#Light spoiler concerning her other recent visit:

[lordofthestrix]

-drops in to remind Tristan that she loves him and she’s very excited to give him his Christmas present-

[alicesadventuresinffxiv]

FFxivWrite2024 Prompt #10

Title: A Stable to Hubris

Wordcount: 950

Spoilers through: Dawntrail, specifically for a mount you can buy in the second city

Relationships & Characters: Sadu/Cirina

Summary: Cirina and Sadu investigate Magnai’s mysterious new “horse."

(After doing a bunch of heavy/angsty fills for the past few prompts, I was in the mood for something lighter! And no, I'm not sure why my brain saw "stable" and immediately responded with this of all things, but enjoy!)

.

The Steppe, as a whole, was not conducive to stables. With tribes migrating from place to place and their herds left to graze in the open, there was little call for large, covered houses for horses as were oft seen in Doma, Thavnair, or other parts of Ilsabard. They were a waste of time and wood both.

Therefore, the khan of the Oronir declaring with great ceremony that he had acquired an automatic horse and had built a magnificent box to house it was met with... puzzlement, on the whole. Derision, out of Magnai's earshot.

However, as the Mol still maintained their leadership role, the gods had decreed Cirina must investigate and ensure this curious development would not pose a threat to the delicate political balance of the Steppe. Telemun Khatun had presented the task to her with the utmost gravity. 

Her grandmother had also winked and suggested the gods might be interested less in the mysterious horse and its extravagant stable, and more in the company Cirina might meet in the course of her investigation. This had seemed quite plausible to the young Mol maiden, and so, with a spring in her step, she had donned her bow and her bandolier of smoke bombs (such a lovely gift from Yugiri!) and crept onto the Dawn Throne under the cover of night.

Sure enough, at the pasture where she located a hastily-erected box hulking over the grass, she also found Sadu Khatun.

“So the Dotharl too have grown concerned.” Cirina chose to make her presence known rather than chance startling the powerful mage.

“Ha! Concern is a strong word. We merely wish to ascertain the extent of the Oronir’s foolishness.”

“And your conclusion?”

At that, Sadu crossed her arms and frowned. “By all appearances, they have built a monument to a pile of scrap! And yet, it cannot be so simple…”

Magnai’s boastful insistence he would revolutionize warfare on the Steppe was difficult to swallow, but even he was not so moonstruck as to claim such a feat without reason.

“You think it a trick? Perhaps a distraction to conceal his true strategy for the Naadam?”

“If it is a distraction, it is a troubling one. See here.” Sadu beckoned for Cirina to follow, then disappeared into the gaping maw of the painted shed.

Inside, the air took on the tense, prickling sensation common to the House of the Crooked Coin and thunderstorms. It grew heavier and heavier with each step Cirina tiptoed inside, until she found its source: a lump of some black and silver metallic substance lying in a pile of hay in the center. 

Cirina put her hands on her hips. “It is a pitiful creature, this horse.”

“Quite. It does not even possess the strength to stand unassisted.” Sadu pried the lump off of the ground and set it to lean against the wall. “Yet it carries with it a letter. Inside the compartment here.” She tapped the head of the beast, and part of the black substance receded to reveal a slip of paper.

Cirina pulled the paper out as Sadu summoned a small globe of flame to light the stable.

“...Seven and a half thousand - no, million gil…” The Mol hunter’s eyes widened as she continued scanning the receipt. “A delivery intended for the ‘Warrior of Light’? The Khagan?”

“They did visit recently. Mayhap the carrier missed them.” Sadu then clenched her fists, seething. “But for that self-centered oaf to hide it an claim it as his own…!”

“Unconscionable.” Cirina piously intoned. "By the measure of the gods, horse thieves are the worst of criminals."

Sadu nodded gravely. “The Dotharl stand will stand by this judgment of the Mol. No matter how feeble this horse, we must return it at once.”

It was at that moment that a loud knock sounded at the shed door. “Brother, it is late! Put your plaything aside and return to your bed!”

Both women froze, then looked to each other. And then to the metal contraption.

“Can we ride it out of here…?” Cirina whispered. She examined the metal more closely. In profile, it resembled the motorbikes she had seen in Garlemald, though it had a more fragile and delicate frame. But when she prodded at the dials and knobs on the head, none of them brought it to life. “Does it lack ceruleum?” 

“Nay. There is no ceruleum intake.” Sadu sniffed. “Nor any ceruleum residue in the air.”

“Magnai, do you hear me!?”

Cirina recalled the strange pressure and acrid smell she had sensed upon entering the shed. “A different source of fuel, do you think?”

Sadu grinned and drew her staff. “If lightning is what it craves, I shall provide in abundance!”

…

As Magnai's eldest sister raised her arm to knock again, she was instead made witness to a succession of wondrous sights.

First, that of a stable, that exotic building uncommon to the Steppe, collapsing in a shower of packing hay and colorful splinters as a hoverbike burst through one of its flimsy walls.

Second, a vision of Cirina of the Mol shouting triumphantly and holding fast to the waist of Sadu of the Dotharl as the two women thundered towards the lip of the Dawn Throne upon their fleet-footed steed.

Third, the glorious, suspended heartbeat as the hoverbike soared through the air, its passengers silhouetted against the silent brilliance of Nhaama with the beauty of the grasslands stretched out endlessly before them.

And finally, when it seemed gravity might at last intrude on the moment, she saw the bike contort as it flew, its wheels spinning out into magicked circles, as the two daughters of the Steppe sped off into the star-studded sky.

[rebrandedstoryline]

Rebranded - 9.2(Extra) - Returning Home

We officially meet our future love interest(spoiler :p) This is just her perspective of the events from the previous part.

Word Count: 1,257

A tired sigh escaped the woman as she made her way to the entrance of her home. Balancing the groceries on one arm, she inserted the key into the lock to let herself in. 

A loud click signaled to her that she was free to enter her home. As such she pushed the door open, flipped on the lights, then made her way inside. 

After having been away for so long, it was nice to be home. 

What made her return even nicer, was the fact that her home was clean. 

She had been gone for a long, long time. Making arrangements for a housekeeper to visit her home had been tedious. 

Admittedly their behavior had made her think that no one would be sent out to maintain the home. So finding the house in such a clean state came as a pleasant surprise. 

While the air inside was a bit stagnant and musty, it was nothing that a few cracked windows wouldn’t fix.

That could wait, though. A bit of stagnant air wouldn’t kill her. 

For now, her focus was on dealing with her last few errands so that she could go to bed. 

It had been a long day. A long day mostly full of driving while suffering from the jet lag of her recent plane ride. 

Next on the agenda; getting the groceries put away. That and making sure that the essential people knew that she had made it home safely. 

She knew how to kill two birds with one stone. So she pulled her phone from her pocket and placed it upon the countertop beside her groceries. A few taps on the screen and the desired party was being called. She went about her business as she waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

“”Did you make it back okay?“” The faintly distorted voice of the man on the other side of the line sounded off abruptly, making it clear that they had finally managed to answer their phone.

“I made it back alive. That count?” The woman replied in turn, unpacking her groceries from the plastic bags she had brought them home in.

“”Ayala I’m getting some weird static on my end. Everything alright?“” The man inquired, a clear note of concern evident in his voice. The woman reacted to this by offering a tired laugh. 

She stopped messing with her groceries in order to make it easier for him to hear her.

“Just putting away some groceries, Logan. Everything’s fine.” Ayala explained, taking a moment to lean her arms against her counter so that she could try to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes.

“”Groceries. Yes. Good. Yaa-aaaa - alright, real quick - real talk. You feeling alright? Any jet lag? Is the house okay? Did they ever send that housekeeper out to make sure the place was clean?“” Logan inquired, shooting off a whole mess of questions in quick succession as they popped into his mind. The rapid fire questioning only proved to coax an additional tired laugh from the woman, who allowed herself a moment to lay her chest down upon the counter.

“Logan, I’m fine. Just some standard jet lag, so y’know. I am a little tired. But the house is fine. Inside is pretty clean, so it looks like they sent that housekeeper. Would’ve been nice for them to get back to me about it, though. I really thought I was about to come inside and a family of dust bunnies gettin’ busy.” Ayala responded, cracking something of a joke towards the end. Her joke thankfully didn’t fall on deaf ears, given the slight chuckle that sounded over the line.

“”Yeah, well, that’s good at least - but hey, I’m gonna have to let you go. It's a quarter to midnight and a certain someone might have a cow if they catch me on the line with you. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow.“” Logan stated, quickly establishing that he needed to get off the phone before his spouse caught him on the line. Having been informed that his friend had indeed made it home safe, he would finally be able to sleep.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t let them bully you too much now. Goodnight~” Ayala mused, teasing her friend just a bit before pressing that magic button to end the call. With that task done, she resumed putting away the groceries. 

She hadn’t bought much. A gallon of milk, some meat, and some vegetables. She had just made a quick stop at a small shop along the way to make sure she’d have something in her house to eat for breakfast. After having spent so long on the road, there was absolutely no rush in getting back in the car first thing in the morning. So she’d made sure to grab enough to give her the chance to decompress at home. 

Once that was over and done with, the last task of the night was to go ahead and let a bit of fresh air in. The musty air had admittedly started to get to her. For as clean as the house looked, it certainly smelt as if it hadn't had a proper clean in months. 

First she cracked open the small window in the kitchen. She had to use a key to do so. The mechanical locks all needed to be manually unlocked. 

With the kitchen window open, she proceeded to make her way towards the living room. 

Given that trying to find a key hole in the dark was all but impossible, she naturally turned on the light. Then something peculiar caught the corner of her eye. Just as she flipped the switch she spotted it. 

Slight movement caught her attention. 

She turned, expecting to spot a bug or maybe even a rat scurrying up the wall. But that was not what she encountered. 

Admittedly, she struggled to process exactly what it was. 

At first she thought it was some sort of statue. Not that a statue would have any reason to be in her house.

Then came the terrifying realization of what she was looking at. 

Not a statue, but a machine. A machine that had no business being in her home. The urge to scream rose in her throat as she locked eyes with the animatronic.

Then came the pain. 

She found herself laying face down upon the cold, unforgiving wood of her Livingroom floor. 

An intense pain resonated from her arm. 

From her chest. 

At first she thought that she’d only been winded. Knocked down by the sudden movement of the machine as it reacted to her presence. Then she became acutely aware of the fact that she could not breathe. 

There was an intense pressure on her chest. 

She had not fallen. Something unseen was holding her down. She panicked, rightfully so, but there was nothing she could do. Whatever it was that had restrained her, it held firm. 

She could not move.

Her heart rate increased as her vision became spotty. 

She could see the unknown machine moving beside her. She could hear it speaking, but in her panic she could not focus on the words.

The voice changed. Her ability to hear became distorted by the lack of air. 

For a moment, she thought there might be two voices. 

But it was so hard to focus on anything beyond the urge to breathe. 

The pain in her arm quickly became a figment of her own imagination as the suffocating feeling overwhelmed her. 

Building and building. 

Agonizing. 

Then. 

Nothing.

[seeyouafter]

SYA Extended Notes Ch. 45

Notes for "See You After"

Chapter 45: July 27-Aug 6: Hero News Network, Shouto's Texts

The texts in this chapter were a last minute addition that more than doubled the chapter's wordcount. Some of it was supposed to be in a later chapter but I moved things around because I didn't want another chapter with only news articles so close to the previous one.

Of course, I do have notes on the articles again if anyone is interested. Or, if you're just here for additional context about Touya, skip to the very end of this post.

Articles notes

Article 1: UA to hold official graduation ceremony at newly-restored campus location

BNHA 359: Place of Learning

Tamaki's comment about wanting a graduation ceremony might seem like a small thing, but I really liked this small detail in the manga, which showed that even though they're fighting a war, they're still kids. Graduation is a huge milestone, one that they've been working toward for their whole lives, and it's sad that they had that taken away from them. (Honestly reminded me of the kids I worked with in 2020/2021 who didn't get their graduation or the other typical senior year experiences)

I like the idea of them getting to have that celebration after the fact, which would also be a sign that the world is starting to move forward again.

Article 2: Okuto Island Aquarium receives green light for rebuilding

BNHA 345: Division & 347: Inflation

The amount of rebuilding that would need to take place after the war is kind of hard to imagine, but I like to think that once the essential repairs are mostly completed, people would see the value in rebuilding a place that's not essential, but that brings people joy.

I like the idea that the civilians would step up to help as well instead of putting all of the responsibility on the heroes, as they've done in the past.

(plus, Shouto and Katsuki need somewhere to go for their penguin date when Shouto gets home)

Article 3: Is there a future for quirkless heroes?

(warning: spoilers up to manga ch. 416 below)

This article was longer than I intended, but there were a bunch of things that I decided I needed to include after recent chapters, especially Izuku ending up quirkless.

I've liked this theory for a while because it makes sense thematically, and now that the manga is actually going for it (unless HK pulls some bs out of nowhere), I decided to add it since it works really well with the upcoming section. I don't feel like writing a whole meta on this right now but here's some relevant canon scenes:

BNHA 1: Izuku Midoriya: Origin, 412: History's Maddest Hero

It would be interesting to see how the public reacts to the idea of quirkless heroes after the war, and I like the idea of Izuku continuing to be a hero with support gear and a shifting emphasis on teamwork rather than individuals with all-powerful abilities,

BNHA 386: I am here

However, I think there would definitely be concerns about making something like All Might's mech suit a go-to solution for a large number of heroes.

I think it would be interesting to see society grapple with the balance between providing support items to allow more people to become heroes, while also shifting away from the current hero system toward seeing the value of everyday acts of heroism from ordinary civilians that the story has been trying to point out in the background during the current arc.

BNHA 96: Home Visits, 340: the story of how we all became heroes pt. 3

I also think it would be interesting to see how the world continues to react to the heroes who lost their quirks. We've already seen that Ragdoll was still able to help even after she lost her quirk, and now that Hawks has lost his as well, he'll need to figure out how he's going to move forward (I guess he is actually making an appearance in this fic after all)

410: Farewell, All For One, 416: Wrench it open, Midoriya Izuku

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I like that quirks can't be returned so easily and that rewind can't be used to fix everything. But I'd imagine that some people wouldn't accept that so easily and would try to find a way to return everything to the status quo. And we already know the HPSC isn't above using children with useful quirks for the "greater good".

Article 4: Debate over Villains' Fate Continues

I'm not going to say much about this one other than that the fate of the villains an ongoing uncertainty in at this point in the narrative. Even though Shouto, Izuku and Ochako "saved" them, I can't imagine that the rest of society would be as ready to forgive. (for the purposes of this fic I'm assuming they all live, obviously)

Shouto's texts with his friends

This was a nice chance to add some commentary/context on the articles and what's happening in the world, and to show the kids supporting each other.

The first set of texts on 7/27 are a couple of days after the Todofam scene in Ch. 39, which is why Shouto wasn’t being super active in the group chat the previous week, as Izuku pointed out in their text conversation. Also, he didn’t answer the first group chat because he was at his therapy appointment (referenced in the text thread with Katsuki in Ch. 41)

The second set of texts (about game night) are after Shouto’s unsent letter in Ch. 44, so he’s doing a little better at that point.

I really enjoyed writing Shouto's second conversation with Izuku in particular. (Izuku’s nervous rambling was fun to write.)

Notice of Prisoner Transfer

Y'all knew this was coming, right? Can't have a Todofam healing subplot without adding fuel to the fire.

We'll be seeing more of Touya in Part III 😉

Also, the official reasoning for having him on quirk suppressants is mostly an excuse to give everyone peace of mind, knowing that he can't use his quirk. Way back in in Chapter 9, the article about quirk suppressants says that they're only approved for medical use and forcing prisoners to take a relatively new drug against their will would be questionable from an ethics standpoint, but I'm sure the prisons would find ways around that in the case of villains with certain quirks.

[lolawassad]

I know when im not wanted, Five

Five x fem!reader (one sided n past) Marcus x fem!reader

This sucks im so sorry

Mashing two requests!

first :

requested by anon

Hello! Can I request a Five Hargreeves oneshot (Season 3)

The reader is the same age as Five but recently worked for the commission for decades then became partners at work over the few years Five worked (they helped them saving the world twice)

The reader (Male/Female/GN) is basically head over heels for Five like showering him their love and affection towards the old man.

But since Five is well... Five he didn't reciprocate their feelings and kept rejecting them with harsh words.

Five never felt any type of guilt until he saw the reader crying after he went too far.

Five to the reader: "Can't you understand a simple 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I hope the Kugelblitz took you and not my brothers!"

He was about to apologize when the reader was taken by the ball of light (Kugelblitz)

Five to the others: "I never got the chance to apologize to her/him/them"

I'm so sorry that it's so detailed 😭

second

Request by @raritysyarn

Hello! There's been a serious lack of Marcus fics (yes he appeared for like two episodes but I love him sm) and I was wondering if you could write Marcus comfort with a Fem!Reader or GN!Reader (your preference)? I was thinking of something where Reader has super speed and saves Marcus from the kugelblitz. Marcus' confidence is like completely drained so Reader comforts him? Thank you so much! ^^

tw : TUA 3 spoilers same warnings as TUA

Im gonna kinda change it up a bit and hope you still like it? i dont really do angsty endings for reader, i love when reader is a happy bitch, five is 19 so is reader, the rest are around 23 instead of 30.. again sorry for not writing the angsty ending! if you guys want me to write this with another character dont be shy to request one!

When you all blinked to a new timeline your face is blank "Can't you understand a simple 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I wished the handler killed you!" is haunting your mind.

When Marcus says "you have 30 seconds to leave" you perk up "where is the exit?" you ask making him call for someone named Grace "Grace please lead the lady to the front door" Grace nods "Im sorry for breaking into your house, i didnt mean to" you say voice breaking slightly.

Grace's hand falls onto your back before she starts leading you to the door, you exit the living room but not before hearing "damn that is one pretty woman" and a thud

You reach the front door and Grace opens it "thank you for visiting, hope to see you again soon!" she beams face twitching slightly "thank you Grace" you softly say before exiting the house and walking through the garden.

