#I technically finished this a while back but cough anyway | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

caffedrine · 2 months ago

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Matias Asbrink - Fake Lovers for a Day - Event Summary

This is mostly a summary for me - I make no promises on the accuracy of what’s happening. I’m not nearly fluent enough to get half the jokes/innuendo much less accurate plot points.

As a warning - this event goes into some dark things with Matias. Beware.

Matias, the First Prince of Achroite, the Land of Snow and Laws was a serious man who deeply respects the laws. Yes, he has some rather eccentric aspects to his personality, but deep down, he was honest and good. However, when he appears in court as a Judge, he only embodies the face of the cold impartial justice of the law.

After finishing her role as Belle with no romantic entanglements, Emma went to Achroite with Akatsuki. Akatsuki, too young to be her father, travels around various countries to their bookstores, buying and selling rare and valuable books.

Since coming to Achroite, Emma has grown accustomed to the sight of snow falling like flower petals, but the sight still makes her heart jump with joy. Snow was rare in her home country of Rhodolite, so she has never had a chance to get used to the fairytale scenery. Then again, the person who truly looks like he stepped out of a fairytale illustration is walking next to her.

Up close, Matias looks even more fantastical, with hair the color of fading twilight and eyes the color of snow in the shadows. His aura is as pure and beautiful as the white snow falling around them.

Matias notes that Emma has been exploring parts of the city and asks if she has some favorite places yet.

While marveling over how approachable and personable he is, Emma tells him about a bookstore in the center of town. She’s been visiting almost every day and can’t stop. Matias recognizes the place; he’s been visiting it since he was a schoolboy. They both agree that the owner is what makes it so welcoming, with his cheerful, friendly, and all-around decent persona.

Emma heard recently from the bookstore owner about a museum that specializes in romantic exhibits. She asks if Matias has ever been there.

Unfortunately, no. It’s a relatively new museum, but the owner is an eccentric with particular requirements for people to even enter. For one, all his customers must be in a romantic relationship, and come as a couple.

Since Matias is single, and unless he misunderstood, Emma is too, they are both out of luck.

That’s a shame, Emma heard that one of the limited exhibits would be centered around her newest favorite novel (set in Achroite). It’s a shame she’ll probably never get a chance to see it.

(Now she knows what it’s like in Keith’s route when you want to read a romantic book/see a romantic scene but can't)

Matias pauses, deep in consideration. They both want to go visit the museum, but they’re both woefully single. Maybe . . . Maybe they could work something out?

Matias quickly assures her that he doesn’t intend to break any rules. But, if they become a couple for the express purpose of visiting the museum, and then break up right after, that wouldn’t be technically breaking any laws. Right?

Also, Matias isn’t the type to normally rush things, he knows the social etiquette rules around becoming lovers, and he doesn’t intend to have a whirlwind romance.

After a fateful encounter, they would slowly grow closer over an appropriate amount of time. As they fall deeply and helplessly in love, they finally confess and soon, are united as one . . .

Emma gives him a good shake, calling his name. This brings Matias back to reality, and he coughs uncomfortably, centering himself. Anyway - before he got distracted - he was saying that he’s not the type of person to push boundaries and rush into relationships.

However, the exhibit they’re both interested in is on display for a limited time. Without wishing to offend, perhaps they can be lovers for a short amount of time, just to visit the museum?

Honestly, Emma is the only one he can depend on in this situation. As a friend, does she agree?

Emma understands completely. Matias is very popular with the women, and if he were to propose being temporary lovers, she has no doubt it will end with the other person in tears. Honestly, this arrangement works out for both of them.

Emma agrees to Matias’ proposal. Even though they’ve been friends for such a short time, she knows that deep down he’s a good man. Besides, there is nothing weird about friends being fake lovers. Right?

Matias beams at her, his expression suddenly switching from friendly to sexy. He assures her that he will take good care of her.

Emma thought the princes of Rhodolite had prepared her on how to handle attractive men. However, their collective attractiveness could not hold a candle to the radiant sun of Matias’ charms. Emma has to take a deep breath to steel herself and then bows politely to Matias. She is in his (temporary) care as his lover.

Suddenly Matias holds out his hand to her. At her confused expression, Matias explains that he wants her to hold hands with him.

Wait a minute. Are they starting right now?

Yes, Matias doesn’t think he can escort her adequately on the day of their museum trip without some time to get used to thinking of her as his (temporary) lover.

From this moment until after they visit the museum, he intends to be lovers with her. That should give them enough time to go on at least one outing as lovers too.

Wow, Matias does not do things by halves. Looking into his earnest eyes, Emma can tell that he is absolutely serious.

Well then, they’ll be lovers for only a short while, but she will give it her all too. She timidly accepts Matias’s hand, and he grasps her fingers, rubbing them. As her lover, he noticed that her hands were cold, even though she was wearing gloves. He grows worried, Achroite is famously much colder than Rhodolite - is she having any trouble adjusting?

(Now he cares)

Emma assures him that she is fine - it’s cold but she doesn’t mind. The country of Achroite is very beautiful, so to her, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Matias is relieved, Achroite is the land of snow, it would be difficult to stay here without enjoying it. So that she can enjoy the scenery even more, he grasps her other hand to warm it in his.

Matias is truly doting on her. Emma looks away bashfully as he brings her hands to his face to blow hot air on them.

He touches her hands like they are precious treasures. The edges of his mouth lift in the beginnings of a smile as he exhales over them.

Forget her hands, the rest of Emma is growing uncomfortably warm. Maybe it was a mistake, to agree to be his temporary lover.

They make plans for a date later in the week, and part ways to return to their respective duties.

On the day of their date, Emma arrives at their prearranged meeting place a little early. She is still surprised by the events of the last few days; she has received a letter from Matias every day since she agreed to be his (temporary) lover. Andrea what Matias wrote . . . Her face grows red remembering. She knew that he was a romantic at heart, but those letters . . .

Emma is taken out of her reverie by the sound of the people talking next to her. They’re discussing the bookstore in the center of town, and how it is running a fraudulent business. Their book prices are outrageous, and the owner has a nasty temper just because one of the two was a bit rough with his books. They agree to warn their friends to stay away from the bookstore.

Emma recognizes that store as one of her favorites. Yes, the prices are high, but the owner sells rare books. Also, as a fellow book lover, her heart sinks at the thought of a book being handled roughly.

Emma starts to interject gently, telling the two men that there must be a misunderstanding.

The two men immediately accuse her of being an agent of the bookstore owner. They ask if she’s in on the fraud and close in around her, threateningly.

Matias asks if the two men are prepared to make that statement in a court of law. He reminds them that perjury and defamation are very heavy crimes in Achroite, and they will need to be prepared to pay for any crimes.

The two men fall silent, only now noticing Matias. He continues, that if the bookstore owner wanted to, he had two witnesses to them making false statements. He warns them that while they are free citizens of Achroite, they are still responsible for behaving in accordance with the law.

Emma rarely gets to see Matias like this, as the impartial arbiter of justice.

Matias ends by adding that he personally will not tolerate continued disrespect to his girlfriend. Who totally loves him, as much as he loves her. Which is a lot.

Smiling beatifically at her, Matias drapes his arm around her shoulders and leads her away from the two thugs.

(Step one of dating - make sure the local thugs spread the news)

After they leave the area, Emma thanks Matias for protecting her back there. Matias assures her that it was fine, besides, she did the right thing back then. Emma is confused and Matias elaborates. Like he said, those men were slandering the store owner. Granted, it’s not a crime if the victim, the store owner, doesn’t report it, but those men were still behaving criminally. He is proud that his ‘girlfriend’ can recognize and call out criminals so quickly.

Oh, how awkward. Emma wasn’t calling out those men to uphold the law, she just wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about the store owner. She’s not a champion of justice or anything, and probably wouldn’t have intervened if those men weren’t talking about someone she personally knew.

But Matias seems happy with it, and it’s such a small matter that Emma decides to leave it be. She promises Matias that she will do her best to be a woman worthy of him.

After that, they went to the various places Matias had planned out on their date, and Emma’s appreciation for the country of Achroite grew. She tried candy with frozen fruit, admired the intricate woodwork, and freaked out when Matias seemed to look at her too closely. Matias immediately backed down from the last bit, explaining that he’d never had a girlfriend before and that this was a new experience for him as well.

Matias was also able to explain Achroite culture to Emma, which helped her gain a deeper understanding of a scene in one of her favorite romance books. Matias admires the fictional couple, as he too wants to find a love that he would risk his own life for.

He adds though, that he thinks the male lead is entirely unreasonable, letting the main character get into all these dangerous situations. If he could switch places, he would keep his princess in a safe cage place free from all danger where he could keep her pure.

Matias notices the side eye Emma is giving him and apologizes for saying all that in front of her. His girlfriend.

No - that’s not the part Emma was worried about. What’s this about a Princess? Is Matias cheating on his real lover with Emma?

Oh, no, not at all. Matias is talking about his future wife whom he has yet to find.

Matias begins to describe his ideal future wife: a woman full of noble dignity, a warm heart, and an honest appreciation for things.

As he continues, Emma is amazed at how specific Matias’ ideals for his future wife are. It’s almost as if he’s describing someone he knows.

Eventually, Matias winds down his explanation, finishing up that his future wife would be a lot like Emma herself.

Emma gives him a puzzled look and Matias coughs uncomfortably.

Wow, he is really looking forward to seeing the couple’s museum. Isn’t Emma?

They continue their date long into the day as the sun begins to set, dying the town red.

Suddenly the air around Matias seems to change, and he pulls them both to a stop, staring at the crowd of people. Looking at him, Emma thinks he has gone as cold as ice.

Just as she starts to ask him what is wrong, Matias apologizes and asks her to wait just a moment. Before she can respond, he sprints out into the crowd. He jumps a man walking through the crowd, pulling him to the ground and pinning his arm behind him. Matias has recognized this man as a criminal who intends to break into Ultima Thule, free some of the prisoners, and escape the country. Matias knows everything, and this man will pay for his crimes.

This man has enacted illegal means to acquire restricted information, bribed some of the guards, and, worst of all, had made contact with an individual in Obsidian for his escape route.

The man is shocked at how much Matias knows. Matias tells him not to underestimate the National Guard, they haven’t apprehended him yet only because they were looking for his hideout. Thanks to this man, this criminal, walking through town, the investigation can be brought to an end.

The man wails that ‘her’ body is failing and that she can’t take it anymore.

Matias nods, the man was waiting for the right time to strike but became impatient and moved ahead.

Of course, even if Matias hadn’t just found him, the man would have failed. Ultima Thule’s security would have stopped him, no one can escape.

The man screams that it’s not ‘her’ fault. She was just trying to help someone; she didn’t realize that person was connected to Obsidian.

In a monotone voice, Matias pronounces that anyone who breaks the law is a criminal.

Matias notices Emma watching and a small thaw in his demeanor appears. He assures Emma this will all be over shortly.

The man on the ground has heard that Matias has a lover. Matias tells him that his relationship status is none of the man’s business.

The man shouts that if Matias has a lover, he must know exactly how he feels. The wish to do anything for your lover, even at the expense of yourself.

Yes, the man has committed grave sins, and he will commit them again and again for ‘her’ sake. He will bear any punishment, even if it costs him his life, just please show his lover mercy.

Matias tells the man not to lump in his girlfriend with criminals. Unlike them, Emma is a pure and righteous woman.

By this time the city guard has come, and Matias hands the man over to them. Then, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, he comes back to where Emma is standing.

He immediately notices that she’s shaking and smiling gently and asks if she’s okay.

Emma assures him she is and asks about Ultima Thule.

Ultima Thule is Achroite’s forced labor prison. Criminals who’s crimes are not so bad that they’re executed are sent there to work off their debts to society. It’s in the coldest, most remote, and most desolate place in Achroite.

Matias apologizes for the scene that Emma just saw. He understands that she isn’t one for violence. Would she mind continuing the date with him and giving him the chance to apologize?

Matias is trying to cheer her up, but Emma can’t shake the realization that Matias is being so kind to her because he thinks she is someone that she is not. Emma isn’t a crusader for justice, if anything, she’s sympathetic to that criminal’s plight. She couldn’t say for sure that she wouldn’t break the law if she and that man’s places were switched.

Emma is one misstep from being hauled away to prison under Matias’ cold, unforgiving gaze.

She realizes that Matias is dangerous.

Matias gently strokes her back as if trying to soothe her. He tells her that he made reservations at a nearby restaurant and suggests they head there for a break.

The food, which Emma had no doubt tasted delicious, tasted like nothing at all.

Sweet End

On the day of the museum date, Emma looks at the exhibits with Matias, but she is still trembling with fear. The joy of the exhibits fails her as she focuses on the man next to her.

Matias stops her from going to the next one - he’s noticed her state and wants to apologize. He understands that what she saw during their date frightened her, and he wants to apologize for subjecting her to that scene.

Emma thinks that it must be difficult for Matias, who is just doing his job, to have everyone afraid of him. She apologizes too.

Matias shakes his head and assures her that her feelings are natural. It must be a blow to realize how far into the country criminals connected to Obsidian can infiltrate. As a member of the criminal justice system, the fact that the criminal got so far in his nefarious plot is a stain upon his honor. It’s not only her whom he should apologize to but to all the good citizens in the square that day. He came so close to failing to protect everyone.

Er . . . Matias doesn’t quite get how she feels after all. Those words the man had flung at Matias, about having to understand him since he knows what it’s like to have a lover, ring in Emma’s ears. She wonders if Matias was unable to understand that man at all. Matias is nice and fun, but she truly has no idea what is going on in his head.

And that is what she’s afraid of.

In reality, Matias apologizes to Emma for failing to protect her. Emma shakes her head, reminding Matias that she wasn’t hurt at all. In fact, no one at the square was hurt.

Matias disagrees, as her lover, it’s his job to protect her physically and mentally. And right now, she is full of anxiety and fear.

Matias wants her to feel safe and have a fun time. He wants her to only feel happiness.

For that goal, he will put everything he has, everything that makes him Matias on the line. He tells Emma to relax and enjoy herself and reminds her of that exhibit she wanted to see.

Matias wishes she would smile.

Emma is still afraid, but Matias’ passionate speech has touched her heart. She looks at him, trying to shake off the fear, and smiles. He smiles back at her, relief on his face.

And, oh, that smile. Emma can feel her face heat up.

Oh no. Emma can’t take her eyes off Matias. Not just her face but her whole body is heating up. She’s about to explode from the heat boiling up in her.

Suddenly Matias grabs her by her shoulders, and Emma realizes she was listing to the side. He asks if she’s okay, supporting her.

Emma snaps back to herself and shakes her head, trying to return to normal. She assures him that she’s fine and lets Matias lead her through the museum.

That charm of his is something else.

Emma has seen a few ladies her age standing in a daze next to Matias, but she never thought she would be one of them. Ugh, how humiliating - Emma wishes she could just crawl off into a hole somewhere. As she considers cutting the date short to save whatever is left of her dignity, Matias catches her attention and directs her gaze at a painting.

Oh. That painting. The one Emma wanted to see more than anything else.

Matias had said that this painting was supposed to evoke the feelings of spring love, but that description falls flat. Emma’s heart leaps at the sight of it, entranced in the beauty before her.

Matias nods, this isn’t that far from how he imagined the scene. The man was fine, but he thought the woman should be smaller, like Emma, with long brown hair, like Emma. Hmmm . . . Oh, he gets it now.

(Does Emma have a single/available sister by chance?)

The woman in the book was described as the most beautiful woman in the world, which is why he thought of Emma.

In Matias’ imagination, her hair would sway in the southern wind, and her eyes would sparkle in the sunlight. She would turn towards him, smiling as if the whole world was celebrating.

Emma cuts him short - he is praising her too much. Matias disagrees, as his girlfriend, it is no exaggeration to say she is the most beautiful woman in the world.

Well, Matias sure has a strong imagination of his girlfriend.

Matias suggests they move on to the next painting. He has created an itemized list and flowchart to look at the paintings he thought Emma would like the best. Emma agrees that this sounds like fun.

You know, Matias was looking forward to the paintings, but he thinks the best part will be seeing them together with Emma.

They walk through the paintings, admiring the exhibits. Before long, they find themselves at the exit.

Emma peers at the exit - it appears there are rules to leave the building. They must demonstrate how their love has deepened before they leave.

Matias muses that the rule leaves it open for interpretation but wonders about the various ways people can demonstrate their love. Emma thinks words or declarations of affirmation would probably be the most popular, though she grows flushed at the idea of saying such things to Matias.

Well, rules are rules. And Matias, who researched this in advance, is prepared.

He wraps a cute, fluffy pastel scarf around Emma’s neck. He explains that even with her gloves on, sometimes Emma looks so cold.

He also has gloves for her, which match his own. They go past the wrist and are waterproof so should keep her warm longer.

Matias’ idea to prove his love for her is to protect her, in this case, from the elements. Emma thanks him, now, not only is her body but her heart warm.

And now it’s Emma’s turn. Her heart is fuzzy and warm, she takes a deep breath and begins.

When they leave the museum, the city is red with the sunset. Matias thanks her for being his temporary lover, he had a lot more fun than he expected.

So much fun that he doesn’t quite want their time together to end just yet. Didn’t they agree that they’d be lovers until the end of the day today? He asks if she wouldn’t mind grabbing dinner together.

Emma’s heart pounds in her chest as she looks into Matias’ snow-colored eyes. They were endlessly kind when they looked at her, but she has seen them become frozen at a moment's notice. She’s curious about Matias, about the way he thinks. Maybe if she spends more time with him, she’ll find something that will satisfy her and wipe away the fear that lingers in her heart. Feeling hopeful, Emma agrees to spend the rest of the day together.

Premium End

On the day of their museum date, Matias arrived early at their prearranged meeting place and had been waiting for Emma. She apologizes for keeping him waiting and he waives her off - she was waiting for him last time and he hadn’t wanted to make her wait for him a second time.

Emma thinks that Matias really is a nice person. That time at the town square, he had just been fulfilling his duties as a guardian of the law. If anything, Emma should be relieved that he was truly impartial and egalitarian in dispensing justice.

But she is still afraid.

Emma tries to stuff the fear somewhere down in her stomach and smiles at Matias.

Matias pulls out a notebook from his pocket and proffers it to Emma. He explains that he was researching the exhibits, and thought there were a few that depended on a deep cultural understanding of Achroite. He thought she would like to look up and understand those points at her leisure.

Emma accepts the notebook and opens it, realizing that it is all in Matias’ own handwriting. Matias explains that while he hoped that it would be useful to her both as a reference for the museum and as something to aid her grow accustomed to Achroite.

Just as Emma begins to open her mouth to thank him, Matias beckons her closer, he wants to give her a souvenir from their last date. He takes out a package and starts touching her earlobes. Afterwards, she looks at her reflection in the window of a nearby shop and admires the wooden earrings. He also gives her a package of sweets from the coffee shop they visited.

(This man is the reason why women's clothes should come with more pockets)

These gifts remind her of the good times they had yesterday and show his care towards her. Really, she had been having a great time until that scene at the end.

But she’s still afraid.

Emma resolves herself to face Matias without being trapped by fear. The gratefully thanks him.

Matias’ snow-blue eyes narrow slightly and he reminds her that they’re lovers. These gifts should be as natural as breathing. Emma shakes her head, a lover wouldn’t take their partner for granted, and she can feel the time and effort he put into these gifts. She might not have experience with a lover before, but she is certain Matias would make his partner the happiest woman in the world.

