#and also her current attitude w/ patience

[lingeringscars]

layla is someone who does need to weigh everything before making decisions, but, like any human, this doesn't always happen. she can be very guided by her heart and her emotions in a way that she usually tries not to be. she makes lists. she's organized. she needs everything to be Perfect. but she also wants to please people. wants to be worth not leaving. and that means that sometimes all the perfect lists in the world won't matter; all the warning signs will fly right by. she wants to do right by her friends and her family, and she'll fight for it, sometimes to the point where her logic fails her.

after everything with carrie, it is very hard for layla to not be instantly distrustful. she doesn't want to let people in for fear of being hurt again. this causes her to be so forceful that it seems like she's being ruled by logic and practicality, but she isn't. it's all emotion and fear.

[onlinecompanynews]

Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 12th September, 2024 - Journal Important Internet https://www.merchant-business.com/top-nigerian-newspaper-headlines-for-today-thursday-12th-september-2024/?feed_id=196954&_unique_id=66e29759e26d2 Google News Good morning Nigeria. W... BLOGGER - #GLOBAL Google News Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 12th September, 2024The National Publicity Secretary of the Adebanjo-led faction of Afenifere, Justice Faloye has berated the President Bola Tinubu-led administration over the method used in handling the economy.He also condemned the repression of citizens protesting the worsening economic conditions in the country.Faloye argued that Tinubu’s administration was economically sabotaging Nigerians in the guise of establishing economic reforms.He shared his grievances during an interview with Arise News.The Afenifere chieftain expressed concern over what he described as authoritarian tactics, adding that the current administration was moving back to the days of military dictator Sani Abacha.Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has opened up on her husband, Goodluck Jonathan’s plans for the 2027 presidential election.Naija News reports that some political stakeholders have called on the former president to vie for office in the 2027 election.However, Patience Jonathan has disclosed that her husband will not be joining the 2027 presidential race.She explained that he has occupied the highest political office in Nigeria and has no further political ambition.Speaking while hosting the Greater Igbo Forum in Abuja, the former First Lady said Jonathan had held numerous significant political positions.She assured that the former president was committed to supporting the government in building a better Nigeria.The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has announced the ministry would soon commence the implementation of the National Values Charter.Mohammed Idris said the National Values Charter was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fostering moral, ethical, and cultural reawakening by instilling the right values, attitudes, and perspectives in the hearts and minds of all Nigerians.Idris stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while declaring open the expanded retreat of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).He explained that the National Values Charter was carefully crafted and designed to ensure that all Nigerians are fully aware of their rights and protections under the constitution and the laws of the land and that governments at all levels are equally aware of all the constitutionally guaranteed obligations that they have to the citizenry.Idris pledged to press forward boldly and confidently with the determination to foster a country where citizens and the country share deep mutual love and respect for each other.The Minister said NOA has become one of the most essential tools for shaping national narratives and conversations, promoting unity against a backdrop of diversity, and fostering a sense of inclusiveness and belonging in every part of the country.The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has given fresh assurance that security agencies would soon capture wanted bandit leader, Bello Turji.According to Musa, Turji is a deranged individual who lusts after power, but it’s just a matter of time before he is arrested.The CDS gave the assurance on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja, where he added that the military is collaborating with other security agencies and state governments to protect citizens over reports of Turji imposing levies on communities.He appealed for community members to make information that can lead to the arrest of Turji and other criminals available to the military and other security agencies as they work to maintain normalcy and security in the country.The Presidency has likened the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, Temitope Ajayi, said this on Wednesday in reaction to the US presidential candidates debate held on Tuesday night, between Democrat candidate, Donald Trump and Republican candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.Ajayi said like Peter Obi, Trump would use unimaginable negative words to describe a country he wants to lead just to win the sympathy of voters.The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has confirmed the receipt of a flood intervention fund of ₦3 billion from the Federal Government, which will be utilized to tackle the challenges posed by the recent flooding.Naija News reports that over one million individuals have been displaced due to the catastrophic floods in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.Governor Zulum gave more information regarding the devastating events on Wednesday during a donation of cash to those seeking refuge at the Bakassi IDP camp along the Biu-Damboa road in Maiduguri.Zulum announced that food supplies and other essential items would be provided, with vendors engaged to supply meals to the displaced individuals in the camp.As part of long-term strategies, the governor indicated that a health committee will be established to monitor potential disease outbreaks and mitigate their effects.He stated that search and rescue operations have commenced in the affected communities to assess casualties, and data collection of those impacted will begin immediately.Regarding the flood’s cause, the governor attributed it to the heavy rainfall experienced this year.Zulum noted that urban development has obstructed water channels throughout the state capital, impeding natural water flow.Additionally, he pointed to the overflow of the Alo Dam, which was exacerbated by the release of water from other dams in Cameroon.Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, issued a ruling granting bail to ten #EndBadGovernance protesters who had been detained on charges including treason.Each defendant was granted bail set at ₦10 million, along with the requirement of one surety in the same amount.In his ruling, Justice Nwite emphasized the principle of presumption of innocence, asserting that anyone charged with a criminal offense is presumed innocent until proven guilty.He acknowledged the arguments presented by the defense counsel, particularly Abubakar Marshall, representing the 1st, 2nd, and 4th defendants.Despite the serious nature of the charges, Justice Nwite decided to grant bail to all ten defendants, stating, “I have carefully considered the submission of the counsel on both divides. I hereby grant the defendants bail notwithstanding the crime.Justice Nwite approved their bail applications, stipulating that each defendant must secure a surety who is both a property owner and resident in Abuja.These sureties are required to provide property documents and an affidavit of means to the court. Additionally, both defendants and sureties must submit their international passports and three recent passport-sized photographs.Justice Nwite overruled the Inspector General of Police’s objections to the bail requests and imposed a restriction prohibiting the defendants from participating in any public demonstrations during their trial.Until bail conditions are met, the defendants will remain in custody, while their trial is scheduled to begin on September 27.Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has said that he has declined all requests for interviews on the country’s economy crisis over the past several months.Moghalu explained that he decided to stay silent because he does not see the need to dialogue with the deaf.He asserted that he has already spoken several times on how to fix the Nigerian economy, and anyone interested should go find his previous interviews.Speaking via his X handle, the former deputy governor lamented that despite not needing Nigeria economy to survive, he has been concerned about the situation in the country out of passion.

Early on Wednesday morning, the garrison town of Bassa in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State came under severe attack from suspected Boko Haram terrorists.According to local sources who spoke with Premium Times, the community has been subjected to sporadic gunfire since approximately 5:30 a.m.The attack marks yet another violent incident in a town that has seen its fair share of conflict, including a significant attack earlier this year where several soldiers, including a captain, were killed.This incident had previously led to the withdrawal of troops from the area.However, the government had redeployed joint security forces recently to bolster the town’s defense, allowing residents to return to their homes.Sources report that as the attack commenced, security operatives instructed residents to remain indoors while they engaged the attackers.The ongoing violence in Bassa is attributed to the presence of Boko Haram militants in the nearby Allawa forest reserve, turning the area into a frequent battleground.The region has suffered extensively, with bandits and terrorists infiltrating from neighboring states such as Zamfara and Kaduna, utilizing the Kuyambana and Kamuku forest reserves as their pathways.The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has said President Bola Tinubu’s government offers no hope for Nigerians.The National Leader of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) said all economic and security policies of President Tinubu have only worsened the situation of Nigerians.In his “State of the Nation” open letter on Tuesday, the Aare Ona Kakanfo accused Tinubu of turning a dictator by charging #EndBadGovernance protesters with treason for doing what he had always done to other administrations.He reminded the President that by 29 May 2023, a liter of fuel only cost less than ₦200, but with his “subsidy is gone” statement fuel has gone to over ₦1000 per liter, and Naira to Dollar was less than what it is in his administration.Adams told President Tinubu that insecurity has worsened in his administration and his government has not been doing enough to curb it.The leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) accused the President of mismanaging the August 1 hunger protest. He decried the clampdown on civil society organizations by security agencies.Google News That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.“Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 12th September, 2024 1. We Are Moving Back To The Days Of Abacha…”Source Link: https://www.naijanews.com/2024/09/12/top-nigerian-newspaper-headlines-for-today-thursday-12th-september-2024/ http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-28316649.jpeg #GLOBAL - BLOGGER Google News Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 12th September, 2024 The National Publicity Secretary of the Adebanjo-led faction of Afenifere, Justice Faloye has berated the President Bola Tinubu-led administration over the method used in handling the economy. He also condemned the repression of … Read More

[pa-panda-heroes]

Hey u seggsy mf 🙄☝🏻 could u do hcs for nanami, sukuna and megumi where they get into a fight w fem!reader and something bad happens to her before they reconcile? Angst that ends w fluff basically haha. Okay ily bye 😽💕

Angst with fluffy ending is apparently something I’m good at so LETS DO IT. Idk how I feel about these omg send help. I hope you enjoy!!

Nanamin, Sukuna, and Megumi fighting with reader and she gets hurt!

Nanamin:

Nanami Kento doesn’t fight over trivial things. Maybe there’s a slight disagreement, and he’ll move on, encouraging you to do the same. It’s not worth the time or energy, he thinks.

There’s not much he would argue about, actually. He’s a reasonable man, he doesn’t mind compromise where reasonable. But he likes to stick to his routine, his ways, his preferred methods.

So whatever you got into a fight over must’ve been big, something that wasn’t at all trivial enough he (and you) could brush it off, something that might have involved a life or death situation for at least one of you (and potentially a civilian or more) whilst on a job.

Nanamin doesn’t worry; he’s adept putting himself in control of a situation where need be. He plans five moves ahead of the move he’s currently making, he comes up with backup plans - he’s a quick thinker, even when his temper might be flaring at you. But he won’t do what he’s told. He has his own ways.

He’s angry, to be sure. You had made one move that totally changed the situation on top of your previous spat and everything was getting worse - even more so when you were hurt after getting separated. It looked pretty bad. You were okay until you fell unconscious, then he was worried.

He dealt with the curse as quickly as he could safely, ensuring it kept a decent distance away from the worry-inducing, unconscious you. The entire time he fought the damn thing off, he thought about your wound, whether it was superficial or deep, how much blood you lost, and how quickly he could get you aid.

Nanami pretty much gets so intent on cleaning this mess up and getting you help, that the next thing he knows, you’re laying in bed, bandaged up, and resting.

Once you’re stabilized, he’ll get you flowers, he thinks. The kind you like best. Maybe he’ll snatch your preferred snacks, if the kind doctor allows you to eat them. He can be stuck in his ways, he knows that. He has his own ways of doing things, but so do you. Next time he’ll have to figure out a way that makes you both happy.

Sukuna:

Getting into an argument with this bastard is way too easy. As intimidating and menacing as Sukuna can be, he can also be bitchy and stubborn as hell. Maybe even prissy, if you think about it.

So whatever argument you get into was very likely not your fault. Sometimes you have to wonder if he does it for entertainment, but then you hear the “human matters are trivial” bullshit that makes your blood boil. No, he’s just an ass sometimes. Well, he is a curse, you suppose.

All that said, he was always quick get over your little lovespats, and it’s not like he ever threatened or attacked you (in any way, much to your surprise) personally - it was just his attitude, usually. It’s not like you constantly argue in some never-ending cycle.

But nevertheless, when you’re arguing, you are pissed. Maybe he earned the title “King of Curses,” fine, whatever, but the entitlement it gave him was still aggravating. Not as aggravating as getting hurt, though.

...although, that wasn’t half as aggravating as getting hurt and... needing his help. You’re going to avoid that like the plague, you tell yourself, trying to sew up your side on your own. That’s what you get for trying to go solo, you supposed. You were up for it, you knew you were! How did this happen?

Thankfully the wound was superficial enough, but it’s hard to do when your hands won’t stop trembling. Doesn’t help that it hurts and you’re light headed, probably from blood loss. Maybe you’re crashing from the adrenaline spike of battle. Who turned the lights off?

Apparently you’d passed out. And apparently, he helped you out, because when you awake you see that shit-eating grin sitting across your bed. You can tell him to shoo all you want, but it won’t work. You’re stuck with him, now, and he’s going to give you so much grief, because he told you not to do the mission solo. And he was right. He’ll never let you live it down.

You pout and refuse to say anything, crossing your arms and looking away. He teases you and gives you a proud “I told you so,” yet you still say nothing. He lets you rot in silence, although his patience fades away and he makes his way to you, grabbing your neck and pulling you toward him as he plants a tiny kiss to your forehead. You’ll never let him live that down, you decide.

Megumi:

Pretty boy here is fairly quick to argue. When he wants something done, he wants it done his way and usually his way only. He can be argumentative. Dare you say that’s the Zen’in blood in him? Anyway.

He does get to a point where he’s just, done arguing and sometimes gives up. Most of the time he’ll suggest you both take a breather and come back to the issue later. But this time he just kept going, to the point you forgot what the initial problem even was.

Megumi didn’t, though. He told you another sorcerer had his eyes on you in a very not professional manner, and you simply scratched your neck and told him you not to worry and that you didn’t think so. No, he knew so, and he was a little hurt you blew him off like that.

Maybe his jealousy and lack of sleep was clouding his judgement, because he told you how he felt, and when you became defensive he just continued arguing. Megumi wanted the point across, he wanted you to look out for yourself more - there are guys out there you ought to be wary of.

But because his brain shuts down when it comes to you, he didn’t get that point across like he wanted. Instead, he came off as aggressively jealous and, quite frankly, a bit of an asshole.

He’s not a possessive boyfriend at all, you know this by now. But seeing another guy after the oblivious you had him seeing red. Honestly, he didn’t trust the other guy even before you met him. He was a half decent sorcerer, but he was just in it for the money.

To say that Megumi felt like banging his head against a wall was an understatement. So when he finds you in the hospital hurt, he feels even more like utter shit. Flowers weren’t enough. No, not chocolates... Animal plushies? No, that’s not it. He wracks his brain but falls short. Use your words, Megumi!

Finally he gives up and decides to talk it out with you. Luckily for him, you realise what he was trying to say for the most part, so he doesn’t have to trip over his own tongue explaining. With a sigh at his fortune (that you picked him of all people), Megumi sits on your hospital head and pulls you close for a hug. Your bedside table is bare and the room is honestly boring. Maybe flowers weren’t a bad idea, after all.

[sainz-zayn]

Constant love (Up to you)

He always asks for your consent and leaves everything up to you.

Warnings: Insecurities, suggestive themes, virginity loss, a little pyhsical violence.

Word count: 3k+

Disclaimer: All characters and event in this story even those based on real people are entirely fictional.

This Story is Inspired by the song: Up to you

By: Prettymuch ft. Nct Dream

But in a little more mature way.

Jungwoo is your boyfriend for almost three years and you couldn`t ask for more than his love and affection. You`re always happy when you`re with him you love the way his eyes lit up whenever he sees you. 

Your favorite thing to do with him is cuddling or either cooking. Jungwoo loves skinship so much like holding your hands every time or back hugging you. You always love it when he`s clingy but sometimes you feel like you`re being unfair to him because he always asks for your consent when he wants to do something that can make you uncomfortable even though he`s been dating you for years now. 

You feel sad or sometimes guilty when you can`t give him what he needs as a man. Which leaves him sexually frustrated but that doesn`t stop him from loving you dearly. Jungwoo knows that you`re still not ready and he respects that. He`s ready to wait until you`re ready. 

"Y/n, are you okay?" You look at your side to see Joy talking to you. 

"Yeah, why?" You asked her before grabbing a glass full of water. 

"You Kinda look down today, to be honest." Joy looks at you with worried eyes, She looks at what you`re staring and now she knows why. 

You don`t know why but your anxiety is attacking you again. Yes, when it comes to your relationship with Jungwoo you`re always insecure. Your eyes wander to Jungwoo and Seohyun, you wonder if Jungwoo is enjoying his time with her. Your biggest fear is losing him or someday he`ll leave you. 

"You`re fidgeting your fingers again Y/n. There`s no need to be jealous, you know that Jungwoo loves you and only you." Joy said reassuringly.

"We both know how much I don`t like Seohyun right? like she`s always getting on my nerves. Also, don`t forget what she did to us in High School."  Yeah, you and a few of the boys know that Seohyun is a bully back in High school and Jungwoo doesn`t know that. 

"I know, I know now calm down we should leave and go somewhere else before anything happens" You and the other girls leave Taeyong's house before going to the mall. 

You enjoy the time that you have with them. Y`all eat anything that you want to taste and wandering around the mall to buy new clothes and dressing the girls to the point that you didn`t realize what time it is.

-*-

It`s currently 11:00 pm when you open your phone. Because you forgot that you turned it off before leaving Jungwoo at Taeyong`s house. 

"Oh shit!" You whisper to yourself so the other girls won`t worry about you. 

30 missed calls!? 50 unread messages!? from Jungwoo. You`re surely dead when you get home.

"Guys I have to go or else you know what will gonna happen" You just hug them before leaving first. You`re kinda nervous to go home because you`re sure that Jungwoo is waiting for you to come home.

-*-

Jungwoo is so worried that he called you 30 times but still no answer nor text, and what makes him even madder is that you leave without telling him or texting him. That's how he ended up drinking, he doesn`t know why but he just wants to.

"Where have you been!?" You`re startled at your boyfriend's loud voice. 

"I-I just go out with the g-" He cut off your words without letting you explain.

"Without telling me!? Do you know how worried I was!? It`s fucking late at night and there you are enjoying your time with your best friends. Completely forgetting that you have a boyfriend that is waiting for you!"  You just look down because you know that he`s right.

"Baby I`m sorry I forgot to turn on my phone. Trust me I don`t have any intention to purposely ignore your calls and text.”  You plead.

"Even though I`m jealous that your spending more time with Seohyun than me" You whispered the last part so he won't hear it but he did.

"What?" His eyes soften realizing what you feel and why you leave. 

"What`s, what?" You asked him while your eyes are wandering around to avoid his gaze.

"N-nothing" He stuttered and you wonder what`s with the sudden change in his attitude.

"I`m sorry for raising my voice at you" He said. 

"Did you drink?" You asked him softly before putting the bag on the couch.

"Yeah, a little I just need something to accompany me while waiting for you" He said and he peppered you with his kisses starting from your forehead, cheeks, lips, and neck.

Jungwoo doesn`t know what has gotten into him. He let his body talk, he caresses your back softly and the two of you stayed in the same position for at least a minute.

"I`m sorry I don`t know what has gotten into me. I`m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable" He said and clear his throat. You turn around to face him. You`re sad that you can`t give it to him but sooner or later you have to.

"No, don`t worry baby it`s okay." You tell him and you can see the disappointment that he tried to hide but you can see it in his eyes. 

" I`ll leave it up to you if you wanna spend the night when the time is right." You`re happy that he`s trying to comfort you even though he didn`t get what he wants from you. That is why you`re insecure about yourself, what if he`s not happy anymore because he`s always waiting for you. You hate that you still take your time even though you`re ready.

"Just remember that whenever you`re comfortable we can make that move" Jungwoo sigh before giving you a peck on the lips. 

"Let`s go to sleep now baby, you must be tired." 

The two of you enter your share bedroom and after a minute of laying on the bed Jungwoo falls into a deep sleep.

-*-

You wakeup without Jungwoo on your side and you feel sadder at what happened last night. He leaves early today I thought he said, he doesn`t have any schedule for the whole week but why is he gone?

Does he already eat breakfast or he leaves without eating breakfast? Jungwoo knows that you hate it when he`s not eating breakfast you'll always say.

"It`s okay to skip lunch or dinner, breakfast is the most important but it doesn't mean that you should skip dinner and lunch just because I say it`s okay to skip it." and he will just stay quiet because he loves it when you`re showing your motherly side.

You`re cellphone vibrates and you saw a Dm notification from an unknown person. You quickly check it and you're surprised at what you saw. You don`t know if you should cry or you should be mad, you should be... You don`t know anymore.

You look at the picture again to make sure you didn`t saw the wrong person but it`s real, it`s Jungwoo with Seohyun they look happy together.

"Nothing is going on, right? hanging out with a girl is normal. Calm down Y/n, you know is Jungwoo is not capable of what you`re thinking." You said to yourself to make you calm down.

"Here we go again! Y/n stop being insecure about yourself" You whisper at yourself and after long thinking, you just let them maybe Jungwoo have something important to do with her and that`s not bad.

-*-

"Hey, I know right he`s super handsome and I`ve been watching his dramas and movies. Don`t tell this to win-win but they have similarities" Joy is fangirling through the phone and saying how much he loves this one actor name Im Siwan.  

"I know right plus he`s attractive no doubt he`s your type" You stifled your laugh because you`re teasing her about her liking him.

"Yeah, yeah whatever" Joy said.

"I know that you`re rolling your eyes at me now even though I can`t see you Joy" You replied.

"Oh my god, how did you know? are you a psychic now Y/n, or are you stalking me? cause the last time I remember you`re a surgeon" She said changing her tone into a playful one.

"Oh, c`mon shut up!" The two of you laugh in unison when the door suddenly burst open.

"Joy I gotta go, bye love you." you end the call without letting joy bid her goodbye.

"I`m home" Jungwoo walks to the sofa to kiss you but you turn your head to the side making his soft lips land on your cheek.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked with disappointment in his eyes.

"Yes, I`m fine" You replied dryly.

"Uhm... Whom are you with earlier?" You asked with hesitation in your voice.

"I`m with the boys" He said while rubbing his temples softly.

So you`re lying now? How could you?

"Yeah right with the boys" and you smiled at him and he can see that something is off with you today.

"Can`t you just tell me what is wrong? I`m really tired right now I don`t want any problem to add up." He said making you offended.

"Okay, then I`m sorry if I`m causing you a problem just by asking you a simple question that you didn`t answer honestly. Now, Kim Jungwoo I`ll ask you the same question again I swear if you still answer the same thing I`ll leave!" He`s taken aback at your sudden outburst making him gulp. Yes, he lied it`s because he thinks that it will be better if you won`t know anything that happened earlier.

"Okay, I swear I`m with the boys but if you`re talking about this morning. I`m with Seohyun" You're trying so hard to control your jealousy right now because you want an explanation from him.

"W-why?" you stuttered.

"It`s because, because..." Jungwoo doesn`t know how to explain it but you need to know.

"It`s because of what Kim Jungwoo? are you fucking cheating on me!?" Your patience can`t wait anymore but you didn`t mean what you have just said to him.

"W-what!? of course not. Why would I do that when I`m completely contented just by having you." He exclaimed.

"Now let me explain and hear me out."  He explained everything that happened this morning and you feel guilty for thinking that he`s cheating on you.  

He said that he meets Seohyun this morning because he wants to personally talk to her. To make her stay away from him because Seohyun is hitting on him despite knowing that he has a girlfriend.

