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goldfades · 1 year ago

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✮ 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬, zegras' have more fun

♡ ─ summary | set after this instagram post. parker invites stass to a party after a football and somehow, it turns into luke and stass talking about "them"

♡ ─ warnings | unedited, mention of drinking, slight angst, parker slander (poor guy), nothing else!

♡ ─ taglist | made a new whole new form for my au! fill out if you're interested!

♡ ─ ev's notes | okay y'all, this au is back!!!!! finally had some motivation to finish up :) i hope you enjoyed, and if you did, PLEASE SEND IN SOME AU THOUGHTS!! literally anything, i just wanna hear some feedback and thoughts!

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September 29th, 2022

"I am not going out with Jack, Trevor." Stass punctuated as she spoke, her expression annoyed. She was currently facetiming with her brother when she should've been studying for her Chemistry midterm.

Her macbook was wide open as she laid in her bed, looking at the call. She knew the only reason he had been calling was to address those stupid rumors online.

"I know you aren't, he woulda told me." Trevor leaned back in his chair, a frown playing on his lips as he glanced at his sister on the screen. "He was flirting with you, though."

"Yeah, so what?" Stass responded. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Hasn't he always flirted with me, why's it a big deal now?"

"You know why, Stass." Trevor sighed, his frustration evident. You did know why, but it was just another baseless rumor from when you two were teenagers, it didn't matter.

"Luke does not like me, okay?"

It had been a joke since Stass had met the brothers that somehow, she were gonna end up dating one of them. Stass never how that started but all she knew is that it pissed her and Trevor off, because it wasn't true. Well, for the most part.

"Look, I'm not saying he does or doesn't. I'm just saying you have to be delicate when it comes to these kinda things, especially after this summer, with the whole lake house thing-"

"Stop saying that."

"Stop saying what?" Trevor's eyebrows raised, his tone annoyed as he waited for Stassie to continue.

Stassie's frustration bubbled to the surface. "Stop bringing up the stupid lake house incident like it's some kind of defining moment in our lives. It was just a misunderstanding, and we've moved on from it. Besides, Luke and I are fine. We've always been fine."

"Dude, relax. I'm not saying you guys aren't fine or whatever, stop getting so goddamn defensive. I'm just saying this entire situation is just sensitive for Luke, alright, tread lightly."

Stass didn't feel like arguing right now, especially over this stupid topic. She should be studying for her midterm but this situation seemed to keep coming up. "Luke is fine. But okay, whatever. I won't stir the pot anymore."

"Just be how you are, you know? Just minus the flirtiness." Trevor sighed. "I guess rizz is just hereditary."

"I can't believe you just said rizz out loud, Trevor. That was so cringe." Stass rolled her eyes as she looked back at the screen, her brother laughing back at her.

"Shut up. But I gotta go, I have an early practice tomorrow."

"Okay, Trev. I'll talk to you later, goodnight. I love you."

"Love ya too-"

She hung up quickly and shut her macbook, sighing. She could not believe that this whole thing was caused by a few comments left by Jack, they were meaningless. At least, that was what she was trying to convince herself. Before she could open her macbook to study again, she heard a knock from her door.

"Come in."

Parker came into the room quickly, "Hey Stass."

Stassie eyed Parker suspiciously as he entered the room, her eyebrows knitting together in curiosity. "Hey, Parker. What's up?"

Parker gave her his best charming smile as he approached her bed, taking a seat beside her. Stassie resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he continued, "Listen, I need a favor. The guys and I are going to a party after the game on Friday, and I know you swore off alcohol, but can you still come with us?"

Stassie furrowed her brows, sensing there was more to his request. "I was already planning on going to the game, you know that-"

"Okay great, can you bring your short friend? Shit, what's her name... Uhh... Samantha?"

Stassie's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't know a Samantha, do you mean Chloe?"

Parker scratched his head, looking momentarily flustered. "Yeah, Chloe! That's the one. Can you take her? She's really pretty and I wanna get to know her."

"Why don't you be a man and just dm her?" Stass half joked as she stared back at him.

"Shut up, dude and just do me a favor, alright?"

Stass shrugged, knowing Parker well enough to understand his banter. "Alright, alright fine. But she's way outta your league. Like wayyy outta your league."

Parker rolled his eyes, playfully swatting at Stassie's arm. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Stass. But you miss 100% of the shots you don't make."

She couldn't help but shake her head at Parker's attempt at motivational quotes. "Yeah, well, just don't embarrass yourself too much, okay? Chloe's not exactly easy to impress."

Parker grinned confidently. "Oh, don't worry about me. I've got charisma for days."

Stass cringed once again before she sighed. "Whatever, can you leave now, I'm tryna study."

Parker chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm out. Thanks, Stass."

"You owe me a vodka soda Friday night." Stass smiled as she looked up at the brunette.

"I thought you swore off alcohol-"

"That was last week, okay? Now leave before I change my mind." Stass flashed a playful grin as she spoke, watching Parker get up and walk towards the door.

"Okay, whatever."

──

"I think I'm gonna step out for a sec, Chloe. I'll see you two later." Stass took that as her cue to leave before she wiggled her eyebrows at Parker, walking away from her two friends. Now that her mission was complete, she had to go find some water. She has had one too many vodka sodas and she didn't wanna be hungover tomorrow morning.

As she searched the entire house for any sign of water, she soon gave up and sighed. This was a frat house, the only thing they had was beer and chips everywhere, what was she expecting? As she stumbled through the crowd, trying to find an exit, she felt someone grab her arm.

Before she could pull away, she looked up at the tall figure and realized it was only Luke. "By any chance, do you know where I can find some water that isn't from a sink?"

Luke smiled as he nodded, "Yeah I'll take you, they have some bottles up stairs."

Relieved, Stassie let out a grateful sigh. "Thank you, Lukey. I owe you one." The nickname rolled off her tongue easily as she spoke.

Luke offered her his arm, guiding her through the crowded house with ease. Stassie couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in his presence, despite the chaotic atmosphere surrounding them. As they reached a quieter hallway, Luke opened a door to a room with a small table stacked with water bottles.

"Here you go," Luke said, handing her a bottle with a knowing smile.

"Thank you, Luke. You're officially my hero tonight," Stassie said, taking a grateful sip from the water bottle.

Luke chuckled, leaning against the wall. "Anytime. So, why'd you need water so urgently? Too many vodka sodas?"

Stassie laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. "You know me too well. Parker talked me into it. Long story."

Luke raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in his expression. "Parker causing trouble again, huh?"

Stassie nodded, taking another sip. "Always. But hey, at least I'm not stumbling around looking for water like an idiot anymore. Thanks for saving me."

Luke's smile widened, genuine warmth in his eyes. "Anytime, Stass. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

There was a sudden silence between the two as they looked at each other, Luke's gaze warm and Stass' was a little... uncertain? They had been friends for a long time, but there was something different in the air tonight, something Stassie couldn't quite put her finger on. Like the lake house.

As the silence stretched, Stassie's heart rate quickened, unsure of what to say next. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to read the expression in Luke's eyes. She felt a subtle flush creeping up her cheeks, breaking the moment with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. Just need to pace myself better next time," she said, trying to brush off the odd tension that had momentarily settled between them.

"So, you and Jack have been talking?" Luke finally had ripped the bandaid as he studied Stass' movements and her expression, which had shifted from uncomfortable to slightly annoyed.

"Not more than usual, why?"

"What do you mean, why? I'm just asking, Stass." Luke seemed to be getting defensive too as his eyebrows knitted.

Stass sighed, feeling the tension between them mounting. "It just feels like you're prying, Luke. What's with the sudden interest in my conversations with Jack? And you guys are brothers, if you're so interested, ask him."

"It's not about that, Stass. You know that. We just never got over what happened at the lake house, or at least I thought we didn't."

"What happened, Luke? We kissed, so what? It's not like I'd do anything with Jack anyway. And plus, you're the one that hooked up with that other girl, not me." Stassie shot back, her annoyance evident in her expression.

Luke's jaw tightened, a defensive glint in his eyes. "We're not talking about me right now, Stass. We're talking about you and Jack. And don't deflect this onto something else."

"There's nothing to talk about, Jack's always been flirty with me and it's always been a funny joke until now. If you have a problem with it, talk to him, he's your brother."

Luke's gaze hardened, a flicker of hurt crossing his eyes. "It's not just about Jack. It's about us, about our friendship. You act like the kiss at the lake house meant nothing."

Stassie rolled her eyes, her impatience showing. "Luke, we were drunk, it was a momentary lapse in judgment. We've moved past it, or at least I thought we did."

"Fuck, Stass." Luke ran his fingers through his curly hair before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, then. We can move on."

"Luke, I like our friendship." Stass sighed, defeated. "I don't wanna make it into something awkward, something that can get in the way of an already amazing friendship. Things are just better that way, okay? And we just forget that stupid kiss ever fucking happened and move on?"

Luke's expression softened, hurt evident in his eyes. "Yeah, okay. We can move on."

Stassie nodded, a sense of relief washing over her. "Great. So, can we just put this behind us and focus on being friends?"

Luke offered a small smile, his tone gentle. "Yeah, of course. Friends it is."

"Great, now, let's get back to the party before Parker starts freaking out." Stassie suggested, eager to shift the focus away from their tense conversation.

Luke chuckled, the tension between them dissipating. "Yeah, good idea. Last thing we need is Parker going on one of his rants again."

"You guys left me again, oh my gosh, Luke, I thought I was your favorite freshie." Stass mocked Parker as Luke laughed along, opening the door as the two of them made their way downstairs.

-> make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated! <-

thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

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wings-of-ink · 10 months ago

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The more I think about confessing to oswin previously the more I like it. It would make for a lovely POV from him.

Like I said in my comment especially if MC still kinda likes him but has resigned themselves to not being his type or thinking he just doesn't see them like that.

Then MC starts hanging out with the other ROs and he witnesses a moment between them and get irritated with himself thinking about why he actually has NO DAMN reason to be annoyed.

Because sir you told us to basically fuck off 😒

Well i doubt you'd make it that he said that. He was probably just a cold asshole that said nothing could happen between us or he can't because he's a damn scaredy cat 😒

Mxm oswin pisses me off. This didn't even happen and I'm already upset.

Like dude why are you made that MC is spending time with other people. You rejected Us!!! 😭😤

Oh, my friend, your asks brought me much joy this morning!

I absolutely love the idea of a POV for Oswin with this. It would be a fitting way to see all the screwed up thoughts that were in his poor little kid/teen noggin.

Sometimes I feel like I've hurt Oswin enough, but then I get messages like this, and I'm like...did I? Did I hurt him enough? Maybe just a little more emotional baggage won't hurt, lol (well, it will, it will hurt a lot).

(Also, I lost my shit at your "This didn't even happen, and I'm already upset" line, lol!)

This situation also kinda makes me think that certain ROs would sense something odd with MC and Oswin and maybe point it out. Duri for sure. They wouldn't be mean about it, but maybe unintentionally rub it in....

In response to your Ask-amendment, lol, hellloooooo to you too! I am having a wonderful week and I hope you are too my lovely Liz!

#god cursed if #asks #twine if #if wip #twine wip #interactive novel #if game #interactive fiction #gc ro oswin

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lyrenminth · 2 years ago

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NUMBER ONE PICK

N/A: this is kinda like enemies to lovers. You are an athlete, the story happens in college. It will have a second part because I don't like long posts lol

Joe fucking Burrow.

Ugh.

Why couldn't he wear that stupid helmet everywhere? Or why couldn't he move to another university? Stupid football players, stupid football, and stupid administration.

Your volleyball team was doing fine, the media started noticing your progress and decided to made a short documentary about the players, but since LSU football team was doing extremely well since Joe Burrow arrived, the school media decided your team wasn't interesting/engaging enough and cancelled the short documentary.

You were excited, you were happy someone was paying attention to the effort put in by all the girls. You had seven wins in a row, come on. So, when they gave you the news, you were pissed. It ruined your day. Bad.

It didn't help that you were sharing a class with him, and after an important game where the tigers won everyone was sucking his cock. And he was enjoying it.

His stupid cocky ass.

That documentary should be about the volleyball team, not Joe Burrow. You didn't talk to him so much, you had friends in common but never were at the same time in the same place for different reasons. Besides, you didn't like how everyone worship him. Yes, he was good. The same with the other one hundred athletes in college. And yes, you were damn salty.

So, when your friend invited you to the party to celebrate the win, you said no. She was taking it better than you. Everyone in the team was taking it in a better way. They prompted you to go, saying Joe wouldn't be there because he didn't like people. A fucking lie, of course. What convinced you was the alcohol, you need to forget for a couple of hours.

The party was nice. There were students-athletes and members of sororities. At the beginning you didn't see Joe and thought he wasn't there, but when you went to the garden in a hidden corner to take fresh air he appeared like the fucking Houdini.

Great.

"Hey, you are y/n?"

You nodded, holding your cup with both hands, trying not to look so much his face because for the heaven and hell, he was hot. Everyone knew that, it was a reason why girls loved to show them tits to him. He was tall, well-built, a jawline which could cut your veggies and his laid-back, confident personality.

"I'm Joe Burrow" he said. You almost roll your eyes. "Yeah, I know" he read your expression, knowing you weren't happy with his presence.

"So, I just want to tell you I'm sorry for the doc" he explained. He didn't sound drunk at all. You were drinking but still thinking clearly.

"Yeah, me too" You couldn't hide the bitterness in your voice. Gosh, people didn't understand how important was for you, for the team. Everyone said "it just a documentary no one is going to see" and that hurt because you were working so hard and nobody cared.

"I didn't say or did anything if that's what you were thinking" he added "I'm just good"

His last comment sent you to hell. What the fuck?

"Yeah, and we are fucking trash although we are in a winning strike"

"I didn't mean it that way" he clarify, bothered after hearing your harsh tone.

"Yeah, I don't care" you took a deep breath realizing how rude you were. Yes, it wasn't Joe's fault, he was an exceptional quarterback and you only wanted to fight a wall "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just frustration"

"I see" he said quietly.

"What does it feel that everyone around you thinks you are great, cool and hot?" you asked, regretting it a few moments later.

"Do you think am I hot?" he said, amused.

"That wasn't the question"

"Um, I don't know. it is who I am" he shrugged.

"Well, yeah, thank you for the clarification. You deserved it though" you replied, referring to the doc.

"I mean, yeah, but you played well. I think is unfair for you and the team" You raised your eyebrow, not expecting that answer from a guy like him. "I mean, you can't avoid being popular" you stated.

"I don't like it as you suppose" he answered, looking around. A blonde girl was smiling at him "I just want to play"

"Well, doesn't matter what my opinion is. Congrats"

After that talk, you realized he wasn't such a prick. In fact, he was kinda weird. Not in a bad way, but you could tell, he didn't receive so much attention before. Also, the perfectionist and competitive traits pushed him to give his all. LSU did better not only for him but other key players. And you didn't want to get to invested, but Joe started following you, talking to you in class, sitting next to you. Weird stuff which made you uncomfortable because the last thing you wanted was to be labeled as his girlfriend when you were an athlete too. It didn't help the comments he used to make when you were lonely:

"You help me to be better, to improve my game"

"You are more competitive than me, I like it"

"I could learn from you too"

"My coach says you are the best in your position, I believe that's true"

You didn't know when your hatred vanished; when your walls fell down.

"You should sleep with him" Mindy, your friend and teammate said "He is the moment, he is hot and soon-to-be number one pick in the draft"

"No" You had a flashback of his back muscles, the long thighs, the pecs, and the dreamy booty. How many dreams have you had about kissing him below the ear?

"Not every day you sleep with a number one pick" she argued.

"Mindy no" you push the lustful thoughts aside.

"He likes you"

"Hell no" you replied, feeling uneasy.

"Hell yes" she said, grinning like a damn maniac "You are clueless and in deep denial. The poor boy follows you like a lost puppy. The other day I saw a girl trying to kill you with her glare when you were speaking to him. Those bitches dream to be you"

"You know that I have my goals too"

"Oh, come on! You didn't like volleyball either, you did it for the scholarship. Are you thinking of having a career?" Not really. Mindy knew your well "Or are you scared you like him as he likes you?"

"He is gonna be famous, and I wouldn't know how to handle that" you confessed. College and NFL were different lives. "You let it flow, baby" she said "And also, do you think he is going to let you go away?"

No, Joe always worked hard for what he wanted.

The thought made your cheeks red and your knees weak. But, there was this unnamed relationship, very close to a couple. He supported you, listened to you and you reciprocated. It was easy to do because...well, because you liked him too.

You took a deep breath, thinking about all the reasons why you should not date him. Stick to them, even if it hurts.

-----

Joe got nominated for the Heisman.

He invited you to the awards. Everybody thought you had something going on. I was strange since slept in a sexual way (once you got wasted and slept together) and kissed a couple times. You were going crazy. What Joe Burrow wants from you?

It was time to put your big girl pants and asked him directly. So you invited him over, and he arrived after practice, freshly showered. Joe was happy to be there, and bought you a Subway on the way since you told him you haven't eat. It was those actions what cause confusion and ache. You needed to get the thing straight.

"Do you want to eat, first?" He said offering the Subway.

"No, later" he raised an eyebrow because you rarely rejected eating "I want to talk about us. I know you invited me to the Heisman ceremony and I would like to go, but I want to be clear that I'm not willing to wasted my time if we are not a couple. I'll go to the ceremony as your girlfriend nothing less"

Joe wasn't the only taking decisions. You wanted you piece of cake too. You were serious about this, after thinking so much about the pros and cons, the lifestyle of Joe scared you, but with a good support system you should be ok. You talked with your parents, friends and strangers on internet. Again, you were going crazy for this relationship.

"Ok" he said, and you almost threw a pillow at him. "Ok, that's all?" You asked skeptical.

"Yeah, I mean is weird you asked because in my mind we have been dating for a while, but I'm willing to go and said to the world you are my girl officially"

"In your mind?" he shrugged, a shy smile on his lips "Joe, wtf? I was dating you without knowing. Dude, we haven't had sex yet" his laugh made you stare at him "What?"

"From now and on, we have so much time to do what you want. Kiss, fuck, watch movies. Whatever you want" he said, happy. You noticed that he was fully committed. He had that determined expression he used to have before important games.

"I'm confused" he got closer to you and kissed you. You were getting used to his soft lips. Needless to say, he was a good kisser.

"Don't be, you're mine, I'm yours, everything is fine"

#joe burrow x reader #joe burrow #joe burrow fan fic #nfl

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kmze · 1 year ago

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Finally decided to do a TVD rewatch now that the 'verse is complete. Since I know how everything ends I thought it would be interesting to see how I react with that knowledge. Curious if my feelings might change about characters, ships, storylines etc. (obviously I am fully aware there's going some bias).

Adding my thoughts after I complete the half-way mark of each season (there is simply too many episodes to do a recap of each one). I am talking to the void mostly here but feel free to leave comments, thoughts on my posts for those who still follow me or just find this post. However, I am not here to argue, I simply DO NOT CARE whatever you think is right totally, please leave me alone.

Recaps tagged with k rewatches tvd

S1 Episodes 1-11

I am loving the dark atmosphere of the first season, feeling so much nostalgia! Nice to go back in time to when vampires were scary on this show. That's not really criticism because every supernatural show goes through this. The big bad must always be upped as it goes on but it was nice when the stakes were lower and the mythos was being developed.

Damon makes me feel so uncomfortable so far... I know he was the 'villian' for most of the beginning of the season but his treatment of Vicki and Caroline is just so predatory and gross. Which brings me to...

WHY HAS NO ONE GIVEN CAROLINE A GOD DAMN VERVAIN NECKLACE ALREADY!!! Stefan and Elena both know Damon was using her (and they know damn well he hasn't stopped). Her Mom has the vervain to give her and just has not for no reason!! GET AWAY FROM HER ALREADY! I got so mad when Damon was compelling her AGAIN in the 10th episode. I'm so glad she outlives them all, justice for my baby!

I'm sorry but Stefan is so creepy and self-righteous in the beginning, I remembered this but did not remember how bad it was. Also he did not need to kill Vicki, that pissed me off. I don't think it did as much when I first watch this (mind you that was literally 14+ years ago) but just knowing how freely everyone neck-snaps around here it was bullshit. His one cool moment remains when he told Logan he can't walk in the sun. The manipulative way he used Elena’s adoption to get her to forgive him had me rolling my eyes (then of course she used it against Jenna to get out of trouble lol).

I can't remember who the other vampire is who turned Logan, I'm thinking its Pearl's henchman but yeah I don't remember that part. I also didn't remember the crystal so I like that some of this is like a 'mystery' again.

I did remember that I thought Tyler was such a dick in the first season and yeah confirmed. Though now I remembered his Dad was an abusive piece of shit. Still, fuck Tyler for now.

Alaric looks so different I don't hate him (yet).

