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martialartslover7 · 3 months ago

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Tenten's Untold Backstory

After another long day of training, Might Guy has decided to treat his own pupils for dinner at the steakhouse. As a final protein boost, post-workout, always hits the spot for them. And as always, Rock Lee is the most enthusiastic about it, with Neji just wordlessly eating the beef, being always too exhausted to be dealing with his teammate's and his sensei's innate inability to ever put the brakes on with their enthusiasm overload.

But surprisingly, it came to the Hyuga's notice: Tenten wasn't looking as cheerful as she usually did. She wasn't even touching her own plate. She just looked... depressed. But Neji wasn't the only, gradually, even Rock Lee and Guy stopped their verbal assault on all senses, just to put all their focus on their weapon master, sharing the same genuinely concerned look as the Hyuga. With the latter asking in a gentle tone of voice:

"Tenten... Are you alright? You're unusually quiet today. Did something happen?"

When she looked up, she tried to act as if all was well, forcing herself to smile, in a vain attempt to not burden her team with her "nonsensical" burdens. Defensively holding up her hands throughout.

"Oh! Uh, it's nothing, really, I just... I just don't have that big an appetite today, is all. Can't help it, when I have already eaten my lunch, y'know. I don't need as much food as you guys. Hehe..."

But Rock Lee, who is usually the one to play along, saw right through her, and normally, he is not one to dwell too hard on something, as training and protein are his daily bread and butter. But beyond all else, he was still a loyal-to-a-tee teammate, and seeing her putting on this mask of "it's fine, don't worry about me", only served to add fuel to the fire. He asked in a very caring voice:

"...Come on, Tenten. We can tell something is bothering you. I have seen it all, while we were training with your weapons, today. You looked quite frustrated, and not even in a way that I would laugh at it. Tell us, what's the matter?"

Knowing she was caught, the weapon master lets out one sorrowful sigh, heavy of heart, she lets them know, what exactly was weighing heavy on her soul. And she began, with a question.

"...Have you guys ever wondered why I am so drawn to weapons? And why am I so obsessed with them? I know, it's cheesy to start it now, but... I need to fill you in."

Without saying a word, wanting to be respectful, her male teammates nodded, wanting to listen to her. And it starts with Tenten smiling in a nostalgic way, as she began looking back on her childhood. And we see images of a small Tenten, running around with toy swords, toy guns, toy bow & arrow, etc.

"Ever since I could think, I thoroughly enjoyed playing with toy weapons growing up. While all the other girls were busy playing with dolls, or collecting flowers, I was not one such girl. This stuff just bored me to death. ...I guess that's why Ino and Sakura refer to me as "the queen of tomboys", considering I am always sticking out like a sore thumb, every time I meet up with them, and Hinata. …Let alone the fact that I am nowhere near as boy-crazed as these three. And on every playground, you would see me, running around, wielding my toy sword, as if I was the queen of the playground, and everyone else is my servant."

Her teammates could only smile at that endearing imagery. A tiny Tenten, acting like a shogun, commanding an army with a toy katana.

But that is when Tenten's tone mildly darkened, as, the very moment she entered the academy, things went south, fairly quickly. She still recalled her first few days in classes, and how she was approached by a bunch of bullies, who called her a "freak", for casually wielding ninja tools, while everyone else struggled with them. The insults from the other fellow kunoichis hit the hardest. They would go as far as evading her completely, calling her "a degenerate", a "potential threat to their lives", and just straight up finding her weird. God forbid, a female shinobi obsessing over weapons, and being relatively efficient at using them, too, where would that lead to?

"But then, once I got to the academy... If I were to describe it, it would be the equivalent to a straight nosedive from a plane crash before impact. All of a sudden, the people I grew up with, whom I had thought to be my friends, turned on me, and began calling me "weird", "mentally unwell", or worst of all, "potentially dangerous"... All because of my hobby with collecting weapons and studying them. And previously, they were all fine with it... I don't understand... Even now, I am confused out of my mind, at that sudden heel turn. And all the fellow kunoichi, they were the most nasty towards me. They would go as far as stealing my toy weapons, putting me on the spot in front of the whole class, making fun of me, all because of my "not-so-feminine" hobby. I mean, come on. A kunoichi proudly wielding weapons, what comes next? A male shinobi using an umbrella in battle?"

The venom and sarcasm at that last part really caught the three men off-guard, but their gazes softened, once they realized: Tenten quickly shifted from angry, to deeply upset. As she slumps onto the table, leaning her head onto her crossed arms, looking all kinds of deflated and frustrated.

"And it's all because of them, I have become so defensive of my hobby, turned specialty in combat. I am taking huge pride in it, because... ever seen a kunoichi with such a simple-minded, boneheaded approach to battle? ...It still won't protect me from the occasional reminder that I used to be made fun of for it, but, you know... you know..."

Her hazel eyes began growing mildly watery, as the more recent reminder, involved her humiliating loss against Tenten. Even though she knew that the circumstances at the time were the same that caused Temari to be this nasty and hostile towards Leaf ninja in general, it still didn't help. Those wounds still feel fresh to her. They didn't close up. And she still felt the side effects of that loss, to this day. Which explains her more recent grievances and doubts involving her fighting style. She began asking way too many questions about whether her specialty bore any weight any longer, or not.

"And well, losing to Temari really didn't help. It admittedly only served to scratch my ego even further. I gave it my all against her, and she just brushed me aside like I wasn't even worth her time, both literally and figuratively. All my weapons and tools proved useless against her, and she defeated me in a way that left a permanent scar in my mind. Sorry, if I end up sounding so miserable, but... that's how I feel, I can't help it."

She looked at Guy, knowing he might be having the urge to tell her that, "nothing is impossible", "hard work will always beat out natural talent", but right now, even he knew, this wasn't going to help her. As Tenten's issues run way deeper than just "needing to work harder". And yet, she longed for his encouragement, as she felt her own voice cracking, as she spoke:

"Sensei... I know what you might say next, "I am giving up way too early", but don't forget... I am not like you guys. My chakra nature and size is only SLIGHTLY above Lee's, and to be an efficient ninja, I will need way more than just consistent repetition and hard work to make it happen... I am sorry for sounding so gloomy, but... What can I do...? I am literally... at a loss, right now..."

As she spoke in such a self-punishing and deprecating manner, a sob escaped her lips, as the tears began flowing out of her eyes, feeling so overwhelmed and helpless right now.

Guy knew, that these issues must have been eating away at his young student for quite a while and seeing her expressing her insecurities in such a profound, deep-rooted way, his fatherly instincts kick in, as he goes over to Tenten's, kneeling down, embracing the young kunoichi, knowing she really needs this kind of emotional support right about now. He tells her gently, while caressing the back of her head:

"Don't worry, Tenten. Even with this, you shouldn't give up on yourself like that. We will figure something out, like we always have. Remember, in life, you only truly lose, if you give up. If you stop trying, then you'll be at a loss. But you're way stronger than that. Don't let anyone take this away from you, the fact that you made it this far with your love for weapons, should be more than enough for you to realize: There will always be a silver lining, waiting to be discovered."

Rock Lee cuts in, firmly agreeing with their sensei, but this time, it was his conviction speaking too. He knows it as well as her, when he lost to Gaara, and he was told he wouldn't be able to ever participate as a shinobi, ever again, he was also ready to throw in the towel. Luckily, this didn't happen, thanks to Lady Tsunade, and his bravery in facing the surgery, despite the outcome of it having been uncertain.

"Guy-sensei is right, Tenten. And I am saying this as someone, who would have nearly given up the path of shinobi, due to my injuries against Gaara of the Sand. If I can leave this seemingly hopeless situation, then so can you. I mean... I cannot exactly speak for myself, when it comes to weapons, but... maybe if you were to create your OWN tools, then there might a chance--"

But once Tenten processed over what Lee had just dropped for a phrase, her head abruptly looks up from Guy's shoulder, as she asked her teammate with wide eyes:

"Wait-wait-wait, what did you just say, Lee?!"

"Uh... my injuries? Never giving up?"

"No-no-no, after that! You said something like, "If I were to create my own tools, it would be a way to start over"..."

Rock Lee began smiling in a cheerful way, as he felt a little proud of himself for that small brainstorming of his.

"Oh yes... ...did I strike gold?"

Neji playfully added, with his arms folded:

"...Seems like you did. Look at her go."

And before anyone could guess what came next, Tenten was off, speeding home, but not before smiling at her teammates in such an adorable way, it would make anyone's heart flutter on sight.

"Thank you, everyone...! I now know what I must do... I'll create my own workshop! See you around!"

All three of them waved, as Guy began chuckling to himself, being quite proud of the two.

"Well, it seems that we may have ignited a spark within her. ...Are you two prepared to become her personal guinea pigs, along with me?"

Rock Lee nodded, and Neji commented by saying with his trademark smirk, all the while speaking in a gentle manner, knowing that this means the world to their teammate:

"Well, anything to make her happy. I will be right there."

"Me too, Guy-sensei!"

"That's my team. We succeeded again! Hahaha!"

He does his trademark toothy grin, before doing his thumbs-up, a shine appearing on his teeth.

Author's note: There you have it, folks. I gotta say, it took me a while, but I finally cracked the code on how to make Tenten based, in a sustainable way. Just make her an inventor, a builder of weapons, tools, even VEHICLES. Imagine her building aircrafts, using Shino's beetles as the basis for it, to chase after someone like Deidara. Just an idea. Or her building a visor that replicates the Byakugan's and Sharingan's property of reading chakra flow within a person's body. Also, you can call this the prologue to her rematch with Temari that I posted a week or so ago.

#naruto #naruto manga #naruto anime #tenten #team gai #neji hyuga #nejiten #hyuga neji #rock lee #might guy #might gai #canon divergence #tenten is the GOAT #might guy is the GOAT #team 9

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envys-stories · 1 year ago

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Busy day so here is the backstory for my tiefling rogue I played in a few one-shots last fall

Born to a powerful teifling general and a royal hand servant, Akaria is no stranger to the decadence of the rich and powerful. As a child she brushed shoulders with royals, but became quickly bitter at the privileged lives they led that she could not afford. As she matured she often found herself amongst the children of nobles by day and servants at night, causing her to learn the value of different personas among the classes. When she was 14 she was apprenticed to a blacksmith. Before a season had passed, she started cheating soldiers out of their coin at cards while they waited for their swords and armor to be repaired. At 17 she was sent to a boarding school for young ladies in order to give her a sense of morality, when the master blacksmith realized her winnings were not just luck. While at the boarding school, paid by her earnings at cards, she developed a fast friendship with the daughter of a powerful nobleman from the south. Her stay at the boarding school lasted for four years, longer than anyone expected. By all rights she should have graduated, except that she would sneak out in the evenings to frequent taverns and perfect her skills at games of chance. In the spring of her 21st birthday, the headmistress caught her in the attic with the nobleman’s daughter. They were both expelled, and akarias first love was quickly married off to a minor baron, never for them to meet again. Now above the age where she could be apprenticed, Akaria set off to find anyone who would take her in. She was met with little success, until an early fall evening in a tavern when she got bold and swindled a years worth of profit from a local farmer. The farmer, understandably upset, gathered other local men she had cheated in the past months and began a fight. Some hours later, she found herself bloodied and bruised in an alley, without a cent to her name. This was when she met perhaps the most important person in her life- Malimortus Xai, head of the local thieves guild. Malimortus had heard of Akari’s gambling skill and had been watching her for several months. Impressed by her perseverance, he offered her an apprenticeship of a nontraditional nature. He would train her in the art of disguise, forgery, stealth, and other illicit trades, if she killed the head of another guild before the years end. Akari refused at first. Malimortus visited her at the tavern every evening, beating her at her own con, until she accepted his terms. That night, she broke into the home of the head of the merchants guild, an old man who lived alone and remained the head of the guild out of tradition while his son truly ran the guild. She slit his throat in his sleep, and left thanking whatever god had favored her that night that he chose to live alone. Akaria spent the next four years training with Malimortus, and the two of them became more jaded against the nobles akaria once was so familiar with. The culmination of her training was a plot with Malimortus to steal as much as they could carry from the nobles manor vault. It was all going according to plan until they were leaving the manor, when (due to an unfortunate bout of the stomach flu among the the guard) the guards changed post an hour early, with the chief wizard filling in for the patrol. When he caught them, he immediately knew who Malimortus was and used a powerful spell to erase his memories, as he had a bounty of 5,000 gp as reward for incapacitating him. Unfortunately, the edge of the blast caught Akaria, leaving her with some skills remaining intact; and others at the level of a novice apprentice. On the eve of the winter solstice, Malimortus was publicly executed, leaving Akaria with a burning hatred for the nobles, and a vow to one day return and ruin the lives the nobles and the wizard who took her mentor from her. Until then, she is in search of adventure and allies to gain the skills and forces to take down the nobles and take their place.

#dnd #dnd character #dnd oc #dungeons and dragons #writing #writeblr

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catras-breakup-song · 2 months ago

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this is the last time i'm going to be discussing this "sisters" discourse (i hope), but i feel like i need to get the last word in for my own peace of mind; no hate to the OP but this was subposted about without my prior knowledge and i don't want to get confrontational by responding directly. if OP see this, by the way, i'd be okay with talking in DMs to get stuff sorted out peacefully, but i'd really rather not debate or even discuss this topic any further altogether. this response is for myself and my followers only for archival purposes, so for my own safety because i can't change the settings, please do not reblog if we aren't mutuals.

i talked about it more with one of my mutuals (who has asked to remain anonymous), who shared some thoughts that i agreed with and has allowed me to post them here, which i've re-worded and added to, in case i could ever make use of them for reference again in the future.

firstly, someone else and i have acknowledged & disputed the canon sources which say they're sisters in a different thread from this as being inconsistent with what's true to the story.

To fix this issue, all the writers had to do was to have Adora be raised by Hordak, and Catra by Shadow Weaver. That's it, problem solved. The ship is no longer incestuous because Catra and Adora, in this scenario, were raised in the same place since childhood, BUT BY TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. There would be no goldenchild/scapegoat dynamic. There would be no jealousy on Catra's part regarding the fact that she thinks Shadow Weaver will never "love" and "cherish" her the way she "loves" and "cherishes" her sister.

this comes across as a little dismissive of the abuse that adora faced as well since it mostly revolved around expectations of her and actions done to catra were in part to make her feel guilty, and suggesting they be "raised" separately tears apart the foundations of their dynamic which sets up the story in the first place ─ whether they were destined to be sisters or lovers, their turning into enemies heavily relies on their conjoined relationship with shadow weaver. for as terrible as a person as hordak is (he's literally the one who brought the horde to etheria in the first place and was a mass warlord who terrorized & conquered more territories than anyone else ever would, besides maybe prime), he's not a guardian of any type. not a parent, teacher, mentor, or what have you. he's definitely not a master manipulator either; as we can see in the third season when his arc kicks off with entrapta, he's not very sociable, so that wouldn't make much sense. i guess if the backstory was written a bit differently he maybe could have trained adora to be a ruthless soldier without anyone ever knowing of she-ra (though it's worth noting that shadow weaver sensed her existence in a flashback from season two), as i've somewhat seen in edited AUs many times before (credit apparently goes to @/sapphiscientist, whom i cannot find), but he would never single her out as "special" or have the same motivations to gain power from using her specifically.

with all that being said, the golden child & scapegoat dynamic isn't even exclusive to siblings, it's just the most common form. it still could've theoretically worked even if hordak (supposedly a better and more involved "parent") & shadow weaver had mentored adora & catra separately but worked together to divide them so intentionally, as long as they interacted enough throughout their childhoods to be close (which, again, the whole show relies on).

"If she was just their caretaker, then why do Catra and Adora have a goldenchild/scapegoat dynamic that mirrors sibling rivalry? Why does Adora admit to Glimmer that Shadow Weaver raised her as a mom would? Why is Catra filled with genuine happiness after Shadow Weaver caresses her cheek? Why does she gently touch that spot and smile? Why is Catra so heartbroken and furious when her mind basically tells her: 'Shadow Weaver betrayed you.' Why does Catra immediately give up her potentially happy life with Scorpia once she reveals to her that Shadow Weaver once again chose Adora over her"

the centering around a nuclear family structure here is very assuming and interpretative, but none of these gestures are exclusive to that. the soft caressing of faces means something special (or is supposed to) as long as it comes from someone the recipient looks up to and idolizes. also, shadow weaver also attempts to cup glimmer's face the same way in season four, so again, if it's a motherly act then what does that say?

Like… this rivalry is at the heart of C//A. Not romance, but rivalry between two adopted sisters who have a toxic and abusive adoptive mother.

essentially this hints that the heart of catradora's romance would be better off removed from the story because it's incestuous... but to quote the person i was talking to: "Except it's not, because rivalry is not exclusive to siblings. Any adult mentor/caregiving figure can pit children against each other. I get that this level of attachment to Shadow Weaver is really only shown in media as familial dynamics, but imagine having no caregivers or mentors except the people in the Horde. They depended on them to survive as kids. There is going to be a bond there. They're going to seek those people's approval. I know why it comes off as parental and in a way, it does have that energy. However, I really do not see how this parental dynamic is exclusively different than something that could develop between, say, caregivers and kids at an orphanage. I just don't see a fundamental difference enough to see this as having to be parental/like adoptive parents." regarding the last sentence, i feel like even if catradora's relationship can be technically read as sisterly in any way, it's enough to overlook for the main plotline that we were given, which was intended to be a romance.

"Uhm… no. Close friends ≠ siblings, unless everyone admits that they see each other that way. Then they wouldn't consider a romantic relationship in the first place, unless there's some confusion present."

it seems like i was misunderstood again...? the whole point was that glimmadora aren't sisters, because it was arguing against the inconsistency of that logic when they can be paralleled back to catradora, especially in regards to how angella sees adora as almost familial, if not so (remember of course that "family" has a broad and open-ended meaning, and doesn't necessarily mean relatives or whomever would share the structure of adopted relatives). i don't agree with the sentiment that angella adopted adora, but it would be as valid of a statement to make as about shadow weaver taking on adora + catra. besides, i don't think there are any actual siblings in this show, that aren't outright stated to be anyway, except for micah & castaspella.

"Angella was a mother figure in Adora's life (and in Bow's life, too), but she was not her, or Bow's mother. Shadow Weaver was Adora and Catra's mother, until the end. Why? She. Raised. Them. She. Taught. Them. Everything. They. Grew. Up. With. Her.

this implies there's a cutoff to how far you can go in life before considering someone you met as parental. it's a bit insulting to many families out there to say you can't be adopted by someone once you hit your late teens (which is the legal cutoff limit in the US before you're released from the system on your own anyway) just because the person you've grown to love didn't raise you until that point.

also, do we even know how long bow has known glimmer and therefore angella? there is an old drawing by nate of them as kids, with angella included too, so if you consider his work outside of the official series itself canon then who's to say bow didn't have a third parent/mother since she was present for a good chunk of his life?

"Shadow Weaver was Glimmer's mentor (why tf would she view her as a mother figure??? It was out of despair that Glimmer had to learn from SW, not genuine affection. Also she still had her biological mother???)"

again, i think this is kind of playing into my point a bit because i wouldn't unironically argue that shadow weaver is a mother figure to glimmer. considering she mentored micah and glimmer is his daughter, it would be weird to see them that way and make it seem like she was a (grand)parent. that being said though, since she does small but similar things to glimmer that she's done with her "actual daughters" that are motherly apparently, it would be difficult not to make the comparison.

it's also strange that you would mention her biological mother still being alive, just absent, considering this whole argument is based on parental figures who are not related to their supposed kids. it's oddly specific, since aside from the fact that glimmer missed angella dearly, what she needed as queen was not just guidance/mentorship and motherly love but also simply support in general because she wasn't ready for the role. it doesn't necessarily matter how she gets it or who she gets it from in terms of relationship dynamics, she was still unstable and desperate. if there had been another character in the show besides angella & shadow weaver, they could've very well been parental, in fact if the events of season four had played out earlier and/or differently then micah would've been that person and she might've been able to step down as he regained his kingdom.

"About that "argument"… the underlying issues and insecurities Adora and Glimmer acted out are literally present between Catra and Adora, so… yeah. Case closed, goodbye."

this is still exactly what i'm talking about... i'm sorry, no offense, but this reads to me in favor of my point. the conflicts between catradora & glimmadora are similar, and if one pairing is sisterly and the other is friendly then that just proves these dynamics are not exclusive to one type of relationship or the other. they (either duo) can't be an example of schrödinger's cat as both sisters and not sisters simultaneously.

aside from quoting parts of the post, for whatever it's worth, it may also be worth mentioning that not only to catra & adora not see themselves as sisters despite everything, but adora didn't even know what an aunt was, which is a pretty basic familial term. i guess this point could really go either way since i've seen it speculated before that they were dating in the horde without really having the words to describe being girlfriends, so it could apply to sisterhood too, but i'm just throwing it out there for now.

another thing i never really see get brought up anymore (although i think it has been in the past), unrelated to sisterhood specifically but along the same vein, is that catradora are technically of different species, but both are humanoid enough for it to not be strange or otherwise socially unacceptable with the way their world's biological compatibilities work. does this discomfort to a small percentage of the viewers mean scorptra would be weird as well, since the fandom thought they were headed in that direction for a while, and scorfuma since they're implied to become a canon couple? my understanding is that this would be more analogous to interracial couples rather than comparable to interspecies ones as we consider how they'd be built on earth.

anyway, as i stated when i initially came across the subpost, it was kind of baffling to me how this person was so respectful to me when approaching my inbox the other day (which is a good thing because i would've gotten really defensive and not been so cooperative otherwise), but a couple days before that he came across as so aggressive in the tone & tags when talking about me behind my back originally. i hope this doesn't come across as too hypocritical for me to also be responding without direct notice, but as i said it's mostly for my own circle rather than for him and i'm trying to be fairly humble here.

if you (general audience) read this whole thing, then i'm not really sure what to say... i definitely don't want to cause anymore trouble, so i'm going to leave it here and not come back to it unless i feel attacked. i wanted to get this rant out because i felt obligated to for my own sake, sort of like an egotistical fear over my reputation if that makes sense. both the OP and i have acknowledged that we can't change each other's minds beyond this point, so that's not what i'm attempting to do.

seeing your defending catradora/catradora antis dni post, do you have any arguments against the whole "they're sisters" thing?

i do, yes!

growing up together does not make your friendship a sibling bond/dynamic unless you choose for it to. i saw someone claim that it inherently does unrelated to catradora specifically, but like, surely that has to be a troll because there's no way. 💀 i guess that means lonnie, kyle, and rogelio are also catra & adora's siblings, like a family of 5? what about the other unnamed human-looking characters (i think one had short green hair and another with a dark purple mullet)?

shadow weaver was never their mother (figure). she was their caretaker, basically just the supervising adult in that segment of the fright zone. but like, even if she was, it doesn't take a genius to infer that she was disowned once they both got out of there.

if catra & adora are sisters, then glimmer & adora are too, and also bow is their brother, which crosses glimbow off the list as well. you can't ship anyone without it being incestuous, unfortunately (sarcastic). considering queen angella is a direct parallel to shadow weaver, and angella's last nurturing words to adora before kissing her forehead was that the best friend squad needed to take care of each other, and shadow weaver's last act was ensuring catra could take care of adora the rest of the way to the heart... well, i guess love can only be familial.

in S4 shadow weaver took glimmer under her wing and taught her the same lessons in sorcery that micah (her father) would have if he was around in her life, literally after he learned from her first, so by this logic, glimmer & adora share two adoptive mothers; especially when you take into account their "argument" (canonically it was fake for a setup, but there were some underlying issues & insecurities there) about being the "favorite" with regards to the "golden child" method shadow weaver uses against scapegoats.

i would suggest reading this great post by @witch-apologist, which is where some of the points above come from, and you could probably also search sisters/siblings on their blog since they've challenged antis about this topic before!

