the disposition to lead others."

Being respected is a talent in itself.

That was what Kyouken said.

"In that sense, you're completely equipped to have the capacity for leadership—Koumori-chan."

"I dunno about that. Who knows when someone'll take me out some day."

"I'm saying you have enough talent to not be taken out."

"Oh."

He nods noncommittally.

There wasn't really any point to arguing against it.

"But thinking about it that way... Hmm. For Haruzemi, it wasn't completely certain whether or not he'd become one of the Twelve Chiefs, right? If this was a murder due to a struggle for power, then they shoulda aimed for me or you. Then that would've opened up a seat for sure."

"Like I'm saying—the culprit didn't have the confidence to take one of us out,"

said Kyouken with a smirk.

"That's why—I can see why they'd make the choice to take out Haruzemi-chan, who was aiming for a spot as one of the Twelve Chiefs by demonstrating his new ninpou. It's certainly one type of strategy to ignore the ones that are sure to be elected and enter into a mudslinging match with other candidates instead."

"Even so, killing is kinda going too far, I'd say. They coulda just gotten in the way of him demonstrating the ninpou instead."

"That's—that's true."

There was no need to actually kill him.

Of course, killing him was the easiest way to handle it—but killing your comrades wasn't exactly a common affair.

"Why—why did they kill him? Actually..."

Koumori.

Spun around, taking a look at his surroundings—and then spoke.

"How did they kill him?"

"......"

Naturally, Kyouken had no response.

She couldn't respond.

Indeed—the problem here was not why Haruzemi was killed, but how he was killed.

The ninja hidden in the earth.

Who could've been the one to kill him, and how?

"Especially if it was strangulation—it would be a lot easier to figure out if he'd been stabbed from aboveground with a spear or something. Although, that would be impossible because of the ones standing guard—"

"Incidentally, did anyone find the rope that was used as the murder weapon?"

"Nope."

Kyouken shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. It would probably just be a normal rope, after all—like you said, it would be one thing if it was a spear, but there are any number of ways to get rid of a rope like this. I think it'll be impossible to tie down the culprit from that direction."

"I see... A way to strangle someone who's underground, huh. Well, it may be a bit anomalous, but..."

Koumori seemed a little embarrassed at his own words, but he continued.

"It's basically a locked-room murder."

"......Yeah."

Kyouken nodded and clapped her hands together.

"That's true. It's certainly a locked room. It can't get any more locked off than this."

Though whether it was a "lock" or not was pretty dodgy, continued Kyouken.

"However, isn't the usual premise of a locked-room murder to try and convince people that it was a suicide? But if they went and strangled him, then there's no way it's a suicide here."

"I just said it because I felt like I had to say it. You don't need to take me so seriously—well, putting aside what the motive could be, I don't have any idea what the method could be at all. Since, even if it's a locked room, it's not like there was an actual lock or key."

"Yep, it's a little too physical for that."

"...This is just for example's sake, but..."

Koumori lowered his voice, and then continued.

"Is it possible for the guys standing guard to have lied?"

"Hm?"

"Basically—it's only thanks to their testimony that we know that Haruzemi was buried for that entire week, right? But... um... was it two days? The people on watch around that time could have lied—"

No, wait.

If they were going to go as far as lie.

If that was going to be assumed—

"—isn't it possible that they're the culprits?"

"......"

Kyouken suddenly put on a serious expression.

It was an uncommon sight for her.

No—this was her natural expression, thought Koumori.

After all, even though she pretended to be just an observer.

She was someone that stayed at the center of the village more than anyone—and surely, even if the number of chiefs were to increase to twelve, that wouldn't change.

"Basically,"

said Koumori.

"Maybe at night, when everyone left but the ones standing guard, they dug out Haruzemi from underground—and strangled him to death. No matter how good of a ninja Haruzemi was, well, he'd probably get killed if he faced all the ones standing guard at once. And, after he was killed, they put him back into the ground just as before. Then they'd just have to nonchalantly keep standing guard—and, when it became time, they could nonchalantly call the next group of guards."

"There's no way."

In an instant.

Maniwa Kyouken denied Koumori's theory.

"I said this before, didn't I? There was no room for the guards to conspire with each other. If that had been possible, then the whole demonstration of the new ninpou would have been pointless."

"Ah—that's right, isn't it."

Those that were for Haruzemi, and those that were against.

The guards had been woven together with people from both sides.

"Well, just in case, I did hear the stories of the genin that were on guard during the estimated time of death—but I don't think they're going to be of any use."

"There were a few people that could use the ninpou of truth detection, right? Although, I guess they're pretty popular, so they're more often than not outside the village—"

"Lucky, one of them was still in the village and said they would help us out. But without even needing to look into it, all the guards are innocent. As far as I can see."

"—Well, if you're saying that as the observer, then I suppose it's gotta be true—"

However.

In that case, the crime couldn't have been committed.

"Having said that, we shouldn't just use truth detection willy-nilly on just anyone. It sucks that we carelessly got the estimate for the time of death, though—if it wasn't for that, we could just end the case by saying, 'one of the guards secretly strangled him while they were digging him up'."

"Seems like it would be pretty difficult to secretly strangle someone with a village full of ninja watching, even if they were all genin."

"Incidentally, about this case—has Houou said anything?"

"Not really. He hasn't even told us to go look for the culprit."

I'm just doing this on my own volition—said Kyouken.

That was about what Koumori had expected, so he said nothing and nodded.

"What if, when he was being buried..."

Koumori began to describe what had just come to mind.

Even though it was a theory that he knew from the beginning was wrong.

"Someone wrapped a long rope around him. So that the ends of the rope were still left aboveground. Then, it's just a matter of pulling those ends—and that would strangle him. And after checking that Haruzemi was dead, they could just pull the rope from just one end—then only the rope itself would get pulled out from underground. Leaving just Haruzemi's strangled corpse in the ground..."

After all that, he said,

"How about that?"

and waited for Kyouken's response.

"It's impossible."

Again, in an instant, Kyouken denied it.

"There are way too many parts of that that are impossible. You probably already realized it yourself, so I won't pick it apart bit by bit. In the first place... The whole point of the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi' was to not leave any traces of it aboveground. If there was a rope coming out from underground, someone would have noticed."

"Hmm. Well, that's true."

"It might not be good to say this, but..."

Kyouken began speaking with a rather desolate tone of voice.

"This might be a case of, 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered down'. It was pretty ostentatious, this demonstration of his—and it wasn't exactly ninja-like, so to speak."

"...Is that so?"

"Well, it's a bit late now, and I'm not saying this because I find it amusing—but for example, I'm familiar with your ninpou. And you're familiar with my ninpou. But that's only because we've managed to see through each other's ninpou—it's not like we taught each other about ours in detail. That's fine. That's what ninja are all about, and that's what ninpou are all about—they aren't something that should expressly be taught. Ninpou aren't something to be taught, but something to be learned."

But then, said Kyouken.

"No matter how much he wanted to be part of the Twelve Chiefs—if he didn't try to teach everyone in the village so ostentatiously—"

"That's why he died like this?"

said Koumori, finishing Kyouken's thought.

"Well, yeah, Haruzemi had his own problems. Even so, that doesn't mean he shoulda been killed. To kill one of your own—that's a disgrace to ninja."

Although it’s true that we aren't really a group with a sense of camaraderie, Koumori said as if spitting out the words.

At this point, finally.

Koumori became aware that his feelings had been extremely hurt because of this incident.

He wondered why.

It wasn't like he'd worked together with Haruzemi before.

Was it because Haruzemi had had a sense of enthusiasm—that he himself didn't have?

A lust for power.

In other words, ambition.

Though the problem was he had too much of it—

However, not having enough of it could also be considered a problem.

To be honest, Koumori had already gotten prepared for the idea of himself becoming one of the Twelve Chiefs. This wasn't him getting conceited or presumptuous, but a composed decision that it was sure to happen.

He didn't have any other choice.

If this was his destiny, then he'd follow it.

But he felt pity for the subordinates who would have to work under a person with no urges like him. At the very least, Koumori could never show off the workings of his ninpou for the sake of getting ahead in life—and then.

Suddenly, Koumori hit upon an idea.

"...Hey, Kyouken."

"Hm?"

"What about you? For whatever reason—would you ever show off your ninpou, your precious ninpou to everyone else?"

"No... That's kind of..."

After thinking about it, Kyouken responded like so.

"I've never thought about doing that, though."

"Just for instance—let's say you weren't in the position of advisor, nor were you a candidate to be one of the Twelve Chiefs... And let's say you would be promised a position if you decided to demonstrate your ninpou. Would you still do it?"

"...Well, if I was actually placed in that situation, then maybe my opinion would change."

After thinking about it—and after saying that as a preface, Kyouken responded like so.

"But... No, I don't think I would. I don't think ninpou should be used for that purpose."

"Yeah."

Koumori nodded.

"I—think the same way."

"...But, that could just be my and your way of thinking—if Haruzemi-chan thought differently, then that could just be chalked up to our individual differences, right? It's just a difference in our principles. Though it's as a result that he became the nail that stuck out, though—"

"No."

Koumori interrupted Kyouken's words.

"I think I got it—I think I figured out why Haruzemi did something like that. Or should I say, I was only able to figure it out because it was me. Because my way of thinking was the exact opposite of Haruzemi's—"

"......?"

"So, Kyouken."

Now, Koumori was the one to jump into the hole.

And, from there, he looked up at Kyouken—

"I think I figured out how Haruzemi was killed,"

he continued.

"Eh? You figured it out?"

To the astonished Kyouken, Koumori said, "Though I only think I figured it out."

"Besides, the only thing I think I figured out was the method behind the crime—well, I guess maybe I might have figured out the motive, t too. However, I dunno who the culprit is specifically."

"......"

"But I should be able to narrow it down—it's definitely a crime done by one of us. It wasn't the Aioi Ninja Corps or some other powerful shinobi group... At least, I hope."

"That doesn't sound very dependable after all that."

Kyouken could only smile wryly.

To Koumori, who was in the hole.

"However, if you've figured out that much, then that should be enough—Maniwa Koumori. Koumori-chan. That's why you—are one of the Twelve Chiefs."

"It hasn't been decided yet, y'know."

After saying that, irritated...

Koumori closed his eyes and deliberated for a moment.

And, as if he finally hit upon something—

"How's Haruzemi's body being dealt with right now?"

he asked Kyouken from within the hole.

"Let's see—well, we couldn't just leave it alone. Following the usual process, I'd say he was buried."

"Hm."

Koumori nodded exaggeratedly.

"Then—shall we go with that plan of attack?"

◇　　　◇

It had been yet another week before the news that Maniwa Haruzemi had returned from the dead had propagated throughout the Maniwa village. It seemed almost like a joke, the way he casually greeted the gatekeeper and entered the village, as if he had just come back from shopping.

When pressed for an explanation, he simply said without diffidence,

"It's nothing, this was what the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi' was all about,"

as a response.

Everyone was struck with admiration and bewilderment at that response, but he said, "I'll explain it, so gather everybody," and headed to the village square—yes, the very same square where Haruzemi should have died while demonstrating his new ninpou.

There, he explained it like so.

"Basically, the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi' is a technique where you die while staying alive. Some people thought it was a breathing technique that manipulated the respiratory organs, but in actuality, it's a method to manipulate your life force. To make a long story short, I put myself in a state of suspended animation, and limited my biological responses like breathing to the bare minimum—that way, it's possible to survive even underground. Well, it was a pretty grueling task to make out what was going on aboveground while in a state of suspended animation, but that's where I can show off the fruits of my training."

