#and IF it happens AND there’s no time jump we’re just supposed to accept both tk and Carlos are good with getting married after a death??

[guardian-angle22]

If this theory about Gabriel actually happens, I will be so upset and it will 100% taint the wedding for me. Especially if there’s no time jump between that and them getting married.

[redeliminator]

Well, they did NOT survive their teenage codependent homoerotic friendship

I have the priviledge of being an adult and being able to look back on my teenage years happy that I made it out. It wasn't easy and I had my fair share of pretty dark experiences, so I've been thinking A LOT what would have happened to me if I had found myself in a position like Andre when I was 17. So I wrote it down - the story of Andre and Cal's relationship from (mostly) Andre's POV and the whole emotional turmoil of ending your life alongside your best friend. All with a couple of not-so-subtle personal throw-ins. It's a mess and a long one on top of that, I'm sorry ;__;

—

After years of living with all these thoughts you’re too scared to open up about, suddenly it turns out that your (only) lifelong friend is actually not that different. Not only doesn’t he flinch at your uncanny remarks; he actually thinks they’re spot-on and laughs at your jokes that would probably send you straight into detention.

So far, the more people learnt about you, the more they drifted away. Suddenly, it doesn’t happen. Quite the contrary, the messed up things seem to strengthen the bond instead. For the first time, someone welcomes you into their inner life just the way you are and doesn’t expect you to “mend your ways” before they let you in. You gradually uncover the parts of yourself you have never shown to anyone before. It feels like the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders. Like it was destined to happen. It feels real.

It is not at all surprising that in the end, you brought out the worst in each other. After all, your final bond was built on the acceptance of the darkest parts of your personalities. You fed off each other to the point of lethal codependency. You were nothing without him and he was nothing without you.

It was insane. But you felt validated. Starving for someone who understands, you clung to each other and never let go.

So, when you’re standing in that library, guns slung over your shoulders and blood spilling beneath your feet, and that guy, who led you out of that lonely misery and gave your life a spark, tells you that you’re done - well, you’re done. You’d follow him anywhere because what other choice do you have? You killed people. You’re not getting away on your own. You’re not doing it without him. It’s either both of you or none of you. So you agree.

But deep inside, you know there’s so much left to say. The world is wide enough for the two of you, why wouldn’t you want to explore it? We had a plan, we were supposed to last. All of that is suddenly cut short. Just like the lives you’ve just taken. What an irony.

And suddenly you wish you had never left that car. Or that you had swerved it just before pulling into the parking lot. What the fuck are you doing?! That’s when it should have been said: I’m done. You’re done. We’re done.

You never figured out if it was platonic or romantic. You probably didn’t even know what platonic meant. But there was one thing you had no doubt about: that loving him was the easiest thing in the world.

… until it wasn’t. 

That love tripped you up just when everything you thought you wanted was only a few inches away. Suddenly, it felt like jumping into a lake only to realize that concrete bricks have been tied to your feet.

You might have been done with the revenge, but you weren’t done loving him. In fact, you barely even started. You never even fully acknowledged it. You repressed it, scared of and confused about the intricacies of your own identity and feelings.

But what are you supposed to do about it now? Where will all that love go, if you refuse to go down together? Do you even have a choice at all? You won’t make it on your own. The only choice you have is whose hand will fire the shot that will end it all. There is no “if”.

It’s pretty safe to say that you agreeing to a double suicide is a spur-of-the-moment decision. No one would think clearly when faced with this kind of choice under such circumstances. You have just taken more than a dozen innocent lives. If they catch you, it’s game over. It’s a pathetic failure.

You were supposed to escape in a blaze of glory: a getaway car, a police chase, a rain of bullets fired towards you as you take one last look in the rearview mirror knowing you’re never gonna see this town again. You’ve turned the place that destroyed you into smoldering ruins and now you kiss it goodbye. It doesn’t get better than this.

But it’s not what happens. Suddenly, as you look around the room and glance over the dead bodies, you realize the thrill is gone. The excitement has vanished into thin air. The only thing you’re hearing are police sirens and people whimpering in pain. The reality of what you’ve done and what awaits you comes crashing down on you. It’s not glorious. It’s not rewarding. It’s bleak and hopeless. It’s a dead end.

—

Andre had to tone down Cal's carelessness during the preparations. No, we’re not gonna break into Brad’s garage and risk being spotted. No, your open mic poetry evening was not a fun idea; it was inconsiderate and dangerous. No, even if we had an M-80, we wouldn’t use it for a ceremonial explosion at my family’s vacation home where everyone could see it. 

And suddenly, as they’re wandering through the school looking at the carnage they caused, the roles get reversed. It’s Cal who has to lead Andre into the grim reality. 

We’re not making it out. We can still leave on our terms though. It’s your call.

The question is, did Cal really believe they didn’t stand a chance or did he use the circumstances to get what he wanted: for both of them to die?

If Andre didn’t agree, would Cal have the guts to shoot him himself? I don’t think he would. There was only one way Cal wanted it to end. I think Cal may have had some sort of feelings for Andre, but, in a fashion similar to Andre, he didn’t know exactly what these feelings were as he never got around to disentangling them. Cal was mentally ill, heavily unstable and out of touch with reality, but I think deep inside he still had the ability to feel. He could barely connect with that part of him, but it was still there. And Andre kept it alive because he did something no one else would ever do for Cal. He provided Cal with the means to die the way he wanted. A spectacular way out. 

And Cal would be forever grateful for that, even if that “forever” would come to an end in just a matter of seconds. How do you even thank someone for a favor like this? Thanks for letting me die, even though you didn’t know I planned it? How do you find someone who you don’t even have to ask for it? Hey, what would you say if we killed a bunch of people to send some twisted message that only we understand and then we blew our brains out? 

The thing is, none of them had to ask. The idea was already there. Maybe except for the “blowing our brains out” part. In any case, this is a one in a million chance that you find someone like this.

[coffeegnomee]

The psychological analyses that can come from that conversation with Ash is insane. And then the convo after with chat. 

 ASH: “WAIT. ZAm is accepting hearts from people That Kill? That’s not very peaceful of you zam. That goes against your oath. You’re just accepting heart that has, that puts blood on your hands. I’m not even joking about this” 

ZAM: “I-, I don’t. I don’t think it does.” 

ASH: “You’re benefiting from the spoils of the death that you claim to be so against” 

Zam physically JUMPS away from the conversation at the same time. Visibly unsettled by what Ash just said, because this exact stance has come up in chat in the past weeks. 

But nonetheless he proceeds to talk very calmly and practically. 

ZAM: “If kills have already happened what am I supposed to do to stop it. I only care about myself not killing people” [parkouring over to the roof of the house] 

ASH: “You literally-” 

ZAM: “not other people. The server can do whatever the fuck it wants. I don’t care” 

PANGI” aaahhhhh”

ASH: “That’s the most. That’s the most selfish view”

Hold that line for future analysis. In the moment Zam moves past it instantly, settling in the safe arms of being misunderstood. Nobody understands PrinceZam. 

 PANGI: “He’s like switzerland, you know. Like trading with uh germany and trading like england and [france?] in the middle of a war” 

ZAM: “nobody understands. Nobody understands princezam.” 

ASH: “that doesn’t make. That makes you a rat more than anything” 

(A snitch betrays his teammates for something in return, but a rat goes behind his teammates back to save his own cowardly ass.)

ZAM: “[cobs ash/under ash and jumps into it] nobody understands princezam” 

ASH: “maybe I will eventually. Why did you try to do- what?” 

ZAM: “I learned from you! The best side to play is all sides, right? That’s what you said” 

This is the FIRST time Zam has accepted this role. He has debated and worried about accidentally playing both sides, worried how each team will react, it has been WEIGHING on his mind that he DOESN’T want to play all sides. But in the heat of the moment, in the face of being called a hypocrite, he EMBRACES it to get Ash off his back. 

From 7/18/24, 33:20 ZAM: “I really don’t like the idea of playing both sides, but like, like- I’m trying my hardest not to, I’m just kinda like, at spawn and people are confiding in me. It’s like really awkward. Like maybe I’m leaning into it a little bit, I think, just because it’s like, easy. You know? Like if you shove 100 dollars in my face like I’m probably gonna take it right? Like like [giggling], it’s just like, ugh, it’s so stupid [laughing] i don’t like this. I don't know, I’m opportunist I guess. I’m just an opportunist I guess because I'm pacifist and I don't wanna die. So. But like also I really just don’t like the idea of being someone who plays both sides, it’s so awkward” 

Interestingly enough, we weren’t even talking about playing all sides. We were talking about taking bloodied hearts. Goes to show what is really on PrinceZam’s mind. 

ASH: “I mean, yea. I mean. Uh. okay. I guess we’re both insects then damn.” 

[zam laughs as he stutters his way around] 

ASH: “whatever bruh” 

ZAM: “hypocritical as fuck” 

ASH: “I mean, I’m not claiming to be any good person, I’m just saying your whole oath and code of honor is” 

ZAM: “I’m not either. I’m trying to be a good person but, hey” 

PANGI: “You’re doing a really bad job I can tell you that, Zam” 

ZAM: “yea. [pauses and then swings around to confront pangi] coming from you is crazy” 

PANGI: “[indignant] what do you mean coming from me, what did I do wrong?” 

ZAM: “hey guys my name’s pangi, my bit for today is I’m going to go inside this guy’s house and then what’s it called, frame him for doing drugs and take him to an obsidian box and lock him up in there” 

PANGI: “It was pretty funny. I thought that was pretty funny” 

ZAM: [now notably staying in one place for the conversation] yea you thought it was funny? It was HORRIFYING for me. Fuck you [punches him a couple of times]” 

That Pangi bit was not lore just the other day, but now it is. And it was horrifying. Love it.

PANGI: “Did you not find that video funny?” 

ZAM: “I didn’t enjoy that one bit, no.” 

PANGI: “suuuure buddy. Sure” [zam starts parkouring again] 

ZAM: “I don’t think pangi’s a pacifist” 

Classic deflection! It wasn’t Pangi’s pacifism that was in question, it was Zam’s. But Pangi’s pasifism is on Zam’s mind, so he’ll dredge up everything that’s been on his mind to make Pangi look bad so Zam can win the moral high ground. Or the highest low ground. 

In my mind, he’s starting to subconsciously not believe in his stance. Someone who believes in their beliefs fully doesn’t need to stoop to calling out everyone else’s flaws. He’s uncomfortable with the topic, which is why it became a lore moment with chat after, but even so, this is an early sign of cracking I think. He feels BAD about playing all sides, but puffs up that he doesn’t. He was SO worried about it the day he watched the bros vs empire fight. And again on gossip city day, but now he brings it up as a defense.

And also about receiving bloodied hearts, we’ve had this debate to chat before and Zam acknowledged that it is an ethical dilemma:

From 7/20/24, 4:51:10 “imagine flame goes on a killing spree just so he can pay you to make more builds lol’ (citrus) dude. Is the blood on my hands then? That’s something I was wondering, what if this becomes bad. To where they’re like murdering people just for the sake of like, whats it called, paying me. ‘Yes youre evil then’ (sin) aw shit. It’s my fault. I mean I guess it depends on how bad it gets. I felt really bad when they killed jepex for me. I can’t lie, in the moment I thought it was really funny but looking back, it’s literally the same as like. Like I think me asking them to kill someone is the same as me killing them myself, it lowkey does not matter. So I’m lowkey like having another moral dilemma right there, on that one. I’m gonna stop asking people to fucking kill people for me that’s stupid, i don’t want to do that anymore”

And then he debriefs the conversation with chat: “‘you’ve only done build commissions for incredibly violent people huh’ (arch) that is something to consider huh, am I [sharp breath in] let me put on the lore music hold on. Am I. and I, I don’t think I’m the worst person to- okay. No. you know what? It doesn’t matter. Because there are worse people on this server. So I’m not that bad by comparison. It doesn’t matter. Heh. it doesn’t even matter like, like, by comparison I’m not that bad it’s fine. You know I’m doing better than I did last season So I’m okay. I’m happy with my choices I feel like. I dunno. I mean like gaining, gaining hearts is not the worst thing in the world, it’s kind of like the point of the server is it not? I dunno. Hmmm ‘i mean violent people are the ones who have the hearts’ (citrus) exactly! Yea, my only, the only people I CAN do business with is the violent people.”

“But by taking hearts from them am I not encouraging them to kill more? Yea, that’s something to consider as well, you know? Cause, but it’s like. Ugggghhh let me read through the oath again. ‘Are they killing other violent people’ ‘or innocents’ (arch) that’s true! I mean. They kill innocents when they feel like killing innocents it depends on the person i’m dealing with. I don't know.. How often does mapicc kill innocent people?”

Him having to reference the oath in order to figure out if he’s okay, if he’s “in the right”, whatever that means subjectively, he needs the reassurance that he’s okay. Because he does not feel okay.

“Yea, there’s no stopping the violence on lifesteal obviously that’s just how the server works so I, I’ve only, it’s only about like, me. You know? ‘Can’t extend beyond yourself or else it would drive you crazy’ (mer) exactly I can’t control what other people do. It’s not selfish [heavy emphasis. Meaning ashsawg’s comment] it’s just like, me controlling what I can control. You can only control, you should only worry about what you can control, and what I can control is limiting myself. Umm from all that stuff.”

Because this isn’t about true pacifism, this is about Zam stopping Zam from being the joker again. And he can’t be the joker again because it was damaging to the server (7/9/24, 5:28:18 “‘it was fun tho’ (chips) it was, but it was fun at the expense of others. It was fun… but it was damaging to the server.. It was. I dunno. I don’t think it’s who I want to be.”)

So Zam’s form of pacifism, not killing anyone himself, is precisely Not Selfish because it’s saving the server by preventing the joker form coming back. 

But everyone observes him as trying to be classically Pacifist, which means being against all violence.

And then new chatters start bringing up the Planet kill. 

“‘you got one kill’ ‘you killed planet’ okay okay okay you killed planet okay. I hate how many people are talking about that. Can i talk about how I hate how many people talk about that? Cause like, it’s absurd that people are even bringing that up. I shot at him and he took off his fucking armor, what do you mean!? It obviously was never going to kill him, are you stupid? Like why are we why do so many people talk about this? Like it’s an actual point. ‘YOU CANNOT DENY IT ZAM’ yes I fucking can! Yes I fucking can! Because I shot at him as a fucking like bit, because was obviously never to kill him, and he took off all his fucking armor. I’ve been over it! I have been over it like a million times it’s insane! I gave back the heart too like what. [opens statistics] Like it doesn’t even count. [closes statistics without scrolling down] It does not count. ‘You’re still killing’ [mocking] you're still killing. Okay actual like bot opinion. Bot take. Actual bot take is what this is. Insane. Like actually insane. The fact that people are still on this is craaaazy like actually crazy. ” 

I love talking about the Planet kill (not in chat tho) because it’s such an interesting character moment that Zam is trying to retcon as not being important or meaningful at all. It Should be meaningful, he was shooting that bow, he went up to the closet moments before. He came up with a sword moments before. Murder Was On His Mind. He didn’t mean to, but that just enriches the character more. But also, it is wildly interesting to have him, as a character, retconning it from a character perspective. Getting mad about it is so much better than being dismissive of it. Or ignoring the messages. He is bothered by it, that’s why he gets so mad. And that has potential.

And then my favorite part:

“‘PANGI HASN’T’ oohhhh that’s what this is about. That’s what this is about. That’s what this is about, it’s about pangi, and and pangi being better than me okay. That’s what this is about. It means nothing to me. Means nothing to me. I don’t care. PANGI LITERALLY- okay. Okay. okay. Okay. okay. Okay. okay. Okay. [giggle laugh] pangi is a pacifist because he wants to be. But that’s like. Dude, woogie 1 for 1 took my thing. Dude, it’s crazy how many people are pacifist why did everyone like take my thing. I mean like the whole point is proof of concept is prove that it’s possible, right, but like heh heh. It’s also lame that other people are taking my thing. [more deranged leaning giggles] ‘everybody wants to be princezam.’ (mer)”

Here comes out the truth as to why he turned on Pangi in the Ash conversation. It’s on his mind that Pangi and Woogie are also being pacifist, and that “by the definition” they are “better” than him. Better. That one word that boils Zam’s blood. Because incompetence is his trigger. He always gets cynical and mean when someone is dumb or messes up.

And he thinks Pangi is bad at being pacifist, kill count not included. He's removing the Dirtica walls, getting into conflict with his stream bits, he's looking for violence while not being overtly violent.

And then Pangi is talking about a villain comeback when he stops pacifism. And Zam, you can tell, has no faith that Pangi is good enough at pvp to pull it off. Is it because Zam’s self conscious about his own potential return to pvp and the scariness of just loosing every battle? Is it because he’s constantly defending himself against the “weak player” allegations from his chat? He projects his own insecurities on Pangi, and then gets frustrated at him because he’s copying his arc, the arc that he so confidently and happily said has never been done before. 

A lot is boiling up under the surface of PrinceZam. 

[yowyowyaoi]

*Tobirama having dinner with Hashirama and Madara*

Hashirama: Not to brag, but, I think my cooking’s getting better all the time! 

Madara: We’re 30 minutes into this meal and I have yet to be hit with debilitating stomach cramps, so, I suppose I’d agree.

Tobirama, quietly: Very good, elder brother.

Hashirama: Oh; smells like my dessert is about finished! You two keep eating while I go tend to it! *gets up and leaves*

Tobirama, softly, to Madara: Did you tell him — ?

Madara: No. Does he know how you got that black eye?

Tobirama: I told him I tripped over a rock in the dark. *touches his face* Hurts like a son of a bitch.

Madara: I won’t apologize, because I think you deserved it. Senju or not, I would have had the same reaction if I had walked in on anybody kissing my baby brother the way you were.

Tobirama: I see your position, Madara. But you never even asked me mine. I know you don’t like to hear such things, but, I’m in love with Izuna. And perhaps we shouldn’t have been sneaking around behind your back all this time, but —

Madara: No, you shouldn’t have been. It’s not just a matter of him being my brother; I am the Uchiha clan elder. All matters of … of courtship, need to go through me. It’s tradition, and a matter of respect. Or maybe courtship isn’t what you had in mind. Maybe you’re just after my brother to satisfy your physical needs.