Matias assures Emma that she has been the perfect lover, the time he has spent daydreaming about her has been too perfect for words.

Uhh, what?

Matias quickly assures her that he wasn’t skipping work to daydream about her, just when he had a quiet moment to take a break. He would picture the smile she would give him, and every moment basking in her radiant prescience.

Oh, that’s what he meant. Yeah, that’s okay then.

The feeling of fear hasn’t left Emma completely, but she thinks that she can enjoy their museum date. Seeing her smile, Matias smiles back. They haven’t even started their date, but Matias is having a great time already. That said, they probably should start making their way over.

Matias courteously holds out his hand and Emma accepts it without hesitation.

After the museum date, Matias brought them to the dance hall in Achroite Castle. It was completely different from the one in Rhodolite, with soft wood tones and candles illuminating the national crest carved into the wooden floor.

Matias admits that he hasn’t had many good experiences in this place, but he has always fantasized about dancing here with his lover. He thanks Emma for coming with him and asks if she would like to dance with him. Emma agrees and accepts Matias’ hand.

Matias is impressed, Emma is a much better dancer than he was anticipating. Emma admits to practicing hard in the past. She is happy it worked out for them, after all, if she couldn’t dance then she wouldn’t be able to be his lover, right? After all, Matias is a member of the royalty, and his beloved would need to be a noble.

Actually, not necessarily. It would be better if his queen could dance, but it would be fine if she learned how to between their engagement and the actual wedding. Achroite is less class-conscious than other countries, so his wife could come from any class.

Besides, the Asbrink family rules are very vague on the qualification for their wives. The only real rule is that she be worthy of the distinguished Asbrink family. Which is why Matias wants someone he can love and cherish and make happy. Emma notes that Matias looks so happy when he talks about his future wife.

Choosing his wife is technically one of the few personal choices Matias can make in his life. He wouldn’t be constrained as a keeper of the law, or as the scion of the Asbrink family. He would be able to just be Matias and choose and love someone just for himself.

Emma understands that as both the keeper of the law and the first prince of Achroite, Matias has many responsibilities and rules he must follow. The time spent with his lover is probably the only time he gets to be himself.

Matias begins describing his ideal lover to Emma. Emma nods, she understands why he speaks so enthusiastically about his future lover. Matias adds that since his lover would be marrying a guardian of the law and the first prince of Achroite, the most important thing is that she is righteous and pure.

Emma thinks that his definition of the last bit would be that Matias’ wife would never violate the law no matter the circumstances. Emma doesn’t have it in her to live up to those standards. But she is his lover until the end of the day, so she should enjoy it while it lasts. She asks if they could dance a little longer, and Matias mutters that he wishes he could dance with her forever. She hopes that at least until the end of the day, Matias feels a little bit of freedom.

Suddenly Matias grabs her waist and spins her around. Emma is surprised and impressed, she never thought she’d be able to spin like that. Matias admits to trying it with her for the first time, he’s only read and fantasized about it.

Surprised, Emma asks about all the dance parties he’s been expected to attend as a royal. Matias reveals that he has always tried to keep a certain distance between himself and the ladies. If he gets too close, he will suddenly find it difficult to get away.

While Emma would normally think it’s nice to be liked, she can see the downsides. But with Matias’ seductive aura, she’ll need to be careful too. Subtly, Emma tries to move away from him, at least so she feels less of his body heat.

Oh no! Matias has noticed and asks why she’s pulling away. The hand on her waist tightens, pulling her closer to him.

His snow-colored eyes exuded such sensuality that it made chills run down Emma’s spine. The shock of his face so close makes Emma lose her breath and forget how to breathe. A heat stirs in her body, and she suddenly can’t look away from his face.

Her head was full of Matias, just Matias, and she climbed onto him and his heat. She wants nothing more than to cling to him.

A sudden image of a young woman dazed and confused next to Matias flashes through Emma’s head. She remembers that Matias doesn’t like women like that and awkwardly tries to push him away. Emma explains that she’s trying to put a little distance between them. She pushes at his chest again, but the arm around her waist only tightens.

Matias reminds Emma that she’s his lover, so he needs her close to him. Emma refuses, if this continues, she’ll get in trouble.

With the saddest eyes, Matias asks what kind of trouble she is talking about.

Oh, that did it. The last of Emma’s strength leaves her body as Matias calls her name.

Epilogue

During the last night as Matias’s lover, she and he attended a dance party. Unfortunately, the prolonged exposure to Matias’ seductive aura overwhelmed Emma, and she came close to fainting. Thankfully Matias was able to steady her, and she was able to pretend that she simply missed a dance step and injured her ankle. Which did happen.

Suddenly she is in Matias’ arms as he lifts her. He tells her that they’re done dancing, instead, he’ll bring her to her room. And, since it’s late, he’ll arrange for her to stay in a guest room tonight.

Matias bridal carries Emma into a room and places her on the bed. He fetches a small box of medical supplies and begins tending to her ankle.

Emma apologizes for the trouble, but Matias assures her that he’s used to doing this in the National Guard. Weirdly impersonally, Matias rolls up Emma’s skirt, so her leg is exposed up to her thigh before he starts manipulating her ankle. Emma wants to preserve some modesty and lower her hemline, but she doesn’t want to get in his way.

Looking at Matias, it is clear that he has barely even noticed her state, and instead is focused on her ankle. She reminds herself that this is just a medical treatment, something that Matias is used to and has done to his fellow soldiers before. She tries to think of something else, but her thoughts just keep on returning to Matias bent over her ankle.

After what seemed like a small eternity has passed, Matias pronounces his field treatment as complete. He instructs Emma to keep her ankle elevated so the swelling will go down by tomorrow-

Matias suddenly freezes, as if realizing the position he and Emma are in. He immediately apologizes, explaining that he moved by instinct and had no ulterior intentions toward her.

Oh, even though she’s his lover, he has gone too far to pin her down to a bed, and even touched her bare skin with his ungloved hands-

Matias’ panic is making Emma feel embarrassed all over again. She quickly assures him that she understands he had nothing but the best of intentions and concerns over her injury. Honestly, she’s grateful that he was so quick and efficient in his medical treatment. Emma bows her head and Matias snatches his hands away from her leg.

Well, okay then. Matias nods to himself, regains his composure, and sits next to Emma on the bed. Once again, he is close enough for her to feel his body heat.

Well, there’s only one last thing for a couple to do on a night like this. Suddenly, Matias’ face draws closer to Emma’s. She begins to protest.

But why? They’ve just finished their second date, so shouldn’t they do the proper thing? Sit close to each other and talk about the parts they enjoyed and what they want to do next. And, as they talk, the bond between them grows and the feelings they have are reflected in their softening gazes and then-

(Besides, according to the Asbrink family rules, no sex before the third date)

Oh, okay, Emma gets it now. She feels embarrassed - Matias apologized for touching her just to treat her injury, of course, he wouldn’t expect to go further physically. Emma sighs in relief and tries to objectively look at Matias. He seems to really enjoy being a ‘temporary’ lover, to the point that he’s forgotten that there will be no ‘next’ for them.

Matias asks Emma to tell him more about herself - for future reference.

At Emma’s puzzled look, Matias explains that while they won’t be lovers, they’ll still be friends. Besides, now that he knows her a little better, he thinks they could be great friends. So, he wants to know more about her.

Emma understands that Matias’ words are saying that he wants a deeper friendship, but something about his sensual gaze makes her feel like what he really wants is something else.

Still, Emma agrees, and Matias smiles like the sun reflecting off of ice crystals. Maybe he’s still in the headspace that they’re lovers since the night isn’t yet over.

#ikemen prince #ikepri #matias asbrink

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arc852 · 1 month ago

Text

Chocolate Square

Summary: Joel lets Grian know about Jimmy's sweet tooth by showing him and Jimmy eats his chocolate a bit too fast.

Warnings: choking

Word Count: 688

AO3 Link

Here's just a tiny fic I got in my head that I wanted to write out. Please accept this while I'm still working on part 3 of First Meetings.

Also, I think this technically counts as halloween themed. I mean, it does feature a chocolate bar. (I will probably write an actual halloween fic though). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

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“Hey Grian, wanna see something?” Joel whispered to Grian as he got close, in the process of opening up a regular Hershey's chocolate bar. Grian looked down at the bar with a raised brow before looking back up at Joel with the same look.

“Does it involve the chocolate bar?” Grian asked. Joel grinned as he unwrapped the bar halfway and broke off one of the squares.

“And Jimmy.” Joel smirked and before Grian could question him on it, Joel moved closer to where Jimmy was on the nightstand, messing around on Joel’s phone. “Jimmy!” Joel called to get the borrower’s attention. Jimmy looked up and behind him toward Joel as the human hovered over him. Joel grinned and held out the square of chocolate toward Jimmy. “Want some chocolate?”

Jimmy’s eyes went wide and he was quick to take the chocolate from Joel’s fingers. Even though it was just a square, it was still about the size of Jimmy’s torso. Still, that didn’t stop Jimmy from tearing into it happily.

Grian came over and looked at Jimmy with wide eyes. “Wow, he’s really going at it.”

Joel crossed his arms and chuckled. “Yep. He did the same thing when he tried chocolate cake at my place for the first time.” He turned his head to look at Grian. “I’ve never seen him eat so much. If I hadn’t stopped him, he might’ve actually eaten the whole thing.”

As Joel laughed at that, Grian rolled his eyes. “I doubt that would’ve happened.” Grian said, but still, Jimmy looked as though, at the very least, he would be finishing the square of chocolate. Which was a lot for the borrower. Maybe even too much. He was also eating it way too fast for Grian’s liking. Grian was actually starting to get a bit worried. “Jimmy, slow down, you’re going to choke.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes as he took another bite out of the chocolate. “I’m not going to cho-” His sentence was cut off as he started coughing, and essentially, choking. Both human’s eyes went wide and Grian slapped Joel’s arm repeatedly.

“Water! He needs water!” Grian exclaimed and Joel ran over to their mini fridge and grabbed a bottle of water and the cap that Jimmy drank out of. He quickly poured some in, being less than careful in his hurry and spilling a bit of water in the process, before running back over to Jimmy and setting it down in front of him.

Jimmy put the chocolate down and eagerly gulped at the water. It thankfully cleared his throat and he sighed in relief, as did the humans when they saw he was okay.

Grian sent Jimmy a look. “I told you to slow down!”

“I didn’t think I would actually start choking!” Jimmy exclaimed and Grian let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. As he looked back up, he noticed Jimmy once again reaching for the chocolate. Grian’s eyes widened and he grabbed the chocolate before Jimmy could.

“Hey!” Jimmy exclaimed but quieted down at Grian’s look.

“I think you’ve had more than enough chocolate for today.” Grian said and then popped the remains of the chocolate square into his mouth before going back over to his desk to continue his studying.

Jimmy was pouting but it soon cleared as Joel’s hand reached down again, holding another chocolate square. Jimmy grinned and grabbed it, looking up at Joel thankfully as Joel winked at him. “He’ll never know.” He whispered.

“Joel!” Grian exclaimed, appearing behind Joel as if he had teleported over there. Joel yelped in surprise and turned around as Grian took the chocolate bar from Joel’s hand. “No more chocolate for you either!”

“But Grian!” Joel whined and followed after Grian back to his desk to pester him to give him his chocolate bar back.

Fortunately for Jimmy, Grian hadn’t taken away his second chocolate square and Jimmy munched on it happily, making sure he was eating slower than before as he turned back to use Joel’s phone some more. As the bickering continued on behind him, he couldn’t help but smile.

#g/t #giant/tiny #au #borrowers #mcyt g/t #hermitcraft #hermitcraft g/t #hermitfic #borrower jimmy #tiny jimmy #bbbcau #bad boys borrower college au

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poppitron360 · 3 months ago

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Digging through my old fanfics, and I forgot I wrote this one based on a conversation I had with @four-leafed-queer-gal ages ago in this post

I wasn’t really confident posting fics at the time, and this technically never got finished, but I thought I’d post it anyway.

——————

“Hey, you weren’t at Lunch?” Jason asked.

Leo turned around to look at Jason, brushing a curtain of curly hair over the left side of his face. Jason thought that was odd- Leo hated his hair in his face.

“Oh… yeah- I was busy. Argo II stuff.”

“Leo, I know the other campers have been giving you weird looks ever since you revealed your powers-“

“It’s fine, Jason, don’t worry about it.”

A warm spring breeze danced around them. Leo put a hand on his curtain of hair, desperately trying to keep it over his face. Jason moved closer, and swept those curls out of the way behind Leo’s ear.

Leo had a black eye- his skin was purple and bruised. There was a cut on his cheek. Jason reached up to touch it but Leo grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away.

“Who did this to you?” Jason snarled, his voice low and deadly serious.

“It’s nothing- a- an accident at the workshop. Yes. Nothing to worry about.”

“Who. Did this?” Jason said again.

Leo looked flustered, obviously trying to hide his panic.

“Was it one of the other campers?” Jason asked, “It was, wasn’t it?”

“It- it’s nothing, Jason, really. I’m fine,” Leo’s voice was high pitched and a little hysterical.

“Tell me.”

“I- I… You know I’m not good with names. Plus, I didn’t really see their faces,” Leo stammered.

“Leo-“

“Look, just drop it, okay!!!” Leo yelled, “It’s not a big deal. Besides, it was worse in the Foster Homes…”

Leo was not at dinner. Jason was worried. He said goodnight to Piper and decided to go look for him. He searched Cabin 9- not there. The forges- not there.

As he approached the basketball courts, he heard voices.

“Look, guys, I don’t want any trouble,” It was Leo. He was using his whole suave-jokester voice, but Jason could hear the fear and panic underneath it.

Jason ran towards the voice.

He heard a scuffle, and yelling. When he walked onto the court he saw two Ares kids, punching and kicking Leo. Leo was curled up on the ground, whimpering.

“Freak! Monster! Arsonist!” One of them, Marcus, yelled.

Jason wondered why Leo wasn’t fighting back. He’d seen Leo in battle, he could do more than hold his own, but he was just taking it lying down, completely defenseless.

Jason rushed forward, grabbed the two oafs by the shoulders and pushed them away. Then he drew his sword, and held it at their throats.

“If you EVER hurt my friend again, I swear to my father-“

They got the message. They ran for the exit of the basketball courts. Jason wanted to chase after them, but thought better of it. He turned to Leo. He was still curled up in a ball, trembling and sobbing. His nose was bleeding. His hands and knees were bruised where they had been covering his head. His face was grazed and covered in dirt. Jason crouched down, and tilted his head sideways to get a better look at Leo’s face. He reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Leo flinched.

“Leo…”

He looked up at Jason, his tears mixing with the blood and the grime on his face. Jason grabbed his shoulders and sat him up against the fence. He really was shaking quite a lot. His breathing was shallow and raspy, and he clutched his side as he breathed. Jason figured one of his ribs might be broken.

“Oh my gods… what did they do to you?”

“It- it’s nothing, Jason, I’m fine,” then he got hit with a coughing fit, while simultaneously wheezing in pain and clutching his side.

“We need to get you to the infirmary.”

“I’m good. Really. ‘Tis but a scratch!” He stood up, but his knees buckled and Jason had to catch him and steady him.

“You could’ve stopped them…” Jason said, his voice low, and serious, “Why… Why didn’t you?”

Leo shook his head. “I couldn’t… not again…”

“Leo-“

“If I lashed out, Jason, if- if I lost control…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Jason understood. Leo could not fight back, because if he used his fire, then someone could’ve gotten seriously hurt. Marcus was a dick, but Leo didn’t wish the fate of his mother on anyone else. So he had to just take it.

“Thanks… for helping me…” Leo said.

“We have to tell Chiron what happened.”

“I’ve dealt with bullies before, Jason, this isn’t new.”

“But camp is meant to be a safe space! For you to be accepted for who you are- for your powers.”

Leo laughed. A painful, raspy laugh, Then he clutched his side, his face contorting in agony.

“Bullshit,” he said.

It made Jason’s heart break seeing Leo like this. He wanted to yell at Leo for pretending like this was nothing. But instead, he reached into Leo’s tool belt and pulled out an antiseptic wipe.

He moved to wipe the cut on Leo’s cheek, but Leo flinched and pulled back.

“Hey, hold still,” Jason instructed. He put a hand on Leo’s waist and pulled him closer, steadying his shaking body, “Now this might sting a bit-“ He said, softly. He dabbed at the cut, and Leo winced in pain but he didn’t pull away this time.

——————

Baby boyy…

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skyward-floored · 4 months ago

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More oc Link (Lost) time >:)

The final showdown between him and Zelda... though technically this is like the second stage of the “boss fight” that would occur. I just didn’t want to write that part heh. You can read the first time Link and Zelda fight here, and also when Zelda first learns Link is corrupted here, if you want some added context 👍

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“We’ve finished the barrier Zelda, he won’t be getting out of here!”

“Good job,” Zelda breathed, catching her breath as she watched Link try to free himself from the rope he’d been caught in. She coughed, wiping some blood off her arm, then breathed in, straightening back up. “Thank you so much everyone.”

“No problem princess, we got this!”

“Worry about your crazy-eyed boyfriend.”

“Go save Link!”

Zelda nodded, and turned back to the fight. She’d managed to lure Link into the temple where she’d first fought him all those weeks ago, and while they fought, the sages had enacted a barrier around the entire thing. One Link wouldn’t be able to escape from, and, if everything went according to plan... hopefully sap his strength.

Now all that was left was to do her part.

Link finally freed himself from the rope, and leapt at her, eyes blazing. Zelda dodged, nimbly leaping away, and they went back to exchanging blows, swords ringing.

Link was as fierce as ever, showing no mercy in any of his strikes, but Zelda had grown stronger on her journey, both in physical strength and magic. She matched him more ably than she ever had before, striking hard and easily meeting his blows.

Zelda didn’t use her magic yet, saving her strength. But she didn’t pull any punches with her sword attacks, occasionally switching weapons to press an advantage.

Link jumped and Zelda dodged, Zelda lunged and Link met her blade, and the two continued their fight, striking and dodging at each other so fluidly it was almost as if they were dancing.

But finally Link stumbled, barely dodging her attack when she charged at him, his chest heaving for breath. Zelda hit her sword against his shield, once, twice, and then a third time, but Link didn’t try to knock it back at her like he had the other times she’d tried this, merely taking her hits.

He was growing weaker.

The magic barrier was working.

Zelda landed a kick to his side, and Link half-fell half-jumped backwards, glaring at her. He raised his sword to attack again, but abruptly fell to a knee, a pained wheeze escaping him.

Zelda immediately began to draw on every bit of magic she had, focusing on charging and building her power. Her heart thudded in her throat as she built it, and Link looked at her and bared his teeth.

This was her only chance, she knew she wouldn’t get another.

And she was ready for him.

Link lunged at her with a howl, but Zelda ran forward to meet him, ducking under his attack and slamming her hands against Link’s chest.

A burst of light exploded around them, and Link gasped as they fell to the ground, Zelda keeping her hands pressed to him. She channeled her power into Link, focusing her light on him more intently, and a cry that was both angry and pained came from him.

Black particles suddenly began leeching off of him, and a shriek tore its way out of Link’s throat, his hands clawing uselessly at her arms.

Zelda kept pushing her light into him anyway, ignoring the scratches and the way his cries pierced her heart. She knew she was hurting him, knew she was inflicting unimaginable pain, but she kept pushing anyway, blasting the darkness away, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Link was practically writhing now, doing everything he could to get himself away from her. His cries had turned from anger to fear, pain still the core of every one, and Zelda tried to ignore them as she focused on her magic.

