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ryqoshay · 1 year ago

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Tri-Arame: Persona Plight?

Primary Pairing: N/A Starring: Setsuna Nana Also Starring: Shioriko, Student Council Vice President Words: ~1.4k Rating: G Time Frame: The day after Episode 6 of Season 2 Story Arc: Stand Alone

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Author's Note: Happy Birthday Setsuna! ♡ ＼(≧▽≦)／ ♡

I'm so happy to be able to post this! It was an honor to be chosen to write for the Shout Your Love! fan zine. And a lot of fun writing this entry. And participating in a good cause. And having one of my favorite LL artists @myonmukyuu draw something for one of my fics. But I still looked forward to sharing this story with more readers, so here we are.

Also, go check out the other stories in the collection and celebrate Setsuna on her special day!

And finally, worth mentioning that I am referring to Setsuna as Nana in this chapter, as she is in Nana-mode through most of it.

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Nana wanted to hum happily as she crouched and opened the cabinet door to her secret stash, but she was Nana at the moment and…

Wait, did she need to continue keeping up the façade now that she had revealed her secret to the school? For that matter, did she even need this secret stash anymore now that her parents knew as well?

Nana gasped slightly as a thought occurred to her. She could take her collection home and display it openly in her room now. Her regular ritual of shuffling books and discs among her friends and her stashes here at school and at home was… no longer necessary. She realized she should be happy about this turn of events and yet it somehow felt… anticlimactic? Had she come to enjoy this ritual that much?

Did she also enjoy keeping Nana and Setsuna separate?

She had attended classes all day as Nana, as usual. And she had intended on continuing in Nana mode through the upcoming student council meeting. She would eventually change to Setsuna mode to meet the rest of the idol club to continue the activities of the second School Idol Festival.

But could she have attended class as Setsuna? Could she run the student council as Setsuna? Or perhaps could she attend the festivities as Nana? Would everyone else be willing to go along with that, or would it weird them out? For that matter, would she weird out herself?

Nana reached up and touched one of her braids as she pondered her new situation. She did enjoy the hairstyle, and wearing glasses did help her feel like she was being more serious about things. Plus, there was no denying that she thoroughly enjoyed changing into Setsuna by undoing her braids, often intentionally dramatically, and swapping her glasses for contacts. It felt like she was literally liberating herself to be herself. Not that being Nana wasn’t being herself, of course.

Plus, just a few days ago, Setsuna had told her fellow idols that the student council and the school idol club were different things. She had explained that she loved both, wanted to continue both, and thus had wanted things to stay the way they were.

Except now things were different.

Nana jolted at the sound of the door opening on the other side of the room. Hastily, she slammed the cabinet door and spun toward those entering.

“Ah, Setsu…” the vice president cleared her throat. “I mean, Council President.” Despite the shift in formality, Nana could easily see she was holding back excitement.

“Nakagawa-sa,” Shiroriko greeted politely, seemingly unphased by the behavior of the girl beside her.

“M-Mifune-san, Vice P-President-san, you t-two are early!” Nana heard herself sputter before putting conscious effort into her words.

Shioriko blinked stoically as she approached. “As are you,” she observed before her gaze shifted down. “That is quite the collection you have.”

“Geh…” Nana realized her bag was still open.

“Do you normally carry that many books with you?”

“N-No, I… uhm…” Nana fumbled for an explanation. So much for preventing stuttering. After half a second of thought, she decided lying to Shioriko wouldn’t be effective. Her shoulders slumped. “I was sorting my collection.”

“Oh? What types of books do you collect?” The vice president sounded interested.

A familiar flame flickered within Nana. She was about to quash it when a thought occurred to her. With her secret revealed, a little crossover between her personas was fine, right? Maybe?

“Manga, doujin and light novels,” Nana replied, monitoring her excitement level, letting a little out, but not too much. She then listed her favorite genres, making sure to list fantasy and romance first.

“I should have guessed,” the vice president smiled. “That’s what you list in Setsuna-chan’s bio on the club’s site. Do you have any recommendations?”

The tiny flame flared into a full, fiery conflagration.

Recommendations? Of course she had recommendations!

Nana stooped and grabbed a book from her bag. “I was going to reread this one because the next entry in the series is being released later this week. It’s so~ good! A masterpiece! The story focuses on a couple of angels in Heaven. This one,” she pointed to a blue-haired girl on the cover, “comes from a cursed bloodline, which is why her wings are black and most of her powers are dark. Even her familiar is black.” Her finger moved to a cat on the girl’s shoulder. “And this one thinks of herself as just an ordinary, run of the mill angel.” She indicated a redhead. “But of course she…” Nana gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry, I… I really shouldn’t spoil anything…”

The vice president laughed lightly. “It’s fine. Who is the blonde?”

“She’s their superior officer.”

“Angels have officers?”

“They’re part of Heaven’s military and some of the chapters focus on them fighting demons.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“It really is!” There was no way Nana could hold back her grin if she wanted to. “I highly recommend it. You should read it.” She held out the book.

“Is that not the second book in the series?” Shioriko inquired.

“I have the first!” Nana wheeled around and whipped open the cabinet. “Here!” She grabbed the book and turned back to hold it out

“You’ve been using school resources to store your collection?”

Nana froze. “I… I…”

Shioriko smiled. “No need to worry, Nakagawa-san. As with your former secret concerning your identity, I shall maintain this one as well.”

“Thank you, Set… Council President,” the vice president accepted the doujin. “I can’t wait to read it.”

“We still have some time before the others arrive,” Shioriko pointed out.

“You’d be alright with us reading while you’re here?” Nana asked, finding herself surprised.

“I am quite fond of reading myself.” The younger girl responded. “Far be it for me to deny others from doing so.”

“I could recommend something for you as well.” Nana offered, getting excited again.

“Thank you, but I generally prefer novels over manga.”

“I have light novels,” Nana quickly scanned her collection. “I’d let you borrow my favorite, but I believe that one is at home… Oh, how about this one?” She pulled out a book. “It’s about a war-torn world where magic, alchemy, steam tech and high tech all coexist, and various nations specialize in certain ones and they all combine their might to protect their world from invaders from another dimension. The heroes are so~ cool! My favorite character has this high tech suit of armor that lets her fly around and shoot fire and plasma. She’s awesome!”

Before she consciously registered her own actions, Nana was miming her Setsuna Scarlet Storm call and response motions. Wait, why was she doing that? She was Nana at the moment! She felt heat rising in her cheeks.

“That sounds amazing!” The vice president cried excitedly. “Can I read it after you, Mifune-san?”

Oh… Maybe it didn’t matter.

“I believe that would be up to Nakagawa-san,” Shioriko replied.

“It’s fine,” Nana assured. “I’d love it if you both read it so we could talk about it after.”

“Very well.” Shioriko accepted the book. “I shall return it post haste.” With that said, she moved to one of the couches, sat down and immediately began to read.

“Well, it seems we only have a few more minutes before our meeting.” The vice president glanced at the clock on the wall. “Shall we get some reading in?”

“Yes.” Nana nodded.

As she made her way to her desk, Nana’s thoughts turned to all that had just transpired. Perhaps a little crossover between Nana and Setsuna wasn’t so bad. The vice president and Shioriko seemed to have no trouble going along with it all. Surely it would be the same with her friends in the idol club, right?

With one last glance at the two readers on the couch, Nana finally opened her doujin and began to read.

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Omake

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Let’s see… Shioriko thought to herself, scanning the shelf. They’re organized by title, so it should be… Ah. She reached up and pulled out a book.

With the School Idol Festival over, Shioriko had accepted Setsuna’s invitation to join her and the vice president on a shopping trip for books. It felt a little odd buying a doujin, as she typically preferred novels, but she had read Setsuna’s copy and was immediately hooked on the story. And she couldn’t deny that the art was lovely and lent itself well to the fantasy setting. Or RPG setting, as Setsuna had insisted on calling it.

“Ooowahhaa!” An excited cry caught Shioriko’s attention. “I can’t believe it’s in stock!”

She turned to find Setsuna marveling at some school idol merchandise.

“I’ll get one too!” The vice president matched Setsuna’s enthusiasm.

Shioriko smiled and moved over to join her friends at the display to see if there was anything that might catch her eye.

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Author's Note Continued:

Here is the Afterward I used for the zine:

Ah, Setsuna, my favorite idol in the Nijigasaki generation of the Love Live! franchise.

As with µ’s and Aqours prior, it took me a little while to settle on a favorite from the Nijigasaki club. PDP wasn’t quite enough, and it took SIFAS, the Nijiyon comics, and a lot of fanart for me to figure things out with the group. And as with those before her, Setsuna faced stiff competition.

I honestly thought a couple of the other girls would be my favorite before I settled on her. Ultimately, it was her over-the-top passion for that which she loves that propelled her to the top.

However, it’s not enough for Setsuna to be passionate about something she loves. She needs to share that excitement. She needs to shout her love. And while performing on stage as an idol definitely allows her to do just that, she has other things than idols that she loves that she needs to address off stage. And I love that the canon material gives her friends that allow to geek out as much as she wants; many actively encourage her excitement.

I’ve written many excitable Setsuna moments, many of which include geeky rants, or at least the implication that one took place. And I plan to write many more. However, with the chapter I wrote for this zine, I decided to give Nana a chance to geek out.

The Nana/Setsuna dynamic is also one of the aspects I enjoy about the character. Her Clark Kenting around school amuses me to no end. And I love that she continued to use Nana mode even after her secret was revealed.

I’ve long wondered how Setsuna might view the two sides of herself after the big reveal, and this zine entry seemed as good an excuse as any to explore it a bit. And include some of the happy geekiness that I adore so much. And have some of my ideas drawn out by the talented myon. How could I pass up such an opportunity?

So to that, I must extend my thanks to Ethanol and myon for selecting me to participate in this project.

#Yuki Setsuna #Tri-Arame #Shout Your Love!#Happy Birthday Setsuna!#Love Live Nijigasaki #Mifune Shioriko #Student Council Vice President #fanfic

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sailorsplatoon · 10 months ago

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agh after first seeing your posts on dedfish & 4 i am MILDLY obsessed, theyre awesome and I love what ur cooking! keep it up!

also figured i’d throw in a question, what do they enjoy doing together in their free time? i like to think 4 has a stockpile of board games and every night they bring out a completely new thing for the two of them to play, maybe while also inviting the other agents too

I’m so so happy to see you’re enjoying my posts about these two! I know that I really like them, but it feels great to see that other people do too! I’m going to take this opportunity to extend a thank you to everyone who’s sent me asks about them so far, I wouldn’t have started posting this much about them if it weren’t for you!

Also, how did you read my mind? Four absolutely has a massive stash of board games to play with Acht and the rest of the agents. It’s almost become a nightly ritual for Four and Acht to play a board game together, and neither can sleep properly without it.

Acht isn’t competitive at all, but Four is extremely competitive. When the two initially started playing games together, Acht would let Four win, but then Four found out and specifically asked them to play as hard as they could. Acht wins almost every time, but the two have way more fun now.

As for other things they do in their free time together, the two will often actively seek out horrible movies and watch them. They will find the worst possible movie to watch and just laugh at how bad it is. This will often spark a discussion about what the writers and directors could have done differently to improve the movie.

Four is trying really hard to learn how to cook. It’s not going well. Acht is decent at cooking and will often try to help them. They tried to make a pizza on their own once and ended up almost burning down the apartment, so they are now no longer allowed to cook without Acht’s supervision.

Acht secretly really likes to collect plushies. They haven’t been able to grow their collection in a long time because they were in the Octarian Amy, then they were sanitized, then they were stuck in the Memverse, so a lot has been preventing them from pursuing this passion. They tried to hide their now thriving collection from Four for a little while, but it didn’t last long. After discovering their collection, Four not only helped to grow it by buying them more plushies, but also now actively participated in it. It’s become a shared collection and the two have fun finding new things to add together.

Acht and Four like to go to one specific coffee shop in Arowana Mall every weekend and just talk. One time a small child came up to Acht and asked why they were green. They panicked and said it was because they didn’t eat their vegetables as a kid. Four will never let them live it down.

If one of them is having a particularly bad day, the two will take the train to Splatsville and set up a campsite in the Splatlands. They like to try to count the stars together.

That’s about all I’ve got for now, thank you so much for the ask!!! It’s 2 am right now, so I’m sorry for the amount of typos that this probably has. Honestly thinking about Acht and Four spending time together and doing nice things for each other just made me ship them more, which I didn’t know was possible.

#side order #acht splatoon #ahato mizuta #dedf1sh #Agent 4 #agent 4 side order #Acht x Agent 4 #Dedfour #asks #ask box #Splatoon

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the-witty-pen-name · 4 years ago

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Can’t Help Falling in Love

Loki x Reader (f)

Valentine’s Day with the God of Mischief

Based on suggestion by: @squadleaderchase

A/N: Thank you so much for the suggestion! I loved writing this, it was so much fun!

Happy Valentine’s Day y’all!

There is also a gender neutral version of this fic, and will be posted shortly after this one! Read it here!

I recommend to putting on Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis towards the end just for that finishing touch!

Summary: When Loki learns about the traditions of Valentine’s Day, he asks you to be his Valentine- and reluctantly takes advice from Steve Rogers.

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: none; just fluff

“Can’t Midgardians have a holiday that doesn’t involve such a grotesque display of… red?” Loki asks walking into the living room of the Avengers compound. Loki arrived at the compound a few weeks before Christmas and so far, he’s experienced two Earth holidays: Christmas and New Year’s. Of course, Tony had picked the theme for both parties to be elaborately red and gold- he claimed the fact that it matched his suit was merely a coincidence.

“Just wait until next month,” you reply casually, your eyes not leaving the brief you were reading while you sat cozied up in one of the large armchairs. “I think you’ll like St. Patrick’s Day much more… color scheme wise at least.”

Loki looked up curiously at the hearts of all shades of red and pink Natasha had hung up to decorate the Avengers’ living quarters. She had gone to visit Clint’s family and his kids spent hours making Valentines and decorations out of construction paper and glitter. Loki looked almost puzzled at the lopsided hearts that hung from the ceiling on transparent line so they looked like they floated mid-air.

“Perhaps I might,” he mumbled to himself, the lovesick aura of his surroundings making him slightly disgusted. “Though I suppose I find your rituals as bizarre as you’d find on Asgard.”

“Mhmm,” you mumbled in response to his thinking out loud. It was rare that the compound would be this quiet. It was a Friday evening and in the middle of a team meeting earlier today, Tony declared exhaustedly that everyone needs to start the weekend early and dismissed everyone despite Steve’s protests. You weren’t sure where everyone else went and you didn’t particularly care- enjoying the rare peace and quiet.

You didn’t mind Loki’s company. He was a little aloof but overall, you found him more to be misunderstood than anything else. He wasn’t like Thor and sure, he had a very trouble ridden past to downplay it- but he’s confided in you all it wasn’t entirely his doing. Out of everyone living at the compound, he probably had grown the closest to you, or as close as Loki would allow himself to be to someone.

“What even is this holiday?” Loki asked, pulling his attention from the decorations to where you sat, binder in your lap. You looked up and closed the brief, tossing it onto the coffee table in front of where you sat.

“Sunday is Valentine’s Day,” you say looking back over to him, meeting his eyes. “I mean overtime the traditions and how we celebrate have changed but it’s originally the day meant to honor St. Valentine and commemorate his death. There’s a lot more to it than that and there’s all different of different origins, but now it’s more like a day where you celebrate love, because he was the patron Saint of Love.”

Loki nods, liking the idea of this holiday much more than New Years already. He didn’t mind Christmas, but the elaborate parties made everything not very appealing to him. You can’t blame the god for not having a good time at parties where every guest fears him or hates him. He walks over and takes a seat on the couch and crosses his legs. He was intrigued enough to continue the conversation and ask you more questions. “What are the traditions?” He asks curiously.

“Traditionally, you would ask someone to be your Valentine, and that’s the person you want to spend the day with,” you answer with a small shrug, trying to explain a holiday you’ve never had to explain before. “Some people have it easy and they ask their significant other, and if you don’t have one, you ask someone you’re romantically interested in to be your Valentine. Then you give each other gifts, like chocolates or flowers, anything really that’s romantic and you go out on a date, like a nice dinner but it doesn’t have to be. That’s the basic gist.”

“Thank you, (y/n),” Loki said, mulling over your explanation. “You’ve been helpful, as always. Tell me, who’s your Valentine?”

“I don’t have one,” you answered honestly. The only time you really celebrated was when you had been with someone. You’d never really participated otherwise. You planned to just spend the night alone or with Nat if she also didn’t have plans and probably watch a movie- most definitely Pride and Prejudice.

“Shame,” Loki said with a tsk. “Perhaps, if you would be interested, you could be my Valentine?”

“Really?” you ask, honestly surprised.

“I actually like the idea of the day,” Loki shrugged. “And I don’t know many people, people seem to hate me on this planet- no idea as to why. You’ve always been kind to me, and you are the most tolerable person I’ve encountered on this planet.”

“That’s oddly very kind of you,” you say with a chuckle. “I appreciate the sentiments. Um, yes. I’d be happy to be your Valentine.”

“Excellent,” he grinned. He clapped his hands together and stood up. “Splendid. I’ll ask Thor to help me plan something.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” you smile, picking up your paperwork again as Loki heads off to find his brother.

