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verai-marcel · 10 months ago

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Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 19 of ?)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

AO3 Link is here, darling.

Word Count: 3,707

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Act II, Chapter 7 - The Gauntlet

Even after he confessed, you realized that Astarion was still, well, Astarion. His feelings, though out in the open, were still a confused mess. If you were to describe it visually, it was a tangled ball of string; most of the strands felt like fondness, while there were a few threads that hummed with anxiety intertwined with lust. As if he felt bad for wanting you in such a way.

Not going to unpack that for now. It’s all too tightly wound together. I’ll let him unravel a bit more before I broach that topic.

On your end, you believed your feelings were pretty straightforward. You cared for him. You enjoyed spending time with him. Just the skinship, touching him, being touched, and sensing that feeling of him enjoying your company, without any ulterior motives, was incredible for you.

You imagined that other couples after confessing their feelings would be flinging their clothes off and having intimate relations in a secluded corner of their own little world.

Instead, you and Astarion were sitting by the campfire, your right arm linked with his left, the two of you reading quietly together.

“Is… is this alright?” he asked tentatively.

You looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, this is perfect.”

He leaned his head against yours. “I feel the same.”

Through your skin contact, however, you felt a slight twinge of guilt from him. Shit, if I say something now, he’s going to start questioning why I always know how he feels…

So you let it go, and just snuggled against him as he continued to read his book.

You had borrowed one of his books just so you could sit like this and spend some quiet time with him. You had few books of your own and you had read through them all at least twice. The book you had borrowed was some kind of adventure novel that featured a drow ranger.

Astarion glanced over at the page you were on. “Oh, you’re coming up to a good part.”

“Hush!” you chided. “No spoilers.”

“You two are being awfully cuddly.”

You both turned around to see Karlach smirking triumphantly.

“You snuck past my alarm on purpose,” you said accusingly.

She grinned. “Of course I did. Otherwise I would have missed this,” she said, pointing at your linked arms.

You could feel Astarion trying to pull away, but you only linked your arms tighter. “So? What of it?”

“Just glad to see you two finally out in the open,” Karlach said. Leaning in, she whispered to the two of you, though it was loud enough for others to hear, “Unlike another couple I know.”

You snorted, and Astarion grinned knowingly.

Looking past Karlach to see the others coming closer, you realized that you probably should do your job. “Alright, guess I’d better get food started.”

***

You were most certainly feeling better. After spending half the day quietly with Astarion, you felt like the pool of magic within you had almost refilled to full. You happily sang the tent cantrips while your rice porridge with herbs and dried mushrooms bubbled in the stew pot.

During the meal, your companions told you about their adventures, about how they met Balthazar, about how they discovered and solved three puzzle rooms, and about how tomorrow they would explore the rest of the lower levels.

“We’ll probably run into the devil down there,” Wyll mused. “We hadn’t seen any signs of it yet.”

“So perhaps all of you should go,” you said. At their shocked looks, you waved off their concern. “My magic has come back, and nothing came by today, not even a rat. Besides, Scratch and Owly can help defend the camp if anything happens.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about what you lot will run into down in the lower levels, given what you’ve told me.”

Lae’zel nodded. “Then I will train you more tonight, so that we may leave you tomorrow without concern.”

Oh boy. I’m going to be sore tonight.

***

You barely had the energy to change into your sleeping clothes. Falling into your bedroll, exhausted from Lae’zel’s training, you closed your eyes and groaned from your sore muscles. My gods. I cannot wait to fall asleep.

The soft footsteps of a certain elf drew your attention. Looking up, you watched Astarion kneel down beside you.

“Darling, you’re not thinking of staying out here, are you?”

“Too tired to think.”

He sighed dramatically. “But I confessed my heart and soul to you today. You will come to my tent, won’t you?”

Dragging yourself up, you grabbed your bedroll. “Haven’t had enough of my company?”

“Never, darling.”

You grinned as you walked with him to his tent. “Never say never,” you teased.

He held the tent flap open for you like a gentleman, ushering you inside. Laying your bedroll alongside his, you flopped down ungracefully. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Lae’zel put me through a thousand paces, so I need to rest.”

He chuckled as he lay beside you. “Did you sing?”

You blinked. “Oh. No, I forgot.”

“Hmm. Try it next time.”

“Alright. Sweet dreams, Astarion.”

He leaned over and pressed his forehead to yours.

I’m going to get addicted to this warm fondness I’m feeling from him.

“Did you know that elves don’t usually dream?”

“Oh?”

“Dreams are… chaotic, uncontrollable. Memories are bad enough,” he murmured.

You touched his face, stroking his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? You’ve only given me good memories so far. Well, except for when you got hurt.” He frowned. “So don’t do that again.”

You smiled. “Alright, I’ll try.”

He sighed. “Good enough, I suppose.” Reaching out for you, he pulled you close. “Sweet dreams, darling.”

You closed your eyes, and inhaled his unique scent, rosemary, bergamot, and a touch of brandy.

***

You awoke, cold and alone. Quickly getting up and changing, you saw that everyone was already getting their things together for the day’s exploration. Walking up to Astarion, you tapped his side with the back of your hand.

“You didn’t wake me up?”

“You were sleeping so soundly, darling. I’m not a monster.”

You rolled your eyes.

“Besides, Gale apparently wanted a chance to cook.”

“Shhh!” Gale hissed.

You glanced over at the stew pot. Seeing it mostly empty, you walked over and scraped what was left of the breakfast soup into a small bowl and sipped it. It was a delightful mix of spices and savory flavor, shreds of dried beef jerky mixed with some lentils and beans.

“This is amazing,” you muttered jealously. “Gale, give me the recipe when you come back!”

“What, and divulge my secrets?”

“Just do it,” Shadowheart said with a laugh, slapping him on the arm.

You chugged the rest of the soup and gathered all the dirty items for cleaning later. Just as everyone was ready to go, you headed to the entryway with them to wish them well. Astarion waited for everyone else to go past before he quickly pulled you in for a hug.

“Stay safe,” he murmured into your ear.

“You too,” you replied before the two of you pressed foreheads.

“We don’t have all day!” Karlach yelled gleefully.

Astarion just huffed and left with the rest of them, but not before giving you one last look.

You waved and smiled. Come back safe.

***

It was a long day and a half by yourself. You started counting the hours after you realized a full day had passed. You went up to Withers to check if they were all still alive, and he always nodded solemnly, with no other updates. So you just read books and cleaned and played with Scratch and Owly. You danced and practiced your cantrips for hours at a time. You slept in Astarion’s tent, rolling onto his bedroll and immersing yourself in his scent.

Am I being weird? It’s definitely weird. But… It makes me feel comfortable.

And they still had not returned. It was times like these where you wondered about the possibility of joining them on their adventures.

But then you remembered that you hated pain, and you had nowhere near enough battle experience to survive alongside them without being a hindrance.

Better to stay behind and tend camp. After all, if not me, then who will? Withers? Hah.

Wandering to the edge of the balcony overlooking the statue of Shar and seeing all the water below, you sang a song to coax a stream of water up to your level, filling up a few basins with water. Finding an empty barrel amongst the rubble, you plugged the holes with some clay and filled that up as well. But when you tried to move the barrel filled with water, it barely shifted.

You glared at it.

Move, damn you!

Your song became a chant, the tempo faster and stronger than you normally sang.

The barrel hopped two feet closer.

Oh?

You continued to chant, almost like a war hymn as you led the barrel away from the edge of the balcony, but after a few hops, you felt drained.

Okay, we’re going to stop there.

You looked through the pile of loot that the companions had dropped off the previous night and found enough rags and scruffy clothes that you could fashion a sort of curtain, hung by some old spear handles that you formed into a three sided divider screen, with the backside open to the view of the balcony. There was space to stand next to the barrel and still be hidden from view.

Well, that’s good enough, I think.

You went back to your pack and grabbed your soap bar and one of the water basins. Singing a hot water rune into existence, you heated the water in the basin, took your clothes off, and scrubbed yourself clean. After rinsing yourself off, you heated the water in the barrel before awkwardly climbing inside.

Damn, I should have made a seat in here.

Instead, you squatted down and let the hot water cover your head. Closing your eyes, you let the heat relax your body for a good ten seconds before you came back up for air. Grabbing the basin and emptying the water out of it, you pushed it under you and sat on it precariously, slowly leaning back until you felt balanced.

You let out a sigh of relief. It worked. Now you had a nice hot bath in the privacy of a little makeshift divider screen, and the others could take some time to relax as well when they came back.

If they come back.

Shaking the dark thought from your mind, you submerged yourself again and held your breath for as long as you could. It was only for 25 seconds, but when you came back out, you could faintly hear the alarm bells on your belt, hung over the divider.

Is it them? Or is it something else…?

Your heart raced at the thought of being naked while intruders came upon your camp.

I don’t hear Owly or Scratch.

A few more moments passed as you listened to footsteps echoing in the cavern. Then you finally heard your name being called.

Oh, thank goodness. “Over here!” you called out.

As you heard them walk over, you quickly realized that if they came around the screen, they’d see you naked. “Wait wait wait! Let me get my clothes on!” Quickly drying yourself with a towel for once and throwing your dress on, you came out to see them looking bloodied and exhausted.

“You look freshly washed,” Shadowheart said, the longing for a bath evident in her voice.

You grinned. “You can too, shortly. Come, come!” You showed everyone the bath set up, watching their expressions growing relieved that they could have a warm bath even in this darkened place.

“I’ll get food going,” you said as everyone else played rock-paper-scissors for who would go first in the bath.

You quickly threw together some cured meats and cheese together as an appetizer before putting some ingredients in the pot for a hearty stew, inspired by Gale’s meal yesterday morning. In a separate, smaller pot, you cooked some rice to go with it.

You tucked your wet hair behind your ears as you worked, and once you were done, you put your hands over your head and sang a quick drying cantrip that gently drew the water away without taking out too much moisture. If there was one thing you were a bit vain about, it was your hair, and you took good care of it.

The soft footsteps behind you seemed tentative, yet the cadence sounded familiar. He stopped directly behind you and gently grasped your shoulders.

“Welcome back, Astarion.”

He only hummed softly, one hand moving your hair to one side before dipping his head down to nuzzle your neck.

“You want supper now, or later?”

Astarion took a deep breath, inhaling your scent. “Later, darling, when we’re alone.”

Your body reacted instantly to his lowered tone, but you quickly tamped down on it. You knew he had felt your rush of blood when his grip on your shoulders tightened just a little bit.

You turned and looked up at him, but he only had a soft expression as he looked at you. Reaching out and cupping his face, you searched his emotions as he leaned into your touch. You could feel mostly contentment with a strand of anxiety weaved within.

He finally backed away from you. “Until tonight, then.”

Dammit. I wish I could help him with his anxiety.

During supper, everyone took turns describing the battle with the devil to you. It was a very hectic fight, and it sounded like everyone was pushed to their limits. But their teamwork and their communication had grown so much that they pulled through in the end and defeated him.

“We even got Astarion to graciously say thank you,” Wyll joked.

Glancing over at him, you saw that he was looking a bit grumpy at being reminded about it. You snickered softly.

They continued to tell you about the rest of their adventure, and how they were feeling exhausted by the time they had finished exploring all of the rooms and gathering all of the orbs needed to activate the final elevator that would take them down to what they believed would be the final level of the Gauntlet.

“Tomorrow, we’ll end this,” Shadowheart said with determination.

With supper completed, everyone broke off to relax and turn in for the night. Astarion turned to you.

“I’ll go have a bath. See you in our tent, lover.”

Our? “Alright. Do you want me to make the water hotter for you?”

“Let’s go test it, shall we?”

Heading over to the bath with you, he dipped his hand into the water. “Seems adequate.”

You looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “But not perfect.”

“If you could…”

“Easy,” you said with confidence before singing a hotter water rune. Once it took hold, steam came out of the water. Turning around at the sound of shuffling clothing, you realized that Astarion was already stripping behind you.

“Astarion!” you gasped as you turned back around.

“You’ve seen all of me already, darling.”

That was only a glance, and it was in the middle of the inn. That doesn’t count. “Anyway I’m going back now byeeee,” you said in a rush as you nearly ran from him. His laughter followed you all the way back to the tent.

It was still a bit surreal to you, having your bedroll in his tent. You laid down and stared at the canopy, the red and gold fabric looking a bit dull in the dim light of your cantrip.

He won't mind if I do this, right? I wonder…

You sat up, put your hands up in the air, and sang.

Moonbeams and starlight,

Paint the sky above me,

Light up before my eyes,

A sparkly sight to see.

The fabric glittered for a moment then darkened, and pinpricks of light began to form in the darkness. You gestured with your hands purposely through the air as if you were weaving, and lights of different strengths and sizes, with different tints of color, populated the ‘sky’ you had created. You even created a full moon so that there was still enough light for you to see, but not too glaring.

Satisfied with your work, you lay back and stared up, feeling much less claustrophobic.

Astarion came in, shirtless and hair wet, with a seductive expression on his face, but then he looked up, and his expression changed to that of innocent wonder. To you, it was a much more attractive look on him.

His eyes were round with amazement as he looked at the ceiling. “This is… beautiful.” He sat down next to you and smiled. “You completely distracted me from my plan.”

“And what plan was that?”

“Convince you to dry and brush my hair for me.”

You snickered. “You only need to ask, no need for a plan.”

He gave you a smarmy smirk. “But if you offered it freely, I wouldn’t need to ask.”

Rolling your eyes, you sat up and gestured for him to sit in front of you. Getting up onto your knees, you sang your hair drying cantrip slowly, since his hair was finer and more delicate than yours. Then you gently brushed his hair, first with your fingers, then with his brush.

“Gods, your touch feels so good,” he murmured.

That line, in another context, would have made your face heat up. Even now, you swallowed, your throat suddenly dry. “Glad you feel relaxed,” you mumbled, trying to push down any naughty thoughts.

He turned and took the brush from your hand. Slowly he ran his fingers up your bare arms, his eyes gazing at your body.

“Astarion?” you whispered.

Moving closer, he cupped your cheek. “You promised me supper, didn’t you?”

You nodded and tipped your head, exposing your neck.

Astarion leaned forward and licked your pulse. “Such an enticing treat,” he purred before he sank his teeth into your neck. With one hand gripping the back of your head, the other snaked around your backside and pulled you close, his body lining up with yours. You could feel the hard lines of his chest against your soft bosom, his muscled thigh resting between your legs.

You gasped softly as your hips moved on their own, searching for friction against him. But somewhere along the way, you realized that you had stopped feeling his emotions. Even with his fangs deep in your neck, you only felt the sting of your own flesh.

“Astarion—”

He released you from his bite, languidly licking your wound before he pulled back to look at you. Letting go of your head, he grabbed your bottom with both hands and pulled you harder against him. He buried his face into the crook of your neck and nibbled at your collarbone.

“Darling,” he rumbled against your skin, “does this feel good?” His hands traveled up and down your body, a slow, sensual exploration.

“Y-yes,” you gasped when one of his hands trailed up to gently caress your breast, a finger brushing against your sensitive nipple.

Then you looked at him. His eyes were on you, but something about his expression seemed as if he was realms away. You cupped his face with both hands.

You felt nothing.

It was like a bucket of cold water when you realized he had shut down. You put your hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. “I… I don’t think we’re ready for this.”

He looked hurt for a moment, and you could feel it through your touch.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled.

He shook his head. “It’s alright. I should have asked first.”

It’s not me I’m worried about. “That wasn’t it. You seemed… not all here.”

He blinked. Then he looked away, but you caught the misery in his expression.

You slid off his thigh and took his hands in yours. You were hit so hard with a wall of revulsion that you had to hide your gasp, acting as if you were taking a deep breath. “Astarion?”

He turned back to you with a sad expression. “I can’t help but feel… tainted.”

Your eyes widened in surprise.

“Not by you, darling. You… you’re incredible. You deserve something real. I want”—he pointed back and forth between the two of you—“this, to be real.”

He sighed dolefully. “But after two centuries of playing the rake… I just don't know what real looks like. Any kind of intimacy was just something I performed, to lure victims back…to him.”

You squeezed his hands and kept silent, nodding for him to continue.

“I want to be with you. I truly do. But these feelings of disgust and loathing… They keep coming up. And I don’t know how else… to be intimate… with you.”

Gods, I didn’t realize it was that bad. You let go of his hands and pulled him into a hug, resting his head on your shoulder. You carded your fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head. “You take all the time you need to work through this,” you said softly. “Just let me hug you, and I’ll be happy.”

Slowly, his arms came around you and hugged you back. “This is enough for you?” he asked hesitantly.

“More than enough. We’ll take it one step at a time, at whatever pace you need.”

His body, which had felt tense in the beginning, steadily relaxed in your arms. The feelings of revulsion and guilt slowly faded, replaced by a sense of relief and…

Safety? I’ve felt this from him before, when I asked for a hug in the Underdark…

You hummed a lullaby as you led him down to the bedroll and held him close, running one hand through his soft hair while you gently rubbed his back with the other.

“Is this alright?” you asked.

He nodded and pressed his face further into the crook of your neck.

You continued to hum your song until you felt him fall into a trance.

“Sweet dreams,” you murmured, kissing his forehead.

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Act II, Chapter 7 End notes: Some more soft and fluff, but soon, we’ll get out of Act 2. Only two more chapters to go before we start Act 3! And a bit of heads up, I'm going to be leaning more into that hurt/comfort tag in Act 3, so if you're squeamish about injuries (I am, so I won't be writing very descriptively, but painful things WILL be happening), just be warned now.

Tags List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute @stormyjane7 @kmoon21

#bg3 #astarion x f!reader #bg3 fanfic #baldur's gate 3 #female reader #writing #bg3 spoilers #your hearth is my home #astarion

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mrfancyfoot · 1 month ago

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Plots & Prosody: Prompts

Raphael x Evie (f!OC)

- A Gift of Heart-

"To a devil, gifting the heart of your enemy (for free, no less!) is practically a confession of love.

Evie contemplates getting a spray bottle to spritz her murderous cat of a devil friend."

Happy Halloween! This prompt is slightly thematic for the holiday (in a, uh, horror kind of way - sort of. More along the lines of Addams Family kind of "horror"). 😈

Did not quite succeed in getting both prompts out for October, but I should have my Kinktober prompt out very soon (and unlike this one, I have spent far more time on it than two sleep deprived nights). :)

Rating: M / NSFW-ish

Word Count: ~1.2k

Timeline: Plots & Prosody, Part II - Canon

Tags: POV Evie; She/Her Pronouns; Raphael Referenced; Housemate Astarion; (Dark) Humor; ...Fluff?; Dark Romance; Evie is a Bit Socially/Romantically Naive; Some Mutual Pining; Devil Courtship; The Devil is Smitten; Raphael probably off strutting around like a tom cat so proud of himself

Warnings: Gore (Dismembered Body Parts...As Gifts); Referenced Murder; Implied Eating of one such part (Astarion); Evie has found herself a surprising degree of okay with most of this

Main Fic (Rated E/Varied): AO3 + Tumblr | Master List (contains related prompts)

[Quick Context: After being isekai'd by the nautiloid, Evie spends most of Plots & Prosody Part I (Game Events) “befriending the devil,” yet denying him her soul. Once things settle after game events, Evie goes about her new life kick-starting her business and re-inventing modern-day things. She remains oblivious to Raphael's attempts at courting her and chalks many of his more questionable behaviors up to cultural differences.]

Part of my devil courtship series.

❤️ Thanks for reading! :3 ❤️

Being friends with a devil was very akin to being friends with a particularly mischievous, deadly cat. A cat that sometimes left little unsettling gifts in the middle of her dining room table to show its fondness.

It was mid-morning when she woke and readied enough to drag herself downstairs for breakfast. The glint of shiny, gaudy wrapping paper had been quick to catch her eye. The ribboned cube was about the size of a hat box and she recognised who it was from upon sight for Raphael had a set of preferences and this was far from being the first. Crimson paper, gold ribbon, occasionally switched up when he was feeling extra pretentious with gold paper and crimson ribbon or with a navy accent.

As his cherished, self-appointed best, and only, friend - though he was certainly putting effort into getting her to agree to the forever ‘forever’ part - the word that came to mind for this behavior was ‘lavish.’ Raphael had begun to lavish her with gifts.

Exotic spices, rare books, furs with magical properties, trinkets from his travels, fine clothing, expensive jewelry.