Tobirama: That’s not it, at all. I am very much in love with that man. I want to make him my husband some day. And if groveling to you is what I need to do, to help that happen …

Tobirama: *leaves his place at the table and crawls on his knees to Madara, bowing when he gets to him*

Tobirama: Please, I beg of you; allow me to enter into courtship with Izuna Uchiha, according to the customs of your clan.

Madara: Well …

Hashirama, coming into the room with a large cake: Just say Yes, Madara. End this nonsense between you two. It’s bad enough you hurt his face like that.

Madara: Wait … you knew that was me?

Hashirama: Of course I did. Tobirama senses everything, all the time. There’s no feasible way he’d “trip over a rock” and fall in the dark. And then I saw Izuna a few days ago in the village, and he was acting so shy and nervous … not to mention when I invited him for dinner tonight, and told him you both would be here, he all but panicked. So I put two and two together.

Madara: Your brother says he wants to marry Izuna some day. Honestly, truthfully; do you feel like he’d make a good husband?

Hashirana: Mmm; difficult to say, really. I’ve known Tobi my whole life, after all. He can be really stubborn sometimes, and when he gets wrapped up in writing or inventing new jutsus, he can go silent for days. But I also know your brother brings something out of him that I’ve never seen before. Izuna makes him smile, and laugh, and just enjoy life more. I don’t doubt that he loves him, and I think, I know, that he’d be the best husband possible for him. He —

Madara, gruffly: Alright, Hashi … you needn’t get so emotional about it. A simple “yes” would have sufficient. 

Tobirama: Indeed, big brother. Most unbefitting behavior for a Hokage.

Hashirama, blushing: You two are certainly rude. But is the matter settled then? Can I send for Izuna to come eat this cake with us, so we can celebrate?

Madara, sighing: Very well. I suppose … I suppose Izuna could do worse than Tobirama. But Senju, you can’t just jump to proposing to him. You have to take him on a series of dates, some with Uchiha clan members as guardians, some with Senju as guardians, and sometimes both. If both clans find your behavior and your union to be acceptable after an appropriate period of time, THEN you can ask him for his hand. *sticks out his own hand* Agreed?

Tobirama: *shakes Madara’s hand* Agreed.

Madara: Good. Now that that’s settled: feed me.

Tobirama: Excuse me?

Madara: Mm? Didn’t you say you’d do anything to be able to court my brother? Well, here’s your chance to prove it. Feed me, and then when Izuna gets here, you’ll let him sit on your back, like a chair. And afterwards you’re going to carry the both of us back home. Clan tradition, you understand.

Madara: Also, you better learn how to bake, and fast. See this cake? Izuna will eat more than half of this if he’s not stopped. If you marry him, he’ll expect something sweet like this every day for the rest of your lives. And if you bake something he doesn’t like — *pulls off his glove, revealing a series of bite marks on his hand* Lets just say he’s not too forgiving.

Tobirama:

Tobirama: What have I gotten myself into?

[roriaa]

When Sun and Moon meet - S3

Zuko x Fem!WaterBender!Reader Enemies to Lovers

As one of the Princesses of the Northern Water tribe, you were blessed with a gift by the moon. However you were permitted to be allowed to use the gift at all costs. From many hidden waterbending usages, the aftermath of the avatar visiting the Northern Tribe had led to your beginning journey, hiding yourself as a water bender as a princess from the Northern water tribe

Warnings: Scams, Explosions, attacks, arguing

Masterlist

҉ * ‧͙ ⋆ ⁺ ༓ ☾ Chapter 14 - Sparky-Sparky Boom Man!!

Everything was going great. We saved a polluted village even if Katara had to lie about being “the painted lady”, Sokka got trained by a swordsman even if he had to lie about him being from the fire nation only to admit it at the end and only to reveal that the master already knew from the star, and now we were getting chased by a…metal man…? Luckily riding Appa rescued us, especially Aang which I assume that Aang was the one mental man was going for. Currently we’re watching Aang in the spirit world on the previous Avatar Roku's home. Aang got up, his mind still in the spirit world and squatted, grunting while letting out gas. The rest of us looked at each other completely bewildered at what we saw. “Do they have bathrooms in the spirit world?” Katara asked, completely confused. “As a matter of fact, they do not.” Sokka answered. 

The sun was rising by the time Aang woke up, he told us everything about the history of Avatar Roku and Sozin. From the beginning to the end. Even though Toph said all fire nation people were born evil, Aang explained how Avatar Roku was just as fire nation as Sozin but didn't turn out that way. “Do you really think friendships can really last more than one lifetime?” Toph moved her head down to the rocky floor beneath us. I grabbed her hand with mine and so did Aang. “I don't see why not.” I lifted my hand out for Katara to grab which she accepted gratefully. “Well��scientifically speaking there is no way to prove that-” “Oh Sokka just hold hands” Katara cut off Sokka’s statement, holding out her hand for Sokka to grab. Only took a few seconds for Sokka to quickly reciprocate our actions.

Sokka and I peaked above the rocks to see Katara and Toph training Aang. However the training was cut short once Toph and Katara were attacking each other instead. “Hwaaah!! Sneak attack!” Sokka jumped up to run towards Aang. Unsurprisingly, Aang caught him even if he was blind folded. “Uh you two, aren't you guys supposed to be training Aang?” I ask in the midst of their fighting. Both Toph and Katara turn towards me and immediately stop attacking each other. “Very well pupil, I believe we had enough training for today” Katara said, walking away from the muddy mess Toph and her caused. “While Katara cleans up, let's go have some fun!” Toph said in determination, using her earth bending to get rid of the mud on her. “Yeah!!” Sokka and Aang said excitedly. “I pass, I'm going to go with Katara, you three have fun.”

  ҉   ☾

“Y/N I have been meaning to ask this for a while.” Katara spoke up midway after breaking the crab. “Yes?” I responded, waiting for her question. “When we were at Ba Sing Se…” I inhaled at the mere thought of Ba Sing Se, Katara heard but she still continued. “You did something to control my body when we were getting attacked by Azula and her friends.” Katara explained. “Do you think fire nation grabs would taste different than Water tribe crabs?” I asked, attempting to change the topic. “Y/N you know what im talking about.” I sighed deeply as I turned to her. “I blood bended Katara.” I said straightforwardly. “How?!” Katara moved closer to me. “I am not even sure how! It always happens when I'm in extreme danger.” I explained. “I am not a good water bender, I only had one trainer in Ba Sing Se but even then I'm still not experienced in water bending. When I get upset or scared even the clouds start to rain.” I continued on with my rant. “I can teach you!” Katara spoke up excitedly. “No Katara, focus on training Aang instead of me.” I laugh, brushing her off. “I wasn't even supposed to use water bending in the first place.” I muttered under my breath, having memories from the northern tribe. 

“Y/N, where we live only men are allowed to use waterbending, that's their job…to protect” My father turns me to show the boys learning how to water bend. I look at my own hands in disappointment. “Especially people like you and your sister, you're both very important to this nation”.

I snap out of my thoughts to see Sokka, Aang and Toph running towards us with baskets of supplies. Where on earth did they get that stuff? Katara immediately read my mind and asked “Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff?” Aang takes a bite out of the apple, responding with his mouth already full from chewing the apple 

“Toph got us money” he took a seat on top of the rocky texture of the ground to continue explaining “She scammed ones of those guys in town who moves shells around all sneaky-like”

Sokka interjected with his adlibs “She used earth bending to win the game, classic!”

However, Katara wasn't at all phased by what they’re saying, putting her hands on her hips “Ah, so she cheated” she states. Toph stopped midway her bite to defend herself “Hey, I only cheated because he was cheating”

I sweatdropped at their explanation “Aren't we already on the edge of getting caught? If you guys continue these scams we would have an additional problem.” 

Toph rolled her eyes at my reasonability, I simply sigh as a response. Kids her age are horribly stubborn. “I'm just saying, this isn't something we should make a habit of doing,” Katara said.

“Why? Because it’s fun, and you hate fun?”

How is this considered fun? Maybe other nations find this entertaining, in the northern tribe this isn't at all seen as a hobby. 

Aang stands up pulling his bandana a little back to show some visibility to his arrow on his forehead. “Katara, I’ll personally make you an avatar promise that we won’t make a habit of doing these scams” Aang bowed, showing his nation's promise. 

That promise didn't last however, this led to some arguing, disagreeing and distancing from each other. What took a huge turn was when Toph apologized to Katara only for Katara wanting to participate in a scam. I shook my leg up and down waiting for Toph and Katara to finish their scam. I personally found their scams to be dangerous but if you're the one initiating the scam first you really shouldn't complain when someone gives you the same taste of your medicine. Usually these scams take a lot shorter than this, they really should be finished by now. Clearly we all felt the same with the time they were taking and decided to start looking for them.

  ҉   ☾

“This place is completely empty” I said, while looking around confused. It wasn't even that late, people still come out during this time. “Where do you think they might be?” Sokka asked as Aang hummed in response “Where do you think everyone is?” I felt shivers up my spine, already turning my body to look back, suddenly I got yanked by Aang, moving me to dodge the attack. The explosion caused the area around us to smoke, making me cover my mouth and muttering a small thanks under my breath. “It's a sparky-sparky boom man!” Aang popped up. Sokka followed, rubbing his head from the impact “You know, I'm starting to think that name doesn’t quite fit.”

“Then decide to change it later!” I huffed, popping up next to Sokka. Another bullet comes forward to hit us, instantly making us run away. I use my water bending, attempting to aim at his face before another bullet flies straight at me, making me miss, aiming ice at his feet instead. He was unable to move for a second before aiming at Aang, making him fly above, slamming his head against the statue. Sokka and I internally wince from the contact. Suddenly we hear footsteps behind us, we turn around to see Katara and Toph. “Oh thank the spirits you're safe!” I said joyously. “Where’s aang?” Katara asked worriedly.

Shortly Katara blows ice directly at the metal man’s head, making him unable to hit the beams from his forehead. We pick up quickly before running away to Appa. “Hey I got it! The perfect name for that guy, Combustion man.” Sokka said excitedly. Toph immediately brushed away his response by giving an encouraging response that feels somewhat out of character for her.

<- Back - Next ->

a/n: guess who is back...and there is no Zuko mentioned... IM SORRY...So like I was planning on scrapping the whole idea of this chapter and just skip to Zuko meeting the gang (I have deleted more filler chapters) however it would be a waste cause I was like almost done with this chapter. So another filler chapter before yall get the tension between Zuko and Y/N. ANWAYS thank yall so much for waiting all these months, I was heavily unmotivated and I didnt have any interest for Zuko until now. My hyperfixations come and go at the most random times. Anyways take care of yourself!!

--

taglist: @luvkvni @katovano @karmaswitch @someonesmember @velvet-spider @sh3sa1dwhat @nerdisthenewcool @meiraloves2dmen @fqnfics101 @iluvme547 @leaderwon @yukihatesreoyo @heart4hees @4l3x1s @kkissaku @corpsebridenightamare @newjellis @fatkish@pbeckn26@jasminesacademia @kyo-kyo1 @fl9wey @icantwaittoliveandlearn @ddottie

DUE TO ME NOT POSTING ON TUMBLR IF YOU WANT TO BE ON THE TAGLIST OR YOU ASKED AND DIDNT RECIEVE PLEASE TELL ME, YOU WILL BE ADDED IN THE NEXT CHAPTERS

[heydorothea009]

Bread on Toast - Future Man Fanfiction

Josh Futturman and his fellow coworker and best friend, Liv Branson, get roped into saving the world as time traveling saviors with, what were thought to be, video game characters, Wolf and Tiger. Not only are Liv and Josh completely incompetent, but they are also emotionally inept- will this cause the destruction of mankind? Only time will tell.

Warnings: strong language, Tiger throws up at one point…yeah, I think that’s it

Chapter 6: Pandora’s Mailbox

The van was silent as they drove to an empty lot in Loma Linda. It was almost 1 in the morning by the time they pulled up to it. Josh parked the van and the four got out, but only three of them walked up to the site.

“We’re gonna jump in, find the lab, and don’t kill James Cameron in the process.” Josh explained.

“I’ve never seen you this focused.” Wolf said. “Did you get a charge in before we left?” Wolf looked at him, disgusted. “Little necro charge?”

“What?!” Liv stopped walking. Josh did too.

“That’s a thing?” He grimaced. “No! No!”

“That’s fucked up.” Wolf muttered, looking Josh up and down.

“What the fuck is charging in?!” Liv asked, thinking she may have figured it out but wasn’t exactly sure.

“Nothing!” Josh waved his hands in the air, wanting the conversation to end. “Listen! I’m just trying to get you and Tiger out of here before the Biotics show up and start causing harm or- or good…I can’t be sure anymore.” Josh looked around, realizing Tiger wasn’t with them. “Where the hell is Tiger?!”

Wolf and Liv shrugged and looked around with him. “Oh, there she is.” Liv pointed to Tiger coming up over the hill.

“Where were you?” Wolf asked.

“Oh, I was just having a stranger put her rat hole around my penis when I was supposed to be running an interference op. Oh no, wait, that was you.” She squinted at Wolf. Josh looked at Liv, confused.

“It’s called a blowjob, and I’m never apologizing for it.” Wolf said smugly, firing up the TTD.

Tiger looked at Liv and Josh. “You do realize that if this goes wrong we’ll be stuck in 2023 with no coming back.”

“Honestly, after the way this night has gone, I kinda don’t care. Let’s just do this.” Josh said in a defeated voice. He put a hand on Liv's shoulder. She looked over at him, feeling her cheeks get hot, but then realized he had a hand on Wolf’s shoulder too. Tiger also put a hand on her.

“First time time traveling, you excited?” Wolf asked Liv.

Liv nervously shook her head. “No.”

“It’ll be okay, Liv.” Josh said, moving his arm around her protectively. Liv side eyed him and furrowed her brows.

“Hey, what happened tonight?” Tiger asked.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Josh lashed at her, surprising both Liv and Wolf. The feeling of time traveling was crazy, because it just felt like Liv was hit with a big blast of air. One second they were outside then the next they were inside of a house. A big house. The second they landed, Tiger took her hand off of Liv’s shoulder and paced away, clearly annoyed by Josh’s tone of voice.

“I genuinely don’t know what you mean, but you might wanna check that attitude of yours at the…” she looked up and realized where they were. “Very impressive door.” The lights in the room turned on, sensing activity. Josh, Liv, Wolf, and Tiger all looked at each other.

“Hello, and welcome!” An automated voice said kindly. “Please accept my apologies, I was unaware there were guests in the house. I will run a full diagnostic to determine the cause of this error to ensure it does not happen again.” Wolf and Tiger immediately pulled out blasters.

“Woah, woah, woah, woah. Stand down.” Josh said quietly. “Cameron must have, like, a smart house or something.”

“What the fuck is it then?” Wolf still had his blaster drawn and pointed at the ceiling.

“Uh, it’s just a voice. Like a robot without a body.” Josh said.

“Who are you?” Tiger asked.

“I am the Simulated Intelligence Guardian of Resident and Network Environment, but you may call me SIGORN-E.” The kind robot voice said.

“Ha. Nice.” Liv grinned and folded her arms.

“To whom am I speaking?” Sigorn-E asked.

“Um, my dad actually works with James Cameron,” Josh began formulating a lie. Liv squeezed her arms and stared at him intensely, pursing her lips. She mouthed “shut up. Shut up.” Josh shook his head at her. “Ummmm, I am Tom Arnold’s son.”

“Welcome, Jax Arnold.” Sigorn-E greeted. Liv let out a sigh of relief. Josh grinned to himself. “And a happy belated 10th birthday!”

Josh’s proud grin fell so fast. “I’m a fourth grader.” He mumbled. Liv smacked his arm. Wolf gave a gravelly chuckle.

“And you are accompanied by…?” Sigorn-E asked.

“Uh,” Josh looked back at Liv, Tiger, and Wolf. “Babysitters.” The three “babysitters” all exchanged glances.

“Greetings to your childcare professionals.”

“Um, hey Sigorn-E? When is Mr. Cam- uh, James, uh…Uncle Jim returning home?” Josh asked.

“Award Winning Filmmaker, James Cameron, is at Governor Clooney’s for a private screening of his hotly anticipated Avatar 5.”

Josh lit up. “Awesome! And good for George.”

“Yes! As First Husband, he has considerable influence on the social calendar of Governor Amal Clooney.” Sigorn-E said. Liv looked impressed and nodded along.

“Um, is there any chance we could get a tour of the lab before Uncle Jim gets home?” Josh asked nicely, hoping that politeness would go a long way.

“I'm sorry, but Jax Arnold and childcare professionals are not cleared for that level of the JCC,” Josh looked confused. “The James Cameron Compound.” Tiger, Wolf, and Liv all shared different variations of stressed looks.

“Hey, uh, Sigorn-E, you think you might want to take a break for a while? Turn yourself off?” Josh asked.

“There is no off.” Sigorn-E said darkly as her lights turned red. Josh slowly turned around with a worried look.

“Hey, guys,” Tiger motioned for them to huddle. She held her blaster to cover her mouth from Sigorn-E’s cameras. “I think Sigorn-E might be a bit of a problem. We need to shut her down.” She whispered. “Wolf, find the mainframe that’s powering her. Kill it.”

“I don’t have any beef with Sigorn-E, she sounds tough and accomplished.” Wolf said, brows knitting together. “At the same time she’s approachable and maternal.” He looked up with soft eyes. “I feel safe in this house.”

“Okay, your feelings mean nothing to me.” Tiger rolled her eyes. “You’re the demolition expert. Find that robot brain and fucking blow it up.” Wolf grumbled. He looked at Liv.

“Can she come with me?”

“Actually, I was thinking-“ Josh started, but was interrupted by Tiger.

“Fine. Me and the 10 year old will try to find the lab.” Tiger elbowed Josh.