***

“Brother,” Thor’s voice echoed in the training room. “Spar with me?”

“As much as I would love to,” Loki said sarcastically, “I need your help with something I need to plan.” Loki walked over to the side of the mat where Thor had been training with Captain Rogers.

“Plan what?” Captain Rogers asked curiously. It was an innocent enough question but Loki took it as Rogers insinuating his distrust in him. Of course, Loki can’t blame the man but it did rub him the wrong way.

“If you must know Captain Rogers, I’m making plans for this upcoming Valentine’s Day,” Loki said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure since you have quite the active love life recently, your words of wisdom are probably of infinite value.”

“You can learn a thing or two from me,” Steve retorted as he put the punching bag beck into place. “But I don’t like your attitude.”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever manage without you,” Loki scoffed. He turned his attention back to his brother. “I need help to determine where I should take (y/n) and what I should get her.”

“(y/n) agreed to this?” Thor asks, his eyebrows raised in confusion. Rogers kept his mouth shut, deciding to see where this conversation will go before

“Yes, brother. I asked her to be my Valentine as stated by tradition and she said yes.”

“Ah! Good for you, brother!” Thor exclaimed, happily. “I’m glad you’re immersing yourself in the Midgard culture.”

“Yes, yes,” Loki waved him off, “Now, please, tell me what I should do.”

“I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day,” Thor says with a shrug and a sympathetic look. “I haven’t had much opportunity to explore the culture. Every time I’m on this planet I’m a little busy preventing its destruction. Perhaps Rogers can help you?”

Loki let out an exasperated sigh. He avoided Rogers as he knew the man had such a smug look on his face. Loki refused to give him the satisfaction. However, he realized that wouldn’t be fair to you. Rogers not only knew what to do, but he was also close friends with you. He quickly realized if he wanted to celebrate with you properly, he’d need to rely on the infamous super soldier.

“Captain Rogers,” Loki said with a charismatic smile, turning back to the man. “I wholeheartedly apologize for my lack of… social niceties. If you’d be willing to help me, to ensure your dear friend enjoys her holiday, I would be sincerely grateful.”

“Only because of (y/n),” Rogers says skeptically, waving a finger at Loki. “She deserves to enjoy her time and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let you screw up her evening.”

“What a loyal friend.”

Years later, the Avengers would still talk about the fact Loki cared about you so much, he sought out advice from Captain America and Thor. And as Captain America said, he helped Loki with every last detail and Steve never let Loki forget it.

***

Loki had told you that he’d come to your room to get you at 6 o’clock Sunday evening. He wore clothes he had picked out, black dress pants, a white button-down shirt and shiny, black dress shoes. He had kept the last button of the shirt unbuttoned and he had rolled the sleeves up, a styling tip he had gotten from Thor. He had his long hair gelled back and tamed, ignoring Captain Roger’s horrible suggestion for a haircut. He felt very weird not wearing any green, but he took the advice he was given on his ensemble.

You were just putting on your heels when he knocked at your door Sunday promptly at 6pm. Of course, Loki would be very punctual. You gave yourself one more quick once more in the mirror in your room before heading to answer the door.

You had on a pair of dark green heels that perfectly matched your dress. You also layered over the outfit a suede brown jacket, that complimented the jewel tone of the dress and shoes nicely. You kept your appearance simple, sticking to how you usually styled your hair. Not wanting to keep him waiting, you quickly opened the door, your jacket and bag both in hand.

“Wow,” you say with a grin, when you take in Loki’s appearance. “You look very nice.”

“You look stunning,” Loki said, his eyes widening, taking in your appearance. The compliment made you have butterflies.

“Thank you,” you said with false confidence. Underneath, you were a nervous wreck as you took the arm that he extended to you.

“So,” Loki began to walk down the hallway with you. “Apparently, this planet has something called reservations, and anyone who tries to get one a few days before Valentine’s Day is a “moron,” according to a very rude young man I had the pleasure of speaking with- the first time using a phone too on top of that. So, I hope you don’t mind if the evening is a little… makeshift.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great,” you reassure him. You feel him relax slightly. You found how hard he was trying so endearing.

Where else did he bring you but just down the hall to the living room. At night with the lights dimmed, combined with Natasha’s homemade decorations, it actually looked quite beautiful. He had decorated with an eclectic array of candles as well that covered most surfaces of the room. It also looked like he had swiped every throw pillow in the whole compound and had them arranged the coffee table in the center of the room.

“Did you do all of this?” You ask in awe.

“Yes,” he replied, just watching you. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect.”

“I had to make my own version of advice I received,” he disclosed to you. You sat opposite each other on either side of the coffee table, you kicked off your heels and he did the same with his shoes. “Captain Rogers said- and I’m trying my best to quote verbatim, ‘You need to show a girl a good time. You gotta take her to dinner and dancing.’” He even mimicked Steve’s voice perfectly. It made you laugh.

“I can’t believe you subjected yourself to Steve for me, I’m touched,” you smiled. “I mean I love Steve,” you continue, “But I can’t imagine you too being best friends anytime soon.”

“No, I suppose we probably won’t be,” Loki chuckles.

“I hate to point it out,” you continue, “but I think you missed both the dinner part and the dancing part of that plan.” Loki smirked and when you blinked, he transformed the whole room.

“Did I?” he asks, with an eyebrow raised. You gasp, looking around the room you were now in. You knew it was an illusion, but it felt very real. The atmosphere, the breeze coming in from the large bay windows that weren’t there before. The coffee table now a table now one of many dining tables in an incredibly high-end restaurant. The table had food, and a bottle of wine. You were stunned. There was a live band and other couples in other tables and out on the dancefloor.

“Loki?” You exclaimed, looking around at your new surroundings. It was amazing. You couldn’t believe the magic right before your eyes. Of course, you knew it was just one of his tricks, but it felt so incredibly real. You picked up your fork and took a bite of the food in front of you. It was incredible, you questioned if you were even eating.

“It’s real,” Loki said, like he could read your mind. Honestly, he had only just anticipated your next question. “I made it. Well, I made it with Friday’s supervision.”

“It’s fantastic! I can’t believe you went through all this trouble just for me.”

“Sweetheart, you are very much worth it- worth much more than this,” he responded casually, throwing in the term of endearment to see how you’d react. He caught the way it made you smile.

You continued to talk for a little while, and shared stories. You were worried that compared to his life on Asgard, he’d find your stories incredibly boring and mundane. It seemed to be the opposite. His attention was only on you and he held on to every word you said. He created this elaborate setting just to keep you the center of his attention.

“Should we dance?” He asks suddenly, a glimmer in his eye. You looked down apprehensively.

“I’m not really a dancer,” you tried to insist.

“Do you actually not want to dance, darling? Because if so, I will not bring it up again,” he says earnestly, “But, if you’re saying no because you’re afraid I’m going to judge you, I honestly can promise you I would never dream of doing so.”

You give it another moment to ponder over his words. You were taken aback at how well he seemed to know how you were thinking. You let out a sigh of defeat, and smile. “I’d love to,” you reply.

He stands up and offers you his hand. His smile is enough to make you weak at the knees. You take his hand and he leads you over to the dancefloor as the band starts playing its next song. “Does that singer sound like Elvis?” You ask, the small glitch in the illusion throwing you off for only a moment.

“I don’t know who that is,” Loki says with a laugh. He pulls you in close and rests one hand on the small of your back and the other grasps your hand close. You wrap your other arm around his shoulder. You are both pressed up incredibly close to one another. You rest your head on his chest comfortably, and you can’t see how much the action makes his whole face go red. Guiding your movements together, it mostly just swaying in place. The steps were small, and with the music playing for the two of you.

“This place is incredible,” you sigh happily looking up at him. “But I think I liked the first place a little better.”

He nodded in agreement and you got to watch a green hue encompass the walls of the restaurant as they almost melted away, and everything around the two of you just fade away. The sconces on the walls, revealed themselves to be the candles that cluttered the living room and the couples evaporated with the green mist. The table you had both sat at, turned back to the coffee table but the empty plates remained. The elaborate statues that surrounded the room turned into the furniture you knew well, and then the live band faded away to reveal Steve’s record player indeed playing a 45 of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley.

When the room finished revealing its true appearance to you, you laid your head back on Loki’s chest and mumbled that now it was perfect. He smiled to himself, thinking about how without a doubt in his mind, Valentine’s Day is his absolute favorite holiday on Midgard. He now couldn’t believe this reality was real. If he wasn’t holding you, he’d pinch himself. You were here, with him, in his arms, dancing in the middle of the living room on this godforsaken planet.

“(y/n)?” he whispered softly as the song was coming to an end.

“Mhmm?” You responded, your eyes closed, really just basking in the feeling of being so close to him and the smell of his cologne.

“Will be mine?” He asks carefully, remembering the phrase from Captain Roger’s advice. That phrase apparently being very important if today went well and he wanted to ask you to “go steady.” You chuckled softly, hearing Steve’s influence in the phrase.

“I would love to,” you say with a shy smile looking back up to him. He beams, incredibly happy you said yes. Swept up in his emotions, he swiftly leans down and presses his lips to yours capturing them in a passionate first kiss.

“Oh gross!” You hear someone exclaim, making you both pull away. It’s Tony- who was currently holding his side in pain as Pepper elbowed him in the side.

“You really had to do that?” she chastised him, rolling her eyes and giving an apologetic look to you and Loki before pushing Tony down the hallway to give you both your moment back, as sullied as it had become thanks to Tony.

“I’m so sorry,” she said embarrassed by his outburst, ushering him out as quickly as possible.

Loki turns his head back to you, immediately after they are out of view. “Where were we, darling?” He smirks, pulling you in for another kiss.

#loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x you #loki x y/n #valentines day imagine #marvel imagine #mcu loki #loki imagine #loki fluff #fluff imagine #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddelston imagine #tom hiddleston x y/n

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dragonheart-swtor · 4 years ago

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Sith Inquisitor Storyline: Drunk History Version

Y’all, and by y’all I mean one person (@sith-shenanigans thank you very much), asked for it, and I live to repeat this over and over for others’ amusement, so here it is. Have my summary of the pinball machine that is the Sith Inquisitor storyline, from memory, originally drafted a while back in DMs with a friend who’s never played SWTOR. Spoilers for the Sith Inquisitor storyline, obviously.

Without further ado: Let us begin.

- So your story begins as a recently sort-of-freed slave walking off a ship and onto Hell: The Planet. (The nonhuman Inquisitor immediately experiences 2483947 microaggressions.)

- You have to compete with a bunch of other people! Only one of you is not going to die and the overseer has already picked his favorite, seemingly purely because he happens to have red skin. They will both (the overseer and Teacher’s Pet) proceed to be as annoying as possible for the rest of the Korriban story.

- multiple people try to kill you, but you’re the protagonist, so fuck them

- “Teacher’s Pet, you go to the library and translate these texts. Protagonist, you go to this ancient tomb and figure out how to retrieve an artifact from a lock that no one has been able to open in ten thousand years.” “Libraries are boring anyway. Yawn.”

- You finally get to smackdown with Teacher’s Pet, which is satisfying as hell. Unfortunately the overseer gets pissy about it. Fortunately, the Sith you’ve been competing to be the apprentice of decided she liked you early on and has also been playing favorites, so you don’t die immediately.

- your master is great! much more into positive reinforcement than most Sith.

- at some point you semi-accidentally steal someone else's cult on Nar Shaddaa and now they worship you as a nigh-on god. whoops. you just kind of... leave and let them run their own business. you pay them visits later in the storyline.

- you also become part bug so you can go skinny dipping in radioactive waste. it’s fine, we promise.

- your master is trying to steal your body because turns out she's actually really old and kind of dying so she plans on kicking you out of your body, transplanting her own soul in your place, killing her old body, and assuming your identity after "you" "killed" "your master"! that's not great, better not let her do that.

- you successfully didn't let her do that! wait, now she's sharing a body with one of your companions, an ancient monster who you kind of forced into submission and who serves you rather unwillingly now. there is apparently nothing that can be done about this so sometimes your eight-foot-tall monster not-friend talks in a high, unnervingly smooth feminine voice and tries to convince you she's on your side now that she's forced by this new body to not harm you. this is also not great but what are you gonna do. he is also Not Pleased about this by the way, and really who can blame him.

- some darth on the dark council named Thanaton decides to get pissy with you for reasons I don't remember and now he's trying to kill you. what the fuck.

- he actually almost does kill you but your old master's other apprentices, who are now your apprentices, save you from the brink of death.

- (the apprentices, by the way, are very sweet and I love them. they’re murdered by thanaton almost immediately.)

- your solution to "I need more power, fast", for some godforsaken reason, is "I'm going to learn to walk the line between life and death and EAT GHOSTS" and I wish I were exaggerating this

- you go out and eat a bunch of ghosts of old Sith on various planets

- subpoint to this: on one of these planets, you accomplish this by coercing the ghost's descendant, a Jedi padawan named Ashara, to get the ghost to appear so you can eat him. You end up murdering her masters in the process because one way or another they find out about your plan. She is understandably horrified by this turn of events and, feeling she has no chance of returning to the Jedi, reluctantly joins your crew and either (Light Side Quizzy) learns to balance light and dark sides of the Force and becomes ultimately stronger for it, or (Dark Side Quizzy) lives in abject terror of you for the rest of the storyline. I love her dearly as well. fortunately she is not murdered by thanaton.

- congrats! you ate enough ghosts to have enough power to beat thanaton up!

- unfortunately, you have Ate Too Many Ghosts Disease now and need immediate medical attention.

- your mind kind of just Shatters and you may or may not have hallucinations for a while iirc. either way you need help or you're just gonna disintegrate slowly until the ghosts overwhelm you and take over. you go to Voss and participate in some wild Force ritual they've got to take care of that. it's a fun time

- your body is also having a bad time and that also needs fixing; I don't remember where you go for this (Belsavis, I think?) but you end up checking out a machine made by a long-dead alien civilization and the machine turns out to a) be sentient and b) be responsible for CREATING A GOOD PORTION OF THE GALAXY'S NEAR-HUMAN SPECIES, IF NOT ALL OF THEM, AND DISSEMINATING THEM TO THE GALAXY AS PART OF THE RAKATA'S EXPERIMENTS ON CREATING FORCE-SENSITIVE LIFEFORMS IN HOPES OF KEEPING THEIR OWN SPECIES FROM DYING OUT BECAUSE THEY WERE SUPER RACIST AND EVENTUALLY THAT RACISM KICKED THEM IN THE ASS IN THE FORM OF A MASS REVOLUTION THAT WIPED THEM OUT COMPLETELY BUT THE MACHINE IS STILL HERE

- all right I’m calm sorry I derailed for a moment

- I have a lot of thoughts about things

- anyway the machine bUILDS YOU A NEW FUCKING BODY and you're good to go now

- (by the way, depending what species you're playing, it's entirely possible you learn at this point that your entire species only exists because of this machine!)

- (anyway.)

- okay, mind fixed, body fixed, ghosts consumed, we're good to go! time to murder a dark councilor!

- "we do that"

- except you don't because you're on corellia and this dipshit challenges you to a kaggath without really ever explaining in detail what a kaggath is or what the rules (if any) are, we just know it seems to be the ancient and very formal Sith way of saying "meet me in the denny's parking lot at 3am if you want an ass-kicking", and then hE RUNS OFF TO DROMUND KAAS WHICH DEPENDING ON WHAT GALAXY MAP YOU BELIEVE IS UP TO FIVE DAYS' TRAVEL AWAY

- YOU'RE CANONICALLY JUST CHASING THIS LITTLE BITCH THROUGH SPACE FOR FIVE DAYS AFTER HE CHALLENGED YOU

- he then goes to the Dark Council to try to convince them to help him kill you and you literally have to just go to the Dark Council chambers too and kick in the door and go "HEARD YOU WERE TALKIN SHIT" in front of everyone

- (which to be fair is basically Sith philosophy in a nutshell)

- Ravage and Marr spend this entire council meeting just exchanging tired glances and going "no, fuck you, why can't you kill them, they're your problem. fight for our entertainment now. fuck you"

- (Darth Baras did this exact same shit earlier the same day, by the way, with the Sith Warrior. and by “earlier the same day” I mean “like fifteen minutes prior to this.”)

- you fight Thanaton. to no one's surprise, because you're the protagonist and because he's being a little bitch about it, you kick his ass and slaughter him in front of everyone

- half the Council stands up and you just kind of go "oh shit I'm gonna die"

- but no

- you're being promoted

- congration you done it you're a dark councilor now

- someone complains because wait, they're not even a darth, you can't be a dark councilor if you're not even a darth

- first person responds with "well fuck you then, we'll make them a darth. hey you. your name is Darth Nox (dark side)/Imperius (light side)/Occulus (neutral) now. take a seat"

- "but - what?"