Which wasn’t at all what she had expected several months ago. Her goal with ‘befriending the devil’ had started out as purely self-preservation as a means to stay on his good side if he was as adamant about getting her soul as he claimed. Perhaps they’d occasionally have tea and trade book recommendations, catch a play at the theatre... Actually succeeding was not something she had foreseen.

But though she insisted that he didn’t have to gift her anything, let alone such finery, he insisted that he did. His friend had a place of high honor in his life that deserved it. And to show that he could - protecting and spoiling her these ways was another display of his power and status.

Those were the innocuous gifts, at least comparatively - she wasn’t sure she wanted to know where they all may have come from. The gifted body parts were…less so.

A behavior that she was still parsing. Being friends with a powerful devil meant having to make some concessions and strive to understand their culture.

She supposed it was how he showed he cared.

At least he wasn’t yet leaving her half dead things to tell her that her own skills needed honing.

Evie thumbed the bow of the pretty, sleek ribbon and slipped the tiny card out from under it. The back was signed with a simple, scripted initial R. It carried his distinctive, warm scent that she took in fondly.

He never wanted there to be any question as to who the gifts came from.

“Ooo, another present, I see. Isn’t that the second this tenday?” Having come from his own room, Astarion sidled up beside her and gleefully peered over her shoulder. “Now, what do you suppose is hidden within this one? More jewelry to match? A nice set of ears? Oh, I know! A stunning pair of earrings still attached to the lobes. Do hurry up, I’m dying of anticipation!” He giggled to himself. Earlier this week was an enchanted bracelet. Not attached to anything.

His question was somewhat rhetorical given his heightened sense of smell, so he would at least know if it was ‘organic’ or not.

“Hmm.” She lifted the box and gave it a gentle shake. “It has an odd weight. Bit more oomph to it than I would have thought. So…I’mma say some unlucky soul has been relinquished of…something.”

Guessing the contents had become somewhat of a game between them.

Evie pulled at the ribbon and flipped the top off the box.

She leaned over the box and squinted, her head tilting.

A heart.

Lovingly nestled within tissue paper splattered with still-wet blood.

Astarion bent closer and she heard him inhale deeply. “Oh, my. A bit engorged but it does look delicious, darling.” He stepped aside and scanned her, asking, “Did something happen? I cannot wait to find out which poor sap crossed you the wrong way to deserve this.” As though he didn’t also contemplate the same thing. There was once a time that he bemoaned Raphael ‘beating’ him to dealing with certain problems. It was a cute little rivalry between her bloodthirsty gremlins.

She would like to say that it bothered her, but trying to keep her workers safe was such an immense burden with how troubled and unsafe the Gate was, especially at night and especially in the Lower City. Thugs, sharks, drunkards…dandy nobles able to bribe guards and magistrates to get their way. She could fend for herself, but many of her women and younger employees couldn’t. With her hired security only able to do so much above water if the proper authorities refused to act, it was little skin off her nose for the lowest of scum to find their way to the Hells.

“No, nothing comes to mind for this one.” She sighed, a wry smile pulling at her lips. “You can have it if you don’t drool on me, Asta. Please put it on ice if you don’t plan to do anything with it right now, though.”

He snagged the box with an eager, ‘Don’t mind if I do.’ and walked off, disappearing down the hall.

She’d have to dispose of it anyhow so having a vampire housemate made that easy.

Hopefully the authorities wouldn’t come pounding on their door after finding a body - if there even was one - but she feared if Raphael kept threatening and picking off her enemies and those who had done her wrong, someone out there was bound to make the connection back to her as a common denominator.

A drunken fishmonger had mysteriously lost some fingers after inappropriately grabbing her and finding himself thrown into the bay.

A set of eyeballs from a disgustingly lustful trio of gangsters thinking they’d cornered her in an alley near her warehouse. She had dealt with them, as well, but apparently Raphael felt more needed to be done.

The tongue of who had once been her daily catcaller on her way to work.

Occasionally, Raphael felt the need to posture and share the origins of such offerings, though often it was a few days or even weeks until they learned who the bits came from.

Raphael had once shared the deplorable things a visiting noble had said of her to him while at a gala. Decorative beads had been made from his bones and Raphael was having them sewn into a dress for her to wear to an upcoming event in the Hells.

He, of course, would never dirty his own hands within the Material Plane, but he had plenty of agents and those in his debt to carry out his orders.

As this one had not been handed to her, it was more likely that they’d be hearing of the potential cause and prior owner at some point from the news or street gossip mill.

As amusing as it was to imagine spraying the devil with water in the same way one would attempt to alter the behaviors of a cat, she doubted it would be so simple. But, thinking like a devil, maybe she would have more luck getting him to cease the morbid gifts from the angle of conveying that she felt insulted by the assumption that she could not or was not handling these things properly herself.

Her stomach rumbled and she decided to think on it more after breakfast. She palmed the tiny gift card and made her way to the kitchen.

#Plots & Prosody #baldur's gate 3 raphael #bg3 Raphael #raphael x tav #raphael the cambion #baldur's gate 3 fanfic #baldur's gate 3 raphael fanfic #mrfancyfoot #raphael x oc #Prompt Fill #Fluff #Dark Humor #Dark Romance #Devil Courtship

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redroomroaving · 3 months ago

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Writer Interview Tag

Ok, it took me 8 days to get here, but I’m finally responding to this lovely tag from @lemonsrosesandlavender I adored reading yours, it was so interesting!

I've tagged a few people in this post later on and would love any of them to join in and have a go at this if they'd like to share their own answers :).

Answers under the cut, because this got long - I touch on some personal stuff a bit here, so CW for chronic pain discussion.

When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing nonsense since I was a kid, largely - I have old notebooks from when I was very young I still keep full of little characters and story snippets I used to write mostly to entertain myself on long car journeys - I had one particularly ridiculous sci-fi story written as a series of diary entries across 4 notebooks I started when I was like … I wanna say 10? Boy.

I attempted my first actual novel at about 16. Tried it again at 21. Tried it again at 26. I’m sat, still, on my first draft of something I actually could do something with that I started 10 years ago. Me and writing have had a bit of a journey, largely due to some workplace related trauma - but coming back to it after all this time has been a lot like coming home, really. I think I’ve always been, as my mother would put it; ‘away with the fairies’.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

The honest answer is ‘probably not’. I rather enjoy non-fiction, but in terms of genres of fiction and themes within, I’d say I’m a very broad reader and outside of fic I’ve tried my hand at quite a lot of genres; I’ve dabbled in sci-fi and horror particularly, because that’s my happy zone.

Before joining the BG fandom my answer to this question would have been ‘Romance’, actually, because it was something I liked to read but didn’t necessarily feel brave enough to write; but truly, writing fic has pushed me right through my reticence to write romance of my own, and now it’s sort of all I write, I think!

Outside of that, I’m afraid I’m shamelessly drawn to the sorts of things I’d want to write.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I’ve not really been compared to anyone specifically; I’ve had a very flattering comparison of my themes in one particular story with Neil Gaiman - which is of course the kind of comparison anyone would be very happy to hear, but overall I’m not sure I’m prolific enough for that sort of thing ;).

I’m not sure who I’m trying to write like - if I’m trying to write like anyone - I like to think my prose style is reasonably my own but is almost inevitably really an amalgamation of all the people I’ve grown up reading and loving.

Mostly, I’m a fan of the sort of magic realism/fantasy zone that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and a narrative voice that reflects that, and peppers it in around the characters own thoughts - my bigger influences are probably in the Mervyn Peake, Warren Ellis, Pratchett, George Elliot, Peter S. Beagle sort of zone.

To an extent, my interest in cinema and television is also a massive influence on how I write; I’ve spent most of my academic career working on breaking down scenes, the construction of frames - the threading of narratives on screen - and I don’t like to discount my favourite filmmakers and screenwriters as part of what I’m trying to achieve, too.

Nothing should be in a scene without purpose - even if its superfluous presence is the purpose - and I keep that locked right to my heart.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I don’t have a dedicated space particularly - my phone at 3am, by the coffee machine between meetings, the dining room table at times, my desk at other times - scribbled in the back of a notebook on the bus.

I’m a deeply disorganised person, and my creative process is much like my life; full of piles of laundry done in fits of productivity, half stacked and waiting to be put in their proper places; invariably, waiting forever.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I have no good answer for this either - writing, for me, is rather like possession. When it has seized me I’ll readily throw down thousands of words in a flurry, and when it’s gone, it is gone. There’s little in between.

If I can’t find it - it’s usually time to steep myself, and let things sit and soak into the bones for a while. Throw on a bit of music and let it turn around in my head without trying to force it out - a tactic that for me, at least, never works - imagine some scenarios or conversations, until something or other takes root.

Half the time it’s just about sitting in my character’s heads for a bit until I feel like I really know them, and could respond as them to questions and queries readily - this is something I’ve carried over from being a long time Dungeon Master - whose prep for sessions was about 15% maps and monster stats and 85% ‘stewing in my NPCs until there’s no question the players can ask I can’t answer in character’.

There’s nothing quite like the mania and rush of when the muse takes control, and it’s always a bit of a sorry experience when you find yourself on the other side of it, wondering once again where it went.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

A few big ones - two that don’t surprise me, and one that does.

The first – coming to terms with what you were supposed to be, and what you are - the trajectory of my life hasn’t been particularly straightforward - I made a lot of decisions based on what I felt I owed to other people in my youth, my obligations to others, particularly family, steered my path towards disaster and the breakdown of my health, career, and life. I started over and found a new path. It’s not been easy.

Over and over again I’m drawn to characters that have trajectories like this; who are coming to terms with what they thought they were supposed to be, the role they were supposed to have, and how they failed to meet those expectations - or in the case of some - how those expectations failed them.

The second - pain, and finding the purpose within it. I have chronic pain of an unhelpful sort, acquired during the stuff I just mentioned - that can truly only be described as purposeless. In fact, I’ve had a clinician quite literally describe it as such (although the word they used was ‘pointless and unhelpful’).

I won’t pretend that’s been easy to live with, or that when I say ‘it is what it is’ whilst my body screams at me literally all seconds of all days and won't ever stop doing so forever, I’m just saying that because I can’t say anything else.

It’s not particularly surprising I ended up exploring this theme, inevitably. It’s probably why ‘Sufferer, I shall’, my Donnick x Abdirak fic, and that pairing that was so unexpected and clotheslined me out of nowhere, is the one that matters most to me.

Finally, the theme that surprised me - is finding purpose and growth in love; for me, the heart of all the romances I write, big or small, is based on this foundation. If there’s no trajectory for individual growth, enhanced and augmented by a relationship with another - usually through the ways in which we can connect and more importantly gently contrast to push one another forward - I am not interested in the romance.

I’m painfully, painfully demisexual, so my romances need to be so dripping with Feelings it’s embarrassing. I didn’t know this about myself until I started writing it, but now I see it everywhere, and all of these three come together into a rather depressing sort of whole. I’ll sum up.

I’m constantly trying to build a happier tale than my own.

That one got sad, but it’s also the answer to this next question.

What is your reason for writing?

See above. Writing gives me joy, but it also helps me to create a kinder, warmer world than the one I live in - even when I’m exploring its darker parts.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I love any comments, I truly do - they all fill me with joy - just to know someone has read something I’ve written.

I’d like to take a moment, though, to shout out to a few people in particular - because I think commenting is an art in and of itself, and instead of talking about what motivates me, I’d like to thank some people for motivating me.

When @benicemurphy found my Rolan x Geraldus fic ‘the Harper in the Tower’ I started getting some of the most insightful, most moving comments I’d ever received. The way in which you so perceptively saw every tiny hint, every theme and thread just absolutely floored me. Anyone who gets a comment from you should be honoured to do so.

This goes too for @cedar-phoenix, who I don’t think I have on tumblr (Cedar! found you!) - but who might be one of the most perceptive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. You have an absolute gift.

@graysparrowao3 left me some of the most punch in the face comments I’ve ever had on ‘Sufferer, I shall’. Watching your trajectory of reading the story and being greeted with ‘WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL’ truly, truly made my year.

I love it when a commenter pulls out specific lines or moments that they enjoyed - especially because it’s never the ones I expect! @tavyliasin and @n1ghtmeri left me some of the most emotional comments on ‘Sufferer’ I’ve ever had the pleasure of receiving, and @darkurgetrash picking out specific lines of my Klaus x Kar’niss fic always gets me chomping at the bit to write more. It takes time and effort to leave the sorts of comments you do, and I want you all to know how deeply I appreciate it.

And of course, my dear @lizziemajestic - the only commenter who has left me a sobbing voice note. You have no idea how much that meant, and how much it has continued to mean, to me.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Honestly - I’m not really sure how to answer this. I hope it’s a warm cup of coffee; a bit of nourishment. I hope they can see how deeply I feel what I write, and that some of that comes through in the words they read - too.

I really care about all these silly little guys - and if reading it makes them smile, or cry, or really anything at all, that’s what I wanted, I think.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I’m terrible at talking about my own strengths so expect this to be a rubbish answer.

I like to think I’m good at character voices; I spend a lot of time thinking about and puzzling out how a character would speak and think - and as I predominantly, if not exclusively, write canon characters and NPCs, I hope I am able to capture their voices in a way that feels natural and organic.

I never force a character to do anything - it doesn’t work, for starters - but I really do try to let them guide what’s happening and follow them where they lead. I hope that comes across in what I write and helps create something that feels in character and plausible, no matter what’s happening; I struggle at times with worrying this might mean things seem boring, or fail to meet expectations people might have of how things are going to go - but it’s a principle I stick to. If I’m changing something fundamentally about a character it feels wrong - and that’s a guiding principle I hold.

This extends to romances and relationships; I hope, at least, I build connections between characters that feel organic and earned, even when sometimes they are characters who literally have never interacted at all before. Finding the organic spark of connection is what I most enjoy writing.

I hope I’m pretty good at environmental storytelling, too. It’s important to show character in the same way we show ourselves - in our environments, our habits and the spaces we occupy. Everything you do, the things you surround yourself with; that’s just as much you as the you in your skull.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

“Why write if not to fill the world with the kinds of things I want to read?”

I try to write mostly for myself. I’ve written a few things based on prompts and ideas for others, and do enjoy that - but first and foremost, I’m writing for my own sake.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Mostly good. Mostly. I’m not the best, nor do I want to be - I try not to engage too much with thinking about the wider space and how I’m comparing to others - I know I’m plundering down in some obscure mines at times, and that’s ok - that’s where I chose to be.

I’m not good at complimenting myself, but, I have managed to write some things I’m genuinely proud of as part of finding my way back to writing full stop.

Overall though, I think I’m just happy to -be- writing. After so long being unable to do so because of the pain and being unable to use my arms, and feeling like writing was the thing that ruined me, finding a way back to some creative joy and reclaiming my pain as purposeful has been, genuinely, a lifeline.

I apologise that this got all deep and sad. I hope if you’ve read this, you know how grateful I am to you all; I’ve been so lucky to find this space, and all of you, and myself again too.

#roaving stuff #red was tagged #writer interview #tag game #fanfic writing

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bluejaysandblackbats · 10 months ago

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Five Little Ducks

Fandom: DC Comics, Batman

Summary: Bruce finds a magically de-aged Jason.

Chapters: 9/13

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Zatanna Zatara

Additional Tags: De-Aged Jason Todd, Magic, Babysitting, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, POV Third Person, Bruce Wayne is Not Okay, Bruce Wayne Tries, Jason Todd Has Issues, Childhood Trauma, TW: Self Harm

Chapter Nine: Career Day

Jason swung his feet, still eating hotdogs. "Mr. Wayne?" Jason whispered.

"Want another hotdog?" Bruce asked. Jason shook his head. "You sure?"

"I'm alright... Can I still get more hot cocoa?" Jason asked.

"Of course, Jason. You okay?" Bruce replied. Jason shook his head. "Still scared?" Jason nodded. "That's okay... The adrenaline will wear off, and everything will slow down in your head."

"How do you know?" Jason asked.

Bruce took a breath and reached to mess up Jason's hair. Jason flinched away, and Bruce nodded. "Sorry, I forgot you weren't-." Bruce trailed off.

Jason looked down at his feet, and Bruce poured him another cup of cocoa. Steph returned with marshmallows from the other kitchen. "I knew we had chocolate marshmallows somewhere," Steph smiled. Jason smiled at her.

She sprayed whipped cream on top of his cocoa and sprinkled the marshmallows. "Jason, I gotta go," Steph whispered, "It was nice meeting you."

She opened her arms, and Jason hugged her. "Do you really have to go?" Jason whined.

Steph nodded. "Yeah, but you're in good hands... Be good," Steph whispered. Jason nodded. She left Jason alone with Bruce.

"Jason, are you sure you're full?" Bruce asked.

Jason nodded. "Are you gonna tell my mom about tonight?" Jason whispered.

Bruce shook his head. "Still feel shaky?" Bruce asked. Jason nodded. "Yeah... How about we go for a ride?"

"Okay... But I should probably finish-."

"You can eat in the car. I'll make you another hotdog and put your cocoa in a to-go cup... Unless you'd like to eat first. Sorry if I seem pushy," Bruce whispered. Jason shook his head.

"You're not pushy," Jason replied, "Do you get lonely in this house all by yourself?"

Bruce poured Jason's cocoa into a to-go cup. "Sometimes," Bruce answered. With a tilt of the head, Bruce realized Jason wasn't asking to make conversation. He genuinely cared. "Do you get lonely being an only child?"

Jason nodded. "But you're an only child too... You know what it's like," Jason replied.

"I suppose I do... Still, I'd like to hear about your experience. It's gotta be different now than it used to be," Bruce replied as he wrapped Jason's hotdog in deli paper. They walked to the car, and Bruce handed Jason his food. "Gotham's changed a lot from when I was a child. Crime's not as organized as it used to be. More innocent people getting hurt."

"I guess so... But I'm not scared of the crime. I'm-. Do you ever feel like everyone else has more life than you?" Jason questioned. Bruce furrowed his brow. "Like some people have everything... Huge families, the perfect house, the car-."

"The happiness?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," Jason mumbled.

The sun rose over the horizon, and Jason shielded his eyes. Bruce pulled down the mirror on the passenger's side. "No one's life is perfect. Even if someone has all those things, they'll always need something else," Bruce replied, "But I get the sense of longing. What do you long for?"

"I wish I had somebody older than me around... Then I wouldn't be responsible for everything all the time. I guess that's selfish, though. I feel selfish for wishing it was someone else. People always say they wouldn't wish stuff on their worst enemies, but is it wrong to wish you had somebody to share things with? Even the bad stuff?" Jason questioned. Bruce nodded. "You probably think that's a terrible thing-."

"You have no idea how much I relate to everything you've said. I think that's been my sole motivation for everything I've done in the past decade or so... I want someone to share my experience with too. I think my second son understood that better than anyone," Bruce whispered. Jason smiled.

"Where is he?" Jason questioned.

"We hit a bump in the road... And things never seemed the same again. We couldn't fix things," Bruce replied, squeezing his knee to hold back tears.

"I hope you can patch things up with your son someday," Jason mumbled as he tapped Bruce's wrist, offering him a gentle hand. "I'm sorry that you can't talk to him right now..."

"Thank you, Jason," Bruce smiled. He glanced over at Jason, who'd quietly given way to tears. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry... I don't know why-. I do know why I'm crying... I don't wanna tell you. You'll think it's dumb," Jason cried as he wiped his face. Bruce pulled over.

"I don't think your feelings are dumb... Let me have it, Jason. What's got you so upset?" Bruce asked sweetly.

They stared at one another for a while, and Jason sniffed. "I'm jealous... And I don't wanna be," Jason murmured. Bruce messed up Jason's hair.

"We're sharing something right now, Jason. Maybe you can't take his place, but you can have a place of your own," Bruce whispered, "Would you like that while you're here? To have a space of your own?" Jason stared into Bruce's eyes, all glossy with tears, and nodded. Bruce smiled a gently reassuring smile.

"But what does that mean for me?" Jason asked.

"You're loved while you're here... You're seen while you're here... You're understood," Bruce explained. Jason smiled.

They drove through Gotham while Jason ate and drank, and Bruce glanced at him occasionally. "You know what?" Bruce asked. Jason made a soft noise. "Your smile is the best smile in Gotham."

Jason switched over to a sheepish grin and looked down at his feet. "Thank you," Jason answered weakly.