-*-

"I`m sorry" You whispered while caressing Jungwoo`s hand. You gave him a short kiss on his forehead before standing up.

"You don`t need to be sorry, baby." You`re startled at his voice. Oh, you know how much you like hearing Jungwoo`s morning voice.

"You know that I can wait until you are ready right? because that is not the reason why we are in this relationship." Jungwoo taps the other side of the bed signaling you to lay on it again.

"I know baby but I can`t let you be like this you always leave everything up to me even though we`re dating for years now." You scoot closer to his embrace.

"You don`t need to rush yourself we can do it albeit slowly" Jungwoo said making you more comfortable in his embrace.

"I love you, Jungwoo" You said.

"I love you too. By the way, get ready I`ll be picking you up at 8:00 pm" He said.

He`s waiting for you to greet him but nothing. He wonders if you forget what day it is. But no, you didn`t forget it, it`s is a special occasion for the two of you.

"Okay baby" you smile sheepishly at him.

Tomorrow is your 3rd anniversary and you`re more than happy to celebrate it with him.

-*-

You wear your favorite black dress, Which goes above your knee and perfectly hugging your curves.

"Tonight is the night Y/n, no need to be nervous" You said to yourself at the exact time you heard a car honk outside your house. You hurriedly go downstairs and you see Jungwoo leaning on his car with a bright smile.

"You look gorgeous as ever, babe." He said before opening the car door for you.

"Where are we going tonight?" You asked him still acting like you forget what day it is today.

"At the club, they are waiting for us today are you sure you didn`t forget anything?" he tried to point out and he`s so obvious that he`s looking for an answer.

"No why?" you asked.

"Nothing" he smiled and you wonder how long you can keep up with this thing.

"Baby we`re here" Jungwoo said and he gets out of the car to open the door for you.

"Thank you" you kiss him and the two of you go inside the club.

"What's up dude!" you heard mark greeting Jungwoo with a fist bomb.

"Y/n! Y/n" You heard Joy and Irene calling you by whispering your name.

"Tonight is the night there`s no more turning back since today is a special occasion for you and Jungwoo." Irene said and she gives you a teasing wink.

"I know that`s why I`m all dolled up today" You said and you met Jungwoo`s intense gaze. To the point that you can`t help but blush, you approach Jungwoo and he opens his arms for you to hug him.

"Happy anniversary baby I love you so much" And he pulls you into a more tight hug you can`t help but smile while inhaling his manly scent.

"I thought you forgot about it" He leaves a kiss on your forehead and you look up at him.

"I would never forget this day Jungwoo, this is a very important day for us" You smiled and he let go of you to grab a drink.

"C`mon guys let`s have a toast for the two love birds here!" Jaehyun said making Mayjun stifle her smile because of Jaehyun`s cuteness.

You raised your glass too for everyone to follow when the guy that is with Seohyun said something disrespectful that makes Jungwoo`s blood boil in anger.

"Who is that sexy girl?" The guy said at Seohyun.

"Oh, that? she`s Y/n. Now, can we stop talking about her it`s annoying

"She looks sexy I wonder how good she is in bed" The guy said.

Jungwoo heard it and that is his breaking point he grabs the collar of the guy making everyone shocked.

"What did you just fucking say!?" Jungwoo asked and he can`t control his emotion and everything happened so fast. The guy punches him and the guy got punch by Jungwoo and he fell to the ground.

Doyoung and Jaehyun quickly hold Jungwoos Shoulder to stop him from fighting the guy.

"Babe, Calm down" You look at him worriedly and the little cut on his lips is bleeding.

"Watch your man!" The guy said with a perverted gaze on you.

"You should watch your mouth!" Jungwoo fights back and he tried to remove Jaehyun and Doyoung's hands on him. And he did it, he punch the guy for one last time before grabbing your wrist to run away from the crowd.

Your friends look confused but they managed to block the guy that is ready to chase the both of you.

"Kim Jungwoo!" You warn him but his giggles echo through the halls and you laugh with him while happily running.

"How can you laugh right now when you`re completely hurt?" and the two of you stop in front of the elevator and you go inside it. He looks at you as if you`re his whole world.

"Because I`m always happy when I`m with you" He drags you into a room and you`re heavy breathing right now.

"I checked us in, in this hotel we can rest here for the night and also that door." he point to a white door. “It is connected to Jaehyun`s and Mayjun`s room so it`s easy for us to communicate and their room is connected to Johnny and Yoona`s room.” He said and kisses you on the lips. You`re not even shocked at why he knows the hotel  so well, it`s because cause he owns it.

"C`mon I`ll treat your cut on the lips" and you drag him in the bathroom to clean it.

You lean more closer to him, even though the two of you is dating now for three years he's always fluttered when ever you`re being affectionate. Just in time he quickly pulled you into a passionate kiss making you shocked.

"Nobody`s watching I got you all alone no Interruptions, it`s hard for me to hold my own and hold back" He said and his forehead is leaning to mine.

"Tonight I don`t want you to hold back baby" You whispered in his ears seductively.

"Before we hit the road if you ain`t ready to go, just tell me that you`re sure." He said with sincerity in his voice.

"Tonight you can do whatever you want" You said back.

"Just wanna make sure, you`re sure" He smiled and he's now touching your legs slowly.

"Remember when you said to me that "If you wanna spend the night when the time is right". That night is tonight baby" You hold his hands slowly guiding them to your waist.

"The distance between you and me, is it okay this close?" He asked you while slowly taking his time to understand what`s happening right now.

"I will keep up with your step, so nothing to worry about" He added.

With that, he kisses you passionately everything about the kiss says it all. Love, lust, and needs.. Jungwoo carries you to the bed and he loosens the tie of his suit.

"Ain`t no pressure but we can keep this right here if you want me to stop baby" He said again. Oh gosh, why does he always ask for your consent.

"Tonight I`m so tired of making you stop and denying you baby so there`s no turning back" The softness and neediness in your voice are so obvious.

"If you`re down and you`re ready to rock, I`m not gonna make you stop." He replied seductively making you bite your lips in anticipation.

"I can`t hold back now baby" He said.

"Then don`t hold back" you said.

"That`s it, enough talking, and let`s do this"

He covers the two of you with the blanket and he makes sure that his name is the only thing that will come out of your beautiful lips.

Meanwhile, in the other room, someone is complaining.

"What the fuck!? I know that my two best friend is enjoying their time but I need to sleep too" Mayjun said covering herself with a pillow making Jaehyun laugh at her.

"Shut up Jung Jaehyun!" And he did stay quiet.

"Okay, now I have an idea mayjun to make you sleep" Jaehyun peppered Mayjun with kisses.

"Oh, shut up your horny ass jaehyun!" and mayjun throws the pillow at him.

"C`mon Kim Jungwoo! I swear shut the fuck up!" Jaehyun yelled so that you and Jungwoo can hear them.

-*-

You and Jungwoo laugh at them and you clean yourself and change with new clothes.

"I`m sorry! you can now sleep peacefully!" You yelled back at them making Jungwoo laugh and nod his head a little.

"Thank you, babe, or else my boyfriend won`t stop bothering me" Mayjun yelled making the four of you laugh.

"Let`s sleep now baby you must be tired because of daddy" Jungwoo said with a smirk.

"Stop with the dirty jokes Kim Jungwoo" you slap his arms playfully.

"Okay, okay good night I love you" He said with sweetness in his voice.

"I love you too baby only you" and you kiss him on the lips.

Consent is one of the most important things in a relationship and you`re lucky that you have Kim Jungwoo the one and only man of your life and will always be. And that`s how your constant or endless love relationship with Jungwoo last more than you could Imagine.

[letstalkaboutshtufff]

Jon Snow x reader

Pairing: Jon Snow x young reader (platonic)

Summary: reader is a captured wilding and is forced to be Jon's steward. Shes tough and stubborn but one day something happens and her feelings for the crow begin to change.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, attempted assault, mentions of rape. Mentions of blood.

***************************************************

A/n Hello my loves! Just a quick note about this story. Reader is a young teenager, also her relationship with Jon is non romantic. Hes protective of her like a brother. I hope you like it!

***************************************************

"Whats your name girl?" you wanted to roll your eyes but refrained as the new commander of the nights watch, barely a man in your opinion tried to be intimidating in a room full of equally unintimatading men.

As dumb as they looked they still outnumbered you like 100 to 1. So you begrudgingly decided to answer.

"Y/n"

The lord commander, or more commonly known as Jon snow the bastard of winterfell, nodded once, satisfied that he finally gotten a word out of you.

"Well y/n, seeing as your people are gone-"

"Dead you mean" you couldn't help but bite out. "You crows saw to that"

Those damn crows had raided your village and slaughtered everyone save yourself.

"You're lucky we didn't gut you along with the rest of those filthy wildlings" one man spat out stepping forward but was halted by the commander, "Enough!"

"We had no choice, they trespassed and started to cause trouble-"

"Trespassed?! That land has been ours for generations, and just because some rich folk came and decided to put up a wall and cast us out, we're the criminals?!" You felt your anger rise again. "We didnt do anything wrong! We were just trying to survive like everyone else in this stupid godsforsaken world!"

The lord commander sighed with fustration, he tried to have patience, after all she was more or less a child. Well a child with the mouth of a 40 year old sailor.

"I'm sorry y/n, but there are rules, and they broke those rules"

"Rules?" You scoffed, "And who decided on those rules hmm? Certainly not the people who lived here, so tell me Snow, why the hell should any of us listen to rules that were forced on us?! In our eyes you are the enemy. We were just people, trying to not starve and freeze to fucking death and you slaughter us like animals!" You felt the burn behind your eyes as you remembered the screams and smell of blood. But you would die before you cried in front of these heartless butchers.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness it, but you have a choice to make now" he looked into your eyes with seriousness. "You can either be sent back beyond the wall or..." he paused hesitantly, "you can serve as a steward here"

You almost laughed, "Are you drunk Snow?!? Or do you actually think those are fair options?"

"Considering I'm already bending the rules by letting you live, yes I do" he said firmly.

You let out a humorless laugh, "So you think throwing me into the wilderness alone is fair? Or I suppose making me a slave to the nights watch is somehow better?" You glared at the men around you. Half of them fithly pigs who would no doubt use you whenever they got the chance.

"No harm would come to you if you stayed, of this you have my word. And you wouldn't be a slave. You'd be my steward."

But I wouldnt be allowed to leave, so a slave... but it's either that or what's beyond the wall.. I wouldn't last a day alone... after a while of silently debating I looked up into the killer's eyes, and sealed my fate with a nod.

************************************

The first week was hell. All you wanted to do was murder every crow you saw.

If you had poison you would've wasted no time spilling it in the stew you had to carry to commander stupids room every evening.

He acted like he cared, asked about if you had enough to eat and if anyone had been bothering you. But you ignored him. He was just trying to get you to trust him, and then he would turn on you. It was all a sick game, you were sure of it.

Another few weeks passed in a similar manner, he gave up on trying to make conversation which you were ever thankful for.

Not having anyone to talk to was the worst part. Your days were horribly dull. You cleaned, did laundry, prepped meals and repeat. Other than glares no one had messed with you which you were kinda disappointed in to be honest. You would take any excuse to blacken and bruise those ugly mugs of theirs...

Apparently the gods had a sense of humor because the next day you found yourself cornered by two of them.

"You should be on your knees thanking us girl" one of them sneered.

"We coulda left you for dead with those other savages but we didnt. And all you've been is given attitude."

"It ain't right"

"No it ain't" they agreed.

While they yapped you were mentally figuring out how you were gonna fight your way out of this one. Three against one wasnt exactly fair, and it's not like snow let you carry around your weapons. And the fact that you were far away, gathering firewood when they cornered you wasn't ideal.

Ugly man number one tsked when he saw your wandering eyes, "no use screamin girl, no ones gonna hear you"

"What the fuck do you want, the sooner you tell me, the sooner I dont have to look at your ugly faces" you couldn't help but want to anger them.

The bald one shoved your shoulder against the wall, on instinct you swooped your arm over his and brought it down, severing the hold and then you kneed him in the groin...hard.

"You bitch!" He faltered and you took that opportunity to try and get away. Ugly number 2 grabbed the cloth of your shirt and pulled back but you quickly shoved an elbow hard into his face.

While you were distracted, the third man, let's call him horse face, pulled your hair harshly until you were tumbling to the ground with a grunt.

It didnt take long for the other 2 to recover and help horse face pin you down. P

A deep rooted panic spread across your body. "Get the fuck off me!" You tried to hide the fear in your voice as you thrashed.

"Shut up wilding whore!" You heard the sharp smack before you felt the pain blossom against your cheek.

"You got the mouth of a slut, now let's see if you've got the body of one" your eyes widened and you felt a rough hand slide under your tunic.

"S-stop it! I swear I'll kill-" he shut you up with another sharp slap. You could now taste copper in your mouth.

"I swear to God if you say one more word I'll cut out that sharp tongue of yours" he pulled his knife out of its sheath and pressed the cold metal against your cheek. You winced as he pressed in and you knew he had broken skin.

You tried to be strong but you were terrified. These men were going to rape you and you didnt have the strength like you thought you did to stop them.

You closed your eyes praying to whatever gods were out there that this would not happen. But the gods were cruel. They had allowed the crows to wipe out the only people you had to call family. No they weren't yours by blood, but they had taken you in and cared for you. Taught you how to hunt, how to fight, and now this is how your life was going to end.

"That's a good girl" he took your silence as compliance and started to kiss down your neck.

You shivered in disgust and fear, one hand placed firmly on your neck keeping you in place and the other was exploring beneath your shirt.

You didnt want to give up, you wanted to fight. You didnt want to be raped and killed. How would you ever face your family in the after life if you didnt put up a decent fight. Taking a deep breathe , with the risk of losing your tongue looming in your mind, you clenched your fists and let out your last shred of hope,

"GHOOOOOST" you hoped the wolf you had come to befriend could hear through the walls.

"WHAT DID I FUCKING TELL YOU" he clamped a crushing hand over your mouth.

"W-we should g-go, what if that mutt heard?" Horse face looked around nervously.

"Shut up Pud, no way that he can hear all the way in here"

"But-"

"Oh for god sakes, hold her down and be quiet!" He motioned for horse face to clamp my mouth shut instead whilst he began unbuckling his trousers.

"Before I cut that pretty tongue of yours, I'm gonna see how it feels around my c-AHH FUCK" a giant streak of white crossed your vision.

"HELP YOU IDIOTS, DONT JUST STAND THERE, FUCK!" You heard growling and tearing sounds.

The mens hold on you immediately loosened and you took that chance to sit up and see what the hell was going on. And when you saw the familiar white fur and black eyes you almost cried in relief.

Ghost had launched himself at your assailant and was currently biting away at his arm. The other two turned tail quick and made for the door, thinking they could escape, but what they did not expect was a very angry lord commander blocking their way.

"Ghost" he called back his wolf who growled at the men before walking back and standing beside his master.

You couldn't tell whose eyes were more threatening, the wolf, or the bastard wolf..

Before you knew what was happening several crows flooded the room and arrested the bleeding man and his friends.

The commanders attention was now on you. You rolled onto you knees and tried to stand up but found that someone had traded your legs for jelly cakes.

"Y/n" you immediately looked down, not wanting him to see how afraid you were.

You were surprised at how soft the commanders voice was now compared to two seconds ago when he ordered they be taken to the prisons. "Are you alright?" He knelt down in front of you and reached a hand out to your face.

You flinched and he hesitantly pulled back, "Its alright now, your safe, please... let me help you" he said almost pleading.

You don't know what came over you but something was telling you that it was ok to trust him so you nodded.

This time when he reached a hand to lift your face up you didnt pull away.

You met his eyes and found anger and regret in them, "I'm sorry"

You were instantly confused, "For what?" You questioned as he continued to inspect your injuries.

"I said that no harm would come to you, I shouldve kept a closer eye on you" he apologized with a look of deep regret.

You didnt know what to say. Why was he being so nice to you?! It didnt make any sense, weren't the crows supposed to be the bad ones? But he saved you...well ghost did lead them to you so you really should be thanking him but...

You didnt really know how to respond so you just stayed quiet. He moved to help you up, gentle hands supporting you. When it was clear you couldn't stand on your own he asked if you would let him help you to maester aemon.

Reluctantly you nodded and was surprised when he swooped down and gently lifted you up like those dumb princesses you heard about in fairy tales.

You thought he was just gonna help you walk with a slung over arm or something.... if you weren't so exausted you probably would've been way more embarrassed.

Wordlessly he carried you through the halls and into Maester Aemons infirmary. He set you down on the bed with care and said he would be back to check on you later. The maester was already by your side examining your injuries.

You dont know what came over you, but before you knew what was happening your mouth opened and halted the lord commander through the door.

"Thank you snow..." you were glad he was facing the door, you were sure your face was bright red.

But if he had been facing you, you would've seen his smile.

Maybe not all the crows were so bad after all...

********

Ok soo it was kind of short I know, but my idea was for this to be a sort of prologue to a mini series of Jon and the reader. Please let me know if that's something you guys would want! Thanks for reading🥰

[crystalessenceswrites]

You’re Enchanting--Chapter Three

Summary:  Delphine always told Elazar she would do anything to help him if he was ever in trouble, even knowing his knack for finding it. She didn’t expect to be helping him save the world after someone blows up the Conclave and tears a hole in the sky. Nor did Delphine expect to be falling for anyone, let alone a troubled, former templar, while she’s watching her best friend shape the future of their world with a green glowing hand.

Pairings: Cullen/Trevelyan & Dorian/Lavellan

Warnings: Does Lord Seeker Lucius require a warning, because I feel like he does

Can also be found on AO3

[Chapter One] [Chapter Two] [Chapter Three] [Chapter Four]

Chapter Three- Chaos

“You don’t use a staff blade.”

Delphine stuttered a bit into her waterskin at the sudden comment, or was it a question, from Cullen. “No, I do not.” Wiping her drink off her face, she tried to hide the grimace that rose on her lips. Maker, how unsightly that was, she can’t even drink properly.

“Why not?”

It must have been common for mages to equip their staffs with them in Kirkwall then. Delphine was more curious as to why that was then why she didn’t use one.

“I have never had a need for one.” There was always someone in arms reach of her that was armed with a rather large sword.

“I see…” Cullen trailed off as he took a long drink from his own waterskin.

They had been working with the recruits for the better part of the day now, stopping to rest only before the newest recruits looked ready to drop from exhaustion. Delphine would not admit it to anyone, especially the former templar, but she found herself nearing that point too. Outside of training recruits for the last three days with Cullen, she had been practicing primal magic on her own, trying to build her own confidence in the casting before she ventured out with Elazar. She had not pushed her mana reserves to such lengths since she an apprentice preparing for her Harrowing. It was draining. Delphine did her best to focus on that feeling instead of how Cullen’s hair seemed to glow in the late afternoon sun.

“Have you thought about one? It may prove useful as you continue to master your magic.”

Delphine tried to ignore the, hopefully, unintended insinuation that she did not have full understanding of her abilities. She was an Enchanter from a well-regarded Circle of Magi, she had mastered her magic. Battle magic simply was not a school she had use for in the past, like a staff blade. It was a new tool she simply had to familiarize herself with in order to use it to its full potential.

“Possibly… after our trip to Val Royeaux I might speak with Harritt about it.”

Cullen nods, apparently satisfied. She wondered why he cared to begin with?

“May I ask you a question, Cullen?”

He quirked an eyebrow but made no move to stop her.

“Why did you join the Inquisition?” There were many things about the ex-templar that garnered her curiosity but this one seemed to nag at her the most, well maybe second to how he got the lip scar. She also wasn’t ready to return to training just yet.

Delphine wondered what he had thought she was going to ask about when he let out a sigh of relief. “I was recruited to the Inquisition in Kirkwall. I was there during the mage uprising- I saw firsthand the devastation it caused. Cassandra sought a solution. When she offered me a position, I left the Templars to join her cause. Now it seems we face something far worse.”

So, fate put him in charge of a much bigger mess than he had originally expected. Interesting.

“The Divine dead… a giant hole in the sky. I would say we’re a bit worse off than before.”

“Which is why we’re needed. The Chantry lost control of both templars and mages. Now they argue over a new Divine while the Breach remains. The Inquisition could act when the Chantry cannot, our followers would be a part of that. There’s so much more we can- Forgive me. I doubt you were asking for a lecture…”

The man was passionate about helping, making a difference in a time of turmoil and crisis. It was reassuring to see people like him still exist after all the world had seen in recent years. Maybe that was why Elazar had become so friendly with him so quickly. He always was a good judge of character.

“Not quite, but if you have one prepared I wouldn’t mind.”

Delphine couldn’t help herself from letting out a little laugh with him. “Another time perhaps.”

This time she was sure he was smiling, the way his scar quirked up and his eyes gleamed reassured her there was still some mirth left in the soldier.

“I, ah…” and suddenly it had disappeared again. “There’s still a lot of work ahead. Should we return to the recruits?”

Delphine suppressed her groan as Cullen stood, her distraction had not worked quite well enough. “Of course.”

“Del!”

Both their heads shot towards the makeshift stables where Elazar stood, waving his arms frantically. He looked like an overly excited child to the point Delphine wanted to scold him. Varric stood next to the rambunctious elf, looking rather amused.

This time Delphine didn’t suppress her groan. “It would appear the Herald requires your assistance.”

“He could have come over and asked for me like an adult,” she huffed.

Cullen chuckled, shaking his head. Well, at least someone could draw amusement from her friend’s antics.

“Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Delphine.” Cullen bowed slightly at the waist, much more formal than he usually was with her. “Have a good rest of your day.”

Well that was odd.

Gathering up her skirt, Delphine jogged across the training yard to greet El and Varric. She still could not tell what the dwarf looked so smug about but at least Elazar had stopped his shouting.

“Must you always cause a scene?”

“Of course,” he smirked, “for I must always be the center of attention.”

Del rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. Elazar was not fond of the spotlight in all truth, but he was doing his best to embrace the attention his new title was earning him.

“So, how’s Curly doing?”

Delphine did not like the dwarf’s insulation with that tone. Varric liked to see tension and pining in relationships where none existed, as if they were living in a novel. Del was content seeing him do this with other Inquisition members but did not want the author snooping around her. It was bad enough he thought she and Elazar were together when she had first arrived.

“A one-track mind, as usual.”

Varric chuckled, “he has not changed one bit. First the templars, now the Inquisition.”

“How long have you two known each other exactly?” Cullen had never spoken to her about Varric. Granted, Cullen did not go out of his way to strike up conversations with her, yet Varric loved to harp on the Commander.

“Oh Curly and I go way back,” Varric grinned as if he and the ex-templar were simply old pals.

“Sure…” How was it that the Inquisition had already collected such a gaggle of personalities? Or should she say how was it that Cassandra has collected such a group?

