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troped-fanfic-challenge · 4 years ago

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JATP ROUND TWO FICS!

We received seventeen (17!!!!!) Fics for the Second Round of the JATP TROPED Event! These fics were fluff-filled and super fun, and we loved to see how you all challenged yourselves with the theme, tropes, and pairings!

Please try to read as many fics as you can! Take some notes, leave some kudos/comments for the authors, and help us vote on the winners!

Voting will be open until May 14th at 11:59pm EST! Vote here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BZ3W5FT

Please rank ALL the fics in each question based on the USE of each trope, the theme, the fics overall, and the two bonus polls (best setting + most unique pairing)! Your #1 spot should be the best answer and your last spot the least likely answer for the question. The Best Overall Poll will determine who will be writing in the Final Round! We ask that you please rank EVERY fic, so we can avoid technical difficulties! A reminder that you must include a Tumblr or AO3 username/URL, and you may only vote once, we will NOT count multiple votes by the same person.

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Okay, Campers, Rise and Shine! (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: When Reggie launches a particularly ill-advised prank war at HGC Ranch, Luke's fully prepared to take it in stride.

When the days start looping, though, he begins to suspect that this might all be a little bit above his head.

In other words, he's at least 78% sure that the time loop isn't a direct result of Reggie's pranks.

Maybe 77%.

Oh, well.

At least he's not in it alone.

(The Groundhog Day meets Gravity Falls meets Summer Camp meets The Author's Own Distaste For Prank Wars AU that no one asked for. Ever. At all.)

Starting To Forget (Just What Summer Ever Meant To You) (Not Rated) [Flynn x Carrie]

Summary: Last summer didn't end on a positive note for Carrie Wilson - she and her girlfriend broke up on the last night of camp, and she's been miserable since. But it seems that the universe is intent on having her fix that this summer. Even if that means she has to live through the same day over and over and over again until she does.

Creative B.S. Was No More, Was No Less (Look Around, You're Gonna Miss What You Found) (Rated T) [Alex x Luke, Flynn x Reggie]

Summary: The midnight men move again

Don't know when

Best friends forever

In trouble again

Here's to you, here's to me

Over the rafters and we're free

--- Over the Rafters, Rick Schiffman

***

Alex and Luke go undercover on a mission to a summer camp in order to find a talisman that could endanger the camp and all the kids. While there, they bond with the kids and make peace with the fact that they broke up.

While Alex and Luke are away, Flynn accidentally fucks with time.

bitch but like romantically (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie]

Summary: The dining hall’s exactly the same as it has been for two mornings now, and Flynn doesn’t hesitate to poke Willie twice on the nose and whisper “pancake” on her way past their seat.

His eyes widen and he whips his head around to follow them, excitement glimmering in their eyes.

“Really?” they blurt. Flynn rolls her eyes and nods.

or: flynn gets stuck in a time loop. {for troped jatp round 2}

down by the bay (Rated T) [Alex x Willie]

Summary: Over time, Camp Phantom has simply become known as a selective summer camp: one that took only the kids that Caleb saw promise in. And Caleb wasn’t exactly lying. He really did take only the ones he saw promise in, he simply looked for different traits than others might.

For example, say, hypothetically, a boy who could see the future. Or, hypothetically, a girl who could interact with ghosts. Or, hypothetically, a boy who could summon objects to him with a simple thought. Or, and this is completely hypothetical mind you, a boy who could manipulate time.

Those might be some traits that Caleb saw promise in. Just, like, as examples.

Time will tell (But only if you do it right) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie]

Summary: Carrie had been acting a little off for a week or so, but Flynn was pretty much known for seeing something in nothing, and that was probably what they were doing then. If something was going on, Carrie would tell her eventually.

Who knew all it took was a little bit of miscommunication to mess up time itself?

and so it begins (Rated T) [Bobby x Reggie]

Summary: It’s the first day of their second week at Camp Carolling (they’re spending an entire month, and they’re getting paid to be there!) when Reggie gets a little lost in the woods. During this misadventure into the woods, he finds an egg shaped rock, an inhabited cabin that may or may not be riddled with signs, and something that might be magic. He probably doesn't get paid enough to discover magic.

or, when they were thirteen years old, four boys met at camp carolling and eventually became a band that almost became something legendary. now, all four boys are coming back as counselors, three boys in one band and one boy in his own solo act.

so begins the reunion, though it doesn't go how any of them imagine.

Porcupine Day (Rated T) [Bobby x Ray x Rose]

Summary: It’s been fifteen years since Trevor broke up with Ray and Rose and they’re... not fine, but managing. But when Trevor to adds insult to injury and buys the camp across the lake from the one they once owned together, the two camps become locked in a bitter rivalry. With neither side willing to set aside their pride and work out their issues, the universe decides to settle their fates itself.