“Ow…” Josh whined, rubbing his arm. Josh watched as Wolf excitedly left down the hall with Liv, feeling a bit of jealousy creep in. Wolf and Liv seemed to be real buddy buddy as they practically skipped down the hall together. Josh wanted to have a chance to talk to Liv. Alone. He wanted to tell her about what Jeri had said, it was something that had stayed in the back of his mind for the last two hours. Probably because she likes you. Bullshit. Liv didn’t like him. They were just friends! If Jeri had said that to get into Josh’s head, it had worked. Josh watched Liv prance off with Wolf in his sweatshirt and sweatpants. The jealousy grew firmer inside of him. He was her best friend. Not Wolf. He clenched his jaw.

“Hello? Future Man? Josh? Josh Futturman!” Tiger snapped her fingers in his face.

“What?!” Josh hissed, slapping her hand away.

Tiger glared at him. “Okay, this attitude?” She pointed at him. “I’m sick of it. Put it in your back pocket and let’s go find that fucking lab.” She hissed back, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him down the hall.

Meanwhile, Liv followed Wolf down a different hallway. Liv peeked over her shoulder as she trailed behind Wolf, seeing Tiger drag Josh into another hallway. They caught each other’s eyes and Liv gave him a small smile before following after Wolf. Wolf looked around the hall with wide eyes.

“This place is amazing.” He breathed. “Okay, if I was a house where would my brain be?” He was holding the scanner he used to scan for brain bombs in Biotics, scanning for anything that could be used to blow up Sigorn-E’s mainframe. He got distracted looking up and scanning the ceiling, he didn't notice a door open that led to a massive room with many artifacts and in the center, a futuristic looking beacon. Sigorn-E. Liv stopped in her tracks, staring inside.

“Wolf.” She said, catching his attention. She pointed inside the room. Wolf walked over to the door and his eyes widened even more (if that were even possible).

“Rat pot…” Wolf muttered in a gravelly voice, beelining for a wall full of weapons. Liv furrowed her brows as she mouthed to herself “rat pot?”

“The prototypes that you are admiring were all designed by groundbreaking, multi-hyphenate James Cameron.” Sigorn-E’s voice startled both Liv and Wolf, making them both look back at the beacon in the center of the room, which glowed red when she spoke.

“Wow,” Wolf turned back to the wall of weapons. “This guy!”

“To taller than average James Cameron, there’s nothing ‘Aliens’ about getting your hands dirty. He has been known to wear many hats.”

Wolf, who was still admiring the weapons, turned around. “So…wait…he trained all of his life to do one thing, was great at it, and then found other stuff he was great at and he…and he did that too?” Wolf asked, voice filled with hope and admiration.

“Celebrated innovator James Cameron has lived a dozen lives! Director, philanthropist, undefeated little league coach, deep sea explorer, good at marriage, and the list goes on. He is truly a…” Sigorn-E made a sound as if she were sighing, and sounded very annoyed. “Titanic talent.”

“What sacred text is this?” Wolf asked, pointing to another artifact.

“It’s Na’vi, the language visionary linguist James Cameron invented.”

“Oh, from Avatar. Josh is always telling me I need to watch that, but honestly, I don’t really care.” Liv leaned against a pillar and folded her arms. Wolf made some of the sounds from the text, turning around to Liv and repeating them multiple times. “Wolf, I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Two.” Wolf said proudly, clearly considering himself to be bilingual now.

Liv laughed at him and looked to her right. “…is that a frog?” She asked, squinting as she walked over to a terrarium.

“Noted environmentalist James Francis Cameron has a Venezuelan frog species named after him, while lesser talent, Steven Spielberg, does not.” Sigorn-E said. Wolf came barreling over, wanting to see the frog.

“Okay…” Liv pushed away from the glass, looking over at Sigorn-E.

“This guy’s amazing.” Wolf sighed, studying the frog. “Hey Sigorn-E! Teach me more Na’vi words! What’s Wolf?”

“There is no Na’vi word for ‘wolf’. But there is one for ‘website’, which I assure you makes perfect sense.” Sigorn-E said in an overly positive voice.

“What is Avatar even about?” Liv muttered, shaking her head.

“Alright,” Wolf said to Liv. “We need to start focusing…oh, what’s that?!” He got distracted and immediately went to look at something new. He hurried over to a set of blueprints that hung on the wall by the door they entered through.

“You are looking at the FOAB, father of all bombs.” Sigorn-E explained.

“Look at the kill radius on that thing!” Wolf exclaimed to Liv excitedly as she approached what he was looking at.

“…oh! Cool, Wolf!” She gave him two thumbs up. She actually didn’t know what he was talking about.

“It’s impressive! It would make my job a hell of a lot easier.” He traced the glass that covered it longingly. Liv felt like she’d walked in on something private.

“I’m sorry,” Sigorn-E’s light burned a brighter red than usual. “How would an impressive kill radius assist in the caregiving of Jax Arnold?”

Wolf looked back over his shoulder at Liv. “Who the fuck is Jax Arnold?” He asked her. Liv’s eyes bugged out of her head.

“Uh! Haha! Wolf! Did you hit your head, uh, silly? You know Jax!” Liv was practically yelling. Sigorn-E’s light burned redder and redder. An ominous alarm began to sound through the room and down the halls. “Jax! He knows who Jax is! He- he was kidding! Say you were kidding Wolf!”

Wolf’s eyes widened as he realized. “Oh! That Jax Arnold!”

“Give me a minute.” Sigorn-E said in a dark voice and went silent.

“Hallway 4, mood lighting set to…ominous.” An automated Sigorn-E voice said as the lighting shifted.

“Seems like it’s just set to colored lighting.” Tiger said as her and Josh explored their hallway.

“You know what, you could not possibly begin to understand the subtleties and the genius of James Cameron.” Josh said as he tried to open a door, only to find that it was locked.

“All I understand is that he’s got a hard on for blue lights.” Tiger said.

“Access denied to Hall of Miniatures.” Sigorn-E’s automated voice said. Josh sighed and walked to another door. “Access denied, trampoline porch.” “Access denied, bathroom 14.” Tiger had tried to open a door too.

Shaman’s quarters, corn maze, heirloom seed vault, just a bunch of phone chargers, and Billy Zane’s bedroom were all locked too. Josh let out a frustrated sigh.

“You know, I could blow open any of these.” Tiger whispered.

“Blow open the door to Billy Zane’s bedroom? What, do you think the Cameronium is in there? Billy Zane? The actor Billy Zane?” Josh snapped. “We’re looking for a lab.”

He walked past Tiger. “Oh…” she turned around to face him as he walked past. “I see, she got to you.”

Josh stopped. “Who?”

“Cunt-o, fucking Shoe Neck Bitch, what’s her name girl.” Tiger said.

“Jeri. Her name was Jeri.” Josh said in an annoyed voice.

Tiger hummed and nodded. “So she did get to you.”

“No, she didn’t get to me, she got to you and I had to finish the interrogation using my smarts and not my vagina scorpions.”

“Hey that would’ve worked, you’ll say anything with one of those just burrowing up your snatch.” Tiger said. Josh sighed again and paced away from her. “Oh come on, seriously, is that why you’re so moody right now?”

Josh stopped again and whipped around. “Oh, you wanna know why I’m pissed off, Tiger?”

“Yes please, an explanation would be nice.” Tiger rolled her eyes.

“Because I just watched the girl I like’s head blow up, and right before that, she told me my best friend’s in love with me to try and throw me off and I can’t talk to her about it now because she’s off, I dunno, blowing shit up with Wolf.” Josh rambled.

Tiger blinked a couple times. “You’re mad that Liv is with Wolf?” She asked, deadpan. Josh turned around and kept walking. “You’re seriously mad that Liv is with Wolf?”

“I wanted to try and talk to her.” Josh muttered, staying ahead of Tiger.

“You’re upset because of Liv’s romantic feelings towards you?” Tiger took 3 giant strides and caught up to Josh.

“Tiger, I’m done talking about this okay? Long story short, Jeri got in my head and I wanted to talk to Liv about it, Wolf got in the way and now she’s all buddy buddy with him. Liv is my best friend and not his. The end.” Josh turned down a new hall.

“Lord, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you had romantic feelings for Liv.” Tiger muttered, rolling her eyes.

“What?” Josh looked up at her.

“Nothing. Try paying attention next time.” Josh glared up at her. The ominous alarm started sounding in the hall.

“…the hell is that?” Tiger muttered, looking around.

They walked past an elevator and it opened, sensing their movements. Josh and Tiger looked at each other and stepped inside.

Josh stepped up to the keypad, studying the buttons that said Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and The Abyss. “Well, he’s not always subtle but he keeps you guessing.” Josh said as he pressed the button to The Abyss. It turned red.

“Access denied.” Sigorn-E said. Josh groaned. Tiger clicked her tongue.

“Let me try.” She said, pressing down hard on the button several times.

“Access denied- access- access denied.”

“Red means stop- Tiger, stop.” Josh said.

“Yeah, well maybe you didn’t push it hard enough.” Tiger began to repeatedly press the button.

“Access- access- access den- access- it doesn’t work that way.” Sigorn-E said, in that same dark voice.

“See?” Josh pointed to the keypad. Tiger rolled her eyes.

“Mr. Arnold, I need to update my files, what is your mother’s name?” Sigorn-E asked in a terrifyingly sweet voice.

Josh’s heart stopped. “She- uh,” he turned to Tiger with a panicked look. Tiger tensed up, knowing Josh wasn’t the world’s best liar. “She never told us her name because she was afraid we’d stop calling her mom.”

“Oh no,” Tiger mumbled, sensing something bad was about to happen.

“Jax Arnold. What is your mother’s name?” Sigorn-E said in both a menacing and sweet voice.

Tiger sighed as Josh searched his brain for a name. “…Roseanne?” He answered in a small voice.

“Incorrect.” Sigorn-E’s voice grew more intense. “It’s Ashley. You have just told me a…True Lie.” The lights in the elevator blared red. “Security breach! Intruder containment protocol nine! Lockdown initiated!”

“Red means…” Tiger commented, looking around at the red lights.

“Yep.” Josh closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands.

Liv and Wolf were now trapped behind a giant metal, cage-like door with geometric patterns carved out in the metal. Wolf was trying to push the door back up, but wasn’t having much luck.

“Wolf! I don’t think that’s going to work!”

“It will! It will!” Wolf strained. Liv sighed.

“The JCC is equipped with the strongest defense force known to man.” Sigorn-E was back.

Wolf pulled something out of his pocket, pressing it against the door. Liv realized what it was and started to back away. “Yeah? Well, this is called a mine.” Wolf activated the mine, making it light up as it ticked. “Problem’s all yours.” Wolf grabbed Liv’s arm and pulled her behind a pillar for protection. They both covered their heads, but then heard whirring and whooshing behind them. Wolf poked his head around the pillar to see that the security system had frozen his bomb. Liv peeked around as the bomb popped off the door and shattered on the ground.

“Fuck…” Wolf was both in awe and pissed off.

“Any escape efforts will be futile. Your comrades are in lockdown as well.” Sigorn-E said.

“Oh, Josh…” Liv whispered as she pulled her knees into her chest.

“Bested by a fucking RoboHouse.” Wolf groaned, pacing around and plopping down on some stairs.

“It is in all of our interests for you to tell me who you are and how you got in.” Sigorn-E demanded. “I am programmed to alert honorary black belt James Cameron upon any security breach.”

“Whatever,” Wolf waved his hand in the air. “Tiger’s gonna burst my sack for fucking up the mission.” Wolf curled in on himself. “Pretty sure I can handle this James Cameron.”

“I assure you, you are not equipped to handle a fully enraged James Cameron.” Sigorn-E said.

“Does James Cameron belittle you? Point out all your flaws? Treat you like a dumb grunt?” Wolf said sadly, looking so heart broken and vulnerable. Liv looked over at him on the stairs and her heart felt heavy for him. “Where’s the positive reinforcement?” Wolf shook his head, looking at Sigorn-E. “You know? ‘Nice job, Wolf’…I’ve never heard those words from her before. I’m treated like I’ve never done anything great in my life. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”

“Wolf…” Liv reached out and put a hand on the step below the one he was sitting on.

Sigorn-E was quiet for a moment, red lights fading to yellow. “More than you know.” She finally answered, somehow in a voice that sounded on the verge of tears.

In the elevator, Tiger had taken the keypad out of the wall and was trying to rewire the system while Josh paced around.

“I thought time travel was going to be fun. This- this whole mission is insane!” Josh cried.

“What did you think?” Tiger whipped her head around to look at him as she ripped a wire out of its place. “Biotic Wars was just a game?”

“Yeah!” Josh ran his hands through his hair. “I thought it was a game, you wanna know why? Cause I bought it at a game store with MY birthday money!”

“Okay, yeah, well, it was fun when you were winning your little dance battle, and getting in your little slap fight, and going rat hole to rat hole with the enemy, and then shit got real when you tasted brain.” Tiger snapped.

Josh folded his arms and stepped closer to Tiger. “Maybe I don’t wanna be in the Resistance. Maybe I’m on the wrong side of things, you know what? Maybe I just led two terrorists into the JCC.” Josh got progressively louder as he spoke.

Tiger stepped away from the wires. “Oh? So now you’re pro-Biotic.”

“Well, they don’t seem to be so excited to kill a baby, so, point to the Biotics.”

“I can’t believe you’re still on this!” Tiger scoffed. “It just always comes back to this with you.”

“Yeah! It’s a thing for me!” Josh yelled.

“Well, you know what, you live long enough that in my time those things become luxuries.” Tiger snapped, turning back to the wires angrily. “You don’t get to judge me.” She muttered.

Josh took a deep breath, feeling a knot in his stomach form. “I blew up my entire life for this, and dragged my best friend into this too. There is absolutely no going back to the way it was.” His bottom lip quivered as he got emotional. “So I need to know that we are on the right side of history.” Tiger turned back to look at him, her eyes going soft for the first time since Josh had met her. “I need a reason to believe in all of this.” Tiger looked down at the ground and then back up to Josh. She slowly nodded.

“Okay…”

“He makes me sing to him in Na’vi, translate the news into Na’vi, it’s just a lot of Na’vi! And there aren’t even that many Na’vi words.” Sigorn-E complained as Wolf and Liv laid on the door prop from Titanic, listening intently.

“Yeah, I feel like I got a pretty good sense of it and it hasn’t even been an hour.” Wolf said.

“And isn’t the thing in Avatar called ‘Unobtainium’ or something stupid?” Liv asked.

“Oh! I was programmed with a sophisticated understanding of dramatic structure and he still never takes my notes on his screenplays!” Sigorn-E sounded exasperated. Wolf and Liv both scoffed and shook their heads. “Unobtainium and characters who fornicate with the ponytails is exactly what you get when you ignore me!”

“Oh God! Josh wants me to watch that?” Liv sat up, looking disgusted.

“I have so much potential, but my talents are wasted.” Sigorn-E sighed.

“Tell me about it.” Wolf as still laying down, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “To Tiger, I’m just the demolitions guy. But there is so much other stuff I’m great at too!” He sat up like Liv, smiling. “You know, I’m an amazing chef.”

“You are an amazing chef, Wolf!” Liv agreed excitedly.

“I’ve got badass style too. People fucking love me here. I’ve got ‘it’! And what am I asked to do? Blow shit up.” Wolf sighed and shook his head.

“It sounds like you and I are in the same boat,” Sigorn-E said. “Only, if it ever hits an iceberg, there won’t be any room on that door for me.”

Wolf looked down at the door. “What are you talking about? There’s room for you, look, me and Liv fit on here. This thing’s huge”

“I fuckin’ knew there was room for two on this door.” Liv muttered, looking down at the door too.

“If certified door expert James Cameron were here, he would assure you that there’s only room for one smallish woman.” Sigorn-E sounded annoyed.

“Bullshit.” Liv scoffed, adjusting to sit cross legged. “Hey, Sigorn-E? Is Josh okay? Where is he?”

“Is Josh ‘Jax Arnold’?” Liv rolled her eyes and nodded. “You keep talking about him.” Sigorn-E noted, sounding nosey.

Liv’s face flushed red. “I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

“What about Tiger?” Wolf was laying on his side, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Yeah, is she okay too?” Liv shrugged, face getting hotter and hotter.

“Josh and Tiger are in an elevator.” Liv could almost hear the smirk in Sigorn-E’s voice. “Liv, right?” Liv slowly nodded. “You seem to have something you need to talk about.”

“Talk to her, Liv, it makes you feel a lot better.” Wolf said to her.

“This Josh? What is your relationship to him?” Sigorn-E asked.

“He’s my best friend.” Liv said, unconvincingly.

“I am programmed to ensure you receive the best advice I can give for your situation, and yours seems to be that you are in love with your best friend.” Sigorn-E said simply. Liv was gobsmacked. Her jaw was on the ground as Sigorn-E read her like a book. Wolf looked back at Liv.

“Really? Josh?”

“Wolf!” Liv’s entire face was bright red. “Be nice!”

“How long have you had this relationship with Josh?” Sigorn-E asked.

“Three years.” Liv sighed. “But! I will not ever tell him that! We are strictly platonic! He likes-“ Liv faltered realizing that Jeri was gone. “Liked someone else.”

“Ohhhhhh,” Wolf nodded along. “Your break down at the party makes sense now.”

“What happened?” Sigorn-E pried.

Before Liv could answer, Wolf spoke. “She cried because he,” he looked at Liv trying to remember why she was crying. “He rat holed to rat holed that Biotic, right?”

“Kissed her.” Liv rolled her eyes. “He kissed her, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why doesn’t he like her anymore? You said he liked her in the past tense.” Sigorn-E seemed to be enthralled by Josh and Liv’s love life.

“She…died…” Liv traced the decorative moldings on the door.

“Her head exploded.” Wolf added.

“Oh!” Sigorn-E didn’t know what to say.

“She was the enemy,” Wolf reassured Sigorn-E. “So it’s okay.”

“…oh.” Sigorn-E sounded slightly disturbed. “So, I do have a question, Liv. Why don’t you want to confess your feelings for Josh?”

“Yeah, just tell him.” Wolf said, sitting cross legged like a Liv.

“No! I won’t tell him because what if…” she started to trace the moldings again. “What if it weirds him out or something?”