It was hard to ignore his face, though. Something dark was dripping from his nose, his mouth, and his eyes showed nothing but terror as darkness dripped down his face like tears.

Zelda shut her own eyes against the sight, and she gave a final push of her magic, the entire room lighting up with it.

The powerful hum in her ears mixed with Link’s gut-wrenching scream, and for a moment, something under Zelda’s hands resonated. Weak and beaten, trapped and worn by darkness... but there.

Link.

Zelda reached out and touched it, and Link let out an animalistic shriek, worse then any of the screams he’d let out so far, a noise that Zelda knew would haunt her the rest of her life. The entire room lit up with her power, and Zelda was blinded, vision going gold as a melodic hum rang in her ears.

Then it was over.

The light faded, and Zelda heaved in a gasp, her head spinning as her vision darkened at the edges. She nearly fell over, barely catching herself with a shaking arm, and trembled as her body threatened to faint. She’d used every bit of magic she had, and her insides felt hollow, drained of strength.

But she couldn’t pass out. Not yet.

She had to know if it worked.

Zelda sucked in a breath and looked down at Link, motionless below her, the dark markings gone from his face. Her whole body shook as she shifted herself around his limp form, then lifted him up slightly, resting a trembling hand on his cheek.

“Link,” she whispered, brushing some hair from his face. “Link, can you hear me?”

He lay unmoving in her arms, eyes closed as blood trickled from his nose.

“Link?” Zelda begged.

He didn’t move.

Panic began to grip Zelda, more powerful than any exhaustion or pain, and she stared at Link, her hands shaking. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t moving, he wasn’t reacting, she couldn’t even tell if he was breathing or not, he was— she’d been wrong.

Her light couldn’t save Link.

All it could do was destroy darkness, and it had done that, but Link... Link had gone with it.

“Please, Link, wake up, I can’t... I can’t do this without you,” Zelda said shakily, holding him tighter. “Please...”

Zelda’s vision blurred with tears when he remained still, and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Link’s.

“Please,” she choked out.

A tear fell on his face, mixing with the blood, and Zelda clutched at him, sobbing into his chest.

The sages were quiet as she cried, even the most boisterous silenced for once. Zelda’s sobs echoed quietly through the room, and she was so lost in her grief and exhaustion that she almost missed it the first time it happened.

Link’s chest moved.

Zelda froze, then gasped, jerking backwards with hope roaring to life in her heart again.

His chest had moved.

Zelda watched with bated breath, waiting to see if she’d merely imagined it, and felt her heart speed as she saw Link’s chest raise and lower again. His brow furrowed, eyes moving under their lids, and Zelda held her breath as a faint noise came from his lips.

His expression creased, and then her hero’s eyes cracked open, just barely.

And when Zelda saw they were back to their normal pale blue again, she nearly sobbed all over again.

“Zelda..?” Link croaked up at her, voice broken and weak, and she nodded, lip trembling as she smiled.

“It’s me. I’m here.”

He looked at her, face exhausted and gaunt, and then his eyes slid closed again, but not before Zelda saw the relief that shone in them. She brushed a hand across his cheek as a tear leaked from the corner of his eye, and a shuddering exhale escaped him.

His next breath broke into a sob, and Zelda embraced him, pulling him close and letting him press his face against her shoulder.

He clutched back at her, shaking in her hold, and Zelda’s sobs soon joined his, both of them crying into each other’s arms.

“It’s over, Link,” she whispered, tears trailing down her own cheeks. “You’re free. You’re out.”

She heard a distant cheer from one of the sages, but all Zelda was focused on was Link, his tears mixing with her own as he broke in her arms, free of darkness at last.

“It’s finally over.”

#Lost #legend of Zelda au #Link oc #fic #tw blood #writing from the floor #I’ve had some of this written for so long #and I decided that since the anxiety was anxiety-ing I needed something to do so I finally finished it up #voila bon appetit etc etc

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feralmoonlight · 1 year ago

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Doordash AU Lore

Condensed Soup Version for your reading pleasure~ This was flailed over discord last night in a stream of consciousness into the delirium of sleep and goes from legible and readable to 'what are you typing??' levels of writing. Spellcheck was... not used a lot. Enjoy!

Sun survived the Fazbear Fire ending but was junked and picked up by random dude that tinkered enough to get him fixed to the point he could finish fixing himself. Sun and a very feral moon were... 'grateful' for being saved, but dude just wanted to use them as a side hustle for income basically and guilt trips them into working to 'pay him back for saving them and the electricity it takes to keep them charged'

Hence, doordash. Getting sun to be able to drive was easy enough, and dude just linked his own bank with the account so any pay out goes straight to him. The boys basically get pennies for their work because they don't really have a full sense of money or the outside world, but Sun 'likes' getting to explore while delivering and while they'd love to work with kids, well... Dude won't let them go until they pay him back. So they technically are under the assumption he owns them like fazbear did. A little pushback but 'if it weren't for him, they'd still be in the scrap yard'. And it's way better than being locked away in solitude again.

SO, one day they do a deliver for Reader, quiet anxious shut-in artist hermit type that thrives online but is basically terrified of the world beyond their home. Very relatable cough

BUT YN is like. Holy fuck that's a robot???

And Sun is like HELLO! Here's your food! Wanna chat? What do you do? How was your day?

To which anxiety YN blurts out they're an artist and Arts and Crafts King SUN is like YOU LIKE ART? I LIKE ART? and corners them for about 15-20 minutes talking their ear off while they're basically frozen because too awkward to tell him to leave, and he's not being WEIRD just REALLY TALKATIvE but it seems to be making him happy??

And then he gets another delivery and has to go anyway.

WhICH... OK cool that was weird but something to remember and forget about later.

Until a few weeks later when they order from a similar area restaurant and get Sunny as their delivery dude again, recognizing it immediately as him and actually having a more 2 way convo this time?

And it starts off slow, little short convos between drop offs and Sun wants to stay and talk more but it gets waved off at first. BUT YN keeps trying to work the system and get him back as a delivery dude for short chats.

Friendship builds and they start working out how to get the delivery as the last of his shift time so he can talk longer and longer, but he always leaves before the sun goes down too far, because Moon worries

Which eventually something happens and Sun knows he's not gonna be able to make it back home before dark, so he VERY anxiously asks if he can stay the night and makes up a thing about not functioning well in the dark. Sunshine and all that.

SO he gets to stay and they have a longer chill evening and he watches YN work on some commissions, and then they watch a non-fazbear movie and just chill. Which he's ABSOLUTELY BLOW AWAY by a non-fazbear movie

and YN wants to introduce him to different shows and stuff, so these little sleepovers (lights on) turn into a more regular almost weekly thing.

But eventually the fun time gets caught and Dude gives Sun a call about where the fuck is he with the car? Where has he been? And sun apologizes and has to leave, but it raises questions about who that was.

WHich takes us to catalyst point 1, of 'man, that guys a dick. you don't take that much energy to charge -motions to electric bill that only budged a couple dozen dollars' and learning he takes all sun's earnings.

Now, you might be wondering... WHere's MOON in all this? How does MOON feel?

Well, Moon doesn't trust anyone at this point. Between fazbear, the vanny incidents, and this fucker, he is VERY skeptical there's not some ulterior motive, and he wants to test it. But Sun is getting very attached to YN

And he's already made moon lowkey promise to behave in case the lights go out from the first night, cause they haven't done anything bad yet. But he's still IFFY.

BUT LOW AND BEHOLD, the fabled power outage arrives, and YN doesn't know MOON is a thing.

It's a short one, and Moon POORLY tries to pretend to be Sun in the dark, but he's very... itching to fuck with YN. WANTS to harass them so bad, but... he said he'd behave.

But the lights come on, and Sun is a little panicked, but YN brushes it off like he was scared of the dark? Though he didn't sound scared a moment ago? Maybe it was something else that spooked him?

BUT things continue and the more YN hears about dude, the more they want to beat his ass(they wont, they're not bold like that) and get Sun away from him... which... he might have a gps on the phone and car that they use, but not on Sun. All he'd have to do is like... not go back? and he'd be free

which alarm bells MOON with the though YN just wants to use them the same way dude did to get more money cause at this point it's obvious to them both that the only things YN really spends their extra money on is food delivery and thats about it. they don't buy 'stuff' but they enjoy eating good food from different places, and they've been ordering a lot more lately as an excuse to see Sun.

SO moon convinces Sun to let him 'test them' and their resolve

Let him out, let him have some fun. And hoo boy. He definitely makes himself a threat, but he did still promise not to HURT hurt them.

BUT he has to test limits. Push buttons. He doesn’t really want to hurt YN cause they have genuinely been nice and he wants to think they’re being sincere in their attempt to help them, but there’s always that grain of salt. They thought the other human was trying to help them but they were just getting used for free income. What’s to say this 'starving artist’ won’t do the same? So he does the chase song and dance, the threats, minor injuries to see if it’d be enough to scare YN into showing true colors… And they ARE scared, but they also know Sun at this point. Even if Moon is gonna be shitty, and they say as much, Sun is their friend, and they aren’t gonna let him go back. Even if it means putting up with Moon.

WHICH HURTS, but in a way that warms his heart sorta. Like.. OK OW? But also deserved. He’s not done poking the bear, though, but again, bit by bit he goes from full gremlin mode to spikey roommate to soft nap lord. With gremlin habits still. He wouldn’t be moon if he wasn’t a pest sometimes.

BUT like, OK. SO MOON DOES HIS MOON THING

and he's surprised YN has so much... pushback to not let him get to them, but also seems to have this genuine urge to help Sun just to help him?

Which means now Moon has to repair the relationship, but Sun is also excited that Moon is going to TRY to be nice now, not just because he asked him to, but because... If they ARE gonna be trying to live with them, as friends, that first impression needs to get undone

Which he points out also it's NOT their first meeting, but... YN doesn't pick that up at first

SO we have the 'become friends with Moon' arc starting as well as the actually stealing Sun... which is easy enough. They drive back to dudes house with YN and just... leave the phone in the car, and take the bus back home.

which leaves YN in a lowkey panic because agoraphobia

BUT they'd do it for their friend. The injustice of what happened is stronger than their own fears, and getting back home results in a nice little cuddle session because yes. Which also would end up in them falling asleep and sun shifting over to Moon and moon basically having a 'I WILL NOT ADORE THEM oh fuck' moment too

WHICH brings us to the midway point... Sort of.

Because now YN is taking care of them, or rather, giving them somewhere to live, rent free, and eating the cost of their electricity upkeep which is... not horrible but more than expected... so they're now having to go grocery shopping regularly (ew) and essentially cutting their food budget in more than half to make that difference, cause taking on new commissions is already stretching their work load.

There's a small talk of why YN doesn't have a different job, and there's some talk of... not trauma, but just... really bad experiences? They wouldn't call it trauma, but they DO NOT want to have to get a 'normal job' again. Which is hard for them to understand from an AI perspective, having job stuff programmed into them with the daycare and security things

BUT then YN talks about how if doordash felt 'right'... and it did not. it was 'ok' but it wasn't what they were made for

But they're also realizing that they ARE sort of... taking up a decent amount of what was YN's 'spare money'. which was NOT safety net worthy but it was enough for them to be comfy

SO they start feeling guilty. Doing little tasks around the house, but it's not enough, TO THEM, to make up for the new burden they're putting on this FRIEND that CARES about them.

SO... They want to get a job.

But how

Their options are VERY limited, and probably gonna have to be under the table

They don't need to make a LOT, but YN basically tells them they will NOT do doordash shit again.

There's the possibility of doing private babysitting? But getting parents to agree is... weird...

They do the random attempt of going to a few parks and letting sun do his thing with the kids, but there's a mixed response of 'what the fuck, a robot?' and 'ok who's the freak that brought a bot to a playground? is this some kind of sick joke?'

But there are a few parents that don't immediately freak out.

YN talks to some of them and explains that he used to work with kids until their daycare burned down and he was thrown out, a bit of a twist on the official happenings but believable enough.

And one parent takes the bait, agreeing it'd be nice to have someone watch the kids after school for a bit before they got off work some days, so they'd try it out. For a very cheap fee, but still.

It's a step in the right direction, and their kids area already on board with having Sun as a temporary caretaker. YN is gonna be with them, but they can take their art shit wherever so Sun handles this kids and YN just babysits the babysitter XD

They let sun and moon keep all the money they make and only take what's offered from them, and insist they should hold on to some of it for anything they might need for future repairs. There's a lowkey friend argument but agreements are made

They gather a few families that are on board with their services, and eventually things even out. But one parent mentions the daycare their tiny child goes to is actually pretty short staffed. They can't afford to hire on anyone else at a normal pay rate, but if they treat it like 'renting a piece of machinery' a phrase YN is pissy about, then they could probably pay a similar rate to the babysitting gigs but as a 5 days a week guaranteed time thing?

Which there's a back and forth on how that might be risky, but the fucking starry eyed glee from Sun, and moon actually, about getting to work with a daycare again is something they can't fight against. And so the approach is made.

And accepted

As a trial run, at first, but things go well and they become a welcome part of this little daycare, and can handle the tasks of two or three employees easily. It's far less chaotic that the sugarhigh crazed children of Fazbears, and it's the happiest they've been in a long time

wait.

what's that?

everyone is

happy?

>w>

Heheh

GUESS WHAT MOTHERFUCKERS

fazbear still owns them

Well

Sort of

Fazbear still owns 'Sun and Moon' as trademarked entities.

Dude still owns them legally as salvaged scrap.

And Moms just LOVE posting weird shit on facebook.

Knock KNock we're here for your robot

Time to RUN from THE MANZ

Thankfully still no tracker, and THANKFULLY Fazbear isn't actually as invested as the news would lead people to believe? But that dude? oh that dude is PISSED as FUCK

He ends up being the more unhinged danger time for YN, because it was DEFINITELY YNs FAULT 'their robot went rogue'

Fazbear's is lowkey keeping tabs, but after that plex burned down they'd already gotten the insurance from the BS that happened, and technically getting such a... mmm 'tampered with' AI would be a pain in the ass to recode

They're lowkey interested in him as spare parts, but the news media covering this from the dudes side, and then eventually uncovering the harrowing rescue and plight of the 'mistreated robot that just wants to take care of kids' has the story quickly turning on it's head.

Fazbear's watching all this too, and they're... intrigued that Sun and Moon still have such a strong drive to care after the incident... they're swapping to wanting to study this...

They weren't the only bot that 'survived', but they're the only one that made it to the 'outside'

BUT BUT BUT

they study

they watch this drama unfolding with the curiosity of a cat watching a mouse in a maze

they COULD pounce, but... they could also learn from this. they see money in them hills

ANd the media is EATING this shit up

but it does come down to it that Dude finds YN and Sun/Moon (time undetermined at the moment) and they're... separated enough that he CAN rough up YN a bit. Not enough, but enough that it sends YN off running and Dude books it cause he doesn't want the police involved after making a BIG no no of assault

he knows he fucked up, but YN is now hella shaken and Sun/Moon shows up shortly after. MOON is very livid and wants to go hunt this dude down like a dog. Sun ALSO is on board but... that would not do any of them any good, so it's comfort the reader time.

Little bit of wound tending, mostly bruises and a fucked up wrist.

yep.

That one. They aren't drawing for a while because fuck you thats why

But again, the place YN went to for safety is on the phone with police and the media hears about this dude attacking them, and HOO BOY... BUT yn doesn't press charges because...

MOSTLY they dont wanna deal with court shit?

BUT his own actions are enough to kind of scare him off from intervening again

he knows he fucked up, and the info is ON the NEWS now, and he's waiting for the arrest warrant to get served but it never does.

This is now a bigger issue and not worth the hassle

he's got a nice fucking chunk of change though from them doing door dash for like 10 hours a day for.... months?

just sitting in his bank

which mF is gonna have to pay taxes on lmao

bitch doesn't know it yet cause he didn't think that far ahead. he's an asshole. a clever one, but not a smart one.

SO it's into the wind down of wondering when Fazbear is gonna try to come swoop in and steal Sun/Moon back from YN. or rather, back from their freedom. And it's NOT long after that they do get a knock on the door from a fazbear rep...

This is about where the end gets hazy though. Cause I don't wanna do the whole convo, but it boils down to, they're very intrigued that 'the ai, Sun, and Moon, have adjusted so well to life outside of the plex.' And they want to use that. The knowledge that they can expand outside of just 'entertainment'.

This isn't the 'birth of the ai revolution' of sorts where robots are everywhere... they already are somewhat, but very... simple versions. More advanced things like the animatronics are few and far between, and highly monitored in their selected environments (the pizzaplex). But letting the more sentient ones adapt to working at things like stand alone daycares, theme parks, maybe as traveling shows that go on tour, or other possible branch locations with different uses is very interesting to the higher ups

They want to monitor Sun and Moon, how they conduct themselves, and how people respond to them 'out in the wild', so to speak.

"This new idea is... groundbreaking. And we just want to observe... For now."

The long side eye is LONG, but... LEGALLY they could snatch the boys up without a second thought.

So they take the offer.

Fazbear is gonna offer no help, aside from possibly medical costs because they want to build a 'friendly face for the enterprize' as well as feel slightly responsible for YN getting hurt by not stepping in sooner and making their presence known to The Dude TM that he was out of his realm from the start.

There's some wariness from all parties, but...

It seems things will work out

uwu

The end.... ?

Possibly the end

it has room for expanding into the actual watching portion but that's what I have so far and is a POSSIBLE stopping point

#Doordash AU #Doordash AU lore #feral rambles

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oh-saints · 1 year ago

Note

Fellow engineer here! Thank you for not writing us off ❤️ Can you do an F1 engineer and that's how you meet Ruben Dias or Mason Mount?

i'm sorry this takes AGES but here's to you fellow engineers <3

paddock

rúben was only supposed to enjoy another favourite sport of his over the weekend in monaco and she was only supposed to drag george russell from the william’s garage, for the driver hung around too much with alex albon. but life, as we know it, never made it as simple as it seemed.

rúben dias x f1crew!reader

word count: 1.8k

note: good god, this has been sitting for far too long... time to let this out! mainly inspired by pictures of rúben watching f1 in monaco and as usual, i happen to always write around dawn so ofc this is not beta-read.

request still open & you can drop them here!

goddamn it, russell.

the young british racer was infamously known for his mischief way of life, pranking people here and there whenever he wasn’t driving his racing car, and—unfortunately—you happened to be on the other end of his antics, more often than not.

as the junior engineer to someone who didn’t bother to hide his distaste towards rigorous technical discussions, your job sometimes required you to flip the entire paddock upside down to hunt george down until he finished all of the nitty gritties he’d rather bypass.

it was another case of haas team finding out mick hang around in mercedes’ garage a while ago. except for you, it was more of a weekly case.

as soon as you spotted the bright blonde locks amongst brown heads, you forced your feet to move faster because your supervisor’s wrath wasn’t something you were fond of. especially when you were now tired from hearing it’s been weeks and you still can’t get him to work together with you? endlessly every weekend.

“george william russell!”

at your shout, alex albon and nicholas latifi immediately went into a disperse. they knew george was due for a wee bit of finalizing this weekend’s machinery, but the brit managed to coax them into playing with him, and now that you were barrelling towards them, they didn’t want any part of it.

you were already using george’s full name, anyway. definitely time to run for the williams racers.

