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777heavengirl · 3 months ago

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the one with the family matter

sirius black x reader ! - 2,157 words masterlist bags masterlist A/N: Early chapter today! i usually post rlly late at night... what would you guys prefer? morning/afternoon like this one/the usual night update? lmk <3

Most mornings at 717 were nothing short of blissful. Or at least they used to be.

More often than not Sirius and you got lost in your cloying domestic bubble. The early morning hours passed by you like the rest of the world simply did not exist. By the time you crawled out of bed, which wasn't late by any means, Sirius had been up for a while. He rarely slept, properly that is, always restless and full of adrenaline. Sometimes he'd make breakfast, or fetch something from a nearby bakery, greeting you with a smile and teasing nicknames. His record player hummed songs that were engraved behind your tongue, the repetition of them causing them to be forever in your mind. Like a reflex. Other times, when you could tell he felt poorly, dragged by the weight of his family and his nightmares— you'd wake up to an empty apartment and a note on the counter. The neon pink Post-it from the muggle office supply store stuck to the handle of your coffee cup.

At Prongs's!

or the more vague,

On a ride!

He always signed it off with an - S, his quick slanted cursive and the small smiley face he always drew on it made the corners of your lips twitch up. Every morning your mug with coffee, prepared the exact way you liked, waited at the corner of the table, regardless of his presence. A heating charm on it so it'll never grow cold.

Recently, this pattern had vanished. When you had work you’d still do it, make his coffee, two sugars with cream, and stick a post-it on the handle. Sometimes with a happy face drawn right in the middle of it, other times with a small message,

don’t forget to help James build the baby’s crib!

picking up pastries for tonight!

have a good day!

But they largely went unmentioned, but Sirius didn't say much these days anyway. You both danced around it, good mornings and the rare good nights were said but not much else, there was no baking together on your off days, no impromptu trips to the fresh market, no rides on the tube clinging to each other. No, you went alone now, and when he did go with you— only when the apartment was finally completely barren of food, the two of you apparated in and out. Silently.

On your off days when your eyes watered looking at his closed door— you didn’t even know if he was in there or not— you’d go knock on Remus and Peter’s door. Sometimes only one of them would be there, sometimes both of them, they’d greet you with tea, or sweets, and Peter would ramble on about his shitty lower-level ministry job while stuffing you full of cookies, Remus would talk to you about his mother’s swaying health and how his job at the muggle supermarket was actually kind of enjoyable, how he was trying to quit smoking, but I keep smoking the whole bloody pack the closer it gets to the full moon. Other times, Remus would see you through the peephole and knock back, Sirius is there. You’d slink back up to your apartment without further refute. You missed him, dearly, you hadn't woken up to a coffee or a note since you told him about your job. You didn’t dare say anything.

The two of you still sat, on opposite sides of the couch now, to watch your soaps every other night. It was the small bit of comfort you held onto. Sometimes he left halfway through, like water slipping through your fingers.

You kept finding empty cigarette packets all over the apartment.

It felt kind of silly, you didn't understand what his problem was. He should be happy he isn't pouring his entire trust fund down the hatch with you. He was disowned, whatever money was in his safe at Gringotts was it. No more. To be fair you had not a single clue about how much was in there anyway- but it really isn't any of your business.

This morning was one filled with his absence. You tried not to worry, but you couldn't help it, his absence feeling like an omen. The apartment motionless and cold, the way the air feels right before the rain. This morning wasn't any different, the darkness of the sky settling a gloom over you. You hugged the coffee close to your chest between sips, your fingers twirling the red marker as you completed the crossword on the Daily Prophet. You pondered calling your mom briefly or going down a floor to pester Remus and Peter— What use is it to live in the same buildings as your closest friends if you can't bother them? As you resolved to do just that, a harsh knock rang through the apartment. You faltered, Sirius had a key, not only that but he'd never knock that way. It was particular, heavy and urgent.

A second round of knocks broke through your thoughts, so you padded over to the door.

If you didn't know better you would've said it was Sirius. But you could see, even through the small opening of the peephole, their clear differences. You swung the door open.

"Oh- my apologies I must have the wrong place- good day" He was quick to do a quick bow and turn away.

"Regulus?" The younger boy's eyes widened, and there was a stutter in his step as he turned back towards your door. It was startling, to see him. They were so similar, the high cheekbones, the darkness of their hair. Regulus sported a white streak, combed neatly along with the rest of his short hair. You could hear Sirius through your thoughts, mommy's boy. It was uncanny, to look at him, the roundness of their lips, the way their brows twitched in confusion. His eyes were greener but not any less piercing than his older brother's. They missed the warmth that emanated from Sirius’s gaze.

"What are you doing here"

He opened his mouth and closed it quickly, piercing eyes analyzing your face as he finally figured out who you were. You tried not to take any offense.

"Are you looking for Sirius?" The boy simply nodded and approached the door as you motioned him inside. "He's not in right now but I can- just come in I’ll find him for you-"

"I'm sorry I thought this was where he lived" You motioned him to sit at the stools of your high kitchen table as you closed the door behind him, the wood creaking as he hesitated between standing and sitting. It was strange to see cold, quiet, and clean-cut Regulus, with his dark sharp tailored coat between the warmth of your house. Between the mismatched furniture and portraits on the walls. So out of place, but you supposed he and Sirius were always out of place when compared to one another.

"He does, he's just out" You gave him a sweet smile as you started brewing some tea, marking the phone Lily insisted on installing in their house, and pressed your ear against the phone's receiver.

"Hello?" Lily's crackly voice came through as she picked up, but you could hear Sirius and James chatting animately even through the static of the phone line.

"Lilykins please tell me my roommate is at yours… he has a visitor-" You stretched the cord as far as it could as you walked to get a mug out, the cable rolling back into its curls as you walked close again.

"Tell him it's urgent please" Regulus spoke up as you spoke, and you could hear it now, the small twinge of panic in his voice. His foot bounced sporadically as if he was reminding himself he shouldn't bounce it but would still forget to stay still.

"Urgent matters apparently-"

"Get him out of my house please- I don’t know what lover’s quarrel you two are going through but hash it out soon will you? my sister's coming soon and I need to clean-" You chuckled, forced and breathless, and ignored the fact that she knew something was wrong between the two of you, you wondered what he had said about it. You didn’t ask. You bid goodbye and hung up the phone back in its holder. Regulus’s quiet dragged you back down, you could feel his eyes burning holes in the back of your figure as if he was analyzing you. You pursed your lips as you worked on his tea, mulling over what you’d say to him, it wasn’t often he came around. Or ever. He had never been in your home.

You had met, if you could call it that, Regulus Black exactly two times.

One was at school, during your sixth year when Evan Rosier’s taunts finally broke through Sirius’s hard facade and he finally swung at him. It wasn’t pretty, the long-haired boy pinning down Rosier as they both landed blow after blow at each other. Both you and Regulus pulled your respective friends away, the boys bloody and bruised. It wasn’t much of an introduction nor did you even speak, but you could see even then the soft, blue state of Regulus as he looked at Sirius. Sad and alone.

It reminded you of Sirius when he was younger. Of when you first met.

The second time you saw Regulus Black was at graduation, right after Sirius handed you the matching key. Between bubbling excitement and clinging to each other, Sirius’s face broke, a flinty stare taking over. I’ll be back love, his lips pressed against your temple as he moved away. You could see him arguing with Regulus behind a pillar, mirrored expressions on their faces.

It was eerie, like watching Sirius through a funhouse mirror. The same but- not. Almost but not quite.

Reflections of one another, but neither measuring up.

“Can I ask what brings you here?” You poured the tea into his mug, bringing it over to him. His hands immediately wrapped around it and he took a sip.

“I’m afraid it's a private family matter-” you hummed in acknowledgment, brows raised as you asked:

“Thought Sirius wasn’t family anymore,” You didn’t mean to be hurtful, you knew how hard Sirius’s disownment had been on Regulus too. It was quite possibly the only thing Sirius ever spoke about regarding leaving his family. How heartbroken he was to leave his brother, how shattered Regulus had been too.

“Sorry that came off harsher than I intended-”

“No- you’re right, but I reckon he still deserves to know,” Regulus refused to meet your eyes, staring deeply into the liquid in the deformed pink mug you had made with Sirius sometime last spring when he insisted on taking a pottery class. Your skills weren't quite there.

The two of you stayed quiet for a beat, fighting the urge to ask again. Regulus fought not to tell you.

“Are you engaged yet?” You almost spit out your tea.

“W-what?”

“Did Sirius ask you yet? To marry him?”

“Sirius and I aren’t together-” You felt your cheeks warm, you were lucky if Sirius even spoke to you these days.

“Oh…” His expression paled, eyes wide as he tried to understand what you were telling him. “My apologies I just thought… never mind-” He looked away again, taking slow sips of the tea again, “I’m sorry,”

“It’s okay…”

“I just- he’s always talked about-” The air crackled with a small crack and pop, interrupting Regulus, Sirius stood in the middle of the room now. Regulus stood up, the tea abandoned on the table as he faced his older brother.

“Sirius-”

“What do you want? How do you know I live here-” Regulus took a step back, a deep breath inflating and deflating his chest as he looked at you, and then back at Sirius. Sirius got closer, barely two steps away from his brother. Looking at them now, side by side, you could see the differences. Not physical, no in that aspect they were two sides of the same coin. But Sirius stood tall, proud, and defensive like he was made of iron like nothing could hurt him. Teeth bared, ready to bite his way through. Regulus stood the opposite, straight but restrained, almost as if ready to take a hit, arms behind him and clutching his wrist with white knuckles.

“May we talk in private?”

“I’ll leave-” You made to move,

“Stay put- No, just spit it out Regulus-” You could see the sadness crack through Sirius’s tough demeanor. You could tell from the red rim in his eyes, and the way he stood straighter, face raised ever so slightly. As if ready for a fight. You knew he could never physically fight his brother, but if Regulus stood in your kitchen any longer Sirius might break and cry.

You thought of calling James.

“Mother is dead… didn’t wake up this morning”

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risuola · 1 year ago

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▶ CATORU — stealing Suguru's clothes just feels natural, they're comfy and cozy and they smell like him, but thing is — his hoodies are black... and Satoru's hair is white.

contents: college+roommates!au, fluff, polyamorous relationship — wc. 1079

𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙇𝙀𝙔 | series masterlist

“Geez, you really need to brush that cat out,” your best friend commented, plucking a white hair off your black hoodie once you dropped down onto the couch next to her placing the wine glasses, totally not regular glasses, and a bottle on the table. You invited her for the first time after you moved into the new apartment. It was a celebration of your new place, successfully passed exams and just a nice opportunity to catch up on life.

“Cat?” You looked at her; confusion apparent in your eyes and she pointed at the hairs in her fingers, few short, snow-white strands that she collected from you and surroundings. It wasn’t unusual – you had a habit of stealing Suguru’s clothes (and they are usually black), and Gojo has a habit of nuzzling into you, demanding head scratches so it’s only natural that his white hairs stick to you and are quite visible. “Ah, that cat. Yeah, I really need to brush him out. Or maybe I’ll just shave him, I don’t know yet.”

The thought made you giddy inside, it really cracked you up. Before that, you never realized that your friend had no idea what kind of relationship you are in. You never hid it from her, you openly told her about the three of you doing things together, but somehow, the possibility of you sharing your life with Suguru and Satoru at the same time flew over her head. You also are quite openly affectionate with both of your boys, but it’s possible that once your friend saw you kissing Geto, she automatically categorized your interactions with Gojo as purely friendly. You were not even sure if she ever had a chance to see you with your white-haired princess.

“It’s cute you and Geto took a white kitten. It’s because of Gojo, right?” She smiled cutely, throwing the hairs away as you poured her some of the cheap prosecco.

“Yeah, the kitten is definitely reminding us of Satoru.” You laughed softly, taking your own glass to your lips. “Our little Catoru.”

“Awww, that’s adorable,” she squealed, savoring the taste of pinkish liquid. “How is he dealing with it, by the way?”

“Dealing with what?”

“You know, how’s Gojo dealing with the fact you stole his best friend? I was wondering, is he okay with you being and living with Suguru? They are pretty much joined at the hip.” She was curious, genuinely, and you can tell she really has no clue, so you decided to play along.

“I mean, Satoru is doing great, you don’t need to worry.”

“’ts good,” your bestie exhaled with some kind of relief, and you couldn’t shake off the amusement off your shoulders. You wondered how she would react to the revelation of your polyamorous relationship. Would she be surprised? In your eyes, it was only natural to accept both Satoru and Suguru into your life, the boys are inseparable, you couldn’t date one without dating the other. That was just the way it is, the packaged deal, the law of nature if you will. “Is your boyfriend home?”

“Sugu? He has martial arts training today. Will be back later. Don’t worry about it, okay? You’re my guest,” you reassured her and the conversation went smoothly from that point. You talked a little about everything, about college, about teachers and recent exams, about love life and your recent dates.

“Is Gojo always third-wheeling you two?” She asked when you were telling her about your last movie night. The one that got all three of you deadly backpain afterwards because you all fell asleep on the couch in a position that even got Suguru and his super trained, stretched and fit body suffering. It’s better not to recall how you and Satoru felt.

“Sometimes I feel like I am third-wheeling them,” you laughed, “but yea, we’re actually–“

“Can I see the cat?” Your friend cut you off, suddenly all excited. “God, I completely forgot about him, can I see that fluffball?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure the cat is sleeping and you know, that fluffball gets grumpy when woken up.”

“Pleeeaaaase, I promise, I won’t wake it up. I just want to see the little Catoru, he must be adorable.”

With an exhale you decided to give in. You knew Satoru had a rough night, he got back home in the morning after a visit at his parents’ house and you know his family can be pretty distressing. Now he’s probably sleeping it off, but just a quick visit shouldn’t hurt. With that thought you took your friend to your bedroom.

“Just please, don’t scream, okay? He’s dead tired.” You half-whispered, before opening the doors. She nodded and you peeked inside, just to make sure the cat wasn’t sprawled naked on the bed or something and once sure that it’s safe, you walked in, carefully placing your steps to make as little noise as possible.

Satoru was sleeping, tightly cocooned in blankets with only his head visible from the nose up. He was really worn out, you could tell by the way he was breathing, so deeply and heavily what only happened when he was exhausted. You crouched next to the bed, gently running your fingers through his hair and he purred something, automatically leaning into your touch. Satoru could be at his death bed and would still search for your warmth.

“Do you need something?” You asked quietly, brushing little circles onto his scalp. He made some kind of noise that sounded a little like a no, and you pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. “If you do, just call me, baby, I’ll be next door.”

Satoru purposefully uncovered the lower half of his face so you could give him a peck, and once he got that, he turned back to his cocoon. You whispered him a little love you, got up and left, leading your visibly stoked friend back to the living room. She was shocked, but at the same time it looked like a realization was hitting her hard and you saw in real time how her expression was changing.

“That was the cat?” She whisper-screamed.

“Yup.”

“So you and Geto and Gojo—?"

“Yup.”

“Like, all three of you?”

“Yes,” you chuckled, pouring her more wine. “I actually had no idea that you don’t know. I thought we’re quite obvious.”

“Now as I think about it, you kinda were… I’m gonna need more wine.”

“I’ll text Suguru.”

taglist: @gojos-thot-patrol-main , @chuluoyi

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mythicalmaven · 3 months ago

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Beyond Boundaries - Oscar Piastri (THIRTEEN)

A very angsty chapter but with a good ending! whoops! The positive will return, no worries! <3

Masterlist ↳pairing: oscar piastri x female!norris!reader ↳word count: 4,3K ↳chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, ↳chapter warnings: friends to lovers, brothers teammate trope, talking about feelings, crying, realizations, angst (but with a happy ending)

↳series summary: Since Oscar joined McLaren as your brother’s teammate, you two have quickly become best friends. Recently promoted to be Oscar’s physiotherapist, you both relish the opportunity to spend more time together. However, as the new role brings you closer, you both realize you might be feeling more a little more for each other than just friendship

“OSCAR JACK PIASTRI!” Lando’s voice rang through the hall as he barged into Oscar’s hotel room, eyes blazing with barely contained rage. “YOU ARE SO DEAD!”

Oscar, hunched over his suitcase, froze and looked up, bewildered. He could tell immediately that Lando was beyond furious, but he couldn’t fathom what had set him off.

“Lando, what the hell are you talking about?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed, scratching the back of his neck in confusion.

Oscar had just arrived back after qualifying, planning to freshen up before heading over to your room, as he did every race weekend. He’d been thinking about you the entire way back, looking forward to unwinding together, the familiarity of those private moments giving him a sense of calm after the intensity of the day. But now, standing here, all he could do was rack his brain, trying to figure out what could have provoked Lando like this.

Lando’s fists clenched, the knuckles going white as he glared at Oscar with pure disgust. He slammed the door behind him, sending a tremor through the room. “Don’t play dumb with me, Oscar. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Oscar’s face twisted in confusion, his mind whirling. Was this some bizarre prank? Lando was known for his sense of humor, but this felt... different. More intense. More real. Slowly, he got up from his crouched position and perched himself on the edge of the bed, his voice calm but uncertain. “Lando, I seriously have no clue what’s going on. Did I do something wrong?”

Lando let out a humorless laugh, practically spitting the air out in disbelief. “Are you actually this clueless, or are you just lying straight to my face right now?”

Oscar’s patience was wearing thin. “Lando, for the last time, what is going on?” he demanded, voice rising as frustration bled into his tone.

Lando’s face twisted with anger, and he kicked the door behind him, a loud bang reverberating through the room. “Jesus Christ, Oscar, you’re a fucking asshole.” His eyes flashed as he took a step closer, his voice dripping with disdain. “Maybe next time, don’t lie to my sister about your so-called ‘feelings’ for her if you plan on sticking your tongue down someone else’s throat behind her back.”

Oscar’s heart stopped, his face going pale. “Lando,” he began, trying to keep his voice steady, “What are you talking about? I had to kiss her on the cheek, nothing more. You knew about that—you know it meant nothing.”

But Lando’s expression only grew darker. “Oh, so now you’re not just an asshole; now you’re a liar too. I’m not talking about that.”

Oscar’s stomach twisted. He had no idea what Lando was getting at, but a cold unease settled over him. “What are you going on about, then?”

“If you were trying to hide your little escapade with that attention-seeking bitch, maybe next time you should close the damn door of your driver’s room before deciding to shove your tongue down her throat.”

Oscar’s face drained of color, realization finally sinking in. “Oh god, did you see that?” He stammered, starting to explain, but Lando cut him off sharply.

“I didn’t,” he hissed, eyes blazing, “but she did.”

Oscar’s heart shattered, his voice catching. “I promise, Lando, it’s not what it looked like.”

Lando’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “Yeah, that’s what they all say.” His fists clenched tighter, his voice deadly quiet. “You’d better have a damn good explanation for this, Oscar. Because if you don’t—and I mean it—if you even think of stepping near her again, I swear to god, I’ll fucking kill you.”

Oscar was left in stunned silence as Lando spat the words at him, guilt and regret washing over him like a tidal wave. His mind flickered back to what had happened earlier, replaying each moment with increasing dread.

*flashback to earlier*

Oscar had been in his driver’s room, unwinding after the high of qualifying, hoping to cool down before meeting up with you. Ava had followed him in, chattering on about the race and the PR obligations they’d fulfilled. They shared a laugh about the awkward peck on the cheek they’d had to perform for the cameras, the faint taste of staged affection still lingering.

“You looked so stiff out there, Oscar,” Ava teased, smirking. “You know, if we don’t make it look real, they’re going to know. We should really practice if we want people to buy it.”

Oscar tensed, shifting uncomfortably. “I think we’re fine, Ava. It’s just PR. We’re not meant to look that serious anyway.”

She rolled her eyes, brushing off his hesitation. “Come on, Oscar. Don’t be so uptight. This is for show. It doesn’t mean anything.” Her voice softened, and she took a step closer, her eyes glittering. “Let me teach you a few tricks. Just… trust me.”

He backed away slightly, eyeing the door. “This really isn’t a good idea, Ava. It could easily go too far.”

But Ava seemed determined, giving him a knowing smile as she leaned in and pecked him lightly on the lips, her eyes flickering toward the door. Oscar felt his stomach clench, a mix of unease and annoyance. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want her. He was only doing this entire act to protect you from unwanted scrutiny and questions.

“See?” she murmured, stepping closer still, her fingers brushing his cheek. “It’s not so bad. A bit of practice never hurt anyone.”

Before he could protest, she was kissing him again, her arms winding around his neck as she pulled him in closer. He hesitated, feeling every fiber of his being rejecting this, but her hand slid around to the back of his neck, urging him to deepen the kiss. Uncertain, he felt her hand snake up into his hair, tugging lightly as she pressed closer, the intensity escalating.