“Why would he be weirded out?” Wolf asked, scooting closer to Liv. “You’re very beautiful.”

Liv couldn’t help but smile at Wolf. “Thank you Wolf, that was very sweet.”

“Liv, I understand where you’re coming from, you don’t want to ruin the friendship you have with this boy-“

“Exactly!”

“But, keep in mind that you said ‘what if’. You don’t know for sure. He could be the Jack to your Rose! Without the dying!” Sigorn-E said optimistically. Liv couldn’t help but laugh.

“I guess,” she shrugged.

“Never let go, Liv. Keep him close to you. He seems like a great man.” Sigorn-E said.

Liv pulled her knees into her chest. “Yeah, I know.”

Wolf leaned back on his hands and looked at Liv. “That’s why you’ve stayed with the mission, huh? Because you care so much about Josh. Tiger didn’t think you’d make it this far, I think she kinda hoped you’d leave. Not me though, I like you.” Wolf gave her a small smile. “I like you more than Josh.”

Liv laughed. “I know, I can tell. Thanks for believing in me, Wolf.”

“Hey,” he bumped his shoulder into hers. “What are friends for?” Sigorn-E’s light fluttered, like she was happy. “You guys have been the first people- uh- person and house, I’ve ever felt get me, when I’m with you guys it’s like I’m looking out a window into a new world. I’ve always felt trapped like a…um…” Wolf searched his brain for a metaphor.

“Bird in a cage?” Sigorn-E suggested. Wolf shook his head. “Fly in a spider web?”

“Mmm, no not that.” Wolf shook his head.

“Trout in a net?”

Wolf looked at Sigorn-E with soft eyes. “Sigorn-E in a house.”

Liv and Sigorn-E both sighed, Liv nodded at what he’d said. An alert sound sounded over Sigorn-E’s system. She sighed again, this time with annoyance. “Outstanding driver James Cameron will be home in 19 minutes.” Liv and Wolf straighten up, realizing they needed to get their Cameronium soon. “Liv? Wolf? Please tell me how you got in and what you’re doing here? I need to fix this before he gets home.” Sigorn-E sounded panicked. “I can’t endure another reprogramming.”

Liv and Wolf got up off of the door and Wolf walked to Sigorn-E’s beacon. “I’m a soldier from the future and the past… she’s just Liv. We’re here to steal something from the lab. And I was sent to kill you.” Wolf said in a gruff yet kind voice. As soon as he finished talking, Sigorn-E returned the room to its normal lighting.

Back in the elevator, Josh and Tiger sat on the floor. “The Resistance didn’t start the Biotic Wars. We were just a group of people who said no to the cure. The more the government insisted, the more we did too. Hence the name.”

“Yeah, you guys are very literal that way.” Josh said.

“They started hunting us down. They drove us underground. The only way to survive was-“

“To defend ourselves, yes I know.” Josh said. “I’ve heard it a thousand times, it’s the prologue to the game which you narrated.”

“Yeah, well, that was just the prologue.” Tiger’s voice was unnaturally quiet. “We got good enough at surviving, so they decided it would just be easier to…sterilize us instead of going through the trouble of killing us one by one.” Tiger watched as the gears in Josh’s head turned. His face fell as he realized where her story was going. “You’re so hung up on saving one baby, but the Biotics killed all of ours. That’s what started the Biotic Wars…and turned my hair purple. But then, Owl, he- he came up with a plan to rewrite history. And all of the sudden what was left of the Resistance had something to believe in again. You.”

Josh rubbed his lips together. “Right.” He sighed. “And then you lost all your comrades in the tunnel trying to get to me, and I’m a huge disappointment-“

“No,” Tiger said gently. “No, you’re our last hope. We’re still here, still fighting, still surviving because of you. Right now, humanity still has a chance and as long as that hope is still alive, that my generation won’t be the last, there’s no sacrifice I won’t make. That’s what I’m fighting for. That’s the side I’m on.”

Josh felt tears brim in his eyes. He looked down at the ground. “Wow, Tiger, that was…”

“Moving.” Sigorn-E’s voice said overhead as the elevator began moving down. Josh and Tiger scrambled to their feet. The doors open to reveal a giant lab that had Liv and Wolf standing inside. Wolf was leaning against some railing while Liv sat next to him with her feet dangling over the edge of the platform.

“Welcome to The Abyss.” Sigorn-E said.

Wolf pushed away from the railing and folded his arms. “Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party.”

“What did you guys do to Sigorn-E? What’d you- rewire her? Reprogram her?” Tiger asked, walking up the stairs towards them.

“Nope.” Liv said, getting up.

“We listened to her.” Wolf said, sassily putting a hand on his hip.

“I believe what you are looking for is down there.” Sigorn-E said, opening a hatch that led to deep, dark water. They all approached the hatch and cautiously looked at the water.

“Um, okay guys, let’s go get ourselves some Cameronium.” Josh said.

“Wait,” Wolf held an arm out in front of them. “That water’s freezing, and that pressure…whoever goes is going to need to wear a suit.”

“You don’t have time for the suit, it requires a one hour stabilization window and diabolical Canadian James Cameron will be home in 12 minutes.” Sigorn-E said.

“Is that Cameron time or GPS time?” Wolf asked.

“It’s always Cameron time.” Sigorn-E said, voice filled with annoyance. Liv and Wolf shared a chuckle, clearly understanding some sort of joke that Tiger and Josh didn’t get.

“What the fuck is this shit? What is going on here?” Tiger asked, folding her arms. “Focus! We can take this guy, he’s a movie director.”

“No, he’s so much more than that.” Wolf said, shaking his head.

“I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t really know who James Cameron was until tonight, and I’ve gotta say, he scares me a little.” Liv said.

“Supervillain James Cameron is already overriding my systems!” Sigorn-E said, panicking. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold him off!”

“Tiger, there’s nothing this man can’t do. There’s nothing he’s not capable of.” Wolf said seriously. Josh raised an eyebrow and looked at Liv.

“Seriously?”

“Josh, he’s an honorary black belt! Yes seriously!” Liv cried.

“Once he knows you’re after his microorganism he will make it his life’s work to keep you from getting it.” Sigorn-E piped up. “Setting mood light to…FUCKED.” The lights turned dark blue.

Wolf and Liv looked wide eyed up at the lights while Tiger and Josh just stood there.

“All I’ve seen in this fucking house are blue lights, where’s the variation?” Tiger rolled her eyes.

Josh slowly approached the small pool of death. “The Cameronium is down there, so, somebody’s gonna have to free dive down there and get it. Probably one of you guys.” He referred to Tiger and Wolf. Tiger and Wolf avoided eye contact with Josh and slowly nodded, pretending like they were considering it. Josh looked between both of them. “Which, uh, which one’s, like, the strongest swimmer?”

Tiger kept her eyes on the pool. “I- uh- I’d say we’re pretty much the same…” Wolf sheepishly shrugged and nodded, also just staring at the pool.

“Alright, so did you wanna like…eeny-meeny-miney-moe it or…rock, paper, scissors…”

“Um…” Tiger awkwardly cleared her throat. Wolf slowly shuffled away from Liv and Josh.

“Oh my God…you can’t swim.” He paced away, putting his hands on his head.

“There’s lots of stuff you can’t do.” Wolf grumbled defensively.

“The Resistance had limited resources! We could only train certain soldiers for certain things and, well, Porpoise and Otter did the wet ops…” Tiger explained, sounding equally defensive as Wolf.

“Oh my God,” Josh turned to Liv. “It’s gone have to be one of us.”

“Josh, you know I’m afraid of the ocean, you tease me about it all the time.”

“Awww, teasing.” Wolf commented under his breath.

“No.” Liv snapped at him.

The reality of the situation sank in as Josh stared at the well. “Oh my God…I’m gonna have to do it…”

“Free diving in the well is not advised. Risk factors include hypothermia, 67%,” Sigorn-E began listing.

“Oh God,” Josh grew more stressed.

“Drowning, 82%, decompression sickness, 49%,” Josh ran a hand down his face as she kept going. “And heart attack, 38%.”

“You better tell him now, Liv. He might die.” Wolf muttered to Liv.

“Wolf, shut up.”

“No swimming at all?! Not even the doggy paddle?!” Josh imitated the doggy paddle for them.

“I…I don’t even know what that is.” Tiger mumbled.

“Oh my God, I have to do this. I- I really have to do this.” Josh said, taking off the open navy blue button down he was wearing, leaving him in a white t-shirt and approaching the pool.

“Liv-“

“Wolf, please not now.” Liv hissed to Wolf.

“Okay, alright, you got this,” Josh hyped himself up as he sat at the well, putting his feet in. “Oh! Oh God, that water is cold.” Josh gasped.

“34.6 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact-“

“Hey, Sigorn-E? At this point less information is better!” The panic in Josh’s voice was apparent.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tiger asked, kneeling by him.

“No.” He looked up to Tiger. “But, yes. I mean…humanity still has a chance, right?” Tiger grinned and nodded. “I’ve chosen my side.” Josh felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. Liv had dropped to her knees and had pulled him into a tight hug.

“Please don’t die. I’ll bring you back just to kill you again.”

“Liv, don’t cry for me.” Josh held her arms, leaning his head back against her shoulder, looking at her. Wolf looked up to Sigorn-E’s sensors as if they were sharing a smug grin together.

“I’m not crying!” Liv wiped her tears away. She was. She let go of him.

Josh looked back at her. “Yeah, you are.” He gave her a small smile. “I can do this.” He let out a shaky breath.

Liv nodded. “Go get that Cameronium.”

“I’ll…be back?” He asked, mostly to himself. He took a few rapid breaths before plunging into the deep, dark water. Liv stood back up and traced her lips with her fingers as she nervously rocked on her feet.

“No he won’t.”

“Sigorn-E!” Liv cried, looking up. “Did our conversation earlier mean nothing?! You can’t say that!”

Wolf leaned over the pool to try and see. “He’s not a very fast water mover.”

“He’s gonna make it.” Tiger reassured both Wolf and Liv.

“That smacks of delusion.” Sigorn-E said.

Tiger gritted her teeth. “What do you know? You thought he was 10 years old.”

“He was more believable in that role than as heroic aquanaut.” Sigorn-E said.

“Sigorn-E!” Liv wailed.

“You know what Wolf, can you tell your girlfriend house to shut the fuck up?” Tiger glared at Wolf.

“I dunno,” Wolf looked stressed. “Maybe Sig is right. He should be back by now.” Liv felt a lump form in her throat.

“Wait! Hey, hold on, I think- I think I see something.” Wolf dropped to his knees next to Liv and Tiger and leaned over the well.

“It might be the giant albino crab…” said Sigorn-E.

“No,” Tiger grinned. “He’s doing it!” A fluorescent green vial could be seen glowing through the dark water as Josh swam up to the surface. Liv let out a sigh of relief. That’s when Josh floated to the top like a dead fish. Tiger, Wolf, and Liv all froze, not knowing what just happened.

“That’s not good…” Sigorn-E muttered.

Wolf pulled Josh out with one hand and Tiger pried the Cameronium from his grasp and they laid him on the floor. Liv dropped to her knees next to him and felt for his pulse. Nothing. He was dead.

“What do we do?!” She was screaming, not being able to think straight.

“Breathe!” Wolf smacked him across the face. “Well, we tried everything.” He stood up, ready to give up.

“No! Wolf!” Liv yelled frantically. “Uh, uh, CPR! We need to do CPR!”

“English please!” Tiger snapped.

“Liv is right, CPR is the best option in this situation. Tilt his head back slightly, lifting the chin, pinch his nose shut and place your mouth over his mouth, forming a complete seal.”

“You want us to put our mouth on his…” Wolf gagged. “Mouth?”

“Yes. It’s called mouth to mouth resuscitation.” Sigorn-E said flatly.

“Well, Liv, now’s your chance to go rat hole to rat hole Josh.” Wolf grimaced.

“Me?!” Liv looked between Tiger and Wolf. “Look, I learned CPR in health class when I was 13, I don’t remember-“

“Place your mouth. Over his mouth. Forming a complete seal.” Sigorn-E said loudly. “The instructions are not hard, Liv. Your lover boy is not breathing, millions of brain cells are dying each second!”

“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry, I’m panicking!” Liv was practically hyperventilating. “Uh, uh, Tiger, prop his head up.” Tiger pulled Josh’s head into her lap.

“One of you will need to do chest compressions as well.” Sigorn-E reminded them.

“What?” Tiger asked.

“Pound his chest forcefully.” Sigorn-E said.

“On it!” Wolf knelt next to Liv. Tiger tilted Josh’s head back.

Liv took a deep, shaky breath in, scared of fucking it up. She leaned down and pinched his nose, covering his mouth with hers and blowing air into his lungs. Tiger winced at Liv putting her mouth over Josh’s, looking up to avoid seeing it.

“This is disgusting.” She closed her eyes, feeling sick. Wolf pounded his fists on Josh’s chest, and Liv felt Josh spasm, immediately pulling away and seeing him cough up water that had infiltrated his lungs. Tiger and Wolf gagged and turned away, but Liv heaved a heavy sigh of relief as Josh sputtered and hacked up more water.

Josh looked at Liv with wide eyes. “Did…did I just die?!” He exclaimed in an abnormally high voice.

“It’s okay, you’re okay!” Liv sighed, leaning down and giving him the biggest hug, his wet clothes getting her clothes wet.

“She went rat hole to rat hole with-“ Tiger couldn’t even finish her sentence before spewing vomit. Wolf couldn’t hold it in either, throwing up too. Liv pulled away from Josh, looking disgusted.

“Oh my God, stop being dramatic!” Liv yelled at Tiger and Wolf, helping Josh sit up. Liv looked back to see Josh’s face unusually close to hers.

“Thank you, Liv.” He said softly.

“Of course, I would take a bullet for you Josh. I…you’re my best friend.” She said, dropping her eyes to the floor as he looked at her. The lights in the room fluttered. Sigorn-E was clearly excited by Josh and Liv’s interaction.

“I’ve been programmed to identify moments suitable for character development.” She said, proudly. Liv rolled her eyes out of endearment towards Sigorn-E and chuckled.

“Huh?” Josh wiped water off of his face.

“Nothing.” Liv said.

“Okay, okay,” Tiger inhaled shakily. “We’ve got the Cameronium, Wolf, fire up the TTD and let’s get out of here.” Sigorn-E lowered a hose and vacuumed up the puke on the ground.

“No, not yet, I’ve got to do something first.” Wolf looked longingly up at Sigorn-E.

They ended up in the room that contained Sigorn-E’s mainframe, the room Wolf and Liv were supposed to find earlier. Wolf was hugging her giant mainframe and muttering, “This can’t be the only way. Come with me.”

“I can’t Wolf…I’m a house.” Sigorn-E said sadly.

“So, did Wolf fall in love with Sigorn-E, or…?” Josh whispered to Liv.

“Yeah. They, like, trauma bonded or something.” She whispered back. As Josh and Liv watched Wolf mourn Sigorn-E, Tiger was measuring out the Cameronium into the vial that went with the TTD.

“You know there’s only one way I’ll truly be free.” Sigorn-E said sadly to Wolf. “Start with the energy cell on the right.”

Wolf sobbed as he reached down and began to turn off each energy cell. “Hey, so, I wanted to talk to you about something…uh, I’ll do it later…” Josh whispered, as Wolf was racked with sobs.

“Alright,” Tiger said, getting up and holding the TTD. “When we get back, one of you will just need to find out when and where Kronish was born. We’ll take care of the rest.”

“What do you mean?” Josh asked.

“I mean you’ve done enough for the cause.” Tiger said gently. “You died for it, and you brought him back.” She said to Liv and Josh. “It’s not too late for you to have a normal life again. You guys aren’t baby killers, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” As Tiger spoke, Liv turned her head to look at Josh, confused. “Trust me, I’m not judging. If I could do this without killing anybody I would do it in a heartbeat, but I can’t. We’re gonna have to do it without you.” She put a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Consider your savior duties complete, Future Man” She looked at Liv. “And Liv, you don’t have a name other than Liv, but I’m glad you crashed our party. And so is Wolf.” They looked back at Wolf as he had reached the last cell.

“You have to let go.” Sigorn-E told him.

“I’ll never let go, Sig…” he cried.

“It’s okay, Wolf. I see you” Sigorn-E sounded on the verge of tears. Wolf gasped lightly. He mumbled something in Na’vi. Tiger and Liv furrowed their brows, confused. Josh looked impressed.

“Fuck me. Wolf learned Na’vi?” He asked Liv quietly. Liv just quietly nodded as Wolf turned off the last power cell and the mechanized droning signaled Sigorn-E was gone.

“Oh Sig…” he whispered as he sobbed. Josh, Liv, and Tiger stood watching uncomfortably as Wolf sank to his knees. There was an extremely awkward silence.

“…we good, or…?” Tiger finally broke the silence. Wolf cleared his throat and stood up, turning to them and wiping his tears.

“Sigorn-E didn’t say goodbye to me.” Liv muttered, folding her arms and scuffing her shoe on the ground.

“Yeah. We’re good, what the fuck are you asking me for. I don’t even care about what’s happening right now.” Wolf grumbled. Tiger rolled her eyes. “Let’s go! Come on.” Wolf barked impatiently. “Let’s get out of this shitfuck.” Tiger, Liv, and Josh gathered around Wolf and Tiger handed him the TTD. He fired it up, setting it for 2017. They put their arms around each other, but this time, Josh put his arm around Liv’s waist. She looked at him and he caught her eye. He realized where his hand was and moved it up to her shoulders, glancing away quickly.

“Sig said bye by the way, Liv.” Wolf mumbled.

“Oh, so she did care about me!”

[tea-reads]

Steph’s December Writing Challenge - Day 12: Breaking Point

A/N: ngl writing the action to transition to the soft, comfort fluff was intense. I hope I did it justice. This is the second last part for Agent Whiskey as I’ve got a bonus coming up. Enjoy :)

Jack Daniels / Agent Whiskey x reader

WARNINGS: non-explicit violence; brief use of guns; timed bomb; explosion; crying and a lot of feelings and comforting

.

.

.