I still hate Matt #bias

The progression of Bonnie realizing her powers has been well done, again nice to just see the simple magic again. (Stefan totally wanted to bang Sheila back in the day... maybe they did)

Jeremy just met Anna and I still love them, I wish they got more time. They were the only 'ship I like in this season when it first aired.

The Bonnie, Elena and Caroline friendship is nice but I am annoyed they haven't done more to protect Caro from Damon. Especially when she doesn't know what's going on and they do (though Bonnie only just got all the deets). This might be magnified by my love of Caroline I admit but I hate the prop-y way she's being used so far.

I kinda rolled my eyes at the whole Katherine/Damon/Stefan stuff before Elena knew they were vamps because OMG Stefan is 17(!!!) Does no one thinks it's weird he's like "it was a long time ago" A LONG TIME AGO LIKE WHEN YOU WERE 12?! They should have made him at least 20, just bothers me.

I liked that not every vampire had a daylight ring and it was more of a novelty. That is something that could have stuck more in the later seasons.

Lines that made me laugh:

Caroline: Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines. (Bonnie offers to help her) I guess we can put her in the back. (all right in front of Elena lmao oh Caroline never change)

Caroline: So, Elena...how long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it...like a permanent thing? (eyes on the prize baby! lol)

Stefan: (imitating Damon) Now that the secret society of vampire haters is off our back, I can go back to my routine of how can I destroy Stefan’s life this week. (never gets old!)

Damon: *shoots Logan with wooden bullets* Payback's a bitch, isn't it? (all in the delivery here lmao kudos to Ian)

#tvd rewatch #tvd spoilers #S1 rewatch #1x1 - 1x11 #not gonna tag characters yet #I feel I'd just be setting myself up for discourse I don't want #maybe I will later we'll see how it goes #we'll also see how long I keep up with this lol #I had time this week not always the case #'twas fun so far!#k rewatches tvd

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waitingforeddyneddy · 1 year ago

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Lmao I AM the old mod from Reddit. Just a few points

1) my friend did see them at merrily we roll along. Idk why this changes things. I still don’t like Ariana, she’s an ass. And I find it very telling that JB hangs out and associates with her and it HAS dimmed my interest in him, I still like HIM, but it’s definitely annoyed me. I won’t be seeing wicked, and I’m not convinced it will be good. 2 parts? Why?

2) I do still feel like the JB sub is very strict with voicing opinions. One of my comments recently got locked because I mentioned that I didn’t think JB should brag about meeting president Biden at the moment and I was told not to bring politics into the sub. Somewhat difficult, when JB is angling himself as a political activist/foundation member. But fair enough, it’s their sub and their rules.

3) I didn’t say Simone was jobLESS, I said it was weird she didn’t book as much as her counterparts. I put 0 blame on Simone for this btw - I said I feel like her management team was dropping the ball. Being the lead in a top show on Netflix should have put her on the short list for actresses that year. Fast forward to now, & the strike has delayed whatever project she’s in. That sucks. Because the only thing we’ll have seen from her in the last two years is Bridgerton s2 & 3.

4) I agree JB didn’t do much press for s2. And I still say, he won’t for 3. I didn’t say he’s too big for it. I said he might not want to, and if he’s busy (wicked reshoots and whatever project he books next - a play? Idk) he probably won’t make room for it. Also? Why would I think he’d do press for 3 when they *barely* promoted him for 2. He got his solo articles for 2, he’s not going to do that for 3.

I don’t really remember what else was in the comment but here you go!

Y’all don’t like JB (some of you even hate him) and that’s fine, everyone’s allowed an opinion. I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of Simone, I don’t hate her, I just don’t really care either way and people were really pissed at my opinion that she should have booked more after s2 lol.

I read your comments because I agree with some of the things posted, I disagree with a lot. But isn’t that what open dialogue is about?

Anyways, happy holidays!

happy holidays to you anon

listen, you know what I think about JB, I won't say that I hate him cause at the end of the day I can't hate a person I will never meet. I feel an intense dislike for him based on his public persona. Kudos to you for admitting that your interest in him has dimmed. If I was his fan I would be much the same cause you have to admit he surrounds himself with nasty people. Ariana Granda was an asshole way before she came out as a serial homewrecker, there's no one I hate more than privileged celebrities who use their fame and money to treat regular people as trash and we all know those horror stories that always surrounded her about her treatment of workers. Lmao she basically admitted she's a cunt in one of her songs, when people tell you who they are, believe them. As for JB, I don't know if his friendship with her is PR or not, It kinda doesn't make sense since I think his Wicked character doesn't even end up with her right? (I don't know Wicked very well) but it was very obvious those photos were staged because the way they were acting was embarassing and the fact that he keeps bringing them up and the buzz they generated as something surprising is even more embarassing for him. This is why I think he's fake as hell. What do you mean you can't believe people were talking about them and the fact some people thought they were a couple? Not everyone knows you're gay buddy, and they way you and and one of the most famous pop stars were all over each other is bound to create talk so stop acting kind of annoyed about the "straight allegations". Then there's his whole friendship with Matt Bomer, another gay man who wasted a good opportunity to shut the fuck up and punctual as a clock posted an israeli flag on his insta. The reality of Fellow Travelers is there for all to see. Paramount, the conservative author, the producers, writers and cast members seem to be zionists and JB himself was part of Israeli pink washing propaganda. Honestly kudos to you for saying your fave talking about being happy about meeting Biden is not a brag and them telling you to keep quiet is another reason JB fans are the biggest hypocrites cause what the fuck does it mean keep politics out when JB himself said he wants to be political lmao? he photodumped his israel vacation, he's proud of his zionist show, he's happy about meeting Biden. Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's best if you start accepting your fave is not on the right side of things at all, yikes. He's one of the cast members of Bridgerton who said he wants to be political but couldn't bother to post ANYTHING regarding a simple call for a caesefire, in the name of human rights being stomped and all the kids who are losing their parents or even worse their lives. Fucking yikes. And he wants to be political? Does he think being political is only about going to galas, meeting famous people and having drinks? Or does he think it's only all about queer rights? He's white, he's rich, I think he can afford to speak about queer rights AND human rights since he wants to get "political". Nah, I don't think he's a good person at all and the more I see and read the more I feel validated in my opinion.

As for Simone and her career...I don't know what's going to happen, I'm patiently waiting for news, she seems happy and I'm good with that. Of course I wish for more, we'll see. I don't think it's right to compare her to her other costars. Actors from Bridgerton who have been booked and busy are Phoebe and JB, they're both white with connections. Even Rege, who was the actor everyone couldn't stop talking about when Bridgerton came out, didn't book much. I mean he did a couple of movies but nothing that matched the level of hype he got. We all know why.

#jonathan bailey #matt bomer #fellow travelers #anti zionisim #simone ashley #ariana grande #asks

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duckydae · 1 year ago

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{random boys planet thoughts...}

we get an under nineteen reunion moments

+ mnet only aired in the trailer with min hugging jay and seunghwan. + seunghwan, min + wumuti together during the here i am training. + seunghwan cheering for k-group, then wumuti follows for g-group during yuehua. + hwanmuti in various youtube clips (eye-contact, speedometer and gangg / zoom practice room.) + you can hear wumuti cheering for seunghwan after en garde's family performance and of course the banner on show-day. + seunghwan's "pass" comment about competing with jay. + them sitting together during the finale. + seunghwan and jay on u19 had such baby faces they've grown out of (byeonghee too). wumuti and min still look the same though (i miss wumuti's auburn hair)

hwanhee singing "dream" by baekhyun & suzy adds ten years to my life also his behind the scenes with kill this love team is so baekhyun coded.

hwanhee and gunwook were the highlight of the first elimination. hwanhee realising he shouldn't want more people to survive in other teams because that means less for ktl is hilarious.

of course it's woongki that points out that seunghwan probably hasn't been called because he's a top nine candidate (he was in my heart).

the return of smiley, fluffy-haired wumuti.

woongki's edit was interesting, it never felt like it was laughing at him but it did feel like mnet was consciously using him to fill gaps and what makes it more apparent is mnet not showing the hanbin vs. haruto battle (outside of 'the centre' loosing) considering we now know that it was basically a lipsync for your life.

speaking of, you can't convince me the supercharger team name isn't a drag race reference, "club ninty-six~"

i was dying at the juxtaposition of the 'macho tough guy' edit of seunghwan, jiwoong, mingyu and ma jing xiang then cutting to wumuti who's just happy to be there

jianyu almost swearing in his reaction to one of our lovely princesses.

hwanhee ripping the piss out of dongyeol during the sports day for his awful strength test attempt.

key should've hosted boys planet. mnet not having a consistent host was a poor decision and minhyun was not a good pick for the finale. your contestants should be able to build rapport with them and you couldn't do that. or, bring back yeo jingoo.

mnet give me my 00s content, especially seunghwan and seowon (+woongki) giving seunghwan a make-up lesson.

i kinda wish we got a 'here i am' girls planet style mission were they separate into groups of nine.

boys planet should've done a fashion-show like girls planet because it's a genuinely good skill for the boys to have but instead we got cut yoga content watching poor minseoung catch haruto sweat.

the only people who gave woongki energy on girls planet was wen zhe and youngeun.

hwanhee, bora and yujin were most definitely giving the same energy (also, fuck you mnet. you screwed my girl over again. you gave her a rancid evil edit and tried to back peddle far too late. for shame!)

what was the point in not having ph-1 sit in on gangg especially because it's the higher music version!

seowon looked like reno from ffvii in love killa

ma jing xiang gave me weird vibes and that's completely my fault. his demeanour reminded me a lot of my cousin so i just never clicked with him.

i love how mnet covered hanbin's snort and seungeon's fart to keita with soundbites but did not hide doha's fart during round one.

#kpop #boys planet #lee seunghwan #wumuti #jay #lee hwanhee #seo won #woongki #zb1 #sung hanbin

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waynes-multiverse · 10 months ago

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Hahaha I love that "a little Shakespeare" was a warning, but as Eng lit major I couldn't agree more 😂

Douchface has shown up and I was livid several times during this part. Read my outrage below 👇

“So she’s talked about me,” he said.

I wish you could see the face I made when I read this, but it was pretty much 😒😒😒

“Oh, believe you me, that’s not something to brag about, Mike.”

Give it to him, Beau! 😂👏

“I’m Michael, her fiancé,” he tried to introduce himself with an outstretched hand.

THE AUDACITY!!!! I gasped!

What are you? Delusional? Do we need to 51/50 you????

“You’re missing an ex in there. As in no longer, and wish we’d never been,” you said.

Great comeback! Bravo 😂 I love her sass!

For a moment, you paused with indecision. You didn’t want to make a scene here in the middle of a bar. Not in front of your friends, where half of them were police officers. You didn’t want to stop them from having a good time either.

Gah, I hate this! What a manipulative ass to put her in that situation! Of course, she doesnt want to discuss this in front of her new friends 😬

“That’s such a lie! You wouldn’t even talk to me at the funeral,” Michael shot back.

Who cares, Michael? Whoooo? NO ONE!

He's such an immature, gaslighting, conniving little prick... Like shut up! (I screamed this several times during this conversation with her. Pretty much at every line he said 😂)

“Look, you know how hard it was for me to come out here and beg like a dog, but here I am…because I still love you.”

“She’s not you,” he said.

DEAR GOD! This man exhausts me! Go home, Micheal! GO HOME!!!

But I loved everything that came after! Cassie bringing her tequila, Jenny offering her help, and of course, Beau *swoon* 🥹🫶

Not only had Avery bought a gun, but he’d given her some unhinged, quasi- “If I die” speech that had freaked her the hell out.

Yeah, that was great! 🤣 That was the point in the show when I really started to get annoyed by Avery and his whiny ass lmao

I loved how you described those scenes by the way and provided the inner monologue for Beau! It's so awesome not only to see his emotions but to read them as well!

Beau’s brows rose in interest, but again, he tried not to picture you in some tight-ass yoga pants.

Oh please do, Sheriff 😏

“Only two calls and eleven texts before lunch, but I’m not answering. He’ll get the hint and go home soon,” you said.

Will he, though? I'm inclined to drop the "idiot sandwich" gif again 🙄

“Let’s just say?” you repeated. Your brows drew together in frustration. “Why don’t you just say it? God knows you know everything about my messy life.”

Hahaha damn he pissed her off! 😂 (And I love the callback to his little comment in the beginning when he still hoped he'd never meet her angry side lol)

And you brought the old clam back! 👏👏👏

And not just because you had some…unnamed feelings for her father.

You guys are driving me nuts! It's called "liking each other." Google it. Stop messing around and make out already. You both want to 😝 (I think I'm still upset over that whole Michael annoyance and lashing out. I apologize... kinda 😂🙈)

“God. Maybe he wants to get back together with his ex-wife,” you realized, with some small shock.

Ugh, yikes. God no... 👀

the sniping and the arguments and the misunderstandings between them had been love all along…

Mmmh, yeah, like kindergartners tugging on pigtails 😆

“Michael?! What are you doing here?” you asked. He stood there with determination set across his face. “We really need to talk.”

YOU ALREADY DID!!!

I knew he was dense 😒🤦‍♀️

And I know I used waaay too many gifs in this part, but like I stated in the beginning I was livid and ahd to express myself. I channeled it into gifs. You're welcome 🤣

Such an exciting and fantastic part! I honestly love to get upset while reading and yell at characters. I had so much fun during this 😅🫶

Can't wait to see how she deals with Michael in the next chapter! 🤍

Take Me Home - Part 5

Pairing: Beau Arlen x F. Reader

Summary: You are another lost soul at Sunny Day Excursions. You’re aiming to settle in Helena, Montana, where Beau Arlen is the new sheriff in town. But you’ve both got a past you’re running from.

AN: Welcome back, friends! We’re gonna start ramping up from here on out.

Word Count: 5K

Tags/Warnings: Angst and tension, a bit of heartbreak, a little Shakespeare, and another small cliffhanger…

❤️ Series Masterlist

Part 5: Not That Simple

“I’m keeping close tabs on Carla and Emily just to be safe,” Beau admitted.

Your face became the picture of concern. But before you could respond, a man approached the table, tall and lean, with a shaggy cut of dark blonde hair. He wore a pair of faded jeans, boots, and a gray Chicago FD t-shirt.

Your face paled, and your mouth parted in surprise.

“Hey there, stranger,” he said with a smile.

“Michael?” you gasped. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Beau’s eyes widened. Michael was younger than him, closer to your age. And cocky too.

“Hey, baby,” Michael said. His smile quirked with charm, but his next words were anything but charming.

“We need to talk,” he said, raising his brows.

“We actually don’t,” you retorted in a firmer voice. Cold even. You straightened in your seat.

Beau saw none of your softness and good humor from earlier. This was a different woman, and he was actually proud of you for standing your ground. Though he realized then that he’d never gotten on your bad side. (He hoped he never did.)

Michael frowned, sighing through his nose. He seemed to expect your reaction, to an extent, but was still disappointed. His gaze slid to Beau.

Seeming to realize his manners were lacking, he reached out his hand.

“Sorry for interrupting. Michael Hadley,” he greeted.

Beau stared at the other man’s hand for a moment. Instead of shaking it, he held all his true thoughts inside and flashed the newcomer an easy grin, as well as the badge on his belt.

“Sheriff Arlen,” he replied, raising a brow. “So you’re Michael.”

Michael met your eyes briefly, then Beau’s again. Michael’s hand lowered back to his side.

“So she’s talked about me,” he said.

Beau’s eyes were sharper when they took the other man in.

“Oh, believe you me, that’s not something to brag about, Mike.”

You had to bite your lip so you wouldn’t smile. Michael’s politeness thinned, but just as his mouth opened to offer a retort, Cassie and Jenny returned with the drinks.

“Hi, there,” Jenny said with civility (sort of), but her blue eyes raked over Michael in an assessing way. She’d clocked your surprise and discomfort from across the room.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to stop the party,” Michael said, making you want to scoff.

Of course you did, you thought.

“I’m Michael, her fiancé,” he tried to introduce himself with an outstretched hand. Jenny also ignored that hand in order to set down the drinks.

It gave you the opportunity to interject with some reality.

“You’re missing an ex in there. As in no longer, and wish we’d never been,” you said. You crossed your arms and met Michael’s annoyed look with your firm one.

He eventually sighed and rested a hand on the back of the booth, behind your seat. You twisted to face him, but you were purposeful in leaning away from him.

Beau had to just watch the scene unfold. He didn’t like the way Michael leaned in, crowding your personal space when you were clearly trying to create distance.

“Can we talk?” Michael asked you. “Please?”

You met Cassie and Jenny’s eyes, and finally Beau’s. Despite the controlled, almost lazy way he’d handled Michael, you could see he didn’t look happy. You sighed.

“Sorry. Give me a minute,” you said. You got up out of the booth and went with Michael to a somewhat private corner across the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Beau tried not to seem like he was keeping an eye on you two. Cassie and Jenny were too, while sipping on their respective drinks.

“What’s the story there?” Cassie asked.

“Cheating ex,” Beau supplied.

“Great,” Jenny said wryly. Her lips pursed as she met Cassie’s knowing frown. They’d been there before.

Cassie turned to Beau and bumped his shoulder with her own.

“You okay there, Sheriff?” Cassie asked him. Beau flashed her a look that showed he was unsettled.

“I’ve got another one to add to the punch list,” he replied.

“I can’t believe you’d ambush me like this!” you whisper-yelled.

Michael crossed his arms in defense. The two of you ducked a server who was coming in hot with a plate of buffalo chicken wings.

“You came all the way to Montana? For what?” you continued. “I already said everything I had to say to you last year. And at Mary’s funeral. Thanks again for that, asshole.”

“That’s such a lie! You wouldn’t even talk to me at the funeral,” Michael shot back. “And you haven’t been answering my calls, my emails. What the hell was I supposed to do?”

“You’re supposed to respect me,” you snapped. Though you couldn’t help the emotion making your voice shake, just a little. “You’re supposed to respect me, and my choices. That’s what you’re supposed to do. But I don’t why I should expect you to start now."

You started to walk away from him, but he grabbed at your hand. You turned back around and jerked your hand out of his grasp.

“It’s over. It’s been over for months. Damn near a year,” you said. “What do you want?”

He looked down at you through sad eyes under his furrowed brows.

“I never wanted it to be over,” he said quietly.

“Well, you pretty much made that decision for us,” you said, crossing your arms. You didn’t know whether it was to stand firm, or to shield yourself. “And I’m done. Quite frankly, I could live the rest of my life without seeing you again.”

“Come on. You don’t mean that,” he said.

He genuinely looked gutted, which was the confusing part. You shook your head and tried to blink the frustrated tears out of your eyes.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” you said.

“I want to say I’m sorry. And I am, more than you know. I want…I want to ask if you can forgive me,” he all but pleaded. He touched your arms, not quite grasping. For the first time since you’d known him, he seemed desperate. “Look, you know how hard it was for me to come out here and beg like a dog, but here I am…because I still love you.”

You were shocked into silence for a moment, but not out of happiness.

Then, you had to sigh. You held up a hand against his chest, a subtle move at pushing him away.

“I can’t give that to you. Even your apology is hollow. Because what you did…” you said, on a halting breath. “You did it to me for years, Michael. Pretty much from the beginning of our relationship, if it ever was one.”

You shook your head as a tear made its way down your cheek.

“And if you could do that, then you never really loved me,” you said.

Michael’s eyes fell away, to hide the emotion stinging in them.

“So…just go home,” you told him. “Be with Kate if you want. I could really give a shit.”

Once again, Michael held your wrist when you tried to leave, this time more gently. He met you with frustrated blue eyes. Those eyes you used to drown in.

“She’s not you,” he said.

You slipped out of his grip and uttered a laugh devoid of all humor.

“That, you should’ve known from the beginning,” you said.

He was hurt.

And when he was hurt, he tended to cover it up with anger. His jaw began to work with frustration.

“What, so you’re just going to run away? Live in this dusty piece of shit town until you die?” he said, with the derision you’d come to expect from him when he didn’t get what he wanted.

“Go home, Michael,” you repeated. “I’m not going back.”

“Everything okay?” Beau asked, when you finally returned to the table. He didn’t tell you that he, Jenny, and Cassie had been watching on standby, in case Michael tried to press his luck and get more grabby. It had taken everything within Beau to stay in his seat for the past ten minutes.

You gave him a smile and took up the shot of tequila Cassie had brought for you. You downed it and grimaced at the burn.

“I’m good,” you said, with a bit of difficulty. Part of you felt accomplished, that you’d faced Michael and hadn’t let him soften your resolve. Yet there was a big part of you—not so deep down—that felt like utter crap.

“Sorry for the unnecessary drama,” you muttered.

Jenny gave you a more serious look. One that said she had no problem stepping in if she needed to.

“If you ever feel unsafe, just let one of us know,” she said.

“That’s right. If he doesn’t leave it alone, all you need to do is call,” Beau added. Cassie echoed that sentiment with a nod. You met Beau’s gaze, despite the uncertainty inside you.