"B-but, wait, Haruzemi-dono."

One of the ninja—one of the genin that had stood guard while Haruzemi was underground—hesitatingly interjected into Haruzemi's words.

"When we dug you up, Haruzemi-dono—you had absolutely for sure been dead."

"That's right. Otherwise, the 'Moguri Sanagi' wouldn't have worked. There are several ninpou that can put you in suspended animation, but those ninpou put you at half alive and half dead at best, about fifty-fifty. However, the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi' puts you at nine-tenths dead, and the remaining tenth alive. ...Of course, I was still alive in the end, and while I was maintaining my consciousness I got to enjoy the confusion from you fellows."

"N-no way—"

The genin wheezed.

"Haruzemi-dono, wasn't the plan for you to dig yourself out of the earth?"

"It wouldn't be any fun that way. I wanted to put on a little show—however, I figured at least one person would realize, so I maintained my state of suspended animation, but I was shocked that even the members of the Shiryouhan concluded that I was actually dead. What a great lineup of doctors we have, here. If any of you get hurt, you should be careful if you go see them."

"W-well then."

Not knowing when to give up, the genin continued.

"What about—the mark of a rope that was found on the back of your neck?"

"That was a part of the show I was putting on. I can't reveal that person's name now, but the truth is, I revealed what I was plotting to a single one among you fellows. My request was, as my body was being dug up, so that nobody would notice—for them to strangle my neck and leave a mark."

"......!"

This put everyone present at a loss for words, all of them exchanging glances with one another.

However, they couldn't figure out who it could have been.

It had been a week ago.

"The marks made on a living body and the marks made on a dead body are different—but in my case, I was still living while dead, and still dead while living. It was a rather simple matter to disguise at what point in time the traces of the rope were actually left. In fact, that's the true essence of the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi'."

Haruzemi spoke eloquently.

"Although, I never thought you would bury me just like that, but that in itself was rather entertaining. I thought I would try spending another week or so while dead. If I was dead, I figured I might be able to hear your true thoughts regarding me."

And then.

Then, Maniwa Haruzemi made a joke that was quite unlike something that Maniwa Haruzemi would do.

"Oh my, what's the matter? You fellows, you all look like you've seen a ghost."

—In any case.

Maniwa Haruzemi's demonstration of his ninpou had ended up in such a state—so it was just a matter of time before he was recommended to be one of the Twelve Chiefs. Despite him treating the concept of life as his plaything, in the end, it was only his life that he treated as his plaything, so there was no room to complain.

Under those circumstances.

After Maniwa Houou, Maniwa Koumori, Maniwa Kyouken, Maniwa Kuizame, Maniwa Kamakiri, and Maniwa Umigame, as the seventh person to be named as a candidate for one of the Twelve Chiefs, Maniwa Haruzemi's name propagated throughout the village, stronger than ever—

◇　　　◇

"Oi... What are you getting at, Haruzemi."

Just like that.

That night, Maniwa Koumori was called out to from behind.

They were at the village square.

A hole had already been dug into the ground.

It was late—a dark night with no moon.

In order to lure his prey out, Koumori had spent the whole night at the square—but he was relieved that someone had called out to him, the form he'd taken, earlier than expected, and casually turned around.

Standing there was a young man that he remembered.

He'd worked with him before.

His name—if he remembered correctly—was Maniwa Matsuzemi.

"Oi, say something, will you? What are you getting at that you'd tell such a huge lie? Are you trying to cover for me? If so, that must mean you're looking down on me, huh. Or, is there something else that you're plotting?"

"......"

"Oi! Haruzemi!"

The young man—Matsuzemi—yelled in anger.

At Koumori.

As if—he was speaking to Haruzemi.

But that was completely reasonable of him—because at that moment, Koumori had made himself look exactly like Maniwa Haruzemi.

"So it was you, huh,"

said Koumori quietly.

Sounding disappointed, just a little.

"Huh? What are you talking about—"

Stopping Matsuzemi, who was about to flare up even more, with a raised hand, Koumori took his opposite hand and began to massage his face—and as he did.

The face of Maniwa Haruzemi vanished.

And the face of Maniwa Koumori returned to its usual place.

"Eh..... Aah....!?"

In astonishment, he pulled back his body that had leaned forward, but it ended up throwing him off balance, and Matsuzemi fell on his behind in quite the unsightly manner.

And with a contemptuous glance—

"—Even though we've worked together a number of times, I guess I never showed you this ninpou, huh. Well, according to Kyouken, ninpou aren't something to be taught, but something to be learned—but I'll treat today as a special case and teach you about mine,"

said Koumori.

"The ninpou 'Kotsuniku Zaiku'—by manipulating your skin and muscle and physique, you can turn into anybody, any person you think of. That's my, Maniwa Koumori's, unique ninpou."

Yes.

Maniwa Haruzemi—was indeed dead.

The Haruzemi that had returned from outside the village had simply been an impostor, impersonated by Koumori using his ninpou. The original Haruzemi had been dug up and carefully examined to produce the copy.

Calling it a simple disguise wouldn't even come close to describing it.

It was truly a ninpou unique to Koumori himself.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten to move the original Haruzemi's body to a different location—

"Ko—"

Matsuzemi choked.

"—Koumori-senpai, wh, wh, why did you—"

"That's what I'd like to ask you, Matsuzemi,"

Koumori said to Matsuzemi, who was still on his behind.

"Why did you kill Haruzemi?"

"......"

"Well, that was just something I wanted to ask, since I can more or less predict the response—I've pretty much figured out the method and the motive for the crime. The only thing I couldn't figure out was the criminal. But I never thought it'd be you—"

As far as Koumori remembered about the man named Maniwa Matsuzemi, he was a very serious and honest ninja. In a different way from Koumori, he was a rare existence in the Maniwa village, being the kind of man that treasured the harmony between his peers.

To think—such a guy would resort to killing.

"...If I've been exposed, then I suppose there's nothing I can do."

As expected, Maniwa Matsuzemi.

Said as such—without making any excuses or struggling in vain.

"So basically, I was successfully brought out by Koumori-senpai... I'm still pretty immature, aren't I. Even though I could have probably seen through it if I'd just thought about it—no, there was no way I could have seen through it. With the way you turned into such a perfect copy—I didn't have a chance, even though I used to be Haruzemi's closest friend. For you to be able to deceive even my eyes—"

"You were—his friend?"

"Yes. I used to be. In the past tense,"

said Matsuzemi.

With a bitter smile on his face.

"However, Koumori-senpai. How did you figure it out? You're giving off the feeling that you managed to see through everything..."

"Eh. In general, it just happened to come to mind. And it happened to fit perfectly. Well, even so—if I had to say, it would be because Haruzemi's demonstration of his new ninpou was all too unnatural."

"......"

"Of course, he probably did have the ambition to become elected as one of the newly-established Twelve Chiefs. But even so, I could hardly think that he would go as far as putting on such a large-scale production to gather so much attention—"

Koumori looked at Matsuzemi as he spoke.

"Whether it's new or old, ninpou aren't something that are meant to be exposed to people—after all, to ninja, ninpou are their lifeline. They're not something you spread to others. Whether it's your enemies or your allies. But if there was a reason for him to do that... I was thinking that maybe Haruzemi wanted to make something an established fact."

"An established fact,"

repeated Matsuzemi with a pained expression.

"Yes—that's exactly right. What he wanted was for the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi'—to be recognized as his unique *ninpou, his and his alone*."

"......"

"*Even though—I was in pursuit of the same *ninpou."

They—used to be friends.

That was what it meant.

Koumori came to a profound realization.

And then.

He thought, that must be why—this incident had occurred.

"Well, it's not hard to figure out the rest after that—if you assume that the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi', a ninpou that improved upon the doton-no-jutsu, did exist, then you could simply use it to kill Haruzemi underground by strangling him—"

That was—the method of the crime.

If anything, that was all it was.

Maniwa Matsuzemi had dug further underground than Maniwa Haruzemi, who had hidden in the ground with the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi'—and then he had strangled him.

For Haruzemi, who was busy paying attention to the matters aboveground, he surely didn't think that anyone would have approached him from behind.

"However, Matsuzemi—ninpou development is supposed to be a fair competition, you know? It's like we're all hunting for treasure together. To go off and kill him just because he got ahead of you... Isn't that unjustified resentment?"

"That's not it! That guy... In order for him to demonstrate his ninpou before me, he went an announced an incomplete version of 'Moguri Sanagi'... Just to get ahead of me!"

"An incomplete version, huh."

Even so.

It seemed like a valid ninpou.

"However, well, it's true that the ability to freely move underground—your ninpou maybe has a higher degree of completion."

"Right!?"

"However."

Koumori stopped Matsuzemi, who had unthinkingly raised his voice.

"You could say that's why Haruzemi had gotten impatient and tried to set up his demonstration earlier than he should have. A treasure hunt isn't always first come, first served, but considering the circumstances in the village, being even one step behind could have been deadly. I would say even being able to hide in the earth without a breathing tube is a fine ninjutsu in itself—kind of ironic, really. You two were supposed to be good friends that were training your ninpou—and rivals that encouraged each other in pursuit of the same ninpou."

That was—the motive for the crime.

After saying it—if anything, that was all it was.

"If you simply wanted to block Haruzemi from becoming one of the Twelve Chiefs, then there was no reason for you to kill him—it was just that you held a personal grudge against him for being beaten to the punch while aiming for the same ninpou."

"He didn't beat me to the punch! He stole a march on me! Haruzemi, it's all because that guy tried to demonstrate an incomplete 'Moguri Sanagi'! Do you know how much of a disgrace that would've been for me? There's no way it makes sense for me to be late just because I cared more about completing my ninpou! H-his actions—they're a rejection of the ninpou development that I poured my heart and soul into!"

I couldn't.

I couldn't forgive him—said Matsuzemi, with all of his might.

"Rather than him,"

he said.

"Rather than him, it should be me—I'm the one that's more fitting to be one of the Twelve Chiefs!"

"......"

He was—a hostile force.

Although, since they were friends, and rivals pursuing the same ninpou—it wasn't clear if he'd be recognized by those around him as a hostile force.

However—so such normal motives existed.

Or so Koumori thought.

He would go that far—because he wanted it that much?

He wanted to stand on top of others that much?

Koumori didn't understand it one bit.

Neither the feelings of Maniwa Haruzemi, who wanted a seat on the Twelve Chiefs so bad that he'd demonstrate an incomplete ninpou—nor the feelings of Maniwa Matsuzemi, who would go as far as killing his friend, who'd overtaken him in their bout of friendly rivalry.

"You wouldn't understand,"

said Matsuzemi.

As if having seen through Koumori's inner thoughts.

"For someone like you, Koumori-senpai—who had been chosen from the beginning—you wouldn't understand at all."

"...Were you thinking about performing the demonstration yourself, after Haruzemi failed? Did you think you'd be able to get a seat on the Twelve Chiefs after that?"

"I haven't thought that far. If you ask me, I'd still say that the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi' was still incomplete. It's still not something that can be shown to others—"

Matsuzemi snickered.

"But, I just wanted to kill him. Because I couldn't forgive him. Because of how frustrated I was."

"......"

He didn't dare to nod in understanding, but Koumori judged that those his true feelings. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone for a method as haphazard as strangulation—he would have picked something more effective. By killing via such a method, it made it clear that Haruzemi had not died due to the failure of his new ninpou—that he had died at someone else's hands.