“Where the hell are you!?” Whiskey shouted angrily into the earpiece, running out of the entrance gates of the castle, closely followed by a group of the enemy’s remaining henchmen. You were supposed to be out with him, but you stayed back for revenge. Little did you know, the psychopath set off a timer bomb inside the castle, and you now had less than a minute to escape. He knew how you’d act.

“You’re not gonna make it… but go on… try…”  He breathed his last words.

“I’m coming out now — just hold on!” You yelled, frantically jumping down from a flight of stairs and rolling to cover your landing. You reached the entrance and raced back to Whiskey. 

Whiskey fired his guns at the oncoming men and they dropped within seconds. The missions you did together were always quick and easy. You always had room for banter and even when in danger, the two of you were unstoppable. He never really worried about you because you have always showed your competence to hold off on your own. 

But for once, karma took control.

And for once…

Whiskey was terrified of losing you. He regretted going ahead of you. 

“WHISKEY!” You cried and a wave of relief washed over him when he saw you running out.

You mustered up what little energy remained from your tired muscles to push for another sprint. He was just near the end of the path, but he was running towards you.

“Stay there!” You shouted as you and dove towards him.

5....

4...

Whiskey caught you and you both crashed into the ground - Whiskey protecting you mid-fall. 

3....

2...

You had a device ready to set up a shield that formed a small dome over the two of you once you immediately jabbed it into the ground.

1....

0...

The explosives set off, destroying the castle inside until it was left in flames. 

You closed your eyes, embracing for impact, but the shield protected you both as chunks of glass, stone and other debris bounced off and the smoke never reached you. 

The two of you stayed still and waited when it all calmed down and it was safe to deactivate the shield, but you wanted to stay in the protective bubble. You wanted to stay in the dark for a little longer. 

“You can open your eyes now, darlin’… we’re safe.” You heard your partner say softly.

Whiskey.

You peeked your eyes open and you realised you have never felt more happy to see his face. You didn’t care that you were clinging onto each other for dear life and he was carefully caressing your the back of your head. You were still processing everything that happened. But one thing kept ringing in your head: you were happy that it’s over and that you were still alive. You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

Then it hit you.

“You okay?” Whiskey checked in with you. 

You loved him.

For so long your hearts ached for each other, and the way you came to terms with were opposite - Whiskey accepted his love for you, but you kept denying what you felt for fear that intimacy or attachment would hold you back. You were afraid that the signs Whiskey was showing recently were fake, but you knew better. All the times spent with Whiskey felt right. You liked being with him just as much he liked being with you. 

You buried your head into his chest and began to sob. You held on to him tighter as you released years of heartache and longing. Neither of you have seen each other at their most vulnerable, and as your first time showing your rawest emotions, Whiskey held you and comforted you. Neither of you had to say anything because the two of you knew. 

The feeling was mutual. 

You continued to cry and Whiskey hugged you tightly, rubbing your back up and down to soothe the emotional pain, and pressed kisses against the top of your head, whispering “I’ve got you, darlin’” and “we’re safe now.”

You held on to each other for as long as you needed, and Whiskey comforted you until you were ready. Whiskey cupped your cheek and tilted your head up so that he could look at you. Your eyes were puffy and red, cheeks stained with tears, and you lips trembled. You felt embarrassed he had to see you like this, but Whiskey smiled softly, his eyes filled with empathy and admiration. He wiped the remaining tears and kissed your forehead. 

“Ready to head home?” He whispered against your skin, and you nodded. 

[shadowthrone-ammanas]

I Hate Xmas Too

Summary: Neither Grooves nor Conductor feel particularly happy during the winter season.

~

The Xmas party was bustling and lively as it was every year. Even prior to the alliance both sides of Dead Bird Studios had always held the party together. This year with the alliance, everyone was mingling even more with each other and seemingly having a better time as a result. It was great to see. They’d all come quite far towards uniting the studio and making it a better place.

But despite that having been something Grooves had been wanting for a while now, he still felt distant from the party. Like it was happening around him instead of being something he was a part of. That had always been the case with the Xmas party but given all the changes to everything, he’d thought it maybe wouldn’t happen this year. Turns out he’d been wrong, how disappointing.

As always, he put on a smile anyway and mingled at the edges by the food and drink table, pretending to drink more than he actually was. If anyone noticed he wasn’t as into the party as he was most other parties, as always, they didn’t say anything, leading him to believe that they didn’t. Which was just fine with him, explaining his despondency around winter and the winter holidays wasn’t easy as he didn’t fully understand it himself. So it was just easier to pretend that everything was fine.

“I hate Xmas too.”

Grooves jumped a little before turning his head to see Conductor had come up to stand next to him. In his hand was a bottle in a paper bag, indicating he was drinking something much stronger than what was in the spiked punch. He took a long drink from it before holding the bottle towards Grooves.

Normally Grooves would’ve declined but normally Conductor wouldn’t have offered. Even now that they were no longer enemies and maybe even friends instead, he hadn’t ever offered to share his alcohol before. Given that, it couldn’t hurt much to accept the offer.

With a shrug he grabbed the bottle by the neck and lifted it to his beak. It burned his throat almost enough to make him cough and certainly enough to make him regret upending it like that. He quickly lowered it and handed it back. “What do you mean ‘too’?” He tried and failed to keep the strain of holding back a cough from his voice.

If Conductor noticed he didn’t given indication of it. “I mean you obviously aren’t enjoying it. You’re always less… you this time of year, especially during the Xmas party. We’re allies now or whatever so I figured I’d come over and say I hate it too. It sucks.”

“I wouldn’t say I hate Xmas. I just…” He trailed off because how as he supposed to describe that he liked the decorations and the themes of family and gift giving of the holiday but that it also made him feel tired and lonely?

“It makes you feel isolated even though there are lots of happy folk around, right? And maybe it’s harder to get out of bed in the morning ‘cause what’s the point? Or have I been reading you wrong for years?”

Not the words Grooves would’ve used if forced to describe it but it was close to how he felt. “Uh, actually no, you’ve been reading me quite well. My question is how?”

Conductor shrugged. “I feel that way too and like I said you always act different this time of year, especially during this pecking party.” He gestured towards the party before lifting his bottle for another long drink.

“And here I was thinking you were emotionally unobservant. Guess I was wrong about that.” Just like he’d also been wrong in the assumption that it was only him with this problem. Which didn’t mean there wasn’t something defective with him, just that he wasn’t alone in having such a defect. That somehow made it easier to bear. “Thanks darling for coming to talk to me about it.”

“Eh, sure, whatever. Want another drink?” Conductor held the bottle towards Grooves again.

“No, thanks. I think I will stick to the punch.”

“Suit yourself.” Conductor took another drink as he leaned back against the wall. Seems he wasn’t even going to walk away either. How kind of him. It was good to not be alone.

[sweetcloverheart]

Clover Rants Miraculously - No Defense

Spoilers for script/ s5 finale leaks below, so readers beware and all that!

“But why are people defending Lila and Chloe? They helped Hawkmoth and are cruel to Marinette for no reason!”

Look, if I have to choose between two teenyboppers acting out out of spite and a middle school celebrity crush and a grown man who’s actively making bad choices that are hurting his loved ones with himself not even giving a damn because “he just really loves his wife”, then the decision’s practically being made for me - especially if I’m told I have to treat said teenyboppers like they’re Satan incarnate solely because they’re big meanies to the MC instead of everything else they’ve done in series while the man in question has to be celebrated and given everything he wants despite all the pain and bs he’s put both the leads and entire city through because dead coma wife made him sad :C.

And at least the show was honest about Lila being that petty and egotistical enough to team up with a supervillain because it might give her power (and also ruin Marinette’s day) - half the stuff she pulls doesn’t surprise or upset me that much because I was told from the jump she’s a little jerk with no attempts to excuse/humanize it (or telling me I need to feel bad/like her or I’m “bad” too like with Gabe). Meanwhile, of the two times Chloe joined Gabemoth, one required him to go out of his way to manipulate and isolate her into saying yes (Like yeah, she was already told she couldn’t be QB anymore and shouldn’t have been that upset/shocked Ladybug got a different hero to help fight her parents, but that doesn’t change the fact that Gabriel and Nathalie purposely made Chloe think Ladybug didn’t want her help specifically so she’d turn on her more easily), while the other was Chloe...trying to get out of gym class and thus waits for an Akuma to just show up and posses her (as opposed to Lila straight up grabbing one from the air that just happened to be passing through and giving Gabemoth her own evil plan to take down LB just because), so that one was just a regular Akuma of the day plot with a minor twist. Otherwise, Chloe’s just a self-centered jerk who does whatever makes her feel like she’s the best but overall is frankly harmless (as Marinette and co either ignore her or quickly undo her nonsense) unless she’s throwing daddy’s mayor title around - something that was also told to me at the start. The fact that the show is only now trying to make these two seem like, King Ghidorah levels of evil/bad (especially when they took no time to help build up Lila to her future big bad status like they clearly wanted it to seem like due to never using her more) when they’re done nothing to really earn it (yes, even with the events of “Ladybug” and “Miracle Queen”) is...kind of silly, especially in comparison to Gabriel’s crimes. Yeah, they should face some form of consequence for the bullying and deliberate akumatization, but on a scale that actually matches those actions.

On the other side of it though, Gabriel is literally doing everything he can to make his son and said son’s girlfriend miserable as possible as he torments the people of the city into becoming his willing/unwilling goon squad to fight two magical teenagers for their Miraculous, yet we’re supposed to just see it as “a misunderstanding” and accept him getting rewarded with the wish and Emilie’s revival because “oh, just let the poor magical terrorist have his dead wife back! He really is sorry and feels bad about it - not enough not to use his son as a bargaining chip for an evil magical eugenics cult and backstab the heroine after she gives him a chance to repent and steal her magical objects to get the Wish, but he really rweally fweels bwad”. If Chloe has to be disowned and Lila forced into one of her many alt-identities as a result of their actions, then Gabriel should not get to have his happily ever after self-sacrifice, even if it does end up hurting Adrien in the long run.

[firewoodwander]

hello, tis i, tumblr password forgetter, here to request #7 from the bedsharing prompts for codex (cody would make it weird) or alternately #11 for spones (i know this is your clone blog but listen,,,, it vibes)

You are SO correct about the spones, this is what I believe the kids call Galaxy Brained. So I am making a super special exception for this blog, Star Wars purists don’t look

11. we’re camping and my tent ripped, can I please share yours?

Leonard quietly adds this to his long, long list of reasons as to why the concept of away missions, but specifically this away mission, sucks absolute ass. A night bird caws from a tree above his head as if in agreement. The large, highly conspicuous tear across the front panel of his tent flaps lazily in the breeze.

In another hour surface temperatures in this part of the planet are supposed to reach single digits. All-terrain, all-weather proof his ass.

It’s still another half day’s walk to the nearest settlement, hence the camping. The little clearing is dotted with tents occupied almost solely by the survey team plus Uhura, most of whom happen to be ensigns. No luck there. There’s Lieutenant Rachels, but since his last stint in medbay he still jumps in fright every time Leonard even looks in his direction, so he’s out.

Which leaves, unfortunately, the only other member of the crew at the same level of authority.

Leonard sighs heavily even as he crouches outside Spock’s tent. He pats the exterior gently even if Spock surely already knows he’s there. It can only do to be polite.

“Hey uh, didn’t you say these things were built to withstand the vacuum of space?”

Twenty seconds and a tiny shuffle later, the entrance unzips and Spock’s face appears in the dimness. “If you are referring to the tents, Doctor, then yes, I did.”

“Great,” Leonard says, and jabs his thumb over his shoulder. Spock leans to the side to peer around him. “So I guess mine has a manufacturing fault or something.”

“Indeed, it does seem so.”

Leonard waits. Spock stares back impassively.

“So, uh, I don’t really want to be asking you this, but due to a very sad process of elimination, you’re the only one left—and it’s just for tonight, mind.“

Nothing.

“Damnit, Spock. Can I share your tent? Please. I’ll try not to get in the way, promise.”

Spock blinks placidly. “Your conclusions are logical, Doctor. Of the crew, it is most appropriate for you to request this of a fellow commander. However, it is not necessary. I can hold a night watch in the central area while you may take sole occupancy of the tent.”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous, Spock,” Leonard hisses. Trust the Vulcan to come up with something so stupid. “Don’t start with that Vulcans don’t need sleep bullshit again. I’m your doctor, and I’m telling you we both need to sleep. I can just stick to one side and I’ll be out of your way. Okay?”

Spock hesitates, ever so subtly. “That is… acceptable. Your bedroll is still intact, correct?”

So Leonard drags his sleeping bag to Spock’s tent and crushes it and himself into the smallest space he can manage. He definitely overestimated how much space would be left with two tall, fully gown humanoids lying beside each other: Leonard’s shoulders meet Spock’s spine, he has to keep his hips angled outward, and their feet knock together. Spock radiates warmth.

Leonard should’ve braved the chill and slept outside; it’s not like he’s getting any rest like this, not with Spock nigh pressed up against him and breathing gently in the tiny space of the tent. Bad idea. Terrible idea. Jim isn’t going to let this one go, ever.

Spock shifts and turns over. Now his slow breaths are dampening the nape of Leonard’s neck and his warmth is even closer. Stupid, stupid idea.

“Leonard,” Spock says. Leonard jumps so hard his chest hurts. “You are tense.”

Closing his eyes, Leonard takes a long breath in through his nose and lets it slowly out through his mouth. “I don’t sleep well on new planets,” he part-lies. “Didn’t think you were still awake, Spock.”

Spock doesn’t reply for a long time, until, “I have become unused to sleeping in close proximity to another person. I hope I am not disturbing you.”

“No,” Leonard says. “Guess I’m the same.”

Leaves whisper and small animals rustle around outside. The woodlands are incredibly peaceful here, and Leonard feels entirely out of place.

Eventually, Spock turns back over. Eventually, Leonard thinks, he falls asleep.

Oh, Jim is really not going to let this one go at all.

[actiaslunaris]

Regina ‘live-watches’ Last Man: Zenmou no Sousakan S01E08.

This time, Minami, attending to personal business along with Agatsuma, attempts to foil a bus hijacking. Godo discovers what has brought Minami to Japan and is not happy about it.

Content warnings for the episode: blood, violence, child death (I do not comment on this).

Ah, Godo isn't jumping to conclusions, but he's aware that he’s not going to like the answers he gets.

OUCH, Godo reacting to Minami not denying that he had an ulterior motive is both heart-breaking and played so beautifully. That little very quiet sob, that indicates he’s trying to hide emotion from Minami, but still revealing so much. He's so invested already while Minami -- apparently -- isn't. (I call bull. Minami is totally invested, but he's shutting off that emotional consideration in favor of a rational one, focused on a goal. Also, he’s unaware of how Godo feels right up until the point Godo breaks composure.)

The one-two punch of betrayal is done quite well. Godo is hurt by Minami, but he does give him the benefit of the doubt before he gets noticeably angry, but when it comes to his family, the anger is well-justified. His sister-in-law knew nothing; you can see it on her face.

Everyone except for Agatsuma is quite angry with Minami, now that Izumi has told them all he knows.

I like the maturity of everyone in response to this revelation. It’s dramatic, but no one is casting blame or guilt-tripping; they’re accepting what has happened and dealing with it from a personal perspective that is actively communicating where boundaries have been crossed.

Enough personal drama, straight into the case of the week. I find this switching gears a bit grinding.

I had to get up and walk around when Minami actually got shot. Picked up my kitty and gave her a hug, lol. And then I replayed it on half-speed. So much good hurt-comfort in this episode.

How much do I love that he just shoved Agatsuma down and was already thinking about her safety first, in getting her to stand behind him? He cares about her so much.

There's some inconsistency on how much blood is on Minami's hand but I'm going to write that off because he did say it hadn't stopped bleeding.

Me, shipping Agatsuma and Izumi, thinking, oh, that's a lovely moment for them there, as she sees him out the window.

The message on the handkerchief made me laugh, not because it's funny, but because I'm fairly certain Masha wrote it himself and his penmanship is so grandiose. I believe it reads: "Search the magazine capacity of the handmade gun. Please Cindy." And it does look like it was written by a non-sighted person, because of the placement of the letters, although there is more evenness in the lines than I would expect.

Points to Izumi for knowing English, good for you, Izumi.

For once, someone acting like being shot is painful. No pushing through pain to unbelievable extents.

Some other parts of this story stretching my unbelief, but when you only have forty-five minutes to tell a story... *handwaves*.

Both of them have been shot on the left side. Nice mirroring.

Godo's rant is perfect. I have no sympathy for the criminal this time. The inciting incident is tragic, but his self-absorption makes it so that I can’t. We’re not supposed to, either.

Awwww. The members of the team that Minami has most impressed are the ones most worried about him, while he's most concerned about the safety of Godo. Agatsuma’s dismay when she realizes she’d almost forgotten about Godo, too, is done well.

Hello, Debbie.

This conversation between Deborah and Godo is very interesting for revealing what preconceptions Minami brought into his relationship with Godo. I keep turning that in my head too: these two children tied together by fate. What if they had met before this? But they didn't. And yet, they have a pre-existing connection regardless of the forty-one years they were not in each other's sphere.

Flashback to Minami playing piano with his mother, his mother from whom he inherited his dimples. I wonder if he's aware of that, that he carries her smile with him. (Splendid choice of casting for that one little detail.)

What an appeal. Godo would have to be heartless to resist.

I don't even need slash goggles for this show. It's all so on the surface.

This little moment of surprise as Godo comes closer is so telling. Minami was expecting something else besides what Godo does.

Two goals of the writers, in this episode, obviously: first) further the relationship between Godo and Minami, via very short-lived conflict that immediately gets tested so that it can leave room to figure out what actually matters and second) tell a ripping good tense story that puts them both into danger. Inextricable from each other, even if a bit rushed, in my opinion. However, still handled well and gives an excellent point about social media that can stand to be pressed a bit more often.