If you need me, call me, his eyes said.

You nodded then, with a thankful smile.

Beau couldn’t help it. He felt protective of you. It welled up in his chest and simultaneously felt heavy like a stone. And he could admit, if just to himself, that it was in the personal sense.

He tried to remember that his life was complicated right now. Too complicated probably, for all of that…but he cared about you. And he didn’t want to see you hurt.

Out of the corner of his eye, Beau spotted Michael Hadley at the bar. He was drinking a beer with an angry frown, and no good written all over his face.

Carla called Beau in a tizzy yesterday morning.

Not only had Avery bought a gun, but he’d given her some unhinged, quasi- “If I die” speech that had freaked her the hell out.

In searching Avery’s vacant hotel room, Beau found the missing pages of Paige’s journal. Pages that contained a seed phrase passcode to unlock the $15 million crypto account she and Luke had stolen.

If Avery had those pages, then it only confirmed that Avery had made a play for the money in order to save his failing business. He was attempting to break the encrypted code to unlock the account, likely for the shady-ass people Paige stole the money from in the first place.

Naturally, Beau had gone looking to bring the man in for questioning. He’d found Avery at a different, much seedier hotel, being led away by another man who walked and talked like a killer. Beau rightly assumed he was a hitman, gunning for Avery, and quite literally about to take out the trash.

Maybe the people he was working with were tired of waiting on him to unlock the account. Or maybe he’d already done it, and now they’d decided they didn’t need him anymore.

Beau was able to save Avery’s life, shooting the hitman. Then he’d arrested Avery. In return for that save, Avery had been giving Beau the runaround all night, with a side helping of audacity.

“What’s your plan here, man?” Beau asked. He leaned forward in his chair across from Avery’s. A narrow table lied in between them within the small holding cell for questioning.

“New identity? Thailand? Or maybe you’re not into the whole heat thing. Maybe Winnipeg,” Beau posed, with all due sarcasm. “You see, these people don’t forgive. And they don’t forget. And the ones that steal from them rarely die alone, which means you have put Carla, and you’ve put my daughter into danger. Did you even think about that?”

Right about now, Beau himself was beyond forgive and forget. In fact, he was irate. But he held it all down beneath a thin line of professionalism, despite the fire in his eyes.

Avery rested his elbows on the table as well.

“Everything I’ve done has been to protect my family. That’s all you need to know,” he said. “You on the other hand. You’ve made quite the mess, haven’t you? Killing that man put us all in more danger.”

He then leaned back in his chair, as if he held all the cards, and Beau was just a monkey wrench in his plans. It was a good front, but Beau saw right through it all. Avery was bluffing through his ass.

Still, he put on a good show.

“And now I’d very much like to speak to my lawyer,” he said.

It took everything within the sheriff to stop himself from reaching across the table, grabbing the other man by the collar, and yanking him down hard on the table, face-first.

Instead, he got up from his seat, deceptively calm. The only explosion of his rage came when he kicked his chair hard on his way out, making it slide across the room and hit the wall. He yanked the cell door open and closed it firm behind him.

He knew he couldn’t hold Avery, not even on Paige’s journal pages. As Avery had so cleverly pointed out, the money hadn’t been reported stolen (why would criminals drop a dime on themselves?). So Beau would let Avery go, for now. All he could do was wait for the cocky son of a bitch to mess up, even more than he already had.

Beau hated waiting.

But his next step was returning to his office and calling Carla. He asked her to join Emily in staying with him, until this thing with Avery blew over. Likely the people he was working with knew where he lived, knew how to find Carla and Emily.

Carla sounded shaken even on the phone, but she agreed.

“Is Emily at work right now?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ll tell her,” Carla said, releasing a breath. “I’ll take her to your place again tonight, and I’ll bring an overnight bag for myself.”

“Good,” he said. “Thank you.”

After hanging up, Beau leaned back in his office chair and covered his bearded face with his hands. He rubbed at his tired eyes. What the hell do I do now?

The answer eluded him, especially when a knock sounded against his door, disturbing his thoughts. He sighed.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me,” you answered from behind the door. “I come bearing baked goods.”

Beau’s eyes widened in surprise. He beckoned you to come in, and so you did.

“Working hard, or hardly working?” you teased.

The sight of you was a balm to his frayed mind. Your familiar face, your pretty yellow sundress, the way you’d done your hair. It all managed to kick up his smile at seeing yours. Not to mention the delicious smelling basket you carried on your arm. The top was covered with a red checkered cloth.

“Hey, there. How’re you doin’?” he greeted, trying to hide the brunt of his former frustration and worry behind a more upbeat attitude.

He knew he hadn’t done well enough when your smile began to fall.

“Sorry, did I come at a bad time?” you asked in concern. “Deputy Poppernak told me I could stop in real quick…”

Beau shook his head and waved you in. “It’s all right. Come in, please.”

He stood and walked around his desk to sit on its edge.

“I have a feeling I’m gonna want whatever’s in that basket,” he added, nodding at the whicker you carried. You offered it to him, and your warm hand brushed his on the exchange.

“Just a little something,” you said. “And an apology for making a scene at the bar last night.”

Beau frowned. “You’re not really blaming yourself for that, are you?”

Though he soon brightened, whistling lowly when he found a half dozen chocolate chip muffins under the checkered cloth. A smile grew across his face when it dawned on him. The first thing you offered him when he met you was this very same treat.

He had a feeling your muffins would be even better. (...And he tried not to think about the potential double meaning there.)

“Damn, between you and your aunt Denise, I’m gonna have to start running again,” he quipped. His eyes met yours in amusement. “And between you and me, I freakin’ hate running.”

You chuckled at that. “I’m more of a yoga girl, myself.”

Beau’s brows rose in interest, but again, he tried not to picture you in some tight-ass yoga pants.

“Thank you for this,” he said, instead, waving the basket of muffins. He set it down beside him on the desk. “I definitely needed a pick-me-up today.”

You searched his face and began to frown at what you saw there. He both looked and sounded…tired, down. Not himself.

You drew closer and chanced resting a hand on his arm. “Hey, are you okay?”

Beau glanced down at your hand. He took in a deep breath through his nose before he met your gaze again.

“Yeah, don’t you worry. Everything’s fine,” he said. You gave him a somewhat chiding look.

“Beau, you don’t have to tell me it’s okay when it’s not,” you said.

He considered you ruefully. He should’ve known you were perceptive enough to see right through him. Or maybe he was just a shit actor.

He blew out a breath and nodded. “I asked Carla and Emily to stay with me for the next few days. At least until this investigation of Avery plays out.”

Your patient expression melted into worry. You had a feeling he wouldn’t do that unless things were truly dangerous.

“See, that’s what I didn’t wanna see,” he said, lightly bumping a curled finger under your chin. Despite yourself, you smiled a little. “I just want them where I can see them, is all.”

He was putting on a good front, but you weren’t convinced. And Beau could see that. He nodded at you to change the subject.

“Has Mike tried to contact you?” he asked. It was your turn to let out a sigh.

“Only two calls and eleven texts before lunch, but I’m not answering. He’ll get the hint and go home soon,” you said.

But Beau was perceptive too. He knew you well enough to read your added thoughts as you frowned and looked away. It said, At least, you hope he will.

Beau wanted to reassure you, not just to help make you feel safe, but because his gut churned with both unease and anger at the thought of that guy harassing you.

Beau reached out and gave into the temptation to stroke a thumb across your cheek, earning not just your attention, but your widening eyes.

“Hey. No more worrying, huh?” he said. His voice was quieter, warmer. He gave you a smile, along with an assured look.

“If anything happens—” he started to say, but you actually beat him to it. You held his hand to your cheek, surprising him this time.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve got the sheriff on speed dial,” you said. Your smile was sweet and teasing.

Beau had to smile back. His gaze roamed your face. Then your eyes dipped down to his lips. There was heat between you, prickling across your skin and zipping up his spine. It was an inevitable, raw kind of feeling.

He wanted, more than anything, to lean in those precious few inches and find out what you tasted like… He wanted nothing more than to haul you up on this desk, hands sliding up the skirt of that sundress.

But he held himself back with more self-control than he thought himself capable of. His hand fell away from your cheek. You looked up at him in confusion, and a bit of hurt.

“I’m sorry,” he said, in a lowered voice. “My life is…complicated.”

“And mine’s not?” you countered.

“Not the same,” Beau said. “Trust me. I uh, I’ve got some things in my past that I’m not proud of. Let’s just say you’re better off steering clear.”

“Let’s just say?” you repeated. Your brows drew together in frustration. “Why don’t you just say it? God knows you know everything about my messy life.”

Beau sighed. His gaze fell away from yours.

“It’s not that simple, darlin’,” he said.

He saw your disappointment, tinged with disbelief. As much as he didn’t want to hurt you, he also didn’t really have time to explain things properly to you. The truth was, he didn’t have time for this.

“Look—” he tried, but you cut him off.

“No. It’s fine, I guess,” you said. You looked down at your shoes and muttered, mostly to yourself. “Em was right. You are an old clam.”

“What?” Beau asked in confusion.

You shook your head and withdrew from him.

“Okay, sorry. I just…you know what? I need to go,” you stumbled over your words a bit, and you backed away.

It had Beau feeling at a loss already, not to mention the lance of guilt hitting him between the ribs. He stretched out a hand to you.

“Wait—”

You were too quick for him to stop, however. He watched you leave his office in a hurry, and mentally kicked himself all the while. He sighed and looked over at what you’d left behind—the damn basket of muffins. They smelled heavenly. Torturing him.

Damn it all, he thought, until he played back the reel of what you’d said in his mind.

“Old clam?” he repeated.

Once again, a knock on his office door disturbed his thoughts. Except this time, it was Deputy Poppernak.

He stopped short, seeing the furrowed look of confused, guilty frustration on the sheriff’s face.

“Everything okay, boss?”

“Fine,” Beau said, shaking his head. “What d’you got?”

Poppernak hesitated for a second, but he held up a file that he passed along.

“Here’s everything I could dig up on the guy from the hotel shooting,” he said.

Good, Beau thought. A worthy distraction.

You gave Poppernak a belated wave on your way out. You didn’t want to answer any questions or talk to anyone else. You just wanted to escape to your car, where you covered your face with your hands and tried to breathe through the tears stinging in your eyes.

Once again, you felt stupid. Your heart was racing in the worst of ways.

So you peeled out of the police station and headed home…

Or rather, you almost headed home. When you saw Dewell & Hoyt P.I. coming up on the right side of the road, you turned into the parking lot and went inside to see if your aunt was working.

Cassie wasn’t in, but Denise and Emily were. You greeted them both with warm hugs (and you tried to hide your frustrations from the latter, especially).

“What brought you in, hun?” Denise asked.

“Nothing really. I was just in the area and decided to pop in,” you replied with a shrug. Denise smiled and rubbed your arm.

“Well good. Em’s actually going on a coffee run for us. You want anything?”

“No, no, I’m good,” you said.

“You sure?” said Emily. “I can get you a banana bread or something.”

You smiled and shook your head, touching her arm in thanks. “It’s okay, honey. I just had lunch not too long ago.”

“Okay. Oh hey! Did you ask Dad about being on the podcast?” Emily asked.

You blinked as you went blank for a moment. The last thing you wanted to do right now was see that man (even if your heart called you a liar). You narrowly kept yourself from lying to Emily as well.

“Uh, yeah, we did talk about it. He’s on board with the idea,” you said, trying to give her a smile. Maybe it didn’t reach your eyes, but Emily seemed to buy it. She smiled back in triumph.

“Yes! Okay, this is good. Now I just gotta start thinking of some questions and we’ll set a date to record the first episode,” she said, doing a little fist pump into the air.

You tried to match her enthusiasm, but you knew you were falling short. Denise could see it too. Lucky for you, Emily ran off to get to the nearby bakery, the excitement keeping her face bright all the while.

Denise turned to you knowingly.

“Okay, grab a seat. I’ll make us some tea, and you can tell me what’s got you looking white as a sheet,” she said.

You sighed and sat down in the lounge area—a seating of couches and a chaise. You sat on the couch while Denise took the chaise. And between mugs of jasmine tea, you told her everything that happened at the precinct when you went to visit Beau.

When you were done explaining, Denise looked contemplative and sympathetic. However, you knew there was more to that look.

“Okay. Honey, I know you don’t want to hear this, but he’s in a complex situation right now,” she said. “Between investigating Avery, and how it’s falling back on Carla and Emily—”

“I know. He told me about that,” you said. You were worried about them too. While you didn’t know Carla all that well, your friendship with Emily meant something to you. And not just because you had some…unnamed feelings for her father.

Your bond with Emily had started at that damned camp, and solidified the night of Mary’s murder. “Trauma bonding” was a thing for a reason. But besides that experience, you genuinely enjoyed the girl’s company, hearing her talk about her interests in school, careers she was considering after college, and even helping her explore her creative side. She was young, but she was bright and mature for her age.

You cared about what all this was putting her through…though you finally realized that Emily might not be comfortable with the thought of “you and Beau.”

“I don’t want to upset Emily with all this either,” you admitted. “I don’t even know what she thinks of her dad possibly dating again.”

And something else you hadn’t considered. Could all this shakeup between Avery and Carla, not to mention her and Emily staying at Beau’s place now…

“God. Maybe he wants to get back together with his ex-wife,” you realized, with some small shock.

It wasn’t inconceivable, and it had tears welling up in your eyes for a whole different reason.

"Oh, honey, you don't know that," Denise started to say. You shook your head and set down your tea.

“You know what? I’m just gonna go home,” you said, but Denise tried to keep you with gentle hands on your arms.

“Come on. You don’t have to go,” she said.

You shook your head and eased out of her grasp.

“Sorry. I just…it’s his choice, and if he’s already made it…” you trailed. You didn’t want to even acknowledge that your heart was fracturing. “Well, if that’s the case, then I have to respect that.”

Denise didn’t know what else to say to you. But that was just as well.

“Tell Em I’m sorry, but I had to go,” you said.

Denise protested, but you left Dewell & Hoyt before your tears could fall in earnest.

When you actually got home, you were exhausted. It was a case of emotional stress weighing down your body as you forced yourself up the stairs to your second-floor apartment.

You didn’t bother changing. Instead, you grabbed a familiar book of plays from your desk and dropped yourself onto the couch. You got comfortable with Much Ado About Nothing. You hadn’t finished reading it while at the camp, and you needed to brush up on it if you were going to be mentally prepared for the coming school year.

It felt like a world away, but at least with the characters in Much Ado, you had familiar ground. In the scene you were reading, the main characters, Beatrice and Benedick, were already at each other’s throats:

BENEDICK: What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?

BEATRICE: Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain if you come in her presence.

BENEDICK: Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none.

BEATRICE: A dear happiness to women. They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.

It was hard to believe that these two were supposed to fall in love. Actually, their later “epiphanies” would lead them to realize that the sniping and the arguments and the misunderstandings between them had been love all along…

But you’d come to realize that there was no “Benedick” for you in real life. Sometimes, the angry sniping wasn’t sexual tension. It was just a man who’d never truly respect you.

And sometimes, the arguments and misunderstandings were just two people in the right place at the wrong time, never quite meant to be.

Thankfully, a knock at your door interrupted your romantic musings.

Releasing a sigh, you set Much Ado on the glass coffee table in front of you. You got up from the couch and went to the front door, where you looked in the peephole. Your lips drew into a frown, but your disbelief had you unlocking the door before you could think better of it.

“Michael?! What are you doing here?” you asked.

He stood there with determination set across his face.

“We really need to talk.”

AN: *Sigh.* This guy just doesn't learn, does he? And I'm not just talking about Michael.

Next Time:

“If you give me one more chance, I promise I won’t mess it up again. I’ll be the man you deserve,” Michael said, taking your hand and uncrossing your arms in the process.

“Believe it or not, I took a week off without pay, just to be here and get a chance to say this to you: I love you. I love you. And I know now that it’s meant to be you.”

You hesitated, and even made the mistake of looking up into his eyes.

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 6

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Series Masterlist

Big Sky Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Series Tag List (Part 1):

@kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @roseblue373 @brianochka @branj19 @globetrotter28 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog @ades106

@charmed-asylum @waywardxwords @deanwinchestersgirl87 @this-is-me19 @rachiem4-blog @sweettimelady @leigh70 @clinicallydepresso @emily-winchester @xiphoidbones @skoveu @nyotamalfoy @kmc1989 @deans-baby-momma @tabsluvsu @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons

@antisocialcorrupt @lacilou @deans-daydream @deans-spinster-witch @agalliasi @venicesem @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @iprobablyshipit91 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees @lostin-jensenseyes @deansbbyx @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley @sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @deanfreakingwinchester @chernayawidow

#wayne reads #fic rec #beau arlen x reader

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saltydumplings · 3 years ago

Note

I'd love to request a very possessive bratty Villain who gets mad whenever another Villain defeats their Hero, and Hero who's kinda into it, but is also very tired of having to stop Villain from constantly picking fights they can't win

Possibly with a height difference?? I just love short rude Villains don't @ me the dynamic is just always so good

Request #13

I'm back babeeeyyyy!

Cw: suggestive.

The hero should have known it was inevitable. The supervillain had beat them in battle just that Monday and the villain hadn't made a single comment about it - hadn't even seemed to know. And, for a short time, the hero had been relieved...until they'd seen the villain picking a fight with the other right in the centre of the city. The hero had been watching the news from their desk and had to dash out of work, cursing the villain's short temper.

Couldn't they just let it be? Just once?

By the time they arrived, they were out of breath - their uniform sitting weirdly as it clung to their chest because they'd managed to put it on backwards in their panic. Before them they could see the two fighting, a large crowd gathered about them and someone's poor car looking like it had taken the brunt of the conflict. The hero watched on anxiously, waiting for a moment where they could intervene and soon finding it when the supervillain dished out a vicious blow, backhanding the villain and sending them flying through the windows of the nearby bank. Perfect: now there was even more property damage.

The hero marched forwards, gently nudging some civilians aside to get through the crowd before making their way over to the villain - the other practically fuming as they brushed glass from their clothes.

"Oh, I am going to beat your ass!" the villain cried, eyes glaring daggers at the supervillain before them. "You're dead - you hear that? I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! YOU TOUCHED MY HERO - NO ONE TOUCHES MY--GAH!"

The hero swept the villain up in one smooth movement, hanging them over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"H-Hero?! HERO, PUT ME DOWN - I CAN TAKE THEM!"

The hero merely rolled their eyes, turning to the supervillain across from them and putting up their hand in a placative gesture - cheeks faintly red from the embarrassment of the situation.

"Sorry," they said. "We, um, we're going now."

In their arms the villain started to kick up a fuss. "What? Don't apologise to them - THIS ISN'T OVER!" The hero started walking away but they were hardly done talking. "I'LL FIND YOU SUPERVILLAIN - I'LL FIND YOU AGAIN! THEY'RE MY HERO, YOU HEAR ME: MINE. BACK OFF!"

"Oh my god..."

The hero picked up their pace, trying to get the villain away from the other as fast as possible before they pissed the supervillain off enough to make them give chase. They'd already gotten their ass handed to them on Monday...they didn't need it happening a second time this week.

It was a few minutes before the villain finally calmed down somewhat, falling silent once they were out of sight and allowing the hero to take them without resistance. It was kind of cute really: the villain had a lot of anger for someone with very little height. Or, at least, when they were compared to the hero that is. It still worried them though - the villain wasn't as strong as them and yet they insisted on fighting the battles the hero had failed to win. If the hero had lost then they hardly stood a chance, and at this point they were less amused by the other's actions and more annoyed that they continued to so ruthlessly put themself in harms way.

Perhaps a...talk was needed. Just a little persuasion to keep the villain in check.

The villain's lair was closer so that was where the hero took them, swiping the other's keys from their back pocket and opening the door, finally letting the other drop down onto their own two feet before going to close it behind them.

"You know, as much as I love how cute you are when you're mad, I think it's time--"

"You're mine."

Suddenly, the hero was being pushed back against the door, the villain standing on the tips of their toes so that they were face to face. They blinked, taken aback a little as the villain ran their hands over the hero's chest.

"Wha--"

"You know, I've been thinking," the villain continued. "I don't like it when other villains touch you, so how about you just fight me...only me."

The hero's eyes narrowed for a moment before an amused grin curled up their lips. "Hm, I guess I could do that, or--" They flipped their positions round within seconds, pinning the villain easily "--you could stop starting fights that you depend on me to get you out of."

A pause.

Usually at this point the villain would have at least whined at the movement - would have blushed and pouted playfully - but that wasn't what happened. Instead they simply stared up at the hero, a bright fire burning in their eyes.

"No," they said.

The hero blinked, their grip loosening slightly. "No?"

"No," the villain repeated. Their one hand travelled up the hero's back and grabbed ahold of their hair, tugging sharply much to the other's surprise and forcing a startled gasp from their throat.