#discourse #don't rb

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thesilentgothitelle · 3 years ago

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Au Info(Updated)

So what is this AU? Well, both LoZ and PLA have a character who gets separated from someone they care about, and also complete retrograde amnesia. And we’re big fans of both, so the content basically writes itself. Here’s the rub:

Backstory:

In this timeline, sometime after Unova was founded by the twin heroes of Truth and Ideals, but before the original dragon split in two, the region was laid asunder by a mysterious beast from beyond their world called Necrozma. The dragon gifted two heroes the means to defeat it: the Hero of Ideals was gifted a sacred blade, and the Hero of Truth was blessed with a sacred power. The twin heroes oversaw the construction of four mechanical beasts, imbued with the souls of the four sacred Pokémon that gave their lives to protect the Pokémon of Unova, designed to be commanded by four individuals of exceptional skill. Artificial Pokémon known as Goletts and Golurks were also crafted. It was through these efforts that the twin heroes were able to defeat Necrozma, Sealing the beast away. Millennia would pass and Unova would go through many changes,and the history of Necrozma would fade into legend. Until one fateful day, when a prophecy was uncovered. Necrozma would one day return, and the twin descendants of Unova’s founders would be the ones to seal the beast away once more.

Basic rundown:

the story is set in a sort of Unova/Hyrule combo, using the B&W region map but, like, more fantasy

the Divine Beasts are Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo

the Master Sword is a dormant Hohnedge, or it’s modeled after a Hohnedge, depending on how you wanna interpret it

Emmet and Ingo fill the roles of Zelda and Link respectively, but since they’re twins they’re both princes

the king is Drayden, who is their Uncle and took over as regent when their parents died in their childhood

Elesa takes Impa’s role as the twins’ former mentor and is chillin’ 100 years older in Anville Town until Ingo gets there. She gets de-aged post-story through that handy de-aging rune so that she can live out her life with her besties

the champions post-Calamity are the Unova Elite Four from B&W, pre-Calamity are some original characters based on existing Pokémon characters

original Elite Four are: Hildegarde (ancestor of Hilda/Hilbert, the B&W protagonists), Alba (ancestor of Marshal), Peyx (ancestor of N), and Maelen (ancestor of Caitlin)

Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem are worshiped as deities. each has their own sacred spring where their followers can offer their prayers. the three dragon Legendaries guard their respective springs, though they are believed to be the only creations/emissaries of the dragon gods, and not the gods themselves

Ingo after waking up is selectively mute both from anxiety and his fatal injury, but he can still talk out loud sometimes, he gets better at it as time goes on

Emmet can talk to him telepathically like Zelda can to Link in the original game

Ultra Beasts replace the monsters that you fight on the overworld

in this world, humans fight with weapons on their own, but keep Pokémon as sort of fighting partners/familiars who aid and defend them in battle

Ingo’s original Pokémon team is being held somewhere else and he does get them back at the end, but during his quest his team consists of Unova-native Pokémon that he catches (Mienfoo, Sigilyph, Tirtouga, Venipede, and Staldash which is an original Ghost/Fire-type variant of Rapidash and also the ghost of his former Rapidash)

Chandelure is the one who brought the Master Sword to Lostlorn Forest for repair and she chose to wait there for him instead of returning to the village

Ingo frees all four Divine Beasts before retrieving the Master Sword

his memories of Emmet and his previous life come back slowly, but they do come back

also. very important. yes trains do exist in this world, of course they do, and you’re welcome

More detailed order of events under the cut:

- While the twins are growing up, it wasn’t known which twin would have which role so they trained for both. After Ingo pulled out the Master Sword, they weren’t able to spend as much time together due to being pushed to focus on their individual training. - Ingo gradually became quieter after obtaining the master sword because the weight of his role forged him into the stoic, silent knight type. Emmett was increasingly upset at this.

- Meanwhile, Emmet practiced his permanent smile, learned to have refined control over his expressions and be the diplomat he was meant to be. He still kept his sentences clipped, but tried to maintain a sense of peace about him.

- They remained close, but it hurt to see how much each other was changing due to the pressures of their roles.

- - - - At some point the Golurks and Gollets are discovered and reactivated.

- Four of the most skilled individuals from across Unova were chosen to command the Divine Beasts, and were dubbed “the Elite Four”. - Upon Necrozma’s sudden return, it took possession of the Divine Beasts and the Golurks, killing the Elite Four and bringing devastation to Unova.

- Emmet finally awakens his sealing power, but too late: Ingo had been mortally wounded and has to be taken to the Shrine of Ho-oh. - Emmet faces Necrozma alone and seals both it and himself in Nimbasa castle.

- - - - 100 years later, Ingo wakes up with no memory in a ruined Unova. Now it is up to him to free the four Divine Beasts, find the sacred sword once more, and defeat Necrozma, while also trying to recover his lost memories.

- Ultra beasts have infested Unova due to Necrozma’s presence there, catching Pokemon became more widespread and mainstream over the 100 time gap, due to the protection they offer from the UB.

- The first Pokemon centers have popped up along roads people travel down.

- Some of the few survivors of the calamity are Elesa, who was friends with the twins 100 years ago, who now lives in Anville Town and is very old now; Professor juniper who is currently stuck as a teenager due to experimenting with an anti aging rune 10 years ago; and Professor Fennel, who is also very old.

- Despite, or maybe even because of the destruction it brought, Necrozma gained a following of its own, calling themself “Team Photon”. This villainous team has persisted for a century, despite their mediocrity.

- Team photon has two admins, Beryl and Spinel. Spinel was recruited into the team while Beryl was born into it.

- Beryl is eccentric, loud, and easily angered, while Spinel is generally apathetic, gloomy, and tired of listening to Beryl blabber.

- When Ingo first meets Prof Juniper in Nuvema Town, she fixes the Pokeslate’s camera and Pokedex features by putting a Rotom in it. This Rotom is an agent of chaos, it shouldn’t be trusted with bombs.

- - - KELDEO QUEST - Liberty Gardens survived the calamity, but due to Maelen’s death and the failure of the royal family to stop Necrozma, Maelen’s family shut Liberty Garden off from outsiders.

- During Ingo’s journey in the present, he finds a bunch of guardsmen searching for Caitlin.

Ingo ends up accidentally finding her, who ran off. - Like her ancestor Maelen, She also possesses uncontrollable psychic powers, but on a much more dangerous level. She also snuck off from her home because the Divine Beast vah Keldeo has been producing torrents of water, which threaten to sink the island, and her parents refuse to look for outside help.

- Ingo agrees to help Caitlin with Keldeo, and journeys to Liberty Harden. The residents of the island don’t really have a high opinion of the defunct royal family, but luckily do not recognize Ingo as a member of said family.

- Caitlin’s parents are stubborn and don’t want to accept help and they won’t allow Ingo to use the only boat that can get close enough to Keldeo, so Ingo has to prove himself by taking out the Xurkitree that have holed up in one of the coves. - While clearing out the cove, ingo finds a neat rock and keeps it (psst…that’s Tirtouga).

- Caitlin manages to get them to allow Ingo to use the boat. Ingo uses the boat to board the divine beast and free both it and Maelen’s spirit by defeating Aurora Sabre Necrozma.

- - - VIRIZION QUEST - After returning to the mainland, Ingo travels to Aspertia Village on the advice of Professor Juniper, where he meets Professor Fennel. - While he’s there she notices the rock he picked up and realizes it's a Cover Fossil. Using an ancient device, she is able to resurrect the fossil and Mink the Tirtouga joins the party.

- Divine Beast Vah Virizion is causing Pinwheel Forest to overgrow, turning into a mess of vegetation that threatens to overtake and consume Nacrene Village.

- Ingo ends up in Nacrene on his journey, meeting Lenora who upon realizing he has a Pokeslate, believes him to be a descendant of the old royal family. - since Ingo needs to board Virizion, she points him in the direction of Shauntal, a local novelist who accidentally figured out how to get close to the divine beast without getting hit with its sleep spores, while wandering the forest for inspiration for her next book.

- Ingo finds Shauntal near the outskirts of Pinwheel Forest, she is injured. She had gone into the forest, gotten ambushed by a swarm of Kartana, and been separated from her partner Pokemon. - Ingo enters the forest to help find her Pokemon, and while searching catches a runt Venipede, and BB the Venipede joins the party. - He eventually finds the Chandelure, which triggers some faint memories of his own partner.

- After reuniting Chandelure with its trainer, Shauntal shows Ingo the key to getting close to Virizion, a mask made of Petilil leaves. It’s crafting one of these that triggers a memory of Peyx for Ingo.

- Using this trick, Ingo is able to board Virizion and free it and Peyx’s spirit by fighting Twilight Rapier Necrozma.

- - - - At some point, while visiting a Pokemon center, Ingo hears a rumor about a ghostly steed wandering the hills, few have seen the skittish specter, though others claim to have been saved from UB attacks by the strange Pokemon.

- He ends up encountering this mysterious Pokemon one night, a skeletal Rapidash with purple-blue flames. Unexpectedly, the Pokemon seemed very fond of him. - Though very confused by this behavior, Ingo allows the Staldash to tag along.

- Much later, ingo begins to remember that before the calamity, he had had a Rapidash named Louis that he got separated from at some point. - Unbeknownst to him, Staldash and his old Rapidash are one and the same. After being separated from her trainer at the start of the Calamity, Rapidash wandered the region and died, but her desire to reunite with its trainer allowed her to cling to the world as a ghost type.

- - - TERRAKION QUEST - Desert Resort has become untraversable, due to the sandstorms Terrakion generates. - Ingo arrives in Alba’s hometown and learns that she used to own an artifact known as the go-goggles which could allow someone to withstand sandstorms, but it was stolen by Team Photon. They say another wanderer had offered to get them back from Team Photon but had yet to return.

- Ingo travels to Team Photon’s HQ in Relic Castle, and finds some Team Photon grunts harassing a wild Sigilyph. After defeating the grunts, Railway the Sigilyph joins the party.

- Afterwards he meets Marshal, the other wanderer. Marshal is a descendant of Alba and had grown up hearing stories of his ancestor, which spurred his quest to get stronger.

- Ingo and Marshal enter Relic Castle and separate to try and look for the go-goggles. Ingo faces the Team Photon admins one last time before facing the team leader Moissanite. After defeating Moissanite, Ingo retrieves the go-goggles, which triggers a memory of Alba.

- Using the go-googles, Ingo is able to board Terrakion and free it and Alba’s spirit by fighting Comet Claymore Necrozma.

- - - COBALION QUEST - After the Calamity, the people of Lacunosa had to build walls to protect their town from UB, which would go into a frenzy at the sound of Cobalion’s cries. - With no one able to look after the spring, Kyurem ending up getting possessed by Necrozma and cutting off Victory Road with ice and without knowing what befallen the dragon, the town began to fear the creation of their god.

- Ingo travels to Lacunosa Town and is told that Cobalion is at the end of Victory Road, but the way is blocked by ice. - another traveler by the name of Grimsley, son of a merchant family that went bankrupt, tells him how to get to the Spring of Absolution. Ingo frees Kyurem from its possession, which triggers a memory of Hildegarde.

- While traversing Victory Road, Ingo finds a lone Mienfoo facing off against a Naganadel. After saving the little critter, it runs off, but later returns to help him fight a Guzzlord. Talgo the Mienfoo joins the party.

- After reaching the summit, Ingo is able to board Cobalion and free it and Hildegarde’s spirit after defeating Nova Falchion Necrozma.

- - - The Master Sword rests in Lostlorn forest and is looked after by Alder, a cryptid of a man who has been around for millennia, who is supposed to be watching the sword but sometimes wanders off, leaving his Volcarona to guard it.

- Ingo enters the forest to retrieve the Master Sword and finds his Chandelure there waiting for him; Emmet had asked it to take the sword there 100 years ago, and it decided to stay and wait for its trainer. They are happily reunited.

- Now the only thing left to do is make the journey to Nimbasa Castle, face Necrozma, and free his brother.

-------------

And thats the botw au! If you guys have anymore questions about this au, don't be afraid to send an ask

#submas #pokemon #pokemon black and white #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #au #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet #subway master nobori #subway master kudari

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kass-storycorner · 3 years ago

Text

An unpleasant surprise

I should definitely do my coursework instead of writing this fic, however the idea just came into my head and I couldn’t focus until I wrote this down. Writing this took waaaay longer than I anticpiated and it was way more spontanious... so it’s not proof read or anything, still hope you’ll enjoy it.

The idea/prompt: character is secretly in love with you, but won’t tell you because you are already in a relationship with someone else. Character however finds out that your partner is cheating on you – this is how they would react/act upon finding it out

Word count: 3637 Words (I’m sorry)

Character: Kaeya x gn!reader (in this it’s still very platonic and one sided love) Genre: Angst (?), Hurt, Comfort, even a bit of humour but maybe not, idk haha

Content warnings: cheating, threats, mention of blood and a major injury, mentioning of Dilucs and Kaeyas past, but nothing to explicit (tried to avoid the major spoilers)

Format: The first part / backstory is written in bullet points, but at the end you’ll find a fic written in the normal text format

He just wanted to drown his sorrows in peace at the Angel’s Share, but no. He had to be witness to that disgusting display of infidelity of your (hopefully soon to be ex-) boyfriend

Kaeya has known you for several years now, both of you started around the same time in the Knights of Favonius. The early years of your training were some of the most fun times Kaeya had- thinking about it always made him smile. Both of you were known from the beginning as rule benders, mostly breakers, within the Knights and if it weren’t for the influence of Kaeyas adoptive family none of you both would’ve gotten that many chances to stay until each of you proved their own worth without familiar ties.

However, in the last few years you both grew a bit more distant. Kaeya blamed himself entirely for it, after Crepus death he knew he should not have any emotional ties to anyone in Mondstadt, at first he ruined the relationship with his brother by telling him the truth. He then just tried to avoid you more and more, which wasn’t easy, because after Diluc quit his position as a Cavalry Captain Kaeya rose up to his position – only to have you as his subordinate.

It was not until you were on a mission with Kaeya that went horribly wrong, that Kaeya realised his feelings for you never were platonic, he was in love with you since the early days of training.You are his first love.

That mission was more of a secretive one, a few months after Diluc had left Mond and Crepus died, and one of the first bigger outings Kaeya had to lead as a Cavalry Captain. And the first mission without his brother by his side. The dragon Ursa resurfaced and continued to cause harm to the people of Mond, so Grand Master Varka gave Kaeya the responsibility to find that Dragons lair.

Instead of finding the hiding spot of Ursa, Kaeyas troop stumbled into a hiding spot of the, at that point not known as, Abyss order. That was the last time Kaeya went into a mission without information he himself collected and checked, because looking back it was so obviously a trap. How did he not notice it back then?

The fight was brutal and exhausting – somehow it was a miracle that the only Knight dangerously wounded was you. At least that is what the other Knights who were on that mission too would say, thankful that the worst they had to suffer from back then were a few scars at most. Hearing anyone talk about it enraged Kaeya, though he would never show it. It was because you were the most skilled fighter in that troop, even without a Vision Kaeya was sure that at your peak back then you could’ve bested him even now. But because of one of his mistakes, he did not care to watch his own back, maybe because he knew you would protect him, it was you who was injured and not him.

In that moment, seeing you unconscious on the floor laying in your own blood because you protected him, Kaeya understood his feelings for you.

After bringing you back safely to Mondstadt, and you thankfully not dying because of the injuries, Kaeya became even more distant. At first he wished to be able to tell you his true feelings after you’ve woken up, but he just couldn’t. When the healers and doctors gave the news that the injury was so severe that you would never be able to fight again, or even walk down the streets of Mond without being in pain – Kaeya thought the guilt of keeping that secret from Diluc and Crepus for years was unbearable, but the guilt he felt from being responsible for this? It pained him even more.

You stayed in the Knights, taking over administrative tasks and helping every other department of the Knights in the best ways you possibly could.

What surprised Kaeya is that you were never bitter about it. You never said it was Kaeyas fault, even went out of your way to constantly reassure him after you got the news that he shouldn’t blame himself for it (until this day he refuses to listen to you). Your smile and laughter didn’t stop after it, which he never could understand.

How were you able to be so happy and kind when your dream of leading your own troop just – vanished. To travel around Teyvat, see the world. When you weren’t able to do the things, you loved on your own, like going to Windrise to pick some of your favourite flowers.

Somehow, Kaeya thought, it was because of that guy. He never liked your boyfriend to begin with, but Kaeya thought maybe it was his jealousy that clouded his judgement.

He came into your life shortly after the incident and Kaeya remembered the first time he saw you two together – holding hands, you looked so smitten and the way you laughed when he leaned down to whisper something into your ear. After seeing that Kaeya knew he could never have something like this in his life. Not if its not with you.

Kaeya didn’t spend much time with you outside of the Knights anymore, though he would always have a conversation with you when you came up to him or he had to visit your office. Whenever he saw you outside of the Knights, you were always with your boyfriend, sometimes stopping and having a quick chat with Kaeya. Sometimes he wished you would stop being so nice to him.

Now seeing that disgusting piece of shit of a boyfriend sit in the corner of the Angel’s Share, with his hands all over some young thing made Kaeyas blood boil.

How dared he, the man who should be so lucky to have you, have his eyes and hands on another woman.

Also it’s a good thing that Diluc is not at Angel’s Share today, he was also a close friend of you back in the day and even though the friendship with Diluc didn’t survive his three years absence, Diluc would definitely throw that bastard out

Kaeya was astounded by the audacity your boyfriend had. He never had a high opinion of him but seeing that man openly flirt and make out with a woman that was not you, so obvious for everyone to see… in a bar that was frequently visited by your colleagues and friends. If it weren’t for the fact that he was cheating on you Kaeya could maybe muster up some respect for a man who had so clearly a death wish. Eyeing him from the corner of his eye, Kaeya kept observing that situation. How the hands that always held yours in public were touching all over the body of that unknown woman. How the mouth that told you sweet nothings over and over, told you that he loved you, was occupied with kissing the neck of another woman. That whole display just filled Kaeya with disgust. The loud giggles of that woman in his lap filled the Tavern and that was the moment Kaeya decided he had enough. Calmy, he finished his drink, stood up from the bar and made his way over to the table. “You surely don’t mind if I join you two”, Kaeya said in a nonchalant manner, sitting down opposite to the couple. “Oh, Sir Kaeya!”, the young woman giggled, clearly intoxicated, and embarrassed by the way Kaeya eyed the two. Quickly they both shifted, so the woman sat now besides your boyfriend. The way the cheater looked at Kaeya, it was quite amusing. A mix of fear, shock and uneasiness filled the eyes of him. It filled Kaeya with a weird sense of pride, knowing that being caught by him was something that scared him. “Seemed like you two had quite some fun back here”, Kaeya smugly started his interrogation. It was not unusual for Kaeya to use the Angel’s Share as his interrogation room – the casual setting and the alcohol made it so much easier sometimes for people to spill all their secrets. Especially when Kaeya could just be so charming. What Kaeya interested the most was if this was the first offense of the cheater or if that behaviour was a more… regular occurrence. It was at least for him the first time he caught that man red handed. Getting some information out of the girl was quite easy, she was so eager to tell the Cavalry Captain all about the two. Though from what Kaeya gathered the whole thing between her and your boyfriend was quite fresh. “You two really seem like a fitting pair”, Kaeya replied after a long ramble of that woman on how she was just so in love with your boyfriend. His voice sweet and smooth as silk, not showing how the anger inside him grew. It was just not fair, not fair to you. “Hey,” Kaeya began and eyed the empty glasses on the table, looking then back at the woman. “How about another round of drinks, it’s on me. Would you be so kind and go to Charles and order a few?”, again his voice was charming as ever. “No, no, Sir Kaeya, that’s too kind, but another drink won’t be necessary. It is quite late; don’t you think flower? We should get going”, the cheater chimed in and Kaeya nearly lost his cool when he heard him call the woman ‘flower’. Whenever Kaeya met you and him on his patrols around Mondstadt he always heard him call you ‘flower’. Fucking bastard, is all Kaeya could think before the voice of the woman protested the cheaters concerns. “Nooo, just one more round. How can you turn down Sir Kaeya, love? Just one more, please”, she looked at him with pleading eyes and he just sighted. “Fine”, he said and with that the woman was on her way to the bar. Kaeya now hoped that Charles would keep her occupied long enough so he could find out everything he wants to know from that cheater. His eye shifted from the woman who made her way to the bar to your boyfriend who sat directly across Kaeya. Now completely alone and vulnerable, for his shield left his side. The tension in the air seemed to be unbearable, Kaeya could see how uncomfortable the silence and his curious glance made the cheater. But Kaeya knew – sometimes saying nothing says it all. Helplessly your boyfriend looked over to the bar only to see that the woman he was with was now totally engrossed in a conversation with Charles. After a few minutes, that might have felt like hours to that cheater, he broke the silence. “So,” he tried to start a conversation, clearly not knowing that he fell right into Kaeyas trap. “What gives us the honour to be invited by the Cavalry Captain?”. “Oh, I think you might be smart enough to come up with an answer yourself,” Kaeya replied, keeping up a smile. Though the look in Kaeyas eye was just as cold as the top of Dragonspine, causing the other man to shiver. “As much as it honours me that you think of me this highly, I sadly have no idea what would make the renowned Sir Kaeya sit down at my table tonight.” “Oh, so this is how you want have this conversation”, now his voice was just as cold as his look. “I don’t understand what you mean.” ‘Bullshit’, Kaeya thought. “I’ve been just curious about that woman that just sat so prominently on your lap earlier this evening, she seems to be not the same I saw you hold hands with earlier this day.” “As nice at it is that the Cavalry Captain seems concerned for me, it isn’t one of the Knights duties to pry into the lives of citizens, now, is it?” Oh, how confident the cheater now sounded, thinking he was winning that conversation. Kaeya couldn’t deny that the entire situation made him furious and that he handled it a bit differently than he usually would if he were to talk with drunk treasure hoarders. “Oh, we’re awfully bold now, are we? Believe me the Knights don’t care about your infidelity, though I guess a certain one might find it awfully interesting to know how you spend your nights.” There was a short moment of silences between the two men, the tension just rising. “Well, they wouldn’t believe you. But if you want to go and be a telltale go, I won’t stop you”, the man gave as an answer. His words did not fit his body language – bold words, but his body was tense and Kaeya could see the fear behind the eyes of the man. But it was not fear of losing you, no he seemed to be quite confident that this would not happen. Kaeya said nothing, he just looked at that man, piercing him with his ice cold look. “You see”, he continued, “I wouldn’t be sitting here in Angle’s Share with that lovely company if I thought they might believe the words of any low-rank Knight coming in their office, believing their lies. Quite sad what pranks some people want to play on them, don’t you think?” Slowly, but surely, Kaeya understood that this tonight was definitely not the first offense of that man. And he now understood why most of the Knights here tonight just looked away from the scene, not batting an eye at what was going on. Kaeya could kick himself in the ass, how did he not notice the behaviour of that rodent before him earlier? If he was so open about cheating on you that even most of the other Knights knew, how come that he did not? “And I think its just so sad, that one of the people they hold in such high regards would join in on those baseless accusations, don’t you think Sir Kaeya? I mean it would be so disappointing for them to find out that you tell them such a lie, only because you just don’t like me.” If Kaeya wasn’t a Knight, if he weren’t Kaeya right now, if he hadn’t to uphold a certain image… the floor of the Tavern would be painted with the blood of this absolute bastard. Oh, how Kaeya wished he could lose his cool. “If you say it like that, then I guess I won’t tell them a word,” Kaeya replied. “I’m glad you understand”, the cheater smiled, the fear in his eyes now subsided and he seemed to relax a bit. At that Kaeya just leaned forward, his look cold and his voice even colder. “You are telling them.” The man just scoffed, looking confused at Kaeya. “Why should I?” Kaeya now coming closer, his voice more threatening than before. “Do you really want to find out, if you don’t?”. Kaeya leaned back, smiling and at that moment the woman came back with the drinks. The face of the man was just pale as snow, the fear back in his eyes. “Oh, thank you dear”, Kaeya said when she places his drink before him, and he took a sip. If your boyfriend is smarter than he seemed to be after fooling around with that woman in public, it would do him good to do as Kaeya said.