Delphine continued to ponder the subject as their party traveled to Val Royeaux the following day. Cassandra herself was easy enough to get along with. Her personality was gruff, sure, but she was rather understanding. At least for Delphine. Cassandra had little patience for Varric. Varric was well aware of that fact and it led to plenty of interesting conversations to pass the time. Solas would chime in from time to time, though mostly to disagree with the “child of the stone” or Elazar.

Elazar always took the jabs from the elven apostate in good faith, it wasn’t like Elazar had any ego to bruise. He had always been determined to befriend all he could, it was in his nature. He was persistent too. If Elazar was the type to flee at a few harsh words, he would have never befriended her to begin with. So, Elazar did his best to accommodate Solas’s remarks, no matter how snobby they became-which Delphine found a strange trait for an apostate but she was not about to mention that in current company- but even Elazar had a breaking point. As their travels continued Del could almost see the high-brow attitude begin to grate on Elazar, especially when Solas threw out a few scathing remarks about the Dalish. She did her best to get between the two, talking El through what information Leliana had gathered on the Chantry Mothers and etiquette for when they finally arrived. Not that any of the talk seemed to calm Elazar down, he never cared for authority, but at least he wouldn’t snap at her.

Varric, always reading between the lines began to pick up on the tension as well. Suddenly the dwarf avoided the topics of magic and elves completely, and with a rather wide berth. Del would have to thank him once they returned to Haven and the apostate was out of earshot.

She did breathe a strong sigh of relief when the city came into view on the horizon, which was rather ironic considering neither she nor El cared much for the idea of meeting with the Mothers. Cassandra was optimistic though, so Del did her best to match the Seeker’s energy as they arrived at the bridge leading up to Orlais’ crown jewel.

The last time Delphine had been to Val Royeaux life had been looking up for her, for her family. The whole family had made the trip across the Waking Sea in order to introduce Oweyn to the woman who would later become his wife. Del had been excited to meet her possible future sister-in-law, but more excited to see the gilded city all her tutors talked about. She’d been glued to the carriage window nearly the entire trip, vibrating with excitement in the way only a six-year-old can. Her mother had been scolding her for her behavior the entire time, attempting to get young Delphine to sit properly on the uncomfortable bench and stop creasing her pretty new dress.

Oh how her mother would scold her if she could see her now.

Walking into Val Royeaux in full enchanter armor, hood pulled low over her brow, her staff on full display over her shoulder, went against everything she had been told her life would be like. Delphine had never come back to Orlais to take part in society as she came of age as her mother had planned. Instead, she was standing side by side with a group of what could be considered political dissidents. The Maker works in mysterious ways.

“The city still mourns,” Cassandra observed. It did seem bleak, as if the dark skies reflected the mood of the people.

The mood of the people also seemed terrified. One Orlesian woman on the bridge screamed at the sight of them approaching.

“Just a guess, Seeker, but I think they all know who we are.”

“Your skills of observation never fail to impress me, Varric.”

Elazar snickered at Del’s side; she was tempted to elbow him like she used to when they were sitting together during lessons. The Inquisition agent approaching was the only thing making her think otherwise.

“My Lord Herald.” The agent kneeled in front of Cassandra and Elazar. He tensed but El didn’t voice his discomfort.

“You’re one of Leliana’s people. What have you found?”

“The Chantry Mothers await you, but… so do a great many templars.”

Ice washed over her. They were walking straight into the arms of an order that would gladly kill them both for being “rebels.”

“There are templars here?” Cassandra sounded surprised but not nearly as concerned as Delphine thought she should be. She was a seeker after all, wasn’t she aware of what those men were capable of?

“People seem to think the templars will protect them from- from the Inquisition. They’re gathering on the other side of the market. I think that’s where the templars intend to meet you,” the agent explained.

“They wish to protect the people? From us?”

Delphine understood that Cassandra strongly believed in what she was doing, that this all was sanctioned by the Divine, but could she not comprehend that others might be less trusting? After a blight, a civil war and the death of the Divine, people were worried. Delphine was worried.

Elazar sounded rather unperturbed, “we knew there would be some kind of reaction.”

“But I didn’t expect the templars to make an appearance.” Delphine agreed with the Seeker.

“The people may just be assuming what the templars will do. I’ve heard no concrete plans.”

“You think the Order’s returned to the fold, maybe?” Varric pondered, “to deal with us upstarts?”

Despite her unease Del couldn’t help but chuckle, “is that all we are? A band of upstarts the templars find annoying?”

Cassandra shook her head, “I know Lord Seeker Lucius. I can’t imagine him coming to the Chantry’s defense. Not after all that’s occurred… Return to Haven. Someone will need to inform them if we are… delayed.”

That was a rather kind way of putting it.

“As you say, my Lady.”

Leliana’s agent watched as their group proceeded into the market, but with the news they’d received Delphine couldn’t find it in herself to admire the grandeur of the capital. As the agent had said, a crowd awaited them on the far end of the market. The Mothers had set up a platform from which to decry the Inquisition from. Del kept herself as close to Elazar’s back as she could as they navigated their way to the platform.

“Good people of Val Royeaux, hear me! Together we mourn our Divine. Her naïve and beautiful heart silenced by treachery! You wonder what will become of her murderer. Well wonder no more!”

Delphine had been regretting this since the agent had spoken the word templar, now she was sure they shouldn’t have come. Cullen had been right.

“Behold the so-called Herald of Andraste! Claiming to rise where our beloved fell. We say this is a false prophet! The Maker would send no elf in our hour of need!”

“Shemlen.” Elazar cursed under his breath, fists clenching at nothing. Delphine slipped her hands around his, hoping to ease some of his sudden temper. It appeared to help some, his gripped loosened enough for her to intertwine her hand with his. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he looked up to the mother. “You say I am the enemy. The Breach in the sky is our true enemy. We must unite to stop it.”

“It’s true!” Cassandra’s voice rang out over the crowd, “the Inquisition seeks only to end this madness before it’s too late!”

“It is already too late!” The woman pointed to an amor clad group approaching. Delphine’s grip on Elazar tightened. She would not let them take him. “The templars have returned to the Chantry! They will face this “Inquisition” and the people will be safe once more!”

The group mounted the platform, stone-faced. They didn’t appear to be all that thrilled with the Mother’s declaration. Delphine’s jaw dropped as one walked up and sucker-punched the older woman. A startled hush fell over the crowd as a man in seeker armor clapped a templar on the shoulder.

“Still yourself. She is beneath us.”

This was not the templar order Delphine remembered.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Delphine cursed Elazar for drawing attention back onto them.

“Her claim to “authority” is an insult. Much like your own.” The Seeker shot back as he descended the platform, his armored companions following.

Cassandra started to give chase, “Lord Seeker Lucius, it’s imperative that we speak with-”

“You will not address me.”

This was the Lord Seeker?!

“Lord Seeker?”

“Creating a heretical movement, raising up a puppet as Andraste’s prophet. You should be ashamed. You should all be ashamed! The templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages! You are the ones who have failed! You who’d leash out righteous swords with doubt and fear! If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are too late. The only destiny here that demands respect is mine.”

This was the man who had led the templars away from their duties? This man had convinced them it was better to purge the remaining mages than to protect them? How in the world had this happened? What were the templars thinking?

“What we truly need is an alliance that will seal the Breach.” Elazar countered, his voice remaining level despite the way he held Delphine’s hand in a death grip behind his back.

“On, the Breach is indeed a threat. But you certainly have no power to do anything about it,” the Lord Seeker sneered.

One of the templars stepped forward, brow tight knit, “but Lord Seeker… what if he really was sent by the Maker? What if-?”

“You are called to a higher purpose! Do not question!” Another templar shouted back.

Delphine had to let go of Elazar’s hand before she cut off his circulation.

“I will make the Templar Order a power that stands alone against the void. We deserve recognition. Independence! You have shown me nothing, and the Inquisition… less than nothing. Templars! Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection! We march!”

In that moment, Delphine had never wanted a staff blade more. That man would destroy the Order and would kill as many mages as he could in the process.

Cassandra looked crestfallen but did not attempt to stop them from leaving again. There was obviously nothing she could say to the Lord Seeker to change his mind.

“Charming fellow, isn’t he?” Varric chimed in, unnervingly not all that disturbed by the Lord Seeker’s intentions.

“Has Lord Seeker Lucius gone mad?”

Elazar looked to Cassandra, concern etched into his features, “do you know him very well?”

“He took over the Seekers of Truth two years ago, after Lord Seeker Lambert’s death. He was always a decent man, never given to ambition and grandstanding. This is very bizarre.”

“Do you think he can be reasoned with?” Elazar continued to press but Delphine had little hope after that exchange.

“I hope so. If not him, there are surely others in the order who don’t feel as he does.”

“I hope so.” Delphine hated to see them fall to such a man.

“Either way, we should first return to Haven and inform the others.”

.

They didn’t return to Haven.

At least not until they had run around Val Royeaux in search of clues detailed in a mysterious arrow that had been shot in their general direction and received an invitation to a party being thrown by the Madame De Fer.

“So, the clues point to this estate here, just outside the city.” Varric and Elazar had huddled over a map in one of the cafes, both drawn into the mystery of it all. “So long as it’s not a trap it should allow us ample time to still make it to the party Del is so insistent on attending.”

Delphine threw her hands up and her friends’ insinuation, “I am trying to help you and the Inquisition, El. If attending this party gives us the chance to meet with Madame De Fer then we need to be there.”

They both knew full well the Madame De Fer was the Enchanter to the Imperial Court and was in a place far beyond the reach of any other mage. If they could gain her help it would be invaluable. Yet Delphine knew El was hung up over the idea of approaching a “loyal” Circle mage, his rebellious tendencies getting the better of him.

“Then we should best prepare for whatever it is we will be facing tonight.” Elazar declared, a wide grin gracing his features. He always did love a good mystery.

Cassandra and Solas nod in agreement, everyone gathering their things as the citizens of Val Royeaux look on in curiosity, just as they had been doing all afternoon. As they neared the stables to collect their mounts, Solas and Varric spun around to the sound of approaching footsteps.

“If I might have a moment of your time?”

Delphine recognized the elven woman approaching them immediately. Her blood began to boil all over again.

“Grand Enchanter Fiona?”

First the Lord Seeker and now the Grand Enchanter? How had Val Royeaux not imploded after having them in the same place at the same time?

“Leader of the mage rebellion. Is it not dangerous for you to be here?” Solas had a valid point.

“I heard of this gathering, and I wanted to see the fabled Herald of Andraste with my own eyes. If its help with the Breach you seek, perhaps you should look among your fellow mages.”

That’s the angle she was using then. Delphine frowned at the older woman, “I’m surprised the leader of the mages wasn’t at the Conclave.”

Cassandra also seemed rather suspicious of the development. “Yes. You were supposed to be, and yet somehow you avoided death.”

“As did the Lord Seeker, you’ll note. Both of us sent negotiators in our stead, in case it was a trap. I won’t pretend I’m not glad to live. I lost many dear friends that day. It disgusts me to think the templars will get away with it. I’m hoping you won’t let them.”

“So you think the templars are responsible?” Elazar asked.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Cassandra countered.

“Lucius hardly seems broken up over his loses, if he’s concerned about them at all.” Delphine did have to admit, the Grand Enchanter has a point. “You heard him. You think he wouldn’t happily kill the Divine to turn people against us? So, yes, I think did it. More than I think you did it, at any rate.”

“The mages weren’t willing to talk to the Inquisition before. Why now?” This had bothered Elazar since they had discussed it in the war room. He had been in the rebel camp; he knew how their peers wanted change yet there was no move from the rebels to help seal the Breach. If the mages wanted respect then wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for them? El had voiced his frustration on the subject many of the nights they sat together and discussed their situations.

“Because now I’ve seen what you are. And I’ve seen the Chantry for what it is. Consider this an invitation to Redcliffe: come meet with the mages. An alliance could help us both, after all. I hope to see you there. Au revoir my Lord Herald.”

As quickly as she had appeared, Fiona disappeared back into Val Royeaux.

[Masterlist]

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Disco Ball Diva

A/N: For @buckyshelves Merry Christmas, I hope you enjoy this and have a great festive holiday

To @bucky-smiles​ for organising this secret Santa gift exchange, you’re awesome and so, so kind

Also... thank you to my friend Haz who beta read this for me.  You are always so supportive of my writing and I love you

Summary:  You’re inappropriate, sassy, have snazzy powers, and now you’re an Avenger-in-training.  Not everyone appreciates your blasé attitude, and when a surveillance mission goes south you’re thrown together with one hot brooding super soldier.  It doesn’t help that you can’t stop ogling his bum.

Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Reader w/ powers

Word Count: 7k.  I actually feel bad that it’s so long.

Warnings:  Violence, gun violence, Bucky kills people, mentions of blood and injury, bad language (which is a given for me), some sexual tension (light) but mostly just reader is an asshat XD

The Avengers compound is not like you imagined it.  Or maybe it is but you haven’t found any of the secret stuff yet.  Hidden jet hangers under the basketball court, labs in the basement, glass cases full of superhero suits.  Wait.  That’s the freakin’ X-Men.

Still, it’s nothing like you hoped.  The conference rooms are boring, obviously, because meetings are the epitome of dull. The communal lounge and kitchen are both boring; there’s no espresso machine that doubles as a drone, no fridge that transforms into sentry bot, there isn’t even a SodaStream.  Yawn! You don’t even need to see the fitness suite to know that it’s not a place you want to visit, and you’re not allowed below the ground floor yet.  Talk about not trusting the noob.

Your room is a vision of extreme lacklustre, but you only moved in yesterday, so, no redecorating just yet, save for the peace lily your brother gave you.

Congrats on your new job and home by the way, here’s a half-dead plant I had but couldn’t be bothered to look after.  Now it’s yours.  Enjoy!

Your super power is definitely not green thumbs, nurturing life, healing, or anything even a tiny bit supportive.  You can’t fly, don’t have super strength, speed, or a crazy-good aim.  There’s not a green rage-monster just below the surface waiting to erupt and smash things.  Well, if someone steals your cookies you might have to choke a bitch but hey, rainbows are cool, right?  Super distracting, like oh hey, what’s all this shiny shit flashing around?  Oh dayum, I totally didn’t see that badass super warrior coming to kick my ass.

You swallow hard.  The small conference room feels like an interrogation room despite the polished wood table and plush leather chairs.  Of four sets of eyes that are currently watching you, only one pair is encouraging.

Tony Stark.  The guy who recruited you.  Took you from a life of selling hotdogs on street corners in the City and apartment sharing with a crazy cat lady called Angie who you found on Craigslist.  You had nothing against crazy cat ladies, per se, but you would prefer it if the pissy smell was optional.  Angie had opted in, hence why you jumped at the chance to opt out.  Ugh.

“Rainbows?”  The scowly but buff brunette with the dreamy blue eyes and robotic arm, scoffs mockingly.  “You project rainbows?”

The equally buff blonde who you suspect might be Captain America (or maybe his stunt double) snickers, his head lowered to hide his amusement.  Does Captain America have a stunt double, for like, TV appearances and meetings with officials, and stuff?  You’ll ask later.  Right now, you’re annoyed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, fist-of-victory!”  You snap your fingers like the queen you are.  “Am I too snazzy for you?  Do my rainbows ruin the whole Neanderthal vibe you got going on there?”

Loud snorts and chuckles pull you back.  The redheaded vixen you know already as Black Widow is pinching her nose to stifle her laughter, and Tony is looking to the heavens in askance but emotional stability is not forthcoming.

“Wow.”  The brunette says flatly.

“Fist of victory.” Tony ponders, eyes twinkling.  “I like that.”  He levels an amused gaze at you, rolling his next words around in his mouth.  “Manchurian candidate is a little out-dated, wouldn’t you say, Barnes? Ready for an upgrade?”

Oh shit!  Your eyes get big.  The brunette is none other than the infamous Winter Soldier.  You should have known by the arm.  Show no weakness!  Your brain screams.

“What’s the official title for that skill, you have?” Steve Rogers has gotten his face to cooperate, now there’s no trace of a smirk.  “Light manipulation?”  

“Walking disco ball.” You put on the light show again, manipulating the effects so the lights are dancing across the, now stormy grey, eyes of one Sergeant Barnes.

“It’s definitely distracting.”  Natasha says objectively.  “Could be useful.”

“See!  That’s what I said!”  You punch the air, sending the lights into a frenzy.

“I have a theory.” Tony is playing his cards close to his chest still.  “That’s why y/n is here.  She’s agreed to work with us, and at the very least she can be a supportive member of the team.”

“Team, frickin’, playahhh!”  You holler, earning a concerned look from Rogers and a downright obnoxious groan from Barnes.  “What?  What you complaining at?  You fucking love me already!”

The truth was that you didn’t know how your ability worked.  You could feel it when you did your thang, like the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end and the air in your hand felt stiff and substantial.

Better not talk about hands full of substantial stiff things around grandad Tony, he might kick the bucket.

You could manipulate the amount of reflections in your light show by making the air heavier, make them move, dance, even adjust the size of them a little.   Agreeing to work with The Avengers had been a no brainer; you get paid, get a place to stay that isn’t full of the stench of sadness and cat piss, and you get to find out more about your ability.  Win, win, win.

+++ A couple of weeks later +++

“You really expect me to take Rainbow Brite on this mission?”  Barnes has his arms crossed across his chest, refusal crinkling his brown and pursing his lips into a thin line.  The guy looks hot in tac gear.  One bicep straining against the material, the other is obviously free and oh-so-fucking-awesome.  Thighs tight under those black tac pants, thigh holster accenting the flex of muscle as he shifts his weight.  Wait-what!?

“Wait a fucking minute!”  You squawk.  “Rainbow Brite?  Oh, hell no!”  You march up to him, similarly decked out in black gear that makes you look like some tiny recruit in ill-fitting body armour instead of badass like him.

There’s a smirk on his perfect mouth now, dusky pink lips lop-sided with amusement, and the twinkle in his eyes is more than a little alluring.  What the fuck?

“Huh.”  You stop your tirade, blinking, baffled.  He’s playing with you.  Trying to get you pissed so you’ll refuse to go, or maybe he wants you to go so you’ll make a fool of yourself and Tony will see you’re not useful. Too many mind-games already, you don’t have the patience for this shit, so you go with an insult instead.  “If I’m Rainbow fucking Brite then that makes you Twink.  Dink!”

“Well, he does epitomise my sparkling personality.”  Sardonic, deadpan.  It’s classic brooding Barnes and you’re almost proud that he got an 80’s pop culture reference.  Almost.

“And they did rename him Mr fucking Glitters back in 2014.”  You pout, adopting his stance, arms crossed.

“Perfect!”  Tony pops m&ms into his mouth, turning away dismissively.  “Rainbow Brite and Mr Glitters it is.  Head to the carpool, there’s a vehicle waiting for you both.”

There was no getting away from this mission.  You’d grumbled, griped, whined, and begged Tony to send you with anyone but Broody Barnes but the Iron Man was true to his alter ego, he did not budge.

You are about to take a few pot shots at him in the insults department when Barnes’s voice comes over the earpiece you have already been fitted with.

“Earth to disco ball. Get in the damn car already.”

“It’s disco diva to you, giant cocksicle.”

He laughs at that and is still grinning when you slide into the passenger seat beside him.

“You’ve got some mouth on you, kid.”  Was that acceptance?  Admiration? Whatever it was it looked good on him.

“Yeah, you know you want my mouth.”  It sounded better in your head but now that it’s out it can’t be taken back.  Barnes looks a little frowny but at least he’s got nothing to say so you can quietly die in peace.

Can someone cringe so much they die?  You might find out.

The mission is surveillance.  Low-key observations of a facility out in Nova Scotia that makes products for iGoddess, a beauty company owned and run by Gabrielle Porter, the niece of one Alexander Pearce, crime syndicate king-pin and scumbag extraordinaire.

You know the company; you buy their stuff.  Well, you do now you can afford it and it’s not wasted under the scent of cat urine and bleach.  How can a company so devoted to making women feel special and empowered be mixed up with drugs, weapons and human trafficking?  Fucking bullshit, that’s what it is.

Bucky had ditched the car in the parking lot of a lake-side leisure and visitors centre about fifteen miles away, and with gaudy waterproof outerwear over your tac gear, you had begun the hike that would set you smack-bang in the middle of nowhere good.  Posing as hikers had been Tony’s brief but you’re cold and bored, and your body aches from being on the solid ground.

You’re both lay just behind the crest of a hill a little way away from your target building.  Bucky mutters his observations into his comms as you look through your own binoculars trying to see what he’s looking at.  He’s talking guard numbers and movements, the weapons they carry, security features and people entering or leaving the facility. It’s no use, you’re not cut out for this.  Surveillance is soul destroying.  You’d rather be interred in Tony’s kitchen, at least there’s coffee there.

Not even an hour in and you’re itching to get up and move around.  The hike had gotten your blood pumping but now you’re going stir-crazy, joints tingling with the need for motion.

Boring.  Boring.  But at least you can entertain yourself.  Where there’s light there’s beauty and you tease the air through your gloves, finding that your skin doesn’t need to be bare for you to create the effect.  Well whadd’ya know.

“There’s movement.” Bucky warns.  “Looks like some of the guards are exiting the compound.”

You snort, they’re probably bored too.

“A Jeep and a couple of motorbikes, moving quickly.”

“Sounds like they’re going home.”  You mumble, focused on the lights in your hand.

“They’re headed this way.” He curses.  “Grab your- What the HELL are you doing?”

Bucky tackles you to the ground from where you were on your knees almost at the hill’s crest.

“Asshole!”  You’re trying to get away from him but he pins you to the ground.

“I’m the asshole?” He complains as he rolls off you, sliding down the hill on his ass, shoving his gear unceremoniously into his backpack. “Mission compromised.”

“What happened?” Tony’s disembodied voice doesn’t sound happy.

“We were spotted.”  At the bottom of the hill, Bucky starts picking a path through the rocks and small fissures hidden by the wild grass and heathers. A quick glance back tells him you’re not following; you’re caught.

“Uh, hi, guys.”  You chuckle nervously as one of the guards levels an assault rifle at you.  “Would you believe we’re winners of a free weekend iGoddess Spa?”

Bucky is livid.  If it had just been him, he could have taken them out and escaped, but, no.  Tony had to insist that he bring you, show you the ropes, look after you.  Babysit you.

He snorts.  You don’t need a minder you need to be put in a padded room where you can’t inflict any more of your weird bullshit on him. Fucking rainbows.  What kind of skill is that, other than one that gets you caught?

Eight hours ago you were both doing great.  There’d been some small-talk in the car, he’d opened up a little and you’d responded. Even on the hike over you’d been great, your filthy mouth was a source of much amusement for him, and you’d listened. His instructions were followed close enough to the letter, and he was happy.  Everything was good.