Oscar was caught off guard, feeling her press her hips into his, guiding his hands to rest on her waist. He’d barely noticed the way her eyes darted toward the door, a glint of mischief flashing in them as if she knew someone was watching.

He froze, suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of discomfort, his mind flooded with the realization of how much he didn’t want any of this. Summoning all the strength he had, he pushed her away, breaking the kiss and stepping back, his face flushed with frustration and embarrassment.

“Ava, this isn’t right,” he muttered, his voice strained. “I’m not comfortable with this at all. This isn’t what I signed up for.”

She smirked, feigning innocence. “Oh, really? You didn’t seem uncomfortable a second ago.”

He clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to snap back. “I’m doing this PR stunt for the sake of appearances. To protect someone I care about. But I’m not going to pretend that you and I…" he said, gesturing his finger in her direction and then back to himself "are anything real, because it's anything but.” He gestured to the door, his voice quiet but firm. “Please. Just leave.”

She shrugged, her smirk lingering as she made her way out, leaving him alone in the room, a strange mix of relief and dread pooling in his stomach.

*end of flashback*

The memory dissolved, and Oscar found himself back in the awkward quiet of his hotel room, his heart pounding in his chest as Lando’s words echoed in his mind. You’d seen it. You’d seen everything.

Oscar’s stomach twisted violently, leaving him feeling nauseated and weak. His mind was a churning mess, every second replaying the scene, the look on Ava’s face, the moment he’d seen her eyes flick toward the door. That sickening realization that she had known. And worse, that you had seen it all. It was as if the ground had been ripped out from under him; his legs felt unsteady, his heart beating erratically, each thud filling him with a helpless dread.

Lando looked down at him, his expression hard and unyielding, arms crossed tightly over his chest. There was no pity in his stare, only barely controlled rage mixed with something that might have been desperation. Lando’s voice was low, but the intensity cut through the air like a knife. “I don’t know if what you’re saying is true, Oscar, or if you’re just a damn good liar,” he said. “But if you’re serious about this, if you really care about her, you’d better get your ass over there and fix this. Because I don't ever wanna see that look on her face, ever again.”

Lando’s words struck hard, each one landing like a punch. The warning wasn’t just a threat; it was a declaration, a fierce brotherly loyalty that Oscar knew was unwavering. The way Lando looked at him, with such disdain mixed with pain, it cut Oscar to his core.

“If I find out you’re lying,” Lando continued, his jaw clenched, “I will make sure you lose that seat at McLaren. I’ll make it my mission, Oscar. You know how much my sister means to me.” He shook his head, an angered exhale escaping him. “I warned you about hurting her.”

Oscar couldn’t hold back any longer. His voice shook as he forced the words out, raw and desperate. “Lando, I swear to you, I’m telling the truth.” His hands clenched at his sides as he looked down, feeling his chest tighten painfully. “This is… it’s such a horrible misunderstanding. I never wanted any of this to happen.”

Emotion welled up inside him, a mix of fear, shame, and regret, and he felt his throat close up, his vision blurring. His breath grew uneven, and despite himself, a tear slid down his cheek. Then another, until he could feel the hot, shameful trail of them spilling freely, powerless to stop.

Lando’s expression softened slightly as he watched Oscar crumble before him, the fight momentarily leaving his own features as he absorbed the depth of Oscar’s remorse. He looked away for a moment, as if weighing his options, and then his voice came, gruff but more measured. “Then you need to go to her,” he said quietly. “Go to her, now. She’s going to be devastated. If you’re telling the truth, you can fix this. But you’d better go now.”

Oscar swallowed hard, nodding. He was already reaching for his jacket, his heart still pounding but with a sense of urgency to repair the damage. He couldn’t bear the thought of you feeling hurt, betrayed. The very thought twisted the knife in his gut, driving him forward.

“One more thing.” Lando’s voice stopped him in his tracks, and Oscar turned back to see him standing firm, his eyes cold again. “This PR thing—it’s making things worse. If you really want a future with her, end it. Because if this ever happens again, you’re going to lose her. And you’re going to lose a hell of a lot more.”

Oscar met his gaze, giving a solemn nod. “You’re right. I’ll stop it. I can’t… I can’t put her through this.” His voice was barely a whisper, but the conviction was there.

Lando held his gaze a beat longer, then sighed, giving a slight nod of grudging acceptance. “Go fix this, Oscar. And don’t make me regret trusting you.”

⁺⋆⁺₊⁺⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⁺⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⁺ ⋆⁺

After spending time with Lando, letting yourself unload the heartbreak and confusion, you’d assured him you’d be alright eventually—that you just needed some time alone. Retreating to your hotel room, you tried desperately to hold yourself together, to avoid being swallowed whole by the storm of emotions that seemed intent on drowning you. But the harder you tried, the more impossible it felt.

You caught your reflection in the bathroom mirror, and the sight was sobering. Your eyes were bloodshot, rimmed with smudged mascara that had streaked down your cheeks in uneven, telltale lines. You looked broken, more raw and vulnerable than you could remember feeling in a long time. The weight of it settled heavily, pressing down on you with each passing second.

A knock at the door pulled you from your thoughts. Startled, you wiped your face quickly, taking a deep, steadying breath before walking over to the door. You didn’t open it, unwilling to let anyone see you like this. “Lando,” you called out, your voice strained, “I told you I’m fine. Just… just go.”

But instead of your brother’s familiar voice, you heard the voice you least expected—and least wanted to hear.

“Y/N, it’s me,” Oscar’s voice was soft, rough around the edges. You froze, feeling your heart twist painfully at the sound of him. Every part of you wanted to sink against the door, to open it, to confront him. But instead, you stiffened, the hurt quickly filling the space where vulnerability once lingered.

“Just leave me alone,” you managed, barely able to keep the tremor out of your voice.

“Please, baby,” Oscar’s voice broke on the word, thick with desperation. “Please, open the door. Let me explain. It’s all… it’s all a big misunderstanding.”

A wave of emotion washed over you, and your chest tightened as you sank slowly to the floor, resting your back against the door as you fought to keep your voice steady. “There’s nothing to explain, Oscar. I was there. I saw it,” you whispered, pulling your knees up to your chest and burying your face between them, as if trying to block out the memory of it.

“You don’t get it, Y/N,” he pressed, his voice breaking again. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”

You let out a bitter laugh, muffled as you pressed your head against your knees. “Oscar,” you mumbled, voice hollow, “You had your tongue down her throat. There wasn’t any press around, no cameras to put on a show for. You can’t call it anything but what it was.” Your voice was so quiet, almost fragile, just loud enough for him to hear through the door. “Besides… It's not like you owe me anything. We were never exclusive. I’m not your girlfriend.” You swallowed hard, the words cutting deep. “And considering what I saw, it’s obvious you don’t want that either."

There was a long pause, the silence stretching between you two, heavy and painful. You could feel him on the other side of the door, his presence almost palpable, and it took everything in you not to reach for the handle. But your heart was guarded, waiting, hesitant to give in so easily.

The silence was broken by a ragged, unsteady breath, and then you heard him sink down to the floor on the other side of the door, mirroring you, with only the cold, impersonal wood between you.

“Please… please don’t say that,” he whispered, his voice barely holding together. “I know I don’t deserve for you to listen to me right now, but it wasn’t what you think. It wasn’t real.” His voice cracked, and you could hear the tremor in his words, the strain of holding back tears. “Ava, she… she forced it. I didn’t want it, I didn’t—I pushed her away.” His words were stumbling, broken by emotion, and you could feel his desperation as he tried to explain himself, to make you see the truth he was so desperate for you to understand.

You stayed silent, torn between wanting to believe him and the vivid memory of what you had seen. Part of you, the part that had loved and trusted him, wanted to believe every word. But another part, the one that had been hurt, was afraid to trust again, afraid to be vulnerable. You felt your throat tighten, your hands curling into fists as you struggled to hold back your own tears, feeling them dry on your cheeks as you pressed yourself harder against the door.

He paused, gathering himself before continuing, his voice raw with honesty and regret. “She kept… pushing it, saying we needed to make it look real enough for people to believe it. She’d go on about how it would all fall apart if we didn’t act convincing, kept saying we had to practice that stupid kiss.” He let out a shaky breath, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. “I told her no, but she just wouldn’t stop pressing, and then she just kissed me"

He took a shaky breath, his words fractured and heavy with guilt. “I-I didn’t want it,” he stammered, his voice thick as he tried to speak through his tears. “I swear… I didn’t want any of it.” His voice cracked, a choked sob escaping as he struggled to keep going, the desperation evident in every trembling syllable.

You heard him shift against the door, his back pressed firmly as if trying to ground himself. “I felt trapped,” he continued, his words punctuated by small, hitched breaths. “Like… like if I didn’t go along with it, I’d ruin everything—the whole stupid plan. And… I didn’t want to drag you into that. I was scared. I didn't want to ruin things for you”

Another tear-choked breath left him, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I… I couldn’t keep doing it. I pushed her away. I told her I couldn’t—” His voice broke, a raw, unsteady exhale filling the silence as he struggled to compose himself. “I told her it was wrong. I told her it was wrong, and I wanted it to stop.”

His voice faded, overcome by a quiet sob that made the door between you feel thin, almost nonexistent. The vulnerability in his tears was unmistakable, and even in the silence, you could feel the weight of his remorse pressing against you.

Oscar’s voice grew softer, pleading. “You don’t have to say anything if… if you don’t want to. But I just need you to know that it wasn’t me. I didn’t want that, any of it.” His voice faltered, but he kept going. “I’m done with this stupid agreement, this entire PR stunt. I’ll quit it—even if it doesn’t mean I get you back. I just… I can’t keep doing this. I love you, Y/N.” His voice dropped, barely more than a whisper, the words raw and honest.

The vulnerability in his voice tugged at something deep inside you, pulling you closer to that fine line between anger and forgiveness. You felt the sincerity of his words, the pain that bled through them, and despite yourself, part of you believed him. But the fear held you back, the hurt silencing the words that you wanted to say.

A silence fell between you, thick with unspoken words and shared pain. You could hear his shaky breathing through the door, and you knew he was crying. The sound wrenched at your heart, stirring a sadness that mixed with your own, leaving you feeling both hollow and heavy, unable to find the words to respond.

Moments later, footsteps echoed down the hallway. You could hear someone approaching, and then a familiar voice—one that made your stomach twist.

“Well, well, Oscar,” Ava’s voice cooed, feigning sympathy. “Is it really worth all this? She’s not worth it, you know.”

Oscar’s shoulders tensed, his breathing growing heavier as he turned to look at her, his eyes flashing with a newfound clarity, a sharpness born of betrayal. He recoiled from her, yanking his shoulder away from her touch, his expression a mixture of disgust and fury. Without a second thought, he rose to his feet, facing her with a look that could have frozen fire.

“You’ve done enough,” he spat, his voice low and filled with a venom you’d never heard before. “You’ve already ruined everything. Leave me alone.”

But Ava merely arched an eyebrow, her smile twisting as if amused by his anger. She opened her mouth, perhaps to retort, but Oscar didn’t give her a chance.

“Just… stay the hell away from me.” His voice was louder now, strong and unwavering, the raw pain of it echoing through the corridor. “I don’t ever want to see you near me again. Not at the track, not anywhere. You hear me?” He took a step back, his voice rising with each word, carrying both fury and anguish. “I’m done with this agreement. Done with you. Done with this entire PR stunt!”

The volume of his voice carried through the door, and even you could hear the finality in it. For a brief moment, the hurt and anger felt a bit lighter, a flicker of hope stirring beneath it all. The words he’d said, the fire in his voice—it felt real.

There was a shuffling of footsteps as Ava moved away, clearly surprised by his outburst. Oscar remained standing in the hallway, staring after her until the corridor grew silent again, empty save for him and the lingering echo of his words.

Slowly, he sank back down, his back pressed against the door again, his breath coming in short, shaky bursts. He didn’t say anything else, but his quiet, broken presence felt closer than words could convey. And though your heart was still bruised, still guarded, you found yourself shifting slightly, pressing your shoulder to the door, closer to where you knew he sat on the other side.

Oscar took a deep, shuddering breath, wiping at his eyes as he sat against the door. You listened to the sounds leaving the Australian's mouth, still pressed against the other side, your heart aching with every tear-choked word he’d spoken. Slowly, as silence settled around you both, you felt him begin to shift, his weight moving as he gathered himself to leave. He exhaled quietly, almost as if he were accepting that this was the end, that he’d done all he could.

The thought of him leaving stirred something urgent within you, a longing that broke through the hurt and fear. Without fully thinking it through, you reached for the handle. Just as Oscar rose, taking a few hesitant steps away, you opened the door.

“Oscar,” you whispered, reaching out to grab his arm.

He turned around sharply, his red-rimmed eyes wide with surprise as he stared down at you, disbelief mingling with the faintest glimmer of hope. For a long, fragile moment, the two of you simply looked at each other, the air thick with everything unsaid, every apology, every promise, every feeling that had built up over months. The intensity of his gaze, softened by the tears still brimming in his eyes, filled you with warmth, melting away the last of your hesitation.

You took a shaky breath, your voice barely more than a whisper. “I… I love you too, Oscar.”

The words seemed to break something within him. His face crumpled, a fresh tear slipping down his cheek as he reached out, cupping your face in his hands as if you were something precious, fragile, something he couldn’t bear to let slip away. His thumbs brushed over your cheeks, wiping away the last remnants of your tears, his gaze so full of tenderness and vulnerability that it took your breath away.

And then, without another word, he leaned in, his lips meeting yours with a quiet desperation, a raw need that spoke of every moment of anguish, of every ounce of longing he’d carried for you. His lips were soft but insistent, moving with a careful, almost reverent passion, as if he were pouring everything he felt into this one kiss. You could feel the slight tremble in his hands, the way his fingers pressed gently but firmly against your skin, grounding himself in your warmth.

The kiss deepened, slowly, his lips parting as he moved closer, pulling you into him as if he couldn’t bear to be separated by even a breath. His tears mingled with yours, salty and warm, the emotions overwhelming as the kiss became a quiet exchange of love and sorrow, each movement a promise, a silent plea to never let go. Your hands found their way to his shoulders, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as you held him close, grounding yourself in the solid warmth of him.

His tongue brushed lightly against your bottom lip, a gentle request that you answered by parting your lips, allowing him in. As your tongues met, a wave of emotion washed over you both, the kiss growing deeper, more intense, every second drawing you closer, until it felt as though nothing else in the world existed but the two of you. The taste of him, the softness of his lips, the way his breath mingled with yours—it was intoxicating, and you felt yourself melting into him, surrendering fully to the quiet, consuming love that bound you together.

His hands slid down to your waist, pulling you flush against him as the kiss grew needier, more fervent, yet still so achingly tender. Your lips moved together in perfect harmony, slow and deliberate, savoring each touch, each taste, until the world seemed to fade away. He tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss even further, his tongue caressing yours with a slow, deliberate intimacy that left you breathless. It was as if he was pouring every unsaid word, every unexpressed feeling, into this moment, and you could feel it in every movement, every touch, every trembling breath.

After what felt like a lifetime, the two of you slowly broke apart, your foreheads coming to rest against each other as you both tried to catch your breath, your eyes still closed, savoring the warmth and closeness. His hands lingered on your cheeks, his thumbs brushing gently over your skin as if he couldn’t bear to stop touching you, to lose this connection even for a moment.

“Please,” you murmured, your voice soft and full of emotion. “Please be mine.”

Oscar’s breath hitched, and he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting yours with a vulnerability that took your breath away. “I’ve always been yours,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

You managed a small, tearful smile, your fingers brushing over his cheek, wiping away the remnants of his tears. “I mean… for real this time. Be my boyfriend. Please,” you said, your voice a soft, tender plea.

A smile broke through his tears, a pure, radiant joy lighting up his face as he looked at you, his eyes shimmering with a love so deep it was almost overwhelming. “There’s nothing I would love more,” he murmured, his voice soft and trembling with happiness.

And in that moment, wrapped in each other’s arms, you felt the pain and heartache begin to fade, replaced by a quiet, steady warmth, a promise of something real, something lasting.

—————⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺—————

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#f1 fanfic #formula 1 #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 smut #friends to lovers #fluff #mclaren #op81 #smut #angst #oscar piastri #oscar piastri fanfic #oscar piastri imagine #oscar piastri x you #oscar piastri x reader

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prythianpages · 11 months ago

Text

You're Good To Me | Eris x Reader

summary: Eris realizes two things. One, he's in love with you, his brother's betrothed. Two, he's put you in danger.

warnings: angst, mentions of killing, but there is some fluff in the middle!

a/n: This one is inspired by Hozier's Would That I. Eris is so Hozier coded and when I heard this song, I couldn't help myself but write this. You can find the masterlist for this series here or just read this as a stand alone imagine. I rewrote the last scenes to this so many times within the past couple of hours but I think I'm finally content with this.

The late morning sun casts long shadows through the towering trees of the Autumn Court's sprawling estate, dappling over Eris with golden hues. Resting against a centuries-old oak, he reads a book–your book–while his hounds run about freely. Occasionally, they bring him a random stick that he happily throws.

She was soft as an angel but oh, she could love with the fury of a demon–

Clover, his youngest hound, barks, pulling his attention from the book. It’s one that has an adorable chirp to it. His fingers still on the page he was about to turn. Recently, there’s been only one other person–besides him, of course– who can elicit such a sound.

With a roar of a fire, Eris’s heart rises to its feet, mirroring Clover’s excitement. He can feel you too. You’re close. The book he was reading lays forgotten in his lap as he listens for the telltale sound of hoofbeats drawing near.

You had gone for a morning ride with his mother as you’ve done nearly every morning for the past week. How convenient for Eris to be reading near the stables around the time you’d return.

He was strategically positioned not to be in your direct line of sight but for you to come into his.

You’re laughing at something his mother said and the small smile that tugs at his lips is almost inevitable. He lifts his gaze, admiring the carefree expression on your face and the way the sunlight catches your hair. Clover lets out a small wine, tail wagging in anticipation as she watches you. She looks back at Eris, as if asking if she could run to you, and though Eris isn’t one to deny his hounds, he shakes his head at her. He wants to bask in your presence from afar awhile longer.

He can tell your lips are moving but from where he sits, he can’t discern your words. The soft pat you give your horse, Maximus, and the responding loud neigh is enough to clue him in. Maximus stands proud, his long white mane blowing in the gentle morning breeze as you dismount him with the help of one of the stablemen. You traded your pretty dresses for something more fitting for your morning ride. His gaze lingers on the way your pants cling to your curves longer than it should.

A low growl from Clover has him abruptly tearing his gaze away from your body. He watches as you run toward an older male. Your smile is so bright it competes with the sun as you throw your arms around your father. There’s something unsettling about the way your father looks at you. Something that makes your father undeserving of your smile.

While you look up at him in admiration, he looks at you as if you are his most prized possession. An object. He can tell his mother senses it too by the forced smile on her face as she politely greets him.

In the blink of an eye, Clover is darting toward you with an urgency that startles Eris. The rest of his hounds pause, their muscles tensing as they watch the scene unfold. Your eyes widen in pleasant surprise. Clover bounds towards you, her tongue eagerly reaching out to shower you with affection.

“Do they just let vile creatures roam around freely here?” He hears your father loudly ask with a scowl on his face.

“Her name is Clover,” you are quick to correct, turning toward your father again.

Clover turns with you and suddenly, she’s growling and snapping at him. With a yelp, your father falls to the ground on his butt while Clover lowers her head with another growl in warning. Eris rises to his feet and brings his finger to his lips, letting out a sharp whistle.

Just as quickly as Clover had escaped his side, she obediently makes her way back to him. Your gaze follows after her, and it's then that you spot Eris. There's a softness in your gaze as it lands on him. Despite the tension between Clover and your father, you seem unfazed. Your focus solely on Eris as the stablemen rush to help your father, who is groaning out profanities while his mother apologizes on Eris’s behalf.

Eris holds your gaze, patting Clover’s head in a reassuring manner. He’s not sorry about the whole ordeal. His hounds are trained to appear menacing and fearsome but they never attack without reason. Now, he’s inclined to investigate further, realizing he does not know enough about your father.

“Come along,” your father says, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and forcing your attention back to him. He looks down at your outfit and a frown appears on his face. “You’re a Lady now, y/n. You need to dress like it.”

“I’m sorry,” he hears you apologize, unsettling him further. He watches as your body is enveloped by a golden glow and when he blinks, your riding outfit is replaced by a soft pink gown.