Dealing with the pain in your leg was something you were used to now for a few years, but the pain in your heart today… you somehow would prefer a broken leg over your shattered heart. Your eyes were fixated on the documents before you, though trough the tears in your eyes you could barley make out what they said. What they were even for. How could you ignore it for so long, that he cheated. That he fooled around with any woman in Mondstadt willing to be with him. This sleezy asshole. The tears fell down on the paper, you couldn’t care right now what important piece of documents you ruined with your tears. How, how, how??? Why were you so stupid to believe him when he always said that all the people that came to you with their concerns must have been mistaken. Why did you believe him over and over again. You couldn’t stop thinking about how the first person coming to you was Outrider Amber, so nervous to even say anything. How you just laughed her worries away, saying she definitely was mistaken. How after Amber again and again told you how sure she was. Had you just listened to her. Then maybe you wouldn’t feel so humiliated. If you just hadn’t listened to that damn liar. In that moment you heard a knock on the door. Quickly you wiped your tears away with your sleeves, clearing your throat. “Come in,” you said, though you were shocked at how hoarse you sounded. Stepping into your office was Kaeya, but when he saw your red eyes and tear stained face, he quickly closed the door behind him. “Are you alright?”, he asked in such a soft and kind voice. Since you woke up in the infirmary all those years ago you hadn’t heard him talk in that voice. You couldn’t help it, it made you immediately tear up again. Throwing your head into your hands you just couldn’t stop the uncontrollably sobs that took over you. You didn’t even notice that Kaeya was kneeling beside your chair until he felt his hand on your back. “Hey,” you heard him say, again in this soft voice. “It’s alright, let it out.” And you did. For a while you just sat there, crying and sobbing until you ran empty. The whole time Kaeya was on your side, saying nothing. He was just there and somehow, even after you two grew apart in the past years, after all that happened – Crepus death, Dilucs disappearance and return, your injury. Even after all it did not feel awkward to just cry and look for comfort at his side. After all, you still were friends. Slowly you calmed down, looking up to him. “I was so stupid, Kaeya. So many people came to me, told me what they saw, who he was and I- I just ignored it. I ignored it all, my feelings and-“, you felt the lump in your throat, making you stop speaking. It was just too much. “You’re not stupid,” he said, taking you in his arms. It felt so good to just melt into the hug. Just trying to forget the pain for a few seconds, slipping back into the familiarity of Kaeya you haven’t felt in such a long time.

Kaeya on the other hand couldn’t stop asking himself if what he’s doing here was alright. Was it okay to comfort you, he asked. If he hadn’t basically threatened your, obviously now, ex-boyfriend last night to tell you the truth, he might have been met with your bright smile today and not that painful expression. But it was the right thing to do, you deserved to know. You deserved for that guy to tell you, although he should have told you the truth out of his own free will. Not because Kaeya got involved. “Thank you”, he heard you mumble into his chest. “For what?” he asked, both of you now parting from the hug. “For just… for being here. And for being a friend”, you answered, again wiping tears away. Kaeya couldn’t help himself and chuckled at that statement. A friend, yeah. That is what he was and what he must be fine with. However, he didn’t really expect you to view him as one, after all that happened and how much he tried to avoid you in the past. “Well, I have been an awful friend the last years, haven’t I?”. Your eyes shot up, looking directly into his eye. “No, what makes you think that?”. You genuinely looked surprised at his statement. “Well,” he gestured towards your leg. Before he could even say anything, he felt your hands cup his face and looking at him sternly. “Kaeya Alberich, how often do I have to tell you this. What happened to my leg is not your fault, please stop taking blame for it. It was my choice to join you on that mission.” For a short while you both just looked into each other’s eyes until Kaeya couldn’t stand it anymore, a sigh leaving him, and he looked away. “How come that I want to comfort you and you just end up telling me something I just can’t seem to learn.” He stood up and then he saw it. You smiled at him. A sad smile, but a smile, nonetheless. “One day you’ll hopefully learn it”, you said. “Now, to make up for this”, pointing at your leg, trying to joke, “and for threatening a Mondstadt citizen, I think you should get me something from Good Hunter.” Kaeya was surprised. How did you know? He couldn’t even ask you, you already gave him the answer to the question that was so clearly written all over his face. “He literally begged me, after telling me the truth and breaking up with me, that I made sure you wouldn’t hurt him.” Now Kaeya gave out a small laugh, partially because he felt a bit embarrassed by you knowing, but also the thought of that arrogant asshole being so afraid of him amused Kaeya. “And, what did you tell him”, he asked, now back with his more playful tone. “Mmmmmh, I told him I’ll think about it.”

#genshin impact fan fiction #genshin #genshin fan fiction #kaeya x reader #kaeya fanfiction #genshin angst #kaeya angst #genshin hurt #genshin comfort #how do you tag fan fiction help #reader insert #gender-neutral reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin x reader #angst #hurt #comfort #kaeya alberich

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bloodycassian · 3 years ago

Text

** PT 2 Azriel x reader - enemies to acquaintances PT 2. ** - reader gets a backstory, they clear another enemy camp together and bond more. Azriel apologizes.

Slight TW for violence/domestic abuse mention. Trying to keep reader as genderless as possible but sometimes I inherently switch to using woman POVs- asks still very open ;)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

"It seems I owe you an apology." Rhys began, pacing at the end of the makeshift bed the healers had set up for you. Your stomach rolled with nerves. His tone was not genuine, and you could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. The healers buzzing nearby suddenly found different things to do.

Azriel and Cassian stood at the edge of the canopy, the drizzle of rain making their armor shine. "Azriel informed me of your injury- I'm impressed with your bravery." He smiled, his dark eyes making him look like a snake.

You glanced to the shadowmaster, who nodded the slightest amount. "Did you receive my message from him?" You asked, and when he had a genuine wide grin - showing almost too many teeth - it gave you chills.

"I did in fact. I wish the same to you." He said with that deadly calm. Cassian tried to hide his laugh, Azriel remained stonefaced. "Let's take this to the war tent. Whenever you are...suitable." he glanced to your wing, still stained with crusted dry blood.

You felt your cheeks heat slightly, and nodded. He strode out from the healers canopy and into the rain without a look back. The generals followed him, Azriel glancing back to you only for a second.

Once you had mustered the strength to get out of the cot, you thanked your healers. They insisted on giving you healing potions before you departed. And tried to get you to promise to come back for a check in daily. Mobility tests, stretches and strength building. You gave them loose affirmations and took the potions without putting up too much of a fight, given that the wing still ached slightly. Two days of rest had done a lot for the healing process, but it would take at least a week before it was fully healed.

The short walk to the war tent was cold as the mist of rain poured down. Many of the soldiers were inside or drunkenly asleep in the mud. Sitting around and waiting was not an ideal situation with a thousand males ready to fight all around.

You pushed open the tent, shaking out your jacket on the pelt rug. Earning a scowl from the high lord, seated at the head of the table again. "This one tells me you were a sight to see in the skirmish." He said, gesturing to the shadow master.

You glanced to Azriel, his face was blank but his cheeks had gone a duskier shade of brown. "But maybe I took that the wrong way, and what he meant was that you were a disaster, considering someone managed to put a hole in to your wing." He laced his fingers together in front of him. You curled your lip at him, ready to tell him to get his ass out there and do it himself then.

Before you could, Azriel turned to the high lord, opening his mouth to protest but he was quickly silenced by Rhysand's dagger like eyes. The shadowmaster pressed his full lips together tightly. Looked to his feet, as if in shame. It made your head thrum with adrenaline filled rage. Rhysand - the most powerful high lord in history - coudlnt get off his ass to take care of some second class Attors himself? Perfect. Just your luck. Being hired out like the hundreds of your kind before you, only it was worse because you weren’t even getting any gold from it.

"We now have a bigger force than originally planned coming directly at us." He said softly, a dark wind organizing enemy pawns on the table to show where they spread out. how they had your forces stuck against a wall of mountains.

"Because you were brave enough to somehow miss the group of Attors flying away..." He glared those snake eyes at Azriel again, then Rhys let out a bitter laugh. He was upset, understandably so. You could admit that. But it wasn't your fault he decided not to believe you in the first place.

You glanced to Azriel. His face was grave as his high lord tore into both of you with a tone of a disappointed parent. Like your parent. The thought of your father made your jaw clench, your teeth grind together as you fought to not begin screaming at Rhysand.

"The two of you will see to it that this is taken care of." He took a breath, gesturing to the pawns on the table. "There is a ravine to the west of here-" His dark gifts had the pawns lifting in the air. A fist of fear clenched your stomach. You had forgotten just HOW powerful he was.

"If you cut off the bridges their advancement will be paralyzed. We then may be able to regroup and massacre our way through this group here-" He pointed to the north, a smaller force lay there. Without the flanking force able to be a threat behind you it would work. Your strategist mind flushed out the plan.

"I expect you both to fix this - as you both caused this issue. I want it done before dawn comes." The pawns he held in the air turned to dust on the table, making a neat pile before the dark lines that indicated the ravine. Hitting his point home, in a non subtle way you supposed. Arrogant cock of a high lord.

"It will work, Rhys." Cassian said softly. He glanced to Azriel. His eyes were pinned to your wing. Your stomach flipped, you glared at Rhys. Before you could call out his plans' faults - or how terribly he was treating you and your considerable 200 units in his army- you saw Cassian shaking his head slightly at you. He rested a hand on Rhys' shoulder. The gesture stood out. The cocky high lord had a sensitive side, perhaps. Your lip curled at the thought.

As if sensing your disgust with him, Rhysand's lip curled "Now get out." He said, voice low and gravely. Cassian gestured for you and Azriel to follow him out. Rhysand reminded you so much of your own father it made you want to spit. A territorial, abusive cock without enough dignity to spare your family name.

You took a deep breath of cold air, hoping to clear your mind. It did little to shake the tension in your shoulders, or the stiffness in your jaw. Making a mental checklist of the weapons you needed to bring, you noticed Azriel following you. Or seeming to.

The shadow singer stalked past your tent, going to the west where the bridges were. "What are you doing?" You asked, jogging to catch up with him. He was already fording through the tall shrubs and grasses by the time you caught up.

"Taking care of it. I can fix it myself." He growled. You tried to keep up with him, but the jostling was upsetting your injury.

You put a hand on his shoulder, "Wait, hey." He shrugged you off, scoffing to himself. "I should have gone alone in the first place. I dont understand why he had to send you." He muttered, stalking deeper into the forest. The rain didn't reach you here, under the darkening shadows and mist.

Rage erupted inside you at his words - and you called out the only thing you could think of that might stop him. If he wanted to fight he could damn well stop and have an actual fight with you. "I guess you are just like all the other Illyrians after all." Your blood rushed in your ears, seeming to dampen the sound of everything. The dull hiss of the rain hitting the trees above was barely audible.

He stood rigid, wings flaring over his shoulders, growing larger with the shadows writing around them. "Do you even have a clue what real Illyrians would do to you right now if you were talking to them like this? What a normal male would do?" He was close. Too close for comfort. Too close to not be fighting or fucking.

"Considering my father was a very real Illyrian, yes" He stuttered at that. You'd never seen him do such a thing. It would have been funny if that angry set of his features didnt come back. You were ready for more fighting, more yelling but his face went slack, and his eyes met yours finally. They were no longer the cold dark color like in the tent with Rhysand. They were a hazel that matches the warm colors of pine bark in summer. Your heart clenched at the sight of it.

"You're like the Peacemakers, then." He muttered, referencing the old tales of mighty warriors with mixed breeding. Unfortunately a lot of that breeding was not willing. It usually never was, and it had ruined two generations of Illyrian and Peregyn pairings. "Axios was always my favorite." He smiled at the memory. You bit your lip, remembering the true stories of each hero. Not the bastardized verisons peddled throughout the realm.

The offspring became ostracized and cast out of most communities. On Prythian and on the continent. The ones who survived long enough to become trainable though were given the name Peacemakers for a reason. Known for hired bloodletting, no questions asked.

"I hope your end is not met like theirs." He seemed to shudder at the thought. All the anger boiled out of you at his concern.

You felt the shame begin to creep up around you. You had sold your services to make ends meet at times. It always left you with a sickening feeling in your gut after. As if the Mother herself was disappointed. "You can help that not happen." You said softly, voice barely audible. If you weren't so deep into the forest you doubted even his shadows could have heard you. "I need.. I need to find my father." Your voice trembled, he approached you slowly. Like he was approaching a wild animal.

"It might seem-" He began coaxing, holding a hand out to you. Just like he had the other night. A question, a temptation.

"I know your pain, shadowsinger." You took his hand, letting him lead you to a fallen tree. The soft moss growing on it was a welcome seat after walking for so long following him into the woods. "He would beat my mother and would pluck her feathers." You were grateful for your mother every second she put into resisting his influence for you. For keeping him at bay until you grew enough to be sent to the Peregryn camps for training. She never revealed your cross breeding, only that you had your wings and could use them well. Only because she had taught you.

Azriel was quiet for a long moment, his shadows moving slowly like waves around your ankles together. "I'm - sorry.. .about your mother. I didn't know." He whispered, pausing and cursing to himself. "I can help you find him. We can look, but we need to get through those enemy lines first. I need you to help me do that." He grasped your hand lightly, as if asking.

"Lets slice some attor, I guess." You sniffed, the cold making your nose run. At least, you blamed it on that.

The camp was mostly asleep by the time you got there. Under the cover of nightfall you were able to silently end most of the Fae that lurked in the camp. With everything going so smoothly, your heart lurched at the sight of Azriel falling backwards, a calling horn in his hand. His siphons flared, and it shattered. But left his siphons dull. He winced as he rolled out of the winging range of a fellow Illyrian with a flail in one hand and a mace in the other.

"Traitorous bastard." Azriel grappled with the Illyrian commander, but they were evenly matched. They knew all the same moves, sparring and sword wise. You launched yourself through the scattered bodies lining the clearing, dodging over puddles of blood and forgotten weapons. The commander had Azriel in a hold that had his wings flipped outward, and the male took the opportunity. He pressed his boot against Az's back and pulled them backward, bending them father than was natural. You roared, not bothering to waste the time to draw your weapon.

You barreled into him, Azriels hands still reaching backwards to claw at his hands. He toppled over a stack of bodies, yanking you down with him. You scrambled away from him, hands clambering for any weapon. By the time you turned back around to face him, Azriel had already put him on his knees before you. Bending the males wings back just as he had done to the shadow singer.

Your borrowed blade went through his throat, pinning him to the ground as he kneeled. He looked like a statue in the position.

You spat on the body. "Dont touch wings, asshole." You muttered. Azriel stared at you, as if in shock. You picked up a better looking sword from the ground nearby, wiping it on the cloth inside of your armor sleeve. "What?" You asked. Azriel seemed stunned silent. He seemed shocked in place. After you were sure there were no rogues readying to flee or informants spying, You took a breath, returning to him where he still stood beside the body of the commander.

You pointed back at the winged body speared to the ground behind him. Smiling, you titled the pose. "A prayer to the mother." His eyes went somehow even wider.

Then he broke out in laughter. You couldnt help but join him, the high of battle making you both delirious. You laughed at his laugh, the stupid face he made laughing back at you. Laughed at the half spoken words that were cut off by more breathless giggles.

Your sides ached by the time you both sat around the enemy fire, enjoying their spoils of war from a nearby town. The roasted duck smelled particularly good. Azriel heated a pot of tea over the coals, throwing in fresh pine needles from a tree nearby.

"You know-" He handed you your cup of tea. It was warm in your palm, but his hands were still somehow hotter than the boiling water. He blew on his cup, the steam not going much farther than what his shadows allowed. They seemed to almost play in it. "I am sorry about your mother. I understand why you regard some of us with such...distaste." He put the lid back on the pot and took it off the fire. He looked so natural doing...normal things. Not just posturing for his court and killing.

You nodded in thanks, not needing too many words with him. "She fled the week after I was formally invited to train in the Peregryn ranks. He found her, and killed her for leaving him. My court holds no rules against such things. He hasn't suffered for it." Your voice shook at the end. "Yet, that is. This.." You gestured to the battlefield, the bodies behind you. "This is just along the way. Killing him will be my destiny. My retribution for my mother." You sipped your tea, letting the burn of it sink in. You hoped it would warm your insides.

"I miss my mother as well." He said, taking a gingerly sip of his tea. He stretched his wings, you could tell by the hesitant way he folded them back in that they pained him. You made a mental note to give him one of your healing potions when you returned to camp.

You sat in silence with him until that fire burned out, and only dull coals were left.

"I'm glad you both seemed to have fun. Is the camp clear?" Cassian hissed, following you to the war tent. You sipped your mead, nodding. "Yes, oh strategic one. The bridges are cut too, courtesy of yours truly." You winked at him, making him stop in his tracks. Azriel patted him on the shoulder without a word, then followed you into the tent where Rhys waited. Wrathful or not, you knew he had no rights to tell you off this time.

Azriel's hazel eyes met your own as you entered the tent together.

#azriel x reader #azriel #reader insert #acotar fic #acotar #cassian mention

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moonlit-ocs · 2 years ago

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OC Bio: Star Wars

Name: Berri Skywalker

Name Meaning: Berri: Derived from mother, Padmé’s, family name “Naberrie” in memorial of Anakin’s late wife. //Lydia: “Lydia is a feminine first name. It derives from the Greek Λυδία, Ludía, from λυδία (ludía; "beautiful one", "noble one", "from Lydia/Persia"), a feminine form of the ancient given name Λυδός (Lydus).”

Nickname(s): Lydia (given name by Padmé), Berri Vestal (Imperial name)

Alias(es): Fourth Sister

Occupation: Inquisitor

Alignment: Varies

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Age/Birthday: 19 BBY

Height: 5’8”

Hair Color/Type/Length: Brown/Straight/Chin

Eye Color: Brown

Body Markings: Scarring from training/battle (blaster fire, lightsabers, Force lightning)

Family: Padmé Amidala (Mother), Anakin Skywalker (Father), Luke Skywalker (Brother), Leia Organa (Sister)

Love Interest(s): n/a

Birthplace: Polis Massa

Languages: Galactic Basic Standard (+Aurebesh), Binary, High Galactic, Mando’a,

Skills/Powers: Force-related powers, intensive lightsaber training

Likes: (Imperial Era) her lightsaber, piloting, critical shots, praise, violence, Vader’s Castle. (Jedi Era) righting wrongs, her new lightsabers, learning her history, rebuilding.

Dislikes: (Imperial Era) Rebels, Palpatine, Fellow Inquisitors, Stormtroopers, failed missions. (Jedi Era) Imperial apologists, herself (sorry), being recognized.

Catchphrase: (Imperial Era) “You have no idea who you’re up against.”//(Jedi Era) “I’m trying. It’s all I can do.”

Backstory: Berri Skywalker, born Lydia, is the eldest Skywalker-Amidala triplet born alongside Luke and Leia on Polis Massa. After the three were split up, clones intercepted the transport bringing Lydia and her Jedi escort to safety. Lydia was brought before Darth Sidious and was sensed to be Anakin’s offspring.

Presented to Darth Vader as his own, he thought this to be his only child and named her after his late wife, Padmé. Lydia was renamed Berri, unknown of her original name. Despite the fact that Vader was forbidden to train his own Padawan while his master, Emperor Palpatine, was in control, Vader had convinced his master to have Berri raised within the Empire and trained to be an Inquisitor when of age. His request was granted and Beri was given a false last name to hide her parentage.

Berri was titled the Fourth Sister of the Inquisitors at 13 years of age and began enforcing the Empire’s will across the galaxy, crossing paths with many rebels along the way. Of them were Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios, Ahsoka Tano, and more. She’d been keen on impressing her father by killing Obi-Wan herself, but never had the chance.

Berri had been told of her family’s past through the eyes of her father as she grew up, well aware of many figures in the former Jedi Order and Galactic Senate, but his memories were filled with malice. He spoke of her mother lovingly, but Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and so on were made out to be villains.

It was revealed to Berri that she had siblings when Luke was brought to the Emperor’s attention and Vader sought to recruit him, which filled his daughter with jealousy as she was promised to rule alongside her father and destroy Palpatine.

Berri attended the Battle of Endor, teaming up with her brother and father to destroy Palpatine and finally watched her father die trying to save his children. Vader was her guide through life, his word was her will. His final words inspired her to give up her life’s teachings under the Empire and follow her own path on the Light Side of the Force. Berri followed her brother, Luke, to Endor and met her sister, Leia, as well.

Berri, filled with guilt over her past actions as an Inquisitor, was driven to right her wrongs and teamed with her siblings to start anew, building the New Republic from the ground-up and training as a Jedi. After some time, she was even open to training the next generation. For a brief time, Grogu was her Padawan. She met Ahsoka once again and made amends, hearing stories of their shared master, Anakin Skywalker. The two became quite fond of each other.

Soon, Berri chose to move throughout the galaxy, restoring what she could. It’d only be a matter of time before her next battle.

Faceclaim: Sela Ward

#beri skywalker oc #lydia skywalker oc #fourth sister oc #star wars oc

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bedlamsbard · 4 years ago

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Part two of the Caleb and Loth-wolf concept! I am tentatively planning for this to be a five things fic, but I am absolutely unwilling to commit to that at the moment. This follows part one; technically it’s backstory for The Starry Crown, but its relevance there isn’t in any of the posted chapters and it stands on its own.

About 4.7K below the break.

***

When Caleb had a question about anything, which was often, because he didn’t like not knowing things and he liked the satisfaction of having a proper explanation to fill empty spaces in his knowledge of the universe, his preferred method was to pester the crèche masters until he was satisfied by their responses. But this time he didn’t want to let Master Krell know about Rroshaal, since if Rroshaal had wanted Krell to know about him he would have stayed with Caleb instead of disappearing.

So instead, Caleb went to the library.

Caleb liked the library. It was quiet and while sometimes the Knights and older padawans working there looked askance at his presence, no one had ever kicked him out, though he had on occasion been steered away from some of the more restricted sections. Master Nu, upon once finding him struggling to fetch out a holodisk shelved out of his reach because he was intrigued by the symbols on the spine, had shown him how to use the computers to search the Temple databases. Caleb’s log-in was keyed to his DNA and he hadn’t yet figured out how to get around that, so his access was fairly restricted compared to what even an initiate or older youngling might have gotten, but it was better than not having it at all, and he could lose hours scrolling through seemingly endless amounts of information. Sometimes he didn’t even recognize the redactions where information that wasn’t appropriate for his level had been hidden.