What in the hell--

"Firstly," the villain began, "I don't depend on you saving me: if I lose then I lose and that's my own problem. Secondly..." They let their other hand fall down to the hero's chest and pushed against them, prompting the other to move backwards. They steered them all the way over to the couch - the hero clearly too perplexed to even try to stop the villain, simply letting their shorter nemesis shove them down before coming to sit upon their lap. "It's not a case that you could stop fighting them. You will."

A few seconds passed and the hero simply gaped up at them, slowly coming to realise that the other was being serious.

"B-But it's my job. I...I have to fight villains."

"Yes. And, just as chance would have it, I am a villain so it works out just fine."

"But what if--"

The villain pressed a finger against the hero's lips. "You will fight me and only me."

Again, the hero attempted to speak. "But--"

"Me and only me."

They tugged on the hero's hair once more whilst their other hand moved to the hero's neck - their grip soft but the action itself a clear show of power and dominance that the hero had never seen in the other before. They flushed a bright red as the villain leaned in closer, pressing a few teasing kisses along the hero's jawline.

"Who do you belong to?" they asked.

The hero's blush increased, the question catching them off guard like everything else the villain had done so far. "I-I, um..."

"It's not a hard question, love." The villain's grip on them tightened ever so slightly and the hero shuddered. "Who do you belong to?"

"You?"

The villain's lips came crashing down upon their own - their kiss was rough, passionate; all teeth and tongue and no space to breathe, the both of them panting slightly when they finally parted. But while the hero was lost for words the villain found their voice immediately, whispering low in the hero's ear.

"Say it again," they demanded, starting to grind down upon the other slowly.

The hero gasped. "Y-You!"

"Say it properly."

"I belong t-to you!"

The villain kissed them again, the hand that was circled around the hero's neck moving to trail down their chest instead, pausing suddenly at what they felt there. Confused, they stopped and turned their gaze downwards - the hero whining at the abrupt loss of contact.

The villain's head cocked to the side. "Did you put your uniform on backwards?" they asked.

The hero flushed. "W-Well, I was in a hurry so... I mean I'd only just seen the - the news of your fight and--"

"Mhm..." the villain said, fingers grasping at the top of the zipper whilst they failed to keep a straight face. "A big rush I see."

"Yes, a - a very big rush. I'm not, you know, dumb I just - there was no time so I... I just... are you laughing at me?"

The villain couldn't help it: the hero's embarrassment was written all over their face and they were stumbling over their words in the most adorable way - they rarely got to see this side of the other. Usually the hero was the confident one but here, now, under the villain's control they were an absolute mess and the villain was loving it.

And, by the looks of it, the hero wasn't all that opposed either...

The villain sobered a little at that, their laughter fading down into a fond smile as they gazed down at the hero's lips - taking note of the small pout that took shape there. "I should do this more often," they mused.

"What, make fun of me?" the hero said.

"Yes, that. But also..." They pulled the zipper down to reveal the hero's chest, leaning forwards so they could start marking the hero's skin with their mouth - sucking a spot just below the v of their neck. They heard the other's breath hitch, catching sight of their hands gripping onto the cushions for dear life as the villain continued with their work. Once they were satisfied, they pulled away again.

"So," the villain said, "you won't be fighting with any other villains from now on, yes?"

The hero startled a little and looked up at them with wide eyes. "W-Wait, you're still serious about that?"

"Of course I am. And as you know, Hero, I'm very good at getting what I want."

"But I - I can't just... I mean h-how am I meant to--"

The villain caught the hero's chin with their hand, tilting their head back ever so slightly. "I'm sure you'll find a way, love. Because if I catch you fighting with another villain again--" Their thumb brushed over the hero's bottom lip, the tip of it entering the other's mouth teasingly "--I can assure you that they won't be the only one facing my wrath, and you don't want that now...do you?"

A week later and the hero did, in fact, find a way. A completely nonsensical, impractical, undoubtedly cheating the system kind of way but a way none the less, and the villain truly couldn't have been more pleased.

#writing snippet #heroxvillain snippet #heroxvillain #hero x villain #hero #villain

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tendousthoughts · 4 years ago

Text

HQ Boys Thinking Their S/O Left Them Pt. 2

Character(s) included: Tsukishima & Ushijima

Warning(s): Cursing

Song of the day: Love The Way You Lie by Eminem

A/N: Wow thanks for 200+ likes on my last part & 15+ reblogs! I’m almost at 150 followers so thank you for that too! I can't believe that my account is still active! Here’s part two! As always my ask box is open for comments and such! I would love to have some more Anons or even some character anons. Part three is next so if you have any haikyuu boys you want next just send a message! Please forgive any spelling and grammatical errors!

Where to find all the parts!

Where to find all my content!

Tag(s): @chibiiichann

Tsukishima

So the argument was your fault. The ‘harmless’ joke made its way to be more effective than you imagined. So maybe it wasn’t as funny as you thought to pour water on his head as soon as he got through the door. But it wasn’t your fault for not knowing he was having a tough day already.

“Baby.. please.. kei, I am sorry..” you whispered softly as you followed him in. You could tell he was angry. After all he just wanted to rest and now you just fucked everything up. “Kei.. please.” He turned to you.

“What?” He was drenched and tried to not let his attitude show. He just wanted to take a shower and go to bed.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.. it was just supposed to be a harmless prank..” you muttered softly now avoiding his eyes. They felt like they were burning holes into you.

“Oh wow so funny!” He looked at you. Now making eye contact you can feel the hints of venom in his voice. “It’s so fucking funny. You know sometimes I wonder if I ever did the shit you do to me back to you how would you react? I mean after all it’s just a fucking harmless prank! Do you ever just fucking think for a moment, ‘fuck maybe that’s not a good idea?’ Or no? I mean is you brain so fucking small and your so fucking dumb to the point you don’t have a good thought in there?!” His voice was loud, deep, and annoyed. You could almost see the hatred seeping from each word. You looked to the ground and took his hurtful and harmful words.

It was your fault after all.

After a moment he looked down at you, getting out everything he needed to say, well almost everything. “It fucking sucks to put up with you sometimes. I hope you know your fucking lucky.” There he went, finally finishing his bitter words. He left slamming the door behind him as he started the shower. The warm tears that you had been holding in now finally making their way out.

After grabbing a jacket, phone, wallet, and keys you leave. Feeling terrible that he had to put up with you. Locking the door as you left you decided to take a walk. It was cold and dark. It was a terrible idea to have, but there wasn’t much more that you could do.

After he finished his shower he got out looking for you. He had sorta realized the weight of his words. He knew he went too far.

After about five minutes he realized you were nowhere in sight. He changed and grabbed his phone. “Pick up..” he muttered, calling you. It was too cold for you to be out, let alone it was too dark.

You looked down at your phone and just ignored the call, scared to be yelled at again. It was freezing, now coming to the realization that you should have brought a bigger jacket. You head to a nearby ramen place to eat.

On his side he is freaking the fuck out. “Fuck fuck..” he muttered softly. He tried calling you again and to his surprise you picked up. “Y/n where are you?” He seems upset.

“Don’t worry about it.. just get some rest okay? Night.” You’re almost about to hang up where he starts talking again. He is frantic and you can tell he is extremely worried.

“Y/n please. It’s dark and cold and I don’t want you getting lost or anything worse please..” he mumbled softly. He is trying not to seem overbearing.

“I’ll be okay. Goodnight.” You hang up. Not to your surprise he calls you about five times as you order something to go for the both of you. After about twenty minutes you start to walk back. It’s pitch black and freezing. You put the bag on your arm and zip up your thin jacket. Now holding onto your phone on flashlight with one hand and with the other the soup trying to keep warm. It takes you another fifteen minutes to arrive and you open the door.

Tsukishima was waiting by the door. It was quite late so you bit your lip and closed the door after. In that time Tsukishima’s arms are already tightly around you. His eyes were red and puffy and it was clear he had been crying.

“I told you to get some rest, Kei..” you whispered softly, unsure why he was up. Kinda glad that the ramen did go to waste though.

“I am sorry.. I’m sorry.. I’m sorry..” he started to cry again holding you tight. You were cold to the touch and to be honest if it weren’t for what he said earlier you would probably be really enjoying this.

“It’s okay.. I got some dinner..” you whisper breaking away from his grasp as you sit at the table him following after. He wiped away the tears sitting in front of you. He felt like shit. As you place the food in front of him he gives a weak thank you, which you just shake your head to and start eating.

After dinner you get up putting your dishes away. Getting ready for bed after. As you finish brushing your teeth and changing. You are met with his long warm arms around you once again. He missed you all day, and didn’t want you to be distant any longer. “I’m sorry y/n..” he whispered softly, tears rolling down his face.

“It’s okay kei.. don’t worry I know you didn’t, it was my fault anyway..” you muttered softly. “I’m sorry baby..” you wipe away his tears. “I didn’t mean to worry you okay..?” He just holds on tighter and shakes his head gently, picking you up. He decides to carry you to the room you two share. As he holds you, you whisper nothing but sweet words of love, trying to comfort him.

When he lays down you gently hold him. He clears his throat ready to apologize more. “Y/n.. I really didn’t mean any of that okay..? I really love you so much and I’m the lucky one. You’re so considerate and shit and you were just trying to play a prank but I had a really shitty day and just didn’t react well.. I’m sorry..” he whispered softly. His head is buried into the crevice between your shoulder and head. It was clear he was upset.

“Baby it’s okay.. don’t worry I know you didn't mean too.. it was my fault.." you whisper softly. His arms tighten around you holding you close. "I should have known it wasn't a good idea and just didn’t do it. Instead I decided to do it and then leave.. making you worried and stuff.. So I'm sorry.." you whispered softly.

He just shakes his head and smiles softly. "Okay.. I love you Y/n," he muttered softly as he closed his eyes. Quite tired from such a stressful day.

"I love you too Kei," you muttered back, staying up until you’re sure he is peacefully asleep. When you are sure, you drift to sleep. You are safe here. You are safe in his arms, being loved by him. This is where you are meant to be, forever.

Ushijima

Practice was shit. He missed almost everything that came his way, and to be honest it was getting to him. He was quite pissed seeing you with some other guy. No matter what or who they were, they weren’t him. That’s all that mattered. You were laughing and smiling with them and he was upset. So of course he would be off his game. Who wouldn’t? You were the person everyone wanted. Ushijima was lucky to be your boyfriend let alone even talk to you.

But the same could be said about Ushijima. He was known everywhere and you got jealous too at times. I mean who wouldn’t when he got gifts every time he entered a match. He barely talked to you then too, because he thought you would be too ‘distracting.’ So in the end you normally would sit in the back and chat with a few people but tried to stay focused. Today was different. It was a practice not a game. So you didn’t mind not paying attention.

Once practice ended you were met with Ushijima’s tall form in front of you. “Oh hey baby,” you smiled getting up. He doesn’t look too happy and gives the guy a stare that makes him almost immediately leave.

“Who’s he?,” he looked down at you again. You’re shorter than him but to be honest he loves it. He loves the fact that he can tease you with kisses or the fact he can pick you up.

“I just met him. He is pretty cool, turns out he was in one of my old classes.” You smile a bit.

“Oh. Okay let’s go.” He muttered softly. Now expecting a kiss on the head before you two leave you wait. It takes a moment before you realize you’re not getting one so you just follow after him.

“How was practice..” you ask when you guys get in the car. It was quiet and you didn’t like that. It was too quiet.

“You would have known if you were watching.” He was brief and quick with his answers. “It went bad.”

You shake your head softly and when you guys get back into the house it’s no better. Now deciding to break the silence once more. “What’s wrong baby..” you look at him. Something’s off. Completely off.

He looks to you maybe for the first time, in what.? Half an hour an hour of being in the same car. Whatever it was it didn’t matter, it was too long.

“I don’t know why you have to come to my practices and just distract me the whole time.” He doesn’t think about what to say before he does.

“What..? I didn’t run up to you like usual and I stayed in the back like you like! What do you mean ‘distract’ you?” You look at him confused.

“Maybe you shouldn’t come then. It seems like everywhere you have to just be in my way. Let alone you just bring people with you.” He looks annoyed and maybe you should just drop it. But you can’t. You did nothing wrong.

“What? I stayed out of your fucking way! I didn’t ask to come. You asked me too! It’s not like I begged you to come and then was up in your face the whole time. Like your so-called fans! They were up in your face the whole fucking time trying to give you gifts and shit! But ya I’m the distracting one!” You looked annoyed. Upset. Pissed off. Whatever you wanna call it.

“Really? Really? We wanna go there now? It’s not like every fucking time we walk the halls together someone doesn’t come up to say hello to you! Or asks if your fucking free, I mean it’s not like your with me or anything.” You can tell he is mad. But it isn’t your fault.

“Yes really! You have fucking people wait by the gates of the school for you. I mean that’s what I get for dating you right? I get a bunch of girls following my boyfriend, I get called a distraction when I come up to you and get called a distraction when I’m away from you. I don’t know what to fucking do at this point!” You can feel yourself tear up. This is fucked up.

“Wow. Of course. All my fucking fault. Mhm just blame it all on me. You know what fuck you, and fuck your high horse.” He slams the shared room’s door closed. You don’t say anything, deciding to just leave. You grab your stuff and close the door. It’s a bit chilly and you’re glad you grabbed a jacket. It wasn’t weird for you two to fight let alone get on each other’s nerves. But when it’s going good, it’s going great.

You leave heading to a friend’s house and stay the night. Unsure how you fucking feel at this point. What the fuck was up with him? You just tried to stay in your fucking lane. It hurts. It fucking hurts to be called a distraction. Maybe he didn’t get that. But you knew he did. He wasn’t that dumb. He wasn’t that fucking dense like everyone else thought. You knew he wasn’t. That was one of his worst insecurities and you knew it.

The next day you were dropped off at school and we’re surprised to see Ushijima waiting. You bit your lips walking right past him. You could see the hurt in his eyes. He had eye bags and his eyes were red and swollen. He seemed like he had been crying, you felt bad. But at the same time you didn’t. You needed him to understand how much you were hurt by his words.

When lunch came around he was waiting at the door of your classroom and you bit your lip. “Do you need something?” You ask. It took him a moment before he shook his head.

“Can we please talk.. I’m sorry..” he muttered softly. He was clearly still upset by yesterday’s fight and so were you.

“Okay. It’s fine I’m sorry too,” you look up now, his big arms were wrapped tightly around you. He sniffled softly as he was already tearing up again.

“I didn’t mean any of that.. you’re not a distraction and I love you so much baby..” he whispered softly. “I was just jealous and shit..” he muttered softly. “I don’t like it when you hang out with others and stuff and I know it’s not fair.. I just get worried you will like them more and just leave..” he whispered softly finally opening up.

“Hey look at me..” you whisper gently, taking your hands and wrapping them around his cheeks. “I won’t do that to you.. I love you so much, okay?” He shakes his head.

“I love you too y/n..” he muttered softly. He was tired and you could tell. Once you reached the cafeteria you sat next to him and he laid his head on your shoulder.

A soft laugh made its way out as you held him. God you love him. Nothing could ever change that. No matter any fight. You loved him and he loved you. That’s all that would ever matter.

Follows and likes are appreciated! Please reblog if you enjoyed it, so more people can find my work! Thank you all for your support! Stay safe, and have a good rest of your day!

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masakuterarr · 5 months ago

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Funny how everyone slowly realizes the time part thingy LMFAO ITS LITERALLY LIKE EATING POPCORN AND WATCHING HOW EVERYONE FACE IS CHANGING WHEN REALIZING- this is the best I've ever seen in my life. I wanna go over your sweet ass comments now, cuz no way I just reblog it individually- so have one big post again :) first of all THANK YOU hehe 🤍 you guys are ff cute and it brings me so much joy that I woke up today and could read your reblogs ;3; smoochies from me here!

you guys are just ff cute I can't- idk if you should read this every day but I am not holding u back LOL to go over your points now!

AMEN. It is actually cute to me how Uvo turns everything into some way of violence. Even if it's just verbally. I think one of my favorite scenes is how Uvo arrives and ignores anyone to just talk to Chrollo like "So now, I am here Boss! What are we gonna get this time? Comon give us the order already!" - I melt everytime, I swear. (also I'll give u a short video of my fav german uvo scenes in he end cuz I can't shut up about it and you have to go through this now too. I don't care, it's too late for you to get out of it anymore :) )

also AMEN! ITS SO FUNNY TO ME. Uvo just hates it. Idk if he would actually chase that mf then or just go back to the base and throw hands so everyone has to endure him being pissed.

his ego is as big as Escanor and I love it. Tho, the fucking sad thing is that exactly this ego is the thing that killed him in the end. But I will probably make an individual post for that. Cuz it's really sad if you think about it and compare it to Sarasa's death. Tho again, later on that with it's own post :)

it's just so sad- He feels guilty and he just wants to be the strongest to protect what is important to him. He said he wants to be the strongest villain ever which is bittersweet. Cuz if he is that villain that everyone fears, he can protect his friends with it. Cuz then noone would dare to get past him to touch his family, right? Fuck this shit hurts everytime...

ABSO-FUCKIGN-LUTELY He feels guilt and he HATES it. He HATES that he feels guilty because why should he? He told himself before that he is gonna do bullshit things. He actively decided to do it. And yet there he is, still feeling some guilt over it. Also what would Sarasa think if she saw them doing all this? She would surely not be happy, right? And Uvo KNOWS it. He knows it and wants to drown all these thoughts so bad. He is just a traumatized child avoiding his own reality because he is too weak to face it :')

I will go into some detail now. Cuz I kinda forgot to put it intot he original post but ah here we go. Uvogin realized at some point that Kurapika is gonna go the same shitty way he went. And that's the only reason why he laughed in the end. He knew Kurapika already did one step too far and will likely fall into the same shitty cold and horrible hole he fell into. And he knows that getting revenge doesn't get you anything. Killing didnt fill this hole he has from Sarasa's death, as much as he would like to think it did. Killing or getting his revenge is just trying to fill a horizontal hole with water. It is full for one second and then it just drips out again, till it's fully open again.

Uvogin realized that and in his last ff moment got amused by the thought that Kurapika is much likely to face the same he had to face. And tbh I find it really ff great how he got amused by that- Cuz it did show that he also finally realized and faced that reality himself.

Gosh this bebi is a ff legend.

to put it simply. YES. That is exactly what I meant and I am very sure that this is an actual thought process Togashi had for it. I will fight over this for my entire life. Don't even try me. LOL It is pureply angst and I did this with the full intension to make everyone suffer who realizes it. You're welcome. last bits now I swear

I have to thank you guys for being so supportive. Cuz otherwise I would have never posted such a thing. So it's a 'one hand washes the other'- I guess... is that how the saying goes? I think so. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN OKAY

I mean it when I say this character means a lot to me so I wanna give him some justice that he deserves. I think if Uvo had generally more screentime and more casual moments people would be hyped over him like they are for Nobunaga and Feitan. Maybe even as much as for Chrollo. Cuz hear me out, Uvogin is not a side character. He is WAY TOO important for that. The impact he had on the story is INSANE and I am a bit sad that not enough people see it. Tho maybe it's good so we have less toxic people in this small uvo bubble :D

YEP. In Togashi's name, AMEN. Uvo is a legend and he fully served. And I think the best thing that shows it is that we are literally sitting here rn and wishing for more of him. He didn't had much but what he did with that bit was crazy. And I am so happy that Togashi made Uvo a ff legend. And I am sure you can tell that Togashi has a sweet spot for Uvogin as well. And that makes me happy. Cuz as someone who has own characters for giant world buildings too, it is the best compliment ever when people love even the characters that don't appear for too long. Okay, enough with my half bible here, I will now get u my fav Uvo scenes.

here UwU (I will put the link in when I can finally upload that other post with the ff video in it cuz tumblr won't let me post a video on a reblog... thanks tumblr)

I will give u anyways cuz I FUCKING CAN. Deal with it. Watch it. This is a demand. Cuz, this might be sour for some people BUT german dub Uvo is the best Uvo and no you can not change my mind. Also fff credits to you, You know who you are (also I am bad at remembering names) I didnt know I would find another person here who watched the german dub. Thank you, you literally made my day. CUZ I CANT SHUT UP ABOUT IT *cries* anyways, enjoy, and have a nice day Uvo nation 🤍

HxH Character Analysis : UVOGIN

*cracks my fingers* alright peoples, I've been cooking this for DAYS now and I finally have everything gathered (at least I hope so). So lean back, get something to drink and maybe some paper and pen to take notes :) This will be a long one! (btw if there are missspellings I am really sorry, english is not my native language and it's too much that I wrote and I do not have the energy to look over it again- :') )

Character Analysis of Uvogin, regarding the Sarasa Incident

Numbing and Emotional Detachment

A dumb brute with just muscles and pureply driven by the joy to kill. That's probably how a lot of people would describe him. This is actually not really true and I will explain why I think that.