It was practically out of desperation.

When Koumori imitated Haruzemi and appeared in the village—he must have been quite shocked. It hadn't made sense to Koumori, who had known that it would be a trap, but Matsuzemi had appeared so quickly at the village square with good reason.

Koumori didn't know Haruzemi very well.

As such, no matter how superior the ninpou 'Kotsuniku Zaiku' was as a ninjutsu, there had certainly been an element of unnaturalness added to it—and for Matsuzemi, who had been his friend, perhaps he had been able to sense that bit of unnaturalness.

And yet, he hadn't been aware that, in that moment, all his tricks would be revealed.

That was also—the result of his desperation.

"...So."

Matsuzemi—picked himself back up in a rather relaxed manner.

"So, what are you going to do to me now—Koumori-senpai?"

"...Eh."

With a low voice, Koumori responded to Matsuzemi's question.

"We're ninja, after all—the one to get killed is the one that's more of an idiot. That's what I think, basically. I'm repeating Kyouken's words here, but—a person that gets taken out by one of their comrades pretty much didn't have the disposition to lead others in the first place. If Haruzemi actually had the capacity to be one of the Twelve Chiefs—then no matter how much you wanted to kill him, he probably wouldn't have gotten killed."

"......"

At the very least, Haruzemi should have taken some precautions.

Against the possibility that his friend might come to kill him.

"We're shinobi, after all. No matter what anyone says, we're just short-lived goods with mean and dirty work as our main selling point. Our lives are our own to protect. Killing a comrade may be a serious crime—but I don't really care about delivering judgment on it, or telling anyone else, either."

At present, the one and only chief, Maniwa Houou.

Had perhaps suddenly brought up the Twelve Chiefs plan in order to smoke out people like Maniwa Matsuzemi, or so Kyouken had said—and Koumori couldn't help but think that that Houou really would do that—

But that was a different story.

As long as it hadn't been clearly decreed, it wasn't an order.

"Plus, I'm a little impressed—if anything. Well, not just impressed at you, but including Haruzemi, too. Stealing a march on your friend, and then getting your revenge, all for the sake of your ambitions... I guess those sorts of desires are pretty common. But I don't have anything like that—no ambitions or goals, nothing like that. I just can't think about things in the same way you guys do. Really—it's amazing."

"...It all just sounds like sarcasm to me, Koumori-senpai,"

said Matsuzemi—while taking a step back.

It seemed he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Well, it's fine... I didn't expect Koumori-senpai to understand me, anyway. But basically, you're just going to let me off, right? From that serious crime of killing a comrade—"

"Yeah. Killing a comrade is totally fine,"

he said.

And in that instant.

He must have predicted it in advance, because when Maniwa Matsuzemi jumped back to run away—Maniwa Koumori spat out bo-shuriken from inside his mouth even faster, piercing Matsuzemi's windpipe.

"That's why—it's fine if I kill you, too."

He spoke quietly.

As if trying to persuade him.

"This ain't one of Houou's orders—but I don't care if he predicted this happening. Maniwa Matsuzemi. Out of my own will, I'm gonna kill you."

It wasn't clear if that voice of Koumori's had been heard or not.

Matsuzemi flapped his mouth open and shut, as if trying to say something—but, without being able to say anything, he tumbled to the ground.

His dying face was quite far removed from a tranquil one.

As Koumori looked down at Matsuzemi's body for a moment—

"Is it over?"

spoke a voice from behind him. And towards where he sensed that presence from, he said,

"Yeah,"

in response.

This time, without turning around.

It was Maniwa Kyouken.

As a precaution, he'd explained the situation to her and asked her to keep watch—naturally, Kyouken had been there, listening to the entire conversation between Maniwa Koumori and Maniwa Matsuzemi, without missing a single word.

However, it was as expected of a self-proclaimed observer of the village.

She had—the same arrogant smirk on her face as always.

"Well,"

said Kyouken.

"It is what it is."

That was.

Maniwa Kyouken's sole, official stance on the matter.

That's really like you, said Koumori with a bitter smile.

It was really like her, as someone who, more than anyone, thought about this village—who, more than anyone, respected the lives of her comrades.

"But, well, thanks to this, the truth behind the ninpou 'Moguri Sanagi' will forever be unknown, huh—that whole suspended animation and whatnot that you were preaching about was just a lie you made up on the spot, right?"

"Like I had a choice. Ninpou are something to be learned—right?"

"That's true."

"Maybe it actually did use the logic behind cicada grubs."

"Ha."

"Hey, Kyouken."

As if looking up at the moonless night, Koumori spoke.

"I—decided to try becoming one of the Twelve Chiefs."

"...Well, whether you liked it or not, I figured you'd become one in the end."

"I'm saying, I decided to try liking it."

"Why?"

"So that idiots like those—"

The only thing in his line of sight was Maniwa Matsuzemi's body.

But it seemed Koumori was including Haruzemi as well.

"So that idiots like those don't appear in this village again."

"I see. Well, you may as well try it."

She accepted it with a tone of voice that implied it didn't really matter to her.

"By the way? What should we do? About Matsuzemi-chan's corpse,"

she said.

"I don't think you'll be able to go public about the fact that you killed him."

"You're right. May as well dig up a hole and bury him."

◇　　　◇

After this, as had been expected by many, Maniwa Koumori would come to be praised as officially one of the Maniwa Ninja Corps's Twelve Chiefs, and, as had been expected by many, he left behind a great number of glorious military exploits. As a result, his name would be inherited again about two hundred years later.

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marshmallowgoop · 5 years ago

Text

Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Ryuko Episodes 5-8)

It’s been a while.

Episode 5

Writing about these episodes has been a struggle. I wouldn’t be able to narrow down a single reason for my eight-month hiatus from IF’s story mode, but I can say that it’s difficult to talk about content that is overwhelmingly—and disappointingly—a rehash of scenes I’d already watched before.

Ryuko’s fifth episode especially feels like a game of “spot the difference.” Segments of Satsuki’s story are repeated with astonishingly minor changes, and while this has been an issue with earlier Ryuko episodes (1 and 3), by episode 5, it’s starting to feel very tedious.

I won’t deny that the slight alterations are charming—they very much are! Mako’s contribution to Ryuko and Senketsu’s fight against Nui, for example, is adorable:

Mako: My dad says, “When you’re outnumbered, get more weapons!” An eye for an eye, a blade for a blade!

However, such minimal additions feel like a dishearteningly poor use of the player’s time. If I hadn’t already questioned it before, these chapters really made me question the choice of a two-campaign story mode.

It’s not that I don’t see the appeal of such a structure; there’s something fun in telling one side of a story and then changing the perception of that story by telling another side of it. Plus, with IF in particular, I think there was a goal—at least to some extent—of confounding players with Satsuki’s ending. I could see Ryuko’s campaign as a means of making the plot more interactive, which is of course fitting for a video game. By not spelling everything out right away, players are encouraged to unravel the mystery and put the pieces together.

Satsuki: I had a bad dream....

But... there’s just too much overlap for me to feel that the two-campaign structure was the most effective storytelling decision. The choice perhaps makes more sense from a gaming standpoint; it’s easier to focus on one playable character rather than jump around between two. But I don’t know—perhaps it could have been fun to give players a feel for more of this game’s roster all at once. Maybe we could have played as the Elite Four or Ragyo or Nui, too.

Because from a story standpoint? One major letdown of Ryuko’s fifth episode is that actually fighting Nui completely lacks the power that the cutscene in Satsuki’s campaign has.

Sure, that scene certainly doesn’t have the impact of similar moments in the anime (episodes 18 and 21/22), but you can’t really expect it to, and it works well within the context of IF. Ryuko and Senketsu haven’t been through as much together, but Ryuko still keeps her temper under control to prevent a repeat of hurting Senketsu from it again, they burst into battle with “Before my body is dry” playing, and though the animations in the game can be stiff and limited, it’s still sweet.

Ryuko: Won’t know ‘til I try! So let’s do this!

They sparkle! Their hearts are as one! They’re uniting to take down this threat.

But in Ryuko’s story? You just fight the fight. You miss out on Ryuko shit-talking Nui, you miss out on the song (seriously, was it just the struggling Steam port, or does “Before my body is dry” really not play during the fight?), and most importantly, the emotion I get from the cutscene is largely lost.

Don’t get me wrong—skipping a repetitive scene is appreciated. But at the same time, the omission makes me long for a single story mode. Players could have fought Nui with “Before my body is dry” playing and watched the Satsuki-story cutscene upon victory. That bit of “Satsuki’s” story already focuses so much on Ryuko that in some ways, it honestly feels more “Ryuko” than Ryuko’s story! Why not just have a unified story mode?

Ryuko’s episodes shine when they significantly differ from what players already witnessed in Satsuki’s campaign. The very beginning of episode 5 is charming because seeing Ryuko just wanting to smash things is legitimately amusing.

Ryuko: Oh! So, I just gotta smack ‘em all in the head.

But this could have easily fit into a single story that switched perspectives. And in fact, moving into episode 6...

Episode 6

It’s almost humorous that Satsuki’s story has purposeful omissions to “justify” the existence of Ryuko’s campaign. I am astounded at how Mako literally does not exist in the Satsuki equivalent of Ryuko’s sixth episode:

Seriously, what? This reminds me of Kingdom Hearts jokes about how it’s rude of Disney movies to totally edit out Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

But jokes aside, the Kingdom Hearts comparison actually has some real weight in regards to IF. In Kingdom Hearts, the Disney worlds are—at least, in my opinion—the most fun and engaging when they do more than simply rehash the films they’re based on with Sora, Donald, and Goofy added. In the same way, Ryuko’s campaign in IF is the most fun and engaging when it does more than simply rehash Satsuki’s campaign with Mako added.

And why was Mako even literally edited out of Satsuki’s cutscenes in the first place? It’s really a bigger discussion, but this choice only adds to my frustrations with how Kill la Kill handles Mako’s character. I’ve already written about my beef with the anime in that regard, but IF is even worse. Mako’s so inconsequential to the story (at least thus far) that she can be totally cut out and have absolutely nothing change. For goodness’ sake, she sleeps for a good chunk of her screentime!

Which... is actually an issue I have with the Grand Summoners crossover game, too....

Ryuko: She’s [Mako’s] already asleep!

But in any case, Mako’s presence in the IF story seems to be purely because she’s a popular character. It’s disappointing to me that Kazuki Nakashima couldn’t find more things for her to do.

And it’s sad that she’s literally edited out of Satsuki’s scenes. I really cannot get over that. What the what.

More to the actual content of Ryuko’s sixth episode, the first part is just old hash browns (plus Mako), but the second part is much more intriguing. I find it curious that Senketsu knows right away what the Primordial Life Fiber is, but Ryuko doesn’t. Does he have a connection with it that Ryuko lacks because her Life Fibers haven’t been awoken yet?

Senketsu: That... is what’s known as the Primordial Life Fiber.

Also, same, Mako, same. I also call Nui and Ragyo’s Primordial Life Fiber-y attacks in this game “meatballs.”

Mako: Ooooh! It looks like a big ol’ meatball!

I feel like my previous write-ups on IF already express a lot of what I could say regarding this episode, but I will again reiterate that the character interactions are charming. It’s nice to hear Ryuko laugh (even if in a taunting way), and the Elite Four are absolutely adorable.

Ryuko: Ha! Whatever. I’d like to see you try!

Houka: Oh, my God. Do they have to be so loud? Our enemies can hear us from a mile away.