As your father rushes you back toward the forest house, you can’t help but glance back. There’s the slightest curve to Eris’s lips at that. He waves your book in a teasing manner, reveling in the immediate response he receives. You quickly turn back around and even from his distance, he can appreciate the blush that warms your cheeks. He feels a similar warmth swell in his chest, leaving him already anticipating seeing you again at dinner.

Eris hesitantly turns the final page of the book, as if reluctant to part ways. He had needed something to preoccupy himself with until dinner and with his father thankfully busy entertaining yours, he decided to immerse himself further into the book you held dear. He knew it was one you treasured by the worn-out cover and the pages threatening to detach from the spine. He’s almost distraught at the creases that line the top edges of random pages but is willing to forgive you for it.

His gaze settles on the last words, a bittersweet ache tugging at his heartstrings.

"You are the love that came without warning. You had my heart before I could say no,” he breathes, holding her close. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s okay,” she croaks out as she looks up at him, blood seeping from her mouth. “I love you too.”

And as she drew her last breath, he felt his world end with it.

He stares at the words, reading them over and over again. Finally, he closes the book, but the words linger, echoing within him like a haunting melody. They stir emotions in him he’s never felt towards the ending of a book before. He feels lost. Angry. Disbelief. What kind of ending was this? If this book wasn’t yours, he would’ve flung it across his room.

He lets out a deep exhale, eyes fluttering shut momentarily. When he opens them, he looks at the clock hanging across the wall from him. Two hours until dinner still looms ahead. He wants to find you, to tell you his thoughts like you told him to but it’s too risky at this moment.

Rising from his seat, he gingerly sets your cherished book down on the small table beside him. He grabs his coat, deciding fresh air will do him well. Perhaps, even a walk through the village. There is a shop he’d like to visit. Anything to quiet his thoughts and the clamor of his racing heart. The characters from the book struck a chord too familiar with him.

“Hold my hand.”

“No.”

Eris pauses at the voices, eyes immediately finding the owners. There's a notable gap between you and Sawyer, tension crackling in the air as you exchange heated glances. For a moment, Eris wonders if there’s fire coursing through your veins too.

“Listen,” you start. “I don’t want to hold your hand but I want my father to believe I’m happy.”

Sawyer lets out a chuckle. “Your father doesn’t care.”

The look of hurt that flashes in your eyes is enough to have Eris’s blood boiling. “Can’t you at least do this one thing for me?” You plead, clasping your hands in front of him.

“Nope,” Sawyer repeats, accentuating the “p” sound, evidently relishing in the opportunity to further irk you.

“Gods, you’re such an–an…”

Sawyer raises a challenging eyebrow, his gaze locking onto you as your voice wavers, the resolve slipping away. "Say it," he whispers sharply, and Eris's muscles tense instinctively, not liking his brother's tone. Maybe, he should intervene…and teach Sawyer another lesson.

“You’re an asshole.”

Eris almost chokes on his own spit. He fights back the urge to laugh. Not at you, but at the sheer surprise written all over Sawyer's face. Sawyer clearly hadn't expected such boldness from you, and if Eris were to be honest, he is surprised too. Pleasantly surprised.

“Only for you,” Sawyer hisses back, surprise morphing into offense.

“I won’t even breathe in your direction for the next week.”

“And?”

You look at him incredulously. “And?”

Sawyer doesn’t respond. He folds his arms tightly across his chest, letting you know he expects more from you. Your response is a frustrated huff, a sound that would have typically elicited an amused smile from Eris. But not at this moment.

“Fine. I’ll cover for you for all the days leading up to our wedding. Do whom and what as you please. But–” you pause, holding a finger out to him. “–you have to say something nice to me in front of my father too.”

Sawyer’s lips curve into a pleased smirk. “That’s more like it, poo bear,” he purrs, bringing his hand up to pinch at your cheek a little too rough for Eris’s liking.

His fists clench at his sides, watching with envy as Sawyer slowly offers you his arm. Though it’s what you asked for, you eye it with caution. As soon as your hand is lifting to take Sawyer’s arm, Eris finally decides to make his presence known. He walks forward and toward the still notable gap between you and his younger brother. His shoulder purposely bumps into Sawyer’s, a mask of indifference on his face as he does so.

On the other side, his fingers graze against yours. A gesture so subtle it appears to be accidental. There’s no nuance in your expression but your fingers respond, gently lingering over his own. A tug on that golden thread in his chest has his steps wanting to falter. He does not give in, pushing forward instead.

Eris walks into the dining room and settles into his seat beside his mother, nodding a greeting to both his father and yours. They’re already immersed in what sounds like a pointless conversation over Prythian’s economy. Knowing that you and Sawyer will be following shortly, hand in hand, he yanks the bottle of wine from Oliver’s grasp. The heated glare he receives is instant but he couldn’t care any less as he fills his glass to the brim, wishing it was something stronger.

“There’s my blooming flower,” he hears your father happily greet as you grace them with your presence.

“The prettiest flower,” Sawyer remarks in a tone as smooth and soft as velvet. His younger brothers snicker, clearly amused with the drastic change in Sawyer’s attitude toward you.

Eris, however, does not find it amusing.

The grip on his glass tightens so harshly that his mother spares him a glance. She gives him a discreet kick under the table, silently urging him to relax. While his grip on his wine glass loosens, the tension in his jaw doesn’t. He remains quiet during dinner, chiming in only enough to not raise suspicion. He doesn’t dare to sneak a glance at you. Nor at Sawyer. Not even to glare daggers at him for every sweet word he speaks your way.

He knows it’s all an act but the thought does nothing to soothe him. Not when he heard you begging Sawyer to act like he likes you, to hold your hand, to say sweet nothings to you. To do all the things Eris is desperately yearning to do.

The Cauldron was cruel.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well here,” your father says as you walk arm in arm. “A flower like you needs the right soil to flourish.”

After dinner, the two of you had taken a stroll through the gardens, catching up with one another. He told you all about his recent business adventures, gloating over how the deals coming his way were endless as the word of your family name mixed with the Vanserras spread throughout Prythian. It was when the autumn winds began to pick up and grew too cold for your liking that you made your way back in the forest house and toward your room.

“Do you really have to leave so soon?” You ask, a frown settling over your brows. Please stay, you want to add.

“I’m afraid so. I have a meeting with a potential business partner in Hewn City so I’ll have to leave early tomorrow to prepare,” your father replies in an apologetic tone. “I’ll try to make it in time for your next dress fitting.”

“Okay,” you respond, forcing another smile to your face. You hope your father can’t see right through it. “I’ll wake up early tomorrow to bid you farewell.”

“Lovely,” Your father says, the two of you coming to a stop near your door, where an Autumn guard is stationed right in front. With a nod of his head, the guard steps aside, allowing you access to your room. “Sleep well, okay?”

You lean your back against the door in contemplation. There’s so much you want to say. You want to tell him the truth. To ask him to call off the wedding. To have him take you with him, even if its to Hewn City.

Perhaps, if it were your mother standing before you, you would’ve confessed it all. She was always willing to listen. Your father…not so much. Given the way he was already bragging about the benefits from your arranged marriage, you worried it’d only be a waste of your breath. You also feared burdening him further, knowing he already had a lot on his plate.

You worry your father senses your inner turmoil when he reaches out a hand, lifting your chin. He smiles at you, his eyes seemingly capturing every detail of your presence. Almost like he’s etching it into his memory forever. “You’re everything I could’ve asked for and more in a daughter. Your mother would be proud too.”

There’s a pang in your chest and your smile falters. Something tells you, you wouldn’t be marrying Sawyer if she were alive. Unlike your father, she would see right through you and find a way out for you. But you can’t blame your father, either. Your mother’s last wish was to see you married and happy. Your father only wishes to honor it.

So instead of voicing your worries, you nod. “Goodnight, father.”

When you enter your room, you swear your heart skips a beat. Eris stands tall by your window, his red hair glowing like strands of molten copper under the pale moonlight. His gaze is fixed on the rustle of the leaves from the cool breeze, the shadows dancing across his delicate features. He looks ethereal just standing there.

“Your view is better than mine.”

You’re quick to shut the door behind you. “Lord Eris.”

Eris lets out a snort at your formality. He turns to face you with a small smile. “Just Eris,” he reminds softly as you approach him.

“Sorry, it’s a habit now,” you reply in a sheepish manner. You walk further into your room, joining him at his side. “What are you doing here? You didn’t leave a note this time.”

“I finally finished it.” Eris says as he reveals what he’s holding in his hands. Your book.

“You did?” Your eyes widen as you take it back from him.

The spine is gently bowed from decades of being held dear but you notice that the pages that were teetering away from the spine have been carefully attached back. What catches your eyes most, however, is the golden thread dangling from the midst of the pages. Your fingers toy with the autumn leaf charms that hang from it. Opening the book, you realize the string is attached to a bookmark. It’s placed exactly where you had last creased the page you had been on.

“I can’t believe you dog ear your pages, angel.”

Eris’s nose crinkles in disgust yet there’s an amused gleam in his eyes that has a laugh bubbling in your chest. “You say it like it’s a crime.”

“Because it is,” he insists with an incredulous furrow of his brow.

“Did you like it?”

“Like?” He laughs and you feel a flutter of uncertainty course through you. “I loved it,” he admits, soothing the flutter but then adds: “But I hated the ending.”

“Oh.”

“Oh,” he echoes, his tone mirroring the playful glint dancing in his eyes.

The two of you stare at each other for a moment and you remind yourself to breathe properly. “Do you want to talk about it?” You offer tentatively, your heart racing with anticipation.

Eris grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Sitting on the window seat, he adjusts his body so that his back leans against the window. He carefully angles his legs, giving you space to sit too. You settle across from, hugging your knees to your chest.

“Start from the beginning.”

And so Eris does, pouring out his every thought.

He tells you how he enjoyed the author’s world building of the human world, though he knows in reality, it’s actually very boring. You attempt to defend the mortals but Eris dismisses it, claiming he knows their world is dull based on a human he knows. He then tells you how the slow burn romance between the two protagonists nearly drove him insane. That he’d never been more happy to read about two characters holding hands.

“And don’t even get me started on the intimate scenes between those two. It went on in extravagant details for pages and pages,” he says with an amused exhalation. “How something so vulgar can be written so beautifully is beyond me!”

You can’t help but laugh at that, despite the heat rising to your cheeks. Eris continues with his passionate rant and you drink every single word. At some points, he pauses, asking for your interpretations of certain scenes, bringing forth small arguments and laughter.

"I just can't get over that ending," Eris remarks with a sigh, his brow furrowing in frustration. "It's just so... sad. Disappointing, almost. After all that trouble the hero went to save her only for her to still die at the end...”

"But isn't there a certain beauty in tragedy?" you counter softly. "The way it makes you feel, the emotions it evokes. The angst. Because as you read, you slowly begin to realize that it was not her who needed saving but him.”

Eris tilts his head, contemplating your words for a moment. Of course, you would see the beauty in the ending. His lips curve into a pout. He needs to protect you at all costs. He doesn’t want you to end up like him, spirit crushed by the cruel confinements of this court and forced to wear a mask at all times.

"I suppose I just prefer stories with happy endings. Life's already filled with enough sadness, isn't it?"

“It is,” you murmur, gaze softening with empathy. Then, your eyes are lighting up as a thought crosses your mind and you’re smiling at him. “Who would’ve thought Eris Vanserra, the heir to the Autumn Court, is a hopeless romantic with a soft spot for happy endings.”

The smile that breaks out brightens his entire expression and he lets out a chuckle, sending a warm flutter through your chest. He leans in closer, his amber eyes alight with an intensity that mirrors the flickering flames of the hearth in your room.

“And who would’ve thought a saint like you has the mind of a sinner.”

“Hey!” You gasp and give a playful kick to his thigh.

Eris laughs, body relaxing as he slumps against the window for support. He’s lost count of the amount of times you two have laughed tonight but he knows it’s more than he ever has before. When you shift to give another kick, his hand grasps at your ankles. He raises a brow at you in challenge, almost daring you to try again.

“You said and I quote ‘something so vulgar can be written so beautifully,’ meaning that you enjoyed them too.”

“I did,” Eris agrees, lips curling into a smirk as he lifts his gaze. His fingers mindlessly dance across your exposed leg, sending a delightful shiver through you. “But I am no saint.”

It’s when he feels your leg twitch that he realizes what he’d been doing. He stands abruptly and lowers his head. He fears he’s getting too comfortable around you. “I sh–”

Standing from the window seat, your hand grasps for his, stopping him. “Since you read one of my favorites, it’s only fair that I read one of yours.”

Eris's eyes widen in surprise and he turns back to look at you. No one has ever asked him about his favorite book. He read yours because he wanted to, curious to learn more about you through it. He didn’t expect you to return the gesture.

"Deal.”

The word escapes him with such ease it scares him but it’s short lived as he’s overcome with excitement. His passion for reading had always been a solitary pursuit. It was something he never really shared with others, but he wants to with you.

“I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” you respond happily.

“But,” he begins, not allowing you to let go of his hand, his thumb brushes against the back of it. “You’re not allowed to dog ear my pages.”

“I’ll also need a book in return. It’s only fair,” he adds, mimicking your tone from earlier. His mind then drifts to thoughts of the both of you, curled up against one another with a book in your laps. Or maybe, you’d read to him while he holds you close, his head resting atop your shoulder and–

“Of course,” you reply, pulling him from his fantasies and toward the other side of your room, where many books were neatly lined atop a shelf. “I couldn’t bring all my books but I brought all my absolute favorites!"

Eris watches as you hum in contemplation. His attention is drawn to the way you tap a finger against your lips. He remembers the way they felt against his cheek. Lovely and sweet. Like your heart. He’s dying to know what they’d feel like against his lips…

He knows you’ve finally decided on a book when your other hand frees itself from his hold to reach out for it. You carefully slide it off the shelf and then turn around, presenting it to him. “You’ll love this one,” you tell him and you’re so confident it has his lips twitching upwards for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. “It has a happy ending."

"I think I...," his voice wavers with a delicate tremor. He looks away, his cheeks tinged with a delicate blush over the words he couldn't bring himself to articulate. "You're good to me," he murmurs instead, taking the book from you.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Your words coax his gaze back to yours and the sincerity he finds in your eyes is one that’s never been directed at him before. It stirs a desire in him that he never even knew he was searching for.

The fire in his veins burns brighter. The bond in his chest sings louder. He allows it to pull him closer to you. You're also leaning in until the book in his hand is the only barrier between your bodies.

There's nothing else to interrupt this moment between you both. No bells chiming like that day in the fountains. No cloak to trip over or lanterns like that night he snuck you out. It's just you two, in the stillness of the night, where the only sounds are your breaths and the crackle of the hearth nearby.

His movements are slow, giving you the chance to pull away at any moment. You don't. He watches your every shift in expression as his free hand tilts your chin up towards him. Your eyes flutter shut in anticipation.

And then he's kissing you.

Softly and delicately like a butterfly's wings. Your lips are warm and perfect against his, your taste sweet and intoxicating. Even better than he could ever imagine.

Your hands travel up his neck and thread themselves through his hair, pressing his lips harsher against yours. Heat courses through him as you kiss him back. You're like a wildfire, burning away all memories of past lovers and leaving only the embers of your essence to light his way.

When he pulls away, a shared breathlessness lingers between you. As he looks into your eyes, it's like the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different. He longs for the night he'll be able to hold you tight and let the blinding light you bring consume him fully.

For now, he leans his forehead against yours, breathing you in and taking in the soft smile on your face that mirrors his own.

But the very next morning, he's harshly reminded that though he's had a taste, your radiance remains beyond his grasp. He fears it will forever, like a forbidden flame that flickers just out of reach.

"Who does he think he is, making demands of me?" Beron seethes, his voice laced with frustration, as he paces back and forth in his study. “I’ve graciously taken in his daughter. I’ve even granted him half of his money upfront. And yet where is my promise?”

Eris, standing nearby, observes with cautious eyes, gauging the storm brewing within his father. He knew it was going to be a bad day the moment he woke up from a nightmare. A nightmare whose cruel grip he still cannot shake off…because for the first time, you were in it.

He prays his father can’t hear the rapid beating of his heart as he says, “Cancel the deal. Call off the wedding with Sawyer...”

And wed her to me, he wishes to add but the words stick in his throat. The painful truth lingers deep in his chest, nestled next to the strings of fate that bind him to you. It’s best if you leave this court and go somewhere far.

Far away where happiness might embrace you. Far away from the cruel clutches of his father’s power and even your own. Far away where you may free him of this torment…but the more time he spends with you, the more precarious the thread his honor hangs on becomes.

He fears that nowhere would be far enough now.

“Call off the wedding?” Beron laughs in an incredulous manner. The gold and crimson tapestries adorning the walls seem to shiver in response to his father’s simmering frustration. When Beron abruptly turns to face Eris, the younger male can’t help but flinch. “When you were the one who suggested this arrangement to begin with.”

Eris’s throat tightens. He had been the one to suggest this arranged marriage.

Your father, a respected merchant, extended an offer to Beron – an offer that, even now, Eris grapples to comprehend fully. It was a proposal that was lured with promises of enhanced power for the High Lord of Autumn in exchange for wealth and elevated status through matrimonial ties.

With no available Vanserra daughters to marry your father to and Sawyer's nightly endeavors tarnishing the family name, it led Eris to suggest an arranged marriage between you and Sawyer. A futile attempt to protect his younger brother from a fate similar to Lucien’s…but at what cost?

The Cauldron must be bubbling with amusement at the irony of it all. For, unknowingly, Eris orchestrated the union between you, his mate, and his brother. This is all his doing. All his fault.

Eris wills himself to maintain an outward appearance of calm. “What’s so important about this exchange anyway?” He asks with a measured voice.

“Jareth has access to something precious,” Beron responds, his words chosen with deliberate care. "Something that may hold the key to immortality."

Eris's eyebrows furrow in contemplation, his mind racing to grasp at what special thing your father could be harboring. "What if he is bluffing?"

Beron's eyes darken, sending a shiver down Eris's spine. His heart sinks to his stomach as he can already anticipate what his father is going to say.

“I’ll kill his precious daughter. Then, I’ll kill him.”

If your father keeps his end of the bargain, you’ll marry Sawyer. Doomed to a life of misery, where danger lurks at every corner. If your father doesn’t keep his end of the bargain, you’ll be the one to face the consequences of his father's wrath.

And you're in this situation because of him. The bond in his chest tightens, the golden strings pulling taut with a piercing resonance. No, no, no. Panic seeps in with an agonizing intensity. The mere thought of any harm coming to you, especially because of his actions, sickens him to his stomach.

He can’t allow that to happen. He won't allow it to happen.

“That won’t be necessary,” Eris says, carrying the weight of centuries of practiced composure. “I’ll ensure Jareth keeps his end of the bargain.”

“As expected,” Beron replies in a pleased tone. “I’m counting on you.”

Eris manages a nod, silently excusing himself. He’s never been more desperate to leave his father’s study. He feels his hands begin to shake and he shoves them into his pockets, not wanting to allow anyone a glimpse of the turmoil raging inside.

It's only when he's in the comfort of his room that he allows his facade to crumble. Leaning heavily against the door, he slowly sinks to the floor. His hounds are immediately rushing to his side, noses brushing softly against his arms.

"I made a terrible mistake," he tells them quietly and a low whine comes from one of them in protest. Then, with a strong determination, he says, "but I'm going to fix it."

"I swear it," he promises, rising to his feet, his hounds following after him as he makes his way further into his room.

You're not going to marry Sawyer and you're not going to be the one to pay the consequences of your father's actions, should he betray them. No. Eris will make sure of that. He's running out of time but he's going to find a way to get you out of this mess. He knows he can.

Eris realizes then he'd do anything to keep you safe, even if it means losing everything. Because if there's one thing he can't lose, it's you.

a/n: and here comes the angst train. I hope you enjoyed Eris and reader talking about her favorite book as much as I enjoyed writing it ♡

tagging: @fabulouslyflamboyant5 @fxckmiup @stormhearty @skyesayshi @sfhsgrad-blog @crazylokonugget @evergreenlark @secretlyhers @mybestfriendmademe @ib525, @96jnie, @kennedy-brooke, @scooobies, @sillysillygoose444, @lilah-asteria, @glitterypirateduck @thatsassyhufflepuff @acourtofbatboydreams, @mal-adaptive-dreams

#eris x reader #eris x you #eris x y/n #eris vanserra x reader #eris vanserra x you #eris vanserra x y/n #eris angst #eris vanserra angst #acotar x reader #acotar fanfiction #acotar angst #acotar x you #acotar x y/n #eris angel au #eris vanserra imagine #eris vanserra fanfic #eris acotar #Eris vanserra

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burrythebusy · 6 months ago

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I love going back to reread hrkg because I just learn something new every time even without the influence of the recent chapter. I particularly love analyzing Kagiura’s character. His view on love and romance and family and marriage was just so interesting before. It was so innocent, meaning he didn't think of it any more or any less than just "I get to stay with him, only me". Like that's not the average thought for a crush. And Niibashi tells him that, he's like do you even view him romantically, or do you simply just wanna keep him close? It could be interpreted as so many things. Like aroace spec hrkg is such a real interpretation.

