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langernameohnebedeutung · 1 year

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You mentioned Meredith Vickers from Prometheus in blorbo post and HOLY SHIT, you've thrown me right back in the blorbo trenches. I watched that movie to kill time, and came out of gnawing at my own flesh about (im)perfect daughter (im)perfect son subtext... like, god THIS was my Succession long before Succession graced our screens. I have So Many Blorbo Feelings about her! Please share yours as well

!! But exactly this! Yes!

The thing is, there is this really big focus on the dysfunctional relationship between Weyland and David - but most of the time when I engage with the fandom, Vickers is kind of reduced to this secondary bully when really, she's also a deeply wounded person and her relationship to Weyland and her trauma are at least as complex. Even on the more redditor-side of fandom, I've heard a thousand times "why does it matter that Weyland is her father, how is this an important reveal" and this just tells me that they never noticed her as a character, never really engaged with her as anything other than a plot-device. But if you pay attention to her, to her actions, to her rivalry with David - then finding out that she's Weyland's daughter makes all of that fall into place.

There is this really interesting theme where she tries to be as inhuman as possible - immediately doing push-ups after waking from cryosleep while everyone else is puking their guts out, the deleted scene where she is disgusted/annoyed by Janek's little christmas tree, the flamethrower scene, even her clothing and style at the beginning of the movie - which is why Janek asks her if she's a robot, too, but she's deeply offended by the notion (by the way, I once thought about this one AU idea where it turns out that she is, in fact, a robot, and it is kind of a controlled experiment on Weyland's part and she gets away at the end either with Janek or Shaw and she has to work through that).

Like...literally, she is so fascinatingly robotic at times:

She just desperately wants to be good enough, strong enough to be recognised as a human being and a person (and I think this is also a relevant theme about womanhood, the idea of her trying to be recognised as a person, as a child, as an equal to her "brother", of working harder than your male peers just to be taken seriously, acting colder than them to be taken seriously...)

Generally, despite the grand themes, they really break down to an abusive family situation where both children blame each other and envy each other instead of realising that their parent is neglecting and mistreating them both (Though I think David is less caught in than loop, I just don't think it makes as much difference in his books) But also, there is this one deleted scene where she tells David that "these idiots are about to infect my ship🙄🙄🙄🙄" and I loved this moment where they actually formed a small in-group in her eyes, them vs. the idiots...) Also, I like that as I mentioned, her clothing and style is very "robotic" at the beginning, but you can actually see her look become more "human" as the film progresses and I love that too. (Also I love that David actually plays up his own android-ness when he wants to annoy her like 'cup of tea, ma'am?' after she threatened to kill him. Really making her feel like she just yelled at a roomba). I actually believe that because of her resentment of David, she actually comes close to seeing him as a person - because resenting a device would be pointless - but that idea itself is insane and she would sound insane if she brought it up. So she is stuck working side by side with her fucking nemesis who can always hide behind being a fucking machine. Even stuff like David's obsession with Lawrence of Arabia or dying his hair - for everyone else, that's just a funny robot quirk but for her, it's probably maddening as hell. Especially because she doesn't know if he's doing it on purpose or whether she's starting to imagine things. Especially when he's clearly aware of this and can dial it up and down on purpose when he's feeling vindictive)

And then there is her relationship with Weyland. For one, you have the distance between the two of them. Weyland doesn't mention that she is his daughter in the big recorded hologram speech - he only talks about David (and how soulless he is). She literally has a different last name (is she married? were her parents not married? did she take on a different name to step out of his shadow? In fact, even that she is on board is really telling because if she was his heir, you would assume that she wouldn't accompany such a risky, potentially one-way mission, thereby risking the company legacy)

There is so much resentment between Weyland and her - but also, I genuinely believe that she loves her father (unlike David, who is just programmed to obey him - but who Weyland actually talks to and confides in instead of her). We know Weyland has this extreme god-complex where he wants to be a creator and he wants to archieve godhood for humans - for himself - by showing the Engineers everything he has accomplished and that they should give him immortality in return when he's already dying. And then you have Vickers reminding him that "A king has his reign and then he dies" - in a way, she is his reminder of humanity, his memento mori (his human daughter). She is the only person in the universe who can give him her honest opinion, actually freely criticise him - but at the same time, that only causes him to push her away further because he cannot stand that. She sees him as human and she's the only person who cares about him as a human, as her human father, but because he tries to erase that part of himself and become god, she has to watch him destroy himself and take them all with him. For Weyland, creating David was a crowning moment for him, for the entire human species. That was the moment THEY created life and became equals with the Engineers. And as his daughter, she cannot live up to that, no matter how much power and success she has and now much tea David has to pour for her.

I just think she's neat, okay 😭

#prometheus #fandom

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cashmoneyyysstuff · 2 months

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chapter 1 : the loser in the seat next to you.

no quirk au, mentions of fighting and violence, the yakuza and my very little knowledge of it, privates schools..i have no experience w them, gang violence, found family trope my love, crime syndicate boss daughter! reader, badboy bodyguard! katsuki x fem reader, sunshine reader, reader cries and is shy around new ppl, hurt/BIG comfort, CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LUVERS TROPE MY STAR, almost polar opposites, jealous katsuki, reader has a last name but it will be explained later, original characters, izuku catches many strays i promise i lub him yall, touchy katsu touchy reader, slight romantic tension ouuuu, mentions of food n cooking, lemme know if i missed sum (might add more in future chapters !)

a/n : BIG 4K CHAPTER RAGHHH TYSM!!

katsuki cannot remember a single time prior to living with you that anybody had taken care of him.

he thinks his parents might’ve. he doesn’t care to remember them and it’s not like he could, he was a baby when they’d dropped him off in the shithole he called home for eleven years, but at the very least they’d tried to drop him off somewhere where he could’ve had another chance. where he could’ve been taken in by different people and were his circumstances different he could’ve ended up being someone else’s son with someone else’s last name.

but he’s not. and that’s the most care he’s been shown.

his caretakers, and he uses the term loosely, seemed to think that as long as he stayed alive, that as long as he had food is his belly and water to drink he was taken care of enough. and to be fair, katsuki thought that was enough for him too, cus he didn’t know anything else.

alliances and groups were always formed with ulterior motives in mind. associate yourself with someone stronger than you so you could stay on their good side, get in the stronger people’s good graces and rat out the ones lagging behind so you wouldn’t be left alone. they were always for protection but never a mutual one.

and that’s why he didn’t like being in groups, the thought of not knowing what all these other people who claim to be on your side truly think about you made katsuki nervous. trust was for losers like tadashi, some moron who always talked big shit just because he was apart of some well known group in town. only for him to get a tooth knocked out by one of his squad mates and ever since that day no one ever heard him speak again and everyone called him no tooth tadashi.

trust was for idiots, and katsuki was far from one. so he pushed people away, he kicked and stomped and broke people who thought they could use him for their own protection. because if there’s one thing he hates it's when people use him.

trust was for morons and protection was for weaklings, he didn’t need anyone to take care of him. he didn’t even know how to, but if this was it he didn’t want any part of it.

it’s about 9 am and you’re still in bed. katsuki thanks his lucky star because he’s sure if you ever caught him watching mr. nakazawa cook he’d never hear the end of it. and then he’d have to stop watching because you’d insist he wake you up at the same time as him.

he doesn’t know what’s being made but from the smell alone he can tell it’ll be delicious. he can’t see too well what’s happening, only being able to see and hear some rhythmic cutting and the sizzling of a pan.

“you could come over here if you wanna get a closer look,” katsuki jumps at the man’s voice, his eyes widen but he tentatively steps inside of the kitchen.

“how’d you know i was here ?” he asks quietly, the white haired man smiles knowingly, his eyes not leaving the pan in front of him.

"i've got really sharp senses on me." his hands aren't stopping in their motions, katsuki wonders how skilled you have to be to make two different motions with your hands, he can't do it.

"they're important when you're cooking, you gotta know which spices to use, make sure ya don't burn anythin'.." katsuki listens intently as the chef talks, eyes drifting towards the pan. karage pops and crackles, two omurices lay sizzling on another pan. one for you and one for him and katsuki feels his chest tingle, he still needs to remind himself the feeling isn't a bad one despite the burn he feels.

there are some fruits for dessert sitting on the side still uncut, katsuki recognizes your favourite sitting amongst them. "if you want, you could help me out. i'm kinda in need of a hand since 'im being overworked by the big boss." mr. nakazawa's voice cuts through katsuki's train of thought, he sighs like he's exhausted but there's a slight smile on his face.

katsuki looks towards the hallway before looking back at the older male "mr. matsumoto already left, though ?"

"it's miss yn i'm talkin' about, the kid can be a real handful. you wouldn't believe how much food she has me make !" he jests, and katsuki snorts to himself when he comments about how your stomach was a black hole, he agrees.

"so," the cook nudges katsuki slightly "wanna help me out ?"

and usually, katsuki doesn't help anybody, and if he somehow does it's not unless he can get something from it. so he doesn't understand why he nods so eagerly. he hates when people order him around, he never listens to what anyone has to say yet he carries you on his back when you ask and he listens immediately when mr. nakazawa asks him to go wash his hands first. he follows his instructions on how to cut the fruit properly and his end up looking a bit wonky, but mr. nakazawa tells him it's a start and he'll do better next time. next time..

katsuki's never had anybody take care of him, but his chest tightens and he thinks this might be it.

you wake up a little bit later, rubbing sleepily at your eyes only for them to bulge when you see him and mr. nakazawa in the kitchen. said man claps katsuki's back and proudly exclaims to you that katsuki had cut up the fruit you were eating. your favourite ones. katsuki feels his ears burn and he looks away, he doesn't understand why the older man is so happy and boasting about something he himself didn't do. he doesn't understand why you don't comment on how wonky your fruits looked compared to the one's the chef had chopped. instead you ask him if it's true, if he'd really cut these for you. so he nods because katsuki hates lying, cheeks and ears burning. you beam and continue eating, thanking him and mr. nakazawa for all their hard work as you happily munch away.

katsuki finally sits down next to you getting his own portion of food. he didn't get to help out much today, but he's determined to wake up earlier tomorrow so he can cook even more and cut up even more fruits for you. so he can learn to make them less wonky and have mr. nakazawa teach him more so you can enjoy more and more of the food he's made.

katsuki's never taken care of anyone because nobody ever cared for him. but he thinks that this might be it.

the first day katsuki ever goes to school, he decides he already hates it with a passion.

school itself isn't really hard. sure, it's his first day, but it's super easy. and most of the teachers are nice to him, even though he doesn't need them to be since he's had way worse. he just doesn't like the looks he gets. there's too many people in one class, all looking at him because he's new. he feels like some kind of zoo animal.

they're probably looking at him because of the stink eye he has and the glares he shoots at his new classmates. you'd told him once that some people might be scared of him because of his looks--and that was completely fine with him. he'd much rather stay in his comfort zone. he doesn't want people to look at him curiously, he wants the only reason people look at him to be out of weariness of him, like if they were to look away for even a second he'd pounce on them. he likes that.

you're the complete opposite though. katsuki thinks it's weird that you do such a big 180 when you see new people. your dad had told him that this would be both your first days since you'd been homeschooled until then. you cling to him the entire day and he doesn't mind it 'cus you always do, but you're quiet. you aren't chatty and bratty like you always are. you sit next to him quietly during breaks and at one point you don't come back from the bathroom and katsuki, who had been waiting for you ( he can't just run off, he is your bodyguard after all) gets tired of waiting and makes his way over to the girls bathroom, getting some strange looks but he doesn't care. only to stop dead in his tracks when he hears sniffling.

you're crying.

katsuki doesn't take care of people, he doesn't help people. because he's never been taken care of. or because he doesn't need it or maybe because he just doesn't know how to. but he knocks at your stall door, the door rattles with how hard he knocks at it while your whimpers make his skin itch. he tells you he'll beat up the person who did this no matter who they are and to hurry up and come out 'cus he's here.

you tell him that everyone keeps looking at you weirdly, that they whisper about you and that it makes you nervous and that you don't like it, that you want to go home. and katsuki who has no idea how to take care of people, who will probably get in trouble if someone were to see him in here but could care less because you're still crying and that irritates him, tells you that you just needed to point someone out, and he'd do it.

"i don't care if it's everyone in school, even if it's the fuckin' principal, i'll beat up everyone who looked at you weird, okay ?" he urges. so he tells you to stop crying and that he'd take you home. you ask him why, why he'd get himself in trouble for you. even though you joked the night before that if he kept looking nasty he wouldn't be able to make any friends and he'd told you to shut up.

he tells you it's because he's your bodyguard, and katsuki wonders if this is taking care of somebody too.

so yeah, school's super easy. and the teachers aren't bad, but it made you cry, and katsuki decides he hates it with a passion.

when you get to senior year, you're not sitting next to katsuki anymore.

it's been a crazy couple of years since then, and you've gotten better at interacting with people. you've made some acquaintances, but you still cling to katsuki the most. you don't have him carry you on his back (as much) anymore but you've still kept some of your older routines. katsuki's gotten better at cutting up your fruits and cooking in general, so much so that you insist on him cooking your lunch everyday. katsuki tells you not to be stupid, that you should learn to cook on your own. but he helps you like mr. nakazawa once did for him, sure not as gently but considering his line of work he doesn't need to be. and you're learning so that's a win.

he's come a long way from weekly training sessions with your dad and your other uncles. he still isn't allowed to go out on missions that involve killing, that's one thing he is strictly forbidden from asking for. but he gets to go along with other squad member on what your uncle takashi called a règlement de compte. basically, a bunch of dumb french words to say he finds people that fucked with members of his squad or their turf—and fucks them up good.

this is what he's good at, what he's good with. he's good when there's no talking involved. when it's just flying fists and the familiar sting of his knuckles and the adrenaline pumping through him. he hates it when people underestimate him, especially because they're older than him. but he thrives off the looks of fear they give him when he ends up rocking their shit. he's undefeated and the most feared member of his squad and he feels like he's a little kid again. when whispers of him would circle and even just a glance at him made people backtrack in fear. some even called him matsumoto's mad dog, and it's something he's insanely proud of.

and of course, he's still your bodyguard.

but in school he's none of that. he's just katsuki bakugou. a boy some teachers call a delinquent who looks kinda scary. and the boy who never starts fights, but always finishes them.

and then there's you, who hangs out with him everyday. you who calls him katsu or suki and other cheesy stupid nicknames. who pulls his cheeks up to get him to smile more. who looks him straight in the eyes and tells him he'll get wrinkles by next year if he keeps looking nasty.

you're a sweet little thing. you help your classmates and you get along with them easily. you do good in the subjects you like and manage in the ones you don't as long as katsuki tutors you. you're funny, and you're easy to get along with and your smile absolutely lights up the room (you didn't hear that last part from him though).

on the surface, your father owns a pretty successful business. which landed you both into a private school. katsuki hates how he has to wear the same annoying uniform every day and he'd ditched his jacket not too long after getting it. you'd enjoyed it at first, but you quickly got tired of it too, although you still keep your jacket and added some cute socks to add your own personal touch to it.

from elementary, middle and high school you've always consistently sat right next to katsuki in class. he never admitted it but he really liked that. not only because you were the only person he liked tolerated at school, but also because he could pick on you and poke you with his pencil. you could whisper dumb jokes to each other and he could easily pass you crudely drawn notes of the teachers you disliked. he remembers one time you'd gotten in trouble and had to clean up the classroom as punishment after class. but you got in trouble together and you ended up messing up the classroom even worse than it was before, but you'd had a blast and you walked out of school right next to him.

but this year, you're not sitting next to him anymore. you're sitting next to some new kid.

he reminds him of one of the golden boys at his old orphanage so much that katsuki wonders if he'd ever seen him before. izuku midoriya looks like if the teacher spoke any louder while introducing him he'd piss his pants. katsuki fights the urge to scoff.

he looks unbearably plain. boring, uninteresting and every other adjective. the green haired boy looks like he'd get bullied by the janitor. like he'd fall onto the floor and apologise to the floor for being in its way.

basically, he looked like a loser.

and he's the one who sits next to you.

katsuki's been moved to a row behind and across from you, next to somebody he can't be bothered to remember the name of. on the very first day nothing happens, he watches you greet the freckled boy politely and he squeaks out something that makes you laugh, it's probably stupid.

the next day, midoriya forgets his literature book, so you share yours with him. katsuki would've just told him it was too damn bad but you're not like him. your shoulders brush when you sit closer to him so you can both look. you flash him a smile and the boy flushes all the way to his ears, so stupid.

throughout the week you keep talking with midoriya. katsuki doesn't understand what's so special about a seemingly boring guy, when you've literally got a bodyguard. (it's not like the others know, but still). you keep touching him, too. you always let him borrow the notebooks he forgets and you even fixed his tie once. katsuki doesn't wear his tie, he'd stopped wearing it back in his freshman year, but he wishes you'd fix his too. it's childish and it's stupid.

on the way home, you mention how nice izuku is. he's forgotten that was the loser's name and something ugly flares up inside him when you say his name like that, all sweet and stupid and mushy. the tone you use when you want him to make you pancakes because he does them so well. he acts like he doesn't care.

katsuki doesn't sit next to you anymore, but at home it's just you and him. and when it's just you and him you have your weekly movie nights on weekends, a tradition for years now that katsuki has stopped pretending to be upset about. you and him, sharing popcorn and your finger brushing and you sleeping against his shoulder when you get tired. when you fall asleep and katsuki watches your lashes as you dream, it's just you and him.

a few weeks later, you stay behind after school. apparently izuku needs some help with maths. and you're sweet and different from katsuki who would've told him it was his loss, so you'll be home a bit later. katsuki can't control the muscles in his face in time because he makes a face, but he shrugs and turns away. (not before watching you happily skip off with the freckled loser, who mirrors your expression. he watches your lips move, and he wonders what you're talking about.)

katsuki thinks it's stupid. why does he have to listen to you ? he's your bodyguard, he's supposed to stay and keep you safe. but that smile on your face while you talk to the other guy, that would be too much for him.it irritates him to think about it. so he grips his bag tighter, clenches his teeth and walks back alone.

he can't ask you how it went when you get home because he has another score to settle with some no name gang. it irritates him, but he thinks he can blow some steam by punching someone's face in. he doesn't want to admit that he thinks about that freckled fucking loser when his fist makes contact with the bastard he had to find. because that's stupid, and katsuki is far from that.

he'd been more careless than usual tonight, so when he comes back you see the small cut on his nose. you're whining about how he should be more careful despite knowing what line of work he's been put in. it's irritating but katsuki doesn't want to admit that it doesn't bother him as much today. he wants to ask you how your little study date went, but he can't fix his lips to, he hates the way that sounds. and you're already dragging him off to your room where your medkit is. katsuki wants you to smile at him.

katsuki sits down onto your bed, your soft sheets make contact with his skin, he tries his best not to dirty them. your rooms changed some throughout the years, your interests changing along with you.

the first time you'd tried to patch katsuki up was when he was 14 and he'd gotten into a fight. he can't remember what for, but he does remember how you cried. he didn't understand why you did at the time, especially since you were angry at him too, so it confused him even more. you tussled a bit when katsuki refused you but a bandaid on him, saying he could do it by himself. then you'd screamed at him, your voice cracking and breaking, eyebrows furrowed. he can't remember what you'd said fully, too shocked by your expression. wether it was that he was too stubborn for his own good or that he could get an infection. he sat still after your babbling and you both sit quietly. you finally press the bandaid to his face and while you cleaned up his knuckles, you whispered.