In my perception Uvogin pureply kills because a) it's his 'job' and b) because he wants to drown his own emotions.

There are generally 2 Options we can work with.

Uvogin kills because it's one of the only things that give him a positive feeling, which lasts short term.

Uvogin kills because it's something that numbs his emotions

If we go with option 1, we assume that Uvogin relates positive feelings with killing.

Killing the people who came to kill himself, assumingly gives Uvogin the most pleasure (kinky lol). Assumingly it gives him some kind of kick of adrenaline, knowing he might potentially gives his life. It's probably a same kind of feeling with the russian roulette. (Most people play it because of the death wish, but I don't wanna focus on that too much for Uvogin. This death wish with Uvogin can be a giant topic for itself-)

I simply think, Uvogin got addicted to this kick of adrenaline over time and now simply can't stop.

In the german dub of HxH 2011 it's even put a bit better. There Uvogin says "Because dudes like you appear here and there, I just can't stop killing. It's like an addiction"(I am just obsessed with some of the wording in different languages. Plus I LIVE for german dub Uvogin lol)

NOW, what is ironic about this, is that some moments before Kurapika asked Uvogin what they feel when killing innocent people they don't even know. To which Uvogin answers with "Nothing"

I found this weird so I came to the conclusion that Uvogin has a) to difference between killing innocent people and people who come to revenge or b) he doesn't even know it himself and he is just a confused mess, which makes sense if you consider how his mental health state is after unhealed trauma and unhealthy coping mechanism (but I will go intot his now anyways).

But if we consider Option 2, that killing people is actually numbing his feelings, he might even be the complete opposite of what we thought he is. In this case he might be a emotional mess and killing people is what calms him down.

No matter what tho, Uvogin is heavily addicted to the act of killing and he continues to kill because it's something that distracts him from his emotions. Because judging for how long this has been ago, Uvo is way too deep into this entire hole of killing as coping that he can't bare to face the reality that by now, he is probably even worse than Sarasas murder. So he drowns himself in distraction, pushing the reality down his throat so he does not have to face it. But even if he wanted to, he would probably just break at the actual realization of what he has become.

Extreme Punctuality and The Urge to Control The Uncontrollable

(ah my favorite and the least thing looked at)

At first look it is just a cute funny detail added to Uvogins character to make him a bit more relateable and whole as a character. But looking at it I actually realized a sad thing.

Remember when Sarasa went out alone? The others thought she was just gonna get the tape and come back.

If you look at it and put it simply. Sarasa was late. You know what Uvo hates? Someone being late. Nice when the realization kicks in, is it? :)

To explain it now;

When they found Sarasa in the forest, it was already too late. Uvo realized that if they were to search for her earlier or just arrive earlier, they might have had a chance to make an impact on the outcome. Or even save her life.

With this in mind, Uvogins focus on being punctional now seems less random. His anger towards his comerades being late probably isn't even intentionally. Sarasa's death might have impacted Uvo with a strong sense of responsibility as well.

He wants to gain control over things he can't even control, which is a really common coping response to trauma. He once lost control over something, which led to a tragic consequence and now he fears to lose control once again. So Uvogins 'anger' is not because he is actually mad, but because he fears that the same thing happened to them. He simply just cares and is scared that the ones he cares about are getting hurt and worst case, even die.

Because it happened once. So it's much likely to happen again, right? This is a common anxiety thought process.

Outer Persona and Antisocial Behavior

It is obvious that Uvo has a certain 'tough-guy' persona that he shows to the outside world. It becomes very clear when he fights against Kurapika

When Uvogin begins to realize that Kurapika is stronger than he thought and (from his view) maybe even stronger than himself, you can see how this persona is slowly breaking down.

Outer Personas are a common thing for people with Anxiety and Depression. So I think it is save to assume, this is the case with Uvogin. The reason for that can be really simple; from just wanting to not let the others worry about his mental state or just to seem invincible to other people/enemies.

But it can also be, that Uvogin tries to convince himself that he is invincible and not wants to accept how vulnerable he actually as. And yet again, not being able to accept that he wasn't strong enough when Sarasa needed him to be.

To the 'antisocial' part;

When they found Sarasa in the bag back then, Uvo was about to leave her and the others. This always seemed a bit off to me. Why would he leave if he cared so much about her?

People have various reactions to when they don't know how to handle a situations or emotions. Some people laugh, some cry, some stay silent and some get angry. Uvogin is seemingly someone to cope with aggression or isolation/detachment. He probably just wanted to vanish because he felt weak and helpless, and his body instinctively reacted with aggression and the attempt to cut himself out off the scene.

Even at some point in the fight against Kurapika, you can see how Uvo started to gave up and just emotionlessly repeated himself to Kurapika: "Kill me" .

This also leads to (imo) Uvogin's biggest weakness :

Uvogin and Panic

Uvo is a strong and smart fighter, when it comes to combat. He can probably plan out a lot within just a few moments and has an incredible skill at creative problem solving.

Tho, for me, it tends to panic really easily, leaving him extremely vulnerable. The best example is in his fight against Kurapika but also against the Shadow Beasts. Theres a moment when he got caught off guard and starts to slightly panic, which led him to instinctively cope with aggression;

In the 2011 anime he even calls one of them "bastard" after collabsing onto the ground.

(small addition here cuz Shal wtf, why do you look like someone got you flowers after your comerade just collabsed onto the ground, obviously about to get tortured now??)

anyways-

Uvogins Ego and Self Blame

Ofc this can just be Uvo being Uvo, as he thinks a lot of his own abilities and skills, but since this is an analysis, why not looking into it too?

Maybe Uvogin tends to have an ego problem and high temper because he does not want to get reminded that he can fail too. Because in his opinion, the last time he failed, it led to Sarasa's death.

Logically it is obviously not his fault that Sarasa died. The kids straight up didn’t know what would or could happen. But I am very sure that Uvo always blamed himself for it. The same probably goes for Chrollo and the others as well. And since Uvogin is not in a healthy envirnment, nor got treatment for his trauma ever, he surely blames himself.

(And at this point he surely is not able to stop/change his mind on that anymore. Uvo would straight up rage if he was put into a therapist's office LOL)

A similar thought process might have happened when Uvo got kidnapped by the nostrade family and the others had to save him. After all, it would fit a LOT into his pattern of feeling vulnerable and coping with aggression trying to protect his ego. Cuz if he doesn’t he has to face the reality that he was too weak (again) and the others had to save him, putting them indirectly in potential danger.

His thought process is probably something like: I was too weak → others had to save me → IF they get injured or worst case someone dies bc of it, it is his fault → Cuz they had to save HIM. Because this again is a comon pattern when it comes to Anxiety and Depression.

which leads me to the next point;

Overcompensation with strength and the fear of weakness

My last point. A simple but sad one.

Uvo simply feats of being weak. So he purely focuses on physical strength and mastering his nen as an enhancer.

"If I am too weak, I just need to get stronger, right?"

Because he is an enhancer, he would probably think this simple. And even if we look at it from a depression perspective; A quick way out and taking the first idea to not waste any more time. Especially since Uvo does not seem to be much of an overthinker.

He had emptiness and many questions inside him and his first instinctive answer was strength. As simple as that.

gosh this was a lot- but I warned you before so don't blame me LOL

I hope I was able to explain my thought about him and how I look at him :) I will maybe do a second part, focusing on the "death wish" part I talked about earlier! We will see, no promises.

Feel free to tell me your opinion on this! I would love to hear them 🤍

#hxh #Uvogin

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buck-buck-boose · 3 years ago

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I'll Love You 'Til I Die

Masterlist | Playlist

Summary: A Brooklyn schoolgirl fell in love with James Buchanan Barnes at the tender age of nine. With this love she made a vow, promising to love him until her very last breath.

Pairing: Bucky x OFC

Warnings: Language, violence

Word Count: 4.3k

Author's Note: I am... so sorry for taking so long. I was not expecting the start of the semester to be so hectic. I can't promise I'll go back to posting as regularly as during the summer, but I can promise that I'm not disappearing. I promise. I WILL SEE THIS FANFIC THROUGH EVEN IF IT KILLS ME. Thank you for the kind words and support while I've been MIA. Enjoy a chunky chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Little Saint Lottie

October 27, 1943

“I’m worried about her, Betty.”

“I know, Gladys. I know.”

Lottie couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten a full night’s rest. Days seemed to bleed into each other, with no slumber to distinguish today from tomorrow. It wasn’t long after arriving at Azzano that she realized that he wasn’t waiting for her. Bucky was gone. In his place, dozens of men awaited her arrival with sunken eyes and twitching lips that begged for relief, whether it be through a healing touch or a final blow to the head.

When the realization hit Lottie, there wasn’t much she could do besides throwing herself into her work; if she couldn’t help Bucky, the least she could do was help his brothers in arms. Although anxiety ate her up from the inside out, Lottie had confidence in Bucky’s abilities. He wouldn’t let himself die in some POW camp, he just wouldn’t. Because then who would take care of her and Steve? He’d fight tooth and nail to get back to them, she just knew it.

She threw herself into her work, rarely stopping long enough to have a proper conversation or a full meal; this bad habit of hers came to a halt, though, when she came upon a boisterous redhead in need of stitches. Lottie had been deep in thought while examining the gash above his forehead when the soldier cracked a grin and peered up at her without moving his head too much.

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

Lottie shook her head, “I’m afraid not, Private—” she glanced at his dog tags, “—O’Connor.”

“Ever done pinup? Maybe I know you from one of those cheesecakes we’ve got hanging up.” The man— more of a boy really, with his lanky frame and jovial smile —wiggled his eyebrows and ruined her diligent work of cleaning the blood from his wound.

The question left Lottie flustered; the idea of dozens of men gawking at her scantily clad figure left her feeling mortified, “Certainly not! I find that my talents are better suited for healing.”

O’Connor nodded and inspected her face carefully as she went to work on his gash once more. “I’ve got it!” Lottie nearly jumped away from him when he clapped his hands together, “You’re Little Saint Lottie, in the flesh!” The boy crowed his revelation, earning him glares from the other men recovering in the medic tent.

Lottie nearly dropped the needle that she’d been preparing to thread, “Excuse me?”

“Ah, it’s a funny story,” O’Connor chuckled, “Y’see, Sarge had this little photo he’d take everywhere. Always had it in his pocket, tucked in his helmet, you name it. Wouldn’t let the damn thing go. Anyway, we stole it out of his fatigues one day while he was cleaning up in some river ‘cause we wanted to see what the big deal was. Once we saw it was some dame—” Lottie shot him a look, “—lady, we started yanking his chain about it. He was just about as obsessed with that photo as my Ma is with her holy cards, so when he finally told us your name, we dubbed you ‘Little Saint Lottie,’ patron saint of the one hundred and seventh. That kinda pissed him off, but it’s not like you’re his girl, y’know? Though he sure acted like you were.”

Lottie was speechless. About halfway through his story, her mouth had dropped open and her hands had fallen to her lap. Here she was, looking dumb as an ox, while the soldier in front of her chuckled with childish glee.

“Me and the guys would even ask for your intercession whenever the chaplain came by to pray with us. Poor guy had no clue which saint we were talkin’ about. We tried to give it a place of honor in the tent but Sarge made us run laps when he found out we’d nicked it again.”

O’Connor nearly doubled over in laughter as he watched Lottie’s expression grow in horror. “Well as I’m sure Bucky— Sergeant Barnes has told you, I’m no saint. I’m just a nurse. Now hold still, unless you want these stitches to be more painful than they already are.” Before she could stop herself, the question came tumbling out of her mouth, “Speaking of Sergeant Barnes, do you know—” she fumbled with the needle as she made the first stitch, “—is he alright? Did you see him?” The soldier let out a hiss of pain, “Yeah, I got a glimpse of him while they were takin’ him away. He was battered but alright. There’s no man quite like Sarge, I know he’ll be back. He’d fight tooth and nail to get back. That’s what he said at least, ‘cause he always went on and on about how you needed him and all that. He sure talked about you an awful lot for a guy who hasn’t even asked you to go steady.”

Lottie’s breath hitched at the final comment, the mere idea of going steady with Bucky reducing her to a stuttering schoolgirl. She began to tie off his stitches, “We’ve been best friends for over a decade, it’s perfectly normal to care for each other deeply without bringing affection into it.”

O’Connor shrugged, which jostled her arm slightly, “I’ve never heard a guy talk about his best friend like that.”

Lottie didn’t respond. She gave his fully sutured wound one last glance, “Looks like you’re all set. Now don’t do anything stupid to get it infected.”

He gave her a crooked grin and wiggled his eyebrows, Lottie nearly scolded him but held her tongue, “As you wish, Saint Lottie.”

Lottie rolled her eyes and moved along to the next bed, where another soldier waited with a smile just as wide. It seemed that these men had become pleased as punch to know their patroness had come to grace them with her presence.

The USO’s visit to their camp took Lottie completely by surprise. She’d spent so much time floating from one medic tent to the next that she’d ended up completely out of the loop of the camp’s other goings-on. It wasn’t until she saw the fully-erected stage in the middle of camp that she realized. Her heart beat powerfully within her; with Steve here, she would be one step closer to finding Bucky. One step closer to bringing him home. “They say he’s gonna be here in a few hours,” Mary beamed, obviously giddy to see the Star-Spangled Man up close and in the flesh.

Lottie returned her smile, though it was weak. The weariness was starting to catch up to her, making her feel much older than a youthful twenty-three. Her stomach was in knots with anxiety; she needed to get to Steve as soon as possible.

Betty stood with them as they watched the hustle and bustle of preparations, “I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones looking forward to seeing Captain America. All these boys care about is seeing a bunch of girls dancing for them on stage, not some hunk of meat in a red, white, and blue suit.”

Nancy, who had just joined the conversation, scoffed, “It’s quite disappointing how little you think of these men and their patriotism.”

Gladys rolled her eyes, “They’re still men, Nancy. Scantily clad women or a guy singing about war bonds? They’re gonna prefer the women.”

Several hours later, Gladys was indeed proven right. Although he’d been driven off-stage with jeers and taunts, Lottie was waiting for him with a warm embrace.

“Hey, Lottie,” She could hear the smile in his voice, she felt its warm timbre as it surrounded her and reminded her of home.

“Good to see ya, Stevie.”

Steve pulled away from her and gazed around the camp, a grimace growing on his features, “Things don’t look to good around here.”

Lottie nodded, a twin grimace gracing her lips, “The hundred and seventh started out with two hundred men. Now they’ve only got fifty left. They’re barely holding on.”

Steve’s gaze shot to hers the moment she mentioned the one hundred and seventh, “Lottie that’s— this is Bucky’s—” The desperate look in his eyes made her own calm exterior begin to crack.

“Stevie, I know,” she whispered, a lump forming in her throat and tears pricking at her eyes, “I know, and I’m sorry. He’s not here. They— Those bastards took him, damn them!” For the first time since arriving at camp, Lottie cried. She sobbed and clung to Steve once more, feeling every bit like a scared little girl from days gone by.

Steve rested his hand against her back, “I’ll get him out, Lottie. He’s gotta be alive and I’ll get him out.”

She shook her head and wiped the hot tears from her cheeks, “No, Steve. You’re not going alone. I’m coming with you.”

“Lottie, you know I can’t put you in harm’s way like that—”

“Steve. I’m serious. What do you think I was doing that whole time I was with the SSR? Yes, we were making the serum, but they nearly trained us to death. I can shoot, I can use my knife. I can’t let you go without me.” Her voice was starting to crack, “We have to find Bucky together.”

There was silence between the two of them until Steve finally conceded, a wary gaze in his eyes, “Fine. But you need to be by my side the whole time.” Lottie nodded her chest warming with hope. “C’mon, we need to have a conversation with Colonel Philipps.”

The two of them jogged to his tent with their coats held above their heads to shield them from a sudden shower of rain. They entered the colonel’s tent, looking comical with their wet hair and heaving chests. Around them, soldiers and officials paced to and fro, examining maps or signing off various forms. If Lottie squinted, she could just barely make out the words. Letters of condolences; heartbreakingly clinical letters of regret for the losses of these sons, these brothers, these boys.

“Colonel Phillips,” Steve began, “Are you planning a rescue mission? For the surviving prisoners from the Battle of Azzano?”

The colonel looked back at him with a straight face, “Yeah, it’s called winning the war.”

Steve’s blond eyebrows furrowed, “But if you know where they are why not at least—”

“They’re thirty miles behind the lines. Through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We’d lose more men than we’d save, but I don’t expect you to understand that because you’re a chorus girl,” before Lottie could protest, he shot her a glance as well, “and you’re just a nurse.”

Steve’s gaze on Colonel Phillips was cool, “I think I understand just fine.”

The colonel pushed past them, “Well then understand it somewhere else. Now if I read the posters correctly, you’ve got someplace to be in thirty minutes.”

“Yes sir, I do.”

Steve grabbed Lottie’s hand and pulled her behind him, “C’mon, we’ve gotta get going. You go get changed.”

Lottie nodded; her medical uniform would impede this mission so she’d need to wear the fatigues that the government had finally issued to them. Her heart raced a mile a minute as she scrambled back to the nurse’s tent to change. She knew that Colonel Philipps would be terribly angry once he found out she’d shirked her night duties, but her loyalties to Bucky took precedence. The recovering soldiers were left in the capable hands of her peers. She swore as she nearly toppled over while yanking her boots on; it was rather hard to get dressed in such a hurry. By the time she was ready and had exited the tent, she was met with the somber faces of Agent Carter and Steve.

“Agent Carter, what are you doing?” For a moment, she feared that they’d already been caught, that the SSR was already putting an end to their mission.

The other woman pursed her lips, “I’m here to help.”

A mere half-hour later and they found themselves in the SSR’s plane, headed to Krausberg, where the POW camp was located. Howard Stark called out to them from the cockpit, “We should be able to drop you right at their doorstep.”

Fear was starting to creep into Lottie’s mind and burrowed itself deep within her gut. She heard the conversation continue all around her, but she was still processing the daunting mission before her. She and Steve up against Hydra. All alone. Even Bucky had struggled against them; he’d lost to them in the Battle of Azzano. Bucky. That’s what worried her most. It’s what filled her with the most fear. If she and Steve got through the Hydra camp safe and sound only to find that he was dead, Lottie wasn’t sure how she’d deal with it. She’d probably go mad, in all honesty. She’d end up in some institution, crying over lucky pennies and charcoal drawings while being molly-coddled by some woman in white. How tragic that would be.

Before her thoughts could become any darker, Lottie was jolted back to reality by the sound of bullets against metal. Steve grabbed his shield and her arm, urging her to join him by the plane’s exit.

Agent Carter shot up from her seat, “Get back here! We’re taking you all the way in!”

He turned to respond, “As soon as I’m clear, you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!” “You can’t give me orders!”

A smile grew on his face, “The hell I can’t! I’m a captain!”

Steve shifted his goggles and nudged Lottie, “It’s go time. When you see me pull the chute out, you do the same.”

Lottie nodded with a quiet determination, and together, they jumped.

Entering the base was painstakingly quiet; once they’d snuck into a truck and eliminated the guards inside, Steve and Lottie were left to mouth words and offer silent support through unwavering gazes. Once they’d safely passed the gate of the base, they exited the truck and swiftly dealt with any opposition.

Steve led her across the base with caution, giving hand signals when it was safe to turn a corner and sprint across a patch of unobstructed space. The two of them traveled with the shadows, avoiding any spotlights that could catch them in the act. Lottie scarcely felt that she could breathe, it was as if one exhale would reveal their presence to the multitude of guards.

Once they entered the main building, the two of them found themselves in what seemed to be a factory. There were giant sheets of metal everywhere and huge bombs seemed to surround them. Amongst them all, Hydra soldiers transported other metal parts and containers of glowing blue material. That did not bode well with Lottie at all.

Lottie spotted some guards walking to a lower level, jangling keys in hand. “Steve, they might be guarding the prisoners.” Her whisper was barely audible, fear keeping her from speaking any louder.

“The blueprints said they were below the manufacturing level. C’mon.”

They followed the guards onto a walkway that had large circular grates that cut into the metal, each forming the ceiling of small cells that the poor prisoners had been separated into. Lottie and Steve knocked the guards out and stole their keys. The two dropped to the same level as the cells and began unlocking their doors.

One of the soldiers gazed at them through the bars of his cell, “Who are you supposed to be?”

Steve panted from stress, “I’m Captain America.” He gave Lottie an expectant look.

“I guess I’m Little Saint Lottie,” she responded somewhat sarcastically, referencing the retrospectively comical nickname that was developed by the one hundred and seventh.

Some of the men cracked grins, “So you’ve heard our prayers, huh?”

“Loud and clear. Now let’s get you out of here, yeah?”

She tried to ignore the growing horror inside of her upon the realization that none of these men had brilliant blue eyes. Not a dimpled chin in sight.