You walk through the park seeing happy couples and feeling your heart crack.

Time skip till after the fight

"why did y/n just leave like that? she has always helped us, what changed?" Allison asks concerned for the girl who is like a sister to her "Five what did you do?" Viktor asks him making Five scoff "i just turned her down, she was getting on my nerves!" he tells his siblings

Fei scoffs making her siblings turn to her "the girl that left and looked dead inside? the little one crushed her heart" she tells her siblings, Sloane puts her hand on her heart "Oh that poor thing, i should find her and bring her here!" she says making Marcus nod "yes she could also give us extra info on that awful family" he says straightning up his tie

"What was that?" Ben asks Marcus "nothing" Marcus quickly defends himself making Ben clench his jaw "sure number one" Ben spits that last part

Sloane quickly grabs a coat and grabs an extra one "I dont know her size so im just borrowing a jacket of yours is that okay?" she asks Alphonso making him nod before Jayme elbows him "Im not fat" he defends himself making Sloane giggle "i know that silly this jacket is massive though, why did you buy it?" she replies making Jayme nod "good i would've killed you"

Sloane grabs onto Marcus his arm and pulls him with her, Marcus sends a smirk Ben's way before lifting his head up highly and snatching the jacket from Sloanes hand throwing it on the coat hanger "wait" Sloane says "Fei where is she?"

You sit down next to the entrance to a hotel called Obsidian, you slightly shiver before feeling something land on your skirt covered thighs "you look cold" a smooth voice says "you should put it on or you might freeze there, love"

You look up and see the guy from earlier now sporting a bruise around his eye "Marcus right?" you ask making him nod "yes thats me, now put the coat on" he says again making you put on the sparrow blazer, Marcus rolls his sleeves up slightly before sitting down next to you.

"You left pretty easily back there" he speaks up after a moment of silence, his eyes focussed on you in his blazer, Sloane peaking out from behind a bush secretly spying on her brother, a crow sitting next to her also watching.

"Yeah well i wasnt wanted, didnt want to be scolded like a child" you say trying to sound joking but your voice comes out shaky, you turn your head to look at him only to notice him staring at you.

"I know we just met but you should come home with me, i dont want you to freeze to death and we could use info on the people you came with" he says "nothing personal, i really hope you come willingly"

"Do you have hot cocao?" you ask him softly making him smile "fuck yeah we got anything you want" he replies making you smile back softly, he jumps up and offers his hand to you, you go to grab it but are interupted.

"y/n!" Five says walking over his family trailing behind him, you roll your eyes and take Marcus his hand who pulls you up with ease "your too late, pretty girl is coming with me" Marcus teases him with a smirk Five's eyes twitch "im not letting you kidnap her" he sneers making Marcus laugh

"y/n is coming with me willingly, isnt that right?" he asks you making you nod "i know when im not wanted, Five" you tell him making him scoff "not wanted? really, not fucking wanted?" he asks offended

you scoff "Can't you understand a simply 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I wished the handler killed you!" you repeat Five's words to him making him take a step back, he opens his mouth to speak but Marcus is faster "you should walk. the. fuck. away." the taller man says, venom filling his voice

FLASH BACK to before blinking to the present

You turn to Five while waiting for the others to show up "When we get back do you uhm.. maybe wanna go get some coffee with me?" you ask him making him roll his eyes "what like a date?" he asks making you nod, he scoffs "no" he replies making you take a step back, you open your mouth to say something but he puts his hand up "Can't you understand a simple 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I wished the handler killed you" he tells you right before Diego runs up

FLASH BACK OVER

Five scoffs "no" he says making Marcus chuckle before he starts walking away, pulling reader with him who has a hard time keeping up with his long steps, Five blinks in front of them "so what your betraying me now?" he asks you making you look away "you betrayed me first, Five, not once did you reject me or tell me you didnt like me flirting with you and giving you all my affection, and then you just slam me down? And what? You expected me to just run back to you after you crushed my heart?" you demand, a tear rolling down your eye

"Listen y/n and me we need to leave" Marcus says, its then Sloane runs up "yeah we need to leave" she says before grabbing your hand and pulling you with her "im Sloane, you and me? we will be bestfriends!" she beams making you beam back

Five glares at Marcus "i will kill you" Five threatens making Marcus laugh "sure little buddy, would love to see you try" he replies with a smirk before he starts following the two girls

Sloane points at random things and tells you about them making you nod and hum, when you reach the building Sloane turns to you "Ben hes a bit... wary of strangers so dont mind him" she says with a smile

In the living room you are greeted by the other four siblings Alphonso elbows Jayme who is standing next to him and she straightens up "welcome back your majesty" she says sarcastially making Alphonso scoff "we are supposed to be nice to her, she would be a good add on to our choatic duo, make it a trio" he scolds her making you giggle

Marcus his eyes shoot towards you with a love struck look on his face "Siblings please get out so i can question our guest" he says after clearing his throat and sitting on a chair, when his siblings leave he gestures to the couch across from the chair he is on

You sit down and he calls out for Grace "get the lovely lady a hot cocao please" he asks grace making her nod and smile "so glad to see you again" she beams making you smile back at her

You shiver lightly "you cold darling?" he asks making you nod "just a little, but the hot cocao will warm me right up" you reply with a smile, he frowns "i cant have my special guest be cold" he tells you while getting up and walking to the fire place and throwing some wood on it making the fire get slightly bigger

He sits down in front of the fire and holds his arm up, you get up and sit next to him, his arm wraps around your shoulder softly pulling you into him "better?" he asks making you nod "much"

You rest your head on his chest making him sigh in relief "i would never do that y'know?" he asks making you look up at him "what do you mean?" "i would never treat you like that" he says looking back at you

You burry your head into his chest making him smirk "i got hot cocao!" Grace beams walking into the living room before putting two cups down in front of you and marcus "Im going back to god now" she says before walking off

"God?" you ask Marcus making him frown, he gets up pulling you with him before he starts following grace, you trail behind him

When you enter the basement you see Marcus reaching out to a big flying orb, you stop time running over to him using your speed, his hand is about an inch away from the orb and you turn him around before letting time go back again

Marcus his hand falls onto your shoulder "how?" he asks "you cant just touch random flying balls!" you scold him "you couldve died!" you hug him making him freeze "im sorry Darling, your absolutely right" he says before placing a peck on your forehead

You punch his chest before pulling away "stupid men" you mutter softly before running back into the living room, Marcus runs behind you "YOU ARE REALLY FAST" he yells at you making you giggle before falling infront of the fireplace again

"its my gift" you beam at him when he finally reaches the living room again, he is panting and out of breath "gimme a moment sweetheart" he says with his hands on his knees

When he finally catches his breath again he sits down next to you "so.." he trails off making you look at him "so.." you mock him making him chuckle

"i think the people you came with caused that thing down stairs" he tells you making you nod "we didnt mean to!" you pout, his hand holds your cheek and his thumb carresses your bottom lip "i know honey i know" he coos

Something hits him in the back of the head making him scoff before he turns around and sees Five "what was the point in that?" he asks the smaller guy while standing up

"Five why are you here?" you ask him while grabbing Marcus his arm and using him to pull yourself up "i love you" Five says taking a step towards you making you take a step back

"You dont get to do this" you tell him making him scoff "i love you y/n, just come with me please?" he asks making you shake your head

Marcus softly pulls you behind him "your trespassing kid, you should leave before i make you" he tells Five with a glare "get ur paws off my girl" Five growls out making Marcus laugh

"you rejected her, she isnt your girl" Marcus snarls

"okay wait, you guys can fight later but like.. Shouldnt we do something about that flying orb?" you say

Five clicks his tongue "what flying orb?" he asks curious, Marcus scoffs but starts walking towards the basement, your hand in his

"that orb" Marcus says when you enter the basement "you guys caused it when you came here" Five steps forward and goes to touch it but you stop him "dont touch it unless you wanna die" you tell him

He looks back at you then glares at where your hand is connected to Marcus's hand "i think i know what this is" Five trails off before jumping away

You roll your eyes before pulling your hand away from Marcus making him worried, his worry doesnt last long when you throw yourself into his arms with soft sobs

"oh sweetheart dont cry" he coos "i got you" he whispers before kissing your temple "hes a scumbag" you sob out

When your sobs stop marcus softly lifts you up and wraps your legs around his waist before walking you back to the living room where he lays down on the couch

"today must've been hard on you my love, go take a nap, we can talk tomorrow" he says before kissing your forehead

[starglitterz]

If it's not much of a hassle, can you make hcs for Xiao, Diluc, Albedo and Razor with a gender neutral s/o that is really sweet and positive to everyone and anyone (They even are polite to hillichurls if you let them), but they suffered a tragedy, long before they met them, and they ended losing all their family.

hello !! one order of a donut coming right up ! i hope you enjoy it, and ty for ordering from quill's dessert cafe 🍧

🍩 genshin boys with a sweet/positive s/o who has a tragic backstory

feat; albedo, diluc, razor, xiao x gn!reader

warnings; mentions of death, nightmares, spoilers for diluc's backstory

albedo.

albedo was always fascinated with your behaviour, as he wondered how a single human being could contain so much joy and positivity. you were like the sunshine in his lonely days at dragonspine, bringing so much light and warmth with you whenever you visited him. he sometimes ponders how lucky he was to end up with someone like you, who was so incredibly kind and caring to everyone. however, he did have to step in when you tried to politely ask a lawachurl to stop attacking you both during one of his expeditions.

as the two of you had only started dating recently, you were still testing the waters and getting to know each other better. hence, he was still unaware of your past, and he found out in a rather strange manner. it happened during one of his rare trips to mondstadt. the people there all respected him and he was treated well, but he preferred the peaceful solitude of the icy mountain. he was calmly strolling around after checking on timaeus' progress in his alchemy studies when he bumped into kaeya. "oh, albedo! how are you?" the cavalry captain asked cheerfully. "i'm alright. have you seen y/n by any chance?" albedo replied. "isn't today 'the day'?" kaeya looked at him confusedly. "what do you mean?" albedo furrowed his brow. "you know, the anniversary of their family's death. it's not like you to forget something so monumental, albedo," kaeya couldn't resist teasing him. "it's not so much i forgot that i didn't know at all," the kreideprinz muttered before bidding kaeya goodbye and returning to his camp at dragonspine.

albedo spent the rest of the day pacing up and down his workspace, unable to properly concentrate on any of his work, to the point where even sucrose was concerned. "uhhh, mr albedo, are you okay?" unfortunately, albedo was too involved in his spiraling thoughts to hear her, and so sucrose was unintentionally ignored. rip sucrose

albedo personally disliked maintaining relationships, but you were the exception. however, this situation was just proving his belief that they were far too difficult to keep steady. a million different thoughts were coursing through his mind; why didn't you tell him? he felt so guilty for not being there for you on a day that was evidently important to you. were you going to be upset that he found out? was it a big secret? how did you manage to stay happy all the time even if your entire family had passed away on the same day, leaving you the sole survivor?

when you visited him that night, albedo wordlessly pulled you into a hug, stroking your head gently as some method of comforting you. "albedo...?" "y/n, i'm truly sorry that i wasn't there for you today. i know it must have been hard for you to go through on your own, but i'm here from now on. please don't be afraid to lean on me for support, i'll try my best to help however i can," albedo rambled, eager to get the words out before you could interrupt him. he had been planning what to say all evening. to his surprise, you giggled softly before pressing a kiss on his lips.

"so, i suppose you found out, huh?" "yes. i'm sorry if you didn't want me to know." "no need to apologise, 'bedo, i was planning to tell you soon anyway. i've always gone to visit my parents' graves alone, so i didn't think of bringing you along in the first place. perhaps next year you can come," you grinned before saying, "only if you want to though!" "i would be honoured," he replied, intertwining his fingers with yours, "i believe partaking in something so personal would serve to bring us closer, and that is something i wish to achieve." you smiled at him, "me too."

albedo wouldn't pry into your past, as he understands that you probably don't want to dwell on things that have already happened and instead wish to focus on the future. however, your sunny disposition only impresses him even more now that he knows what you've been through, and he is very glad that you chose to stay happy and honour your parents' memory by living to the fullest. he is still most definitely going to accompany you on adventures whenever he can though, because he doesn't believe that you won't try reasoning and asking the hilichurls nicely not to fight.

diluc.

diluc seems like such a stoic and intimidating man, so the people of mondstadt often wonder how he ended up with a cheery person like you. however, their opinion doesn't matter to the both of you, for you know diluc's hidden soft side which he doesn't show to anyone else, and you know that he loves you, and really, that's all that's important.

the two of you had been dating for quite some time, but you did not talk about either of your families. it wasn't as if you tiptoed around the topic like it was an elephant in the room, rather you both simply did not mention it, basking instead in the warm feeling of love that seemed to envelop you two whenever you were together. your conversations ranged through everything under the sun, yet never strayed even remotely near the specific area of blood relationships. and although you both noticed it, you never mentioned it, thanks to a tacit understanding between you.

one stormy night, you were staying over at the dawn winery, and sharing diluc's huge comfy bed. however, even though the plush mattress was as soft as a cloud, you were being tormented by nightmares that prevented you from having a restful sleep. in your dream, you were reliving the worst moment of your life; the day your entire family died. you were glued to the ground, trapped by invisible binds that you struggled against futilely as you gazed at your simple thatched roof house. it seemed so peaceful, but you knew what was going to happen next, and a silent scream escaped your mouth. a second later, the house erupted into flames, and you were powerless to do anything but watch as tears trickled down your cheeks.

"y/n!" a sharp call of your name awakens you from your slumber, and as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you wordlessly collapse into diluc's arms, sobbing as the horrific memory of that day floods through your mind. he pats your back comfortingly, pulling you into his lap as you nuzzle into the crook of his neck, prompting him to place a kiss on your head. "my father died in front of me," diluc says in the ensuing silence, punctuated only by your sniffing and hiccups, "and the knights of favonius claimed they would act as if he didn't die defending monstadt to preserve their reputation." his grip around you tightens slightly, and you listen to his tale quietly while intertwining your fingers with his to remind you that you're there for him. "from then on, i shunned the knights, and swore to protect mondstadt in my own way." "and thus was born the darknight hero," you poke his cheek, your natural optimistic personality returning to you in the warmth of your boyfriend's embrace. an embarrassed blush dusts his cheeks, turning them as red as his hair, "it's a stupid name."

diluc's expression becomes sombre once more as he looks you right in your eyes, "you're the first person i've told about that." "i'm honoured, honestly," you smile in reply. "i heard you calling out for your family members earlier when you were having a nightmare," he says hesitantly. your face falls and you open your mouth to speak but he cuts you off, "please don't feel like you're obligated to tell me. it's not easy to talk about these kinds of things, trust me, i know. but... just remember, i'm here for you. you aren't alone." maintaining eye contact with you, he lifts your knuckles to his lips and kisses them gently, "i love you." overcome with raw emotion from the outpouring of affection diluc is showing you, you can barely speak, so you kiss him back, knowing it conveys everything you're feeling better than words ever could.

diluc always has your back, and is always there to support you, just like you are for him. he definitely doesn't let you wander off on your own while the two of you are adventuring though, because he's already experienced far too many close calls where you tried to ask an abyss mage if they would mind letting you pass without a fight.

razor.

you and razor had met while he was out hunting and you were exploring, and after helping him, the two of you had become friends. however, razor knew that he didn't see you as just a friend, and hence asked you if you would date him after consulting bennett as to why he felt 'warm and tingly' when you were around him. of course, you agreed, for you had also developed feelings for the mysterious wolf boy.

the positive and cheery energy you exuded never failed to put a smile on razor's face, and a light pink blush would always dust his cheeks when you slipped your hand in his gloved ones. he also adored hearing your laugh, and was constantly ready to leap to your defense with his claymore for when your arguments with treasure hoarders went too far. not that you couldn't defend yourself, of course, you just preferred things to remain civil and hence would not unsheathe your weapon until the very last minute, which by then was already quite late.

one day, razor had invited you to come hunting with him. the two of you were able to wordlessly sync your thoughts and actions to compliment one another, making your hunting extremely effective. today in particular, you had a rather large haul of meat from boars and the like. razor was very proud, and as he clutched the large sack full of the results from your hard work, he grinned, "food for lupical. now lupical is not hungry." his face scrunched up slightly as he frowned, "red burny girl means no dinner," before his expression brightened, "but you are strong. like a wolf. i like to hunt with you. we catch a lot." he rubbed his cheek against yours with a smile and you giggled softly, running your hands through his messy hair, "i like hunting with you too, razor. you're very strong." baring his teeth, he made a mock growling sound and pretended to tackle you, "razor is wolf. grr!" playing along, you acted scared and fell backwards. after a few minutes of playfighting, razor offered you his hand, "come, let's go to lupical. eat dinner together."

the simple shining of warmth in razor's eyes as he mentioned his lupical finally sent you over the edge. you hadn't told him this, but today was actually your family's death anniversary. you had agreed to go hunting with him because you were eager for a distraction, but after hearing him talk about his lupical, you were wondering if that was a good decision. it didn't mean that you hated him just because he had a loving family, it wasn't that at all - you were just rather sensitive to the topic, especially today of all days. so although you tried to stop them, a few tears formed in your eyes and trickled down your cheeks, and though you hastily attempted to wipe them away, razor caught sight of them.

concern flooding his expression, he clutched your hands and looked at you, "y/n, why are you crying?" "i..." you felt such a crybaby, but razor was so kind, and he was such a sweet boyfriend that you felt he deserved to know. and so you told him about your deceased family, and the day a blazing inferno swallowed your house whole while you were adventuring, and about how sometimes it felt like it was just you against the world, and the loneliness that sometimes echoed in your core. razor listened wordlessly, never letting go of your hands and occasionally squeezing them if he felt you were slipping too far into those dark memories.