"i really don't like it when you get hurt."

you know he's your bodyguard, that sometimes he just has to get hurt. 'cus he's apart of your dad's clan and they get hurt too. they got him out of the nightmare he lived in and it wouldn't be fair that he didn't get hurt as well. your bandages are a little loose because you'd never done this before, but katsuki doesn't say anything. after you'd finished he mumbled "i won't let anyone get a hit on me anymore."

i'll be more careful, i won't worry you anymore. i won't get hurt, so don't be sad.

you're eyes shine and you hug him tightly. his bandages are coming loose already, but he'll fix them later. he won't tell you, because you want to take care of him. he doesn't need it or want it. but his knuckles feel better and his chest feels warm, in the good way. he feels his arms wrap around you. you feel warm just like him, and he thinks this is it.

katsuki snaps out of his thought when your bed dips and he sees you. your eyebrows are pinched in worry.

"what happened ?" you're not looking at him, already cutting up some bandages.

"wasn't paying attention, bastard got a hit on me. won't happen again." he scoffs, you huff a light laugh. looking up at him mischievously. "thought you said nobody would get a hit on you anymore ?" you giggle, just the sound of it has his ears burning.

"shut up, told you it won't happen again." he scoffs, pushing at your arm. you shake your head affectionately, gesturing for his hand and he gives it to you (reluctantly). your skin feels softer than the sheets, katsuki has to keep his heart in check. "anything else hurt ?" you ask, katsuki grunts and you eye him.

"katsuki—"

"no. nothing hurts, m'good. drop it." it comes out rougher than he means, than he means with you. but you simply roll your eyes, already used to his moods. "if you're worried about me, you shoulda seen him." he huffs proudly. "i don't think i want to see that." you snort, katsuki rolls his eyes.

he wants to see you smile like you did before. what could that other guy have said that made you laugh so hard ? that makes you touch him and fix his tie and makes you stay behind at school with him ?

katsuki wonders if you have a crush on the loser in the seat next to you. he's your bodyguard, yet the ugly little feelings rears its head again and he can't help himself.

"how'd your date go ?"

fucking shit.

you blink, then snort "what date ? i was helping izuku out with math, i told you that." the bandaid around his knuckles tightens "don't say stupid stuff."

his chest feels just a bit lighter, but he still hasn't gotten to his goal just yet. "better be careful, next time he'll ask you for help fixing his diaper. fuckin' crybaby." katsuki barks a laugh when you slap his shoulder, holding back a smile of your own. he lifts your head up with his unoccupied hand. you grab at it to push him away "m'not done yet, stop it !" you squeal.

"no worries, i won't tell anyone," he smirks, you poke at his cheek with a smile "it's just us, princess. promise i won't ruin your image." he still calls you that princess nickname, because you're snobby, bratty and spoiled, but it's a bit more affectionate in the roughness of his voice that only you catch on to. you try not to look too affected by it with an eye roll. your hand flies away from his face when he snaps at your fingers.

"you're such an asshat." you huff, the smirk on his face makes your heart thump. "swear." he teases, you push at his arm with a chuckle.

you like hanging out with izuku, at first because he was fun to mess with and he looked cute when he got all blushy. but he actually is really interesting to talk to and he's funny when he isn't in his own head. he reminded you a little of yourself on your very first day of school. it's something you don't want to remember but he seemed so lost. you're glad you got to sit next to him.

but you do miss sitting next to katsuki.

"it's weird not sitting next to you anymore.." you're done bandaging his hands and start tackling his nose. before katsuki can respond you utter a quick "this'll hurt a bit," and press a cotton wad to his nose. he hisses at the sting and you apologise but he waves you off with a grunt.

katsuki can't stop looking at your little frown and sad little puppy dog eyes. and he can't help but want to tease you.

"yeah ? you miss me ?" your insulted expression is everything and he can't help but snicker, until you press the little wad harder against his nose. "fuck !" he hisses. he grips at your hand, pushing the cotton wad towards your face. he manages to nudge it against your cheek and you shake your head, you squirm around and he manages to land on top of you. you both don't realise, katsuki too focused on trying to get back at you.

he catches you off guard when he manages to grab your wrist, throwing them against your bed. and then you realise how close he is to you when his breath fans across your face.

"what're you mad at me for ? don't get embarrassed 'bout the truth," his laboured breaths is all your ears pick up on. you feel hot where his hands grip yours. they're a little moist, he's always been a bit sweaty around his hands but just maybe it has something to do with how if he were to lean in just a bit more your noses would touch. katsuki forgets he's your bodyguard and does so. you gasp at the contact, both your breathing gets harder.

"you fuckin' miss me," he breathes. you scowl up at him, lips slowly forming into a pout.

fuck, you look cute. and fuck, he wants to kiss you.

katsuki thinks maybe you don't have to smile at him. as long as you're looking at him, even just like this, that's more than okay for him.

"dick," you spit, you continue when you look towards your wall "what if i do ? you're my best friend."

no, he isn't. he's your bodyguard. it's the job he'd been entrusted by your father, it's why he's been agreeing to your every bratty whim for years now, 'cus it's his job and your dad trusts him and he owes the man his life. it's why he lets you take care of him and watch movies with him and sleep on him when you're tired.

but his chest feels warm, and his grip on your wrist tightens.

"you're such a baby," it's mean, but his eyes soften and his lip grazes your forehead. it's not even a kiss, barely a touch of his lips against the crown of your head. but your eyes are soft and he's sure his are too. he lets go of your wrists and presses his forehead to yours "m'still here y'know ? even if it's not next to you every class. don't go writin' me off."

you giggle, and you place your hand against his cheek. katsuki doesn't need to be taken care of and he's your bodyguard but he leans into your warmth lightly. your other hand reaches for the cotton wad that luckily landed next to your head during your little scuffle. you wipe his nose just like that. it's quiet and he doesn't rip his gaze away from yours, his eyes look gooey and melty like caramel. they're soft and warm and firey and so handsome. you finish by pressing a little bandaid to his nose and as thank you for taking care of him katsuki smooshes his nose to yours to make you laugh.

and you smile, in a way he knows the loser in the seat next to you never could make you. not because he's your bodyguard but cus he's your best friend, your katsuki who cuts up apples to look like little bunnies for you and the one that ties your shoe laces before you could even look down and notice they were untied, the one who brought you home. the one who'd been sitting next to you every day and will keep doing so for as long as he lives even if he can't at school.

katsuki remembers you telling him that the four bodyguards before him were no fun. that they didn't speak or play with you, but that he was your favourite. that he could be really nice and when you lean up to jokingly give him a get better kiss right on the tip of his nose, he scrunches it up and you giggle, and katsuki remembers that he's your favourite.

he'd told you he was the best and he intends on staying your favourite, so he stuffs his face in your neck and blows raspberries in it to make you giggle and to make you kick your legs he tickles you. he can admit that most bodyguards wouldn't do that. but he's your best friend, and he can admit you're his too.

WHEEW CHAPTER TEWW !! loved writing this i hope yall enjoy ! this chapter was softer but i promise i'll start getting more active later on !! just wanted to have a sorta soft kindaaa in verse katsu character study kinda chap if that makes sense :> hope yall look forward to more chapters ! (p.s. i was really excited to write this part so please don't think every chap is going to come out this fast lol 🩷💗!!!!)

taglist ! : @bkgpackets @erenstitanweave @flowershop1340 @kovu-bunnbunn @queenpiranhadon

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talizorahs · 2 years

Note

can you please make another bad batch gen fic rec list?

anon my darling!! of course i can! i've been tossing up the idea anyway, as my old fic rec list (found here) turns 10 months old in a few days. so much has changed since then, and the fandom has had some amazing fics shared with it in that time. so without further ado...

Bad Batch Fic Rec List 2.0

find below 17 gen fic recs which cover pre-canon, republic era and imperial era, also with a section for alternate au fics.

happy reading! <3

Backstory / Pre-Canon

stick together by delightwrites.

Gen | 2.9k words | Complete

Summary: "Hunter hated individual training because it separated him from his squad. He didn't even really know where his brothers were taken on those days, and even if he had known, he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't look after them."

a storm, a promise and four cadets all squeezed together in one bunk after a particularly hard day of training

Notable tags: Bad Batch as Kids, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, jeez give these boys a break

Comments: An oldie, but a goodie. I think this is one of the first fics I read when I rejoined fandom in June 2021 and it has had me in its claws ever since. Delightwrites paints us a lovely, but sad, scene of the Bad Batch in their formative years. They paint us such a good picture that the picture continues on into the painful events of the show, in fact. I will never forgive them for that. Mostly because of Transformersluna's matching comic. Ouch.

Now We Are Free by wwheeljack.

Gen | 12k words | Complete

Summary: A few weeks before the start of the Clone Wars, Clone Force 99 are given leave and travel to Naboo for shore leave. Where Hunter, Crosshair and Wrecker see a mission, Tech steps foot off Kamino for the first time in his life and changes his brothers' perspectives on the galaxy they live in.

Notable tags: N/A

Comments: I would put Wwheeljack's entire Ultra Soft Batch series here if I could, but this fic in particular has always stuck out to me in the series. It has a different tone to the rest of the entries in the journey of her story, and it writes us into a precedent that the remainder of the series is trying to catch up to.

Now We Are Free is a story about brotherhood in the face of cruelty, no matter the source. It is gentle, or it at least potrays men that are trying to be gentle in a universe that wants them to be anything but. It portrays a different start to the Clone Wars than the rest of the clones get, but the Bad Batch have always been different, so it's very fitting.

Drizzle by tincturedwords.

Gen | 15k words | Complete

Summary: One of the handlers is stupidly reckless with Crosshair’s training one day and the rest fo the batch are there to help in the aftermath.

Notable tags: Abuse of Authority, Caretaking, Hypothermia, Sharing a Bed

Comments: Drizzle is one of those fics you want to read when it's raining, to picture both the vivid scene that Tincturedwords paints us, but also the gentle comfort the second half of the fic boasts. The fic manages to say so many things without saying much at all. Tincturedwords' writing style really plays into this well, making the fic easy to read, and even easier to picture exactly what is going on. There are both big moments in the fic that I adored envisioning, such as the training sequence with sets of this series of events, but also the smaller and more initimate moments between the Bad Batch as well. There's plenty of those in the fic, even hidden between the lines, the sort that make you go "oh". Wait for a rainy day for this one, and make yourself a nice cup of tea!

Republic Era

Art of War by Moxibustion (RyuuzaKochou).

Gen | 73k words | Complete

Summary: Echo had never had any particular talents. He'd never sought to be special, never tried to break the mould. He'd never aspired to be anything more than a clockwork soldier, watching his far more brilliant brothers rise up above him. He'd never expected to wake up one day and find out that he was, in fact, the last of them.

Funny old galaxy, really.

Now he was in the Bad Batch and one thing he was rapidly beginning to understand is this: in a galaxy filled with combat engineers, the Bad Batch are artists. Echo had never really known much about art. At least… that's what he'd always thought. New body, new squad - maybe it was time to look at things in a whole new way.

A story about art, war, coping, hanging on, letting go, restoration, reforging, plotting in a brig, military intelligence isn't, Wrecker's diplomacy doesn't, cooking, the thin line between genius and madness, starting over, struggling with loss, team bonding, art therapy, guerilla knitting therapy, big boom therapy, shaking down shinies for fun and profit, guilt, rage, forgiveness, waging war by fitting in…

… and making your peace with standing out.

Notable tags: Grief/Mourning, Finding Your Place, Echo-Centric, Echo Is Equal Parts BAMF - Sassmaster - And Cinnamon Roll

Comments: I don't where to begin with this fic. The whole piece is just... wow. It's a work of art. Moxibustion is a master of the written word and every single chapter of this is example of their command of the craft. They weave us a beautiful story about Echo settling into life with the Bad Batch, but at the same time, reconciling the fact that his old life is gone. Fives is gone. The 501st as he knew it is gone. It has that bittersweet tone to it in that sense, but it is also respectful of Echo's capabilities as a trained soldier - and the Batch's abilities in turn.

Art of War treats us to a chapter for each member of the Bad Batch and Echo acclimatising to them, with an overarching storyline about grief, fitting in, and taking care of yourself. It fits on a beautiful, poignant note about Order 66 (unbeknownst to the cast of characters) and the authorities which surround the Grand Army of the Republic. I will always go back to this fic when I have a few hours to kill. I find something new hidden amongst the dialogue every single time, as Moxibustion writes each character as if they have been lifted from the show itself, then some. I will highlight Tech's two chapters in particular. I adore all of it so very much. Truly a gift to the fandom.

Success Rate by Viva_Islenska.

Gen | 64k words | Ongoing (14/16 chapters)

Summary: On a risky assignment to liberate allied hostages, Clone Force 99 is ambushed and overwhelmed. With the mission objective at stake, Tech and Echo stay behind as the rest of the Bad Batch is forced to make a hasty escape. Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker race to complete the assignment while Echo, dazed, injured, and badly damaged, occupies a prison cell onboard a transport bound for kark-knows-where. What’s worse? His brother lies bleeding and bereft of his goggles in the cell next door. (Takes place between CW 7.4 and TBB 1.1)

Notable tags: CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Whump, Tech Whump (Star Wars: The Bad Batch)

Comments: Success Rate is a heart-stopping thriller from cover-to-cover and we've only just got to the gentle comfort of 'hurt/comfort' in the most recent chapter 14. Viva_Islenka is an amazing writer for the heart-wrenching torture scenes, gripping rescue scenes, careful medical scenes, and finally, the gentle comforting scenes at the end. Their version of the Bad Batch are so astute to their canon selves that it feels like you are reading an episode straight out of the show itself. I really, really enjoy their writing style and how it moulds so well into the story they are telling us, albeit laced with maximum hurt/comfort to boot! Please go give them some love for the ongoing story!

Grit by CT_IForgot.

Gen | 33k words | Ongoing (12/? chapters) Currently on hiatus.

Summary: Grit (n.) 1. Small particles of sand. 2. Courage, resolve, determination.

Grit (v.) 3. Doing absolutely anything and everything possible to ensure the five squad members that started the mission are still alive at the end of the mission.

Notable tags: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Injury

Comments: This style of mission fic is not one you often see in fandom, so CT_IForgot treats us to a horror-esque story that's written with expert craftmanship to match. Their writing style is born for this sort of story; suspenseful, action-packed, and gutwrenching. They paint us a vivid picture of the Bad Batch (with Echo) trying to confront an invisible foe, but also foes from within the Grand Army of the Republic. The story also allows the Bad Batch to fail (and fail they do!) which is another theme not often explored within this fandom and its fan fiction. And not only does it allow them to fail, but it explores their failures and the realistic consequences of said failures, while still sticking to its horror-esque genre and the mission fic trope.

I can't give CT_IForgot enough love this amazing addition to the fandom's fan fiction halls. Please go give them some extra love while they're on hiatus! Please also be sure to heed the warnings!

To Love and Be Loved by eternalqueenofthemyscira.

Gen | 11k words | Complete

Summary: Three times that Tech’s brothers tell him that they love him and one time he starts to believe them.

Notable tags: Brotherly Love

Comments: This fic is just. So cute. I go back and re-read it when I need a pick-me-up, or when I need to wind down in the evenings. Eternal writes us into four gorgeous scenarios across the Clone Wars (unfortunately without Echo) which focuses on Tech's relationship with the three other founding members of the Bad Batch. It borrows from Wwheeljack's Ultra Soft Batch series in a way, that Tech is characterised as an unsure and shy man who struggles to find his place in amongst his unit. But the fic is also gentle and permitting to Tech as he ponders his reason for being, while existing in a galaxy at war. Eternal gives Tech ample time to learn, and she is kind to the rest of the Bad Batch in turn, allowing them to be gentle despite what is going on around them.

Pyrrhic Victory by TheEasternEmpress.

Gen | 5.8k words | Complete

Summary: Pyrrhic victory - a victory that comes at a great cost, perhaps making the ordeal to win not worth it.

The Bad Batch’s mission was marked as a success, but a feeling of failure flooded every corner of the Havoc Marauder. In their hearts, the Bad Batch knew they had truly failed.

Notable tags: Mentions of Child Death

Comments: As the name suggests, this fic follows a particularly haunting mission for the Bad Batch in the early years of the Clone Wars. We know that the unit boast a 100% success rate, but this fic is one of those that makes you ponder how that 'success' is defined. Empress explores this concept hauntingly, in a way, but also in a way that is comforting - to us as the readers, and to the characters in this scenario. I really enjoyed her use of language throughout the piece, with long, swelling paragraphs that paint the picture of a larger scene of desired peace between her Batch members. Though this is a sad fic, it's another one I go and re-read when I need it, because it gives you the message of "it's okay to fail, even if you've succeeded". It's a lovely message and this is a lovely fic to match.