And it gets me even more when I view it in reference to his past relationship. Like his most Romantic™ action ("What lovers do") is a lap pillow. Because she was his girlfriend and that was the reason given for it. We're dating so this is something that people thay are dating do. So his middle school self is like oh okay. And it happens and he's stiff. And he doesn't think it feels right. And that follows him to high school bc if we're dating and this is something people that are dating do, why doesn't it feel right? But yes. That's literally it. That's as romantic as it goes for him until Niibashi mentions kissing. Which he didn't even think about. He claims it's an influence of never really seeing his parents kiss. His view on love IS his parents. It's influenced by those around him (ooh). But it's also because marriage is supposed to mean you're in love. And his parents are in love and act like best friends and rarely kiss so that's what the young Kagiura thinks of love to be like.

Now I don't know what influenced him to get with his girlfriend per se. Because (!!light novel stuff!!) I think it's implied that his view of love and marriage comes after his girlfriend, not before, which would make sense considering his relationship didn't work out. It also makes sense if it came before. Because why did it start? I genuinely think that he might have liked, and i think that's what was said. But i think he liked her as a friend, and he's expected to get with girls, and if his view on marriage was getting started at any point then. That's literally a prerequisite. A relationship like best friends. So he dates her and it just doesn't feel right. And it could've been because he treated the whole relationship like a friendship with a different label which wasnt what his girlfriend wanted. And then the one "traditionally romantic" thing that comes along, close physical contact, still doesn't feel right.

Going off of context clues here. It's safe to say they never kiss or even hold hands really. It's probably the only thing they ever did, the lap pillow. It's what Kagiura thinks about when he thinks of romance and what lovers do because it's the one thing he failed to FEEL right about. And if he liked her. Why didn't he?

Obviously everything isn't surface level either, on one surface. Because Kagiura’s personality comes into play too. There's probably more to be said about his politeness, how we don't see him really challenge anybody on what they say (except Hirano for obvious reasons). If his girlfriend said dating -> lap pillow then he's gonna say okay. Sure. Even if he's unsure about it. But we don't get much of his personality from then. We only know this snippet, and the fact that it bothers him.

But we also know WHY it bothers him after ch. 6 and 7, and in 16a. Kagiura doesn't think about kissing Hirano because his view on love and romance is limited to how his parents show it, and how his ex girlfriend showed it. He hasn't developed it on his own yet, at least not consciously. He likely never kissed his girlfriend (and if he did it doesn't stick with him at all since the first thing he thinks about is literally the lap pillow) and he doesn't see his parents kiss so Niibashi asks him about kissing hirano and he's like "idk lol". Hence why, does he even like Hirano romantically? (And though you can be in a romantic relationship without kissing, the question still remains as to how he sees his feelings for Hirano, considering how juvenile they seem*)

But the difference here is that, without thinking about it, Hirano and Kagiura were becoming best friends. Kagiura didn't go into friendship with Hirano thinking he's a love interest the same way he might have with his girlfriend. Hirano treated him really well and they developed this natural thing and Kagiura started to develop a natural Kagiura version of a crush. But still, every action after that wasn't with the deliberate intention of his outlook on love. It remained natural. So that "prerequisite" was already fulfilled (and honestly, it could easily be viewed separate of how he sees romance from his parents. Again, it all happens so naturally and easily for him).

So in chapter 6, he thinks about what Niibashi said more and then the urge comes. To kiss Hirano. The first time he's probably thought about kissing anyone. So it's already an outlier to how he views romance anyway because kissing never had to be a part of it but now it is. BUT WAIT THERES MORE!

Because next he decides to indulge in something he can easily call back to. His girlfriend and their experience. People that date do lap pillows. How would that feel with someone I'm in love with, someone I now know I want to kiss? And I truly don't think he expected much from it because of his experience of not really liking it. Of it being "off". But Hirano lies in his lap and his mind blanks. And then he lies in Hirano's lap and he can't do it. Not because it feels off or wrong. But because he felt too much. A LOT in that moment. Cue his sexual and sexuality awakening/crisis. It literally scares him out of being NEAR Hirano for extended periods of time. Out of touching him. Because this new attraction is foreign to him. He now actively wants to touch him, actively wants to kiss him and at this point he already knew hirano doesn't see him that way so what do you do?

Then 16a comes. They're starting to touch for ten seconds a day because Hirano said he would try, and Kagiura’s largest guilty pleasure is literally just physical contact. Particularly with Hirano. Which he used to do so casually but can't bring himself to. So he asks hirano when it's okay and they agree to ten seconds.

To me, this is when he comes to terms with the fact that he never romantically liked his girlfriend in the first place. Because he knows hirano isn't in love with him at this point despite Hirano agreeing to try. He knows what they feel is different. Which is exactly what happened with his girlfriend. That's why he's afraid he was making Hirano feel how he felt with his girlfriend back then. Uncomfortable. "Off". And when I view it in context I always come to the conclusion that he didn't like her (let alone love her). This may not be his first relationship but it is his first love.

All this to say... literally nothing. I just love digging into Kagiura’s character, how his past does end up influencing the present in really subtle ways. I mean think about it, he feels so guilty for wanting to touch Hirano that he limits himself to the ten seconds. Like every time before chapter 14 that they touched just because (locking arms, holding his shirt or his wrist just to grab onto him, that natural gravitation) is just gone. Because now he loves someone who doesn't love him so how could he possibly put the pressure on him to touch him in the same way? He gave away his right to do that. But it hurts him. (And it hurts Hirano too). Another problem. But that guilt doesn't come from nowhere. He doesn't want Hirano to feel how he felt with his girlfriend. He doesn't want to make him uncomfortable or push his physical boundaries and make himself a sad memory in Hirano's high school years.

Kagiura is experiencing this extent of love and a crush for the first time. He lied in his girlfriends lap hesitantly but did it because they were dating and didn't like it. And I feel like a great fear of his is making Hirano feel that way too. So he wants Hirano to feel the same way desperately without pushing the physical boundary that has once made him feel unsure and weird. He loves Hirano so much that he'll limit himself as much as he can bear in this process. (Which, isn't the greatest thing. It's almost contradictory). But that's his experience. That's how he's letting it influence him. And it's so interesting to me.

Erm this is long anyway I love doing Kagiura character study. Obviously this is my interpretation and how I view his character to be. And we are all influenced by our environment in the end, especially those that have an important place in our lives (hint hint wink wink iykyk) but some people still build their own wants and desires with that as a foundation. Kagiura took his parents as the blueprint itself. THE guide, THE directions. So now I think he's on a journey of defining love for himself too.

#hirano to kagiura #hirano and kagiura #kagiura akira #kagihira #hirakagi #character study #i love kagiura akira #is it obvious that i love kagiura akira #i have so much to say about him #i can yap forever #love u bro #this isnt beta read btw #i just yapped

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musings-ofthe-unamused · 1 year ago

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Not Mushroom for Love (Genshin Impact)

Pairing: Tighnari x reader

Word Count: 2.6k

A/N: I love Tighnari he's so cute i just wanna AAAAAAHHHHHH

Tighnari was a hard ass. It was for good reason, sure, but it didn't mean that it annoyed you any less. Another thing that annoyed you was how much you wanted to prove yourself to him. Not only did you want to be a worthy forest ranger, but you wanted to be someone worthy of his love. It was frustrating, not only to be in love with your superior, but to also know he'll never see you the same.

Love was never meant to be, when it came to Tighnari. It was like the two of you were polar opposites. He was smart, consistent, and stern. You were aloof, not the brightest, and tended to bend the rules. You honestly had no clue how you fell in love with him. Was it the way his ears twitched when he was reading a book? The way his tail swung happily from side to side when he was talking about something new he learned? Maybe it was the way he pulled his hair back while doing an experiment? Whatever it was, one day you realized you had loved him. And it was terrible . How can someone as stupid as you love someone as incredibly smart as him?

You had failed your promotion exam. It was the fourth time in the row you tried to become a Forest Watcher. Some people were fine with being Rangers their whole life. But not you. You wanted to make everyone proud. Prove them wrong. You weren't just some stupid Ranger that always got in trouble or made mistakes on tests. Yet here you were, sitting with Collei as Tighnari stood in front of both of you with his arms crossed.

"You got more questions wrong than the last time," Tighnari shook his head. "I thought you were studying?"

You sighed in frustration. "I am! But for some reason, I can't- the material just doesn't stick."

"Well, it needs to. It can be a life or death situation when you're out there."

You rubbed your forehead in frustration as he turned his attention to Collei. This happened all the time. You barely were able to learn the material to become a Ranger. It was the field test that had given you your position. It was your ability to act fast in a situation and keep your calm that made you keep your position. You stared down at your test, seeing the big marks of ink that glared at you. Mockingly. As you read over your answers, you realized that you did know all of this. So why did your mind always blank when it came to testing?

"Are you listening?"

You were pulled out of your thoughts and raised your head. "Huh?"

"We need to talk about your rescheduled test."

"I can do it tomorrow."

"No."

"Why not?" You frowned.

Tighnari motioned to Collei who looked uncomfortable. "She needs to rest since she's been having more flare ups recently. I think it would be wise of you to use this extended time to think about your path."

"What about my path?"

"Well," His head tilted to the side. "You have been consistently failing in the tests. You don't seem to take in information like the others. We should consider keeping you as a Ranger instead of trying to become a Forest Watcher."

Collei looked between the both of you. She could tell that things were going to get heated. "Uhm, why don't we discuss this at a later time?"

"But Tighnari, I know what I'm doing!"

"Your test scores say otherwise."

"I know my stuff! Can't I have a field test instead?"

He shook his head. "We have standards that we need to uphold. Knowing things in the moment is good, but you need to be able to know this stuff outside of that as well."

"That doesn't-"

Tighnari said your name sternly. "You know we have rules for a reason."

You stood up. "You just don't trust me."

There was a pause. The two of you stared at each other. It would have been easy to follow what Tighnari was saying. He was smart. He knew what he was doing, saying, and teaching. But there was something inside you that left you feeling frustrated. So you wanted to challenge what he thought of you.

"I don't trust you to go out there alone."

"That's all I needed to hear."

Collei and Tighnari's calls fell on deaf ears as you left. You weren't stupid. You can be trusted. It was your job as a Forest Ranger. You've been doing this for years, for crying out loud. You clenched and unclenched your fists in anger. The one thing you hated about yourself is that you cried when you got angry. It made you seem even more weak and stupid than you already were. You took slow, deep breaths to keep your cool and your tears inside their ducts. The scent of last night's rain made you calm down, only a small bit. You stomped down the path through the village.

"Wait up!" You turned your head to see Tighnari running after you. Your heart skipped a beat. "Why did you leave?"

You tried to not let your feelings for him let you soften. "I need to go for a walk."

"Can I come?"

"Why?" You huffed as you continued to walk. "Do you not trust me to even take a walk?"

"No," Tighnari spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. "I don't trust you to go off into the forest on your own. You know, a Forest Ranger is even stronger in pairs or more. Not only that, but if something were to happen, you have someone to have your back."

"Forest Rangers go out on solo patrols all the time."

Tighnari sighed. The two of you were now walking precariously over a fallen log. "That's not what I mean."

"Of course not. What you mean is that I'm too stupid to go out on my own."

He stopped. "Is that what you think?"

You turn towards him. "It's what I know. Don't act like you don't want to get rid of me."

"I don't!"

"Liar!" You point towards his chest. "The disappointment in your eyes whenever you see my test scores, the sigh when we go on patrol, the constant lectures. Admit it!"

"Oh please." He rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

"I am nothing but a liability to you!" You poked at him again, slowly making stepping forward.

"Watch it," Tighnari reached out towards you. "Just calm down."

"Don't touch-"

Your words were cut off as you lost your footing on the log. Tighnari called out your name, trying to catch you. Of course, this was why Tighnari didn't trust you to be out alone. Of course the wood was slick. The rain still didn't dry out. A log as big as that one would take a while to become safe to walk across. But it was too late. You crashed through vines and branches. The wind was knocked out of you as you landed on the hard ground. You desperately gasped, trying to get air back into your lungs. You stared up at the sky, the log you fell off of nothing now looking like a faraway stick.

After gaining back a semblance of normal breathing, your training kicked in. Wiggle your fingers. Check. Wiggle your toes. You winced, your left foot sending a shooting pain all the way up to your lower back. Ok, not good. You raised your arms. Some cuts and scrapes, new bruises forming. That was ok, something you can handle. You slowly, very slowly sat up. Your bones and muscles ached. You turned your neck from side to side. It seemed you had no spinal damage, which was a relief.

"Oh, archons have mercy."

Your left leg was swollen and twisted in an unnatural angle. Adrenaline pumped through your veins, enough to keep the scathing pain of a broken leg away. You took a deep breath. There was no way you could set it on your own, but the least you could do was move it in its right position. The pain pulsated as you slowly turned your calf, and then your ankle. That was when the pain really started to flare up. Tears streamed down your face as you reached into your pack that was snuggly attached to your waist.

"I'll be ok," You whimpered to yourself as you took out an antiseptic balm and started applying it to your cuts and scrapes. "Just don't focus on the pain. Focus on cleaning the cuts. You've trained for this."

"Are you ok?"

Tighnari had already made his way to you. He kneeled down, his eyes searching your body for any terrible injuries. You started to sob. You felt like a child who had fallen and scraped their knee. Your hands tried to desperately wipe away the tears to no avail. Tighnari's arms wrapped around you, pulling you into a hug.

"Hey, it's ok! It's ok. I'm here."

You clung to his sweatshirt. "I'm so stupid!"

"Shush, no you're not."

"Yes I am. Just look at me-" You pushed him away and sniffled. "I almost killed myself."

"Well," He looked at your arms. "It seems to me that you did exactly what you were supposed to. Now your wounds won't get infected. Good job, Ranger."

You rolled your eyes. "You're just saying that. I wouldn't be surprised if you want to kick me out after this."

"Why do you keep saying stuff like this?" His voice grew dark as he started to wrap your arms up in bandages. "It's- I just…I can't have you out here!"

"Because I'll just do something stupid-"

"No! I don't want you to die out here! Do you know how scared I was when you fell? I could've prevented that. I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't save you in time, and I failed at what I'm supposed to do as a forest watched. I thought…I thought that if you were to die, it would be my fault. Because I couldn't teach you. I was the one who wasn't good enough." Tighnari's ears lowered, and he hid his gaze. "Let me finish bandaging your arm."

Your eyes widened as you stilled. You couldn't speak. If you were more delusional, you would have thought he sounded like he was in love, more than a teacher and coworker. His hands were gentle as he finished fixing you up. He then sat back on his legs and looked at your leg. His breathing was shaky. You swallowed.

"I- uhm…"

"Are you in pain?"

"I would be lying if I said no."

He scooted forward. He took out a pair of shears and snipped up your pants. The gasp he let out sounded even more painful than your fall. "It's definitely broken."

You let out a weak laugh. "You should've seen it when it was all twisted. That was really bad."

"You moved it all by yourself?"

"I'm strong."

"You know you don't have to be," Tighnari looked around and found two sticks. You grimaced, knowing what was coming. "I'm here. I want you to rely on me."

"But I want to prove to you that I am capable of doing things on my own."

"You don't need to prove anything to me." He positioned the two sticks by your calf, pressing them gently against your skin. He took out a thick looking cloth from his bag. "I'm going to wrap some cloth around the ankle first."

"I do. It's because I want you to see me as an equal. Then, maybe, I can confess my feelings for you."

Tighnari suddenly wrapped the cloth around without warning. You let out a shout and fell onto your back, trying not to writhe in pain. Maybe confessing your feelings while he was trying to attach a splint was not a good idea. He glanced at you, then continued wrapping your ankle. He then moved on to the middle of your calf. You balled up your fist and stuck it in your mouth, closing your eyes. Don't pass out. Don't pass out.

"All done." You opened your eyes and saw Tighnari standing. "Ready to get up?"

Your heart sank as he didn't acknowledge what you said. You sat up. "Yeah, sure."

He grabbed your hand and slowly hoisted you up. You tried not to put pressure on your leg, or think about the extreme amounts of pain you were currently in. After wobbling slightly, you were finally upright.

"Lean on me," Tighnari whispered, his arm wrapping around your waist. "I'll keep you steady."

"Well, let's try getting back."

Tighnari didn't answer. Instead, his free hand reached up to grasp your chin and move your face towards his. The only thing you could think of was how soft his lips were. They tasted of a floral balm that you've seen him put on countless times before. You leaned into him and his grip on your waist tightened. It wasn't long before you were breathless.

"Are you still in pain?"

You shook your head. "N-no."

"Good. Let's go. I'll make sure to get you back quickly so you can get proper care."

It was silent as the two of you started slowly traversing through the forest. Your lips craved his again. Your heart craved his affection, his love. It was full knowing that he had confirmed his feelings. It didn't seem like him to act like this. But love made people act out of character.

“Do you know when I first fell in love?”

"Hmm?" You glanced at Tighnari who decided to finally break the silence. A blush creeped across your face as you registered the word 'love'. “When?”

“When you became a junior ranger. We were on our first outing as a group. You always had a habit of straying, but seeing your eyes wide with wonder as you asked me every single question you could…how you listened with the utmost attention, the way you complained when I told you to be quiet, how you would recklessly touch something without knowing what it was-“

“Wait. Isn’t that something you hate?”

“I could never hate anything about you. Because it is you. I don’t want you to be different.” He looked off to the side as if this was something he'd kept hidden for a while. "You'd make a great Forest Watcher one day. I care for everyone. I care for you. But I guess love got in the way of me being an actually good teacher. I should have realized that testing just isn't the method for you to learn things. I should've taken a different approach. Because of me, you started to doubt yourself."

"Tighnari…"

"I have strong feelings for you. I want to go about it properly. Relationships are something that are built slowly. And I want to spend all my time with you."

"Are you asking me out?"

You forced out a pained smile. "That's very sweet of you, Head Forest Watcher."

"You sound upset. I also wanted to apologize for how I've been treating you. It wasn't fair."

"I appreciate that…" You trailed off. Ghandarva Village slowly came into view and you sighed. "I only sound upset because I'm in immense pain."

"Oh." Tighnari's ears fluttered. "Right. As soon as we get back, you need to be on bed rest for at least six weeks. After that, we can talk about your promotion."

You leaned your head against his shoulder. "Thank you, Tighnari."

"No complaints?"

"I think I'm going to rely on you a little more."

"I'll always be by your side."

You smiled to yourself. Just like the forest, there needed to be a balance to everything. Tighnari was there to make sure you had someone to fall back on when you got in trouble. You were there to push Tighnari out of his comfort zone. Previously, you had thought that being opposites meant that you weren't compatible. But you two fit together like pieces of a puzzle. It was meant to be.

#x reader #fanfic #genshin imagines #genshin impact x reader #tighnari #tighnari x reader #genshin tighnari #genshin Tighnari X reader #genshin impact #genshin x y/n #genshin x reader

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bookwyrminspiration · 3 months ago

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Hey quil, I trust your book taste, can you give me some reccs perchance? I’m not picky, whatever your faves are

of course! you'll have seen some of these before in my dragon recs list, but I'll throw in some other ones too :)

A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons; My favorite book series of all time. I can't tell you what it's about because discovering that is part of the plot. Genuinely changed how I think about fantasy and writing. This post goes into a tiny bit more detail but I cannot stress enough it only covers like 2% of the story it makes me FERAL you just need to trust me and stick it out through the confusion (trigger warnings)

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang; young Robin is taken from his home in Canton to England when his family dies, his knowledge of Cantonese invaluable in a world where language, via silver bars, can literally become magic. The British Empire is working to collect all it can for its own gain, but as Robin grows up and learns more of how the world works, how it wants to use him, the more he finds it shouldn't be this way. A beautiful story on loss, oppression, imperialism, injustice, and language's role in identity. I cried.