And since this is a video game and all, in regards to the one fight in episode 6, it’s a bit of a pain; battling multiple enemies doesn’t make for the most enjoyable experience because of the camera and inability to properly lock on to targets. But IF excels in the little details. The dialogue when other characters join you for the fight is as amusing as always.

There really should be subtitles, though. It’s super poor accessibility.

Episode 6 also briefly questions the nature of the world. Earlier episodes of Ryuko’s campaign had Senketsu—and Nui—note that something felt off about time. Here, Senketsu outright says that time in the Fiber Palace is “seems unstable,” and interestingly, the camera focuses on Ryuko when he wonders if it’s the location or “something else” that’s causing the abnormality.

Senketsu: The flow of time here seems unstable. Is this place causing it to happen...? Or... is something else triggering it....

It’s not in this episode, but given that Ragyo later describes Ryuko as “the singularity,” perhaps she is the one messing up the world.

I think Ryuko sums up my thoughts, though.

Ryuko: I don’t get what’s goin’ on.

Of course, probably the most notable aspect of episode 6 is the ending, and while I could see right through what was happening, I have to admit that Ryuko going at Mako with the Scissor Blades is a stellar finish.

Ryuko: I still gotta get revenge for my dad.

Senketsu: What are you doing, Ryuko?!

Episode 7

However...

Ryuko: Oh, blow it out yer ass... Nui Harime!

I got some issues with this.

For those who have been Kill la Kill-ing for as long as I have, you might remember that there was a flood of Mako-is-Nui theories immediately after the show’s finale. Amusingly, character designer Sushio outright denied the idea in a Tweet, and a Studio Trigger panel at Anime Expo 2014 (6th post from the top) also shot the notion down.

aranbeik: is it [the Mako-is-Nui theory] true????

Sushio: It is no relationship at all

But fake Makos actually ain’t absent from Kill la Kill. In the official Drama CDs that came packaged with Japanese releases of the anime, there are two instances of fake Makos. The first happens in CD 1, where Maiko Ogure impersonates Mako for a huge portion of the runtime. The second happens in CD 4, where—“funnily” enough—Nui herself impersonates Mako after Ryuko has her heart brutally ripped out of her chest by her own mother.

And here’s my issue with IF’s portrayal: in both of these Drama CD cases, Ryuko is fooled. Mako isn’t Mako for tons of the first CD, and Ryuko doesn’t notice. And, in the Nui situation, it’s Senketsu who has to tell her that the “Mako” before them is not actually Mako. Which goes completely counter to what IF does!

It’s not that I’m against Ryuko recognizing a fraud, but her inability to in the Drama CDs lends insight into her character that I find fitting. Ryuko fails to identify the fake Makos in the CDs because Ryuko initially closes her heart off to the girl—something she outright admits in episode 22 (and which the English dub makes particularly prominent).

Ryuko: Yeah, you [Mako] too! You’re like the most persistent chick I ever met! You didn’t care if I pushed you away! You kept coming back and coming back like a yo-yo!

However, after ripping Junketsu from her body, Ryuko becomes far more open, and it’d be really powerful for her to correctly identify a fake Mako then. It’d show how their relationship has grown and become stronger.

In IF, Mako and Ryuko have hardly had the development they undergo in the anime, and further, Ryuko’s explanation for how she knew it was Nui doesn’t make a lick of sense!

Nui-Mako: How’d you know it was me?

Ryuko: Easy! After Mako wakes up, she’s always got drool on her face.

As Ryuko seemed to have already deduced that “Mako” was Nui before even looking at her, how in the world does this work?

Episode 7 has more questionable character writing for Ryuko later on, too. I’ve already written at great lengths about how I find her attitude regarding murder totally OOC, but Nui’s death scene also has such a strange line regarding Ryuko’s feelings towards Satsuki:

Nui: Guess who ordered me to take the Rending Scissors from your daddy! Give up? It was Satsuki!

Ryuko: If she did, she musta had a good reason for it.

As sweet as the sentiment is, and as much as I understand that it’s there to point out how not even Nui can tear apart Ryuko and Satsuki’s bond, it leaves me totally baffled. Satsuki must have had a good reason to issue the order that killed her father, and Ryuko’s chill with that? At this point in the story, the kind of unwavering faith in Satsuki that Ryuko displays here is completely unearned. I could see Ryuko at the end of the anime feeling this way, but IF Ryuko? Not at all! She barely knows Satsuki!

But for all my gripes regarding the storyline, we Kill la Kill fans are starving. (Well, at least I am, anyway.) Even if Ryuko’s words to Nui make no sense, it is something I would have liked the anime to explore more, and the character interactions here are undeniably sweet. I love Ryuko and Senketsu’s banter and how it shows how comfortable and in tune with each other they are. I love Ryuko’s silly dialogue to Satsuki and how Satsuki smiles at it, telling us that even the “ice-cold” Student Council President can’t help but get a bit soft at this dorky shounen protagonist.

Ryuko: I hate family drama. But I said I’d save Satsuki, sooo...

Senketsu: I had a feeling you’d say that.

Ryuko: Looks like you’re having a really shitty day, Satsuki!

The battle that finishes up this episode, with “Blumenkranz” playing in the background and the Elite Four and Satsuki joining the fight with cute dialogue, is a joy, too. There are a lot of little details that I really appreciate.

(I also realized this time around that you can stop Ragyo’s Instant Kill and didn’t get obliterated by Shinra-Kouketsu like I did in Satsuki’s story.)

Ragyo: Your sins shall be purged along with your pathetic body!

Episode 8

But in regards to the plot of IF, Ryuko’s eighth episode finally starts dropping some more answers. As the ending of Satsuki’s story had implied, the world is outright said here to be her dream, created from Junketsu:

Ragyo: Junketsu took your [Satsuki’s] dreams and made them tangible. That is the distorted world we see now.

However, I still can’t say I get it. When Satsuki wakes up at the end of her story, it’s the start of episode 1 of the anime. She hasn’t come into contact with Junketsu yet, so how has this distorted world even been created in the first place? I guess Life Fibers can just mess with time?

I’m also kinda amused that the world is said to be what Satsuki wants to happen, yet she describes it as a “bad dream” when she wakes up.

But the big “new” information is Ragyo’s assertion that Ryuko is “the singularity”:

Ragyo: I knew it. You were the singularity, Ryuko Matoi.

As Ragyo explains, she could have taken over this fake world (and perhaps merged it with the real one, judging by her comment in Satsuki’s story about how such a world “can even be spun into a single yarn with the Primordial Life Fiber”), but Ryuko got in the way:

Ragyo: Since my Life Fibers are much more powerful than Junketsu’s, I could’ve taken this planet over. Then, I could’ve enslaved humanity and begun the process of turning it... into a Cocoon Sphere. Yes, I could’ve. If it wasn’t for your existence, Ryuko Matoi.

Now, there have been hints that something’s up with Ryuko all throughout IF, but I can’t say I really know what to make of it. Senketsu remarks that Ryuko’s oddly strong in the first episode of her campaign, Ragyo adds to this and suggests that Ryuko’s affecting the Primordial Life Fiber in the same episode, and then, there also seems to be the implication that Ryuko is triggering the weird sense of time in her sixth episode. The final episode of Satsuki’s story seems to feature Ryuko absorbing Life Fibers, too.

It makes sense for Ryuko to affect Satsuki’s dream world, of course; Ryuko has Life Fibers in her, and she’s also the sister whom Satsuki is ultimately fighting for. I’ve seen theories that the Primordial Life Fiber takes on the shape of a baby to represent the baby sister Satsuki thought she’d lost (and at least in the English dub, Ryuko does refer to the baby as a “she,” further connecting the baby to the lost sister); so perhaps, even if Satsuki doesn’t recognize her connection to Ryuko, maybe the Life Fibers do. Ryuko has power in the dream world because, in a lot of ways, Ryuko is Satsuki’s dream. Maybe that’s the reason that Satsuki only gets flashes of scenes between her and Ryuko in the anime when the baby connects with her, too.

Who knows? I can only hope that episodes 9 and 10 will clear this story up.

I’ve obviously got a lot of questions, but I know this is basically the end. I’m not sure how much explanation to expect going forward, and I’m still wondering about things that don’t even necessarily (?) have to do with the dream world, too. Like, whatever was the point of that moment with Ragyo and one of Senketsu’s scraps? And what was bothering Shiro?

Shiro: There’s just one thing that bothers me...

I said in the beginning of this tl;dr report that I couldn’t pinpoint a single reason for my inability to write it for eight months. But maybe part of the reason is that it’s kind of nice to not know the ending. As long as I don’t play it, there’s still some official Kill la Kill content that I haven’t experienced yet, and it could be anything.

But at the same time, I don’t know how much longer I can go without seeing Senketsu-Kisaragi, so.

The thing—i.e., this monstrous essay—that was holding me back from playing through to the end is now complete! And I’m ready to finally finish this game.

Here’s to hoping that the finale is satisfying 🤞

#kill la kill #kill la kill the game #klk spoilers #klk: if spoilers #goop plays klk: if #ramblings #shut up goop #gifs i made #confetti emoji wow i finally did it lol

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lowkeyaesthvtic · 5 years ago

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Evil Karma - Chapter 11

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Word Count: 1,726

Summary: Sofi and Gil give the exciting news to Uma, but certain feelings that were once hidden can’t be held captive for long.

Pairings: Platonic!Gil x OC, a tiny bit of OC x Uma, mentions of Harry x Uma and Harry x OC I guess?

Rating: PG (sorry, I had to type this on my school computer)

Warnings: None

Tags: @descendantofthesparrow @newtshairdryer @batmanwearsabowtie and anybody else interested!

Authors Note: THIS GIF IS NOT MINE BUT I COULDN’T FIND WHO MADE IT I’M SO SORRY!

Gil and I finally arrived back at the Chip Shoppe, the two of us slightly out of breath from running so fast and so far. He looked to me, a beaming smile on his face. He had gotten to the restaurant’s doors mere seconds before me. He won this time. “I knew it! I knew I’d win!”

I softly laughed along with him. “Yep, looks like I’m the bucket of shrimp this time.” Gil turned his gaze to the Lost Revenge, getting ready to run again. “Not so fast there, Gil. Don’t you think now would be a good time to tell Uma?” He slightly cocked his head to the side, confused and minisculely unaware of what I spoke of. “You know...about Ben?” I lowered my voice to keep the King’s arrival a secret from some of the lower leveled members of the crew. They would know soon. But for now, this had to stay between the higher ups.

“Oh! Yeah! I’ll go tell her!”

“Easy, Gil. I’m coming with you!” It was hard not to smile around Gil. While it was nearly unheard of to see a villainous side of him, his sunshine-like attitude was impossible to be extremely upset with. His undying loyalty and easy excitement was something I had valued and admired since the day I first met him.

The Chip Shoppe was especially busy tonight. Pirates and outcasts and wicked sidekicks alike all came in for their share of grub. A small part of me beamed when I saw Uma setting down a tray of food not too far away from me. She gave a soft and playful smile as we made eye contact and walked her way over to Gil and I. “Hey, Sofi! I’m glad you’re back.” She looked down at her bright blue timepiece, one made with a similar design to my bronze one. “Five more minutes and Harry would’ve sent the boys after you.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Harry must have told her. “So he told you?” I asked, looking next to me to see Gil nearly bouncing on his feet in excitement.

“Yeah, he told me. I wouldn’t have let him make a scene like that, though. As strong and protective as he can be, he’s not the Captain. I think there are moments where he forgets that we are just as strong as he is.”