He waited impatiently through his last few lessons for the day, which he normally liked but wasn’t in the mood for, then practically ran out of the classroom and towards the library. Caleb made his way through the mazelike corridors of the Jedi Temple with the ease of long practice. He could have done it blindfolded; younglings trained and played that way, placing their trust in the Force and their other senses so that they didn’t become overly reliant on their eyes. This time he didn’t bother.

It was late enough in the day that most of the diurnal species in the Temple – the majority of them – had gone to dinner, either to eat in their rooms or the crèche or one of the big public halls or the gardens. Caleb bounced excitedly into the library and looked around for a free computer. The few Jedi still there looked around at his entrance, indulgently amused at his arrival. Caleb waved at them cheerfully and went over to the nearest computer, raising the seat up until he could see the screen clearly. He poked at the keyboard with his index fingers, trying to think of what the best search terms for Rroshaal’s species were.

Half an hour later, he had found all sorts of canines and felines and other mammals which varied from adorable to terrifying, but nothing that matched his memory of Rroshaal. They varied on the sentience scale, and if Caleb hadn’t been so focused on finding Rroshaal’s species he might have dropped everything to go beg the crèche masters for a miniature hamerlok puppy, but as it was he filed that away to think about later.

Caleb ended up in the library often enough that he knew better than to waste time searching for something when he didn’t know the best way to do so or didn’t have the necessary access. He looked around for one of the librarians and saw Master Nu coming towards him; she had found him on one of his research spirals a dozen times before and knew his pattern. He waved at her and she smiled at him.

“What are you looking for, Caleb?” she asked, resting a hand on the back of his chair.

Trying to sound as grown-up as possible, Caleb turned towards her and said, “I’m trying to identify another species, but I haven’t been able to find him – them.”

“A sentient species?”

He nodded. “But not a humanoid.”

“Someone you saw here in the Temple?”

Caleb bit his lip. Technically he had seen Rroshaal in the Temple, but he didn’t want to admit to Master Nu that he had been in the underlevels, and that wasn’t what she meant anyway. She was asking if he was talking about another Jedi, or maybe one of the civilians who were in the Temple sometimes. “I had a vision?” he said tentatively. It was partially true, after all; Rroshaal had shown him his species through the Force, and that was sort of like a vision. And he had seen Rroshaal with his own eyes, which was technically vision even if it wasn’t a vision. “I read a holobook,” he added, almost immediately afterwards. He read lots of holobooks.

Master Nu looked amused, but didn’t comment on the two contradictory explanations. “Do you know what this other species of yours looks like?”

Caleb nodded firmly. “Big. Furry. Sort of like canines – maybe like lupines. I don’t understand the difference,” he admitted. He pointed at the screen, which was still open on the image of the miniature hamerlok, which was a domesticated subspecies of an Alderaanian predator. It looked a little like Rroshaal had, except much smaller and less fluffy, and the wrong color, though the entry said they came in lots of colors. “Like that. But not. And they can use the Force. And they live in grasslands.”

“Hmm,” Master Nu said. She thought for a moment, then leaned over his shoulder. “Has anyone shown you how to use species identification software?”

Caleb perked up. “That exists?”

“It’s often used by law enforcement, but many Jedi find it useful for other purposes as well,” Master Nu explained. “Most Jedi don’t have to use it until they’re padawans.”

Caleb bounced excitedly at this new information, moving his chair to the side so that she could bring up the program. She had to enter her own ID and log-in information, then adjust the access levels so that Caleb would be able to use it without having someone else log him in. He watched excitedly as she showed him how to cycle through different physical traits, slowly building an image on the screen of Rroshaal as Caleb remembered him. When he was finished, the program offered him a list of possible species that matched the criteria Caleb had inputted.

“Do any of these look right?” Master Nu asked. “From your holobook?”

Caleb shrugged. “No, Master. Can we look at all of them?” There were fewer than a dozen, ranked in order of most to least likely.

“That’s usually the best way to do it.”

Caleb carefully put his finger to the first option, which read TUK’ATA/SITH HOUND (MORABAND). As soon as the new window opened, he shook his head, but read the entry anyway, fascinated, then looked up at Master Nu. “They can’t really all be evil, can they? I mean, if you got a pup and raised it here in the Temple – or away from the Sith worlds, anyway –”

“I can’t recall whether anyone has ever attempted it, but looking up their history might be a good research project for you,” Master Nu said, bemused. “It does seem like the sort of thing someone would have tried, especially during the aftermath of the Sith Wars.”

“I want to try,” Caleb declared.

“That is the sort of experiment that will have to wait until you’re at least a padawan,” Master Nu told him firmly. “Since you would have to go to Moraband to find one – every attempt to traffic them offworld has failed. That’s something else you could look up another time.”

Caleb nodded and closed the window. He touched the next item in the list, LOTH-WOLF (LOTHAL), and as soon as it opened, said delightedly, “That’s him! But they’re not extinct?” he added, seeing the first line of the entry.

“Why do you think that?”

“I saw him. I talked to him.” Caleb remembered abruptly that he didn’t want to explain how he had done so and said quickly, “In my vision.”

Master Nu quirked an eyebrow at him. “Do you want to tell me about your vision?” she asked. “Or perhaps talk to one of the masters who specializes in seeing?”

Caleb shook his head so rapidly that his learner’s braid hit him in the nose. “I have to figure it out on my own,” he said with as much dignity as he could muster when he was lying through his teeth. He copied the information carefully to his data storage account, then went back to get the tuk’ata information too while Master Nu went to find him some more books on Loth-wolves, after first making him promise that if he had another vision he would bring it to her or one of the other masters. Since if he ever actually did have a vision that was more than the flashes of precognition that gave Jedi their reflexes he was planning to tell everyone he knew, Caleb promised this solemnly.

Master Nu came back a few minutes later with a stack of holobooks for him – one a survey on Force-sensitive semi-sentient creatures and non-humanoids, one a travelogue from a Jedi Master who had mapped out many of the known Force-strong worlds, and one a history about Force-users who partnered with non-humanoids or semi-sentients. Caleb quietly thought that both “semi-sentient” and “non-humanoid” didn’t describe Rroshaal at all, but he wasn’t about to tell Master Nu that. Well, the non-humanoid part was true, but it didn’t really sum up what Rroshaal was.

He put the books carefully in his bag, noting that the history book was past his usual access level and wondering why, thanked Master Nu, and hurried off to the nearest dining hall. Dinner was still being served; even if he had missed it there was always food available somewhere in the Temple, though sometimes you had to do a bit more searching to find it. He wrapped a dozen meat pasties in a napkin along with two pieces of his favorite spice cake, then wrapped them in another napkin before putting them in his bag and making sure his water bottle was still mostly full. No one paid him any attention – he had found one of the dining halls that was mostly used by Knights and masters, a few of whom he knew, but everyone in the Temple was used to everyone else occasionally doing odd things. He waved at a Kiffar Knight who was one of his teachers in staff-fighting and left, grabbing a jogan fruit from a bowl as he did so.

He had to pause outside the hall and think about the best way to get down to the underlevels, since he wasn’t supposed to go there. After getting caught down there the previous day he probably really wasn’t supposed to go there, but it wasn’t like every youngling didn’t do it at one point or another. Like almost everything else in the Temple, there were lots of ways to get there, but Caleb thought that it was probably best if he chose one of the entrances closest to where Rroshaal had left him. He wanted Rroshaal to be able to find him again, but he didn’t want to get caught by Master Krell or any of the other crèche masters, either.

Decision made, he went trotting off. It took him longer to reach the underlevels than he had expected, since he was coming by a different route, but eventually he reached the bottom of the last staircase and hesitated, looking around. He had taken care to bring a glowstone with him this time so he wouldn’t get caught in the dark again, even if he couldn’t shake the feeling that it felt a little like cheating. What Caleb should have had was a lightsaber, but he wouldn’t have a lightsaber until after he had had his Gathering, and his cohort wouldn’t go on their Gathering for at least another two years, maybe even three or four.

“Rroshaal?” he called into the quiet, waiting dark of the underlevels. From here it just seemed like empty, unused space, but Caleb knew that it wasn’t. Further away – and further down – the underlevels deteriorated into a series of mazes, layers and layers of ancient temples built on top of each other. He’d read a book on it – well, he had run across it in a history, but when he went looking for more books he had found that they were beyond his access level, and Master Nu couldn’t be convinced to give them to him anyway. Caleb thought he might ask again, now that he had the excuse of having been caught down in the underlevels. He might as well use it for something. Maybe he could convince Master Krell and Master Nu that having to write a report on the history of the underlevels was an appropriate punishment.

“Rroshaal?” he called again. “It’s Caleb Dume. Rroshaal?”

There was no response. Caleb hesitated, wondering if he ought to go further in and away from the stairs. Maybe Rroshaal wouldn’t want to come this close to the entrance to the rest of the Temple, even though he had brought Caleb back yesterday.

He stood there for a few minutes, calling occasionally and hoping both that there weren’t security cams down here and that no one could hear him from the next level up.

There was no response.

Caleb stood there on the last step, feeling heat gather in his cheeks from embarrassment. He’d thought that Rroshaal had liked him. He was on the verge of going back to the crèche to palm off all the pasties on his crèche-mates when he thought suddenly, no. He had been acting like Rroshaal was a dumb animal, like the charhound pup one of the older initiates was fostering. Not that the charhound wasn’t very intelligent, but it wasn’t exactly a person, and Rroshaal was.

He reached with the Force, concentrating on his memory of Rroshaal’s strong sense of personality, and let his mind sink down into the vergence the Temple was built on. He knew that he wasn’t supposed to do that because vergences were dangerous – even Knights and masters weren’t supposed to do that – but Caleb thought that because he more or less knew what he was doing with it that he probably wouldn’t lose himself in the Force. He remembered what Rroshaal had told him yesterday, about the vergence where he lived and being able to move between that vergence and the one under the Temple. In a way, every vergence in the Force was one. They were unique – but at the same time they were also one.

Rroshaal? he thought, layering his memory of Rroshaal’s strong personality onto it. With rare exception, Jedi weren’t telepaths, but for their first few years in the crèche they didn’t have to speak to each other with words, either; they had the Force for that. Rroshaal, it’s Caleb Dume. He added his own mental signature to that, the emotional overtones in the Force that would tell another Force-user that it was him, Caleb Dume, and not someone else.

He could feel the weight of the Force as he opened himself to it. It was like the lake that he had seen on Alderaan when his cohort had visited the planet the previous year, the deep lake that was actually a rift in the planet’s surface and was more than ten kilometers deep. It pulled at him, at the surface of his mind; Caleb was aware of it – of it fluttering at the edges of his consciousness, bits and pieces of things that had happened in the past, that could have happened in the past, that were yet to come, of people who were long dead or were yet to be born or might never be born, of his people and the enemy of his people and all of those who touched the Force in their own way, whether they were Jedi or not.

He had never gone that deep into the Force before. He hadn’t meant to do so now.

He fought aside his instinctive panic, knowing that, like the lake, if he panicked he would drown. Caleb concentrated hard on his memory of Rroshaal, forcing himself to ignore the insistent whispers of almost-sound and the flickering almost-sight at the edges of his mind. Jedi were will. He wouldn’t let himself be swayed from his intention, now that he had set himself upon it.

Jedi were the Force. Whatever it was trying to show him, he already knew – he already was, or would be, or could be. All things were true at once in the Force.

Not trying to show him, he thought, a little dizzy. Do or do not. There is no try.

Caleb stopped fighting the almost-visions and let them pass through them instead, still keeping his mind on Rroshaal. He felt – bigger, somehow, older, as if his body no longer quite fit him in his dim awareness of his own physical form. But it wasn’t not his body, either; there was nothing unfamiliar about it. Caleb accepted that and let his call to Rroshaal roll out again, noting absently that there were layers in his mental signature that he had never been consciously aware of before. But they had always been there, of course.

He felt an instant of sleepy surprise, then acknowledgment.

They came from outside himself and were accompanied by a strong sense of place; Caleb tasted prairie winds and the rock-smell of an unfamiliar world, the warmth of lazing in a sun he had never stood under.

Certain that he had been heard, Caleb dragged himself uncertainly out of his trance. Reality fluttered around him; Caleb could feel it flexing, as if someone had shaken out a sheet and each fold held a different possibility, a different time, a different place. Then, before he had time to panic, it settled again, leaving him gasping in the dim light of the underlevels.

He sat down heavily on the steps.

After a moment he dug in his bag and came up with the jogan he had grabbed in the dining hall, which he ate slowly. One of the earliest things that younglings were taught was to eat or drink something after an intense meditation session, because it reminded them that while they might be the Force and full of light, they still had physical bodies. Caleb ate the jogan in small, neat bites, concentrating on its taste and how it felt in his mouth, and eventually got out of his datapad to read the database entry about Loth-wolves that he had gotten from the library computers. He had finished both and set the datapad aside so that he could wrap up the jogan pips to throw away later when he heard the soft click…click… of approaching claws on the marble floor.

He saw Rroshaal’s glowing eyes first, coming out of the darkness of the underlevels.

Caleb stood up to greet him, momentarily startled by how big Rroshaal was – he’d somehow forgotten. Rroshaal came up to him and ducked his head to nuzzle thoughtfully at Caleb’s hair, then licked Caleb’s face in a greeting.

“Hello!” Caleb said happily. “You came!”

Rroshaal licked his face again. He had been napping, he told Caleb; it was the middle of the day on his homeworld, and most of his people slept then. Caleb got the brief impression of windswept grasslands, too hot under the summer sun for Rroshaal to want to be out in.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” he said. “It’s dinner time here. I’ve got dinner,” he added. “If you want?”

Rroshaal made an inquisitive sound and lay down as Caleb dug in his bag for the pasties. He laid most of them down on the cloth for Rroshaal to sniff at, but kept two for himself, watching Rroshaal eat each one in two bites. Interesting, was his observation when he was finished.

“It’s ronto, I think,” Caleb said; he was only halfway through his first one by the time Rroshaal had finished. “Do you have rontos on your world? They’re saurians, they live on desert worlds mostly, and a lot of ranchers breed them for meat.” He pictured the holos he had seen; he hadn’t seen one in person yet.

Rroshaal’s response was in the negative. Hoppers, he replied to Caleb, along with a strong sense of a big four-legged mammal that moved by leaping from its hindmost feet; it used its front legs more like arms and Rroshaal had a strong, vivid memory of being punched in the nose by one during his last hunt. The memory was accompanied by a strong, gamey taste of raw meat that made Caleb blink, a little startled. Lopers. This seemed to encompass several different kinds of hooved herbivores, some of which were nearly as big as Rroshaal and some of which were much smaller. They moved in herds and ran fast, leaping across the grasslands when the pack hunted them. Horrible birds. These were flightless birds two or three times as tall as Caleb, taller than Rroshaal, with toothed beaks and talon-like feet; Rroshaal showed him the scars another Loth-wolf had from being attacked by one some years earlier, but added that they were tasty after you brought them down. Others. He got a flickering sense of what his instructors would have called “a healthy ecosystem,” and recognized a few species he had seen in holos before. Or relatives, anyway, but you saw convergent evolution on many worlds, and colony worlds especially.

Rroshaal sensed the thought and made a little whuff in the negative. Too much prey, he told Caleb. Horrible birds kill some, but only on one continent. Used to be more hunters. Caleb got a hazy impression of several kinds of big felines and avians; the haziness was because they were extinct and Rroshaal had never seen them himself, only through the passed-down memories of other members of his pack.

“Colonists killed them?” Caleb asked, remembering one of his classes. It happened a lot.

Rroshaal made an affirmative sound. Others, he said again, showing Caleb several animals he recognized.

“Those are nerfs,” Caleb said. “They’re all over the galaxy. People breed them for meat and fur. And the little saurians are nunas. They’re meat animals too. I can’t remember what the fluffy ones are, but I’ve seen holos of them before.”

Tasty, Rroshaal observed, licking his lips. Then he laid his chin down on his paws and added sadly, Not enough pups.

That reminded Caleb. “I read about you!” he said. “I looked you up in the library. You’re a Loth-wolf.”

Rroshaal flicked an ear, bemused by the name. The People, he said instead.

“I know, but most species call themselves something like that. I’m a human.”

Rroshaal raised his head and snuffled thoughtfully at Caleb’s knees for a moment before saying doubtfully, You’re People. You feel like People, even if you don’t smell like People.

Caleb put his hands out for Rroshaal to sniff, then lick clean of lingering crumbs. “I’m a Force-user – a Jedi. Maybe that’s it.”

Rroshaal whuffed again, dubious.

“You’re supposed to be extinct,” Caleb said, then hesitated, unsure if he had hurt Rroshaal’s feelings. Instead he just felt the Loth-wolf’s resigned weariness.

Not enough pups, he said again. It took Caleb a few moments to sort through the flurry of information that accompanied the words; Rroshaal had been the only pup in his pack to live more than a year in the last decade. Pups had been born dead or had gotten sick and died soon afterwards. He had heard that other packs were just as badly off.

Caleb said shyly, “We – the Jedi – are having problems too. I heard the crèche masters talking about it with Master Windu and Master Yoda once. There used to be thousands more Jedi than there are now – there are whole sections of the Temple that are shut up – and the cohorts keep getting smaller and smaller. Even two hundred years ago you’d have cohorts of dozens, but mine is only three people, and the ones after me are the same. About twenty or thirty years ago all of a sudden the Temple started getting large cohorts again – large by current standards – and that lasted for about twenty years before they suddenly started dropping off in size. The senior padawans now are from the last few large cohorts. The masters don’t know if not as many Force-sensitive younglings are being born or if they’re just not being found.”

Rroshaal made an inquisitive noise.

“I don’t know all of it,” Caleb admitted. “When babies are born in Republic medcenters, they’re required to have a lot of tests run, and one of those is for midichlorian count. That gets passed onto the Order if the parents consent, and if it’s high enough then someone – usually the Sector Watchman – will check on them regularly. Just because you have a high midichlorian count doesn’t mean you can be a Jedi, though, so the Watchmen have to keep checking, and of course if the families refuse then they won’t. Outside the medcenters it’s mostly just the will of the Force.” He stared longingly at Rroshaal’s soft-looking ears, wondering how rude it would be to ask Rroshaal if he could pet them. “I was born in the Temple.”

Rroshaal’s ears flicked forward, interested.

“It’s not usual,” Caleb admitted. “It happens once or twice a generation, but usually even if one or both parents is a Jedi then the baby won’t be strong enough to be one too. I was. That’s not rare, but it’s not common, either.” He shrugged in response to Rroshaal’s question. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter who they are. If I hadn’t been strong enough in the Force to be a Jedi I would have gone to one of their birth-families if they wanted.” He hesitated, then admitted, “I heard once that one of them is an old military family on Coruscant, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. And it doesn’t matter anyway since I’m a Jedi.”

People, Rroshaal insisted.

Caleb spread his hands for Rroshaal to see. “Not People, not like yours,” he said. Then he got the cake out of his bag and offered one piece to Rroshaal, who sniffed it with interest, then sneezed. “It’s spice cake,” he explained. “It’s my favorite.”

Rroshaal ate it out of his palm in several delicate bites, then lay licking his teeth thoughtfully as Caleb ate his own piece of spice cake. Good, he decided finally, then gave Caleb a grin, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Different.

He licked Caleb’s hands clean when Caleb held them out again, then flicked one ear back as if he had heard someone calling him. I have to go, he said regretfully. My mother wants me.

Caleb had the brief impression of a bigger version of Rroshaal, brown and with a scarred ear, whom Rroshaal regarded with occasionally frustrated adoration. He said wistfully, “Can I see you tomorrow?”

We’ll be away, Rroshaal said, and Caleb could tell that he genuinely regretted it. Embassy to another pack. He thought, then said, Nine days?

“How long are your days?” Caleb asked, then realized that Rroshaal probably didn’t count time in hours. “I’ll look it up.” He hesitated, then added, “Can I hug you?”

At the affirmative response, they both stood up, and Caleb carefully put his arms around as much of Rroshaal’s furry front as he could manage. He was just as soft as Caleb remembered from the previous day and smelled of clean fur and unknown winds, a little musky. Rroshaal tucked his muzzle down against Caleb’s back, then licked his face after Caleb released him. Caleb curved the backs of his knuckles against Rroshaal’s cheek, carefully stroking the short fur there, then giggled as Rroshaal rubbed his cheek against Caleb’s smooth one.

Soon, he promised, then, Bring more of the cake-thing.

“I will,” Caleb said.

Rroshaal licked his nose, then backed away. Caleb must have blinked, because one moment Rroshaal was there, then the next he had vanished into the shadows of the underlevels.

Caleb sighed regretfully and rubbed the back of his hand over his nose, the scooped up the discarded cloths and stuffed them into his bag. He had a lot of reading he wanted to do before he saw Rroshaal again.

#cut scenes and concept writing #caleb and the loth wolf tag #comics caleb is a tiny nerd #as always comments are appreciated #eta: yes I DO have a partially written concept for caleb's extended birth family; the forbidden backstory

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kim-miri · 4 years ago

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HALF(have a little fun) pt. ix

→ Sayomi Zoldyck is the eldest child and twin sister to Illumi, of the renowned Zoldyck family of assassins. At the age of ten she’s taken away to Meteor City by her mother, Kikyo Zoldyck, unbeknownst to the rest of the family, as well as newborn Killua, and left to fend for herself. This is the story of the long-lost Zoldyck and those she becomes acquainted with, all while she just wants to have a little fun.

» part nine / ?

» pairing: eventually - chrollo x oc x feat. hisoka

» warnings: swearing, blood/violence, minor angst

» a/n: short chapter D:! edit: i’ve tried and tried but it just doesn’t flow right when i try to make this into an x reader:// HALF will be an oc fic and i’ve decided to cut the backstory here;( thanks for the love and support!

» word count: 2,494

☾ix. pt. ix: youth

3 months later

Loud, bass-bumping music and too many flashing lights fueled the exhilaration and excitement of one of the biggest night clubs in Yorknew City.

Sayomi had defeated her second opponent on the 200th floor with the help of Hisoka’s training earlier today, making this little outing a sad excuse for a celebration.

In reality, Hisoka just wanted to see whether Sayomi could dance or not.

He had insisted they go out and experience the nightlife the city had to offer, and with Sayomi still upbeat from her match, they found themselves sneaking into Octagon- a hip club located in the heart of Yorknew City.

Though technically Hisoka was 21 and therefore could have gone about this in an easier way, he insisted they sneak in ‘just for the fun of it’. The truth was that he’d been kicked out of the club previously after using his ‘magic tricks’ to make people’s arms disappear, but it made his intrusion all the more fun.

As Hisoka watched the floor from his spot at the bar with a drink held loosely in one hand, Sayomi was currently lost in a crowd of passionate clubbers, her violet eyes gleaming with the thrill of the environment.

The black and silver dress she wore highlighted her figure as well as electrifying eyes and hair, the metallic material dazzling under the club lights as she lost herself in the music and people.

She was letting herself go for the night like she often did on her chaotic trips to the city with Hisoka. Free from repressive parents or a fight for her life, Sayomi was at peace with her new life, expressing herself however she wanted to.

Draining the rest of his Cosmopolitan, Hisoka’s eyes shifted to the young assassin, his face remaining expressionless as he watched her draw a crowd with her alluring glow.

He’d been staring so intensely he didn’t even notice a man take the seat next to him. The sound of the man’s voice established his presence, yet Hisoka’s line of sight ceased to drift from the girl with the bright silver hair.

“A stunner isn’t she?”

Hisoka blinked slowly, hardly registering the man’s words. A stunner indeed, but what more? “A pretty face doesn’t mean a pretty soul.”