when you had finished speaking, and sobbed out all the tears you possibly could, razor pulled you into a hug while tracing circles on your back gently to calm you down. as your sniffles slowly faded away, he caressed your cheek softly before saying, "y/n, look here." razor tilted your face to his and leaned forward to bump against your forehead, "you are razor's lupical now. not alone anymore." with that, he offered you a wide smile before tilting his head to the side, wondering if he had said the right thing. unable to verbally explain how much his words meant to you, you flung your arms around his neck and hugged him tightly once more, a smile curving your lips as you felt his arms wrap around you too.

from then on, razor made sure to remind you that he loved you every single day, so you would never have to feel that gaping void of painful solitude ever again. he even accompanies you on all your adventures, although he won't admit that it's because he also needs to keep an eye on you so you don't try to being too kind to an enemy who's ready to hurt you.

xiao.

although the visitors and workers at wangshu inn may scratch their heads when they see you smiling joyfully while talking to the young man on the balcony, pondering how you two ended up together, there is no one else more confused on that topic than xiao himself. why was he, one of the strongest adepti to ever exist, one who had fought in the archon war and emerged victorious, even for the price of indelible bloodstains inked on his hands forever, dating a mere mortal? feelings were fatal, and nothing more than foolish and ephemeral tendencies that would lead to more sorrow eventually. yet as he looked at your grinning face, with happiness shining across it, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat. maybe feelings weren't that bad after all.

xiao's quiet, composed disposition quite contrasted with your kind, active one. you always seemed happy, bubbling over with optimism and positive energy. frankly, it was rather contagious, and xiao often felt his worries being swept away when he was with you. in your presence, he could rest, and the thousands of voices in his head would be silenced with a simple stroke of your hand. for a human, xiao thought you possessed an immense amount of power to be able to calm him like this. not to mention, smiles, a rare sight for xiao, would become much more frequent when he started dating you, even if you were the only one who was blessed with seeing them.

usually, you would visit xiao after completing your daily commissions for the adventurer's guild. however, the sun was already beginning to set below the horizon, painting the sky with splashes of red and orange, yet you were nowhere to be seen. xiao clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms and trying to keep himself grounded, trying to stop himself from worrying for you as he paces the wooden floor of the balcony so intensely verr goldet worries he's going to wear a hole into it. but as time ticks by, xiao decides he cannot stay put at the inn while his mind conjures up a thousand horrific things that may have happened to you.

using his adepti powers, xiao quickly manages to scan the entirety of liyue, placed under his protection by the geo archon, and finds you in an instant. you seem to be at a... graveyard? xiao's heart, which has been hammering against his ribcage like a trapped dove finally slows down to a regular rhythmic beat once more. thank the archons you're safe. he will be questioning you upon your return though, xiao would have hoped that you would at least inform him if you were going to make a detour.

the stars have already begun to twinkle against a navy sky once you finally arrive back at wangshu inn. as soon as you make your way to the balcony, the place where you and xiao tend to have most of your lover's trysts, he sends you a stare that causes a chill to run down your spine. he isn't angry, nor disappointed - xiao was scared for you, scared for your mortal life than can turn to dust within a blink of an eye. realising how upset he must have been, you dash forward and envelop him in a hug. although he normally isn't one for much physical contact, this time he gladly hugs you back, overjoyed that you're safe yet unsure of how to show it.

"where were you?" xiao looks at you, searching your eyes for a hint of the answer. "well... today is actually my family's death anniversary," your voice comes out much quieter than you would have liked as you utter the words that never get less painful to say, no matter how many years have passed, "so i went to their graves to pay respect." xiao's eyes widen and he steps back for a moment, processing what you just told him. your family... was dead? had you been alone this entire time? his gaze darts up to yours, meeting your warm eyes. they hold sorrow, far too much for someone as youthful as you, and glimmer slightly with unshed tears. and silently, now xiao is the one initiating the hug, letting you cry yourself dry on his shoulder.

after a few minutes pass, xiao speaks, "i am so sorry, y/n." you sniff softly, "don't be. it wasn't your fault, or anyone's fault. i'm sorry for suddenly crying like that." "you shouldn't be. you're allowed to cry, you don't have to force yourself to be positive all the time. i love you no matter how you're feeling, and i'll always try my best to help you get through it," xiao replies, rose pink colouring his cheeks as he struggles to verbally express how much he loves you. you smile, aware of how difficult it must have been for him to admit that, and lean against his chest, "i love you too, xiao."

from now on, xiao keeps a closer eye on you, reminding you not to bottle up your emotions, and you both continue to get along wonderfully - it's almost as if the two of you being together had been written in the stars long ago, two entirely different people designed to fit together perfectly.

quill speaks !

the way all my request posts so far have diluc,,, ok genshin fandom 🙄🙄🙄 /j

anon i hope you like how i wrote your request !

and i hope razor's lines weren't ooc,,, bc i wanted to kinda stay true to how hes dislikes long sentences yk? :) also apologies for switching up tenses HAHAHA i do that a lot sorry </3

catch the mxmtoon reference challenge go !

sorry for not posting in 500 years KFKSKD i made another post explaining why here !

i hope you enjoy your stay at quill’s dessert cafe ! 🍭

[cowboycakes]

Loyalty

Chapter One: Memories

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x fem!Reader

Synopsis: You are a Marleyan warrior who holds the Jaw Titan, tasked with infiltrating Paradis and destroying it. But what happens when love causes you to betray your mission?

Themes: NSFW, 18+, action, betrayal, multi-chapter series.

Warnings: Female bodied reader, explicit sex (penetration/riding, gentle and fluffy, Levi is a virgin), violence/severe injury and blood/battle scenes, threats, mentions of death. Profanity. Spoilers seasons 1-4.

Word count: 2.7k (recently edited to make it flow a little better!)

Note: This story contains spoilers for all seasons of aot (not the manga). It is canon divergent (reader has the jaw titan rather than Porco and reader is on the mission with Reiner and Bertholdt.) Some scenes differ/are more rushed than the scenes they line up with in the actual show. This first chapter is set in season 3.

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The most important lesson you'd learned on this journey was that you couldn’t help who you fell in love with. Love would strike you like a viper by surprise, sinking its fangs deep inside of you and injecting you with lethal poison. Your poor soul was so torn.

The viper in question manifested itself as someone quite inconvenient. A raven haired man - the strongest, most cunning, most selfless man you’d ever observed. And all the while, he was still an island devil.

You were supposed to strike back at the viper, sinking your much larger set of jaws into his heart. Your mission - and specifically your mission - was to end him and his kind. The remaining Ackermans were dangerous. They were a threat to your and your comrades’ titan powers. The goal was to get close to him, to find his weaknesses and strengths. To know his ins and outs like the back of your hand. And then you’d have the advantage. Then you would kill him.

That plan had obviously backfired.

You stood on top of the wall now, alongside Reiner and Bertholdt after they’d just exposed the entire mission to Eren and the others. You could feel the static in the air from a few yards away. They were about to transform.

That wasn’t the problem, though. The problem was that the duo was looking right at you, waiting for you to slash your hand and join in. To rush to their side and eat Eren while you had the chance. Then you could all go home and be celebrated as heroes.

Instead, you were staring back at them - a big, sweaty, teary-eyed, nervous mess.

It was time to betray your homeland.

“I’m sorry Reiner, Bertholdt…” you sob, pulling your hand to your mouth, “but my loyalties lie elsewhere, now.” You rip your teeth through your hand.

Three bolts of lightning shake the wall simultaneously. You emerge in your strongest form - the jaw titan. Your titan had a hardened face like a skeleton with an elongated jaw that stuck out like a wolf. Sharp ridges lined your mouth like fangs, and bright red orbs glowed through your eye sockets. A mane with a color that mimicked your hair grew down from your neck.

You were terrifying. Which is why you needed to get the hell away from these scouts before they decided you needed to die.

You had no interest in defeating Reiner and Bertholdt, that was Eren’s problem now. You were more concerned about the captain on the other side of the wall. He could certainly handle himself, but Zeke had quite the throwing arm. Things could go south very quickly.

You launch yourself down the wall, using your giant talons to slow your fall. You scan the field as you descend, trying to find any sign of Levi.

A voice booms your name to the left of you as you reach the ground.

It’s Pieck in her titan form.

Pieck was like a sister to you. It’s been so long since you’d seen her. You feel a tinge of regret now. Pieck was never going to see you the same again.

You narrow your red eyes at her and charge with full force. Your jaws snap at her heels as she whips around and runs full speed across the field. You finally see who she was running to - Levi and Zeke. Zeke was cut out of his titan form and being held by the hair in Levi's hand.

You pick up your pace, grazing Pieck's legs with your sharp teeth. She stumbles when the two of you go over an indent in the ground, only a few yards from your destination. Her mishap allows you to sink your teeth into her legs. She turns around to bite your neck in response, crushing your weakest spot. You jolt your head, flinging her away from you.

She gets up fast after hitting the ground, continuing at full speed toward Zeke and Levi. You are quick to go after her again, but slow down once you see Levi drop Zeke and bolt out of Pieck's way.

Did he really just give up Zeke that easily?

Suddenly, you feel someone cutting through your titan's nape.

Your vision goes dark.

Out of the darkness, you’re thrown into an old memory. Ah yes, you remember now. All of it is so vivid, right in front of you again.

You’d sneak away to the Captain's office at night frequently. You’d tell yourself these visits were for the mission, to aid you in knowing your victim a little better. His weaknesses could certainly reveal themselves in the comfort of his study. But they certainly weren't for your mission anymore. You’d started to simply crave his company.

You’re walking down the dim halls when you hear two sets of footsteps approaching, quite rapidly. You’re met with two giant bodies slamming into you from behind, grabbing your arms to keep you from running.

“You know, Y/N, I’m getting worried about these visits of yours,” Reiner says, tightening his grip on you. You yelp. “There’s only so much you could be talking about in there with him. There’s only so much shit you could be making up about yourself. He’s going to catch on.”

“He isn’t!” you struggle, “And I’m more clever than these sluggish devil bastards! I’m getting all the information I need!”

“Guys, keep it down!” Bertholdt whispers, frantically looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Reiner let’s go of you as you topple to the ground in front of him, your hands and knees landing on the cold brick floors below.

“Kill him faster,” Reiner whispers. The two of them make their ways back to their rooms in silence.

You finally stand up when you can’t hear their footsteps anymore, dusting your knees off and collecting your nerves.

You were the oldest titan shifter on the mission from Marley, quite a bit older than Reiner and Bertholdt. You were supposed to be bossing these little shits, not the other way around. But it seemed they were always calling the shots. You deserved to carry out your particular mission however you pleased.

Levi's door is cracked open a bit further down the hall, allowing some faint light to spill into the hall. And inside, there he was as usual, sitting at his desk with a tea and reading some boring literature that you could never understand.

“Long day?” he questions without looking up from his book.

“Yeah,” you sigh, plopping your body down onto a leather sofa near his desk. You lean back into it, reaching your arms up to stretch out. “Thanks for always letting me join you in here. It helps me de-stress.”

You had made a routine of coming in here after a fateful night in the dining hall, after you and Levi realized you could click really well in conversation. You two had shared your entire life stories with each other by now - yours obviously contorted to fit a reality that didn't consist of you being raised in Liberio. You'd grown very close to him, way closer than you had with anyone else in the Scouts. Even though he'd never met the real you, you could relate to him - his struggles and his past especially. His cynical personality had a strange and almost addicting way of brightening your day, and you'd always make sure to tease him for it. Not to mention how handsome he was. He'd catch you stealing glances at him sometimes, but you had a feeling he secretly liked the attention.

If you didn't know better, you'd think you were falling for him.

Your favorite stories of Levi's were of the Underground. It was such a peculiar concept to you, even though it faintly reminded you of life in Liberio. You realized that the people living in the Underground were lucky, in a way. They were oblivious to the world above, secluded from wars and titans. If only every other circumstance of theirs wasn't so unfortunate.

You smile at him as he finally looks up from his book.

“Your tea’s over there,” he says as his eyes dart to the coffee table.

You quickly grab the tea and move it to your mouth.

It was way too hot.

You feel titan steam shoot up from your lips. It had really burned you that badly. You slap a hand over your mouth before the steam could escape, the sound echoing off Levi’s office walls.

“What’s the matter? Tea’s gone cold?” Levi questions, his voice dark. His eyes had been on you the whole time.

“Hmmph?” you say through your hand.

Levi gets up and advances across the room, stopping just in front of you. You’re still frozen on the couch.

“I said, what’s the matter?” His hand meets the one still clamped over your steaming lips.

“Is there something you need to hide under there?” Levi’s finger slips under one of yours, forcing it away from your face. Then another.

Oh shit.

This was a setup. He was actually on to you.

Shit! Regenerate! Faster!

Another finger is forced away from your face. You close your eyes tight, focusing all of your energy to your lips.

This may be it. Right here. Reiner and Bertholdt were going to kill you.

The final two fingers are pried away at once. You open your eyes to look up at him innocently, no steam in sight.

“Uh…” you stutter.

He sighs.

“Sorry. Just trying to keep tabs on who my enemies might be.”

“So you… burned my mouth? Dickhead,” you laugh. You needed to come off as clueless as you could.

Levi’s eyes delicately scan your dewey face. Your lips were still throbbing and swollen. You always wondered if that’s what had compelled him.

He leans down, kissing you softly. Your eyes were wide and your face was motionless for a moment. Then you returned it, cupping a hand sweetly around his jaw.

In a flash, you’re transported to another memory.

You're sitting down on a wooden bench on the outskirts of the combat training arena. You remember being so tired on this day.

You lean your head back and close your eyes, letting the sun soak into your sweat-covered skin. Eventually, a shadow blocks the light shining on you.

You open your eyes to see Levi.

“Want to spar?” he taunted.

“Hell no,” you pant, still limp on the bench.

“You sure? Might be fun to have your ass kicked three times in one day.”

You chuckle at him.

Levi sits down next to you, leaning forward to support his elbows on his knees. The two of you sit there quietly, your ears filled with the sound of summer insects and a cool breeze through the trees.

Your eyes eventually wander to Levi again. He looks upset all of the sudden.

“I’m sorry for kissing you,” he states.

You’re shocked he’s actually bringing it up. After the kiss broke, he just went to sit down at his desk. He acted like none of it had ever happened.

“No, don’t be. I kind of liked it,” you confess, leaning forward to be at his level.

“This can’t continue.”

You feel a tight sensation in your chest. You’re hurt.

“Tell me about it,” you sigh, putting your head in your hands and thinking back to your real duties for once. You were only making things more complicated for yourself.

Of course, it did continue. The two of you avoided each other for a couple of lonely weeks until you nearly ended up in a titan’s mouth on a mission. It had you gripped tightly in its hand, completely helpless to it in your human form. You were about to transform when Levi swooped in and sliced its nape.

He helped you to your feet once the titan hit the ground and scolded you for your carelessness. You just stared back at him once he was quiet again. And he stared back at you. For a bit too long.

That night, you ended up in his office again and performed a teary-eyed confession about your feelings for him. It was in those moments that you discovered you didn’t care about the mission anymore.

You’re thrown into another memory.

This one was so intimate. So special. You never wanted to forget it.

“I’ve never,” Levi pants underneath you, “done something like this before.”

You’re straddling his thighs, tracing circles into his abs with your fingers.

“That’s ok, I’ll guide you,” you whisper.

Candlelight glows off of both of your naked bodies in Levi’s dimly lit bedroom. A surprise make out session led to Levi being curious, and the both of you taking all your clothes off in a rush and throwing each other onto the bed in desperation.

You move your hand from his stomach to his erection. Levi lets in a nervous breath once you make contact.

“Hey, you’re gonna do great,” you say sweetly, “you still wanna do this, right?”

“Yes, I do. Just nervous I’m not gonna… do it right.”

It was ironic to see humanity’s strongest so nervous about what was between your legs.

You shush him quietly as you move your lips down to his tip, slowly taking his length into your mouth. You drag your lips up and down as he lets out tiny grunts and bucks his hips up slightly to meet you.

Once he’s warmed up to your touch, you scoot up over his legs until you’re almost straddling his length.

You look up at him to see his eyes wandering over your bare body, lingering in your more intimate spots.

“You’re really beautiful. I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you that,” Levi murmurs as he moves a hand up to glide over the side of your waist.

“You too,” you smile at him. “Are you ready?”

He nods.

You lift yourself up gently before easing him into you. The perfect sensation of him pressuring your walls made your breath hitch. You feel him let out a huff of air once he's fully inside.

You start to rock your hips up and down rhythmically as you lean forward to place your hands on his collarbones. He gently thrusts back to meet your hips. His mouth was parted, his face was flushed and sweaty. He grips the sheets in his hands as you continue riding him.

Everything felt so warm and wet. So gentle and passionate.

Both of you let out little whines as you speed up.

"How can I," he moans, "make you... finish."

You grab his hand from the sheets and move his finger to your clit, pleasuring yourself with it for a moment.

"Just like that," you whisper. "You're doing so good."

The two of you continue rutting against each other on the bed - two wet, tingly, whiney, pleasure-filled messes.

All of it felt so right. It was honest.

The memory gradually crumbles in front of you, plunging you back into the darkness.

It wasn’t the intimacy, the long talks, or the sex. It was none of that.

It was the fact that he was a brave and honest thing in your world full of lies. It made you fall for him.

Levi made you rethink your entire role in this war. What right did you have to come and destroy people’s lives? These people were innocent for all you knew. They were the victims. But they had spirit, guts, and passion that no one on Marley did. You related to them. You loved them.

So whose side did you really belong on?

And why were you being shown these memories?

And what was this bloodcurdling noise suddenly ringing in your ears?

It sounded like… your screams.

You finally enter reality again with a gasp, coughing up leftover fluid in your lungs from your titan form. You look down frantically at your body to see all of your limbs severed. Someone had cut you out of your titan form.

The culprit was crouched right in front of you.

Levi.