“Is there anybody else? I’m looking for a Sergeant James Barnes.” It seemed that the same horror was growing within Steve.

A man in a scarlet beret responded, his British accent prim and proper, “There’s an isolation ward in the factory, but no one’s ever come back from it.”

“Alright,” Steve nodded, “The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give ‘em hell. We’ll meet you guys out in the clearing with anyone else we find.”

“Wait, you know what you’re doing?” “Yeah. I’ve knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times.”

Lottie couldn’t help but stare at Steve in amazement. Gone was that awkward boy from Brooklyn. He was a man now, a leader who could do anything he put his mind to. He’d grown so much, not just physically, but in his character.

While the prisoners worked their way out of the base, Steve and Lottie began their search for the isolation wards. Lottie tried to ignore the sounds of explosions and men crying out from below them while they traveled across metal catwalks. She could only hope that the cries of pain were coming from Hydra soldiers.

After turning several corners, they found themselves in an old hallway, surrounded by brick on both sides. They hurried down the corridor out of desperation; they knew they were running out of time. Lottie stopped suddenly when she heard a groan. It was close. She drew her weapon and dragged Steve into the room, her heart stuttering and her palms slick with sweat.

“Sergeant. Three-two-five-five-seven…” That voice. Oh, how she knew that voice; she loved it so. Lottie heard it whenever she found the time to fall asleep. It crept into her sweetest dreams but tore her apart whenever it wiggled its way into her nightmares.

Bucky lay in front of them, strapped down to a table; his lips moved ever so slightly as he repeated the same phrase over and over again.

She rushed to his side alongside Steve and nearly let out a cry of happiness. Had the situation not been so dire, she would’ve descended upon him with a bone-crushing embrace and great big sobs of joy by that point.

Lottie whispered a quiet, “Bucky?” His eyes were glazed over and his mouth agape, “Is that— is that—”

“It’s us, Buck,” Steve nodded reassuringly as he tore at the straps across Bucky’s chest. Bucky looked up at him, taking his face in,

“Us?”

“Me and Lottie,” he nodded, tugging her closer so that the two of them could be in Bucky’s field of vision.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him, finally feeling whole again. She’d gotten her Brooklyn boys back. Bucky only looked back in confusion, “Little Lottie, she— she’s always been here. Always. Stayed with me the whole time.”

It was Lottie and Steve’s turn for confusion. Lottie brushed the hair back from his forehead to calm him down and ground him, “Bucky, I’ve been with the SSR this whole time. We’re here to rescue you.”

Steve nodded and dragged him off the table, “I thought you were dead.”

Bucky was obviously having a hard time processing everything that was happening, “I thought you were smaller.”

Lottie listened as the gunfire intensified, “Come on, we need to move.” Steve threw one of Bucky’s arms over his shoulder and the two fell into step behind her.

“What happened to you?” Bucky grunted out, pain etched into his voice.

“I joined the army.”

“Did it hurt?”

Steve was growing agitated, “A little.”

“Is it permanent?”

“So far.” Lottie huffed, “I’d sure hope so after all that effort I put into it.”

Bucky mustered out a befuddled, “Huh?”

“I helped to create the serum that made him like that.”

“So that’s why you left without saying a word.” Bucky’s tone was only slightly accusatory.

Lottie muttered a weak “Yeah.” They’d need to have a lengthier conversation once he wasn’t struggling to walk five yards.

As they crossed the catwalks to get towards the exit, the factory below them began to combust. Huge flames erupted from the metal contraptions and triggered explosions all around them. They hastily climbed the metal stairs to get to higher ground.

“Captain America, how exciting!” A thick German accent cut through the noise of explosions and gunfire. “I am a great fan of your films!” Before them stood two men; one was a short little fellow clad in a jacket and fedora. The other was tall and wore a distinguished Hydra uniform with its menacing crest emblazoned on his shoulder.

The taller of the two gave Captain America a once over as he strode across the catwalk that separated them, “So, Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still, impressive.”

“You’ve got no idea,” Steve snarled and punched the man in the face. The swift blow caused a blotch of redness to appear near his eye and a sinking feeling of realization settled into Lottie’s stomach. This was Schmidt, the monster who used the serum prototype.

Before she could say anything, Schmidt struck back and left a dent in Steve’s shield, “Haven’t I?”

There was a brief scuffle before Schmidt backed off while the other man pulled a lever, pulling the catwalk apart. With a grin, Schmidt began pulling at the skin of his face and revealed fiery red muscle and tissue beneath, just as Lottie had seen when she first began experimenting with the formula. “You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!”

“Then how come you’re running?”

Steve never got an answer. Schmidt and the other man had already boarded an elevator and left them standing on the catwalk, nearly helpless.

Another explosion went off, cueing the trio to leave, “C’mon, let’s go. Up.” Lottie instructed the men to follow her, though she wasn’t too sure how to escape the factory. All she knew was that they needed to keep ascending the stairs.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they were faced with a metal beam that led to a catwalk with an exit. It was terrifyingly slim, with only enough room to place one foot in front of the other.

“Ladies first,” Bucky murmured, “but I’ll be right behind you.” Lottie felt sure of herself knowing that at least she wouldn’t have to cross on her own.

She took a tentative first step, testing how well it would hold her weight. Lottie tried not to look down at the fiery pit below while she carefully moved along the beam. It was a comfort to have Bucky behind her with his chest nearly pressed against her back as he followed her every step. Lottie had just scrambled over the railing of the catwalk when a jarring explosion shifted the beam’s position and sent it careening downwards. She gasped in horror as Bucky leaped to grab onto the catwalk.

“There’s gotta be a rope or something!”

Steve stared at the two of them from across the pit, “Just go! Get out of here!”

Bucky slammed his fist on the railing, desperation tearing at his voice, “No, not without you!”

“Steve, please! We can’t just leave you here!” Lottie pleaded. Steve couldn’t die, not like this.

With a look of determination, Steve backed up and made a running jump to clear the gap between the two catwalks. An explosion threatened to swallow him up, but he made it over safely, although a little worse for wear.

Lottie and Bucky could only stare in amazement. Steve nodded to them both, “Let’s get outta here.”

Several ladders and a whole lot of dodging later, the trio found themselves trudging towards the tree line.

It was silent amongst the three of them; painfully, dreadfully silent. She decided it was time to break the silence, “Bucky, I—”

“Look, Little Lottie, I know you’re sorry, alright? And I forgive you. Even though you lied to my face and left without saying goodbye, I had a whole lotta time to spend forgiving you.”

Now that the fear of being caught by Hydra soldiers had fully subsided, Lottie allowed herself to let out a sob of joy and nearly threw herself at Bucky. She almost apologized for the force of her embrace since it was likely to hurt a man who’d been captured by Hydra, but he didn’t show any sign of pain. She’d need to remember that for later.

“I missed you so much, Bucky. I really did,” Lottie nearly whimpered. Gosh, she sure sounded lovesick. “I missed you too, Little Lottie.” His embrace was sure and strong, and with it, a flood of memories came back to her. Nights on her fire escape. A birthday evening spent swing dancing. A lucky penny slipped into her hand. For the first time in months, Lottie finally felt whole. Her heart that had been splintered into shards of pain and hopelessness had finally begun to mend itself back together. While she found comfort in his arms and forgiveness, she knew there were still so many words left unsaid; words that he needed and deserved to hear.

“Yeah, I missed you guys too,” Steve muttered, obviously peeved that he was being left out of their moment.

“Aw, come on, Stevie,” Lottie grinned and pulled away from Bucky a little to allow Steve to join their hug.

“And if I remember correctly, Bucky, I think it’s actually Little Saint Lottie now,” she grinned. While she couldn’t see his face at the moment, she just knew it was turning a gorgeous shade of scarlet, based on the sputtering coming out of his mouth.

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imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl · 4 years ago

Text

Unexpected Places (Pt. 11 of 11)

Pairing: Ivar the Boneless X Reader/Bjorn X Reader

Word count: 2 K

Summary: As a princess, you've lived in a golden cage all your life, always a piece on someone else's game. But everything changed when the Norsemen came crushing down on Wessex, like waves in a violent storm. Their king spared your life and decided to take you with him to his kingdom, in what felt more like a rescue than a kidnapping. There, you were not only confronted with a completely different culture and lifestyle, but also with two of his sons. The oldest one has his eyes set on you, but it's the youngest one, Ivar, who gets who claimed your attention since the first sight. And he seems to have an unnamed interest in you. Of course you hoped whatever that was would pass, but when unexpected feelings start to flow a different way, things begin to change.

<- Previous part (10)

{Vikings Masterlist}

Home

Walking slow, you keep up the pace of a heavily pregnant Aslaug. The news of the child on its way came on the last day of the feast for your wedding and it was well-received by everyone. The snow falling gives Kattegat an amazing look, with everything painted white. The ocean is starting to freeze, but there are still boats coming and going, doing the last trades by sea before the ice keeps them away, having to endure the walk instead of sailing here.

Heading to the main hall, you stop when Aslaug stops, a hand on her swollen belly. “Everything alright?”

“Yes. I just need to lie down for a while.” She answers, setting in motion again. “Ragnar sons are always–” She's cut short once you enter the hall, the high number of people gathered around getting both your attentions. “Did something happen?” She asks, raising her voice. Ragnar comes to stand beside her, very protective ever since he found about the pregnancy.

You make your way to where Ivar is, seated on Ragnar's throne. “What's going on?” You ask him. “Bad news?”

“Boats were seen sailing this way.” He answers, gesturing, and dismissing the men. “With your brother's flag.”

“What the hell does Aethelwulf want?” Shrugging your shoulders, you stand beside Ivar, who takes your hand and places a kiss on it.

“Ask father.” He says, clearly annoyed.

Raising an eyebrow, you look at Ragnar. “Last raid I might have left implied that you were here on Kattegat, so... I think they came to take you back.”

“Why would you do that?” You inquire, hands on your hips.

“They were really pissing me off.” Ragnar justifies, and you roll your eyes.

“Are they coming for war?”

“No,” Bjorn says, entering the hall and dusting off his clothes from the snow. “I don't think they're planning on battle us, on our ground, with such few people.”

“Good. It means I can just tell them I don't wanna go and they'll leave.” Sighing, you look at Ivar. “And here I was planning on asking you to take me on the next raid.” You complain to Ivar, shooting Ragnar an angry glance. “England came to me.”

“Missing home?”

“Are you seriously asking me if I want to sail for weeks, stay on a camp in the woods for the entire summer for any other reason than to staying with you?” Faking an annoyed tone, you raise an eyebrow at Ivar.

Giggling, he bites his lip, nodding his head. “My mistake, princess.” Winking, he turns his attention back to his father. “Let's do what we have to do and get this tiny problem out of our lives so I can enjoy winter with my wife.”

“Speaking of enjoying the winter, I'll fix myself a warm bath and I hope you to join me.” With that, you turn around and head inside, ignoring the low chattering your words caused.

The word got out, you think, about Ivar being able to perform sexually. But since you were the first one to know, you don't mind the gossip.

The girls don't take much time to get everything ready, and you let them help you undress before you step into the tub. You always use Ivar's tub now, since you just moved into his bedroom after the wedding. As if you weren't sleeping here before. A few moments later you hear Ivar coming inside, taking off his clothes before joining you, making the hot water spill off when he moves inside, settling down next to you.

“You're so beautiful.” He whispers, immediately pulling you into a kiss, and you can't help but smile as you cave in, running a hand through his chest.

“Thank you, handsome.” You mutter when you pull away to breathe, biting your lip.

“Won't you even consider it?” You don't follow, so you pinch your eyebrows together, looking at your husband.

“Consider what?”

“Going back home.” There's fear in his voice, and that's a sentiment he only shows to you.

Ever since the announcement, Ivar has been listening to some rude things. People are mean, some of them at least. They say you'll leave him, trade him for a full man. That you'll get tired of him soon enough. You've been into awful arguments with some people about it, and Ivar have nearly killed a man a few weeks ago. With time, these comments are fading away, but it always gets to him. And when it happens, it's your mission to reassure him your love hasn't changed, it has only gotten bigger.

“I am home.” Caressing his cheek, you smile. “This is where I belong.” Your voice fades when you remember you have something to tell Ivar. It's been a while since you've been feeling odd, and your period is very late. “Actually, I need to talk to you about something.”

He furrows his eyebrows, a question on his face. “What is it?”

You know he wants kids, you've always knew. And you've been waiting until you're sure. And you're kinda sure at this point. “Ivar, I... I may be with child.” Speaking low, barely a whisper, you focus on his expression, trying to read it.

But you don't need too much. Ivar's lips break into a smile, and he kisses you deeply, until you're out of breath. “I'll be a father.” He says when you pull away.

“Yes, you will. And if it depends on me, you'll have a bunch of children, my love.” You can't wait to tell everyone, to let them know Ivar can do what they all doubted.

“I love you, (Y/N). More than everything.”

“We need to talk names now.” Giggling, you caress his face. “Everyone will have a suggestion.”

“We'll have to do it later.”

“Later? Why? Are you planning on doing anything now?” Smirking, you don't need any other answer than the kiss he gives you, and suddenly all the rest is put aside for a moment.

°°°

Hours later, when the sun is about to set, you're at the docks, watching as the two boats approach. A great number of people came too, of course, to see how it'll play out. There are soldiers, ready to fight if that's the case, but if it depends on you, it won't come to that. It doesn't look like they're here for war.

It gets your attention when one of the men, standing on the edge of the ship, recognizes you. He raises his eyebrows, but you don't show any expression. Slowly, he and a few men step out of the boat, eyes scanning through the Vikings, ready to defend themselves and their leader. That's when you recognize the man, Sir Wilfred, one of your father's man, now working for your older brother. He was kind to you, so you don't have your walls all the way up.

“Princess (Y/N).” He greets you with a small smile, taking your hand and placing a kiss on it. “It's a true blessing to find you alive and... Well.”

“It's good to see you too, Sir. Hope you made a safe trip here. But may I ask why did you and such a small army bothered to sail all the way to Kattegat?” Cutting straight to the point, you offer him a small smile. Ivar, who stands beside you, gets a worried stare from Wilfred, and you can feel his anger emanating.

“King Aethelwulf, your brother, sent us. After Ragnar Lothbrok told him you were here, brought by your own will, he decided to give you a chance to reconquer your old life, as a princess, by his side.” There's more than he's saying because you know your brother. It doesn't sound like something he would say. Aethelwulf wants you back because he can't even begin to imagine who would want to stay here. And he's ego demands him to try and get you back, so he can present you to his court, telling them how you came back to your senses and abandoned the barbarians.

“Tell my brother I have no intention of leaving Kattegat.” You begin, getting a weird expression from Wilfred, and some of his men start gossiping with each other. “I made myself a home here, among the Vikings. I even married one.” Gesturing at Ivar, you have to bite back the laugh that threatens to emerge at the surprise on Wilfred's face. “This is Ivar the Boneless, my husband and the father of the child I'm carrying. And I believe you know him very well Sir.”

“My princess, I don't understand–”

“I'm thankful for this... Rescue party you brought with you across the ocean, but I don't need to be rescued.” Cutting him off, you step back a little, gesturing at the people who stand behind you. “This is my place now, my people. My house, my King and Queen, my husband and friends. I'm not being held against my will. In fact, I didn't come against my will.” You raise your voice, so all of his men will listen, so the truth can find a way to your brother's ears. “With the same people you call soulless, barbarians, monsters, I found great happiness, something that I never had back in England. And I apologize if you had to endure such a journey for nothing, but I won't be going with you. And, just in case you were ordered to take me by force, I must advise you not to try it. Because you will lose.”

“My princess, those aren't the orders,” Winfred speaks again, clearly uncomfortable. “King Aethelwulf commands that, if you are indeed here by your own will, and refuses to return home, he will tell your people you died, and never again you'll find refuge in his kingdom.

Laughing a little, you shrug your shoulders. “So be it.” You simply say, looking at Ivar, who has a smile on his lips. “I'm not going anywhere.” You tell most to your husband than to anyone else. “It was good to see you one last time, Sir Wilfred.” But now I must ask you and your men to sail away from Kattegat. Your presence here isn't welcome.”

“I wouldn't stay even if you invited me, Prin... (Y/N).” He quickly corrects himself, and the change of humor makes you giggle.

“I wasn't planning on inviting you, Sir. Have a safe trip back to England.” Nodding at him, you turn around, walking away with Ivar next to you. Everyone steps out of your way, and you notice how some of Ragnar's men take a position to follow the Saxons back to their ship and until they're far enough from the town.

The commotion soon stays behind as you make your way back home, the wind, which gets colder by the day, messing with your hair.

“I love both of you,” Ivar says, out of nowhere, making you stop on your tracks by the main hall's entrance.

“What's that now?” Squinting your eyes, you stare at him, a chuckle caught in your throat.

“You make me happy. Like I never thought I'd be.” He comes closer, a hand on your belly. “This child is the very image of what we feel. And I never thought I'd ever love someone this much. Or that someone would love me even though–”

“Well, I love you. Just the way you are.” Your heart warms up at his smile, genuine and kind. “Now, let's get inside. It's getting cold.” Taking his hand, you pull him inside.

Many things are on the way now. The child, the raids, on which you do want to go every once in a while. The road is long and full of surprises, but you're willing to enjoy every step of the way. You never thought this would be how your life turned out, but as crazy as it is, it's good. It's the proof that love and happiness can be found in the most unexpected places, and you found both those things in a town across the world, with people who live in a completely different culture, in very different ways. But you would do it all over again, and now that you're here, you'll never take things for granted. You'll never trade this for anything else, not even for the throne of Wessex. This is far more valuable than all the crowns of the world.

@multific @revolution-starter @crackhead1-800 @youbloodymadgenius @clown-boyyy @kitten0394 @castielsangelx-blog @goldlion07 @midnightmystic @readsalot73 @xvxcarolinexvx @momowhoo @fangfoxy @msrawog @walkingonshunshine @alytavzla @anotherfan07 @heavenly1927 @msrawog @alexhandersen-marcoilsoe-fandom

#ivar the boneless imagine #imagine ivar #ivar vikings #ivar the boneless #ivar imagine #imagine ivar the boneless #ivar the boneless fanfiction #ivar the boneless x reader #ivar x reader

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tardytothepardy · 4 years ago

Text

Fruits Basket - Vol. 20

I want to try to break the book into three main chunks. The last time I did that, it was easier to write about. So uh, the first chunk has to do with Tohru and her feelings about Kyo, and Kagura's reaction, the second chunk is Akito and Ren's past being revealed (it's totally a mess but it's to be expected), and the third chunk is about things unraveling.

Ok cool let's do it. (The picture was at the end of one of the chapters, I just liked it a lot idk) (also tumblr needs to increase the character limit for the alt text, it's only 200 characters, which goes by quick. twitter has like,, 420, which is more manageable)

Tohru came to Kazuma's house to visit Izusu, and Kagura came to confront Tohru about something. What possibly could it be (as if I didn't say so in the beginning)? Kagura was talking about it a bit with Kazuma, and he said he just hopes that Tohru's feelings don't come from a place of pity (which is a mild "oof" point for Kagura, because that's mostly why she loved Kyo), because Kyo has had to deal with people either flat out hating him, or being nice to him out of a sense of pity. Even Kazuma admitted (earlier in the series. I don't remember when but I remember reading it) that part of the reason he took in Kyo as a child was because he was making it up for how he treated his grandfather, the previous Cat. Over time, those feelings fell away, in favor of genuinely caring for Kyo's wellbeing, but Kazuma doesn't seem to be the one who would forget about stuff like that. (Also it turns out that the previous Cat's partner basically stayed with him out of a sense of pity, as well)

It turns out that Izusu and Tohru were talking about the same thing, and Tohru worried if her feelings for Kyo were selfish, because she wanted nothing to take Kyo away from her, not the curse, not the Sohma family, nothing. Kagura then bust into the room, smacked Tohru across the fucking room it seems, and said, "Then fucking tell him that!!" (direct quote, 100%) Izusu yelled at Kagura for hitting Tohru, asking what right she had for doing that, but given Kagura's nature, it doesn't seem completely out of nowhere. She just got pretty emotional in that moment.

For Tohru, it seemed to knock the right screw loose for her, and she thought back to when she was talking about her father to Kyo, and if he said really anything against what she was talking about, she apparently would've just zipped her lips and pretended she hadn't said anything, and moved on, but he didn't. Which is pretty nice of him to do, honestly. Anyway, when she came to again (because she got knocked out from Kagura's emotion-packed slap), Kyo was sitting there, because Kazuma had called him, ("Hey dude so there was a smackdown here and Tohru got knocked out lmao" is how I'm imagining the call. kjdhkfgjh can you imagine Kazuma saying "lmao" I can't) but Kyo didn't ask about the fight (which was a Wise Lesson from Shishou™), another nice thing for him to do, though in my opinion it would be a pretty easy thing to explain.