“alright, alright,” the youngest between the racers, groaned. “I’m coming, okay?”

you didn’t say anything else as a response to that, other than dragging george by the hand.

“I said I’m coming, okay!” he shouted at you this time but you paid no heed. he wasn’t the one rolling your paycheck anyway. “let me grab my tumbler first, jesus.”

george stashed your fingers away before he walked away from you. only then did you realise that everyone’s eyes had been directed towards the quarrel between you and george, and you had never felt so small in your life.

this was exactly why you insisted on working behind the scene, despite your immense love for motor racing since childhood.

“hi, there.”

you were so startled that you jumped on your feet, almost knocking off someone in front of you that definitely looked like an important guest, suits and all.

“I’m sorry,” the man continued with a soft chuckle, and you melted in your place at the sheepish grin plastered on that gorgeous face. “I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

your eyes couldn’t help themselves when they scanned the hanging lanyard, indicating he was a guest of this side of the paddock. when your vision went back up, you noticed he was now flashing a full-watt grin—he’d caught you checking him out. well, sort of.

you coughed yourself while you straightened your spine and feet, in order to regain your composure, but before you could open up your beak to reciprocate his effort—you love a good banter—george shouted for your name from a far.

“let’s go!” with his wicked smile, george knew what he was doing to mess up your chance on scoring what could possibly your big shot

＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊

“hi again, there.”

the meeting had ended well—it always did because george actually knew what he was doing and his feedbacks were always valuable. he was just too lazy to sit through the meeting, dealing with technical jargons and everything. so now you were back to the paddock, just in time for the mechanic’s pit-stop practice.

you had stepped aside, giving the performing team more space so they could work more freely under countless eyes of the VIPs and paddock-club owners who were interested with the whole ordeal. so certainly, you didn’t expect the man from earlier to sneak up behind everyone’s back so he could reach you.

it seemed like he had a knack for surprising you.

“oh, hi,” but you didn’t want to complain. you’d be too shy to come up to him if you had the chance, anyway. “fancy seeing you again, monsieur.”

seeing you weren’t giving off a bad signal whatsoever, he stepped in closer to you, which meant closer view to those fit, bulging arms he was folding in front of his chest now. you were about to remind yourself to breath when he spoke up, “you certainly look like you belong here more than william’s.”

“and white certainly looks better on you than blue,” you had been mentally taking note about the white Mercedes shirt he was now dangling messily over his own beige shirt, but you didn’t mean to say that out loud. realising your slip of tongue, you averted the conversation elsewhere. “sorry i haven’t had the chance to introduce myself.”

“rúben,” he replied after you said your name, welcoming your extended hand. “i’ve got to say i’m impressed with your garage more than william’s or mclaren’s.”

you had to remind yourself to breath and act normal after you felt his hands. it was pretty much what you imagined them to be—damn, you were swooning over a hand? that was the first. “why’s that?”

“well, beside the fact that you’re here?”

chuckling, you had to give this man a kudos for sporting no-nonsense. this indicated he knew what he wanted and for you, that was a very sexy aspect a man could possess. “here i am thinking to give you a pass to let you watch the race from here,”

rúben couldn’t help but laugh at your playful banter. you were exactly how he thought you to be and god, isn’t this refreshing? all these models on his DMs were giving him one-dimensional conversations. “oh no, i’ve blown my chances!”

you found it impressive that rúben was able to make you laugh effortlessly, despite the lame joke. is it because those big, brown eyes? “if you promise to be a good boy, i might cancel what i said.”

“of course i will, mother,” he stood up straighter, hands were now behind his back, in line with the act he was putting on.

the attractive gummy smile was still attached to the face, though.

“i was saying that mercedes’ better because i spot some different equipment and tools and other things i don’t see on other garages and it’s interesting you’re a part of why it runs smoothly here.”

“alright, alright, here’s your headphone,” you rolled your eyes as if you’d heard enough of the same pick up line, but in truth, you were trying to mask your palpitating heart from the last part of his sentence. “please stay behind this line right here and do not, at any circumstances, use the mic here. i’ll be very busy during the race so if you need anything, you can ask nicola here.”

＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊

the silver arrow gained 1-2 deadlock till the end of the most legendary street circuit and the whole team erupted in cheers. it’d been a long while since they’d last done it here, and it meant more for you because you got to soak in the experience as the lead engineer for george russell. another achievement unlocked for you, to stand winning amongst those brilliant group of men as your teammates.

the euphoria almost blinded you and swept you away to join the rest of the crew in the side line as the cars pulled up for post-race procedures. until you forgot your sunglasses so you could look up to the historic podium, and that was when you realised rúben was still standing not far from where your working post was.

the reality dawned on you.

“you’re still here.”

he did not move an inch from the post you’d designated for him, not far from you. he’d seen you working, through ups and downs of a stressful race. while deep down you felt ashamed he must’ve seen you cursing and cussing like those words were water to your tongue, you were more touched at the fact that he was waiting for you.

waiting for you while you worked, waiting for you while you celebrated with your teammates. all without imposing—the paddock had seen and invited so many celebrities inside, and the guests would jump as if they contributed to the win the team was achieving. but rúben wasn’t like that, at all, and you could feel whatever wall you were trying to put up, obliterated at that second.

noticing you were too stunned at whatever sight you were witnessing, rúben walked up to you. “you think i’m going somewhere?”

“well, would you wait? until the podium’s finished?”

you knew you were shooting for the stars because this man was a VIP guest, albeit for another team on the grid, but heck, you had to try. it’d been a while since the last time a man intrigued you the way rúben had been doing.

it’d been a while since the last time rúben felt the same way too. “for you? absolutely.”

you didn’t know if it was the adrenaline or the longing feeling of a man sweeping you off you feet—you’d grown steel since being surrounded by men almost 7 days a week—that fueled you brain, and fuck did you not want to know. rúben’s cliché answer was enough of a reason for you to reach for those muscular, long arms hidden under his shirt and pulled him to join the crowd heading towards the podium.

you laughed as carlos’ manager spotted you dragging rúben almost like a ragdoll and the carefree, out-of-pressure laugh brought a wide smile to rúben’s face. he liked this, a woman handling stares thrown at them like a second skin to you, more than he’d like to admit. and maybe, he needed this more than he thought he would.

rúben used his huge, muscular figure to maneuvered you to his front, protecting you from push and shove from people around you both just because they wanted to see their favourite racer lifting the trophy. such gesture would usually scare you because you’d gotten used to such treatment during your trip to the club, but this time, you couldn’t help but melt under his ministrations.

feeling you getting comfortable, rúben dared himself to shoot for the stars this time. he dipped down, levelling his lips to your ears so you could hear him despite the loud atmosphere. “ditch the party tonight and have a dinner with me.”

it didn’t take you a second to respond, “where do you have in mind?”

#anon asks #oh-saints answers #oh-saints writes #oh-saints writes requests #ruben dias #rúben dias #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias fic #ruben dias fics #ruben dias imagines #ruben dias fluff #ruben dias x you #footie fic #footie fics #footballer x you #footie fanfic

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ofpineapplesanddawns · 1 year ago

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While I am still thinking about DT and vampire stuff, my mind drifted to werewolves (because of course), and I remembered I do technically have fics where Ten and Lucian interact and are dating, and then I thought of... this.

Warning: absolutely ridiculous commentary from Ten based on something David talked about at a con when filming Tooth and Claw

Takes place while Lucian and his pack have control over the castle, so before all the shit with Kraven and Lucian faking his death.

On with the fic!

"Did you know," The Doctor said as he peeled a banana he had just pulled out of the inside pocket of his duster, "that I've met a werewolf once?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, you tend to usually land your strange box machine in their territory. Please stop doing that, it makes them more aggressive because the sounds frighten them." Lucian huffed, before putting hot metal into water, steam erupting immediately.

"Ah, yeah, true. But not those werewolves!" The Doctor grinned and bit into his treat. "A 'iffer'n kin'!" He said, his mouth full of fruit.

Lucian removed the metal from the water and set it aside, the Doctor realizing it was a horseshoe. He wondered if Lucian would let him use his sonic to attach to a horse, he had always wanted to use that setting, never got the chance yet.

"What do you mean?" Lucian asked, removing his gloves.

"Well," the Doctor swallowed, "when me and Rose, you know her, told you all about her, yes?"

"Yes, you have."

"Right, well, me and her were trying to travel to the 1970s, I think it was the 1970s, anyway. I miscalculated and sent us back to the 1800s! Wild, eh? Well, there, we ran into the lady herself, Queen Victoria! She'll be queen of the United Kingdom in a few centuries. So, we ran into her in Scotland, lovely place, do visit one day, and we decided to go with her to a manor."

So, as he sat on a seat in Lucian's blacksmith station, the Doctor told the lycan about the events of his time with Queen Victoria. He talked about the strange guards who turned out to be dangerous monks, set to handle and deal with a caged man.

Lucian wasn't exactly thrilled about a wolfman being locked in a cage, but understood that for safety reasons, it was necessary. The Doctor also spoke about the telescope, excited about explaining why that was important later.

But then he got to the part about the transformation he had witnessed. "It was... it was brilliant, in a way! I had never seen anything like it before, ah, just... just gorgeous, you know? Though, I personally like yours better."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome!" The Doctor beamed. "Anyway, the lad escaped the cage once he changed into a wolf, and... well... I hate to say this, but this boy, was a boy, mind. Like, I know movies and artwork try to avoid it, but he was..."

The Doctor felt warm, and not just from the fire that Lucian was throwing a few dry logs into. He coughed, tugging at his collar.

Lucian glanced at him, tilting his head. "He was what, Doctor?"

"Ah, well... I mean, it's quite rude to point things out, especially for someone who is naked, and really, I didn't mean to look, but he was certainly, uhh..."

The lycan chuckled and shook his head. "Was he very well endowed, Doctor? Is that what you're trying to get at?"

"I didn't mean to look!" The Doctor exclaimed, wringing the banana peel in his hands, looking at some of the finished metal works rather than at the amused man before him. "We were being chased and I kept wanting to get a good look, but my eyes kept seeing- and then there's what happened later, and it's just...! I mean, it was so bright and yet you could still-!"

Lucian was laughing louder now and the Doctor tossed the banana peel at him.

"ANYWAY!" He loudly announced. "We got chased into a library and it turns out that was the right idea cause the room was protected-!" He tried to continue his story, but Lucian was still smiling as he worked and it made it hard to concentrate.

He probably shouldn't have brought this up, him and his big gob.

I'm sorry, but I will never get over David and how impressed he was about the guy doing the motion capture for the werewolf and how the suit he wore left NOTHING to the imagination. David is just in total awe over it, and it's like, why are you telling a room full of people this???

Also, the horseshoe thing is just a silly reference to one of the Big Finish stories and how Ten got very excited about using that setting. The man is a dork.

#john's drabbles #good omens extended universe #lucian x tenth doctor

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neonwizardheehee · 2 years ago

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MCYTBLR Holiday exchange

@ghastspidergwen your Secret Santa is bringing you a little superhero AU !!

I am no writer but an AU hardly works without some explanation so I had to sit down and think of something for my playlist to make sense XD If it reads like a Wikipedia article then yeah that's why XD

Big thanks to @mcytblrholidayexchange for organizing and managing this! It was a pleasure taking part and seeing the gifts now <3

But first let me introduce you to our hero and main gift: Grien the mysterious moustachied superhero!

Yes we're going for 100 Hours Hardcore crew so here is what I envisioned for the story:

MCYTBLR Holiday Exchange

The story of Grien the mysterious superhero

SMP: 100 hours hardcore After a long day of observing Scar trying to do an MLG water bucket trick and ultimately having to make a fort out of all the beds he and Joel managed to carry, Grian flops himself down onto one of the mattresses when the sun begins to set. There he lies with Scar and Joel still jumping down from various heights around him. He falls asleep and dreams of a time where he truly had the powers to protect Scar…

It’s the Christmas Eve of 2001, an 8-year-old boy named Grian wakes up from his sleep due to his cold and rummaging in front of his window. With a cough, he gets up from his bed to check out the disturbance. Outside he finds a bearded figure dangling outside the window of his family’s apartment and helps them come into his bedroom. The mysterious person is wearing a long red coat that matches along brown beard, magnificent hair paired with fiery red eyes. He introduces himself as Wizard Joel but in Grian minds, he is Santa; albeit wilder than he imagined him to be. The little boy gives him milk anyways which the Wizard gladly drinks and afterwards his eyes seem to not be on fire anymore and he smiles at the boy. Joel reveals that he accidentally set off a trap for a device he was building and enlists Grian to help complete it. While they walk to the rooftop Grian asks “Santa” a lot of questions about his powers and compares them to his knowledge of superheroes. Joel gladly shows off and talks about his travels far and wide and the wonders of magic he can conduct. On the rooftop Grian finds a huge and complicated machine whose intention he cannot fathom but wanders after the Wizard who seems to be set on finishing his build. The Wizard talks about a lot of technical things and explains them to Grian who solemnly nods along. He coughs more often now exposed to the uncozy weather and the Wizard gives him a glowing piece of jelly which he swallows. Several minutes of shivering and complicated explanations later Joel asks Grian to hand him the glowstone. The boy looks at him with surprise, for he has taken this glowstone to be medicine for his cold. In that moment Grian’s body begins to shine and wings form on his back. He excitedly flaps them and starts to levitate above ground. Joel is shocked and makes Grian come down to explain to him that the glowstone is a wishing jelly. Grian’s mind subconsciously chooses his superheroes and now little Grian has their powers. Nevertheless, Wizard Joel makes him promise to not use his new superpowers before he leaves.

The Wizard returns to London in 2022 with Lizzie, his murderous wither killer and wife, to investigate Area 77, a multinational research company. Upon spying on the company, they encounter a quirky owner of a mystery-podcast, Scar, who is conducting a similar investigation for a new episode. Scar marvels at Joel for bringing snacks to a takeout to which according to Joel is a sign of a professional at work. The group discovers that Area 77 is being secretly run by robot brains that transplant themselves into any living creature they need for their plans. They witness the conversion of the company owner called Jimmy from a human brain to a robot brain by the hand of an already converted member, Scott. With his now heightened senses the robot brain inside Jimmy discovers the spies and threatens to convert them too. Scott and Jimmy chase Joel, Scar and Lizzie around until they have them at gunpoint. Suddenly the walls break and a figure flies inside not bothered by bullets or shattering materials around them. Scar screams with delight as he recognizes the figure as the town’s very own superhero called Grien. The superhero with colourful wings and a moustache fights Jimmy and Scott until they hide away. Scar retells story after story about the mysterious Grien, fighting evil by moonlight and his secret double life by daylight. He’s very much a topic in Scar’s mystery-podcast for he is curious about Grien’s secret identity. Soon after Grien joins the group and Scar starts to fire questions at him to secure him for an interview for his podcast. To everyone’s surprise the moustached man accepts the interview and even offers to fly Scar home, who jumps in delight at being lifted into the night sky. He gets transported very close to his home which impresses Scar and fuels his imagination about the powers of Grien. The superhero says his goodbye as he must attend another emergency and Scar wishes him luck and sends him off.

Instead of another emergency Grien flies through the window on the back wall of Scar’s house and transforms back into Grian, a 29-year-old boy without a moustache, only to find himself in front of the angry faces of Wizard Joel and Lizzie. They tracked him down via the glowstone in his body and are angry at him for using his accidental superpowers. Grian tries to explain the situation but gets interrupted by the door being opened and a familiar voice asking about his whereabouts. He rushes out of the room and Joel’s and Lizzie’s jaws fall on the floor as Scar enters the flat and rushes to pet his cat Jellie. Grian mentions that he is cat-sitting Jellie for Scar and Joel rolls his eyes so hard even Lizzie is concerned. After an initial cuddling session with Jellie, Scar notices the two new people in his apartment and recognizes them from earlier this evening. Scar motions the Wizard to come over and sit in a dusty corner with him where he pulls out a squeaky toy figurine of a creeper that he calls “Bob, the Building Inspector”. He interrogates Joel about his intentions and uses Bob as a stress toy to get the Wizard to answer. Joel reveals to him that the robot brains colonise planets by taking control of their prominent leaders, with Earth being their next target.

Leaving Scar to prepare for his interview with Grian’s alter ego, Joel and Lizzie track down the robot’s ship in a low orbit and board it via their magic. Scott senses them there and they discover that the ship's reactor is in a critical state and realise from Scott that he intends to drop it on London. Remembering an observation made by Lizzie, Joel realises the city would be vaporised except for the Area 77 building. World leaders would then take shelter in the company's other buildings within each capital city, believing Earth was under attack, effectively allowing the robot brains to take them over.

Meanwhile Scar is led by Grien to the rooftop that is decorated nicely with candles, flowers and a basket with food and drinks. They sit down and Scar starts to ask Grien about how he copes with his double life, his powers and intentions. Suddenly they are interrupted by Jimmy and two other robot brains called Oli and Fwhip who threaten Scar so they can convert Grien’s brain into a robot one too. Luckily Grien activates his superpowers and manages to free himself from Jimmy’s grip. Having only one hostage left, Jimmy sends Oli and Fwhip downstairs to grab Jellie as a second hostage. Before they reach the door Grian chimes in to protect Jellie from any harm. Scar is very impressed until Grian gets captured as well.

At the same time onboard the ship where Joel and Lizzie are currently trying to save the earth, they can only manage to get in contact with Scott for some questions. After Scott let it slip that the ship is to be dropped at a designated time, Joel uses this piece of information for a change of plans. Lizzie is not amused and scared when Joel forces its descent ahead of schedule and crashes towards London. He manages to contact Grian due to his superhearing abilities and warn him about the ship that’s going to destroy his beloved town. Jimmy screams in fear that it’s too soon and they all prepare for impact. But the impact never comes. When Scar opens his eyes he sees Grian holding the ship up with his bare hands and finally connects the dots that the mysterious Grien he’s so interested in is in fact his cat-sitter Grian. Said person only shrugs his shoulders and turns around upon hearing the Wizard arrive. Joel congratulates him and takes Jimmy, Oli and Fwhip captive not without reminding Grian to throw the ship into a nearby sun so it can’t do any harm. Grian follows suit but not before Scar gives him a long hug and says that he always preferred his cat-hero.

With a smile on his face Grian wakes up to find Scar and Joel sleeping. With so many beds around them as cushions to prevent Scar from dying they easily found a place to sleep as well. Knowing he did his best and promising himself he’ll keep an eye out for Scar, Grian smiles to himself and carries on with his day.

And with that I hope it makes you smile a bit and lets you have a good day!!! Merry Christmas it was a joy talking to you the past weeks and get to know you!