- "take a fuckin seat, babe"

- "o- okay"

- "you run the entire Ancient Knowledge sector now, by the way, despite the fact that you may or may not be illiterate due to having been raised a slave, because that was what Thanaton ran and we only have the one job opening since the Warrior just killed Baras"

- (the Warrior, freshly coined the Emperor's Wrath officially, waves from their corner where they're cleaning Baras's blood off their boots)

- "I - okay, I guess"

and that’s the Sith Inquisitor storyline. That’s a wrap, folks, roll credits. if this gets enough notes and/or if literally anyone says they’d like to see it I may also post the Imperial Agent and/or do other class stories, I enjoy these way too much

#i should put this through a star wars scrolling text maker #do they have those? i can't imagine there's not one out there #swtor #sith inquisitor #drunk history swtor

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ladykissingfish · 4 years ago

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Under The Mistletoe with the Akatsuki // Part Four // Deidara

Deidara

Ah, so it’s his turn under the fragrant green spotlight. He readies himself and stands underneath the plant, ready to endure (or perhaps enjoy) whatever is coming his way. It’s odd; when he was a young kid he always thought that kissing was gross. But now, as he waits for the first person to come to him, he finds himself almost ... excited.

Tobi

“Ooh! Lucky Tobi! Tobi is first for Senpai!” Oh, God, or Lord Jashin, or whoever it was that made things happen: Deidara does not want to kiss Tobi. Tobi is already a bit too hands-on for Deidara’s liking, a bit too attached to his Senpai. Also, it bothers him that at the moment, nobody else is in the room; the two of them are totally alone. Still, though, this should only last a few seconds, and everybody else is going to be having a turn, so why not? Tobi gets close to Deidara and, to the blonde’s shock, he pulls off his entire mask. Deidara’s brain is able to register small details about Tobi’s face, but only for a split second. After that, suddenly, everything went ... strange. He’s being kissed; he can feel ((surprisingly soft)) lips touching his own, but ... he barely notices this. Deidara is flooded with bizarre imagery, of vividly bright flowers and aggressively emerald fields, none of which are in the little room they’re standing in. Is this ... is this genjutsu?? After his first encounter with Itachi, Deidara has trained his eye to counter such illusionary tricks; he quickly snaps out of it and comes back to reality. But Tobi ... his mask is on, and he’s shaking Deidara’s shoulders. “Senpai?! Are you okay??” Tobi claims that Deidara fainted, and tells him to sit down while he gets him some water. Deidara does as suggested, confused. WAS that just a ... a dream? Had he fainted? Had he and Tobi kissed at all? He starts to write the entire thing off, but then he realizes that his mouth has the taste of dango in it. Wasn’t Tobi eating Dango earlier? Wasn’t — and then Tobi is back with the water, and Deidara drinks, his mind still jumbled. He hopes the rest of his encounters aren’t this bizarre.

Kakuzu

Deidara is an immature kid that reminds Kakuzu a lot of his own partner, Hidan. He can’t begin to count how many times in the last month he’s had to RE-reattach Deidara’s arms, because the guy kept doing reckless things with that damn “art” of his. Still, though; even Kakuzu has to admit that Deidara’s antics provide a steady stream of lighthearted entertainment, in an organization that could be very depressing most of the time. When it’s Kakuzu’s turn, he puts one hand on Deidara’s face and gives him a light kiss on the forehead. He smoothes back his bangs as he does, informing Deidara that there are many people who would pay good money for hair Deidara’s length, and if he’s ever interested in making a bit of money, to come see him (and his scissors).

Konan

Thinks of Deidara as being like a little brother, in a way. And a good friend; despite the loud and temperamental way he acts with the others, with Konan, he’s always been one of her biggest supporters and confidantes. There was even a time in the past when the entire group was traveling somewhere new, and Konan twisted her ankle in a concealed hole in a field. Deidara immediately lifted her off her feet and carried her the rest of the way to their destination. She approaches Deidara with a smile, leans in, and kisses the tip of his nose. Deidara responds by putting his hands on her cheeks, and giving her two smacking kisses with his hand-mouths. The two laugh and then Konan leaves to make room for the next participant.

Hidan

Surprisingly less objective than he was with many of the others he had to kiss. Even goes to the trouble of using a minty breath freshener beforehand. Makes absolutely NO comments beforehand about homosexuality or how “stupid” he feels this to be. “Ya ready for me, blondie?” He grabs Deidara around the waist, tilts him back, and gives him a brief (but impactful) smooch. Deidara blinks, surprised. This is ... oddly nice, but — why in the world does he suddenly taste blood on his lips?? Did Hidan just come back from a sacrifice? Did he do that completely unhygienic ritual of his where he licked the blood of his victims off his scythe? Hidan looks proud of himself, and, as he’s backing away, he tells Deidara that he reminds him of “a bitch in my old village that never let me kiss her. Now I feel like I have!”, to which Deidara gets angry and throws an explosive at Hidan’s face. “I’m a MAN, you stupid prick!” The two start fighting before Hidan is dragged away by Kakuzu, and Deidara goes to scrub down his mouth and lips before the next person comes up.

Pein

Ah, the youngest of his “children”. He’s happy that Deidara is so open with his feelings and being part of the group now; when he first came to the Akatsuki, he was a very secretive and somewhat shy young man, who had no trust in Pein or in any of them. Now he was so comfortable around his new “family” that it was like he was meant to be with them from the get-go. Pein goes to kiss Deidara’s forehead, stops, reconsiders, and kisses his cheek instead. Afterwards he smiles and gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder, before going back to his room.

Zetsu

Deidara may be the only member of the Akatsuki that Zetsu doesn’t really want to kiss. With everyone else, he likes to get close to them because they smell like delicious food. But the blonde guy ... he has a smell to him very much like clay, so much so that it masks the more desirable aroma of human blood. Zetsu is the only one who’s olfactory senses can detect this subtle difference, and it’s enough to deter him from ever trying to devour the kid. Nevertheless, he leans in, gives Deidara a quick smack on the cheek, and dashes away so fast that Deidara has doubts whether or not anything actually happened.

Itachi

Is very, very hesitant to approach Deidara; no matter what he says or how he acts, Deidara just radiates with hatred for him. He’s watched several of the others exchange kisses with him, but thinks of just skipping his turn and going to his room. However, Deidara spots him and, folding his arms in front of his chest, asks, “So now the mighty Uchiha is too good to kiss me, hm?” and Itachi sighs and steps over to him. “Where do you want it?” “Huh?? It’s a KISS, you idiot. Where the hell do you think I want —“ but Itachi interrupts him by yanking him close by the forearms (so hard that the stitching weakens just a little) and lays into him with his lips. He kisses him so intensely and so long that Deidara actually starts to feel light-headed. Right before he thinks he’s going to pass out, however, Itachi pulls back, and to Deidara’s surprise he’s SMILING at him. “How was that? That good enough?” Deidara is still so shocked that he can’t think of a smart ass answer back, all he can do is nod. Hidan, who had been watching, comments “Jeez ... after a kiss like that I think you have to marry him, Itachi.” Hearing this finally snaps Deidara back to normal, who scowls and snarls and barks out “As if I’d ever become a low-life Uchiha scum, hm!” Itachi, still smiling, walks away as Deidara shouts insults after him. Things are back to normal.

Kisame

Kisame truly enjoys being around the young artist. He finds Deidara’s sense of humor to be entirely refreshing, which was needed when working in an oft-depressing organization like the Akatsuki. He walks up and kisses Deidara on his chin, just beneath his lips. When Deidara asks why he picked such an odd spot, Kisame replies that everybody has already kissed the other places, and he prefers to not catch germs from the others (especially Hidan). Deidara laughs and agrees with him; after he goes, Deidara leaves and goes to brush his teeth and wash his face, to prepare for his final kiss of the night.

Sasori

Sasori approaches Deidara like he would approach a wild animal; slowly and cautiously. Deidara has been his partner for some time now, an Sasori is never quite sure what he’s going to get with him. Sometimes he’s loud and obnoxious, other times he’s quiet and thoughtful. Some times he acts like he can’t stand the puppet master, but sometimes ... “Hey, Danna.” “Good evening, brat. Looks like I’m last.” “Yeah, hm.” Sasori gets close to him. He cups Deidara’s face, stares into his eyes, and leans into his lips. Deidara’s eyes close but Sasori’s stay open, taking in every minute detail of this kid, no, this man in front of him. Unable to help it, he moves one hand and gently puts it in Deidara’s soft hair, fingering the silky golden locks. He’s again struck by how warm he is, how wonderfully human. After some time has passed, Sasori breaks the kiss and steps back, straightening out his robe. “Was that acceptable?” Deidara nods, although the expression on his face is somewhat unreadable to Sasori. Recalling what Hidan said earlier about Itachi, Deidara says, jokingly, “After kissing me like that, now you have to marry me, hm.” He’s kidding, but oftentimes humor goes straight over Sasori’s head. He replies, in his quiet, analytical way, “I’ve always found the concept of marriage to be a waste of time and resources. People in general fare much better, and accomplish much more as individuals, wouldn’t you agree?” Deidara nods, and Sasori turns to go. Halfway down the hall he stops, turns slightly, and says, softly, “Deidara?” “Yeah?” “If I ever was to take that step, if I ever was to marry somebody, to fully commit myself to another person; well, it could only be to —“ but suddenly Hidan bursts out of his room, loudly yelling and cursing at Kakuzu’s door about something. The mood broken, Sasori bids a quiet Goodnight to Deidara and continues on to his room. Deidara stays where he is for a long time, wondering what Sasori had almost said.

#the akatsuki #under the mistletoe #kissing #HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEIDARA❤️#deidara #sasori #hidan #itachi #kisame #tobi #pein #konan #zetsu #kakuzu

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buglife · 4 years ago

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How about festivals and celebrations? Not only the regal, noble type, but the ones of common bugs too.

Here are a couple I figured out with a quick overview. I may expand on these later with illustrations or more depth depending on time and interest.

PART 1 - Pre-Infection Holidays

The Cast Off Festival: Something akin to a new years resolution. Once a year the citizens of Hallownest make an effigy of something they want to ‘cast off’ of themselves so they can improve. Example, they may make a figurine that represents self laziness or something that represents a nasty temper. Some folks may make tokens or figurines to sell that people can purchase if they cannot or don’t want to make their own. Celebrations include food and rituals indicative of purifying yourself to allow the new you to get a foothold over the old. Everyone gets together at the end of the celebration to throw said effigies into a communal fire and let the wind carry the ashes away. Just like how the Pale King cast off his previous form of a Wyrm to walk among the people and lead them to a much better existence, so too would common bugs follow that example to better themselves as well. Bugs may just have one effigy and some may have a whole box of them, the point is to give yourself a fresh new start and leave your old baggage holding you back as mere ashes. In general, it’s a very happy celebration in that you have a new chance to make the changes you want and if you have to do the same thing again next year, that’s okay. It takes time to change. The important part is that you recognize something about yourself that does need improvement and make a promise to work on it.

Feast of Fellowship: It’s not far fetched to imagine that even after granted Sapience, some bugs that were regularly preyed upon may have lingering instincts that may make interacting with carnivorous citizens a big nerve wracking. To counter act this, there is a yearly feast where folks are encouraged to share company and food with each other to not only celebrate the bounty from the harvest, but also the fact that many different kinds of bugs worked together to produce it. Spiders, Millipedes, Flies, Moths, ect ect, can all have a feast together and enjoy each other’s company. Takes place after the biggest harvest of the year so there is an abundance of food to go around that can be eaten up fresh before they must be preserved. Entire villages would just have one communal feast where everyone can share and enjoy. In big cities, usually these are more private with friends and colleagues being invited but I wouldn’t put it past a crown funded feast for everyone in the Capital. Citizens that are happy after all, are less likely to cause any trouble when they are busy sleeping off the biggest meal of the year. Lol.

Life Festival: A celebration for those wanting to be parents, those that have children, and those that have parents they love. It’s a day of fond wishes and hopes to be able to have healthy young. Different species have children in different ways, but it all comes down to the same thing, the want to reproduce. The day is spent lighting candles and leaving little offerings in the hopes to become gravid if trying to be. It is also a day for current parents to honor their offspring and be grateful to be blessed with them. Some take this day to grieve and honor any lost children and thank them for being there, even if it was for a short amount of time. Parents to be take the nights to be ‘extra sure’ their wishes will stick, if you know what I mean ;3. It can be rather bittersweet but it is important to many people. Children, however, take the day to honor the parents that gave them life, and there’s usually gift exchanges between parents and children. In general, it’s a celebration of life given and the gratitude of it all.

Birthdays are dependent on species and specific culture. Some celebrate when the egg actually hatches as a birthday. Some celebrate the day they emerge from their pupa an instar molt as the ‘birthday’. Still, there would be some sort of celebration where a child gets a celebration to mark another year of life. Complete with sweets and presents. It’s a big deal, as bugs before rarely made it past the nymph stage of life. It certainly is something to celebrate.

Celebration of Flight: For flying species, where the young take their first ritual flight to mark an important moment of their development. Non flying bugs are present as well and participate by offering support to their friends and family taking their first flight without any help.

Celebration of Weaving: For Spiders to show off their very first silk weavings and crafts and getting the praise they deserve. Primarily a Deepnest holiday.

Celebration of ____: If a species is known for a thing, you better believe they are going to have a cellebration around it! Digging, rolling, fighting, spitting, climbing, ect ect. There’s so many different kinds of bugs!

Mate Day: Bring your mate offerings so they don’t get cranky and try to bite anyone. Especially you. You better make them feel like the most special bug in existence.

King/Queen’s Day: Two days at different times of the year to celebrate the King and his lovely tree wife. Queen’s day is in ‘Spring’, and King’s day is ‘Winter’. Think of ‘Captain Picard Day’ in the TNG for the idea. Kids make little dolls and pictures and costumes and run around while parents buy them little King/Queen shaped sweets and participate in events run by the crown. Tours of the Palace take place in order to bring more transparency to the public. Both days would involve charity work depending on the ruler’s taste. Example, the Queen might sponsor a beatification effort by planting flowers and bushes around the kingdom and the King may just ask for groups to go around and clean up litter. Citizen bugs outside the Capital/major cities still would have their own home celebrations, perhaps just saying prayers of thanks or just cleaning around their village. Dolls and plushies are typically sold a lot and it’s not uncommon for children to have at least one doll of either the King, Queen, or both. There is a lottery where any citizen can participate, where winners may go before the Royals without having to fight through normal court to request some sort of help for either themselves or another organization. Royalty and Nobility have a separate feast afterwards, where there is a lot of ass kissing and the monarchs just want to eat their din dins and go the hell to bed please.

Day of Spirits: A day to honor and remember the dead. Offerings are set out for deceased loved ones and graves/memorials are carefully cleaned and put to order. It’s a time to remember those you love that are gone and give them honor by showing that you are continuing to live and remember them. There are usually parties where representations are included so the spirits of those gone are invited to participate in said party. It’s a day for laughter and love, not for grief. It’s said on this day the veil between the living and dead and thin, so you can directly tell your gone loved ones whatever you like and they have the greatest chance of hearing it.

Honey Festival: All things Honey. The Hive makes SO MUCH GEO during a week long Festival. They may not be part of the Kingdom but boy howdy, does everyone love honey and wax products.

Remembrance Days: Days to remember any well known person, such as visionaries, inventors, people who generally did a lot of good, and others. Bugs that did a lot of good for bugkind are remembered and honored in their own little celebrations. Usually it means that government offices shut down to give their workers a much needed break.

OF COURSE: There doesn’t need to be a reason for a celebration. Dances and ‘Ho Down’ style celebrations can spring up for any reason. Some villages have their own little celebration days and all it takes is one person setting up some music and drinks and you got a party. For moral, it’s common for there to be at least one celebration every ‘month/moon/cycle’ to keep up spirits and have at least a bit of time to relax.

#Hollow Knight #Hallownest #holidays #celebrations #festivals #world building #speculation #apencilknight #i did my best #twas a lot of thinking lol #i would go to all these celebrations cause i love to eat food

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vecnawrites · 4 years ago

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Hypnotic Suggestions, Chapter 1

Pyrrha Nikos loved her partner, Joan Arc. Practically everybody but the blonde knew that. She also wanted nothing more than for the blonde to see in herself, what the redhead saw in her. Could hypnosis help her bring the blonde out of her shell? Or would it simply bring about the redhead’s own fall?

Pyrrha adored her partner, Joan Arc. The bubbly blonde’s personality was so honest, so earnest, kind and caring, that it was a wonder that only she seemed to be interested in her romantically...although she was also grateful for that on some level, since she hadn’t been able to confess to the precious blonde yet.

But despite Joan’s loving qualities, she had several faults as well, mainly ones relating to how she felt towards herself. She didn’t know how she had such low self-worth and self-esteem, but she took it upon herself to help her, just like she was helping her in her combat training.

But most of the normal methods had failed so far. Positive reinforcement had actually been working somewhat, but when it seemed like everyone and the teacher (damn you, Goodwitch!) went out of their way to cut you down, the positive reinforcement of three meant nothing, sadly.

She was desperate by this point. Joan was a wonderful woman, she just needed to be able to see it for herself! Flipping through through several articles on her scroll while her teammates were asleep, she paused as something came up across her screen.

‘Hypnosis?’ she looked at the screen, snorting slightly after a moment and about to back out and go to another page, but she hesitated, something staying her hand for one reason or another. ‘It...it couldn’t hurt to just look, could it?’ she asked herself, glancing at her sleeping crush, seeing the peaceful look on her sleeping face, the slight smile on those plump lips...one she would give most anything to make sure stayed there.