"It's true. I've never seen a happier smile," Bruce replied honestly, "Reminds me of my son's smile."

"Really?" Jason asked.

Bruce nodded. "Jason, you have your whole beautiful life ahead of you. I don't know what you wanna do, but I know you'll be great," Bruce reassured Jason. "What do you wanna do?"

"I wanna help people," Jason replied, "I wanna do something that makes people feel better... Just don't know how. Nobody's ever asked me that before."

"Not even at school?" Bruce questioned. Jason shook his head.

"Nuh-uh... I think the teachers are more worried about keeping us out of juvie," Jason replied. Bruce frowned. "Thanks for asking me, though... Now I can think about it."

"Glad it's on your mind now. I can't wait to see what you become," Bruce beamed.

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rocketturtle4 · 11 months ago

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The Sign and it's Magic and some WILD arse theories

This is not meta this is me cataloguing my brains current tracking of The Sign and it's magic - plus some wild ass theories I AM SO EXCITED (I also know nothing about the mythology/stories on which any of this is loosely based) (If anyone has done or does meta on this, particularly the magic stuff I am SUPER curious but not the best at scrolling tumblr rn so feel free to tag me)

Okay SO

So green eyed stabby boy got green eyed RIGHT AFTER Phayas necklace broke off so it's reasonable to conclude these thins are connected

He ?wasn't a willing vessel, did the Mors essence somehow sneak in with the purpose of killing Phaya

Then we had Tharn use magic while grasping HIS necklace (his necklace which I have NOT been paying enough attention to)

Phaya burned green eyed Mor (revealing his green eyes) AFTER the necklace got put back on, but I am PRETTY SURE Phaya has touched him before then, so that suggests something happened to awaken his powers, presumably the same thing that awakened Tharns (what is that thing? Stress? Proximity? Time?)

@plantsarepeopletoo pointed out we had water dream for Tharn and FIRE dream for Phaya which is FASCINATING especially with the reveal of the giant (?fire?) bird at the end of the ep that is presumably Phaya

Question

Has the necklace been suppressing their powers? - things changed when Phaya's got broken and then Tharn ripped his off to throw that punches

Random Thoughts

Okay so we have been repeatedly told that Tharn did very bad things in his past life and the Karma of that means he should have died as a child, and is still constantly in danger (and maybe even his parents paid the partial price with their deaths...).

We know Green Eyes is possessive of him and currently the doctor, and presumably has always been the doctor and presumably knows who Tharn was. (Abbot seems to know this?)

Tharn is a ?water spirit, I know nothing. Seems to be not disimilar from a siren who lures men to their deaths

We had the cop dead in the second ep (I think) in the ocean, still not clear if suicide but that Phaya investigated and was then lured out to sea - siren links

Green Eyes is the water dragon

and then Phaya is a fire bird? pheonix?

(OH MY GOD THE WINGS, THE TATOO, THE FOESHADOWING AHHHH)

Wild Ass Theories

OKAY SO lets assume Past Tharn and Past Doctor are both water spirits/gods, they were bound together in some way (married? or the mythological inter-being equivelent?).

Past Tharn lured men to their deaths (siren thoughts, linked to the man who died and the fact that Phaya got lured out into the ocean - also might explain the bad karma)

Past Tharn lures in Fire spirit bird who is injured, something something something they fall in love.

Green eyes isn't okay with this for a multitude of reasons shit goes down and ?everyone dies

Details unknown, looks like we're getting backstory next ep

BUT

We do know that Past!Phaya is also someone past!Tharn wronged right? so maybe past!tharn betrayed his love in the end, and that is how they died... or maybe past!Tharn killed himself after his love died as a result of Tharns betrayal...Maybe even swearing that in his next life he would give his own life before letting him die again (thereby explaining the focus of the visions)

Did green eyes die at all then or has he been living on, waiting for his love (Tharn) to reincarnate?

Phaya seems to be getting at least some memories back, more than Tharn so far. Phaya remembers him as a siren and now he remembers his past self too at least a little. Of course this is a dream, it may well be only half remembered when he wakes.

Other Thoughts

Of course this show also has a whole crime thriller thing which I am loving and I have thoughts and questions about that too, but they're mostly magic related... (why the vision of Tharns dad at THAT moment? was the truck vision of his dad, cause the show seemed to imply it was though his visions are normally future. Although he also saw that girl die which was in the past and seemed to be about proximity and perhaps the strength of her emotions idk. So what about that proximity triggered the vision)

I think that's emptied my brain, thankfully, GOSH I LOVE THIS SHOW

#The Sign #The Sign The Series #Incoherant ramblings of a fantasy nerd #rturts is wondering

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moonlitkilljoy · 2 years ago

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Lo and behold! i’ve finally finished making it, the promised list of Pacific Rim fic recs for anon :-) everyone thank @ihavenomoralsss for proofreading this for me!

There’s a good chance most people who've read any amount of newmann fanfiction will have read the first two on this list, as they’re found on the first and fifth pages of the newmann ship tag on ao3 when its sorted by most kudos descending– however i’ve included them anyway because they’re there for a very good reason (which is that they’re FANTASTIC). also, i've grouped all of the "pov outsider" fics together at the end of this post, as they pretty much make up one third of the list– which feels like it warrants it's own section. feel free to dm me or send me an ask to let me know of your thoughts about any of these (or just pacific rim in general!!)! without further ado, may i present to thou, 10 fantastic newmann fics

It’s All in the Hands of a Lazy Projector by patster223

“Hermann is cursed as a child so that he may never remember anyone he meets. Theoretically, this should make falling in love impossible, but then he meets (and meets and meets and meets) Newton Geiszler.”

~10k words, 1 chapter, rated T; exactly what the summary says, it’s an au in which hermann is cursed to forget everyone he meets, it centers around newt and hermanns interactions and how they manage to grow close despite this

if i had to choose a single favorite pacific rim fanfic it’d probably have to be this one. it’s gorgeously written and tackles some themes that hit very close to home for me, personally. i’ve struggled with memory loss for a very long time now, and this fic manages to encapsulate that experience through the lens of magical-realism in a way i’ve never seen captured in any context. i left a comment to that effect (under a pseudonym because i rarely log into ao3 on my phone) and the author’s response is something that still makes me emotional pretty much every time i look at it, “I wanted to imagine a world where memory still mattered, even if it wasn’t remembered. And now, years later, I think that it does. You and I and Hermann hold memory in our bodies and our minds, even if what’s being held isn’t an exact picture or description, but rather an emotion or a question. Memory still has to matter to those with memory loss, even if we end up experiencing it differently.” so, this is not only a recommendation for quality, but also from a very personal place— it’s a fic that addresses the concept of memory loss through a lens of comfort and hope, which it is so rarely seen through, and does it phenomenally. if anyone looking at this post were to read one fic and only one fic from this list i’d want it to be this one. it also characterizes newt and hermann very well and i love their dynamic in it, it’s PHENOMENAL

Letters From Berlin by spenshi

“Newton keeps in touch with his family when he's shipped off to the Shatterdome. Jacob and Illia send care packages to the K-Science Lab.”

~12k words, 1 chapter, rated T; once more, exactly what the summary says– newt sends letters to his family and they send him packages. eventually hermann starts sending them letters (+ emails) as well :]

i read this one most recently out of all the others so it’s the freshest in my memory :-) it’s extremely homely and heartwarming!! additionally, it includes some really fun and sweet interactions between newt’s family and hermann. OH! and, of course, some very fun characterization of newt’s family

Plausible Possibility by cissues / @cacaesthesia

“Newt and Hermann experience some odd post-drift effects.”

~1k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a little exploration of ghost-drift

short and sweet! absolutely fucking adorable too. plus, this contains some headcanons/a discussion of sexuality that i was delighted to find very relatable (as an aromantic person)

Red Patent by highseize

“It's been months since the ocean closed up. Nothing will take this from her now.”

~2k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a snapshot of what mako’s life looks like after the events of the movie ^^

a rare non-hermann-and-newt-centered fic on this list!! this one actually centers around mako :D it’s adorable and i love mako with my entire heart, especially this depiction of her

fool by kaijusalad

“Newton is going to die thinking no-one left on this Earth loves him. (Fool.) He can't have that.”

~6k words, 1 chapter, rated T; hermann believes that seeking out hannibal chau and drifting with a kaiju brain once more will kill newt, and acts accordingly

i LOVE the way this fic is formatted and written– the word choice and unique use of italics and parentheses is incredible and works so well. it describes every action and scene so gorgeously and it just. man. here’s a small except devoid of context that i think showcases this perfectly: “His words are hollow, anyway. They hang in the air, lies filled with helium, a new year's resolution, an 'I'll quit smoking'. (God is real in belief; maybe if he believes in them hard enough they'll come true, and isn't that something for a man who works in numbers to think?)”

One day from lonely by Raehimura

“Hermann is standing outside Newton Geiszler’s private quarters, bony ankles poking out from under too-short standard-issue sweatpants, his hair a wreck and his red-ringed eye still sore, with a lifetime of stolen memories in his head. What if Newt isn’t there? What if he’s sleeping? Or, worse, what if he is waiting on the other side of the door with his own stolen memories fresh on his mind? Above all he remembers, sudden and frighteningly clear: This is not what they do.”

~2.5k words, 1 chapter, rated G; another very interesting exploration of newt and hermann post-drift

i disagree a little bit with some of the characterization in this fic (particular, newt thinking hermann hates him. i think newt very well knows that hermann’s very fond of him) but it’s a great read nonetheless! the best word to describe it would probably be “cozy”

This is a Totally Normal Thing for Friends to Do by SolarMorrigan / @solarmorrigan

“Hermann and Newt don't talk about it (until they do)”

~21k words, 4 chapters, rated T; a fake dating au in which hermann’s dad nags him about not having found a partner yet and hermann panics, telling him that he actually does have a partner just to get him to asking about it, but it backfires when lars expresses interest in meeting him. newt offers to play the part of partner, hijinks and relationship progression ensue. this fic also has an explicit sequel, if that’s your kind of thing

THIS FIC IS SO FUCKING GOOD. there were multiple times where i reacted out loud to things that happened in the fic– most notably a series of “holy fucking shit”s while eating lunch with some friends. it’s adorable and includes some transmasc newt content :3 this fic also includes hermann snapping and standing up to his shithead dad and its GREAT. one of my absolute favorite pacrim fics ever, i can’t recommend it enough

POV OUTSIDER FICS:

HR Complaints by IDoNotBitMyThumbAtYou / @idonotbitemythumbatyou

“Manny Flores has been with the PPDC for nearly a decade by the time he’s transferred to Hong Kong. He just wants to do his job. And he’s good at it. But when he receives the 15th complaint from one Dr. Hermann Gottlieb in only three days, he finds his patience running thin. He wonders which of the two scientists would be more of a nightmare to cohabitate a working space with: Dr. Gottlieb - sender of endless petty complaints, or Dr. Geiszler, their hapless subject. (...)”

~3k words, 1 chapter, unrated (probably G or T); hermann and newt’s relationship through the eyes of someone reading the (non-serious) complaints that hermann sends to hr

i spent three uninterrupted hours looking for this fic to link it here and it was ABSOLUTELY worth it. this fic is so fun, and it uses my favorite trope of all time!! i’m an absolute sucker for “pov outsider” type fics <3 the characterization is phenomenal, i love the oc from whose pov we view the story, and some of the lines made me actually audibly laugh. definitely another one of my absolute favorites. i think i sent a screenshot of the first sentence from the following lines to virtually everyone i know: “After another few weeks of complaints (“Dr. Geiszler asked me if I have any tattoos.” “Dr. Geiszler made an offensive tweet alluding to my personal style. I have attached a link.” “Dr. Geiszler has named his invention ‘the milking machine.’”) And continued insistence that no disciplinary action be taken, Manny was starting to suspect that the latter was closer to the truth: these were the missives of someone deeply, inconveniently in love. Christ, Manny was half in love with the guy himself at this point.” this fic rocks, do yourself a solid and please read it

On The Outside by combeferrer

“Petra Gottlieb, Hermann's mother, watches the first PPDC press conference after the world is saved and notices her son, particularly his relationship with his fellow scientist.”

~1k words, 1 chapter, rated G; for the third and final time, exactly what the description says! newt and hermanns relationship through the eyes of hermann’s mother, who watches a press conference with her son– who she hasn’t really interacted with lately– in it

ANOTHER GREAT FIC!! I love this characterization of newt and hermann’s relationship, and i find the premise and extremely enticing in and of itself so i won’t be saying anything more here <3

Disconnect, Connect Again by cypress_tree / @cypress-tree

“Raising Newt Geiszler has never been easy. Seeing him fall in love can be harder. The development of Newt and Hermann's relationship, from Jacob Geiszler's point-of-view.”

~13.5k words, 4 chapters, rated T; newt and hermann’s relationship through the eyes of newt’s father, over the course of 12 years

LOVE LOVE LOVE this author’s take on newt’s family. it works so well and is very enjoyable to read about. i wish i could articulate how much and why exactly i love this fic in a better manner, but i can’t quite find the right word’s ^^; i’m just going to leave it at “i love it dearly and i adore it’s depiction/interpretation of newt and hermann’s history (and present + future!)”

thank you for reading!! have a lovely day/night ^^ <3

#benny beeps #fic recs #pacific rim #pacrim #newt geiszler #hermann gottlieb #newmann #newton geiszler #kaiju bros #this is my first time making a post like this so PLEASE let me know if the way i've formatted this has rendered it unreadable

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thenormaltrainer · 1 month ago

Text

Hello！

My name is Nirvana､ at least､ that‵s what you‵ll be calling me． You can also use they/them for me､ unless you know me personally． In reality､ though､ I don‵t care． ♪

I attend BBA､ so if you wonder why I followed you､ it‵s probably because of that． I do battle､ but nobody will see my team､ not on here．

I also suffered an extreme concussion a few years ago､ so my memory may still be weird！

If you ever want a shiny Pokémon､ let me know､ because I have a few of them､ hehe！

-🕊️

about the mun/mod!

my name is adon! you could refer to me as adonciant or guy either! i go by he/him only- if you want to use any neopronouns, feel free. i am a minor! my main is @adonciant, which is where likes and follows will come from. of course, all my rp blogs are also listed in my pinned on main!

when a post is signed off with ~🎱, that means its me speaking. it will always be paired with ooc post

─ⵌ call me adon, he/him, a minor! main is @adonciant! ~🎱 is muns signoff

interaction!

pelipper mail/unmail/malice: allowed!

musharna mail/malice: allowed!

mystery gifts: allowed!

magic anon: allowed!

union circle: allowed!

in-character anon hate: allowed!

ooc/questions: allowed!

anyone is allowed to interact with my blogs! fallers, eeby deebys, hybrids, sapients, self-inserts, ocs, in-game characters and more alike are all very welcomed!

non-rp accounts (excluding muns) please do not reblog pokemon irl exclusive posts, or comment under any of them. additionally, if you use an rp blog that isn't pokemon irl, i will not respond to you.

if you ever want to start a roleplay, it's best to discuss it with me first within the blogs dms, unless i already allowed an offscreen post.

note: if i dont get around to an ask, never take it personally! i will always read any asks i get, but i just may not respond if i dont find it necessary, or if i am too tired. i try my best to keep all my blogs active!

─ⵌ all interaction from all blogs are allowed, unless you are non-pkmn irl. discuss offscreen roleplays with me beforehand. i may not be able to get around to your ask, but don't take it personally!

boundaries/notices

─the mod is a minor, and the character is 17! slightly suggestive asks are fine, but never should it come close to nsfw.

─if you ever want to establish a connection between our characters, or want to plan events with yours involved, i'm always open to it! just dm me on either discord [username is adonciant] or on tumblr itself. i will be more than willing to hear your ideas and see what we can do!

─often times, i will do long threads of interaction. i like to reblog back and interact, but if you ever want me to stop without a sign in the roleplay tags for it to end, please tell me! besides this, my threads do not get tagged with anything.

─there are few content warnings to this blog. to roughly list, hospitalization, hallucinations, and general abuse/violence. this list is always subject to change, so stay aware. any triggering topics are tagged with associated tags (tw 'topic')

─ⵌ slightly suggestive asks are allowed, but nsfw is never allowed, always try to contact me if you want to establish connections or events, and heed the warnings! [you will need to read over the warnings.]

extra notes

i am 100% truthful when i say this is NOT a nagito komaeda faller． i drew him without any correlation to nagito and it was only brought to my attention by one of my friends that he looked like nagito． to me this was HILARIOUS and i had to continue the bit． this is a REGULAR STUDENT that is NOT a faller． the fact his name is nagito is because i flipped a coin． but please any asks relating to nagito is funny as fuck

nirvana is an online persona． his name is not actually nirvana､ nor does he actually go by they/them． his name is nagito khan､ goes by he/him

he also keeps his team a secret！ due to the entire online persona thing､ he tries to keep his identity a secret as well as he can！

#pkmn irl #pokemon irl #rotomblr #rotumblr #pokeblogging #pokeblr #roleplay #intro post

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traumatas · 2 years ago

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Trigger Warning: Customer Service

Rating: Teen and Up Audience

Category: M/M

Relationship: Reigen Arataka/Serizawa Katsuya

Tags: Reigen Arataka, Serizawa Katsuya, Friends to Lovers, Character Development, Jealousy, Sexual Harrasment, All of it very lightly but it’s there, Protective Serizawa Katsuya, Slice of life, In a sense, Pining

AO3 Link

Summary:

“Of course we offer several options with multiple varying guarantees of success - exorcisms aren’t as straightforward as most people like to believe and need a lot of professional skill, mind you - and I am certain we will find something perfect for your needs.” Falling into his little spiel is easy enough now that he has a jumping off point, the words slipping past his lips almost naturally. Still, as he speaks he begins to notice Serizawa’s eyes on him and somehow he can’t help but want to squirm a little at how intense the other’s look feels. “Our most popular service is the 99% guaranteed exorcism. Lucky for you, we are currently offering a ten percent discount on it - for our first time customers only.”

He waves the pamphlet in front of the client’s face before eventually placing it in his hands. The perfectly stiff smile on his face doesn’t fall as the man’s eyes scan over it, Reigen waiting for a decision to be made.

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

Reigen likes to consider himself a master at dealing with all kinds of people. However, that doesn't mean that they don't drive him insane sometimes.

Reigen finds himself suppressing one sigh after another in favor of keeping on his perfectly crafted mask of professionalism. The sun has barely reached its highest point in the sky and lunch break has yet to pass - meaning, it is far too early for him to lose his patience with their clients.

For allegedly having spirit related issues, the young adult sitting on the chair in front of his desk seems surprisingly uninterested. Reigen has seen far too much of the gum the man is chewing and at this point he wants nothing more than to reach up to rub at his temples in annoyance.

Instead, his eyes move over their client once more and he briefly wonders how much longer he had to poke and question before he got any kind of useful information out of him.

When he had accepted this job over a quick phone call the person now sitting across from him had sounded rather serious. However, now that Reigen is trying to figure out anything substantial or useful, he wishes he had just refused - money for rent be damned.

“Do you know what kind of spirit you are haunted by?” The questions almost seem redundant at this point and keeping his voice neutral is taking more out of him than it should. He can’t deny that being able to keep the irritation out of his words might be his most impressive skill yet. Feigning interest, he leans forward and tries to pick up on any sign that he might be able to use to his advantage when it comes to making this client worth the time he is wasting on him.

Sadly, he is still out of luck because his question is answered with a mere shrug that perfectly mimics all the previous ones. Reigen wants nothing more than to throw up his hands in frustration and give up, but that is neither in line with his business practices nor a socially acceptable option. Firstly, he has a reputation to hold up and secondly, he needs to make sure to set an extra good example for Serizawa.

The ESPer stands next to him painfully ridgid. His fingers are flexing and unflexing in what Reigen assumes is an attempt to relieve some of the tension in his body, and every now and then it’s followed by a nervous twitch that he does his best to ignore.

He’s more than aware that the other is new to all of this and that simply cleaning up nicely would not help Serizawa to magically feel comfortable or confident around their clients. With how much time he had spent isolated, there’s still a lot he has to warm up to. Additionally, the environment in the office has to be vastly different from what he is used to and it’s even more reason for Reigen to want to get the other accustomed to it all. It is important for him to show Serizawa everything that he has to pay attention to in this line of work. After all, without Mob being able to stop by at his very call, it is essential that Reigen keeps the only ESPer willing to work for him from quitting - in the end, most of his income is rather reliant on having someone with psychic powers around.