(yes, the story is from the Doctor Who Christmas Special "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" - if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it (it's watchable without any Doctor Who knowledge) to have a bit more banter, feels, laughs and visuals for this AU)

#writing def destroyed me bc I'm used to academic writing so I once again apologise for the wikipedia-writing style ksksks #mcytblrholidayexchange #mcytblrholidayexchange2022 #100 hours hardcore #100 hours smp #Spotify

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etsuven · 2 years ago

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rating: fluff, slightly suggestive character: venti cw: none? idk, it does hint at a mini make out session in the end includes: petnames (sweetheart), so many kisses, lots of cute fluff that makes me jealous why can't this be me summary: today is your boyfriends' birthday! you spent a while planning for it, and you were determined to make this his best birthday yet!

note: OMG ITS VENTI'S BIRTHDAY AHBDHASDHSABD BEST CHARACTER IN THE GAMEM, AMFBASKJBD. anyways this is my long overdue venti fic because i miss writing for him (as i'm starting to write this, it's 12:53 AM. i will finish this on time >:( ). also technically this is a little… continuation (?) of my “venti gets really flustered when it comes to physical touch” post i made a longggggg while back :DDD

was i supposed to write for venti months ago??? maybeeee.... sorry if it's mediocre at best, like most of my fics it's completely improvised and none of this was planned out (i had a small idea of what i wanted but the overall feel wasn't planned) anyways, enough of that! onto the fic!!!!

today was a special day. why, you ask? it's venti's birthday!

now, venti normally wasn't the type to celebrate his birthday. he had gone through with it more times than he could really remember, so over the several... several hundred years, the day had begun to lose its meaning.

this doesn't mean that venti doesn't care about his birthday, he does! it just feels like a normal day to him. you couldn't accept that.

you had been dating venti for a while now, and whenever it was his birthday, you opted for simple stuff. a few bottles of his favorite wine from the winery, the freshest apples you could find... stuff like that. but you had planned a bit more this year.

the day began early with a quick kiss. venti had a performance scheduled at the angels share around noon, which gave you enough time to plan out everything you needed while you waited for him to finish. as much as you wanted him to stay (and as much as he wanted to stay in and lay around) you both knew that he had things to do, so you reluctantly sent him off with a small wave.

once he was gone, however, the sad pout on your face quickly morphed into excitement as you rushed back into your home to prepare for the day.

your plan was simple. use the time that was open while venti was away to prepare the best birthday ever! you had ingredients for many small foods, and you could only hope it was enough as your lover's appetite would probably be huge after his long performance.

you had around five hours to prepare everything, but what you didn't account for was how messy everything would be. there were ingredients everywhere, and you were rushing so much that you barely took the time to clean up.

luckily you realized around the halfway mark that there was no need to rush, and you could take your time doing whatever you needed to do until it was time for you to leave.

the last few hours passed quickly, and before you realized it, you were already on your way to angels share to pick your dear boyfriend up.

you opened the tavern door to find venti packing up, lyre in hand as he spoke to a few people around him. giving diluc a quick greeting, you closed the door behind you. venti must have heard you speak because he turned around, a wide smile on his face. he gave the people he was previously talking to a quick nod of the head before rushing over to you and giving you a big hug.

"(y/n)!, you're here!" venti squeezed you tightly, only pulling away when you let out a small cough. for someone as small as he was, he was quite strong. "how was your day? were you lonely without me?" taking his hand, you playfully rolled your eyes, leading him out of the tavern.

"my day was good, thank you for asking!" you laughed, remembering all the things you went through in these past few hours just for him. you didn't really care too much though, as you were certain that his reaction would be worth the pain you went through. "also, of course i was lonely without you! whatever would i do without your pretty voice!"

venti laughed, his ego clearly boosted by your comment. he was used to you saying things like this, as you often made it a habit to compliment him whenever you could. honestly, it was probably his favorite thing about you.

"well, i wouldn't be a very good bard without my voice, ehe! by the way, where are we going?" venti looked around, only now noticing that you weren't headed to your shared home. he looked at you last, and you tried your best to hide your facial expression. he was very smart, and if you let anything slip, he would probably figure out that you had something planned.

now that you thought about it, he had probably already connected the dots.

luckily however (and strangely enough) venti didn't ask any questions. he just walked with you, hands swinging as you made your way towards your final destination. over the next few minutes, you walked, listening to the chirping of the birds and the soft whistle of the wind as it blew past you.

suddenly, you heard venti let out a small gasp, and you looked over to find him staring back at you with a surprised look on his face. you smiled shyly, looking over to what had caught his attention.

under the big windrise tree was a large blanket. a picnic basket was set on top of it, along with a bag with something inside. you dragged venti towards the picnic setup, giggling as you sat him down in front of you.

"surprise!" you exclaimed, bouncing around in excitement. "i planned a picnic for you! you don't really celebrate your birthday often, so i tried my best to make this one as special as i possibly could! i hope it's good enough..."

suddenly, you felt shy. it was most likely a combination of nerves and the anticipation for his reaction that had you feeling this way. but venti's next words had you smiling happily.

"oh, it's more than good enough, it's wonderful!" he gave you a large smile, bringing your still intertwined hands to his lips. "so this is what you were planning? i had a small idea, but i didn't know it would be this!"

letting out an embarrassed laugh, you grabbed the basket, opening it and bringing out the main surprise. a fresh, handmade apple pie that was still quite warm (you had popped it into the oven for a bit before bringing it here, just so that it would be warm.)

you also pulled out a few other bags that had things like apple slices and sandwiches with and without cheese. personally you wouldn't choose apple pie and apples as picnic items, but this was venti you were talking about. apples were his favorite!

funny how he could eat apples upon apples but he draws the line at cheese. but you won't judge him. for now.

after venti got over the initial surprise at all of the food (you had continued to pull more and more things out of the basket, along with the most expensive dandelion wine diluc had to offer that you hid so venti wouldn't notice it too soon) he insisted that the two of you start eating.

you happily served the pie, and you spent the next few hours chatting. venti unsurprisingly loved the wine, but he held himself back so he wouldn't get too tipsy and finish the wine too soon.

before you knew it, the sun had started setting, and the sky was starting to change colors. you had been out here for quite a while. you and venti were now laying down on the blanket, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand as you enjoyed the quietness of the area around you.

you took a quick glance towards your lover, admiring his side profile. he was as pretty as ever with a small smile on his face, perfect twin braids and hair framing his face. the slight little chub in his cheeks made you laugh softly, and your gaze trailed up to his eyes only to find him staring back at you. "you're staring."

you shrugged your shoulders at his comment, smiling and turning your body so you were facing him. "i know, but i can't help it. you're too pretty..." venti's eyes widened slightly, and he quickly looked away.

here's the thing about venti- only certain things can fluster him. he's told you this before, he's heard compliment after compliment, so everything you tell him has already been said. but there are some things that still go through to him, like this comment. a sincere few words combined with a soft smile had his stomach fluttering as if a thousand crystalflies had made their home there.

"don't say that..." he whispered. his cheeks were a bit more pink, and you couldn't tell if it was because of the wine or if he was embarrassed. sitting up on your elbows, you hovered over him, smiling at his flustered expression.

it definitely wasn't the wine.

"why not?" you asked, faking concern. you scooted further up slightly, placing your arm above his head as you used your other hand to touch his forehead. dragging your fingers across his skin, you brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes, slowly trailing your fingers down until they reached his cheek. venti's eyes were now closed, his eyebrows twitching as he struggled to process the sensation.

leaning down, you pressed your forehead against his, your lips dangerously close to touching. "i can't tell you about how pretty you are?" feeling your forehead against his, the eyes of your lover opened, and you smiled in satisfaction as his breath hitched. he too had noticed just how close the two of you had gotten.

now that you were closer, you could see that venti's cheeks had become a darker shade of pink, an adorable color that suited him quite well. the soft press of his hands against the sides of your neck and a small whisper made you look back into his eyes, which averted once you made eye contact.

"what was that, sweetheart?" you whispered back, pinching his cheek softly as a small way to keep him grounded. venti shyly looked back you, making you smile comfortingly as you waited for him to speak again. a second or two passed before the words left his mouth, and you swear you felt your heart melt. "kiss me?"

letting out a small laugh, you leaned down, connecting your lips for a bit before pulling away. or at least you tried to, but venti's hands pulled you down for another kiss. and another, and another... you really didn't mind though- you'd give him as many kisses as he wanted. because, well...

who were you to deny the birthday boy?

i did in fact finish this on time! it is now 2:36 AM as i am starting to write this part, and i feel great! happy birthday to the best character in the game i'm not biased- i. am. RIGHT. this has to be my favorite fic because so much of my love for venti went into it, i didn't get bored ONCE because i was too busy making it PERFECT for you guys so i hope you enjoyed it!

this is my venti appreciation post because i will never get as lucky as i did when i first got him (aka march 29th 2021 literally minutes after getting my account back from getting hacked, he came home in three ten pulls <3) literally i would have never gotten through the abyss without him i'm pretty sure he's literally the reason why i got past the last few floors of the first part of the abyss.

i would say goodnight but knowing me i’ll be up for another hour i should probably fix my sleep schedule. but anyways byeeee!!!

#genshin #genshin impact #venti x reader #genshin fluff #genshin fanfic #genshin impact venti #genshin smut #genshin impact smut #venti #venti smut #genshin venti #genshin headcannons #genshin scenarios #genshin venti fluff #genshin venti x reader

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secretobsessionstuff · 2 years ago

Note

Madix taking care of Dakota when he gets sick while their hanging out. Romantic caretaking is nice and all but I love a good bromance.

Thanks for the requests! For some reason my brain really wanted to add some cold/flu symptoms and the result is this inaccurate fic that also has emeto. Enjoy! And I used prompts from THIS post to help me beat writer's block:

62. "Shh, keep your voice down. ____ is sleeping."

43. "He's too stubborn for his own good."

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

Madix sat on the floor with his back up against the couch. There was nothing wrong with the couch—other than it currently being taken up by Dakota’s sleeping body—but Madix preferred to sit on the floor to play video games. Maybe it was a habit from his childhood, sitting closer to the tv than necessary, but he swore it helped him win. Plus, this way he could better reach the bowl of chips on the coffee table.

He really shouldn’t have been eating chips just then considering that he and Dakota were meant to go to the movie theatres in less than an hour. There would be popcorn there, but he couldn’t stop himself from snacking. Like sitting on the floor, barbeque chips were an essential element to the Saturday afternoon gaming session. As a kid, he’d been limited to two hours of play time on the weekends. As an adult he could play for as long as wanted, if his schedule was free.

Technically, they would need to leave for the theatre in half an hour, but Madix didn’t think that was going to happen. The congested snoring from behind him told him that they would be better off staying home.

Dakota had said earlier that he felt fine enough to keep their plans, but Madix had been skeptical.

“You don’t sound good,” Madix had said after Dakota coughed into his elbow for the umpteenth time since arriving at his house. It was a wet, rattling cough that worried Madix. He kept looking back his friend, watching Dakota’s energy drain away the longer they played video games, like an avatar’s health dwindling with every strike.

Dakota sniffled and answered without taking his eyes off the game. The screen was split down the middle for two-player mode. “I might be getting sick. My throat is kinda scratchy.”

“Do you still want to go to the movies later today?”

“Yeah of course,” Dakota insisted. “It won’t totally hit me until tomorrow anyway. That’s what Sundays are for.”

“Right…” Madix said slowly. He was going to say more but Dakota started coughing again. Madix could hear phlegm crackling in Dakota’s lungs when he inhaled sharply. He waited until Dakota was finished to carry on. “I really don’t mind rescheduling. You don’t want to be coughing like that during the movie.”

“Mads, I’ll be fine,” Dakota said after clearing his throat. “Try worrying instead about the fact that I just obliterated you.”

Madix frowned and looked back to the tv in time to see his HP drop to zero.

They played for a while longer, switching to a cozy game when Dakota said that intensely staring at the screen was hurting his eyes. He blinked hard, trying to make the burning go away. Dakota’s sniffling and coughing took away from the peaceful background music, but Madix didn’t mind. He had already decided—even before Dakota fell asleep—that they’d skip the movie. As much he didn’t care about the constant coughing and throat clearing, an entire theatre of people surely would.

At some point, Dakota had gotten up from the couch. Madix could hear him in the bathroom, clearing his throat and blowing his nose. The boy came back to the living room with the tip of his nose tinged red and glassy eyes that shone in the light. He seemed to have forgotten that they were playing a game together, leaving his controller on the table.

“Ugh, fuck.” He fell back on the couch with a huff, stretching his legs out and taking advantage of the fact that Madix sat on the floor. He clasped his hands together atop his belly.

“Are you alright?” Madix asked.

“I’m a bit nauseous. It’s kinda weird.”

Madix shrugged. “It’s not that weird to be a little nauseous if you’re swallowing a lot of phlegm.”

Dakota grimaced. “‘A 'bit' might have been an understatement.” He groaned, massaging his thumb and index fingers into his eyes. “I really don’t need my stomach hurting on top of everything else.”

“Still think it hasn’t hit you yet?” Madix asked, rhetorically. It was obvious to him that Dakota was properly knocked out from this bug. Dakota let out an exasperated sigh as his half-assed reply.

Eventually, Madix found himself playing alone. Only the sound of snoring kept him company as he roamed the digital terrain of the game. The movie time came and went, and Dakota stayed asleep. Madix did not wake him. There were many times that Dakota sounded like he was drowning in the mucus that coated his airway. Madix had to stop himself from shaking Dakota awake whenever his worries got the best of him. Sleep was good. Sleep was the best thing for him.

That sleep was almost shattered when the front door opened, and Riley came in from the rain, dripping wet and squeaking his soaked shoes on the tile. He was singing whatever song had been playing in the car, unaware that he was not home alone. Unaware that Madix was not at the movies with Dakota like he said he was going to be.

His singing came to an abrupt stop when he saw Madix in the living room. “Oh hi, love. What are you doing here?”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Dakota is sleeping.” Madix said quickly, wincing at Riley’s outdoor voice. His boyfriend must have been singing his heart out in the car. Riley only slid across the floor in his socks when he had Harry Styles stuck in his head.

Riley looked to the couch, noticing for the first time that Madix wasn’t alone. Thankfully Dakota was still asleep. Riley covered his mouth. “Ah sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t think you guys would be here. Or, you know, asleep on the couch for that matter.” Riley frowned, still watching Dakota’s chest move up and down. His breathing was shallow and ragged. “Is he okay?”

Madix shook his head. “He’s sick. He just passed right out.”

“Aw, wouldn’t he rather be at home?”

“Probably.” Madix nodded. “But he’s too stubborn for his own good.”

“Is it just a cold, you think?”

“Maybe,” Madix said, chewing on his bottom lip as he listened to the crackle of Dakota’s lungs. “But he did say he was nauseous, so I’m not sure.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m only here to shower,” Riley said, slowly making his exit.

“Oh yeah, text me when you’re coming home.”

“Sure.” Riley answered. He spared one last look at the sick boy on the couch. “Please try not to catch whatever he has.” He gave Madix a knowing look. “I know you. You’re going to fuss all over him when he wakes up, and before we know it, you’ll be snoring like that.”

“Excuse me, I’m a very careful caregiver. I wash my hands.”

“Oh, thank God you wash your hands. Not many people know that trick.”

“Alright,” Madix said with a laugh. “Go shower before you wake him up with your sarcasm.”

But Riley was right. Even before Dakota was awake, Madix couldn’t help himself from fussing over him. The grey tint to his skin worried Madix. Dakota’s face was knotted with tension even at rest.

But the thing that worried Madix the most was the way Dakota shivered. He shivered under the blanket that Madix had draped over his body when he first fell asleep. Now Madix wondered if that blanket wasn’t such a good idea, not if Dakota was running a temperature.

Madix peered down at his friend (the video game long forgotten) and sighed. Dakota really didn’t look well, with his cracked lips and skin that shone with cold sweat. Madix placed his hand on Dakota’s forehead. He was not surprised by the heat he found. He was however surprised when Dakota’s eyes opened suddenly.

“Sorry,” Madix said, taking his hand away from Dakota’s face. “It looks like you have a fever.”

“S’okay,” Dakota mumbled, letting his eyelids droop once again. “Do I?”

“Oh, one hundred percent,” Madix said frankly. “You are a very stubborn person who should be at home right now.”

Dakota took in a long breath. The exhale was more of a drawn-out moan. At the end of this slow cycle, he didn’t’ even respond to Madix’s comment, instead choosing to say, “I don’t feel good.”

“What’s bothering you? I have cold medicine. Tea if your throat hurts. Pain relievers. What do you need?”

Dakota’s brain lagged with all the information thrown at him. Everything felt wrong. Most concerning though was the strange way that his belly gurgled. “I guess…” he started slowly, “my stomach hurts.” But then talking hurt his throat and the sound of his own voice hurt his head. “Mmh no, actually everything hurts.

“Right, so a magic pill to fix it all then, coming right up.” Madix went to the kitchen, keeping an eye on Dakota as he did so. “We’ll start with Tylenol and see if that helps.”

He came back with pills and a glass of water. He sat on the edge of the coffee table, facing the couch and his poor friend who was lying on it. Dakota’s eyes were closed again. Madix touched his arm. “Sit up for a minute, Kota,” he said gently.

Dakota groaned and fought against gravity to get up. Madix’s hand on his back helped a lot. As soon as he was sitting upright, he slouched over while a wave of vertigo and nausea lapped against his senses. The living room shifted as if he were seeing it through a kaleidoscope. He put his head in his hands in an attempt to stop the world from spinning.

“Come on, Dakota.” Madix said, resting his hand on his friend’s knee. “You can lie back down once you take these pills.”

Dakota did not lift his head. That simple movement felt like a herculean task. The gurgling in his stomach got worse as he thought about opening his eyes. “Madix…” he whined from within the darkness of his hands. His heartbeat pulsed in his temples. “I don’t feel right.”

“I know, man. I’m sorry.” Madix gave his knee a squeeze.

Madix had but a millisecond to think about the implications of what Dakota just said. He said right. He didn’t say good, like before. ‘I don’t feel good’ meant something very different compared to ‘I don’t feel right’. The exact difference became very clear to Madix when suddenly Dakota was heaving up the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

Vomit spilled between Dakota’s legs in a stream of sickly greenish-yellow. The immediate next wave followed a deep gurgle that clawed up his already sore throat. He let out a moan as his belly spasmed painfully.

“Oh my—okay,” Madix muttered quickly as the carpet got covered in sick. He had since moved his hand from Dakota’s knee to his shuddering shoulder. That body part wasn’t in danger of getting hit. Madix rubbed small circles with his thumb.

Dakota choked up a mouthful of lingering sick from that last wave. “Guh, oh God. I’m sorry,” he said before gagging again. His shoulder rolled forward with the next bout. His voice was incredibility thick from the congestion and now the nausea.

“It’s okay,” Madix promised. “You’re fine.” Well…

Yeah, Dakota was not fine. He coughed up the next sludge of sick that fell passed his lips.

It was a small gush because there wasn’t much in his stomach other than cereal from breakfast and mucus from his lungs and nose. Vomiting it up was still hell. It came out of his nose, mingling with snot that dripped from his lips.

“Oh, Kota,” Madix cooed, seeing the strings of bile and mucus hanging off his nose. Luckily there were napkins on the table that he passed to his friend. “Here, wipe your face.”

Dakota took the napkin. He blew his nose, almost gagging again at the feeling of chunks coming out. “Fuck, that’s gross,” he said, throwing the napkin on the floor. In the splatter of sick. He sniffled and cleared his throat. And he cleared his throat again. Then he coughed. And cleared his throat.

“Will you take this water now?” Madix asked, picking up the glass that he hastily set down when Dakota started vomiting. He did not offer the pills. “No use taking the Tylenol just yet.”

Dakota took small, but grateful sips of the water. It soothed his raw throat for but a second. He wiped his mouth and moaned. Madix took back the glass of water, so it didn’t spill in Dakota’s hands.

“Okay,” Madix began slowly, trying to catch his friend’s eyes, but he wouldn’t look up. “Kota? Are you alright?”

Dakota sniffled. “What do you think?” He still didn’t look up.

“I’m sure you feel like crap, but are you done throwing up?”

Dakota shrugged and didn’t offer anything else.