Squaring her shoulders, Pyrrha clicked the link, emerald eyes roaming the page of information that emerged, seeing the testimonials that she could click on. One was a smoker, who had been smoking for twenty years and stopped immediately; another was of a drinker who had been drinking profusely daily who now hated the taste of alcohol; and the last, which truly caught her attention, was that of someone with self-esteem and self-worth issues. Opening the page, she read their testimonial.

“I was always a very quiet and unassuming individual. The one no one looked at. A complete and utter wallflower that no one thought twice of. I spent most of my time being teased and tormented by my peers, crying in my bed most nights and dreading the next day.”

Pyrrha blinked, sucking in a sharp breath. That sounded like Joan to a tee, down to dreading the next day of school. She knew that Cardin’s team still bothered her, even if the head oaf himself didn’t. She glanced at her sleeping partner, who despite her restful sleep and the smile on her lips, had slightly puffed eyes, telling Pyrrha that she had been crying when she had taken her shower before crawling into bed.

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and she felt fury swim through her blood, hating that people considered Joan’s kind and loving heart a weakness to make fun of. It wasn’t her fault her parents hadn’t let her train! She was advancing fast enough that Pyrrha was sure that if she had gotten the training she had wanted when she was younger, she would be on par with herself! She would ensure it!

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath to calm herself, having been trembling from emotion and turned herself back to the testimonial, intent on getting as much information as she could from it, as well as what to do to help the girl she so loved.

“I never thought that I would be able to live a normal life, to be able to walk with my head held high and just be happy. But through hypnosis, I became so much happier! Through several sessions, I was slowly helped to learn that none of these opinions mattered, that I should be proud and happy of my body, and of who I was! With these sessions of hypnosis, I was able to wear nicer clothes that showed off my body, confess to my crush, and am now married and pregnant with our first child! The only thing I regret...is that I didn’t do this sooner.” -Katarina Bronzewater

Pyrrha’s heart thumped heavily in her chest, feeling as though Joan’s issues had been lived by another person, and that person had been helped by hypnosis...would it help Joan just as much? Without thinking, her fingers danced along her scroll pad, applying for it through a dummy email account she had set up and having the information sent to her. Her heart beat faster. This was it! She had a good feeling about this! All she had to do was look over the information and convince Joan!

The Next Day

Thankfully, it was a Sunday, because the moment that the hypnosis lessons arrived, Pyrrha had started reading and hadn’t stopped, not even noticing the time passing by, not until she notice the light peeking through the blinds and the warning of her alarm about to go off on her scroll.

Quickly shutting it off, Pyrrha sighed and rubbed her face, knowing that today would likely suck, but considering what she had learned, she couldn’t complain. Thankfully, as it was a Sunday, so she could just crash early tonight. But firstly, she was going to convince Joan to undergo hypnosis and let her help her. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too difficult. But first, a shower.

“Hmm, hmm…ahhhh~” Pyrrha hummed happily as the steaming water washed over her body, running through her hair, down her chest and over her breasts, flowing down her back and stomach, over her rear and between her legs, placing a hand on the wall, Pyrrha’s eyes drifted shut as her free hand slipped over her cock and palming as she began to participate in her normal morning ritual, Joan fantasizing. It was a wonderful way to relax before she started the stress of her day.

~x~x~

“Pyrrha, are you sure? We could get caught!” Joan squeaked out as she slipped her hand under her skirt under the desk in Port’s class. Pyrrha only smiled at her lover, knowing that all of their fellow classmates weren’t paying attention at all, either asleep or bored to death by the portly man’s droning.

“Not if you keep quiet~” she purred into the blonde’s ear, her fingers slipping into her precious partner’s underwear and running them over her wet folds. “If you fear you’ll make a sound, feel free to bury your face into my chest~” Pyrrha teased, watching as her beloved’s eyes rolled up as her fingers began to delve into her slick core, slowly and gently thrusting into her.

She watched with glee as Joan squirmed and shifted in her seat, biting her lower lip in an attempt to stifle her pleasured moans. Pyrrha liked that, it only gave her more reason to thrust her fingers harder, fast, deeper into the blonde’s flexing core.

“P-P-Pyrrha, p-please…” the blonde whined, doing as she had teasingly offered earlier and burying her face into her ample bosom (although nowhere near as ample as Joan’s wonderful chest) and looking up pleadingly.

Pyrrha smirked, leaning down and brushing her nose against Joan’s. “Cum~” she purred, feeling the blonde’s walls flexing and clenching around her fingers as the precious blonde buried her face into her cleavage and squealed as she gushed over her fingers and on her chair.

~x~x~

Pyrrha shuddered, biting down harshly on her lip as she came hard, cock spurting hard and spraying her thick cum on the shower floor in thick streaks of fluid, forming puddles that slowly were diluted by the water and dragged down the drain.

The redheaded champion panted happily, relaxing as the endorphins slowly ebbed away, her cock softening in her hand. Normally, she would have a second go and enjoy another fantasy, but she knew that this morning she would need to talk to Joan and convince her to let her do the hypnotic treatment. She hoped it wasn’t difficult, but...the beautiful blonde was worth it.

~x~x~

Joan blinked once. Twice. Then three times as she registered Pyrrha’s words. Tilting her head and almost tasting the words in her head. “H-Hypnosis?” she repeated, wondering if she had heard wrong. However, Pyrrha’s fast, and almost eager nod told her she wasn’t mistaking it for something else.

“I’ve noticed that positive reinforcement is working, but there is the fact that you still are too hard on yourself for things that aren’t your fault.” Joan flushed a bit as Pyrrha reached out and took her hand between both of her own, giving her a warm feeling. She opened her mouth to speak, but Pyrrha cut her off. “I know what people say about hypnotism, Joan...but please...trust me.” the naked plea in Pyrrha’s voice hurt, because she knew that she too had felt that sort of plea, when she had told Pyrrha about how little training she had gotten and begged for help.

Swallowing, Joan looked at her partner. “You...you...you’ll take care of me if this works, right?” she didn’t want to be callous and ask, “you won’t take advantage of me, right?” that the fear in the back of her mind was giving her. But...she knew Pyrrha! There was no way that she would take advantage if it worked and make her do something embarrassing!

Pyrrha smiled at Joan softly, rubbing her hand gently. “I promise, Joan...nothing bad will happen to you...I swear it.” she was almost there, almost had gotten her to agree. She just needed that one final push. “I mean, you have nothing to lose trying this, right? Please, let me help.”

Pyrrha fought the urge to dance in joy when Joan nodded to her. Finally! It had taken long minutes of intense negotiation for her to agree to this!

“Okay, Joan...I want you take a comfortable position and close your eyes for me…” she could see Joan hesitating, so she squeezed the blonde’s hand again. “Trust. Me.” she knew she was asking a lot, but she wanted nothing more than to help the blonde she loved. Swallowing, Joan nodded, leaning back comfortably in her chair and closing her eyes.

Pyrrha took a deep breath and swallowed. She knew that she had to be careful about this, the last thing she wanted was to make her precious partner unnerved or frightened.

“Joan...take slow, deep breaths...listen to my voice...focus on it, and only it...you’re drifting into a wonderful, relaxing void, where you feel safe...where nothing can hurt you…” Pyrrha began, seeing Joan slowly begin to relax in her seat. “I’m going to slowly count down backwards, from ten to zero. With each number, you will fall deeper and deeper into the trance. Upon reaching zero, I will snap my fingers and you will be fully immersed and unable to wake without me snapping my fingers again. Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one...zero.” Snap!

Joan slumped in her seat, her head lolling gently as though she was asleep. “Joan, if you can hear me, I want you to open your eyes and look at me.” she waited with bated breath to see if this would work. Her heart leapt as Joan immediately raised her head, her eyes open, hazy and almost foggy, like she was half asleep, rather than the clear cerulean blue she normally saw.

Now came the test. Pyrrha wasn’t just going to go on how her eyes looked to believe she was under hypnotic trance. An experiment first, then. Something that Joan wouldn’t normally do before anyone else. Then, she would place the subconscious commands that would help Joan. “Joan, stick out your tongue.”

Immediately, Joan stuck out the pink muscle and wiggled it about, making Pyrrha swallow and her cock twitch in her compression underwear, her mind going immediately to how that swaying bit of flesh could be put to better use making her cock feel good. She banished those thoughts to the back of her mind; that could happen in her next fantasy when she showered, or better yet, it could happen when she got Joan as her girlfriend. The thought made her giddy, but she pushed that away too. Now was time to help Joan.

“Joan, you can hear me, correct?” she asked, seeing Joan pull her tongue back in and nod, her head bobbing almost drunkenly. “...yes…” her voice made Pyrrha’s cock throb. It was almost a moan, and whispered promises of what she might sound like underneath her, in her bed as they made love.

A hard shake of the head this time. She was so close to helping Joan! Now wasn’t the time for her fantasies! “I want you to listen carefully to me okay? Everything I tell you is the truth.” she watched as Joan nodded her head again. Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha began her work.

“Joan, you aren’t going to belittle yourself anymore...you have grown so much since you came Beacon, you’re already above all of Team Cardinal, and quickly rising the ranks even more! You. Are. Growing.” she took another breath. “Nod if you understand me.” another nod from Joan, her eyes hazy and breathing steady.

“There is no need to look down on yourself because of other people’s words. Don’t let their words about your schooling, your fighting ability, bother you. The only person you have to worry about is yourself...as long as you are happy, that’s all that matters. Okay?” another nod followed, and Pyrrha was glad that she showed no hesitance at all so far.

“The same for your body. There is nothing to be ashamed of about it, Joan...I’m not saying you need a new wardrobe, but when in the locker rooms, you need to stop hiding yourself away. That actually brings more attention to you…” Pyrrha could see Joan twitching, making her frown. She knew that was a sign that Joan was fighting the command. “Joan!” she said sharply, before continuing with a softer tone. “I’m not saying that you need to show off to everyone like Yang!” the blonde from RWBY had no shame whatsoever, taking her time topless to do other things as slowly as possible.

Joan calmed and relaxed again, making Pyrrha breathe a sigh of relief. “Joan, you need to ignore the opinions of other people about your body. The only person who’s opinion matters besides your own is the person you love and are dating. Nod to me if you understand.” there was a moment of long, terrifying silence, before Joan nodded firmly, making her breathe a sigh of immense relief. “Okay, Joan...I’m going to count backwards from ten to zero, and when I snap my fingers you will awaken. Ten...nine...eight…seven...six...five...four...three...two...one...zero!” Snap!

Joan gasped, jolting awake as it felt like she had been half asleep. She had vaguely heard Pyrrha talking to her, but couldn’t for the life of her remember what she had said. “D-Did it work?” she asked, her voice slightly groggy.

Pyrrha smiled. “We won’t know until tomorrow...but I will tell you this, you were a wonderful hypnotic subject. Thank you for trusting me…” she smiled, reaching forwards and brushing Joan’s loose blonde locks out of her face. “Now, what do you say we relax and watch a movie together?” it would be the perfect excuse to cuddle Joan, after all. Seeing Joan’s expression brighten, she knew she had the right idea.

As the pair curled up together on Pyrrha’s bed, the redhead honestly thought things couldn’t be more perfect right now.

Monday

Joan was shocked that today had gone fine! She had gone to classes and despite certain people mocking or ribbing her in Doctor Oobleck’s class (Weiss and Yang, mostly), it..it hadn’t bothered her like it normally did. It hadn’t bothered her at all, as a matter of fact. It was odd.

The same happened in Goodwitch’s class. Her critical responses simply flowed off her, not anywhere near as cutting as they had been during her previous classes. Instead of panic, fear, and shame, she felt a sense of calm as her teacher berated her for not being as strong as the students that had been trained for years. She had simply listened, nodded, and returned to her seat next to Pyrrha. That sent the cogs in her head turning.

It was when they went to the locker rooms for their after class showers that she realized, being that she was disrobing in front of her locker rather than scurrying away to hide in a corner, and she wasn’t feeling nauseated or shamed about her body, even when Weiss made snide comments about how the nutrients for her brain must have gone to her chest.

As she entered the shower and stood under the hot spray, washing off the sweat and grime from Combat Class, it struck her what was different about today. ‘The Hypnosis!’ her heart skipped a beat from joy. It had worked! She hadn’t honestly believed that all her problems could be solved by hypnosis, but...she bit back an excited squee, knowing that she would have to do something wonderful for Pyrrha in the future. But first...she knew that hypnosis was stronger in those that had multiple sessions. She was more than willing to go through them if they ensured she always felt this good about herself!

After drying and dressing back in their uniforms, Joan walked silently back to the dorms next to Pyrrha, Nora having dragged Ren off somewhere. The blonde loved the bubbly Valkyrie like a sister, but she didn’t know how Ren handled her some days!

Upon reaching the dorm and entering, Joan couldn’t hold back anymore, grabbing Pyrrha in a tight hug and sniffling. She felt her partner’s arms wrap around her. “Joan? Is something wrong?” the blonde managed to shake her head. “Thank you…” she murmured.

Pyrrha tilted her head. She had a good idea what she was being thanked for. Smiling, she hugged her partner close. “You’re welcome, Joan. I’m glad you’re happy…” she hummed.

The pair was quiet and comfortable in each other’s arms for several moments, before Joan finally gathered the courage to speak. “C-Can you hypnotize me again? Reinforce it? I...I don’t want to lose this feeling...I feel...I feel good.”

Pyrrha smiled. “Sure, Joan. Let’s get comfortable first.” she was overjoyed that it not only was working, Joan was actively seeking out another treatment to reinforce it.

The pair took their positions that they had been in yesterday, and slowly, Pyrrha slipped Joan back into hypnosis, waiting for her head to slump and her eyes to grow hazy again.

“Joan, today was a good day, wasn’t it, sweetie?” she asked, smiling as the blonde immediately nodded. “You want to feel that more, right?” Joan nodded again. “Yes…” she said softly. Pyrrha nodded. “Then we can do that. I want you to think about how you felt today, how nothing bothered you...think on those feelings, Joan. Remember the orders that I gave you yesterday...remember them.” Joan nodded drunkenly at Pyrrha’s words.

Pyrrha was about to lift the hypnosis, but a traitorous thought came from the back of her mind. She could easily learn how Joan felt about her...even make her forget the question, so there would be no harm done. None at all. Biting her lower lip, she swallowed, before blurting out, “Joan, answer honestly, please. How do you feel about me?”

She waited with baited breath, hoping beyond hope that Joan would tell her what she wished. Her heart rose as Joan opened her mouth-

“I see you as a very close friend, practically another sister.”

-only to plummet down below her stomach, her face screwed up in despair. Why? Why!? Why had the one girl she honestly ever treated her normally, ever loved, see her only as a good friend, another sister?! What had she done wrong?

Her emotions were swelling within her, love, sadness, despair, even anger as she thought about what to do, her breath hitched and palms became sweaty as she clenched her fists. Before she knew it, she was blurting out, “Joan, you will forget seeing me as a sister, instead, you feel deeply for me, but you aren’t sure whether its sibling like or romance like. Nod if you understand me.”

Pyrrha’s eyes widened even as Joan nodded, registering what she had said. Guilt flooded through her, she had sworn not to take advantage of Joan, and here she did. ‘Well, at least she has the chance to choose her feelings…I could have just forced her to love me...’ she thought.

She raised her hands to lift the hypnosis, feeling as if she had done enough damage, but another urge, a big one that made her cock twitch in her underwear, reared its ugly head. She knew that Joan might not see her as she wanted...even with the ‘reset’. So this shouldn’t hurt either, right? “Joan…” she swallowed hard, staring at the blonde intensely. “Joan, take off your top and binder…” she hated herself at that moment, but she knew that if Joan didn’t see her as lover potential, she would never see her like this.

She swallowed, her mouth going dry as Joan unbuttoned her blouse in a clinical fashion, revealing the black binder wrap she wore around her torso to flatten her breasts and make her seem flatter than she really was.

Her cock throbbed angrily as Joan reached behind her in practiced motions and unlatched the binder, which fell off and landed on the floor before the bed, her breasts almost exploding outwards.

Pyrrha drooled. Joan breasts were utterly out of this world, seemingly as big as her own head and capped with puffy, inverted nipples. She licked her lips, knowing those must be sensitive. She didn’t know how big they were but that was easily solved. “Joan, how big are your breasts?” she asked, her voice a sensual groan. The blonde spoke, her voice hazy, “..I’m an H-Cup…” she murmured.

Pyrrha groaned, her cock throbbing hard. “Joan, stay still and let me explore a bit, okay? I won’t be long.” she didn’t even wait for the nod before she moved forwards and cupped the blonde’s breasts, groaning again as her fingers outright sank into the heavenly softness. Leaning forwards she buried her face into the massive mammaries, sighing and beginning to kiss all over the soft flesh, inhaling the scent of vanilla. Her kisses and squeezes became more frantic, sucking on the flesh inside her cleavage, nipping the skin gently as she moved down and around the beautiful swells. Chancing a look up at Joan, she saw that her cheeks were flushed a deep red and she could feel her heart beating fast through her fingertips and see her breathing moving faster. She could have done this all day, were it not for a complete buzzkill happening. A beep from her scroll told her that it was almost dinnertime.