Ok, so now onto the second chunk, which kinda has some of the stuff in the third chunk later on but whatever. Story flow, it's pristine today.

It starts with some of the,, maids? or something that are in the Sohma house (they never get names so far as I can tell, and I don't really know what to call them, but at one point someone referred to one of them as a maid, I think? Idk.) talking about Ren, and wondering why Akito still let Ren wander around freely like she does. Another said that Akito can only do so much, because apparently there is a crowd of people in the house that are "Ren-followers", and if she had Ren be completely contained within an area, there's a chance that those followers might start some shit, which would be a headache to deal with. One of the maids said that Akito has been sick (or holed up in her room) for too long, and the rest of the Juunishi are doing nothing to help, which does not help with Ren, who spouts out stuff about how the Juunishi doesn't really care about Akito at all. The maids seem to have a particular thing against Ren, because they view her as an unsuitable woman who somehow managed to become partners with Akira, the previous God, I think, but also the father of Akito.

Speaking of Akito, she has a box. That same box that Ren tried to use Izusu to get back. Something about that box has to do with Akira, and it seems important to both Akito and Ren, though honestly at this point Akito is probably just holding onto it out of spite for Ren, I wouldn't be surprised (I, too, am a petty bitch. I understand the mindset). She asked Kureno if he has any idea what is in it, and when he says he doesn't, she simply says, "Father."

Now we jump over to Ren and Shigure, who are also talking about about that elusive box. Apparently Shigure was tasked to get the box, but obviously he didn't succeed. He said (thought? He didn't say it aloud, it was one of those thoughts thing--- anyway) that he didn't really care, he didn't even want to touch that box, much less even look at it, it was no loss to him. Out loud, he says that it would be inappropriate for him to hold it, and Ren agrees, saying that only she can have it, just like how only she could have Akira, when he was alive. Are you already sensing where this is heading? Well, I'll say it anyway.

Flash back to Kureno, he's thinking about Akira, from when he was younger and Akira was still alive. He remembers Akira as very beautiful, in a fleeting way. Akira was sickly, all the time, and sad. Everyone knew that he wouldn't live for very long. But since he was the head of the house, of the family, it was imperative that he find a partner and produce an heir. That person was Ren, who was one of his care-takers. The rest of the staff (or something??) didn't like that she was going to be with Akira, it seemed unsuitable, but she was the only candidate. She was the only person who recognized how lonely he was, is what Akira said as a defense when people objected. And so, they were married. The older members of the family despised it, the younger thought it was the beginning of a new change, a new era. Ren said (because this section is flipping between Kureno and Ren) that it was only them two (haha grammar): Akira and Ren, they were all who mattered. She was everything to Akira. So when she had Akito, well, that muddled things. Because now there was another person that Akira loved: his own fuckin child. That's right. Ren got jealous of her own child because Akira loved his very own daughter. That's,, that's something. Shortly after that, Ren decided that Akito would be raised as a boy. Or maybe it was while she was still pregnant. At any rate, she said it was because it would be unsuitable for the head of the family to be a woman, but we all know the real reason: it's so that Akira wouldn't be loving another girl, even though that other girl was his daughter. Jfc Ren is a handful. From Kureno's memory, it seems like even as a kid, Shigure recognized that.

Back to Shigure and Ren, Shigure says that he feels sorry for Ren, probably thanks to all that upset she has. She says the same, that the Juunishi have had to deal with the abuse that Akito has dealt to them simply because of that "bond", and that there's no way that anyone could honestly love Akito. Shigure also comments that sometimes he thinks that if Akito had been raised as a woman, she'd look exactly like Ren, which instantly pisses Ren off. She just starts screaming about "Who do you have to thank for Akito being born! I'm the reason that (insert angry comment about how she's the only reason why x happened)". I'm kinda glad she isn't in the series much, this is exhausting. I know she's in the book later, and maybe a bit more in the next few, but jeez. It's a lot.

Anyway, let's end the chapter with Momiji having his curse be broken. The end is near (for the Juunishi, not this post lmao).

The second that the curse breaks, Akito knows it (that's probably the bond. I doubt it's some kinda "we'll be friends forever uwu" kinda thing, it's just kinda an awareness of each other, or maybe just God's awareness of everyone) and races towards Momiji, begging him to not leave. Now that the curse is broken, Momiji is confused as to how those thoughts he had prior for Akito were even there, now that he sees Akito clinging onto him, whimpering and panicked. Momiji waves her away, saying that he'll keep it a secret, and that Akito should go rest, wasn't she feeling sick earlier?

We pan over to the school, where Haru is asking Yuki if he's noticed anything off about Momiji. Haru can't place it, but something seems off, maybe not. Kyo ends up running into Momiji walking down a hallway, and asks him about it (he overheard the others talking about it), and Momiji just out and says it: his curse broke. He said he imagines that Tohru would be happier about it if it were Kyo's curse that broke, and that he (Momiji) lost. (I guess he lost in some unspoken one-sided competition of "getting" Tohru, because y'know she's not her own person who is capable of deciding these things for herself or anything)

Later, Momiji goes back to the main Sohma estate, to apologize to Akito for how he acted yesterday, but also to say that he won't be staying there any longer. Akito takes it like a champ, slapping Momiji across the face and insulting him, saying that he's a traitor, he has nowhere else to go, his family either doesn't remember him or hates him, he'll never be happy! and Momiji's just like, "Yeah lol I already feel lonely", that he can't be with the person he loves, and he no longer has that One Thing that previously connected him to most of the other people he's close with, and that there's no going back. He does say though, that it's not Akito's decision or place to say whether Momiji will ever be happy or not, because he might not be happy now, that does not mean that he won't ever be happy in the future. He then asks Akito how long she will stay at the house, thinking that eventually, everyone will come back to her, that no one will be happy without her. What if it's actually her that is most afraid-- Akito isn't down for an analysis, she just tells Momiji to leave.

Let's now go down memory lane, down a nice and happy time, especially for Akito and Ren: Akira's death and it's after effects. Happy times. (apparently i was wrong, the thing i said was the third chunk that wove in nicely with the second was just the second chunk, i think this is the actual third chunk)

Akito is thinking back (on a rainy morning, extra points for setting the mood) on her relationship with her parents. With Akira, it was nice, he always was kind and caring, telling Akito that she is what everyone has been waiting for, and that she thought she was the one Akira loved the most. With Ren, however, she was always cruel, from the start. She always glared at Akito, she was always mean. Akito hates her. We're brought back to the day Akira died, where Ren bursts into the room, asking why she wasn't notified sooner, why Akira had to die alone. One of the attendants said his condition worsened too quickly to call Ren close by, but also that Akira hadn't died alone; he died with Akito by his side. The attendant said that Akira's will had been passed onto Akito, she was now the head of the family. Ren was angered at that, there's no reason for Akito to still be around now! She only tolerated her child being around because Akira liked her, but now that Akira is gone, there is no one to love or care about Akito. Akito said that wasn't true, that all of the Juunishi will love her, because of their bond. (Which is basically what Akira said. He put most of that stuff into her head, and she doubled down on it whenever Ren said anything against it, which might as well be every single time they were around each other)

Back to the present, Kureno comes in the room to talk about something, but Akito interrupts him, saying that she was happy when Yuki was born, as the Rat. It was mostly just something she used to prove Ren wrong, and she used it as long as she could (much to the deterioration of Yuki's mental health). She thought back, over the years, to all the bad things that had happened, how she tried so hard to keep everyone close, and how all of them had, one by one, come to "betray" (cough cough, try to live their own lives, cough cough) her. After Shigure and Yuki left to their present residence, Ren said that they had given up on Akito. When Akito again mentioned their bond (which, really, now that I think about it, has basically been the singular thing straining to keep everything under control. Akito's sole sense of identity was being God, she's never had anything else.), Ren waved it away, then challenged that if any of the Juunishi can go out into the world, experience it in all it's freaky magical ways, and not be taken in by it, and instead return to Akito, then she will have been proved wrong, Akito's claims this whole time will have been correct. If they failed to, however, Ren said that Akito would have to give up the Sohma name. But Akito believed it, she truly believed she was right, that nothing big enough would come between her and the rest of the Juunishi (Tohru has entered the chat). She had to believe it, she just had to. But now, it's evident, between how Haru reacted upon learning about Izusu, Momiji's demeanor after the curse broke, the general way that the rest of the Juunishi float away from Akito, that it isn't true, and with that, she has nothing to hope for.

Upon this realization, Ren bursts into the room, knee-length hair floating around her, eyes crazed, knife in hand, demanding for Akira. Demanding for that box, and whatever contents were inside. In response, Akito fuggin yeeted it at Ren, she didn't give a shit. It flashed back to right before Akira died, and he soothed Akito by saying that, despite dying, he will always be with her. He wanted for Ren to be happy. He wasn't upset that he was dying so soon, he knew that he was just a man who was going to die, but he was happy that he was able to have a child, and to have had that child with Ren, and since that child was special, it was proof that their relationship was a special one. Back to the present, Ren scrambles to the box, tears it open hungrily to find,,, nothing. The box was empty. It'd always been empty, said to have held Akira's soul, but it was mostly just something to help Akito with Akira's passing. Suddenly, Akito grabbed the knife that fell from Ren's hand, poised to stab Ren but then--

Hiro's curse broke. Ren can thank that bond she always scoffed at for saving her life. But hey, now Hiro can hold his baby sister, which is nice. Yay for family moments.

Boo for Akito, because it's just really grinding in that the curse is quickly falling apart, and there's absolutely nothing that she can do about it. Ren taunts Akito, asking if she was trying to kill her. The attendants blow up, one yelling at Ren for making such a scene, taking a knife with her, and another scolds the first for giving Akito that box in the first place, it's stupid! The first attendant said that Akito knew from the start that it was empty, common sense would say that much! (idk man it could've held one last letter from Akira to Akito, a letter wouldn't affect the weight of the box significantly, it's not common sense)

Akito leaves the room, and Kureno follows. Akito says that it was both common sense but also not, that there wasn't anything in the box. She wanted to believe there was a chance that something was in that box, some kind of invisible energy that would help her. But even after opening it, seeing that it was empty, she still held onto it, knowing there wasn't anything. And that was her common sense, that's what she thought. She'd never been given any other way of thinking, of living, so why and how should anyone expect differently? Kureno says that she can start learning now, that that was what he wanted to talk about earlier, that she can't stay here, she'll never be able to move on, to which Akito cuts him off with "Fuggin now, bitch?? You're saying that now?? That doesn't help me! It would have helped in the beginning! But not fucking now!" (which btw is true. i doubt akito was even allowed to go to a public school, that she was schooled within the estate. i really believe that she's never really been outside of the the properties that the Sohma family owns) Then she stabs Kureno, with that knife she's been holding all this time. She reasons with it saying that Kureno's "halfway kindness" has been killing her this whole time, that it can't be fixed by Kureno saying that maybe Akito should go touch some grass. As Akito is running from the scene (more like haggardly stumbling), she continues thinking that it's Kureno's fault, it's not on her, until she remembers what Yuki was saying at the New Year's gathering about blame. It doesn't really fix anything, it just momentarily makes you think that you're not in the wrong. *record scratch* What if it's Akito's fault, then? All of this? What if it's her fault? What if it's the fault of the person who made everyone change? What if it's Tohru's fault?? (dun dun dunnnn)

Meanwhile, back at the other Sohma house (Shigure's house?) Tohru has some confessing to do. Before that though, Kyo has some confessing to do, though not about the same thing. He tells Tohru that he knew her mom before she died, and that he was the reason she died. He tells her that they met when he was really young, and how they had kinda become friends (in that way that people become friends by talking often, but Kyo never told Kyoko his name, because he had some weird thing about having a name so similar). That all fell apart the day that Tohru went missing. He promised that he would find her and rescue her, but after finding that Yuki had done it (the evidence was The Hat), he lashed out, and never talked to Kyoko again. Years later, when he was at the crosswalk, who was beside him but Kyoko, who he recognized instantly. He wasn't sure what to do, whether to say something to her or hold back. He was totally able to grab her arm, get her out of harm's way, but he didn't, he was too scared. (plus yaknow the whole cat thing) He beats himself up about, still to this day. He does the same with his own mom's death. It was his fault that his mom killed herself, she couldn't stand having such a monster as a child. It was too much for her, and she couldn't take any longer. (It wasn't. I won't say that his mom wasn't put under strain for having Kyo, for knowing that he wasn't human, that he turned into a weird monster if his bracelet was taken off, but from what we've seen of his dad, it was probably at least 85-90% his dad's fault. He was too caught up in the politics of the Sohma family, ashamed of the fact that Kyo was the Cat, the worst out of them, that he couldn't even salvage having one of the good freaks to have as a child of his, and he took it all out on his wife and later his son.)

And the book ends on that cheery note. (Why do I say stuff like that why I am I like this)

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eryiss · 3 years ago

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Summary: Freed and Gajeel were total opposites in every way, only connected by the guild. When they were forced to train together under Makarov's orders, they expected antagonism and mistrust. Instead, they were given a lesson in how quickly opposition can turn to attraction. The issue: let the budding relationship simmer away, or let it explode. [Freed x Gajeel Multi-chapter]

Notes: Hi everyone. Strap in for character development, and the ridiculous lengths that are needed to cause the development. Hope you all enjoy.

Links: FFN, Ao3, Chapter List

Chapter Four - Fighting In The Moonlight

Day Three: Wednesday

When Freed woke the next day, he wasn't surprised to find he didn't suddenly like Gajeel Redfox. The last few days of pointless antagonism and ridiculous challenges didn't slip his mind, and the stalemate between them was as tenuous as it could possibly be. This was what he expected; a weak apology after an argument was hardly going to fix everything that had happened between them in such a short time, and the overwhelming dislike they held from each other. That wasn't how emotions worked, and it certainly wasn't how Freed worked as a person.

Though, the multiple blow-ups that Freed had indulged in were hardly how he acted either. Maybe Gajeel had knocked him off kilter more than he thought.

The rest of the last night had been awkward; perhaps the most awkward situation they had been in yet. At least before, they'd had their anger and resentment to focus on, but their conversation seemed to take that away. For the rest of the night, they were two men who had a lot of issues and no way to voice them, healthily or otherwise.

A few times, Freed had considered apologising. Then, he told himself that he had nothing to apologise for, and that Gajeel was the one in the wrong. That left him with a sickly feeling in his stomach, because he knew it wasn't entirely true.

Dammit. Freed wasn't particularly fond of emotional exploration, and Gajeel had somehow forced it on him.

"I know yer awake," Gajeel grumbled, voice more sleepy than angry. Freed opened his eyes slowly to see the sun in its mid-morning state - it still annoyed him slightly that Gajeel was an early riser while Freed was fond of sleeping in - and Gajeel sitting by a fire. "I made you breakfast."

With a little frown, Freed sat up as he blinked away the sleep. He had been doing all of their cooking since they had arrived, partially because Gajeel wanted to test him and partially because Gajeel clearly liked what Freed could do with fish. This was one of the aspects of the week Freed had actually liked, as cooking in multiple situations with limited resources was something he found oddly fun. Still, he wouldn't complain if Gajeel was going to take over the chore in some kind of peace offering. He looked at the breakfast offered to him and scrunched his face in confusion.

He had made toast. Had he made bread somehow? No, that was ridiculous.

"It ain't poisoned," Gajeel continued speaking. "I ain't pissed on it or anything."

"That didn't once cross my mind," Freed croaked a little as he spoke. "I was confused as to where you got the bread from."

"There's a village with a bakery half an hour's walk away, stopped by and got some supplies," Gajeel shrugged, and Freed frowned. Surely that went against the entire point of this survivalist retreat. Gajeel seemed to preempt the question. "The whole living off the forest thing was because I didn't think you could handle it. Sounds petty when I say it out loud," He chuckled. "But a mage can't stay in a hotel - I thought that's what you were doin' - so I wanted to make sure you could handle yerself. You can, so no point in eating fish again when we don't have to."

Oh, that was shockingly mature. Both the admission and the reasoning for stopping the survivalist aspects of the training. Perhaps Gajeel had more emotional maturity than Freed was giving him credit for.

Perhaps it was his time to make an effort too.

"That's reasonable," Freed agreed, taking the toast before speaking again. The next sentence he had to force out before annoyance at Gajeel filled him again. "I must admit, if we're being honest with one another, I have found your exercise to be rather genius. I'm quite impressed."

Oh, he actually meant that. That was unexpected.

"Genius?" Gajeel scoffed. "You makin' fun of me?"

"Not at all," Freed corrected, because if he actually did think Gajeel was impressive then he wasn't going to recant on his words. "The fact you've essentially made a gymnasium out of things you can find in a forest is impressive itself. It allows for the benefits of specific exercise, while also lowering the limitations. You could learn to swim in a pool, for example, but learning in a lake adds the complications of pond life, temperature, shorelines and distractions. You could weight train with barbells, but doing it with the tree trunk means you're ready to lift things that aren't meant to be lifted and will offer less support," He took another bite of the toast. "You've essentially replaced the comfort of a gym with the practical requirements of a mission environment. It's quite impressive."

"Oh, shit," Gajeel grumbled a little, and looked away. "Thanks."

"There's also your intention to push my limits," Freed saw Gajeel tense just a little. "If I were the type of man you wanted me to be, I expect this would have been torturous. So not only did you make a practical training environment, you found a way to do it while also making me uncomfortable as you could," He smirked a little. "You're smarter than you look, Gajeel."

"Can't tell if yer complementin' me or not."

"I am, if a little backhandedly," Freed commented, and Gajeel hummed a little.

They sat beside one another for a short while, and Gajeel wordlessly handed Freed a small metal mug filled with coffee. It wasn't the type of bean that Freed would have chosen for himself, but there was a certain satisfaction in the burn on his tongue. He also normally would have added some milk, but this particular roast didn't seem to need it. He would have to look into it.

When their breakfasts had been finished, neither man spoke for a few minutes more. Freed still expected Gajeel to have some sort of challenge or task ready for him as he had the previous two days. Eventually, once the quiet had begun to unnerve him, he spoke again.

"Other than the fight, what have we planned today?"

"Kinda thought that was all we needed," Gajeel shrugged, not looking towards Freed as he kicked dirt onto the fire to extinguish it. "Maybe we could go back before it gets dark? I dunno."

"Right," Freed was speaking quietly. Something was clearly wrong with Gajeel. "If you wish."

"Ain't got anything else planned," Gajeel stood as the fire burned away.

"Right," Freed repeated, disbelieving. Had he hurt Gajeel's feelings? That didn't make him particularly good. It didn't make him feel guilty, exactly, but it wasn't great. "I'd like to stay until the evening at least. Maybe returning to Magnolia at night would be good for us both; I don't typically travel at night so perhaps it will help broaden my horizons."

"If you want," Gajeel still wasn't looking at him.

"So, if we've got most of the day with nothing to do, perhaps we should go with what you planned originally," Freed suggested, and Gajeel glanced towards him for a moment. He looked away quickly. "I expect it would be equal parts humiliating and exhausting."

"Oh yeah," Gajeel chuckled a little. "You would've cried."

"Would I?" Freed challenged. "Maybe you should prove it."

"Maybe I should."

When they looked at each other again, they both wore the familiar edge of challenge in their eyes, but this time the reasoning behind it was different. Not kind, not friendly, but not hateful either. An odd middle ground, one that they could work with.

——

"On the count of three, we fight," Gajeel stated, and Freed gave a nod.

It was evening now, with the moon high in the sky and the stars illuminated the darkness. As they had for the last three days, Freed's muscles ached from a day of physical activity and a variety of challenges. Today, though, had been a little different. While the challenges were clearly designed to prey on Freed's supposed weaknesses, Gajeel approached them with an attitude almost teacherly in his helpfulness. An entirely reluctant teacher who had lost all enthusiasm for his job, but a teacher nonetheless.

They had made camouflage for themselves, which consisted of covering their exposed skin in mud and leaves. Freed suspected that if they'd done it the day before, Gajeel would have sat back and watched with Freed amusement. Instead, he showed Freed what to do, and led by example.

Next, they'd made a boat out of dead wood, originally to highlight the lack of practical skills Gajeel thought Freed had. But under Gajeel's tutelage - he'd done this many times before meeting Pantherlilly, so was proficient at it - they managed to make a working raft.

After that, Gajeel had lifted the no magic rule. He thought that, for their fight, they should know their opponent. They had taken turns showing off their magic, using it against a tree. Freed had been pleasantly surprised by the range of spells that Gajeel possessed. He had thought the man could only turn his body to iron, so to see what he was capable of was enlightening.

Honestly, it has been a good day. Maybe the other days would have been good if they hadn't been determined to hate one another.

"Three," Gajeel said, voice low. "Two. One."