Madix just sighed. He was used to unhelpful answers. “Would you rather the bathroom or the bedroom? You can’t stay here,” Madix said, looking down at the mess on the carpet. “I have to clean this up before Riley gets back.”

That was when Dakota looked up. There were tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I should have moved. I—I just felt so…I don’t know…weird. My head hurts and—”

“—Dakota,” Madix interrupted, putting his hand firmly on his friend’s back. The fire was still raging beneath his skin. “There’s no need to apologize. You’ve got a fever. You’re sick. It’s not your fault.”

Dakota sniffled and looked at Madix with wet, bloodshot eyes. “So, you’re not mad?”

Madix chuckled incredulously. “Do I need to take you to the hospital?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not mad. How could you think I’d be mad?”

“I dunno.”

Madix just laughed. It was nervous kind of laughter because none of this was in Dakota’s nature. He was clearly in need of sleep and fever reducers. “Anyway, it seems like you’re done throwing up. Let me help you to bed.”

“Okay…” Dakota said lazily. He let Madix guide him to the second bedroom, dragging his feet on the floor. As they walked down the hall, Dakota spoke sloppily as if he were drunk. “Please don’t leave when I’m asleep.”

“This is my house. Where do you think I’m going?”

“Just stay here. Promise.”

Madix sighed. “I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good,” Dakota mumbled as he crawled to the top of the bed. He quickly brought the blankets up to his chin. He coughed and coughed, until Madix thought they’d have to burn the duvet.

Madix made sure there were tissues on the nightstand and a bucket on the floor. He took Dakota temperature with a thermometer this time. It wasn’t good. “I’m gonna check on you an unhealthy number of times, just so you know,” he said, setting down a water bottle on the nightstand.

“How many times?” Dakota mumbled, his fevered mind latching onto the word ‘number’ for some reason.

“Fifty-seven.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, Kota,” Madix mumbled in a laugh. “Get some rest.”

He left Dakota to his fever dreams, and immediately washed his hands.

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tonguetiedraven · 2 years ago

Note

Can you do a fic where Rin is poisoned by an Exorcist or Illuminati soldier as an assassination attempt but he is saved by Bon (and Yukio)? You can pick the time, place, pre-relationship, post canon, anything

Bon realizes his feelings for Rin while he is caring for him and they talk things out at Rin's bedside? Or he is in an established relationship with Rin and worries for his fiance/husband. Bonus points for worried brotherly Yukio

This is an utterly adorable prompt (well, not the poison part, lol) and I will totally cover both scenarios. Here's the get together one :D

TW for descriptions of suffocation

— — — — —

They were on their way to the gym. They had sparring practice today, and Bon, being the best at hand to hand, always got paired with Rin who was far and away the strongest. Bon’s technical skills matched up well with Rin’s physical skills, and it made their joint spars a fun challenge.

Any kind of fight with Rin was a fun challenge. Nothing was as exhilarating as fighting with or against Rin.

“So then Kuro—“ Rin’s exuberant story was cut off with a small cough, which wasn’t exactly unusual. Rin ended up hacking on his own spit quite a lot He got excited while he was talking, and he didn’t always pay attention to things.

Rin covered the cough with his hand and stopped walking for a moment, tail going rigid as another hack fell from his mouth. Bon paused as well, waiting for him to recover so they could resume their walk together.

Rin finished his hack, blinked his teary eyes, and slung his bag around to get his water bottle free.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, unscrewing the cap. “Musta got—“

The next cough was not small. The force of it racked Rin’s smaller body, causing him to hunch over as his water spilled over the floor and his entire body shook from the force of the sounds. Bon jerked into surprised action, hands flying out to pat Rin on the back and the other to hover awkwardly by Rin’s shoulder in case he needed support.

“Woah, you—“

Rin’s hair flickered and flared with fire as the coughs got worse. There was a whistle to his breath now, a horrible wheezy sound that made him think of the really bad asthmatic attacks Konekomaru use to have when he was really little.

“Hey,” Bon’s hand settled on Rin, moving into the old action as Rin struggled to get any air in, breath all harsh, whistly, and far too shallow. “Hey,” he straightened his friend, terrified at the strange sight and the wrongness of cheerful Rin struggling. “easy, Rin. Don’t force it. You—“

It was like an asthmatic attack. Rin clearly couldn’t get any air, and his eyes were terrified. The flames couldn’t be helping –human fire consumed oxygen, and he didn’t know if Satanic flames were the same, but he was sure the heat wouldn’t help anyway.

“Can you douse the flames? It’ll help you breathe.” He tried to keep his words calm, because panic had never helped anyone calm down, and panic made it harder to breathe.

Rin’s eyes were huge. He was gaping up at Bon, struggling for every gasping, shallow breath, and his hands had moved to Bon’s arms at some point, holding him in too tight and strong a grip, but even that was getting weaker.

Rin’s lips were turning blue.

Panic tore through Bon’s gut like the claws of a naberius. Without giving it a second more thought, Bon had Rin up and in his arms. He ditched their bags in the hall and ran for the teacher offices. Rin didn’t weigh as much as all his artillery, and each rough rasp Rin made had him pushing harder in his terror. He was covered in blue flames, and they weren’t hot at all, and that was terrifying. They felt like the last dying sparks on a burnt out log.

“YUKIO!” He was bellowing for his friend and teacher before he even got to the hall. By the time he reached the corridor, Yukio was already in the hall, guns drawn and a serious expression on his face that morphed into pure worry when he saw what was in Bon’s arms.

“Rin? What—“

“He started coughing and can’t breathe. I can’t see any inhalers and—“

“Rin doesn’t have asthma.” Yukio shoved his office door open and motioned towards the couch he’d gotten because the exwires were always lounging in his office. “Set him there. I need to check his—“

Rin made a strangled noise and flailed. His throat looked like it was swelling, and Bon had not been terrified earlier. This was terror. Watching Rin suffocate as he clawed at his own throat and clung to Bon’s arm, grip growing weaker with every second. Bon got him on the couch, pulled Rin’s hand away from his throat, and got his other hand in Rin’s hair to push it back and get a better look at his face.

“Hold him still!” Yukio barked, nothing more than a blur as he rushed across his office for objects, leaving a mess in his wake as he shoved herbs and minerals into his fist, crushing them into something. Bon did as he was told, not noticing how badly his hands were shaking as he pulled Rin back against his chest and pinned his arms to his side. Rin’s head craned up to look at him, eyes going a demonic kind of red, confused, terrified, pleading for help Bon wanted more than anything to give.

“Hang on, Rin,” Bon stuttered, voice trembling. “I’ve got you. Just—just stay with me.”

Yukio dropped back at his side, grabbed Rin’s head, tilted it, and jammed a syringe of something into his neck.

Rin’s entire body seized, and the flames engulfed them.

— — — — —

“Poisoned,” Yukio had explained. “To suffocate him. Tailored for demons. He’d be dead if you’d delayed.”

It wasn’t much of a solace when Bon was sitting next to an unconscious Rin, still ringing his hands and trying to remind himself that breathing was something he had to do.

Yukio was staring at a textbook, pretending to read it. Bon knew he was pretending because he’d been staring at the same page for at least five minutes now. He doubted Yukio had read a single word on the page.

Yukio blew out a very noisy breath, drawing Bon’s gaze and making him realize he’d been watching the steady rise and fall of Rin’s chest, and that his hands were shaking. He stilled them and tucked them under his legs to hide the trembles.

“He’s going to be fine,” Yukio said, watching Rin’s monitors. He looked like he was trying to convince himself of the words more than anything.

“Yeah,” Bon croaked, swallowed, and tried again. “You were quick.” Whatever antidote Yukio had given Rin, it had bought them the handful of minutes they needed to get him to the hospital. The Illuminati’s poison was horrifically powerful stuff.

“You were too,” Yukio’s eyes turned on him momentarily before looking back at the consistent readouts on the monitor.

He didn’t feel like it. He felt like he was too slow. Rin never coughed. That should have been all the sign he needed that something was wrong. He’d just…

He’d missed that sign and it could have cost him Rin. For one terrible moment, it seemed very much like it had. For one terrible moment, Rin hadn’t been breathing, hadn’t even looked like his heart was beating, and Bon hadn’t been able to breathe either.

In the moment, he’d just been frightened and driven to do whatever he had to. He’d hefted Rin up again, carried his burning body across the campus, not caring at the strain to his back and shoulders, holding him as steady as he could while Yukio chanted and held the poison temporarily at bay. There hadn’t been time to think in those moments, just a senseless kind of terror.

But now… Now that the adrenaline had receded and left him shaky, he had too much time to think.

And there was a lot to think.

Rin’s hand was lying next to his leg, limp with fingers slightly curled, the way muscles tended to go when they were lax. The perfect position to just reach over and take the hand in his own. Bon wanted to take it in his own. He wanted to wrap his fingers around Rin’s and squeeze, maybe feel his pulse, and make sure he was still warm. He wanted it so much he could feel the burn of it in his throat. Wanted it so much it frightened him. It frightened him anyway. Frightened him that he could have missed something like this growing in himself.

He had fallen for Rin and never even noticed. Would he have ever noticed outside of something like this? Something that knocked the wind out of his chest and felt as brutal as a blow to the head? Something that forced him to change the way he looked at things? Something that forced him to stop and see?

He was rather an idiot.

He had fallen in love and never noticed. Rin’s cheerful chaos, endless compassion, exhilarating determination, his loyalty, humor… all of it had broken through Bon’s numerous shields and taken him down. It had all wound together, and at some point, Bon had been enraptured.

Whenever it had happened, and how ever it had happened, he had fallen for Rin, and he wasn’t the type to keep something like this quiet. Not when they led such dangerous lives. Rin’s had almost been snuffed out right in front of him. Right on the way to a stupid class, and simply because there were people that thought they should be dead.

The monitor kept beeping, and Bon kept staring at the floor as they both waited for Rin to wake up.

— — — — —

“Alright,” Yukio rolled his eyes in his fond way and moved towards the door. “I’ll find you some pudding, but only one! And I expect you to eat a double serving of vegetables.”

“Find me some that haven’t been cooked to hell and back, and we’ll talk,” Rin called after him, grinning all widely as his tail thumped cheerfully against the bed. He hated hospital gowns, but he did like how they let his tail move.

Ryuuji shifted in the seat beside him, and Rin looked over, still smiling, and found the sleepy looking boy staring at him. He was pretty sure neither of them had slept a wink while he was in here. He was pretty sure they were taking shifts to watch him. Sweet and overprotective guys that they were. It had been a juice he got from the cafeteria, so it wasn’t like they could have known.

(Rin just hoped there weren’t any other students hit.)

Still, it was obvious they both intended to watch him for every second for the next bit, and while he knew it was going to get really old, he was thoroughly enjoying the attention at this moment.

“Hey,” he said when he caught Ryuuji’s gaze. His tail thumped cheerfully, slipped between the bars of his rail, and flicked over Ryuuji’s leg.

“Hey yourself,” Ryuuji shifted slightly in his chair, uncurling his fingers from his slacks and brushing them through Rin’s fur. It was a slightly ticklish sensation, but soothing as well.

Ryuuji was staring at him with a serious little furrow between his brows. It wasn’t an angry sort of furrow, but it was a thinky sort. He was gripping the chair with his other hand.

“You okay?” Rin asked, a bit confused by the tension.

“Am I—Rin, you got poisoned and almost suffocated.”

Rin shrugged. That had been a few days ago now. He was going to be released tomorrow. “Yeah, but I’m good now, and—“

“You almost weren’t.”

Rin shifted onto his side even though he wasn’t supposed to. He ignored the way it made everything beep and pulled at all the wires. It made it easier to see Ryuuji, and that’s what mattered.

“I heal fast.”

Ryuuji released the chair to scrub a hand over his face. The furrow got deeper, and now it was looking a little angry.

“Rin, you—“

“It’s fine! You ran really fast and Yukio got me the smelly stuff in time.”

Ryuuji’s cheeks went a little pink. “You, uh, remember that?”

Rin’s stomach swooped a little. He liked Ryuuji’s blush and didn’t get to see it often enough. “Remember you hauling me up and dashing down the hall? Yep?” He’d been scared at the time, but he’d known Ryuuji was going to get him to help. Ryuuji had held him the entire time, made him feel safe even when he couldn’t get any air, and gotten him to Yukio. He’d held his hand and hadn’t shied back from the flames. Neither of them had.

Rin was safe in their hands.

“Doesn’t, uh, doesn’t change that you were the one that got hurt.”

Rin’s nose wrinkled. Had they been talking about that? He got a little distracted by the blush.

“Don’t worry about it. I feel fine. Just hungry, but I’m always hungry.” He smiled all cheekily, hoping Ryuuji’s worried furrow eased. Ryuuji shouldn’t be all worried.

“Yeah,” and Ryuuji’s gaze softened now, and Rin’s stomach filled with wildly fluttery chuchi. “I’ll sneak you an extra pudding later. Only edible shit they got here.”

Rin sank back in his pillow, all smiley and loose. He was breathing easily, and Ryuuji was still combing through his tail, and it was incredibly relaxing.

“Say, uh, can I tell you something?”

Rin nodded hard enough to make his bangs flop and realized someone had taken the time to pin them back for him.

Ryuuji watched him nod, gave his own small nod, dropped his gaze to the rail, and leaned forward. His hand moved slowly, giving Rin all the time in the world to move if he wanted to, and slowly, much too slowly, took Rin’s hand in his own.

Rin’s breath hitched in surprise (which was stupid, because it really had been so obvious what Ryuuji was trying to do) and Ryuuji’s eyes shot to his all worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Rin squeaked, “promise.”

Ryuuji’s ears went red along with his cheeks. “I… uh… I was worried. Really worried. And I had some time to think?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I… You’re important to me, Rin.”

Rin nodded. He knew that. You didn’t carry a person all over campus if they weren’t important to you.

“And, well, I would… I mean, I was wondering if…”

Ryuuji stuttered and stumbled over his words, and it suddenly occurred to Rin what was going on, and his tail wagged itself right out of Ryuuji’s hold.

“Ryuuji,” he asked, breathless with glee, “are you trying to ask me out?”

Ryuuji’s entire face was red now, and it was adorable. “I’m trying to ask you to be my boyfriend.”

Oh! That was a lot better than a single date. That was fantastic. He’d have drank that shitty poison ages ago if he knew it was going to get him that!

“And I know that—“

“Yes!” Rin hauled Ryuuji up and out of the chair with the hand he had – he really did feel fine – and up to the bed. Using Ryuuji’s surprise to his advantage, he caught Ryuuji by his shoulder and hauled him down over the rail, not really carrying that it was guaranteed to be uncomfortable, and into as tight a hug as he could manage with all the wires and tubes in his way. Ryuuji was stiff ofr a surprised moment, and then he was slumping into Rin’s hold, gently sliding his hands between Rin and the bed to hug him back, careful not to push or pull anything, even though it was Rin’s lungs that had been kind of fucked up and Ryuuji couldn’t hurt those.

His heart monitor started to beep out a much faster rhythm, and Rin didn’t care or even notice as he tucked his face against Ryuuji’s shoulder – it fit there perfectly! – and snuggled into warm and broad arms. This was totally worth almost suffocating.

“Brought the—oh.”

Rin and Ryuuji sprang apart as Yukio strolled into the room with his arms full of pudding cups. He had one very amused eyebrow raised and laughed a little at their sheepish expressions. Rin’s heart monitor was still beeping much too fast. He covered his face, flickering with his embarrassment as Ryuuji rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck.

“I guess that conversation went well.” Yukio strode into the room fully and set two cups next to Rin and passed a third to Ryuuji.

“Uh,” Ryuuji accepted the pudding cup.

Yukio popped the lid off his own and dipped his spoon inside. “Just so you know, I saw the others in the lobby. They’ll be here in a minute. Might want to watch your tail unless you want them all teasing you.”

Rin looked down, and sure enough, his tail had curled itself around Ryuuji’s leg. Oops. He unwound his tail, heard the excited chorus of his friends, and decided to hell with it as Ryuuji shifted to reclaim his seat. He grabbed his boyfriend's hand, and savored the way it immediately made Ryuuji’s eyes go all wide.

The door clattered open, and instead of letting him go, Ryuuji just tightened his grip and got an attractively determined expression on his face and squeezed Rin’s hand tight.

Yeah, Rin was absolutely safe in Ryuuji's hands.

#bonrin #ao no exorcist #blue exorcist #my tumblr fics #rin okumura #ryuuji suguro #ryuji suguro #bon suguro #aoex #bon/rin #bon x rin #bonfire #ane #aoe #bon having an oh! sort of moment is one of my favorite things

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kouuiz · 3 years ago

Text

Worth it.

Sundrop × gendernatural reader × Michael afton.

「𝗬/𝗡'𝘀 𝗣𝗢𝗩」

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" I yell a bit to loudly for my liking, wondering what that thing is that's displayed on the camera.

"Y/N, What are you doing?! Move away from the hall!" Gregory yells to me, I hear loud footsteps, signaling there's one of the animatronics behind me, I quickly go to shut one of the doors, making them bang their head.

I start coughing, Gregory patting my back to make sure I'm okay; "You alright?" I nod my head in reassurance, not wanting to worry the young child.

I see Freddy glitching for a moment, then see his eyes turn purple, "F-Freddy?" I question, no response.

I remember the task; well technically not a task it's to help us all out of here. Yes Freddy's coming along too. I'm not leaving him by himself. Especially not with these crazy robots.

"just hit the button I think.." I mumble to myself, thinking how this would work. I hit it and see it set of fire, affecting him.

Then I hear something coming from the vents. I quickly close it, knowing it was chica; what did she want? Anyways, I'm not worrying about that, I'm gonna get us all out of here.

Don't wanna lose hope yet so I'm not gonna be all 'hopeless' cause my parents said to never give up. Yes I'm rekindling when my parents told me that.

I hit the button again, while Gregory closes the doors meanwhile Freddy is still glitching.

While paying to much attention to the screen I hear and inhumane scream coming from down the hall, which makes me jump out of surprise and hit my knee somewhere near the desk, I hiss in pain, backing up a little not knowing my hand was bleeding.

Even though it's unhealthy not to tend to your wound; right now I could careless because I'm in a life or death situation right now.

I feel an unbearable pain in my lower abdomen, seeing blood seeping from my shirt. I must've injured something while running away from monty, I think I was running to much to realize how much blood I've lost and how much more I'm losing.

I slide down the wall, feeling no more energy in me. It feels like I'm taking my last breath. I'm gonna be honest...I'm scared. Should've tended to this wound early and drunk an energy drink from the vending machine and maybe I wouldn't be in this position right now.

Gregory looks over at me with an worried look; "Y/N, Are you okay?!" He questions me, I start breathing heavily, but I want him to know I am okay and there's no need to worry about me. "i-I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He looks back at me, then at the doors, then back at me. But before he goes to finish he gives me a hug.

"please be okay.." he whispers to himself but nonetheless I heard him clearly. Then he goes back to what he's doing, and I try to look for something to stop the blood...but nothing's there to help me.

My eyes slowly start to close, I don't want Gregory to do this all by himself, I want to help. I will help.

I try to get up only to fall back down and yelp in pain, this is the worst feeling ever. That must've been the deepest knife I had to the gut.

I start having flashbacks of a certain someone I never got to see again.

『𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔』

"Y/N! Where are you?!" A boy with a red fox mask yells out, you hide behind the couch in his house, not wanting him to see you, putting a finger to your lips, signaling Chris the youngest one to be quiet, seeing Elizabeth walk past and snicker at the both of you.