Pyrrha huffed, backing away and looking at Joan’s flushed form, her massive breasts pink from the attentions of her fingers and her lips, her nipples swollen but otherwise still hidden in their little slits. She licked her lips. She wanted nothing more than to taste those large buds, but now wasn’t the time. For one, she knew that if Joan was this responsive under hypnosis, how responsive would she be if she wasn’t? For another, she didn’t know when their teammates would come back after all, since they had agreed to bring dinner for them. “Joan, sweetie? I need you to redress for me, love.”

Immediately, the stacked blonde began to redress, grabbing her binder and placing it on, with some difficulty, flattening and hiding her breasts from the world, and Pyrrha’s appreciative eyes. Part of the redhead kicked herself for not taking pictures, but the more logical part of her knew that was entirely too dangerous. If her scroll was hacked or, Gods forbid, Nora grabbed her scroll and opened it without asking, it would immediately become apparent that she had done more than ‘help’ Joan in these sessions.

As Joan pulled back on her blouse and buttoned it up, Pyrrha smiled. “Okay, sweetie...I want you to forget the last few minutes that happened, okay? You will forget that I asked you to take off your shirt and binder, and that I played with your wonderful breasts...that information will just stress you, so anything odd, your mind will just explain away...so you don’t need to worry, okay?” she watched as the hazy-eyed blonde’s head bobbed up and down several times, a small smile on her face. “The last thing you remember is me reinforcing your self-esteem...and you will subconsciously remember to give me the chance to be seen as a lover in your eyes, rather than be seen as a sibling...when I snap my fingers, you will wake up, feeling thoroughly refreshed.” she raised her hand, thumb and middle finger pressed together, “One, two, three…” snap!

Joan blinked several times as she was pulled out of the warm, comforting haze, feeling content and comfortable with herself once more. Overcome with emotion, she opened her arms and lurched forwards, grabbing her shocked partner in a hug. “Thank you so much, Pyrrha!” she cried out, squeezing the redhead tightly. She found herself blushing, a deep warmth, so much different than it had been filling her as Pyrrha’s arms wrapped around her, hugging her gently.

She shivered in Pyrrha’s arms, her breasts felt funny, like they had been played with, but she knew that wasn’t possible. They must be feeling so sensitive due to her binder. Maybe she was outgrowing it again, or the fibers were wearing thin? Either way, she might need a new one.

Pyrrha was shocked as Joan lunged at her, a jolt of fear making her believe that the hypnosis had failed and she knew what she had done, but upon hearing her gasped thanks and tight hug, relief flooded through her. She smiled softly, wrapping her arms around Joan’s torso and tugging her close. “There’s no need to thank me, Joan...I’d do anything for you…”

As the beautiful blonde turned away, Pyrrha saw with delight that there was a blush on her cheeks and her looking away, so much like how Nora acted around Ren. That meant the command was working! Any lingering guilt faded, since Joan wasn’t immediately declaring her love she was sure that there was no issue with her commands. Hopefully, though...hopefully soon she would have a wonderful blonde girlfriend to call her own?

#Hypnotic Suggestions #Arkos #Pyrrha Nikos #Jaune/Joan Arc #Genderbending #Hypnosis

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humans4vampires · 4 years ago

Text

Inebriated

Request from my Twilight Squad: “Need. Drunk. Bella.”

Your wish is my command. Cheers! Join Bella in a shot of tequila - if you’re of drinking age, of course.

Warning: Underage drinking.

Billy chuckled, low and long, and the magic seemed to fade into the glowing embers. Suddenly, it was just a circle of friends again. Jared flicked a small stone at Quil, and everyone laughed when it made him jump. Low conversations murmured around us, teasing and casual. Neither Jacob nor I spoke. He was so still beside me, his breath so deep and even, that I thought he might be close to sleep; I watched the others around me.

The older members of the tribe said their goodbyes and headed toward home. Sue Clearwater left with Billy and Seth, and I wondered why Leah wasn’t going with them. She was still sitting with her eyes closed across from me, the dying fire between us. Embry and Quil walked into the forest and returned with more wood to refuel the flames. Emily and Sam made a quiet exit after Paul. In a matter of a few minutes, only Leah, Jared, Kim, Embry, Quil, Jacob and I were left sitting around the fire.

Embry and Quil exchanged a curious look and Quil took off toward the forest again. Jacob sat up and slapped his palms together in a single clap.

“Good thinking, Quil,” Jacob laughed.

Quil returned with a large paper bag, its contents clinking together; glass bottles?

“Alright,” Quil said, sticking a hand into the bag. “Pick your poison.”

It had been a long time since I’d had a drink, though I’d ever been drunk before. Alcohol had never been very appealing to me, but I had, in the past, participated very sparingly in the cliché underage drinking ritual that Jacob and his friends sometimes engaged in. I’d never seen anyone get out of control; the Quileute boys were big and I thought it would take a lot more than a few bottles to get any of them genuinely drunk. Mostly, they enjoyed the normalcy and comradery. And I could understand why – teen drinking was certainly a much less controversial secret to keep than those they were already keeping.

Quil pulled each bottle out by its neck and passed them around. Jacob took a large bottle of tequila.

“Bella?” Jacob held out the bottle to me.

I nodded, but my mind was still a thousand years away. I was not thinking of Yaha Uta or the other wolves, or the beautiful Cold Woman – I could picture her only too easily. No, I was thinking of someone outside the magic altogether. I was trying to imagine the face of the unnamed woman who had saved the entire tribe, the third wife.

I wish they’d remembered her name…

Something shook my arm.

“Save some for the rest of us,” Jacob laughed, taking the bottle from me.

I’d only taken a couple of swigs from the bottle’s edge, maybe one… or two? It was revolting and comforting all the same. I shook my head and quivered as the liquid settled in my stomach, making me wrinkle my nose.

Jacob took bigger gulps without wincing before passing the bottle back to me. Jared and Kim were sharing what looked like vodka and Embry and Quil were passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth. Only Leah had a bottle to herself and she stared peacefully into the flicker of the fire as she sipped slowly. She was lost in thought, too.

I was prepping myself for another sip when Jacob patted my leg. “You sure your bloodsucker is going to be okay with this?” Jacob asked.

I gave him a scolding look and took a bigger mouthful in protest. Once I managed to choke it down, I was able to speak. “I can do whatever I want, Jake.”

Jacob shot back a questioning expression.

“What?” I said sternly.

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he chuckled. “Go on.”

I would have stopped drinking if my stubbornness hadn’t spurred me on. Jacob and I passed the bottle between us as the night drew on. I couldn’t tell, at first, that I had passed my usual threshold. I had never had more than a couple of sips before, usually allowing Jacob to polish off whatever we were sharing. In the months I had spent with him here in La Push, we had only spent time with his friends like this a handful of times. In all that time, I was terrified of the backlash I’d get from Charlie if he ever found out.

But for whatever reason, if it was my stubborn nature or the pressure I was drowning under, I kept bringing the tequila back to my lips. After awhile, it was easier to take. I was wincing a lot less and laughing a lot more. I held out my hand in front of me and watched it lag in the shadow of the fire. Everything felt slower somehow and my tongue felt heavy and sloppy against my teeth. My lips were numb and it felt like everything I wanted to say came out wrong. In that moment, I was burden-free, even if only artificially.

It was more intense when I went to stand. Did I offer to help Embry get more firewood?

“Sit down, Bella,” Jacob laughed, pulling me back down next to him, my legs folding under my weight.

“I can help!” I said, too loudly.

Jacob patted my leg again, “Yeah, yeah. We don’t need you tripping over your own feet. Your bloodsucker wouldn’t let you come back if I returned damaged goods.”

I snorted. “I fall all the time!” My eyes felt heavy. How long had we been here? “Edward,” I corrected Jacob. I had forgotten if there was something else I needed to correct him on.

Jacob pulled me into his lap and rested my head against his chest. I wanted to push back, but my awkward hands were no match for his warm strength. I gave up and relaxed; it felt nice to be close to him like that, I thought.

I jerked my head up and looked at Jacob, but the words I was looking for didn’t come out. Suddenly, my mind was back on the third wife. She was just a woman, with no gifts or powers. She was physically weaker and slower than any of the monsters in the story. But she had been the key, the solution. She’d saved her husband, her young sons, her tribe.

“But what was her name?” I managed to choke out.

Jacob jostled me. “C’mon, Bells,” Jacob said in my ear. “We’re here.”

I blinked, confused because the fire seemed to have disappeared. I glared into the unexpected darkness, trying to make sense of my surroundings. It took me a minute to realize that I was no longer on the cliff. Jacob and I were alone. I was still in his arms, but we weren’t on the ground anymore. I was losing chunks of time.

He opened the car door and helped me into the passenger seat. How did we get here?

“Oh, crap!” I gasped as I realized that I had fallen asleep. “How late is it? Damn, where’s that stupid phone?” I patted my pockets, frantic and coming up empty.

“Easy. It’s not even midnight yet. And I already called him for you.”

I was moving around, but my body was still slow and even clumsier than usual. I held my hands to my eyes. “Oh, crap,” I whined again.

Jacob was in the driver’s seat, taking me to where Edward was presumably waiting.

“You worried about him coming down on you for being irresponsible?” Jacob chuckled.

I didn’t reply and Jacob laughed to himself.

“Midnight?” I repeated stupidly, still disoriented. The car began to slow and my heartbeat picked up when my eyes made out the shape of the Volvo, thirty yards away in the headlights. I reached for the door handle as soon as we stopped.

“Here,” Jacob said, and he put a small shape into my other hand. The phone.

“You called Edward for me?”

My eyes were adjusted enough to see the bright gleam of Jacob’s smile. “I figured if I played nice, I’d get more time with you.”

“Thanks, Jake,” I said, the words fumbling together.

There was a movement in the dark distance – something pale ghosting against the black trees. Pacing?

“Yeah, he’s not so patient is he?” Jacob said, noticing my distraction. “Let’s get you back to your bloodsucker.”

I pushed open the door and put my foot on the ground; it felt like my ankle had liquefied. Jacob was there then, pulling me up to stand. Both feet were on the ground, but neither felt usable. Jacob carried my slumped body over the pavement toward Edward, my feet dangling like a ragdoll’s. I tried to object.

“Bella?” Edward sounded frantic. “Bella, are you alright?”

Suddenly, the soft heat was replaced with rigid and cold stone. I was cradled in Edward’s arms, his fingers dancing across my face and neck so quickly I could only feel the lingering touch of ice. He had caught me at the boundary line.

“I’m fine,” I said. I was sure I gave an unconvincing performance. The simplest of words were slurring together.

I could feel Edward’s body tense. His jaw was taught. “How much did she have to drink?” Edward’s voice was cold, too.

Jacob didn’t have to reply; Edward must have been getting the recap of the evening in Jacob’s thoughts. Jacob held his hands up in a faux gesture of surrender.

“She’s a big girl,” Jacob said. “I let her make her own decisions.”

"Child,” Edward hissed through clenched teeth, turning toward the Volvo.

“Come back soon, Bells,” Jacob called out, a laugh rumbling through him.

I was struggling to speak. My tongue still weighed a thousand pounds and my lips were still useless decoration. Was I saying something? There was no use arguing with Edward, but for some reason I continued to try. Every movement felt like a waste of energy. My limbs felt loose, too fluid, like I had no control.

And oh, his skin on mine made me lose my train of thought. My lips were so close to his neck, I couldn’t resist. I wrapped one hand around his neck, clutching at the hair there, as I planted my lips on his cold neck. I inhaled deeply, drowning in his delicious scent as I kissed him there.

Jacob was not laughing anymore. Edward let out a smug laugh, as he swiftly opened my door and lifted me in, buckling my seat belt around me. I complained about the distance between us as bright lights flashed on and swept across us. I waved toward Jacob’s headlights, but I didn’t know if he saw the gesture.

I struggled to sit up straight in my seat so that I could reach Edward as he drove. I clawed at the center console to pull myself closer to him. I was hanging over to the driver’s side, trying to kiss his neck again, as my right hand grabbed at his thigh.

His hand was immediately at my wrist, restraining me.

“Bella,” he scolded. “Can you attempt to control yourself?”

I whispered on his neck between sloppy kisses. What did I say?

“I’m operating a vehicle.”

I shrugged and laughed. “I thought you were the world’s greatest driver?”

“Bella,” he said more sternly. I ran my tongue from his collarbone to his ear.

Suddenly, I was pinned back in my seat, his right arm holding me there. His breathing sounded rough, making my heart race faster.

“Honestly, Bella,” he was looking out the windshield.

I didn’t want to argue now. All I could focus on was his strong arm wrapped over me. I bent my elbows to run my fingers along his cool skin. Edward didn’t react. I was having a hard time remembering what had happened moments ago. Did I say something? Did he say something?

Edward was shaking his head. “It will be a miracle if we can get you past Charlie in this condition.”

I looked out the window and we were whirring onto my street. “No!” I whined. “Take me home with you.”

“Bella, Charlie is expecting you.”

I pouted as he pulled in behind my truck. He cut the engine and removed my restraints, giving me a questioning look.

“What are you looking at?” I managed to sputter.

He gave me a serious look. “Bella, I am going to carry you in. Please contain yourself.”

I tried to mimic his expression. “I don’t need that. I can walk.”

I fumbled for the door handle, but he was already at my door and lifting me into his arms.

“Edwar-“ he cut me off.

“Please, Bella. Charlie is waiting up for you.” Edward begged.

A thought crossed my mind then. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll do it on one condition.”

“This isn’t for my benefit, Bella,” he rationalized.

“Then I won’t do it.”

Edward sighed. He couldn’t resist the unknown. “What do you want?”

I smiled brightly in response.

“I’ll play dead right now –“

“Asleep, Bella.”

“Right,” I continued. “I’ll pretend to be asleep, but when you come back tonight, I don’t have to contain myself.”

“Bella,” he complained.

“Take it or leave it,” I said quietly. I tried to weasel my way out of his arms, but he held me firmly.

Another sigh escaped his lips and his feet began moving toward the house. I grinned widely in triumph.

“The deal is off the table if you don’t hold up your end,” he said under his breath.

I closed my eyes and let the tension fall out of my body. I must not have been very convincing; Edward tilted my head so that my face rested on his shoulder, my hair spilling over my face.

Charlie opened the door as Edward walked up the front steps.

Charlie spoke softly. “She still asleep?”

I felt Edward nod. Jacob must have called Charlie, too. Edward marched almost silently up the stairs. I could hear Charlie’s clunky steps behind us. Edward set me in my bed gently. He kissed my forehead lightly, eliciting a small huff from Charlie. Edward stepped back and Charlie haphazardly removed my shoes and tucked my quilt around me. I snuggled in, hoping my performance was convincing as the two silently left my room. They spoke for a moment, their voices too obscured for me to listen in on.

I had to open my eyes; the room felt like it was spinning, rotating in a choppy motion that made me feel queasy. I sat up to steady myself. I heard the front door shut and the engine of the Volvo as it sped away. Charlie’s footsteps pounded back up the stairs and I threw myself back against the bed before he popped his head through my door. He closed my door silently before going down the hall to his room for the night.

I sat up slowly and stumbled out of the bed. I tripped on my shoes and fell back on the bed on my way to the door. I staggered my way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I brushed my teeth vigorously, trying to wash the taste of tequila from my mouth. I lost my balance trying to take off my jeans, getting them stuck on my thick socks. I tumbled slowly to the tile floor and removed the rest of my clothes as quickly as I could manage before crawling my way into the stream of water. Every movement I made felt deliberate, but careless. I was washing myself in a blur. I spilled the entire bottle of shampoo and the bar of soap continued to pop out of my hands every time I tried to pick it up. I felt a little soapy still when I turned the water off and floundered into a towel. It was the fastest I’d ever been in and out of the bathroom.

I was soaking wet as I tried to tip-toe my way back into my room. I had to lean against the wall the entire four feet I struggled to walk. It was a miracle that I managed to get the door shut without much more chaos. I squinted through the darkness, looking for him. Edward wasn’t back yet.

I ran to my dresser, tripping on the shoes again. I stopped to hurl them into my closet; the loud thud made me wince. I stumbled a bit, still completely off balance. The weight of the water in my heavy hair didn’t help, either. I laughed, clapping a hand over my mouth to stifle it. I doubted Charlie was already asleep, but figured he heard the shower and was giving me my privacy.

I pulled out clothes and put them on quickly, not paying attention to what I grabbed. When I was dressed, I lurched toward the open window, leaning out while I waited for Edward to come back. The night was surprisingly cold, almost wintry. I hadn’t noticed it at all on the windy cliffs. Icy droplets spattered against my face as the rain began to fall.

It was too dark to see much besides the black triangles of the spruces leaning and shaking with the wind. But I strained my eyes anyway, searching for other shapes in the storm. A pale silhouette, moving like a ghost through the black… or maybe the shadowy outline of an enormous wolf… My eyes were too weak, my head too foggy. I was beginning to sway when a sudden movement in the night caught my attention. He was right beside me then, sliding through my open window, his hands colder than the rain.

“Is Jacob out there?” I asked, the words blending together, my tongue still a heavy burden.

Edward pulled me into the circle of his arms. “Yes… somewhere. And Esme’s on her way home.”

“Ah, crap,” I muttered against his chest.