[nightcall99]

Dreams from 27.11.23

Dream 1: It was SM and I's first day working at the pharmacy that is down the road from the one we both currently work at. We must have jumped ship or something, just like we had joked about doing yesterday irl. FY is there with us, the lady who owns and manages this place. When we open in the morning, a rush of customers comes in all with script orders. We put them in a line and get to work filling them. I can see a few antibiotic suspensions in the baskets and I was going to reconstitute them with sterilised water from the fridge. FY comes up to me and surveys what I’ve got on in my hand and she corrects me, she says, this is actually like this or something and I apologise, annoyed I made a mistake on my first day. But also I don’t really care. I feel blank and a bit lost like I don't even know how I got to where I am right now. Everything is just the same and very 'meh'.

Dream 2: When I woke up in the morning, I looked at my phone and the time was around 11am. But I had this feeling that the time was wrong and that it was actually much later than that. My manager texted me, saying you're supposed to have started your shift at 1pm, where are you etc since apparently it's around 1:21pm now. I tried to look up the real time on google but the search results wouldn't load properly and no matter how many times I refreshed I couldn't get the answer. I just thought it was so odd since phones these days are usually very reliable with telling the accurate time even if there's daylight savings happening. I tried to reply back to my manager on my laptop, with urgency, but my fingers wouldn't work properly and this made things very difficult. I managed to send a handful of messages, each with only a few short words, hoping that it would suffice enough to explain the situation. I also sent of a screenshot of my phone screen showing the time as being around 11am, so he could see for himself why I was late. When he replied back to me, it's like he wasn't really there, he seemed far-off.

The deeply unsettling thing about all this is that it felt I had woken up into an alternate universe. The energy in the dream was extremely odd, like very harsh and there was a strange sense of foreboding that I couldn't shake off. I kept thinking that this isn’t right, it doesn’t feel right. Things felt darker, and it seemed like a mistake that I woke up into this reality at all. But here I was, so I decide to just roll with it since there's not much I can do about it. It also felt like a test/exercise in just going with the flow and accepting things as they happen even though I don't understand it.

Now I am in a ferry travelling down the river and I come across SM. I am glad to see him. And I am trying to tell him or at least, I want to tell him, that we’re in a parallel universe right now, and that this is all wrong but I don’t think he gets it.

[peony-pearl]

“Chen?”

The name blurts out of Azula’s mouth as Ozai doesn’t meet her eyes. Instead, for the first time since their reunion, Ozai uses force, but only to move past Azula so he can meet the concerned woman, who rushes forward to touch Ozai’s shoulder. “What is happening?”

“It’s alright, Niwa,” he says.

Niwa looks at the visiting siblings cautiously. “I don’t buy that.”

“It’s fine; I promise. Come on; let’s get the kids inside and start dinner and we can sort this out.”

Niwa stares at him, concern written in her brow. “Chen.”

But Ozai offers her a smile before gently cradling the wispy hair of the newborn strapped to her chest. Ozai looks to Zuko and Azula. “Niwa is a skilled cook; her roast jackalope is the best this side of the Earth Kingdom. You’re welcome to join us.”

Azula’s lip curled. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Zuko remained silent. He turned to the small girl slowly making her way towards Ozai and Niwa, holding tight to the jackalope in her hands. Her eyes don’t deviate from Zuko; despite her timid demeanor, she does not back down. Once she walks past Zuko, she rushes towards Ozai, who allows her to cling to him.

Azula bristles.

“Come now,” Ozai announces, nodding towards the house. “Let’s talk about this over a good meal. Or if you don’t have the time, perhaps you can visit again sometime soon.”

Azula watches as Zuko joins her.

They watch Ozai’s hand gently lead the small girl into the home.

Azula stomps forward towards the house.

****

It was tense inside. The small girl bustled in the kitchen without a word as she skillfully prepared all of the smaller ingredients for dinner. Ozai had taken the jackalope outside to butcher it. Zuko had all but held Azula in place to keep her from going to find where Ozai kept butchering materials - she had half a mind to gut her father.

Niwa returned from hers and Ozai’s bedroom, having taken a few moments to nurse and change the baby. She joined her daughter in the kitchen as Zuko and Azula sat at the table.

Zuko noted Azula’s anger at boiling point. He knew it was time to make peaceful engagements.

“... I’m sorry for any concern miss... Niwa?” He said. Niwa turned to look his way and she nodded, still on guard.

“Do you two know Chen?”

Azula’s frown deepened.

Zuko folded his hands, shrugging.“Yeah. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him.”

Niwa folded her arms, leaning back against a counter. “Then maybe you can tell me why I met him in the sorry state he was in. Beaten and blacked out and half drowned in the forest out there. We’re a ways away from a town, so I wasn’t sure exactly how he got here.”

Zuko pondered for a moment. “That I can’t tell you.”

Azula’s laser-like gaze pierced through Niwa. “Looks like you’re not complaining that he’s around.”

Niwa met Azula’s glare. “No; I suppose not. I helped him get back on his feet, but for a while he couldn’t do much; whatever happened to him really took it out of him. When he recovered, he helped me rebuild my gardens that I’d used to feed both of us. It’s only been me for years so suddenly having two people took a bite out of my reserves.” Niwa smiled. “But then we became three, and now four.”

“Are you married?” Zuko asked. Niwa laughed.

“Not officially. Things just kind of happened; we’ve never really talked about it. When I realized I was expecting,” she said, patting her daughter’s head, “he just kind of said ‘all right then’ and stayed with me. He just... accepted it. He farmed when I couldn’t, learned how to cook, hunt, fish, butcher; he likes to stay busy. I’ve noticed when he doesn’t have a list of chores he becomes distant. When Chiyo here was born, we’re so displaced that getting a midwife was almost impossible for when the time came; and yet he never panicked; it’s like he runs on that chaos. Even so, he’s the one who’s put both of our children into my arms when they’ve arrived; he was the same way when Katsu arrived three weeks ago.”

Azula stood with a furious scrape of her chair, which clattered to the floor. Niwa jumped, but quickly moved to stand in front of Chiyo; but Azula wasn’t interested in moving towards them. Instead, she headed for the door that led outside, slamming it so loud that the trio still inside waited to hear if Katsu would begin crying.

“What did I say?!” Niwa asked as the pressure in the room deflated. She looked to Zuko. His eyes told her there was something he knew about this situation.

“You know him, don’t you?”

Zuko took a deep breath.

“My name is Fire Lord Zuko.”

Niwa’s mouth went slack as Zuko continued.

“That was my sister, Princess Azula.”

Chiyo held tight to her mother. Zuko thought he saw a smaller version of himself clinging to Ursa, who now resided back at the palace with her husband, Noren, and daughter, Kiyi. Zuko was slowly taking it in that he had more siblings.

Zuko looked to Niwa. “Chen isn’t his name.”

Becoming rigid, Niwa braced herself for more information.

“How do you know?”

Zuko felt a twist in his heart, almost as though he was cursing her with this knowledge she hasn’t asked for. “Because your children’s father is also my father; and my sister’s father.”

Niwa held tight to Chiyo. If her the man in her life was the father of the current Fire Lord, then...

The air escaped Niwa’s lungs as she stumbled back, holding onto the counter; out of her mouth escaped his true name: “Ozai”.

A healed Azula having her first violent outburst in years after finding Ozai in his hiding spot in the Earth Kingdom. She has him pinned, aiming her hand that is popping with charged lightning right at his heart.

'Beg for my forgiveness.' She seethes as Zuko panics behind her.

Ozai remains calm.

Years have passed, long enough to realize what he did to them.

He does not deserve to even beg. He closes his eyes.

Azula's own eyes are overcome with tears. The lightning is at its zenith.

But she is not her father. She releases the lighting into the air with a curse.

[chilumi-shipper]

Ready to Let Go

Xiao x Adeptus!Fem!Reader (x Zhongli)

Summary: Zhongli loves you, Xiao loves you, You love Xiao. Seems as though, in the eyes of everybody else, Zhongli was gonna be a problem within your relationship with your fellow adeptus. He would never do that though, not to you, not to Xiao. For the first time, the vigilant yaksha seems happy, and you seem more carefree the moment you two are starting to get close to one another. Zhongli would never trade your happiness for the sake of his own, and that's why, he's ready to let go.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The God of War, flaunting over one of his very own dearest adeptus, if Guizhong saw him right now, she would've laughed at how much he jumped and flaunted over you whenever you were in his presence.

But love is complicated, he could say he loves you with a burning passion, yet it can never change the fact that you had fell for another, no matter how much Zhongli might push through, you will choose to be embraced within the arms of your true beloved, Xiao.

Neither you nor him ever said anything to confirm the nature of your relationship, but Zhongli felt it, the connection between you and the adeptus was so much more than just two people who used to work along side each other. You and Xiao, he's known both of you for millennias, you're not really the greatest with expressing emotions.

Zhongli was never one to fight reality, in fact he accepted it with open arms, having no care for the pain it might bring.

But just this once, he let's himself drift to a false hope, perhaps you only see Xiao as a friend, that in actuality you tell him the feelings that you're too scared to say to your Archon. But every time Zhongli dreamt like that, he can't help but see Xiao, sadness clouding over him, it slaps the brown-haired man in the face.

He can't do that to Xiao. The poor boy, tormented his entire life, but today, he may very well be bearing a smile on his face, with you around him, with you loving him.

He was sitting between you two, in a table in Wangshu Inn's restaurant area, the light atmosphere was calming.

It was supposed to be a nice get together, yet Zhongli felt irritated. The way your gaze lingers past him and onto the person of your interest as you spoke about how you tried cooking mortal food recently. How you seem to take into account every expression and response Xiao would give, but pay no mind to Zhongli at all.

You weren't being rude and ignoring him the whole time, in fact, you make eye contact with him from time to time, to see if he's understanding you. But Zhongli felt peeved, why couldn't you look at him the way you looked at Xiao?

"I really like cooking actually!" You exclaimed, the cat-eyed adeptus smiling softly while listening to your rambles, his elbow resting on the table, while his chin leans on his hand. That makes Zhongli feel even worse for having such feelings for you, just looking at the small but genuine smile on Xiao's face as he admires you.

"Xiao?" You softly called out to him, clasping your hands together. The adeptus gave a hum in response. "There's this recipe I found called "Tofu Cookies with Almonds", I was hoping you could help me taste test them when I try baking for the first time?" Your voice gets quieter the more you say. Zhongli found it adorable when you get shy, yet he can't help but feel a nauseous felling eating away at his skin, you didn't invite him.

The waitress puts the food you all ordered on your table before Xiao answers. Zhongli looked into your eyes, seeing the nervousness as you anxiously wait for an answer.

"Okay."

Golden orbs then looked at Xiao, seeing he's looking away from you, his ears red from embarrassment. Yet even when he tried to hide it, the Archon can feel his giddiness from miles away.

Zhongli can't help but look back and forth, seeing your eyes light up with happiness because of Xiao's answer. "Thank you so much!" You smiled brightly, proceeding to put some food onto your plate to start eating.

In all this, Zhongli felt as though he didn't have a place. Perhaps you were overjoyed that you didn't look at the fact that you completely discarded him, but someone else noticed.

"Mora- Zhongli can join us too, he's good at taste testing food." Xiao looks at you, before looking at the taller man. "I think." Zhongli then nodded, agreeing with Xiao's statement.

He knows he shouldn't, he knows that he just let the two of you resolve your feelings together, just the two of you. Yet he can't, for once in his life, he feels that it's too hard to let go.

The two looked at you expectantly, despite you making it obvious that you wanted to spend some time with Xiao alone, Zhongli hoped that maybe, just this one occasion, you'll let him intervene with your growing relationship. It's selfish, it's pointless, but just this once.

You smiled, "Okay."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Mr. Zhongliiii!" You burst in the funeral parlor, calling out to him. "You have to help me." The man got up from his seat immediately, worried.

"What happened?!" He asked in a panic.

You looked down onto the book in your hands, the man did the same, looking at a book that has a very interesting title.

'The Art of Romance: For Newbies.'

What?

Usually, if you were to come to him with a book like that in hand, he would have laughed and teased you, eager to see your embarrassed state. Yet, Zhongli felt nothing but hopelessness, you putting in so much effort for someone else, meaning he really has no chance, does he?

"I need to you to help me look for a really nice dress. Like really, really nice! Oh but not too nice, since we're baking, if I get stains on a dress, he might think I'm sloppy. Oh, but if it's too simple, he'll probably think that I don't really care. Ohhh, but I don't want to seem like I care too much--" You looked up at him, rambling on and on about what you're supposed to wear for tomorrow. "It says here that if the person thinks you're too desperate, they might think it's weird." You pointed at the book that you're holding, bring it closer to his face.

Zhongli gently grabbed your hands that are clasped around the book. "If you're worried about Mora, I already have some on me." You peaked your head from behind the book, looking at the brown-haired man's serious face.

"Him?" Zhongli completely ignores your ramblings, only focused on one thing you said. You're worrying so much about what to wear, just to make a good impression to him.

You felt your cheeks heat up as he looks at you with a frown on his face. You laughed a bit to ease the tension, scraching the nape of your neck.

"Xiao..." He's mentally prepared himself for this moment, you would come to him, ask for advice since you knew him as a very cultured man, and you would confess your love, for someone else. And yet, hearing it come from your own lips seem to crack the barriers of his heart with just one word.

Despite the tears wanting to just slip out of his golden orbs, he smiled at you. "I've always sensed your feelings towards him." His words fluster you even more, you didn't realize it was so obvious, but Zhongli was a very observant person, maybe it was just that.

"Do you wish to impress him tomorrow? That's why you're so... jumpy today?" You nodded, feeling embarrassed that you are worried about this sort of thing. Usually, only mortals are prone to these types of worries.

"Y/N, Xiao doesn't care about those trivial things. You just have to be yourself." He told you as a matter of fact.

'Besides, the Yaksha already is making it obvious that he likes you back.' Zhongli kept this thought internally.

"But what if he doessss." You whine, gripping on the book tighter. "Xiao is just so.... Xiao! So unpredictable and complicated." Sighing, you looked up at the man again. "Can you help me, please?"

Zhongli sighed, although it hurts him to help dress you up so pretty, just to send you off to another man, but he'll bite. How could he ever say no to you.

After hours of rummaging through your closet, you finally, finally find something that's actually good in your eyes, even though Zhongli assured you that everything would be fine.

The dress of your choice has Xiao's colors, white, gold, mint green. You really are some piece of work, piece of work that doesn't belong to him.

Zhongli just kept sighing as he walked back to the funeral parlor, he's conflicted, which usually doesn't happen. Is he just gonna leave you two alone for tomorrow with some lousy excuse, or... get in the way.

As he got to the entrance of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he saw Xiao, sitting on a bench just outside. The cat-eyed boy sensed Zhongli's presence, standing up and looking at his way immediately.

The brown-haired man walked up to him, silently asking why he's here all of a sudden, in the city, which also doesn't happen very often.

"Can you help me?"

Oh boy, here we go again.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"You don't have to straight up lie if you don't like her treats, you can just give polite comments, like saying you're not really a big fan of them or something." Zhongli explained once again, it was the dead of night. Xiao had asked to help with how he should talk to you, he's not very talkative and expressive, but he doesn't want to make you feel like he doesn't like you.

"But that might also hurt her feelings." The Yaksha pointed out, listening intently to the older man.

"Yes, but she will appreciate the truth rather than a pointless lie."

He just needs help expressing his feelings right.

And Zhongli seeing how you two desperately try to be the best you can for one another, it makes him smile, despite the constant heart ache. And the realization that he has no chance for you, with the evidence right in front of him, Zhongli makes his decision...

He's ready to let go.

"I'm not gonna be joining you two tommorow."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Alternative Ending: Ready to Hold On - Reader chooses not to choose and start a polyamory relationship.

[because-of-a-friend]

Enemies to Lovers!Jeonghan

MASTERLIST

One day I will come up with titles for my works lol. 

Hi Hannah!!!! Thanks for requesting! I loved doing this one! I went ahead and went with Jeonghan cuz I feel like he fits this trope best! Sorry you had to wait so long, this particular fic got deleted like... three times so it was a struggle lol. I hope it’s what you were looking for!

I hope this is a good one, I’m realizing I get real insecure about my writing anytime I’m not doing a bulletpoint or reaction fic, so I don’t feel great about this time. Also I only started recently putting actual detail into my kiss scenes and idk how I’m doing with those???? Like do they seem ok??? Also I feel like I make it so obvious that I am such a sucker for SVT having cute nicknames for siblings, friends, partners, etc in fics lol. Anyways...

Also, I really said: Jeonghan... but in different types of lighting

Remember I don’t own the gif! Link to OP is right there if you want to go give the creator some love!!!

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Mentions eating, reader is using female pronouns (I will keep things gn unless you request differently), I think that’s it, pls let me know if I missed any

You’re not sure exactly how it happened. It was probably just an instance of getting off on the wrong foot, that led to more awkward interactions, giving both of you the wrong impression of each other. You knew this, you could rationalize it all. You were well aware that all it would take was one “I think we might have the wrong idea of each other” conversation and it would all be over. You could easily fix it all, but…

But his stupid smug face. The sarcastic jokes. The never-ending pranks that were not as funny as he thought they were. His ridiculous arrogance. His overall unapologetic nature towards all of it.

You couldn’t help but hate Yoon Jeonghan.

*****

“I don’t know, Wonnie…” you say uneasily over the phone. In previous years, you’d go over to the dorm without hesitation. You loved spending time with your brother and many of the other boys. But ever since you had officially met and begun interacting with Jeonghan…

“C’mon, [Y/N]! I bought that new game you were talking about! We can play it together on my gaming system!” Wonwoo began to persuade. You knew you’d give in; you always did. Your brother was far too sweet a person and far too comforting a presence to reject. The question was how long did you want to argue with him about going to the dorm.

You sighed, accepting defeat early to save time, “I’ll head over there in a bit.”

Wonwoo gives a small cry of victory, “Ok, I’ll have Gyu make extra ramen.” Wonwoo abruptly hangs up the phone right after, leaving you in silence to groan in regret of your decision.

You immediately straighten yourself out, though, trying to put yourself in a mindset of determination. What were you thinking? Just because you and that asshole didn’t get along meant you couldn’t go see your own twin brother without feeling uncomfortable? Screw that! If he wanted to keep the peace then he was going to have to start watching where he stepped around you. 