They both lurched forward, Gajeel with iron crawling up his arms to replace his skin and Freed with runes spiralling down his sword. They were both fully dressed in their normal clothes - their coats had been essentially abandoned on the first day, so the extra weight was a little unfamiliar - so that they could battle in the same conditions they would in a mission environment. Now that he had a glimmer of objectivity, Freed could admit that Gajeel really had thought this out well. Tactically, he was bordering on genius.

An extended fist cast in iron shot towards Freed, and he pushed his sword to parry it. He was knocked back, but managed to stay on his feet. With a muttered spell, the runes swirling around him shot forward, plastering themselves onto Gajeel's metal skin.

The yelling of pain was cathartic, and Frees watched with a grin as Gajeel recoiled.

Still, Gajeel clearly wasn't the type to let some pain runes stop his stubbornness. He gritted his teeth and lurched forward, arm mutating into a blade of black steel. The magic used to cast the spell must have overwhelmed the pain runes, as they shattered on his skin, and Freed cussed under his breath. Dragon Slayer magic was inherently powerful, so simply plastering the man with runes until he could no longer stand wouldn't be enough.

Gajeel ran forward with his sword arm extended, and swung for Freed's gut. Freed lowered his sword to protect himself, and saw that Gajeel's sword arm wasn't as sharp as it could have been. More a baton than a blade.

How considerate.

For a while, all they could do was parry one another. Freed needed to reevaluate his strategy while Gajeel needed to build up to something more powerful. Freed was a better swordsman, and until Gajeel had enough energy to use his ranged spells, they were at a stalemate.

Metal beat against metal as they battled, cutting through the relative silence of the forest. The moonlight and the stars illuminated the battle, dancing off the nearly stilled lake they had chosen to fight beside. Were there any wildlife nearby, they had decided to scarper away, no doubt sensing the overwhelming magical energy emanating from the two fighting men.

Freed's sword met Gajeel's, and the sparks that flew made both men wince and recoil a little. They both jumped back a few steps, panting and taking a moment to recover.

"Sword ain't just a prop, huh?" Gajeel huffed. "If my skin wasn't iron, you would've got a few cuts in."

"And if you hadn't dulled your arm perhaps you might have to."

"Couldn't risk cutting yer perfect skin," Gajeel taunted, but it didn't feel as cruel as his other comments had been intended to be. "Basically all you've got, isn't it?"

"We'll see," Freed retorted.

With a sweeping motion of his sword, Freed quick-casted a perimeter of runes around them. They implanted themselves in the dirt before glowing bright and magical. Walls shot upwards and the effect took place, lifting both of them off the air as the effect of gravity lessened. Gajeel seemed taken aback, stumbling in the air that lifted him and looking for something to latch onto. He found nothing, and Freed smirked a little.

Freed cast his own wings to counteract the gravity spell. Runes now flying around him, he forced his magic outwards and sent tendrils of power towards his opponent. Normally this combination of spells would have been too taxing, but three days without had given him an excess of power.

Iron cut through his runes, and Gajeel's extended fist slammed into Freed's face in a vicious punch.

Dazed, it took him a moment to see what had happened. With his left hand, Gajeel had made multiple strands of iron and buried them into the ground, allowing himself to be anchored in place. He had pulled himself down so that he was on the ground again, albeit a little unsteady on his feet. With this stability, he was able to essentially make Freed's gravity rune useless.

A metal hand wrapped tightly around Freed's neck, and pushed him into one of the large trees in the rune perimeter. Freed gasped a little, his throat being crushed as Gajeel pushed forward. Even knowing the man would stop before seriously injuring him, Freed began to panic. A tingling of brimstone rose over his skin.

Instantly, he cast a spell. The reversal of the gravity spell, that doubled the pressure rather than halved it. They were both flung to the ground, and Gajeel's extended arm retreated to prop him up.

Both men struggled to keep themselves from collapsing, and Freed felt the magic flowing through him. Powerful and relentless, he quickly tried to utilise it. Tentacles of runic streams shot forward, all meant to hurt their target. They wrapped around Gajeel's arms, legs and neck, burning into him and making him yell in pain.

Scales formed on Freed's arm, but he didn't notice.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel yelled over the pain runes, and a flurry of magic filled the space between them.

The spell hit Freed like a truck. The dominating burn of powerful magic hit him, the pain tripled by the barrage of metallic shrapnel cutting away at his skin. A dragon slayer's roar was an experience that Freed had so far avoided - when he trained with Laxus, the other man refused to use the spell for fear of hurting his teammates - and the unfamiliar sensation was hellish. He was knocked off his feet, flung backwards and pinned against the wall of runes by Gajeel's magic. He knew he was yelling in pain, but couldn't hear himself.

Seeing it as his only next step, Freed cut the gravity runes entirely. For a moment he was forced back further by Gajeel's roar, and he yelled in pain as his back cracked against a fallen log. At least the change of gravity had thrown Gajeel off balance, as his roar cut through the trees, and into the sky, parting the clouds.

Brimstone. Fire. Darkness. They all coursed through Freed's veins.

He didn't notice it, though. The pain from the spell and subsequent fall was all-consuming, meaning the mutation of the skin on his right arm turning to scales went unnoticed, as did the burning in his throat.

Gajeel, apparently less affected by the fight than Freed, was on his feet and running towards Freed quickly. He had turned his arm to the sword again, and Freed could see he was grinning through red tinted eyes. Gajeel clearly thought that this fight was already finished, and Freed felt a rush of anger flow through him.

He would not lose a fight to Gajeel Redfox.

He would not lose a fight to a man who had tried to humiliate him.

He would not lose a fight to a man who had disrespected him.

He would not lose a fight to a man so inferior to him that he shouldn't be breathing the same fucking air to him!

Oh. It was too late, wasn't it.

Without control of his body, Freed raised his arm. It had been fully transformed into it's demonic counterpart, and Freed could only watch as magic crackled and formed at the end of his claw. He couldn't stop it now, it was too late for that. His attention had slipped, and Gajeel's parting of the clouds had allowed for direct moonlight to hit him, strengthening the demon inside of him enough for a minor takeover,

A beam of concentrated darkness flew from his claw, hitting Gajeel directly. The spell was an amalgam of every rune Freed had: pain, torment, trauma, paralysis, unconsciousness, poison. In a word, the spell was hell.

It hit Gajeel right in the heart, and Freed watched with wide eyes.

The ensuing scream sent a chill through him.

Gajeel flew backwards, and Freed watched as his eyes closed and he was knocked out. With heavy breaths, Freed forced his arm upwards and shot as much magic through his claw as he could. It was a foreign and horrible sensation, turning his runic magic into darkness, but he needed to do it. He was burning through all the magic that the demon had taken from him, exhausting himself to the point where the demon's influence would have to die out. The magic ripped away at him, and the claw began to shrivel.

The exhaustion hit him in waves, and his bones felt like they might break. He panted and heaved, nausea hitting him as he closed his eyes. It was only when he heard a loud, echoing splash that he forced his eyes open again.

Gajeel was in the lake, unconscious and with his energy sapped from him.

With as much energy as he could muster, Freed ran towards the lake and dove in. The cold hit him and woke him slightly, and he pushed on to swim towards where Gajeel had landed. The ripples were still breaking the surface, acting like a beacon for Freed to find him. He pushed on despite his aching arms, gritting his teeth as the creeping of brimstone ran over the back of his exposed neck.

Gajeel wasn't floating. He was sinking. Ignoring the demon fighting for his body, Freed submerged himself in the water and began to swim down. He saw Gajeel's body and quickly hooked his arms around the man's chest. He was limp, and Freed was quickly pulling him to the surface.

Dragging him to the shore was hellish. His body screamed in protest, but he kept going until they were on the rocks that bordered the lake. Freed wanted nothing more than to lie down and let his exhaustion take over, and he very

Gajeel was still unconscious.

Putting him on his back with his head tilted back slightly, Freed pinched Gajeel's nose and brought his mouth to Gajeel's. He breathed in heavily, forcing air into the man's lungs as best he could. He alternated between that and chest compressions, arms still burning as he forced his hands on the other man's chest.

Eventually, Gajeel spluttered out and spat water towards the side. He coughed and groaned, throat hoarse and eyes unblinking. Freed wanted to explain, or at least to help Gajeel further with his recovery, but felt exhaustion overtake him. He quickly wrote a rune to heat and protect them, before his eyes fluttered shut.

——

"You lost control, didn't ya?"

Gajeel's words cut through the silence of the train ride to Magnolia. From the moment Freed had woken up half an hour ago, their conversation had been limited. They had discussed if they were both healthy and uninjured (they were, more or less) and how they should get home in their exhausted state. Freed had teleported them both to the train station, and runed their carriage so Gajeel wouldn't be overly affected by his motion sickness. That had been it for conversation.

Freed had hoped to keep it that way. His relationship with Gajeel was tense enough before he attacked and nearly killed him, he now expected a verbal and perhaps physical assault from the other man now. He would have deserved it as well. But Gajeel had said nothing, as if he didn't have the energy to be angry,

"Excuse me?" Freed asked, pretending as if Gajeel wasn't entirely right.

"You didn't mean to do that spell, probably didn't mean to transform yer arm either, did ya?" Gajeel shrugged, as if the statement was both uninteresting and unimportant. When Freed said nothing, he continued. "You looked scared. Scared of yerself when you hit me with the spell, and scared for me when you resuscitated me."

"I didn't want to see you injured," Freed brushed off, Gajeel did not need to know about this. "Perfectly rational."

"If you didn't wanna injure me then you wouldn't have used the spell," Gajeel shrugged, looking at Freed as Freed looked out the window. "I deserve to know what happened, City-Boy."

Freed wanted to scoff, but perhaps Gajeel was right.

"No, I didn't intend to use the spell on you," Freed admitted, watching as the night rolled past them. "You have my apologies."

He wouldn't meet the man's eyes, because he didn't need to dammit. Gajeel had spent the last three days - well, two days, since he'd changed his mood today - tormenting Freed in whatever way he could. The entire point of this exercise had been to make Freed feel small, and pathetic; well, maybe not. He could have been crueler, and he did seem to have a flimsy reasoning behind everything he had done. Either way, Freed using a single spell on him didn't suddenly make them best friends, and it certainly wasn't enough to make Freed forget what had happened throughout the week.

Frankly, perhaps Gajeel deserved it. He might have deserved to be left in the lake!

Gods.

The realisation hit Freed with force. The attempts by his demon to possess him brought a lot of anxieties up to the surface, mainly about the possibility of losing control of his body. It was a valid concern - the demon would kill everything in its way if in control - but often made him forget about the smaller repercussions of his demon's growing power.

It wasn't just physical, the demon's effect was emotional. While it grew in power, it's cruelty infected the mood of him and everyone around him. It was why he had exploded at Gajeel so many times, and perhaps the reason Gajeel was hell-bent on making this horrid for him.

Dammit, he should have known this. He should have told Gajeel that this might happen!

"I can almost hear ya thinkin'," Gajeel commented. "And I know I ain't been fair in ya, but I don't think yer some kid without restraint. So you wanna explain what happened?"

Maybe he did owe Gajeel that.

It was comical really. Now he knew his demon was to blame for his foul mood, he suddenly saw how ridiculous it all was. Gods, how hadn't he realised it before.

"My demonic take-over isn't exactly like that of the Strauss'," Freed sighed, looking towards Gajeel again. "Rather than being born with a demonic alter-ego, like Mirajane, I have a living demon inside of my soul. Technically speaking, I'm being possessed at all times, I simply have the right magic to stop it from taking over."

"Oh," Gajeel grunted, because he clearly couldn't think of anything else to say. Freed expected that, most people didn't know how to react when they were told a demon could overthrow the man next to them. "Shit."

"It is," Freed agreed. "Typically it isn't an issue. It gets stronger around the full moon, and around the shortest day of the year. When they happen to coincide, it's power grows and incidents like that happen. I should have warned you, I'm sorry."

Gajeel didn't say anything. He looked Freed up and down, clearly worried. Freed understood that.

"It won't happen again," He assured, though it wasn't exactly a promise he could keep,

"You really got a demon living in you?" He asked, and Freed nodded slightly. "How the hell did that happen?" They weren't there yet. Freed tensed a little, and Gajeel seemed to know that was a limit not to push. "You gonna be okay to keep going with this? I know I was trying to push you around but if we need to call it in, I don't think Makarov's gonna be too bothered."

"It should be fine," Freed said firmly. "It only happened tonight because I lost concentration. I won't allow that to happen again."

He wouldn't. The demon was not going to control him, nor his life.

"Well, now I know what to do if it happens again," Gajeel said, and he was smirking now. Not a condescending one, nor particularly cocky. It was to break the tension. "So if yer voice gets all creepy and yer eye all glowing, I'll knock yer ass right out before y' can blink."

"You have my eternal thanks," Freed drolled.

"These runes are fucking amazing y'know," Gajeel turned the conversation away. "Ya think you'd be able to teach the bookworm how to cast 'em. Don't think I'm gonna get on a train without 'em anymore. Finally understand why people find it relaxing."

"I don't expect so," Freed chuckled a little. "They're more complex than you'd think. Levy might not be prepared for a spell like it just yet."

"Say that to her and I think she'd hit ya," Gajeel laughed. "But if that's the case, then I might have to kidnap ya for my next mission. Ain't a problem right?"

"Well, if you're being so kind as to offer to knock me out, then I suppose I owe you," Freed smiled a little.

"Damn right ya do," Gajeel grinned right at him, sharp teeth so clearly visible. "Especially after the fun couple days we just had."

For the first time, the two men shared a laugh together.

#Gajeed #Freedjeel #Freed x Gajeel #Freed Justine #Gajeel Redfox #Fairy Tail #Fanfic #Writing #Canon Divergent #Multi Chapter #Chapter Four #Word Count: 4.4k

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malfoymania · 4 years ago

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LOYALTIES | 2 | D.M

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CHAPTER TWO

LILY KINGSLEY

"Are you going to come and do the next charms essay with us?" Hermione asks me as we leave our last lesson.

"She wishes. She's got detention with Malfoy" Ron smirks. Harry's standing next to him trying to suppress a giggle, but fails. I groan and throw my head back.

Hermione is quick to shut him up, smacking him with her potions book. "Ronald be quiet, or I'll find a way for you to join them."

Both boys raise their eyebrows and quickly stop their sniggering.

"I'll join you guys later. Wish me luck." They all shoot me sympathetic looks before I turn and head to Flitwick's room.

As I walk, I can't help but rewatch the events that played out earlier in my head.

"Oi, Potter! Who did you have to suck off in the Ministry to let you walk free then?"

Harry, Hermione and I are walking towards the great hall for breakfast when we hear the one voice it's too early to deal with.

"Fuck off Malfoy." Harry responds, still walking trying to not acknowledge his presence.

"I expect there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it."

I can normally take it when Malfoy has something to say about me, but I can't stand when he has something bad to say about my friends. I turn on my heel and stomp up to the boy and he stops in his tracks.

"Will you fucking stop talking for once? Literally no one wants to hear what you have to say."

I try to stand tall against him, but he always seems to have grown every time we have an altercation.

He sucks in a breath and his mates laugh and do the same. I give them a glare and even though they'd never admit it, they had a look of fear in their eyes. As they should.

"I don't recall anyone asking for your opinion Kingsley." Malfoy folds his arms and tilts his head to the side. He's trying to mock me.

"Well have it. Maybe fucking learn from it too." I spit back, his eyes lighting up at the response he's getting.

"Bite me Kingsley" he smirks, leaning forward trying to intimidate me. Just you fucking wait.

"Come on Lily, don't waste your breath on him" Harry mumbles, taking my hand ready to pull me away.

"Go on off you go, back to the house we'd all rather you be in."

That's when I snap. I lurch forward ready to grab Malfoy by the collar, but Harry grabs me and holds me back before I can. I'm struggling in Harry's grip when the blonde stumbles back in shock, bumping into Professor McGonagall as she is walking past.

"You two, my office. Now."

I lean back against the cold brick wall that's just outside of Flitwicks room. I'm tired, hungry, and sick of wearing uniform and detention with Malfoy is not going to help.

"Kingsley. We meet again."

I slowly open my eyes and see the smirking blonde i've been dreading since first period.

"Don't talk to me Malfoy." I stand up slightly taller, not wanting him to see that I'm tired. If he knows i'm tired, he'll think i'm weak. If he thinks i'm weak, he'll taunt me more.

He chuckles slightly as Flitwick opens his door. The professor has boxes in his arms filled with books.

"Come in you two. I need to go and run these back to the library, so I'm hoping I can trust you both to carry on from where you left off reading this morning?"

We both nod and head into the classroom. I take a seat in the far left corner trying to keep my distance from Malfoy. He follows me and sits on the table next to mine, obviously. If he can find a way to piss me off he will.

"There's at least 30 chairs in this classroom. Why would you chose the one closest to mine?" I snarl, pulling out my book.

"I thought we weren't talking."

His quick response angers me. Purely because he didn't answer me, it was quick thinking and now I can't think of a response.

I scoff and try to ignore the fact that he just took a small win by having the last word. At least this might mean he stays quiet for the hour that's ahead of us.

"You're pretty feisty by the way Kingsley. I actually thought you were going to lamp me one earlier."

Oh here we go.

I don't look at him, but I can feel his stare burning into me. It feels really weird it just being him and not having the rest of his crew lingering behind. He's alone and still an asshole. There's no hope for some people.

"Yeah? Well I would have if Harry didn't hold me back."

"Sure." I hear the creak of his chair, indicating that he's leaning back in it. I don't move my head but I move my eyes to see that his feet are resting up on the table.

"Don't fool yourself Malfoy, you nearly shit yourself when you thought I was going to."

"Nah, I actually thought it was kinda hot."

My head snaps up and I look at him for the first time since we entered the room. His hair is resting against his eyebrows, floppy and messy. He looks so at ease. Cocky. Me on the other hand am getting increasingly hot and red. A mess.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What Kingsley? Can't take a compliment?" He pushes the gum he's chewing on against his cheek and bites his tongue, adding to the cheeky demeanour that I hate so much.

"Not from you, no."

"Why not?"

"You're horrible Draco. Nice things don't come out of your mouth."

He smiles when I say that. More sincere than before. "What?" I snap. I'm trying to stay cool but it's not working. I'm not sure if my heartbeat is quickening or has stopped completely, but either way I don't like it.

"I've never heard you call me Draco before." He says with a slight softness unlike before.

My head spins slightly. I run a hand through my hair whilst trying to ignore the flutter that I just felt in my stomach.

"Well it's your name isn't it?"

He doesn't respond this time, he just looks at me before pulling out his book and turning to the right page. I look back down at the parchment in front of me, but I'm reading the same line over and over again whilst my head keeps replaying what just happened. The silence in the room is quite frankly making me feel sick.

I don't dare look up for the rest of the detention. Flitwick arrived back into the room a few moments after the painful silence fell between Draco and I, meaning he couldn't say anything else to make me sweat profusely or blunder up my words.

By the time it turns 6pm, we're both dismissed. I take as long as I can to put my book in my bag, leaving enough time for Draco to leave the room before me. Once I hear his footsteps fade into the corridor I head to to door too. The whole hour that I was supposed to be reading, not one word actually processed in my head. All I could hear was Draco calling me hot. To say it was disturbing is an understatement.

"That was fun."

I let out a yelp as a tall figure emerges from next to the classroom door. It's Malfoy.

"Merlin! Don't do that Malfoy." I seethe, trying to catch my cool again whilst tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I hear him chuckle which infuriates me even more, but I ignore him and carry on walking trying to follow McGonagall's advice.

"Oh come one Kingsley! Was I not good company?" He asks, following me down the corridor.

"No you were not. Now leave me alone." I spit.

"Wait Kingsley, hang on" Malfoy's hand lightly grabs ahold of my shoulder making me stop in my tracks. His eyes are looking directly into mine. They're holding less cheek than before; now they're softer- warmer, even.

Before he gets chance to continue, Goyle and Blaise call for the blonde haired boy from down the corridor. The look that was in his eyes only moments ago disappears and now hold pure ice and darkness.

"It wasn't hot, it was psycho behaviour. Don't try and threaten me again" he growls lowly, but loud enough for the two boys to hear as they approach.

"How was detention with with Slytherdor?" Goyle asks, mock dripping from his words.

"Horrendous. I can't even bare the thought of spending anymore time with her." Draco mumbles whilst turning away from me. The persona he was acting out right now was not what I had just witnessed in detention, and i'm not sure which confused me more; the way he was acting in Flitwicks classroom, or how quickly he was able to switch to the Malfoy we all know and definitely don't love.

In any other situation I'd be able to fire a witty remark back, but in the current moment i'm in too much shock and confusion of what just happened to even think about fabricating a response. Instead i'm left standing there speechless watching the three boys pace away, with Draco's peculiar gesture burning into my skin.

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#draco x reader #draco imagine #draco x you #draco smut #draco malfoy imagine #dracotok #draco #draco malfoy #tom felton imagine #tom felton #harry potter

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