Edward chuckled over my head. “She was concerned about you… you were making quite a bit of noise. She almost came inside to make sure you were alright.”

My face was already warm from the alcohol; had I been sober, I would probably have blushed.

“That’s embarrassing.” I pressed my face into his shirt, making the words unintelligible.

Edward stroked my wet hair and I felt a silent laugh roll through him. His hand swept my hair away to rest on the back of my neck. A shiver rolled through me, reminding me of the deal we had made.

I didn’t bother speaking, but the gasp that passed my lips startled him. I jerked back and lunged at him, my arms locking around his neck as I kissed him, unrestrained.

He kissed me back for a minute before he gently removed me from himself.

“Relax, Bella,” he said, struggling to get the words out. His free hand was balled into a fist.

“You promised,” I grumbled, tugging at his shirt.

“I was hoping you’d forget about that,” he admitted, still holding me off.

I sighed, slapping my hands down at my sides. Whatever I said made him laugh. What did I say?

I stumbled backwards, falling onto my back on the mattress. “You promised,” I repeated.

“I made no such deal,” Edward said, a proud grin on his lips.

“That’s cheating,” I whined too loudly. He was suddenly hovering over me, a cold finger at my lips. Just as quickly, he was gone and my bedroom door was opening.

“What’s going on, Bella?” Charlie said as the hall light illuminated me.

“Sorry, Ch-Dad.” I propped myself up. “I tripped getting into my pajamas.”

I sounded coherent enough. I thought my slurring could pass for grogginess, but Charlie looked at me as though he wasn’t buying it.

“Get to bed, Bells.”

I dragged myself up the bed as Charlie went back to his room. My body felt heavy enough to stay down, but I forced it back up when the room started its inconsistent writhing again. Edward was standing in the dim light from the window, watching me with a curious expression.

“What?” I said, too loud again. I repeated it in an exaggerated whisper to prove that I could control myself.

Edward shook his head. “I was hoping that would sober you up.”

“I’m waiting,” I said, patting the bed beside me. My head slumped to the side, the weight dragging on my neck as I snapped it back in an upright position.

Edward’s expression had changed. A smirk was budding on his lips as he crossed his arms slowly, pulling his t-shirt over his head. My expression made him chuckle softly.

He said something low, velvet. I couldn’t catch it. I was too distracted by my own pulse ringing in my ears. My hands were stretched out in front of me towards him, like a child begging for a toy. He dropped his shirt and walked toward the edge of my bed. I scurried towards him, running my hands up his perfect stomach. I was too weak to pull myself up, so I pulled at him to follow me down. He came to hover over me again, his lips inches from mine. I relished in his cold breath, closing my eyes as he gently kissed my jaw and neck, eventually finding my lips. My back arched my body toward him, my hands balled the sheets into my fists.

The sound I made brought Edward’s hand to my mouth, a soft hush falling from his lips. It didn’t make me quieter. He sighed and kissed me firmly. I was surprised when his hands moved to my hips, sending another wave of noise through me.

“Bella.” Edward whispered against my neck.

Words were spilling out of my mouth, I just wasn’t sure what they were. I must have been too loud. Edward had disappeared again and Charlie was at my door.

“Bella,” he said, swinging the door open. “What are you doing?”

I sat up and threw the quilt over myself. “I’m going to bed!”

The frustration I felt came out in my tone. Charlie said something indecipherable, let out a frustrated huff, and closed the door loudly behind him. As Charlie stomped back to his room, I threw myself back down, throwing my arms out so that I covered the entire width of the small bed. The room continued to sputter and spin, so I forced myself back up. My head swayed, spilling my still wet hair around my face. I caught sight of Edward again; he was sitting at the foot of the bed staring at me with questioning eyes.

I felt like I was forgetting chunks of time – or was he just moving too quickly? We were in the bed now, my head on his bare chest, his arms above his head. I sat up again, searching for water. He was gone and back with a glass before I could reach the nightstand. He dropped three ibuprofen pills in my hand and I struggled to get them in my mouth. I was too eager with the glass and felt some water dribble off my chin and onto my shirt. He said something with a gentle smile and I replied; what did I say?

I rested my head on his chest again once we were back in the bed. The coolness of his skin helped to soothe the spinning. I couldn’t keep my eyes closed though; every time I tried, my body felt like it was pulsing. I kept springing my head back up. We continued like that for awhile.

“Bella, close your eyes,” he pleaded again.

“I think we need to do something,” I said. “I’m not ready to sleep.”

“You’re being too loud,” Edward said quietly, trying to coax me back to the bed.

I was making my way toward the window. “Come on,” I urged. “Let’s go see Alice.”

“Bella,” he said, suddenly blocking my path. “It’s late.”

I laughed loudly; how absurd? “You don’t sleep!”

Edward sighed. “Close your eyes.”

I did and my body slumped involuntarily. Edward caught me, of course, and I was in his arms. I didn’t feel like I was spinning so much anymore. Edward wrapped me in my heavy quilt, leaving only my face exposed. He kept me cradled in his arms as he paced around the room. I was like a restless baby, unwilling to sleep. I felt a cold breeze on my face from the open window. I kept my eyes closed, but I continued talking; I didn’t want him to think he was winning. He would answer me from time to time. And suddenly the light turned on and I struggled to adjust my eyes.

“Edward?”

“She refused to sleep,” Edward replied, sounding amused.

Carlisle laughed, “Yes, Esme told me what happened.”

I jerked my head to take in the room. We were in the Cullens’ living room. Had Edward run with me all the way here? Carlisle was standing closer than I thought. He ran a cool hand over my cheek.

“How are you feeling, Bella?” he asked softly with a wide smile.

“Fine,” I was still too loud.

Emmett and Alice came into the room as Edward put me on my feet and unwrapped me from the quilt. He was still holding me steady, like I was just a child learning to walk.

“Alice!” I yelled. “See, I told you she would be up!”

“Hi, Bella,” Alice eyed my outfit with a disapproving look. “Having a fun night?”

The way I answered her made Emmett laugh. “Nice, Bella.”

Edward turned to Alice, “I couldn’t keep her quiet. How long do we have?”

Alice looked into the future, her eyes glossing over. “Charlie will sleep through the night,” she chuckled. “Now that Bella’s out of the house.”

I didn’t like the implication. “Charlie?” I scoffed. “He’s fine.”

Edward helped me to the couch. I collapsed into the soft white fabric and Alice sat beside me. I reached out and grabbed her hands, a sudden rush of thoughts and questions coming to my mind. Edward left the room and returned with more water for me as I continued to blather.

Edward handed me the glass, guiding it towards my lips.

“Water?” Emmett boomed. “Get this girl some more tequila!”

Emmett, Alice, and I continued talking. It felt as though every thought that entered my mind exited my lips. Edward and Carlisle stood in the kitchen, probably discussing ways to sober me up. But I agreed with Emmett; God, how stressful everything around us was. For once, I felt totally free. I felt like someone else entirely and completely unashamed of my behavior. I could tell that my words weren’t making much sense and I could tell that my movements were even sloppier than usual, but I just simply didn’t care.

The Cullens kept me entertained as Edward continued to bring me water and bread. Emmett put me through a few DUI tests; I couldn’t get past X in attempting the alphabet backwards and walking in a straight line while trying to place a finger on my nose with each step was a complete failure. Edward caught me each time I fell. Alice had to take me to the bathroom constantly, and Edward would be waiting with another glass of water each time we returned. I was completely unaware of the timeline of events. Eventually, I made my way up the stairs to Edward’s room. I pulled CD case after CD case out of the shelves and continued to swap them out before one song on the album could even finish.

“Ah,” Edward said over Everything Counts by Depeche Mode. “Jasper.”

I’d never blacked out before, but I figured that’s what happened. The rest of the night vanished from my mind. When I opened my eyes, the blue light of the morning was spilling into my room. Had we even gone to the Cullens’ or had it all been a dream? I moved thoughtlessly, but a nagging pain in my head stopped me. I groaned loudly, holding my head as if it were about to fall apart. It hit me that, it in fact, had not been a dream. I pushed my face into my pillow.

I heard him chuckle then and I moved slowly, turning my head up to look at him. Edward was resting with his arms tucked behind his head. His golden eyes were curious, his voice was low and gentle. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I never want to drink again.”

He laughed. “That’s too bad.”

That surprised me. “Too bad?”

He put a cold hand to the back of my neck, which helped the nausea. “You’re an open book when you’re inebriated,” he smiled. “It’s surprisingly enjoyable.”

The nausea was back. “What did I say?”

Edward shrugged. My cheeks burned with embarrassment and he laughed again.

I didn’t press the question. I wanted him to leave in the event the nausea took a turn for the worst. He brought me more ibuprofen and a cup of coffee leftover in the pot from Charlie. He moved through the house undetected as Charlie prepared himself for work. Edward kissed me, long enough to get my pulse racing —and my head pounding— and then headed home to change and get his car. I dragged myself out of the bed and tried to get myself ready for school.

Oh, how the pain numbed all the other worries I harbored.

___

Read the other parts of this story here:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

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trashcankitty12 · 4 years ago

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Nabu Headcanons

Meet Prince Nabu Wayne of Tides. (The realm closest in proximity to Andros.)

He’s a second born child, laid back, and relatively insightful. (At least, that’s what his friends tell him.)

Nabu had a bit of a sheltered upbringing, but he managed to have some fun adventures anyway, becoming a strong wizard and a great (future) king.

(All headcanons are mostly for my Left and New Company of Light verse. If you have any you’d like to borrow, feel free. :) )

-Nabu, the second born of the Tidese Royal Family, and the only son of the King and Queen of Tides.

-He has an older sister named Talia, who is the future Queen of Tides.

-Nabu had a fairly normal life for a royal kid, or at least, he wasn’t quite as sheltered as some of the royals…

-At least, he wasn’t until the attempts against Layla and Sky by remnants of the Ancestral Coven. After that, he was kept closer to the palace. (Unless under protective custody.)

-Before the attempts, Nabu was allowed to roam the palace and the outskirts of the palace with his sister.

-They admittedly would get into trouble, the two were pranksters against the guards and their parents and just… They love to laugh and they laugh together.

-When Nabu discovered his powers (and his sister discovered hers), their parents employed the best magic tutors/magic teachers they could find.

-Their teachers would often take them out of Tides and into other realms to learn how to adapt their magic and how to push the boundaries of their powers.

-(Yes, those field trips would continue after the attempts were made, but they were done with body guards and soldiers as chaperones.)

-Nabu is fluent in up to seven languages, but he seldom gets a chance to really speak most of them. (He did his best to find friends from other realms to speak with after Timmy unblocked his phone from the rest of the Magical Dimension’s internet.)

-He fell in love with airy/loose fitting clothes at a young age. It made him feel like he was the character from his favorite book series and he found it helps him be more agile when he’s doing his training. (And his parents found that it worked well with the Tidese Royal Robes. So win-win.)

-Nabu has no qualms or ill-will toward his sister for being the one next in line for the throne. In fact, he’s glad about it. It means less he has to worry about and less stress on his plate.

-He was also the first one to realize his sister had a secret-girlfriend and that she wasn’t a royal. And the one who did his best to bridge the gap between Talia and Anne and his parents.

-When he was 14, Nabu managed to talk his parents into letting him attend Coventry Academy for Wizards and Witches.

-This gave him more opportunities to learn about magic and the rest of the Magical Dimension.

-(Also, his roommate? Diaspro’s older brother, Jasper. And honestly, they actually got along pretty well.)

-Nabu found out just a month before Layla did about their engagement. He wasn’t happy and even brought up how his sister was allowed to choose her future spouse, why couldn’t he?

-He was so angry he ditched Coventry. (With some help from Jasper to keep his disappearance on the down-low, on the promise that he would come back after he had more information about Layla.)

-He tried really hard not to like Layla when he finally found her. He did. He wanted to hate her and despise her and find a way to terminate their arranged marriage… But he couldn’t.

-Nabu fell in love with her almost immediately. Her strong will, her independent nature, the strength with which she carried herself… How big her heart was for her friends and how quick she was to defend her home… He couldn’t have asked for a better match.

-(Yeah, they had a shit-ton to work through after they found out about each other… But in the end, they had both fallen in the deep end for one another and were more than willing to see how their relationship would go.)

-Meeting the guys and getting to know them was the reason why Nabu wanted to, and managed to after a long talk with his dad, transfer to Red Fountain.

-He ended up being roommates with Timmy. (Which doesn’t bother him quite so much… He just wishes Timmy would have a normal sleep schedule…)

-At Red Fountain, his best classes were magical defense and beast taming. His worst? Whenever he had to use a blaster or fly a ship… (Or use a compass… Nabu is good at a lot of things, but without his magic, he has a shit sense of direction.)

-Nabu actually enjoyed the camping trips Red Fountain took them on. It let him feel closer to nature and to his squad mates.

-At Coventry, Nabu was the best at illusion magic and divination. His worst here was anything that had to do with curses. He can’t summon enough negative energy for curses.

-(Not to say he doesn’t have negative feelings or that he hasn’t been extremely angry or upset before… But Nabu is just a naturally jolly person. And a logical one when things seem to be going downhill. He just feels that with his friends and Layla, he can handle anything.)

-(Also at Coventry, he and Jasper tended to get into trouble of their own. Pranks against fellow students and some of the teachers, nothing malicious. Though he did have Jasper keep him away from Diaspro. She had, at one point, attempted to pursue him in an attempt to show her parents she could secure a throne somehow. Which was not on Nabu’s list of things to do.)

-Nabu and Jasper are still friends, though more long distance these days since Jasper has really had to step up as the future King of Isis. (Especially since Diaspro got into trouble. Again.)

-Nabu got his tattoos when he was about 16. He completed a ritual on Tides that basically meant he had become one with the ocean and had the waters moving within him.

-(His sister has similar tattoos on her arms, though more bubble foam/like.)

-Nabu loves to surf and to swim and scuba diving. Honestly he just loves being near the water and having sand between his toes.

-He loves dance and often has Layla teaching him new moves. Sometimes, if your lucky, you’ll see them dancing in the kitchen while trying to get snacks for movie nights.

-Nabu is big on healthy eating and yoga. His mother just ingrained both into him at a young age.

-At least with yoga, he has friends who enjoy participating with him. And with the healthy eating, he’s great at making healthy alternative snacks. (Which Flora absolutely loves him for.)

-Riven and Nabu became unlikely friends rather quickly. Neither of them is quite sure how it happened, but both are quite fine with their arrangement. Riven shares things with Nabu he has issues sharing with others and Nabu gets to vent out some of his frustrations with Riven that he’s more nervous to voice with others.

-(They also get into competitive surfing competitions. But the kind where they can laugh at each other afterward.)

-Nabu loves animals and hopes to have pets in the future. (He couldn’t have any pets other than fish at home because his parents weren’t… Pet people. But he knows Layla has a soft-side for dogs, so he’s hoping they can find one they both love.)

-Once he officially joined the team, it kind of shocked him how often they got into trouble. Like he was pretty sure that the whole Valtor thing was a one-time instance.

-Like when he found out about the group’s freshman year, he nearly lost his mind. (“You guys fought a battle that nearly ended the entire Magical Dimension? At 15?! You out of your minds?”)

-And then when he heard about the sophomore year shenanigans. (“Layla, you went to ShadowHaunt, on your own, when Darkar was still in charge?!” “I had to save the pixies.” “And then everyone went after Darkar?” “Well yeah. Couldn’t let him have ultimate power.” “How are any of you still alive?”)

-When the Mandragora thing happens during their senior year, he just sort of accepts it. (“Oh look. Someone else who wants to kill us.”)

-And then the Black Circle shit… (“Can… Can we not have a single break? At all?”)

-Poor Nabu, he’d went to having a relatively quiet life of royalty to always having to try and save the world because if he doesn’t help, Layla will be doing it on her own anyway.

-He loves swapping royalty horror stories (and gossip, not that he’ll admit that part) with Stella and Sky. (Layla isn’t as big on it. She just doesn’t care at all who’s doing what. Though she does participate from time to time.)

-While he’s not a fan of video games, Nabu does like to cheer on Timmy and Tecna when they have a tournament going on. (And he even supplies them with snacks. Nutritional ones. They don’t seem to notice the difference.)

-Nabu and Flora tend to go on tangents together about nature conservation. He’s big on ocean protection, just like she is on forest preservation and together it’s just… Wow.

-(They have even been to a few protests together. Sometimes heated ones. Thankfully, due to Nabu’s status, they haven’t gotten into too much trouble.)

-After his near-death experience, Nabu tends to have nightmares. Strong ones. Ones where he does actually die and he can see Layla and his friends just losing themselves in morning.

-He wakes up crying and Layla just holds him tight.

-(She has nightmares too, about losing him after she had been so close to doing so.)

-(Which is why they pushed their wedding date up a bit. So they can be married before something does take them away from each other.)

-One somewhat good thing came from the whole experience… Nabu’s magic evolved a bit.

-He’s better at divination than he’d ever been before. With his abilities, he can sometimes get visions of things in the past or of things to come. (And sometimes, if concentrates, he can bring up the visions in pools of water so he can share them with others.)

-(When he gets the hang of it, he’s sure he’ll be able to do better once he understands how this part of his powers work.)