The man laughed, setting his drink down on the bar to face Hisoka. “I take it she isn’t yours then? That’s a relief.”

Hisoka rested his chin in the palm of one of his finely manicured hands, his other tapping on the smooth surface of the bar impatiently. He couldn’t seem to figure out why his bloodlust was seeping through as he followed Sayomi with his eyes.

His? She could never belong to any man, she was her own person.

“Careful with your words there, I’d hate for them to be your last.” His words were venomous, filled with the intent to kill.

Hisoka’s nails had cut through the skin of his own cheek, his other hand clenched into a fist on the bar’s surface.

The man had shifted away from him, quietly taking his leave as he watched crimson seep down Hisoka’s pale fingers.

Over the past 3 months, he’d been able to fight her more than enough times, and now he no longer felt the same intoxicating feeling when he was with her. Sayomi never fought Hisoka to hurt him, only with the intentions of improving her own skills, which in turn left Hisoka aching for more.

However, as the days progressed he was slowly coming to the conclusion that the Zoldyck girl had an undeniable flaw. She doesn’t put up a fight when I’m with her.

He was losing interest in the girl who’d once swayed his unshakable feelings, and it distressed him that he almost felt bad for wanting to leave her behind.

His sharpened fingernails dug farther into the pale skin of his cheek as he watched Sayomi throw her slender arms around a man she’d only just met.

She was laughing and smiling, her silky voice seeming to reach his ears through the music and cheers from where he sat. Loud and clear, the sound of her laughter rang through Hisoka’s head in an almost painful way.

She was becoming a weakness to the man who believed himself to be the strongest, and that didn’t sit right with him at all.

☾ix.

Sayomi wasn’t too sure of what exactly it was that she felt towards Hisoka.

When he took her to dinner with an amazing view or complimented her progress with training, she couldn’t tell whether it was her lack of social contact or actual feelings that led her heart to race when she saw his face.

It didn’t help that on some days she could notice the way his voice softened when he spoke to her, only to leave her heart stinging with his harsh words on other days.

He was taking mixed signals to the next level, playing with her feelings while he was trying to figure out his own.

It was selfish and cruel, falsely gaining the trust of someone who’d been through so much betrayal, all for his own entertainment.

But that was just who Hisoka was, he didn’t care for distractions or hindrances. And as fast as he’d first fallen for the young assassin, he was already in the process of making himself forget her.

He was moving on.

☾ix.

3 months later

It was the day after Sayomi’s 7th match on the 200th floor of Heaven’s Arena. She’d been scheduling her fights randomly, with no regard for who her opponents would be.

With 7 wins under her name, she only needed 3 more to challenge a floor master.

However, with her longtime goal fast approaching, she wasn’t as happy as she thought she’d be.

It’d been about half a year since Sayomi had first met Hisoka, and all the excitement and jitters about spending time alone with a guy had died down.

It’d also helped that for some reason Hisoka was rather occupied recently. He rarely took her out to the city, claiming he had other business to attend to, and when they did go out, he’d always turn in first mumbling that he was tired.

Sayomi was no fool, she knew that Hisoka was either losing interest in her as well or felt his job was almost through. To herself, she hoped that it was the former, for it would hurt less than to find out he’d only been around her for business purposes.

Regardless, Sayomi’s current situation was puzzling. She stood waiting for what seemed like forever in front of Hisoka’s room, ready to go out and train.

However, after knocking more than enough times and even calling his cell, there was no sign of her trainer.

That’s odd.

Sayomi trained on her own that day, taking it upon herself to get strength training in at the gym.

It was the first time she’d spent an entire day without Hisoka since they’d started training. Deciding that he was out on his so-called ‘business’, Sayomi shrugged away his absence, going to sleep early for the first time in a while.

Yet, another day passed with no sign of the magician, and Sayomi began to grow concerned for his well-being. What if he was picked off by someone? No, he’s too strong to lose to anyone here… Did he pass out in his room?

Sayomi walked briskly to Hisoka’s room with a worried mind.

Once again there was no response to her knocking, and she decided she’d break into the room.

Using one of her longer needles, she picked the lock in no time, stepping into the unfamiliar room.

It was empty. Only the faint smell of bubble gum and something sweet lingered in the abandoned room, the closet and space empty.

There was a note left on the cleanly made bed, the red ink standing out from the otherwise white sheets surrounding the note.

That lazy ass, of course he’d leave a note in his own room.

Picking up the sheet, she read:

Zoldyck-

It’s about time you sneak into my room, I know you’ve thought about doing it before;)

But jokes aside…

I’m sorry, darling.

It’s not like me to apologize(you can ask Kite)and that alone scared me, because I feel like you’ve changed me. Your smile and intoxicating eyes make me weak in the knees…

And I despise myself for it.

I’m not sure why I’ve chosen to expose my faults to you, for that just makes you all the more dangerous to me.

But perhaps I want you to hold my weaknesses, and perhaps I’d like to see you come tear me apart. Yes, that must be it.

I’ve departed Yorknew City to meet up with your twin brother, as it seems as though he’s been searching for you. And perhaps I should have taken him to you instead, but I’m not, because when the time is right I’d like you all to myself.

So don’t forgive me, Sayomi. Resent me, grow stronger, and when the time comes I’ll bring your brother back to you.

Ah, and there is one thing I’d always wanted to tell you…

I always thought that you were most beautiful when you showed your true colors-

A cold-blooded, cold-hearted Zoldyck assassin with no regard for the pain and suffering of your victims.

Stop holding yourself back, people like us can be forgiven for our sins because of the hell we’ve been put through.

-Hisoka

☾ix.

A single tear rolled down Sayomi’s cheek.

And that was all.

The flurry of sudden information rendered Sayomi breathless as she tried to make sense of his words.

This idiot really just admitted his feelings for me after all this time right when he decides to leave me here. Selfish bastard.

And he knows Illumi… but how? Illumi was looking for me?

I have to become a floor master and get that clown to bring my brother back.

☾ix.

6 months later

Sayomi gazed out her window with a blank stare, 241 floors above the ground.

Just a week ago she’d claimed her spot on the 241st floor as the newest and youngest Floor Master at age 19.

She knew Hisoka would find out about her achievement soon, and all she could do now was wait.

Up until defeating and killing her last opponent, time had flown by easily. She was fueled by the goal of finding her brother and confronting Hisoka, but now that she was here, the loneliness began to sink in.

Kite and his student had taken off to another country in search of wildlife to study, leaving Sayomi all alone in Yorknew City.

She couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of her situation. Here she was at the top of the tallest building in Yorknew City, a place that others died trying to get to, yet she was unsatisfied.

Her face and name were plastered on billboards and posters all throughout the city, and citizens stood envious of the young teen’s life. She had enough money that she’d never have to work another day in her life, but in exchange she no longer had a family to accept her nor friends to laugh with.

Don’t feel sorry for yourself, there’s plenty of others that have it worse.

Sayomi sighed as she turned away from the window, grabbing her mask she’d started using as a floor master to attempt to conceal her identity.

I won’t have challengers for another month or so… might as well hit the city.

☾ix.

Sayomi walked through the dark streets of Yorknew City, her hands clasped behind her head and her eyes vacant.

She didn’t have a destination in mind, just mindlessly strolling through the city covered with news of her promotion to Floor Master. There were citizens recognizing her as well, pointing and jumping back as if she were some monster.

Though she couldn’t blame them, as her nen happened to be on the disturbing side. The replays of her fights were mostly censored, deemed too inhumane for the public eye as they played on repeat on the sides of buildings,

She wasn’t too sure how far she’d walked, spotting Heaven’s Arena rather far in the distance behind her. The shops and glamorous hotels began to fade as she approached the run down parts of Yorknew City.

It was an abandoned lot of buildings, the ground littered with oil cans and shattered glass. In a way it was tranquil, free from angry drivers and the revolted gaze of commoners.

Walking through an opening in the wired fences that surrounded the lot, Sayomi wandered through a certain building that’d caught her eye.

She felt a faint aura coming from the abandoned office building, but oddly enough it wasn’t hostile or repelling. It was rather comforting.

Sayomi’s curiosity grew as the aura increased, drawing her towards the room located at the far end of the first floor.

She saw the man before she sensed him, his large coat catching her attention. His back was turned to her crouched down on the dusty floor, the windows adjacent to him shattered, letting the pale moonlight reflect off of his coat.

St. Peter’s cross. Interesting taste in fashion…

Another careless step closer and the man’s head turned abruptly in her direction. Sayomi had ducked behind a wall, but not fast enough.

The man stood from his spot, revealing a vibrant patch of violets by his feet. Upon his loss in concentration, the flowers wilted, withering back into the cluttered floor as if they’d never been there in the first place.

Sayomi could see the man’s face from where she crouched, hidden by a barely intact wall. Her heart skipped a beat upon meeting his eyes, deep gray and captivating as he easily identified her from her hiding spot.

It felt as if time was frozen in place, the young man staring intensely into Sayomi’s eyes as if he could read her mind.

Sayomi was unmoving as well, having been caught examining his figure from behind the wall. He was by far the most appealing man she’d ever seen, his dark, raven hair slicked back to reveal a tattoo decorating the middle of his forehead, contrasting with his gentle eyes and youthful facial features.

Handsome, she thought.

The man took a slight step forward, snapping Sayomi out of his hypnotizing gaze as she sped off jumping through an empty window and out of the building.

Though she was eager to know what he’d been doing with the flowers, his aura had changed when he’d noticed her watching. It had been dangerous and intense, a total opposite of his warm and placid one when dealing with the violets.

Her quick steps transitioned into a run, feeling the need to distance herself from the lingering intensity of the mysterious young man’s aura.

She ran back towards the towering building of Heaven’s Arena, not stopping her pace a bit until she was met with the familiar neon signs and billboards that surrounded the heart of Yorknew City.

Her dreams were taken over by the man’s captivating eyes that night. His familiar aura had seemed to beckon her to him, as if she’d known him for 100 years prior.

But no matter how hard she thought that night, she couldn’t come up with an answer as to what he’d been doing with the violets conjured by his feet.

In her dreams she saw her own eyes within the vibrant flowers, it was an abstract thought, though for a second she wondered if he had meant for her to see them.

She quickly dismissed this, however, scoffing at the absurdity of her own thoughts.

What am I, a child? I must be beyond lonely if I think some random guy has something to do with me.

Though deep down inside her heart, she wished it were true. To be fated to somebody, needed by somebody who she could trust with her darkest secrets and love.

☾ix.

to be continued.

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noctis-noctua · 4 years ago

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I, Kaeya Alberich, Take Thee

Pairing: Kaeya x Fem. Reader

Count: 1976

Description: Kaeya knows that be does not deserve anything he desires. There is nothing he can do to make you his, but so badly does he wish there was.

Content: Unrequited love, angst, bittersweet ending, marriage.

Warnings: Slight spoiler for Kaeya's backstory but an addition of (non-canon!) Prince Kaeya.

In another universe, maybe I am not cursed so by the Gods. Kaeya resists the urge to nibble on the tail-end of his quill. It was unbecoming for a man of his stature to succumb to unsanitary habits. Plus, this particular pen hailed from a crow’s feather, hunted by the hands of a childhood friend. The intricate quill had not been put to use for a substantial amount of time, but it fits into Kaeya’s hand as if it came to shape its spine based on the curvature of his own grasp. He could get used to signing off documents and organizing civil affairs if it meant succumbing to such mundane sensations. The morning sun dripping onto his mahogany desks and floors, a faint scratch of keratin against ivory paper filling the empty space… It has been a long time since he’s made the decision to take over petty bureau duties. Today is a special day. Kaeya needs to focus on the satisfying echoes of paper and pen, on the sunlight heating his back, or he might just go insane.

The clamor of bells tugs Kaeya from his mechanical performance. Each ring is a song of desperation, a performance begging for his attention. Come out and celebrate! Indulge in the pain. He is not a man that falls prey to anger, but he cannot help that frustrated itch in his stomach as he hears the iron reverberating. Please just be quiet, Kaeya thinks. Let me forget. The hesitant croak of his door alerts Kaeya to the presence of the Acting Grand Master. She dons an outfit unique from her usual uniform - a cream-colored dress, embroidered by floral lace, a single azure ribbon tying at the waist. So even the straight-edged Jean has taken time off today?

“Kaeya, you can’t make these excuses forever.” He knows from how Jean closes the door with unperturbed silence that this is not a conversation regarding hilichurl nests or Fatui diplomats. He can tell from the way Jean drops the mature title of ‘Sir’ in favor of his childhood nickname, that it is a conversation Jean feels must be approached with gentleness as if Kaeya is a stray cat that claws at feeding hands. The Grand Master releases a heaved exhale because both of them dread this discussion as much as the other. There is an inherent wrong in seeing Kaeya distressed. He may not be shedding tears in solitude or resigning himself to the dormitories, but he is hiding, and that is enough for Jean to observe that he is not functioning as normal.

“Please, come for a little while. I know it’s not… something you want to see, but he’s your brother. Offer a small congratulations at the least.” Her heels tap on the polished hardwood.

“I was planning on coming by later this evening. Tell them I’m sorry for not being able to attend the main event. How could I? Just look at all this paperwork.” Kaeya’s signature chuckle follows, putting up a front of careless flirtation. It is not uncommon for Jean to rope the Cavalry Captain into his desk chair. Lord knows he’d never do it otherwise… yet now he claims servitude to the dulling labor. How ironic.

“I’ll tell them of your apologies… but both of us know that paperwork isn’t the reason you can’t make it.” Jean turns around, blonde hair trailing in the breeze left behind before Kaeya can quip up a rebuttal. She’s right. Jean is always right. The papers piling on his desk are from the drawers of his subordinates, filed away to be completed in another five months' time. There is no reason they had to be done today. He is hiding. He is a coward and a pathetic one at that. The thought alone provokes Kaeya to tug on his studded gloves and push out his chair. His sights are set on leaving because to be seen as a frail child is to fail at the sole thing he succeeds at. Being the chivalrous Cavalry Captain renowned for his beauty and failsafe charm is the one thing he cannot lose because he cannot let Mondstadt see how fragile he is behind the visage.

Mondstadt’s avenues are bustling. Oak tables identical to the ones across local taverns have been dressed in linen tablecloths and topped with miniature feasts. Children run between tables, tugging at each other’s shirts in a feisty game of tag as festive music tempts the adults to a dance. The tell-tale strums of Mondstadt’s No. 1 Bard’s lyre lead the crowds to the statue of Barbatos. Behind it, trails of petals line the paths leading to the limestone Cathedral. Couples, singles, and families alike make haste to enter through the carved doors. No one wants to miss this. Kaeya tugs on the collar of his fur coat, gazing at the entry before him. He can hear the music of an organ, romantic and rich, ricocheting from inside.

He steps into the Cathedral. The ceremony has yet to start and the pews continue to fill. Citizens scoot as close as possible to allow for more onlookers to take a seat. He finds a spot next to Huffman and a few other Knights, squished on the outer edge. It is three benches from the front. Too close for Kaeya to be comfortable. The croaking benches have long since met their capacity by now. Not a soul is missing, Kaeya reckons. Diluc Ragnvindr, the wine Tycoon, Mondstadt’s famous magnate, is marrying after all. It is no small occasion. Diluc’s brazen hair is a torch amidst fog, its perk hue garnering the eyes of all in the Cathedral. He is dressed in a suave black suit. It boasts minuscule gold embellishments followed by a hefty crimson cape draped on his shoulders. Even dressed in the furs and fabrics of royalty, one could sense a distinct awkwardness from him. If you’re going to marry her, at least look confident, brother.

It hurts. He cannot lie to himself - not that Kaeya was trying to in the first place. There is a pain associated with seeing the woman he loves marrying the brother that no longer desires to even speak to him. Now, Kaeya regrets standing up from his busy work. These thoughts won’t stop their festering, and it punches a hole through his stomach. Kaeya is all-too-aware that tonight, you will climb into Diluc’s sheets. He’d treat you kindly, of course. He grew up with Diluc and has seen his rigorous nobility tutors shape him into the gentleman he is today. There is no doubt that you will live a lavish life of luxury. A life Kaeya could never afford to give you.

In Khaenri’ah, Kaeya’s title of ‘Prince’ holds as much merit as it does in Teyvat. His people are dead or suffering. His city has crumbled into dust and shards of a forgotten legacy. Kaeya himself serves one purpose, and that is to bring glory back to the Eclipse Dynasty. It is in these times that Kaeya regrets being born royalty to a lost nation. In the solace of his chambers, Kaeya would stare at the painted ceiling and ponder. If I were born someone else entirely, would you give me a chance? But who is he kidding? Kaeya knows he’s handsome. It’s stupid and unreasonable to be so self-deprecating. He isn’t the one marrying you because he wasn’t Diluc Ragnvindr. He wasn’t from a line of Mondstadtian heroes; he was from the ashes of sinners and embers of civilization. He was Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, caught between familial loyalty and a stinging betrayal. Of course he wasn’t marrying you.

The Cathedral doors groan as the nuns heave them open. Light floods in and frames the feminine body of the lady of Mondstadt. In your hands, a bouquet of calla lilies. On your body, a silken robe of pearls and diamonds. It flows at your back, fluttering in the blessed gales of Barbatos’. Kaeya swore that as a Khaenri’ahn, he would never see the Gates of Celestia. But this… this, he thinks, might be the closest glimpse he gets. No one dares to speak. She is beautiful. She has always been beautiful. Time slows as Kaeya lets himself take in the sight of you pledging your livelihood to his brother, and his brother’s livelihood to you.

Then, as if he is an innocent child once again, Kaeya closes his eyes as you two kiss. Clapping and cheers fill the atmosphere.

“To the Ragnvindr’s! Oley!”

“Say, Kaeya, do you ever wanna get married?” The girl questions from Kaeya’s backside.

“Maybe. Then I can show off in front of my lovely wife! That would be cool, wouldn’t it, Diluc?” Kaeya jests, elbowing his step-brother’s chest. Diluc rolls his eyes, ever the prodigy.

“We’re still young. There’s no use thinking about such things. Shouldn’t you focus on training?” He grumbles. Kaeya knows that he will never have a lucky wife. He will never have a healthy family, or a thriving home, or a genuine relationship. Those are nothing more than dreams to Kaeya.

The girl grabs Kaeya’s arm and begins running into the fields of grapes and firs. There is a childlike giggle dispersing for all in the neighborhood to hear, fading out as they lose sight of the manor. Reaching the edge of the cliffside, they halt. It overlooks a sapphire river below, fit for one of Master Crepus’ paintings. Diluc had been abandoned long ago.

“Hey, Kaeya, the water kind of looks like your hair.” The girl remarks, nuzzling closer to him. He feels his heart thrashing in its cage, begging him not to react, begging him not to ruin the fate of his country. To the girl, he smells of linen, lampgrass, and sweat, much as a kid his age should. Silence settles onto their shoulders, both of them catching breaths that had been stolen in the wind. “I didn’t ask before because I thought Diluc would get mad, but… Kaeya, how about we get married when we grow up?” How silly, Kaeya thinks. I couldn’t marry you if I wanted to.

“Hmm, okay. So you’ll be my lucky wife then?” Kaeya plummets down onto the grass and grins. It tickles the back of his neck and stains his blouse a verdant green. He dreams of dreaming, because that is all Khaenri’ahns like him can do. He dreams of coming home to your embrace or trudging back from battle hand-in-hand. Either one is okay. Anything with you is okay.

“Of course, stupid. That’s what marriage is. So you’ll be my lucky husband!” Lucky husband. It fills his heart with an immature pride too chaste for a traitor of his caliber.

“Deal!”

“Deal.”

They are naive children making impossible promises, but a part of Kaeya has never unlatched from those delicate whispers. Khaenri’ahns dream of dreaming, but just this once, Kaeya wished he could dream of you.

“So, Sir Kaeya, are you going to marry soon? Youth is fleeting! Get a wife while you’re young.” One of the Knights suggests, sliding him a suggestive beam. Kaeya let’s himself open his eyes. He processes the blinding light from colored panes of glass spilling over him, the jovial expressions of the citizens he has sworn to protect, and you grasping onto Diluc’s arm, a longing of adoration phasing across your features. Happy. You are happy. He turns towards the knight, cracking a smile.

“Don’t be silly - I’m already married, Huffman.” He lets the novice soldier ogle at him for a few seconds. “I’m joking. Lighten up.” Huffman releases a hearty chortle, commenting on his Captain’s sense of humor and putting a hand to his chest. He laughs along, but Kaeya knows there is no joke.

Don’t be silly. I’m already married. It was a deal, after all.

#kaeya x you #kaeya x reader #genshin kaeya #kaeya alberich #genshin impact x reader #genshin #noctis-noctua

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i-stan-nct-and-satan · 4 years ago

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Not Broken Part 15 (Jaehyun Mafia AU)

Jaehyun X Reader

Not Broken Masterlist

Y/N is a burlesque dancer living in Seoul. Jaehyun is one of the most powerful mafia men in Seoul. How will Y/N survive when Jaehyun suspects that she is involved with a rival gang?

Reasons to read this story: Ten’s a cross-dressing madam so….. yeah read it ya freaks.

This chapter is dedicated to @rinzennie who designed a lovely banner for the Not Broken Masterlist. Thank you so much for your support!

Trigger warning: Mentions of abuse. Light depictions of self harm and suicide

Taeyong led us into the parlor room where Jeno was already waiting for us along with two other staff members.

Mere moments after we arrived, we heard the sounds of an approaching car engine. Jeno nodded at Taeyong and then towards the two staff members who quickly positioned themselves in front of the two large entrance doors.

Taeyong leaned in before whispering, “Don’t look so nervous. You’ll be fine.”

I nodded, grateful for his words of encouragement though my nerves were anything but soothed.

As the two men opened the doors, bright ribbons of light began to shine violently through the increasing gap. After having spent several days cooped up inside, my eyes were more irritated than appreciative towards the unanticipated blast of vitamin d.

Before my eyes could fully adjust to the light, both Taeyong and Haechan were gone from my side. Once I caught a glimpse of their vanishing figures, I began to follow shortly behind.

“Mrs. Lee! What a pleasure it is to see you!” Taeyong greeted, opening the door of the sleek black Hyundai.

Despite it being bright out, I was unable to even see anything except darkness stirring from within the car. When Taeyong extended his hand out, I realized why that was the case. A black glove covered hand reached out towards Taeyong’s, only instead of accepting the gesture, it handed him a large black leather bag. Taeyong was caught off guard by the action and almost fell forward from the abrupt weight he had been entrusted with holding. I instinctively took a step forward, intent on helping him out but Haechan held me in place by my arm.

“Watch, you’re not gonna wanna miss this,” He chuckled, a wicked grin etched on his face.

A thin figure dressed head to toe in black slowly emerged from the expensive car which sported a similar hue.

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this.

Her outfit looked like that of a 19th century widower still mourning the loss of her husband... but sexy?

Crushed velvet wrapped itself around her curvy frame. The dress’s hovered only a few inches above the pavement. Every inch of her skin was covered, but by a fabric so tight I could easily see the Madam owning such an ensemble. Everything except for the hat at least, which was draped in a loose charcoal colored netting that covered the wearer’s face completely.

I watched as she pulled the netting away from her face, lifting it to reveal a face much younger than I had been expecting. From the looks of it, she couldn’t have been older than 36, even though that couldn’t be the case as Jaehyun was 22. That’s when I remembered that Jaehyun was adopted when he was eight years old, so it wasn’t impossible for her to only be in her mid-thirties.

She looked around, paying no mind to Taeyong as he continued to greet her. When her eyes caught sight of Jeno unloading her bags, she cried out his name.