Now it’s all fallen to shit and he’s locked up in a heavy-duty restraint chair that brings back memories of dark places and dark times for him.  To his side, you’re slumped forward in a regular wooden chair, cable-ties binding your wrists and ankles to the wood, pulling at your skin, making your hands and feet turn blue.  How the hell are you both supposed to get out of this?

He’s watching the movements of your chest that tell him you’re still breathing.  The cut on your head has stopped bleeding but you’re drooling blood-tainted saliva down your grey rash-guard.  Both of you had been stripped down to your undergarments and checked for hidden weapons.  He was the first to be incapacitated as they’d used you as leverage, holding a gun to your head until he complied, stripped, and submitted to the chair. When they’d took away your gear you’d fought and Bucky had seen red; he’d strained against the chair until the butt of a gun to the head had put a stop to that.  When he came to you were out cold, beaten and bloody.  How hard had you fought?

Your feet and hands are turning purple now.  The weight of your body pulling the restraints against your skin is making the plastic ties dig deep, cutting off the circulation.

“Y/n?”  Bucky hisses, hoping the noise doesn’t prompt the guards to come back.  “Y/n! Wake up!”

The room you’re in looks like an interview room. ��Two-way mirror, camera in the corner, reinforced door with heavy-duty locks that were strangely not engaged.  It’s grey and cold, and the only things in the room are the two chairs and you two. The device Bucky is locked into is bolted into the floor; a permanent feature, like they expected him or maybe Steve. He tests the chair again.  It creaks but doesn’t give.  He’d have to really put some brute strength into it to break out, and that would create too much noise.  He’d wait.

“Y/n!”  A little louder now, and you stir.

He keeps talking to you, just bullshit words, what he wants for dinner, what film he’s going to watch when he’s home safe.  Anything to help draw you back to consciousness.

“You wana watch a film with me, y/n?”  He thought for sure you’d tell him to go fuck himself.

You moan, head lolling as you come back to him.

“Hey!  Rainbow Brite!”

“Fuck you.”  It’s a whisper but he’ll take it.

“There she is.”  He allows himself a relieved smile.  “C’mon, sweetheart.  I need you to sit up for me.  Take the weight off those ties before there’s any permanent damage.”

It takes a few more moments before you can shuffle yourself properly into the chair, then you’re flexing your hands and feet to get the blood moving again.

“Oh-god-it-hurts-so-fucking-bad!”  You are practically wailing as the pins and needles sensation in your extremities reaches a peak.  The slightest movement now sends a cacophony of intense pain into your limbs.

“It’ll be over soon.” Bucky sooths.

“Why are you being nice to me after I got us caught?”  You eye him suspiciously, flapping your hands to rush the blood into your fingers.  Rip the band aid off.  “Is this some kind of prank?  Ohhhhhhh!  This is an initiation isn’t it?  Oh, I see. Where’s Iron Doosh?  Hey!  Tony!”

“Would you shut up?  This is real.  We’re really captured.”  Bucky hisses.

“Tony Stank, Skank, Spah-hank.”  You sing-song as you struggle against your restraints, examining your bound feet through spread knees.  “I hope this is one of the chairs from his good dining set.”  You stand, leaning forward and centring your weight above your bent knees.

“What are you doing?”

“Just need to…”  You shuffle over to the mirror.

“No, y/n, wait!” Bucky begs.  “Don’t break the glass.”  His frantic expression says the rest.  Your feet are bare and you’ll shred yourself to ribbons.

“What?  You’re crazy.  Why would I do that?”  You chuckle, amused that he’s so worried.  “There’s no one in there.”  You wink at him.  “They’d be in here by now if there were.”

You shuffle a bit more and grunt as you throw yourself backward to the ground.  The chair cracks but doesn’t break.

“Fuck!”  You struggle some more, grunting and groaning like a butch female tennis player in a grand slam.  One of the arms loosens and you fight against the wood until you get your left hand free, then you’re reaching into your hair for a bobby pin to jam into the clasp of the cable tie on your right arm.

Moments later, you’re free and rushing to Bucky who is fighting against his own restraints. There’s sweat beading on his bare chest and his hair is sticking to his forehead.  A quick swipe of your hand clears his brow and he stills, watching you as you search the chair for whatever mechanism has him trapped.

“There’s a big red lever at the back.”  You muse. “You think it’s an ejector seat?” A cheeky wink.  “If I sit in your lap we can both go for a ride.”  You don’t have time for giggling and flirtation, but you do it anyway.

“Y/n.”  Bucky chastises lightly.

“What?  This is every girl’s wet dream.  Every, damn, girl.”  You mumble as you grip the handle.  “And I can’t even enjoy it.”

“Just pull the damn thing already.  We don’t have time to mess around.”

“Pity.”  You tug the lever and a loud hiss fills the room, pressure releasing from the chair.

Bucky is on his feet and at the door before you make three steps.  He’s rubbing his right forearm where the metal clamps had bitten into his flesh, there’s blood there too, long ago dried.

“There’s movement out there.”  He has his ear to the door.  “I need a weapon, we need our gear, and we need a vehicle.”

“I need some chocolate and bottle of wine.”

“What?”

“Are we not making a shopping list?”

Bucky rolls his eyes and grabs your wrist.  “C’mon.”

With the door cracked open, Bucky can see movement at the end of the corridor; there’s a security room which is promising for retrieving your gear, but not if you want to avoid being seen.

“Stay behind me.”  He pushes you towards his back.

You look down at his bum. “No problem.”  You sigh and then you’re moving, your hand on his bare back so you can feel where he’s moving next.

Bucky suddenly shoves you down into a squat, shushing you with a finger held against his lips.  The way he moves is like water, smooth and forceful, carrying the momentum of his body towards a lone guard who has paused at the corner by the security room.  How he hasn’t seen you is a miracle but the man doesn’t even hear Bucky until the his own knife is slipped from its sheath and into the his temple. There’s no sound, no gurgling, not even much blood.  Bucky lowers the body to the floor and cleans the knife on the pants of the dead man.

Looking at him now, you can see why people fear him.  His expression is cold, calculating, and focused.  It’s necessary, the distance he puts between himself and the act of killing.  Even when Bucky was him, there was always a distance; a gap between him and his orders.  Now the killing is his choice and he has to live with that, there’s no excuse of mind control now.  This is all him.

The security room has one guard inside who is overpowered moments after Bucky opens the door.

Fucking amateurs, you think.  Does that room not have cameras that cover the door and surrounding corridors?

Turns out that it does and the reason the guard hadn’t seen you was because he was sexting his girlfriend.

“Sexting?”

“Yeah.  Like sex role play and talking dirty over text.”  You snort.  “Jeez, you’re old.”

“What can I say? You’re broadening my horizons.” He winks then and it’s so out of place in this grim situation that you laugh nervously.  “Sounds fun.”

“Well don’t take tips from this guy.”  You wave his phone in the air loosely.  “He’s fucking terrible at it.”

“What’s bad about it?”

You’re not sure if he means to ask that, he’s busy trying to get outside communication through the phones which seem to be keycode protected and also checking through the security feeds to see if he can find your gear and a way out of this for you both; he’s clearly distracted.  At least he’s happy now that he has a pair of handguns and a pair of knives, no weapons for you because you haven’t completed your firearms training yet.  But let’s face it, who would arm you anyway?  You were a disaster waiting to happen.

“He’s a bit of a wham-bam-thankyou-ma’am kinda guy.”  You chuckle. Bucky is going to regret starting you off down this line of conversation.  “His poor woman has probably never experienced even mediocre sex with this schmuck if his sext skills are anything to go by.”

“Too eager to bury the bone?”  Bucky sounds distant, but he is listening to you as he checks drawers for weapons, keys and anything else that might be useful.  God knows your gear was nowhere to be found.

“Check it.”  You hop up on the desk near him and scroll through the laughable chat.  You feel slightly guilty reading this guy’s private shit but he’s dead so he isn’t going to care.  Reading from the chat, you do fake voices.  “So she’s like ‘hey baby, you free tonight?  I got something for you.’ Peach emoji, cat emoji.  And he’s like ‘you off your period? Can we bang?’  I mean, what the fuck dude?”

Bucky is smirking when you look at him.  “What did she say?”  He straps both thigh holsters to his almost naked body.  It’s comical how he’s gearing up from salvaged stuff wearing only a pair of skin-tight spandex shorts that leave nothing to the imagination. Once Bucky is packing (in more ways than one, now) you have to force your eyes elsewhere.

“’Yeah, baby! I missed you so bad.  Can’t wait to be in your arms again.’  She just wants lovin’ y’know?”  You spoke the line in a soft, breathy voice.  Fake, of course.

“And what did he say?” Bucky is checking the monitors one last time before he moves to the door.

“You like a bit of sexting? Huh, Barnes?”  You smirk, eying him mischievously.  “Living vicariously through the sexting chronicles of Captain Dick-Down over there?”

“Just looking to know what not to do if the opportunity for sexting ever arises.”  It’s light-hearted and completely unlike the grumpy Bucky you’re used to.  Maybe there was something in the air; sex pollen or something.  That’s totally a thing.  “C’mon.”  He says after a moment, eyes twinkling with mirth, soft lips pulling up to the side in a cute smile.  “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

It’s comedy gold, the pair of you running the halls of an apparently secret part of the factory, him in his tight little shorts and you in your panties and spandex t-shirt over a sports bra that makes your rack look like a uni-boob.  You awkwardly tug your rash-guard down over your ass whenever Bucky is behind you and you’re thankful you didn’t wear a thong though that would be better than skid marks.  God, you hoped you’d not shat yourself when they beat you.

You barely encounter anyone until you’re almost at the warehouse; Bucky is so stealthy that even with you hindering him, he only has to subdue one foreman and drag you into a cleaning supply closet once, to avoid a pair of patrolling guards.  Not that you’re complaining, being squashed up against an almost naked super soldier gave you endless thrills, even if he was all stiff and awkward about it.

Bucky stalls before the double doors that lead to the warehouse.  There’s a heavy plastic strip curtain over the exit too, it’s almost opaque with age and hinders your view of what is beyond the meshed safety-glass of the door’s small windows.

“They know we’re coming.” He whispers to you, mere inches away. “There’s a lot of them out there and I can’t keep you safe if you disobey orders.  So, please,” he begs, “please do as I tell you.”

He begs so sweetly, you think, blushing.  But you’re not one for passing an opportunity for inappropriate comments.

“I’ll be a good girl, Daddy.”  You bat your eyelashes, feigning innocent.  “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Really?”  Bucky doesn’t know whether to blush or be annoyed. You never seem to take anything seriously; it’s always a joke, or something you can twist to your amusement. He gets doubly serious.  “If you die, it’s on me.  You think I haven’t lost enough people over the course of my very long life?  You think I want to wash your blood off my skin later tonight?  Bury you alongside all the other people lost to some fight or other in the name of SHIELD or the Avengers?  I can’t save you if you don’t want to be saved.”

You watch him as he fervently tries to convey the dire nature of your situation, desperate to make you understand that he doesn’t want you to die here, he cares.  His eyes are piercing and your heart is a ricocheting bullet in your chest.  What if you don’t make it out ok?  What if this is it for you?  Both of you? Suddenly, you’re acutely aware that Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier, Fist of HYDRA come Fist of Victory, has cleared himself a little spot in your fucked-up soul, and is there to stay. You don’t want him to get killed because of you, but there’s nothing you can do, you’re not trained for this, or at all really.

You nod once, not trusting your voice in that moment.  You could choke on your words or you could vomit all over yourself.  It’s a lottery, so you say nothing.

“Good girl.”  He gives your shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “Stay behind me.  Be quick, keep low, don’t hesitate, and for Christ’s sake no disco ball.”  There’s a small smile tempting the corners of his lips, like he’s saying he forgives you for getting you both into this mess.  “Ok, sweetheart, lets go.”

Out in the warehouse there’s a whole host of guards and workers, patrolling and overseeing shipments being loaded into lorries.  It look like it’s important, and probably why the majority of the facility is clear of security staff; the merchandise is being moved.

It’s a mad dash, crouching low as you ghost around the edge of the warehouse.  The huge rows of stacks are packed full of boxes and crates, further obscuring your movement around the area.  Bucky is silent, especially since he’s barefoot; he’s every bit the assassin he’s hyped to be, but you can’t take him seriously padding around almost naked with the top of his crack showing and his junk all jiggly in the front.

A radio crackles to life. Three personel down.  Prisoners have escaped.  Cameras last caught them headed your way.  

They must have found the bodies.

“They’re in here somewhere.” A man says, loud and authoritative. “Search the rows, shoot to kill. They’re not low-life mob goons, they’re Avengers and can’t be allowed to live.”

Well that settles that, you think, gone are the chances of mere bodily harm.  It’s death or death.

You watch in awe as Bucky scales a nearby stack to stalk one of the patrolling guards.  When his opportunity arises he yanks the man up by the throat, snapping his neck in the process.  You can’t help but admire that metal arm, so sleek and powerful.  You groan, light and lusty, earning you a concerned look from the owner of said appendage.

Killing that guard has yielded an assault rifle, another knife and another handgun.  You’d think Bucky would be too smart to arm you but apparently he’s not.  Silently he points to his eye and then to the gun where he shows you how to turn off the safety, puts the gun in your hand and moves behind you to adjust your grip. He aims for you, pressing his chest against your back and you swear you can feel his junk against your ass.  Once he’s satisfied that you aren’t going to injure yourself, he’s gone from behind you, crouching low at the end of the row.

He grabs another guard and drags him backward.  The struggle is louder than he would have liked, and the man got out a partial shout before his throat was closed forever but Bucky is hopeful that he can thin the numbers down enough to make it possible to get you into a truck and away safely.

Bucky shoves the newest body under the nearest stack and beckons you to him.  You both move like a two-carriage train, he’s the engine and you’re the caboose following in his wake.  He only leaves you to commit murder but you feel lost when he’s gone, cold even.  There’s something alluring about the way he uses his body and your mind drifts to other carnal things.

A hand on your shoulder makes you jump.  There’s more of a commotion going on in the warehouse now, not just the sounds of men moving goods and silently searching for two prisoners.  There are massive amounts of footfall, boots hitting the concrete at speed; bringing in reinforcements from outside.

Bucky is about to whisper in your ear when the squeal of a megaphone pierces the air; he stills with his lips almost touching your skin before pulling back with a frown.

“Sergeant Barnes?” Bucky knows that voice, he’d heard it for years, worked with it, even obeyed it on occasion.  “Save the girl.  Turn yourself in.”

You shake your head, panicked, urgent.  Don’t leave me, your eyes are saying.

A noise nearby draws Bucky’s attention and he suddenly forces you to the ground under a stack where he slots himself immediately after; the security team are searching for you, stealthily stalking the rows.  It’s cramped and dusty, the bottom shelf above you so close you can barely breathe without your back brushing the metal supports.  How Bucky fits is beyond you, the man is a beefcake, all bulk and magnificently defined muscle.  Thinking of him naked is the only thing that keeps you from succumbing to claustrophobia. Something brushes your hand and you jolt, eyes snapping to meet his.  He grasps your hand properly and gives it a reassuring squeeze.  In your chest, something gives.  Maybe your permafrost heart is thawing, maybe you’re about to have a stroke, maybe you really like him.

When the coast is clear, Bucky pulls you free and you emerge into a different row, one with fewer boxes, one you’ll likely be spotted in.  You can just see the massive doorway of the warehouse, double sliding doors like a hangar, several half loaded trucks and maybe forty men with body armour and guns.  One guy in the middle is wearing a full-face helmet with a white skull etched across the features.

“Holy shit!  Is that Punisher?”  You hiss before Bucky can clamp his hand over your mouth, the warning look on his face is stern as he leans in to you.

“Crossbones.”  He corrects you, barely audible despite the proximity.  You still don’t know who that is but he’s totally not as cool as the Punisher, so it doesn’t matter.

His hand is still over your mouth but there’s no point in struggling, you couldn’t break free of him even if you tried, so you push your tongue out and squirm it against his palm, making him recoil in disgust.  Your chuckle is silent and his frown turns to the ghost of a wry smile before his attention is fully back on the man he calls Crossbones.

Bucky is taciturn at the best of times but he’s in full diagnostic mode now, assessing the situation. His eyes flicker around the warehouse from yet another new position.  It seems like he’s trying to get you closer to the trucks but you suspect that’s what Crossbones expects.  There are more men closer to the trucks too and Bucky has already had to kill another two in the latest relocation.  The missing men haven’t gone unnoticed and Crossbones is issuing orders, plugging the gaps so you can’t escape.

“I will find you Barnes.” Crossbone’s voice sounds wet through the megaphone, like he’s salivating with excitement at the prospect of getting his hands on you both again.  “If you turn yourself in, maybe I’ll let the girl live.”

Bucky’s eyes are downcast, like he’s actually considering it, but the moment passes and Bucky’s resolve hardens.  He drags you away towards the end of the row.

“The end of this row has a direct line of sight to the exit.  I need a distraction.  Can you do that for me?”  He whispers.

You nod, lips set in determination.  “One disco ball distraction coming right up.”

“On my mark.”

The fluorescent strip lights overhead create more than enough light for you to use.  With your right hand flat against Bucky’s left shoulder blade and your left manipulating the air to create a huge show of dancing lights, you move in tandem.  Bucky steps out of hiding, keeping you just behind him with his metal arm, he surges forward squeezing off four shots.  The way his arm snaps to aim so quickly is astounding, like he has a targeting chip implanted in his brain.  Who knows, maybe he does.  Four men fall and remain still.  Another three shots, then another two and he’s pulling you into another row at a crouching run to the opposite end as he discards the empty gun and pulls out another. He’s saving the assault rifle for Crossbones.

“Again.”  He instructs gruffly.  “Can you get their eyes?”

“It’s not an exact science this, you know?”  You huff and he seems to know that you’re saying you’ll try your best.  Of course you’d try, but you don’t know much about your power, even after the few months you’d been training with the team.  If it meant you both got out of this alive, you’d flash your tits at the enemy for Christ’s sake.

You emerge again, him with the gun in his metal hand this time, stepping out with you at his back. This time they are ready for you and they start firing before Bucky gets off his first shots.  He makes a dash for a fork-lift with a huge pallet of crates sat at floor level.  He shoots his rounds in threes until the 9-round magazine is done.  The gun is discarded as you both slide behind the cover of the pallets.  Machine guns rattle, pummelling the crates with round after round.  Bucky prays the crates don’t contain munitions.

“I make fourteen down. Twenty-two left.”  His breathing smooth where your is ragged.  You curse yourself for being so unfit that even a tiny bit of stress and exertion leaves you heaving air like a couch potato made to climb stairs.  “Crossbones is a problem.”

“What do we do now?”

Bucky has two handguns, four knives and an assault rifle, you have one gun and your rainbows.  This isn’t going to go well, you think.

“You’re going to hide over there and watch the rear.”  He points to your left.

You smirk.  Now isn’t’ the time for joking.

“I’m going to thin the crowd some more and, if I can, take Crossbones out.”  He looks determined but ridiculous in his underpants, dusted with dirt and debris from the floor that’s stuck to the slightest bit of moisture on his skin.  “This might not work.  Run to the left, hide in the stacks again, stay down and don’t expose yourself.”

You nod and he readies himself to break cover.  The shooting has stopped now and it sounds like the guards are changing positions again. His muscles clench, coiling ready to spring.

“Wait!”  You stop him with a hand on his arm, the metal is unnervingly cool.  Tension builds.  “I wanna fuck you until you pass out.”

“Ummmm.”  Bucky blinks, eyebrows raised in surprise but he’s smiling.  “You’re serious?”

“Yeah, well, no, but, uhhhh.”  You splutter, this hadn’t gone well at all.  “I couldn’t let you go without telling you, you know, what Captain Dick Down said to his girl.  You asked, for future reference, and all.”

“Oh.  Right.”  He frowns, turning away again.  “Move when I do.”  He orders stiffly, preparing to move.

Well, shit!

“Bucky, wait.”  Your voice is softer this time, tears prickling your eyes.  There’s a chance that neither of you will make it through this and it’s suddenly hit you that there’s something missing.

“What now?”  He grumbles, turning to find you closer than he expected.

You surge forward, cupping his jaw in your hands as you capture his lips in a kiss that’s both urgent and needy.  You don’t care if he doesn’t respond, you need to feel this before it’s too late. All this tension between you, the jibes and snarky banter, it’s unresolved and sexual in nature.  You want him, and if this is all you can have then so be it.  One stolen moment before it all slips through your fingers, and you both go to your graves.

You’re already pulling back when he snaps back to attention, quickly pulling you back for another kiss. His tongue delicately touches between the seal of your lips and you sigh with longing.

“You ready?”  You pull away but he’s still clearing his head, trying to focus again.

On your feet you’re running out, pumping your legs as fast as you can, heading to the wrong place. Machine guns stutter to life and Bucky is on your heels a second later, fear contorting his features as he scoops you up in his metal arm and returns fire almost blindly.  He’s shielding your body with his own and yips like a wounded pup when the bullets find him.

On your knees beneath the curved shield of his back you see the enemy are far closer than you thought. Everything in you yelled stop and you felt the pressure rise through your body and out, cascading off you like a roiling storm.

The bullets stop but the guns are still firing, muffled by the thickness of the air.  Despite the pain in his lower back and hip, he turns to see what’s happening.  Bullets sluggishly pushing through the air like flies in syrup, all but stopped and slightly redirected on a path that will take them away from a central focal point that is you.  You’re doing this, shielding you both as if by some miracle, your power not only refracting the light causing rainbows but acting like a forcefield.

“As much as I have to break up this little party, I really can’t have you killing my friends.”  The voice of Tony Stark is heard a second before the Iron Man himself and several of his Iron Legion appear and shoot each and every remaining guard with a taser disc, stunning them into unconsciousness.

Crossbones is a different matter and is somehow resistant to the zapping he just got.  He levels a grenade launcher at the stacks near where you and Bucky are crouched and fires.  No air shield will save you from all of that falling metal, but Bucky is still fast despite his wounds.  There’s blood running down his leg in rivulets as he pulls you to safety, and shields you instinctively with his body once more while the sound of explosions and grinding metal fill the air.

“I did not know I could do that.”  You praise yourself.

“I still got shot.”

“It’s just a flesh wound.” You snort.  “Walk it off.”

“You’re a real ray of sunshine, you know that?”

“I must be something special if you took one in the ass for me.”  You wink.  “I hope it heals puckered, then you’ll have two rusty bullet holes.”

“STARK!”  He shouts but pulls you closer to him.  “Evac for one.  She’s walking hom-owwww!”  You pinch the skin on the inside of his thigh viciously enough that he shoves you out of his embrace.