The past few weeks he had done his very best to include Serizawa as much as possible and they had certainly made some progress. He had realized quickly how the other responds quite favorably to positive reinforcements and even if he is visibly anxious and never quite able to stop his fidgeting, he's nothing if not eager to learn.

So when Reigen had accepted this client's rather straightforward seeming request, he had planned to dare and involve the ESPer a little more than usual to help him build some confidence. This, however, is far from how this is supposed to go and for a moment Reigen wonders if he isn’t the one being cursed or haunted. Maybe it is worth it to check in with Dimple sometime soon.

“You truly do not know what kind of spirit, then? Where you could have acquired it, what you did to offend it or how long it has been haunting you. Is that correct?” One of Reigen’s hands shoots up to count along with his points, raising a finger for each of them, and he hopes that it doesn’t translate as impatiently as it feels.

Once more the man across from him seems to consider his answer and for the first time since coming through their door, he nods. Though, the simple motion is most certainly not as comforting as Reigen had hoped for and far from a good sign.

“Yes, that is correct.” The client confirms. “I didn’t want to believe it was a spirit at first, but you already said you can see its influence, haven’t you? So shouldn’t you know what kind it is?”

“Of course, of course.” Reigen’s extended hand begins to wave through the air, easily brushing aside any possible doubts their client might have. Out of the corner of his eye he can see how Serizawa shifts his weight from one leg to the other, hands now behind his back to allow himself to pull nervously at the fabric of his cuffs without being seen by anyone other than Reigen. “Serizawa, you can see it too. What do you think?”

Maybe it isn’t necessarily fair of him to push this onto the ESPer and he can’t help but feel a little guilty when he’s met with the other’s startled expression. To him there isn’t much of an option, however. When it comes to spinning stories along, he likes to consider himself quite good at bouncing back the information he gets with half truths and lies. Unfortunately, his wits are at an end when there’s little to nothing to work with. Without any insight or idea of the actual problem, his course of action is limited. So, while putting Serizawa on the spot like this doesn’t make him feel particularly great, there’s only so many things left for him to resort to. Desperate times call for desperate measures and he tries to soothe his conscience with the fact that it would be great practice for the other nonetheless.

“I uh- y-yes, Reigen, sir.” Serizawa stutters eventually, standing so straight now that it has to be uncomfortable. Reigen decides that he would have to buy the other some lunch as an apology - depending on how much money this job is going to get them. “It’s rather weak b-but I do think we should exorcize it sooner than later…. Reigen, sir.”

For a brief moment, his eyes meet the ESPer’s but the other isn’t able to stand their eye contact for very long, snapping his head back to their client. After a few seconds, that seems to be too much as well and Serizawa opts for a random spot on the wall instead.

“I suppose you’re correct.” Reigen agrees and snaps his fingers loud enough to make the man next to him jolt in surprise. He desperately hopes his praise does make up for it at least somewhat. While pushing some of the hair out of his face, he stands up and motions for their client to do the same. “Spirits are an urgent matter and we shouldn’t waste anymore time. If you truly do not remember where you might have gotten stuck with it or how, you will simply have to avoid all ominous or concerning places, including but not limited to cemeteries, parking garages, parks at night and corporate office buildings. All that, additionally to our exorcism services, of course.”

Once the both of them stand, he slips a paper off the surface of his cheap desk and holds it up to the man’s face with a large and bright smile.

“Of course we offer several options with multiple varying guarantees of success - exorcisms aren’t as straightforward as most people like to believe and need a lot of professional skill, mind you - and I am certain we will find something perfect for your needs.” Falling into his little spiel is easy enough now that he has a jumping off point, the words slipping past his lips almost naturally. Still, as he speaks he begins to notice Serizawa’s eyes on him and somehow he can’t help but want to squirm a little at how intense the other’s look feels. It makes him nervous enough for his hand to stop its gesturing for a split second. However, just a bit later, it continues to move along with his words again. “Our most popular service is the 99% guaranteed exorcism. Lucky for you, we are currently offering a ten percent discount on it - for our first time customers only.”

Everyone stands in silence for a good few moments and Reigen’s eyes dare to snap to Serizawa who looks rather uncomfortable in his position behind the desk. The fleeting thought that it might be his lies and act that made the ESPer feel that way crosses his mind and he prays to whatever is listening that that isn’t the case.

“If you have an option in mind but are unsure about how to finance it, we also accept multiple payments.” He elaborates, unable to stand the silence in the room much longer. Just to make sure, he follows it up with an encouraging nod to their client, pressing for an answer now. This is taking more of his energy than what he usually has to deal with and the indecisive silence is downright deafening to him. “So is there anything that looks like it would fit your needs?”

Reigen’s smile begins to fall when he sees the client's shoulders pull up in another dismissive shrug and he realizes that he would have to put much more effort into this than he had initially anticipated.

~♥~

After the incident at the Ibogami Hotsprings, Serizawa had opened up significantly. If Reigen looks at him now, it is plainly obvious just how nervous the ESPer had been around him previously

While Serizawa is still trying quite hard to impress and prove himself as a part of Spirits and Such, he doesn’t jump out of his shoes whenever he is addressed or asked for his opinion anymore. Instead of simply nodding along with whatever Reigen is suggesting, he seems to truly consider whether he agrees or not and as it turns out, he has some rather useful and interesting insights that have come in handy more than once.

Over time, Reigen found himself thoroughly enjoying Serizawa’s company and he had realized that the ESPer had not only begun to relax around him, but Reigen himself had started to feel progressively less and less pressured to pose as some type of role model and mentor.

Pretending and performing is what he is best at - however, being able to unwind a little between clients every now and then is a relief. Especially with someone he is considering a friend at this point. The air in the office had shifted to something different ever since they had started to treat each other more casually and neither of them seemed to want to go back to strictly professional after that.

The first time one of Reigen’s off hand and snarky remarks had made Serizawa break out in laughter, it had completely caught him off guard. The sound had been surprisingly warm and genuine, causing some of the objects on the ESPer’s desk to lift off the surface. Of course it had been a matter of seconds before Serizawa had profoundly apologized to him - unaware of how Reigen still had to recover from seeing the other’s face pulled into a large smile that made his stomach flip.

With every day that passes, working with Serizawa becomes easier and soon enough Reigen starts to invite him out for drinks after particularly stressful days. At first the other had politely refused, but Reigen is nothing if not persistent and had gotten him to agree eventually.

Even on their nights out, the ESPer is incredibly pleasant to be around - maybe a little reluctant still, but weighing in with his own experiences and thoughts to Reigen’s many and endless stories. His own never ending gesturing and talking had dominated the first few times, but soon enough he had started to listen intently to what Serizawa had to say and at this point he is unable to deny that he is looking forward to what the other is willing to share.

Slowly but steadily, Serizawa starts to think and act for himself and Reigen notices a feeling of pride swell in his chest at seeing the other open up - Pride and something else that he can’t quite put his finger on and would vehemently deny if anyone ever asked him about it.

In the end all he allows himself to say is that there’s a certain charm about Serizawa - and it affects not only him, but their clients as well.

While it is unintentional, there’s no doubt about how the ESPer seems to catch the eye of some of the people walking through their door.

Serizawa is a rather handsome man and with the gentle tone of his voice, his polite smiles and his nicely fitting suit, Reigen can’t really fault anyone for being interested. He feels a little smug about it and likes to hand himself at least some of the credit for giving the ESPer such an incredible makeover. Once the hair was cut and the beard was shaved, he had known almost immediately that the other would attract some attention - certainly not because something had clicked in Reigen at that moment, mind you.

Every now and then he wonders whether it would be worth it to print promotional posters with Serizawa's face on it. However one look at how flustered the ESPer gets whenever someone steps too close to him is enough to know that it wouldn’t be the smartest idea - for now, at least.

“- and you’re such a proper young man, you know.”

Of course - like everything good and fortunate in Reigen's life - even Serizawa’s looks have to come with a downside. Unsurprisingly, said downside takes the form of an elderly lady that keeps Serizawa anchored in a conversation that didn't seem to find an end. There seems to be something rather inviting about him that makes their older clients flock to him like moths to light and normally it results in a nice and pleasant little exchange. This time, though, it had turned into downright torture.

The woman’s problem had been rather simple. Essentially nothing more than a barely cursed picture frame that caused the curtains in her home to randomly shut at times. It had neither been dangerous nor life threatening and with the ESPer’s help the actual exorcism had barely taken a minute. However, she is somehow still in the office almost half an hour later, keeping Serizawa hostage right where he stands.

His smile is frozen on his face and he keeps nodding along rather stiffly, his eyes showing just how exhausted he is from the conversation at this point. It isn’t as if he - or Reigen for that matter - isn��t trying, but it seems that their client is quite adamant about wanting to continue her one sided interaction with him as long as possible.

“My granddaughter’s fiance is nothing like that.” Her picture frame tightly clutched to her chest, she sighs deeply. The boney fingers of her hand gently rub over the worn looking corners and pick at a small splinter. “Ever since she met him she is not visiting me anymore. Can you believe that? You know, I’m sure it is her mother that did not teach her to respect and care for the elders in the family. My son should have never married her, if you ask me.”

“Th-that’s a shame.” Serizawa answers with his eyebrows knitting and his smile growing a little softer in an act of compassion. The gesture is nice, but it only encourages more words to spill from her mouth instead of cutting the conversation right there. Even if Reigen had been excluded from the beginning on, it is grinding at him unbearably so. In annoyance and disinterest, his eyes shoot up to the clock hanging on the wall and they widen the moment he realizes just how late it is. Suddenly, he is reminded of their next actually scheduled client. They were both expected to arrive within the next hour and considering how long it would take them to get there by public transport, that is a rather ambitious goal.

“Crap-” He curses without thinking about it and only when the woman finally pays him attention to give him a deeply disapproving glance he notices how loud his outburst must have been. Almost immediately his smile returns and sweat begins to build on his forehead. “I-I mean. Yes. It truly is a shame. Young people these days can be rather disrespectful, can they not?”

It’s an attempt at covering up his swearing mishap and if the harsh and judgemental look he receives is anything to go by, it is not a successful one. Even so, it doesn't change the fact that they had to find a way to make her pay and leave as quickly as possible. Their next appointment marks the start of a rather tightly packed schedule and they did not have the time for idle chit chat with some old woman. Being patient is important in any professional setting, but so is getting things done.

“They can be.” The answer is slightly sharper than what Reigen expects from her and it makes him swallow down a lump in his throat together with the annoyance that begins to bubble in his chest. Her wrinkled features are twisted in displeasure and her idle smile only returns when she looks back at Serizawa. Said ESPer gives Reigen an apologetic and lost look. “Now you - Serizawa, was it, yes? - You seem like a fine upstanding man. I wish we had someone like you in our family. You remind me of my own husband when he was still alive. “

By the way Serizawa’s eyes widen, it is obvious that he doesn’t know how to respond and instead he reaches up to fidget with the collar of his button up. Absent-mindedly, he nods and without batting an eye she goes on with her story. Either she is unable to read the room or simply chooses not to and neither scenario is much of a comfort to Reigen. From where he stands he can see how Serizawa's adam’s apple bops when a hand with thin fingers gently reaches out to pat at his arm. The old woman is pushing them into a spot tighter and tighter, but Reigen wouldn’t be Reigen if he were to give up on this so easily. He often prides himself in being an expert in wiggling his way out of tricky situations and he promises himself and the ESPer that he would not disappoint this time.

Right before she opens her mouth again, Reigen takes a step closer, hoping to interrupt her and help Serizawa out. One of his hands finds its way to the other's back to hit it with a playful slap and he puts on the politest smile he can muster. “I have to agree. Everyone would want to. I’m quite fortunate to have someone as skilled and incredible as Serizawa here with me and-”

“Yes, yes. I am sure you are, but we are having a conversation here as you can see.”

He had not expected to be dismissed so easily. It isn’t often that Reigen finds himself stunned and at a loss for words, but the boldness of the old woman is certainly taking him by surprise. Usually, agreeing with a client works wonders when it comes to stirring them in a different direction, but this woman seems to be far more stubborn and rude than Reigen had given her credit for. “Now Serizawa, you wouldn't leave your poor, poor grandmother alone, would you? Unlike some other young men you are so considerate and talented as well.”

He can feel his eyebrow twitch in irritation at her jab and he blinks a few times, needing to recollect himself. She cares incredibly little though, her attention solely on Serizawa.

“My cat was also such a pleasant little guy, but he passed away recently. It’s been so lonely at home ever since. Especially with no one paying me a visit anymore.” Her hand never stops her assault on the ESPer’s arm and he does begin to look increasingly uncomfortable.

“I-I’m sorry. Losing a pet must be… hard?” It’s obvious that he is out of his element and he dares to look at Reigen once more. When their eyes meet, the look behind them is desperate - almost begging him to help. If this were any other day, Reigen would have considered this good practice for Serizawa, but with each second that ticks by more and more of their precious time slips away from them. He is flooded with a sense of urgency not only for their next client, but also for the ESPer's sake.

Slowly, his hand slips off of the other’s back and he opens his mouth, prepared to finally ask the woman to pay and leave their office.

“Ma’am-”

“-and you see whenever he jumped onto my bed, he’d meow at me and-”

Once again his attempt to interrupt is shot down immediately by her voice rising over his at an almost uncomfortable volume. It makes the rest of his words die in his throat at the audacity the action holds. He decides then and there that he would rather be faced with multiple cockroaches than this one woman - maybe. When Serizawa realizes that even Reigen is unable to break through her determination, his usual friendly demeanor and brave openness to chat with their clients is completely replaced by an anxious expression he hadn't worn in a while.

“-my granddaughter actually loved to chase him around our backyard! Would you believe that? We would-”

At this point, Reigen can’t fault Serizawa for being trapped by her, because he feels equally at a loss on how to stop her. His skill at convincing people is reliant on them listening to him and all of his previous confidence is out the window by how aggressively she is about ignoring him.

When it had been just him and Mob, clients usually didn’t wish to stick around longer than necessary and even the rather chatty ones would leave them alone within a few minutes or so. He had never truly witnessed someone who seemed to make it their whole purpose in life to waste his time specifically and he finds himself missing the quiet loneliness of the train to Ibogami all of the sudden.

There’s truly nothing he wants to do more than push the lady along, but he knows better than to make himself known as the business being rude to the elderly - not a smart move if a large part of your income is dependent on superstitious old people.

So instead, he helplessly watches her step even closer into Serizawa’s personal space to continue her rambling about this and that and with a heavy heart filled with disbelief, Reigen has to admit defeat this time. One of his hands rubs over his face and he uses it to slap the ESPer on the back once more afterwards, earning a conflicted and confused expression that makes his chest twist a little.

“Serizawa, you can take it from here, yes?” He asks, but doesn’t wait for an answer before he reaches deep into the pockets of his suit pants, pulling out his phone and flipping it open in the process. Unrelenting, the hands on the clock keep moving and at this point he knows there’s no way they’ll make it in time. “I’ll have a few phone calls to make, so if you’ll excuse me.”

As he steps away, he gives Serizawa a last apologetic look. His hand moves to give the other an encouraging thumbs up and he mouths an apology, praying that he would be able to pull through just a little longer.

~♥~

Considering his line of work, danger isn’t something Reigen is unfamiliar with. By running a business that deals with a variety of evil spirits and curses, there is a rather high chance to get scraped and bruised every now and then.

At this point, Serizawa isn’t necessarily shy about telling him that he needs to be more careful, scolding Reigen more often than not whenever he gets himself into danger without thinking - which happens more often than he'd like to admit. What bothers him most, however, is that there’s always a barely hidden distress in the ESPer’s voice.

The first time he had pulled Reigen aside after one of their jobs, he had looked so serious that Reigen’s chest had tightened almost painfully.

He can’t help the anxiety that spreads in his gut whenever Serizawa sees the need to remind him that he had promised to be more careful on multiple occasions and at this point Reigen has run out of barely believable excuses to reassure him. Without fail he would see Serizawa’s eyes wander over him to check for any sign of injury and it allows an unfamiliar warmth to sneak its way into his heart. It’s odd for Reigen to know that someone cares enough about him to see the need to be upset at his own stupidity. Conflicting is probably the best way to describe the feelings swirling in his chest whenever he catches a glimpse of the ESPer’s disappointed expression.

On one hand, he feels ashamed about causing Serizawa so much trouble, but on the other - and he doesn’t dare to dwell on it too long - there’s an almost overwhelming pang of happiness at having someone around him that wants to make sure he stays unharmed. With the way Serizawa looks at him, scolds him and tries to keep him out of harm’s way almost frantically, Reigen indulges in the sensation of feeling taken care off. It satisfies him in a way he can't explain and while the happiness he feels is accompanied by a sizable amount of guilt, he still allows himself to revel in the other's caring but short touches. Having someone right at his side that he feels comfortable with, causes him to feel content in a way that he has a hard time accepting.

Still, it doesn’t change Reigen is used to the dangers that come with the job at this point - that is, if they are of the evil spirit or falling-apart-building kind. He’s rather unfamiliar with hostility from people, as long as said people are not part of a terrorist organization. It’s not as if clients never yell at him, call him a fraud or throw a fit, but most of the time he manages to smoothly talk his way out of any risky situation with impressive ease and a good chunk of luck. Almost everyone that storms through the doors of Spirits and Such in a fit of anger is usually pretty easy to handle. It’s no secret to Reigen that he has a knack for stumbling his way through conversations without clients necessarily realizing what he’s doing. With a business such as his, it is most certainly an essential part of how it functions.

Even before he had decided to dabble into independence, dealing with an angry and furious client is nothing he would have considered new to him. His way with words and his ability to deflect every accusation thrown at him had gotten him pretty far.

However, that did not mean that he never found himself confronted with people he couldn't get a grip on.

“Sir, please. I understand that you’re upset, but I promise you that all of our exorcism oils are one hundred percent authentic and-”

“Oh shut up!” A loud slap on the surface of Reigen’s desk accompanies the client’s booming voice and it makes him jump out of his chair a little. At the other end of the room, Serizawa looks equally startled. He is still drying his hands and if Reigen had known how quickly this would escalate, he would have not asked the ESPer to handle this particular massage on his own. “No way in hell this was an exorcism! What kind of stupid fraudulent place is this? Should have known all those reviews were fucking fake-”

“Now, now. No need to get this…. aggravated.” Reigen dares to interrupt their client, careful about his choice of words. Reluctantly, he stands up from his chair to get a little closer. His hands feel clammy and the man’s face is colored in a deep and maddened red, trembling with anger. There’s no doubt that he would rather avoid this from getting any more out of hand and as confidently as he can he smiles at the client, ignoring the cold sweat that builds on the back of his neck. “I assure you my associate is more than qualified and physical exorcisms are just an advanced form that take a long time to master, you see.”

“Physical fucking exorcism, my ass! Listen up you asshole, I don’t buy it.” The man takes a few steps forward, his eyes now narrowing in on him. “Like some backrub will get rid of being possessed!”

“But you are feeling better, do you not?” The room suddenly feels much heavier. There’s a pressure in the air that Reigen is unfamiliar with and for a second he wonders if this man truly is possessed after all. However, he opts to trust Serizawa’s earlier judgment of him not being affected by any type of spirit whatsoever, rather than his own instinct. He does prefer to leave the ESPer work to the actual ESPer - which means he had more or less assigned himself the talking portion of this particular job. Though, as it turns out it is much trickier than it would be on their average day.

Suddenly, the man in front of him grabs him by the collar and pulls him closer. The tug on his shirt is painful and causes fabric to dig uncomfortably in the back of his neck. Almost immediately, his body responds. His heart beats rapidly and his hands shoot up to feign innocence, his smile has lost a good part of its fake confidence and he prays that the man wouldn’t notice how nervous he is at this point.

“Listen, Sir. There’s- there’s no need to do anything anyone might regret. I am sure we will be able to resolve this without the need of any of this?” His hands gesture widely now and eventually end up on the client’s arm to carefully push at it in an attempt to get some space. The action quickly backfires and causes the hand around his shirt to tighten even more. Reigen swallows roughly and as unbelievable as it may seem, dealing with the 7th division had been far less nerve wrecking.