The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan; Isabella, now an old woman, recounts how she became the most renowned dragon naturalist in the world--overcoming misogyny, maneuvering through politics, and more. Follow her from childhood to present day around the world, studying dragons in the field. This story has wonderful characters, critiques the "not like other girls" trope, has beautiful relationships (including platonic!), a lot of action and intrigue alongside the fascinating science, animalistic dragons, and!! SO many pictures! the artwork it's seriously incredible. Love this series

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd Jones; around Colbren, the dead don't stay dead. Ryn, a young gravedigger, agrees to take the mysterious visiting mapmaker, Ellis, to the abandoned castle, because she needs the money to support her two siblings and in hopes of stopping the worsening curse. Ellis, found near the woods as a babe, hopes to find some remnant or clue to who his family was, who he was. together, they must face the walking dead, find the abandoned castell where this all started, find the answers, and find themselves. I adored it's tone, characters, how it handled death and grief, everything. it reads like a fairytale in the best way

The Martian by Andy Weir; Mark Wattney's an astronaut on Mars when a storm hits, forcing the mission to return to earth prematurely--but he doesn't make it to the shuttle in time, they presume him dead, and leave devastated. now alone on Mars, Wattney's got to figure out how to survive--and how to get in contact with earth and let them know, hey, uh, I'm still here guys. one of my favorite hard sci-fi books of all time. Wattney is such an entertaining, intelligent guy; he'll have you laughing, then on the edge of your seat as Mars tries its best to kill him. this one also comes with a movie :)

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn; Bree's in an early-college program, grappling with the very recent death of her mother. when she stumbles into creatures that shouldn't exist, magic, it starts to look like her mom's death might not have been an accident. she finds a secret society of the descendants of king arthur + the round table, inheriting their powers to defend the world from a different plane--and Bree needs to find out what they know. but getting in is difficult as a Black girl, especially when their guard dog is convinced she's a demon. a beautiful story on grief, Black generational trauma, racism, identity, and more. we're eagerly awaiting book three this spring <3

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir; of course I had to include this one--tonally similar to ACOD in that you WILL be confused <3. The Emperor Undying needs necromancers; Gideon doesn't give a shit, but the girl she's been raised alongside, Harrowhark, the heir of the house on their far away planet, doesn't give a shit that Gideon doesn't give a shit. She contracts Gideon to serve as her guard, her cavalier, as Harrowhark travels to the Emperor's planet to compete to become one of his right hands. Except as the competition progresses, something's...wrong. fatally, lethally wrong. people keep turning up dead, and if they don't figure this out, they could be next.

I'll stop there, but I hope you find something you like on that list! If you (or anyone else) have any more specific requests or guidelines for recs, feel free to send them :)

#book recs #book recommendations #quil's queries #nonsie #these are in no particular order except for acod at the top #i think i gave all of these five stars?#okay yeah. these are all personal 5 star reads #look upon them and realize things about me <3

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astrathepasta · 11 months ago

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AITA for not realising who my soulmate was?

To preface this, I don't think I'm the AITA, but my soulmate seems to.

So I (M) am in one of those death games, but that isn't really important. In this death game, we are all partnered up with another player. I wasn't interested in finding my soulmate as I wanted to prioritise other things, such as a good base. I ended up travelling with 3 of the other players, J (M), E (M), and G (M). It may be important to note that J and E are soulmates.

After a trip to a pillagers base, I gained a new allay friend (F). Later on, this friend ended up flying away. I had started taking some damage, but I brushed it off as J joking along with others. Then I heard G screaming. At the time, I didn't realise it was due to him realising he was my soulmate. However, in hindsight, I can realise that I should have realised what was happening. G ended up sticking with me after J and E went their own separate way, but we ended up going a different way, too. I ended up finding some pandas that looked identical to my cat (F). Of course, I got attached to these and wanted to keep them. G ended up finding me again and was trying to tell me something. However, the cat-pandas were taking my attention, which G could clearly see. He asked for my attention, which I tried to give him, but those cat-pandas ended up distracting me again. G yelled at me, causing me to pay full attention.

G dropped a rock onto my head. This is what caused me to realise we were linked. G couldn't believe that I had no clue, but I genuinely did not know. He seems to still not be happy with me because of this.

So, AITA? If so, what can I do?

Edit 1: For anyone asking if G would have a reason for not wanting to be my soulmate, I can only think of one thing. In the first death game, G tried to play a prank on a group of me and our friends. However, this backfired and killed me. This put me down to my yellow life, and it was the first death in the server. G felt bad and apologised. He ended up apologising and giving his first life to me (EDIT 2: why is everyone saying this is gay?). I ended up in an accident, which put me down to my red life. We ended up in a war, but that's irrelevant right now. Even after he lost his first life, he stuck with me (EDIT 3: guys why is this also gay) Later on, I ended up killing him, putting him down to his red life. G felt betrayed (rightfully so), so I offered my life to him. He refused to kill me. However, the eldritch horror gods demanded a fight between us. So we ended up fighting in a cacti ring with no weapons, armour, or anything. He won and killed me. He then ended up killing himself. G ended up telling me that he wanted nothing to do with me in the next game. To be honest, that hurt. But that can be the only thing I can think of.

UPDATE: Hi guys. Sorry to say, but this is not a happy update. G had been very distant recently, and I didn't know what I could do to help. I didn't know if it was me not knowing we were soulmates or me slipping up with the paper sales we had been doing.

While on my horse (Horse), I ending up passing G and another friend, whom I will refer to as B (M). They were passing items between each other and were really close. This was odd due to B being a red life. Through the knowledge of some other players, I figured out that G, MY soulmate, was baking bread for another man. G and B were self-proclaimed secret soulmates.

I don't know what to do now. Any advice would be appreciated.

#trafficaita #goodtimeswithscar #bigb #grian #aita #life series #double life #third life #secret soulmates #desert duo

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monstersinthecosmos · 7 months ago

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Do you think Marius still loves Armand in the last books? Does he want Armand to return to him? Marius seemed to have left him in the past

The short answer is YEAH OF COUSRE HE LOVES ARMAND TO DEATH but let’s talk about this for a minute!

The question of whether or not Marius loves him is the easier one to answer. Armand is one of the great loves of Marius’s life! In the beginning of TVA (when he’s just spent however much time thinking Armand is dead) he’s a DISHEVELED MESS! And at the beginning of B&G he’s super lonely and isolated and seems worried about stuff he’s done recently and people in his life being mad at him. (Benji & Sybelle Incident? Something else?) I think when you look at a vampire like Marius, it’s remarkable that he makes it 2000 years only turning THREE fledglings (not counting when we get to B+S and Viktor bc that gets into like, vampire favors and isn’t really for himself LOL), vs a character like Lestat who made 3 fledglings in his first 11 years. These are the great loves of Marius’s life and not decisions he made lightly! And while I think we can (and have) sort of untangled selfish vs. selfless love in Marius’s life, I think it’s really important that 500 years later he couldn’t forgive Santino. Is that on his own behalf alone or on Armand’s? There’s a lot of unpack but! He loves Armand! He does!!!!!

But anyway on the topic of returning to each other;

I think their last conversation in BCtu sort of opens a door that they’re going to speak to each and work things out. Canonically, that’s all the information we get. We also never explicitly get information about like, what exactly is wrong between them presently. We know that

they had a big fight at the end of TVA but that they calmed down

Armand has been afraid of Marius because he's scared that Marius doesn't still love him like he used to

in ROA Marius said he had the savage & ignorant soul of a child.

I always assume there's just 500 years of tension and conversations they've avoided, but we also never get a confirmation that they HAVEN'T had these conversations off screen anyway. So canonically, all we know is that they just had a traumatic experience and want to talk to each other.

Also canonically, they’re making another attempt at Vampire Commune and we don’t have an answer of like, will it stick this time, will it dissolve like Night Island, is it sustainable AT ALL to have a small group of the elite making rules and holding dominion over an entire culture???????? Reader’s choice lol.

But it leaves a question of like, what does returning to each other look like in this setup—they’re in touch now, they can find each other, they have cell phones, Armand can come and go at the Château as needed, Marius has a room at Trinity Gate, etc. Their relationship is civil and functional at this point. And does “returning” mean to be exclusive companions and to fuck off? Will Marius leave Court? Will Armand come and stay more often? Idk !

These are questions that have 100 different answers because it’s all headcanon, but, what we know by the end of the series is that they’ve gone through something traumatic and Armand and Marius are going to talk to each other. What is that conversation about? What is the result? We don’t know. Armand is letting his FEELINGS THE FUCK OUT in this book as if he's had therapy, and Marius says he thinks Armand is ready to open his heart, if that gives us any clues! But does opening his heart mean "I am feeling vulnerable and brave to tell you how I feel because I almost lost you" or "I'm gonna read you the fuckin riot act because I did that to Lestat as well" ? lol Either way the thing here is that it's ARMAND'S decision and not about whether or not Marius left him in the past.

I think something that often goes overlooked in character discussions is their inherent inhumanity, and I really dislike the “thEyRe MonStErs” easy out of a lot of analyses, because it’s more than that. The entire purpose of the series and the reason the series was unique is that built a world where they’re MORE THAN. It’s not about simply being a monster—there’s nothing simple about it. And not being human doesn’t mean it’s all negative and all evil. What it means is that it’s Extra. They feel things on such a deeper level than we do, their brains function differently, and they’re immortal. They have all the time in the world to forgive each other when they want to, and they’re social creatures who want companions! The older you are, the scarier it is! It’s horror! Like even Marius’s relationship with Mael is so fucking special because like, as much as they put each other off, it’s like, someone they each still have, that’s been constant, and the world would look so different without them.

It just reminded me of this line in Six Feet Under (sorry I’m obsessed, I think everything always comes back to SFU for me LOL) but when Brenda says she used to think as she got older that she’d have more people in her life and that the opposite was true. So anyway for Marius like, regardless of if we want to get into selfish/selfless, Armand is one of the most important people in his life, and has been around for a quarter of Marius’s life, and nothing would be the same if Armand wasn’t around.

And without the distraction of The Parents in the modern age I wonder if he’s like especially fragile and traumatized about losing people? Is he still traumatized by losing Pandora? And losing Armand the first time? It’s great that they have cell phones and a community now so no one gets too far from each other, but gosh.

I don’t know what returning to each other looks like, as far as where canon left. Like, does the Château collapse? Is Daniel with them? Asking if Marius wants it is like, yeah maybe he would want Armand around Court more for moral support. And maybe if he decides to step away, and get space, maybe he would want Armand there with him as a safe place to land. When the Court inevitably collapses, will he want someone around?

In the past, Marius tended to isolate himself in times of stress; is he still like that? Has the loss of The Parents changed this for him? Will Daniel and Armand allow him to isolate? Idk ! !!!

But anyway sorry I’m rambling but my point about not being human and about being Extra is that there are a lot of parts in the series where vampires have a relationship or forgive each other even after they’ve deeply hurt each other or committed atrocities. Louis and Armand come to mind, so do Louis and Lestat, David and Lestat, Pandora and Santino. Even Marius calming down enough to be in his situationship with Avicus and sorta metamour to Mael. They are not human, they are capable of forgiveness. There are atrocities that humans are capable of never forgiving because we don’t have time to get over it. How can we even know how much time it takes to heal a grudge if we don’t live long enough to test it?

Even knowing that, 500 years still wasn’t enough to forgive Santino for what he did to them. Like sure if we wanna dunk on Marius and remind ourselves that he’s an arrogant self-centered jerk sometimes, and we could say that he’s mad at Santino for what he did to MARIUS—it’s not just the ego this time. He took Armand. He separated Marius and Armand. He destroyed their home. And even if they cooperated a few times in the 20th century, by the time B&G happens, he's been able to read TVA and knows what happened, what Santino did to him, what he did to the boys. (Like, did Marius read TVA? Did Armand ever tell him this privately? We don't know! But we do know that this is now been published for EVERYONE to read which is probably re-traumatizing for everyone involved and now everyone knows hajkgsdl)

So anyway, like. I know this has kinda been a non-answer because we’re talking about stuff that didn’t happen in canon and everything past BCtu is going to be our own headcanons. But I can say: Yes, Marius loves Armand deeply, and vampires are capable of incredible levels of empathy and forgiveness for each other, because their lives are too long and bleak and painful not to.

As to the idea that Marius left him in the past, personally I don’t agree!

Marius not rescuing Armand from the cult is often misunderstood in fandom, but I could see why someone would point to that as a clue that Marius has left him in the past. It’s not that simple, though. Marius is too injured to save him, doesn’t even know if he’s alive, and by the time he finally finds Armand he finds the cult situation too complicated to navigate. Don’t forget that Marius has pretty severe religious trauma, and is one of the characters who was turned against his will. By a cult!!! So to see Armand thriving with a cult is so triggering and disappointing, and I don’t think he’s strong enough to risk being rejected if he goes to rescue Armand only to learn he no longer wishes to be rescued.

I would say that’s very unlike leaving him in the past, it’s more like seeing him as another one that got away.

And then when they reunite in QOTD it’s during another extremely traumatic event in Marius’s life—we don’t know details about how everyone left Night Island or where everyone went, but what we DO know is that Marius lost The Parents—>Armand attempts suicide about a decade later—>Marius commits the big B+S Fuckup shortly after learning Armand is okay—>Marius fucks off to Scandinavia with Daniel to lick his wounds because everyone’s mad at him.

VC skips around a LOT, and there’s so much that we don’t learn about, so much that happens between books and off screen. Like, we don’t KNOW how Marius wound up with Daniel. We don’t know exactly how much longer he stuck around in New Orleans after TVA, we don’t know what he and Armand were gonna talk about in BCtu before the series ended. And that’s the enD oF IT THERE’S NOTHING ELSE!

Marius truly doesn’t leave anything in the past, that’s the thing about him.

He’s still traumatized by the way he was turned. He still tries to sculpt his identity around what his life was as a Roman. He committed to the burden of The Parents for 2000 years, even when he was overwhelmed and wished he could stop. He spends centuries painting Pandora’s face over and over and over when he can’t find her. He still thinks Mael is a bumbling redneck from the woods. He still wanted Santino killed, even when they’d been civil with each other in QOTD and up to TVA.

And in BCtu when he’s living at Court he’s like, trying to embrace himself, allowing himself to be a weirdo because he’s around his own kind now. HE QUITS PANTS, YOU KNOW WHAT? HE ALWAYS HATED PANTS, LET’S NOT.

I think even as humans there are so many things that shape us forever, that we never really move past. Even when we leave something in the past, it shapes us, it allows us to leave it in the past. People and events in our lives carve into us, whether we like it or not!!! And part of the horror of immortality is that it goes on, and on, and on, and on, your physical body gets hard and cold and monstrous, more and more uncanny, physically impervious, but their BRAINS AND HEARTS ARE STILL TENDER!!

So no, no, I really don’t think Marius ever left Armand in the past. I think he left him to the cult because he thought Armand wanted it, I also think he gave Armand space after a disastrous fuckup. When he goes to speak to him at the end, he says it like ARMAND is the one that’s ready. He’s waiting for Armand! Marius was there the whole time, ready to be called upon if someone needs him! He lives to serve!

Armand was his baby and one of the great loves of his life, the first (and only) fledgling he made because he truly wanted to. Marius loves him so much!!!

#it's 1am i guess ill go to sleep worrying about this #marius de romanus #armand #marius/armand #blood & gold #the vampire armand #blood communion #vampire chronicles #deep ass thoughts about vampires

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smilesatdawnmain · 4 months ago

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Hi!

How long was Peng hidden before he revealed himself in your Taken AU during Wukongs first meeting with MK?

Ohohohoh, Peng was there for... quite a while.

Allow me to show~

-------

There was something about Wukong’s power that one could easily find. Wild, like a sunbeam cutting through a pitch dark cave. Even lingering traces tended to have a trace to them if you knew where and how to look.

Being around Wukong for as long as they had, Peng knew these traces. Of course, there were means in hiding them, so they were worried they would have trouble with finding Wukong’s staff.

They had gone to the resting place Wukong had set it down, finding it was indeed ripped from the Earth and taken. They had both scanned the area for any clue, coming up short.

At least, Wukong, had come up short.

Peng had found something rather interesting. A single long strand of Red hair. This hair was silky, hot to the touch, and smelled of charcoal. A familiar trace of a different, but just as sneaky Nephew. Peng had said nothing of this, opting to stick the strand of hair in their pocket for now, less Wukong discover it.

Peng in truth didn’t know what to think of this at first. Many thoughts came to mind, from Red Son coming here on his own, to Red Son coming here with Xiaotian.

So when Wukong looked ready to leave, Peng ducked ahead with a sneered, racing ahead first. Their goal was to check the city next, giving Peng quite the head start first.

To find a remnant of Wukong’s power wasn’t easy, able to be blocked if someone knew how. Even the staff, which Wukong was so connected to, could be lost in connection if it was tucked away somewhere.

Mihou’s shadow, for instance, could block the connection.

If Xiaotian did take the staff, the child could have tucked it away in a similar fashion.

He didn’t.

Which is probably why Peng found their way upon a simple apartment complex. They had been quiet, a still as any bird perched to find it’s prey. Their heart beat stilled, their breathing almost non existent.

The weathered brick facade bathed in the twilight glow, hiding secrets within. Peng could feel the pulse of Wukong's power echoing faintly through the walls, a siren call guiding them forward, seeming almost to beckon from within.

Peng crept along the cracked pavement, moving slowly, gathering their senses. It was here, inside these aging walls, where secrets thrived in corners and behind doors.

They had intended to investigate every window, every apartment, but was drawn to the roof first. While hidden behind some plants and out of general view, it took only a bit of investigation for Peng to uncover a familiar hover bike.

This was Red Son’s. The Bull Prince was here.

Ready to investigate this further, the roof doors opened, and Peng slipped behind the wall. They had kept quiet as two young men emerged from the stair case, walking side by side.

Red Son, as Pen suspected, and the boy they had all been looking for: Xiaotian. Peng had almost leapt out the moment they saw him, thrilled that their nephew was alive and well.

Yet, they steadied themselves, holding back the reunion to gather some info. From Red Son’s calmer demon and casual attitude, Peng had a feeling Red Son had not recently located Xiaotian.

No, from what they could tell, the two had been meeting up secretly probably for some time. Perhaps since the beginning. Unsurprising.

They were only impressed the boy had managed to fool Wukong and Macaque into thinking he had no idea where their son was.

The two boys stood at the edge of the roof, their silhouettes outlined by the dying sunlight, unaware that they were being watched. Peng held their breath, straining to catch snippets of their conversation—

"—I know you're worried, Red, but I really think MK has what it takes. With the Monkey King's staff and some training, he…He’ll be unstoppable.”

Peng was curious. MK? What luck that they would stumble upon such a conversation, gaining the confirmation they needed that Xiaotian was indeed involved with its disappearance. Yet, who was this MK that they spoke up?

"You have a strange amount of faith in this mortal boy." Red Son shook his head to the Monkey Prince.

"He's not just some mortal," Xiaotian countered, meeting Red Son's gaze levelly. "He’s MK.” Xiaotian seemed to hold this fact in heaven regard.

Whatever Red Son thought in return of this “Mortal boy” he didn’t say, "Very well. I trust your judgment in this...for now." Red Son guided them to his bike to seemingly leave, “Are you really okay with someone else taking it?” Red Son asked, looking at Xiaotian quizzically. “The staff, I mean.” It was Xiaotian’s birthright.

Xiaotian smiled with a confidence Peng hadn’t seen in a time, “I never wanted it in the first place.” he chuckled. “It suits MK much better then me.” There was a lightness about him. Peng wondered if that had always been there, but was positive it wasn’t. For Wukong so convinced that their boy would shatter the moment he even touched the mortal realm, the child seemed to be thriving.

Red Son’s shoulder’s slouched, “If… that is what you believe.” The Bull Prince tossed his leg over his bike.

"Be careful on your way back," Xiaotian cautioned, "The huntsman is aware of our identities now. He might- I dunno… try something.”

Peng twisted their head. A Huntsman? Seemed the two had found some trouble lately. Not unexpected. They craned their neck, struggling to look at them without being spotted, forced to listen more then see.

Red Son snorted, revving the engine. "As if some lowly spider demon concerns me. It is you I should be cautioning." Despite his bravado, there was a tenderness to his voice that gave way, "I'll be cautious. You just focus on training that human of yours properly. Watch your back. I don't understand your connection to this mortal," he admitted. “If you trust him, however, so will I.”

There was a small pause, “I think you two might even become friends if you gave MK a chance.” Xiaotian cooed.

Red Son scoffed, “Unlikely,”

After that, there was another pause, "He has a love for cooking, just like you,"

“One shared hobby would hardly dictate friendship.” Red Son pretended to mull over it. “Still, if you think that’s enough for me to tolerate him…”

Then, there was a cut in the conversation. It made Peng curious enough to risk peeking around the corner. They found they didn’t have to worry about being seen, as these two younglings seemed completely absorbed in the other.

Xiaotian was leaning close to Red Son, while Red Son gently caressed Xiaotian's face with care and attention.