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Hi guys! I've been sitting on this fic for awhile, unsure if I wanted to post it or not - I sort of wasn't confident abt it. But I hope some of you like it! I will be coming out with another chapter soon. Also, if you left a request, I promise it will be up soon! Lots of love - Shep

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[cheri-translates]

[CN] Gavin’s S2 R&S - Inevitable

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (不可抗力) which has not been released in English servers!🍒

This R&S features S2 Gavin!

It is incredibly important to read Ch 9 Part One before embarking on this!

[ Chapter One ]

At midnight, a young man makes a turn at a secluded alley, walking into a small hotel that’s still open for business.

He walks around the main hall, and straight into the innermost booth. The sound of shuffling in the night is continuous, and the dealer holds a cigarette in his mouth, drawing a card.

A hand suddenly approaches, and the muzzle of a gun covers his temple.

"How long will it take for you to finish this round?" Gavin’s voice is calm, fingers exerting more pressure on the trigger.

The others are so frightened that they rush out. With no way out, the man suddenly whips out a knife and swings it at Gavin. Gavin grabs his wrist, the other hand reaching for the handcuffs.

All of a sudden, a voice rings in his head: Don’t get hurt, and don't ignore the consequences. If he were to do this, it seems someone would be very sad. He doesn’t seem to want to make that person sad either.

In that second of distraction, the knife glinting with a cold light in the man’s hand slices the area between Gavin’s thumb and index finger. The thoughts in his mind accumulate amidst the pain. Gavin gathers some strength in his palm, a raging gale rolling up the battered tables and chairs. The man’s gaze turns frightened...

-

Three minutes later, the man, who was puffed up with pride earlier, is firmly handcuffed and kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

Gavin pushes the person out of the booth, and the colleague responsible for providing assistance steps forward, escorting the person into the police car.

In the main hall, the little girl who was clapping her hands and singing the birthday song earlier has burst into tears, shocked by the sight before her. Her mother comforts her. "Don't be afraid, darling. This is the Special Police Uncle who catches bad men and is here to protect us.

After glancing at him, the little girl cries even more fiercely.

Gavin nods to the girl’s mother apologetically, then walks towards the claw machine at the entrance of the hotel. After a short while, he returns, hugging the largest doll in his arms.

"Happy birthday.”

He hands a huge cartoon doll to the little girl, then turns and walks out the door.

-

An hour of interrogations is enough to leave one exhausted. Tang Chao stretches, holding a tidied statement while heading towards Gavin’s office.

It’s late at night, and the lights are still on. Tang Chao knocks thrice but receives no response. He tries pushing the door open, and is shocked to find that Gavin, who is seated behind the desk, is neither dealing with a case nor official business. Instead, he’s in a daze.

Gavin leans against the chair, his gaze fixed on the computer screen for a long time, brows furrowed deeply. Tang Chao walks over and glances at the screen - it’s a report regarding the arrest of the producer from [MC’s Company Name] not too long ago. He reaches out, waving his hand in front of Gavin. He asks, "How many fingers?”

When Gavin glares back coldly, Tang Chao feels relieved. However, seeing the scab wound on his hand, he’s confused again - what could be so important that he’d forget to tend to his wound?

He places the tidied statement on the table, then drags Gavin to the infirmary. "Even a body forged in iron can’t be compared to you.”

Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep, and can be healed in a few days. But Tang Chao’s intuition tells him that Gavin is a little different from usual. This time, the offender wasn’t considered dangerous, and could be easily subdued by Gavin’s skills. How did he get hurt this easily?

Before Tang Chao can ask a few more questions, Gavin has already vanished without a trace.

-

[ Chapter Two ]

At four o'clock in the morning, the clerk at the 24-hour convenience store yawns, overcome with boredom as he stares at the TV commercial on the wall to pass the time. A cheerful electronic sound rings. The automatic doors slide open, and a young man walks in. 

The clerk perks himself up, and is about to say "Welcome" when he realises that the customer in front of him looks very familiar.

This man lives in an apartment in the vicinity, and visits this convenience store frequently. Sometimes, he drives past in a smart-looking motorcycle. When someone tries to hit on him occasionally, he always rejects them coldly. It’s a pity that whenever he visits, he either buys instant noodles or instant bento... looks like it’s the same this time.

When the clerk sees him heading towards the convenience food shelf, he sighs in his heart: Young people these days don’t take care of their health at all.

Gavin leans down, his gaze flitting across the neatly arranged food on the shelf, absentmindedly differentiating the expiration dates marked on the packets. 

Shiitake mushroom flavoured instant noodles aren’t tasty. The stray cats at the entrance of STF prefer meat, not anchovies. Don’t get hurt, don’t get mired in danger alone, don’t leave without saying a word.

Such thoughts once again surge forth. From a certain point in time, many unfamiliar experiences have been intruding into his life. It’s as though he’s sharing another memory, these disordered fragments of memories twisting into a long, thin thread, holding onto his wrist, tugging at him secretly from time to time. 

Gavin returns to his senses, subconsciously drawing back the hand that was reaching for the convenience food, and picks the brand at the side which contains more vegetables.

When checking out, Gavin notices that there are rows of potted succulents next to the cash register. 

"This is a public welfare activity jointly launched by our store and the Loveland City Environmental Protection Association. For every plant sold, we will donate the same amount of funds to the environmental protection charity.”

Seeing how unresponsive the young customer in front of him is, the clerk is tactful as he continues scanning the remaining products, "Nine dollars in total.”

The receipt is printed, and the clerk hands it to him along with the bento. The young man suddenly points at the small potted plant that had just emerged from the soil. 

"Add this too.”

-

Back home, Gavin throws his jacket into the washing machine, sets the time for washing and drying, then heads into the bathroom to take a shower. 

A strong gush of water flows from the shower, and white mist quickly fills the entire space. The stinging pain from the wound sobers him up quite a lot, and he subconsciously thinks: The wound should be tended to quickly, and “she” can’t know about it.

Realising what he’s thinking, Gavin is once again stunned-

Who’s “she”?

And why is he so concerned about how that person feels?

Stepping out of the bathroom, the washing machine makes a "ding" sound. Gavin wipes his head and walks over to take a look, only to realise that he had put bleach instead of laundry detergent. He stares at the washing machine in silence for a while, then reaches out to unplug the power, retrieving the ruined jacket.

After all of this, Gavin suddenly remembers the small potted plant he just bought. The clerk said that if it is placed in a location with sufficient sunlight, there would be new shoots in a week, and that it’s very easy to grow. 

Gavin places it on the balcony, then picks up the phone and begins to search "How many times must succulents be watered in a day". Whether it’s a mere illusion, that sense of deja vu once again surfaces.

"What in the world am I doing...?" He mutters to himself, tossing his phone aside a little irritatedly. He returns to the bedroom, lying on the bed and closing his eyes, waiting for sleep. 

In the depths of this autumn night that no one knows about, the rain outside the window patters against the leaves gently, and there is a very, very light stirring in his heart.

Gavin opens his eyes, looking at the ceiling which is illuminated by car lights. Suddenly, an unnamed emotion surges in his heart - he feels that the memories he has never been able to grasp weren’t “forgotten”. Rather, they are “losses” which render him powerless.

-

[ Chapter Three ]

On a rare, idle weekend, Tang Chao calls a group of friends from the STF together for hotpot. Right after ordering the hotpot base, Lu Yi’s conscience suddenly bugs him, and he asks if he should call Captain Gavin over. 

Thinking about how rarely Gavin gets to rest and how he definitely wouldn’t be willing to see this group of people, Tang Chao knowingly shakes his head. However, his mouth has a different idea. “I’ll call him then.”

On the other side, a few special police officers are comforting Xiao Zheng from the Publicity Department who was hurt emotionally. Xiao Zheng fell out of love last week, and has been feeling extremely fragile and sensitive these few days. Hearing the bitter love songs in the shop, his eyes immediately redden.

Tang Chao taps open his contacts list, silently recalling the odd behaviour of Gavin recently. He isn’t interested in being a busybody, but his instincts tell him that Gavin has something on his mind, and it’s a change obviously brought about by that girl’s appearance. But whenever Tang Chao wants to inquire about it, the words get halted by Gavin’s killer glare. 

Thinking about this, Tang Chao glances at Xiao Zheng sympathetically, and comes to a definite conclusion - if Captain Gavin were to continually suppress his emotions without releasing them, it’d result in an illness.

Tang Chao asks the waiter to serve two dozen beers, then dials Gavin’s phone.

"Good evening Captain Gavin. Have you eaten?" 

"I don’t mean to annoy you, but Captain Eli invited us to have butter hotpot. You coming? 

"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I’ve got something to talk to you about. Yes, it’s happening right now... it’s of utmost urgency.” Tang Chao shoots a grin towards an astonished Eli. Then, he continues fabricating a tale. "I don’t want to run laps. There’s a genuine matter.

Half an hour later, Gavin frowns as he walks into the hotpot restaurant. Seeing this, a few young special police officers immediately set down their chopsticks and stand up straight in a row. The only thing they haven’t done is to salute at Gavin. 

Tang Chao grins, asking the waiter to bring an additional pair of tableware over. “Captain Gavin, you’re here.” 

Gavin glances at Tang Chao and says in a cool voice, "What’s the urgent matter?"

“Xiao Zheng fell out love, so he asked you over to console him with us.”

“...”

Xiao Zheng frantically waves his hands in surprise, stammering a retort. Tang Chao pushes him back onto his seat and signals for him not to speak. 

"Don't be sad, the chances of people ending up together is always unpredictable." Tang Chao pats Xiao Zheng on the shoulder. "Besides, who doesn’t have someone in their heart? Don’t you agree, Captain Gavin?" 

These words are akin to a sudden clap of thunder on a calm sea. Xiao Zheng immediately forgets to cry. Eli immediately straights up, and the others hurriedly set down their chopsticks, whipping their heads over to look at Gavin like meerkats.

Gavin remains expressionless, though the hissing sound emanating from his body is even cooler than the ice cubes in the beer.

Since they’re in public, Tang Chao knows that it wouldn’t be convenient for Gavin to give him a beating. As such, he’s incredibly composed, and continues with his questions without a fear of death. “Captain Gavin, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Why do you think this has anything to do with her?”

“I already saw the photograph back in the training days. Is she the lady from before when you roared “Tang Chao, put your hands away”?

[Note] These are references to R&S [Tempering] and Ch 2 Part One!

"...Tang Chao!”

“I'm here, I'm here." Tang Chao fills Gavin’s glass with beer. "Captain Gavin, I actually realised that you haven't been in the best state recently, but you don't like speaking your mind. I’m showing my concern." 

“It’s said that you speak the truth after drinking, and today’s beer should be enough. Whatever you want to say, whatever’s suppressed in your heart, just release them all happily. Right, Captain Eli?”

After three rounds of drinking, Tang Chao fails to get Gavin drunk, but ends up drinking too much himself. Once again, he complains about Gavin's "Death Training" back in the days of special training. In the end, Gavin foots the bill. 

Eli steps forward and pats him on the shoulder, saying, "Did something happen recently?" Gavin shakes his head in resignation. "You really believed him? His mouth is like a runaway train.”

Eli looks at Gavin and sighs. "I know you don’t need anyone to worry about you.”

"But that kid Tang Chao said one thing right. If one keeps suppressing their feelings, they’ll be suppressing problems.”

-

[ Chapter Four ]

On the way back, Gavin sees withered leaves on the branches along the street, and only then remembers the small succulent he had bought not long ago. 

Back home, the potted plant on the balcony shrinks alone in the corner. Originally thinking that the plant he had left “free range” for so many days would meet a premature end, it turned out to be alive despite having a few withered leaves. Gavin finds this a little unbelievable, and he becomes more meticulous in watering it.

-

The next morning, Tang Chao opens the door to Gavin’s office and apologises solemnly. "Captain Gavin, I'm sorry. I promise that I’ll never inquire about your personal life in the future, let alone make arbitrary conjectures about your feelings.”

Without looking up at Tang Chao, Gavin only tosses out a sentence. "Before next Monday, re-check all the case data in the Archive Room.”

The Archive Room is on the third basement floor. The dust is very dense and the materials are very thick. Tang Chao wails immediately, leaving dejectedly.

Gavin picks up the document Tang Chao had just placed on his desk. It is a sealed report for the seizure of "small syringe" production plants, which records in detail the batches and output of pharmaceutical companies which participated in the production.

Reaching the final part of the report, Gavin is silent for a moment. At the end of the report, there is a line of small characters - "Ten boxes of drug samples are suspected to have gone missing." 

Without putting much thought into it, a face with a beaming smile locks onto his mind.

“...I won't investigate you this time." He sighs, putting the report back into the drawer. 

After ferreting the mole out of STF, Gray Rhino seems to have erased all traces of the "small syringes". But Gavin knows they wouldn’t withdraw easily from competing for "CORE" - naturally, neither will Black Swan.

Gavin is clear that the current peace will not last for long. Before the girl stands against him on the opposite side, what he has to do is be one step ahead, obtaining more crucial information as soon as possible.

The phone beeps, notifying him of a new e-mail. Gavin is pulled back from his thoughts, and his eyes fall on the unknown email that popped up.

"Congratulations on your successful registration in the Hunter Game" - the sender’s address is encrypted, and there is no doubt that no information can found.

Gavin's thoughts gradually settle. His hands are clasped lightly on the table, his gaze falling on the words "Hunter Game", his gaze turning sharp and determined. 

That place definitely has something they’re looking for.

-

[ Chapter Five ]

In the STF Intensive Care Unit, a dripping sound accompanies the plastic tube. Gavin sleeps very peacefully, and he feels like he had a lot of dreams in his dazed state. They aren’t nightmares which wake him up with a start, but dreams which make him willing to remain asleep.

However, it seems he can only remember the final dream from the long series of dreams. When he’s roused awake by the sound of footsteps in the corridor, what lingers before his eyes is a blurry yet familiar face. Gavin sits up on the hospital bed, the pain from the no-longer-effective anaesthesia making him more awake. 

Despite not telling Tang Chao and Eli about his participation in the Hunter Game, they aren’t suspicious. They’ve grown accustomed to Gavin’s aloof nature, and as such, assumed that he went on a secret mission.

During his absence over the past few days, there was a new development in the Evolver assassination incident - a new victim has appeared. 

Gavin is very clear that if the cases were to be allowed to ferment, the higher-ups from “that side” would intervene in the matter. They have to take immediate action.  

“There’s one more tricky thing." Tang Chao sits at the edge of his desk. "For the latest assassination case, we encountered a witness with a special situation. We might have to ask an Evolver who can read memories for help."

Tang Chao blinks and asks, "But I don't know any Evolvers with this ability. Do you know any, Captain Gavin?”

-

According to theory, aside from work purposes, they should be keeping a distance from each other. But according to the girl, the reason why they’ve come out for an idle stroll is, for one, to relax. Two, to search for inspiration to solve the case.

The lead from the only witness to the Evolver assassination was cut short. Gavin isn’t affected much, since he knows that this matter isn’t simple. In contrast, the girl is especially bothered by it, and feels apologetic for not being able to help. 

On the bustling street in the afternoon, Gavin returns to his senses, taking the oden which the girl hands over with a smile. 

When walking by her side, Gavin realises that he’s barely thinking about the things that are bothering him. He naturally picks up her conversation topics, as if they had wandered aimlessly on the street side by side before. 

Does she feel the same way? In his heart, Gavin shakes his head in self-mockery, wanting to forget these thoughts which confuse him.

Walking out of the food street, rain patters down. The pedestrians on the street crowd together suddenly, rushing towards the station. Gavin holds up an umbrella, planning to send her back. 

The yellow wintersweet flowers exude a subtle fragrance in the rain. The smell, colour, and the scent of the person next to him seem to be magnified, forming a memory of the present moment. 

Perhaps, even before he noticed it himself, while he has been deliberately neglecting the complex emotions in his heart, they have been also been growing in a place where he cannot see. When she calls his name, when she accidentally touches his hand, it’s as though some things from a very long time ago are coming back to life in his mind--

Someone had once called his name using such a tone.

Someone had once held his hand in this way.

Someone... was once his strength.

The emotions which he conceals deeply, whether they are good or bad, were once held gently. 

A scorching wave of heat suddenly rushes into his chest.

The traffic lights change, and the crowd waiting at the side of the street slowly surge towards the middle of the road. The surrounding pedestrians squeeze past each other, bumping into his shoulder from time to time. 

Gavin lifts his head abruptly, watching the side profile of the girl as she’s in the rain. It’s as though there’s an intriguing overlap. It’s as though a very long time ago, his heart had leapt this fiercely for her.

The girl suddenly turns around, looking in his direction and waving at him. Putting away her umbrella, she points to a mother-daughter duo hiding from the rain underneath the bus stop. She asks for his opinion through her gaze. Without much thought, Gavin removes his jacket, brisk walking towards her in the rain.

Raindrops patter down, and the water beneath his feet leave splashes in their wake. Akin to rain, they land on his body. It’s as though he gets slightly more drenched with each step. At this moment, Gavin realises that on days when memories are muddied, he has grasped a thin thread since a long time ago.

The jacket supports a narrow world, and wind and rain occasionally blow in. 

If their reunion was meant to verify their directions, no matter what the future holds, what he has to do now is to run forward with her, together.

[Note] Please don’t ask me about the Hunter Game! I haven’t had the chance to read the earlier chapters in detail so I don’t know the specifics 😅

💙 More S2 content: here

💙 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!

[ungrateful-cyborg-moved]

10. How do they deal with the pressure of being a or the Warrior of Light? Do they have a ritual to relax and recenter themselves?

Aïcha dealt with it fairly well up until the end of Endwalker.

As a child and a teenager she wanted to become a dancer and travel the world, and since she actually enjoys being the center of attention, becoming famous was never far from her mind. Quickly enough, she began paying attention to her public image so by the time she became the Warrior of Light and was known for her deeds as an adventurer, the habit was long ingrained in her. She already had learned to hide her thoughts behind a smile, to take criticism gracefully (and with humor if she finds you way out of line) and to unwind privately.