You both stay close on the Quinjet home.  Bucky had been confused as to how Stark had known to mount a rescue mission but when you produced Captain Dick Down’s phone from your uni-boob bra it all became apparent. All of the comms in the facility had been locked down but that was a personal device, one that probably wasn’t allowed to be carried.  Good old Captain Dick Down.

The facility had been put to a far worse use than drugs and weapons trafficking.  iGoddess was a front for human trafficking and also human experimentation.  The restraint chair they had strapped Bucky into had been used to restrain test subjects; Alexander Pearce was trying to replicate the super serum that made Steve and Bucky what they were.

“So, this was a win for us.” Steve said in the debrief.  “Our intel was lacking but it worked out in the end.”

“Says you who didn’t get shot in the ass cheek.”  Bucky grumbled, shifting cautiously on the Mr Glitters cushion you’d given him as a joke.

“I got to see some wonderful scenery,” you grin brilliantly, “so I’m not complaining.”

There had been no further discussion about the kiss you and Bucky had shared when you thought you might die in that place, but that’s ok.  Your daily thrills are made up of making him squirm, and since you two had become closer since your ordeal, you have had several of moments like those.  There’s plenty of time and you’re prepared to play the long game, starting with your newest idea.  You pull out your phone and casually write a text while Steve is rambling on about seized research and assets.

[I’m so turned on right now].

Bonus add-on for this work:  Captain Dick Down - External link to AO3

Because apparently 7k words wasn’t enough and I just had to try my hand at a little text chat/social media piece.  It’s more of an embellishment.  Enjoy

And if you liked this story, why not try Good Ole Stuffing, a smutty follow on for the same reader/character.

[sherlollydramoine]

Zara’s Red Carpet Debut

This is just a follow up to the Uncle Rami piece I wrote yesterday. I had an idea and I ran with it. Thank you to @diasimar for the ideas and suggestions. This is just tooth rotting fluff, so watch out, if you don’t already have it, you might end up with a case of diabetes after reading this.

Word Count: 2185

Zara was Rami’s absolute favorite child. She wasn’t his child of course but of all of his nieces and nephews, okay he only has one niece, this child was his favorite. So when awards season rolled around and he was once again invited to attend the Oscars he instantly knew exactly who he wanted to take as his date.He’d called in a favor to one of his designer friends at YSL, and once his sister had sent him Zara’s measurements, had placed the order for the custom dress. He even had his jacket made to match some of the tiny details of Zara’s dress. 

When Zara found out that she was going to be Rami’s date she was so excited that she could barely contain herself and then she firmly reminded him that no outfit was complete with a tiara. He softly chuckled to himself and as soon as she disconnected the line, he immediately went about calling in favors from some jewelry designers until  he found one that could create exactly what he was looking for. She was now going to be the proud owner of a real diamond and ruby princess tiara and he was eagerly anticipating her reaction.

The several weeks leading up the event consisted of daily phone calls from Zara reminding him that he better take her to McDonald’s and also that he had to introduce her to Captain America because he is sooooo cute. He rolled his eyes and promised that if he was there that he would ensure a meet up. 

His sister flew with Zara out to LA and only stayed a few hours before she had to catch a return flight back home. Rami would be flying with Zara to take her back home in a couple of days, so that Z could also spend some time with Uncle Sami and grandma. Before his sister left she made Rami promise not to let Zara get too bossy and no McDonald’s. Rami just smiled at his sister, crossed his fingers behind his back and lied his ass off much to Z’s delight. 

On the big day they had spent most of being groomed and pampered. He had someone come in to do his niece's hair exactly how she wanted it, she got her nails done and was even allowed to wear a little makeup though his sister would ream him for that one later. Little Z was loving every second of the attention that was being lavished on her, but she was quite particular. For one so small she sure knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it, much to the chagrin of the unsuspecting hairstylist.

Other than being a little sassy she was fairly calm throughout the preparation process, even took a nap for her uncle to help prevent any meltdowns later. As it were she was currently full of excess energy. She was such a chatterbox throughout the afternoon asking her hairstylist, the nail tech, and the makeup artist every question she could ever think of to ask and Rami had to intervene a few times when she started sharing personal details about her two favorite uncles. Rami was still an incredibly private person so having details of his life spilled because of his niece’s mouth was embarrassing. It was a risk he was willing to take by taking her along with him tonight.

“What’s that?” Zara asks the hairstylist when she started to mess with the box that Rami had left on the table as he walked away to go get dressed.

“It’s a special surprise Z,” Rami called out through the bedroom door that had been left slightly ajar.

“I wanna know what my surprise is!”she demanded with a pout, one that was so adorable and rivaled that of her two uncles. 

“I’ll be out in a second and then you can see. Remember what I told you about tonight?.”

With a dramatic sigh she mumbles out, “Patience.”

“That’s right. Patience. It’s hard I know, but there might be some waiting around tonight and you might get a little bored but remember patience is going to be key.” Rami explains as he emerges from the bedroom wearing just his pants and his dress shirt that was only partially buttoned.

“You can open it now” he tells the stylist, who with a nod opens the heavy box slowly.

Rami visibly flinched when little Z saw what the box contained and let out a piercing, high pitched squeal of delight.

“You remembered! My princess tiara!”

“Of course little one, I wouldn’t forget such an important detail as the princess tiara. According to you no outfit is complete with a tiara. I even have a small one that I’m going to wear tonight pinned to my jacket. It matches yours.”

 The stylist reaches into the box and pulls the tiara out so that little miss attitude could inspect it up close. 

“Are those real sparklies or just fake ones like my tiaras at home?”

“Z, would I let you go on a red carpet with fake sparklies?”

”I LOVE IT!!!!” she screams again, and everyone in the room flinched. 

“This is the glitteriest, sparkliest, prettiest, most awesomest princess tiara in the whole wide world.” She inspects it again, and then hands it to the hairstylist and begs her to hurry up and get it put in place so she can see her reflection in the mirror.

Rami does a little dance inside at Zara’s absolute delight at her surprise. Once the tiara had been put in place and firmly secured Z couldn’t stop staring at her sparkly reflection in the mirror.

“It glitters like a real princess crown and I’m the prettiest princess in the whole wide world,” she rambles.

Rami just laughs and continues trying to fasten the buttons on his shirt, and making sure that everything is properly tucked into place.

After the hairstylist left Uncle Sami stopped by bearing gifts of food and drink for everyone so they could have a little treat together before Rami and Z headed out. Z screamed again at the sight of her other favorite uncle standing there holding a little red box with the golden arched handles.

“Wow, look at you Z you look like a real fairytale princess.”

“I do! Uncle Rami and you are the bestest uncles in the whole wide world!” 

Sami sets the bags of food on the table and kneels down to envelop Zara in a hug but she backs away suddenly.

“What’s the matter Z?” he asks, just as Rami steps out of the bedroom straightening his tie.

“I’m all princessy. I don’t want to get messy before I gotta go with Rami. He says it’s not good to be wrinkled when I have to be with famous people.”

Sami just laughs and cocks a brow.

“Z that's not what I said.” Rami says from the doorway of the bedroom.

“Yes it is!”

“No, what I said was that you didn’t want to get all wrinkled before your photos. You better eat up kiddo. I’m going to go get you a towel so that you don’t get any stains on your pretty dress.”

“Get one for you too!” both Sami and Zara said at the same time. 

Rami just shook his head as he realized that even his seven year old niece knew how clumsy he could be.

Sami helped set up Z’s food while Rami got the towels wrapped around her so that she couldn’t spill anything on her dress.

“Where’s my chocolate milk? I wanted chocolate milk!” Zara complained loudly, making a pouty face as she looked up at her uncles. Her blue-green eyes a similar shade to her uncles were swimming with unshed tears. She really knows how to get what she wants from her uncles, and they’ve never denied her anything.

“Z we decided that it was probably best for you to have Sprite this time just in case you do spill a little bit. It won’t stain your dress.”

The little one just couldn’t seem to understand exactly what both her uncles were trying to explain to her as she began to let a few crocodile tears roll down her face.

Rami kneels in front of her and places a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Hey-hey. Z don’t cry you’ll ruin your pretty makeup. I promise that after the show you can have all the chocolate milk you want but we don’t want any accidents to ruin your pretty dress.”

She snuffles a little bit as she puts her head on her uncle's shoulder.

“Fine. But I don’t like it,’ she huffs indignantly against Rami’s shoulder.

Rami just releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in preparation for a full blown Zara meltdown. Her meltdowns were known to be epic and long-lasting. She’s a stubborn little thing and everyone knows it.

Sami, Rami and Zara finished eating quietly, and with a few minutes to go everyone made their final preparations for the evening. 

A knock at the door signaled that it was time for Rami and Zara to head to the car, which they did hand in hand with Zara delightedly singing some pop song.

*ARRIVING AT THE EVENT*

Rami did the best he could to prepare Z for the insanity that was the red carpet. He’d discussed with her how bright and loud that it can get, and if at any time she gets scared to let him know so that he can make arrangements for her to go with his assistant.

Stepping out of the car he immediately began to hear the fans cheering and the flashes began going off. He was used to this but little Z wasn’t. THis was her red carpet debut after all. He turns around and helps Zara out of the car, and with her small hand in his makes his way towards security. 

Showing his ID and surrendering his tickets  to the man at the entrance, the two of them hand in hand began to make their way down the red carpet. Zara handled the majority of it like a champ.

People yelling his name and wanting his attention, he knew he’d have to stop and do some interviews so he did. But all along the way he would kneel down to Zara’s level when the interviewers were asking him questions. 

“So who is this?” one interviewer asked him.

“I don’t know Z, you wanna tell her who you are?” he says from his crouched position next to his niece.

She smiled brightly for the cameras and responded with,”I’m his favorite niece. I’m Zara and I’m seven.”

“You have got to be the luckiest girl on the whole red carpet” the interviewer says.

“I am. I have the best uncle in the whole entire world. He even bought me my tiara which is made up of real sparklies not like the fake ones I have at home.”

“It’s gorgeous Zara. I’m sure it rivals anything that the Queen of England owns. So Zara, who are you wearing tonight?” the interviewer asks.

“Only the best. My uncle called his friend at YSL and they made me this dress. Isn’t it pretty?” she says as she gives a little twirl to demonstrate the swooshiness of the skirt.

“It’s absolutely stunning! You are for sure the best dressed on the whole carpet tonight.” the interviewer says. Rami chuckles and Zara beams proudly.

“So Zara, one of the questions that we’ve been asking everyone tonight is about hidden talents. Do you or your uncle have any hidden talents?”

Zara stops to think for a second before she rambles, “Yeah. I never stop talking and Uncle Rami is the best at burps and Monster Voice.”

Rami looks mildly horrified for a second before trying to intervene with a nervous chuckle.

“Z, I don’t think that’s what she means by hidden talents.”

“Monster voice?” the interviewer questions.

“Yeah. It’s this thing that he does when we play pretend sometimes. He does lots of other voices too but his Monster voice is my favorite. He’ll chase me around doing the monster voice and it’s so scary but really funny. Then when I let him catch me, he tickles me until I can’t breathe. Then I pretend to escape and I run away and he chases me again.”

“Could we hear the Monster voice?” the interviewer asks.

“No, I don’t really think that’s-”

“Please Rami? You do the best voices and I love Monster voice.”

Rami sighs and of course he’s going to do it. He never says no to little Z. He clears his throat and puts on his “Monster face” that goes with Monster voice and pretends to try and attack Z.

“Monster Rami is gonna get you!” he says, while wiggling his fingers at Z, who responds by squealing in delight and pretending to try and run away. 

They finish the interview and few more that go quite similarly to how that first one went. All in all Zara was a hit on the red carpet. 

Tag List: @xmxisxforxmaybe @free-rami @txmel @r-ahh-mi @itsme690 @ramimedley @safinsscar @ladyr0b0t @youthtea @ramisgirl512 @mrhoemazzello @hissom1933 @spacedustmazzello @sassystrawberryk @ramimalekpan @breadnbutternips @doing-all-write @itslula1991 @warmommy @imnottiredofgettingoveryou @alottanothing @mezzomercury @theultraviolencefan @the-real-ramimalekpeen @hazeleyedbeth @w0lfglrl17 @adoremalek @rawmemalek @lunasasylum @lablanchett @diasimar @zodiyack @sasha--1996 @will-grammer @rami-malek-trash @seven-seas-of-ham-on-rhye @anotheronebitesthedick

[fishandships]

anonymous asked: Sleepover Ask: Romantic self ships are great, but tell me about some familial and platonic self ships! (leahslightlytotheleft)

🌜Self Ship Sleepover!🌛

@leahslightlytotheleft​, thank you so much for the ask! it got super borked somehow when i saved it to my drafts (thanks, tumblr :/) so here’s a reply in awkward post form.

can i just use this as a gush pass to talk about my found family and friends in the cast of Don’t Starve Together?

i love every single one of them (except Maxwell he can’t sit with us) - and even though surviving in a strange world of dark magic can be terrifying they’ve all taught me so much and i wouldn’t trade our experiences together for anything :’)

what the heck, im gonna ramble under the cut:

(from the top, left to right)

Wes is my bro, who shows me every day that friendship transcends the boundary of spoken language. we share a fondness for art and an appreciation of shared silence.

if i end up half as badass as Ms. Wickerbottom i will be able to consider myself a success. she’s fierce and fiercely intelligent, but even though she’s been through so much she’s still kind and compassionate, and a fellow cat lover as well!  

Wigfrid scares me. i admire her energy, just keep it within a reasonable distance of my person, and don’t kill any small animals while i’m around.

(Maxwell hurt my friends and my kid and for that his days are numbered. you better sleep with one eye open, Maxwell.)

Winona is the big sister i always wished i had; tough and smart but still so cheerful and kind!

Woodie is like a brother to me and we’re very similar in a lot of ways - for example, we share a love of the wilderness, flannel, and axes. one time i actually convinced him to bite me so i might become a Were-being like him, but sadly it didn’t work :/

WX-78 is a huge jerk who knows that i love them dearly and they take advantage of that whenever possible. despite their general bad attitude, i think i’m slowly winning them over: they have promised me that when they destroy all humans, they will kill me last. i consider their reform a work-in-progress. currently i’m trying to help them understand art.

Wolfgang reminds me of the Cowardly Lion. i’m determined to at least help him overcome his fears of small harmless animals.

Wormwood is my brother from another lunar Mother - a spiritual sibling, if you will. his presence is a breath of fresh air, and his simple wisdom is always reminding me to stop and smell the flowers with him. i love tending to the communal gardens with him and hanging out together listening to the leaves and grass in the wind.  

Webber is my baby boy, my little ray of sunshine in the darkness of the Constant. he is so precious to me and i would do anything to keep him safe and happy. not that keeping him happy is a challenge - he’s such a cheerful little guy, staying positive and sweet even in the most dire circumstances. i love him so much ;w;

Wurt is ALSO my baby, my precious badass baby girl! i love going swimming with her and reading with her - gosh she’s learning fast :’) - and sometimes wrestling with her. again, i know she’s not really my baby but i do what i can to care for her and support her ambitions just the same.

i really, really admire Warly’s patience and optimism, and particularly his dedication to using his personal skillset to bring happiness to others. he really inspires me, and he’s been good enough to help me learn some new recipes!  

Wilson is my Science Bro. even though our brains are wired very differently, i never get tired of learning from him and helping him with his various projects. he’s always very encouraging of my own scientific endeavors, too!

Willow is so great. she really is. i love her spunk and grit. she’s been through literal hell but still throws herself at life head-on and lives in the moment, and i really admire her for it. her tongue-in-cheek humor makes me smile even when she doesn’t mean to. she reminds me a lot of one of my actual siblings, tbh.  

Wendy scares me a little. i am nevertheless determined to take care of my spooky little daughter and make sure she knows there are still people who love her on this plane of existence, too. 

and of course Wortox is my love, my sweetheart, my darling! he gets lots of attention as my demon bf but i couldn’t just leave him out of this post altogether. he’s so sweet and loving and i adore him 💚

[littlemeowmeowschimmy]

God I Hate You..but I also Love You [Jungkook x Reader]

credit:sweaterpawsjimin

hehehh, can you do a odd/funny scenario w/ our golden maknae, jungkook, where jungkook likes to come to the bathroom while his S/O is in there (showering, or taking make up off etc.) to do his business or annoy her? xD

Requests opened // master list

Genre:Comedy // Fluff

Word Count: 1.5K

A/N: I'm sorry that it has been so long getting to this request anon. After everything that's been going on with my requests and on top of writing original content it took me awhile. I'm going to write this one fairly long in order to make it up to you. Thanks for being so patience!

»»————-　★　————-««

Everyone knew that you were the type of person to not get so outwardly annoyed. Not unless something was bothering to the point of no return, it was easy for you not stay calm. Which brought you into some interesting conversations and arguments over the years. Your parents described you as someone who could kill in one stare if and when you were annoyed. With that being said, your patience slowly started to diminish as you grew older. You were a bright individual, however as time continued to progress, the world slowly started to tear you down.

Some of the reasons were due to outside pressures, high stress levels, and other negative aspects of the world. So when you met your current boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook, he annoyed the hell out of you right away. You weren’t used to his over the top personality. Nor were you used to how quickly and easily he annoyed you. It was just simple things as you were navigating your relationship with him. Such as keeping the lights on when he wasn't in a room, messing with your hair and makeup, and other tiny aspects that brought him some kind of joy.

You started out as friend with Jungkook. Enjoying the simple things with him and the six other boys that tagged along with him. They often told you stories about how Jungkook was relatively shy when they debuted. His personality didn't start showing through until maybe two or three years into their careers. Then it was hard to get him to quiet down or not be the life of the group.

That was one of the biggest things that attracted you to Jungkook. The way that he was so open with others, whilst being the life of the party. It was weird to you to be attracted to someone so openly extroverted. Considering the fact that you were mostly introverted and enjoyed spending your time recharging with animals, such as cats, dogs, and other furry pets. Although, you did get into some arguments with Jungkook about his behavior early on in your friendship. He noticed the small things that would tick you off, use that against you and then quickly apologize if it really offended you.

Another aspect of his that you found rather attractive. Jungkook was selfless as well as very apologetic if he saw his actions were hurting someone. As you grew to know each other, so did your attitudes and views on life change as well. You noticed that you were slowly starting to tolerate his small actions and he was starting to tolerate you small outbursts if he went too far. The other members noticed that Jungkook was also starting to open up to them more about you whenever you weren't around. It was as if he was slowly starting to fall in love with you.

Seokjin would often bicker with Jungkook about how he should treat a woman and what things he should do. However, Jungkook often ignored most of his advice because he could see that most of it didn't fit perfectly with the friendship and soon to be relationship that was blossoming. Jungkook wanted to enjoy his time with you as much as he possibly could, even if that meant sitting down with you and discussing ways in which you both could change. He adored being around you, even finding your small weaknesses to exploit at times.

You on the other hand had gotten used to them. So much so that Jungkook started to call you just as your parents did long before. Patience and less temperamental. Therefore, there was still a few things that did eventually get you annoyed with Jungkook. Especially when you started living together.

It was almost as if you had to learn how to get used to his many quirks all over again. You and Jungkook often shared ideas on how to manage the apartment he rented out. Often the power surges where fighting each other, but in the end everything worked out.

Which leads you to waking up one morning past your alarm. Jungkook was sleeping in perusual, because he didn't have to go to work right away. You on the other hand, had to classes to attend whilst being as undercover as you possibly could. Since you started dating Jungkook, pictures of you two together had leaked. Thankfully no pictures of you at your campus had leaked out to the public. Occasionally, those who saw your face with Jungkook often reached out to speak to you.

They were often ARMYs curious as to how your relationship was going and wanted to know as much detail as they possibly could about Jungkook. It was once in a blue moon would you get the occasional questions that you often felt too grossed out to answer.

You quickly jumped out of bed, pushing those thoughts aside as you rushed into the bathroom. Only to quickly grab all of your makeup and set it on the counter. Normally you would take your time getting up. Lying in bed cuddling next to a sleeping bunny, whilst trying to think of what you would wear that particular day. Today of all days, you had went to bed rather late, so it was no surprise that you slept through your first alarm.

This commotion had woken up the peaceful bunny as he watched you basically race around the master bedroom. At first he was concerned, but then he had an idea. He wanted to make your day a little less stressful, so he was going to exploit one of your many annoyances.

Messing with you when you were getting ready.

Jungkook rolls himself out of bed, scratching his abdomen and then stretching afterwards. He watches you twist your hair up into a messy bun whilst trying to find some mascara and eyeliner. He slips his slippers on, dragging his feet across the tiled floor and leaning against the doorway into the master bath.

You noticed Jungkook and that shit eating smile he had on his sleepy face. You knew that he was exploiting one of your many annoyances and that caused you to get a little triggered.

"Jungkook please not now." You said in a stern voice your eyes still focusing on your liner as your fingers gingerly sweep a nice brown line connecting to your wings on your outer corners.

"Aw c'mon jagiya~" His rough morning voice coos from the doorway. A small tug at your heart sends you flushing slightly as you tried to focus on what was ahead of you. Quickly, you started to put on your mascara, sweeping it on your top lashes, under lashes, then screwing the cap back on. You put a soft shimmer in the middle of your lids right above the liner. Afterwards, you turned around to see Jungkook standing in front of you.

"Jungkookie please.." You begged watching as he wraps his arms around you pulling you close to him. He was basically squeezing you, moving you back out into the master bedroom. With him doing this, you didn't have anytime to turn off the lights or even try to attempt to style your hair.

"Kookie!" You squealed shifting yourself in his hold. You weren't exactly keen with the idea of being even more late, considering your professor usually took attendance right at the beginning of class. Despite your begging, Jungkook didn't let you go. Instead, he wrapped your legs around his waist, back peddled to the bed and flopped down on his back. You let out a muffled squeal, squeezing yourself closer to him as your bodies bounced up before settling on the bed.

You narrowed your eyes at Jungkook, wiggling your way out of his grasp, only to hold onto you tightly. A low laugh comes from the back of his throat as he watches you struggling to get yourself up. You couldn't help it, he was stronger than you. So you eventually had to sit there and just take him messing with you.

"Kookie, I have class you know. Someone has to get an education in this house." You mocked

"You know I don't give a damn. I graduated with 1.5 GPA." Jungkook teases back sticking his tongue out his fingers brushing against your back under your shirt. At first you shivered to the touch, not really welcoming it as you could feel yourself starting to relax. The little voice in the back of your head was telling you that you should skip, however you knew that you needed this class to graduate.

With that being said, Jungkook had loosen his grip on you. Making it rather easy for you to slip under his fingers and back up. He didn't even care at this point because he could tell that you needed to leave right away. Jungkook watched you scurry around the room, throwing your baggy shirt his way and slipping some fresh clothes on.