“If not stronger,” I joked, gently nudging her on the shoulder. “He hasn’t seen me fight yet.” Gil impatiently tapped my shoulder, urgently waiting for me to bring up the good news. “But, Harry’s craziness aside, Gil has some very very important news for you.” I gently pushed him forward, watching from the sidelines like a proud mother at her son’s first baseball game. Uma rested her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side, patiently waiting for Gil to speak.

He stood back, almost nervous of what he was about to say. I peered over to him expectantly. Uma wouldn’t be happy with either of us if we came with the premise of important news only to have nothing to follow said premise. “Well, Sofi and I were getting some eggs down at Yzma’s stand and...we ran into someone. Someone really really important.” Uma leaned in closer, like a little kid learning a very special secret. Gil pulled the three of us closely into a huddle before he whispered. “King Ben is on the Isle of the Lost. Carlos, Jay, and Evie came with him, too.”

Uma’s eyes lit up as she stepped back from the huddle and jumped in the air with a shout. I don’t know why, but seeing her this happy gave me this odd, warm feeling in my stomach. The kind of warm feeling you’d get from drinking hot chocolate on a cold day or snuggling into a thick blanket after a long day. “Oh my god! Sofi, you were right! Oh my god, this is gonna be so perfect!” She tightly embraced me, nearly lifting me off the ground in her excitement. Despite Uma being shorter than me, she was definitely the strongest girl in the crew. I chuckled softly, barely able to breathe as she nearly suffocated me with her touch. We soon separated, Uma’s mind darting a million miles an hour. “Well we need to go find him! Go get Gil, tell him to capture the beast. I’ll have you and Harry send a little message to his entourage of posers.” Go get him? I turned around to see that Gil had darted out the old, green doors of the Chip Shoppe. He didn’t hear Uma’s orders, and he wasn’t necessarily smart enough to infer them. Something was off.

“Yeah, I’ll go get him. Wait...what message?”

“Harry will pass it to you. Mal’s gonna take a trip to the Shoppe tonight.” She smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest, daydreaming about all the ways this plan could go wickedly. I planted a quick kiss on her forehead and walked out the doors.

Gil didn’t go too far. He sat on the edge of a long pier next to the ship, looking out at the dark, clouded skies that always draped over the Isle. He looked straight forward, lost in thought. I quietly sat next to him and joined him as he looked out at the ocean in front of us. “That was a hasty exit you made there. Uma thought you were leaving to hunt the beast.” I mumbled jokingly, only receiving a soft and solemn hum in response. It wasn’t until I looked away from the ocean that I met the upset look in his eye. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

“Gil, is everything okay? You seem upset about something.”

“How do you do it?” He asked, his voice in a rare deep tone. He kept his gaze towards the edge of the pier, not wanting to meet my gaze. I was incredibly confused. Did he need help with something? Something I was apparently good at?

“How do I do what, Gil? I can’t read your mind, remember?” I held back a joking chuckle. Something really did seem wrong, and I had a little voice in the back of my head telling me Gil wasn’t in the mood for jokes. He turned to me, a shade of repressed anger biting at his expression.

“What I’ve been wanting..what I’ve been trying to get for the past 8 years, you somehow managed to get in months. You’re sure your magic doesn’t work here? Or are you just so hard to resist?” If I weren’t mistaken, I would’ve thought that Gil had just bit at me. Not with his teeth, but with his words. I looked up at him, wanting to hear more yet not sure if he would give me more. I’ve never known why, but I’ve always had this thing with seeing the fire rise in people’s eyes. Some people, like Harry and Uma, carry that fire wherever they go. But people like Gil, who usually carry a sweet and sunshiny disposition, only show that kind of fire when they’re angry.

“You’re angry with me, aren’t you, Gil?” I asked, quiet and subtle. Raising your voice to someone who was unusually upset is a recipe for disaster. This is especially true when it comes to boys, as they repress their emotions so much that when they come out..it can be dangerous. Gil stood abruptly and began to storm off before he turned back and stared at me with his teeth gritted together.

“You know what, Sofi? Maybe I am! Look, you’re smart. You’re a hard worker and I’m glad you’re on the crew. But if Uma’s going to have a second ‘first mate’ it should be me! I went to Uma’s crew when my own brothers were making me feel like I didn’t belong. My own dad made me feel like a disappointment every day! But when Uma and Harry found me, I realized that maybe I did belong somewhere. I feel like I belong with them, but you came out of nowhere and took that from me!” I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t taken aback by his words. I stood up and walked over to him, careful not to show any hostility as that might scare him off or even cause a fight.

“Are you jealous of my relationship with Harry and Uma? I mean, if you are, it’s okay. I just… I didn’t think you were into girls.”

“I’m not. And I...I guess I have had certain thoughts about Harry. But that’s not what I’m upset about. I came to the Lost Revenge because my family excluded me from everything. I wanted to be a part of something. And I was..until you showed up. All Uma and Harry have been asking me to help with is cleaning the back of the kitchen since you got here. I know the three of you are planning something for Mal and Ben and all the others...and I feel like I deserve to be a part of it.” I cocked my head to the side and smiled. He was right. Gil was the strongest on the crew. He could easily chuck both Harry and I over his shoulder if he wanted to. Muscle is always something useful when trying to take over the world.

I shrugged my shoulders and spoke. “Okay. I can talk to Uma about letting you in on the plan. You were third in command before I came, that shouldn’t be taken away from you. Besides, someone’s gotta hunt the beast down before we tie him up. What better person than you?” His anger began to subside, but that fire in his eyes still glowed. “Uma sent me out here to tell you that she needs someone to hunt Ben down and knock him out long enough to bring him to the lower deck of the ship and tie him up. Do you think you could do that?” He nodded, growing mischievously playful at the idea of kidnapping someone.

I began to walk off and heard his steps come up behind me. They were slow at first, wary of trusting the task he was about to take on. But eventually, he returned to that skippy glide that the pirates knew and loved.

#descendants #harry hook #uma daughter of ursula #harry x uma #huma #sea three #harry hook x uma #gil descendants #uma x harry x gil #gil legume

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collecting-stories · 4 years ago

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Shit Talk - JJ Maybank

Request: Hi !! can i please get a boyfriend JJ Maybank x kook!reader, she decides its time for JJ to meet her kook friends knowing that they’ll like him but they ended up liking him a little too much because all they did was flirt & compliment him and they also kept embarrassing reader infront of JJ to make them seem better than her? Basically fake friends trying to steal your gorgeous boyfriend out of jealousy and reader starts to cry because of this and JJ gets angry!! 😭❤️❤️

Outer Banks Masterlist

JJ slammed the door on your suv as he got out, eyes already on the large plantation style home you were parked in the horseshoe driveway of. Despite the sunglasses he was wearing he shielded his eyes as he stared at the opposing building. “Can we talk about why you’re forcing me to come to this party if you hate all the people here?”

“Cause they’re my friends from school. Sarah will be there too, I don’t hate Sarah.” You reasoned, grabbing the card for your friend’s birthday and making sure you had everything else on you. Keys tossed to JJ over the hood of the car as you slammed your own door shut. He slipped the lanyard around his neck.

“No, but you constantly bitch about everyone else.”

“It’s cause they’re the worst.” You shrugged. And they were truly the worst people you knew. Like all the mean girls from every teen drama rolled into one ultimate evil entity, these girls were literal demons but you were obligated, through school hierarchy and the desire to not ruin your social standing, to attend social gatherings like birthday parties. And you’d been blowing them off lately to spend all your time with JJ.

“But we’re going?”

“Yes.”

“I’m so confused.” JJ confessed, “you know if you don’t like someone, don’t hang out with them.”

“Says the most likable person I know.” You grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the front door.

“Hey, just cause everyone likes me but that doesn’t mean I hang out with people I don’t like. Except you…but I really needed a new phone so-“

You stopped to turn and smack his arm, a fake gasp leaving your lips as if you were truly offended by his teasing. “JJ! Shut up. You’re such a jerk.”

“And yet you like me.”

“Maybe.” You shrugged, “I’m good at faking it.”

“I’ve seen you with people you don’t like…you’re incapable of fake nice.” He replied.

“Prepare to be amazed.” You leaned up, closing your eyes and pressing your lips to his for a kiss only to be interrupted by the door opening and the distinct squeal of your most hated friend. You pulled away and turned around so fast you practically gave yourself whiplash.

“Oh my god you made it!” Scarlett bounced out of the house, wide smile on her face as crossed the threshold and wrapped you in a tight hug. Despite dry hair and skin that looked like she’d just applied a layer of body shimmer her bikini was slightly damp against your cover-up.

“Hey! So sorry we’re late I was halfway out the door when I saw myself in the bathing suit I was gonna wear and had to change…it was not cute.” You lied, returning the hug. You’d pit stopped first to buy a last-minute card and take money from the atm and then to get coffee. As you had reasoned with JJ, there was no way you were surviving this pool party without caffeine in your system.

“Lies, you look good in everything.” Scarlett insisted though she’d definitely sung a different tune in the past. Her eyes landed on JJ as she stepped back and she smiled, “whose this?”

“Oh, duh, this is my boyfriend JJ, I figured when better to introduce everyone than at Ashley’s party.” You offered, stepping aside so you weren’t blocking him.

“For sure,” She did a once over of him like he was merchandise and JJ only smiled, biting his tongue to stop himself from saying anything you would be pissed at him for. He would save his comments for the sanctity of the car. “Well I’m Scarlett, there’s a lot of people here so if you forget just let me know and I’ll tell you.”

“Awesome.” He replied. Scarlett grabbed his free hand, pulling him away from you and beginning to drag him inside the house as you followed behind. He looked back at you, mouthing an ‘I’m gonna kill you.’

‘Airpods’ You mouthed back, ‘and you love me.”

He shook his head, a grim expression on his face but you knew he was only joking.

Despite the entire crowd being contained to the outside pool deck and yard you lost Scarlett and JJ relatively easily. Or, Scarlett lost you so she could spend quality time cozying up to your boyfriend. While you felt bad leaving him to the wolves while you found the drink table and chatted with Sarah, you weren’t too worried about him otherwise. You had heard all about JJ’s past womanizing from a wealth of jealous pogues but you didn’t have any doubt that he was faithful.

He was a great boyfriend, better than any guy you’d dated before. Too good to be subjected to a round table of Scarlett, Ashley, and their friends. So you grabbed yourself a drink and headed over to save him.

“Oh my god and one time-” Scarlett’s voice died off as she saw you getting closer to them and she smiled at you in faux excitement, “oh hey!”

“Hey,” you nodded at her before turning to look at JJ, “hey there you are.”

“We were just getting to know JJ. You know, vet him and all.” Scarlett replied, leaning over her armrest to grab JJ’s arm. He shrugged her off and shifted in his seat.

“Exciting.”

“You wanna sit?” He asked, tilting his head back to look at you, pleading eyes begging you to sit down.

“Oh I don’t think there’s a chair.” Ashley piped up, looking around the table. Four other girls occupied the chairs around them.

“No problem, I’ll make do.” You tapped on the arm of JJ’s chair, smiling at Ashley when he moved the chair so that you could comfortably sit on his lap. He put and arm around your waist to keep you secured and laid a kiss on the side of your neck.

“Oh, good.” Scarlett forced a smile, jaw tense. “Anyway, I was just telling JJ, do you remember that time in 8th grade when we went on that double date to the ice rink on the mainland.”

You paled almost immediately. She was really going to play that game. “Uh…no.”