The Burden of Command by Destril.

Gen | 4.1k words | Complete

Summary: Hunter is struggling under the pressure of balancing his duty as their Sergeant and with his duty as their brother as the war rages on and Clone Force 99 is pushed to the brink. His team notices and steals a moment to just breathe and take care of their brother.

Notable tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hunter is trying to be the best leader and best brother he can

Comments: Full disclosure, I prompted this fic out of Destril because I adore her iteration of the Bad Batch so very much. The Burden of Command focuses on the unit nearing the end of the war (including Echo!), and it's a unit that's dreadfully weighed down by responsibility and fighting (fighting droids, and in-fighting). Like with Silence, Destril paints us a picture of an imperfect squad with a perfect track record. That pressure is enough for anyone to crumble under, to which this fic portrays them succumbing to some of the pressure. Hunter, specifically. Somebody needs to give that man a break.

Destril weaves us a beautiful picture of some of the Bad Batch's downtime with this fic. A slice of life, sort of thing, with hurt/comfort mixed it. Her writing is a treat, allowing us to explore those hidden moments, with beautiful brotherly intimacy between this group of 5 men. I'm very thankful for the chance to prompt her, and just had to include this fic in my must-read list.

Imperial Era / Current Canon

Exceptional Minds by Echo_Base1.

Gen | 6.2k words | Complete

Summary: Tech and Omega grapple with guilt and unfamiliarity following Daro.

Notable tags: Omega & Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) (relationship), Character Study

Comments: This fic is a lovely insight into Tech's state of mind following the events of season 1, episode 14 (War Mantle). It sees Tech trying to reconcile what happened to Hunter with Tech's reason for being - his intelligence and his 'enhancement'. Echo_Base gives us some lovely insight into Tech's upbringing on Kamino for him to have adopted this point of view, and how the Bad Batch being on the run has continually challenged Tech's previous views of himself. It then complements this line of thinking, in its study of Tech, by introducing us to Omega, who is similarily upset after the events on Daro. The two of them have a heartfelt conversation about what happened. It's one of those canon 'missing scene' fics for me, between episodes 14 and 15, and one I will hold dearly to my chest. Echo_Base really brings it home here in the end, and goes in for the kill in the last section. A good read all the way through.

I need a minute (to get my head straight) by postapocalyptic_cryptic.

Gen | 407 words (drabble) | Complete

Summary: For the dialogue prompts: 'I just need to rest' for Hunter.

Notable tags: Post Season 1, [Hunter's] had a rough couple of weeks

Comments: I always really enjoy Mikey's short Batch fics and this one is another great one to their collection. In 400 words, I am worrying, smiling sadly, worrying some more, and then smiling bittersweetly. It also touches on something the show does not - that is, is Hunter okay? He fell off a mountain, got captured, held hostage, fought droids, survived a bombardment, and then escaped a destroyed underwater city. Someone give this man a break.

Long Road Ahead by pierced_shrike (hanged_albatross).

Gen | 3.1k words | Complete

Summary: Just like their armor, the Bad Batch changes over the months following the destruction of Kamino.

Notable tags: Obligatory Trailer Fic, Cuz ya'll- the outfit change

Comments: I love this fic. Love love love this fic. It fills the gap between seasons 1 and 2, where we now know we will see the Bad Batch change their armour. It is so bittersweet, so beautiful, yet tells the story it needs to. Every word has purpose and it hits said purpose, tenfold. I have always really enjoyed Hanged_Albatross' works (one featured on the last rec list!) so it's a joy to see them return to the fandom with such a gorgeous fic.

Other / AU

Scrambled Feelings All Get Replaced by Littleking_caduceus.

Gen | 3.6k words | Complete

Summary: A distant part of Tech, the one separate from the chip, separate from the eyes wide with misplaced, fiery anger, would have screamed at himself. He was hurting his family. Was this how Crosshair felt? His twin brother, his little brother, pushed by an unseen force to hurt the ones he loved for an unnamed crime?

What if Tech had been the one who's inhibitor chip activated on Bracca?

Notable tags: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Sign Language

Comments: Littleking weaves us a short but sharp 'what if' look into Tech's chip activating on Bracca. We get the wrenching action, but we also get the tender care afterwards, which makes this fic a perfect execution of the hurt/comfort trope. I really enjoyed how Littleking's writing style moulded to the theme of the fic, particularly the second 'comfort' chapter. The inclusion of the Batch's realistic reactions (specifically Hunter) to what happened is the icing on the cake for really enjoying this brief but impactful exploration into an alternative path of action on Bracca.

Even If We Break by NightOwl1796.

Gen | 2k words | Complete

Summary: [The only sound was the whispering of the waves, carrying on the breeze, sailing into nothingness. And suddenly the infinitely aching realisation that Crosshair would not resurface on his own hit him like a dagger in the chest.]

It is Crosshair's capsule that does not resurface from the Kaminoan waters. This time, Hunter won't leave him behind. Not again.

Notable tags: Drowning

Comments: I really, really love this 'what if' exploration for season 1, episode 16 (Kamino Lost). It's short and sweet, but it does the job for an emotional twist of the knife about Crosshair's motif of being left behind by the Bad Batch. And it does it well, in a song fic, which is themed to Brother by Kodaline. Which I have on all of my Bad Batch playlists. Ouch.

Carry Us Away by lunarshadow.

Gen | 5.5k words | Complete

Summary: “Echo,” he repeated, “I will not be angry at you for leaving me. It is the only choice we have. And I will not let you die here when you clearly have a way to survive.”

Tech’s grip tightened on Echo’s shoulder, a sincere look in his eyes. Echo had never seen Tech like this. One thing was for sure: he wanted Echo to do this. Losing an ongoing battle to the flood swimming in his eyes, Echo heard his brother whisper one more word.

“Please.”

OR: What happens when Tech and Echo's capsule is the one that remains underwater.

Notable tags: Tech Whump (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Drowning

Comments: This fic is exactly the same as the above fic (a 'what if' for Kamino Lost) but it focuses on Tech instead of Crosshair. And I enjoyed it just the same, just because Lunarshadow paints us a gut wrenching picture while balancing it with some more repetitive Crosshair motifs. It reads beautifully and I can't speak more highly of the imagery. Carry Us Away really did let me think of where we could have been, what with this course of the story for episode 16, and it's somewhere I wouldn't have minded ending up at all.

if the ocean was whiskey by hellowkatey.

Gen | 5k words | Complete

Summary: If you are reading this, then you must have the unfortunate privilege of encountering my brothers while they are under the influence of alcoholic beverages. First, I begrudgingly apologize on their behalf.

Second, I have rigged this message to be automatically delivered to the comms of those in their vicinity whenever their blood-alcohol levels rise above a level to indicate they are beyond the capacity of rational thought. I hope this guide may offer some helpful tips in the event that they start to escalate any situations, as they are known to do.

Good luck, and I hope to not hear from you tonight. -Tech

Notable tags: Drunken Shenanigans, vignettes of the batch being fools

Comments: This fic is just. So funny. Hellowkatey is an amazing writer, and this fic is an example of her writing ability and range within the numerous genres and fandoms she is a part of. If The Ocean Was Whiskey was a product of our amused musings in an 'out of character' roleplay chat and I will go and re-read it whenever I need to smile a little bit. It explores each of the Bad Batch's reactions to being drunk, and Tech's reactions to each of them throughout their drunken shenengians (as Tech himself abstains from drinking alcohol).

I've lumped it in the 'other' tab as it reads a little like crack!fic, but it's crack only in the sense that it involves drugs and alcohol. You can also check out the associated roleplay thread, Adjustments For Life and Personality (and How It Hurts).

The World We Once Knew, Gone It Is by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz.

Gen | 77k words | Ongoing (8/? chapters)

Summary: What if it wasn't Crosshair's chip that activated with Order 66?

What if the chip that activated belonged to the leader of the Bad Batch?

What happens then?

Notable tags: Echo's Leadership Era, Imperial Hunter

Comments: I have no idea where to start with Kate and her fic. She has crafted us a beautiful alternate universe that manages to be even more painful than canon, with Crosshair's inhibitor chip activating. She crafts us a universe where the Bad Batch are struggling without their leader, but are coming into their own with the void that Hunter's absence/betrayal has left them. It touches on all of the correct and satisfying emotional notes, including addressing that void, Hunter's fall, and the outcomes of that while having a child in tow. The fic also boasts a storyline for Hunter while he is under the influence of his inhibitor chip, and an interesting one at that, which continues to develop in Kate's ongoing chapters. She has just released chapters 7 & 8.

Please go give her some love for the ongoing work. She deserves all of it, then some, with the innovative and captivating universe she has created. Her writing style leaves you hanging for more, but it makes you read between the lines as well - where Kate generously leaves us plenty of clues for what is going on in her newly-crafted universe. Her ability to have you on the edge of your seat is unparalled. Truly another gift work to the fandom.

#the bad batch #star wars #tbb #bad batch #fic rec #thank you nonnie u just accelerated something i was already thinking of doing pfffft #so this worked well #enjoy the recs!!!!#and feel free to ask for more always #i have read every gen fic in the tag i swear #this show has me in a chokehold #not bioware

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theduosetter · 3 years

Text

━ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 ║𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐨

☆ Pairing: Au!Kuroo Tetsuro x f!reader

☆ Summary: Two broken hearts never truly heal no matter how many years pass. Maybe because the only person who can heal it is the one who caused the tear.

☆ Warning(s): angst, fluff,

☆ A|N: any feedback is appreciated! If you can please give it a heart or reblog it would really help my writing. Thank you!

Kuroo sighed for what seemed the millionth time today. His mind kept wandering off somewhere else, today felt different. There was something within him saying that today wasn't going to be the same again.

His phone vibrated once more alerting him of another incoming message. The screen lit up with the name Nanami. His lips moved as he saw the words spread out on the white background. Closing his eyes he leaned back against his office chair.

"What's with your face?" a voice spoke.

Kuroo rolled his eyes, "Nothing is wrong with my face, Kenma."

"Liar." he placed the folder down on his desk, "Is it Nanami?"

"No..." he half smiled "She's great actually... things are good between us right now."

"For someone who says that it sure doesn't look like it." Kenma said "Could have fooled me."

He sat up and looked at his friend, "Is there something that still needs to be done?"

Kenma shook his head "No everything important got taken care of."

Standing up he grabbed his blazer and put it on. "If anyone else calls can you take care of it?"

"Ok." before Kuroo could make it out the door, Kenma then asked him "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be alright. See you tomorrow..." he slightly smiled then took off.

Your feet grew tired as you kept walking the busy streets. The sun was just about to set down on the ocean. Even though it was warm, the air was nothing but fresh, the perk of living near coast.

A small smile formed on your lips as you saw kids running around the nearby playground, playing with their friends. It was the purest sound in the world; you thought.

There was never a doubt in your mind that being a mom was a gift. You hoped one day you too would have the chance at raising a mini you or a little boy that looked like your partner.

Your phone then rang. You quickly took it out of your bag and accepted the call.

"Hey love." you said "I'm on my way back home."

"I can't wait to see you." he said, making your chest tighten "I might be preparing something delicious for tonight."

"Really?" you asked "What's the occasion?"

He smiled, leaning back against the sink. "What, I can't just do something special for the love of my life?"

Your smile faltered as you remembered those words. Those were the ones that hurt you the most, even after almost 10 years.

"Of course you can." you replied "Can I have a hint on what it may be?"

"You would figure it out right away like last time. I'm not making that mistake again." he chuckled.

"It was one time, h/n." you smiled small, "Do you need me to bring something home from the store? I'm close to it."

"Pick out any drink you want to have and dessert if you'd like."

"Okay now I'm really curious about what you have up your sleeve, boy." you chuckled.

He bit his lip, smiling as he heard your laughter. "Don't take too long, alright?"

"I'll do my best love since it is rush hour. Wait for me?"

"Like you have to ask." he leaned over checking the food "I can't wait to see you. Text me when you get to the station."

"I will, love." you bid him goodbye and hung up.

It's sad how he has tried his best to make you happy and yet there's never a moment where something doesn't remind you of him. All these years you still wonder about how he's doing with his new partner. If he could accomplish the goals he had set out for himself. Even the thought if he maybe... still thought about you like you did.

Sighing, you shook your head "Stop it... you can't keep doing this to him. You're with h/n now not with him, he chose you agreed. No more second guessing." You mumbled.

You were about to turn left at the end of the playground when a stranger collided into you. Your feet slipped from underneath you. The bar that was put up around the playground was too far away for you to hold on to. Folding your elbows back, you opened your hands wide so you could stop your head from hitting the pavement.

Lucky enough, the tall stranger reacted in time and pulled you into him to avoid you injuring yourself. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah... I'm fine..." you replied "That was close- wow I almost fell-" you tilted your head up and your breathing stopped.

The stranger kept their arm around your back, holding you against his chest. His eyes roamed the details on your face, from your eyes to shape of your lips. His heart was pounding against his chest, not believing you were in front of him.

"K-Kuroo..." you muttered.

"Y/n... I never thought I'd see you here." his brain couldn't wrap around the idea that you were here.

Realizing your chest was too close to his, you gently stepped back. Your cheeks flushed "I- um... I-I work around here."

"Right..." he mumbled "I thought you had stayed in Tokyo, is all."

"I got a job offer awhile back." You said "I've been living here ever since. What about you?..."

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling shy suddenly. "I'm working with a company on a project along with Kenma."

"Wow... I knew Kenma was in town but didn't think you'd be here as well."

His head shot up "You spoke to Kenma?"

"Yeah..." you answered "He reached out to me and asked if we could meet up. I've been busy so I haven't had the chance..."

"Why didn't Kenma say anything to me?..." there was hurt in his eyes from the sudden news. "I thought Kenma of all people-"

You cut him off "I told Kenma that I didn't want you knowing. Don't blame him..."

"I see..."

The cars passed by, not knowing or caring about the two ex lovers on the sidewalk. Every person was moving on with their lives, focusing on getting home to their families.

You tried your best to calm your emotions. It was difficult to keep the facade up. Your body was itching to be again in his arms. "I should get going... goodbye Kuroo." you walked passed him hoping to forget you ever saw him.

However, Kuroo didn't want to let you go again this time. "Y/n, wait!" he yelled as he ran after you.

"He's not calling my name..." you repeated under your breath "He's not calling my name." Ignoring the loud sounds coming from the cars, you crossed the street.

"Y/n!" Kuroo yelled louder as he reached for you and held your wrist gently in his hand.

Looking over your shoulder, you made eye contact. "What are you doing, Kuroo?..."

"We need to talk." he gently spoke "It's been too many years."

"There's nothing to say about anything." you looked into his eyes "We both have our different lives, let's focus on that okay?"

"I don't want to walk away from you and regret it for the rest of my life again." Kuroo begged, "Please, give me a few minutes to talk with you...please."

Looking down at your watch, you saw you had some minutes to spare. "Okay..."

He let go of you, "Come on, I know where we should go." you followed him to the nearby bridge that was above an intersection along with shops down the street. You walked up the stairs and sat down on a bench that was in the middle of the two stairways.

It was awkward. As the seconds passed by, all you could think of were the things you wanted to say but felt afraid of saying it out loud. You were timid when it came to expressing how you felt since you were in high school. Yet when you met Kuroo that barrier was destroyed only for it to be rebuilt again a few years later.

"What did you need to tell me?" you asked, playing with your fingers.

"I'm sorry for how we ended things." your movement stopped "I thought back then that it was for the best. I didn't want to continue fighting every time with you. The amount of times we ended up apart became more frequent than the times we had ever spent together." His gazed was fixed on ground feeling too vulnerable to look at you "I didn't want to keep hurting you."

"I can't believe- why now?" you asked "Was that the reason you chose? You didn't want to stay and fixed things so you let me go?"

"We couldn't make things better and you know that y/n." he answered "Every time we tried it put distance between us more and more."

You closed your eyes trying to not let the tears fall "It's the fact that you lost hope in us that hurt Kuroo, not the breakup."

"It hurt me too..." he explained "But it hurt me more knowing you were suffering and not giving you the happiness that you deserved."

"I didn't care..." you sniffled "All I wanted was to be with you and solved it together. I kept on trying to find an answer as to what I did that was so wrong that made you leave me."

"What are you talking about-"

"You seriously don't remember?" you looked at him "The things you said to me that day... when I asked you why and all you said was because I didn't love you anymore, I don't want to stay by you. It's for the best Y/n go find your own life and forget about me."

He looked away, closing his eyes tightly. "I didn't mean to sound harsh..."

"But you did." you wiped away your tears "What hurt was the fact that you acted happy the last few days with me then suddenly... you ripped it off like a bandaid Kuroo..."

"I know..." he said "I know I fucked up- I kept thinking back every day after what happened."

You got up from the bench "Why did you pretend you were happy with me?"

"I wasn't pretending!" he exclaimed, getting up as well. "I was happy being with you."

"Could have fooled me... because knowing this now and you not remembering what you told me makes it harder to believe anything you say!"

"I need you. Trust me when I say that I still love you y/n." he stated.

"I-I can't..." you muttered, covering your face.

You were a sobbing mess, and it broke his heart that he was hurting you again when he vowed never to. Kuroo stepped forward slowly, trying to approach you.

"Please don't cry..." he said.

"I'm just tired of this... feeling this vulnerable and thinking about you," you admitted, "when I should focus on my future and not on the past..."

Kuroo stood in front of you, "Do you still love me?..." you didn't answer. He carefully took your hands into his own as he uncovered your face. "Do you still love me?..." he repeated himself.

His touch was arm, your head was dizzy. It's been so long since you were this close to him again. 'Did I still love him?' you thought, trying to figure out the answer on your own.

He gently wiped away your tears, "Because I haven't stopped Y/n... no matter where I'm going or who I'm with my mind goes back to you."