“Jeno!”

Jeno had just finished setting down a rather large suitcase when he was ambushed by the former lady of the house. I watched her pull the taller towards her, causing him to stumble into her embrace.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you!” She squealed, only allowing him to withdraw from her arms so she could get a good look at him.

“Goodness, Jeno! You’ve lost so much weight! Your cheeks are practically concave!”

Her hands reached out to grab at the fleshy tissue which was painted red with embarrassment. I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. I wondered how anyone could ever look at Jeno and see someone who was slowly withering away.

Despite his flustered state, Jeno smiled at the woman, his eyes disappearing into little crescents.

“How are you Mrs. Lee? It’s been quite a while since we last spoke.”

“Mrs. Lee?! Jeno, I needn’t remind you again. I will not be referred to by my former title, especially not by you. I am no longer the lady of the house and nor is my late husband the current master. Thus, I shall not be referred to by hisfamily name. Let the staff know that I shall only be addressed with my given name, Ho. You, however, are family. You may call me by either of my first names.”

“Ah. Yes, Hyun-ju.” Jeno corrected himself.

There was something off about her voice, something I couldn’t quite place. While her manner of speaking wasrefined in nature, her nasally accent made her sound more thuggish in a way. Despite the apparent roughness in her tone, I found it almost comforting in a way I didn’t understand. It felt familiar.

“How are things going with that that boyfriend of yours? Is he adjusting well to working with the children?” She whispered to Jeno.

Jeno nodded.

“I had yours and Mr. Lee’s old bedroom prepared for your arrival,” Taeyong announced, interrupting their reunion.

“Why on earth would you think I’d want to sleep in a room filled with reminders of my late husband? I mean really, Taeyong. Use your head for once!”

“Ah. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” Taeyong apologized sheepishly.

“I will be staying in one of the guest rooms in the north wing so that I can be near my daughter-in-law. Now, where is she?”

Haechan’s elbow dug into my side reinforcing that I had been summoned.

To say that I was nervous would have been an understatement. If I wanted Jaehyun to keep his word, I’d have to make as good of an impression as I could on.

“Hello,” I quietly greeted, drawing her attention to my presence.

The woman slowly strutted towards me, pausing to take in my appearance I as I had done with hers. Her cold eyes were somehow more frightening than even her son’s. I didn’t know that such a stare could be passed down from parent to child, especially those who lacked common blood.

I held my breath, sure that I had already somehow managed to spoil her first impression of me. I braced myself for whatever cold response was coming my way when her eyes began to crinkle.

She was smiling. No, not just smiling; she was laughing.

“Oh sweetie, don’t look so scared! I don’t bite! And speak up, will you? I know you can, us being cut from the same cloth and all.”

Suddenly, it became clear as to why her voice sounded so familiar.

“You’re American?” I asked, making sure to speak clearly.

“Born in N’York but grew up on the streets of Jersey. At least till’ I got a nice gig here in Seoul. H’bout you? Where ya from?”

I was taken aback when Mrs. Ho’s formal Korean was suddenly replaced with crass English. I was so caught off guard that I could only gawk at her in response.

“What’s wrong with ya? Cat got ya tongue?”

I swallowed before responding in English.

“Oh, umm. I moved around a lot, but I guess you could say I grew up in Colorado.”

I became aware that Mrs. Ho was smacking her gum as she listened. I explained the states that I had lived in, heronly interjecting to say, “uh huh,” “yeah,” or “I see.” When I was done, she looked at me expectantly.

“Yes?” I asked, still nervous.

“Well, go on then.”

I stared blankly.

Mrs. Ho rolled her eyes, though telling from the smirk on her face, she seemed more amused than annoyed.

“Introduce ya’self. Tell me ya name.”

“Oh! Umm.”

“Come on now, spit it out. I ain’t got all day.”

“Y/N,” I finally answered.

“Y/N, huh? Well, you can call me by my English name, Jessi.”

I hesitated, unsure whether it was really okay for me to refer to her so casually.

“Why? What’s the matter? Don't tell me ya surprised. We’re family now after all.”

“Oh, okay.”

Wow she really has a lot of names.

“Great, now that that’s settled.”

Jessi turned back towards the car where Jeno and Taeyong were standing idly by.

“Taeyong, bring my bags to my room,” She ordered, switching back to Korean.

“Mrs. Lee- I mean, Hyun-ju, I can bring your bags in,” Jeno vocalized.

A relieved look spread across Taeyong’s features.

“Nonesense! Jeno, honey, you and I need to go over the plans for this week. Let Taeyong do it, he could use a bit of weight training.”

“PFFFFT!”

Haechan struggled to maintain his composure as a string of muffled giggles escaped from the short male.

“This is going to be a hell of a week, isn’t it, Y/N?”

<><><>

Haechan led me back to my room while Mrs. Ho, or Jessi as she told me to call her, got settled in. A few hours later Jeno came by to inform me that I had been summoned to her room. As we walked, Jeno took the time to give me advice on how to get along with the former lady of the house and also to quiz me on my backstory.

“She says that she wants to get to know you before jumping straight into matters regarding the wedding,” Jeno informed me.

When we got to the door, Jeno knocked a few times before entering.

The room was smaller than what I had anticipated. It was still much larger than the bedroom I was staying in, but I couldn’t imagine that Jaehyun’s mother would turn down the master bedroom in favor of more modest accommodations. The bed was littered in neatly folded clothing, which Jessi was currently organizing into drawers. Though she was well aware that we had entered the room, Jessi continued to place the articles one by one into the dresser as we stood and watched.

Once the top drawer was closed shut, she turned to face us.

“Sorry about that, I guess I still had a bit more unpacking to do when I asked you to come.”

“It’s no bother,” I replied humbly.

Jessi hummed in approval before switching her focus onto Jeno.

“Jeno, do be a sweetheart and leave us ladies to engage in a bit of gossip.”

She smiled sweetly at Jeno who nodded before making a swift exit from the room.

It was just us now.

Jessi gestured towards a nearby chair which I promptly sat in. Instead of sitting in the chair across mine, she began to walk away.

“Now I know that you were probably nervous to meet me and that you probably just as nervous now,” She spoke using the same formal manner she used earlier,

She paused, glancing back at me expectantly.

“Oh, um I-” I couldn’t help but stutter.

“Oh, no. I understand completely. It can be a daunting thing, meeting your mother-in-law. Let me assure you that I am very much impressed with what I’ve seen so far. I mean, why wouldn’t I be? You’re beautiful, polite although a bit tense, and anyone who can manage to win my Jaehyun’s heart has to be interesting. Plus, I heard from Taeyong, that you’re more than willing to challenge him when you see fit.”

I allowed myself to relax a bit.

“That’s always a good thing in my book,” She chuckled.

“Thank you,” I replied, feeling more at ease with myself.

“But...”

My eyes widened; my relief short-lived.

Uh oh.

“But I must say that I find performative niceties to be more tiring than charming.”

Jessi pulled her purse from the ground and began walking back towards me.

“If you plan on putting on a façade to earn my approval, then you won’t get it. Agreeable people bore me.”

Jessi pushed the open chair closer to mine so that when she finally sat down, her knees were mere inches away from mine.

“I want to get to know who’s really marrying my Jaehyun, not who you think I want marrying him.”

My heart felt like it was sinking deeper and deeper into my wounded ribcage. She opened her bag, reached inside,and grabbed onto something choosing to not yet free it from its leather confines.

“So, I guess what I’m asking is...” She began pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniels.

“Are ya gonna waste my time? Or are we gonna have a real honest drink?”

<><><><>

“Wait really?!”

“Really! I swear it’s true! When Louis died, none of us had the heart to tell him, so we just adopted a new cat and told Jaehyun that Louis had a rare condition that made his fur change color.”

I guess that’s why Taeyong told me not to pick the name Loius when he offered to get me a cat.

“Wait so did he ever figure it out?”

Jessi took another swig from the Jack bottle before bursting into laughter.

“That’s the thing. The first time we did it, Jaehyun was 9 years old,” She revealed.

“The first time?” I gawked, unable to keep myself from joining in on the laughter.

“Louis number two got into a scrap with a stray dog and lost. Damn, I shouldn’t be laughing. That’s not the funny part, the funny part was that after three days after Louis went missing, Jaehyun came rushing into the kitchen shouting ‘I found Louis, his fur changed color again!’ The boy was 13!”

The two of us toppled over one another drowning in our own laughter. As the conversation went on and the liquor bottle became lighter, Jessi and I found ourselves entangled in each other on the floor. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I never thought meeting my future mother-in-law would go like this.

“So, what happened then?” I asked, pleading for her to go on.

“We kept the cat for a week before missing cat posters starting poppin’ up all over the neighborhood. Ji-eun and I considered buying a new cat and just telling him that his fur changed again, but Sooman decided that it was time for Jaehyun to grow up. The poor boy, he was always a sensitive one, but ya could tell he was holding back in front of his father.“

“Sensitive? Jaehyun? Please, there isn’t a sensitive bone in-”

I stopped myself, worried about what possible reaction she could have to me badmouthing her son, the man I was supposed to be “in love with,” but when I looked at her, she had on a soft smile.

“I know that Jaehyun can be a hardass sometimes, but would you believe me if I told you he wasn’t always like this?”

Without waiting for my response, Jessi stood up from the floor, leaving the Jack bottle behind. She walked over to the nightstand and picked up a small picture frame.

“I’m sure you’re aware of this, but from the moment we signed the adoption papers, Jaehyun’s fate was sealed. He was to be the future of NCT. Although Sooman was already thirty-four at that point, I was only twenty-four years old, not much older than you. I tried to give him as much love as a mother could give, but Sooman was focused more on being his mentor than on being his father.” She explained, switching back to formal Korean

She lifted the frame in order to get a better look at it, smiling as she did so.

“You know, sometimes Ji-eun seemed more suited for the role of successor than he was, not that it mattered. You see the Mobb world is one ruled by outdated values,” She continued, handing me the frame.

“This was before Jisung and Chenle joined our family.”

It was a simple family portrait, the picture itself was no bigger than a postcard. There were four people in the photo. I recognized one of the subjects to be Sooman. I only knew what he looked like because of the few pictures of him I came across within the estate. Nothing about him particularly stood out to me. He looked like a normal middle-aged Korean man. His hair wasn’t dyed an unnatural color like his son’s was, nor did he have the most handsome features.

Also, in the picture was a younger looking Jessi and a much younger looking Jaehyun holding in his arms what I assumed to be Louis number two. I took notice of the small divots that centered his cheeks. His face was much chubbier than it was now and his body much less developed. From what I could tell he must have been around thirteen years old at the time the photo was taken. Standing next to him was a young girl much taller than he but seemed to be only a few years older.

IU.

Despite hearing about IU from a few of the members, I hadn’t ever seen any pictures of her around the house. The only time I had ever seen her face was after it had been bloodied and beaten, the night I met Lucas.

She was a very beautiful young girl. She wrapped one of her arms around her brother’s shoulder in a manner that seemed protective in nature. They all smiled in the picture, but her smile was the brightest.

They looked happy.

“Jaehyun was a sweet child, although he was quite the troublemaker. Ji-eun on the other hand was so well behaved, it was almost heartbreaking. She was well aware that her adoption was a product of Sooman’s wishes to find an heir so she did whatever she could to keep from being a bother. I wish she would have acted out just a little bit though, just so that I could have shown that my love for her wasn’t conditional.”

Jessi pressed her back against the wall and slid back down to the floor where I was sitting. We both leaned against the wall staring off into space. She continued to speak, while I continued to quietly listen.

“Her and Jaehyun were inseparable at first. He relied on her to communicate for him since he still struggled with his speech. We hired speech therapists, language teachers, psychologists, you name it, but he still wouldn’t say a word unless he was whispering it into his Ji-eun's ear. In the end, it was her who got him to start speaking. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. After that, he slowly became more independent. Even then, they were still closer than twins. He was a bit of a crybaby if you can believe it, which obviously didn’t please my husband. He wanted nothing more than for Jaehyun to be the cold-hearted fighter that he was at that age but Jaehyun had no interest in the family business; he wanted to be an idol.”

I felt more confused than surprised. Were we really talking about the same Jaehyun? It seemed like every time Jaehyun’s childhood was brought up, young Jaehyun was described as the total antithesis to the man I knew.

“An idol? Like a Kpop star?”

“Yes, exactly. Jaehyun always had an interest in music. I used to catch him sneaking out at night to go busking in Hongdae. Luckily his father never found out about that.”

Jessi let out a long drawn out sigh as she stared at the Jack bottle. Although we both made a significant dent in it, neither of us were more than a tipsy at most. Probably for the best since Jeno came by to remind us that there was going to be a formal dinner to welcome the former lady of the house.

“When Jaehyun had just turned 14, he asked Ji-eun to give him idol makeup. Sooman was furious when he walked in on them. I told him that it was harmless fun, but all he could focus on was the fact that the future of his organization was playing makeup. After that, Sooman practically threw him into the family business, forcing him on his first mission just a few weeks later.”

Jessi laughed.

“Men, right?” She joked in English, giving me a glance.

“He thought the mission would toughen him up a bit, ya know, teach him some responsibility. The mission was different from what NCT was used to. Basically, they were trying to in smuggle guns using fishermen’s boats. Jaehyun was supposed to stand watch by the docks. Sooman gave him a tranquilizer gun and a walkie talkie, told him to stun anyone who might be poking their nose in the wrong place then to let everyone know.”

I quirked my head to the side wondering why her story sounded so familiar, like I had somehow heard it before.

“Well, you might have guessed it, but someone did come by. Instead of doing what he was instructed, Jaehyun got scared and hid under a table. The poor boy was scared beyond belief. He didn’t want to give away his position by talking into the walkie talkie, so the guy ended up walking into the middle of everything and the whole mission blew up. A few men were killed either by the dock guards themselves or the police who came shortly after. Over twenty of our men were arrested, most of which were from Wayv.”

“Oh my god!”

Surprised by my outburst, Jessi’s eyes shot from the liquor bottle back to mine.

“It was Jaehyun? He’s the one who got Lucas’s dad locked up?”

Jessi’s surprised expression melted away as she let out a dry chuckle.

“Guess someone already told you this story. I’m surprised they didn’t tell you that little detail.”

“Lucas told me the night he...”

I paused, not sure if I wanted to finish my sentence.

“Don’t worry, pumpkin,” She hummed reaching a hand out to cup my cheek.

“We don’t have to talk about that anymore.“

She spoke in English, but it wasn’t in her usual tone. It was somehow softer.

I felt strangely comforted by the gesture. It had been so long since anyone spoke that softly to me. I unconsciously placed my hand over hers, not wanting her to let go.

“My mother used to call me that,” I choked out.

My stomach clenched as her face contorted in confusion. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but the wave of emotion that washed over me was almost too much to bear. I felt relief when, instead of pulling away, Jessi brought her other hand to my face, wiping away a stream of tears I didn’t realize were staining my cheeks.

She smiled.

“Jeno told me about your parents. I’m sure they would be so proud of you if they were able to see the fine young woman you’ve become.”

The tears only fell faster after hearing her kind words.

I had no idea what my parents would think if they saw me today. Would they be embarrassed that their only daughter became a burlesque dancer? Would they feel shame hearing how badly my life has gone since their deaths?

My worries were instantly vanquished as I felt strong arms pulling me into their embrace.

“Just knowing that their little girl is alive and healthy would be enough for them,” She cooed.

Jessi held me, allowing me to cry in her arms until the tears had run out. When she released me, I became mortified at the sight of the snot and tears that stained her dress sleeve. She merely laughed it off and changed into a dress that seemed to be an exact copy of the first. When she finished changing, she sat me down in front of her vanity and began fixing my braid which had become messy from my crying.

“I still can’t believe that Jaehyun stepped in to save you from that customer,” Jessi laughed.

“Yeah... I can’t really believe it either,” I replied, forcing the words out with an equally forced smile.

Jessi smiled but I could tell that she had a lot on her mind.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked.

I made eye contact with her reflection.

“That obvious, huh?” She chuckled.

I looked down at my lap.

“If I’m honest, hearing the story of how you two met gave me quite the bit of relief.”

I lifted my head back up to look at her.

“After Ji-eun died, Jaehyun didn’t have anyone left who could fully understand him. The mistakes he made during that mission weighed heavily on him. Sooman sent the both of them to America to wait until things blew over. His father was the one to push him into a role he wasn’t ready for, but he could only blame himself for the lives that were lost due to his actions. He began to take his role as his father’s successor more seriously even changing his name from Yoon-oh to Jaehyun in an attempt to distance himself from his past self. He only allowed himself to be his honest self when he was with Ji-eun, and sometimes not even with her. When Sooman died, everyone thought he was still too young, too inexperienced, so he had to become a colder, more hardened version of himself. I remember even Ji-eun struggled to break down his walls at that point. He blamed himself for her death thinking he was the reason Lucas’s dad died and why Wayv betrayed NCT in the first place, but that wasn’t the only reason he blamed himself.”

Jessi paused the story to wrap a hair tie around my newly braided locks.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, a few months after Jaehyun took over his father’s role as leader, he held a ball here at the estate.”

“A ball? Like some Cinderella type shit?”

Jessi let out a snicker at my crudeness.

“I guess you could say that. Balls are commonplace in the mob world. They’re often used as political tools. Host a ball, seal connections, earn trust. This ball was meant to keep up the appearance of a strong front. To show that even after Sooman’s death, that NCT was in good hands. That’s why, when Ji-eun said she didn’t want to attend, Jaehyun wasn’t pleased.”

“Why didn’t she want to go?”

“Who knows? She wouldn’t say. Jaehyun practically had to force her to attend. That’s when-”

“That’s when she was taken, right?” I chimed in.

Jessi could only stare back at me.

“Oh. Sorry,” I apologized, aware that my interruption was insensitive.

“Don’t apologize. You’re right after all.”

The two of us stayed in silence for several moments. Me sitting down, her standing up. I racked my brain, desperately trying to find a way to change the subject without it sounding forced. Luckily, I didn’t have to.

“Y/N?” Jessi voiced.

“Yes?”

“Promise me that no matter what, you’ll try to be understanding of Jaehyun. I know that he can be a bonehead sometimes, but he really is a good man.”

I was caught off guard by the sudden request.

“Hearing the story of how you two met, it made me hopeful for the future. Jaehyun isn’t one to poke his nose in other people’s business, but the mere fact that he intervened to save you from that man brings me great comfort. It’s been years since I’ve seen a glimmer of the old Jaehyun, but from what it sounds like, you’ve been able to get him to open up, even if just a bit.”

Jessi scootched out from behind me and took a seat on the vanity table.

“He obviously wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t care for you. I just hope that you’re able to keep chipping away at the walls he built around himself. He could use a friend now that Ji-eun is gone.”

Jessi stared back at me.

How was I supposed to tell her that the story of how Jaehyun was all an elaborate lie made up to keep her from know the truth? That her son wasn’t the one who had saved me but the man I needed saving from. The man who kidnapped me, beat me and was still holding me captive in order to further his own self-interest. How was I supposed to tell this woman that her son was a monster?

That was it though. I wasn’t supposed to tell her any of that.

My only role was to keep up this deranged façade in the hopes that it would get me out of this mess, so keep it up I would.

“I promise.”

“Thank you, Y/N. Jaehyun might have Taeyong, but I’m glad that he’ll have someone like you to keep him in check as well.”

I was ridden with guilt. Here Jessi was, comforting me and treating me like her own daughter and yet all I could do was lie to her, not only about who her son was, but about who I was as well. I could barely stand myself right now.

“Hey, Jessi?”

“Yes?”

“Since you brought him up, I wanted to ask. Who is Taeyong to Jaehyun?””

“Oh, you don’t know?”

I shook my head.

“Jaehyun and Taeyong have been friend since Jaehyun and Ji-eun came to live with us.”

“Really? That long?” I asked.

“Well, Taeyong’s lived here at the estate since he was a little boy. Even longer than Jaehyun and Ji-eun. His parents were actually members of our staff.”

“Oh, so do the staff’s children often live at the estate?” I asked.

“No, never. Taeyong was a special case. His father, Jong-in, was one of Jaehyun’s guards while his mother, Jennie, was head of staff. When Taeyong was only five years old, there was an attack on the manor and his father died after taking a bullet for my husband. To repay Taeyong’s father for his sacrifice, Sooman covered all of their family's expenses and allowed them to move into the estate. Sooman always makes a point to repay his debts, but if we’re being honest, I’m pretty sure he just didn’t want to lose her as a staff member. Like Jeno, she was very good at her job.”

I nodded as she continued to talk about Taeyong. I knew that he and Jaehyun were close, but I had no idea they grew up together.

“Besides, Ji-eun, Taeyong was Jaehyun’s closest companion although they didn’t get along at first. Taeyong was a bit rebellious growing up but he wasn’t a bad kid. He got into fights nearly every week and even got kicked out of school. We ended up having to send him to the same private school as Jaehyun. When Jaehyun started talking, he’d always try to play with Taeyong but I think Taeyong saw him as more of a nuisance than anything else. The only reason they got close was because of Ji-eun. Taeyong had such an obvious crush on her, it was adorable, really. He’d follow her around all day like a puppy dog, asking if she needed anything or if anyone was bothering her at school. Instead of asking anything for herself, she’d ask him to take care of Jaehyun when they were at school. Since Jaehyun was the sensitive type, he was often picked on by his peers. Ji-eun was in high school so she couldn’t do anything while Jaehyun was at the middle school. So, despite him being the same age as Jaehyun, Taeyong became Jaehyun’s protector. Now that Jaehyun’s become so much larger than Taeyong, it’s hard to believe that he was ever the one who needed protecting.”

Jessi stood up from the vanity to head to the nearby dresser.

“Taeyong and Ji-eun.” Jessi hummed their names.

"I always thought they’d end up together. It’s too bad. I know I’m hard on the kid, but you really couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law.”

Jessi picked up a pair of earrings, taking special care to put them on.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking but what type of man was his father?” I asked.

“To say that he was a kind man would make even the devil laugh He did have his moments though. You might have heard already but our marriage to one another wasn’t out of love, or at least not out of mutual love. I apparently caught his fancy at an event meant to celebrate my parent’s gang joining EXO. He asked them for my hand before even asking me. Despite my wishes, they agreed. I tried to get out of it, but you can probably guess how that worked out. It was hard at first, but I eventually accepted my new life. It wasn’t all bad. Sooman was a fair man who respected my boundaries and he never made me feel guilty for my inability to have children.”

“Ah.” I reacted, not knowing what to say back.

“As you’ve probably already guessed it, we didn’t adopt Jaehyun and Ji-eun simply out of the kindness of our hearts. Finding out about my condition was extremely hard for the two of us but Sooman never showed me any resentment. If anything, he was more worried about me and my feelings about it than about his lack of an heir. After we found Jaehyun and Ji-eun, we had no need for any more children, but we adopted them out of respect for their fathers.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” I asked, genuinely curious.

You see, after the mission failed and several NCT member’s lives were lost, Sooman did everything he could to make up for his apparent negligence. While most of his reparations came in the form of financial assistance, for two of his men, repaying his debt wasn’t so easy. Both of the men had sons. Jisung’s father, Taemin, ran away from his family when he was only 12 years old and his wife died during childbirth so there was no one to take care of his son when he died. That’s why Sooman and I decided to adopt him.”

“And Chenle?”