“Oh my god!” Scarlett turned more toward JJ, wide smile on her face, “First of all, she was so chubby in 8th grade like thank god for hitting the gym and doing those CrossFit classes cause you looked like a potato. Plus she ate like everything! Do you remember that? You had like a hotdog and fries and ice cream and then we were skating and she said she didn’t feel good and she blew chunks all over the guy! Who was it, I can’t remember his name?”

“I have no idea.” You replied.

“Oh my god I totally remember that!” Ashley laughed. “Someone videoed it and put it up on the school’s insta...it was hilarious.”

“Doesn’t really sound it.” JJ said, grip tightening.

“You’re way cuter than he was anyway,” Ashley mentioned, “I think he was like a family friend or something. And you’ve stuck it out too, how long have you guys been dating?”

“Three months.”

“It’s good it’s the summer. You can get out before you have to experience hibernation weight.” Scarlett added and the other girls around the table laughed at the joke. You smiled nervously, trying to look unbothered by what they were saying. You should have known that the moment you sat down the attack would start, Scarlett had her eye on JJ the minute she walked out of the house.

“What?” JJ was not laughing.

“Oh my god, I don’t know what she does but she always gains like…what is it? Like 15 pounds?”

“Yeah.” You nodded.

“Like 15 pounds in the winter.”

“Yeah get her while she’s still cute cause you are way too hot to spend time stuck with someone who bloats up every winter.” Ashley replied.

“I can’t believe I haven’t seen you around, Ashley’s right you’re super hot.”

Suddenly Ashley smiled, reaching across the table to tap the space in front of you and get your attention. “Oh, oh my god do you remember okay, so this one time-“

“Actually, I gotta go. I got work.” JJ said, cutting her off. He bounced his knee to signal for you to get up, “babe,”

“Yeah, of course, I’ll see you guys later.” You stood, trying to remember if JJ had told you that he had a shift today. You couldn’t think but then your mind was swimming with their insults. You were only vaguely aware of JJ grabbing your hand.

“Seriously? You’re ditching in the middle of the party?” Scarlett asked, offended that he was leaving and even more so that he was leaving with you.

“Yeah well,” JJ shrugged, looking over at her, “if I stay any longer I’ll probably punch one of you in the mouth so, not really in the mood to sit around and listen to you bullshit about my girlfriend.”

“We were just joking!” Ashley insisted, “Weren’t we joking?”

“I wasn’t laughing.” JJ replied. He tugged on your hand when you didn’t move, “come on.”

The two of you excited the backyard and made it all the way to your car, JJ slipping in the driver’s side as you sat in the passenger seat, still trying not to have an absolute meltdown in front of him. And in front of the security cameras they would probably check later just to see if they made you cry.

“Thanks…” You muttered, leaning against the window.

“You weren’t kidding, they are the worst.” JJ replied as he backed down the driveway. In the santity of the car he could say what was actually on his mind and it was extensive.

“I know.” You did know, you’d been dealing with it since you were in kindergarten and Scarlett told you that you had fat thighs. “Scarlett’s known me forever so she has years of embarrassing stories.”

JJ nodded. He took one hand off the wheel and reached over to hold your hand. “You know I think you’re beautiful right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes you know and believe me or yes I don’t want to talk about it anymore so I’m agreeing with you?” He asked, glancing over at you.

You bit your lip to stop from smiling, “if you know which one it is, why are you asking?”

“Cause I want it to be the first one?” He said. “Those girls are seriously the worst.”

“Well I hang out with them less now that Kie goes to school with me but I still have to see them sometimes. I can’t avoid it.”

“Yeah I know.”

“Thanks for coming, and for saying you’d punch them in the mouth.” You said, laughing a little as you recalled the horrified look on Ashley’s face when he said that.

“Them and anyone else who talks shit on you.” He replied.

taglist: @maplelattes22 @poguesrforlife @freckled-and-daydreaming @chasefreakinstokes@millie-753 @fangirlwithme @alex12948 @katherine097 @tangledinsparkles@tragicmisfits @carbonated-beverage @mariofgreengables @damonsalvawhore27@dopedoodes @dolanfivsosxox @belledutchess @poguelifeeee @faded-blue @parkerpetertingle @thebookwormlife @summer-clouds-and-long-days@jellyfishbeansontoast @minigranger @hoewkeye @love-someone-special @tiredfeels @strangerthanfanfiction713 @the-only-nana@tomzfrog @mozz-are-lla @vindictive-hearts @poguestyleskye @ssprayberrythings @jenahbell @beautyandthebleh @lavenderxraindrops @gothackedalready @teenwaywardasgardian @sarahcxmeron @haha-fuck-you-thot @stillbelieve398-5 @rewindlr @queenniccimicci @thedarkqueenofavalon @alytavzla @bqmblebee @linniep @nerdypartytrashpsychic @xxchxrryxx @spencer-reid-is-a-cutie @mirjanak @danielladreaming @obx-saltlife @youngestxhearts @spnobsessedmemes @wowitswondergurl @celestialmaybank @mybnkjj @averagxfangirl@mysterious-adventurer @justawilddreamerchild @rhyetaylor62 @calm-rejects @99sxuxii@oh-annaa @katiaw2 @aiifandomsunite @marteenuhh08 @x-lulu @ceruleanjj @wicked-laugh @obxwriterfan @justkeepdreamingswift @allie-mcginn@pcterparxer @literarycharleton @khiaraaa-in-spacee @crushe-s @teamnick @daydreamlilys @collectiveuniverses @activist-af @mdgrdians @buckys-sunflower @vindictive-hearts @copper-boom @jolomez @timotaychalabae

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softshawnrambles · 5 years ago

Text

When Shawn Met Willow

We’ve worked on this beginning piece for a while now, and we are SO excited to introduce you to the family we’ve been dreaming up for months! Because we wanted to give you the whole picture in terms of how these two started, this one is extra long - we plan on writing shorter blurbs to continue this Family!Shawn theme, and will probably go back and elaborate on other parts of their life together… stay tuned, but for now: enjoy!

WORD COUNT: 6.1K

“Large Americano, ready at the bar!”

The coffee shop was as busy as could be expected of a rainy Monday morning. Willow hated the pushing and shoving that was absolutely unavoidable, as every person in the building waited for their drink. The artisan coffee house hadn’t caught onto the mobile ordering system, and she hated them for it.

She managed to make her way to the counter, but just as her hand reached for the paper cup, someone else beat her to it. Turning her head to face the person obstructing her saviour, she let out an “excuse me, sorry...” and withdrew, slightly in embarrassment.

“No, no, you’re good. It might be yours anyway… why aren’t they calling these out by name?” the man joked. She looked up, noticing the kind smile on his face (clearly not local, you’ve not known anyone to smile in this part of the city, especially not on Wall Street) and mustered a chuckle.

For a moment neither of them said anything, as if time froze - just a second - allowing their eyes to meet. As the barista impatiently called out the next drink, the man cleared his throat. His eyes wandered for a moment, then widened at something behind her - “fuck, it’s eight already? Uh - here, you can take this…” he said, ushering the cup toward her.

And with that, he was off.

Her eyes followed his rushing figure before rolling her eyes and taking the drink, nodding her thanks at the barista. Willow maneuvered her way out of the overly crowded place and took a long awaited drink, not yet ready to face another tedious day at her internship. As she lowered her cup, she noticed a scribble on the sleeve: “Sean,” next to a single “A” for Americano.

“Damn it,” she muttered with her shoulders slumping, wishing she had checked before he’d vanished into the crowd. For a tall guy, he blended in quickly.

Back upstairs in her little cubicle of hell, Willow was met with another day’s supply of merger and acquisition paperwork.

She let out an exasperated sigh.

“Dude, it’s not even nine yet. Lighten up!” Claudia pulled a pencil out of her hair, throwing it in Willow’s direction.

“Ow! Jesus, Claud.” she said, turning around to reach for the pencil. As she did, she glanced out the window and caught sight of a small crowd forming under the building.

“Huh. Do you know what that’s about?” Willow asked, motioning towards the group.

“If it’s not one of the Obamas, I’m not interested.” Typical Claudia, Willow thought and rolling her eyes at her colleague.

As the hour went by, the crowd continued to grow into a pretty substantial mob of mostly teenage girls. Maybe Harry Styles was in the building.

Willow refocused for a few hours, paying little attention to the happenings outside of her field of vision. At around noon, she got up to fetch her egg salad from the fridge when she noticed something - or rather, someone - downstairs with the mob. Was it that guy from this morning? He was leaning in every few seconds with each girl, taking… selfies? He definitely wasn't so lost in the crowd now.

-- one year later

A failed relationship with the top investment firm in New York City drove Willow as far away from the industry as she could go. Something about the harrowing reality of corporate America sent her running to the West Coast: she was not cut out to be a tycoon, no matter what her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration & Economics said about her.

Sitting in her favourite coffee shop in Los Angeles, Willow intently studied her laptop with her camera sitting on one side of the table, and her freshly delivered Americano steaming on the other. The screen receiving her whole attention as she edits her photos from last nights Panic! At the Disco show at the Forum. She’d chosen a quieter area this time, wanting a little privacy and quiet as she worked, a change she’d needed from previous endeavors that hadn’t worked out the way she had planned.

“Panic! At the Disco? Is that from yesterday?” Willow turned around as someone clearly took notice of her work.

“Uh, yeah.”

“I was there!” Fuck. Why did he look so familiar?

“Amazing, wasn’t it?!” Willow tried not to stare, but tried to place him in her head. She swore she’d seen him before.

“Yeah, they always put on a good show! That’s an awesome picture! You work for the venue?” Leaning forward to observe her screen, in a slight awe.

“I do, I’m practically a part of the furniture at this point.” The man laughs, and with a small smile on his face comments “I know the feeling.”

“You work there too? I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere.” Her curiosity getting the better of her.

The man leaned back again as his smile widened a little, humbled by her question. “Mhm, I guess you could say that,” he replied.

The flash from a camera nearby interrupted the moment; it was coming from outside of the shop, the glare intensifying through the window.

“Shawn, we gotta go!” a desperate voice called out, and her new acquaintance turned to respond.

Then it clicked.

Shawn.

“I remember now! New York City last year. I owe you an Americano!” Willow was reminded of that day, and the pieces of the puzzle starting to fall together.

Shawn looks surprised, that was the last response he was expecting, when his eyes flash with a newfound recognition.

“Oh! That was you? Wow, that’s, wow. I did not expect that at all.” Shaking his head and pointing to the screen, “what brings you to-” Another flash through the window and the imposing man calls Shawn’s name again.

“You better go before he drags you out of here, he looks like he’s seriously contemplating that option,” she suggested, hyper-aware now of the men with large cameras relentlessly snapping pics of… Shawn?

“Wait, can I get your Insta? I'd love to see other things you've posted. You're clearly talented at this, and I live for live shows!”

“Uumm, ok, yeah, but I don’t always follow back though… it’s @actuallywillow, pretty simple really!”

“Thank you! I gotta go, if you're working the show at the forum on Friday, I might see you there!” And with that, Shawn turns and makes his way out the door and out into the hoard of men with intruding cameras.

“Um, okay?” Willow spoke in the direction of where Shawn once stood, slowly turning back to her laptop and shaking her head. This was not how she had expected today to turn out.

Iwishiplayedbass started following actuallywillow

Iwishiplayedbass liked your post

Iwishiplayedbass sent you a message

Hey! Its Shawn, you have some serious talent in photography! I hope I see you again soon!