"I'll find you- I swear I will." You can feel the smirk forming on Michaels face. Don't worry it'll backfire on him.

Chris runs off, giving away you're hiding spot and giggling to himself. Chris is lucky you love him, or you would've decided to choke him at the moment.

Then a red fox mask appears in front of you, making you accidentally punch it; knocking whoever it was to the floor, come to find out it was just Michael. Maybe he deserved that.

"oUcH!" You crouch down to his side, taking his mask off and checking to see if he's okay. "Are you okay?" You say softly, cupping his face, he blushes grabbing onto your hand that's cupping his face, leaning a little closer to you, "Y/N...I wanted to tell you...I really, really like you." Don't worry, you and Michael have been friends for years; he's had feelings for you ever since the day he met you.

What a coincidence right? Cause you've felt the same.

That night when he came home with...all those things inside him, you weren't afraid, matter of fact you were surprised, surprised to see it appear in real life.

"ǤɆŦ ɃȺȻꝀ! Ɨ'M Ⱥ MØNSŦɆɌ!" He yells to me, but I only take a step closer, not worried about his appearance but his state, he is really injured, and we've only been together for three years now, I can't seem to get this image out my head.

What if he really died? What if he really never came back?!

At the moment, that was the only thing I was worried about. I'm not worried about how he looks, or what that thing is inside of him, I'm just worried he'd would never come back home and never be able to see me again, or me able to see him ever again.

"WĦɎ ȺɌɆN'Ŧ ɎØᵾ ȺFɌȺƗĐ ØF MɆ?" He questions, I only smile, "Because even though you have robot parts in you, you're still the same Michael." I tell him, he smiles once he hears that and begins crying, he hugs me right then, snuggling into my neck.

He's very cold, guess I could give him some warmth.

I would always give him some warmth.

Always.

He then let's go of me, holding onto my wrist, I comfort him the best way I can, knowing it would help cause he did say I give the best hugs.

Knowing what happened years ago at the diner traumatized me. William having to take me out the diner. At the time my parents weren't there and were worried what happened.

I still can't forget about that night. Even if I was young..who would forget?

I then give him one of my spare jackets, he gives me a kiss on the cheek, "I have to find my father. And after I end him, we'll be reunited again." My eyebrows furrow in confusion, "hm?...how long will that take?" I question him, he sighs, "I don't know, but I will be back, for you. I promise."

『𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚎𝚗𝚍』

I shake my head, trying not to remember that time. I've been waiting for many years now. What if I just found him? No that would break our promise. I can't do that. Meanwhile I'll still wait.

Gregory yells In victory, "YES!" and Freddy is back to normal, what went on? Is it ending?!

"Superstars! We need to leave now!" He yells to us, we start running; me and Gregory on different sides of Freddy, all of us running away before everything can start falling down.

I slowly turn around, seeing and burnt animatronic holding it's hand out, pointing at me, but one of the Funtime animatronics grab him by the throat and screech at him, yanking him up, that was Willam...I would recognize that face anywhere.

What kinda cult sh--t is going on here?! What happened to that old ass man back there? I haven't seen him in how many years?

We make it out the exit, I stop a minute for a breath, checking my lower abdomen, seeing the blood has stopped and I got some kind of energy back. That's good at least.

Gregory hugs me while happily sobbing, knowing that I'm okay, Freddy does the same thing as well, we all hug each other; making it into a group hug.

Then Sundrop appears behind me, joining the hug as well. I'm not gonna even ask how he got out. That's a story for another day.

"My little sunshine, are you okay?!" Sundrop asks me while shaking my shoulders; I smile in reassurance, "I-I'm fine, sundrop. Are you?" I softly whisper, he only hugs me, that's right, forgot to mention that they can turn into humans also.

Still shocks me. Either way I love 'em.

Freddy chuckles, we start walking down the empty street, the sun setting while everyone is about to settle in at our new home.

Sundrop holds onto my hand, kissing my knuckles which only makes me smile and wrap my arms around his waist. "...You remind me of him." I whisper to myself, I begin crying but quickly wipe my tears away.

We see a bunch of people heading home or either leaving for work. I hope we didn't miss much. Cause I'm gonna spend all the time I can before ever getting trapped in a pizzaplex again.

Sundrop spins me around, I yelp in shock, all of us talking amongst each other. Some kids running down the street and yelling at each other.

If I were another person and was trapped inside the pizzaplex, getting chased by crazed animatronics, I'd actually enjoy my time there because you actually went on an adventure without anyone having to tell you too.

That will be a night to remember. Six long hours in the pizzaplex was worth it.

#fnaf security breach #sundrop #fnaf gregory #fnaf sb #glamrock animatronics #glamrock freddy #fnaf montgomery #glamrock chica #fnaf 9 x reader #michael afton #chris afton #elizabeth afton #william afton

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forever-rogue · 3 years ago

Text

Oblivious

A/N | This is just a little sweet fluff with Buckaroo. It’s also a late little happy birthday for @falcor-thee-luck-dragon! I hope you (and everyone else) enjoys!

Summary | You’d think Bucky wouldn’t be so oblivious but...he was.

Pairing | Bucky x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 3.9k

Warnings | language

Masterlists | Bucky, Main

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

James Buchanan Barnes aka Bucky Barnes was a man of many talents and had a vast knowledge of a variety of things. Sometimes, however, things were so obvious and clear that they went right over his head. You could hit him in the face with a 2x4 and he wouldn’t know what happened oblivious. Like the fact that you, his girlfriend of almost a year, had the strange and peculiar ability to communicate with animals. You’d never hid it, nor explicitly told him about it, thinking it would be funny to see how long it would take him to catch on. 330 days (and counting) in and he hadn’t.

Bucky grabbed his phone, scrolling through his social media feeds quickly before pulling up Spotify and turning to his secret indulgence playlist - classical Italian Opera. Yeah. It was just a thing he had happened to really like for no particular reason. The only other living souls in his apartment with him were Archie, your black and white speckled mutt and Alpine, Bucky’s snow white cat. You were currently out of town for work and had asked Bucky if he minded watching Archie, to which he had of course said yes. It was no secret that Archie loved Bucky almost as much as you and vice versa - he was the goodest boy as Bucky had proclaimed. Plus, the cat and dog got along like they were old best friends.

Trailing into the bathroom, he stripped off his t-shirt and pajama pants as Archie laid on the bed and offered him a dismissal look. Alpine was tucked into his side as she slept soundly, paying no attention to her owner.

As he turned on the shower and let the water warm up, he finished stripping off his clothes before deciding to sing along with his music as best as he could. Bucky didn’t speak Italian. It showed. But he was passionate about giving it all as he got ready to take on the day. Archie groaned as Bucky hit a particularly high note, burying his face under the soft duvet.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You ever gonna ask her the question?” Sam raised an eyebrow at Bucky as the two men walked alongside the creek. Bucky had decided that ice cream and a walk for Archie were called for, so he’d taken advantage of the nice weather and gone outside. Missing your company, despite you only having been gone for a few days, he’d called up Sam and convinced him to meet up. Not that it took much convincing; the men were as thick as thieves, no matter how much they denied it. Co-workers, partners - best friends.

“Umm,” Bucky’s eyes widened as he almost choked on his ice cream, awkwardly coughing to cover up his nerves. Sam just snickered in response as he realized he already had his answer. After a moment he slowly nodded, “I have the ring...it’s been sitting in the sock drawer.”

“Sock drawer,” Sam snorted and shook his head as a flush of red colored Bucky’s neck and ears, “classic. When are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know,” Bucky sighed as he broke off a piece of waffle cone and handed it to Archie, who had been listening in very intently, “I want to...but what if it’s too soon. We technically don’t even live together yet-”

“Doesn’t she like to spend her time at yours? She’s practically moved in...most of the stuff at your place is hers anyway,” Sam reminded him as Bucky made a small, noncommittal sound. It was true - when you’d first met Bucky his place had been minimal and bare. Now, with your time and touch, it felt like a home; a home you had lovingly built with him. Sam bumped Bucky’s shoulder with his, “just get it all done in one swoop. She’ll say yes.”

Archie made a small sound, agreeing with Sam as he rubbed his snout against Bucky’s thigh. He visibly relaxed as he nodded, hoping that this would be enough to psych him up, “I’ll think about it-”

“No thinking about it,” Sam tutted gently, “you’re going to do it. You’ve been a fool - a straight up head over heels in love fool - since you’ve met her. You’re going to ask.”

“Sam…”

“How long have you had the ring?”

“Sam.”

“Bucky.”

“A few weeks after we started dating,” Bucky cast his glance at the ground as warmth flushed up in his cheeks. He’d expected Sam to burst out in laughter, but luckily the other man said nothing, but a smile stretched across his features, “it seems so silly but you know..I just felt like I knew.”

“Sometimes you do,” Sam agreed, putting his arm around his shoulder and pulling him for a quick hug, “you just gotta do it, Buck. She won’t say no.”

Archie barked in response, looking between the two men, wagging his tail excitedly. Sam offered him a few pets before nodding in response.

“She comes home in a few days,” he couldn’t wait to pick you up from the airport and have you jump into his arms while he finally got to hold you again, “I’ve got until then to pluck up the courage.”

“Just don’t lay it on her right away…” Sam snorted as he picked Bucky running up to you immediately pouring his heart out to you. Not a good idea, “give her a moment to be calm and breath.”

“Shut up,” Bucky huffed as he finished the rest of his ice cream, “I’ve got this!”

“We’re all counting on that!”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Bucky set the empty popcorn bowl back on the coffee table as he tried not to sniffle too loudly. His eyes were misty and burning with unshed tears as he watched whatever cheesy romance he had randomly selected. He pulled the soft blanket he was curled up in higher, savoring the fact that it still managed to have a faint bit of your smell on it. Alpine was curled up on the back of the couch, snoozing away while Archie was laying next to him, his head resting on Bucky’s thigh. He was on and off sleeping, but had peeped open an eye when he first heard Bucky sniffle.

“They’re in love,” he whispered gently, unsure if he was speaking to himself or talking to his furry companions. He was scratching Archie’s ears as he watched the scenes play out on the screen, “but they can’t be together. Their families would never allow it.”

Archie huffed lightly as he burrowed further into Bucky’s touch. It was the first time he’d seen the man get so emotional over the movie. Bucky had feelings, plenty of them, of course, but there was something about the movie he’d picked, combined with how much he was missing you that caused him to just lose it. It was like the dam had burst and his emotions were out of control.

He sat back and watched the rest of the movie in silence, a few tears running down his cheeks as he watched the love story play out. By the end of the movie, Archie was fully in his lap and Alpine was resting on his chest, “he left everything behind for her, so they could start a new life together far away. They really were next to meant to be together. It’s beautiful.”

The furry little ones were absolutely going to tell you about this.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Archie yawned and slowly stretched before hopping down from the couch and heading towards Bucky’s bedroom. He tried to nose the door open as he learned to do, but was stopped when he found that it was closed all the way. His head tilted in curiosity and whined softly as he tried to see if Bucky was awake so he would let him in.

As soon as he did, the dog regretted it. All he could hear coming from inside was the soft sounds coming from Bucky. Soft moans and sounds and gentle whispers of your name. His eyes widened as the dog took off down the hall and ran back into the living room, flopping down on his dog bed and cuddling up to Alpine as he tried to empty his mind. All the poor dog had wanted to do was to sleep in the big soft bed - not be scarred for life.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Bucky!” as soon as you’d gotten cleared and walked through arrivals and gotten your single bag, you’d kept your eyes peeled for Bucky. It didn’t take long to find him, standing near the back, blue eyes scanning the arrivals with a hopeful little smile on his face. You almost dropped your bag as you ran over to him. As soon as you were in arm’s reach, you dropped everything to the ground, and Bucky effortlessly scooped you up in his arms. You threw your arms around his neck as he held you in a tight embrace, “James. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” he sighed in content, happy to have you in his arms once again. Everything about you set his soul on fire, as he held onto you as tightly as possible. After a moment, he slowly set you back down, but not before peppering your face in gentle kisses, “you’re so beautiful.”

“Bucky,” you reached up and gently touched his cheek, “you’re too much. I’m so glad to be home.”

“Not quite yet.”

“Sure I am,” you insisted quietly, “I’m here with you. You’re my home, Bucky.”

The small velvet box was practically burning a hole in his pocket as you looked at him like he was everything - your whole world (he was). Unable to form a proper sentence, he grabbed your face and pulled you close to him, crashing his lips onto yours, kissing you like you weren’t in the middle of a crowded airport. He could feel you smiling against his lips, reluctantly breaking apart from you only once you were both breathless.

“What was that for?” you asked shyly, feeling your face flush with warmth as he picked up your bags for you. You were watching him with pure adoration as he reached for your hand and laced your fingers together.

“Nothing,” he shrugged softly, “jus’ missed you is all, pretty girl.”

“I missed you too, Bucky,” you promised, “I love you.”

“I love you more than all the moon and stars, pretty girl.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“What?” you asked as Archie came into the kitchen and sat down, watching you intently as you finished up the cookies you had been working. Bucky was busy with Sam that afternoon, so you’d decided to make a little sweet treat for both of you. You’d been home for a few days and fallen into an easy routine, having opted to stay with Bucky for the time being rather than going back to your own place, “you’ve got something to say, I can tell.”

Just missed you. I like when you’re home, you and Bucky. And Alpine.

“I missed you too, buddy,” you promised, leaning over to his head a gentle pet, “did you have fun while I was gone?”

Yes. Bucky takes good care of me. I like Alpine too. She’s nice.

“I happen to like them a lot too,” you grinned at your friend, “I’m glad you do too. I think...I really love him, Archie. I think, no, I know - he’s the one.”

He thinks so too. He told Sam you’re the one - and us too.

“Really?” you almost dropped the cookies you were plating up in surprise as you bit the inside of your cheek to keep from squealing in excitement, “you’re not messing with me, are you?”

It’s true. He’s got...well, you’ll see. He likes romance movies apparently. And singing opera.

“Oh?”

He was watching a movie. He ate two bowls of popcorn and cried. He let me and Alpine sit on him though so it was okay. He sings opera when he showers in the morning. He’s not good but he tries.

“Archie! Don’t be a meanie,” you chuckled as you tried to picture the scene. It would have been hilarious to see. You’d always known Bucky had a soft side, you just didn’t know how soft, “but I will remember that and use it to my advantage when I want to watch a cheesy movie.”

Please do. He gives good pets when he’s in that mood. He always gives good pets.

“He’s a good man,” you grinned as you reached over the counter for a good treat that you easily tossed to him, “I really love him.”

He really loves you. One night I...never mind.

“No, no,” you shook your head as you waggled another treat at him, “out with it! Or I’ll hide all of your treats!”

Fine. But you didn’t hear it from me - I wanted to sleep in the big bed one night and the door was closed and I heard him. He was...saying your name.

Your brows narrowed in confusion for a moment as you pulled another treat out and twirled it in your fingers for a moment. Then you hit you, what he had meant, “oh. Oh. That is...good to know, I suppose.”

Not for me. I just wanted to sleep, not...hear that.

“Sorry buddy,” you snorted as you handed him another treat, “that will stay between us. Besides...he still doesn’t know we can communicate. I wonder if he’ll ever put two and two together?”

You could just tell him.

“But where’s the fun in that?” you teased as the door opened and Bucky walked in, a giant grin on his face. You looked at Archie and shot him a wink before turning to Bucky, “hello, my love. You’re just in time! Cookies are done and cooled!”

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Bucky came over and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips before petting Archie, “I love you. Is someone here? I could have sworn you were talking to someone…”

“Nope,” you (half) lied, covering up with a brilliant smile, “just me and the dog and cat.”

“Oh,” he shrugged, thinking it was just his imagination, “what’s all this? Cookies - whatever for?”

“Just because I love you,” you grinned as Archie groaned and laid down, “both of you!”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You stopped for a moment to catch your breath as you reached one of the peaks of the small mountain you and Bucky were hiking. It was a glorious day so you’d decided there was no better plan than to get out and enjoy nature. He had no problem at any point, even offering to piggy back you when you’d grown tired; you’d just defiantly stuck your tongue out at the super soldier and carried on.

“This view is absolutely breathtaking,” you looked over the small cliff, admiring the tranquil expanse of the woods in front of you. Bucky was at your side, his eyes on you the entire time.

“Yeah,” he agreed with a grin, “it’s pretty amazin’.”

“Bucky,” you turned around and rolled your eyes at him as he pulled you in for a kiss, causing you to break into a fit of giggles, “I’m all gross and sweaty!”

“Don’t care,” he insisted as his hands found purchase on your waist and pulled you closer against him, his lips already ghosting over yours, “jus’ want you, baby.”

“Bucky,” his name was soft on your lips, but before anything else could happen, you were stopped by a small, almost nervous little voice from up above.

Umm, hi! I don’t want to interrupt but…

You pulled back from Bucky for a moment before looking at the tree, where you found a small squirrel sitting on a branch and watching you both. Bucky was surprised for a moment but calmed when you gave his shoulder a squeeze and gently moved past him and towards your new friend.

“Hi,” you smiled at her and offered a smile, picking up an acorn and handing it over to her, “is everything alright?”

Oh yes. I just wanted to let you know there’s a big group of people coming. If you want some privacy you should go somewhere more secluded! They’re pretty loud, I don’t like big groups.

“Oh!” you giggled as you could only imagine the awkward scenario if you’d been caught, “thanks for the heads up! We’ll definitely get out of here. I’m sorry you have to deal with all the noise.”

It’s okay. I’m going back to my nest now! If you go down the hill, there’s a more private path that leads back down the mountain. There’s signs if you need them.

“Why thank you,” you grinned as you reached up and she let you pet her, “you’ve been very helpful. Maybe one day we’ll see each other again.“

No problem. I hope so too! Thank you for the acorn!

“Anytime,” you promised as she scurried away with her new treasure. You shook your head in amusement as you turned back around to Bucky, to find him watching you with wide eyes. He wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, almost wondering if he was hallucinating. Had you just gone mad and tried to speak to a squirrel? You laughed lightly at the shocked look on his features, “oh.”

“What was...what was that?” he asked as you rejoined him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. His eyes were still scanning the branch the small squirrel had just occupied.

“She was just warning us that there’s a group of hikers coming our way and we should find someplace more private,” you said as if it was no big deal. It didn’t help Bucky in the slightest.

“She? A warning...how….That was a squirrel!”

“I was wondering if you’d ever put two and two together,” you laughed, almost doubling over in laughter, “I...Bucky, I don’t know how or why but I can communicate with animals.”

“You can….how long?!”

“Ever since I’ve been a child?” you held up your hands in earnest, “its something I’ve always been able to do. I don’t advertise it, obviously because people generally think I’m crazy, but I would think you of all people understand. It’s just been...fun to wait and see if you’d ever figure it out.”

“All those times…” he ran a hand over his face in exasperation and disbelief as you watched him in amusement. He was a brilliant, smart man but sometimes he was so oblivious. You couldn’t love him anymore if you tried, “it wasn’t just...a one sided conversation. It all makes sense now. Wow, that’s amazing! What a wonderful thing to possess.”

“I’ve always liked it,” you agreed, “it’s different, you know? But special in its own way.”

“Wait…” he mused for a moment, “so all those times...oh. H-how much have Archie and Alpine told you? Have they always talked to you?”