"Where was this 7 years ago?" you questioned "This love and worry you have about me? How you don't want to see me walk away from you again. Why did you show it too late to me? I wasted so much time wondering over someone who never once batted an eye to me when I saw you on campus those two years after our break up. I almost failed because my emotions were all over the place. If it hadn't been for the friends I had I wouldn't have moved on. Now you suddenly see me again one day and you confess you still love me? When you had chance after chance to tell me but chose not to." you clenched your jaw "You don't get to comeback and tell me you love me... it's not fair."

"I lived with the ache in my chest whenever I saw someone or something that reminded me of you. Out of all the y/n's in the world and each time someone said your name I turned around it hopes it was you but came empty every time it was a stranger." he breathed out trying to not break down in front of you but it became impossible. His voice cracked "I-I... still wish everyday that it had been you... y-you by my side a-and not someone else..."

"I wished we had met when we were older and wiser..." you whispered "Maybe then... this pain wouldn't exist within us."

He held your hand to his chest holding it tightly as he closed his eyes, trying to memorize your warmth. "We didn't know what to do... we were young and naive thinking love was such an easy thing to feel." he sniffled "It would be so easy... so damn e-easy... to say I'm sorry and start all over again. To go back to the days where were in l-love... without any problems..."

In all your years you had known Kuroo it was such a rare sight for him to cry and breakdown in front of you. After years, you were surprised to see he didn't feel shy or embarrassed of showing it to you again. It's like he had grown.

Gently you cupped his right cheek and he leaned into your touch. "I still do love you Kuroo..." you confessed "It scares me that I haven't been able to move on without you."

"I'm so sorry..." the pool of tears he held in his eyes were finally escaping "Maybe things would have worked o-out... if we had- no I had expressed my feelings earlier and told you how I felt from the beginning. If I had opened up myself up to you more and not runaway from the only person that had ever made me feel a whole. But I can't... I-I can't turn back time that was then and t-this is now..."

It was late. Yet hearing those words that you had dreamed for years to happen finally did. Life was definitely funny sometimes. One day you can keep convincing yourself you don't need that person that you're fine without them, then have it change with one interaction.

Smiling weakly you wiped away his tears. He smiled small feeling your thumb gently move against his cheek. "I can't believe I'm saying this but..." a chuckle escaped your lips "After all we've been through and still you make my heart beat like a teenager all over again."

"I would do anything to see you smile, Y/n." his eyes shined brightly as the sun's light reflected off his hazel orbs.

Your faces began to grow closer to one another. The space that was in between you two got shorter the longer you stared into each other's eyes.

"There's not anything else in this world that makes me happy as you do, y/n." he said.

Your foreheads gently rested against one another. His hands held your own tightly and brought them up to his lips. It made your stomach grow butterflies again.

Closing your eyes you focused on his touch not on the sounds of traffic. "I’d have my heart broken all over again if it meant that I could have those first six months with you."

He added "Those were the best months of my life."

Your phone then vibrated with messages coming in all at once. Kuroo freed one of your hands, you unlocked your device to see they were from h/n.

"Shoot..." you bit your lip.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"My...um boyfriend... is asking where I am..." you answered feeling conflicted as to what would be the best thing to do.

"You call him and reassure him you're okay." he said "If I was in his place I'd be worried too."

You were surprised by how mature he was, nodding you dialed his number. After a few seconds h/n picked up. Kuroo stood by your side and waited for you to finish.

"Y/n! Where are you I've been worried sick!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry... I saw a friend and they needed to talk to me. I didn't mean to make you worry." you explained.

He breathed out in relief knowing you were okay. "It's okay, I'm glad you're okay. Are you on your way back home or are you still with them?"

"I'm still with them I didn't realize it would take long. But I'll be going to the station soon to grab the last train home." you answered.

"Alright, are you sure you don't want me to go pick you up?" he asked "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"No don't worry I'll be home soon. I'll make sure to keep you posted okay?"

"Okay, please be careful. I love you." he said.

"I will, see you soon." you hung up then looked at him. "I should get going, Kuroo."

"I understand." he kissed your forehead softly "You don't owe me an explanation okay? Let's take it one step at a time. And if you still want to see me then I'll be here waiting for you. Like I should have done in the beginning."

Your heart swelled with joy that you wrapped your arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He smiled softly hugging you back tightly, "I missed you so much." you spoke burying your face in his neck.

"I missed you too, Y/n." he rested his chin on top of your head "Can I take you home?"

"I'd like that."

It didn't matter how long it took, he wasn't going to mess this second chance he had with you. He would wait a year if he needed to to be alongside you again. You were his world.

#kuroo tetsurō #kuroo testuro x reader #kuroo x reader #hq kuroo #hq!! x reader #hq!! scenarios #hq angst #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu blog #haikyuu!!#haikyu x reader #haikyuu x self insert #hq!! fluff #kuroo tetsuro

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corvus--rex · 3 years

Text

Ok ok ok. So. This one is actually one of my favorites. This one is Trip the Darkness, another one of the few that actually has a working title. This one is a Demon Au, but way different from the ones I've seen, and, well, you'll see. Just know that the boys are OLD, and that I've shredded my Catholic education and taken certain (huge) liberties with it. It's also a little longer at ~5k words. I consider it the first complete chapter, I just. . .haven't gotten around to writing any more for it, so consider this one sleeping for now.

~*~*~*~

Keith looked up from his easel as Lance rolled over across the bed in their artist’s loft apartment. He was propped up on his elbows scrolling through his phone, the overcast diffuse light from floor-to-ceiling Victorian windows illuminating his dark skin and obsidian silk pants with a soft glow. Lacuna Coil blasted from strategically placed speakers around the apartment, Lance absently singing along to Senzafine, the Italian lyrics rolling off his tongue effortlessly with centuries of practice. The song ended, the schoolyard notes of Take Me Home starting up. Lance let out a small disappointed whine, but dove into the new song.

Keith laughed softly at the whine. “You’re adorable.”

“What’s even more adorable is that you still sound like smoke and ash after all this time here,” Lance replied, glancing up from his phone.

It was always a heart-wrenching thing being reminded of the home they were separated from. The Templars had unintentionally blurred the edges of the mortal plane and Hell, allowing all manner of demons, devils, and others to cross over. It wasn’t until the Inquisition that the gateway was closed, trapping Hell’s children among humanity. They learned to adapt and blend in with mortals, some hiding their true natures better than others. As High Caste demons, Keith and Lance had an easier time blending in. Their power level made altering their forms simple, unlike some lesser demons, and in particular the devils, the lowest tier of Hell’s caste structure. They were only one step above hellions, the most numerous of Hell’s population, although the term was used universally to refer to her children.

The Church had destroyed or secreted away everything the Templars had accumulated, making the return to Hell impossible. No one, not even the demons, knew exactly what the Templars had done to open the gates of Hell or what the Inquisition had done to close them. Everything relating to both events was locked away deep beneath the Vatican, inaccessible to all but a very select few. Too many demons had disappeared over the centuries desperately searching for the way home. Lance, Keith, and their Hell-bred friends had adapted to life with humans. Going home was something they all wanted, but none of them were willing to risk their lives.

Keith had let go of a part of his human form, his hands and forearms black, cracked, and veined with molten metal. He was using the heat he summoned to burn a scene from Hell into the slab of wood sitting on his easel with his two-inch-long claws. Getting curious, Lance stood, releasing his leathery wings, and stretched, coming up behind his eons-old lover. Keith kept working, reveling in the demonic heat radiating from Lance. He fed off it, his veins burning brighter. Lance slipped his arms around Keith’s bare waist, pulling him back. Keith leaned into it, raking his claws up Lance’s arms, leaving a trail of midnight blue sparks.

“Careful,” Lance warned, “We don’t need to burn down another building.”

“There isn’t anywhere safe enough for us to not attract mortal attention,” Keith complained.

Lance snorted. “The last time anyone tried, Mount Saint Helens erupted. Could have told the dipshit that an active volcano wasn’t the best idea.”

Keith chuckled at the memory. “Mm, yeah, but that was a devil. Not the smartest of Hell’s children.”

“Oh fuck no,” he agreed with a soft bark of a laugh.

Lance let the sparks spread up his forearms, warm tan skin turning the midnight blue of the sparks, gold veins cracking the surface, then sinking back in, giving his skin a warm, unearthly glow. When the deep blue reached his fingertips, claws like tarnished gold extended. And then his phone rang, the bells of the Undertaker’s theme sounding off the brick walls. Keith was about to go back to working on his scene when Lance answered the call from across the room with the barest twitch of his fingers.

Without greeting, the voice on the other end simply said, “Do you still want to go home?”

They both stopped. The voice was one they hadn’t heard in centuries. The last time either one of them had heard it, they had been in Hell. They weren’t even aware that the voice’s owner had crossed over. So, they were understandably cautious when answering.

“Of course we do,” Keith said, “What kind of question is that?”

“One I expect an answer to. And an answer I have. Go. And tell no one.”

The call disconnected, and a text came in from the same number. There was an address and a time, but nothing else.

“I don’t like this,” Lance said, “He didn’t come over. I know he didn’t. I want to go home as much as you do, but I don’t trust this.”

“As demons, we’re bound by our code of conduct. There are rules. And what would even trying to kill us achieve?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. If we go, and something happens, no one will know what happened to us.”

Keith tapped his claws on Lance’s arms, deep in thought. “We don’t have to tell anyone. It’s what he said. But we can leave a message. We haven’t told anyone anything, but it leaves a trail if something happens.”

Lance laughed, molten and bubbling. “The letter of the agreement. He probably didn’t expect us to know that since neither of us are crossroads demons.”

Keith chuckled darkly, his arms and hands changing from black to alabaster. He hung a drop cloth over the unfinished scene and went to change into human clothes. Lance followed, his deep blue wings melting into his back, taking on the appearance of a tattoo. The blue and gold of his skin retook a human appearance, and he, too, changed into something human-appropriate.

They left a message behind, burned into the air. Mortals would never notice it, but their demon friends would. And only their demon friends knew how to access the apartment. As a security measure, they had removed the lock and handle from the door, leaving only smooth wood. Entry could only be gained through the appropriate infernal magics, and only they and their friends knew the exact sequence.

The sky had cleared and the sun was low in the autumn sky, and the pair walked to the address they were given, shortening the distance by slipping between shadows. Their destination was clear across the city, but they arrived in minutes. They both saw right through the illusion put on the old storefront.

To mortals, it appeared to be an aging convenience store, the type that had been in one place for so long that it went practically unnoticed. There was an added layer, one that would make mortals even less interested in the apparent business. But to the Hell-born, the business was nonexistent. In its place was the same space, but empty, abandoned. Derelict spaces were usually the domain of devils, demons preferring more luxury. But the figure inside was definitely a demon. It made them even more cautious as they approached.

Having the same thought, both blinked once, their eyes returning to their natural state, while the rest of their human form remained. While Keith’s irises retained their royal violet shade, the sclerae turned dark gold, nearly black, with a blood red ring around the core of the irises. Lance’s turned gold-flecked midnight blue, his usually blue irises gold-veined black. It allowed them to discern more than their human eyes could see, even with their magic.

They were immediately alerted to the fact that the demon in front of them was another illusion. The space was empty. They walked through the shadow cast by a streetlight and stepped onto the roof. From their new vantage point, they could see the entire neighborhood, but they were immediately far more interested in the building they were standing on, which bled its infernal aura into air and earth. The rooftop was coated in a layer of gravel, but they could tell there was something underneath it. Keith leapt onto the ledge, perching there on the balls of his feet while Lance swept the gravel aside with a flick of his wrist.

The entire roof was covered in demonic writing and sigils. Some of it was simply the illusion and redirection magic for the false storefront, and ignored. The demon illusion was interesting, but only in how it was executed. Keith scanned the roof from his perch, finding the pattern in the sigils. It implied a portal spell, but was incomplete. It was also inelegantly formed, and would never bring the caster where they wished to go. It had the origin, the location of the building they were on, and the destination, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, but the connection was broken, parts missing. If anyone attempted to complete the connection without correcting the myriad mistakes, they were more likely to end up on the ocean floor.

The demon script largely consisted of notes on the portal spell. The logic of the potential caster was severely flawed, and showed a distinct lack of understanding regarding the magics they were attempting to use. Keith wiped away the glaring mistakes and the notes. What was left was an outline for a proper portal spell, and a short note.

We are watched

Keith pointed it out. “The fuck is ‘we’?”

“And who the fuck is watching?” Lance added.

They both felt a slow tingle beginning. It was coming from street-level. Keith turned, finding a mortal human standing on the sidewalk under the street light. He was whispering something, and it only took Keith a second to realize that they were praying. But not to any human god. They were praying to Hell itself.

<We have company.>Keith mentally projected. <Sidewalk. They’re praying to Hell. And they’re human. What the actual fuck is going on?>

<Today just keeps getting weirder. What do you want to do?>Lance responded.

<Dunno. I mean, mortals we can handle, but how does this one know what they’re in front of?>

Lance shrugged, then joined Keith on the ledge. The human was still praying. In Latin, as if the language was more important than the words themselves. It amused them that mortals still clung to that one. The words and the intent behind them were what was important. The language was irrelevant. But this human continued, oblivious to the audience they had.

Keith looked to Lance and quirked an eyebrow. Lance grinned and followed Keith through the shadow and back to the ground. They returned to their more human vision before passing in front of the praying human, who stopped when they crossed his path, his head bent.

“I know what you are,” he said.

Lance and Keith circled back, standing on either side of the mortal.

“And what’s that?” Lance asked.

The mortal swallowed. He was nervous, but unafraid. “You’re demons.”

“And what if we were?” Keith asked.

“I want to learn from you. I believe that one of my ancestors was a demon, and I want to learn and reclaim my heritage.”

<What the actual fuck?! Is this guy for real?>Keith asked.

<One too many human horror movies, I think.> Lance answered.

Aloud, Keith asked, “What makes you think that? Either that we are what you seem to think, or that you are what you seem to think?”

“You both walked out of that shadow. You weren’t there before that.”

“Ok,” Lance said, “You’re unobservant. Doesn’t prove anything. And what about this demonic ancestry you’re claiming? How’d you come to that conclusion?”

The mortal still hadn’t raised his head, refusing to look at either one of them. “I’ve researched my family history back to the seventeenth century. One of my direct ancestors claimed to have been visited by a demon. She was carrying the demon’s child at the time, and died in childbirth during an exorcism. My family have had odd traits ever since, and were branded as witches. I can see the auras surrounding people and objects. I’ve known this building was taken by demons for a while. But I didn’t think I’d run into any.”

“Well that was a story and a half. You sure this ancestor wasn’t just trying to cover up an affair? Also, how the fuck did you even find any kind of records like that?”

“Yes!” the mortal snapped. “And old churches are very willing to share their records with history students.”

“Right,” Keith scoffed, “Because those are always accurate.”

“Maybe I’ll go inside that convenience store and ask them.”

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you? I mean, I get that you’re trying to get us to spill some secret by tripping us up, but there’s no secret to spill, kid. You go in there and ask about demons and they’re either going to laugh you out or call the cops.”

Lance patted Keith’s shoulder. “It’s ok. I got this, babe.” He put a heavy hand on the mortal’s shoulder from behind and leaned in close to his ear. “Even if we were demons, who would ever believe you? You would be labeled delusional and thrown in an institution. I mean, it’s better than the whole witch treatment, but still. Go home, kid. Go home, and find a real hobby. Something that doesn’t involve chasing ghosts.”

The human pulled a small knife from his coat pocket and pricked his finger, letting the blood well.

“Now what the fuck are you doing?” Keith asked, getting exasperated. They had things to do that didn’t include humoring a human.

The mortal didn’t answer. He drew a line across the back of his hand with his bloody finger, then retrieved a lighter from another pocket. He flicked it to life and Lance grabbed it, letting it go out.

“I don’t know what in the fuck you’re planning to do with that, but how about we not?” he said.

“You’re just afraid that I’m right. That I know your secret. You’re both demons, and you know that I’m telling the truth. And I’ll prove it.” While he was talking, he had pulled out another lighter, flicking it on and lighting the drying blood on his hand. It shouldn’t have done anything but burn his hand. But it did. The blood ignited with blue flame.

<Well, he’s not right, but he’s not entirely wrong, either. Kid’s part devil.> Keith sent.

<So I see. What do we want to do about this? I mean, the aura thing is a little weird, sure, but the kid’s harmless. The chances of him running into another one of us is so slim, it’s almost impossible. The only reason he could see our auras was because we weren’t fully in human form.> Lance reasoned.

<Yeah, true. Make him forget he saw us and send him home?>

“What’d you say, kid?” Lance asked.

“James. My name,” the mortal said.

“Right. Well, James, it’s time you go home. And forget you ever saw us.” Lance threaded power into his words, compelling the mortal to return to wherever he’d come from and forget that he’d seen them.

James had no chance to resist the compulsion. Devils might be able to break a demon’s hold with enough power and will, but humans couldn’t. And after four hundred years, the devil’s blood was too thin to help at all. The human boy turned and left; Lance’s suggestion planted deep within him.

“That kid worries me,” Keith said once the mortal was out of earshot.

“Why? So he has a devil in his family tree, so what? Doesn’t actually mean anything overall. He can’t do anything with it. I am kinda curious which devil it was, though. I want to know who was dumb enough to fuck a human in their true form.”

Keith laughed, stepping back through the shadow. “Yeah, that does raise a few questions. Anyway, back to the portal.”

“That thing’s a portal?!”

“Yeah. Their intended destination was Notre Dame. In Paris. With what they’d done, though, they probably ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic or possibly in the Sahara somewhere. They had the right idea, but the connections were all over the place.”

Lance looked over the outline. Something was tickling a vague memory somewhere. “Can you put it back the way it was? Fuck ups and all?”

Keith replaced the sigils and notes, cringing as he did if only because of how awful it was. Their form was terrible.