“I don’t know who you fucking think you are-” At this point, the excessive use of swears is certainly getting old, but Reigen has far more important things to worry about. “- but don’t you think I’ll let you scam anyone else out of their hard earned money.”

With how much force he is pushed backwards, he is sure that his body is about to hit his desk rather harshly. Out of instinct, his eyes screw shut and he expects the unavoidable impact. However, there’s neither a large crash nor any sharp pains or aches to complain about and once he realizes there would be none at all, one of his eyes opens hesitantly.

Instead of on the ground, he finds himself with a steady and large hand on his back that digs into the fabric of his suit to keep him upright.

The pressure and stuffy feeling of the air makes a shocking amount of sense now. While he can not see Serizawa’s aura, it is rather obvious that it must be his powers spreading into every nook and cranny of the office. With how the tips of the ESPer’s hair are floating and with how his hand is wrapped around their clients wrist tightly enough to make his knuckles turn white, it is plain to see that Serizawa is angry. Angrier than Reigen has ever seen him for a fact.

Saying that he feels fortunate to not be on the receiving end of the furious stare on the ESPer’s face is an understatement. Reigen has never considered Serizawa particularly scary looking and to him he’d been nothing if not great company. His bright smiles never fail to make him feel something he probably shouldn’t and his incredible kindness and interest had only made Reigen realize how much he had needed another adult to consider his friend.

Now, however, Serizawa looks downright terrifying, his eyes filled with an intensity that would make everyone’s blood chill in a moment - with the exception of Reigen, of course, who has to deal with a sudden burst of emotion including but not limited to awe and amazement. Still, he dares to tear his eyes away from the ESPer in favor of looking back at their client. His previous anger is replaced by fear and for a moment Reigen worries that Serizawa grip would tighten further. There’s no doubt that it would be followed by a most likely sickening crack if he did.

Not wishing for any lawyer costs, Reigen’s own hand moves to carefully and gently push at Serizawa’s shoulder. Trying to not be too loud, he clears his throat.

“Serizawa-”

“Sir. I think it’s time for you to pay and leave.” When he speaks, none of the usual warm kindness or determined enthusiasm is left in Serizawa’s voice and his tone is dangerously low. The pencil holder on Reigen’s desk begins to rattle slightly and he realizes that the ESPer is doing a rather incredible job at holding back his powers despite everything. Even so, he is suddenly aware that to him there’s no reason to worry about it either way. It hits him like a ton of bricks, but he realizes right then and there how safe he feels with Serizawa this close and how oddly comforted he is by the steady pressure on his back.

With his voice now lost, their client nods after a moment of silence. He’s shaking now, eyes blown wide and shrinking under Serizawa’s stare. Not only the man’s but Reigen’s attention as well returns solemnly to the ESPer. Though, he has the sneaking suspicion that his own reasons for starring are vastly different from their client’s - that is, if his extra clammy hands and the warm feeling in his stomach are anything to go by.

One of the drawers of his desk creaks concerningly when the sheer force of Serizawa’s powers pulls it open. The hand on his back lets go almost hesitantly and the ESPer roughly drops the wrist in his grasp to pluck the in-office wallet that is floating closer out of the air.

Considering the previous attitude of their client and his insistence of not wanting to spend a single yen on them, he seems rather eager to pay now. There’s a significant amount of fumbling with change and in the end Serizawa ends up with a bunch of extra bills and coins being shoved into his hand.

With his metaphorical tail now tucked between his legs, the man bows deeply before turning on his heels and the door to the office falls into its lock behind him rather loudly. In the now silent room, Reigen can hear just how heavy Serizawa is breathing. There’s a few angry intakes of air, but eventually the pressure in around them gradually dissipates and the other’s breath evens out.

Reigen’s own heart is still pounding violently in his chest and finds himself wanting to reach out. For now, he hesitates, though, unsure about what the ESPer needs right now. Instead it slowly dawns to him that the reason Serizawa had reacted this strongly is most likely because Reigen had gotten himself into trouble once more and he can’t help and curse himself silently for causing the other to lose some of the composure he had worked so hard on. Whatever he has felt up till now is replaced with shame, but Serizawa doesn’t give Reigen time to beat himself up even further when he turns to face him more properly.

For a split second Reigen is prepared to be scolded for being reckless and irresponsible. Yet, when their eyes meet, Serizawa’s face is no longer twisted in anger. His eyebrows are knitted now and the crease between them is deep with concern. The hand that had wrapped around their client’s wrist in a death grip is incredibly gentle when it lands on Reigen’s upper arm.

“I-I’m so sorry.” Serizawa’s panicked tone catches him a little off guard just as much as the sudden proximity of the ESPer when he steps a little closer. For a moment, his lips are pressed into a tight line and his eyes jump over Reigen’s features, causing his heart to skip a beat. When Serizawa continues to speak, his voice is filled with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to be- to lose control like that.”

His expression changes rapidly and he shakes his head as if to take back his words, not quite allowing Reigen to open his mouth to respond just yet.

“Are you okay, Reigen? He didn’t hurt you did he?” Within an instance, he brings distance between them again, his second hand moving to rest on Reigen’s other arm. He doesn’t catch on immediately, but Serizawa is obviously waiting for an answer now.

“I-I’m okay-!” He says, sounding so out of it that he follows it up with an embarrassed laugh. The other’s worry is suddenly far too overwhelming and needs to take a step back. With how much warmth Serizawa’s simple touch makes him feel, he can’t help but feel a completely different kind of worry that makes itself known. “All- all fine as you can see. Still in one piece, unharmed. Splendid, really.”

As if to emphasize his point, he gestures at himself from head to toe. Even if his smile isn’t necessarily genuine, he still tries to look up at Serizawa reassuringly. However, one look at the ESPer lets him know that he can tell that Reigen isn’t unscathed by the encounter - though, he truly hopes that Serizawa doesn’t know what exactly is bothering him.

“Are you... sure?”

“Yes.” The answer comes so quick that it is barely believable. Reigen is unable to face the other any longer and he turns around to run a hand through his hair, taking the chance to wipe over his forehead while he’s at it. “Not the first time I had to deal with a complicated client.”

Once again he clears his throat and he dares to turn back again, Serizawa’s hands now nervously playing with each other in front of his chest. It’s plainly obvious that he isn’t satisfied and is considering how to ask his next question. Reigen, however, doesn’t want to give him the opportunity to dig deeper, scared that he might reveal too much of what he’s feeling right now.

Before anything more can be asked, he adds, “Thank you.” There’s a second in which he hesitates, his fingers flexing and unflexing much like Serizawa’s often did. Eventually, though, he reaches out to gently slap the ESPer’s arm. “Saved the day once again, did you? Great job.”

A small laugh escapes his throat and he knows that it’s not necessarily making anything better. He reaches into his pockets afterwards and pulls out his key to jingle it in front of Serizawa’s face, not wanting to give the other a chance to think about his words or behavior all too much.

“I think we should close up a little earlier today. I’m certainly ready for a drink or two.” He licks his lips and finds himself asking something he might be regretting later on. “Want to tag along?”

~♥~

“No, it was over there! How would you even know where it was when you’re barely home?”

“Because I definitely saw it there! Our daughter said so as well. You might call me a liar, but you should at least believe her!”

“She’s seven! How would she even know know what she is-”

Even long before opening Spirits and Such, Reigen had experienced just how exhausting most clients could be. However, the kind he has to deal with these days are oftentimes much more eccentric than your run of the mill housewife or fellow business man. They range from old people taking advice from their know-it-all children, over groups of friends all the way to his least favorite category: bickering couples.

A single person usually is able to explain their problem rather well but when it comes to people that are dating - or married for that matter - they always seem concerningly out of sync with one another. It’s either that one of them falls into Reigen’s net of sweet talk and half truths while the other is much harder to convince, or they simply can not decide on who’s version of the problem is the correct one.

Worst of all, those aren’t even the biggest issue Reigen has with them these days. What bothers him most is that, even with all their bickering and complaining, they do nothing but remind him of how single and pathetic he is himself - and of course his helpless and ever deeper growing crush on the man standing right next to him.

Almost a little cautiously, Reigen allows himself to look up at Serizawa. The ESPer looks just as much at a loss as him and listens to their clients' exchange with a deep frown. His arms are crossed and his fingers drum nervously on his upper arm that Reigen is focusing on for a moment longer than is appropriate. Only when Serizawa looks back at him does he notice his own staring and he hopes his cheeks aren’t as red as they feel. To his relief, the other doesn’t seem to have caught it.

“Arataka, should we…” Serizawa’s sentence stays unfinished and it doesn’t seem like he had known what he wanted to ask in the first place. Reigen understands his sentiment. Dealing with people that are actively fighting without much care for who’s witnessing them isn’t his favorite thing to do, but sometimes their line of work requires to get involved with things he’d rather leave alone.

In response to Serizawa’s unfinished question, he waves his hand and leans a little closer. His voice is only loud enough for the ESPer to hear, though, he doubts either of their clients would have listened to him anyways. “Leave it to me.”

Breaking up disagreements is not far up on the list of his preferred parts of the job. It takes expertise and care to not accidentally make things escalate any further and most of the time it is best to simply let one of them tire themselves out and give in. However, with how this one is going, Reigen isn’t certain that either of them would be able to let go of their pride any time soon.

“You didn’t even want to hire anyone in the first place!” The wife huffs and her arms are crossed tightly over her chest, her foot angrily tapping on the floorboards. Eventually, one of her arms unlocks and she points right at Reigen. “If it weren’t for me we wouldn’t even have anyone here at all and now you’re just wasting their time!”

With their presence now acknowledged, he sees the perfect chance to interrupt, “There’s no reason to worry. We at Spirits and Such know just how to-”

“Oh is that so? Well who is going to pay for this service then? You?”

The utterly offended gasp that fills the room is everything but a good sign and the rhythmic tapping of her foot stops with a rather loud stomp. In response she earns a glare and a cock of her husband’s head. In Reigen’s opinion, this is getting rather ridiculous and he realizes that this situation requires a gentler hand than he had initially anticipated.

“Actually, there’s no need to worry about the payment. I am sure we can figure something out that will sit right with the both of you.” This seems to grab the couple's attention and Reigen finally feels confident that he can turn this around - as long as one of them would be willing to listen to him. A large smile spreads on his face and his hand accompanies his words effortlessly from there on. “First and foremost we are here to prioritize any and all of your otherworldly problems.”

The husband sighs at his words. “I apologize. This isn’t about payment. We certainly do have the money.” There’s a sense of relief that floods Reigen and with how Serizawa straightens next to him, he must be feeling the same. Finally, it feels like the end of their headache might be getting closer. However, both of them have to face the harsh reality a few seconds later. “This is actually about how my own wife doesn’t believe me when I say, that-”

Within a split second, they resume their arguing as if Reigen had never intervened in the first place. His expression must have been quite miserable, because the ESPer slides up next to him to gently bump his elbow against Reigen’s arm. It’s obvious that it’s supposed to be a gesture of comfort and while he appreciates it, he knows for a fact that Serizawa is much more uncomfortable than him. The ESPer is familiar with the ups and downs of the job at this point, but there’s still a lot he doesn’t know how to deal with and feels more comfortable with Reigen handling. Knowing that quite well, Reigen gives him a questioning and partly worried glance, silently asking if he’s still okay.

Though, one proper look at Serizawa is enough to figure the answer out himself. The discomfort is almost radiating off of him and he finally gives Reigen an uncertain shrug that turns into a small shake of his head. It fills Reigen’s chest with a sense of accomplishment to know that the other trusts him enough to let him know about how unsure he is feeling with all of this.

“Well, it’s not my fault that you constantly have to deal with that!” At this point, the argument is completely irrational and it makes the ESPer’s face contort in a way that doesn’t sit right with Reigen. It makes his chest feel tighter and in an attempt to lighten the other’s mood he bumps him back a little, hoping the gesture brings him some kind of relief. When he has Serizawa’s attention on him, he moves his hand to signal the ESPer to lean down.

“How about you go and check if there actually is a problem, Katsuya.” Reigen says, his voice lowered. It is less of a suggestion and more of an opportunity for Serizawa to excuse himself. His own eyes drift back to their clients and it makes him click his tongue, one of his hands moving to rub the bridge of his nose. Whatever these two were arguing about is something that had to be bubbling under the surface for a long time and he wonders if he should start adding disclaimers about scenarios like this in the fine print of their pamphlets. “Meanwhile, I’ll make sure to babysit.”

Serizawa’s shoulders relax a little and one of his hands finds their way to Reigen’s shoulder. His smile melts into something so genuine that it makes Reigen’s heart hammer against his ribcage and the sudden squeeze of his shoulder makes it skip a beat. Before he has the time to get too lost in the touch and expression of the other, he reminds himself that there’s still clients to deal with. He has all the time in the world to pine and lament about Serizawa once he is back home. Right now it is more important to have the ESPer’s back and to get the job done.

“Thank you.” Serizawa says, his voice filled with relief. Reigen can’t help but to return the other’s smile with one of his own, all of his annoyance making way for something different almost in an instant. The warm hand gets removed from his shoulder and Serizawa gives him a determined nod. “I’ll try to be as fast as possible.”

“Good luck.” One of Reigen’s hands waves through the air a little while his other digs deep into the pockets of his suit pants. He gives the ESPer another once over, his cheeks heating up yet again. “And call if you find or need anything, yeah?”

A soft and sweet laugh escapes Serizawa and he gives Reigen a playful salute in agreement. “Same goes to you.” Though, he looks a little more serious right after, his voice a little quieter now. “Especially if things escalate.”

“Don’t worry, I think I can handle this.” Reigen mumbles reassuringly and the ESPer seems to judge his words for a moment before deciding to believe him - for now at least.

Without wasting another second, Serizawa politely excuses himself even if nobody but Reigen is listening to him. He gives him one nod before slipping out of the room and Reigen realizes that it’s time to pull his part of the weight now. Whatever the couple is fighting about at this point, is beyond him and he braces himself for the inevitable headache. All that’s left for him is to do his best and de-escalate the situation with as much finesse as he can while Serizawa finds the root of the problem.

Fortunately for Reigen, his pleas seem to be heard, because the ESPer manages to track down and locate the spirit quite quickly. Considering how much chaos it seems to have caused for these people, it’s no surprise that it’s a rather feisty one. It slips through the house with trained ease and gives them somewhat of a difficult time, but sooner than originally anticipated, they find themselves back in the small rental car on their way home.

Despite finally nearing the end of the day, Reigen can’t deny that he feels incredibly stressed out at this point. He’s glad to finally be out of that place. The constant arguing had never truly stopped and if it were not for Serizawa’s presence he would be completely frazzled. It’s comforting to know that the ESPer is right there with him and at this point he wouldn’t know what to do without him. The thought that the other might leave one day had struck him before but every time he had pushed the idea into the very back of his mind to confront it another time that would probably never come.

For now, he has to be thankful for having the other at his side and every little bit of self doubt that tries to force its way up is ignored in favor of concentrating on the comfortable silence between them. The sound of the motor is all that fills the space between them, Reigen having gone as far as to turn the radio off to have a moment of peace.

The quiet is interrupted only when Serizawa decides to speak up after a heavy sigh

“I really hope they won’t ask for compensation for the cupboard I broke.” There’s honest concern in his voice and for a split second, Reigen’s eyes shift from the street towards the ESPer. His cheek is resting against his palm and his gaze is fixated on the road, while his free hand is casually drumming on the fabric of his pants, only stopping to play with ironed in fold every now and then. “Or any of the possible water damage to the walls.”

His lips turn up into a small smile then and with the evening sun hitting him through the window of the car, Reigen can’t help but admire how beautiful he is. When he finds himself getting lost in how nice Serizawa’s hair looks now that it’s a little grown out and with the curls returning, he finally forces his eyes back on the road. There were better times to admire the other in secret and most certainly better places than the middle of the street, even if there is a surprising lack of traffic.

“I don’t think they will.” Reigen says with a shrug, his fingers tightening around the tacky plush covering on the steering wheel as he speaks. The texture of it is absolutely disgusting. “They might have completely different things to figure out than broken fixtures. Really, I was losing my mind. How can two people who fight like that even be together for that long - and have a daughter! I’m glad she didn’t have to witness that disaster. ”

One of his hands moves to emphasize his point, but he quickly forces it back down when he notices the car drift too close to the side of the street. Talking reminds him of how he’s exhausted not only mentally, but physically as well. It isn’t often that he’s left this drained after a job and he’s quite glad that there isn’t any other waiting for them today. He’s only slightly invigorated when the idea of asking Serizawa to grab some dinner strikes him. Maybe if the other still felt up for it, they would be able to spend the rest of their evening together and there’s no doubt that it would be filled with countless complaints about their clients.

“There’s nothing worse than to spend that much time of your life with someone you only disagree with. Having a fight is one thing, don’t get me wrong, but this was ridiculous. I mean, shouldn’t a partner be someone that actually enjoys being around you?” Reigen can’t help the amusement in his voice and now that he’s able to talk about it a little more freely, he goes on without thinking. “Kinda like us, right? We spend all our time together, basically, and I’d say we are doing much better. Actually, I’m really glad we aren’t fighting like that, Katsuya.”

Instead of receiving a response, Reigen is met with another short stretch of silence that is long enough to make him realize how strange his statement must have sounded. The wave of embarrassment that hits him also fills him with anxiety. Suddenly, he wonders if that little mishap is enough for the other to see right through him.

“I mean- I didn’t want to imply that we were together like that. A-a couple or married or anything.” One of his hands leaves the steering wheel once more to move through the air wildly in an attempt to distract from how flustered he is. The plush of the wheel cover comes in quite handy as he absent-mindedly begins to wipe his other hand on it to get rid of some of the clamminess. “I just mean in the office as coworkers. N-no, as friends, obviously-”

With his body switching to autopilot almost immediately, Reigen loses focus of his driving and without him noticing the car slowly begins to swerve dangerously close towards the middle of the street and to the other lane.

“Arataka-”

“I didn’t mean to imply anything or make you uncomfortable, we are strictly professional-” No, that isn’t right either. “Friends. Professional friends and-”

“Arataka, eyes on the road!” The volume and panic of Serizawa’s voice makes Reigen’s attention snap back to the road immediately and once he realizes what is happening, his free hand shoots back to the steering wheel. Maybe a little rougher than is needed, he pulls the car back to where it should be, breath a little heavier now, knuckles white with how tightly they hold on.

“Sorry. I just-” He laughs nervously, hunching closer to the windshield now than necessary and forces himself to focus forward almost obsessively. Partially for their safety and partially because he can’t bring himself to look at Serizawa right now. “Just meant to say I’m glad we are on the same page.”

“I know.” The ESPer sounds equally out of breath and strained, his body shifting to sit up straighter now. It takes some moments of Reigen keeping the car where it’s supposed to be for him to relax again. Though, he doesn’t sink back into the seat the same way. Serizawa takes a deep breath before he speaks again, obviously trying to sound as casual as possible. “I’m glad too, but- how about we stop talking for a little while?”

~♥~

There’s nothing more rewarding than a job well done. Not only does it fill Reigen with a sense of having done something good - at least when an actual spirit has been involved - but the rest of his afternoon is much more rewarding when it feels earned. At the end of the day, he always looks forward to being able to unwind.

A small and genuine smile tugs on his lips and he looks over to Serizawa, who’s standing a little ways away with their last client of the day. The old woman is fumbling with her wallet while the ESPer is busy writing her a receipt for the job. At this point, he is running Spirits and Such as much as Reigen does and it’s something that he had never thought possible when a fumbling and nervous Serizawa had accepted the offer to work for him. Even when he had started to entrust the other with more and more tasks, Reigen still hadn’t expected him to stay for very long. He has a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that the ESPer had no intention to leave and admittedly, thinking about it too long makes it seem too good to be true. Serizawa makes an incredible effort to let him know that he isn’t going anywhere, though.

After all, they weren’t only coworkers anymore and neither were they just friends. A bold moment of weakness was all it had taken Serizawa to cross the line they were tip-toeing around and it still makes Reigen’s heart race to think about what they were now. Just a few months ago it had seemed impossible and ridiculous for him to even hope that the other returned his feelings and to now know that he truly does is a realization that keeps overwhelming him every time.