Hi! Thank you. There seems to be a trend growing with us, so I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.

Actuallywillow started following iwishiplayedbass

Anticipation for the show had Willow in quite a state. She was usually a calm young woman, but she had really worked herself into a fit of nerves over this. What were the chances of her even seeing Shawn anyway? In an arena that holds 17,500 people, ha! She checked over her equipment one last time before entering the familiar building through the side.

Once inside, she was greeted by posters and cardboard cut-outs of Shawn Mendes everywhere, complete with a fanbase of mostly 13 to 18 year old girls.

Willow’s contract with the Forum was unlike her past experiences on Wall Street; they let her do pretty much whatever she wanted as long as she consistently got great content during events. Not a problem, since she was a natural behind the camera. She roamed around for a while before the opening acts took their place, silently observing the crowd.

Was she really this out of touch with pop culture? How had she so gravely misunderstood this guy’s stardom? Probably because he seemed so down to earth during both of their coffee shop interactions - hell, she was surprised that a man this famous still bought his own coffee himself!

A few quick Google searches confirmed that Willow was not a dinosaur - Shawn’s career seemed to have exploded overnight. These Google searches also absolutely confirmed her growing interest in this handsome young man; there was just something about his smile. And his eyes, those eyes look special.

The house lights dimmed and the hollow sound of an electric guitar filled the indoor venue, tearing through her mental haze. Shit, she had a job to do.

Camera held against her body with one hand and her Forum Employee ID in the other, she flashed the security guards as she weaved her way to the front. Pure joy and excitement was pulsing through the walls of the arena, and the audience nearly went insane when a tall, unmistakable shadow appeared behind a layer of fog. While her heart was undoubtedly racing at the sight of him, Willow quickly aimed her Nikon at him, determined to snap some good shots.

Aside from the fact that Shawn was a total heartthrob, the concert ran smoothly. She noted that he was a great performer, high energy and clearly loving every bit of it. As the show was winding down, she felt the temperature of her body spike up as he bounded down the metal stairs leading down to the level of the crowd.

Fuck. He was right there. And coming closer. Fuck. Get your camera! Don’t mess this up! C’mon Willow! GET IT TOGETHER!

He was feet away from her, so close that she could see the sweat glistening off his dark curls in a beautiful, messy, well-entertained heap. She took the opportunity to click away at her camera, capturing his interactions with fans in the front rows as he hugged, smiled, and thanked each person individually. Willow watched and realized he had the it factor. He had the power to make every girl feel special. The sincerity that radiated off him was like a sharp blow to the fantasies that she had subconsciously been entertaining all night - the ones where she magically ends up with this rockstar, too much like a fanfiction written online. While a little voice in her head wanted to believe he was flirting with her yesterday, asking about her photography… she realized that was just the nature of his personality. It had to be.

Suddenly numb from the thoughts, the pictures became easier to take; the fire that was building in her chest a few minutes ago had been put out. He was inches away when she lowered the camera from her face. Another great image for the books. Wait, is he talking to her?

Willow leaned in - the deafening noise of the cheering and instruments was drowning everything out, even her own thoughts.

“WHAT???”

“Can you send me that picture?”

She smiled and nodded: he recognized her. Did he know she was there this entire time?

Shawn smiled back at her, eyes alight with excitement before turning back to the deafening crown. Willow needed a moment to breathe, how had this even happened? How had she not even known? Someone brushed past her, bringing her back to reality. She would have time to analyze later, and bought her camera up before he got too far away. She knew she was just given the photograph of a lifetime, how many other venue photographers got that close to someone like that, someone who she hadn’t even recognised!

With the show coming to a rapid close, Willow planned for a quick escape. She wasn’t sure she would be able to face him again, not in her slightly overwhelmed state. She snapped some final shots, his final moments on stage with his hands in the air and beaming smile on his face, the perfect set up for the perfect shot.

The house lights come up and Willow feels like she can breathe again. The air is stuffy and the energy is still electric, alive with adrenaline mixed with raw emotion that you just can’t find anywhere else. She takes her time heading back to her area, praying he had done the usual ‘leg it to the bus before the band was finished so they could leave the arena without having to maneuver through thousands of people’ thing the majority of stars do following a show and safely make it back to her area. What she didn’t expect was to find a message on her phone from the rockstar himself.

Iwishiplayedbass sent you a message

Hey! I’m really glad i saw you! That sounds creepier than it is, i’m sorry. But, what are you doing now? I’d love to see those photos, and I’d really love to see you. Please say yes? We could have some In n Out???? And just get to know each other?

-- 2 years later

Willow could tell Shawn was nervous. She could tell in the way his palm was sweating in hers, and the way he continuously muttered under his breath. It was also in the way he deflect everytime she asked ‘what’s wrong’ and ‘are you ok?’ with a tight smile that doesn't reach his eyes smile and a “yeah, I’m just ready to be home” before lifting the hand that is holding yours to kiss the back of it and dropping it to swing back and forth between the two of you.

Leaving the airport in Toronto was a hassle, Willow still couldn’t wrap her head around particular fans obsessive need to see Shawn for the few moments between the arrivals gate and the black car ready to pick him up right out front. Shawn’s on edge attitude was not helping the situation at all. The two were maneuvered through to the car with the help of some airport security and Shawn ushers Willow in first before sliding in next to her and taking her hand again. Shawn seemed less tense now, the only sign was his leg bouncing occasionally as he was chatting about random things he loved about tour but how happy he was to have some time off with her.

Pulling up to their condo, Shawn gets out of the car and pauses, pulling out his phone and fires off a quick text before helping Willow out of the car. Making it to the condo was a feat within itself, and Willow kind of hates just how much Shawn takes on tour when it time to bring it all home. Its mid-afternoon when they finally haul it all into their condo and all Willow wants is some food, a nap and cuddles with her favourite man on the couch and absolutely zero contact with the outside world for at least 3 solid days.

“Shall we order something? I’m starving and craving a pizza!” Willow called out from the bedroom, having changed into her Harry Potter PJ’s, only to not receive a response from Shawn at all. She makes her way to the living room calling out for Shawn again, confused.

“Shawn? Shawn! Are you ok? Please tell me you have not fallen asleep on the couch, you know what that does to your neck-”

Willow stopped suddenly and gasped at the sight before her. Many candles and fairy lights softly illuminated the open living room and an easel propped up against in front of the window overlooking the Toronto skyline with a large canvas filled with many photographs and memories leaning delicately against it. Looking around, Shawn was nowhere to be found as she stepped closer to the easel. Upon closer inspection, she found the page filled with an array of pictures and lyrics Shawn had written about you scrawled across various parts of the page. Willow raised her hand to touch her favourite lyrics with a soft smile on her face, before turning to find the man behind all of this. As she turned, she’s met with the sight of Shawn on one knee with a nervous smile gracing his face and a ring box resting closed in his hands.

Willow stepped forward to stand in front of him, tears gathering in her eyes and she raises her hand to cover her mouth.

“Hi, honey" Shawn says and inhales deeply and lets out a deep breath, letting his shoulders relax a little before continuing.

"I uh, I've been thinking about doing this for a while, and I know we've talked about it a few times, but I couldn't wait anymore and I've had the ring for a while - I'm rambling, sorry-” Shawn cut himself off, closing his eyes and taking another deep breath.

“I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want everything with you, absolutely everything. Please, will you spend the rest of your life with me? Willow, will you marry me?"

And Willow, with a wide smile and teary eyes, reaches to take his head in her hands and smoothing her thumbs over his cheeks.

"Yes. Yes of course I will. I would love nothing more. Oh my lord Shawn." And she kneels to his level, and kisses him deeply, putting as much love and happiness she could possibly muster into it.

Shawn pulls back first and opened his eyes, looking at her in utter adoration, almost unable to fathom the fact she had said yes. His right hand finding her left one that was still resting on his cheek and turning his face slightly to kiss her palm, before pulling it away to place the ring he'd bought her months ago on her finger, where it would sit for as long as they both shall live.

-- 1 year later

The warm summer air swept between the concrete pillars that lined the breezeway. Any moment now, Shawn and Willow would emerge from either side of the outdoor hall for their ‘First Look’ and exchange a few moments with each other alone, before the day’s ceremony. The rented estate stood still on the cliff of a La Jolla suburb, away from the hustle and bustle of the main beaches.

Shawn was standing exactly halfway down the stairs that lead to the building, facing the cliffs and awaiting his bride-to-be, hands folding and unfolding as the reality of the day set in. Connor and Josiah were there with him, all set up and ready to go for the photo-op.

“How are you feeling, Shawn?” Connor asks and focuses the camera on Shawn.

Shawn takes a deep breath and smiles, looking up from his feet and his hands pausing their nervous motions. “I’m nervous, but so happy. I’m getting emotional already. I can’t wait to see her though, she’s going to look so beautiful and I know I’m gonna cry. It’s funny, I go away for months at a time, yet I can barely stand to be away from her for 24 hours. Makes it easier though, knowing what we were apart for. Makes it that much more exciting.”

The white double doors on the south end slowly opened, and Willow stepped out adorning a pure white gown. The floral-embroidered bodice canopied over her chest, its leaf detailing working up to her collar bones as if they were straps. She picked up the vintage dress a few months earlier, while vacationing in Italy - err, while visiting Shawn during his last Europe tour.

Willow timidly walked out to a set of stairs facing the eastern courtyard, where her husband-to-be awaited, his broad shoulders facing her. He was acutely aware of her existence; he could feel Willow’s energy in the gravity of the atmosphere at any given moment - maybe this was a good indicator that they were meant to be. The gentle graze of her small hands cupping his eyes from behind eased his nerves instantly. The second her hands were on him, Shawn let out a sigh, and he felt as if he could breathe again. He knew he was being completely irrational, but all the thoughts of ‘she’s gonna leave’ and ‘what if she changed her mind’ were replaced with feeling her, right there behind him.

This part they had talked about a lot. The pair were almost more excited for this intimate briefing than the actual wedding. They knew exactly how they wanted it to play out, knowing everything was in safe hands with Connor and Josiah around to capture every special moment. Willow wanted to keep Shawn in suspense for a short amount of time while she posed behind him. After a few moments, she gave him the cue by gently tapping his shoulders.

“Okay lovely, you can turn around now.”

His heart rate spiked as he felt the well-anticipated tap, a feeling halfway between anxiety and euphoria coming over him as he dipped his head to turn behind him, shifting his body to match. All the air in his lungs escaped as he laid his eyes on the woman he was convinced was a goddess.

“Oh honey…” he let out under his breath as he bought his hands to his face after gazing lovingly at her, rubbing his eyes as if to make sure he was seeing correctly and to wipe the already welling tears in his eyes before he reached for Willow’s hands, carefully pulling her closer. “You are so beautiful” he finished, as if that wasn’t obvious enough already. He never wanted to look away from her; he was convinced that there was nothing else in the galaxy that he would rather look at. Ever. This was it. He wanted to continue standing there for all of eternity, taking in the sight of his bride - the most striking person on the planet. He took a few moments to study the soft curls tucked behind her ear, the beaming smile he fell in love with lighting her whole face up. Shawn closed the small gap between them and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her into a hug, and kissing her square on the lips.

“Shawn! You can’t kiss me yet!” Willow exclaims with a laugh, indicating she wasn’t really mad at him.

“I can’t help it! You just look so gorgeous,” he defended himself, not ashamed in the slightest. He carefully steps back, wanting to take all of her in.