“Chenle’s father had a similar situation. He was one of the Wayv members that ended up in jail following the mission. He was killed in the prison yard by a rival gang. Unlike Jisung, Chenle had an older sibling, but the two had never met. His father had an affair with a woman outside of his marriage and had gotten her pregnant. He rented out an apartment for them in Itaewon so he could keep their existence a secret from his main family. Sooman only found out about this when he received a call from the man’s lawyer. The lawyer gave him an unofficial version of his last will and testament which specified where to find the son and mother. It requested that the two of them be taken care of if anything were to happen to him. He also requested that Chenle be kept away from anything relating to NCT or gang activity in general.”

“Wait so Chenle’s mother is still alive?”

Jessi noticeably hesitated before going on.

“Sadly, no.” She answered.

“Oh.”

“Instead of calling, Sooman immediately went to the address listed on the document and thank god he did. Nobody answered the door when he knocked but he could clearly hear a child crying on the other side. He ended up breaking the door down to find Chenle lying beside his mother’s body.”

“Holy shit. What?” I blurted out.

“She must have found out about her lover’s death and decided life wasn’t worth living. At first, Sooman wasn’t even planning to support the two. He thought that the will had been a scam and that the woman was trying to get a free lunch or something. Once he realized that he was responsible for not only the father’s death, but the mother’s too, he accepted Chenle as his own son. Jisung was six and Chenle was seven when we adopted them, so they were old enough to remember some details regarding their past lives but thankfully Chenle wasn’t old enough to understand what happened to his mother that day.

“Does he ever ask about his parents?”

“A few questions here and there. He knows that they died but he doesn’t know how. We told him it was a car accident. Apparently, his father must not have visited often since he wasn’t able to recognize him from any of the photos we showed him. He doesn’t even know that his father worked with NCT and I’d like to keep it that way. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“I won’t say anything.” I promised.

Jessi stared at me as if gauging her trust in me.

“Good, Let’s head down to the dining room. We don’t want to keep everybody waiting now, do we?”

<><><>

Jessi and I made our way downstairs where we were greeted by a staff member who escorted us towards the dining room. When we entered, I was surprised to see that all the members were already seated and cheerfully conversing among themselves. Well, almost all of them.

Johnny was the first to notice our presence. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of those around him and thus towards us as well. The only thing keeping the room from falling silent was the sudden chorus of soft scraping sounds emitted from the men’s chairs as they all stood up to greet us.

Jeno pulled out a chair for Jessi to sit in next to the head of the table while the staff member who escorted us did the same for me. As we sat down, so did everyone else. There was only one empty chair remaining next to where Jessi and I sat across from one another. I didn’t have to look around the room to know who the empty chair belonged to.

I kept my head forwards unsure of what to do. Nobody was speaking and I didn’t want to be the one to break the silence.

I quickly looked around the table. A mixture of concerned and bored faces stared back.

Next to Jessi was a very anxious red head who greatly juxtaposed the disinterested medic sitting next to me. I turned towards him expectantly yet Winwin only continued to look forward.

I didn’t know what I was hoping for, “Are you okay?” “How are you feeling?” or even just a simple “Hello,” would have sufficed. Anything that would let me know whether I could consider him an ally. What I was met with instead was apathetic indifference.

“If I wanted to attend a funeral setting, I would have visited my husband’s grave. Seriously, what’s with this solemn mood?” Jessi marveled, poking fun at the intensity that dominated the room’s aura.

“I’m sure they’re all just waiting for you to tell them one of your stories, mother.”

Everyone turned towards the sudden voice to see the head of the estate as he approached the table. Once again, the members of NCT stood up. Even I was about to stand up until Winwin placed a hand on my shoulder queuing that it was not my place to stand. I felt a tinge of reassurance from the unanticipated gesture though it didn’t do much to ease me otherwise.

“You may be seated,” The man announced.

I felt an alarming amount of anxiety from the room’s newest occupant, but that didn’t stop me from blatantly staring at him as he made his way towards the head of the table.

His rose gold locks, which had been fading more and more with each day, had been replaced by a light shade of natural brown similar to that of a chestnut. It was styled in its usual fashion; pushed back and out of his eyes, with not a strand out of place. His attire, while not as formal as it was the night of the performance, still gave off an air of aristocratic poshness. A black button up tucked into black slacks held up by a black belt. Not exactly something the average son would wear to have dinner with his mother, though this was far from the average family get together and Jaehyun was far from the average man.

Jaehyun smirked, aware of the eyes that were on him.

“It’s good to see you, mother.” He asked as he bent down to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s good to see you too, especially since you’ve finally gotten rid of that ridiculous pink hair of yours.”

Jaehyun gave an honest laugh in response to his mother’s words.

“Please excuse me for not being able to welcome you myself. I had some business I needed to attend to.”

"Oh no, it’s fine. It gave me a chance to spend some alone time with the lovely Y/N, here.” She responded, gesturing towards me from across the table.

Jaehyun hummed in response, having fixed his gaze onto me.

“Am I to assume that your first meeting was a pleasant one?” He asked, flashing his charming smile.

Though his expression was what one would expect from that of a loving fiancé, I knew the true meaning of his words.

“I’d say it was more than pleasant. Y/N is a well-rounded young lady with the kind of spark you don’t see much of nowadays. I must say I’m a little suspicious.”

“Hm? What on earth do you mean?” Jaehyun asked, keeping his cool.

“You’re not being held hostage are you, dear?” Jessi asked as she turned towards me.

My breathing hitched and I instinctively looked up at Jaehyun who seemed just as surprised by the question as I was.

I opened my mouth to reply but Jessi beat me to the cut.

“I mean how else could you find someone to put up with your snappy temperament,” She snickered.

Several of the table’s occupants, began to laugh awkwardly, Jaehyun and I included.

“As always, mother, your humor is second to none,” Jaehyun said, leaving his mother’s side to take his place at the table.

“And how is my little mouse?” He asked reaching a hand towards mine.

Before I could think better of it, I quickly withdrew my hand from his.

Big mistake.

Realizing what I had done, my eyes flickered between Jessi’s furrowed brows and Jaehyun’s menacing glare.

“Honey, not in front of everyone.” I whined, doing my best to make a cute but bashful expression.

Jaehyun’s threatening stare swiftly turned into one of bewilderment. His eyes only left mine once Jessi began to laugh whole heartedly.

“Oh, you don’t have to act shy in front of me, dear. I know how kids are when they’re engaged,” Jessi insisted.

I smiled at her and looked to Jaehyun who nodded in approval. He held his hand over the lower half of his face to hide the smirk that wouldn’t seem to leave his lips.

<><><>

Dinner lasted around an hour. Jessi took turns asking each of the members questions and simply catching up with one another. I was happy to listen to them all talk about things not having to do with me since it meant less chances for me to mess up. The liquor that lingered in my bloodstream granted me a bit of comfort though it did little to protect me from the unease that came from Jaehyun’s constant stare.

When dinner was finished and everyone was dismissed, I stood up only to be pulled back down by an abrupt hand. I turned towards the hand’s owner.

Jaehyun didn’t say anything. He instead waited for everyone to leave the dining room including the staff whom he waved away.

Once it was just the two of us, Jaehyun stood up, throwing his napkin onto his plate.

“Training starts at 5 a.m. Get there early if you have to, just don’t be late. I don’t think you want to know what will happen if you make me wait.”

He began to walk away from the table, leaving me behind. Once he reached the door, he paused.

“You should wear something blue. The color suits you.”

I stared blankly at the now empty doorframe.

“Something blue?” I echoed, staring down at the baby blue dress.

184 notes · View notes

crystalessenceswrites · 4 years ago

Text

Burden of the Survivors-- Chapter One

*not my gif*

Burden of the Survivors

Pairs: Din Djarin x fem!reader Rating: T (at the moment- subject to change) Warnings: a little bit of cursing but otherwise fairly tame *no spoilers- takes place in Season 1 timeline* Summary: Mando works alone- except for when he absolutely can’t. There are few people Din trusts – trusts as in he doesn’t expect a viroblade in the back the second he’s turned around. She’s one of them. Just as cautious and nearly as tight lipped about her past as he is, Din doesn’t mind her around too much.

[Masterlist] [Chapter One] [Chapter Two] or Available on AO3

A/N: It’s been ages since I wrote a reader series, I do my best to write them with as non-descriptive reader as possible but if there’s something I miss let me know. Reader does have a backstory and obviously has certain skills sets as a bounty hunter but I don’t believe that will cause any issues going forward. Also thanks to @fishingwithstring & @flyingmarshmallow64 for kinda beta-ing for me

Chapter One--

When you had given the Mandalorian your commlink info you had not thought the stoic man would actually use it. He had a reputation to uphold after all- he couldn’t be seen willingly working with another bounty hunter. You could respect that; the Guild was cutthroat and there never seemed to be enough credits or jobs to go around these days. The New Republic was a blessing and a curse to those trying to make a living in the Outer Rim. Your regular contacts were coming up short on good jobs and everything Karga was offering wasn’t worth the cost of fuel. It all had you wondering if you should take up running with Tillis’s crew again, the cuts were always fair and at least you weren’t burning credits on your own fuel.

Yet despite your initial beliefs, Mando had called, and he’d called with an offer for a job. They were high rollers from the underworld, apparently. Nothing you had not worked before. The first job you had worked with Mando on had been an under the table job from Karga as well. You allowed yourself the slightest bit of pride that after how well you two had worked together, Mando felt you would be a useful addition on this job.

You jumped on the offer. Whatever job Mando had taken had to be worth a decent stack of credits if he was willing to go with an even split. Hopefully, this would be enough to hold you over for a while, maybe pay for a few fixes to your ship while you were at it. The navicomputer could use an update, and there was the leak in the cooling lines that could probably use a proper fix instead of your last patch job… but you were getting ahead of yourself. Mando had asked you to meet him at his ship just outside of town on Navarro, which was convenient considering you had been laying over on the backwater volcanic planet after your last round of bounties. Karga may be cagey but at least he paid you what you were owed in the end.

Mando was waiting for you, leaning against the side of the Razor Crest, looking as much the stoic and hardened warrior as ever when you arrived. Though he had upgraded a bit since you last saw him.

“Looking spiffy Mando! Is that a new pauldron I see?”

He shrugs, pushing off the Razor Crest, “maybe.”

Man of few words, some things never change.

“You mentioned before that we didn’t have much to go off of. What do you know?” Hitching your bag of gear up your shoulder you follow Mando up into the Crest.

It wasn’t the first time you’d been on Mando’s ship, but it amazed you every time you boarded how he managed to keep such a relic up and running. You would not be surprised if it cost him a fortune in repair costs over the years. Sure, your ship wasn’t a spring chicken either, but it had been built within your lifetime.

“Tracking fob.” He quickly fishes the device out of his belt, flashing it at you briefly. “Last known position and age.”

“Wait, not even a chain code?” That was just common courtesy in this line of work, and it kept mix-ups to a minimum. “Just the last four digits?”

Mando nods before clambering up the ladder to the cockpit leaving you stunned. Who exactly were you working for and who were they after?

After ditching your bag in the hull you follow Mando up to the cockpit. “How trustworthy is this client of yours?”

You lean against the doorway, watching him program the ancient navicomputer. “It’s underworld, what do you expect?”

“At least some minimal assurances,” you throw back, “I don’t want to end up a prisoner of the New Republic for the rest of my days if I can’t help it.”

“The chit came through Karga.”

Well, that was the definition of minimally reassuring.

“But no puck?”

Mando shakes his head, or rather, his bucket.

“Well, this will be interesting.”

“Arvala-7, can’t say I’ve ever heard of it.” You’re sitting in the co-pilots chair with your boots propped up against the dash, fiddling with one your rifle sights as Mando attempts to pull planetary info up on his navicomputer.

Your partners huff of displeasure filters through his modulator, you can imagine he’s rolling his eyes behind the visor. Over the course of working together you had managed to pick up on a handful of the man’s cues, his body language was fairly expressive, and irritation with you was one you were aptly familiar with. It had been obvious from your first meeting that the Mandalorian was all work and no play. So, your occasional flippant remarks were not always received well. You were by no means trying to agitate the bounty hunter- you had better self-preservation skills than that- but you were trying to lighten the mood a bit. Two sticks in the mud didn’t make for an entertaining partnership.

Even after a few smacks to the computer Mando cannot seem to pull up the data he wants. His fists clench and unclench rhythmically, the creak of his leather gloves filling the silent cockpit. This one was wound way too tight. You wondered what mandalorians did to relax and unwind, and how exactly could you get him to do that before you landed?

“You’ve got the tracking fob, we aren’t completely screwed, if that’s what you’re all upset about, Mando.”

The helmet snaps around, his black t-visor staring unblinking into your soul.

Maybe that was not the best button to push.

“I’ll- ah, go get my stuff together.” You wince at the crack in your voice but gather up your blaster parts before preparing to shimmy back down into the cargo hold. You were a bounty hunter, same as him. His attitude should not unnerve you like it did. He was human like you after all- or at least you assumed he was- one faceless man should not affect you so strongly. You were better than this.

Master trained you better than this.

“Coming into atmo,” Mando shouts down from the cockpit, “may want to hold onto something.”

The ship lurches forward, throwing you into the back wall. “Thanks for the warning,” you grumble, latching onto the refresher door to stay upright.

Mando comes in quick, the Razor Crest touching down shortly after entering the atmosphere. Moments later the helmeted man is down the ladder, amban sniper rifle in hand and already heading down the ramp. Always in such a rush. The Mandalorian really had no clue as to how to stop and assess a situation or take a moment to breathe.

You scramble over to your bag of gear, assembling one of your own blaster rifles without having to look. It was all second nature now; you know every weapon in your stash like the back of your hand. As you slide the newly fixed sight into place a roar echoes through the ship followed by a loud curse. Down the ramp in seconds your blaster is trained on the approaching creature, ignoring Mando with his arm trapped in the jaw of another felled creature.

The tadpole-shaped beast falls before you pull the trigger, sliding in next to Mando with a bright red electro stun dart sticking out of its side. You let out a sigh as Mando groans, freeing his arm. At least your partner in crime was not out for the count yet.

A third creature approaches, this one saddled and ridden by an aging ugnaught wielding what you can assume was responsible for the stun darts. You lower your blaster, hoping that there would be no quarrel after he seemingly saved Mando.

“Thank you.” Mando’s panting as he stands, his arm clutched tight to his chest.

The ugnaught nods before looking back between you two. “You are bounty hunters.”

“Yes.”

“I will help you.”

You shrug at Mando, if he wanted to assist you with this odd bounty you had qualms.

“I have spoken.”

Kuiil had been more than accommodating to you both at his moisture farm. Offering up his bed to you for the night and sharing his dinner and a warm cup of tea with you both after the sunlight finally fell below the horizon. You jumped at the offer for any food that was not freeze-dried rations or protein bars. Mando on the other hand stiffened when the ugnaught passed him the meal.

“You can use the bedroom to eat, Mando.”

This was not the first time you had run into this problem while working with the Mandalorian. He never took the helmet off around you, not even in the safety of his ship, not to stop and eat while you were drifting along in hyperspace, or to fix up wounds after a particularly nasty fight with a quarry. You wondered if he even took it off to sleep when you were on board with him.

It was not as if you did not understand the draw of a helmet. The lifestyle of the faceless. You own tactical mask offers a small sense of anonymity, bringing some comfort after years of running from your past, but you were not unnaturally attached to it. Whatever tentative relationship you had with Mando; you were comfortable enough to take it off around him. You could eat in his presence. The mask did not inhibit your job or your lifestyle. While it had been ages since you had been in contact with mandalorians-other than the faceless and nameless Mando- you did have shadowy memories of those you had met taking off their helmets in the presence of others. Not that you had dared to ask about it. Your first few meetings had been tense enough and you liked to think you were smart enough to not insult the beskar clad warrior who walked around armed to the teeth.

Kuiil did not ask until Mando had settled into the other room. “He does not remove his helmet in the presence of others?”

“For as long as I’ve known him,” you nod.

“And how long have you known him?”

That was a good question. How many years had it been since you worked that job with Tillis’s crew that introduced you two?

“Four standard years now, maybe?” You ponder, “but we’ve only been working together for about two.”

He nods, looking thoughtful, “like a Mandalorian warrior of old.”

“I suppose,” you shrug.

“You do not agree with his choice?”

“Oh no, my opinions have nothing to do with it. Can’t say it appeals to me, but I respect the restraint it would take to wear a helmet all of your life.”

Kuiil nods before pottering off, cleaning up his small cooking station. You cannot help but smile, the ugnaught reminds you of someone but you cannot recall exactly who. They are just echoes of memories now, a childhood long gone, but something about Kuiil’s wise demeanor picks at them.

Mando returns moments later, shaking you from your melancholy as he takes a seat next to you.

“Many have passed through. They seek the same one as you.”

What kind of job exactly had Mando gotten for you two?

“Did you help them?”

“Yes. They died.”

You gape at the ugnaught, unsure if his honesty was all that helpful now.

“Well then I don’t know if I want your help,” Mando scoffs.

Kuiil shakes his head, “you do. I can show you to the encampment.”

“Encampment?” Who in the galaxy would have an encampment all the way out here and how to Kuiil know about it?

He nods but divulges no further details.

“What’s your cut?”

“Half.”

Your head whips around, Mando had promised you half the cut already, that is why you had agreed to come in the first place.

“Half the bounty to guide? Seems steep.”

“No. Half the blurrg you helped capture.”

You left out the breath you did not realize you had been holding, gaze softening. The blurrg would not be an issue. “I can assure you Mando has no use for a blurrg.”

The helmet nods, “you can keep them both.”

“No. You need them. To ride. The way is impossible to pass without a blurrg mount.”

Mando sounds unconvinced, “I don’t know how to ride blurrg.”

“I have spoken.”

You did not happen to know how to ride a blurrg either, but you decided it would be best for everyone’s health to not mention it as the Mandalorian struggled the next morning to even stay on the creature. Mando had insisted on letting you attempt to ride first. Kuiil had kindly walked you through how to greet the beast and the best way to mount. You had struggled a bit, the tallest point on the blurrg’s back was nearly a head taller than you and required some interesting moves to get to but after some coaching you finally managed to get the hang of it. It was smooth sailing from there. They reacted to the reins about the same as most other animals and their walking rhythm was not too difficult to adjust to. After Kuiil seems satisfied with your progress and let Mando into the ring you thought maybe this job would not be all that bad.

Yet as you watched Mando fly off the blurrg’s back for the umpteenth you decided you had called that much too soon. For a man who always walked with such swagger you did allow yourself to enjoy the scene. Just a little.

Even the patient Kuiil was becoming frustrated with Mando’s slow learning curve.

“Perhaps if you removed your helmet.”

That would never happen.

Mando’s shoulders stiffen, “perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him.”

Kuiil shakes his head, “this is a female. The males are all eaten during mating.”

You try, you really do, but all your willpower combined at the moment is not enough to contain the laugh that bubbles up in your chest. “Ha! They’ve got the right idea.”

Mando’s helmet tilts back just a fraction. He’s rolling his eyes at you.

Kuiil chuckles softly at your side while you stick your tongue out at the bounty hunter. He blatantly ignores you, going in for another attempt at the blurrg. It ends the same of the others, Mando flat on his back in the dust.

You understand he’s frustrated, Mando’s never been the patient type, and just wants to complete the job and get back to working alone. A wound up, frustrated Mandalorian was never a good combo. Your hand hovers over the blaster in your thigh holster as he stalks towards Kuiil, just in case.

“I don’t have time for this,” he snaps at the ugnaught. “Do you have a landspeeder or speeder bike that I could hire?”

“You are a Mandalorian! Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal.”

Kuiil’s jab at his ancestry is enough to get Mando to try again. You look on as he approaches the blurrg, arms outstretched, murmuring calming words as he goes to pat the creature between its eyes. You would almost describe the scene as gentle. Not a word you’d have ever used to describe the helmeted man in the past. Where had this Mando been hiding all this time?

When you spot the compound in the distance the worries begin to creep up again. You wonder who exactly you were after and what Karga’s underground client wanted with them. People don’t just build fortified compounds on backwater, nearly uninhabited outer rim planets for no reason.

Kuiil points to the structure as the three of you come to a stop, “that is where you’ll find your quarry.”

Mando attempts to give Kuiil a pouch of credits. It was the least he deserved for all the help he’d given you. The ugnaught turns it down.

“Please. You deserve this.”

“Since these ones arrived, this territory has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward and bringing destruction.”

“Then why did you guide us here?” you ask.

“They do not belong here. Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they are gone.”

Mando turns to Kuiil, “then why do you help?”

“I have never met a Mandalorian. I’ve only read the stories. If they are true, you two will make quick work of it. Then there will be peace again.” The ugnaught guides his blurrg around, ready to make the return trip, “I have spoken.”

You and Mando sat for a moment, watching him ride away in silence.

For peace then.

#the mandalorian #fic: burden of the survivors #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x f!reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin x f!reader #din djarin #kuiil #the mandolorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #x reader #fanfiction #chapter one #crystalessences writes #bounty hunters

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cottoncandyjester · 4 years ago

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Let sleeping dogs lie(salem backstory)

People have been asking a ton of questions about salem and his backstory so i decided to answer them in one big post.

This story contains: a lot of child abuse, death, cannibalism, childhood trauma, all around bad times for salem

Salem was a dog, not a child. He slept in a cage,ate scraps and was abused to the point where blood was a permanent taste in his mouth. His brother on the other hand was the perfect child, salem didn't know why his mother loved axis more than him but salem was to believe that something was wrong with him

The truth was that nothing was wrong with salem, he was actually quite gifted in singing and would sing himself to sleep when the late nights scare him. Salem was deemed an ugly child from his mother, his eyes were dead and empty..he never smiled in his life and he doesn't even know how to laugh.

Salem hated axis, he hated axis with every fiber of his being. He hated that axis was treated like royalty while he was dragged through hell just to live, how come axis was so perfect?

The worst part of it was that axis was so sweet to salem, he would sneak down and give salem food when their mother isn't watching. Salem thought axis was just belittling him and that made him hate him more

It wasn't fair, none of this was fair. His mother was supposed to love him more than anything, why was axis so special?!

"your father was an ugly man, a monster and you look just like him..those demon eyes. It's natural for any mother to love the more beautiful child. You're only here cause you are make a lovely trash can"

Maybe asking his mother wasn't the best option, it only broke salem more. Salem finally broke after that, he snuck into axis' room that night. Axis had a fever so the window and door was wide open to cool him off, salem let out a shaky sigh as he walked towards the sleeping boy

Its not fair

I was born first

It's not fair

Even sleeping he looked perfect, salem opened the bottle of chemicals and poured it over axis' eyes. The sounds of screaming and choked sobbing flooded the room as salem stared at his younger brother his eyes being empty of any emotions.

He got beaten extra hard that night, he ruined his mother's perfect little boy so it was only natural for her to want him dead, but it seems she had a far better idea for him.

The next morning he was sold like some rusted toy, a rich family wanted to treat their son to an early birthday present and a commoner slave seemed to be the perfect gift.

"but it's not salem's fault he was just really mad at me! I swear it doesn't hurt anymore!"

Hearing axis sob and cry for him only made salem hate him more, damn him for being so kind.

Salem felt someone force his head up and his blank eyes stared into blue ones, there he met his master.

Hikaru looked beautiful to salem, a pretty boy dressed in pink. He dazzled like a star and the utter sight of him made salem blush.

It seems that hikaru wasn't as sweet as he looked, salem wasn't sure which was worse his mother or hikaru. Salem was forced to wear a shiny collar and crawl around on all fours, he truly was a dog. Hikaru trained him to be obedient and submissive, salem started to forget that he was even human

Hikaru's family were rich and dirty, they could get away with anything even murder. Salem was their dog and as such they fed him whatever remains of the victim they dealt with.