The giddiness and excitement spreading through him as he considers what they would get for dinner tonight feels almost childish and yet, Reigen allows himself to simply enjoy it without doubt just this once. With neither of them having much planned this weekend, he tells himself that there might be enough time to indulge in Serizawa a little without listening to the voice in his head that still tries to convince him that this wouldn’t last. There are more than enough things he can think of that would most certainly distract him and each makes him more eager to get back to one of their homes than the last. Truly, if anyone had asked him what he had thought his future would look like, he would have not in a million years expected that he would run a somewhat questionable exorcism business with his psychic boyfriend. Now that he has it, though, there’s nothing he wants to change.

“You did a pretty impressive job today.”

His little moment of watching Serizawa help the woman count her change is interrupted by her son. He was about their age - maybe a year or so younger than Reigen - and had been around for most of the day. He had assumed that it was to make sure they weren’t trying to scam her, but now that it had come to actually collecting the payment, he had slid up next to him instead of keeping a close eye on his mother.

“Thank you. We at Spirits and Such are always here for any of your needs concerning hauntings, possessions and the like.” Reigen says and it’s accompanied by a confident snap of his fingers. He reaches inside of his suit jacket, pulling out one of his business cards to hand over. It’s never too late for a little bit of self advertisement and if he had learned anything over the past few years it’s that one haunted family member usually resulted in a few more. “If you - or any of your acquaintances for that matter - are ever in need of any of our services, do not hesitate to give us a call. We pride ourselves in being flexible to your every need, though, short term out of office appointments do come with a fifteen percent price increase.”

The man looks down at the business card, turning it over in his hand a little. When his head pulls up again, he gives him a look.“Oh is that so?” Something about the dip and infliction in his voice makes Reigen shift where he stands and he starts to play a little with the cuff of his sleeve. There's something about the tone that strikes him as strange. He’s heard people trying to be sleazy before, and something about this is far too similar. “I’ll certainly keep that in mind. It’s not bad to have someone skilled and smart like you around in an emergency, is it?”

“Well- y-yes of course. Mind you, our services are for issues of the supernatural kind only. They come in a large variety from in-office physical exorcisms to on-site operations. However, we will gladly refer you to places that fit your needs in case your problems are not related to anything spiritual.” As he talks, he feels the other’s eyes roam over him from head to toe. The response he gets is a short intrigued humm and he doesn’t like the way he’s being watched. A smile tugs at the man’s lips and Reigen can’t help the way his eyebrows knit in confusion when he sees him pull a pen from one of his pockets. There’s a moment in which he scribbles something on the card and just a few seconds later he steps quite far into Reigen’s personal space to hand him back the little piece of cardstock.

Out of reflex and in hopes of the man stepping away after, he takes it and squints at the series of numbers messily added under the office’s contact info. A phone number, Reigen realizes.

“I’m sure physical exorcisms aren’t the only thing you’re good at - especially not with that amount of energy you have. I’m rather interested in those flexible services you mentioned.” Reigen’s head snaps back up from the business card and he notices just how close they were now. When the man has the audacity to wink at him, he allows himself to take a step back as politely as he can. While he is used to being the center of attention, he prefers it being of the professional variety rather than the personal. Blatant flirting isn’t something he’s familiar with and while at some point he might have been desperate enough, he can’t say he is now.

At an arm’s length, he holds out the card to return it and clears his throat.

“I … apologize for the misunderstanding, but my business is not the type to give you a hand in such things.” It’s a horrible choice of words on his part, but with how tense and sick he suddenly feels there’s no time to reconsider them. His free hand flies through the space between them dismissively and he hopes that is enough for the other to get a clue. At this point his forced smile grows painful and the smirk he gets in response makes anxiety curl in his gut.

Throughout the day, there had been a few rather impressed whistles and huffs that Reigen had assumed were meant for the flawless job Serizawa was doing. Now, however, he’s certain that if he had paid even an ounce of attention, he would have realized that they were most certainly not aimed towards any display of psychic powers. It takes him a sizable amount of willpower not to shudder in disgust and to keep up the professionalism. All he has to do is decline the other’s intrusive offer and move on with the rest of his day as planned. Though, it doesn’t seem to be as easy as that - it rarely is in Reigen’s case.

“Oh no. I think you’re misunderstanding my intentions.” He most certainly isn’t with how clear the other’s intentions are. ”I’m not asking for the services of your business. I’m far more interested in what you have to offer. I’ve been told I’m rather skilled at showing people a good time and don’t you think I haven’t noticed the way you look at that associate of yours. So no reason to deny yourself. Actually-”

Reigen’s extended arm is pushed out of the way in favor for the distance to be crossed again and the other rummages through his pockets once more. He pulls out a few spare bills and gently shoves them into the exposed front pocket of Reigen’s shirt. The unwanted touch makes him jolt. “A little tip for today. Enjoyed having you around, Reigen. Make sure to think about it.”

Reigen does not consider himself a particularly angry person and while he tends to get rattled if unprepared, he’s usually able to brush it off at the end of the day. This, however, is going too far even for him. While it certainly isn’t the first time one of their clients had gotten up close and personal with him, this oversteps far too many boundaries.

“Excuse me, Sir, but who do you think-”

He doesn’t get much further than that before the man suddenly gets pulled back. Not even a second later an all too familiar arm slides around his waist and pulls him close to Serizawa’s side. So lost in his utter disbelief about the advances towards him, he hadn’t realized that the ESPer was done with collecting the payment and had joined them. He looks up at Serizawa in confusion and by the way the other’s forced smile doesn’t reach his eyes, Reigen can tell that he is absolutely furious.

It would most likely be possible for him to count the times he had seen Serizawa this upset on one hand and he realizes that the ESPer must have used his powers to bring some distance between them and the other man. In most instances, Reigen might remind him that this isn’t necessarily up to company policy, but considering the circumstances he’s rather glad for the intervention. With how protective the hand on his waist is holding onto him and with how close he is pressed up against Serizawa, he can’t help but feel a little flustered It isn’t unknown to him that he finds himself incredibly affected by the other’s protectiveness, but it still catches him off guard each and every time.

He’s so distracted by how inappropriately warm he feels under his collar, that it takes him a moment to realize that the ESPer has plucked the business card from his fingers. He reads it over for a moment and his eyes grow a little darker before he uses his powers to crumple it up midair and tosses it to the side right after.

“We won’t be needing that.” His voice is level but cold and Reigen, despite how in awe he is, still hopes that Serizawa isn’t too affected by his own anger. He knows him well enough to be aware that the ESPer doesn’t particularly like to lose control of his emotions. However, this isn’t his normal protective behavior either and the sudden realization of what it is makes Reigen gasp quietly, his pale cheeks most likely a dark shade of red. Serizawa is jealous.

“Taka, I think we should be going.” The ESPer’s voice is more demanding than Reigen is used to, but he finds himself too caught up in his revelation to care. While jealousy isn’t necessarily the most elegant way for him to find out, it still finally dawns on Reigen just how serious Serizawa is about him. The thought makes his head spin and all he can do for a moment is nod.

“Ah- Sure. Yes. It is quite late.” His answer is more of a breathless laugh than anything and he knows full well that his expression must be dumbfounded. Even if he would never admit it out loud, he finds himself finding an odd sense of fulfillment in the other’s possessiveness. It may just be for a moment, but he truly feels important.

Serizawa gives the man across from them a last sharp glare and tightens his hold around Reigen even further. The only answer to the action is an audible swallow and without giving anyone else another chance to speak, Serizawa finally pulls him along. His guidance around Reigen is surprisingly gentle and all he has to do is keep up with the ESPer’s quick and long steps.

Only when they make their way off the premises does the pressure in the air around them fade. Carefully, the hand around his waist slips off in favor of moving to intertwine their fingers, a thumb brushing gently over his knuckles. He gives himself a moment to mourn the loss of contact and warmth and Serizawa a moment to collect his thoughts.

Eventually, the ESPer sighs deeply, his shoulder sinking and his eyes firmly locked onto the ground.

“I-” Serizawa’s words die in his throat immediately and his hand squeezes Reigen’s apologetically before he tries again. “I’m sorry. I know that wasn’t called for and I know you can take care of this stuff by yourself. I shouldn’t have- I just- ah. I just really didn’t like the way he was touching you. He was…”

His words drift off and once Reigen knows that Serizawa won’t continue, he allows himself to be the one stepping closer this time, their shoulders brushing ever so slightly.

“He was going too far.” He states matter of factly, huffing a little in annoyance. It’s obvious how nervous and guilty Serizawa feels about losing composure. His free hand is nervously rubbing his fingers together and his eyes are looking anywhere but Reigen. From where said man stands, he can see the ESPer worrying the inside of his cheek. He hopes that his almost casual tone is able to take some of the edge off and keep Serizawa from beating himself up too much. For a moment, he closes his eyes and concentrates on the warmth of the other’s hand in his. “Not only inappropriate, but right next to his mother as well. People these days. Every alleyway behind any old bar would have made for a better place to hit on someone. Really, what nerve that guy had. Is it too much to ask for just one normal client every now and then?”

One of his eyes cracks open to glance up once more. His smile is encouraging and when he sees Serizawa smile back sheepishly, he is flooded with a wave of relief. The simple gesture is enough to make the last bit of Reigen’s work demeanor melt away and he exhales softly, fully relaxing now.

When he speaks up again, his words are filled with honesty and much gentler than his previous attempt at being funny. “Trust me, ‘Suya. I don’t think there’s anyone that could ever begin to compare to you. Certainly no one I’d rather have here with me than you.”

Reigen himself isn’t prepared for the amount of adoration his statement is laced with and faintly he wonders when he had started to lay his emotions out in the open like this. It makes him a little nervous but the small blush that spreads over Serizawa’s cheeks makes saying it worth it.

Eventually, both their steps come to a halt and for a few seconds they do nothing but study each other’s expression, Reigen taking in the ESPer’s beautiful smile and any wrinkle that it comes with.

The intimacy overwhelms him soon enough and he feels silly for not being used to it at this point. They had gone much, much further than just holding hands, but Reigen still isn’t able to feel so seen by someone else for longer than just a few moments. Though, if it’s for Serizawa, he is nothing if not determined to work on it.

“E-either way. Next time let’s try not to scare potential future clients to death. That isn’t good for the business.” His lecture is a weak attempt at distracting from how hot his face is and how fast his heart is beating and without much of a second thought, he adds, “Even if I have to admit that I didn’t mind it all too much. So don’t worry. With- I mean you looked-”

Serizawa looks at him with wide eyes and curiosity now. With the redness of his cheeks it is almost the complete opposite of his furious expression from earlier. Reigen can’t help but feel a little awkward now, not quite sure where he had expected himself to go from here. In the end, they still had a lot to learn about each other and he isn’t exactly sure what his words mean to the other. His free hand busies itself with flailing through the air when he continues, trying not to embarrass himself any further, “I-It’s good to know that you care that much. A-about me, I mean. Not that I doubted that or anything.”

He isn’t able to keep their eye contact for much longer than that, but the last look on the ESPer’s face had already told him that trying to save himself had long gone out the window. Serizawa is already turning Reigen’s words over in his head and by the way his hand squeezes once again, it is obvious that he starts to catch on. With the last of his dignity and his voice dropping into a slightly more serious tone, he tries to cover up at least some of the humiliation, “Still, try not to do it again.”

“Oh. I-I see.” The infliction of his words makes Reigen’s stomach twist in sudden excitement and he isn’t sure whether that’s a good or a bad sign. He has the feeling that his last statement hasn’t necessarily been taken seriously and he has the sneaking suspicion that Serizawa is working on his own plans now. Soon enough, the ESPer’s hand slips out of Reigen’s own sweaty one, just for an arm to find its way back around his waist.

“Won’t do it again, ‘Taka. Promised.” Considering the urgency and eagerness in Serizawa’s steps, he isn’t inclined to believe him. However, with how quickly he is matching the pace, he shouldn’t be allowed to point any fingers. “Let’s head to my place for today. It’s a few stops closer.”

Even from this angle, Reigen can see the way the other bites his bottom lip in excitement, his cheeks a few shades darker than normally and they just had to look ridiculously in love to everyone they pass. He finds himself not caring all that much, though, as long as he wouldn’t have to think about any other clients for the rest of the weekend.

#Serirei #Mp100 #Mob Psycho 100 #My writing #can you believe i actually decided to upload this on tumblr too <3

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across-violet-skies · 10 months ago

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Febuwhump day 5: rope burns

Whumpee: Hyrule

Whump Rating: 9/10

TWs: blood, torture, thoughts of death, passing out

extra warning: this may or may not count as dead dove, I wasn't sure whether to tag it or not so here's the potential warning. good luck

Hyrule gritted his teeth, spitting at the closest monster. “You’ll never get my blood,” he growled lowly, pulling at his restraints. The traveler was lying against a thick stone table, wrists and ankles tied down with thick rope. The table was angled forty-five degrees, propped up above a large funnel that led into Ganon’s ashes. He was covered in bruises and a few small cuts, but otherwise was unharmed. His magic was low, but not entirely out quite yet.

“Are you sure about that?” An ache questioned smugly.

Hyrule was persistent. “I don’t know the meaning of giving up!”

The door slammed, and silence quickly fell over the crowd of monsters. “Maybe you should learn, then.” A tall figure stepped forward, face shrouded by the hood of a dark purple cloak. The hood was pushed back, revealing an unnaturally pale face, almost Hylian in appearance. Purple veins crackled across his face like lightning, feathering out from the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a sickly shade of red, glowing in the dim light of the dungeon.

The not-Hylian raised his arms, grinning at Hyrule. His teeth were sharp and predatory, illuminated by the red glow of his eyes. He absolutely reeked of dark magic, so much so that his very presence made Hyrule’s stomach churn. This was clearly a powerful wizard of some sort, one who demanded respect from everyone he came across.

“What do we think, followers?” The wizard questioned, sweeping across the crowd. “Should we teach him what happens when you pretend to be a hero?” The room erupted with deafening cheers, all different sorts of monsters calling for his downfall. The wizard cackled, turning on his heel to eye Hyrule with a menacing grin. “You heard them, hero.” He practically spat the title, eyes glowing brighter with fiery passion as he drew a twisted blade. “It’s about time someone taught you a lesson.”

Hyrule eyed the blade, keeping his expression as defiant as possible. The wizard held the twisted blade up near his ear, smirking. The metal glowed dimly, matching the red of the wizard’s eyes. The blade was almost certainly enchanted, and the physical design was meant to inflict pain. One thing was for certain– if that blade was used on Hyrule, things wouldn’t end well, not for him, and not for the rest of the world, either.

The wizard crept closer, grinning manically as he flipped the blade in his palm so it was ready to stab. Hyrule tugged at his restraints helplessly, feeling the way the tough rope dug into his skin with every struggle. As the wizard approached, dread pooled in the traveler’s stomach. He was trapped, and unless someone stepped in very soon, this would be his end. Ganon would rise again, fueled by the blood of the hero.

This was it. Hyrule had failed, and the world would suffer for his incompetence. The wizard raised the twisted blade, twin daggers curled around each other as they waited for bloodshed. All the monsters held their breath, watching with eager anticipation for Hyrule’s downfall.

The blade came down into Hyrule’s stomach.

He screamed, eyes bulging as he lurched forward. The pain was so much worse than he could ever imagine, akin to burning from the inside out. Hyrule tugged at the ropes holding him in place, struggling as the tough fibers scratched and tore at his sensitive wrists. There were no bracers to protect him, both of them having been ripped apart during his capture. Still, the pain of his raw skin was next to nothing compared to the inferno in his stomach.

The wizard twisted the blade, removing it with a harsh jerk. The pain intensified, but that wasn’t the worst part. Blood gushed out of the wound, soaking the lower half of his tunic and his trousers as well. It dripped off his body and onto the stone slate, draining into the ashes waiting below. Every drop of blood hissed and fizzled as it made contact with Ganon’s ashes, amalgamating into the beginnings of the world’s downfall.

The crowd of monsters cheered as Hyrule wheezed and panted, still pulling at his restraints with every ounce of strength he still possessed. It was futile, and he knew that, but what could he do if not fight? Even if his struggle was pointless, the Hero of Hyrule would not die quietly. There was hope for him still! There had to be, if not for him then for the country he worked so hard to protect.

The wizard silenced the crowd of monsters with one simple gesture. “What say you, hero? Have you learned to give up yet?”

Hyrule bared his teeth at the wizard, voice thick with blood as he spoke. “Never,” he replied, spitting at the wizard with all the courage he could muster.

The servant of evil stepped back, narrowly avoiding the bloody gob as it landed on the tiled floor. He narrowed his eyes at Hyrule, exhaling in frustration. “It’s almost as if you want to suffer,” he remarked idly, gesturing with the twisted blade. A wicked grin took over his face, the purple veins glowing alongside the red of his eyes. “If you want to suffer, I won’t object.”

The wizard stood over Hyrule, blade grasped with both hands as he raised it over his head, grinning manically as his face fell into shadow. Once again, the blade plunged into the traveler’s exposed torso, this time just below his ribs on the left side. Immediately, Hyrule felt the sting, gasping as tears sprung to his eyes. The wizard twisted the blade, pushing at the hilt so the tip would dig further into Hyrule’s flesh before he ripped it out.

The traveler closed his eyes, tugging at the ropes as he gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t scream. No matter how much it hurt, he would not scream. They had already gotten the satisfaction once, and Hyrule wasn’t going to let them have it again. He would fight all the way to the end, until the bloodshed was too much for him to handle and he inevitably passed out.

Hyrule was already lightheaded, which didn’t bode well for him. He opened his eyes, sparing a glance down at his abdomen. His tunic was ruined– it was absolutely soaked in blood, and he would never be able to get that stain out. Mostly because he’d be dead, but it was best not to think about that.

Looking past his ruined clothes, Hyrule tried to gauge the amount of blood he had lost so far. A lot of it was soaked into fabric, but more still spilled down the stone slab he was tied to, providing a steady stream of blood to Ganon’s ashes. Speaking of the ashes… his blood was already causing a reaction. Reddish-purple ooze gurgled lowly beneath him, pulsating and creating a faint glow from below.

The wizard grinned, leaning over Hyrule. “Seems like this is getting in the way, hm?” He tugged at the tunic, further aggravating the two stab wounds. The traveler winced, breathing heavily as he resisted the urge to scream. His tunic was pulled up, revealing his bloody stomach for all to see. A cold hand pressed into his exposed skin, fingers stretching to reach both wounds before wiggling their way inside.

Hyrule gasped, lungs tight as they refused to suck in air. He wheezed, eyes wide as he scrambled frantically. The coarse rope dug further into his skin as the wizard laughed, withdrawing his hand after far too long. Hyrule was seeing spots, the phantom pain of fingers scraping at his guts still haunting him. Finally, his lungs relented, and he took a shaky breath, greedily gulping in as much air as possible. His head drooped as he exhaled, panting.

At this point, it was only a matter of time before he passed out. As defiant as Hyrule was on the outside, on the inside he was still a scared kid, doing his best to fulfill a task he could never truly succeed at. It was a suicide mission from the beginning.

Hyrule left his head down, conserving the little energy that remained. He ignored the way it put extra strain on his rubbed-raw wrists. He couldn’t afford comfort, not now.

“What do we think?” The wizard yelled. From beyond Hyrule’s field of view, monsters whooped and cheered for his death. “How about some more for our master?” Hyrule had no time to react before the twisted blade was jammed back into him, this time dragging painstakingly slowly along the entire width of his abdomen. Blood dribbled from his lips and poured from his stomach, creating a terrible river of blood down from his bare torso to the waiting ashes below, gurgling happily with the supply.

The last thing Hyrule heard before passing out was a familiar battle cry.

The first thing Hyrule was aware of was pain.

Pain in his stomach, pain in his wrists, pain in his ankles… pain everywhere, really. He ached something fierce, feeling more like a deflated balloon than a person. It was like all the life had been sucked out of him, draining from him like…

…like blood from a stab wound. Or from two stab wounds. Or from a long cut the width of his body.

If he had the energy, Hyrule would’ve sat up with a gasp, but that wasn’t a feasible option in this state, so he settled for coughing a little and groaning.

“Hyrule?!” The voice was familiar, but Hyrule’s mind was muddy. “Hyrule, Link, are you with me?”

He groaned again, a little louder this time. Summoning all the strength left in his broken body, Hyrule peeked one eye open, wincing at the brightness that assaulted his sensitive pupil. His vision, although blurry, made out a few distinct colors. The most prominent was red– red, like the color of his blood as it dripped onto Ganon’s ashes– and green– green, like the color his tunic was before his blood was spilled.