Lance looked it over from the ledge, scanning the mistakes until he found what he was looking for. “I mean, you’re not wrong, they would never have gotten to Paris. But look at the mistakes. I don’t think they are mistakes. It’s a code. Switch the wrong lines of the sigils. Invert them.” He changed the lines around, putting them where they should have been, but something was still off.

Keith looked it over again. He superimposed all of the sigils on one another, finding the hidden message in the edges of the circles. He froze, and felt Lance stop beside him.

Come to Paris

Hell needs her Lions

Find the Princess

The Vatican must be stopped

They are watching us

“But,” Lance breathed, “No one’s seen the Princess in centuries. We don’t even know if she was here when the Gate closed.”

“And the Lions are scattered. It was safer that way. But “K”. You don’t think – it couldn’t be. If it’s him, and they’re involved…” Keith trailed off.

“Whatever this is is bigger than we thought.”

“Oh what now?”

Keith whipped around when he felt the presence of a lesser hellion. On the sidewalk below, a figure passed by in a dark coat with the collar turned up. Keith didn’t bother with shadow stepping, he simply jumped from the roof in front of the figure.

“You’re not exactly subtle, vampire.”

The vampire froze in place, suddenly meeting a gold, violet, and red gaze. He bowed his head, deferring to the demon. “My lord. I was instructed to keep watch on this location. I was to report any activity.”

“Well, you failed,” Lance said, landing beside Keith, “We had to chase off some devil-blooded mortal a few minutes ago.”

The vampire paled, the pretense of life forgotten.

“So, who are you reporting to?” Keith asked.

“I – I’m not to say.”

“I don’t think you understand.” Thick black smoke surrounded them, and they were transported to the inside of the abandoned building. “I asked you a question, vampire.”

The vampire shook with fear. He knew what had happened when he heard that last word. He was in the presence of two High Caste demons, and they had revealed their true forms. The demon he was reporting to was far stronger than he was, but High Caste demons were in another league. If he’d known what he was signing up for when that demon threatened him into the job, he would have chosen death.

“A bit theatrical, love,” Lance said.

“May be, but it’s effective.”

The vampire risked a look at the demons in front of him. Keith had hands and forearms black as the void with veins of molten iron, ending in sharp claws just as black as his skin. The black of his arms cracked farther up, splintering between the pitch coloring and milk white. The paleness of his skin made his dark gold, violet, and red eyes stand out even more, allowing for a truly terrifying effect. The ink-dark hair that fell around his bare shoulders was interrupted by the small twisting horns that followed the curve of his skull. Large blood red wings stood out from his back, reminding the vampire of the dragons from a lost time.

The other demon was no less terrifying. Lance had regained the unearthly glow beneath midnight blue skin that ended in tarnished gold claws. At the end of his forearms, the blue faded into a rich, bright mahogany. The change in color made his blue, black, and gold eyes not stand out as much as Keith’s did, but it was certainly unsettling. His dark hair was still short, but fell in soft, spiked, scale-like locks, two rows of short, hard, horn spikes running along his scalp. Those, combined with his deep cobalt wings kept the image of long-gone dragons in the vampire’s mind.

The vampire knew that even as they were, they were maintaining a more human height. He knew that High Caste demons generally stood at around 10-12 feet. Not that that detail mattered much, their appearances alone had the desired effect. The demon he was reporting to wouldn’t stand a chance against these demon lords.

“V-Vrek,” the vampire stuttered.

“Repeat that, hellion?”Keith asked, his voice sounding of thick billowing smoke, soft raining ash, and the raging, crackling flames of hellfire.

“That’s the demon’s name. That’s what he told me. I know where to find him. I can bring you there. I know where he’s hiding.”

“No. You will give him a message from us,” Lance interrupted. With his reversion to his natural state, his voice held the crashing of storm waves, the deepest ocean currents, and the memory of things best left sleeping in the depths. “Tell him to meet with us. Alone. The abandoned cannery by the old shipyard. We will be there tonight at the Witches Hour.”

“Go to your master directly. Stray from your path, and we will know, hellion.” Keith touched his open palm to the vampire’s chest, a smoldering sigil sinking past layers of fabric and flesh and into his bones.

The vampire nodded, more afraid than he thought possible. He turned and ran, using his full vampiric speed, ignoring the need to keep hidden from mortals.

Keith transported himself back to a seat on the roof’s ledge to remove the sigils and notes, transferring them to a magically created silk scroll that he could summon or dismiss at will. Lance joined him, neither having changed back to their human forms.

“I think we put the fear of Hell in him,”Lance commented as Keith worked.

“I know we did. The tracking sigil is leading us directly to the location of that demon’s lair. The vampire has not slowed once,” Keith answered. Scattering the gravel back over the rooftop, he shifted his form, adopting the guise of humanity once again.

Lance did as well, jumping to the ledge of the roof. “We need to call the Lions.”

Keith shifted closer. “I know we do. But I think we should wait. At least until after we’ve dealt with this demon. I know his name. I crossed paths with him in Hell. If he really is Vrek, he’s one of the Generals. And that would mean that K is who we think he is.”

“I just hope The Other Side isn’t involved. I’ll never understand how they got humanity to worship them. But they vilified us pretty well.”

Keith huffed a laugh. “Misdirection, my love. Make sure mortals don’t look too close. Make them believe that they shouldn’t fear the light. Make them believe that what lives in the dark is what they should fear. At this point it’s just blind faith. Humans have decided that the stories they believe are the words of their god are metaphorical to an extent. They don’t know what they did to themselves. Or that we were trying to get them to understand that.”

“The human soul is a far stronger thing than they realize.”

“Some did,” Keith said, “But their faiths were vilified by the Vatican as well. The Other Side did pretty well turning mortals into blind slaves.”

Lance leaned back on his hands as he watched Keith summon a new scroll and set to work on the correct sequence of sigils for a portal to Notre Dame. “I always did like that one. Notre Dame, I mean. Well, Gothic architecture in general. Always found it hilarious that buildings dedicated to The Other Side still used representations of imps for ‘protection’.” He shook his head in disbelief and scoffed. “Fucking angels.”

“I’d really rather not. Angel anatomy is seriously fucked up,” Keith said absently as he worked.

Lance laughed. It echoed in the night, traces of river currents remaining from his change to his true form. Keith stopped working on the portal, watching his eons-old lover. They were both older than the Earth itself, and had found each other when they were still young, barely into their third millennium. They had been together ever since, hardly leaving each other’s side. They had seen the dawn of humanity, watched the infant race attempt to learn themselves. They had to watch as The Other Side wormed their way into the mortals’ lives. Watched as Hell was vilified and reviled by humans, based solely on the word of angels.

Hell had wanted to correct the course humanity had taken, put them back on the path they should have been on. Both Lance and Keith, in their lives as High Caste demon lords, had wanted to do something about the stranglehold angels had on humans. They had known others, High Castes as well, who wanted to help. The five of them, with a true blessing from Hell’s royal family, formed their own court. They became The Lions of Hell, demonic paladins whose new purpose was to fight the light. The angels of The Other Side at first hadn’t known what hit them. But then they retaliated, and broke one of their own rules in the process. Angels were not to interact directly with humans. But in their war with Hell, they did, creating a half-angel that humanity either worshipped or reviled during its lifetime. True angelic power was terrifying to humans, and their fear won out, and they attempted to execute the half-angel. The angels realized what they had done, pulling their creation and, a short while later, its human mother, over to The Other Side. But what was done was done, and word spread, an entire human religion born out of a mistake.

Hell was dealt a blow it couldn’t recover from, and the Lions disbanded and scattered, only Lance and Keith staying together. Later, when the Gate opened, they saw a new chance to assist humanity and subvert the angels’ control. They knew they actually had a better chance if they could interact with humans directly, something The Other Side had kept them from almost completely. Unfortunately, they had only limited success, the angels having a much stronger hold on mortals than they had realized. Three centuries was a long time for humanity, but the barest blink for demons. That however, was how long it took for mortals to close the Gate, leaving an unknown number of Hell’s children stranded. They had spent the last four hundred years searching for a way home, picking away at The Other Side any chance they got.

Now, it seemed, something new was brewing. Something that someone believed required The Lions of Hell and the Princess. If that was true, this thing was bigger than anyone realized. Lance and Keith would meet with Vrek and determine for themselves if it was true. They wouldn’t call the other Lions until then. And neither of them had any idea what it would take to find the Princess. She had gone missing about the same time the Gate opened. No one knew if she had crossed or not, and there was no indication of where she might be.

Lance’s laughter died down to a giggle, and he finally noticed Keith watching him. “What is it, my beloved fireheart?”

Keith smiled fondly at the pet name. “Eons together, and your laugh is still one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in any of the Realms. I would burn worlds for you.”

Lance pulled him in, landing softly on his back, his ancient lover over him. “You have. And I have drowned others for you. Including this one. Angels told mortals whatever they wanted, but they dared lay a hand on you. The angels’ magic was too much for them and I couldn’t let it stand. Especially not when they came after you.”

Keith could still feel the heavy iron chains the humans had bound him in. By themselves, the chains could never have held him. He was the Prince of Fire. Crudely forged iron was nothing to him. But the angels hadn’t made their laws yet. They freely interacted with humans and gave them a form of angelic magic that was compatible with a mortal mind. That magic was fused into the iron, making it nearly unbreakable. Keith was trapped on Earth in his full true form. He wasn’t the only demon mortals had captured for their mages to experiment on, but he was the last. The enraged Prince of Water single-handedly lay siege to the city, bringing it to its knees. Once he was sure every captured demon was freed, and Keith was safe, he unleashed his power again, drowning the city and every human “gifted” with angelic magic. The storm he created lasted for over a month and spread in all directions, washing away all trace of angels’ involvement with humanity. Lance’s fury was the catalyst for The Other Side adopting laws for interacting with mortals.

Keith searched Lance’s blue eyes. “Do you ever think that maybe we are as bad as the angels claim?”

Those blue eyes went wide, dark brows knit in concern. “How could you say such a thing? We’ve been at war with The Other Side since Creation. We know what they are and what they want. Human morality has nothing to do with it. By their standards, we are the monsters they think we are. But so are the angels. And the angels do far worse than us. Souls are meant to continue their journey with each mortal life they live. Angels prevent that by consuming those souls. There are always casualties in war, there’s nothing we can do to prevent that.”

Keith looked away. “I know. All of it. And I know that they also do far worse to mortals’ souls beyond than just consuming them. It’s why we dedicated an entire caste of demons to making deals with mortals. So that when their lives are finished, we can take their souls where they need to be. But how many innocents have we killed across the ages?” He stopped and locked eyes with Lance, realizing something. “We need to eliminate collateral damage. No more mortals can die from our war. We have no way of knowing if they’ve sacrificed themselves to the angels. We can’t risk it. It only makes The Other Side stronger.”

The shock of realization flashed across his face. “Oh fuck me. How have we never thought of that? Of course it does. And the war is for their souls. Ok, what now? How do we even begin to fix this?”

“I don’t know, but if we’re going to make it to the meeting point before Vrek, we need to go now.”

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19*

#my writing #abandoned wips #keith kogane #lance mcclain #klance #keith x lance #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender #Spotify

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yanderes-galore · 3 years

Note

Okay, so I've been thinking of the Experienced Huntsman AU again. Mainly about how Experienced Huntsman came to be, why is he trapped protecting a town and fighting against supernaturals when he is technically one himself?

Here's a possible reason, there is a being sealed/ trapped to the town themselves that Eli is connected too. This being isn't a love interests though to Experienced Huntsman, but they are the romantic interests to a different character forcibly separated from them.

I'd like to introduce Bane's skin Forest Hunter into this au because he is the reason Eli has become Experienced Huntsman.

Before Experienced Huntsman, Specter, Nostalgia, Clarity and even before there was a supernatural plagued village. It was just another part of the forest, with a powerful yet peaceful spirit tied to an ancient tree and under the protection of the Forest Hunter (Bane).

The early founders/ settlers of the village came to this spirit for help looking for a place to call home under this spirit. With Bane present, the spirit took on a humanoid form for the first time, to not scare the humans but wanting to help. The humans built their homes around the tree the spirit was connected too and things were good for several decades.

The village started to grow and expand, though the descendents of the original settlers knew the importance of keeping the tree protected and safe. But they sometimes came into conflict with Bane, who at the time was more peaceful and negotiable and they mistakenly ranted their troubles to the wrong ear. A nobleman took it upon themselves to cut the spirits connection and ability to escape from the forest Bane mainly inhabited. They didn't harm the tree but surrounded it with stone with runes engraved and pushed Bane back farther with spells. Still wanting to be reasonable, Bane tried to talk with the new humans but was attacked and wounded.

Moonlight Gentleman would have been a more younger wolfling during this time, and out of respect helped the wounded Forest Hunter. While healing, Bane enraged from being parted from his follow spirit would send in other supernaturals that could slip past the runes and spells and put their own. Sometimes, if their successful Bane is able to enter the village but never makes it far enough to reach his trapped spirit S/O.

After many years past, eventually Bane came upon Eli in the forest, while he was still human and they clashed. Eli lay dying at Bane feet, was then taken to be ritually turned into Experienced Huntsman in hopes of getting to Spirit S/O.

When Experienced Huntsman was 'born' and woke for the first time, he was already in the village, placed by another supernatural at the base of the tree in the center of the village. For a time he wondered aimlessly, til some of his memories returned to him, giving him a idea of what he should be doing. Protect the village... and this tree he keeps returning to for some reason.

The Spirit S/O would know and sense what Eli has become and see him as their 'child' of sorts since their both connected to eachother. Spirit S/O can still manifest themselves into a humanoid form but the runes around the tree keep them trapped in so they can't go far. The current villagers just see Spirit S/O as another supernatural of the town, no real threat because of how peaceful this Spirit is still. Spirit S/O doesn't know how Eli became Experienced Huntsman because they don't know the extent Bane has gone to wanting to get them back.

Spirit S/O: You were once human child, yet we are connected now...

When Experienced Huntsman first went against Forest Hunter, Bane could see that his plan of using Eli backfired and tried to kill him again, but Spirit S/O protection was already place on Eli keeping Bane from ending Experienced Huntsman. Bane mainly sends in supernaturals, like Luchino, to torment and distract Experienced Huntsman while he tries to weaken the protection runes around the village. Eli though is always successful in pushing Bane back.

My god that's a lot of lore-

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2ynjns · 3 years

Text

assassin's home

pairings: royal!taehyun x assassin!reader

word count: 1.6k

notes: pretty angsty, fluff if you squint. mentions of assassination, m*rder, kn*fe, d*ath, blood, profanity. please read at your own risk!! bottom half not proofread.

request states “Can i request a royal au & soulmate au with txt King! Taehyun and Assassin! Fem reader? Like reader tried to kill tae repeatedly but couldn’t because she feels like there’s something about Tae that she couldn’t put her finger on it. And tae went outside the palace and that’s where he met the reader and fell in love at first sight at reader & didn’t exactly know why. And then soon they found out they’re soulmates cause they have the same tattoo ❤️”

"im trying to work on it, goddamnit!" you screamed on the telephone in frustration.

"fuck, if he's so eager to finish it already why can he finish him of then, shit." you dropped the telephone and pushed it to the side. you kicked the chair next to you from annoyance and pretended that was the chief.

you took a deep breathe and looked at the board on your wall, plastered were photos of your targets and a map of the kingdom. you frustratedly walked towards the board, grabbing a red pen and drew a big circle around the current king's image.

after a moment of staring at your board and coming up with a different plan, you heard the door knob twist and the door swung open and you felt the chief's figure behind you.

without turning back, you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms. "what do you want, choi?" you asked still looking at the board.

"do your job properly, y/l/n. it's been 3 months, three fucking long months and you still haven't found the guts to finish him."

but you couldn't be fazed, what is he gonna do? just like what you said, if he's so eager why can't he kill him himself already?

you scoffed and turned around to face your chief's tall frame. you leaned forward to ensure the distance between you and his face is almost close.

"do it yourself if you're so eager." you said and pursed your lips. you backed up and leaned on the wall next to the board. "i told you, yeonjun. it's not easy to get ahold of kang by himself without his little lizards following him around."

yeonjun massaged him temple from disbelief and bit his lower lip. he couldn't believe that you really did just say that, he trusted you into this mission because he know the power you hold. he knew you could do your mission properly and quickly so why couldn't you do it?

"then bring beomgyu to help you!" yeonjun said exasperatedly and ran his fingers through his hair. "here, how many attempts have you taken?" he asked you.

you blinked, you felt air form your lungs stuck on your throat. it's getting harder to breathe whenever you think about it.

three times. you had three free chances to finally end the king's life but you couldn't. the guilt is rushing over you whenever you're about to do it. the emotions rushing through you when you had the knife in your hands. it felt so wrong, you knew it was wrong. but this is your job, this is your reality.

"y/n, i'm asking you."

once you heard yeonjun's voice, you looked up and chuckled. "doesn't matter. i'll do it tonight, stop bothering me."

walking around the town's market at eight at night is the last thing you wanted to do tonight. however, you're not going to deny how much you enjoy the enthusiasm and the bright lights tonight. plus, the cold breeze of the air is unique from what you've experience before.

you entered a pub to grab some light drink to start of your night. the loud roar of the music and drunk people partying is also very different from the other days.

"just give me a cocktail." you told the bartender.

after two cocktails, the adrenaline rushed through your body and you know it was about time to look for the king. he could be in his fancy, gold coated palace, or he could also be anywhere else.

you stood up to exit the pub but you were unwantedly pushed over to the wall. it was painful, you were shoved pretty hard without warning it caused you hit the wall.

you sneered to yourself and turned to the person and screamed at them.

"watch where you're going you dumb freak!"

great, your night is ruined. you snarled at the person but you couldn't see their full figure. the person was wearing a long cape the covered their whole form.

you frowned at the sight because the person just completely ignored you. how dare they ignore you after they shoved you to the wall and act as if that was nothing?

you walked towards the person and grabbed their cape to get their attention. the person slightly stumbled towards your direction as you pulled them, causing them to face you, yet still, you couldn't get a clear look of their face.