But she's also acutely aware that she very rarely does things alone. Be it the Scions or her many, many friends (including her small group of adventurers), there's almost always someone to give her a hand, in fight or to get to the fight. Many of her deeds are theirs as well and though the attention is often focused on her, she's always been on the opinion that even without her, they would have managed. More people would have died, perhaps, but she's not crucial to the point that the world will stop spinning the day she meets her end.

Frankly, if you asked her, she'd tell you that her real strength isn't fighting, it's being incredibly stubborn and still, somehow, having people find that trait endearing about her, if not outright inspiring.

That said, she does need to unwind sometimes and it's usually taking a long bubble bath or spending quality time with her family and friends.

Or it was her way to relax until a few months ago.

(Read more for spoilers about EW. They’re soft but I know not everyone has reached that point yet.)

Now that she’s saved the whole star (and a few others beside), she’s finding herself without a fight to fight for the first time in almost two decades and it took her to be alone in the jungle of her own island for the thought to finally hit her. It’s over.

Free to be herself once again, she actually struggles to figure out what it means. It’s been so long since she could be “just Aïcha”, so long since she could exist without having to save anyone that of course when the occasion presented itself to do exactly that, she took it before anyone had time to blink. Saving Vrtra’s sister isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also the only thing she feels she has some control over at the moment, and a happy distraction.

(Especially because she doesn't remember what happened between “it’s over” and cuddling with Estinien a few hours later in his room, but she suspects he told the Scions because everyone and their mother–literally for the twins–came to visit her in Thavnair or called her innocently to know how she was doing in the following days. She’s still not over the hint of concern she saw on Fourchenaut’s face of all people.)

So hm... At the moment, relaxing is the last thing she really wants to do.

And I hope that answers your question. It got long but hopefully it’ll make up for the delay. Thank you so much for the ask @synapticbarbariancreature!

[bruh-haikyuu]

@arcangel-wings REQUESTED: Heya! I’m new to your blog and I really like your writing! Can I request Tenma Udai with an s/o who’s a baker while he’s in hs? So like he’s a delinquent and she’s a sweetheart who’s always giving people the stuff she bakes? Everyone thinks it’s weird but they fit together kinda thing 🥺?

A/N: Thanks for requesting!! This is über cute. Fem!Reader as alluded in the request^^

kilig. | udai tenma

word count: 2155

warnings: manga spoilers!!

(n.) the rush or the inexplicable joy one feels after seeing or experiencing something romantic

“Chocolate is the ingredient for love~!” you say after pouring what seems to be an entire bucketful of chocolate chips into your bowl.

Your friend Saeko has seen just about enough of your nonsensical chatter about baking, your boyfriend and your abundant love for both. Already exhausted from a recent scolding by the vice-principal, she decides that it’s better off to smile and nod rather than try to come up with a snarky remark for your innocent mania.

“T-That’s a lot of chocolate,” she blurts out. When she picks up her spatula from the bowl, the girl grumbles at the sight of a liquidy trail drizzling down the utensil. “Ahh geez, it’s not supposed to be like this, isn’t it? Katagiri-sensei’s going to fail me again...”

You smile and hand her a bowl of flour. “Don’t worry, Saeko-chan. Just add a bit more flour and you’re good to go! You can never go wrong with cookies.”

The halo above your head is nearly visible. Saeko swears she can even hear angels singing to her in the background as you mix away on your fragrant bowl of dough. You don’t even seem real—from your angelic grin down to your overwhelmingly flowery aura. It’s tough enough to imagine that you’d ever talk to her of all people, but to imagine you’d go for a guy who’s just as much of a thug...

Unthinkable! Saeko shakes her head. She’d thought you’d pulled a joke on her the first time you announced that you were dating... him. Udai Tenma, star of the Boys’ Volleyball Club, a red-hot beacon of undomesticated temper.

She’d always known you liked him—though which part of him you liked is somewhat still a mystery to her—and as much as Saeko wanted to protect you from those ruffians, that absolutely infatuated look in your eyes was too much to bear. And eventually, she succumbed to your incessant ambitions of high school romance.

“You’re a saint, dude,” she sighs longingly. “I don’t get how you’re still dating that guy. I’m not really one to say anything about this, but don’t you think Udai’s kind of a jerk with the way he treats you?”

You chuckle, like a sweet grandmother about to tell a nostalgic tale to her grandchildren.

“I suppose you can say that Tenma-kun is a bit shy. He likes to act tough and mighty when he’s around people, but he’s actually just a normal boyfriend with a very sweet tooth and a penchant for manga.”

Saeko scowls. “Normal’s normal, but you have to at least let him know that you have your limits too. I really can’t stand leaving the two of you alone, w-what if Udai breaks your heart, or worse—”

“Tanaka-san. If you have time for chatter back there, then surely, you’re finished with your cookies?” at the sound of the grouchy Home Economics teacher at the front of the class, Saeko quickly returns to her bowl in a sorry attempt to look busy.

Deciding to humor her interest, you lean towards her and whisper lowly. “I’ll be fine, Saeko-chan. He may not look like it, but Tenma-kun’s actually very cute.”

In her mind, it’s much easier to simply handcuff herself to you so that you’re under her watch at all times possible. But your gaze is nothing short of genuine—you really love this guy, and the fact that you’re still with him, assures Saeko even just a tiny bit that he might not be so bad after all... with you at least.

You’re already storming away in your little world of baking. It amuses your best friend whenever you’re off making your personal masterpieces (“‘Masterpiece’ is absolutely right!” she’d say while stuffing her mouth full of your mini tarts). Each and every one of your creations are whipped up with the utmost amount of love and care, and for just the right reasons, everyone’s been pestering you to set up a bakery after high school. Your regular patrons just happen to be the Karasuno Boys’ Volleyball Club—with the addition of the lively Coach Ukai who is rather fond of how much filling you put into your red bean buns.

As regular as regular can be, you’ve found yourself visiting the Volleyball Club clubroom after school every Wednesday to hand out your treats to not only your aloof boyfriend, but also to his friends, his coach and the prostrated manager who direfully needs a pick-me-up. And suddenly, you’re ‘Karasuno’s Cookie Goddess’.

“Ah, you’re making another batch, Y/N?” Saeko perks up when you split your dough in half.

“Yep!” you giggle, essentially a high school student drowning in love. “I want to make something special for Tenma-kun today.”

“... What’s the occasion? Is it his birthday or something?”

You shrug, face absolutely alight. “Nope, I just want to give him a surprise~”

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

Tenma isn’t exactly unapproachable. It’s just that people tend to avoid him at all costs. Perhaps you were just bold... or remarkably stupid, but if you hadn’t addressed him that day, life would’ve probably been drabber.

Your parents and your friends (with emphasis towards your overprotective Saeko-chan) had shown their unfiltered concern when the news of your relationship circulated like wildfire. What was the analogy they used, again?

“You’re like a rabid bridge troll and a rabbit! It doesn’t work!”  You could only laugh at their valiant efforts of a correlation... if they were really trying to make one. But after a few more reassuring pushes and awkward family dinners, they’ve come to be more lenient about your little ‘liaison’.

But you never feel like you have to worry when Tenma is around. In fact, when Tenma is around, you feel calm—even when he’s spouting off curses to a taller rival.

There’s a warmth unlike any other when he holds or kisses you. And though you’d have to drive him through hell and waters to say it out loud, you already know that every action he does for you is out of love. Words are material, it’s the action that counts, right?

“Sorry for the intrusion~!” you call out into the open doors of the Boys’ Volleyball Club’s space.

A flash of obnoxious yellow hair flashes before your eyes and suddenly, an imposingly tall  figure appears in front of you out of nowhere. “Cookie Goddess!”

“Good afternoon, Yukimura-kun,” you smile. “Is there only you right now?”

“I’m here too, Y/N-chan,” the lax-faced captain Tokito emerges from the room in the midst of zipping up his jacket. His eyes flicker towards the packages in your hands and a smile cracks on his face. “Ooh, chocolate chip cookies today~”

You quickly raise the fragrant bags of treats into their view, bringing in the remaining swamp of boys from the clubroom. Suddenly, the common hallway is blocked by an influx of starving teenagers who are rampaging on about your existence.

“So good...” Yukimura murmurs dreamily, mouth full of chocolate. “Man, anyone would be lucky to have you as their wife if you were to cook them these everyday.”

A brazen first-year with frosted tips elbow him and sighs. “Too bad you’re taken, huh, Y/N-chan-senpai? If it were me instead of him, I’d always make it a point that ‘Heeey... guess what my girlfriend made for me today~ Isn’t she the best—”

“Oi, brat. Whose girlfriend do you think you’re talking about?”

The gangle of boys freeze up simultaneously at the grouchy voice behind you (aside from Tokito, who’s yawning at the whole ordeal). Whipping around to the dark aura boring holes into your back, you immediately light up at Tenma’s presence.

“Tenma-kun~!” you launch at him with your arms wide open. You’re ready for some sort of swerve from him, so you make sure you protect his bag of cookies with your arm... You’ve learned this counter-attack the hard way, of course.

But what you don’t expect is that your boyfriend makes no move to avoid you at all.

“H-hey! Don’t just lunge at me like that, you idiot! What if you fell down and knocked your head open?” Ah, at least the embarrassed comment is there.

You can only smile at him kindly. From the edge of your eyes, you swear that you can see a light blush dusting his face as your boyfriend gains newfound interest in your shoes.

“Come with me for a while,” he finally grumbles, effectively breaking the silence between the both of you. Grabbing your hand, Tenma leads you down the little aluminium staircase, eliciting small grates from the steps below you and a mass of curious whispers from the group you’d just left behind.

“Hey, Udai-kun~” Tokito calls out, a lilt of roguery in his tone, “Make sure to get back in time for practice, okay? And keep Y/N-chan in one piece, won’t you? We can’t get another Cookie Goddess if you don’t.”

When he turns into a secluded corner away from the prying eyes of his teammates, you can hear him audibly huff and mutter something under his breath. As silence lingers between you, you nearly forget about the reason why you came to visit.

“I made some cookies for you, Tenma-kun,” you say to him, urging the neatly wrapped bundle into his hands. “I hope you like it.”

You can clearly see the hesitation in his eyes when he takes it in his hands. You can probably guess why.

(“Y/N, your skills with a knife are scary, dude,” Saeko grimaced as she watched you trail over the dough with the gleaming blade of your paring knife.

“Aaand... done!” you proudly wiped the sweat off your forehead. It would’ve been more helpful with a cookie cutter around, but you figured that it would’ve been more heartfelt otherwise.

‘Heartfelt’, you pondered on the word for a moment. Would this be too heartfelt for such a rag-tag person like Tenma? It would probably be better to go for something simpler, just like the other days...

Nah. You shook your head as you chucked the tray of heart-shaped cookies into the oven.)

You’re hoping for a shocked response from him, but Tenma only grumbles meekly. You brace yourself for another scolding for acting too chummy with him, or being too affectionate, or—

“You shouldn’t get too close with other guys.”

Wait.

Tenma crosses his arms, the curls of his hair falling gently over his forehead. His pink cheeks darken into a soft maroon. “If they found out you’re giving me this sort of special treatment, they’ll be all over you the next day, asking for it too... I don’t like it.”

The laugh that rises in your throat threatens to burst. What is this, you think. Your stomach hurt from the mere image of this innocent “delinquent” professing his jealousy for you. If he was like this all the time, wouldn’t that be an interesting change... Aah, your boyfriend really is cute, isn’t he?

A giggle escapes you and you watch him jolt in chagrin. “Tenma-kun, you’re so red.”

“I’m not!” he yells rather briskly, then shoots back at you. “You can’t say I’m red when you were all burning up as you were giving me these heart-shaped cookies.”

Touché. “I’m glad you like them, Tenma-kun.”

His gaze visibly softens up as you give him an angelic smile. “Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

At times like this, you really do see the boy who’d shyly confessed to you under the shade of the summer ginko tree. It wasn’t anything of a distant memory, it was just that Tenma’s usual demeanour and your unrelenting tolerance hindered the both of you from being completely outward with one another. Maybe something like this isn’t so bad after all.

“I-I have to go back to practice. You can go home by yourself, right?” your boyfriend clears his throat, urging you to leave.

Though you wished the moment would last a little longer, you know there are other countless shared opportunities with him. “Mm-hm! You do your best in practice, okay?”

He ruffles your hair and chuckles endearingly.

“Atta girl. Now go home before Tokito catches me getting all touchy-feely with you.”

Bidding him goodbye, you sullenly trudge away from your boyfriend (and his friends waving back at you from the balcony). Then the idea strikes you.

Special cookies ought to have a special flair to them, no?

Cupping your hands around your mouth like a megaphone, you shout, loud enough for his teammates to hear. “I love you, Tenma-kun~!”

And the crowd goes wild.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

From: Tenma-kun ♡

Subject: Untitled

(15:58) Now Tokito’s all over me thanks to you, making me do extra diving drills. You better make more of those cookies as compensation, idiot. Be prepared for it.

(15:58) Btw, don’t forget to look both ways when you cross the street on the way home. If you get into an accident, you won’t be able to apologize to me properly.

(15:58) ... Hey.

(16:00) I love you too.

[erinhime83]

So…so, since someone managed to get my muse all Sailor Moon happy, I figured I’d take the time to complete a couple of design sheets I’ve had sitting around for, like, a couple of years.  So, yeah, while this seems like this might have been an undertaking, they were all pretty much done around the same time as when the Sailor Aeolus design went up, except the last two.  I just had been too lazy to really finish them to be put on deviantArt.

I mean, it wasn’t that much of an undertaking to begin with, seeing as they’re all basically the same design, so it involved a lot of copy/pasting.  ;P

The only thing that I did to them for this was change their casual designs from their school uniforms to actual clothes because I had the idea of taking the school angle away and just make the story take place on, say, Aeolus, but I decided that doesn’t work 100% with what I have planned, but still.  Maybe they don’t have uniforms?  

I also did up the last two recently, but again, it didn’t take that much effort.  I just wanted to design the main villain, and then figured I might as well toss in her teammate as well.

Sailor Aeolus/Aeris Anemone/Erin O’Colley – CLEARLY, I didn’t do much to her since the last design other than changing up her civilian outfit like I mentioned.  I still love the idea of her hair being magically altered so no one knows she’s actually the princess Aeris (and I like how Aeris and Erin sound close enough that it’d make sense for her to adapt a more common name in hiding), but then the Millennium Crystal negates the magic and reveals the Aeolian royal family is quite alive and well.

Basically, when Aeris was young, her planet was attacked by the previous Sailor Nemesis, who did a hell of a lot of damage before the previous Sailor Aeolus (Aeris’ mother) faced her down.  The explosion that ended the fight ended Nemesis, and the common belief was that it ended Aeolus as well.  And since her family was nearby, they thought they had all died as well.  Aeolus took her family and hide them in order to protect them because of this, and the general idea was that the power of Aeolus was lost.

And yet, no one really thought much about the fact that this girl who was around Aeris’ age shows up at the Academy with the power of Aeolus, go figure.  They really just thought the power transferred to her instead of simply being reborn.  Erin (Erin being the nickname her commoner father gave her when she was born) is actually unremarkable as far as students are concerned – she’s a model student, sure, but she’s honestly just another face in the crowd to most people.  At least until it’s discovered she’s the lost princess of Aeolus.  For some odd reason, despite just having the power of Wind, Aeolus is considered extremely powerful and people want her power.  Doubly so with the Millennium Crystal.

Sailor Gaios/Terra Fitz – I think it’s funny how this character is now required to be dark skinned, no matter what form it is.  ;P  I like her eyeliner, and I have no idea why I gave it to her, lol.

So Terra is Erin’s best friend/roommate.  They started at the Academy at the same time, and have been together ever since.  Terra actually comes from a species that’s, like, 75% women, which, of course, changed the gender dynamic.  Since there’s so few men, no one really settles down with them because they need to be available to, you know, continue the species and all that.  Most couples are lesbian, obviously.

Terra comes from a different sort of family.  Her parents settles together, and even had another child.  Full blooded siblings are highly unusual.  As such, Terra’s upbringing was different than most of her people, and while she’s definitely a tomboy, she’s not exactly one-of-the-guys, either.  Mostly, this is important just because the previous Gaius was her aunt rather than her mother.  Her aunt never had any children, which is why the power went to her instead.

Terra is fiercely loyal to Erin, and people always think she has a crush on the redhead, but they’re really just BFFs.  Due to her tomboy nature, Terra is very hands on with combat, and is a bit of a tank in the group.

Aegir/Nereus Knight/Seamus Triteia/Patrick McHaley – Yeah, he’s got a lot of names.  >.<    But I guess it makes sense considering it’s the only male and he’s a villain hiding amongst the heroes.  Sorta.  

So before the attack on Aeolus, there was an uprising on Nereus that ended up displacing the Nereis royal family on Aeolus.  Seamus and Aeris basically grew up together because of this, resulting in them becoming super close.  However, when Aeolus was attacked, Seamus was captured and brought to the evil people in order to be brainwashed into helping them.

A little spoiler alert, but the brainwashing actually didn’t take full effect. He just sort of acts like it did because it makes his life a little easier. He developed a dark form of his power and took on the name Aegir, and fights alongside the villains for a while. However, they decided to have him infiltrate the Academy, and he took on the alias Patrick McHaley.  (Due to the fact that Nereids don’t believe in marriage, no one actually knows who Seamus’ father actually is, except for Seamus and his mother, so he adapts his father’s surname as his alias.)  

While at the Academy, he ends up becoming really close with Erin (of course), and decides to join her even before it’s revealed that she is actually his first love.  When he gains his own Millennium Crystal, it wipes away the evil form and reveals him to be Nereus Knight.  Except, like I said, he was never evil to begin with, so…yeah.  

Sailor Helios/Angelia De Helios – I really could have given her a more ‘alien’ form, but I figured I needed to separate her from Aerona, sadly.  