The delicate bouquet rested in Willow’s hands, small with pretty pink and white flowers and vibrant green leaves tied with a white ribbon and finished with a neat bow. A matching boutonniere adorned Shawn’s suit jacket, right above his heart.

“Shawn, you look…” and Willow paused, contemplating for a moment as she took all of him and raised her hand to his cheek “... perfect.” She sucked in a small breath before letting go into a lighthearted chuckle. “Hubba-hubba, handsome. How did I get so lucky?”

She let go of his face for a moment to dramatically fan herself with her free hand, not once breaking eye contact. “Seriously, you are a freaking stud. I’m so nervous Shawn, can you tell? Phew. I’m freaking smitten with you though.” She laughed, feeling her body tingle with buzz as she internalized the moment. Her candor and humor in the most serious of moments reminded him why he wanted her to be his partner for life. For better or for worse, they would get through it together in high spirits.

Willow was absolutely correct: what a stud he was. Dressed in a sleek black suit that fitted him just right, a nicely pressed white shirt, black vest, a pale pink bowtie and finished off with a silver handkerchief tucked neatly into his top pocket. His hair was longer, curlier than ever having soaked up plenty of vitamin D from the summer sun. Willow fought the childish urge to run her hands through it. His cheeks were shaded pink, a lovely contrast to the sleek black and white look he had going on and his eyes were wide and bright, looking directly at her, not wanting to miss a single moment.

“Do you love it?” Willow asked, gesturing to her dress.

“I love it, I love it, I love it. You look so beautiful, you’re gorgeous. I’m so glad you said yes, I’m so glad I met you. You mean the world to me. And I never want you to take this dress off. It highlights everything I love about you.” Shawn nearly choked, his throat closing up and tears pooling in his eyes and he pulled Willow to him again, head nuzzled into her neck, placing light kisses and whispering softly to each other as Willow’s arms make their way over his shoulders, sharing a moment of solitude as the overwhelming feeling of love washed over them. Neither of them could truly believe this was happening.

“This is our wedding day! We’re getting married!”

“I’m so excited!”

“So am I!” Willow giggled, her hands running up and down his arms, completely unable to resist touching him.

“Do you wanna go get married?” Willow asked her husband-to-be.

“Yeah, let’s marry the heck out of each other.”

-- 1 year later

There’s something special about Saturday morning. Nothing exquisite, nothing especially extraordinary - yet every Saturday morning with Shawn and Willow was still special. Late breakfast, usually involving the two of them in the kitchen fixing up a new dish they scrolled past on a nutritional instagram account during the week. Granted, their attempts usually took three times the amount of time as suggested by the minute long clips, and never turned out quite as colorful or delicious. Nevertheless, the routine was comfortable; Saturday mornings felt like the embodiment of home.

This particular Saturday morning in early spring was special-special… Willow had left out a stack of insurance pamphlets that she had been looking into. The pair had gone over this sort of thing before, earthquake and flood insurance for their abode in California, top-tier health and dental insurance overall.

“Honey, what is this about? Life insurance? I know I’m not like, the greatest… adult ever, but aren’t we a little young to be thinking about this? I mean really, who is going to benefit from life insurance if we die in some freak accident? Buddy?” Shawn questioned, motioning toward the cocker spaniel sitting on the floor under him.

“Well, our family is growing, Shawn. We’ve gotta be prepared! Plus, why not do it now? Saves us doing it in the future, don’t you think?” Willow throws out casually, knowing exactly what she implied. She looks up at him from her position across from him at the kitchen island to see him sitting rigid and staring straight at her, mouth slightly agape, mid-bite of his cereal. He looked comical, and Willow couldn’t help but laugh.

“Are you, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“What do you think I’m saying, Shawn?”

“That- that you’re…” Shawn pauses, and Willow raises her eyebrow and smiles, examining his face “...pregnant?” Shawn mumbles the word, his mind still not fully comprehending the concept.

Willow nods her head and brings one shaking hand up to her mouth, and the other squeezed her abdomen a little. She’d know for a little over a week now and had this moment planned. Now she was here, finally telling him and watching his reaction. It was real now. So, so real.

Shawn moved suddenly, dropping his spoon on the marble. He raced over to her, picking her up and swinging her around, tears falling from his eyes, his face twisted up in happiness.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT, ARE YOU SERIOUS? Honey are you serious? We’re having a baby?”

“Well, I’m having a baby, but yeah, you’re gonna be a daddy.”

The looks of pure joy were all over their faces, Shawn still holding her at his eye level and Willows hands found his cheeks, her thumbs moving to wipe the tears away. The overwhelming emotions shared between them needed no more words, their eyes saying more than could possibly be said out loud. Shawn slowly moved to the couch in the conjoining living room and gently placed her down, using more caution than ever before. He knelt in front of her, moving his hands to her belly and resting his head against her thighs, shoulders shaking as he let out a few more tears as Willow’s hands find his hair, softly massaging his scalp and laughing. A beautiful moment between the parents-to-be.

-- 8 months later

‘Baaaaby! Come stretch me out!” Willow was laying on the floor of the new nursery, her belly so big she couldn’t see her feet. Shawn appeared in the doorway a few minutes later, walking over to pick her swollen feet up like clockwork. Especially in the last 10 weeks or so, Shawn’s main role in Willow’s life was as none other than her resident massage therapist and yoga partner - she was already amassing a list of pregnancy superstitions and quirks to ensure that her pregnancy would be as easy as possible. Shawn tried to point out that most of the things on her list were not rooted in any kind of science, but he knew not to do that again. He learned that it was best to just go with it.

With both her legs now in the air, as high as her body would allow her to go, Shawn stood in between them, pulling and pushing them in different directions. Willow was sure that flexibility was the key to a flawless natural birth. She tried to convince her husband to entertain the idea of a home birth, complete with a doula and everything… but Shawn was visibly uncomfortable with the idea. She wanted to be able to say she’d done it the old-fashioned way, but this was her first go around. She finally agreed that an epidural would probably be nice.

Suddenly, Willow could see a crinkle appear between Shawn’s eyebrows, as if he was squinting at something. Panic came over her as he continued to knead at the bottom of her feet, still in the air. “Wait, what is it? What’s the matter?” She questioned.

His intention was not to cause her any undue anxiety, but Shawn had noticed a growing darker spot in Willow’s lavender maternity leggings. It looked… damp. Did her water break? But… if that was the case, surely she would’ve noticed by now, right?

“Um… I’m sure it’s nothing. Are you feeling… different at all, love?” Then it hit. The first contraction.

Just as he asked the question, Willow rolled her head up and back into the carpeting, squeezing her eyes as tightly as she could. “Oh my god. I think that was a contraction!” she squealed, enduring what almost felt like a reverse-period cramp for a few seconds.

As she steadied her breathing, Shawn’s eyes widened and he set Willow’s legs down. “ACTIVE LABOR. CONTRACTIONS MEAN WE’RE IN ACTIVE LABOR!” He had studied four books on the whole birthing situation alone, and Willow couldn’t help but giggle to herself as she was sure that his last sentence came directly from the text. Shawn was so calculating, so methodical about the whole thing.

“Okay, not to alarm you or anything sweetie, but I think your water just broke - STAY THERE. I’m going to call the hospital and get your overnight bag. DON’T GO ANYWHERE, PLEASE.” He was rambling on at 100 words a minute, scrambling to find hospital records, the checklists he had prepared for this moment, and his phone. Willow laid out on the floor, surprisingly calm. Did he just tell me not to go anywhere? Where the hell would I even go? How the hell am I supposed to even get up and off the floor by myself? Willow rolled her eyes, deciding to move when Shawn was ready to leave. She had a feeling it would be a long day.

The drive to the hospital was short, Shawn having mapped out the shortest and most effective route months ago. At the time, Willow had thought it was slightly overdoing it, but she was suddenly very appreciative that he’d put the effort into it. Willow was hunched over her belly, rubbing circles with her hands in an attempt to soothe the pain. Shawn had both hands on the wheel, focusing on getting there as safely as possible while instructing her to breathe.

“Breathe, honey, we’re nearly there, I promise we’re nearly there.”

“Shawn, please, I am breathing, I need you to breathe, ok? Breathe.”

“Ok ok. Honey?”

“Yes, Shawn?”

“I’m kinda freaking out.” Shawn mumbles, brain going crazy over the fact that their little baby would be here soon.

“I know, I can tell. I am too. UGH-” Willow exclaims, hunching over again.

“We’re here, we’re here, we made it, its ok honey.” Shawn pulls into the hospital car park, pulling into the closest available spot.

Shawn legs it to the passenger side, unbuckling her seatbelt and helping her stand, one arm around her middle, the other shutting the door and grabbing her hand, cautiously guiding her forward.

Willow rests sleepily on the hospital bed, sweaty and exhausted after 10 long hours of labour the first Mendes child had arrived. The new parents had been given a brief chance to see their newborn, Willow holding their lil bug for just a minute, before the nurses insist they clean the newborn up.

Willow looks tiredly up at Shawn, who had held her hand and talked to her the entire time, letting out a quiet “We have a baby.”

“We do. We have a baby. Oh, you were so amazing, I swear, you just, you had a baby. I love you, I’m so proud of you. You only nearly broke my hand like, 7 times!” Shawn giggles lightly, and leans down to kiss her nose, then her lips, resting there and squeezing her hand.

“Oh, could you ever forgive me?” Willow asks dramatically with a grin, when her expression becomes wistful. “... so small, I miss my bug already.”

“I know honey, they’ll be back in a minute. I love you.”

“I love you too Shawn. We’ll have to call our parents soon. Surprise them with the news their first grandchild is finally here.”

“My mum is gonna yell at me for not calling sooner.” A mischievous smile crosses his face at the thought, so grateful they hadn’t been spotted entering the hospital, allowing for a complete surprise on their behalf.

“They’re all going to be so mad, but we’ll show them a picture and they’ll forget all about it. They’ll be so distracted and excited that we’ll be the last thing on their minds!”

At that moment, the nurse walked back into the room holding their little bundle.

“Here you go, all clean and healthy. Who wants the first hold?” the nurse spoke, looking expectantly between the pair. Shawn and Willow shared a look, before Willow gestured to Shawn.

“You’re up first, daddy.”

Shawns eyes glass over, squeezing Willows hand once more quietly asking “are you sure?”

“Yeah handsome, go”

And with that, Shawn stepped forward to take their baby in his arms. The nurse carefully guiding him, positioning the baby into his arms, and letting their bug nestle into his arms. Shawn stared, absolutely enchanted and unable to look anywhere else. He needed to sit down. Beginning to walk slowly to the bedside chair, Willow softly stopped him, and gestured to the gap on the bed beside her. Taking a seat beside her as delicately as possible to not disturb the resting baby.

“So pure, we made that. I can't believe we made this… life." Shawn was smitten already, he knew he'd do literally anything for his baby. Their baby.

"I- I know. We were talking about how big my belly was, but look how small bubs is. I'm in love all over again." Willow was just as enamored as Shawn, resting her head on his shoulder, giving her a perfect view. "I'm so happy. I love you."

Shawn kissed her forehead, murmuring "I love you too, you're so strong. Do you, do you wanna hold?"

Willow hummed in response, shuffling slightly so she could lie back comfortably before carefully taking the bubs in her arms, resting her on her chest, then, with Shawn's help, slowly lowering to the bed. Willow had one hand resting on the bubs' back, her other holding the small hand, gently soothing her thumb backwards and forwards across the soft skin as Shawn's hand comes up to cup his baby girls face.

"Welcome to the world, Harlow Mendes."

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