"are you really not gonna apologize to me?" you looked up since the person was indeed taller that you are. you heard the person inhaled and bowed their head before putting their hand out.

you looked at their moving hand about to touch your hand, however, the mark on their hand caught your attention.

the mark is the same mark that you have, the same mark you wanted to get rid off because it looks unpleasant in the eye. the same mark you hated because your friends have told you that the mark is your soul mate mark. you winced at the thought and looked at the person's face.

"we have the same mark..."

and then you knew, you finally knew who you were talking to.

you immediately dragged the person out from the pub and pulled him to the narrow, dark passage.

you couldn't help but to look at the person's hand and compare it to your own. it's the same stupid mark you hated, it's the same exact mark and you knew this person is your soulmate.

you reached for your knife behind you and pointed it towards the person.

the person's eyes widened as they slowly put their hand up. "what are you doing?" they asked.

you scoffed, you feel angry, you feel annoyed, you feel guilty. "i know who you are." you said. you couldn't believe you're about to do this to your soulmate, you couldn't believe your job was to kill your soulmate. "take off the cape, kang."

taehyun's brows furrowed, he clearly never met you before but why did you wanted to kill him? he finally felt this joyous emotion after a very long time, he finally found his soulmate. he has been search for you yet this is how your first encounter going to be.

the king slowly pulled his cape down, exposing his blonde hair and sharp facial features. looking confused, sad yet happy at the same time. his eyes had become watery after the revelation. "i finally found you." he said and smiled, tears flowing down his cheeks. "i found you." he quietly said.

you grabbed his shoulder and pointed the knife on his neck. "it doesn't matter." you said, pointing the knife closer and closer towards his bare neck. even still, instead of asking for help, he just smiled widely at you, tears streaming his face and examining you. his eyes are gleaming through the darkness, he couldn't believe you're right in front of him.

"you're so beautiful." he said as his hands slowly coming down. you felt water pricked your eyes. you haven't been genuinely gotten a compliment in a long time, your heart soften from his words but the grip on your knife tightened.

he chuckled, the knife now in the first layer of his skin, blood dripping from his neck. he inhaled. "i've been looking for you."

you stopped. you looked deeply in his eyes as you felt the tears rushing over your face. "i finally found my soulmate--"

"don't say that! im not your soulmate!" you yelled.

unconsciously dropping the knife on the floor as you felt your chest running out of air, your chest tightening you almost want to pass out.

"please, look at me." taehyun caressed your cheeks and wiped your face. "please don't cry." his voiced cracked as he sob, both of you falling on your knees on the floor and sobbing your heart out.

what a tragedy. who would've thought the king's soulmate is his own assassin.

"i'm so pathetic." you sobbed on your own hand.

taehyun pulled you towards him and hugged you, he let you cry on his shoulder.

"arrest me. execute me. please, just--" you pleaded.

"i can't arrest you."

"but i could kill you!" you screamed.

"why didn't you, you were almost there."

and you froze, cold air washed over your body and your eyes fell on his wounded neck, blood gushing out from it.

you bit your lower lip and looked down. you're embarrassed of your actions and you just wanted this to be over it.

"lemme take you home." he suggested.

"i don't want to go home." you said.

he sighed and lifted your chin, "lemme take you to my home."

"stop." you said and got up. "i'm not going with you."

"you belong with me."

you stared at him with disbelief. "i can't believe you. i could kill you anytime and yet you still want me to go with you? do you have a brain?"

he frowned, "as long as i know you're with me during my last breath..."

you turned your heel around. "stop being a hopeless romantic, there's no chance for us. i'm not going with you." you started walking away.

"and please don't be a martyr." you turned around, "as much a it hurts i can't be with you. you can't be with your own assassin."

he ran towards you, "please don't go."

you sighed as your hand reached your chest. "i don't want to hurt you, kang. but my job--"

"please don't go." he held your hands and caressed it.

you gave him a sad smile as you let his hands go. your hands reaching his cheeks. "maybe in another life, we can be together without anything going between us."

you walked away without giving him the chance to speak once more. you walked away crying from your sins and much realization.

you're your own soulmate's assassin.

#txt #tomorrow x together #txt imagines #txt imagine #txt scenarios #txt scenario #txt fuff #soobin imagines #taehyun #taehyun imagines #taehyun scenarios #yeonjun #soobin #beomgyu #huening kai #taehyun fluff #taehyun angst

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agentlemuse · 4 years

Note

Dea!!! I am so in love with your Buddie the old guard fic I've read it so many times now I LOVE IT could you maybe write a little sequel to it with Eddie whitnessing Buck dying and coming back to life for the first time! No pressure obvs but you'd make me super happy! thanks again for writing the buddie old guard au fic ITS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

Hayley I am so sorry for making you wait!

Also on AO3

“How much are you willing to wager,” Hen challenges, her own stack of bills being dropped on the table like a declaration of war.

Chim eyes everyone carefully, emptying out all the money in his wallet with a confident pop of his gum. “I’m all in. Buck?”

“All in. Eddie?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on! It’s tradition,” Buck begs, practically pouting as he tries to get Eddie to join in on the bet. He refuses every time and every time Buck acts surprised.

“Pretty sure the only tradition here is them getting all of your money,” Eddie points out with a smirk, earning a sharp laugh from Athena.

“You are too young to be this lame,” Buck sighs dramatically as Eddie rolls his eyes. He might be lame, but at least he will keep his money.

Just like that Hen is crowing as Buck laments his defeat. He looks to him with wide eyes in hopes of sympathy but all Eddie can do is laugh. He did warn him.

Athena and Bobby were chuckling fondly from their spot in the corner, speaking to each other without saying a word as they do often do. After one night of partaking in too much of Hen’s sangria he asked Buck if they had developed telepathic powers and Buck laughed so hard he snorted red wine out his nose. Considering their immortal status he didn’t think it was quite that funny, but Buck disagreed.

Looking at them now he still says it was a valid question.

“Okay everyone listen up,” Athena announces, drawing the attention of everyone with the simple command. “We have some news.”

“New job,” Buck asks eagerly, already wanting to speed ahead.

Bobby and Athena share a sad look and for the first time since Eddie has known them they look like they’re struggling to find the words to say. Athena stands, picking at a scab on her arm.

A scab.

She shouldn’t have a—

“I’m mortal.”

It’s funny how you can live for a millennia and a single moment can still knock you to your knees.

Athena could still have three, maybe even four, decades with them, but suddenly each moment is finite. He knew this was possible, Buck had told him about Abby, but it wasn’t real until now.

He may not know her as well as the others; hasn’t watched dynasties rise and fall with her, but she’s his family now. He foolishly thought he’d have more time before saying goodbye to family again.

But it’s not about him. It’s about Athena. It’s about the people who have loved her for centuries trying to wrap their minds around life without her.

Eddie doesn’t know much about Buck’s parents, partly because there isn’t much worth remembering from the way Buck tells it, but Athena is his mother for all intents and purposes. Now that she’s - not vulnerable (she’d stab him for even thinking it) - mortal, Buck has been like an overprotective mother hen. Athena has looked ready to strangle him on more than one occasion and he’s pretty sure the fussing is more likely to take years off her life than anything else.

And it’s sweet. Funny even, how Athena looks at him with such exasperated fondness.

Only that overprotectiveness makes a reckless Buck even more reckless.

Which, fine, Buck’s immortal. For now. Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? The idea that immortality just ends was hypothetical before now.

And Buck is—

Buck is—

Buck is his family. His person. The only reason he doesn’t spend this eternity of his lamenting every new day.

Buck has been on this earth for nearly a millennia without him, but Eddie doesn’t want to live without him. Not for a thousand years or a thousand days or even a thousand minutes. Not because he needs Buck, but because he wants him. He wants his kind eyes and infectious laughter beside his side. He wants the feel of his breath on the back of his neck as he lays curled in behind him. He’s not sure he can go back to sleeping alone.

A shame he’ll need roughly a thousand years to figure out a way to finally tell him, which is not going to happen with Buck being so eager to get himself killed.

Buck insists on throwing himself into danger, which means Eddie has to throw himself further. He’s younger, newer, he can take more hits. He knows logically that Buck must have died hundreds of times before him, but he hasn’t died since Eddie killed him. Maybe he can’t keep him alive forever, but he can certainly try.

Bobby catches on first.

“Nasty hit you took today.”

“I’ve had worse,” Eddie says nonchalantly, fingers flexing against a phantom wound long since healed. Buck stormed out earlier, pissed he jumped in front of a bullet for him only to bleed out slowly. Tonight Buck will hold him closer, making sure he’s still in one piece; a bittersweet ritual they’ve formed together. He’ll take the anger if it keeps Buck safe.

“You’ve been taking a lot of hits lately.”

“Saying I should work on my ducking skills?”

“Saying you can’t take them all,” Bobby replies, cutting off whatever comment he might be opening his mouth to say with a look. “When is the last time Buck died?”

“You should ask—“

“When?”

“When I shot him,” Eddie admits, jaw clenching.

“He’s had a good run, but good runs end. He knows what’s at stake just like everyone else. We can’t outrun the inevitable. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you try,” Bobby says softly, an unspoken pain behind his eyes. “Don’t miss out on the good worrying about the bad.”

“Wouldn’t have to if he wasn’t so eager to put himself in harm’s way,” Eddie deflects, no real malice in his words.

“Funny, that’s what Buck said about Athena.”

That was hardly the same. Buck is being reckless, Eddie is just—

Well it’s not like he can take care of him through his cooking, now can he?

The next few months they take it easy on the missions, focusing on time together as a family. It’s good, great even, but it’s only a matter of time before the world has a need for their set of skills.

Which is how they find themselves in this dimly lit warehouse in what is clearly a trap.

He and Buck have taken the front, trying to clear a path to the escape route so they can’t get pinned in. The sharp pops of bullets flood his ears, a fog of plaster dust filling the air as bullets lodge in walls instead of bone.

There are too many blind spots and not enough cover.

There’s shouting, cries of pain, but none of them familiar. They’re gaining ground, they’re getting out, they’re—

The sick sound of a bullet striking flesh, muscle, bone enters his ear. A spray of blood hits his cheek.

Eddie turns to see Buck crumple against the ground.

Suddenly there is no noise, no friends or foes. There was only Buck lifeless on the floor, his head a gaping wound of brain matter and skull.

He falls to his knees beside him, blood soaking his trousers as he reaches out to help him. Only, he doesn’t know how to fix this.

“Buck, wake up. Buck. Buck.” He doesn’t recognize his voice, doesn’t recognize the frantic panic of this strange sound coming out of his mouth.

He thinks of all those zombie movies he used to watch with his sisters when he was young. The only way to kill them was to take out the brain. They couldn’t come back from that. Buck couldn’t—

Eddie shot him in the head once, but this was different. There hadn’t been this hole. There hadn’t been brain matter scattered across the floor. Buck hadn’t taken this long to wake up.

He can’t do this without him. He doesn’t want to do this without him.

“Wake up, wake up, you have to wake up,” Eddie demands, then begs.

“Eddie, we have to keep going,” Chim says from across the room, providing cover from enemies he couldn’t care less about. “He’ll catch up.”

He ignores him. Of course he ignores him. He can’t leave Buck. He’s going to wake up, he has to, so why is it taking so long?

The team moves on, because there is no other choice if they want to get out of here, but Eddie doesn’t move. He waits for a sign of life, anything, but Buck stays perfectly still. He should be healing already, blue eyes fluttering and a smile on his lips. He shouldn’t be so still and pale under the stark stream of red.

He’s so lost waiting for puffs of air that aren’t coming he misses the footsteps behind him. It’s not until he feels rough hands grabbing at him that he remembers the fight. He feels a knife slide through his ribs as they try to drag him back. He thrashes wildly, scrambling for any weakness he can exploit. They’re not going to take him away from Buck. He’s not leaving him alone. He’s not—

A single shot rings out and the man Eddie was fighting falls.

Eddie turns back to Buck who is sitting up with a gun in hand.

Eddie scrambles over to him, pulling him close, feeling the side of his head to make sure he’s whole.

“Eddie, we need to catch up with the others,” Buck urges, already back in the game. How can he be so calm? How can he be so steady? “Eddie. Eddie.”

“Your birthmark grew back.”

Buck’s face grows soft for a moment, letting out a puff of breath like it was punched out of him. Eddie can feel the wound on his side healing, but he ignores it, busy feeling the pulse of Buck’s heartbeat where his hand rests on Buck’s neck.

“Eddie, we have to keep going.”

“You weren’t waking up. You took so long to wake up.”

“I’m here, Eddie,” Buck insists, resting his forehead warm and whole against Eddie’s. “I’m here. I’m not leaving you, okay? I won’t leave you. Now let’s go.”

Eddie goes with him because there is no other option. He doesn’t want to be anywhere without him.

It doesn’t doesn’t get any easier to watch him die, but Buck always comes back to him. He has to believe he always will.

#9-1-1 #buddie #evan buckley #Eddie Diaz #old guard AU #Cw: gun violence #Cw: gore #Cw: death (brief)#my stuff #for Hayley who has been waiting forever #happy Valentine’s have AU nonsense

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min-chery · 3 years

Text

Whiskey and smoke | KTH & PJM

Pairing: Taehyung / Named OC / Jimin

Rating: 16+

Warnings: Bartender Taehyung!au / Rich Jimin!au / vague mentions of sexual assault / drinking / smoking / Written in OC's POV

Summary: She has been bound to follow orders all through her life. Living a life of restraint, Taehyung had become her only source of relief. And one day, he and a very handsome stranger from the bar take a decision that rocks her damned world.

Word count: 2.9k

I swirl the amber liquid in the glass. Pegs after pegs of whiskey already In my system. It does me more good than harm. Has been doing it for the past 4 years.

It has become my companion over the years. I don't lose myself it. Never will. I find myself when have it by my side. I find the confidence I crave for. The world becomes brighter than it ever possibly could.

The bartender keeps a close eye on me, his lips forming a pout. He's sometimes the only one who cares about me. And I'll gladly indulge myself knowing I'm not unwanted.

"I'm alright Tae. It's not my first time drinking." I wave him off.

"That's why I'm worried, noona. Another family gathering?" He inquires.

"Hmm. And a few important clients from his company."

"You should tell them this isn't the life you want, Val. You're drinking yourself to death at this rate."

"It's not that easy." I sigh.

"It is that easy. You've never tried to know that." He whispers harshly.

"Don't act as if you care." I sneer. He talks as if it's that easy to confront them. Them. My manipulative parents.

"I do care, okay! You think I asked you out thrice because I don't care? All you've done those times was throw the same shitty excuse at my face. You won't understand how much I care, Valeria. You're too drunk to even try and understand how hard I'm trying to see you as just a bestfriend when we know we both are not just that." He looks disappointed in me for the first time and it breaks my heart. I look straight into his eyes without letting myself waver and he stares with the same intensity. He finally gives up, slamming the shaker on the counter before heading to the other side of the bar.

To hear him call me by name and not 'noona' or 'Val' makes me almost tear up. I sniffle, pulling my hair towards my face. The world blurs and the scenes from my first time meeting him take over.

It was in high school I first saw him. My bestfriend introduced me to this club. Back then this building had been used as a hangout spot for people interested in motorsports. Jungkook and I sneaked out from school on multiple occasions to meet with the people here. It was everything I had ever wished for. I had nothing to hide about among those people. Didn't have to pretend who I was. There was always free alcohol here. And the first time Jungkook brought me here, a guy had draped his arm over my bestfriend's shoulder and said "Who have you brought here with you, Jungkookie?"

He had smiled so wide at me, I wondered for a second if I was in heaven. How could someone have been so beautiful and been a human?

Jungkook had introduced us to each other and left us alone to get along. And we did. We got along so well and so fast, we were surprised. He talked my ear off about a girl he loved. Narrated so many stories about their happy life together. They sounded so happy and in love, that it struck me like a flash of lightning when he said she cheated on him multiple times. His eyes that had been scrunched up in a smile all afternoon and had suddenly taken a glossy sheen to them.

It had been the first time I had seen a man cry. I remember wondering if I could ever soothe him. If I could see him smile once again that day. But he recovered pretty quick. He had found something else to hold onto and love. Motor racing.

The sound of a throat clearing rings beside me and I lift up my face to look at the person. A man about my age peers at me from above his glass of scotch. There's a slight hint of a smile on his lips as if he's watched the previous conversation with Tae and finds our little fight amusing.

I sniffle and glare at him, which only makes him smile more openly. He sets down the glass on the counter and wipes the liquid off his plump lips with the back of his palm.

"Don't worry about him. He'll come around soon." He says, voice gentle and laced with a teasing smile.

"And I don't need a stranger telling me that about my bestfriend." I snicker. It makes a foul emotion crawl through my skin. To see an outsider talk about Tae, my Tae, as if he knows him better than I do.

"My my I should've probably introduced myself first. I'm Park Jimin. Taehyung's roommate." The smirk that's settled on the man's lips is so frustrating, it makes me want to punch him square in the nose.

"Do you smoke?" He asks. For once it feels like he's not mocking me. I nod, placing my hand in his when he extends it.

It's then I realize that I'm following a man that I've met for the first time outside. Beneath the arrogance, he seems like a gentleman by the way he's curled his fingers around mine. A fragility in the way he handles me.

We walk a few blocks away from the club. Music from the place we just left still faintly following us. Jimin then sits on the clean sidewalk, looking at me to sit down too. And I do. Sitting so close to him, I take to opportunity to really absorb his features into my brain. 'He's beautiful' is the conclusion my mind comes to.

He holds out a cigarette, waiting for me to put it between my lips. I part my lips open for him to do so. He gulps before doing so and then proceeds to take out his lighter. The orange light the flame produces shines on his face making him look handsome in a different way.

His eyes lift up from the cancer stick in my mouth to my eyes and fall back on my lips. He's quickly moving away from me as if he's scared of the effect I would have on him.

I take in puffs of the smoke, let it fill my lungs with the toxins. I still don't understand why it relieves me, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't. It's just as good of a friend of mine as is the alcohol.