Sadly, I don’t have that much on the last members of the team.  She’s bubbly and happy and optimistic.  The only bit of drama she has going for her is the fact that her sister disappeared some time ago, and she’s been searching for her off and on when she can.  

Sailor Aethos/Sunny Colours – I really love Sunny’s design.  I think it’s funny I took the Iris name from her, but still gave her the rainbow hair, go figure.  But hey, she’s a soldier of light, and like refracts and it still totally works!  I really like her civilian outfit.  While it was stolen from someone else, I might have to find a use for it elsewhere…well, in this form, to be precise.  ^^;

Sunny probably has the most normal life.  Her sister doesn’t care for her very much, but otherwise, no much has happened in her life other than her becoming Sailor Aethos.  She enjoys being the guardian of her planet, and I believe her claim to fame is the fact that she’s the first to get a Millennium Crystal.

Sailor Erebus/Melody Draga- Melody is Erin’s cousin through her mother/Erin’s father.  Which is impressive, since her father is, like, 1000 years old.  Basically, her parents met because Seren has business on Aeolus, and Amelia was visiting her brother, and sort of caught the eye of Seren briefly.  They had a bit of fun which resulted in Amelia becoming pregnant and Seren bringing her back to Erebus with him.

Except she was one of many concubines/wives.  Melody was raised sort of separated from the rest of her half-siblings, although her father did care for her.  But she was a Halfling and the child of a commoner, so she was looked down upon.  So everyone was surprised when it turned out to be her that inherited the Erebus power.  

Melody is actually the only one who knows Erin’s true identity, but that’s mostly because she guessed/knew of Aeris’ nickname.  Aeris was pretty much her only friend growing up until her ‘death’, so she and Erin became really close at the Academy.  She’s also the second one to gain her Millennium Crystal.

Sailor Thanatos/Alex Lea – It’s sort of obvious that I based her hair off the Earthia Thanatians. I just thought it would be funny.  But I differentiated them by giving her normal skin.

Thanatos was an unknown member of the team until very recently.  They hadn’t known about the Academy or the other members for, like, ever, so the previous Thanatos’ have just sort of been winging it. They were rather surprised to learn they were actually a part of a team and very eager to send Alex off to the Academy to meet them.

The previous Thanatos is Alex’s grandmother, since the power skipped a generation.  She actually joined the Academy at the very start of the story, which is why her first form is a lot older than the others.  She hadn’t figured out her second form yet, but she figures it out very quickly with the help of the others.  She generally feels out of place because she hasn’t been around the whole time, but the others are very exciting to have her around and love being with her, and are very welcoming.

Sailor Nemesis/Topaz – Ugh, I love this design!  It absolutely sucks that she’s a villain.  >.<  Don’t ask me why I gave her species horns while trying to make everyone human-eque. I just thought it’d look cool.

So, obviously, Topaz lost her mother in the attack on Aeolus, and she one hundred percent blames Erin for this fact since she’s the one who now holds the power her mother sought.  Her entire reason for being is to get revenge for her mother’s death, which is one reason she sends Aegir to the Academy to get dirt on her.

She’s also completely in love with Seamus, which is one of many reasons he was abducted in the first place.  He obviously shows no feelings for her, since he’s always been in love with Aeris, but that doesn’t stop her from acting like they’re destined.  

She’s actually a very competent villain, but once Aeolus started to get involved in her schemes, she’s started to get a little sloppy, which is why, of course, the guardians are always able to get the upper hand over her.  I was thinking about giving her a Millennium form as well, but decided to keep that to be something only Aeolus and her team can achieve.

Sailor Eris/Morrisa de Helios – Again, I love this design sheet, and hate that the best designs are being used for the villains, lol.  This one has the best concept to boot.

So, obviously, Eris is Helios’ lost sister.  Basically, she was rather angry about the fact that her younger sister is the one who inherited the Helios power, and ran away.  She ended up coming across the previous Eris over there, who decided to bestow the power to her.

See, while the other powers are always inherited, usually between family members, the Eris power is always given.  It’s the reason why her secondary color is different from the previous form. Morrisa sort of hates playing second fiddle to Topaz, but she also doesn’t mind because she considers Topaz a close friend.

(I got a laugh at the thought of Topaz making them have sort of matching dressed and then wear the same shoes because she 100% would do something like that.)

Morrisa isn’t necessarily a bad person, just misguided and a little vengeful, which is why she works well with Topaz.  She’s not a huge fan of Aegir, but tolerates him for the most part, but feels hurt when he does got and betray him, since he was just always…there.)  Oh, and she does care for her little sister, which makes her missions interesting when she’s around.  

I was enjoying thinking about this story and was actually considering maybe doing a fan-fic for NaNo this year, lol.  But I figure I might as well toss up the designs somewhere rather than sitting on them for another three years, and it might as well be Tumblr, right? (Tumblr tends to keep the file size and not just have the shrinked version years later XD)

[angst-fairygodmother]

Light Fingers (The Umbrella Academy)

Diego’s vigilantism brings him repeatedly across the path of a young cat burglar. But as he finds himself developing feelings for the thief, he begins to wonder if there’s more to her than meets the eye, and whether they’re really on opposite sides. And as their relationship deepens, it brings with it a plot involving his estranged adopted father, and threatens to destroy all of them.

CHAPTER 13: DARKNESS FALLS

Word Count: 2362 Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x Reader Rating: T Content Warnings: swearing, references to violence (canon-typical), heavy angst, sort of spoilers for TUA season 1? Cross-posted to AO3: here

Previous Chapter: Confrontation || Masterlist

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

Two weeks after your visit to the Academy, and everything that followed, a headline caught your eye as you poured coffee for a couple at the diner. ‘Eccentric Billionaire Reginald Hargreeves Under Federal Investigation. Crimes include Smuggling, Arms Dealing, Fraud’ screamed out at you in bold black print and you barely managed not to scald yourself as your hand trembled.

Your mind was racing. It hadn’t seemed real, when you were making phone calls and “visiting old friends” and whispering in the right, or wrong, ears. It was a stab in the dark, that you never expected to amount to anything. But it seemed like someone, somewhere, had listened and moved on D.S. Umbrella and your father-in-law.

A bubble of elation built up in your chest. Unable to contain yourself, you yelled out that you were taking your 15, despite the earliness of the hour, and jogged down the street to pick up a copy of the morning paper for yourself. As you scanned the article, more snippets jumped out: “midnight raid,” “suspicious and hazardous materials,” “illegal within city limits.” They also mentioned looking into his accounts, heavy investigation into recent break-ins at the warehouse that authorities suspected were to cover up evidence, and a re-examination of the adoption records for his now infamous Academy of children. That last one made your heart skip a beat. You hadn’t wanted to drag Diego or his family into any of this, and certainly not risk having his world flipped upside down. Still, there was hope nothing would come of that bit, and he would never have to be involved, and everything else was well worth it.

With a giddy giggle, relieved and stunned that things were going better than you could have hoped, you tucked the paper into your bag and returned to work, feeling lighter than you had in a while.

~

“This is insane,” Diego said, dropping onto the couch, head in his hands and the copy of the paper you’d brought home on the table in front of him.

“Is it?” you countered, sitting down on the far end and tucking your knees up to your chest. “We knew he was up to something…”

“But not this! Why would he raise us the way he did if he was a criminal?”

“Covering his tracks maybe? Or there’s something bigger here we haven’t put together.”

“You’re not even a little surprised by this,” there was something flat to his tone.

You shrugged, knowing that he knew you too well to deny it.

“What did you do?”

“Technically, nothing.” He fixed with you a firm, unamused expression that made you sigh. “I just talked to people. Gossip, anonymous tips, that sort of thing. I didn’t really think anyone would listen.”

His jaw clenched as he struggled to reign in his anger. “Who else did you talk to?”

“A few journalists, some law enforcement that Patch put me in touch with who wouldn’t ask too many questions, some folks in my line of work. That one clearly didn’t go anywhere, or we would have heard by now, especially if there’s an investigation too.”

“Thieves?”

“No waitstaff.” You rolled your eyes.

“What for?”

“I thought...I figured if some other crews went in, free looting, it would make it harder to figure out what we took, cover our tracks some.”

“That doesn’t make sense. He already knew we were there. Y/N, what aren’t you telling me?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s done now. I’m sure nothing will happen, the authorities are probably in his pocket, and if not...Prison for someone like your father isn’t even that bad. It’s a penthouse, just one with a 24/7 guard at the door.”

Diego looked annoyed but didn’t say anything else. You bit your lip, the silence tense over the two of you.

“I’m sorry, Diego. I just thought...it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He grunted in acknowledgement. A moment later, he stood, silently getting ready for bed, despite the relatively early hour, and went to bed without a word. You waited, fighting back tears, still curled on the couch. You didn’t expect Diego to be thrilled the way you were that something was happening with Reginald, but you also hadn’t predicted this anger.

“Y/N,” he called softly, an indeterminate time later, making you jump. “Come to bed, sweetheart.”

~

Things in the household felt fragile after that, even the dog could sense that both you and Diego were tip-toeing on eggshells, waiting for the outcome of the investigation, like the Sword of Damocles.

And then it dropped, with a breaking news bulletin, one that made you almost grateful that Diego had a late night at the gym. You wrapped your arms around yourself, shuddering, as you watched an all too familiar building go up in smoke.

“No one knows what, if anything, was taken by the miscreants seen fleeing the warehouse shortly before the explosion, or why they chose to destroy the structure so definitively,” the news anchor said, the rest of her words blending into a drone in the back of your mind.

At some point, you fell asleep there on the couch, waiting for Diego to come home, startled awake in the morning when the door slammed shut.

“Diego?” you asked, frowning and rising to greet him. “Are you okay?”

He laughed bitterly, shaking off your hand on his arm and stepping away. “You’re really asking me that, Y/N? After everything you’ve done?”

“What are you talking about, Diego?”

“I’m not an idiot Y/N.”

“No but evidently I am, because I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about, baby.”

“Don’t,” he growled, shaking his head again. “D.S. Umbrella. Thieves, an explosion. You’re honestly trying to tell me you had nothing to do with it?”

“I didn’t! Not...directly!” you protested. “I promised you that I wouldn’t go after him, so I called in friends who could, who would.”

“How is that any different?”

“I...you said yourself that he was dangerous, and he proved that to me. And I got scared okay? I panicked, and when I saw a solution, I took it. Torch and burn, and salt the earth seemed like a good idea.”

“And Luther? Was he part of your plan or just an acceptable casualty?”

“What do you mean?” your frown shifted from one of upset to confusion.

“Pogo called, last night. Dad sent Luther to the warehouse had he got caught in your friends’ chemical explosion. He’s lucky to be alive.”

There was a slight hitch to his voice as he spoke, and you knew that despite the years of tension between them, hearing such news about his brother had shaken Diego badly. And you hadn’t been there for him. You reached out for his hand, to comfort him as you usually would before recoiling.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

Diego scoffed in disbelief, nostrils flaring angrily. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I don’t hate your brother, and I had no reason to want that. Because your father was the one who sent him in, alone and probably unprepared even though he knew better than anyone what hazards were in there. Because I’m your wife, and I wouldn’t lie to you, not when it mattered. Because I never wanted any of this, I just couldn't sit back and do nothing.”

“Why not? And give me a straight answer this time, Y/N.”

“While you and Luther were busy getting out all your boyhood aggression or whatever, I tried to find answers just like we planned. Only instead I ended up having a nice little chat with Reginald. And he said that everything was staged, that it was an audition. That I passed. And he threatened you, and he called the Academy a failed experiment.”

“You never said anything to me.”

“I didn’t know how,” your voice was sharp, pleading. “I have even less answers than I did when we started. All I have is that your father didn’t care about you, but he did about me, for something. He was willing to let you die to test what I could do. He was okay with the idea of hurting you to keep me in line. I...I had to protect you. So I did the only thing I could think of to do.”

“We’re s-supposed to be a team.” His eyes were still dry, but you could see the pain written across his features, and you closed your eyes against the sight.

“I know,” you said softly.

“W-w-we could have figured it out t-to-tog-gether if you had ta-lked to me…”

“We tried that Diego,” you wanted so badly to reach out for him. You hated that you couldn’t. Not now. “It had us spinning in circles.”

"So you just shut m-m-me out?" His lip quivered.

“Would you have done any differently?” you gave up on even trying to keep your own emotions out of your voice, tilting your head in question as you looked at your husband, the man you loved, and said words that you knew were breaking both your hearts. “Honestly?”

He was painfully silent, lips pressed together and eyes downcast as he considered your words, and what his answer would be. Rather than let the question continue to stew, you forged onward, almost afraid of what would happen if you didn’t.

“I’m truly sorry that Luther got hurt, and glad he’ll be okay. But I still stand by what I did. It was the right choice to make. If anything, it worked out better than I had hoped.”

“H-how could you say t-tha-that?” despite his stutter there was outrage in his voice now, raising the pitch to almost a shout.

“If it’s him or you, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no choice. I’m not sorry for that.” You shrugged. “And maybe almost losing his last loyal son will be enough to get your father to back off, to rethink, stop doing...whatever it is he’s doing.”

Diego’s body tensed and his eyes narrowed to a glare, the full fury and hatred locked inside suddenly directed at you. There was no trace of the pain in his voice now and it made your blood run cold.

“Luther’s an asshole, but he’s m-y family.”

“I know that, Diego. And I know how much family means to you. That wasn’t how I—”

“You know, you’re starting to sound a lot like my father.”

You stared at him, aghast.

“You’ve been just like him this whole time, haven’t you?”

“What?” you couldn’t keep the break and horror from your voice, didn’t want to.

“All this scheming and planning. Using the rest of us as puppets. It’s all about the so-called greater good. And screw anyone that gets in your way.”

“Diego, that’s not—” You tried to pull your emotions back into check but couldn’t. Hot, desperate tears pooled in your eyes before spilling down your cheeks.

‘Not what?’ you froze to ask yourself. ‘Not fair? Not true? Isn’t it though? Wasn’t he completely right, that you and Reginald were circling each other, playing a game with each other? Lay a trap, dance away from it. Steal a piece of information, change it’s meaning. Capture a bishop, sacrifice a knight. Move and counter-move. For months now.’

“I’m going to the gym tonight,” he said, making a dismissive gesture when you remained silent for too long. “I can’t do this anymore.”

He turned on his heel, throwing a few things in a duffle bag haphazardly.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” you said quietly as you watched him pack, rooted in your spot in the living room.

“Of course it was a mistake!”

“I don’t mean things with your father or D.S. Umbrella,” you took a deep, shuddery breath. “I...I mean us.”

“What?” his voice dropped, all the anger leeching away as he hesitated in the middle of folding one of his turtlenecks.

You took a shuddering breath, “None of this would have happened if we hadn’t gotten tangled up trying to pretend we fit together, in each other’s lives.”

“Y/N. Stop.” He shook his head, words clipped and forced. “Don’t say that.”

“Say what Diego? What we’re both thinking? I love you, so much. More than I can possibly say. But...I don’t think that’s enough. I was...we were better off alone. Everyone was.”

“That’s not t-true.” He took a step toward you and you took a step back. He looked like the world had just dropped out from under him.

“Tell me I’m wrong. Please?” you begged, voice and lip trembling. “If you can say that, after everything I’ve done, after all of this, I’ll believe you. But...don’t say if it’s not true.”

“That’s it?”

“I don’t know.”

Your gut gnawed at you, the still image of the burning warehouse catching in the corner of your eye. It felt like he was going to forgive you, even for a moment, for that, for Luther, and you couldn’t fathom that. And the more you spoke, the more you found yourself meaning the words. You loved him, and he loved you, and that could only hurt.

“I should go,” he said, half-heartedly, almost asking you to stop him.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

His keys rattled as he picked them up, and the door closing behind him seemed louder than you had ever imagined possible. It felt like one of his daggers was protruding from your chest. You couldn’t breathe.

“Diego, wait!” you called shakily, throwing open the door but not quite chasing him into the hallway.

He stopped but didn’t turn around. Silence hung like a wall between you. Your tongue felt like lead. What could you possibly say to undo what you had just done?

The minutes dragged on, the silence unbroken.

With a sigh you could almost imagine wafting back to flutter over you, he started to move again, and you stood there until his back disappeared. Only when he was truly gone, did you sink to the floor.

“Goodbye Diego,” you murmured, the words trailing off into a sob.

[millylotus]

Chapter II [Four weeks later/July]

LORE / PART 1 / PART 3 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7

The League had recently run into a problem in Britain. The wizards practicing European magic had promised that they would call the League if they ever ran into a big problem. But Constantine had just burst into the Watch Tower Yesterday demanding a meeting with the core Leaguers. Which was concerning on it’s own.

So now here they are, all the core Leaguers, and Zatanna. As she had also come along not long after Constantine, saying she had a similar situation report.

“Okay now, could you go by that again, cause that sounded like, some magical neo-Nazi came back to life. Like a couple of weeks ago?” Flash himself was a septic for a good chunk of his life, and magic has never really been something he’s really wrapped his head around.

“Yup.”

“Yes.”

“Hrrrrrng. Whyyyy.” Flash slouched over his head in his hands.

“And the Ministry of Magic hasn’t made any public statements confirming this?” Diana never really interacted with the European wizards. She had sisters who could do magic in a similar way, and had heard of Amazonia tribes who fully consisted of witches. But she never really cared to interact with them beyond that.

“Yeah all their news, which is really only just one paper, is saying’ that the kid who saw it happen, Harry Potter, is just vying for attention, and Dumbledore, real powerful, and prominent wizard over there, is just finally losing his marbles.” Constantine put out his cigar as he spoke, lighting another right after.

“Yes and as I said before Dumbledore was the one to contact myself in regards to what’s been happening. I didn’t refuse him, but I didn’t confirm with him either.” Zatara had been an associate of Dumbledore’s before he became Dr.Fate. Dumbledore had tried contacting him, before Zatanna told him of her father’s “passing”. He’d switched his trajectory almost medietly and had moved to ask Zatanna for help instead.