He sat up again, running his fingers through his messy locks. When you finished putting your heels on, you clicked your way towards him. Bending forwards and planting a small kiss on his forehead. Jungkook grabbed your palm, squeezing it gently as his way of saying goodbye to you.

"Goodbye Kookie,"

"Goodbye Ms.Bunny." he whispers his own smug grin spreading as you could only shake your head at his playful words.

[kaibagirl007]

Come Undone 4/6

( the fourth part of a mini side-fic series to accompany my RP with @dragontamer05 )

During the couple of weeks since agreeing to their truce, Seto’s days had been spent on his own between worlds whilst he continued to monitor his descendant’s irrational and fluctuating mood via their spiritual link. It wasn’t ideal, but after having realised that his constant presence and persistence only made Kaiba more reluctant,- and disposition and health worse,- he had hoped that the timeout might help the other reclaim some stability and develop a more optimistic frame of mind that would work for them both.

Nothing was altered though, but a small success came when a positive mood change was sensed with no trace of narcotics in use. Was this it? Had his descendant finally heeded some of the advice so many had offered which had been rejected until now? Something had certainly lifted the other’s spirit and he was curious to find out what…

The screeching and screaming sound of what Seto had once been told was ‘music’, filled the cockpit of the dragon jet as his ghostly form materialised in the seat behind the pilot. He peered out at the view beyond the cockpit and groaned as the aircraft looped, causing him to feel queasy. ‘Be thankful I do not possess a physical form’

“You’re not a fan of flying I see.” Kaiba quipped back in amusement as he turned down the sound of the symphonic metal band he’d been listening to. He kept calm as he refused to let the other’s appearance ruin his last remaining pleasure and the good mood flying in his jet gave him. Besides, he was,- rather surprisingly,- starting to miss human interaction these past few days and secretly welcomed the company.

‘If man were meant to fly, Ra would have bestowed us all with wings.’ Seto responded as he timidly glanced down at the earth below them. ‘How can anyone possibly find this enjoyable?’

“Heh, I thought you’d be used to looking down on the world from the afterlife.”

‘Sometimes your ignorance is astounding.’

“Oh, I’m the ignorant one?” Kaiba scoffed. What the hell had he said to offend this time? “That’s rich coming from someone obstinate gaijin who expects his outdated gods, rituals and beliefs to still be relevant thousands of years later, and on a world-wide scale!”

Both exchanged annoyed looks towards each other via a small angled mirror that allowed the pilot to see his passenger behind him.

“I never asked for you to be here, so leave if you so greatly disapprove… But if you choose to remain, don’t preach to me about the past. All that destiny bullshit you’ve been spewing is nothing but just that; bullshit.”

‘Unfortunately for you, it is all true.’ Seto kept his cool as he spoke, though he was gravely disappointed with the attitude that had failed to alter at all in his absence. Maybe if he tackled things from a different angle he’d have a better response? ‘Anyway, I am beginning to doubt if you are even the slightest bit deserving of Kisara.’

“Reverse psychology isn’t going to work on me.” Kaiba smirked as he flew his jet higher. Had the other just tried to play on his ego and expected him to argue his self-worth? Someone really hadn’t been paying attention over these last six months or so. He wasn’t worthy, not after what he’d done.

Silence filled the cockpit as the current track playing came to an end and neither of them spoke during that void. For a moment, Kaiba considered turning his music off altogether before changing his mind as the next track started. He wasn’t listening to it though as his mind focused elsewhere. “Why me? What is it that makes you so strongly believe I’m ‘destined’ to be with Kisara?”

The pharoah’s bait had been taken as his descendant now willingly sought information. ‘That would be my doing.’ Armed with the knowledge that the other had witnessed certain events of ancient Egypt due to the powers of the Millennium Items, Seto’s eyes stared out from the small mirror as he began his explanation. ‘During the days that followed Kisara’s death, I allowed my heart to overrule my head and sought the gods help to free both her Ba and Ka from the stone tablet she had been imprisoned in. It was a decision that divided my council, but as the newly appointed pharaoh, my judgement was final. And so, with Mana’s help, she and I conducted a ritual that made it possible for direct contact with the gods where I attempted to bargain with them many times, each to no avail..’

As Seto paused for a brief moment, Kaiba’s quick glance at the mirror saw eyes glazed in the memories that were now being recalled. Eyes that were far older,- and presumably wiser?,- than any he’d ever seen. There was also a sense of sorrow that seemed to run far deeper than that felt for a woman whom the other had barely known.

‘Lucky for me, my persistence had not gone unnoticed and drew Osiris’ attention. It was him who came to me and made the proposal I would accept.’

“And what proposal would that be?”

‘I was told Kisara would one day be reborn many years from then.’ Seto felt pleased that some kind of progress was being made by the other finally hearing him out. ‘That she and my descendant would meet, perform a ‘union of souls’, and her Ba free to move on into the afterlife once their time together was over.’

Despite what had been said, Kaiba still remained sceptical. Was he seriously supposed to believe that him wedding Kisara was the solution to everything? “If that’s one part of her soul, then what will happen to the other?”

‘Her Ka,- the Blue Eyes White Dragon,- is as immortal as the gods themselves and will remain anchored to the stone tablet. However, she would become free to roam as she pleases. Currently she is tied to the stone tablet, Kisara and your deck. There was another territory for her too, which I believe you destroyed with your own hands.’

“I did no such thing!”

Seto remained calm as a defensive flare in the other’s mood was felt. Even so, he ventured, ‘Are you sure?’

Kaiba felt his breath catch in his throat. Could it be possible that the incident where he had torn the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon card is what was being spoken of? Is that what was considered territory for the Ka to roam? No, it couldn’t be. If it was, then that would only add weight to the whole ‘destiny’ bullshit… This is all just inside my head, NONE of this is real, it never has been! I’m experiencing a mental breakdown-

‘This is not breakdown, Seto. You are my descendant and destined to be with Kisara. Her love still burns for you, as yours does for her. Stop hating on yourself and fix things!’

Eyes narrowed at the face staring back at him in the mirror. “Heh, there’s contradiction in your words. Either I fix things or leave it to destiny; which is it?”

‘Destiny made you in my image, bestowed my name on you, and amplified far too many of my negative traits in your personality.’ Seto could feel the other in the early stages of shutting down and did his best to remain calm as he spoke. ‘Not only that, but destiny entrusted Kisara’s Ba to the pregnant archeologist who helped uncover the Blue Eyes’ stone tablet. Destiny then brought you both together in a fateful encounter where you unexplainably fell for each other at first sight. The rest-‘

“Is down to me? Pfft, your prophecy turned out to be a dud. If I were you, I’d ask for a refund.” The jet’s controls made a crunching sound as Kaiba forced the levers and control stick so that the jet performed a twisting u-turn and begin the return journey to the island retreat he owned where he had been staying the last few days to avoid his brother’s surveillance.

The jet’s manoeuvre,- something he sensed had been done on purpose just to spite him,- made Seto queasy and prompted an angry burst. ‘I have not spent three thousand years in solitude just to watch you defy destiny!’

“Three thousand years in solitude? Heh, and people have the nerve to call me antisocial.”

‘Forfeiting my place in the afterlife was the price I paid to Osiris. I cannot move on from my solitary limbo until Kisara is free.’

“Then more fool you.”

‘Grr!’ Seto grit his teeth in frustration. He couldn’t take this much longer and was losing his patience. ‘If you love her as much as you claim you do, you WOULD NOT want for her to be trapped for all eternity!’

“DO NOT blame this on me!” Kaiba was fed up of being accused of predecessor shit he’d had no part of and certainly wasn’t going to foot the blame for something that had happened thousands of years ago. “If you had loved Kisara at all then you wouldn’t have let her die like she did!”

‘I did not foresee, nor could I have prevented what transpired. But I loved her, as was evident by my actions-‘

“Mhmm, you loved her sooo much that you went on to copulate with other women.”

‘YOU are one to talk!’ Seto growled furiously as he stared at his descendant’s reflection. ‘As pharaoh I had an OBLIGATION to find a queen and father an heir. It was NOT because I felt so very little self-worth within myself!’

“Oh yeah?” Kaiba contested defensively at having had his destructive behaviour made light of. “Well, I’m sure your queen and offspring were ‘thrilled’ to be nothing more than commodities for you-“

‘HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT I DO NOT LOVE MY WIFE AND CHILDREN!!’

A nerve had been touched upon, but had not brought the satisfaction Kaiba had previously hoped it would. The other’s choice to use ‘do’ as opposed to ‘did’ told him all he needed to know. Instead of gloating, he found himself concerned for his doppelgänger now struggling to conceal the grief that thousands of years of being kept apart from those he loved had caused. “This whole thing hasn’t just been about Kisara, has it? You’ve an ulterior motive too.”

The soft rumblings of heavy metal played in the background whilst Seto avoided eye contact in the mirror. There was nothing more he wanted to say. It would only be used against him in highlighting his selfishness for wanting to advance to the afterlife. Silently, he looked out amongst the clouds and saw white fluffy dunes as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t too dissimilar from the midnight sands he’d often stared out across from his bedroom window during times of contemplation. Okay, so maybe this sky view wasn’t as unpleasant as he’d first assumed.

His thoughts drifted into memories thousands of years old. Memories that any living being would have long lost the capability to recollect so vividly, yet he did each and every day: the unexpected romance that had blossomed with his wife several months into their arranged marriage; the births of all five of their children; the untimely deaths of two of them; his own death on the battlefield as he lay cradled in his eldest son’s arms, followed by his family,- and kingdom,- mourning him thereafter.

Eventually, the pharaoh swallowed his pride and confided in his descendant. ‘A wounded heart struggles to believe that it will ever love again. I bargained with Osiris before realising I would heal in due time. Not only did I fail to heed the warnings from those closest to me, I naively sacrificed everything beyond life in return for Kisara’s eventually release. There is a part of me that still loves her,- no doubt there always will be,- but I went on to find love again. Even though we’re apart, my wife and our children are where my heart truly resides. The separation from them anguishes me greatly…’

“I’m sorry.” Kaiba’s apology was unexpected but nothing short of sincere. He could not even begin to imagine what the other’s pain felt like to be parted from those he loved for thousands of years. “Had I known, I would have thought twice before acting like such a jerk.”

‘You were acting?’ Seto mocked. He withdrew his gaze from the clouds and returned it to the mirror where he saw a look of compassion awaiting him. He was amazed that it had been his own unbosoming to have broken through the other’s defences. It was progress for both of them which continued as he gave his own apology. ‘I too am sorry, for the burden that destiny-‘ he stopped and amended his choice of words, ‘-for the burden that I placed upon you.’

Hearing somebody apologise so earnestly and profoundly to him was a rarity that Kaiba had only ever experienced one,- possibly twice?,- before. Feeling a slight awkwardness descend on him as a result, his eyes wandered to the sky beyond the cockpit. “Personally, I blame the gods. They’re the ones who preyed upon your grief, toyed with you and then failed to deliver what was promised.”

‘Does your acceptance of the situation mean you will-‘

“No!” Kaiba was quick to interject. “I will not set things right with Kisara… At least, not yet.”

Seto frowned as he felt his descendant’s self-confidence clouded over once more. The absence of the emotional wall between them was a clear indication that some progress was being made, but how long was it going to take before the other rediscovered and found acceptance within himself and realised he was worthy of Kisara’s love? Weeks? Months? A year, five, maybe ten? However long it would be, he wasn’t about to abandon him during the process, though he would let things proceed at their own pace without interference from now on.

“Knowing what you do now, would you have done things differently back then and not made the deal?”

A response was momentarily mulled over before Seto gave his honest reply, ’No. Love is not an emotion that you can just turn on and off whenever you please. At times it may feel like it makes you weak but in actual fact, it fortifies and makes you stronger. I will not deny that it can sometimes seem terrifying too, but once you tame that fear, love becomes nothing short of euphoric. And in my experience, there is no greater feeling known to man than when it is reciprocated.’

Once knowing that feeling himself, Kaiba silently agreed. Having allowed his fear to get so out of control though, he doubted his actions would ever be redeemable for him to feel it again. Maybe they weren’t? “What if… you’re mistaken and I’m not the one mentioned in the prophecy?”

’There is no mistake about it,’ Seto assured in a calm and patient manner. ‘You are the last of my line.’

“You’re forgetting my brother; he and Kisara get along quite well.”

The pharaoh shook his head. ‘My descendants are by male lineage.’

“I assure you, Mokuba is all male.”

‘That fact is not what I am disputing- Oh!’ Seto’s eyes widened with realisation and surprise. ‘You genuinely don’t know.’

“Don’t know what?” Kaiba’s eyes flickered from the view outside the cockpit to the reflection in the small mirror. Why was his ancestor suddenly looking so uneasy? “Wait a minute… are you trying to say that he and I don’t share the same father?”

‘Yes. I am sorry that you found out this way.’

What?! Kaiba shook his head as his face twitched. ”No, that’s… that’s not true… Our mother, she… she wouldn’t… No! You’re wrong! DON’T LIE TO ME!!”

Seto could now sense all of the progress that had been made crumbling fast as the other’s resistance to him began to rapidly reform. ‘Regardless of who his father might be, he is still VERY MUCH your brother. Do not EVER forget that!’

Hot, confused and angry tears silently seeped from Kaiba’s now vacant stare. How was he ever meant to look at Mokuba the same from then on? A half-brother that was the end result of infidelity or rape. More tears symbolised that the remaining happiness of his past had now been well and truly obliterated. He suddenly felt very, very empty…

’Say something,’ Seto gently urged as he did his best to try and console his descendant. ’Do not keep it all in. We both know that only leads to extreme heartache.’

No response.

Aware of not much else besides the fact he was zoning out as he flew, Kaiba attempted to ground himself by focusing on the words of the track softly playing in the background:

…(Blaming it on life will never make you stronger)

BE PREPARED FOR THE CONFRONTATION…

The operatic and death metal lyrics seemed to resonate with Kaiba, like some sort of great epiphany had just occurred.  “Let’s play a little game,” he smirked as he pulled at the controls and took the jet even higher into the sky.

’A game?’ Whilst it wasn’t an unusual stance for his descendant to take when dealing with his issues, the pharaoh failed to see just how this had any connection to everything else.

“You want me to confront my fears, right? That’s what I’m doing.”

Seto made the mistake of looking down below them. ‘Holy Ra, this is EXTREMELY high up!’

Although Kaiba knew his jet was one of the most advanced out there, any higher than the 50,000ft he was now at, he’d be in danger of hypoxia; the air was already thin enough as it was. Not that it mattered, since he’d begin to descend soon enough. “I’m putting an end to this destiny bullshit once and for all.”

‘I do not understand how this-.’

“It’s quite simple. Will I hit the land/sea before the music track ends, or will I get the opportunity to pull up once the music track has ended? Destiny says I’ll live to fly another day, right?”

’That is NOT how it works!’ Seto argued in a panic. Judging from the wild look in the other’s eyes, he had very little chance of getting through to him. ‘What you are attempting to do is nothing but suicidal!’

“Oh, how easily you abandoned your faith!” Kaiba laughed. “Where’s your gods now, huh?” He cranked up the volume of the stereo just as the instrumental break led into more lyrics:

If you blame all your failures on someone else

You avoid every chance

(You've lost your last chance)

(To learn from yourself)

‘Don’t do this, Seto.’

Too late…The jet’s controls were thrust forward and it entered into a sharp nose-diving descent.

If you blame all your failures on someone else

Without any remorse

(Without your remorse)

’STOP THIS! YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!’

No response.

If you don't face the weakness of your own self

You will take the same course

(You'll take the same course)

Seto retreated into his descendant’s mind in the hope he’d be able to avert the situation from there. No such luck though as he found his route block by a fully erect wall and a sinister looking doppelgänger.

’ThIs OnE iS mY DiScIpLe NoW.’

We can't blame all our failures on someone else

FOR OUR OWN PROTECTION

(So much to protect)

’Who are you?’ Seto asked. He wasn’t the slightest bit fazed by the other’s appearance, the voice on the other hand gave him cause for concern.

’SoMeOnE yOu HaVe ChOsEn To ReNoUnCe.’ The doppelgänger’s face momentarily morphed into that of an animal which had been extinct for close to two millennia.

We can't learn from decisions in our own lives

WITHOUT SELF-REFLECTION

(We will never flee from contingency)

’NoW tAkE lEaVe, DeSeRtEr, AnD pRaY tHaT mY bRoThEr WiLl StIlL hOlD tRuE tO hIs WoRd.’ The god of chaos dematerialised through an otherwise impenetrable wall, and the pharaoh found himself banished to the realm between worlds once more.

WE WILL NEVER FLEE FROM CONTINGENCY

The track ended and the tail of the dragon jet skimmed the water’s surface as a sharp ascent was executed.

“I guess there’s actual truth to this destiny bullshit after all,” Kaiba mused aloud whilst experiencing the greatest adrenaline rush he’d ever known. He felt invincible,- no, he was invincible. Fuck everybody else, no-one was going to stop him from living life as he saw fit. TiMe FoR a PaRtY tO cElEbRaTe.

[coalessscence]

✨ TAGGED BY: The Babe (tm), @patiencetaught <3 ✨ TAGGING: UHHH @heavystvff @paperrcages @psychicsass @f-ckingpassword and whoever else wants to do it ???

NAME: star NICKNAME: none??? im accepting if u have Ideas AGE: 19 FACE CLAIM: my boy brendon urie, the hero we need but do not deserve akdhfkghgjh PRONOUNS: she/they. i prefer neutral terms (like ‘person’ instead of ‘woman’, etc) otherwise. HEIGHT: 5′2. BIRTHDAY: September 29th.

AESTHETIC: pastel grunge. that’s the most accurate and universal description of it. i do have this aesthetic blog where you can see what i mean.

LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO: tommy’s party by peach pit  from their audiotree live session is on right now.

FAVORITE MUSE ( S ) YOU’VE WRITTEN: i cant ???? choose that ??? i can say herb is probably among most iconic. tbh herb, ruby, and mira are the three that are most ‘popular’ and who most people know me for writing. but i can’t say i personally prefer one of them.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO TAKE ON YOUR CURRENT MUSE ( THAT YOU ARE POSTING THIS ON ):  this is a multi so idk im just gonna tell you how i am usually inspired to write a muse in general ig???? if i feel like a character connects to me, not necessarily in a “i have a lot in common” with them way but in a “i feel like i get this character” kind of way, the door’s open for me. if i don’t get a character i don’t think i could write them in rp bc that’s a lot of dedication to knowing that muse inside and out. i have a love for every muse i write as a character and i’ve spent many many hours thinking about them and planning out my headcanons from their perspective.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ASPECTS OF YOUR CURRENT MUSE: i think i did this once before and listed something for every single muse but i have like 20 now and i don’t know if it’s gonna be worth it, but i’ll try to make it short because idk how else to answer this. i love lorraine’s boldness, i love andy’s drive to succeed, i love that even though he’s an asshole herb has that inner morality he can’t shake even if he claims to, i love mira’s intelligence, i love jennifer’s self-confidence, i love ezra’s Secret Moral Goodness (tm) that he doesn’t want you to find out about, i love remembrance’s grit and easy determination, i love linda’s unapologetic attitude, i love jacob’s patience and kindness, i love lisbon’s strength and caring,  i love maude’s independence, i love ruby’s ability to keep living even in pain, i love johnny’s bounce-back nature, i love seaborne’s dedication to his work and passion, i love roach’s ability to just always have a good time, i love tommy’s dedication to making the world a better place, i love natsuki’s inherit strength managing to stay as kind as she has considering her home life, i love lucille’s unapologetic nature, and i love bunny’s innate cheer.

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING: real talk my writing was very much developed from adoring the work of my babe @cemonstre / @colorintrusion, all the way back in the day on her tiff tannen blog, i always felt her writing was so above me and the aesthetic was so beautiful and the phrasing was so perfect and i just wished i was even a fraction that good. i would never have worked so hard for the aesthetic my writing has, that i continue to strive for, without her, so i thank her v much for that !!! i would say my writing is defined by a present tense, by focusing on settings and scenes and physical descriptions- not enough to leave you reading paragraphs of description, just mentioning aspects of a scene that are enough to tell you the aesthetic of it without making you read about EVERYTHING. i love to use very conversational and straightforward terms and phrasing to describe how characters are thinking and feeling and juxtaposing it to very flowery scene and setting aesthetic descriptions. i also consider very IC dialogue to be a strong suit of mine most of the time. as far as actual inspiration goes, if i’m having trouble finding it for a muse i’ll watch some of their canon scenes, if applicable, or i’ll listen to their playlists, read past threads ive written w them that i loved, go thru their aesthetic tag, etc.

FAVORITE TYPES OF THREADS: i love me some angst and i also love me some storytelling ??? but everything doesn’t have to be plotted. i love my muses building relationships with other ppl’s, whatever sort those may be. ofc, fluff and unplotted, see-where-it-goes stuff is rad too. i just want to have fun.

BIGGEST STRUGGLE IN REGARDS TO YOUR CURRENT MUSE: i’ll tell you which muses of mine are hardest to write and why bc idk how else to respond to this in my situation: maude standish is pretty tough because she’s probably the only muse of mine who falls on the “evil” side of the character alignment. she’s not a good person and it’s tough to balance things she’s done that WERE good with that? and tough to keep up with her motivations and desires as a result because i relate to her the very least.  lisbon can be hard to write well because i feel like there;s stuff i don’t know about her, i need to do a mentalist rewatch but i haven’t had the time lol. but anyways, she’s often saying the opposite of the truth about herself bc she either doesn’t always know herself as well as she likes to imagine or she doesn’t want you to know her too well. and that can make it tough for me to feel as though i know if it’s accurate or not. remembrance is tough for the same reason- i love her but she tells me nothing. i feel like i know nothing about her and shes my hecking oc adhfkfhg jacob is also tough because he has a very specific dialogue style and i’d say  have the most trouble of all my muses, when it comes to dialogue, with his. it’s a fine line to walk his vocabulary and his old-english phrasing and also the very commonality and down to earth way of connecting he has. frankly, it’s often sort of beyond me. finally, mira can be tough to write because she’s Very Very Smart and im not so i feel like making her the way i did, i frankly i just played myself aldhfkfhg

[labbaik-ya-hussain-as]

A must read:

The Lost Jewel – Rediscovering Hazrat Imam Ali’s (A.S.) Letter

This is a fascinating story.

Pakistan’s premier female poet Fahmida Riaz, read a letter by Imam Ali (A.S.) while browsing through a translation of Nahaj ul Balagha. Today via email, she narrated how she was “so touched, and felt so angry for not knowing about it all my life, because really no one talks about the real jewels of Muslim history, they would rather conceal it from one generation after another”. She took notes from the ancient text and recently quoted it in her paper presented at an Urdu Conference held at Heidelberg, Germany.