Peng almost choked, eyes double in size and their feather’s puffing slightly. Oh. OH OH!

OH THEY KNEW IT!

THEY KNEW ITTTT!

Azure Lion owed Yellow Tusk and them SO much money!

Xiaotian’s voice was quiet, as if the boy himself didn’t realize how tender he sounded, “But it’s opens the door for you two to get closer.” he says with a secret smile, "You never know what might blossom from the smallest of shared interests~" a tease, so similar to how his own Baba spoke to his mate.

Red Son’s voice was weak, “I don’t see why I would waste my time to get along with him. What is so important about us getting along?”

“You two being friends would make me happy,” Xiaotian admits, a hand to Red Son’s chest. “My two favorite people getting along? Absolutely the best~” a simple but rather effective sentence, as it was clearly sending Red Son apart.

The boy fumbled for a response, the flush of his cheeks so clear, “So I am just a tool for your happiness now?” he quipped, his tone playful but with an undercurrent of genuine curiosity. To be confirmed as the Monkey Prince’s favorite seemed to put the boy on cloud nine.

These disgusting little younglings. Peng could already feel the amount of gold Azure was going to hand them.

“Far more than a tool,” Xiaotian waved him off, adjusting the collar of Red Son’s shirt for him. “If you really don’t want to however, I won’t force you.” The boy knew what he was doing, even if he denied it later- a flirt as bad as his parents. Red Son clicked his teeth. Just like DKB, the Prince had no sense of denial to the object of his desire, “I will try.” he took Xiaotian’s hand to remove it, probably to stop Xiaotian from feeling his pulse… and also to just hold Xiaotian’s hand one more time, "I'll take my leave before your foolishness becomes contagious," he grumbled, revving the engine once more. With a casual salute, he peeled away into the night sky. Xiaotian waved goodbye to him as he left, lingering on the roof for a time.

Peng was pumping their fist in utter victory, feeling the urge to just strut out now and congratulate their Nephew. It was wonderful.

While they were not one for romantic relationships, the disgusting connection that it was, this was nothing but good news otherswise.

It would bring them and Yellow Tusk a large sum of money with a bet well won, and , the best part, it would PISS OFF WUKONG!! DBK too, of course, but Wukong was the focus here.

This was the best!!

Distracted by their own bubbling joy, Peng almost gave themselves away when the door opened a second time. A human boy walked out next, approaching Xiaotian with such casual ease that they must have known each other.

Yet, what Peng noticed most, chilled their joy and made it plummet. In the mortal boy’s hands was a staff- Wukong’s staff. He sauntered around with ease, the staff’s weight no consequence to him.

Peng had only ever seen Wukong, and in rare occasion, Macaque, lift the thing before.

They wanted to throw themselves out into view to demand to understand what was happening, but held back.

“Hey, I thought I might find you up here,” The mortal spoke. They were a bit taller then Xiaotian, with chocolate brown hair and a red head band to sweep back the messy locks. Their eyes a shimmering gold that Peng couldn’t seem to stop looking at.

Who was this??

Xiaotian turned with a bright smile, "Hey. Red Son just took off."

The human boy nodded, then rubbed the back of his head, "I uh… feel kind of guilty involving him in this. Got both of you involved.” he admits.

"Don't be silly," Xiaotian nudged the mortal playfully. "I’m the one who got you involved, not the other way around.” he glanced to the side, “It was my idea to show you the staff after all.”

The mortal cringed, "Yeah, I guess. But still..." He trailed off, watching the city lights dance across the skyline. “So, when do you want to start training me?"

A mischievous grin spread across Xiaotian's face. "What, you mean you don't want to jump right in tonight?" he teased, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "C'mon, let's see those sweet staff skills!"

The mortal laughed, shaking his head, “We haven’t even had dinner~!” he chuckled, stepping back when Xiaotian playfully swung at him. He ducked and spun the staff, catching his foot when he swung it. The two snickered, playfully throwing a few hits here and there.

Peng was speechless. This… This was unfounded? They expected Xiaotian- Xiaotian was the only logical sense, but this boy? Who was this boy?!

“This teacher you told me about really gave you a head start with this whole staff thing,” Xiaotian marveled. The mortal clearly wasn’t used to holding something that wasn’t a light stick, but was quickly adjusting to the difference. The only thing this young human seemed to lack was a… presence?

Peng couldn’t get a read on him. Not his smell, his power, nothing. That alone was odd. What sort of friend had their darling nephew made lately?

The human boy grinned as he twirled the staff around with practiced ease. "Yeah, my Angel really drilled me on a lot of different weapons and martial arts forms." He slid into a low stance, the staff whirling defensively in front of him. "But I've still got a lot to learn when it comes to actual combat."

Xiaotian nodded, eyeing MK's form critically. "Your foundation is solid," he acknowledged. "But channeling your aura and utilizing the staff's full capabilities will take some work." He rolled his shoulders back, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. “Like getting that thing to shrink and grow like you did before. My Dad always loved to use that to catch his enemies off guard.” he put his palm out, quickly pushing it pass MK’s defenses to rest to his chest.

The boy grunted a little, looking down at his palm. Peng watched carefully, noting his jacket, his face… his shoes. Red in color, and just like what Macaque had said Xiaotian was looking for.

Was this boy the one their nephew had been seeking?

Peng turned their eyes from the two, stunned. The boy could wield the staff and it’s abilities? If they really were connected to Xiaotian on some deeper level, that might explain it a little. They didn’t understand what this meant, yet… a strange part of them told them it was important.

Perhaps if Yellow Tusk was here, he could offer a better guess. Peng would have to inform him later to figure it out.

As the two continued to spar on the roof, Peng knelt down slow and careful, making sure not to make a sound. Taking out some paper and a pen from their bag, he had a feeling Wukong wouldn’t be far behind.

So much was going on, and Peng felt that if Wukong intervened now, they might never fully understand. So Peng made a decision.

As Peng wrote, they heard Xiaotian speaking, "We should probably head back inside and let your dads know we're not gonna trash the roof with our epic staff battle."

“Yeahhh,” the mortal laughed. As they began their stroll towards the roof's exit, Xiaotian suddenly clapped the mortal on the shoulder, causing him to stumble a tad. "What?” when he looked back at Xiaotian, had gone still.

Peng too turned their head.

Ah… He was here it seemed.

The Monkey King.

As they finished their little letter and sealed it into an envelope, he heard Xiaotian’s panicked squeaks, pleading for the mortal to be quiet of his presence. Then, he was ducking into the mortal’s shadow to hide.

And not a second too soon, for the King of the mountain was arriving.

#lmk #lego monkie kid #answer #lmk mk #taken au #lmk wukong #lmk oc art #fire thief #red son #Peng #xiaoxiao #Extra Taken Scene

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tired-biscuit · 2 years ago

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This is probably flithy af but I can picture General Kiba wanting to hide from a certain someone or something (mostly since he got into a load of trouble). So in a moment of desperation you let him hide underneath your gown, and when that certain someone who wishes to speaks with him comes in, he is nowhere to be seen. However the moment you express that, he begins to eat you out while hiding- 💀

18+ fem!reader // cw: oral (f!receiving), risk of being caught (poor shino, man djisjshshd), mentions of alcohol. royalty AU.

series masterlist

kiba comes barging into the dining room still dressed in his fancier attire that you rarely ever see him wear.

aiming your gaze up at his face that’s progressively blooming with a blush so feverish that it turns him entirely red from one ear to the other, you can immediately tell by just one look alone that he’s drunk as a lord.

his hair is wild. it sticks in various different directions despite the fact that you’ve spent a good ten minutes or so combing through the thick chestnut curls that sit atop his head. it had been done with the sole intention of ridding them of knots and making them look at least semi-presentable, but kiba being kiba, he had fussed about it endlessly, of course.

atop of that, the top three buttons of his white shirt are undone as well; revealing his dark chest hair and the faded scars that adorn his tanned skin with numerous lines of milky white. they stretch across his entire body in various shapes and sizes. it’s like a trip down memory lane.

they’re slashes, the scars. well, most of them are at least. some are consequences of too rash decisions. reminders of too prideful misjudgements that he had gotten back when he’d still only been a young, mindless rookie. green, eager to become a fearsome warrior and yet far too wet behind the ears to fight with a sense of patience like he does now, that he’s older and has more experience under his belt.

other scars meanwhile, are still rather fresh. jagged, irregular lines; cut so deep into the flesh that their ridges are prominent even now, as they’ve healed over.

on more than one occasion, you’ve felt them underneath the tips of your fingers. enemies and opposing soldiers from neighbouring countries seem to have a preference to aim directly for his heart whenever push comes to shove, however nobody besides you has managed to actually graze it beyond surface level so far.

still, even if they aren’t anywhere near to being as deep as the phantom ones you’ve inflicted, they’ve still been etched into him for all eternity. battle wounds that had been gained during the war that he now says he had won just for you. or for your hand in marriage, so to speak.

it’s a sugary lie, you think. there is no way in hell, heaven and earth that he’d conquered an entire war just for the sake of being allowed to bed you and have you writhe underneath him with your big, doe eyes like the innocent virgin you’d once been. even he’s not that dumb... right?

however, now that you think about it, you still have no clue whatsoever about what kind of deal he’d struck with your father back then. what exactly he’d been promised as a reward if he were to lead your country to victory. to be fair, you couldn’t have known because you weren’t allowed to — the great mahogany doors had been sealed shut during the entirety of the meeting, and the guards, who had stubbornly refused at allowing you to listen in on the conversation, weren’t of much help either.

by the time it’d been done and over with and the doors had at long last been pushed open, you’d chickened out. had hidden behind a corner and hadn’t dared toss even the shortest of glances at who would — unknowingly, to you — soon become your future husband, whilst intently listening to his heavy footsteps and the dreadful clinking of weaponry to follow.

husband.

you’d never associated the term with a brute like him until just recently, even though the reason as to why he wanted to become one in the first place remains an enigma for you.

perhaps the mere idea of being able to have you whenever he’d please, to possess the chance of fathering children with blue blood running through their veins instead of his common one, and to climb up the social ladder with such profound ease are the reasons as to why. after all, they are all more than good enough to persuade a man into risk. to fuel him with motivation all until he’s sliced through enough enemies with his sword that he’s proclaimed a winner. to give him a driving force sufficient enough to blindly head into warfare and win.

or perhaps, deep down, he’s just lonely. perhaps he needs a warm body to wrap his arms around because he’s gotten sick of the cold ones that he’s ruthlessly slayed over the years. perhaps he needs a tender touch and kiss to the cheek every now and then instead of a war cry and carnage. a ‘welcome home’, followed by a warm meal. children that joyfully run up to him whenever he sets foot through the front door and who he cherishes so much, not because of the blue in their blood, but because of the red that is all him, him, him.

nevertheless, the union has been set in stone no matter the reason. and yet, a small, cleverly hidden part of you continues to remain hopeful that it is the second one that is true; that the more sympathetic side of him, which you’re patiently uncovering layer after layer, is actually genuine. that what he whispers into your ear at night, saying how much he appreciates you and how lovely you are to him, is not merely a mistruth used just so that he can bury himself deep inside you until your nails are scratching at the faded remnants of those exact scars, but that his heart is actually slowly growing fonder of you just like yours is of him.

you know that he’s no knight in shining armor, no prince that will pick up your fallen handkerchief and bow down before you when he reaches out to hand it back. you’re well aware of that because you’ve seen him train plenty of times now and have seen the way he fights; how he acts during and after it. you’ve seen the deadly, almost feral look in his eyes. the muscle that’s been pulled taut. the brutal strength.

if he’s absolutely lethal whenever he’s merely practicing, you don’t even dare imagine what he’s actually like out there — on the field, facing actual enemies. covered in blood and grime, fighting tooth and nail. until there’s no man left in him, only beast.

still, you can’t help but hope that there’s more to him than that. it’s all you can do, really.

well, sort of.

“why, hello there, princess.”

gods, the teasing little nickname, which just so happens to be your official title at the same time — how he manages to make it not sound like that, you have no clue — rolls off his tongue in a prominent slur and makes you look up at him with a soft tilt of your head.

he’s standing beside the door, leaning back and pressing one shoulder against the wood for extra support. judging by the big, complacent grin that forms on his face as soon as your eyes meet, as well as his somewhat hunched, relaxed posture, you realize that he’s actually way more under the influence than you’d thought initially.

you’re supposed to remain perfectly stoic like the noble woman you are, however the sight of him trying to stand straight and failing is almost too entertaining to watch, despite how odd it is to see him act so vulnerable out in the open.

it’s considered a cherished rarity, so it’s no wonder that you can’t help but indulge in it a little. relaxing your face, you allow your brows to raise so high up that they could reach your hairline if they wanted to.

perfect.

brief silence lingers as you both take a second to assess each other. however, when you finally open your mouth to ask him what sort of nonsense he’s gotten into this time, he just gives you a wink, and just like that: he’s gone. crouching and slipping underneath the table you’re sitting at — no wait, he’s actually crawling underneath it.

your brows knit tightly together instead as you try to peer under it, intently listening to the little snickers he keeps letting out. is it possible that he’s pulling you in on some twisted joke, or…?

“what in heaven’s name are you—”

“shh!” he shushes you immediately, and then bam! — he groans when he slams the top of his head against the table on accident. that must have hurt. “for fuck’s sake, woman! keep quiet; i’m hiding!”

his answer makes you sigh, deeply. the childish antics that are unfolding before you are causing you to feel pure exasperation after the long night you’ve just endured in your father’s castle. rubbing one temple, you indulge him by using a significantly lower tone to mutter, “and from who are you hiding, if i may ask?”

“shino,” he answers simply before yet another boyish chuckle makes his voice crack. the sound makes your heart clench. you try not to focus on it too much because it just makes you hope all the more intensely. neither of you had a decent shot at being kids. “he is out to get me.”

your voice rises higher in pitch this time as you say, “wh-what; out to get you…? what on earth would cause him to do that?”

“shh!” he shushes you once more, and when you peek underneath the table for a second time, his brown eyes are twinkling with mischievous delight despite the glaze of booze obscuring it from view. his grin is crooked and lazy as he presses a finger to his lips and crudely whispers, “i think i can hear him coming over here… whatever you do, don’t tell him where i am. understood?”

“why?” you inquire, giving him a pointed look.

“because,” he says matter-of-factly and with an eye roll that you’d never believe he’s executed unless you’d have seen it for yourself, “i simply do not wish to deal with the lecture he’s surely planning to throw my way tonight.”

“lecture?”

“he tends to nag me to the goddamn bone whenever i step out of line.” which is quite often.

you stare at him in silence for a quick moment before asking, “and what am i supposed to say if he starts wondering where you are?”

kiba shrugs. “just make something up.”

“i can’t lie!” you immediately hiss in protest, frowning. it even causes a snobby upturn of your nose to appear, which he surprisingly finds to be highly amusing and cute. especially as you part your pouty lips to mutter, as if in shame, “it’s sin.”

“i’m sure god will forgive you if you do it just this one time,” he responds smoothly even if the sentence comes off in a tipsy sort of mumble. the wording of it makes rapid heat begin to sear your face. especially as he takes both of your hands into his own, gives you the same pleading stare that your childhood dog had given you on so many occasions during dinner every evening, and adds, “lie for me this one time, princess. i beg you.”

so used to him being covered in scars and whatnot, you fail to notice the fresh bruising that covers the knuckles of his right hand and that definitely wasn’t there before you’d left.

silence settles between you once more. it’s calm this time. comforting and safe. broken only by the sound of a kiss being pressed to your left hand where the wedding ring resides. it tempts you to soften your gaze. tempts you to lose a defeated breath as you run your fingers through his hair that makes him look more like a heathen than anything else, and to gently tug at the roots, too.

watching him as he angles his head further into your touch without any sort of hesitance that normally stops him from enjoying affections like these, he really looks like he could start purring any second now. if it weren’t bad for his health, perhaps you could get used to this version of him. alcohol melts down the walls that he insists on keeping around himself. turns him gooey and soft. trusting.

“well?” he asks whilst kissing the center of your palm that you had just been using to caress his cheek. the tingle of warmth his lips leave behind even through the glove you’re wearing turns the drumming of your pulse a bit quicker.

“…oh, fine. i will try, but i am not making any sort of promises that it will actually work.” your eyes narrow even if your heart is beating so fast now that you can barely breathe properly. damn him and his big brown eyes for real this time. he can be such a womanizer whenever he wants to be. “but just so you know, it’s pointless anyway. he will see you underneath the table as soon as he steps into the room.”

his lips break into yet another grin as he looks at you and shakes his head. “no, he won’t.”

you quirk a brow, angling your head to one side. “what do you mean by th— oh! hey!”

urging you to keep quiet again with one more sharp shush as soon as you let out a small noise of surprise, you now feel him try to squeeze his burly body underneath the multiple skirts of the fancy, and gigantic, ball gown that you’ve decided to wear for the party you just came back from.

the fabric rustles as he keeps pushing up one layer after the other, creasing the smoothness of the dress that your handmaiden had spent ages perfecting just so that it would look striking and even more importantly; that it would impress the other guests.

not that it matters, but it worked. all night, you’d been receiving compliments and repetitive glances. turns of heads. bows. curtsies. even the tiara, that had been sitting atop your head until just recently, had been paired with the dress and the jewels so well that you’d even invoked some gasps as soon as you had entered the ballroom.

your husband doesn’t really seem to care about such things, though. pearls, diamonds, gems, they are all just mere trinkets to him. to be fair, he’d given you a nod of approval when he’d laid eyes on you whilst you were receiving your finishing touches, but to him, you are still prettiest right after taking a bath.

when you’re naked in more ways than one, your soft skin still gleaming with the water droplets that you’d missed whilst wiping dry. when you’re pure, raw, vulnerable. defenseless, with no fancy clothes, heavy jewellery — with the exception of the ring that matches his own — or complicated hairstyles to hide behind.

when you’re not even a princess, per se. just you.

though, he does like to fuck you senseless whenever you’re wearing nothing else but the crown… but that’s a story for another time.

the thought is broken by the way he makes you jump in your seat when you feel his warm hands rest on top your thighs all of a sudden. clearly startled that he’s managed to reach all the way to your wretched undergarments, you are just about to start fussing and kicking him out from underneath your dress, when the door swings open and in comes strutting nobody else but the military advisor himself; shino aburame.

desperately switching from fight mode to trying to keep your cool amidst all the chaos you’ve definitely not signed up to be a part of at a late hour like this; it’s hard not to scoff in frustration at the man that stands just a small distance away from you, now.

shino stands with his chin held high in the air and his expression schooled into his signaturely impassive one that makes him look like he’s almost bored with the fact to see you sitting there, with your spotless silverware and little plate of untouched dessert that you’d skipped eating at the party.

staring at him, you simply can’t comprehend how someone so aloof can manage to make even the most neutral expression look sassy. if you weren’t raised to be such a lady, you would certainly make him know that the mere sight of him annoys you to a certain degree.

after all, after the entire ‘disturbance’ ordeal that went down in your husband’s study just a few months ago — amongst other things — you still have yet to grow a liking towards the everlastingly bland advisor.

he hasn’t exactly made any effort to apologize for what he’d said in your presence, but to be fair, you haven’t exactly seeked him out for it either.

of course, there is still plenty of time to do so, you suppose. things can change. perhaps you’ll make peace at some point and the entire thing will clear out on its own. who knows what the future may bring?

still, you don’t look exactly pleased as you watch him quickly scan the room, left to right, then right to left. you notice the way he pays extra attention to the curtains that frame the big windows and the possible hiding spaces that may be in the room. how his gaze lingers on every nook and cranny that would perhaps, just maybe, be able to conceal a big, burly man in the shape of his superior.

by the time his dark, coal-coloured eyes finally land upon you, you’re resembling a statue at the table from how hard you’re focusing on staying completely still. your body is tense, spine ramrod straight, fork clutched in a gloved fist that’s so tight it looks awfully unlady like. if somebody were to paint a picture of a frightened fawn, you’d be the perfect source of inspiration for it.

exchanging looks with him, you hope that mr. aburame takes your tense posture as a sign of nervosity that’s been invoked because of him, and not because your drunken idiot of a husband — who’s still hiding underneath your dress, mind you — is now stroking your thighs with his thick fingers and has his face pressed so close to your most private parts that you can feel his warm exhales even through the soft linen of your braies.

he’s just so close to your—

“i apologize for bursting in here completely unannounced, my lady,” shino drawls in that indifferent tone that makes you wonder if he’s reading everything he says from some invisible text nobody else but him can see. “i was not aware there was someone in the room.”