But in John’s case the wizard nazis had contacted him. So they could get on his good side. Asking for his help in the war. Constantine, like Zatanna, had neither confirmed nor denied his acceptance.

“The problem here is that Dumbledore also asked for someone to watch over Harry while he was at Hogwarts. Apparently the kid gets in more trouble than we see on that bogus paper. Anyone’s sidekick up for some magic?” Zatanna asked sarcastically as far as she knew none of the Core Leaguer's protages had magic.

“Conner, and Jon aren't really ones for undercover missions unfortunately.” Superman said with a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t think Bart would do very well. But he technically doesn’t exist so that might help.” Flash didn’t even really try to make a point for Impulse. The kid would probably blow his cover or something. Besides, Barry likes having the kid around.

“Cassie has already scheduled a visit to Theymiscira in a few weeks, she wouldn’t want to go.”

“Signal can go. He’s already planning to transfer to Hogwarts. Red Robin, and Robin are probably going to follow, and Spoiler already needs to learn something with her magic.”

The room was silent for a moment. “Wait what? Signal, Robin, Red Robin and Spoiler have magic?” Green Lantern asked incredulously. “What next you have magic?!”

Batman looked around the room with a raised eyebrow. “I never told any of you?”

“Well me and Diana knew. Can’t see how the other didn’t.” Superman smirked playfully at the other.

“Wait, wait, wait. Back up a couple thousand steps.” Constantine brought his fingers to her temples. “Your magic?!”

“The entire family is.” Batman said nonchalantly.

A split second of calm before Zatanna snapped. “WHAT!?”

LORE / PART 1 / PART 3 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7

[oveliagirlhaditright]

After the Game, Fret somewhat didn't like when someone other than canon had red hair and wore purple. Canon compliant. Oneshot. Neo spoilers. KH DDD is canon to TWEWY in this fic. Though you shouldn’t at all have to really know KH to understand this fic.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33469456

For the most part… Fret got on pretty well after Kanon’s death.

It was tough, it really was, but he soldiered on by becoming the more authentic version of himself she had wanted him to be… hoping that that would be enough. And that if her soul did somehow exist somewhere, she might see that and be able to find some happiness there.

And Fret had the Twisters, of course—and Neku’s old friends Shiki, Eri, and Rhyme (who was also Beat’s sister, of course), who had really integrated themselves into the group. There was also sometimes the aloof Joshua—who helped Fret keep his head where it belonged.

That, and all the school work he had to do now, as thoughts about college and careers were coming up, and he needed to try and focus on that, lest he be forgotten.

So, for the most part, while Fret still of course mourned Kanon, he had moved on and was in pretty good spirits, considering.

…The only thing that really got him down, oddly… was seeing redheads like she had been also wearing purple. And at first, meeting the legendary Neku right after Fret had lost the girl of his dreams had somewhat been a thorn in Fret’s side, because he’d just looked at Neku’s hair and the color he so clearly favored and thought “Kanon.”

But, thankfully, those feelings hadn’t lasted. They’d had Shibuya to save, after all. And Neku more than proved why he was great to have on a team and why he was the greatest friend, and why Fret should try and let his ghosts go.

But then, Fret had met Shiki’s best friend “Eri”… who was totally cool, by the way, and a co-creator of Gatto Nero with Shiki, and Fret couldn’t even begin to tell you how much he admired her. Especially since she was so pretty and on point… but not conceded at all, and down to earth.

As fate would have it, however, she’d been wearing purple the moment Fret had met her at Shiki’s birthday party. So, they hadn’t started out well, even though it had of course gotten better, and Fret had almost come undone (as ridiculous as it was for him to still be so hung-up on Kanon, he knew).

Thankfully, Shiki had right away seen his shaking form by the punch table and had come and given him a hug, as she’d whispered sweet nothings into his ear. She had guessed accurately what Fret’s problem was, and held him—not even seeming to feel like he was ruining her party at all—while she rubbed his back soothingly. “It’s okay not to get over a loved one quickly, you know? I was certainly that way about Neku. And you have it so much harder than I did. No one will judge you for your emotions, Fret. And if you need to talk, we’re all here for you. I’ll even go get Mr. Mew for you to hold, as he always cheers me right up.” Shiki had said that last part while winking at him, and Fret had had to laugh then.

He may have been afraid of Mr. Mew when Tsugumi had been controlling him and attacking them with the doll, but now that Fret had seen Shiki with her own one more often than not, Fret was thinking he was a sweet little guy again, and could definitely understand why Shiki would think he was good therapy.

“…And I may mention to Eri that it might be a good idea for her not to wear violet anymore.”

“What? You don’t have to do that? I got used to Neku, so I can with her, too!” Fret had wanted to tell her instantly, but Shiki had already been off to get Mr. Mew for him to cuddle.

And despite everything, Fret had watched Shiki walk across the dance hall with a smile on his face. It felt good to be appreciated. It did.

And after that, Eri did stop wearing that color, and everyone seemed to prefer it that way. Fret did, for his own reason, of course… Eri did, because she didn’t even like it that much, apparently, and Neku appreciated it, who jokingly thanked Eri for getting off his turf.

So, everything was more than good for Fret when it came to those colors for a while… but then some girl named Kairi came to Shibuya: a girl with darker red hair than Kanon, it was true, but wouldn’t you know that she was also wearing amethyst?

At first, Fret had been ready to write this stranger off—just another tourist in Shibuya, that he just happened to notice walking past him—but then she accidentally ran into Beat… and it seemed to startle the girl. And good Lord, then she summoned a magic key-shaped sword to her hands, without even seeming to think about it. And she wasn’t even in the UG! (Though when Fret saw this, his first concern was that they had landed back there.)

And the moment Neku and Beat (who were with Fret to go to Molco, to get him some Tin Pins, because that was becoming a thing again) saw the redhead summon the weapon, they had both exclaimed simultaneously, “You’re a Keyblade wielder!” “Yous a Key wielder!”

Fret had had no idea what they were talking about at that point. So, Neku had hastily explained that Shibuya had actually been destroyed before—a time that he, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme had only recently gotten their memories back of—and when it had, Joshua had taken their dream fragments (the only thing that had been left of them) to another world, to try and bring them back. And there, they’d taken bodily form once again and met a “Keyblade wielder” named “Sora”, and another one named “Riku,”

Beat had then gone to explain that they’d both helped them out, and that they were probably even bigger deals than him and Neku, and Fret couldn’t believe it. Hell! He could hardly even fathom it. What would that even look like? But he didn’t have much time to try and guess, because Neku began talking to the stranger almost instantly.

“Are you Sora’s girlfriend?” Neku had asked her then, bold as you please, as he’d pulled the redhead back out of the way of pedestrians going to and fro from all the different shopping areas. “He told me that he was great friends with a redhead, who liked art like Shiki does… I think he was insinuating then that I liked Shiki back then, and I wanted to kill him for all the hints he dropped her, while maybe not realizing that he had feelings for you yet, but I think it was still there… If you are that girl he mentioned, I mean.”

And then the poor girl had had a single tear slide down her eye—and Fret almost wanted to kick himself for only being able to think “you’re not Kanon, you’re not Kanon, you’re not Kanon, you’re not Kanon. Why are you dressed like her?”, while he looked at her—and she explained to Beat, who was giving her a big old bear hug, but Neku too, that: “Yeah, I’m Sora’s girlfriend, Kairi… I’m looking for him, because he recently disappeared after he sacrificed himself to bring me back to life. I was thinking he might be here, or that there might be Heartless here that I needed to fight, but I don’t know.”

Neku had appeared to give much thought to all of that (crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes, Fret saw), before he finally met Kairi’s eyes with kind ones of his own. “Why don’t you come with me to meet Shiki? She’s another friend of Sora’s. And Keyblade wielders’ hearts can sometimes lead them to keys, right? Maybe there’s something there, if Sora used to tease me about us.”

And Kairi had gone with Neku and Beat to do that (while Fret had followed, aimlessly, feeling really curious, for sure, but also kind of despairing the whole way: he wasn’t going to lie). And then Kairi had found with Shiki’s help, the thing she needed that would help her lead to Sora, apparently.

It was a hockey puck, that Shiki said Neku had gotten her to help them remember old times together… And as soon as Kairi had come near it, her Keyblade had reacted—seeming almost to float over to the puck of its own free will, tugging Kairi along—and then an insanely crazy light show happened (where all of a sudden, the entire world around them had seemed to be nothing but darkness, with just a few pieces of light to speak of: coming from Kairi and the Keyhole that appeared in the sky, that she did acrobatics towards, in order to aim a laser from her Keyblade at it). Then, it was all over and the Buya returned to normal, but the girl was gone.

And Neku and Beat explained that that seemed to sometimes happen with Keyblade wielders—they’d both seen it with Sora and Riku—as they would sometimes get taken away to where they were meant to go next, before they really got to say goodbye. But they both assumed she was fine and gotten what she needed, and definitely seemed to be hoping it, too.

But Neku, Beat, and Shiki had definitely bonded with Kairi that day… and about a year later, she was back in Shibuya to visit them with Sora and Riku… and well, maybe a whole lot of other people. There was yet another girl with red hair, wearing amethyst…

And while Fret was kind of glad to see them—and was thrilled that Kairi had gotten her happy ending and she could just come her for funsies to see everyone now—he couldn’t help sitting in a park bench in Dogenzaka, sighing, as he watched the whole thing unfold.

“Hehehe. You’re in quite the mood. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were turning into Neku…” Someone else had come to sit by Fret… and one quick look let him know that it was none other than the Composer of Shibuya himself… and that he had better get it together, before the guy threw him into another Game to improve himself, like he originally had with Neku.

“Oh, uhh… Hi there, Joshua. It’s good to see you,” Fret said, putting a hand under his chin and regarding the other boy—god—with mixed feelings. “Did you see that ice is really in this season? And diamonds almost match your light blue shirts, right? I feel like if you started wearing some diamond necklaces, you’d be even more stylish than you already ar-”

But Joshua halted Fret’s attempt to somewhat butter him up, with a hand held high and a small smile on his face. “There’s no need for all of that, I assure you,” Joshua promised, violet eyes locking onto Fret’s and that, too, making the youth think of Kanon some. “If you want her back, why don’t you just ask me?” Joshua asked rather smug now.

And it was too much. All too much. Fret wanted to believe that Joshua could actually bring her back for him… but what if this was a trap? And what if Joshua meant it now… but Fret somehow made him changed his mind, when he begged him to do so and thanked him for it. What if he didn’t do everything to code?

Tripping over his words now, as he ran a hand through his hair, Fret asked, “I mean… I would love it. If you want to, and don’t think it’ll hurt Kanon to be back, I’m all for it. But can you really do that? Wouldn’t you maybe get in trouble?”

At that Joshua “hmmed”, and Fret panicked—feeling like he’d ruined his chances for real here—and he was about to kiss the Composer’s feet to try and be on his good side again…

But it seemed like Fret had started fretting over nothing, as Joshua giggled and flipped his hair once. “I’ve brought Players who didn’t win back after a corrupt Game before, so it wouldn’t be the first time. Kanon’s Soul did seem quite promising to me for a few reasons there, so I’d be interested to see how she would shape Shibuya…

“And as of now… I would not get in trouble, dear Fret. But thank you for your concern. Heh. I am the senior of a lot of angels on the Higher Plane. And right now, the ones above me are actually very much interested me and my methods, for halting Shibuya’s purification twice, but having it turn out better both times for it. So, I imagine they’d let this one slide.”

Fret was near tears at that point; of course he was… And okay, maybe he was actually crying now. It was just that this was all he had ever dreamed of after they’d gotten out of the Game, of course… Because despite what he told himself… Fret did still love Kanon. And wouldn’t it be great, to actually get back one of the friends that Fret had lost?

But now Fret had to wonder, as he scratched his neck awkwardly, “All those gingers I saw in purple… was that a hint from you to me that I could get Kanon back?” Had Fret been looking a gift horse in the mouth all this time?

Joshua was laughing once more, as he urged Fret to get up and go make nice with the Keyblade wielders, who—if Fret was hearing it right—were telling all of Fret’s friends about urban legends they had heard of in a place called Twilight Town… and then Nagi chirped back about the ones they’d seen in the Game, and Rindo and Beat jumped in to help her out with that.

Huh… Perhaps Fret really was missing something over there. And was Joshua, too?

“Usually, I wouldn’t give an answer… I would say it’s above your pay grade, or that the world is whatever you want it to be… But, no. I was not prompting you to make this choice about Tachibana Kanon. Though things seemed to work out rather nicely for you, wouldn’t you say? So you’d find the strength to ask me about her?”

“I- I do,” Fret admitted, looking down at the pavement—and then all the buildings around him—and thinking that for a concrete jungle… Shibuya was actually a masterpiece, and might have actually been heaven, as far as he was concerned. “So, when will Kanon-"

But when Fret looked towards Joshua once more, the Composer was already gone.

And Fret… he didn’t see Kanon for a while after that. And he imagined it probably felt like what Rindo had gone through (and somewhat Fret himself; all the Twisters, really), when Josh had first brought Shokie to the RG.

About four months later, Fret was beginning to dread that Joshua had forgotten his promise, or that it was impossible to bring Kanon back, after all…

And he was at 104, checking out all the new selections there, when he heard a voice behind him, “So, Fret… do you mind telling me how you really feel? And no sugarcoating it! I was proud to see how you grew, after all. And you can’t disappoint a lady by covering it up some, if you went to all this trouble to bring her back, y’know?”

Fret dropped the black hat that he’d been about to purchase (that was maybe so light black, it was actually closer to purple), as he turned around to face that voice and ran towards her to embrace her.

“Kanon!"

Author’s Note: So, the other redhead who goes with Sora and the crew to Shibuya in this story is supposed to be Ariel—in a “The Worlds Are Starting to be Reconnected” idea—and it’s mainly because she wore purple seashells (though a shirt here, of course). Not even gonna lie. But if you don’t like that, you can imagine it’s an OC… that Sora and Kairi had a daughter… or just completely ignore that part. It’s up to you.

[anotherhamiltonblog]

Unwritten Destiny pt 1

Unwritten Destiny part 1 a Daveed Diggs x OFC fic (partly Rafael Casal x OFC)

Rose Soo faceclaim is Christian Serratos(Rosita from TWD)

Warnings: Flirtation? Cursing? Embarrassment. Some fluff? Pregnancy. Some social media in there. Talk of Cheating... that’s it i think. ALSO ITS NOT PROOF READ.

Word Count: 2.5k(maybe a little more. i forgot now)

Forever Tag: @i-know-i-can​

Enjoy.

The first time Rose ever spoke with Daveed, it was back in 2015, she was trying to call her cousin. Yet a male answered the call. Not that Rose even noticed, she went straight into a rant about her delayed flight. Her asshole boyfriend who refused to travel with her and how she was starving. 

Of course, after finding out that it was a man named Daveed listening to her rant. Rose listened to him explain that Pip had left her phone at his place after their cast dinner. It was past midnight and Rose was waiting for late flight from L.A to NYC to spend time to her cousin.

The two happily chatted, going on random things. Like the Hamilton show and how much Daveed was really enjoying his part in it. Daveed kindly talked to her until she had to board her plane.

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The second time was when her cousin Phillipa was dragging Rose to a after party after the show. Rose had been fighting with her boyfriend over the phone a few minutes before they had arrived. To say her mood had turned sour was an understatement. She was on break from filming The Walking Dead and just wanted to spend time with her cousin. He didn’t want to join her, his loss. So, as she stood around, a cup in her hand, Rose couldn’t help but roll her eyes and judge the party. Not that meant to do so, she was just in a foul mood.

“Hey! Pip’s cousin!” a voice called out, Rose looking over and raised an eyebrow. “Daveed… we once talked for over an hour on the phone?”

At that she laughed and held out a hand. “Ah, a face to the voice… I’m Rose, or Rosie.” She introduced herself.

“Well it’s nice to finally meet you.” He winked and looked around. “Enjoying the party?”

At the question, Rose pulled a face. “I mean, it’s ok. Feels a little… high school scene.” She admitted. “The red solo cups, tacky music…” she shrugged and looked around. “At least everyone’s having a good time!” She added with a laugh.

“DIGGS!” A voice yelled out from Daveed’s other side. “Dude… where is the food? Also… I might have broken a vase. BUT I cleaned up the mess!”

Rose’s face paled and her jaw dropped. “Wait… it’s your party?” she asked turning to the two men. Cursing under her breath when Daveed nodded, Rose tipped back the drink in her cup before excusing herself.

She could not believe she just bad mouthed the party to the fucking host. God this was not her night.

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By the third time they were talking, after countless teasing from Daveed at the ‘boring’ dinner and ‘horrible’ music the restaurant was playing. Rose ignored him, while the rest of the Hamilton cast were laughing and having a jolly good time.

“Yo, where you going?” Rafael asked when Rose stood up.

She just gave him a pointed look and held up her phone, showing a call was coming through. Turning, making sure she had her ringing phone, Rose walked away from the table.

Standing outside of the restaurant, talking to her boyfriend, more arguing then having a conversation. Rose talked, expressing herself and moving her hand around as they fought.

“Trouble in paradise…” Daveed commented, everyone really trying to ignore the girl outside, not that it was easy. They were seating next to the windows, which gave them perfect view of Rose.

“Not that it’s anyone’s concern… her boyfriend is an asshole who didn’t want her to come visit.” Phillipa glanced at everyone and went back to talk with Jasmine.

When the girl came back to the table, her eyed, red and slightly puffy from crying. She picked up her purse and put down money. “I gotta go… I’m sorry.”

With that, she didn’t wait for anyone to stop her. She turned and rushed out.

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Being busy with the show, comic con and interviews. Rose was finally getting time off. The year was 2016 when the two ran into each other. The two being in Miami, while one was on a break, the other was simply just on her day off from Comic Con and photoshoots.