"So you're the one who's been hooking up with Tae for so long." He says, pushing away the silence that had engulfed us. I nod, letting out the smoke I'd held in my mouth.

"I've known Tae my whole life. And I've seen him cry only a handful of times. The first time was back in high school. When he cut his ex-girlfriend out of his life. For good." He grits out the final part, eyes unfocused as he recollects his memories.

"And then a couple of years later. When you told him about your family. He didn't tell me anything other than how he thinks they're the shittiest people in your life. Didn't go into much detail about it. Just cried in my arms all night until he fell asleep." He's now looking at me with a soft look in his eyes.

"He told me he loved you that night. I always teased him about this Valeria who had his heart. Still has it. The last time I saw him cry was when you rejected him. The first time." I remember that day, I considered it the worst moment of my life. And Jimin wasn't the only one that saw him cry that day.

I woefully smile, feeling a lump in my throat grow bigger. Taking another long drag of the cigarette, I flick it onto the road. It doesn't fall far from me though. Jimin is stretching towards it and tossing it into a waste bin close by without lifting his ass up. He's smirking once again, winking at me. I laugh at his attempt to impress me with his aiming skills.

"They are shitty people. My family. I'm only something they use for their publicity stunts. Attending their business parties, walking around in rich gowns for the men to see. They never for once asked me what I wanted. All they've done is throw things at me and demand at me to be what they wanted me to be." I laugh, but it's anything but with happiness.

"I've abandoned my dreams to be a living doll for those people. I've had strangers my father's age run their filthy hands over my body. And he watched, that man. Watched his friends make his daughter feel like dirt. Can still feel the fingers of the guy my dad wants me to marry on my bare back from just hours ago." My voice cracks, tears no longer being able to be held within the confines of the waterline. As they tumble down my cold cheeks, I wrap my arms around myself. Feeling naked in my backless dress.

Jimin rustles beside me, shrugging his blazer down his shoulders and wraps it over me. He giving me an apologetic look which I wave off. I'm too tired to deal with the problems in my life.

"Why won't you agree to be Tae's girlfriend when you love him? The guy your dad chose is obviously a pathetic excuse of a man."

"I'm not the kind who stand up for themselves. I kept telling him that I'll never be able to turn down my father's order if he asks me to marry a rich businessman. I'd have to cut Taehyung out of my life and I can't do that to him. He deserves someone way better than that." I sniffle, wiping my face free of the moisture. Jimin's letting my words sink in, thinking of a response.

"Look, I've not had a great family either. Left them behind when I was really young. I let them know how forcing their decisions on me was not worth losing me. So, I understand how you must feel. But it's always nice to have someone fight for you, fight the whole world with you. And with Taehyung in your life, I don't know if there is anyone who'll be as careful with your heart as he is."

"Stop trying to set me up with him." I laugh.

"Just saying." He replies, his eyes closed into crescents as he joins in my laughter.

"Got another cigarette?" I ask as I move in closer to him. He worriedly looks at me and then nods. Once again lighting it up, he places it between my lips.

I take in a long drag and hold the smoke in my mouth. I watch Jimin gulp as I move in even closer to him. I blow it to his face, his eyes growing hooded as he looks at me through the toxic air. I pass the stick to him, asking him to do the same. He follows along, hollowing out his cheeks and blowing it to my face.

It makes my core thrum from the intensity of the scene. A hand with the number '13' tatted on the wrist holding a cigarette and the puff of smoke encasing the two of us. We've come incredibly close to each other, faces just centimeters away. He's slowly leaning in, eyes locked on my lips as mine on his. Our noses brush, a spark going straight to my brain.

I shift my head to the side, eyeing his soft ears. I lift up a finger to gently tug at the earring, toying with it as I breathe in his cologne. The soft flesh of his earlobe tend me irresistible and pull me in to press a kiss there.

Jimin's arms have wound themselves around me, his nose buried in my hair as I kiss his ear. Somehow, my mind has deemed him a safe place. Him being Taehyung's roommate playing a large role in my trust in the man I've met for the first time today.

"Val! Jimin-ah! Is that you two?!" Taehyung calls out, rushing towards us. I jump up from the sidewalk, walking towards him with Jimin trailing behind. As Taehyung nears us, he opens his arms. My eyes blur with unfallen tears and I smash into his chest.

He wraps himself around me, forming a protective embrace. I fist his black shirt at his chest, cuddling and making myself smaller in his arms. His hands run through the length of my hair, his cheek smushed at the top of my head. He's my warmth on a cold night and without him, I'd fall into a pit of eternal winter.

"I'm sorry, Val." He says, not letting go of me and I'm glad he didn't. I wasn't ready to leave his embrace yet.

"You had a tough time and came to the club for some relief and me being a dumbass lectured you." He says against my hair.

"Don't call yourself a dumbass." I pout, weakly hitting at his chest. His laughter fills my ears, along with Jimin's quiet chuckle. I look up at Jimin from where I'm buried in Tae's torso. He looking at us with newfound adoration.

"I'm sorry though." He mumbles.

" 's okay."

I'm being moved away from Taehyung's chest after a minute, but still held towards him by my waist. Taehyung looks at Jimin, a quiet conversation between them. And Jimin walks closer to the two of us, his hands going around Taehyung's shoulder.

"Hi baby." Jimin coos, making a faint red dust across Taehyung's cheeks. Jimin then places a kiss on his lips, a quick peck before they're both looking at me.

"I've been wanting to tell you something noona." Taehyung starts, his hands tightening around me.

"I and Jiminie have been roommates since high school. And we've decided to move to The States."

It hits me like a flash of lightning when he says so. He's moving away. Far away from me. And somehow it invokes a deep fear in me. Jungkook also moved to the US after college. I feel dizzy realizing I'd be left alone in the hands of my family. And I'd rather die than let that happen.

"Tae..." I whisper, the tears running down my cheeks almost instantly. His eyebrows pinch in worry, hands holding my face. His thumb brushes my cheekbones, catching the tears as they fall.

"I found an amazing photography program at one of the colleges and it fit right in my budget. I won't even have to get a student loan for it. It was our dream remember? Me taking photography while you took business courses." I nod. I remember talking about it right after we hooked up for the first time. I had laid on his chest, his arms holding me as close to him as possible.

"We're both being stagnant in our lives, Val. How long do you think we can keep hooking up? You're going to leave me behind the second you get engaged to a stranger." His eyes are filling up in pain.

"I'm coming with you, Tae. I'll suffocate here without you. Don't leave me, Tae. Don't leave me." I'm sobbing hard in his arms, clutching hard at his waist as if it would stop him from going away.

Jimin moves in, taking both me and Tae into his arms. He places a gentle kiss on both of our foreheads.

"We'll take you with us if you want, moonlet. You've got a week to yourself before we move. You can take some time and think about this decision, alright? We need you to be sure you want to come with us." he speaks benignly.

"I don't need more time. I want to come with you." I say with determination.

"That's good, Val. Jiminie will take good care of us. He's got a huge apartment in New York. Got a shit ton of money. He's really kind too. And god the things his dick makes you feel." Taehyung groans, throwing his head back and then breaking into laughter. Jimin and I join in, basking in the warmth his smile provides. We both love this adorable boy with a boxy smile and I'm sure it is seen in our eyes.

"You're making me sound like a sugar daddy, you idiot." Jimin says, hitting him softly at the back of his head.

"It is true though." Tae laughs. "Looks like lover boy's starting to feel things for you, noona."

Jimin blushes, trying to stand tall and not shying from our collective gaze. In the end, he gives up, stuffing his face in the crook Taehyung's neck.

"He doesn't have a problem with polyamory too. He's the full package, this guy." he smiles, ruffling Jimin's hair.

We don't stay there for long after our conversation. We head to Jimin and Taehyung's apartment and I stay the night. We all spend time getting to know each other better. Me and Jimin bond very fast, learning we're both similar in a lot of ways. I and Tae let Jimin in on our stories from years ago. I and Jimin even kiss for the first time that night, leaving us warm and blushing.

As the night progresses and we lay in each other's arms on the living room floor, I realize I'm being given another chance at life. Maybe running away from the people who birthed you isn't the best way to start your life again. But it feels good. To finally leave behind the toxicity. In a week's time, I'll be free. And I intend on making the most out of my life after.

#books & libraries #writers #writing #wattpad #bts fanfiction #btsboys #bts fanfic #bts wattpad #wattpad writer #bts taehyung #taehyung fanfic #bts jimin #jimin fanfic

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slocumjoe · 4 years

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Please tell me your X6 headcanons. I've been thinking about him lately and now I cAN'T STOP HELP

I was doing something else and literally chucked my phone across my desk because STOP EVERYTHING, MY TIME HAS COME.

So, most of these can be found in my fic, (link there but idk if it’s underlined) but this gives me a chance to really contextualize them. Also, most are sad.

- Terrible at gauging reactions/other people.

; He’s good at reading people, but when it comes to how they feel/think about him? Cannot. Comes from years of dealing with sometimes volatile scientists who get upset on a hairpin trigger. Everything you do as a courser can lead to your wiping, so you’re on eggshells all the time. He’s trained himself to keep everything under such lock and key, he gets confused with other people’s expressions and emotions. He’s basically forgotten anything that isn’t ‘cold indifference’ and ‘angry disappointment’.

- Hates the Institute and its rules, just doesn’t realize it.

; X is a victim of systemic oppression. I hate that Bethesda wrote that as a thing for many reasons, but he is. Every synth is. When you’re under an umbrella of constant threat and terror, you will bend or you will break. X6 chose to bend to survive. You can see some of this in his dialogue, like where he likes certain things that he shouldn’t. The fact that he has likes/dislikes at all just shows that he, and all synths, are not what the Institute wants them to be.

His hatred is like the hatred you feel towards an abusive partner only after leaving them when you realize the full extent of what they did to you. If he ever gets out, will be really distraught and messed up for a while.

- Pushes away comfort for a variety of reasons

; In my fic, it’s from guilt and feeling like he doesn’t deserve it. Outside of that, it’s also a form of denial. If he needs to be comforted, it means he’s hurting. if he’s hurting, he’s failing as a courser and/or the Institute is harmful. It’s a confirmation of everything he tries to ignore and deny, so he has to run from it. But he craves that connection. He wants, deep down, to have a place of real care and belonging, but he has no choice but to bury it.

- Worst ending is the Institute being destroyed.

; Now, hear me out.

If the Institute lives on and the RR + BoS are destroyed, there’s a chance of it being changed. Reformed. If it gets destroyed, he’ll be angry at the SS forever. For him to understand and accept that the Institute and its treatment of synths was wrong and cruel, he has to see it in a different light. If it gets taken down, all he sees are the ruins of what he’s clung to for his whole life. He cannot move on and recover if he doesn’t see what the Institute could have been, but chose not to be.

If the Institute is destroyed, he eventually leaves the SS and joins the small groups of loyalist survivors. If it is reformed, he gradually comes to realize that it was wrong. The best ending is if all 4 factions survive - he fully understands the Institute and its nature, and by looking at the RR and BoS, realizes how much time and resources they wasted, how much war could have been avoided. He then joins the Minutemen or RR full-time.

- Would be best friends with Piper

; I went over their dialogue, and they share many similarities. They both are often provoking and sarcastic, don’t like getting into emotionally charged situations, and value knowledge/truth over comforting ignorance. He’d have to get over the Institute loyalty, but they’d be partners in crime. Piper is very understanding and humorous, which would pair nicely with his social ineptitude and more serious, stoic nature.

- Would be a terrifying force of nature in a modern Au.

; He’d be this nightmare of competence and adulting, among the barely-holding-it-together MacCready, Hancock, Piper, Danse, etc. Full time job, makes 6 figures. Works at a maximum-security lab, no one knows what he does there. He goes to work on a motorcycle. It’s white and untouched by reality. It’s eco-friendly and probably doesn't use fuel. He does not drink. He is in college, no one knows what classes he’s in. He has a 4.0 at any given time. Aces everything. Wakes up at 5 A.M to workout at the gym. His job starts at 9. Doesn’t drink coffee, only an expensive tea that doesn’t have an English label. Goes to sleep at 11 P.M. Does not have bags under his eyes, skin clearer than glass.

I will do more when I have time, have a lot of thoughts on this brat man

#fallout 4 #fo4 #mhamfihi #x6-88 #x6

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themadauthorshatter · 4 years

Text

Toppat!Charles Part 5!!

GUESS WHO'S BACK WITH TOPPAT!CHARLES!?

Thank you all so much for your patience with this one, like I said, I've been going through a lot in my personal life, though things are getting better.

If you haven’t read the previous parts you can find them HERE:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

ENOUGH ABOUT ME! TIME FOR THE RECAP:

Henry has taken the CCC's offer, despite opposition from Galeforce, Ellie, and even Daddy Dearest Terrence Suave.

Meanwhile, Right has polished up Charles and set him up in an actual room for a change of pace.

Not really a headcanon this time but a MASSIVE, MASSIVE trigger warning for torture, violence, and a trauma truck load of angst; we're focusing more on Charles this part since he was more of a cameo in Part 4.

Got that? GREAT!

LET'S BEGIN!

Like before we pick up where Part 4 left off, but with Charles in his new room across from Right, who has taken his position at a desk chair and is calmly talking to Charles. If this were a movie, we would only hear the music score before getting a close up of Right saying something to Charles, who reacts by raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes.

"What?"

Right sighs as he rubs the non-cybernetic half of his head. "Do I got to repeat everything to everyone?" He recomposes himself and meets Charles once more, the pilot shaking his head as he curls his knees into his chest and holds his hands on either side of his head.

"No. No, no, no, nononono. I can't do that. You can't make me."

"So you'd rather go back to rotting in your cell?" Right asks as he raises an eyebrow. "I'm offering you the chance to have some form of freedom and you're willing to throw it away for your stupid government?"

Charles keeps his head down, but clenches a fist. "They'll get me out of here. Just wait and see."

Right grabs Charles's ankles and throws them down before grabbing his jaw, forcing his to look up. Thhe two are inches away from each other and Charles's instincts are telling him to run since fighting hasn't exactly worked out for him.

"Look at where you are and what's been happening. Any time the government tried sending a destroyer, it didn't work. You were left alone in that cell with nothing but your shadow on the wall to talk to. You have a chance to get out and not have to deal with that anymore. You're seriously going to turn it down because you think the government's coming to rescue you? Taking my offer would get you out a lot quicker. "

Charles only glares into Right's human eye before doing a very ungentlemanly and dumb thing by spitting in his eye. (Unsanitary as well, I might add. Really, Charles, get with the program!)

Right backs away slightly, though it's more like an angry flinch because he recoils and then freezes.

Charles, however, keeps his glare as his wipes his mouth off with his sleeve. "Never."

Right is still for a moment before backhanding Charles with his cybernetic hand, not enough to seriously injure him, i.e. a broken jaw or knocking him unconscious, but it does leave him seeing stars and in a good state of, 'that hurt a lot more than it should.'

Right stands back, takes out a handkerchief, wipes his face off, and then pockets said handkerchief before folding his hands behind his back.

"You'll come to your senses. If you can wait, so can I."

With that, Right leaves the room just as Charles picks himself up, rubbing his cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Charles."

As the door closes behind Right, Charles's face and the room's temperature drop.

Cut to Right, who is leaving the hall and going to that room we saw in the Free Man ending, that cafeteria- like room with the big window overlooking Earth.

JUMP TO THE NEXT "MORNING"

Charles is sound asleep in his bed when a pair of toppats come in. One stays by the door and the other wakes up Charles.

The pilot, due to being out-strengthed and delirious from sleep, is pulled out of his room and can barely keep up with the toppats as they drag him to a different room.

In Charles's perspective, the world is dark and he keeps drifting in and out of sleep. He eventually opens his eyes to see he's back in the jungle, by the crashed helicopter. Right is nowhere to be seen, but Charles does see someone else, someone that he ACTUALLY happy to see. As in he smiles and tears up.

"Henry?"

Henry stands still as he stares at a growingly flustered Charles, who races toward him.

"Henry! Man, are you a sight for sore eyes! You have no idea what these guys've done. C'mon, let's go-"

Just as Charles is about to hug Henry, he holds a hand and stops Charles in his tracks.

"Hen... Henry?"

Henry's face turns from blank to angry or annoyed and he shakes his head, backing away.

Charles tries to follow him, but he can't. When he looks, he sees his feet are sunken into the ground and panics.

"Henry! Help! I-I think I stepped in quicksand!"

Henry only backs away further, now glaring at Charles.

"HENRY, PLEASE! SAY SOMETHING!"

Henry finally approaches him and leans close to his his face.

Before he can say anything, Charles's breath catches and he quickly finds he can no longer breathe.

Charles tries gasping and exhaling, but only blows bubbles out of his mouth.

The jungle fades away into a very dim grey, almost falling. Henry falls away with it, much to Charles’s fear.

The pilot tries reaching for Henry and is pulled away, seeing as Henry swims further away from him.

Charles gasps for real this time as he is pulled out of a tub of water and focuses his gaze on Right, who is standing over him with his arms folded behind his back.

“Good morning. Sleep well?’”

Charles tries to push himself away the tub only to find his hands are either tied or handcuffed behind his back, I’m noting an ‘either’ here because while I can see Right using handcuffs or restraints like the ones we see in the Free Man ending, to save on resources and because Charles is already pretty weak, he’d probably just use a rope.

The toppats that woke him up and dragged him here both hold his shoulders, one holding the back of his collar.

Charles glares at Right and struggles against his bonds, but he stays quiet.

Right sniffs and nods at the two holding Charles. “Give ‘im a wash.”

The one holding his collar grips his hair, yanking it and making Charles follow his movement before dunking him back into the water.

Right watches as Charles struggles both above and below the water, mildly impressed that he’s still strong enough to the point that the two toppats are having a hard time holding him under. If this were a movie or a game cutscene, the camera would hold on Right’s face, resolute and expressionless, and all we would here would be the score and Charles struggling. Right blinks and an icon appears on his cybernetic eye, a solid circle with a ring around it.