“Yup,” you crossed your arms over your chest, as you watched his neck and ears turn red, “those two in particular are very animated and over the top. They’re the worst little gossip duo. Almost like you and Sammy.”

“Of course they are,” he groaned as you reached for his hand and pulled him towards. He gave you a sheepish grin as you pressed a light kiss to his knuckles, “they told you about the movie, huh?”

“Archie,” you confirmed, “but he did say you gave him the best pets.”

“Did he tell about...oh no,” this time his whole face was a brilliant crimson, “I-I…”

“Oh stop,” you teased, “I’m flattered and honored. It’s not like I don’t do the same when I’m not with you.”

“Really?” he perked up with pride as you just nodded in amusement, “well then. Wait - did he tell you about Sam?”

“He said you went on a walk with him but that was it,” you shrugged, “nothing really. I do know that he loves you and Alpine very much. And so do I, obviously.”

“Okay,” he relaxed slightly as you took his hand and started to lead him towards the more secluded path your little squirrel had told you about. The box in his pocket was once again burning a hole, “good.”

“Everything okay, Bub?” you asked as he just nodded, lips pursed as he fell into step behind you. Something was definitely off, but you weren’t going to push him on it. If anything, you knew he’d come around and speak his mind about what was going on. He usually always did.

A silence, one neither tense nor uncomfortable, fell over the two of you as you walked down the quiet trail. It was beautiful - lush greenery and newly bloomed plants everywhere. At one point you stopped and pulled out your phone to take a few pictures of the natural beauty. Bucky had been so lost in his own thoughts, his heart practically pounding in his chest and consuming every part of him that he almost bowled into you and knocked you over.

“James!” it was somewhere between a groan and laugh as he caught you in his arms in order to keep you from tumbling into a bunch of bushes. You were face to face with Bucky, looking at him intently as he steadied you, “alright, something’s up. Come on - out with it. You know you can tell me anything.”

“I umm...marry me?” all the speeches he had gone over and planned wet out the window as he just stared at you with nervous eyes. You’d been so taken aback by his sudden question that you took a step back and gave him a curious expression. Bucky’s stomach was in absolute knots as he wondered if he’d just fucked everything up.

“W-what?” your voice was a small squeak, as you tried to see if he was just pulling your leg. But his gaze never wavered, “what did you just ask me?”

“I…” he stopped over a moment before reaching into his pocket with trembling hands and pulling out a small box. Your eyes widened in response as you realized that was not joking at all, further evidenced when he popped it open and showed you the ring inside. Your mouth dropped open when it all came together, “I thought the whole proposal would go a lot differently than this but umm...yeah. Will you marry me? That’s what I’m trying to ask...I’m glad Archie hadn’t spoiled that for you.”

“No,” you shook your head as you already felt tears pricking at your eyes, “he definitely didn’t. I thought he might have been holding something back, but I...I had no idea.”

“I know it hasn’t even been a year yet, but I feel like when you know someone 's the one..you know,” he admitted softly, “and I know you’re the one. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I want to call my wife...my everything.”

“James,” you looked between him and the ring a few more times before swallowing the lump in your throat, “gods, I am so in love with you. There was never a doubt in my mind that it was meant to be you. Yes, of course yes.”

“Really?!”

“Of course,” you beamed at him, “I love you, Bucky. You’re my forever.”

“Forever,” he breathed softly, “I like the sound of that.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x fem!reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan #bucky barnes

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drabbles-of-writing · 3 years ago

Text

You’ll Be Okay

AO3

fourth owl fight attack! This one’s prompt was “Hunter and Luz being siblings” and I went a whole Direction with it

Summary: The Emperor was defeated. Amongst the ruins of a half-destroyed castle, Luz finds Hunter. While waiting for the others to find them, Hunter's shields finally fall apart. After all, at the end of the day, he was just a kid.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Luz found Hunter in the wreckage of the Emperor’s Castle, using his staff (the one that had Rascal perched atop, not the other, artificial staff. That one had been snapped in two) to support himself, his other hand clutching his side.

“There you are!” She breathed, rushing forward.

Hunter flinched at the noise and whirled around, lifting his staff to aim it before falling over at the lack of support. He hissed and curled up on the ground, eyes squeezed shut.

Luz faltered for a moment before continuing towards him, albeit much slower and cautiously now.

“Hunter?” She called, crouched down low.

He cracked open a wild, unfocused eye. It took a moment till it landed on her, and a few more until she could start to see him process who she was.

“Hey,” He croaked, slowly raising his head. “I was beginning to think I’d gotten rid of you for good.” He chuckled, before he was wracked with coughs and curled back in on himself.

“Oh please, you’ll have to try way harder than that.” Luz huffed, though the forced teasing in her tone didn’t work much. “Are you…okay?”

“Take a wild guess,” Hunter muttered, bracing one hand on the ground as the other stayed wrapped around his side.

And yeah, in hindsight, he really wasn’t. His white cloak was ratty and torn all over, the piece of under armor he often used barely hanging on by one strap. He was covered in gashes, bruises, grime, and who-knows-what. His breathing was ragged and raspy, and she figured that, yeah, when one is used as a living portal-booster they aren’t going to come out of it okay.

“Alright, fair, bad question.” Luz admitted, inching closer and placing a hand on his leg. “You need any help?”

“If I say no,” Hunter wheezed, eyeing her hand for a moment. “You’ll help me anyway.”

“Yeah,” Luz shrugged. “But it’s polite to ask.”

“Never stopped you before,” He rasped with the faintest of smiles, slowly leaning back until he was flat on the ground, staring up at the sky.

“Need a minute?” Luz asked, scooting until she was sitting right beside him.

“Or three,” Hunter agreed, shutting his eyes. “Everything kinda hurts.”

“Then rest, someone will find us eventually.” Luz assured. “I…may have run off to find you when I realized you weren’t with the others.” She admitted sheepishly, rubbing her neck.

“If they accuse me of kidnapping, I’ll break your shins.” Hunter threatened, though his tone never changed, and his eyes stayed shut.

“Understood,” Luz smiled, watching as Rascal transformed back into his usual self, chirping as he settled himself on Hunter’s stomach.

And the two remained silent for what felt like hours, though Luz was willing to bet it had been no more than ten minutes. She just looked out at the rubble around them, aching all over as a light wind breezed by. Had she not seen Hunter’s ear flicking periodically with the wind tickling it, she probably would’ve thought he’d died then. His breathing barely even disturbed Rascal, which she had to wonder if he was doing on purpose or not.

“When are you leaving?”

Luz blinked, turning her head down, finding Hunter had cracked open a single eye and was peering up at her.

“Huh?”

“The portal, you went through all this trouble to go back to the human realm, right?” He said. “So, when are you leaving?”

“Oh, uh,” Luz swallowed, shoving down the memory of standing before blinding car lights, reaching for a hand she phased right through. “I...I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Hunter repeated, giving her an incredulous look. “You went through all this trouble--”

“Okay, in my defense, this goes a little beyond getting the portal back, there were other reasons.” Luz said, waving her arms to the ruins around them.

“Still,” Hunter braced his arms under him, grunting with the effort as he pushed himself upright, disturbing Rascal. “Last I checked, the portal’s fine. How come you’re not making a beeline for it?”

“Uh, because I need to make sure my friends are okay?” Luz said, like this was the most obvious thing in the world, which, really, it should’ve been. “I’m not gonna leave right away. I need a day or two to make sure everyone's alright and figure out what they’re gonna do now.”

“Go back to normal?” Hunter raised a brow.

“An entire government was just dismantled, Hunter.” Luz deadpanned. “My fantasy books never really got to the part of explaining how they fixed a toppled tyrannical way of ruling, but knowing the Boiling Isles, I doubt this is gonna be easy.”

“Let the people good with politics handle that,” Hunter said casually, slumping back down on the ground and throwing an arm over his face. “They’re not gonna listen to a teenage human and her band of misfits for a new government, anyway.”

“Lilith might be good at figuring that out,” Luz hummed, ignoring him. “She has experience. Raine, too, technically.”

“If you put Lilith in charge, every witch and demon in the Isles will riot in the street.”

“We’re not putting her in charge,” Luz stressed, appalled at the thought. “Just guiding people. See? This is why I need to stay for a little bit, I gotta know what's gonna happen!”

“Do you actually want to go back, or was this all a game of keepsies?” Hunter muttered.

“Of course I--I’m not arguing with you, you’re wounded.” Luz said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

“I'm not in that bad of shape."

“Really now,” Luz said drawled, reaching out a hand towards his chest before Hunter batted it away.

"You trying to hurt me more?" Hunter grumbled, rolling onto his side and wincing with the movement.

"I don't think you could get any more hurt if you tried." Luz deadpanned.

“I’ve had worse than this.” Hunter wheezed out, Rascal fluttering around him anxiously.

“Worse than a living portal puppet...thing?” Luz lifted a brow disbelievingly.

“...alright, fair,” Hunter sighed, a wheezing, noisy one as he shook his head. “This is probably the worst. New record.”

“I don’t want to know what the old record was.” Luz cringed as Hunter rolled onto his back once more, wincing with the movement. “You think the worst of it came from the portal, or being thrown around like a ragdoll by an eldritch abomination?”

“Portal thing,” Hunter said, eyes shut. “I’m used to…” He trailed off, mouth clicking shut as he refused to finish the sentence.

Used to Belos, Luz reasoned, was likely where he was going with that. She gazed at him sadly, his hands clenched into fists over his stomach now, Rascal nudging at his shoulder.

“He didn’t make it, right?” Hunter asked softly, and she didn’t ask him to clarify who.

“I don’t think so, we didn’t find anything.” Luz answered. “We could go check where we last saw him...if you’d like.”

“...later,” Hunter sighed, raising his hands to press the heels of them up against his eyes, fingers gripping his hair. “I don’t wanna think about it much right now.”

“I’m,” Luz started, fiddling with her sleeve. “I’m sorry, about all this.” She said, because she didn’t know what else she could say.

“No, you’re not.” Hunter scoffed bitterly. “You’re glad it’s over.”

“I am,” Luz agreed. “That doesn’t mean I’m still not sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you, I get it.” Hunter said, agonizingly gently. “I don’t need your pity.”

“I’m not--Dios,” Luz muttered as she ran a hand over her face. “Me olvidé de lo reprimido que estabas. You are my friend,” Luz shoved lightly at his shoulder, and he jerked and raised one hand away to give her an offended look. “And as your friend, should the stars align, I am sorry that this terrible situation happened to you, because I care about your well being.” She said, perhaps a few notches more aggressively than intended.

“...I’m your friend?” Hunter blinked, removing his other hand.

“Yes! Yes, you’re my friend! Are we seriously still on that page?” Luz demanded, almost yanking at her hair. She raised a hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “If you start protesting about all the times you were a jerk to me before you switched sides, I’m going to hit you.”

“...you have a very mean way of expressing concern.” Hunter settled on, voice small.

“Because you,” Luz poked at his forehead and got a growl in return. “Can’t get it through your thick head that other people can care about you. Newsflash, buddy. Eda’s already talking to Hooty about making another room for you.”

“She what--”

“So I’m sorry that the castle is destroyed, and I’m sorry that your uncle is gone, because you cared about him.” Luz continued before he could butt-in. “And about that whole...Grimwalker thing, which is a whole other pile of messed up things, but you get the point.” She waved her hands around. “You...you deserved better.” She finally finished, realizing she’d sat up at one point to face him, and now leaned back on her knees.

Hunter stared at her for a moment, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. Rascal had crawled his way up and onto his shoulder now, looking between the two of them.

Eventually, the tension left his body, and he lay on his side, cheek pressed into the dirty, rocky ground. Rascal jolted, fluttering up onto his head.

“He was awful,” Hunter mumbled, like he was trying to convince someone.

“I know,” Luz sighed, looking down at him. “But you loved him.” She said, and Hunter didn’t dispute it.

“...m’sorry,” Hunter got out, which sounded like a shuttering gasp, as though his throat was closing up.

“What for?” Luz tilted her head.

“You want the list?” Hunter managed, his snark falling short as he rapidly blinked his eyes. “I’d ask why you care at all, but you’re Luz.” He said, shaking his head slightly. “You’re too nice for your own good.”

“It worked out this time, didn’t it?” Luz said, offering a tiny smile as she held out a hand, just short of touching him.

He eyed her hand for a moment, then his gaze flicked across her face, searching. He must’ve seen something, because the little resolve he had left broke, and he reached for Luz’s hand and gripped onto it far more forcefully than needed.

She hoisted him upright, and barely had a moment to spare until he was grabbing onto her, hands fisted in the back of her shirt as he pressed his face into her shoulder. She froze for just a moment before she returned the hug, forcing herself not to protest against the tight grip along her back, definitely going to form nasty bruises later.

She saw that the white of his cloak was covered in dirt and blood all across his back, from injuries he must’ve sustained, though most of it looked dried now. She wondered if it hurt for him to lay on his back like that, and avoided disturbing those wounds as he trembled in her arms.

He shook with cries that were barely choked back, and she pressed the side of her face against his head. Rascal warbled sadly and nuzzled into his head from where he was perched in his hair.

Luz murmured words she couldn’t remember for the life of her, rubbing small circles across the uninjured parts of his back. He only pressed closer, clinging desperately like she’d vanish if he didn’t, and Luz had to put in effort to not fall back.

It might’ve been a few minutes, it might’ve been longer, but gradually, Hunter ran out of steam. His strained cries became muffled sniffles, slumping against Luz like dead weight.

“Sorry,” Hunter hiccupped again, voice muffled against her shoulder. “I think I got your cloak dirty.”

“It was already pretty messy.” Luz assured. “You wanna talk about it?”

“No,” Hunter muffled, hunching his shoulders.

“Okay,” Luz said simply. “We’ve got time.”

“And ain’t that a new concept,” Hunter mumbled, raising his head slightly to instead rest his chin on top of Luz’s shoulder, and she could already feel him wiping at his face. “Having time. I didn’t think I’d make it past nineteen, if I was lucky.” He sniffled, voice hoarse and raspy.

“That…” Luz frowned. “Yeah, we’re gonna make you see someone for all of that.”

“Make me?” Hunter repeated, a faint, fading amusement to his tone.

“We have our ways.” Luz said with a hint of pride. “You’d be surprised.”

Hunter remained quiet for a moment, and Luz watched the old, ripped tapestries in the rubble wave when the wind went by them. She wondered if Eda would be stealing any of those as a trophy, and how long it’d take before Lilith took it away from her.

“Are you going to come back?” Hunter asked, quietly, curiously, without any hint of pleading in his tone, which she was quite impressed by. The subtle grip around her sides tightening just an inch gave him away, though.

“Of course,” Luz said, not needing clarification on what he had meant. “I couldn’t leave this place forever, not even if I wanted to.” She said, and prayed she wasn't lying.

“Yeah, you couldn’t.” Hunter snorted, slowly pulling back as he wiped up the last of his face, though it was still pretty damp as he faced Luz. “They’d be insufferable trying to get you back.” He said, frazzled hair hanging into his eyes.

“Oh, so you wouldn’t put in an effort, then?” Luz scoffed good-naturedly. “Can’t wait to get rid of me, huh?”

“Well now how am I supposed to respond to that?” Hunter demanded in a whine. “I say yes, and you start getting melodramatic and bringing up pointless random acts of kindness like I’m a liar. I say no, and you get all starry-eyed and unbearable.” He complained.

Luz laughed, despite it all. Hunter rolled his eyes and sat back, looking up at Rascal on his head like they were in on some joke she was missing. He chuckled along with her and shook his head, ears twitching down.

“You’re impossible,” He huffed, though he bore a smile.

“I know,” Luz grinned. “And what’s it say about you, still caring anyway?”

“Don’t push it.” Hunter warned, shoving her shoulder as he leaned further back, her only giggling in response.

A call sounded off in the distance, and they both snapped their heads in the direction of the sound. Hunter’s ears pricked high, the sudden shift in personality from relaxed to alert being another slightly alarming thing to put on Luz’s list of traits Hunter had.

The call sounded again, and Luz could recognize the sound of Eda’s voice. She smiled and stood, untangling herself from Hunter as she peered out at the terrain, seeing a figure off in the distance, and if she squinted enough, she could see a few more not too far away.

“Over here!” Luz shouted, hands cupped around her mouth.

“Ow,” Hunter winced, rubbing at his ears.

“Oh, are they sensitive?” Luz worried, lowering her voice.

“Just a bit, I think I had a concussion earlier.” Hunter said, shaking his head to clear it.

“You’re seeing a healer,” Luz said firmly, looking back out to the figures in the distance. “Cover your ears.”

Hunter grumbled something about Luz being dramatic, covering his ears as Luz continued waving her hands and hollering to the others. It took a moment, but she saw one of them break away before the others followed suit, and Eda’s wild nest of hair could be recognizable from anywhere.

“Are you ready to make formal introductions?” Luz grinned down at Hunter, who slowly drew his hands away from his ears.

“Do I have to?” Hunter whined. “I could just live off the land, making a tent isn’t that hard. I know how to steal.”

“Nice try,” Luz lightly pushed at his head. “Unless you’ve got a proper living space, you’re staying in the Owl House.”

“I’m sixteen, no place in Bonesborough will give me an apartment unless I’m rich.” Hunter complained.

“Precisely,” Luz said simply, offering a hand to him. “Wanna try standing up?”

“I guess,” Hunter grumbled, taking her hand and letting her pull him to his feet.

He stumbled for a moment, hissing and favoring his right foot, and would’ve fallen right back over if Luz didn’t stop his fall with her body, hanging onto his arm to steady him.

“Yeah, that’s sprained. Or twisted, don’t really feel like checking.” Hunter gritted out, Rascal cheeping from his head before flying off, transforming into a staff that Hunter was quick to grab and then lean on, taking his weight off Luz.

“Viney can take a look at it, I’m pretty sure she came with us.” Luz said, grabbing Hunter’s hand and slinging it over her shoulder. “C’mon, let’s meet them halfway. You’re lighter than a sack of lumpy potatoes, it’s not hard to carry you.”

“I resent that,” Hunter growled, though he let her do as she wished. “You're just weirdly strong.”

“You live in the Boiling Isles, you're telling me you're not?” Luz scoffed, beginning to walk with Hunter, who used his staff occasionally to push aside heaps of rock or try and limp himself along.

“Well, I don’t exactly have a frame of reference.” Hunter drawled, looking up, his ears pinning back against his head when he could make out who was approaching in the distance. Luz could now see that King was sitting atop Eda’s shoulder, too.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Luz said, noting Hunter’s nerves suddenly spiking. “Are you ready to meet everyone, outside of, you know, portal mishaps?”

Hunter swallowed, looking down at Luz with something that might’ve been fear swirling in his eyes. He searched her face, closing his eyes and taking in half a breath, anything more causing him to cough, exhaling as he opened his eyes again, facing off towards where the others were gathered, the fear replaced with determination.

“Yeah,” He said, clearing his throat when his voice started to shake. “Yeah, I think so.”

Luz smiled, bumping her body against his, and he looked at her with a smile of his own that might just have been hopeful.

She turned back to call a greeting to her friends as Eda was already scolding her for running off the moment she was in earshot, King wailing something about being worried. Hunter gave them his best crooked smile, despite his earlier claims, insisting she’d only come to drag him out of the rubble.

Yeah, Luz thought as she watched Eda and King pause and look Hunter over, easily slipping into mocking him for how beat up he looked, like nothing had ever gone sideways, and it was any other day in the Isles. They’d be okay.

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