“it’s quite all right,” you reply a little bit too fast, trying so hard to keep your voice steady in both pitch and pace. “you needn’t worry about it.”

gods damn your husband. curse him. kill him. the little spark of jealousy that he feels in his heart whenever someone calls you ‘my lady’ coaxes him to press a careful kiss right at the apex of your thighs. goosebumps form over your entire body as the shiver rushes through you in response to the affection, however much to your good fortune, most of them are hidden by the dress and the silken gloves that reach all the way up to your elbows.

he lingers there. applies steady pressure to your clit with his lips and dampens the linen with his warm saliva until it’s sticking to your pussy, exposing the little button of nerves even further. the fabric silences his laggard ministrations, you’re that lucky at least, but if you aren’t able to keep yourself in-check for long enough—

oh, fucking hell. the sole of your shoe lifts and presses against his thigh in warning as you attempt to close your legs and keep him at bay. he’s kneeling before you like a sinner would before a god, his pants stretching at the top of his legs, but as if he’s adamant to keep you suffering for as long as possible, you feel his scorching hot hand wrap around your bare calf instead. feel how he runs it up and down as he strokes you in the most devilish ways possible whilst he noses his way even further between your thighs.

fighting to keep your breathing calm because you just can’t shake him off no matter how much weight you apply to your foot that’s still positioned on his thigh, you realize that this man is an outright incarnation of sin. he’s an incubus. a demon.

“well… i think it’s better if i head out, then,” shino says, and all of a sudden you remember that he’s still standing there, and that you are, in fact, not alone in the room and are probably looking utterly foolish; panting like that. “so that i can leave you to your food, and all that.”

“mm, yes,” is all you can manage. blinking slowly, it’s impossible to keep your vision focused. your eyes insist on rolling back into the inside of your skull, but if you could only last just a while longer, you might not even need to lie and burden yourself with even more sin. “i think… i think that’d be a wise idea indeed, advisor.”

you watch him cross the room with a laggard turn of your head that follows every single one of his movements. he’s still dressed in his fancier clothes as well; the outfit perfectly tailored to suit his firm, lean stature, his shoes clean.

he’s just about to exit the room and you’re just about to finally relax and be alone with your nymphomaniac of a spouse, when shino whips his head to the side and lingers by the door just like his superior had done only moments prior.

“before i go; do you by any chance know where your husband might have gone?”

why yes, dear advisor, he’s right here in the room with us; hiding under my dress, licking me right through my underwear.

“no,” the lie falls from your lips like it’s pure instinct, but it tastes acidic. it’s like you’ve just sank your teeth into an exceptionally sour lemon. “i can’t say i’ve seen him ever since we came back from the party, so sadly i have no clue on his current whereabouts.”

“ah,” shino says before he takes one step further out the door and rests his hand on the frame of it. “well, if you do end up seeing him, please be so kind as to tell him that i need to speak with him. urgently.”

“of course,” you nearly sigh out whilst your toes curl in your pretty shoes. the linen is so wet with saliva and arousal now that kiba’s breaths feel cool instead of warm. your underwear must be borderline see-through from how many times he’s ran his tongue across your sticky, clothed slit. when he presses the point of it at your most sensitive spot again and starts making little circles, it’s good enough to make you want to let out a wanton moan.

the urge to whimper and mewl is strong, but you manage to suppress it by biting into the inside of your cheek hard enough that it draws blood. still, curiosity manages to get the best of you as you look at shino and ask, “though, if i may intrude just a little, what exactly is it that you wish to speak to him about?”

you expect a secretive, non-explanatory answer like ‘nothing that needs to worry you, my lady’ or perhaps, ‘it’s confidental; military related’, however shino pleasantly surprises you when he lets out an exasperated sigh of his own and bluntly says, “he got into a fight with one of the guests just before we left.”

oh.

“pa-pardon?” the stutter rolls off your tongue both because you’re taken aback and because you’re being pleasured. come to think of it, you distinctly do remember kiba disappearing the last couple of minutes before you’d gone home together, as well as him returning with a rather feral grin sitting on his face and sweat coating his brow, but you’d have never thought—

“yes,” shino replies with the subtlest twitch of lips. “he’d, uh… broken a certain young lord’s nose with his fist.”

you blink. “which young lord?”

“lord uchiha.”

“i see.”

kiba’s grip around your calf tightens at the name in an almost protective manner. you can feel the bluntness of his nails digging into your flesh so harshly, causing hints of pinching pain, that it makes you drop your fork with a soft thud when it lands on the rich red table cloth.

he’s got his whole mouth pressed tightly against the soaked softness of your cunt. it’s like the adrenaline spurs him on. like the jealousy and possessiveness and the endless urge to protect you all convince him to take even more risks than usual. the sweetness of your slick, which he can fucking smell the scent of, now, drives him so wild that he’s become utterly careless. if you don’t watch out, he’s going to tear right through your underwear to get to you, no matter if the sounds of shredding fabric will quite likely be percepted by his trusty advisor.

bringing your hand close to your chest, you ask, “why?”

“to play the role of a knight in shining armor or to defend his lady’s honor, what do i know what happens inside that head of his,” shino utters, and you’re not entirely sure if he’s impressed or not with how dispassionate his tone sounds. with a small jerk of his chin, he gestures to you as he adds, “apparently lord uchiha had some rather tasteless things to say about your… union. this made my superior take matters into his own hands, which has consequently left me to deal with a rather sticky situation. i doubt lord uchiha will simply forget about this entire ordeal.”

something stirs within your heart at that.

sticky, indeed.

“thank you,” is all you reply with because the man underneath your dress, your knight in shining armor, is nearly feasting upon you by now. “that will be all.”

but it’s not all, because as soon as shino steps out and closes the door behind him, leaving you alone at long last; your legs are parting all on their own, welcoming your husband in as your thighs hug the sides of his head and squeeze with appreciation.

he tears your undergarments to shreds just like you’d expected him to before he immediately digs in. it’s messy and hot and desperate, the way he slurps and licks at your cunt. it makes you lean back against the backrest of your chair and makes him groan out the filthiest of curses just because of how dazed he is getting from it.

if you keep tasting so sweet, he’s going to have to end up fucking you on top of the dining table. with your legs propped on top of his broad shoulders and your tits pushing further out of your tight corset because of the force of each thrust that he’ll ram straight into your dripping wet hole, which he now feels fluttering around his tongue.

yeah, right on top of the table.

just like the dessert you are.

#biscuit’s royalty au #biscuit drabbles #kiba smut #naruto smut

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p5x-theories · 6 months ago

Text

P5X Third Arc Summary

(last updated 7/30/24!)

Only the first half of this arc has been added to the game as of the making of this post. Once the second half is added, that will be covered here as well!

Usual disclaimer: Please keep in mind this game still has no official English translation, so this summary uses a mix of what happens visually, what I understand of the Japanese dialogue, and Google translate for the Chinese text, in order to get the broader picture here. This will be focused on summing up everything that happens overall, without getting into a line-by-line translation.

Contrary to this blog’s name, this post is going to have as little speculation as possible, and stick to confirmed facts.

This post (and its reblogs) will cover the Katayama Arc.

The Phantom Thieves have gathered on the rooftop of Kokatsu Academy during lunch, after Ruferu apparently asked them to. He brings up the "person behind the scenes" that he suggested might exist after they stole Miyazawa's Treasure, and suggests that they should avoid talking about their Metaverse activities in areas with other people around, in order to protect their identities.

Motoha agrees that that's a good idea, but thinks the rooftop should be pretty safe, since it's big and no one else comes up here. Ruferu decides they should make this their hideout for now. Wonder can respond "Hideout...?" or "Very stylish". If the latter is picked, Ruferu is pleased he understands, and suggests it's "chic" as well. Motoha still doesn't understand the term, saying Ruferu's using difficult words again, to Shun's slight bafflement.

Putting that aside, Shun confirms that people rarely come to the roof during lunch, reminding Motoha he always eats alone up here. She hasn't been up here much, but really likes the idea of eating under the blue sky.

As they start to eat, she notices that Shun only brought ramen, and all Wonder has is bread, so she offers to share some of her food. Shun wants to focus on his ramen, but if Wonder accepts, Motoha mentions she made it herself. This catches Ruferu's attention, who now wants to try some as well.

Once they're done eating, Ruferu gets back to business, saying he wanted to discuss their next target. They don't have any clues, but since they stole Miyazawa's Treasure a few days ago, they can use that to open the next area of Mementos. Shun agrees they should look for the next Palace there, and it's decided they'll go there after school.

Before the bell rings, Motoha remembers Tomoko told her about a new teacher coming to Kokatsu, though he won't teach any classes.

Elsewhere in the school, the Dean of Academic Affairs, Yamanashi, is introducing the teachers to a man named Kei Akashi. He's an educational consultant sent by the school board. Akashi explains that, as he's sure they're all aware, teachers in the country are overworked, and the job of an educational consultant is to help ease their burden. While he's here, he'll be conducting an investigation to identify problems at Kokatsu, and assist in creating an environment that allows teachers to focus on educating students.

The teachers all like what Akashi proposes, and Yamanashi lets them know there will be a mandatory school assembly to introduce Akashi to the students. At first, Katayama is in favor as well, but when she says she'll be able to spend more time with her students, Yamanashi berates her for a recent unauthorized home visit she made, which a parent complained about.

Katayama explains that the student whose parent complained has been missing a lot of school lately, and leaving early. She tried calling their parents, but was unable to get in touch, and took this as a further sign that something was wrong. If her student is having family troubles, she wants to be able to support them.

Akashi tells her to stop, and switches his glasses over to another pair, suddenly knowing her full name is Kumi Katayama, to her surprise.

He explains that they're smart glasses, and he checked the information he has on her using them. He then agrees with Yamanashi that she shouldn't be making house visits, citing the fact that students complain about them, and calling her mindset outdated. Katayama continues to try to argue her perspective, that some students need more support, especially if they're clearly not getting any, but Yamanashi shuts her down, saying Akashi is correct. He then forbids her from seeing any students outside of school- saying that goes for the other teachers as well- and ends the meeting.

Katayama and Akashi stare at each other for another moment as everyone else leaves, and Akashi tells her he looks forward to working with her before leaving as well. Outside of the office, however, he mutters to himself that, as he suspected, she'll be the perfect bait, and he needs to let "that person" know everything is going well. He pulls out a cellphone, and the scene ends.

Back in her classroom, Katayama struggles to get the attention of her class, eventually yelling at them all to be quiet.

She immediately seems to regret it, but awkwardly informs them of the mandatory assembly tomorrow morning. She then ends the class for the day. Some murmurs go through the class about her reaction.

Motoha turns around in her seat, and comments that Katayama seems to be in a bad mood. While she understands Katayama couldn't get them to settle down, the yelling was alarming.

The other students start gossiping again, saying Katayama must be a phantom. At this moment, Shun walks into the classroom.

He warns them not to say things like that behind Katayama's back, then heads over to Wonder's desk and asks about going to Mementos today.

In Mementos, they head right to the door, and sure enough, it opens. The MetaNav informs them a new area has opened up, to Soy's surprise. He wonders where the app came from, and Closer admits she never really thought about it since it's so strange already; it works with no signal, and can't be deleted.

Soy asks Cattle if he has any idea, but Cattle doesn't, though it's possible he might remember something as he regains more of his memories. All he knows is that people with strong desires can use it. Closer starts to think it's a little scary, if even Cattle doesn't know anything about it, and the snake icon doesn't help.

Cattle explains that the ouroboros is rather famous, as a snake that eats its own tail... but Closer points out this icon isn't actually eating its own tail, to Cattle's shock. Eventually, they brush it off as overthinking; the important thing is that the MetaNav lets them steal the hearts of people like Kiuchi and Miyazawa.

With that, Cattle attempts to locate the next Palace by listening for the voices of the collective unconscious. He's startled out of his focus by the feeling of a powerful presence approaching, which forms into a shadow. Cattle and Wonder immediately recognize it.

They're forced to fight it again, and find it significantly more powerful this time. When they beat it, Cattle explains to Closer and Soy that he and Wonder fought this shadow before, when Wonder first came to Mementos. Closer asks if that means it came back, and Cattle mutters to himself wondering if it can somehow reform and steal desires infinitely, but then brushes that off, deciding the world would have fallen into chaos long ago if that were the case. Still, they'll have to keep an eye out for more like it in the future.

Cattle then tries to listen to the voices again, but has no luck. Closer guesses maybe that means the next Palace ruler hides their evil actions like Miyazawa did, and Cattle agrees-- they'll need to find more information first. Soy asks how they'll get it here, and the others clarify they'll need to get information in the real world, which reminds him of when they were asking about Miyazawa.

As they leave Mementos, the scene cuts elsewhere, to the Cyler Eats deliveryperson speeding down Shibuya Central Street, rushing right past people and nearly knocking them over.

As people complain, one of them recalls that was a phantom, the "Rush Rider".

That night, Wonder visits the Velvet Room. Igor congratulates him on his desire winning out over another Palace ruler, and Merope applauds. Igor says his desire is strong enough to guide the current world, and he's using the power he was given very skillfully. When Wonder asks, Merope clarifies Igor was referring to the power to enter the Metaverse, and Igor mentions the MetaNav by name, saying that, depending on the user's will, it can be a key to avoid the coming ruin, or the culprit that brings it about.

Wonder can ask "Key?" or "Culprit?", and at least if he chooses the latter, Igor says outright "A person with this power... You're not the only ones." Wonder tries to ask about this, but Igor can't give him the answers; the ending has to be decided by Wonder. With that, Wonder wakes up.

The next day, Wonder sees Yamagoshi taking down the closure notice on Toraiken's front door.

Yamagoshi recognizes him as Shun's friend, and explains that Toraiken is resuming business now that he's feeling better, even if he hasn't completely recovered. He wants to see his customers' happy expressions again. Ruferu comments that his desires have returned to him now that they changed Miyazawa's heart and opened another area of Mementos.

Yamagoshi does lament that Miyazawa drove away all his part-time workers, but then realizes Wonder must live near here, and invites him to come work at Toraiken part time if he ever wants to. He then warns Wonder that it looks like it's going to rain, so he should hurry to school.

Ruferu asks Wonder if he brought an umbrella; he did not, but there's no time to run back home and grab it. Sure enough, they get caught in the rain at Shibuya station, and they run into Motoha, who's in the same situation. Luckily, as they're running through the rain, a car pulls up: it's Riko, who offers a ride. Motoha eagerly accepts, and Wonder follows after Riko clarifies they're both welcome.

In the car, Riko types away at a keyboard as Motoha thanks her. Riko explains she happened to be passing by. Wonder can comment either "Going to school by car?" or "Rich people..."; if he chooses the former, Riko clarifies that she usually takes the train, but she had work to get done, and Motoha sympathizes that it's impossible to get anything done on a packed morning train.

Riko and Wonder then formally introduce themselves to each other.

Once they reach the school, Riko parts ways with them, and Motoha exclaims again about how lucky they were to run into her. Ruferu comments that Riko's car was very comfortable, nearly on par with his own car form. Motoha teases him, saying Riko's car is more advanced, but it makes sense, given Riko is the eldest daughter of the president of UMETANE.

When neither Wonder nor Ruferu know what she's talking about, Motoha explains that UMETANE is a company that sells a wide variety of plum products, and even has ads on TV. She's surprised they haven't heard of it. She used to drink plum juice from Riko after training, back when she was in a little league and Riko would cheer her on. They don't talk much anymore, though.

Students start to pass by Motoha, Wonder, and Cattle, and after a moment of confusion, Motoha realizes they're headed to the assembly Katayama told them about yesterday. They have to hurry to make it in time.

At the assembly, Riko introduces Akashi, then steps aside to let him speak. Akashi introduces himself, and says he's here for an investigation to help make Kokatsu better, which includes any student suggestions. He lets them know they'll be seeing him around school and in classrooms, but he's not a suspicious person... although saying that probably makes him sound suspicious.

The other students seem to have mixed opinions on him, but Motoha thinks he's interesting, and Ruferu comments that he may be able to help strengthen the students' desires. Riko dismisses the assembly.

After the assembly, Yamanashi formally introduces Akashi to Riko, as the head of the disciplinary committee. Putting on his smart glasses, Akashi identifies her as the UMETANE heiress. Riko asks about the smart glasses, so he explains that he has information about the students that serve as the backbone of the school uploaded onto them. He further identifies her as someone who is popular and has excellent grades.

Yamanashi is impressed by how much background research Akashi did, and tells him he's free to order Riko around for whatever information or busywork purposes he may have. Akashi points out that using the phrase "order around" sounds like a violation, and Yamanashi backtracks. Stepping around that, he invites Akashi to make use of the student guidance room and his office as much as he needs. Akashi thanks him, mentioning that though he was already given a desk in the teachers' office, much of his work is a bit more confidential than that affords.

Yamanashi then has Riko hand a file of information that he'd requested over to Akashi. Riko says she'll also send him electronic copies. Yamanashi again brags about how much work Riko did for him, and this time, Akashi wonders if it's appropriate to hand over so much work to a student, not to mention the potential confidentiality issues. Yamanashi, sheepish again, clarifies Riko's very good in this regard, and much better than the other students at getting things done. Akashi pushes a bit more, but Yamanashi insists this is preparation for the family business she plans to inherit. Riko agrees, saying her father encourages her to help out the teachers.

With this, Akashi accepts her help during school hours.

Back in class, Katayama wraps up a lesson, then, somewhat downcast, reminds the class to be polite if they do ask Akashi for any help or have suggestions. Motoha, turning around to talk to Wonder, wonders if something's bothering Katayama, and Ruferu speculates it has something to do with Akashi based on how she talked about him. Motoha starts to sidetrack, and thinks about what suggestions she'd have for Akashi, like less exams, a better cafeteria menu, and more sweet bread types in the school store.

The next day, Wonder runs into Shun during lunch, who apparently bought several "rare flavors" of instant ramen this morning to try for lunch. He asks Wonder if he wants to join in at the hideout. Wonder's thought bubble declares him to be a bit uneasy about the weird flavors, but curious enough to say yes anyway. They take a detour to buy drinks.

However, the vending machine is blocked by two girls filming a video, claiming they're going to buy and try every drink in the machine. Shun complains, and the students nearby say the girls have been doing this for a bit without caring about anyone else, so someone should probably call a teacher.

One of the girls expresses doubt that their video will really get much attention, and the other asks her what they could do instead. The first girl suggests they do the thing that phantom did, and pulls out a lighter and hairspray, saying she's going to make fire spray~! in a cutesy tone.

Shun, alarmed, says they have to stop them, but before they have a chance, Katayama runs over and slaps the lighter out of the first girl's hand. The second girl holds up her phone.

Katayama demands to know what they thought they were doing, and the first girl innocently says they were just filming a video. The second girl then declares she took a picture of Katayama's violent action, and she's going to post it on Magatsushin, hoping it'll go viral.

Shun comes over and grabs the second girls' wrist, saying that's enough, and Katayama was just stopping them from doing something stupid. The first girl immediately takes out her own phone, and takes a picture of him, mockingly calling him a violent boy. Katayama asks Shun to let her go, and he reluctantly does.

Katayama then tells them to stop taking pictures, and confiscates the first girl's phone, to her anger. The second girl refuses to hand hers over when asked, saying Katayama's just trying to cover up the evidence they got, since she's a phantom. She starts to chant "Tyrannical teacher, tyrannical teacher!"

Riko appears, and tells them to quiet down.

Riko asks what happened, and the girls declare that Katayama used violence against them and confiscated one of their phones. Shun immediately says it was because they took out a lighter first, and the girls call him cruel. Riko shakes her head, and continues to try to get the actual story.

As this happens, Akashi approaches, and, seeing this is an argument between a teacher and some students, says he'd like to know what's going on as well.

He decides that he'll hear our Katayama's side of the story, while Riko will talk to the students involved. Katayama protests, saying the girls were going to do something dangerous, so a teacher should be supervising them. He should at least call another teacher over to oversee things, if he wants to talk to her. Akashi brushes this off, saying students should deal with student problems, and dismissing Katayama's further arguments with a line about "outdated thinking" again.

Riko assures Katayama that she can handle them, though this seems to trouble Katayama. Akashi then takes the confiscated phone from Katayama, telling her she can't confiscate personal belongings from students, and if she deleted things from them, it could be seen as destroying evidence. He says he'll look over the videos himself, as an outside party, and then delete them afterward if they're not evidence of anything.

The girls protest this, and he advises them that controversial videos aren't the best way to earn views, but offers to show them some other techniques for video editing that are more popular later. The girls immediately fawn over how cool and mature he is, causing Riko to shake her head again before taking them with her.

Shun mutters that he was there, too, and Katayama says she'll talk to Riko later. With that, she and Akashi leave as well. Shun tries to tell her she did nothing wrong, but she just holds up a hand as she walks away.