A camera.

After a while, Charles’s movements slow and nearly stop completely, bubbles leaving his mouth and nose.

Right nods at the toppats pull him up.

If that first dunk didn’t wake up and alarm Charles, this certainly did.

Charles gives one of those loud gasps and coughs up water as he catches his breath.

Once his breathing goes at least to where he’s not huffing and puffing, he feels one of the toppats grip his hair again. He fights against him, but is ultimately pushed back into the water.

The partner repeats itself for a while.

Dunk his head in the water, wait for him to stop struggling, pull him out and wait for him to just about get his breathing normal, rinse and repeat.

After maybe a half an hour of this, Right notices Charles has started shivering after his last dunk and is having a hard time getting his breathing even.

“Enough. Get ‘ im to a medic.”

They do so, and Charles follows with barely any strength to keep up.

The next day isn't any better.

The toppats are ordered to sit Charles in a chair, his hands on the rests, his head in a restraint, and his eyes held open with something like reverse clamps; if you’ve seen or read A Clockwork Orange, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Right takes a seat next to him, a medic on his other side to keep his eyes hydrated, and the two watch a simple movie.

Just a nice, sit down, home cinema night 😁😊

JUST KIDDING! NO THEY DON’T!

“You seem too confident your government’s gonna save you.” Right turns his head to the screen and folds one leg over the other. “Let me remind you what they’ve done to us.”

Charles follows his gaze as the film begins.

I’m guessing the Toppat Clan has been around for a while, based on how many paintings/pictures of the leaders we see in Completing the Mission, so there would be PLENTY of news footage of the government using any means necessary to arrest any toppats they can get their hands on.

The film Charles watches is nothing short of horrifying. I won’t go into detail, but just know that it’s pretty disturbing. Like, psychologically messed up.

Charles is forced to watch as members of the government, something HE WORKS FOR, arrest, torture, and execute Toppat Clan members in extremely violent ways.

Right is quiet as he watches because he’s seen this tape on more than one occasion; he also watches as a reminder as to why he joined the toppats to begin with.

Charles, however, isn’t exactly that. After watching a clip of seeing a government official gun down a group of new toppat recruits, he finally snaps.

“STOP IT!” Charles cries as he struggles in his chair and restraint, much to the annoyance of the medic. “PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!”

Right’s attention is now on the pilot as he continues screaming and crying, watching quietly as he takes note of his work.

Charles screams as loudly as he can as the film keeps rolling, unable to look away as the government is practically used against him.

Right uses this pattern for a LONG while. One day, Charles is physically tortured and the next he is shown more footage of the government hunting down toppats.

This cycle is continued until, after maybe three months(it doesn’t seem like it’d be that long, BUT TRUST ME, IT CAN BE), when the toppats come for Charles, they find him standing, waiting for them.

This time is different, though.

Right is with them and approaches the empty eyed, silent Charles.

“Learned your lesson?”

Charles nods.

Right holds out his hand, a smirk on his face.

“Whaddaya say, kid? You want in?”

CUT TO HENRY

Our multilived friend is lying in bed, having a very fitful sleep. I keep jumping to what we would see if we were watching a movie, but trust me on this, I think you'll really like this one.

In this dream, Henry stands in the middle of four mirrors, a different "ending" of him in the side mirrors and the ine behind him. In front of him is himself, on his left is the Toppat King ending of himself(I'm just calling him Toppat Henry), on his right is the Toppat Recruit endimg of himslef(Recruit Henry), and behind him is his Revenged self.

"You should've taken that offer," Toppat Haenry chides.

"Charles would've been safe, if you did," Recruit Henry adds with a shrug.

Henry hears his Revenged self cough behind him and hears his augmentations whirring. "We wouldn't be friends, if that happend."

"And that bothers you?" Toppat Henry laughs.

"Think about it," Recruit Henry says very smugly. "Since when have you needed friends?"

"Escaping the wall-"

"You got out alone before," Toppat Henry says with a tap to his hat.

Henry jumps when he hears glass shattering and turns to see his Revenged self has punched his mirror and cracked it.

"King, recruit, theif, it doesn't matter," he gurgles as blood oozes out if his mouth. "A toppat never keeps his word."

Revenged Henry hits hus mirror again and causes it to shatter, forcing our Henry to jump back and crash into his own mirror-

Henry wakes up and looks around his room, shaken and stirred. He checks his arm and back before sighing and hugging his knees to his chest.

"I hate when that happens."

Man, that was a psychedelic ending!

BUT THAT’S A WRAP ON TOPPAT!CHARLES PART 5!!!!

This took a very, very, very, very, very, very, VEEEEERY long time, but here it is!

Thank you all so much for your patience and following this series. I am having such a blast writing this, you have no idea.

Thank you all for reading! Stay safe out there! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!🦃🦃🦃

#henry stickmin #toppat!charles #torture tw #drowning tw #psychological torture tw #right hand man #toppat henry #toppat recruits #toppat king #revenged #blood tw

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shanastoryteller · 7 years

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SHANA HOW DO YOU START WRITING A STORY? I have the idea of how it will end and a VERY BASIC plot, but I've never attempted to write an actual book before and all I have are half-finished stories. How do you start the first chapter and plan for plot-related scenes? How do you weave a narrative out of the tiny bits of actual story I have? Any advice here? :(

oh wow i’m just the WORST at advice!!!

but i talk here about my horrible and messy writing process when it comes to starting a story

and i’ve talked about my shit outlines before, but i guess here take a some examples?

under the cut i’ll put my outlines for cut from the same cloth and chapter three of survival is a talent. idk if can really recommend planning this way because it’s … a disaster, but it’s the way that works best for me ???

also i want no sass from any of you about my horrible outlines, YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SEE THEM THEY’RE JUST FOR ME, but i’m making an exception and posting them just as an example of how i plan stories, because i get a lot of asks about it

especially with survival is a talent, you can see my final product deviates from my outline A LOT. so i’m also very against sticking to your outlines.

also, honestly, if it’s under 10k i … probably didn’t even do an outline. i didn’t write a single thing down when i was writing an invincible summer until the partway through third chapter, so more than 50k into writing it

anywho, here you go, i hope this helps???

arranged marriag au

izuku attended UA in the general mprogram, and eventually switched to support

he got one for all when he was 13 and kept it a secret for Reasons

all for one is maybe probably dead? no he’s the big bad. but he hasn’t been active.

all-might is the only dad he’s ever known, his real dad being very absent. inko isn’t thrilled about the turn her sons life has taken, and has a kinda strained relationship with toshi, but she knows her son loves and respects him and she can’t deny him that

all-might’s issues with his form aren’t as bad, and they’re a huge secret - no one but the ua teachers and some other people know. endeavor finds out and threatens to tell everyone, unless izuku marries his son. toshi is fucking pissed that endeavor would even propose that, but izuku doesn’t even have to think about it. he agrees instantly.

his best friends are mei hatsume and hitoshi shinso. bakugou is his best best friend.

he acts under the secret identity deku as all-might’s sidekick. bakugou is also a side kick, and one of the few people that know all his secrets. also one of the few people that are publically known to know both izuku, his childhood bff, and deku, his fighting / hero partner.

his cover is working with mei in her support items company, and he actually does contribute a large amount to that. todoroki thinks he has an intelligence quirk.

everyone thinks izuku has the same quirk as nedzu (high spec), just to a lesser degree, and that he just thought he was quirkless until he went to ua and nedzu took an interest in him. in reality it’s just a cover and he really was quirkless, but now he has one for all.

bakugou to todoroki: he has the same quirk as principal nedzu. if i’m worried about someone, it’s not going to be midoriya.

shouto takes midoriya to this hero social thing, and watches him and bakugou interact, and is like um???????? and everyone is like uh okay, this is fine, it’s nothing to worry about i’m sure.

they go home, shouto is jealous but feels like he doesn’t even have a right to be jealous, and midoriya is like, well, i was hoping to dance with you actually, or sometihng equally sappy, and then they have sex

the just. have a lot of FUCKING sex.

someone kidnaps midorya because he’s shouto’s husband, and a bunch of other people, and the truth comes out when he fucking DESTROYS them

midoriya tells shouto the whole truth, and he has shouto’s mom move in with his mom, and izuku and shouto live happily ever after

oh also deku officially comes out as deku

so, background pairings: aizawa/hizashi, tenya/mei, kirishima/bakugou/uraraka

add in scene where pro heroes are called away “should we all really be going?” “we’re leaving the sidekicks behind, it’ll be fine.”

bakuou discovering his mom has been take. mei being taken for tenya. others. uraraka’s parents. didn’t take someone for everyone, only the top sidekicks.

todoroki did get a message - they’re broadcasting everything. they’re all gathered in izuku’s house. todoroki is a mess. the rest of his family show up. inko and yukiko are fast friends, even in a criss.

bad guy monologue. izuku being like wtf?? discovers all for one is in charge.

shinsou, bakugou, and inko trying to come up with reasons to do nothing. bakugou wants to charge in, even though it’s a trap, but shinsou tells him they’re fine, they don’t know. bakugou is worried that izuku will choose to protext his secret over over saving everyone.

heroe are on their way back. they don’t know what’s going on.

once izuku gets confirmation that all the hostages are in the room with him, he goes wild. hand guy is about to touch mei when he does it. reveals that he’s deku to the world.

bakugou and inko go wild. they all get a text with a location. everyone bucked up to go.

they have to fight all for one. todoroki pov, notices how similar deku and bakugou fighting is to izuku and bakugou dancing.

izuku finally tales all of the one for all quirk to beat all for one. he gets away, but he’s hurt.

family reunion scene. everyoen takes their respective loved ones and bounces. have people reactions to deku.

izuku and shouto have a Talk and then there is Sex

add nezu scene and shiga deciding to send nobus

siat third year

draco keeps offering to curse his cousin and his family. harry discovers that draco has rather a lot of freedom, as his parents, especially his father, is rather busy. draco casually uses the floo network to visit pansy and blaise often. harry thinks draco’s parents are rather cold, and uncaring. draco thinks that harry’s family needs to be cursed.

they got each other bday presents, but are saving them until they see each other at hogwarts. draco got harry gifts from japan, where he visited the past summer with luna and his mother. harry is incredibly worried that draco will think it’s stupid, but he picked the first iris that bloomed and carefully pressed it, and did the same for the most beautiful iris each full moon, so he has a mini boquet of iris flowers.

chapter opens with harry panicking about aunt marge. he calls draco, who tells him to take the knight bus and stay calm. mention the dog. draco’s worried, clearly, but he won’t tell harry why.

draco talks wistfully of meeting harry in diagon, but they know its a bad idea. show a scene of draco with pansy and blaise. mention dobby.

draco is super worried about harry one the train.

mention draco’s silver buttons

add in crookshanks

golden trio have a convo about draco’s dad and allegiances. mention imperio and vertisarium.

draco knows what sirius black being free means because he’s not a moron. it takes a while for him to figure out that harry doesn’t know, then he tells him. draco talks about his cousin. says he’s a black and can’t be trusted. “draco, you’re a black.” “yes, and very few people trust me.”

the thing with buckbeack really is an accident. harry is really worried about draco - it is a lot of blood. lucius comes down, furious. draco tries to tell his dad he’s fine, but he stands up too suddenly and whites out, and lucius has to told him up right. is upset because his son is hurt and because he can’t be affectionate with him in front of all these people. lucius decides buckbeak needs to die.

draco tries to pretend his arm isn’t bothering him, which it is because it’s a magical wound. but pansy does all his chopping and what not and draco just oversees.

draco doesn’t like lupin, and won’t say why. he and hermione have a convo about it, and decided not to say anything, for very different reasons. or he just assumes hermione told him. “i really need to stop assuming people tell you anything”

use polyjuice so harry can go to hogsmead?

draco and the twins develop a friendship.

draco becomes a chaser in 3rd year, and gives harry way more of a run for his money as a chaser. he scores so many points for his team that sometimes even when harry catches the snitch, they still lose. this is also why the twins become friends with him, because they spend a lot of energy constantly trying to knock him off his broom

sirius gets in and draco freaks the fuck out, as do the other slytherins. draco looks him over. sends over luna to sleep by harry, who brings ginny.

snape does werewolf lessons

hufflepuff vs gryffindor game. draco’s the one who performs wingardium leviosa to save him, subtly. only his friends and a couple of professors notice. not a soft or nice fall, but it means he just has bruises and broken bones. later, lupin will realize the wingardium leviosa that saved harry was draco’s was harry. maybe draco’s charm gives dumbledore enough time to cast his?

draco has to go home for christmas because otherwise his parents will go mental. but he gives harry his gift with stern instructions not to open it until christmas. they talk on christmas, and harry sees that draco has already hung the flowers in his room. says his mom helped him. harry asks about his dad, and draco says, “dad doesn’t have an opinion about interior design. mum just does whatever she wants and dad pays for it”

everyone gets together to try and think of a way to save buckbeak, but lucius is pissed

when harry is training with lupin draco bursts in, goes in front of harry, realizes its a boggart when it changes forms, and uses ridiculous to stop it. he then turns his wand on lupin, using the disarming charm. harry wakes up and stops him from cursing him, then when he calms down asking him what he’s thinking. “oh like, you’ve never been attacked by a professor before?” “thats…a fair point.”

except now lupin has seen draco willing to take a dementor’s kiss and fight a professor for harry, so this mortal enemy thing isn’t going to work. draco tells lupin he knows he's’ a werewolf, and threatens to expose him to the school board if he doesn’t keep his mouth shut about all of this. or nah, says his mom said to let her know if lupin so much as looked at him funny, and she would destroy him. draco says and lupin ever hurts harry he’ll use his father’s solution instead, and lupin half smiles and compliments his buttons. draco says yes, they could do a lot of damage, even with simple wingardium leviosa charm. then that lupid realized it was draco who slowed harry’s fall before. draco makes comparison between buckbeak and lupin. harry’s like he’s a werewolf?? “obviously, didn’t granger tell you?” joke about needing a memory charm. lupin knows they’re not enemies, doesn’t know they’re soulmates.

draco taking patronus charm classes alongside harry after the confrontation with lupin.

while hermione is being ostracized by ron and harry. she hangs out with the slytherins. her and draco really do get along scarily well. draco agrees with hermione that the firebolt should be inspected. very odd moment for everyone, really.

scabbers is supposedly eaten by crookshanks

harry says that cho is kinda pretty and draco gets pissy. harry and ron vs draco and hermione. they’re both just like what the fuck m8.

buckbeak verdict is announced. draco is like !!! what do you want me to do ???? and it’s actually ron who’s like don’t worry about it mate, we know you tried, can image my dad would be too pleased if i was mauled by buckbeak

slytherin vs gryffindor game - harry still catches the snitch and they win, but thanks to draco on chaser they only win by 100 points, so slytherin still gets the quidditch cup. wood curses up a storm that malfoy switched to chaser, he’s far too good at it. draco is worried harry will be pissed they got the cup, and he’s a little indignant, but mostly he’s … kinda proud of draco? because there were almost no fouls this game. slytherin won mostly fair and square. lee jordan spends a lot time commentating that malfoy switching to chaser was the worst thing that ever happened to gryffindor.

draco follows them down to hagrids. finally admits that he feels guilty and stiffly apologized to hagrid, saying he tried to talk his dad out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. hagrid is instantly endeared, because he is the best person in all of the hp series. says something about he shouldn’t have brought something that dangerous. draco calls hagrid ‘scamander stock’ and he tries to make it sound like an insult, but by the way hagrid tears up it’s clear it’s a compliment. they see lucius and the executioner coming, and draco panics - his dad will be pissed if he finds him. hagrid hurries all of them out and gives draco and affectionate pat on the way out.

they all end up following into the whomping willow. sirius, lupin, and snape. pettigrew.

draco is more concerned about sirius than lupin - figures a black with a vendetta is more worrisome than a werewolf. look at his mother, after all. he and sirius get into an argument about it all. is like wtf about the scabbers thing.

snape appears, they fight. harry disarms him, and draco is like fuck this noise he uses the memory charm on him from behind, then ron knocks him out. lupin: “i thought you struggled with non corporeal tied charms.” draco: “…. i do.” no one has any idea what condition snape will wake up in. draco’s like if snape finds out about us, that’s fucking it, he’ll never keep the secret. golden trio’s like that’s your head of house!!! and draco shrugs and is like whatever he’s kind of bastard, really. and sirius laughs and says he’s not all bad or something like that.

deal with the pettigrew thing

snape has only lost a few hours worth of memory. he asks why draco was there, and draco is like ??? i saw someone sneaking around and told you and followed you out, what the heck.

draco and harry go back in time. draco knew about the time turner. harry “why does no one tell me anything” potter. he summons a snake, and harry uses parseltongue to tell it what to do. it captures pettigrew. draco and hermione are anxious, looking for whoever cast the patronus, but harry realizes it was him, and does it. they steal buckbeak and take him to sirius. they’ve captured pettigrew. trials are not easy things, so black should stay away until some sort of bail is posted on him or something. but authorities do get called.

pettigrew does escape custody, but not before everyone sees him. so he still helps resurrect voldemort, but the sirius’s trial / case is still be reviewed. MOTHERFUCKING PLOT TWIST lucius agrees to represent sirius in trial. people point out that won’t help his believability any, and naricissa is like my cousin deserves the best and the best is my husband, get fucked.

draco’s talk with lupin. banishes his silver buttons, and says that lupin should stay because he’s a great teacher, and exactly what they’ll need to survive what’s coming. call’s it his “furry little problem” unknowingly echoing james. lupin laughs, lighter. harry bursts in saying he’s heard. draco is like oh good, maybe he’ll listen to you. but lupin ignores them both and ruffles their hair.

silver trio is there. just. reacting to things, hanging out.

ginny sticking her nose in things, while being bffs with luna.

maurader’s map locked so it can’t be changed or altered. our group amends it so it can’t be altered by any but the original six.

add crookshanks and scabbers

#writing advice #posting my raw outlines gives me so much anxiety #anon #asks

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