Eating human remains seems to have been the last nail on the coffin when it comes to his sanity, he had finally lost it.

His mind had broke and he couldn't function as a normal person anymore, he wanted nothing but death.

When salem turned 15 years old the toment was too much for him, the constant abuse from hikaru and his family had not only broke him mentally but physically as well, the amount of blunt Force trauma gave him enough brain damage to most likely kill him.

One thing salem hated most of all was the abandonment of his own mother, she was a horrible person but he still loves her yet he despised her for leaving him. He just wanted someone who wouldn't leave, someone who will stay by his side no matter what.

Salem had slit his throat that night, it was hikaru who had found him choking on his own blood and stitched him up before he died. Hikaru was nicer to salem after that, instead of a stray he was treated much like a beloved pet. Salem wasn't sure if it was the stockholm syndrome or what but he grew attached to hikaru

As the two got older their relationship started to become far more twisted, hikaru started using salem for sexual pleasure and salem of course let it happen.

Hikaru's version of sexual pleasure involved hardcore violence, things such as burning and branding filled his excitement. Salem felt as if he owed hikaru his life, hikaru was his master after all and as a lowly dog you do as you were told. Sex slowly became salem's high, he wanted more and more to the point where he would go to other people in hikaru's family, begging to be touched to be used. People don't leave of you offer them sex, that was the one lesson salem learned

When salem turned 19 he was reunited with his brother once more, seems like axis got into the same school hikaru was in thanks to an art scholarship and so the two met and became 'friends'.

Salem as this point was on his way to becoming a drooling mutt, the amount of abuse and trauma he dealt with messed with his brain beyond repair.

When the two brothers reconnected salem didn't remember his brother much, he could barley remember his own name some days. Axis still adored salem with every fiber of his being even if his blindness was salem's fault. Hikaru had no intention of giving salem up, after all salem was his wonderful pet and any pet owner would be sad to give up a family pet.

"i-i want my brother back, please.."

"is that so? Salem what do you think about that?"

Salem, who sat on the floor with his head nuzzled against hikaru's lap shuddered at the thought of not having hikaru. Was hikaru leaving just like his mother?! He couldn't stand it, he can't handle someone else leaving his life or discarding him.

"no no no no no no, ah- no!"

Salem started to spiral at the very thought, why did everyone leave him? Why can't anyone stay for him?! What's wrong with him that makes him just so unloveable?

Salem didnt go back to axis that night, but axis never stopped trying. Every single day he came to bother hikaru into releasing the hold on his brother.

Salem's feelings for his brother were neutral, he was too messed up in the head to clearly piece together how exactly he felt but he didnt hate him anymore

Salem didn't want to leave hikaru and hikaru wasn't finished playing with salem, wherever hikaru went salem did too those two were far too toxic to each other and still are incredibly toxic.

After all salem was just a damaged dog and he only had everyone around him to blame, it's a wonder how he would turn out if he was raised normally.

#yandere imagines #yandere ocs #yandere #tw child abandonment #tw childhood trauma #tw salem #tw toxic behavior

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mrs-daddyissues · 4 years ago

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considerably

~ C H A P T E R 7 ~

~ Masterlist ~

Pairing: Alfred Pennyworth x OFC

Series Summary: Sarabi Nichols is Bruce Wayne’s life long friend that aids in creating weaponry and making outfits. When she was younger she had a thing for Bruce but now her taste has aged. Considerably. Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce’s guardian and butler is more her style now. Despite this knew found liking, Sarabi feels trapped. She can’t talk to Bruce about it and clearly can’t mention it to Alfred. The only person she has is her best friend, Claudia. Sarabi has to fight the things she feels for the older man because he could never feel the same way back, right?

{Normal} Playlist

{Slowed+Reverb} Playlist

Warnings: Sexual innuendo, swearing

Word Count: 4019

Author’s Note:

In this chapter a classic DC character appears (they won’t be a recurring character, just a little nod). I want to preface this by saying I do not own the rights to that character and have also changed their backstory slightly. There’s also a couple of references to previous Batman films. One other thing, I am returning to work in the next few days and that means that my posting schedule with be much less consistent, sorry. Also apologies this chapter’s a bit long but still, I hope you enjoy!

The process of getting Sarabi and Claudia ready for the gala was both stressful and relaxing at the same time. The whole operation took at least 7 hours and the gala started at 7, so they had 9 hours from the time they got up.

It started with the two girls cleaning Sarabi’s bed from all of Sarabi’s previous experiences. They then had a warm bubble bath each and Claudia instructed Sarabi to scrub every inch of her skin.

The two girls then got dressed in simple clothing and Bruce welcomed in his private spa technicians. The lady was named Frida and she had a sidekick Jonathan that was in training. Claudia planned to get Jonathan’s number before quickly realising he was much more interested in Bruce. Sarabi had to hold in her giggles at Claudia’s disappointed face.

Sarabi and Claudia both got their nails done, Claudia’s a dusty sand colour and Sarabi’s a deep red. They each got every follicle of hair removed from their bodies and then a cleansing facial.

After the spa part was taken care of, they bid farewell to Frida and Jonathan and had lunch. It was already 1 o’clock and Bruce was busy looking over the final decor for the mansion.

Sarabi’s mind had been completely distracted from Alfred with everything that had been going on but as soon as she and Claudia stepped foot in the dining room it all came back to her. Alfred wore an apron over his clothes as he dished up their lunches. Sarabi’s heart started beating so fast like a rabbit running from a fox. Claudia noticed her sudden behaviour change and tapped her shoulder.

“Relax girl, I’m right here,” Claudia assured her as the two sat down.

“Thank you, Alfred, this looks amazing,” Claudia’s mouth practically watered at the display in front of her. Claudia rarely got treats like this and she worshipped Alfred’s cooking as much as Sarabi.

“Thanks, Alfred,” Sarabi then dug into her plate of pasta.

“You are more than welcome, ladies. If you need me I’ll be in the ballroom. Master Wayne is being the picky bastard that he is,” Alfred dissed Bruce and Sarabi couldn’t help but laugh.

“Alfred!” Bruce’s voice screamed and Sarabi rolled her eyes. His voice was so whiny and loud. He was clearly stressed because of this gala.

“Master Wayne, I’m coming! Calm the hell down!” Alfred yelled back before turning back the women.

“See what I have to deal with?” Alfred fixed his glasses before rushing off to Bruce.

“Thanks again, Alfred,” Sarabi commented to his retreating form.

“My pleasure,” Alfred turned his head around, bowed slightly and ran off to the ballroom as Bruce continued shouting the house down.

Sarabi gaped after Alfred and kept looking at where he had been just a few seconds before.

“Sarabi!" Claudia waved a hand in front of her zoned out face to get her attention.

“Wow, you must really be in love,” Claudia commented and Sarabi snapped her attention back to her.

“I am not in love. I am infatuated,” Sarabi corrected but couldn’t meet Claudia’s gaze. Sarabi didn’t know if she was in love.

Whenever she saw Alfred her breath came out heavier and her heartbeat quickened. She also became immediately turned on without him needing to do anything. She had no idea what it was she was feeling but she didn’t think it was just lust now.

“No darling, infatuation is short-lived, this has been going on for way too long to just be an infatuation,” Claudia explained with a shoulder shrug.

“Right now it doesn’t matter. Tonight you’re gonna blow him away and maybe get some, you never know,” Claudia beamed as she spoke and Sarabi’s body filled with hope.

“Who knows?” Sarabi finished up her pasta and the two girls talked for longer than they should have. They only had about 5 hours to get the rest of their looks put together and knowing Claudia, she’d take all the time she could get.

It was a good decision on Claudia’s part to start getting ready at 10 o’clock as makeup and hair, on both of them, took a collective 4 hours. Sarabi still can’t believe she sat there for 2 and a half hours while Claudia fussed over what the hairstylist and makeup artist should do. Claudia ended up having her hair parted on the right and curled lightly. She also placed it on her left shoulder. She looked effortlessly and classically beautiful. Claudia had such a unique and model-like look, it was astounding. Claudia also wore more very simple makeup with some golden shimmer on her eyes.

Sarabi was much less fussy about her look but Claudia made up for it by fussing for her. She said it had to be perfect and nothing short of it. Sarabi opted to have her naturally curly hair but part it the same as Claudia. She also had very light makeup but decided to wear a deep red lip to go with her dress.

Once their hair and makeup were done, it was time for the outfits to come together. It was 6:30 and Claudia planned for the two of them to be fashionably late. Claudia had this all planned out like it was a spy mission.

“I’m gonna go down first and find Bruce and Alfred. I’ll tell them that you should be down any minute and then there you are. You come down that staircase like you own the joint, which you will,” Claudia further reiterated her point with large hand motions.

“Don’t you wanna walk down together?” Sarabi asked, confused. She thought they’d be much more powerful together.

“No, because how will we know if Alfred is watching? You need him to be watching. Cause once he sees you and your assets, he’ll swoon,” Claudia reassured as she stepped into her dress. Sarabi helped her pull it up and was stunned by Claudia’s effortless beauty. The dress Claudia wore was gorgeous. It was a golden, spaghetti-strapped Jovani gown with a sweetheart neckline.

“Wow, I look hot but not as hot as you. Let’s get you dressed,” Claudia spun around quickly before picking up Sarabi’s gown.

“Holy shit! You’re gonna look so hot,” Claudia assisted Sarabi in getting the dress on and Claudia’s mouth dropped. Her eyes bugged out and she gasped.

“Sarbi! You look stunning! You look perfect,” Claudia moved aside so she could peer in the mirror and Sarabi didn’t even recognise herself. It was a Lora tight-fitting, multiway red gown that accentuated her silhouette. She sported it with both straps coming straight down over her breasts and there was a small court train behind her. It was made of satin and shone in the light.

“Fuck! I do,” Sarabi marvelled at how extraordinary she looked.

“How are we doing for time?” Sarabi asked as the nerves started building up again. She was anxious to impress Alfred but was also scared about the other men and how they’d drool over her.

“Gala just started,” and just as Claudia answered, a large bout of laughter filled the house.

“There they are,” Sarabi put on her silver diamond high heels and her silver necklace with an eye-catching ruby in the centre. She also put on her matching earrings while Claudia put on her limited accessories.

The two girls turned and looked at each other. They nodded which was a mutual sign of their readiness to steal the spotlight.

They waited for a while, just doing small touch-ups here and there.

“It is now 7:14, in about 5 minutes or so I’ll text you to walk down. Good luck, you’ll rock it,” Claudia gave her a large hug before walking down to the party.

Sarabi could feel the nerves gradually build up as she stood there waiting for her text. She hated living to impress a man but this was the only reason she was there. She wanted Alfred to feel the same things she had been feeling for the past weeks. For Alfred, she made an exception. She was going to this gala for one thing and one thing only, to impress a man.

Just then she got a text from Claudia.

They’re ready. I requested this song by the way. Steal the show xx

Sarabi could hear Feeling Good by Michael Bublé start playing and she snickered. Claudia stood by the fact that walking to this song screamed power and Sarabi didn’t disagree.

Sarabi made her way to the staircase and peered around the corner. She could see a clear path from the top of the stairs of Wayne Manor to Claudia, Bruce and Alfred’s spot in the ballroom.

Sarabi’s breath caught in her throat when her eyes spotted Alfred. He was dressed in a simple black and white suit with a red and black bow tie. Even though it was simple, he made it look like the most sophisticated and classy thing on the planet.

She breathed out heavily and then harnessed all the sexual feelings she had for Alfred. She used these to fuel her confidence as she made her way to the top of the stairs. She leant into her right hip and looked around the ballroom with her head held high. She noticed the many men and women who turned to look at her.

Sarabi’s skin glowed under the chandelier and the satin of her dress gleamed with it. She looked ethereal, like a Greek goddess but also dangerous, like a vampire or siren looking to capture the hearts and souls of men. She looked and walked like a seductress. But there was only one man on her mind and she locked eyes with him as she stalked down the stairs slowly, deliberately.

Every man and woman in the room watched her make her way down the grand staircase. The song, her outfit, everything about her was exquisite, graceful and demanding. She commanded the attention of everybody in the room and those who were facing the other way felt the sudden urge to turn around as well. Each step she took, another head turned in her direction until every person was under her spell. Sarabi loved the power she had and enjoyed how each person was lost for words.

Alfred also couldn’t take his eyes off Sarabi and it seemed like he was caught in a whirlpool, not being able to pull himself out of her grasp. His jaw dropped as she looked at him with the same intensity. Alfred always found Sarabi beautiful, she was easily one of the most attractive women he had ever laid eyes on but tonight she blew all the competition out of the park. She looked powerful, dangerous and dominant. Alfred was hexed by her and trapped in her spell. She was a sweet siren singing a song in the water and he had followed her in and drowned. He had drowned in her beauty and had no complaints whatsoever. She held all the power over him and he let her take up all the room in his mind.

Alfred felt nervous but excited as she strutted towards him slowly, knowing exactly what she did to him. Sarabi revelled in the power she had other Alfred at this moment. She could see the way he licked his lips and watched her intently with his deeply inquisitive brown eyes.

“Sarbi, my God you look beautiful,” Bruce commented, handing her a champagne glass.

“Thanks, Bruce. You look like shit,” Sarabi joked while taking a sip of the champagne.

“Just kidding, you look amazing as always,” Sarabi exaggerated her movements and Bruce scrunched up his nose mockingly.

Sarabi looked at Alfred and watched his eyes look over her body carefully. He didn’t miss an inch of her, he took in every little bit. Sarabi had her intended effect as Alfred’s tongue tied itself into knots. He didn’t know what to say but when his eyes made their way back to Sarabi’s, she smirked and Alfred blushed lightly. ‘She caught me!’ Alfred thought as he panicked internally.

“Miss Nichols, you look stunning,” Alfred was hypnotised by her very being and Sarabi smirked brightly but could feel her mouth go dry at his compliment.

“Thank you, Alfred. You look good yourself,” Sarabi commented, snatching all the breath from his lungs. Alfred nodded quickly before downing the rest of his drink.

“Thank you, Miss Nichols,” he croaked out quickly before grabbing another glass of champagne.

“Sarbi, you have taken the words from my mouth. Sarabi, the light of my life, fire of my loins,” Claudia quoted as Sarabi chuckled.

“Claudia, what the hell are you even saying?” Sarabi looked at Claudia but kept an eye on Alfred. He was still transfixed and trying to gain his urbane, charming persona again.

“It’s from the book I’m reading but you look hot as hell,” Claudia gave her the flattering remark as she also finished her drink.

“Thanks, Claudia, you have set fire to my loins as well,” Sarabi laughed with Claudia at her misquote.

“I think you’ve set fire to a certain somebody’s loins,” Claudia observed as she whispered to Sarabi.

“Shut up,” Sarabi blushed at the thought of Alfred being turned on by her but she knew it had to be true. Nobody acts like Alfred just did if they weren’t turned on to some extent.

“Ma’am, would you care to dance with me?” A man asked from behind Sarabi. She turned around and nearly choked on her champagne. It was some old, balding man with a beer gut. He wore a simple suit and reeked of way too much cologne. He wore even more than Bruce.

Sarabi looked back at Claudia for help. She had been at the gala for less than 5 minutes and the men in the building were already asking her to dance. Claudia gestured with her head and gave a small thumbs up. Sarabi cringed but turned back to the man with a smile. She looked Alfred’s way and noticed the way his jaw clenched.

“Of course,” Sarabi took his hand as he led her out to the dance floor.

While they danced he asked a million questions. He asked how old she was, what she did for a living, how she knew Bruce and so forth. He was the most boring man on the planet but Sarabi didn’t want to piss him off.

“Do you mind if I step in?” A younger man around Sarabi’s age questioned and the older man pulled Sarabi closer to him. This man was tall and skinny with pale skin. He wore a green suit with black gloves and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. From the suit alone Sarabi could tell he was eccentric and would fit right with Claudia. He wasn’t bad looking, just not her type.

“Can’t you see we’re busy,” the older man stated and Sarabi pursed her lips in annoyance. This younger man noticed that and put a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“I think it’s time for the lady to move on,” the younger man was persistent and grabbed Sarabi’s waist and pulled her away.

“Fine, you can have her anyways,” the older man walked off defeated and Sarabi started dancing with the young man.

“Edward Nygma, and you are?” Edward asked with a kind smile.

“Sarabi Nichols, nice to meet you,” Sarabi thought the man was cute but her eyes were set on another man.

They danced around the floor and Edward kept his hand chastely on her waist, unlike the old man who tried countless times to move it lower. He seemed gentlemanly enough but something about those dark eyes said otherwise.

“You definitely know how to catch people’s attention, don’t you Sarabi?” Edward queried as Sarabi caught sight of Alfred. He looked mad in every way. His jaw was still clenched and he grasped his champagne glass so hard in his hand it might smash. ‘He’s jealous,’ Sarabi celebrated in her head as Alfred kept a stern eye on her and Edward.

“I clearly caught yours,” Sarabi commented quickly and Edward smirked at the snark response.

“I actually wanted to ask about your friend there in the gold dress,” Edward moved his head to the side and Sarabi smiled knowingly.

“Ah yes, Claudia Flynn her name is, I think she’d like you too,” Sarabi was glad to set up Edward with her bestie but she wanted something from him too.

“Do you think you could introduce me?” Edward looked Claudia’s way and Sarabi watched his eyes glinted with lust.

“Most certainly but I need you to do something for me first,” Sarabi smiled as Claudia looked bored out of her mind.

“Within reason, what is it, Sarabi?” Edward was a much better dancer than the older man from before. He had at least some rhythm that Sarabi could easily keep up with.

“There is a man in here I have my eyes on and I want you to help me-”

“Make him jealous? Easy,” Edward finished her sentence and Sarabi nodded.

“Are we in his eye-line?” Edward inquired and Sarabi gave him another nod.

“Move your hand lower,” Sarabi demanded and Edward complied, moving his hand close to her butt. Sarabi glanced at Alfred and if he were a cartoon steam would be blowing from his ears. Sarabi loved having the switch flipped for the night where he was the one having trouble controlling his feelings.

“Move closer to me,” Sarabi pulled him in until their bodies were practically rubbing against each other. To an onlooker, they looked like they were having a very sensual moment and Alfred was one of them.

They danced like this for a while until Sarabi took it a step further by locking eyes with Alfred. While she looked in his eyes, she whispered something in Edward’s ear.

“It’s working, thank you,” Sarabi made it look much more sybaritic than it actually was, brushing her blood-red lips against his ear.

“No problem as long as I get to meet, Claudia,” Edward whispered back and Sarabi gave a light giggle.

“I’m guessing that was for him?” Edward asked, slightly confused.

“Yeah, I’m gonna pretend you’re saying something really funny,” Sarabi started laughing uproariously while a man started talking to Alfred.

She watched gleefully as Alfred tried to keep his attention on the man he was talking to. Sarabi’s orbs locked with his and she let them do all the talking. She hoped that Alfred would get what she was trying to get across and from his loss of exasperation and now just desire, she was pretty sure he did. She looked away before she got trapped in their beauty.

“It worked, let me introduce you,” Sarabi grabbed his hand and led him over to Claudia who’s eyes bugged out.

“Claudia Flynn meet Edward Nygma, Edward meet Claudia,” Sarabi introduced the two and gave a wink to Claudia.

“I’ll let you guys get acquainted,” Sarabi added cheekily before letting them talk to each other.

Sarabi stepped away with a large grin. She hoped Claudia had some fun tonight. Sarabi then felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find Alfred standing there with his calm and collected charisma back.

“Would you care to dance, Miss Nichols?” Alfred held his hand out for her and she took it gratefully.

“It would be my pleasure, Alfred,” Sarabi let Alfred lead her onto the dance floor. He pulled her in so quickly it stole the breath from her lungs. Their chests touched as Alfred placed his right hand dangerously low on her hip and held her right hand out to the side. Sarabi wrapped her left hand around his shoulder as they waltzed to the beautiful melody playing from the band.

“You seemed mad before, Alfred, do you not like Mr Nygma?” Sarabi asked with the right amount of sarcasm to tease him.

“No I do not like Mr Nygma, he is not a good person. I don’t think he’d be very good for you,” Alfred responded staring directly into her eyes. The eye contact made Sarabi’s insides churn with desire. This desire directly manifested itself in her eyes for Alfred, and only Alfred, to see.

“And how do you know which boys are good for me?” Sarabi held the bait over his head hoping he would jump and take it. It was fun to tease Alfred and she wanted to see him crack.

“I know a lot of things, Miss Nichols, I am incredibly experienced,” Alfred whispered down into her ear, his breath trailing goosebumps down her neck.

“Is that so? Well, what was wrong with that handsome Edward Nygma boy?” Sarabi interrogated, hoping that Alfred would whisk her away to her bedroom and ruin her. The thought of Alfred defiling her as he did in her dreams made her core pulse with need. She was trying to regain control but was slowly being pulled towards Alfred’s magnetic force field.

“He used to work for Gotham P.D. as a forensic scientist before he got fired for hiding evidence. He served a small sentence and now is some sort of scientist. He’s suspicious and untrustworthy,” Alfred elucidated as he whisked her around the dance floor.

“Well I thought he was quite charming,” Sarabi lied through her teeth. Edward was nice but not that charming, she just wanted to push Alfred’s buttons.

“Well you seemed a bit distracted and it wasn’t by his charm, was it?” Alfred spun Sarabi out and back into his chest. Sarabi nearly whimpered at the control Alfred was exerting over her but she kept it under wraps. His manhandling was exciting her more than she expected.

Just as she thought her body couldn’t heat up anymore, the music changed to a Latin beat.

“The tango, my favourite kind of dance,” Sarabi added with a hint of sultry before wrapping her leg around his and bending her back. She swung around until she came back up to meet his eyes, fired up with passion.

“I quite like tango as well, Miss Nichols, do you know how to do it properly?” Alfred squeezed her hip tighter as he moved them faster around the dance floor.

“I have taken some classes, though I heard it’s pretty hard, I didn’t do too badly,” Sarabi answered while Alfred spun her around with the expertise of a professional dancer.

“Have you done this before, Alfred?” Sarabi inquired curiously. She never took Alfred as the dancing type but by the way he moved, he must have some sort of background.

“Oh many times, Miss Nichols but I do have to admit I’m a bit rusty,” Alfred confessed while dancing so well that the other dancers started taking notice.

Alfred and Sarabi continued the sensual dancing they were doing. Their bodies moved with the perfect fluidity like they had done it many times before. Their bodies moulded together on the dance floor like they were made for each other. The dance was making Sarabi feel elated beyond compare. She was finally having a passionate moment with Alfred, even if they were just dancing.

The music came to a stop, disappointing both Sarabi and Alfred. They both wanted this moment to last forever, having never shared something so hedonistic and lascivious. Alfred, being the gentleman he was, grabbed her hand and led her away from the crowd of men waiting to ask her to dance.

“Not too hard is it?” Alfred teased as he handed a champagne glass to Sarabi with a sly smirk. She took a sip and slowly and seductively wiped her lips clean. She watched as Alfred’s eyes flickered to her lips and a surge of yearning filled them. Sarabi knew what her next play was so she looked down to his crotch and slowly back to his eyes, making sure he saw her look. She moved closer and placed her lips next to his ear.

“Semi-hard I’d say,” Sarabi teased back with a lecherous wink before walking away, adding an extra sway to her hips. Which left Alfred in a puddle of confusion, frustration and lust.

<<CHAPTER 6<< ~ ~ ~ >>CHAPTER 8>>

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