The red grew closer, and a face came into view. Legend’s face. “Hyrule?” Something slipped into his hand. “If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”

The traveler focused, but could not move his fingers. It didn’t matter– he was already fading away. His eye slipped shut as the darkness stole him back.

The next time Hyrule woke up, he was feeling marginally better. Sure, he felt like he had gotten chewed up by a Dodongo, but that was manageable.

He sat up slowly, holding a hand to his head as dizziness took over. Still, he remained upright, and that was something. Hyrule blinked, clearing the blurriness from his vision before glancing around. He was at a campsite… it was dark… something flickered nearby, though. Perhaps a fire?

Hyrule shifted his hand to better support his weight, finding a blanket where the ground should be. Next to him was Legend, fast asleep. Despite his peaceful expression, the Veteran looked terrible, likely from some sort of self-neglect. Hyrule left him to sleep, moving quietly as he moved to his feet.

Dizziness came in waves as Hyrule stood, staggering his way over to the light. Spots danced in his vision but he pressed on, determined to make it. He stepped on a twig, the snap catching the attention of whoever was on watch. Hyrule stayed in place, swaying. The last thing he saw before he passed out was a shocked Four.

“-don’t know! I was tending the fire because I was cold, and I heard a branch snap. Next thing I know, he’s collapsing right in front of me!” Four cried, frustrated. “There wasn’t anything else I could do about it!”

“It’s okay, Smithy. You did the right thing.” That sounded like Warriors. “But we need to have someone keep an eye on him in case he tries that again. It would be bad if he wandered away from camp like this.”

Hyrule’s brow furrowed as he shifted, groaning. Any conversation quieted instantly as his eyes blinked open, taking a few moments to adjust before finding his brothers.

“Hyrule?” The traveler turned his head, finding a surprised Legend. The Vet’s eyes sparkled with tears as he gathered Hyrule in a careful hug. “You’re awake.”

“Mm,” Hyrule hummed, moving to sit up.

Legend pushed him back down. “Don’t move. You’ve been out for five days now. Just take it easy.”

“You lost a lot of blood,” Warriors added, crouching down on the side opposite Legend. “How are you feeling?”

Hyrule sighed, shrugging. “Doesn’t hurt as bad anymore. Just tired. Weak.”

The Captain nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me. We managed to heal the worst of it with a red potion, but that was our last one. It’s nothing short of a miracle that you’re even alive.” He paused, pursing his lips. “May I check your bandages, actually? You probably messed them up last night, and it’s about time to change them anyway.”

The traveler mumbled, waving a hand. Warriors was gentle as he lifted Hyrule’s tunic, revealing the thick bandages underneath. They were still white, fortunately, so he hadn’t bled through. They were carefully unraveled until the wounds hit the air, causing Hyrule to inhale sharply.

Warriors winced. “I know, I know. But it looks like it’s healing nicely,” he commented.

Hyrule lifted one trembling hand. “Can heal,” he grunted, fingertips already glowing a faint green. Nobody objected as the traveler’s hand hovered over his stomach, eyes slipping closed as he focused the healing magic into himself. Green tendrils twirled as they broke away, slipping into the wounds as they knitted themselves closed. Hyrule’s expression was easy as the flow of magic stopped, relieved to no longer have open wounds. The pain in his abdomen had subsided, and now the worst pain came from the rope burns that had rubbed his wrists raw.

“It’s healed, but…” Warriors frowned. “There’s scarring. Sorry, Hyrule.”

The traveler grumbled, shaking his head. “‘S fine. Doesn’t hurt anymore. Just wrists.”

“Wait.” Legend shuffled around for a moment before producing two strips of cloth. He poured water on them before tapping his ice rod to freeze the cloth. “Here. Give me your wrists.”

Like his stomach, Hyrule’s wrists had also been wrapped in bandages. They bled very little, but knowing why the traveler was in such a state in the first place was more than enough convincing, and they were wrapped up for safety. In the days since Hyrule had been rescued, the bleeding had turned to scabs, but the raw skin left from friction burns had to hurt, so they left the bandages on. Now, Legend wrapped the ice cloths around each wrist, over the thin layer of bandages to not freeze the already tender skin. Giving Hyrule frostbite would only make things worse.

“...There,” the Veteran murmured, sighing.

Hyrule hummed, lips quirking up into the faintest smile. “Thanks.”

“Of course, ‘Rulie,” Legend replied. “I’m just… glad you’re alive,” he admitted.

“Me too,” Hyrule agreed.

“Me three,” Warriors added.

“Me four.” Four paused for a moment before chuckling at the double meaning. “I’m glad too. It was not fun finding you like that.” The smith shuddered at the memory.

Hyrule grimaced. “I’m sorry you guys had to see that,” he murmured, frowning as a thought crossed his mind. “I- Ganon. Did you stop him? My blood, it-”

“-resurrects him,” Legend finished. “We know. And I personally made sure the whole dungeon went down in flames.” He waved a hand, teeth bared in a snarl. “The bastard who did this to you is dead, too. After seeing him next to you, the Champion was happy to put an arrow through his heart.”

Hyrule nodded slowly. “Speaking of, where is Wild? And everyone else?”

“Potion shopping,” Four answered. “Well, hopefully. They split into two teams and went to look for towns or villages.”

“We stayed to make sure you were okay,” Warriors added. “Me since I know the most about first aid, Legend because he’s a mother hen, and-”

“Hey!”

The Captain snorted. “And Smithy because he shouldn’t be traveling far on that leg.” Hyrule’s head turned so fast it made him lightheaded.

“I’m fine!” Four insisted, waving his hands. “It’s just a twisted ankle. But traveling wouldn’t be good for it, yeah.”

“Everyone else is okay?” Hyrule questioned.

“Everyone’s okay,” Warriors agreed. “It’s you we were all worried about. Thought we were too late.” The phrase was uttered lightly, but all of them understood the weight those words held.

Hyrule frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Shut up,” Legend grumbled, pulling the traveler in for another, less careful hug. “Don’t ever do that again. No dying allowed.”

Hyrule chuckled, nodding. “No dying allowed.”

–> support me on ao3!

#febuwhump #febuwhump2024 #febuwhumpday5 #tw blood #tw torture #tw thoughts of death #tw passing out #linked universe #lu hyrule #lu legend #lu warriors #lu four #linked universe fanfic #ao3 #riv writes

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nimdreams · 5 months ago

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I have been thinking about starting to share more on here, besides the bigger essays that I share on my other socials as well. Maybe some of the daily thoughts I have about my alterhumanity. I might also want to share more about my current 'types as I settle into them, like a post with what I look like as each.

Today I wanted to give a little overview of the main labels I am using now. In my last update, I mentioned going back to Golden Retriever therian instead of dog cambitherian and I have been feeling incredibly happy calling myself a Golden again. I hope I can stop going back and forth, which I mostly do out of insecurity and shame, and embrace my golden-self fully. I would still say that I do not identify as a golden retriever fully, but partially, which still falls under therianthropy, but maybe one day I will feel safe enough with who I am to stop calling it partially.

I also mentioned my dream self in my last update, an identity that I have labeled as voidling since. I know that in dreams I am mostly made of void, and am a part of the void. This happened through corruption by using too much chaos magic. Sometimes when I am awake, I yearn to reach out and touch the chaos magic, drink it in, let it completely fill me, and then direct it to work for me. Magic is supposed to run through my veins and I miss it when I am not dreaming.

My other kintype is Vulpecula, the constellation. This identity is a celestial fox spirit and part of the celestial realm. Where voidling is what I am in dreams, Vulpecula is what I am in my imagination and fantasies. I don't actively make up any noemata, it comes to me naturally. Everything that feels right, makes sense to me, and that I experience that doesn't fit my other identities. Such as being an eidolon/summon that I have talked about a couple of times before, is part of this identity. I have also been able to divide abilties I have in dreams, as well as abilities that I feel like I should have awake, over my two kintypes. Light and celestial magic is fully tied to being Vulpecula for me. Where voidling is something I have been becoming in dreams my entire life, Vulpecula is a newer identity that has been forming these past few years. All my feelings related to stars that popped up in those years, as well as fox feelings I have had since I was at least 10 years old, are combined into Vulpecula.

Lastly, I have been questioning hares since 2019 and have used theriotype, tried to link mountain hares, and tried archetrope, and folcintera, as well as trying out rabbit instead, but right now I think European hare folcintera is the best label. For me, that is a combination of both therianthropy and archetropy, which means I also have exemplars (an archetrope term) for this 'type. Even though I relate to both white and brown fur, which fits the mountain hare, as a hare I am incredibly connected to my country, the Netherlands, and a biome found in my country, heathland. I also have Dutch wildlife in general as a paratype for hare. Which is why I call myself a European hare, and I connect to both normal and albino coloring. European hare just really clicks for me, even if I find mountain hares more interesting.

I will also briefly mention what I posted about recently, how I see my body as physically fae. I don't want to go into it much yet still though.

Lastly I still identify as the Dreamer archetrope, for which I also have a few exemplars. I also have some hearthomes, paratypes, anteatypes, and common forms I shapeshift into as a voidling shapeshifter, that I might go into some other time as well.

Thanks for reading and maybe you will hear from me sooner than normal. These posts will be simpler than my posts usually are. I will read over them, but not as much as I tend to do and there will only be little editing if at all. I am not sure yet how I want to tag them. Probably something else than "nim dreaming", to keep those for what I consider more essay type posts. "Nim musings" perhaps.

#nim musings #alterhuman #folcintera #golden retriever therian #european hare therian #voidlingkin #celestialkin

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zipzin · 3 months ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Raya and the Last Dragon Rating: Teen Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Namaari/Raya Characters: Raya, Sisu, Namaari Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern, Rock Climbing, Crack, is it enemies if only one of them thinks that? Summary: No matter what Sisu says, Raya is not interested. I mean, sure, she has eyes, anyone can see how hot Namaari is, and how unfair it is for her muscles to be able to lift her so easily up these walls, but she’s annoying and rude and no, nothing’s going to happen. Ever.

Note: this fic uses a variety of rock climbing jargon throughout, so I've made a glossary related to the terms for any non-climbers out there.

Raya frowns at the wall bearing the V5 that might be the end of it all. If she didn’t top this today what even was the point of climbing? Deep in her heart, she knows she’s being facetious, but this stupid problem felt like the death of her and any motivation.

It was a V5 for fuck’s sake. She could do it. She’d done four V6s! Though honestly this probably should have been graded as a V8. Or they could keep it as a V5 with a notice that you needed to be a certain height. Could they grade based on height?

She rolls her shoulders and tries to relax her sore muscles. She could not figure out a beta to push past the crux without completely destroying the feeling in her arms. Dyno-ing was out of the question, she had to keep tension with her other arm or she’d slide down the wall like a wet rag, and she did not want to end up with a tweaked ankle.

Stupid crux. Stupid wall. Stupid climbing.

“Still determined to top this one?”

“Yeah,” Raya nods at Sisu and sighs, “I know I can, and it’s the last week.”

Sisu nods, “You know, we aren’t meant to top every boulder.”

“Speak for yourself.”

Sisu rolls her eyes, “Raya.”

“I know,” Raya sighs, “But I know I can do this one. Believe me.”

Sisu nods and sits with Raya as she stares. Maybe a figure four? No, that wouldn’t work, the hold was not good enough and would that even give her the reach?

“What’s dripping, dep la?” A voice echoes from behind them and Raya jerks back, frowning.

“Namaari,” Raya grunts.

“This one giving you problems?” Namaari gestures towards the wall. “I thought you could do V6s.”

“It was mislabeled, it’s a V8.” Raya shoots back.

Namaari raises her eyebrows as Sisu sighs next to her.

“Hmmm,” Namaari looks at it. “You don’t mind if I try it?”

“Go ahead, the mat is cushy enough for your hard head.”

Namaari chalks up her hands and takes a position at the start. Her hands flex and then she lifts up.

It was a power boulder, not Raya’s favorite, focusing mostly on pure strength, and she can’t help but admire the way Namaari’s arms bulge as she completes the first two moves. She stills on the hold Raya was stuck on, and Raya bites her lip to keep from smiling too widely, ignoring the heat of Sisu’s disapproving glare.

Namaari’s head tilts down, as if another foothold would magically appear, and then, Raya can see her arms and back straining, Namaari sticks out her leg and smears her foot into the wall. Raya sucks in a breath as Namaari reaches and grabs the next hold.

Raya barely watches as Namaari finishes the last move, just blinking as Namaari lands heavily on the mat, face contorted into a smirk.

“Not sure why you think it’s a V8, I just flashed it.”

“You fucking binturi.”

“Do you think I’m not good enough to flash a V8?”

“I hate you.”

Sisu sighs heavily beside her and Raya releases the hold she has on her chalk bag. Namaari grins and waves as she walks away.

She hates that Namaari could just do it. Hates her stupid muscles that can pull her up so easily, her extra length that can reach the stupid hold, she hates how good Namaari looks with her muscles straining and the stupid smirk on her unfortunately beautiful face.

But mostly, she hates that Namaari smearing had given her an idea for a new beta. And she hates it even more when she tops the problem by the end of the day.

Fucking Namaari.

As she leaves the gym, she can’t help but notice that Namaari is struggling with a V5 of her own on the slab wall. Raya looks at it for a minute, only turning away when she thinks Namaari might see her staring, and huffs out to her car.

At least she sent it before they changed that wall.

Raya hasn’t been climbing for long. Relatively speaking.

When Sisu announced she was leaving her old yoga studio, Raya had been overjoyed. She’d been telling her to quit for months, ever since her old manager left and the new one was prone to such niceties as posting the schedule a couple hours before the first shifts would start or demanding you bring in a doctor’s note when you were calling out sick. The worst had been when they were two hours down the road on a long weekend trip and she had started calling Sisu incessantly because Sisu was “missing” her shift despite Sisu asking for it off weeks ago.

Raya had turned the car back, mostly because Sisu looked like she was going to cry and she didn’t want to add to her stress (even if they were not going to get a refund), but had sat down with her later and told her she would help her find a new studio. Sisu had eventually found one herself, a month later, and Raya had found herself across from her for celebratory drinks after Sisu gave her notice and babbled about her new job.

“And I’m excited because it’s not just yoga there’s a gym and all the climbing stuff too and they said they’ll teach me about it.”

“Wait, climbing stuff?” Raya placed down her drink.

“Yeah, it’s a climbing gym.”

Raya frowned as her brain struggled to compute, “Like for adults?”

Sisu shrugged, “I’m pretty sure kids go too, but not like on their own.”

“How many adults go there?” Raya frowned.

“I don’t know, but it was pretty busy when I interviewed.”

“Really? Climbing? Like jungle gyms and stuff? Are there competitive monkey bars I’ve never heard of?”

Sisu stared at her for a long moment and then burst out laughing, “Oh Raya, no! Rock climbing! Up walls and stuff.”

“Oh,” Raya mumbled as her cheeks burned red. At college there’d been a rock climbing wall attached to the school gym, which had been cool she supposed, she’d never tried it. “There's a whole gym just for that?”

“Yeah,” Sisu said, “Though they offer yoga classes and they have some exercise equipment. Mostly free weights but I’m pretty sure there were some treadmills and stuff.”

“Huh.”

“I’ll show you when you come, you’ll come to one of my classes right?”

“Of course!” Raya agreed easily. It was practically a tradition for Raya to come to her first class at a new studio.

“Awesome! And I’ll see if you can join me when they try to teach me to climb.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Sisu said, “I mean, I’d rather have someone else there without a clue. And in case I need the hospital after breaking my leg.”

“Thanks,” Raya bit back a laugh.

And the rest was, well not history, but Raya had joined her for the training session and found it more fun than she ever could have guessed.

It helped, Raya knew, that she was good at it. Sure, she didn’t (and still doesn’t) know all the techniques, but the first problems she felt like she was born to climb (and then her hands had started to hurt, the skin feeling tender and rough anytime she tried to grip a hold. The route setter who was teaching them had insisted that if she came back enough times that would soon fade and instead she’d be feeling the tendons in her hands instead of the skin. It hadn’t been as encouraging as she thought he meant it to be, but he’d been right).

The route setter hadn’t been impressed, they were only on the baby of baby difficulties, but he’d remarked that she was one of the fastest he’d seen catch on (and she hoped that didn’t just reflect his abilities as a teacher). She was only half sure that he wasn’t just flattering her.

She’d learned that the climbing version of gym bros mostly consisted of shirtless guys who half yelled as they made difficult moves and seemed to think the best way to get someone's attention was to climb a hard problem right in front of them and not say a word.

So, Raya found herself with a membership pass that really felt too expensive to justify, even with Sisu’s friends and family discount, and started heading to the gym half the days of the week after work. It was her first time as an adult regularly exercising (which she didn’t want to think too hard about) and the bonuses of seeing Sisu most of the time were as good as the muscle definition she was slowly gaining.

And, she’d made some sorta friends.

There was Noi, practically a baby who Raya wasn’t sure should be allowed to climb without a spotter, but was somehow better than all of them. Buon, a nice teenager who had kindly requested her to spot him on a bat-hang problem and they had been friendly ever since. Tong, an older man who grew up climbing outside, but now his “bones and joints were catching up with him” and he preferred to climb where there was easier access to medical attention. Not that Raya had ever seen him need it. And of course, there was Namaari.

Namaari and her had met at an Intro to Technique class around Raya’s fourth month climbing and Raya had thought that they would be great friends.

And it had been great, Raya was certain that she’d made a new friend (one of her first as a full blown adult), until Namaari cut in front of her and beta sprayed one of her projects. She’d even smiled at Raya, like she didn’t know exactly what she was doing. Raya had refused to climb that one again, even though it would have been her first V4.

She’d heard of beta spraying of course, it was part of the the lingo that Sisu’s route setting coworker had given them, but she hadn’t experienced it until Namaari stood behind her with arms crossed and a petulant frown, demanding, “What?”

They hadn’t gotten along ever since.

And since then, maybe Raya hadn’t been the most polite (but she’d only admit that under oath), but it wasn’t like Namaari was so nice either. And so what if she was here earlier than she normally would be working on the slab she’d seen Namaari on.

It was just fair game.

She estimates she has about 30 minutes before Namaari arrives. She loves slab, the balancing and flexibility challenges her (and she hopes improves her technique) and didn’t beat her down like the power boulders Namaari favored. She was strong, yes, but those ones seemed to constantly destroy every little muscle she did and didn’t know she had. It’s like they were there just to mock her and her muscles.

This one looked tricky, the crimps were terrible and pretty chalked up, and one foothold halfway up looked like a surefire way to bang a knee into the wall and walk away with a bruised ego and kneecap. She’d hopped on it a couple times the last two sessions when Namaari hadn’t been around, but Namaari had shown up not long after and she hadn’t really gotten anywhere as she scurried to find a problem in the opposite direction.

The start wasn’t so bad, and Raya brushes her hands into her chalk bag as she lets out a breath. She knew she should try to plan each move before hopping on the wall, but she didn’t have the patience (or in her opinion, the skill). Hell, she was still learning to not rush into a problem and actually take a moment to look at where all the holds were and guess at a basic path and what the crux was.

Raya takes a deep breath, rolling her shoulders as she steps up, grabs the starting holds, and begins.

Oh.

Gravity deposits her on her butt and she stares at the sneakily slippery footholds. So maybe she shouldn’t have assumed that the start was easy just because she’d managed it last time. With a huff and a quick glance to make sure no one was waiting for the problem, she stands back up and approaches the holds.

It takes her two more tries to get the starting move, and then she flows through, concentrating on driving power to her toes. She balances and releases a breath, before falling to the left to get to the next hold.

She grins as she catches herself, adjusting her feet as she clings to the crimp that she knows she’ll be feeling in her fingers all tomorrow. She switches her feet, hopping slightly and digging in as if they could suddenly find more surface area on the hold.

And then she’s sliding.

Down.

She’s flat on her back and staring at the ceiling, blinking while her breath escapes in uneven puffs as her heart hammers against her chest.

She’s okay.

Nothing is screaming and she lifts her head and lets out a relieved sigh when she doesn’t see anyone staring at her. She half crawls away, scooting until there’s plenty of room between her and the wall, and clutches at her chest as she takes deep, even breaths. She didn’t hit the wall on the way down, her ankles feel fine, and the only thing pulsing is her heart. She focuses on breathing as she watches a climber on a V1 about twenty feet down the wall.