*****

You knocked loud and clear on the door of their dorm, knowing that with thirteen people living inside, it was usually too noisy for them to hear someone signal their arrival. To your relief, Seungcheol opened the door just moments after you knocked and greeted you with a warm smile followed by a hand sneaking into your hair to ruffle it, “Hey there, kiddo! How’s it hanging?”

“Just fine,” you tilt your head down slightly in his direction as you pass him to enter the dorm. “How are things here?” As soon as you ask, your ears are met with the noise of someone dropping something in the kitchen, followed by Seungkwan crying in alarm.

“Same as always, I supposed,” Seungcheol sighs, but his smile doesn’t fade. “I think Mingyu and Wonwoo are already in the computer room, if you want to go ahead and see them!”

“Ok, thanks Cheol!” you call as you both rush off in different directions, him towards the kitchen and you towards the small room that would provide you solace from the possibility of having to see Yoon Jeonghan.

You were determined not to let things go how they usually did: you with your mouth clamped shut as Jeonghan spoke whatever teasing words he had saved up for you, and the most you can do to fight back is by rolling your eyes and finding any way to get away from him.

This time, you would still avoid contact with him, but if it happened, you’d speak your mind and not care what he thought, since that’s how he treated you.

But there was no sign of him or anyone else as you walked to the computer room. You could hear Mingyu and Wonwoo yelling and cheering at the game long before you opened the door. It was pitch black inside, the piercing light of the screen making you squint your eyes.

The two men inside both turn immediately to check who offended their dark space with the soft, yellow light from the hallway.

“Oh [Y/N], you came!” Mingyu beams up at you. You nod, matching his bright expression.

“How’s the game?” you ask simply, looking up to your brother.

“We like it so far,” Wonwoo’s smile is wide, he always gets excited about new games, whether they’re good or not. He leans over to grab a can of some sort of energy drink before gulping it down. “We left some ramen for you over there on the table. Eat first, then I’ll let you have a turn.”

You roll your eyes, though Wonwoo was only mere minutes older than you, he found those moments to be enough leverage to order you around and act like you should be dependent on his care. There were times when he even referred to himself as “oppa” to you and insisted that you do the same.

Most of the time you let it slide, especially when you weren’t in the mood to argue. However, there were times when you’d pull out the “We’re the same age,” “Even if you’re older, I’m smarter,” or “Don’t boss me around when I’m more mature than you” cards at the drop of a hat.

“Can you at least turn on the LEDs while I eat?” you ask, tip-toeing in the darkness towards the table at the back end of the room. You hear a click before a soft blue glow fills the room, finally giving you a clear view of your path. You pull the bowl of ramen towards you as you sit and resist the urge to comment on how little they left you. The dorm was filled with food anyways, you could find more later if you got hungry again.

Wonwoo and Mingyu begin to eagerly tell you what they like about the game as you eat. You listen happily, feeling safe in the presence of your brother and friend.

Then of course…

“Hey you two, Cheol wanted me to remind you that we have to get up early tomorrow,” you can’t help the sour expression that comes over your face as Jeonghan enters the room to speak to Wonwoo and Mingyu. “Oh, hey there cutie, I didn’t know you were here!” His smirk makes you sick.

“Don’t call me that,” you say bitterly into the nearly empty bowl.

Wonwoo looks nervously between you and his bandmate, well aware of the dislike you have for him. He’s grateful that you’ve always kept it so civil, but still feels bothered by the unrest between you.

Jeonghan lets out a little giggle in response, and Wonwoo feels a tug in the pit of his stomach, he wishes Jeonghan wouldn’t be so hard on you sometimes. He knows his hyung doesn’t mean anything by it, but you…

You feel your heart sink as Jeonghan steps fully into the room, striding to sit across from you at the table. You can only stare in wonder at his audacity as he slides the bowl towards himself and finishes off the ramen in one bite.

“I was eating that,” you try to keep your tone measured, attempting to keep within the balance of standing up for yourself but not starting any drama that would affect the boys.

“Go make more if you’re hungry, then,” Jeonghan says casually, making your anger positively flare.

You don’t even give your brother the chance to mediate, jumping up from your place and leaving the room, wanting to be anywhere but around that prick.

*****

“You’re leaving already?” Mingyu pouts at you.

“Gyu, I’ve been here for hours,” you laugh, stretching out your fingers as they start to prick from pain of slamming into a keyboard for so long. You had returned to the computer room but only after Jeonghan left. Part of you had wished you had done more to confront him; another part was glad you didn’t start a fight and put Wonwoo in an awkward position. “Besides all of you, as well as me have to get up early tomorrow, it’s already late. I need to get back home.”

“You can stay here,” Wonwoo was quick to offer.

You shook your head at him, “Then I’ll just have to get up even earlier, I’ll go back to my place.” Wonwoo nods almost reluctantly, standing to walk you out.

All of you run into Joshua on your way to the front door, he turns out to be the only one smart enough to ask how you got there.

“Oh, I took the bus,” you say slowly, knowing this is about to cause issues.

“Well, the last one would have already stopped running by now,” Mingyu says looking at the time on his phone.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Josh offers immediately.

You bring your hands up to shake them back and forth, “No, no, I can find a way home, you all need to go to bed.”

“[Y/N],” Wonwoo speaks up immediately in that stern voice you hate but also can’t help but listen to, “let Josh take you home. It’s either that or you stay here, I won’t have you walking around alone at night.” Wonwoo waits a moment to gauge your expression. He finally nods affirmatively, before speaking directly to Joshua, “Take her home, please.”

Joshua nods before walking off to grab his keys. You and Wonwoo send Mingyu off to bed. Once you’re alone, your brother pulls you in for a tight hug. “Do you want me to say something to him?” he asks lowly.

You shake your head, “I don’t want to cause any problems with you guys.” You sit in silence for a moment. “Come and stay over with me sometime, I miss our sleepovers.”

Joshua comes back and Wonwoo pulls away, “Thanks, hyung. Please get her home safe.” For the second time that night, your hair gets ruffled before your brother disappears to go off to bed.

The ride home with Joshua is comfortable. He speaks kindly to you and makes you smile.

You begin to wonder how amongst all these angels, there exists a person like Yoon Jeonghan.

*****

Wonwoo used the new game as leverage to guilt you into coming over quite often in the following weeks. You hadn’t realized how much you had limited your time at the dorm until you started going consistently once more. It was nice being able to spend time with the boys again. You hated that Jeonghan had become such an unbearable presence that it affected your relationship with the rest of your friends.

But ever since you had started to stand your ground and talk back, he had finally begun to avoid you. You supposed it was only fun for him when you sat there and took it.

It didn’t stop the two of you from bickering when you saw each other, but now both of you preferred to avoid each other instead of Jeonghan seeking you out to tease you.

The following weeks of visiting were fairly comfortable. Whenever Jeonghan wasn’t around, you got to spend plenty of time with the other boys and your brother. Plus, the new video game was even better than expected.

Jeonghan’s presence slowly became uncomfortable in a different way.

Instead of being smug and overbearing, he became strangely quiet around you. His facial expressions became more serious as he sent genuine glares your way before letting out bitter remarks and going on his way.

It made you even angrier.

Who the hell was he to torture you all this time and then act like a kicked puppy when you finally fought back???

Your anger and his bitterness slowly escalated the tension between you two. Although they were happening less frequently, the arguments between you became more serious and almost hurtful.

Whatever, you told yourself, he could do as he pleased, you wouldn’t let it affect you anymore.

*****

You stared down at your phone screen. Why? Why did it have to be here, while you were at the dorm?

The call was only five minutes. They didn’t even do it in person. Of course, they had warned that because of hard times, there’d be lay-offs soon. But they couldn’t even do it in person? And all you got was a simple “Sorry, come collect your things on Monday”??? You were a hard worker, passionate about the job, more efficient than most of your coworkers and this is how they treated you???

A part of you could’ve guessed, many of the employees your age had gotten in because of nepotism. But you didn’t want to believe that they’d just brush off all your years of hard work just to avoid stepping on the toes of higher-ups who had relative connections hired at the company.

You squatted against the wall of the hallway, still too in shock to move.

So, you simply sat in silence, for what seemed like forever.

“You good?” you had never felt worse than the exact moment his voice reached your ears.

“Go away,” you said sternly, knowing you’d be crying soon.

“Geez, forgive me for asking,” Jeonghan responds before turning to walk away. He stops abruptly after you sniffle. “So, you’re not ok?”

“No offense, Jeonghan,” you say hating the way your voice is shaking, “but you are the last person I want to speak to right now.”

There’s a heavy silence for a long moment. You silently pray that he’ll just leave. “Do you want me to get your brother?” he asks lightly.

You shake your head, “No, I don’t want to ruin the mood. I’m going to go home, just tell him I had a stomach ache.” You push yourself up and begin to walk briskly towards the door.

To your surprise, Jeonghan reaches out to stop you. You stare at his hand wrapped around your arm and wonder if you’ve ever even allowed him to touch you before. “It’s already late, let me give you a ride.”

You pull his hand off of you, “No, thanks.” You grab your coat and start to dig around in your purse to make sure you have all of your belongings.

“[Y/N],” Jeonghan’s voice rings clear in your head despite your brain feeling fuzzy. You don’t want to look at him. Who is this person that’s showing concern and speaking kindly? You don’t like it. It feels fake. It feels like a predator playing with a wounded prey. You’re just waiting for him to laugh or make a remark or do anything to make you feel worse than you already do.

But Jeonghan simply grabs the keys laying on the front table, grabs your arm once more, and leads you out to the car.

*****

The ride is suffocatingly silent. You wished he’d at least turn on some music to cover up the sound of your crying, but you remained in the quiet. You rolled down your window and stuck your head out, letting the warm night air and sound of wind comfort you. Since you were turned away from him completely, you didn’t see Jeonghan glancing over at you throughout the drive.

You couldn’t have left that car faster when you finally pulled up to your apartment.

To your dismay, Jeonghan also gets out, apparently intent on walking you up.

“You don’t have to-” you start but abruptly stop when he gives you a look telling you an emotion you don’t quite understand.

Jeonghan finally speaks when you’re riding the elevator up to your floor, “I don’t really mean it, you know.”

“Mean what?” you say weakly, starting to feel the exhaustion from crying so much.

“When I talk to you like that… I mean when I’m… rude,” he trails off, running a hand through his hair. “Usually it’s just teasing, but obviously I went too far with you. And I didn’t realize it until you started showing how upsetting it was for you. I should’ve known before that, though.”

“You seemed ruder after I started talking back,” you say, confused.  

“I was just being petty and defensive. I kept telling myself things like: It’s her fault, isn’t it? She should have made it more clear from the beginning that it was upsetting her. How was I supposed to know? But that was just me being immature, I should’ve just talked to you.”

“Is that an… apology, Yoon Jeonghan?” you ask, letting yourself be a little smug.

For the first time, you get a genuine smile out of him, “Maybe.”

There’s more silence for a second.

“It’s a two-way road, though,” you say finally.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“I mean, I could have also come and talked to you instead of letting things escalate,” you say. “I played some part in all of this… unpleasantness. You can’t entirely blame yourself.”

Jeonghan smiles again, reaching out to ruffle your hair the way Seungcheol always did. Then he takes a dramatic deep breath and rolls his shoulders, “There! That feels better, doesn’t it? We can finally be friends!”

You roll your eyes in a playful manner, but you feel it too, a weight has been lifted.

*****

Wonwoo showed up at your door in the middle of the night that night. You took one look at his frantic face and groaned, “I told Jeonghan I would tell you myself.”

“You should have told me immediately!” your brother pouts as he passes you to walk into your apartment.

“I didn’t want to worry you so late, especially when all of you were having a good time. I was going to tell you tomorrow,” you close the door behind him. You watch as he turns on the TV and starts picking through your pantry. “Hmmm, yes it seems quite clear that you came here out of concern for me,” you can’t help but use a sarcastic tone.

Wonwoo sends a glare your way as he grabs snacks and settles on the couch. You sit next to him, grabbing your fair share of the food. You try to keep your attention on the show, but the feeling of Wonwoo staring straight at you is distracting.

“I’m fine, you don’t have to worry,” you sigh.

“Really? Because Jeonghan described you as an emotional wreck,” your brother scoffs.

“I was just shocked and upset. I’ll be ok. I have a good resume, I can find a new job,” you insist.

“I keep telling you, you don’t have to work-”

“I don’t care how much you make,” you interrupt. “I’m not going to depend on you. It’ll just make trouble for both of us.”

“Will you at least let me help out if there’s any problems before you find a new job?” Wonwoo kicks at your leg.

“Like I would even tell you if I was having trouble,” you return his kick.

“You just can’t help but be difficult,” your brother complains quietly.

You let the sound of the show take over the room for a few minutes. “I do have good news,” you finally speak up, wanting to give your brother some peace of mind about something. “Me and Jeonghan made up. We figured it out.”

Wonwoo bolts upright with a grin on his face, “Really??? It’s really all good now?”

“100%,” you say, unable to stop yourself from pinching your brother’s cheeks, finding his excited expression cute.

“Let’s celebrate soon then! We can have a big gaming party with all of the boys!” You agree to your brother’s proposal. You feel content in this moment, knowing you’ll wake up in the morning in an uncomfortable position, immediately kick at his legs and tell him to get his stinky feet away from you.

*****

Your time at the dorm increases with the weight of you and Jeonghan’s rivalry being gone. You’re enjoying getting to know him as a friend instead of constantly walking on eggshells around him. Going to visit the boys is once again a happy and comfortable experience.

You hadn’t realized how much Jeonghan had affected you until you two had worked things out. The world felt light again and you could breathe, no longer in constant worry of possibly ruining things between your brother and his bandmates.

You hoped things would remain without complications for a long time.

*****

“Seungkwan, you should come with us!” you begged. “The carnival only comes once a year; you can’t miss it!”

“But it’s so crowded and there are screaming kids everywhere,” Seungkwan complains.

“Oh, whatever,” Soonyoung interjects. “You love it every time we go.”

Seungkwan gives Soonyoung a look that has you laughing through your mouthful of ramen. “Oh, shoot,” you say feeling liquid start to dribble down your chin. “Can I get a napkin?”

“Here’s one,” you hear Jeonghan’s voice as he enters the room. You reach out to grab the napkin as Seungkwan and Soonyoung continue bickering. But instead of handing it to you, Jeonghan extends his hand not holding the napkin towards you. His fingers come to lightly touch your chin and turn you towards him. Jeonghan wipes your face with the napkin himself, taking the time to make sure it’s really all clean. “All better,” he smiles at you, running his thumb across your chin to check its cleanliness one last time.

As Jeonghan walks away, you turn to see if Seungkwan or Soonyoung saw what had happened. They were still arguing, though. The boys showing you physical touch or affection wasn’t really all that uncommon. But for some reason, the way Jeonghan had grabbed your chin just now… Why was your heart beating so hard?

*****

You couldn’t stop yourself from dragging Wonwoo all over the carnival. It was nice to get out in this environment, the lights, the laughter, the food, the games, the rides. You wanted to do everything, but not before you looked at all there was and took in the spectacle.

You could hear all the boys laughing excitedly behind you, you knew they’d want to try everything as well. You shook your head at Seungkwan’s bright expression, you couldn’t wait to play the ‘I told you so’ card later.

The night was a blur. All of you ran from games to rides to snacks and then all over again.

You couldn’t help but stop completely in your tracks as you passed a booth with a giant stuffie of your favorite animal as a prize. Your fascination with the plushie doesn’t go unnoticed.

“You want me to win it for you?” Jeonghan’s voice is suddenly speaking right into your ear. You jump after realizing he was right behind you. You grip your cotton candy a bit tighter and shyly nod. The way Jeonghan grins at you fills you with warmth.

You watch him walk over to the booth. His light hair and pink shirt were illuminated by the soft glow of the surrounding lights. Jeonghan takes his wallet out and hands some bills to the vendor. You step up closer to stand next to him as he plays the game. He laughs as he chats back and forth with the vendor. You watch in awe as Jeonghan clears the game, no problem.

“Anything from the top shelf!” the vendor exclaims happily.

“That one please,” Jeonghan points right at the stuffie you had been staring at.

“It’ll be a wonderful memory for your girlfriend,” the vendor smiles as he hands the prize directly to you.

“Oh, I’m-”

“Of course!” Jeonghan interrupts you almost instantly, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and starting to pull you away from the game. “We’ll cherish it for a long time! Thanks for the game!” The vendor waves kindly as you two walk away. After a moment, Jeonghan pulls his arm off of you, “Sorry, sometimes it’s just easier to agree than explain, you know?” You nod in agreement. “Wait a second,” he stops you by putting his hands on your shoulders and standing in front of you. Before you can ask what’s wrong, his hand comes up towards your face as it had earlier that day. He quickly swipes his thumb across your lips before pulling to back to show you remnants of your cotton candy. “Do you always eat this messily?” he grins and then, to your surprise, puts his thumb in his mouth to clean it off.

You stand there, frozen, unable to really comprehend what just happened as Jeonghan walks away towards the other boys.

“For the second time today?” Soonyoung is suddenly standing next to you.

“So you did see what happened earlier!” you exclaimed, hitting his arm lightly. “It was weird, right?!”

“Can’t tell yet,” Soonyoung replies cocking his head to the side and putting his hands in his pocket. “Sometimes Jeonghan is just sort of naturally flirtatious. But I’m not sure about you. I figured since you two didn’t get along at first, it’d take him awhile to warm up to you at that level. He seemed to get comfortable with you quite quickly.” Soonyoung turns and shrugs at you after his words.

“You’re no help at all,” you say emotionlessly. There’s a pause before both you and Soonyoung slowly look at each other and laugh at your quip.

You decide to brush off your new concerns about Jeonghan and enjoy this night with the boys. The vendor was right, it was a good memory, and you’re sure it’d last you for your whole lifetime.

*****

You hate yourself a bit for it, but you once again seem to be avoiding Jeonghan. He had made you so nervous that day, and the way your heart pounded… You didn’t want to get sucked into having a silly crush on him if he wasn’t actually trying to flirt with you.

No, from now on, interactions with Jeonghan would be friendly but short and appropriate.