-Nabu hopes that with everything he and Layla have been through and survived, it’ll give them the experience and knowledge necessary to become the best rulers Andros has ever had. (Or at least, rulers as amazing as his parents and Layla’s parents are.)

#winx club headcanons #winx club #winx club au #winx headcanons #winx club nabu #winx club nabu headcanons #prince nabu of tides #surfing king

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rosemaidenvixen · 4 years ago

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Ugly Sweaters and Hot Cocoa

Happy Secret Santa, Merry Christmas, and Blessed Yule to @tigereyes45. You wanted something with adult asexual Krel enjoying his best life, so I wrote this little one shot with him and his fellow ace friends calling Aja to update her about his life on earth. Hope you enjoy!

@toa-secret-santa

Ao3

Krel carefully placed the laptop down on the coffee table and looked around “Everyone ready?”

Eli plopped down on the couch right next to him “Ready,”

Zoe hopped over the back and landed on Krel’s other side “All set, now we just need to wait for Douxie to get her with the--”

“Ask and you shall receive,” Douxie stepped around the side of the couch and slid the pile of DVDs onto the table before flopping back next to Zoe “Ready when you are Krel,”

“Awesome,” Krel turned and opened up the laptop, typing in the commands to establish the connection “Let’s get started,”

A few seconds later Aja’s blue face popped up on the screen.

“Hello little brother!”

“Hello Aja,” Krel greeted her with a small smile.

“Hi Aja!”

“Nice to see you,”

“How’s it going, did you get the video games I sent you?”

She held up a thin plastic box in front of the screen “Yes, thank you Zoe, but we’ll have to be quick today, I can’t talk for long, there is a meeting with dignitaries from the far territories,”

Abruptly Aja’s figure on the screen froze, before slowly lowering the box and leaning in to squint at them “What are you all wearing?”

“Ah, well you see, today we participated in a Earth winter solstice ritual known as the ‘Ugly Sweater Party’,”

“Check it out!” Eli flipped a switch on the underside of his collar causing the Christmas tree on the front of his sweater to become illuminated with multicolored lights.

“You call that an ugly sweater?” Douxie said with a smirk “This is an ugly sweater,”

He pressed the red nose of the reindeer on his chest, causing tinny instrumental music to play. Krel and Zoe looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Douxie and Eli could be such dorks, although to be fair the snowman on Krel’s sweater shed glitter on every surface it touched, and Zoe’s sweater had so much tinsel it was hard to look directly at her.

“Oh, excellent work, your sweaters are most hideous,”

“I know,” Krel leaned back “I don’t really understand it either,”

Aja giggled before she started, zooming closer until her face took up the entire screen “Seklos and Gaylen Krel! Is this your new house?”

Krel perked up “Oh yes, sorry I thought I already told you we moved in. We’re on the loft right now but I can show you the rest,” he stood and picked up the laptop, walking over to the landing so Aja could see down stairs “There’s the kitchen, and the living room, there’s a patio outside but it might be hard to see through the sliding doors,”

“Very lively! I will have to come over to see it the next time I am on earth,”

“Yep,” Eli said with no small amount of pride “The four Ace-cateers finally have a home base,”

Krel turned and made a face so that only Aja would see; her eyes sparkled, cheeks puffed with barely restrained giggles. He hadn’t been the one to pick out that name, Eli had, and to Krel’s eternal torment it stuck.

Asexual was the english word to describe what the four of them were. There existed no such translation in the Akiridion dialect, the closest thing would be ‘preferences’.

Some Akiridions preferred those similar to themselves, some preferred those who were more different. Some enjoyed the company of others regardless of how similar or different they were. And some, like Krel, preferred to abstain altogether.

Krel had never really needed a word to describe what he was; Aja, Varvatos, and his parents had always known his preferences and accepted them without question.

So yes, Krel had never needed the word, but being able to use it to find others that were similar to him was incredible.

Other people that would roll their eyes with him when Steve did one of his musical calls to Aja, to complain with about how nearly everything in human society was geared towards couples.

Eli, Douxie, and Zoe were some of the best friends he could ask for during his years on earth. Even if ‘The four Ace-cateers’ was an embarrassing name.

“We just moved in last week,” Zoe said loud enough for Aja to hear even though Krel was standing across the room with the laptop “There’s still a lot of unpacking to do, but that can wait until after finals,”

“Congratulations! Are your classes going well little brother?”

“Oh yes they are challenging to be sure but I having a blast,” Krel returned the laptop to the table while sitting back down on the couch “Humans have such a complex history, and the way the carbon based life on this planet evolved is truly fascinating,”

Douxie leaned over and grinned at the computer screen “You have no idea how disappointed the engineering school was to miss out on him, there was even talk about some of them throwing him into a sack and dragging him to the engineering campus so they could force him to join,”

“Kleb that,” Krel folded his arms and leaned back “If I wanted to learn utterly basic engineering from some larvox that doesn’t even know what a Daxial array is, I would go back to high school,”

Aja giggled before turning towards Eli “How are your studies going, Ambassador Pepperjack?”

“I’m hanging in there, Mr. Strickler’s been helping with my political science classes, but learning all the different languages is hard,”

Krel grinned and nudged him with an elbow “Eli, tell her what happened your debate,”

Aja’s eyeridges rose “Debate?”

Eli blushed scarlet while the three of them started smirking “There’s nothing to tell!”

“If it is nothing why are you turning red?”

“Let’s just say Ash Dispersal Pattern, featuring DJ Kleb, made a guest appearance,” Douxie said with a sly grin.

“Is that what you call it?! There was a dragon in the auditorium!”

Zoe held up a finger “Hey, Charlemange is a cool guy,”

“The quad was on fire.”

“I assure you, we had everything under control,”

“And the gnomes!?” Eli said indignantly, face still crimson.

Krel opened his mouth to retort, paused, shut his jaw with a click, and then opened it again “....yeah ok that was our bad, we took that one a little too far,”

Eli covered his face and moaned

Aja’s expression was both confused and intrigued “Ok, we don’t have enough time right now, but you will definitely have to tell me the full story later,”

Zoe nodded at her “I’ll send you the pictures,”

“Oh, that reminds me, how is your deejaying Krel?”

“Klebtastic, I’ve been doing pretty regular work at the recreation center’s party nights, and I’m going to be doing the music in town square for Arcadia’s New Years eve celebration,”

“That’s Amazing!” she beamed at him “You know when I told the council of elders what your DJ name is they were so horrified, a few of them actually fainted,”

Krel let out a short laugh “Oh man, I wish I could have been there,”

Aja chuckled along with him for a moment when someone suddenly called to her from offscreen. She leaned over and disappeared from view for a while responding to them before quickly popping back “I have to go soon, but it was good talking to you,”

“Yes,” Krel sighed, the other three sitting back to let him and his sister say goodbye “I miss seeing you,”

“Krel I--” Aja hesitated before speaking up again “Krel...I am glad that you are happy on earth with your friends and your deejaying and your studies...but there will always be a place for you on Akiridion-5,”

Krel froze, caught off guard by the sudden heaviness in his chest and stinging in his eyes.

His life on earth wasn’t perfect, there were pieces missing; Aja was the biggest one. But he had his friends, his town. A life outside being a prince that he’d never imagined.

Maybe one day he would want something different, but for now this was enough.

“Thank you Aja,”

Aja gave him a soft smile “You can always come back whenever you want, but I know earth is your home to,”

Someone called to her from beyond the computer again, Aja frowned sharply, standing abruptly and shouting offscreen “I will be finished soon, now would you please give me a mekron to speak with my brother in peace!”

She sat back down into view and sighed “I have to go now, but it was good talking to you, and Krel--”

“Yes, I know, I will give hugs and kisses to the oaf for you,”

“I was going to say don’t take so long to call again, but if you really want to, I can ask Steve to--”

“Flishgag no!”

“Aja! Ew!” Eli’s face was a picture of disgust.

She laughed at them through the screen, Douxie and Zoe going right along with her.

“Take care of yourself little brother,”

“I will, and you do the same,”

She gave him a melancholy smile “Goodbye,”

Bittersweet feelings stirred in his stomach “Bye, see you soon,”

With that he pressed a button on the keyboard causing the screen to go dark.

Krel pressed the power button and shut the laptop, but not before he could see the glum look on his face reflected in the blaack screen.

It was good to catch up with Aja, he should definitely arrange another call soon. But immediately after their calls ended was always when he felt the literal lightyears of distance between them most acutely.

He played off the swell of emotion as a shudder “Why your race chooses to express romantic affection by mushing your mouths together I will never understand,”

“Agreed,” Eli punctuated the word with a nod.

“I don’t know guys,” Douxie said “Kissing isn’t all that bad,”

“Yeah,” Zoe slid closer to him “I think I might like to do some right now,”

“Please no,”

“Gross,”

Douxie flashed them a malicious grin while pulling a smirking Zoe in closer “We’re going to do it,” he said in a sing-song voice.

“Guys, eeww!”

“If you two kiss I am throwing myself out the window,”

“Pucker up honeypie,” Zoe leaned in close, Douxie bending his head down to meet her.

Eli made gagging noises.

“The window is open and I am ready to jump!”

Zoe and Douxie were less than an inch away when Lucy suddenly popped up from behind the couch, causing Zoe to fall and Douxie to jump with a yelp.

“Nuh uh uh kiddos, no PDA in the living room. Got to be on your tip top best behavior now, Santy Claus is watching,”

Zoe got back up with a grumble “We’re grown adults in our own house,”

Lucy didn’t so much as bat an eye “How about you sports have some hot cocoa, extra whipped cream and extra marshmallows,” she held out a tray with four steaming mugs.

“...if this is a bribe I will totally take it,” Zoe reached up and grabbed one of the mugs, Eli and Douxie following suit.

Krel shut the window with a sigh of relief and walked over to accept his own mug. Zoe and Douxie would pick chocolate over making out any day; besides, if past experience was anything to go by Krel wasn’t very good at hiding his gloom at being separated from his sister, and they had only been trying to distract him.

He picked up one of the DVDs from the stack on the coffee table “Should I start the movie now?”

“Yes,”

“Definitely,”

“Fire it up,”

Krel popped the disk into the player before going back over to plop down on the couch between Eli and Douxie. Zoe picked up the box from where he set it on the table “When a big city lawyer heads home for the holidays it’s love at first sight when-- wow, they aren’t even trying anymore are they?”

“They’re the Hallmark channel,” Eli said between sips of his hot chocolate “What do you think?”

“You know, when I first arrived on Earth I thought that these movies were an accurate representation of human courtship, you have know idea how relieved I was when I learned they weren’t,”

“Yeah they are inaccurate drivel,” Douxie said as the opening credits started rolling “But they are a ton of fun to watch with my fellow Ace-cateers,”

Krel grinned and held up his mug “I’ll drink to that,”

#Toasecretssanta2020 #toasecretsanta #tales of arcadia #fanfic #krel tarron #eli pepperjack #hisirdoux casperan #douxie #zoe #toa zoe #rmvwrites #toasecretsanta2020 #aro ace krel #aro ace eli #panromantic ace douxie #demiromantic ace zoe

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renaxwrites · 5 years ago

Text

Eleven

.06 - Fool’s Gold

synopsis: the number Eleven had always appeared in milestones of your life. it was a constant, and you didn’t know why. but you would soon find out when you study abroad in japan and meet Him.

pairing: tsukishima x fem!reader

warnings: none!

masterlist: here :)

a/n: hey y’all! I’m so happy I finally found the time to write the new chapter 😩 college is busy but it izzz what it izzz. also I felt the lyrics for this one were perfect, cause *lol* crows a ha ;) hope you enjoy <3

previous || next

I’m like a crow on a wire. You’re the shining distraction that makes me fly home.

“What the hell is so damn funny? Enlighten me before I make myself go deaf on purpose.”

You and Yachi were giggling for the past five minutes about something that had happened earlier in class.

Face flustered and trying to keep a still face, you turn and sputter out, “Damn, Tsukishima, is- is it a crime pfft to lau- I’m so sorry I can’t even talk to you right now.” You barely get the last of your sentences out as you burst into giggles again.

Tsukishima is just watching you. He’s not even sure how to react. He isn’t even aware that he was staring until Hinata comes up, flicks his head between you two, and states, “Tsukishima, just take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Tsukishima blushes furiously from getting caught, then mutters something about taking a picture of Hinata in his grave.

All of you were in good spirits, with it being the day of the Harvest Moon Festival. Ukai even ended practice early, to allow everyone the time to prepare for the festivities. Although, he had to lightly threaten Hinata and Kageyama if he found out they used the gym outside of practice.

Mizuki encouraged Yachi to get ready with you at the house, hoping to hearten up the girl-bonding the three of you had. She got off of work early to help you two get ready, and it truly was a wholesome experience.

After several hours (or several years to Tsukishima), you and Yachi were all dressed and ready to go. She brings out a mirror so the two of you can inspect your looks.

“You girls look so lovely,” Mizuki gushes.

Let the squealing commence!

“YACHIIII! You’re glowing in that color! Do a spin for me girlie!!”

“Y/NNNN! You’re the one that’s glowing!! I swear, I can already hear all the boys breaking their necks to peek at you!!”

Mizuki had been watching all three of you, so she was a little surprised at her son’s sudden intense blush after the “boys checking out y/n” comment. She definitely took a mental note of that.

Suddenly, a knock at the door captured all of your attention.

Mizuki clasps her hand. “Alright! Kei, watch over these two lovely ladies! Be careful and have fun!” She bids you all goodbye with a hug.

You open the door to find Yamaguchi, Hinata, and Kageyama bouncing from excitement.

“We invited these idiots too? Well, I’m out,” Tsukishima turns to walk back inside, but before he could, you lightly grab his wrist, causing him to abruptly stop. You feel his warmth and swear there’s a light spark.

“Tsukishima, please? It’s my first time anyway, and I want to experience it with everyone! Come on, it’ll be fun!”

He already felt somewhat weak around you, so how could he say no to your puppy-sad eyes? No one with sanity could resist those.

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Everyone collectively sighs a breath of relief.

“We’re going to meet the senpais at the festival ground, so let’s gooo!” Hinata announces as you all make your way to the main event.

The main town square was overflowing with festive decorations, painting every nook and cranny. It was just before sunset, so the glow of the lowering sun drowned the atmosphere in golden haze. Pampas grass, blush clovers and autumnal flowers littered windows, adding an extra pop of color. There were people dancing in joyous manner, others feasting on mid-autumn treats, and extra citizens strolling around enjoying the festivities.

Your group had barely walked into the entrance when you were cheerily greeted by 6 more individuals.

“OI! First-years! Your senpais are over here!” Tanaka and Nishinoya belted out to capture your groups’ attention. Soon, you feel engulfed in several hugs from your senpais. Even you and Yachi spent a few minutes with Kiyoko on complimenting each other, who looked like a gem with her deep violet theme.

Time began to fly by, with you and the team happily making your way around the festival, participating in all the activities offered. At some point, there was a dance ritual, and Kiyoko took you and Yachi by surprise by dragging you out to dance. The three of you danced without a care in the world, not even noticing how you were being watched in awe by the rest of the team. All but the first year boys are quick to join, who stand idly on the side, not sure what to do.

Mid-twirl, you notice the four awkward boys playing ‘wallflower’, so you mention it to Yachi, and within that second you two stride up to them. She grabs Tobio and Hinata’s wrists, while you clasp onto Tadashi and Tsukishima’s.

“There is no way we’re letting you stand there like some awkward ass trees. Come dance with us, at least for a little bit!” You didn’t wait for a response as you dragged them out into the square. You let go and slide into the rhythm of the native dance, while the boys awkwardly try to follow. You take a turn helping each of them, and although it was pretty much a lost cause, you all still had a load of fun either way.

Once the period of dancing was over, you and the team made your way over to the food stands. The closer you got, the more engulfed you were in the endless delicious scents. There were heavier servings, such bottomless amounts of dango (white dumplings of rice), tsukimi burgers, and lots of dishes with eggs. Fall fruits and vegetables were also present, such as kuri (chestnuts), kabocha (pumpkin), persimmons, Japanese sweet potatoes, taro, grapes, and pears.

The boys ate a portion from each stand, their appetite never seeming to end. However, you had a hard time deciding which one to choose, so you, Yachi and Kiyoko settled and shared a bit from each. To help the digestion, you made your way to make your harvest offerings.

Each member made line at the temple to make their offering, but Tsukishima sensed your hesitation.

“Don’t know how to do it? I thought you knew everything, you nerd.”

You look up and laugh in slight embarrassment. “I do, it’s just been a while, I guess. Brings back a couple memories, that’s all.”

To be lightly petty, you cut him in line. To your surprise, he doesn’t make a sarcastic comment, so you leave it alone.

The reason why he didn’t was so he could have the privilege to watch you. To see you bask in the soft glow of the candlelight, with wisps of the incense swirling around your face. To feel his own fascination in seeing stillness in your features, for just a moment.

By the time every member had made their offering, it was dark, meaning the moon viewing was about to start.

The moon was shining its brightest at the highest peak in the sky. All of those attending had gathered to surround the main area for the viewing, to get the best view of the moon. Music was softly playing, setting a serene tone.

You and the team had huddled together in awe. But for some reason, something seemed amiss. You turn to each of your friends, only to find one missing.

Tsukishima.