It feels crazy that she was in the exact same position a year and a half ago. She resists yelling something encouraging as the girl stares at the hold that’s within reach but requires her to switch feet, leaving one dangling without a place to put it, and watches as the girl slowly climbs back down.

Raya had started fairly fearless, she figured there were nice mats all around, and it wasn’t like it could be that dangerous or the gym would have been sued to bankruptcy. And then, about a month into climbing, within a span of a week, she’d seen one person on the ground, their foot bent unnaturally and she’d jumped from the top of the wall and banged her knee against her chest and her whole body had freaked out a little.

She hadn’t been hurt, just gotten a bruise on her chest that wasn’t even big enough to show off. But the next week everytime she made it past halfway and didn’t feel absolutely secure, her heart had pounded and her hands had sweat and she’d bailed on problem after problem.

Sisu had been the one who convinced her to spend a whole day practicing falling. Climb a little higher each time and just let go. It had helped, even if Raya felt like an idiot the whole time.

She still got nervous at the top, and on a couple routes that had dicey moves on the last holds, she just decided that her top was the holds before. Climbing was just for fun, she wasn’t going to do something that could get her seriously injured just for what, a little pride?

Raya stands and rolls her shoulders, trying to get relaxed. She can get to the crux, and, glancing at the clock, she still had plenty of time to figure it out. She hopes.

She walks to the bottom and carefully starts the problem again. Flowing through the lower moves easily and she grins as she gets to the place she fell. With a loud exhale, she drives her hips towards the wall as she lets go to grab the next hold, and pulls up her next foot to a crimpy handhold. It gives her just enough stability to drive upwards and reach the next.

With a pounding heart, she scrambles up the last two holds and whoops as she clutches the top of the wall. Raya drops down and grins.

She’s got this.

She looks back over at the girl on the V1 and grins as the girl makes it past the hold she’d stopped on and reaches for the finishing hold, clutching it with a smile of her own. Raya flashes her a thumbs up as she drops down, a thrilled flush to her, and then turns back to the problem.

She’ll do this one more time just to make sure she’s got it, and then she’ll work on some others. She doesn’t want to try it in front of Namaari today, her fingers are already aching a bit and she does want to give the underhang V6 another go, but this week, she’ll show Namaari exactly how it’s done.

Namaari doesn’t need to know it wasn’t a flash.

Two days later, Raya is trying to not stare at the door. She’s finished her own warmups and is half-heartedly working on the overhang that’s still haunting her, but she’s not trying that hard, mostly solidifying the first couple moves to keep her fingers relatively fresh.

“Who are you looking for?”

Sisu appears out of nowhere and Raya clutches her heart, “Sisu! I could have fallen if I was on the wall.”

“But you weren’t.”

“Don’t scare me like that.”

Sisu rolls her eyes. “Your crush walked in five minutes ago.”

“Namaari isn’t my crush!”

Sisu raises one eyebrow. “And yet you knew I was talking about Namaari.”

She skitters away with a grin and Raya clenches her fists. That damn, fuck, why was she friends with her again? She looks back at the overhang and watches a shirtless guy fall off on the second move. Fucking Sisu. And fucking Namaari.

She makes one more attempt before looking around the gym and finds Namaari warming up. She climbs down from a V1 and immediately moves on to a V2, and once she finishes that a V3. Raya watches as she hops down from that and then makes her way over the slab wall, and Raya whips her head back to overhang when she sees Namaari’s face turn towards her.

Just be cool, Raya thinks to herself, be cool and go over there in a few minutes after she tries it again. You can do it and no one will know you practiced it. She takes a minute to gather her things, fumbling uselessly with her chalk bag before she takes a deep breath and stands.

She watches as Namaari starts on the problem, and saunters over. She’s ten feet away when Namaari’s foot slips out from under her on a tiny foothold about a third of the way up the wall.

“Ouch,” Raya says, trying not to notice how nice Namaari looks on the ground.

“Raya,” Namaari says shortly.

“What is this?” Raya asks, “A V2?”

“Ha ha.” Namaari says shortly, her eyes darting to the tag that clearly states V6. “If you think it’s so easy why don’t you do it?”

“It’d be my pleasure,” Raya grins and as she turns away from Namaari’s stupid, binturi face. She grimaces once her face is hidden. My pleasure? Why the fuck did she say that?

Namaari scoots out of the way, “By all means.”

Raya makes it a production, wiping her shoes and bathing her hands in chalk. With another deep breath, she carefully grabs the starting holds and lifts herself up.

For a second, her body tries to fall, and Raya bites her lip as she reminds herself that she can do this. She’s done it twice already.

She reaches for the first hold, keeping her hips tight to the wall, and as her fingers dig into the crimp, her body remembers. Reaching and driving and grabbing and pulling, and she’s at the top of the wall, clutching it with both hands.

She turns her head slightly, smirking at the gobsmacked face of Namaari, and she drops, not bothering to downclimb at all.

“Are you sure it wasn’t a V2?” Namaari’s sitting and Raya looks down at her, hands on her hips.

“What? How? Did?” Namaari can’t form a complete sentence and Raya kneels down so they are face to face.

“Slab really isn’t your speed is it?”

“I, two weeks! You!” Namaari sputters.

Raya grins before standing and walking away, waving as she calls out, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Eventually.”

She looks back one last time.

Namaari still hasn’t closed her mouth.

Raya plops down onto the mat, breathing heavily and her heart racing. She needs a break or she might tweak her wrist again. Or strain her tendons. She focuses on getting her breathing back to a manageable rate and gulps as she sees Namaari midway up a power boulder. Her body could be used in an anatomy class, each muscle proudly on display as Namaari shifted and reached.

Was it really fair for her to be wearing that tight of a tank top?

Raya pulls at her shirt, was it hot in here?

“You’re drooling.”

Raya slams her mouth closed and wipes fruitlessly at her chin, “Shut up Sisu.”

Sisu laughs beside her, “You checked!”

Raya huffs and crosses her arms, watching as Namaari locks herself into position.

God, she was thirsty.

Why didn’t she bring a water bottle? Raya fans herself and debates whether she should get up and drag herself to one of the water fountains.

“You know, if you asked I’m sure she’d top you!”

“Sisu!” Raya lets out a gasp of outrage, “I do not. I. That is not! Anything! NO!”

“Hmm your silence speaks volumes.”

“This isn’t silence! What part of that was silence?!”

Raya turns her head back to the wall just to see Namaari jumping down from the top. Fuck, she missed it.

“Raya, my dear friend, if you looked at me like that I would already be in your bed.” Sisu whispers into her ear.

“Sisu!” Raya yells and then hisses, “I do not want to fuck her!”

“So why don’t you ask her out?”

“Cause she’s a bitch!” Raya says, maybe a little too loud if the turned heads were any indication.

“That’s a lot of staring for disliking her. Besides you don’t need to like someone to fuck ‘em.”

“Just because Namaari is,” Raya waves her hand out.

“Hot.”

“An extremely capable climber.”

“Oh my god,” Sisu says, “Are you fucking with me?”

“What?!”

“You’re hopeless, okay? Just go over, get under her, away from here, and hopefully that will solve all your guys' weird tension.”

“We don’t have weird tension! I just don’t like her!”

Sisu just stares at her until she finally pats her on the shoulder, “Oh honey. Methinks this is too much protesting for the celibate.”

“I’m not celibate!” Raya hisses back, “It may have been a little while.”

“A little while,” Sisu mocks and Raya regrets ever telling Sisu anything about her (lack) of a sex life. “Come on, I’m sure she’s quite capable in things other than climbing.”

Raya pinches her nose, “Her skills aren’t even as good as mine.”

“Raya,” Sisu cackles, “You truly are a disaster lesbian.”

“Hey! That’s not! I meant climbing!”

Sisu just laughs.

“Shut up,” Raya stands. She’s rested enough.

“Oooh, Namaari started up again.”

Raya whips around so fast her hair smacks her in the face to see Namaari still sitting on the map, telegraphing moves as she stares up at the wall. Sisu’s bent over laughing and Raya storms off, flipping Sisu off behind her.

Raya struggles with the third move and drops to the mat with a sigh of frustration. She crawls, undignified, out of the way so other people could get on the wall and debates whether any of this was worth it.

She huffs as her eyes track Namaari, working on a problem across the gym that started with a tricky dyno. Raya swallows as Namaari’s back flexes and she wheels back and launches herself forward, flying through the air with slightly too much momentum as her hands grip at the hold and try to slow herself to no avail. She lands heavily onto the mat, a thump that she can hear from here.

Raya winces and stands, only to sit back down as Namaari sat up, clapping her hands in frustration. Tong helps her to her feet and nudges her shoulder that, from personal experience, Raya knows is always a little harder than he means it, and soon Namaari is chuckling at whatever he’s saying.

Raya just makes a note of the problem and turns back to her own.

So what if she’d been doing that these past three weeks. Making a special note of the boulder Namaari ended on and then figuring out how to do it in the time before Namaari arrived at the gym? And maybe leaving work early one day to have enough time on a really tricky V7 slab that had taken her a week to figure out (which had been only her second V7 that she’s ever topped)? And then finishing it right in front of Namaari’s face?

She would have stopped, if Namaari didn’t flash every power boulder that she was working on. And sure, Raya had seen Namaari top a V8 once, but she’d worked on that one basically since it was put up till the walls changed. So it wasn’t a surprise she could power through the V6’s that were the bane of her existence but it was still a V6 for fuck’s sake.

And she was the beta sprayer! It was only fair she had something to rub Namaari’s face into.

Last Friday, Raya watched as Namaari breezed through a V5 that Raya was pretty sure was impossible if you weren’t well over 6 feet.

It wasn’t like Raya was saying that she flashed the coordination problem that she’d seen Namaari try over and over again. She just wasn’t saying she hadn’t. It wasn’t her fault that Namaari assumed that she was.

Her eyes drift back to Namaari, pointing and talking through the holds with Tong, and it really was unfair how her arms looked just standing there. She wasn’t even flexing! Raya bit her lip and then dragged her eyes back to her own problem before Sisu could catch her.

Raya nods at Pengu as she checks in, looking around to try to find Sisu. She’d been here earlier during her usual time, but her manager had called about twenty minutes into the session and she’d had to go back to work. Sisu promised her drinks after her own shift ended, and after eating dinner, Raya had enough time that she figured she’d just fill the rest with a couple attempts of that stupid V7 while she waited for Sisu to get off.

Sisu is nowhere to be seen, so after she changes her shoes, she beelines to the V7 that was certainly going to make her lose her sanity.

“What the fuck?!”

Raya freezes as she sees Namaari halfway up, shaking out one of her arms as she looks up to the top of the wall. Namaari’s head whips around and her eyes widen as she sees her, and she drops down clumsily, face growing rapidly redder.

“Raya,” Her voice sounds weak and Raya marches right in front of her.

“You!” Raya points a finger at her, all the breath missing from her lungs.

“You’re here late,” Namaari says sheepishly.

“Were you working on my problem!” Raya demanded as she took a step closer. “When I wasn’t here?!”

“Um,” Namaari licks her lips, eyes darting everywhere but Raya’s face, “Yeah? But it’s not like you have ownership over the problems! Anyone can climb them!”

Raya shakes her head, “I know that! But what? You were going to pretend to flash it when I was here?”

“Uh,” Namaari’s voice stutters, “No?”

“That sounded like a question.”

Namaari lets out a heavy breath and closes her eyes. Raya stares at her for a moment, breathless for a different reason until Namaari opens her eyes again and shrugs, “Fine, maybe I was going to imply that, okay?”

“I can’t believe you,” Raya rears back and then pinches her nose, “Who do you think you are? Like what the hell?”

“Um.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Raya yells and turns away.

“I was just trying to keep up!” Namaari scrambles up and Raya hates her a little more as she is forced to minutely tilt her head up to look at her. “You kept flashing all of mine!”

“So what? You cheated and lied?!”

The room was silent and Raya suddenly felt the eyes of every single person in the climbing gym on them.

“Oh come on!” Sisu calls, “Raya you’ve been doing the exact same thing!”

Namaari’s eyebrows raise and Raya takes a step back. When had they gotten so close? “Sisu!”

Sisu stares at both of them with hands on her hips, “You’re both frauds working on the other’s problems when they aren’t here and pretending to flash them. It’s the weirdest form of flirting I’ve ever seen.”

“We aren’t flirting!”

“That’s not flirting!”

Namaari and Raya yell at the same time.

Sisu rolls her eyes, “Whatever, please skip to the part where you guys realize you’re being ridiculous and just k-”

“OKAY!” Raya cuts her off.

Namaari frowns between them. “You really do that?”

Raya’s mouth flutters open and closed. She sighs, “Yeah.”

They stare at each other until Namaari starts to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

Namaari could barely get the words out in between laughs, “We’re- so- stupid- doing- the- same thing!”

Raya finds herself joining Namaari’s contagious laughter, “I guess so.”

The few people around them give them a wide berth as they laugh. Raya wipes away a tear and shakes her head at Namaari, “You did it first!”

“Not on purpose!” Namaari held up her hands, “I had done that one earlier that day and I thought it would be funny. But then you kept flashing my projects and I wanted to keep up.”

“Oh,” Raya feels all the fight fall out of her, “Um. Well, then.”

They both avoided each other’s gaze. “I guess we could,” Raya says, “If you really wanted to. Climb together.”

“Um yeah,” Namaari rubs the back of her neck, “We could do that.”

“Great job lesbians,” Sisu said and Raya whips her head to find her still standing there looking much too amused, “I’m off in thirty!”

“I know!” Raya calls back and watches as she thankfully walks away.

Raya was prepared for an awkward climbing session after Sisu slinks off. Thirty minutes of them milling around together and trying to not smirk at the other’s mistakes and then they’d forget the whole thing had ever happened and maybe change their climbing schedules so they never saw each other again.

Instead, Namaari works on the V7 as Raya warms up and then takes a step back and allows Raya to climb and doesn't laugh when Raya can’t make it past the second move.

“Do you want advice?” Namaari hovers behind her after Raya has crawled away from the wall.

“No.” Raya grunts out.

Namaari nods and then makes her attempt, and Raya bites her tongue to keep from saying anything as Namaari goes double the distance and to what Raya was pretty sure is the crux. She hangs there, her arms bulging, and wow, it really was amazing close up, and Raya wishes she has her waterbottle and oh fuck, she’s looking back, she’s looking-

“Is my foot close to the foothold?”

Raya almost shakes herself, but squints behind the volume that blocks Namaari’s view and at her flailing foot about a whole foot under the next foothold.

“Not really, need to go about a foot up!”

Namaari grunts as she tries to bring her foot up, skipping it across the wall, and her knee hits the volume and her hips collapse and she falls.

“Ow,” Namaari grunts.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Namaari scoots away from the wall and shakes her limbs, “Just not as flexible as you are. I don’t think that is the right beta, not for me, but I figured I should try.”

Raya didn’t have anything to say to that.

And it continued, a comradery that she hadn’t truly had with anyone else. Tong was leagues above her technically, Boun focused on the few comp style boulders that Raya preferred to stay far away from, and Noi small and light enough that power basically meant nothing. She had forgotten how easy it was with Namaari, how they were both roughly the same skill level even if they liked different problems.

Though Raya could take or leave Namaari’s advice when she decided to hear it. There had been a memorable occasion where Namaari just shrugged and repeated, “Just grab it.” While Raya had almost torn her hair out.

Just grab it? Yeah, no shit she was trying to grab it.

And when Raya had snapped at her for beta-spraying she’d apologized and well, she didn’t need the kissy faces that Sisu made behind Namaari’s back, but it wasn’t like she was unaware of how fucking hot she was. It was a little unfair and made her feel drab in comparison. Especially since Namaari seemed blind to it all.

They were approaching friends now, a week and a half into this new arrangement, and Raya was trying to figure out how to ask her to hang out outside of climbing. Would Namaari think it was a date? Did she want it to be a date? Would their friendship work if they weren’t staring at holds and walls together? Would it be awkward? Would they actually have to change when they climbed because Raya was perfectly fine with staying just friends.

Even just climbing buddies would be okay.

Namaari was, well she was funny, Raya was annoyed to learn. She’d had glimpses of it before, but now she found herself laughing loud enough to scare Noi.

Raya was mostly regretting every life choice she was making, working on this problem (with its outward facing start), climbing with Namaari (had her tank tops gotten tighter? How was she supposed to think when all Raya could see were her arms?), Sisu’s wink she’d given her as she checked in when she informed her that Namaari was here early, did she mention this outward facing problem?

“You got this,” Namaari grins at her and flashes a thumbs up.

“Maybe if you turned around,” Raya grumbles.

“What?”

“Nothing!” Raya looks up and reaches for the first hold, as she contorts her body, slowly towards the wall. It’s tricky, and she’s too hot for this, already the chalk is almost purposeless on her hands as she leans to the left to get her foot on the sliver of a foothold.

The next move isn’t bad, almost a stabilizing one as she now faces the wall like normal, and she chances a glance down, back at Namaari.

Namaari’s grinning, and then her neck flexes and suddenly Raya is on her back and blinking up at the fluorescent gym lights.

“Raya!” Namaari crouches over her, “Are you alright?”

No, she isn’t, because Namaari is right above her and this was something out of a romance novel and- was it really hot in here?

“You’re all red,” Namaari leans closer.

Fuck it.

Raya leans up and kisses Namaari on the lips, hands tracing Namaari’s arms, and oh god, they are as hard as they look.

Her nerves are on fire. Her body shaking with an electric buzz underneath her skin. It’s a dream, it’s a promise her body cashed and her brain denied, and it’s happening right now. Namaari’s lips are soft on hers, and when she imagined this (not that she’d admit she did), she thought it would likely include one of them pinning each other to a wall.

Though she supposes the floor is a kind of wall.

Namaari breaks it, sitting up and looking down at her with deep, dark eyes that promise everything she tries to pretend she doesn’t want. “Hi,” she breathes out.

“Hi.” Raya stares at her, licking her lips.

“So you like me?” Namaari says.

“Um,” Raya’s brain is blank and the words swim in the air between them as her breath calms down and she tries to focus on something other than the delicious press of Namaari’s legs straddling her. When did that happen? “What?”

Namaari laughs and Raya blinks as it vibrates through her body. Has she ever heard Namaari laugh like that before? She could get addicted to the sound and she finds herself licking her lips again.

“I said, you like me?”

“Oh,” Raya breaks eye contact and feels her body flush even warmer, “Um, yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“You guess?” Namaari leans down so she’s whispering into her ear and Raya feels goosebumps break out all over her skin.

“Yeah,” Raya breathes out, “And I guess this means that you like me too.”

Namaari leans back, a wide smile on her face, “You could say that. I was flirting with you for so long that I was beginning to think that I missed my chance.”

“Wait,” Raya hits her on the shoulder, “Did you start doing my problems to get me to like you? Did you think that would work?”

“Well it did,” Namaari defends.

“It did not!”

Namaari lifts an eyebrow and stares at her and Raya has half a mind to bury her face in her hand.

“We can stop,” Namaari breathes out, “Pretend this never happened-”

“No,” Raya would hate the whine in her voice if she had the presence of mind.

Namaari presses another kiss to Raya’s lips. Like before, her brain goes empty as she focuses on the the taste, just a hint of salt and something earthy, the subtle press of lips that is driving her body wild, the-

“HEY! I’M HAPPY FOR YOU BUT YOU’RE IN PUBLIC.”

A chalk bag flies over them and Namaari jerks off of her while Raya covers her face in her hands.

“Sorry, Sisu!” Namaari calls.

“I’m not cleaning up after you fu-”

“SISU!” Raya screeches and sits up.

Sisu is grinning at them and then flashes a thumb’s up. Raya groans.

“Are you busy tonight?” Namaari whispers in her ear as she helps Raya stand.

Raya shakes her head, “My whole evenings wide open.”

“Me too,” she grins, “You want to figure out this problem? Or leave?”

Raya looks at the wall for a moment, but her brain is buzzing so loudly that she wasn’t even sure she could think about anything other than the woman beside her. She holds out a hand for Namaari to take, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s go lesbians!”

“Shut up, Sisu!”

#rayaari #raya and the last dragon #my writing: rayaari #my writing: raya and the last dragon #my writing #mine

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