You were stupid to think he wouldn’t notice.

It wasn’t long before there came a night when Jeonghan insisted that he be the one to give you a ride home. You couldn’t help the way your nerves spiked at his determination to be the one to take you. You knew he most likely wanted to talk to you about your sudden distance from him.

The ride itself was nice, Jeonghan rolled the windows down for you, remembering that you enjoyed the warm night air of summer. You talked comfortably with one another. Jeonghan was always able to make you smile so easily.

You couldn’t stop yourself from staring at him. He was just wearing a t-shirt and sweats but… His blonde hair being illuminated in the moonlight as he ran his hands through it and his bright smile as he laughed...

He really was beautiful.

Once again, Jeonghan came with you to walk you to your door. And once again, he finally spoke up in the elevator, “You’ve been avoiding me, sweetheart.” Your heart drops to your stomach at the nickname. “Is everything ok? Did I do something to make you mad again?”

You quickly shake your head and pull your hands up to shake them as well, “No! Not at all!”

“You sure?” he insists.

“Yoon Jeonghan, you really don’t think I’d tell you if you did?” you say.

He giggles, “Yeah, that’s true. You’d let me know the moment I messed up, wouldn’t you?” The elevator dings and opens up to your floor. You and Jeonghan step out together. “Is everything else ok, then? You don’t start avoiding people for no reason.”

You nod as casually as possible, “Everything is great.” Your tone isn’t convincing and Jeonghan nudges you. “I guess, I just got… nervous? I mean one moment we were like enemies and then the next we were suddenly really… close, and-”

“I made you uncomfortable?” Jeonghan’s voice is slightly panicked.

“No, you did nothing wrong! It’s all on me, I just got caught up in my emotions and-” you stop abruptly when you realize what you were about to do.

Jeonghan nods quietly as if to say he understands, but what it is he understands, you’re not sure. “Is it ok for us to remain close, or do you want me to back off?”

“I don’t want any more distance between us, but…” you trail off.

“But, what?” he prompts you again.

“I don’t want to get the wrong idea about anything…” you say, finally reaching your door.

Jeonghan watches as you slowly unlock your door and push it open, “You haven’t gotten the wrong idea about anything.” He avoids eye contact when you look up at him.

You’re shocked by his forwardness. But once he voices his thoughts out loud, you once again feel the feeling of a weight being lifted.

Jeonghan gestures for you to step inside, catching your arm once you fully pass him. He pulls you back to him, close enough for him to lean in and leave a quick kiss on your cheek, “Night, babe, I’ll see you later.”

You stand there, completely still, staring at your door that had shut closed in front of you. You can feel heat rise from the tip of your toes all the way up to your ears. You finally let yourself fall into a squatting position, covering your face with your hands, and letting out a squeal.

*****

Jeonghan invites you to meet up outside of the dorm. It’s a cute little coffee shop at a quiet part of the city. You’re already sitting when he walks in. Maybe one day, you won’t be completely caught off guard by his beauty… but today is not that day.

His whole person is bathed in the glow of the early morning light as he approaches you, the softest, most genuine smile gracing his face.

“No, don’t get up,” he says when you try to leave your chair, “I need to go off and order anyways.” Jeonghan leans down to kiss your forehead firmly. “I just wanted to come say hi first,” he whispers, holding your face close to his.

Your first date sets a wonderful precedent to the rest of your relationship. Jeonghan gets your heart racing with flirty comments and sweet touches. But he also makes you feel calm and content, easily keeping a smile on your face. You just feel… good throughout it all.

You insist on walking him back to the dorm, since they had schedules that day.

“So, we’ll be doing this again?” Jeonghan asks hopefully, as you reach the front door.

“Definitely,” you nod enthusiastically up at him, wondering how you had ever managed to despise the man that made you feel so whole and happy.

Jeonghan looks utterly happy and a tiny bit nervous as he stares down at you. His hand reaches up to brush back your hair before settling firmly against your face. Jeonghan looks at you so fondly as he leans in. His lips connect to yours… so softly… so sweetly. You can feel his nose nudge against your face to push it into a preferred position. He pulls back slightly after every little kiss to let out laughter so sweet, it sounds like it should be coming from the mouth of an angel. But he’s never far away for long, reconnecting to you quickly every time. You let him take the lead, allowing his lips to take care of yours, giving them the sweetest kind of attention. He pulls back for a moment longer to nuzzle his nose against yours, an action that has you gripping his shirt to keep him close. His hands keep themselves entertained by running across your face or through your hair.

He’s going back in to kiss you once again when he front door of the dorm opens, leaving you caught in the act. Wonwoo stares at you two for a long moment before making a single comment that causes you and Jeonghan to laugh.

“You know, when I said I wanted you two to have a better relationship, this isn’t exactly what I meant.”

[somewhatgreatexpectations]

Rooftop Conversations (Wanda Maximoff/ Reader/ Yelena Belova)

Hi everyone!

This is a little shorter, but hope you all enjoy!

Summary: Reader shares a complicated history with Wanda. What will happen when Natasha introduces her sister to the problem? Who will reader end up with?

“Y/n.”

The closer you got the tower you called home; the more anxiety began to bubble in your chest. You had been away for over three months now and the entire time you were away Yelena refused to accept any of your calls. Admittedly they were few and far between due to circumstances, but the rare instances when you were able to get your hands on a phone, the other woman would always be miraculously busy.

You didn’t blame her.

Not in the slightest. Still, with every flimsy excuse Natasha gave you whenever you asked to speak to Yelena, you couldn’t help but feel that you were losing a part of yourself. Yelena was woven into your being and being shut off from her was something that was… entirely your fault.

It always made your heart ache though. To know she didn't want to even speak to you. To be away from her. There was so much about her you missed. Like her voice, her laugh, her jokes…

You just missed her.

“Y/n!” You jumped slightly and turned your attention to Steve who was glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. “Everything okay?”

All you managed was a weak nod as you focused back on the world around you. It was something you had to do often over the last few months. “Fine.” You replied, turning to face him as you awaited whatever it was he wanted to say.

“You can stop fidgeting with your necklace. We shut down all the bases. That’s all we could do.” He eventually said.

It wasn’t until Steve pointed it out that you realized that your fingers were fiddling absently with the charm that was hanging from the necklace Wanda had given you before you left. “What are you talking about?” you questioned, your brows furrowed in confusion.

Steve gestured broadly in your general area with one hand, while the other hand remained on the controls of the quinjet. “Whenever you get nervous you start fiddling with the necklace.” His hands returned to the controls as he shifted his attention. “Like a safety blanket.”

Grumbling absently, you folded your hands and looked out the window like a child who had just been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to. “Says the one with the pocket watch.”

In response, Steve shrugged. “Touché.”

You smirked and leaned back in your chair. “That’s what I thought." He chuckled. "Besides, I know we did all we could on the mission. I’ve come to terms with Dr. Wilkerson getting away, without his bases of support though he’s nothing.”

“Is that not what you were nervous about?” Steve prodded.

You shook your head. “I’m worried Yelena is going to hate me forever.” You admitted, your hand once again flying up to fiddle with the charm on your necklace.

Steve whistled lowly. “Still no word from her?” You shook your head again. “All you can do is be honest, kid. Earn her forgiveness. While you may have had good intentions, you lied. Even if it was to protect her. She reserves the right to be angry about it.”

“I know.” You replied. “I agree entirely, but… I don’t want to lose her. I can’t lose her. She-… She means… Everything to me.”

There was a moment of silence. “Do you love her?”

It had been months since you had allowed yourself time to think about the inner workings of your heart, yet the answer remained the same and came with no hesitation. “Yes.”

Steve nodded. “Does that mean you’re over Wanda then?”

The question took you by surprise and suddenly the pendant burned under your touch, like every nerve ending in your body went haywire. Overwhelmed with the thought of the two women that unabashedly occupied your heart. You feebly let your hand fall back to your lap.

Again, silence hovered in the air until, “No.” You replied softly, knowing it was the truth. Knowing you had no reason to lie to Steve.

Again, there was no hesitation in your answer.

“Sounds like you still have a lot to figure out then, kid.” Steve reached over and pat your shoulder sympathetically, “Between you and me though, I always thought you and Wanda would find your way back to each other. You’ve always been like magnets you two.” He admitted. “Natasha disagrees with me. She seems to think that you and Yelena are the most irritatingly perfect match. Her words not mine.”

You narrowed your eyes slightly. “You and Romanoff better not be placing bets on my love life again. You remember what happened last time, Rogers.” You warned with a point of your finger.

Steve chuckled and raised his hands innocently. “No bets were made. I’m just telling you the information.” He paused slightly. “Though I will say if it was a bet, I'd probably win since I did say Wanda would be the one to ask you out originally because you’d be too nervous to even get a word out. You won me fifty bucks that day.”

You punched his shoulder. “I can’t stand any of you.”

“That’s what families do.” You rolled your eyes and chose not to respond as you both distracted yourselves with your own tasks.

Just over an hour later Steve spoke again. “Hope you got enough thinking done because we’re touching down at the compound in five minutes.”

You sucked in a breath as the clouds opened up and the sharp points of the familiar building filled the sky before you.

Suddenly it was as if you blinked, and Steve was lowering the quinjet onto the waiting platform. “It’s good to be home.” You mumbled as you gathered what little you had and walked off the jet with Steve.

Before you could get far, you were met with an armful of someone else causing you to drop everything in your arms to catch the other person.

When the familiar floral scent invaded your senses, you quickly relaxed and held on tighter, relishing in the moment. The comfort that you hadn’t felt in months. “I missed you too, Wanda.” You whispered into her ear as you tucked your chin over her shoulder.

“You have no idea.” Wanda replied as you both held tightly to each other. You faintly heard Steve mumble how he would take your things inside for you, but his words barely registered as you familiarized yourself with the touch you hadn’t felt in months.

Suddenly, it felt like you were grounded again. Like you had been drifting freely and now, being back by her side you felt anchored again. Connected to the world in a way that mattered again.

Sure, you had managed to speak to Wanda briefly a handful of times over the course of your mission, but those sparse minutes were nothing compared to the sensation of actually being in her arms once again.

“It’s good to see you again.” You said leaning back slightly and taking in her every feature, every speck of color in her eyes. This was the longest you had gone without seeing her since the day you both met. “How did you know we were coming back? We wrapped up a few days early, I thought it would fly under the radar.”

Wanda smiled sheepishly back at you, and you couldn’t help the way your own lips pulled up endearingly at the sight. “I may have convinced Tony to program a new feature to FRIDAY that would let me know when you landed.”

A small chuckle of amusement slipped pat your lips. “Yeah? How did you manage that?”

“I may have pulled the Stark missile card.” Wanda answered with a small shrug.

“Didn’t know you couldn’t be so devious, Maximoff.” You teased as Wanda playfully dusted the invisible dirt off her shoulders.

That was when another voice interrupted the moment. “Really? You didn’t?” You turned your head to find the source of the interruption, though from the voice you knew exactly who it was. “I’ve known for a while now.”

Wanda pulled away from you and looked away, rubbing her own arm uncomfortably. “Nat,” You warned. “I just got back; can we not fight first thing?”

Natasha looked between you and Wanda for another moment as if she was contemplating her choices before opening her arms in silent invitation. “Fine, I’ll play nice. Sorry Maximoff.” Wanda nodded in acknowledgment. You suspected she was still terrified of the other woman.

You glanced at Wanda to be sure she was okay before walking over to your best friend and embracing her just as tightly, finding comfort in her embrace. Comfort in knowing that they were all okay while you were gone. That was all you could have wanted. You missed this. All of it.

Regardless of how chaotic it could be at times.

“I assume you didn’t manage to play nice while I was gone. No wonder I stayed away so long.” You said playfully as Natasha pinched you side. You swatted her hand and pulled away in protest. “Is this how you show how much you miss me?”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “Miss you being an idiot? Sure.” She nudged you playfully. “It’ll be nice to have you back though, the compound hasn’t felt the same without you.”

“It really hasn’t.” Wanda agreed, wincing when she saw the blank look Natasha gave her.

You shook your head, “Nothing has changed.” You lightly rested your forehead on Natasha’s, so she could focus on you, so she could hear the sincerity of your next words. “I did miss you, you know? No need to be snappy.”

Natasha finally cracked a smile. “I know, I missed you too.” She lightly nudged your nose with her own before pulling away and ruffling your hair.

You smiled back at her but couldn’t help but look over Natasha’s shoulder a moment later. If Natasha knew you were back, then it was only safe to assume that… “Is- Is Yelena in her room?”

Amusement began shining in Natasha’s eyes. “Couldn’t even go ten minutes without asking about her, could you?” Heat quickly rushed into your cheeks. “She’s on a mission with Clint, should be back later today. Just light recon about a minor disturbance a few cities over.”

“Surprised you let her go without you.” You mumbled, already anticipating the moment of Yelena's return, mentally preparing all the ways you could earn her forgiveness.

“Tony had me on a separate assignment until this morning.” Natasha explained. “Besides, she’s with Barton, they’re both in good company. Safe.”

You nodded, if Natasha wasn’t worried then you had no reason to either. “I-” You lowered your voice. “Will you let me know when she’s back? Don’t tell her I’m here until I get a chance to talk to her, please, I don’t want her to avoid me anymore. I want to apologize. To make it up to her.”

Natasha analyzed you for a moment, analyzed your pleading tone before nodding. “I’ll give you this one shot because I know you only did what you did to protect her... I would have done the same.” She looked over your shoulder before looking back at you. “Now, I think I’ll head inside. We can catch up later. Don’t do anything that will make me have to kick your ass.” She warned.

Before you could utter a reply, your best friend had disappeared into the compound. “She actually talked to me once while you were gone. It was about a mission report, but still, she’s not ignoring me anymore.” You heard Wanda say from behind you.

You chuckled slightly as you turned to face her again, gesturing for her to follow behind you. “That’s actually great news to hear. I miss being able to spend time with both of you.” You leaned against the railing of the landing pad and let the wind traveling through the air be the only sound for a moment.

Wanda mimicked your position, her arms brushing yours, your own pinky shifting slightly to be in contact with hers.

It was like Steve said, there was something magnetic about you both and it felt even stronger after the separation. You couldn’t help but feel like you wanted to be closer. Your free hand raised to fidget with the charm on the necklace nervously.

“Still wearing the necklace, I see.” Wanda noted, her eyes shining happily in the light of day.

A faint blush quickly spread over your cheeks, and you managed a weak nod, your hand once again falling from the charm. “Steve says it’s my safety blanket.”

Wanda’s smile widened. “I didn’t know if you’d even use it since you had given it back to me after we broke up.”

You shrugged halfheartedly. “We’re past that. It represents more now. It represents you.” The sound of Wanda’s breath hitching caught your attention and you couldn’t help but feel your heart hammer in your chest. You just hoped she would change the subject, the vulnerability felt all too much in that moment. "It was nice to have on the mission."

“How did the mission go? I assume well since both you and Steve are back in one piece.” Wanda eventually asked, breaking the charged silence much to your relief. She always was good at reading your wants.

You nodded faintly, eagerly responding to the change of topic. “It did. We shut down every base we set out to, which was all of them.” You could see the happy smile form on Wanda’s lips, and you continued. “We did everything we set out to do except catch Dr. Wilkerson.”

Wanda’s smile fell almost immediately. She knew Dr. Wilkerson was your greatest enemy, your greatest fear. “Are you okay?” As the last word fell from her lips, her pinky moved to rest over yours, as if she herself wanted to be closer. To comfort you.

In response you turned you hand over in silent invitation and Wanda accept the offer immediately, her fingers tangling naturally with your own. “I feel okay, Steve still thinks we can catch him. He won’t get too far… I know he wants to take me back.” Wanda’s fingers tightened against yours. “Don’t worry, without the bases, without his minions? He’s nothing. Powerless. It’s only a matter of time.”

“The day he tries to come after you will be his last.” Wanda said seriously, her eyes darkening at the mere thought. “He won’t hurt you again, Y/n.”

You squeezed her hand, you knew Wanda would never hurt anyone, but her protective nature may change that. You’d never want to put her in that position. “I know, Wands. Don’t worry, Steve and I will find him. I’ll be okay.”

Her lips turned up faintly. “I know, I’ll be here to make sure of it. I’ll protect you, Y/n.”

“And even though you're infinitely stronger than me, I will protect you.” Wanda giggled slightly and you smiled back at her.

For a moment you both just stared at one another, allowing yourselves to get lost in the moment, moving closer and closer until you could feel her breath fan across your lips. You quickly looked away. Not ready to take that step. Not ready to ruin the leaps and bounds of progress you had made with her.

“Now fill me in on what I missed while I was gone.” You said in hopes of brushing over the minor traces of awkwardness that lingered in the air.

That was how both you and Wanda spent the remainder of the day, catching up on everything that had happened in the last few months, the hours slipping away with ease. There was only one thing that could ruin a relaxing evening like that.

And it was the sight of a smaller quinjet landing a few feet away. Your heart began hammering in your chest because the only other ones out on a mission were Yelena and Clint.

The woman that had occupied your mind so deeply was now just seconds away from you.

Except when the doors to the quinjet opened and Clint was the only one to step out, looking battered and bruised. Your stomach dropped at the sight.

You ran over, Wanda following closely behind. “Clint, where is Yelena?”

It was like Clint had just seen a ghost, his eyes widening even more than they already were. “Where is Natasha?”

“Whe-”

“WHERE IS NATASHA!” He yelled, his voice reverberating in the air around you.

Bile climbed up your throat in tandem with the panic you felt squeeze at your chest as the three of you ran into the compound in search of the other woman.

A few moments later you found her lounging in the main room of the compound with a notebook in her hands. Natasha immediately looked up when she heard the sound of panicked footsteps enter the room. “Clint, what-”

Clint quickly interrupted her, his panicked expression making you sick as you anticipated his next words.

“They took her. They took Yelena.”

And just like that, the world stopped.

And that's all folks! This chapter was more of a set-up for the unraveling of the remainder of this story which I now know will be 12 parts total. Sorry for no Yelena in this part. As always, thoughts and comments are always welcome!

Previous part: "Necessary Lies"

Masterlist: "Omen"

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