Whispering to Yachi, you set off in search to find him. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering almost everyone was being entranced by the moon. Plus, he’s, you know, pretty tall.

You feel it’s best to retrace your steps. And right you were!

You find Tsukishima purchasing an item, and get the bright idea of trying to sneak behind him. Somehow thinking you were going to be able to scare him. However, you failed two steps in.

He turns around and you two barely missing collision, almost dropping the small bowl in his hand.

“Tsk tsk. Your stalking almost wasted my money, y/n.”

Still catching your breath, you glare up at him. “Well sheesh, not my fault you snuck off.”

He smirks and shakes his head. “Excuse me for going out of my way to be generous, never again I suppose.”

Tilting your head, you ask, “What do you mean?”

He suddenly turns bashful. Thank goodness it was dark enough to mask the pink now flooding his cheeks.

“Well, I saw you practically drooling for these earlier, so...” his voice trails off. He looks in the opposite direction as he puts the bowl out for you to take. You glance down in curiosity. Inside were four little mochi balls in the shape of rabbits.

You feel a bit of blush on your cheeks, and you bring him back down to earth as you say, “You got this for me?”

“It’s either that or hear whining when we get back. I’d rather spend a couple yen for silence to be honest,” he shrugs.

You laugh and playfully push his shoulder with yours. “I’m not that whiny. You swear. Anyway, let’s head back, the moon viewing has already started.”

You begin to walk back to your friends when you feel a gentle tug on your wrist. Turning, you see Tsukishima with his iconic smirk, along with a mysterious, playful glint in his eyes.

“Actually, I have a better spot in mind.”

He leads you back towards the temple, which then branches off to a smaller , more hidden path. Eventually, the two of you are peering over a quaint koi pond, surrounded by lush plant life. Your eyes full of wonder, all while glowing in the moonlight.

Tsukishima has never seen anything so beautiful.

You hardly notice his intense staring as you look up in awe and ponder, “How do you know about this place? It’s gorgeous!”

He breaks his gaze to stare up at the moon above. “This is the one place I have to myself. The one place I can run and hide whenever I needed to. It was just me, and no one else. But...it feels right to share it right now.”

You feel both honored and mesmerized by this moment. To make it sweeter, you open your box and hand a mochi to Tsukishima. “Cheers.”

He silently accepts your mochi and doesn’t object when you clink your rabbit against his, like a teacup. The two of you munch the treat, then continue to revel in the comfortable silence.

After a while, you hear faraway bustles of people, indicating that the viewing was finishing up. “I hate to leave, but it seems like we’re almost done,” you admit forlornly as you pick up your bowl.

Tsukishima is quick to notice a few strands fall from your face, so he takes this opening to lift your chin and tuck them behind your ear.

Your breath hitches.

“You know, I’m sure many boys probably broke their necks today. That color looks good on you.”

You realize this is a response to Yachi’s comment from earlier, and are not even sure how to react. Especially not when he’s super close to you right now. How dare he, messing with your brain’s functionality.

But just as quick as the moment arrived, it was gone.

You both begin trekking back to the team. Just as you feel your phone vibrate to notify it being Eleven o’clock, you feel a warm, “not-too-hard, not-too-soft” pinky tenderly wrap around yours.

It felt just right.

I'm the first to admit that I’m reckless . I get lost in your beauty and I can’t see two feet in front of me.

taglist: @jiminslonglostjams @fantasymirror @shewastheriot @lukes-princess @iamthepenguinwhosearseisonfire @its-bnha-babe @desi-studys @shootooooo @noya-senpai-imagines @animefan7420 @anpancari @tsukkx @cadabby @thoebe-fly @it-was-just-a-ship @imconfusedanditsok @alexa360b34st @delicious-peaches-blog @shinguchi @creammy0

#tsukishima x reader #tsukishimaimagine #kei tsukishima #kei tsukishima x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu!! imagines #haikyuu x reader #eleven #rena imagines

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shedreamsofstars · 4 years ago

Text

our union is a secret i’m hoping, dreaming, lying to keep - chapter one

you've all heard of 'pretending to be married when you're not', now get ready for 'actually married but pretending you're not'

When Tohru and Kyo accidentally find themselves married, they must keep their new union a secret from their friends and family. That's easier said than done when you're both newlywed dorks who just want to spend some quality time with one another whilst said friends and family are always one step away from discovering the truth.

Next chapter

"Oh, Kyo-kun!" Tohru exclaimed with a soft gasp, tugging on her boyfriend's hand to grab his attention. "There's a cart over there with handmade jewellery, can we go look at it?"

Kyo blinked at her slowly, watching as her simple white dress fluttered in the breeze before following her gaze towards a small wheeled cart loaded with all kinds of sparkly pieces crafted from metal and gemstones.

"Yeah, course we can. We can do whatever you want," he said, nodding for her to lead the way.

After spending the better part of two month's apart from Tohru to work at his new job and complete all the paperwork for their new home, Kyo had finally received the key to their apartment earlier in the week. Neither him nor Tohru could stand the idea of spending another day apart, so the pair had moved in the next day.

Whilst he'd been at work all week, Tohru had been decorating the house and searching for jobs nearby and had been ecstatic at discovering that there would be a spring festival in a nearby town. Kyo had agreed to the idea instantly. This was their first weekend together in months and he planned to enjoy every second of it with his girl.

"Let's go!" Tohru said excitedly, rushing ahead so fast that he had to jog to keep from being pulled along after her. The pair of them made quite a sight as they moved through the colourful crowds of the town festival hand in hand.

Kyo had opted for his usual plain shirt and jeans combo, but with the weather being warmer than expected, he was starting to regret having gone for the black shirt. He undid the top button with his free hand as they arrived at the stall, watching on in vague amusement as Tohru spaced out at the sheer variety of jewellery on display.

She marvelled at the gemstone rings, the sparkly earrings and the intricate necklaces with an intensity that could only mean she was picking out what would suit her friends the best, but when her attention shifted to the bracelets scattered haphazardly across the front of the stall, Kyo's gaze turned wary.

Ever since he'd been freed from having to wear his own beads, seeing anything aside from a watch on a person's wrist left a sour taste in his mouth. Thankfully she didn't dwell on them too long, shifting her gaze back to a pair of earrings she thought would look nice on Kisa.

"What do you think?" she asked, holding them up to the light.

Kyo squinted to get a good look at them. They were small and pretty and looked like something little Kisa would refuse to ever take off. Tohru really did have a strange knack for picking out the perfect gifts for people.

"I think they'll look great on Kisa," he started, holding them up towards Tohru's ear. "But … they'll look even nicer on you."

The instant blush that fluttered to life on her cheeks had his heart skipping a beat. It seemed to be doing that a lot lately – surely that couldn't be good for you?

"You're so silly Kyo-kun," she said happily, handing over the earrings and the money to the vendor. "I can't wait until we have a housewarming party and I get to give presents to everyone."

"Uh, aren't you supposed to receive gifts at a housewarming party, not give them?" he said blankly as Tohru thanked the vendor for the earrings. He took the bag from her, swapping it out for his hand as they began to wander away.

"Yes, but I just can't imagine everyone visiting and leaving empty handed. And gifting is so much fun, why would we miss out on that!"

Kyo shook his head but he didn't say anything further. If gifting things to others made her happy, then that was all that mattered to him. "Oh," he said, bringing them to a stop. "I'm sorry Tohru. I didn't ask you if you liked anything for yourself back there."

"Oh that's okay, I wasn't looking for myself anyway."

"Are you sure, because we can go back, no problem?" he assured her, beginning to turn back. Tohru refused to move though and he turned back to her.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said with a sweet smile, leaning in towards him a little as she spoke.

"Well now I just feel bad for not paying enough attention before," he grumbled, annoyed at himself for getting distracted by his own thoughts.

"It really is fine Kyo-kun. Besides, you can make it up to me by getting us some kakigori. It really is quite warm today and they always have so many different flavours, I never know which to choose!"

"Oh, they have that here?"

Tohru nodded. "I saw someone eating some earlier. They were coming from that direction" she said, pointing towards the other end of the street. There was a lot of people in the way so he couldn't quite see across, but he did spot another festival goer with a small pot of shaved ice.

"Well come on then, we haven't got any time to lose," Kyo declared as the pair of them set off in that direction. They made it about half-way across the street before they found themselves coming to an abrupt stop when a crowd of people blocked the walkway completely.

"I wonder why everyone's just stopped here?" Tohru asked glancing around for some sort of explanation. "It looks like they all want to go to that shrine over there. Do you know whose it is?"

Kyo shook his head. "No, but we can go check it out. I know you like to leave an offering whenever you can." He didn't really mind taking a detour on the way to dessert.

"Hmm," Tohru agreed. "I'd like that."

"Alright," Kyo said, catching sight of a small woman dressed in plain clothing who seemed to be attempting to wrangle the crowd outside the shrine. Tightening his grip on Tohru's hand so as not to lose her, he began to work his way towards the woman.

"Excuse me," he called out as he got close enough. "Is this-"

He never got to finish his question. The woman let out a high shriek of excitement the moment she set eyes on him, her wide eyes darting between him and Tohru.

"Oh goodness! It seems we have the perfect pair of volunteers for our last spot right here!"

"Uh, volunteers?" Tohru mumbled beside him, cocking her head in confusion.

"You are here to visit the Musubi no Kami Shrine, yes?"

"Yes, but-" Kyo started before being interrupted again.

"Lovely, then if you'll just follow me up these stairs into the courtyard we can begin right away," the woman declared, shuffling up the stairs with the energy of someone half her age.

"Oh, okay," Tohru stammered as the crowds parted to let them through, ushering them after the woman with kind smiles. "I don't know what's going on, but it seems kind of rude not to follow."

"Yeah," Kyo agreed as the pair began to ascend the steps after the woman, who he now assumed was a shrine maiden. What harm could come from entering a shrine anyway?

"Ah, here they are! Come to the centre with the others my dears, that's it," the woman said as she led them to the middle of the shrine courtyard. People had gathered along the edges, but there were three other couples standing in the centre.

The shrine priest stood to the right of the altar, wearing the usual traditional attire whilst the short woman who led them here took up a spot to the left. The altar itself was piled high with offerings from fruit to coins, all neatly placed along the slab of stone.

"Excuse me sir?"

Kyo tore his gaze away from the front of the shrine to find another woman dressed similarly to the one by the altar holding out a sheet of paper for him. "I just need you and the lady to sign these before we begin the ceremony."

"Um … yeah, sure?" Kyo said politely, accepting the pen and scratching out his name at the bottom and handing it over to Tohru.

"You must want to lock this pretty lady down before she changes her mind, huh," she said to Kyo with a conspiratorial wink.

Kyo laughed nervously in response before wondering when exactly he had picked up Tohru's little habit. He was so distracted by the thought he didn't fully consider what exactly it was the pair of them had just signed their names to.

"What's going on Kyo-kun?" Tohru whispered from beside him once the lady had left.

"I think we just got dragged into the middle of some sort of feudal re-enactment, but I'm not sure." He was fairly certain this was some sort of re-enactment at least. The papers were likely just permission to be included.

Tohru let out an excited gasp. "Like a play? Oh, how exciting!"

Of course she would think so, Kyo thought with a smile before the priest at the altar drew everyone's attention by hitting the large gong beside him. The crowds fell silent as the ring resonated across the shrine, dying out by the second.

"Welcome one and all. Now that we have enough willing participants, let's get this going shall we. I'm sure our couples are eager to get this over and done with."

There was a low chuckle of agreement from the crowds.

"Alright, if you could all hold your partners hands in front of you, then we'll begin."

Tohru and Kyo did as they were told, facing each other and holding hands as the priest went through the ceremony step by step. The re-enactment was pretty simple Kyo thought as they followed along with the other couples.

There was some sake ritual that he didn't quite understand, and the recitation of a prayer, but it wasn't until a shrine maiden appeared with paper rings that Kyo figured out just what ceremony they were re-enacting for the crowds.

He felt his cheeks heat up instantly, but if Tohru caught onto the same thing, she didn't seem to show it. She just seemed blissfully happy at being able to partake in something where she didn't have to be a mean stepsister.

With the priest's speech over, the crowd erupted into cheers of joy and cherry blossom petals were flung into the air, hanging like pink crystals in the sky before showering down around everyone in the shrine.

"Oh, I think we're done," Tohru said as the other couples embraced around them. "That was so fun!" she smiled.

"Congratulations you two, I hope you live long happy lives together," the lady beside them said, handing over the two rings for the pair of them to do with as they pleased before shuffling away.

"Um … thank you?" Tohru said, accepting them with a warm smile. "Kyo-kun, look at how pretty these are, and we both get one too!"

"Uh … yeah," Kyo replied, his cheeks still burning.

"Oh goodness, you two really do look so wonderful together," someone cooed from behind him and Kyo turned to see the shrine maiden he had spoken to outside. "How romantic that your wedding anniversary will fall on the first day of spring forevermore!"

"Our wedding anniversary?" Tohru said looking as lost as Kyo felt. A sudden air of panic overcame him, and the blood rushed to his ears as he finally caught onto the woman's words.

"Those were … real wedding vows?"

"Of course. We may do on the spot weddings, but they are perfectly legal and binding," the woman said happily before pausing in thought. "Wait … you did know that right? I mean, the papers you signed clearly said-"

"Yeah, yeah, of course we did," Kyo said hurriedly, lying through the grimace that threatened to overtake his face. He turned towards Tohru who was doing a significantly worse job of hiding her own panic.

"Definitely. Of course we did. How silly would it be if we thought it was just pretend the whole time," Tohru babbled, that nervous laugh of hers resurfacing. She likely would have continued to talk, but Kyo squeezed her hand firmly and her panic seemed to subside a little.

"Oh good, I thought we'd done something terrible there for a second. Becoming husband and wife is nerve wracking yet exciting adventure so you have nothing to be worried about. I must go and congratulate the others before they leave, but I shall leave you with these papers to fill in and send off should you need them."

"Papers for what?" Kyo asked a little suspiciously. They'd already accidentally signed themselves into becoming life partners with the last papers someone handed them, was this one to take their souls hostage too?

"There's your marriage certificate and the paperwork to legally change your names should you require it. We only hold a marriage license at the shrine, so that extra work will fall to you unfortunately. Good luck to you both on your new journey, although from the way you look at each other I hardly think you need it."

The lady inclined her head politely before shuffling away, leaving Kyo and Tohru alone in the middle of the shrine. Kyo took a deep breath as he took a moment to take in everything the woman had just said, his fingers tightening around the scroll of paper she'd handed him.

"Um … Kyo-kun?"

He glanced down to see Tohru watching him curiously.

"Yeah Tohru?

"We're … really … married?"

"We are," he replied quietly, careful not to let any inflection colour his words. They had never spoken about marriage in so many words, so he had no idea how she would react to the news or what she would be feeling in that moment.

Probably confused like he was, but Kyo also found a little kernel of happiness inside of him too at the thought of knowing he was tied to Tohru in a significant way.

"We're married," Tohru repeated a little more assuredly this time, the small smile on her face widening by the second. "Kyo-kun, we're really married!"

This time Tohru rushed forward, clinging to the lapels of his shirt as she pressed herself closer to him with a beaming grin on her face. Her closeness was all he needed for the kernel to pop, and suddenly Kyo's own grin matched hers as the happiness puffed up inside him.

"I know, I can't believe it." Her face dropped a little at his words and he felt the need to clarify immediately. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy. I always wanted-" Kyo cut himself off a little embarrassed as Tohru watched him curiously.

"You did?"

"Of course … eventually at least. Did you?"

"I really did," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

His arms were around her in an instant as he kissed her gently, smiling against her lips as she struggled to keep from giggling. "I'm actually going to get to call you my wife," he whispered, running a reverent hand through her hair.

As much as he wanted the moment to last, it didn't take long for reality to come crashing down around him and Kyo's bliss turned to dread in the blink of an eye. He groaned incoherently, releasing Tohru in favour of grabbing his knees with his hands.

"Kyo-kun, are you okay!?" Tohru said worriedly, placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. "Kyo-kun? Oh no, is this too much at once? Oh no. It's okay, I'm sure we can fix this. We'll tell them it was a mistake and-"

Kyo stood and pulled Tohru into his chest to silence her, holding her in a loving caress to keep her from jumping from one wrong conclusion to the next.

"You could never be a mistake Tohru. I couldn't be happier that we're husband and wife, however it happened but … it's just … Master is going to kill me for not inviting him to my wedding!"

Tohru squeaked in alarm as Kyo's words shattered her little bubble of happiness. "Oh no, he'll be so upset. What are we going to do? This is terrible. This is really bad"

"I know, I'm such a terrible son. What if he doesn't-" He stopped as Tohru's finger pressed against his lip.

"Don't say that Kyo-kun. Master would never think that of you. He's kind and he loves you so much. This was just a simple mistake. He'll understand, I just know he will.

"Yeah maybe but … oh god," Kyo said, suddenly looking more alarmed than even before as the faces of Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima came to the forefront of his mind. "Those two…" He shuddered violently, unable to finish his thought.

"Oh, Uo-chan and Hana-chan," Tohru said as she caught on to his line of thinking, her nervous laugh bursting through. "This really is bad Kyo-kun."

... xxx ...

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