The next day at school, some of the students in Wonder's class are gossiping about something that is "definitely Katayama" and a "girl getting beaten". Motoha watches something on her phone, then turns around and shows it to Wonder: it's an edited video of the incident yesterday with Katayama and the girls, posted to Magatsushin and calling Katayama a phantom. Motoha mentions the face is blurred, and the name is changed to "Teacher K", but anyone at Kokatsu can immediately tell the teacher in the video is Ms. Katayama.

Elsewhere, Yamanashi is outraged at this scandal, having one of their school's teachers posted as a phantom. He confirms whether Akashi deleted the video like he was supposed to, and Akashi says he did, but, well, the situation was chaotic. It's possible another student filmed everything. Yamanashi, distraught, now forbids Katayama from interacting with students outside of teaching her classes, and she's also not allowed to confiscate any student's belongings.

Katayama asks if he's forbidding her from stopping students from doing something dangerous, and Yamanashi insists she just call another teacher, or Akashi, or even Riko to deal with it instead. Katayama, alarmed, asks if he's trying to make teachers depend on students, and he declares that Riko's more reliable than her. Akashi adds that after Riko talked to them, the two girls wrote letters of apology, unlike the boy that Katayama dismissed.

Yamanashi then sends a defeated Katayama home for the day, saying they'll have other teachers cover her. He warns the other teachers not to get involved in students' business. Akashi and Riko should be relied on as the go-betweens.

Later, instead of Katayama, Mr. Hakozaki enters the classroom, and clumsily tries to explain that Katayama went home because she was "sick" when students ask about her. The students gossip, speculating she got fired because she appeared on Magatsushin, and Mr. Hakozaki frantically admits she just got sent home early today.

After class, Motoha expresses concern about Katayama, and Ruferu points out that, no matter the truth of the situation, their homeroom teacher is now technically a phantom. Motoha clarifies she was only posted once, and not officially recognized by Magatsukami, but Ruferu points out that that doesn't really matter in the eyes of everyone else.

He then mentions that Kiuchi and Miyazawa were also phantoms, so that could mean Katayama could become a Palace ruler, even as Motoha says it's impossible. He's not set on the idea, but he wanted to address the possibility.

After Wonder goes to sleep that night, we see a whale swimming through a body of water, and then several of those shadows (that Wonder and Cattle fought before) spawn in Mementos.

The scene then cuts to Katayama entering a public restroom, and the Cyler Eats deliveryperson, also known as the Rush Rider phantom, stepping out of the same restroom and getting onto a bike.

With her speech bubble now identifying her as Katayama, the Rush Rider complains that her head hurts, and, sounding like she's in significant pain, wonders why she became a phantom, and why she's like this. She rides off on her bike, and the camera pans over to show Akashi walk up to where she was just standing. He laughs to himself, and does something with his smart glasses.

The next day, Wonder runs into Motoha and Tomoko on his way to the school store during lunch. They invite him to come eat with them up on the roof after buying some food. However, the school store is being monopolized by the same two girls from the other day, filming another video.

This time, they're planning to buy and review all the bread in the school store. Tomoko and some of the other students recognize them as the girls from the video with Katayama, and several of them complain that they're not letting anyone else buy anything. However, the girls just threaten to take videos of anyone who gets in their way and post them online.

Motoha moves to talk to them, but Tomoko stops her, warning her that those are the girls that got Katayama identified as a phantom. This just makes Motoha angrier with them. Someone else suggests they call Riko, but another says they already called her. Wonder wonders why they don't get a teacher, but Tomoko tells him that everyone is supposed to go to Riko now. The teachers are unreliable these days, since all anyone needs to do is take out a phone and say they're filming, and the teachers will back off immediately. Motoha can't believe this.

Riko finally arrives, led by another student, and is disappointed to see these two causing trouble again. She asks if their apology letters were a lie, but they claim they weren't doing anything, just buying stuff at the school store. Riko tells them they're causing problems for the other students, but they whine about wanting to finish filming their video first.

At this, Akashi arrives, and their demeanor immediately shifts, happy to see him and pleasantly asking about what he's doing here as if he's a friend they ran into by chance. Akashi offers to teach them more secrets to making popular videos, and they happily agree to come with him to the student guidance room.

Akashi then turns to Riko, and somewhat dismissively (though smiling) tells her he can handle this, and she should enjoy her lunch. After all, fixing problems here is his job. Riko looks slightly downtrodden at this.

As Riko leaves, she runs into Motoha, Tomoko, and Wonder, and they step aside to talk.

Motoha marvels at how quickly and easily Akashi resolved the situation, but seeing that Riko seems a bit off, asks if she's okay, considering she has to deal with all the students' problems now. Riko admits there have been a lot of people coming to her, but Yamanashi comes over before she can answer further.

He asks about the incident, noting it was the same two girls, but then tells Riko she shouldn't be needing Akashi to solve problems, as their evaluation will look better if he's less involved. This strikes a nerve with Motoha, who steps forward and says the teachers should be taking care of things, not Riko. Yamanashi nervously explains that Akashi's new policy is that students solve students' problems, to help with student autonomy and let teachers focus on teaching. Motoha fires back that that sounds like an excuse, but Riko tells her to stop.

Once Motoha backs off, Riko asks what Yamanashi wanted from her. Yamanashi informs her he forwarded her an email from Akashi, and wants her to take care of organizing the data he requested. Once Yamanashi leaves, Motoha and Wonder are shocked that he'd blatantly push his work onto Riko.

Riko, however, says it doesn't matter, because as long as she takes care of it, she'll also get the evaluation she deserves, from the dean. But then she makes a pained face, and calls him a "shallow" and "easily manipulated" person. Her focus is on protecting herself and her own interests, and as long as people see her as a pawn to be used, they won't betray her. She can trust Akashi to an extent, since he's not the type to sever a useful relationship with someone as long as they don't get in his way, but she finds him a bit suspicious, since she's unsure what he really thinks.

Motoha asks what she's saying, and Tomoko tells her no one would treat her like that. Riko turns back to them, and asks them if they think the idea of relationships maintained on those principles are scary. She can't trust anyone without considering their personal interests first. Motoha and Tomoko insist they care about Riko, and even offer to help her with the dean's work for nothing in return, but Riko says they haven't changed, and politely turns them down. After she leaves, Tomoko says Riko must have changed, because she wouldn't have said something like that in the past.

The next day, the Phantom Thieves gather at their hideout again, and Motoha asks if they're heading to Mementos to keep looking for the Palace. Ruferu mentions that having a full name makes it much easier for him to focus in on the Palace while listening to the voices of the collective unconscious, and the topic of Kiuchi and Miyazawa both being phantoms comes up again. Motoha adds that they were both confirmed phantoms, and Shun comments that it makes sense that bad people like them would have Palaces.

Motoha tries checking Magatsushin for phantoms, and the first two she finds are the Rush Rider (who she says she knows nothing about), and then "Teacher K", the "tyrannical teacher", otherwise known as Ms. Katayama. Motoha tries to brush past her, but Ruferu advises they take the possibility more seriously. Shun immediately goes on the defensive for Katayama, saying she was just filmed by some troublemakers, but Ruferu is unfazed, as the public considers her a phantom, no matter what the truth of the situation is. Shun is still skeptical, because Katayama's not a bad person.

At that moment, Katayama herself comes up to them, Ruferu barely noticing her in time to fly away. She says she wants to talk to them, and brings up the video of the Flavor Fight on her phone. Shun is surprised, as Miyazawa's channel was deleted, but Katayama says his channel was popular enough that people probably reposted the videos. She asks if it's Shun in the video, and Shun awkwardly avoids answering, so she pushes, saying the three of them must have gone to the Flavor Fight the day they skipped part of their afternoon classes.

Wonder can tell her the truth or lie; if he tells the truth, Shun frantically tries to shush him, while Katayama thanks him for being honest. She says she doesn't blame them, and won't tell the other teachers, but she hopes they'll come to her if they have any problems in the future, because as their teacher, she wants to help them. She also expresses concern about how much they've suddenly been spending time together; it's fine if they're just becoming better friends, but she worries they've gotten into more trouble.

Shun starts to ask her how she knows- then cuts himself off, makes a guilty, nervous face, and says there's no trouble at all. Katayama laughs, calling him a kid who can't lie, and asks them to come to her before doing anything dangerous. Shun apologizes, and admits there is a problem, but he can't tell her, no matter what. Katayama seems distraught to hear this, so he tries to assure her that they'll figure it out and be fine for sure, but it doesn't help much, as she mutters to herself that she must be unworthy of trust.

Akashi then interrupts, reminding her the dean forbid her from talking to students outside of class, to Motoha's surprise. He calls her an "internet celebrity" who can't be allowed to influence students, which immediately angers Shun, though Katayama tells him it's fine. Katayama then dismisses herself, but quietly pleads with them to talk to an adult, even if it's not her, before she leaves.

Walking over to them with a smile, Akashi calls that a disaster, though Motoha insists Katayama was just worried about them. Akashi says he can help them instead, and uses his smart glasses to immediately identify them. At their surprise, he explains they can compare faces with the student registry. With that, he invites them to come to him with any concerns, and exits the roof.

Ruferu returns, as Motoha decides Akashi is actually a little scary, though she thought he was a good teacher originally. Shun declares that he doesn't like him. Ruferu complains about their meeting being interrupted, and says he wants to try using Katayama's name to find the next Palace. At Shun's reluctance, Ruferu points out that this could also prove she's not a Palace ruler, while narrowing down their search options, and Shun relents.

After school, they head to Mementos. Though Soy and Closer are convinced it won't work...

Cattle is shocked to be able to locate the Palace after saying "Kumi Katayama" and listening for a moment.

Closer and Soy are also in disbelief, but Cattle insists there's no mistaking it. However, while he's positive her name led him to the Palace, he does describe the atmosphere as "a bit strange", with "something like noise mixed in, interfering with the signal". Miyazawa's Palace didn't have anything like that.

Wonder, Closer, and Soy decide they'll have to see the Palace with their own eyes, so they set off towards where Cattle heard it coming from.

To be continued in the next reblog!

#persona #p5x #persona 5 the phantom x #open beta #version 2.0 #game content

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little-forest-goblin · 6 months ago

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Hey guys so a did a recent post about the diner deli scene and the different variations of five there and i had listed all of the ones i can put a name on (its all a personal opinion my word is not law) and we all know that they have some odd subtle differences between each other though they still may be five they are still from other universes and timelines and not one five is gonna be the same completely. So i decided to list and give them the personalties and such that i can (Again my word is now law please by all means make whatever you want this is just personal opinion and thought)

So here is the list of the fives that i had personally named.

1. Booth five

2. waiter five

3. brisket five

4. Newspaper/good with numbers five

5. Mathematician/journaling/theorist five (There is three cause if i remember correctly there is two fives and i just know one of them is obsessing over numbers and i was wondering what the other one is doing and thats what i got)

6. Anxious antsy/waiting five

7. Drunk five

8. Loose neck tie five

9. chef five

Those are the ones i could put a name too. Some of them i have no clue what to call them but if you have a suggestion or an idea please let me know.

1. Booth five

Booth five is probably a funny laid back guy who is just wanting to chill after having tried and failed so many times to save the world and his family only to have it blow up in his face time and time again. He is mostly unintentionally funny it seems. He wont get why what he said is funny at first but once he does he will probably laugh it off with you or give a playful eyeroll.

2. waiter five

Waiter five looks like he would be that person in the friend group who is always mothering the group. Attentive and caring can be serious when need be but for the most part also pretty laid back and not really a stick in the mud.

3. Brisket five

You cant tell me he wouldn’t be a sweetheart. He looks like he would be making small talk and smiling and cracking a couple jokes here and there and just overall you would be comfortable around him. He is probably one of the fives that the others go to vent or just need something to take their mind off of whatever they got going on. There’s that and let’s not forget he apparently wrecks shit sometimes as confirmed by booth five.

4. Newspaper/good with numbers five

Newspaper five has always newspaper always in hand whether it be old news or new news he has one nearby or in hand. This is also helping him with his good with numbers part. He is just uncannily good with numbers obviously having been shown in the scene where he tells the amount of times they tried to save the world. He is basically that scene from criminal minds where Spencer Reid gets the guess right for how many boats are on lake mead. He knows random info and facts and when engaged in conversation he is a fact and info dumper.

5. mathematician/journalist/theorist five

-mathematician five is somewhere writing in his notebook with equations and numbers all probably trying to find a possibility for any possible safe timeline that isn’t gonna go to shit. He could also just really like numbers.

-Journalist/diary five is always writing in his notebook about his days there at the deli/diner. he can recap anything that has happened from the start of when he arrived there and more then likely has a log of all the fives that have arrived and whether they have stayed or went off to try and save the world and the family again.

- theorist five i believe is a variation of five that had driven himself crazy with possibilities and theories whether it be about the apocalypse and saving his family or it might be over something small and insignificant. sometimes this can spiral and cause outbursts of panic and rage or straight up mental breakdowns. His notebook is filled with possibility after possibility. Theory after theory. Some of the pages are random scribbles and writings and if you sit close to him you can hear him muttering to himself about the writings. His hair is also probably a little greasier than others considering his obsessive behavior with writing theories but he isn’t unclean.

6. anxious ansty/waiting five

Anxious ansty five seems to be on edge a lot. All the trauma he has gone through has finally bled through and has made him anxious or antsy. He can be seen with his hands always fidgeting or chewing on a random object like a pen or the tip of his straw to try and silence the anxious thoughts even for just a minute. He may be seen waiting for his order at the counter but he isn’t always waiting for that he can be seen waiting anxiously for some kinda ball to drop and everything to go to shit. He is probably more than likely a paranoid person.

7. Drunk five

Drunk five is quite self explanatory. It’s a variation of five that is drunk but when you think about it. Why was he called drunk five in the first place? why wasnt he called something else kinda like how newspaper/good with numbers five is or theorist five is? its cause he is more then likely always drunk meaning this variation of five is probably the one filled and consumed by regret and grief and sadness and has given up completely. Not all variations of five are happy or composed and this is one of them. He has done so much, seen so much and has dealt with so much to where he drinks to forget and drinks to have a good time. When you approach him you can get a few different emotions whether it be a sad drunk one day or a cracking jokes and making drunk conversation. He is more then likely the one getting into some form of trouble (as seen with S3 where five makes boozy cereal or does random stupid things) he may not always be sad but deep down we know why he drinks.

8. Loose neck tie five

People may argue and say that this is drunk five but if memory serves me right drunk five was off doing something stupid and this one is just hanging out by the door. Now i don’t quite know what personality to give this one since its just a loose neck tie and doesn’t really correspond with personality other then maybe being tired or exhausted or being disheveled in the first place. He may be a five that is a little less organized and put together. I will leave this one up to y’all.

9. Chef five

Not be confused with brisket five cause yes brisket five i guess technically would be a chef considering he is making food but brisket five is called brisket five for a reason. Chef five is the other five behind the counter. If you look at the picture you can see a five eating a soup meaning there probably isn’t just sandwiches here in the diner/deli. Chef five can always be seen hard at work cooking and probably trying out new recipes or making new ones too.

There we have it folks my personal opinions on the five variations in this weird five verse. I hope yall have fun and if you have ideas and different names for some of them put it in comments and i made add them to a list or something who knows what i might do.

#the umbrella academy #tua s4 #tua s4 spoilers #tua season 4 #five hargreeves #tua spoilers #tua #tua4 #umbrella acedmy #tua season 4 spoilers #number five

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thirdtidemouse · 1 year ago

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hilda characters in taskmaster, if this means anything to anyone:

for context, taskmaster is a show hosted by greg davies and pathetic assistant (/creator) alex horne. each series five comedians are made to do pointless and difficult tasks and are awarded points. it ends up being very very funny and very amicably argumentative.

for now, i'll do my classic 5 faves, but i would love to do more like edmund + some ocs!

hilda - starting with the kids, likely winner. i mean she is the main character, but she has those problem-solving skills and unbeatable enthusiastic spirit (which would definitely take a beating in this godawful game). i considered how different the competition might be given that they're kids? but lenny rush recently competed at 14 and he did awesome. hilda would definitely stand up for herself if she thought her score or the task was unfair but she is a good sport all round. most likely to miss the huge hidden-in-plain-sight clues. here to have fun but not fuck around. all the cheerful demeanor of rob beckett. likes to very gently make fun of alex. would never ever give up.

"what you can't take away from me is that i had an absolutely lovely day."

"people say my ADHD means i have shit problem solving skills. no sir!"

frida - nerdiness to rival josh widdicombe. knows the taskmaster's tricks and snoops all around for clues/hidden solutions. genuine competence and competitiveness of someone like sarah kendall, as indignant and argumentative as ed gamble. the one time she doesn't find the hidden alternative answer is when the main pathway is just 'do a really long maths sum to get the code for the lock' and she just gets on with it because she can. tries not to act overly proud of herself but after a particular stressful win she definitely gets up and cheers. argues with other contestants. gets very annoyed by alex and sometimes tells him to shut up.

"the only way i get out of this with any dignity is if i die right now."

[to a small plush vole] "you've got no chutzpah! your organizational skills are lacklustre, and your timekeeping is abysmal."

david - the awkward swagger of james acaster but absolutely 0 of his winning spirit. definitely a fan-favourite pathetic contestant. the show would wear his psyche down so much he would snap and end up begging for points in a total breakdown à la joe wilkinson. gets genuinely cocky after a rare win. gets very stressed out by alex and is very scared of greg. like mae martin, is initially very nonchalant about the tasks, but can become freaked out quickly. not very good at getting points. ashamed of his failures and overjoyed with his successes. most likely to be given a humiliating solo task.

"please don't take it away from me."

"well well well! looks like last in P.E., first in being a legend!"

johanna - total sweetheart, smiling all the time even when she fucks up and loses, much like charlotte ritchie. although she does fuck up and lose considerably less. less nervous though, here to have fun AND fuck around. a sally phillips approach to tasks, meaning chill as fuck, inconspicuously normal contestant, that consistently produces either the most terribly planned OR the most creatively out of pocket and deranged 'solutions', of which back in the studio she has zero explanation for and can only laugh uncontrollably as if it wasn't entirely her idea. this will inevitably win her a lot of points but she will fall short on something like charlotte ritchie's first prize task, in which she brings in all of her bedding, is told 'you can't just pick up stuff from around your house,' and is given last place. this also makes her place her head in her hands and giggle. her attitude carries charlotte's consistent likeness to a children's tv show host. zaniness and well-spoken ramblings of mike wozniak.

"when you have no other ideas, you stick to your bad idea."

"i was excited, there was fire, i'd been told to undermine a vole and i let him have it."

kaisa - will not embarrass herself for love nor money. could not give a fuck about any of you people and simultaneously is incredibly determined to win. would get increasingly distraught with the incompetence of any teammates in an ed gamble outburst. despite this, is a cooperative and hardworking teammate. would spend long periods of time in silent thought before carrying out her plan with no explanation along the way. like james acaster, does not ever say hello to alex, just because she 'doesn't have to.' generally does not like alex. to quote jamali maddix, 'he's a punk. i don't like him.' acts like a rebellious teen in the presence of greg. i have no solid outfit headcanons right now but she would wear what bridget christie wore:

"i've got three sensitivity levels! and i'll be honest, i'm on my top fucking one right now!"

"i knew we were against the clock, and i didn't give a fuck"

and here is my final test of character - one of the most simple and most telling tasks, from the very first episode:

"eat as much of this watermelon as you can in one minute."

hilda - romesh ranganathan. upon entry of the lab, she wields the watermelon above her head and smashes it into the floor, devouring as much of it as she can. total tunnel vision. she throws up a little at the end. wins the task.

frida - josh widdicombe. enters prepared with a knife, manages to hurriedly cut and eat a portion of the watermelon, with not nearly as much vigor as hilda. is not giving up any dignity for this. 3rd place.

david - frank skinner. was not expecting a whole watermelon. manages to quickly get into the melon but falls short at his eating speed. is clearly trying not to choke. 4th place.

johanna - tim key. no utensils required. cracks it open right there on the table, eating as fast as possible, almost to the same wild and untamed degree as her daughter. is docked points because she sneaks a final bite of watermelon after the minute is up, just because she enjoys it. 2nd place.

kaisa - roisin conarty. was also not expecting a whole watermelon. total lack of urgency in comparison. leaves the room and spends 50 of her 60 seconds retrieving a knife, which she totally could have done beforehand, manages to crack open and eat a total of 9 grams of the watermelon before her time is immediately up. last place. couldnt give a fuck though

thanks for reading guys. if you have anything to add or ask then please do. peace and love

#taskmaster #hilda the series #hilda netflix #hilda #johanna #kaisa #frida #david #au #my au #taskmaster au

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