Walking the beach, wearing a one-piece black bathing suit that showed off all of her back. Rose was enjoying her time away from her cast mates. She loved everyone she worked with, yet these little moments when she could just breath and he herself. It was what she preferred.

“Rose?” a strange, yet very familiar voice called out. Causing the dark-haired girl to turn and be shocked to see Daveed standing there.

Shirtless.

In just swim trunks.

Damn

“Hey! What brings you here to Miami?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

“My group is doing some shows here…” he chuckled. “I’m just enjoying the sun and almost deserted beach.”

Nodding, Rose looked around before facing the ocean. “It is nice when almost no one is around, huh?”

“What are you doing here?”

Turning back to face the man, Rose chuckled. “Uh, work… This is my day off. Tomorrow I’m back at comic con and interviews about the new upcoming season.” She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Oh true… I’ve been watching that. The ending of season six… that was fucked up.” Daveed grinned and raised an eyebrow, nudging Rose softly. “Come on… give up some spoilers?”

Laughing and nudging him back, Rose shook her head. “No can do.” She laughed, the two giving the other a small smile.

Spending the rest of the day together, Rose snapping photos for Daveed to post. Only for him to do the same for her, he snapped various photos, some without her knowing.

Rose had a good day; she had planned on spending it alone. To clear her head from her idiot ex, yet by nightfall, as she got back to her hotel room, after having dinner with Daveed. Rose realized she didn’t think about Mark once the whole time she was out.

Grabbing her phone, she found Daveed’s number and clicked on it to send a message.

Rosie: ‘Thanks for today. I hope you have a great show. I’ll have to try and make it to one of your shows before leaving!’ D. Diggs: ‘Tell me which night your free and I’ll arrange it for you!’ Rosie: ‘Will you also arrange the menu, the venue, the seating?’

Giggling at her little Thomas Jefferson jab, she started to take off her makeup waiting for a reply. When her phone dinged. She picked it up and giggled.

D. Diggs: ‘You think you cute or something?’ Rosie: ‘Oh, I think I’m adorable! 😉’

When she didn’t hear back from him, she went and got ready for bed after posting a photo pn twitter.

Her phone going off hours later with a new text, yet Rose was already fast asleep.

She was sad when the opportunity to go see Daveed with his group never came. Though she tried to get a night off. She wasn’t able too. Something Daveed luckily understood. Not that either party were particularly happy with it.

Rosie: ‘Sorry I couldn’t make it to your show… ☹’ D. Diggs: ‘I understand. You’re a busy gal.’

Getting on the plane with her castmates, Rose sighed and fixed herself on the seat and fell asleep.

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2017. A year in which Rose didn’t see anyone other than her castmates and boyfriend. Going as far as changing her number to stop all the fighting she was having with Mark. He hated that she was texting Daveed. So, she did everything to not talk to him anymore. No matter how much she missed the man.

By the end of 2017, things were going so horrible that Rose couldn’t take it anymore. She was in the middle of packing her bags while Phillipa was waiting in the living room for her.

“I can’t believe you would do this!” she yelled at Mark, fed up with all the lying and cheating. “After everything I did for you. Fuck. You!” she snapped, pulling on her coat and grabbing the four bags she had packed.

“I’ll be sending someone to get the rest of my stuff. You touch one thing that’s mine. I won’t hesitate in going to the cops and charging you with the abuse you put me through.” She hissed, raising an eyebrow at Marks scoff.

“No one will believe a bitch like you.”

Grinning, she nodded slowly. “I have proof. Pictures, videos and voice recordings.” She said calmly, “So don’t fucking test me.”

With that said, she turned and stormed out of the room and went downstairs. Her cousin helped her with grabbing two bags, and they left the house.

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Being at the Premiere of Blindspotting, Rose was excited. When Rafael messaged her on Twitter and asked her to be his ‘date’ seeing as he had recently broken up with his girlfriend and didn’t want to go alone. Deciding to go for it, Rose was more than happy to dress up and be one of the first people to see the movie.

At the Premiere, she was on Rafael’s arm, the two talking and having a good time. When they bumped into Daveed, Rose still smiled. Despite the little green monster on her shoulder when she saw him with the gorgeous Emmy Raver-Lampman. The four talked, she allowed them to take pictures with the cast of the movie, even getting pulled into some photos thanks to Rafael.

By the end of the night, both Jasmine and Rose were ready for the after party.

At the party, the girls were dancing, drinking and laughing together. Jasmine telling Rose about how Daveed and Emmy met back during the Hamilton days and they started dating a few days back.

Rose told Jasmine about her ex, the cheating and beatings. The end and how Phillipa went to help her leave. Then the random message Rafael sent to invite her and how the two hit it off. Just as friends,

Not that the night ended like that, after lots of alcohol and light touches, Rose and Rafael ended up sharing a hotel room and bed that night.

The next morning, neither really minded what happened, deciding to keep it up simply for pleasure. Seeing as neither one of them were in a relationship.

There were times, Rose would go visit man, go on tour with him and Daveed, whenever she wasn’t filming. He would come to Georgia to visit her as well. The two hitting it off pretty well. When they decided to end things, around the time Daveed and his girlfriend Emmy split. Magazines always making things up about the two friends, everyone wanting to know if they were dating, or what was going on.

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Rose found herself living in New York. 2019 was starting to look a lot better than she expected, only problem… Rose was pregnant, and Rafael was now dating some pretty model. He knew, of course he knew. So did his girlfriend. They all decided that Rose would keep the baby and split visitations.

The situation was a weird one, not that Rose cared, she was happy, Rafa was happy. Everyone was happy.

On an afternoon walk, she was surprised when she bumped into Rafael, who was waiting for Daveed. Jokingly posting a photo of Rafael on her Instagram, tagging Daveed. The two waited around for the other male. Just walking around and laughing. Rafael buying her a New York pretzel as they waited.

By the time Daveed joined them, the guys kept making her stop to take pictures of them every now and again. Rose rolling her eyes and smile each time.

“Come on… Phillipa is waiting for us to have a late lunch!” Rose linked her arm with the two males, and they headed to the cute deli.

Sitting down, Rose asked for an iced tea and a smoked ham deli sandwich with a side of tator tots. Everyone at the table being quiet and just sitting around after the orders were placed.

“So… we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?” Daveed asked, glancing around his friends at the table.

“I think I’m gonna call him Dumbo, Jim and Henry…” Rose said, looking behind Daveed, who turned and saw mini statues of elephants on a shelf.

Thankfully that broke the ice and they fell into comfortable talk, mostly about work. When the food came, Rose scrunched up her face when the smell of smoked ham hit her. Covering her mouth, she excused herself and rushed off to the bathroom.

Rafael on her heels, along with Phillipa who went into the bathroom with her.

Daveed’s POV:

Watching Rafael come back, Daveed raised an eyebrow. “She ok?” He asked, obviously worried.

“Hmm?” Rafa raised an eyebrow and lifted his head once he sat down. “Oh… shit man. I didn’t even.” But he trailed off. “Remember how we were kind of seeing each other and broke off a month back cause I met Adrienne?” he looked up at his best friend and slouched back in his seat. “She’s pregnant. I mean, we don’t want to terminate the pregnancy. Adrienne is ok with it, understands that Rose and I were never in love… simply physical between us.”

Daveed rubbed his forehead. “Well… there goes my chance with her.” He mumbled and

Rafael furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward. “What do you mean?” he asked his best friend. “You’ve been with Emmy… That’s why I asked her out man.” He kept his voice down so those around wouldn’t hear.

“Yeah, I know. Why do you think we didn’t work out. She’s a great girl. Talented… but she’s not Rose. I was waiting for y’all to end so I could ask her out.”

“Well, you still can… I mean, if you don’t mind her being pregnant or anything. Won’t be like it’s some strangers kid or anything.” Rafa suggested with a smirk. “She’s a great gal ya know.”

Daveed just sighed and shut up when the girls returned.

“Hey, I asked them to switch your sandwich. Hopefully Roast Beef will be better for you.” Daveed grinned at Rose, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks.

“Aw, thanks Diggs.” She smiled and kissed his cheek before sitting back down. “Don’t worry… I washed my mouth with mouth wash I carry around.” She added making Daveed chuckle.

After everyone ate, Phillipa went to the theater her show was at, Rafa left to head back to the apartment he was sharing with his girlfriend while they are in New York,

Daveed looked at Rose and smiled. “Want to go grab some ice cream?” he asked and offered his arm to the girl, she grinned and nodded, agreeing to go with him.

The rest of the day went nicely, with both Rose and Daveed walking around New York, acting as if they were tourists visiting the city for the first time.

AN: That’s the first chapter. It’s long. the fic itself will only be around 5-6 parts.

Hope you all enjoyed this!

[noragami-ru-manga]

For ease of use, abuse

________________

An unnecessarily long, super biased and very spoiler-y analysis of chapter 87-1 ________________

If this isn’t Father’s motto, I don’t know what is. We’ve already seen him use it on Yato and Mizuchi; seems like it’s Hagusa’s turn.

The chapter starts with Yukine’s memories that we already saw at the trial. Except now that the truth about the mysterious “box” is out, Adachitoka aren’t trying to hide anything anymore – it’s painfully obvious that it’s an old fridge that was thrown away. Haru’s father closes the door and says the last goodbye to his son.

Haru is fixing his sleeve – his arms must be hurting. Is it because they were tied? Or is it from the shots? After all, fans have suggested that he may have been ill for a long time. His bare feet and pajamas indicate that the father probably placed a sleeping boy in the fridge. I have nothing but curse words for this man, so I’ll keep my silence.

The chapter is called “The way to darkness”. Since this month’s half-chapter is only 15 pages long, the second part should be longer; that’s where we’ll see the way to darkness in all its glory.

While nothing scary happens in the chapter, it’s still kind of creepy. Father is being very, very nice to Hagusa. We know what hides behind his smile and fake care, but Hagusa doesn’t. His calling Father “father” isn’t the scariest thing here, ‘cause it can be the effect of kotonoha. But it’s unnerving how fast they have bonded, even though there are reasons for that.

Father says that Hagusa is tired from walking all day. It’s not just the fact that the house is very far from the place where he gave the boy his new name (although that seems to be the case, too) – they must have spent the day before visiting places that Father had seen in Hagusa’s memories. Except none of them did the trick – Hagusa recalled nothing about his past life from being in those places. What’s so special about the locations is hard to tell – they seem to be a 1) café, 2) probably a school, and 3) a neighborhood where Haru used to live.

And of course, the house. The building being so run-down that it’s scheduled to be demolished is not particularly surprising – who knows when it was built. The thing that interests me is its location. A house in such a close proximity to the railway is not a nice place to live in. People settle for those when they don’t have better options. In other words, Haru’s family was poor; which is nothing new, it has already been suggested by the fans, I believe. Although Father says it’s Haru’s final place of residence. Maybe the family had to move in there from a nicer house.

Haru’s memories are fragmented because they are 35 years old. Can we trust Father’s words just like that? Of course not, it’s Father we’re talking about. But I think that’s it’s one of those cases where he wouldn’t benefit much from lying, so he tells the truth. And even if there was some other reason for Hagusa’s memories to be fragmented like that, Father probably could have bent it as he pleased. For example, if it had something to do with Hagusa being part-ayakashi, he could have said “I’m sorry, but some of your memories disappeared when you started transforming. I did everything in my power to keep as much as I could”. But turning into an ayakashi is usually accompanied (or rather, caused) by an influx of memories, not their loss. Conclusion: Father isn’t lying, and we’ll come back to this.

Some of the partial memories that Father saw are: a letter, this time addressed to the sister; a symbol on a building (school?) – a flower; Haru’s father’s face; a door handle. That’s doesn’t seem to be a lot of information, but… If you’d hoped that somehow Father didn’t get to see Haru’s last moments, then I’m sorry to disappoint you. The lighting on Haru’s father’s face seems to be similar to the one in Yukine’s memories from the trial / the beginning of the chapter, so it’s probably the same memory. Father saw it, and he’s planning to use it to his advantage.

Apparently, there’s a minor translation error on the top left frame. Hagusa’s facial expression doesn’t match the phrase, and the speech bubble isn’t coming from him. It’s Father suggesting that he plays a game of finding his real name somewhere in the house, which Hagusa happily agrees to do. What Father’s doing with this little “treasure hunting” game reflects the bigger picture: he’s nudging Hagusa to look for answers about the boy’s past without actually causing any suspicions towards his intentions. What can I say, Father loves giving his kids something to play with; ask Yato, he’ll confirm that.

Hagusa discovers his nickname from when he was alive – Haru – near some height marks that belonged to him and his older sister Yuka. The smallest number that has Haru written beside it is 3 (years). It means that even if the family moved here from a nicer house, it had happened long before the boy’s death. The names Yuka and Haru are written over semi-erased names of some other children. It isn’t at all surprising, since the house is very old.

So the name Haru was useless to Father’s plan after all, since it turned out to be a nickname. For the next three pages he’s quietly seething, trying to understand why Hagusa is so happy to learn little bits of his past. Maybe Father is comparing him to Mizuchi who (until recently) has been always so reserved (too reserved) when it came to her being dead. Or maybe it has to do something with Father thinking that all humans are monsters whose real appearance starts to show when they are nudged in the right direction. In stark contrast to that idea, Hagusa is simply happy to learn that he had a sister, and a home, and the cutest nickname.

Father’s words about giving Hagusa a little push to discover the truth on his own are pretty interesting. It means that he’d planned that by this point, the boy would start getting angry at the life he could have lived. But something went wrong, so Father has to revise the plan on the go.

Hagusa asks a reasonable question: if Yato never told him anything, why is Father being so nice to him – giving him a tour, playing “treasure hunting” with his name as the treasure? Father’s answer is… intriguing.

Father manages to tell a truth and a lie within the same sentence. Hagusa, for example, finds the answer honest and not needing any further prying, so he happily goes on a walk around his neighborhood in hopes of finding someone who knew him when he was alive. And technically, the things Father says aren’t a lie. What he’s been revealing so far can hurt Hagusa, and he does trust that the boy will be able to survive. However, he’s withholding the most important part – what is this all about. His words aren’t a lie. but his intentions are.

Hagusa recalls something while looking at the door but is distracted by the ayakashi wolf. I originally assumed that the door itself could have somehow reminded him of the dreaded fridge, but the thing that actually caught his attention is obviously the door handle. It’s the same one that appeared in the bits of memories that Father saw when naming him. I’ve already made a separate post about that door handle, but I’ll repeat it here anyway. So here are a couple of things why it could have appeared in the fragments of memories that Father’s received.

1) Haru’s father was abusive to the point where the boy would be afraid to come home. So he would just stand at the front door looking at the handle, too afraid to pull.

2) Some kind of trauma could have occurred. Haru could have fallen on the handle and got an injury, either by accident or with the help of his father.

This last page shows that Father’s intentions are very serious. He’s done being the game master; he’s going to be a full-fledged player from now on and will be actively involved in the further events – and for that, he needs Hagusa. Up until this point, despite Yato’s concerns that Father was a bit too flattering when talking about Yukine, I assumed that Father only needs Yukine as a pawn; a hostage of sorts that could be used to bring Yaboku back to his “loving family”. However, Yato made it clear that that’s out of question when he tried to kill his father in earnest. So now Father has another plan – to turn Hagusa into an unbelievably strong weapon; and the one wielding it will be him, not Yato. Except Hagusa’s buoyancy has been ruining this plan so far.

As for the fragmented memories that I’ve promised to return to, I really believe that Father wasn’t lying and has only seen bits and pieces of Haru’s life, not the whole thing. It has to do something with the boy being a sudama when he was first named and not a regular ghost, like Daikoku, for example. Nora said it in the previous chapter that when Haru’s memories were intact, he had a form of a person. It means that he either started turning into a sudama after his memories began to fade, or, conversely, started losing his memories because he began turning into a sudama.

The important thing here is that if Father only saw fragmented memories, then so did Yato. Nothing in the manga suggests that the new master gets fewer of a shinki’s memories than the previous one. When Yato named Kazune, he saw Kiotsugu’s entire life from birth to death – well, maybe not all of it, but definitely the important parts. So I assume that the information Father and Yato got was identical.  

And this shows once again just how much Yato cared about Yukine from the very start. Think about it: throughout this chapter we’ve been getting more and more proof that Father initially wanted to break Hagusa as soon as possible. He dragged the boy around potentially familiar places, urged him to look for his name in the house – nothing. Only after that Father decided to change his tactics and let Hagusa discover the GGS on his own, so he allowed the boy to walk around the neighborhood looking for other clues. But if he needed an immediate result, why not take Hagusa to the place of his death, which was bound to be the best trigger?

Because Father doesn’t know where it is.

Do you see it now? Father, who needed something that would break Hagusa for sure, wasn’t able to figure out the most suiting place from the bits of memories he’d received – or didn’t bother. But Yato did everything in his power to find that damn fridge, only with completely different intentions – to keep Yukine safe from that place and everything that discovering it entails. Who knows how many bridges and dumps he had to visit before finding the right area.

Nevertheless, Hagusa is with Father now, not with Yato where he belongs. As I said, the chapter isn’t frightening – by which I meant “we haven’t been shown more horrifying things from Haru’s life yet”. It’s scary in an entirely different way, because it shows how easily Father was able to earn Hagusa’s trust. He exploited everything. He turned the kid’s natural curiosity into a game – “find your name”, “go talk to the neighbors”. When Hagusa complained that Yato never told him anything, Father didn’t say a single bad word about Yato, didn’t try to turn them against each other. Instead, he focused Hagusa’s attention on himself – how he’s ready to “help” Hagusa, even if it’s dangerous, because he “cares” for him and “trusts” him – the two things Yukine has been missing lately. And the background to all this is his terrible inner monologue: how come a dead person is enjoying his “life”? It should be rectified, and the result should be used to my advantage. For ease of use, abuse.

Get ready; we’re on a path to darkness.