On her current sojourn in the USA, she showed this text to Dr. Patricia Sharpe who was impressed enough to put it on her website under the title GOOD GOVERNANCE EARLY MUSLIM STYLE.

In her email Fahmida writes further that “Another American friend in Santa Fe is writing a book for the National Geographic about the achievements of Muslim thinkers and men of the sciences and letters. I showed him the text and he has asked me to forward it to him so that he may include it in his book. ‘The Americans should know about it ,’ he wrote. I have sent him the text, sighing to myself, “..and so should the Muslims”.

But really, what are we ever told about Islam or Muslims other than chopping of arms and killing of infidels? Or we are informed that Muslims once had a great empire, a brutal picture of conquest and subjugation of the so-called “infidels”. What do we know of Hazrat Imam Ali (A.S.) except that he was very brave with a legendary sword? Pretty little.

And writes Riaz: “here is this document, written by him,1500 or so years ago. The sheer beauty of his thought, the largesse of his great heart, the incredible refinement of his mind! It takes your breath away and brings tears to your eyes. And then, his understanding of the class structure of society.. long before anyone in the world paid attention to the composition of society! All this is so incredible.

The other ancient classics about governance that come to mind…. tell you how to invite your enemy to dinner and then stab him in the back. They tell you how to perpetuate your RULE. In comparison, Imam Ali (A.S.) is telling you how to create a State that provides the greatest opportunity for the people to be happy. So great was this man that even being remotely associated with him is an honour that we hardly deserve though we are all born in the fold of his faith.

Another thought that comes to haunt you: Hazrat Imam Ali (A.S.) was so close to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) that he could never say what he did not believe to be the Holy Prophet's (S.A.W) own will? O my God! Then in what unworthy hands his teachings fell! How unfortunate it is for us.”

I wanted to share this excitment and sadness of Fahmida on this space.

Here is the entry in Patricia’s blog where she has reproduced sections of letter and also improved the translations available online:

George W. Bush seems to think that the US political system must be replicated in structure and spirit in order for people to enjoy a decent political system. In fact, the Muslim world also has traditions and texts which establish the principles of good governance. Below are quotes from one such document, a document that might profitably be added to all basic political science syllabi. A close reading might also provide insights and terminology for American public diplomats tasked to engage Muslims in a dialogue about the universal human interest in fair, honest and competent government.

Ali bin Abi Talib (A.S.) Wali-Allah, the First Imam and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet Mohammed Mustafa (S.A.W), wrote a long letter of guidance after appointing Maalik al-Ashtar to be Governor of Egypt. He advises the new governor that his administration will succeed only if he governs with concern for justice, equity, probity and the prosperity of all.

The passages excerpted below illustrate the timeless applicability of Imam Ali’s (A.S.) admonitions. The letter itself is contained in the Nahjal Balaagha, which is a collection of the letters and speeches of the First Imam.

Manifest religious tolerance: Amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you [and] are brothers to you, and those who have religions other than yours, [who] are human beings like you. Men of either category suffer from the same weaknesses and disabilities that human beings are inclined to; they commit sins, indulge in vices either intentionally or foolishly and unintentionally without realizing the enormity of their deeds. Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you.

Equity is best: A policy which is based on equity will be largely appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common men, the have-nots and the depressed persons overbalances the approval of important persons, while

the displeasure of a few big people will be excused…if the general public and the masses of your subjects are happy with you.

The rich always want more: They are the people who will be the worst drag upon you during your moments of peace and happiness, and the least useful to you during your hours of need and adversity. They hate justice the most. They will keep demanding more and more out of State resources and will seldom be satisfied with what they receive and will never be obliged for the favor shown to them if their demands are justifiably refused.

A healthy society is interdependent: The army and the common men who pay taxes are two important classes, but in a well faring state their well-being cannot be guaranteed without proper functioning and preservation of the other classes, the judges and magistrates, the secretaries of the State and the officers of various departments who collect various revenues, maintain law and order as well as preserve peace and amity among the diverse classes of the society. They also guard the rights and privileges of the citizens and look to the performance of various duties by individuals and classes. And the prosperity of this whole set-up depends upon the traders and industrialists. They act as a medium between the consumers and suppliers. They collect the requirements of society. They exert to provide goods….Then comes the class of the poor and the disabled persons. It is absolutely necessary that they should be looked after, helped and provided….at least the minimum necessities for well-being and contented living….

Ensure an honest judiciary: You must select people of excellent character and high caliber with meritorious records….When they realize that they have committed a mistake in judgement, they should not insist on it by trying to justify it….they should not be corrupt, covetous or greedy. They should not be satisfied with ordinary enquiry or scrutiny of a case but…must attach the greatest importance to reasoning, arguments and proofs. They should not get tired of lengthy discussions and arguments.Theymust exhibit patience and perseverance…and when truth is revealed to them they must pass their judgements….These appointments must be made…without any kind of favoritism being shown or influence being accepted; otherwise tyranny, corruption and misrule will reign….Let the judiciary be above every kind of executive pressure or influence, above fear or favour, intrigue or corruption.

Poverty leads to ruination: If a country is prosperous and if its people are well-to-do, then it will happily and willingly bear any burden. The poverty of the people is the actual cause of the devastation and ruination of a country and the main cause of the poverty of the people is the desire of its ruler and officers to amass wealth and possessions whether by fair or foul means.

Corruption undermines national well-being: I want to advise you about your businessmen and industrialists. Treat them well….They are the sources of wealth to the country….One more thing….you must keep an eye over their activities as well. You know that they are usually stingy misers, intensely self-centered and selfish, suffering from the obsession of grasping and accumulating wealth. They often hoard their goods to get more profit out of them by creating scarcity and by indulging in black-marketing.

Stay in touch with the people: You must take care not to cut yourself off from the public. Do not place a curtain of false prestige between you and those over whom you rule. Such pretension and shows of pomp and pride are in reality manifestations of inferiority complex and vanity. The result of such an attitude is that you remain ignorant of the conditions of your subjects and of the actual cases of the events occurring in the State.

Peace brings prosperity: If your enemy invites you to a peace treaty….,never refuse to accept such an offer, because peace will bring rest and comfort to your armies, will relieve you of anxieties and worries, and will bring prosperity and affluence to your people. But even after such treaties be very careful of the enemies and do not place too much confidence in their promises, because they often resort to peace treaties to deceive and delude you and take advantage of your negligence, carelessness and trust. At the same time, be very careful never to break your promise with your enemy; never forsake the protection or support that you have offered to him, never go back upon your word and never violate the terms of the treaty.

History reveals all: Do not reserve for yourself anything which is a common property of all and in which others have equal rights. Do not close your eyes from glaring malpractice of officers, miscarriage of justice and misuse of rights, because you will be held responsible for the wrong thus done to others. In the near future your wrong practices and maladministration will be exposed and you will be held responsible and punished for the wrong done to the helpless and oppressed people.

*The honorific changes, depending on whether the reference derives from the Shia or Sunni tradition. Note also that I changed British spelling to American, have modified some awkwardnesses common to translations into English and have altered some punctuation for clarity’s sake.

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[cipherr]

TRIPLE THREAT also this is a lot but hopefully that’s fine ;3 Razhie: 6, 16, 40, 92; Sievve: 1, 23, 78, 86; Haveni: 9, 32, 44, 94 ! ♡

HOLY SHIT YOU DON’T MESS AROUND ok buckle the fuck up (again) :’D (also thank you so much i love how i can count on you to INDULGE

under the cut :’DD

Razhie’s first!

6. What do they like to wear?oooh man ok so, she definitely has different preferences depending on the situation (also She's Hot And She Knows It so that is used to her advantage a lot) so for basic infiltration she has her current outfit, which is that black body suit with the thin armor plating and knee-high boots. it allows for a lot of mobility with a very decent amount of protection, all while making her look like an Imperial that you don’t want to mess with (plus The Booty is A+) :’D and if she needs to look more commanding and intimidating, she’s happy to bust out that old high-collared chestplate with the long black cape, it’s definitely more conspicuous than her infiltration getup but more effective if she’s not doing a lot of actual spywork. in her downtime, she wears anything that’s snug and comfortable, and likely all black. black and gold is definitely Her Thing so that is her go-to if she’s, say, attending some lavish party for less-than-legitimate reasons :’D

16. What are they like when they’ve gotten too little sleep?THIS IS UNFORTUNATELY HER REALITY TOO MUCH OF THE TIME LMAO she becomes incredibly one-track-minded, because all of her mental capacity is focused on the task at hand. she’s not personable when she’s like this...like, at all...so trying to talk to her is like trying to talk to a wall. the best thing to do is just stay out of her way and let her accomplish her mission, because she won’t stop until she does. her patience is greatly reduced, and this is when she’s most likely to just shoot anyone that might be making things difficult, rather than try to be diplomatic about things.

40. Do they have any scars?HELL YEAH look you don’t live this long as a non-Force-using alien working for the Empire without getting banged up pretty bad :’) she’s been shot, stabbed, zapped by Sith lightning, operated on, tortured, shipwrecked, mauled by various alien fauna, buried alive, thrown from very high places on multiple occasions...it’s a wonder she has all her limbs intact. she doesn’t really have any extremely notable scars (yet...i can think of something that will be happening in her future tho lmao) rather her body is just kind of littered with various remnants of past battles. fortunately she’s been able to be patched up pretty quickly and efficiently, so none of them are particularly prominent, and you’d have to look pretty closely to even see them. but that, of course, can (and will) change :’D

92. What mood are they most often in?100% done :’D she’s Tired, had enough of everyone’s shit (in the Empire and otherwise) and generally just has no fucks left to give. it’s not that she’s bad-natured or anything, in fact she’s managed to get a dry sense of humor from the whole ordeal. she just doesn’t have time for anyone’s bullshit and she’s not afraid to make that known. she’s been through hell and back again, and betrayed more times than she’d care to count. all things considered...her attitude’s not bad LMAO

now for Sievve :D

1. What do they smell like?THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING QUESTION and i like it. Sievve is a very introspective person, and takes the meditation aspect of her daily routine very seriously. i’d imagine she keeps special oils, maybe that remind her of home or of Tython, that she uses when meditating in her chambers. it’s part of how she can stay so calm in all the chaos :’) her scents would probably remind you of the forests where she trained as a padawan, or maybe a dusty library (just filled with datacrons instead of books)all in all, i’d imagine she smells VERY NICE for a Jedi who’s so on-the-go with her saving-the-galaxy business, and all that :’D

23. Do they collect anything?since Jedi are ‘discouraged’ from keeping personal items and all, she doesn’t really collect much of anything, though i absolutely could see her keeping a stone from each planet she visits and lining her chambers with them. rather, she journals extensively, and uses a lot of her free time to catalog everything she learns about....well, everything :’) planets, species, cultures, histories, EVERYTHING. she values knowledge and learning and she’d spend entire days with the ancient noetikons that housed the old Masters and absorb everything they could possibly give her, if she could. all she wants out of her legacy is to pass on everything she’s learned to future generations. she firmly believes that a lot of conflict arises from lack of knowledge or understanding between peoples, so she hopes that through her life’s work she can prevent further conflicts from happening in the future, long after she’s gone. i love her ;w; so yeah, she collects knowledge, basically, and saves it all for future generations :3

78. How do they act when they’re particularly happy?awwww she’s just so damn good natured almost all the time while also being a reserved person, it’s almost kinda hard to imagine what she’d be like when she’s particularly happy :’D i just picture her as just....glowing, basically (not literally lmao) like her presence just radiates peace and calm and i think if she’s especially happy, it’s even more so, to the point where it’d probably be impossible to not be happy when you’re around her. SHE’S JUST SO GOOD -clutches chest-

86. Do they like sweet foods?yes, but she has the self-control to let sweets remain a delicacy :’D i think she’d prefer foods that are more aromatic, probably.

and lastlyyyyy, Haveni! c:

9. Describe the way that they sleep.HMM VERY INTERESTING QUESTION. she’s definitely a quiet sleeper, and probably doesn’t move around much, if at all. she’s also a light sleeper, and any movement or sound could wake her up, alert. she’s a very on-her-toes type of person :’D

32. Pet peeves?dishonesty, absolutely. as a Jedi, she’s pretty damn good at being able to tell when someone’s lying to her, and she’d much rather they just cut that shit out from the start, because it never gets anyone anywhere. also this is probably a bit big for just a ‘pet peeve’ but threatening anyone under her care/on her team/anyone innocent at all is probably the best way to get under her skin AS I KNOW YOU HAVE SEEN LMAO

44. Why might someone love them?hmmm i’m not sure if this question is meant to be like, ‘why would a character from this universe love them’ or ‘why would an actual irl person love this character’ SO since the first one is kinda hard to answer (she’s romancing Doc atm but i’m not invested in that romance or anything, i’m basically just doing it bc it’s there lmAO) i’m gonna go with the second? idk :’Dand this is also just HARD TO ANSWER because as of yet she’s still pretty undeveloped, and i can really only speak for myself....idk. i think she’s just very intriguing? like i’ve always been into the notion of ‘grey’ Jedi (but not in the edgelord kind of way lmao) and Haveni is my best avenue of exploring that. like i have all sorts of problems with the Jedi philosophy and code, and while the Sith aren’t any better--they’re just two extremes--i think a middle ground would be the best way to be, and if i were a Force-sensitive in this universe, that’s probably how i would conduct myself :’D because like, for every insufferable Sith, there’s probably another insufferable Jedi, just for different reasons. but of course, for Haveni, there’s really no place for someone like her in this era... she’s probably gonna end up leaving (or getting kicked out of) the Jedi Order, and i can’t exactly see her becoming a true Sith either. so basically: i love her because i love watching characters walking that thin morality line, especially in a world that has two philosophies that are so cut-and-dry and at war with one another, where doing what SHE FEELS is The Right Thing doesn’t always line up with how she was raised. Haveni and Sievve are like... my two absolute favorite ways to explore Jedi characters, so i basically just have a lot of fun with them :’3but also, at a more personal level: Haveni is well-intentioned, extremely protective, noble-hearted, and wants above all else to do the right thing...she’s just conflicted on how to get there, because her instincts often clash with her training. she will valiantly throw herself in harm’s way to protect the innocent without a moment of hesitation, and justice is one of her main motivations. i know i have my biases, but there are a lot of Things I Love that can be found in Haveni :’D (SORRY THIS ONE PARTICULAR ANSWER ENDED UP SO LONG LMAO i just rambled on and on but that word-vomit was actually very satisfying so yeah)

94. Outlook on life?actually, fairly positive! her situation may look pretty grim--and she has a LOT of hardships ahead of her, and she knows this--but she also has a lot of confidence in her strength and abilities. she’s an incredibly skilled fighter, and the whole thing with Scourge and the “i have waited three hundred years to see the face that came to me in a vision--your face” bit...she believes in destiny, and she knows that whatever her destiny has in store for her, she’s definitely not ordinary, and she has the best fighting chance at survival out of anyone she knows. she’s got that self-confident-and-just-sliiiiightly-cocky attitude, and she wants to be the hero...that’s really all i’ve got for her so far, so we’ll see how all of this goes down :’D it’s gonna be a trip, i’m sure.

PHEW THAT TOOK A WHILE but i had so much fun, thanks so much for asking, i could literally do this all day long :’DD YOU’RE THE BEST

[yumikoflare]

wowie this is a loooong meme - thanks for the tag @wildricebear more like wild loser bear...........

Rules: Answer all questions and tag 20 people. (putting it under the cut bc it’s 100+ questions!)

1. What is your nickname? i go by yumi! my rl nickname has the same amount of letters 🤔

2. What is your zodiac sign? aqua sun / scorp moon

3. What is your favorite book series? not gonna lie i havent read any book series in a looong time but my fav manga series is fukigen na mononokean!

4. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? ofc, i believe in both!

5. Who is your favorite author? errr i honestly don’t have one ahaha but sunrisesongs has some reaaaally nice poetry if that counts

6. What is your current favorite song? rn i’m a huuuge fan of kenshi yonezu’s suna no wakusei, namely the soramafu cover!

7. What is your favorite word? uhh don’t have one.. but the word ‘warmth’ has always struck a chord in me?

8. What was the last song you listened to? i think it was ra ra rasputin b/c someone at band was playing it on his phone LOL

9. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? i don’t watch tv oops  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ can’t think of anime recs either smhhh

10. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? i don’t watch movies if i’m feeling down but i remember enjoying the intern?

11. Do you play video games? mmm a little bit.. i play overwatch and sometimes osu and ive played a couple of mmorpgs here and there 

12. What is your biggest fear? losing my purpose and passion

13. What is your best quality, in your opinion? i’m a good friend! i think that counts

14. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? my lack of patience and intolerance to trials

15. What is your favorite season? winter!!!!!!

16. Are you in a relationship? nah

17. What is something you miss from your childhood? honestly? i don’t miss much in particular from my childhood other than that Sweet Naive Bliss™ because things have been getting better in my life since then so

18. Who is your best friend? nizh, swirl, mari, gil, noah, sam, laura, kayla come to mind

19. What is your eye color? dark brown

20. What is your hair color? dark brown

21. Who is someone you love? all my friends...........

22. Who is someone you trust? the friends i listed earlier!!!

23. Who is someone you think about often? honestly as of recently myself bc im working on bettering myself LOL but other than that, i think of noah kinda often?

24. Are you currently excited about/for something? uuuuhhhh not particularly

25. What is your biggest obsession? currently overwatch

26. What was your favorite TV show as a child? probably spongebob aldsakdsla

27. Do you have any unusual phobias? mmmmmm not sure but my anxiety makes a lot of small things scary so

28. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? both!!!!

29. What is your favorite hobby? honestly not sure... i like writing but recently i’ve been very into photo and video editing so!!!

30. What was the last book you read? probably the hiding place

31. What was the last movie you watched? goosebumps i think? watched it at home w/ my mom bc she hadnt seen it before

32. What musical instruments do you play, if any? [[[the sound of me, panicked, aggressively slamming my mallets into a timpani can be heard in the distance]]]

33. What is your favorite animal? dogs.... i love dogs

34. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow? hm i rly like yamiiino, kaiami, tofuvi, star-plasma, and zandraart!

35. What superpower do you wish you had? healing factor!!!

36. When and where do you feel most at peace? idk, whenever really, surrounded in my closest friends; either that or doing something i love alone

37. What makes you smile? my friends...... also getting praised......

38. What sports do you play, if any? FUNNY JOKE i cant sports

39. What is your favorite drink? hell....... i love lots of different types of teas (black, green, jasmine, honey, etc) and im also a sucker for matcha... and i also like ice blended drinks... and (virgin bc im underage) mojitos.... and smoothies.......... fdgkjkdf i love drinks a lot ok

40. Are you afraid of heights? yes 10000%

41. What is your biggest pet peeve? close-mindedness and intolerance to other ppl/ideas/etc + having to waste resources

42. Have you ever been to a concert? only one! was a mayday parade concert earlier this year

43. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? like everything LOL a singer and an author were prob my biggest ones tho

44. What fictional world would you like to live in? HONESTLY the fukigen na mononokean world would be cool to live in... 

45. What is something you worry about? i simultaneously really like and dread band asdlsakdas

46. Are you scared of the dark? yup orz

47. Do you like to sing? heck yea!!!! singing is so good.....

48. Have you ever skipped school? no bc im a goody two-shoes™ 

49. What is your favorite place on the planet? i dunno! i don’t have one! the world’s so big there’s so many places i still have yet to go!!!

50. Where would you like to live? honestly idk i’m happy with where i am now LOL

51. Do you have any pets? i wish......... i want a doggo so bad but my sister and i are allergic

52. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? i don’t feel like either but i’m closer to a night owl

53. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? both..... the sky is a goddess and im in love with her.....

54. Do you know how to drive? i’m an anxious minor who is too afraid to get near the wheel LOL

55. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? headphones bc earbuds always fall outta my ears and its a Pain

56. Have you ever had braces? nope B)

57. What is your favorite genre of music? ummmmm i don’t have a fav bc i’m kinda flexible but i like alt rock? and j-rock/j-pop?

58. Who is your hero? to be completely honest idk if i have one LOL im my own hero™ B))))

59. Do you read comic books? nah

60. What makes you the most angry? probably the same as #41 as well as like myself?? bc i get frustrated with myself v often and that concept makes me angry asdsa;ldas

61. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? nizh wrote “i like real books but i’m so lazy that i’m more likely to read digital” and i am in agreement

62. What is your favorite subject in school? errrrrrrrr i suppose la? but i’m abt to enter some new classes and learn under totally new teachers so idk it’s bound to change!

63. Do you have any siblings? ye, one older sister

64. What was the last thing you bought? a flowy cardigan from yesterday!!!! im lov it.... i might post a pic of it

65. How tall are you? 5′1′’ and 3/8 sdfkjsdijeiwjeje

66. Can you cook? yo i wish..................

67. What are three things that you love? my friends, music, food/drinks LOL

68. What are three things that you hate? same as #41 and a third thing would prob be conflict?? idk

69. What is your sexual orientation? as far as i know i experience no sexual attraction (asexual) and i experience romantic attraction to anyone and everyone (panromantic) so!

70. Where do you currently live? socal

71. Who was the last person you texted? probably nizh

72. When was the last time you cried? mmmm maybe a week or two ago... i cant recall exactly when so thats good

73. Who is your favorite YouTuber? oooohhh.. im super mainstream but i love arikadou LOL also zylbrad, seagull, and etika

74. Do you like to take selfies? i do! i usually only take selfies like every once in awhile when im feeling cute and when i do i take A Lot

75. What is your favorite app? i lov line camera?? also google photos makes things mucho convenient

76. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? tbh i find my relationship with my parents to be closer than a lot of my friends’ so :0

77. What is your favorite foreign accent? i dunno! french accents are pretty cool

78. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? japan! also the philippines

79. What is your favorite number? idk but i like 5 and 8

80. Do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting? both freak me out but the ocean is pretty interesting

81. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? not in the slightest LOLOL

82. Are you allergic to anything? intolerant to eggs, pretty allergic to any type of nuts so that sucks, n i got those Seasonal Allergies

83. Can you wiggle your ears? NO I HAVENT READ HARRY POTTER

84. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? umm idk how often LOL whenever i think im wrong..?? which is somewhat frequently?

85. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? forests are lovely

86. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? honestly idk......... i remember my dad said smth about how you don’t always have to forgive everyone and by saying ‘it’s okay’ permits the other person to repeat the same action, so i choose my words rly carefully now bc of that :o

87. Are you a good liar? kinda half n half... depends on what i’m lying abt

88. What is your Hogwarts House? iiiiii forgot but it was either ravenclaw or hufflepuff... mightve been the former

89. Do you talk to yourself? YEAH especially when i’m practicing music or video editing

90. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? introvert

91. Do you keep a journal/diary? as of very recently yes bc my therapist recommended me to do so :0

92. Do you believe in second chances? usually in most circumstances

93. Do you believe that people are capable of change? oh yeah definitely, anyone is capable of change, it just depends on their attitude towards it

94. Are you ticklish? yes i hate it

95. Have you ever been on a plane? yep, to san francisco and sacramento and i guess once to texas but that was before i could remember so

96. Do you have any piercings? nope and i don’t rly want any tbh

97. What fictional character do you wish was real? i have nooo idea there’s a lot of thought i’d have to put into this question LOL

98. Do you have any tattoos? nah but if i did they’d be veeeery simplistic

99. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? probably when i decided 1-2 years ago that i wanted to get my life back on track so i could become a person i could love and ive been making progress little by little ever since then

100. Do you believe in karma? mmmmm not reaaallyyyy..... like maybe a little bit but

101. Do you wear glasses or contacts? its ya girl almost legally blind and wearing contacts

102. Do you want children? not sure yet but probably

103. Who is the smartest person you know? no clue omg there are lots of smart ppl in this world

104. What is your most embarrassing memory? sometime in grade school i was sitting at the edge of a playground slide pleading for my friend not to push me down bc i rly had to pee but she did and i literally just pissed all over the slide and we just stared at each other for a long time and that was just........ Very Bad - I HAVE ANOTHER BAD MEMORY THOUGH it wasnt even long ago kill me??? i was at my friend’s house for dinner and her parents asked what my sister was studying and my sister just recently got into college and i had a veeeeeeeery vague grasp on what she was studying so i literally said ‘food and tectonics’ and i wanNA MCDIE BC I MEANT DIETETICS NOT T E C T O N I C S

105. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? mmm not a real one.. most ive done is stayed up til 6amish with nizh before goin to sleep  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ like i’m definitely capable of doing it i just don’t want to

106. What color are most of your clothes? dunno? i have a fairly colorful wardrobe but i almost always wear something w/ black if i’m not going for an all light outfit

107. Do you like adventures? depends on where to bc im very cautious LOL

108. Have you ever been on TV? nope

109. How old are you? how old is ur moM!! dab dab haha xd

110. What is your favorite quote? one of my favs is “there are no happy endings, endings are the saddest part, so just give me a happy middle and a very happy start” by shel silverstein; i have a few others but thats the first that comes to mind

111. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? savory tbhhhh

112. Have your friends ever badly disapponted you? umm not badly but ive been mildly disappointed by a few LOL

113. What is your favorite scent? that clean/fresh linen smell?? and also lavender and then light stuff like eucalyptus mint

114. Random fact you know? the duck-billed platypus can’t keep its eyes open underwater, so it finds its prey by using sensors in its bill that detect electrical impulses n then they strike! theyre pretty cool animals..

115. What is your opinion on long distance relationships? nizh said “hard. just, really hard. not sure if it’s worth it” and i also agree

IT IS OVER wow ok 20 ppl is kind of a lot and this is a loooot of questions so im only gonna tag a tiny bit of ppl (dont have to do it if u dont wanna!): @dunmerhealer | @aftertaste-of-memes | @inspiringnokias yeah that’s it LOL this is just Hella Long so idk how many ppl would be up for doin this so ye  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[teaberrii]

Kings & Queens

A Kuroko No Basuke & Prince Of Tennis Crossover MultiChapter Fanfiction. [Various Pairings]

Summary: Street sports had an uncanny way of bringing people together.

Rating: M

Warnings: Adult Situations, Language, Mild Violence, OCs

Genre: Slice Of Life & Romance

Chapter One: When Worlds Collide

Chapter Two: It’s A Date! 

The moment Kasamatsu decided to step out of the comfort of his own home in exchange for time with Kise came with arguably heavy consequences. While Kasamatsu didn’t necessarily hate spending time with his teammate, the model did unintentionally bring extra baggage that was taking a toll on Kasamatsu’s patience.

“Excuse me,” said a female. With his irritated countenance unchanged, Kasamatsu turned to the female and stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you Kise-kun’s manager?”

“Oh, for crying out loud!”

“Senpai, sorry I made you w–” Kasamatsu’s annoyed glare stopped Kise’s hand before it landed on his shoulder. The blonde chuckled nervously. “A-are you mad?”

“I was just asked if I was your manager.”

“Eh, what’s wrong with that?” asked Kise lightheartedly, his hands now placed behind his head.

The corner of Kasamatsu’s eye twitched.

…

“Hey, did you wait long?”

The familiar voice caught Kise’s attention. He turned around to see Kagami hurriedly approaching a girl considered of short stature. The blonde smiled mischievously as he watched the two walk off towards the nearest train station. This didn’t go unnoticed by Kasamatsu. The former captain of Kaijo’s basketball team had not only saw the curious rendezvous but also the way his teammate was looking at them with much interest. A little too much interest for Kasamatsu’s liking.

“Kagamicchi has a girlfriend!” Kise spun around eagerly. “Senpai, let’s follow them!”

“No,” was the blunt and stern reply.

“You aren’t even a little curious?”

“No, not at all.”

As Kasamatsu stared at Kise’s pouting face and half-heartedly listened to his whine of, “Senpai, you aren’t being serious, right?” Kasamatsu had never regretted the decision of stepping out of his house so deeply before.

“I’m going home.”

“W-wait a minute, senpai!”

~x~

It had been a spontaneous glance from the magazine shelf Inui Sadaharu had been looking at, but the girl had caught his attention. 

From across the street, he was watching her and her unfamiliar male companion talking amicably inside a sports shop. Inui recognized her as a regular from Rikkaidai Fuzoku’s tennis club, a teammate of the girl he was currently accompanying. Inui’s brow furrowed as his eyes went to the tall red haired boy. He glanced at the sports magazine in his hands and back up again. 

It clicked.

“Inui, what are you looking at?” Nozomi approached him with a bag full of snacks. She followed his gaze and saw her friend walk out of the shop just as another male approached them.

“Hey!”

“Tatsuya, you made it!”

...

“Was that a date?”

“It could be a double date,” suggested Inui.

Nozomi was looking at Inui as she said, “With only one girl?”

Pause.

“This situation feels strangely familiar.”

An eyebrow raised, Nozomi asked, “What are you talking about?”

With Inui’s eyes fixated on the magazines in front of him and Nozomi’s attention on the pondering male, they thus missed two males stride past them, one displaying much more enthusiasm than the other.

~x~

With a box of his usual favorites protected tightly in his large hands, Murasakibara had seen Himuro from across the street accompanied by two others. While the sight had sparked an extremely mild interest, his attention was quickly diverted upon noticing his former blonde teammate rushing up the steps of the bridge Murasakibara was currently crossing.

“Kise-chin, what are you doing?”

“Ah, Murasakibaracchi!” exclaimed Kise excitedly. “We’re on a mission!”

“You mean you’re on a mission,” muttered Kasamatsu.

“Don’t be like that, senpai! Why else would you be here then?”

Kasamatsu glared at him. “Yes, I wonder.”

“Senpai, this isn’t any fun,” Kise had said with a pout.

“Why don’t you go by yourself then?” muttered an irritated Kasamatsu.

Kise smiled mischievously. “Because it’s more fun with other people!”

Kasamatsu sighed loudly, his patience wearing incredibly thin until he spotted the recent transfer student from Kise’s class. His fingers begun brushing against his palms, his head slightly lowered and turned, and his eyes were focused on the pavement rather than what was in front of him. Kise had noticed the sudden change in his former captain’s attitude and was proud to know what exactly was causing it. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Kanzaki-chan!” yelled Kise, waving enthusiastically towards his classmate.

Kanzaki Chitose turned and saw Kise Ryouta and the boy she only knew by surname walking towards her, the former approaching much more eagerly than the latter.

“What are you doing here, Kanzaki-chan?”

“I’m babysitting my nephew and his friend.” She gestured toward the two boys playing in the sandbox in the park in front of her. “What are you two up to?”

The somewhat dramatic sigh from Kise made Kasamatsu uneasy. “Unfortunately, nothing. Senpai refuses to go anywhere with me today! He’s so mean. Isn’t he, Kanzaki-chan?”

While her presence had been enough to send Kasamatsu into a frenzy, Kise had to go the dangerous step forward of directing attention to him. As Kasamatsu’s eyes met her curious stare, his blush had visibly darkened and was about to break into a cold sweat before she spoke.

“I don’t believe I properly introduced myself last time.” Surprised, Kasamatsu instinctively looked her in the eyes which sent his heart and mind racing at incredible speeds. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kasamatsu-san. My name is Kanzaki Chitose. Your guitar playing last time was incredible.”

Kise had difficulty suppressing his laugh as Kasamatsu was at a loss for words. “You flatter him too much, Kanzaki-chan,” Kise said while swinging a reassuring arm around his friend. When Kasamatsu said nothing, Kise continued. “Kanzaki-chan, I think you should convince him to spend some time with me. I’ve been very lonely the past few weeks.”

“Is that right?” asked Chitose. Her eyes landed on Kasamatsu once again. “But Kasamatsu-san looks unwell.” To the boys’ amazement, she placed her hand on top of Kasamatsu’s forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

Kasamatsu had never wanted to disappear so fast in his entire life.

“It has been getting colder recently, so be sure to stay warm.” She turned to Kise. “You too, Kise-kun.” 

“Chitose-chan, I’m hungry!” Chitose glanced downwards at her nephew who was pulling her coat impatiently. “Can we get something to eat now?”

“Of course, Sasuke-kun.” She turned to her friends. The utterance of his name forced Kasamatsu to look in her the eyes. “Kise-kun has been working very hard to improve his grades these last few weeks. I think it’ll be nice to spend some time with him if you aren’t busy, Kasamatsu-san.”

Murasakibara was already on the last snack as Kasamatsu slapped Kise for failing to hold his tongue. Just as he was about to take the last bite, it suddenly and unexpectedly slipped from his grasp as he felt a powerful force collide into him. What took him by slight surprise was the swiftness of the suddenly extended hand that held his snack.

“I’m so sorry!” Her Kansai accent was strong. “I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

Murasakibara took the snack from her tiny hand. He stared downwards at the girl whose height only reached his stomach. With a small tennis bag over her shoulder, she swiftly raced off. Murasakibara bent over and picked up the dropped handkerchief. His eyes went to the girl who was descending the stairs, deliberating whether he should make the effort to return the item or not. To give him the extra energy, Murasakibara quickly popped the snack into his mouth.  

~x~

Upon unwrapping the goodness, Nozomi tossed her apple flavored chewing gum into her mouth before saying, “Hm, she did say she was meeting some old friends today.” Inui had his notebook opened in one hand and his pen held tightly in the other. He was scribbling something down until Nozomi had attempted to steal a glance. “You’re always writing something down, Inui. Just what kind of data could you get from that?”

“You’ll be amazed at what you can find out about people from the smallest things.” Nozomi looked displeased but allowed the topic to drop when Inui spoke of the brunette that was currently rushing across the bridge in front of them. “Isn’t that Imayoshi-san?”

But it wasn’t just her Nozomi had noticed. Putting the thought aside, she said, “You’re right. I wonder where she’s headed today.” As Nozomi watched her teammate reach the center of the bridge, she shouted her name.

Without stopping, Imayoshi Mika had turned and smiled at her friend. Mere seconds later, she was saying sincerely, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” As she descended the stairs, her friends’ names left her lips in an excited manner.

“What brings you two out here? Could this be a date?!”

“Before that, are you okay? That looked like it hurt,” said Nozomi, concerned.

“You don’t seem to have any visible injuries,” added Inui.

Mika waved her hand dismissively. “Mika will always be a-okay! So, what’s the deal with you two? Is this a secret date?”

“Far from it,” said Nozomi. “I’m dropping some notes for Renji. Bumped into this kid, and he decided to tag along.”

“I do ask that you refrain from calling your seniors a kid, Serizawa-san.”

“Since when are the formalities coming out?” The simultaneous voices of Mika and Nozomi made Inui feel like he was being attacked.

“So, what about you? What’s the rush?” asked Nozomi.

“Long story short, I was getting my strings fixed until my stupid brother called me for whatever reason.” Mika’s voice suddenly went an octave lower. “‘Mika, you’d better come quickly!’” She narrowed her eyes. “Who does he think he is? My time is precious!”

Though having known Mika for a year, Nozomi realized that she had never once seen her brother who was the former captain of a basketball team at Touou Gakuen. She had heard bits and pieces of rumors here and there but never anything from Mika directly.

“I hate having siblings!” cried Mika. “Don’t you agree, Inui-san?”

“Unfortunately I cannot relate,” replied Inui. “But best of luck with whatever you have to do.”

“Do not ever underestimate the power and pleasure of being an only child,” said Mika sternly.

“We will never ever take it for granted. Right, Inui?” 

“I beg to differ.”

“Just ignore him,” said Nozomi playfully. “His opinion is not important anyway.”

“Is that any way to treat your seniors?” asked Inui. 

“It’s the closest respect you’ll be getting out of us,” said Mika teasingly.

~x~

Kise was the first to notice the handkerchief in Murasakibara’s hands. “Murasakibaracchi, why do you have a handkerchief?”

“Oh, this? It was dropped by the girl who ran into me.” 

Kise glanced behind Murasakibara and asked, “Oh, her?”

Without even a glance he uttered, “Sure. Can you return it for me, Kise-chin?”

Kise took the handkerchief from his tall teammate and was about to call until he noticed the carefully and brightly stitched name on the side, Imayoshi Mika. His countenance turned serious, but only for the swift duration of watching the girl out of the corner of his eye run in another direction. Kise briefly noted that they did have a similar face shape and eye color. For now, he decided to pocket the hanky.

All this time, Kasamatsu’s eyes had been wandering between who he assumed was the girl’s friends. He had seen them before in many sports magazines: the male, if he remembered correctly, was Inui Sadaharu from Seishun Gakuen, a school known for its rapid progress in school clubs. The female was Serizawa Nozomi, a strong tennis player from the elite school Rikkaidai Fuzoku.

Kasamatsu had come across the school name many times in sports magazines. They seem like a popular bunch, for many reporters had showered them with praise. While he hadn’t read much about their basketball team, their female tennis team had become the strongest in Japan while their male counterparts snagged silver in nationals, their defeat suffering at the hands of Seishun Gakuen.

“Kise-chin, are you going to see Muro-chin or not?”

Kise had nearly forgotten Murasakibara in front of him. “O-oh, yeah, I guess we are.”

“Can you give him a message for me then?” drawled the tall Yosen player. “Tell him that he owes me four large of Nerune candy for ditching me.”

“Eh?” said a surprised Kise. “You guys had plans?”

“We were supposed to go shopping for sweets. But he left suddenly saying that something came up. Talking about it makes me kind of annoyed honestly.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself, Murasakibaracchi?” asked Kise with a wink.

“Kise!” yelled Kasamatsu. “Stop dragging other people into this mess!”

Kise pouted. “But, but, I’m sure Murasakibaracchi would want to know too!”

Murasakibara frowned and asked, “About what?”

“Himurocchi’s girlfriend!”

~x~

Shopping was always a fun pastime for Riko. One that she often preferred to do alone. However, after befriending Momoi Satsuki through many interactions regarding coaching the new and improved Generation of Miracles, her free time became more socially occupied. Riko considered their personalities to be on opposites of the spectrum with the biggest difference in their display of femininity. Yet despite their differences and banter, Riko came to love her as a friend.

“Riko-rin, look at this!” The corner of Riko’s eye twitched by her ‘unflattering’ nickname. She had argued against it, insisting Momoi to simply call her ‘Riko’, but the outgoing female insisted otherwise. “I think this bathing suit will look super cute on you!”

“I already have one,” said Riko, cringing slightly at how ‘revealing’ the attire was.

“But this one looks cuter!” insisted Momoi. “Besides, this one will be more likely to get Hyuuga-san’s attention!”

Riko didn’t blush but was flustered by the unexpected comment. Refusing to acknowledge how rapidly her heart was pounding, she cleared her throat. “Momoi-san, I hope you know that this is not a vacation.”

Momoi looked innocuously at her. “But it is still a vacation! Ah, or do you just feel nervous that everyone is going to be there?”

“Why in the world are we coming in here?” complained a male voice.

While Momoi was busy scrounging through many swimsuits, Riko briefly glanced at the small group of first-year high school students who just entered the shop. The salesperson greeted them politely and attempted to usher the three hesitant males to the men’s section. Beside them, the girl with long, bushy, pigtails had a predatory gaze that contrasted drastically with her friend’s soft doe-eyes.

“Again, why are we here? We’re supposed to be on shopping duty!”

“If you must know, Horio, we’re taking the opportunity to look for the perfect swimsuit for Sakuno!”

“Tomo-chan, please keep your voice down,” her friend said, her cheeks turning pink.

“Why don’t you guys take the time to look for a swimsuit too?” asked Tomoka.

“I don’t think we’ll be needing one. We’re only volunteers after all.”

“A vacation is still a vacation, Kachiro!” said Tomoka excitedly.

“Is it really a vacation?”

Horio placed both his hands behind his head and turned to Mizuno who had just spoken. “It’s a rare chance we get to go on a gigantic cruise! Let’s make the best of it!”

“Anyway,” said Tomoka loudly. “It’ll be a chance to get back at Rikkaidai Fuzoku!”

Riko turned her head slightly at the mention of the school, her eyes landing on the freshmen again.

“Oh, is Seigaku planning a counterattack?”

The freshmen almost jumped at the sudden voice behind them.

“T-Tachibana-san!” gasped Sakuno. “What brings you here?”

“Probably the same reason that brought all of you here,” said An with a smile. “So, how’s Seigaku’s condition?”

“We aren’t going to lose to Rikkaidai twice!” said Tomoka excitedly.

“Osakada-san, you make it sound like you were the one who played against them,” said Kachiro quietly.

Tomoka glared at her friend. “I heard that!”

The friendly argument happening between her friends created the opportunity for An to check her phone. She flipped the device open and went aside to call her friend.

“Hey, sorry I missed your call. What’s up?”

“Are you free right now? I’m with some friends and we need an extra person to play a game.”

“A game you say?”

The girl on the other line smiled and said, “Yeah, you in?”

~x~

The basketball teetered on the rim before dropping through the hoop.

“You lost your touch since you started playing tennis,” said Himuro.

Standing closest to the hoop, Kagami tossed the ball back to her to which she proceeded to make another shot while replying, “I don’t think I ever had one to begin with, Tatsuya. Appreciate the comment, though. Makes me feel like I’m on par with the two of you.”

“Well, you are doing your best with tennis,” commented Kagami. “Tatsuya and I saw your game. You were really great.”

“We had to get back at Seigaku this year. There’s no way was Rikkaidai affording another loss.”

“Just like how we’re going to get back at Seirin next year, Taiga.”

Kagami smiled, a competitive glint in his eyes. “Bring it on, Tatsuya!”

“Taiga’s all fired up now.”

“There’s no cooling his engine now,” added Himuro.

Kagami frowned and asked loudly, “Why does it sound like you two are mocking me?”

Himuro exchanged a playful smile with his female friend. “By the way, who’s this friend you called?”

“Ah, she’s a teammate of mine. I think you guys will like her.”

From afar, Murasakibara still held a box of uneaten snacks in his hands. He looked downwards at Kise who had been quietly observing the three behind a large building. On the way, to Kise’s dismay, Kasamatsu had abandoned the mission and had given a quick but stern lecture on respecting other people’s time and to stay out of other people’s affairs to his junior. While it was a lecture that Kise had heard many times from his sisters and parents and understood, life was much more interesting when he pursued his curious nature.

“Kise-chin, it doesn’t really look like a date.”

Kise frowned. “If this wasn’t a date, I’m going to be super disappointed.” The blonde noticed his teammate’s eyes had wandered to the trio and hadn’t strayed. “Are you checking her out, Murasakibaracchi?”

“I think I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“Eh?” asked Kise with a mischievous smile. “Is that your excuse?”

Murasakibara narrowed his eyes at him. “No, I really think I’ve seen her somewhere before. I just forgot where.”

“Could it be that she works at the sweets shop you visit almost every day?” guessed Kise on a whim.

“No. That would be Seri-chin.”

“Eh?” said Kise loudly. “Seri-chin?”

“The girl who works at the sweets shop.”

Kise was about to inquire further when the call of his familiar nickname made him turn around to see a waving pink haired girl running towards him. Following behind her was their team’s second reluctant coach.

“Momocchi!” Kise then smiled widely at Riko who now stood beside her. “And Aidacchi!”

“Stop with the nicknames,” said Riko flatly.

“What are you guys doing here? It’s rare to see you two together,” wondered Momoi.

After taking a large bite of his snack, Murasakibara said, “Kise-chin is eavesdropping.”

Momoi didn’t look too surprised. “On who?”

Kise gestured toward the trio on a nearby basketball court to which Riko responded with an audible “Ah!” after a look in the direction.

“Kagamin and Himuro-san,” began Momoi, “And… Riko-rin, where are you going?”

Behind Riko, there were questionable looks from Momoi and Kise while Murasakibara was paying little mind to this entire scenario. Just as Riko arrived in the surrounding area of the small basketball court, a girl loudly shouted the name that had crossed her mind.

“Azusa!”

Azusa had just shot the basketball into the hoop when her teammate had arrived. She was about to greet her when Kagami’s loud voice took over.

“It’s you!”

An looked surprised but smiled in response, “Hey, look who it is! Azusa, I didn’t know the friends you were talking about included Kagami-kun.”

“Kagami-kun?”

The simultaneous voices of Azusa and Himuro drowned out the hurried footsteps from Momoi and Kise with Murasakibara’s long lazy strides following behind.

“Kagamicchi!”

“K-Kise?!”

“Atsushi!”

“Muro-chin, you owe me.”

“Hey, aren’t you’re the one from that night?”

“I didn’t get a chance to thank you the other day for saving me.”

“Saving? What happened, Riko-rin?”

“Is this your girlfriend, Kagamicchi? She’s really cute!”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“But you’re blushing.”

“Tatsuya, you know that’s not true!”

“You blushing or that she’s not your girlfriend?” inquired Momoi.

“Both!”

“You sure are flustered, Kaga-chin.”

“Are you really going out with Kagamicchi?”

Azusa glanced at the curious stares before her eyes landed on Kagami’s annoyed countenance. “We might have dated before.”

“Stop lying, Azusa!” shouted Kagami.

“It’s not really a lie,” said Himuro.

“Tatsuya, not you too!”

“It was more of a spur of a moment kind of thing,” added Azusa, smiling.

This was certainly the strangest icebreaker An had ever seen.