Day After Day (After Day After Day) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie]

Summary: When Alex met Willie just after their senior year of high school, they spent a wonderful three months dating before their relationship ended in a blaze of glory. Now, four years later, they meet again as counselors at a summer camp. The only problem? Alex keeps reliving their first day together. The day that Luke had declared "Prank Day."

This is not how Alex pictured his summer going.

clocks move faster (it's all we're after) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: Julie likes it when her friends are happy, so when she realizes she's stuck in a time loop, she uses her knowledge to make sure everything works out for everyone... except she conveniently forgets to factor herself (and Luke) into the mix.

Touch of Magic (Not Rated) [Alex x Luke]

Summary: When everything stands in Luke and Alex’s way of getting to be with the people they love, they have to repeat the day over and over until they can get the happily ever after that they want.

The play's the thing (that goes wrong) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie]

Summary: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day for Macbeth, but not so for Alex and the production of Hamlet that he is directing and starring in. And while he's stuck repeating the day of the performance over and over, mishaps of all kinds befall the cast.

anything, anything (for another run with you) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie]

Summary: The moment Alex steps foot in Camp Greenwood, he knows that this summer is a bad idea.

He knows it as soon as he sees tan skin, long hair, and a tie-dyed crop top at the check-in table.

Willie.

the camp counselor/exes/prank war/time loop fic of your dreams (unless you read all of the other troped round 2 fics lmao)

there’s a glorious sunrise, dappled with the flickers of light (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: What comes next happens in slow motion. Luke’s foot catches on the last rung of the ladder. Julie watches as he stumbles a step forward, barely catching himself before falling on his face. The ladder clatters to the floor below. The trapdoor, no longer propped open by it, falls closed with a loud thunk, the lock clicking into place. They’re stuck.

“Luke!” she exclaims loudly. “Look what you did!” Julie drops to her knees in front of the trap door, desperately trying to fit her fingers between the wood and the stone to pry it open again. Of course it doesn’t work.

“What?” he snaps back. “I wouldn’t be up here in the first place if it weren’t for you trying to fuck us over.”

or: ex-best friends Luke and Julie, working as camp counselors at rivaling camps, find themselves stuck in a time loop

the daughter of apollo (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: (the JATP x Camp Half Blood AU that nobody asked for)

maybe the world isn't ending (maybe it's been postponed) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: Alex runs his fingers through Willie’s hair. “I think it’s best to just leave them to their own prank war at this point. Let’s not forget that time Julie put hot sauce in the coffee pot and my mouth was on fire for an entire hour.”

“You’re exaggerating, Alex-”

“I most certainly am not,” Alex cuts Reggie off.

“Or how about the time Luke tried to put glitter in Julie’s bed,” Carrie joins in, “but got my bed instead? I can appreciate some glitter, but even I know when enough is enough.”

“Suffice it to say,” Willie finishes after they’ve passed around a dozen or so more memories of pranks from the summer, “we’re all done being your collateral damage. Whatever Julie has planned for you tomorrow, Luke, you’re on your own.”

It's the last day of camp and Julie has one more prank planned for Luke. He just doesn't know what it is.

Here We Go Again (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: Julie blinked as she stared at the place Euterpe had disappeared. What did that even mean? What journey? Old places and lost faces? What was she talking about? But before she could dwell on the questions swirling around in her mind, the sky full of stars began to move, shifting in place and descending until they were all around her. Julie felt her feet leave the ground as she rose up and up. One star in particular was burning brighter than the others, growing bigger in front of her.

It grew and grew, until the light was blinding and Julie had to throw a hand up against the harsh light. She closed her eyes as the light surrounded her and then she was falling. Falling down, down, down.

#troped: jatp #round 2: fluff #jatp fanfiction #submissions #round 2 submissions #round 2 voting #troped: voting

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mikkeneko · 3 years ago

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Got tagged by @veliseraptor for a writing meme!

How many works do you have on AO3? What’s your total AO3 word count?

193 works over 10 fandoms; 2,591,823 words.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I would count 10 real ones. Dragon Age; Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle; Critical Role; Marvel Cinematic Universe; The Untamed; The Witcher; Cardcaptor Sakura; Fullmetal Alchemist; Gundam Wing; Weiss Kreuz. Some of these pre-date the existence of AO3, and some of them are better off that way.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Villain State of Mind; Cover Up the Sun; Laughing As I Pray; I do solemnly swear; The Morning After. All Loki fandom fics. Not too surprising as that was the most mainstream fandom I wrote for, and they’ve been around for a while now, lots of time to accumulate stats.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do! I have a somewhat complex set of criteria for when I respond and how.

I will respond to all comments left on works in my current/active fandom except for: comments consisting entirely of emojis (mainly because I have no idea what to say to that) comments consisting of single words (same) or comments that seem to be about something other than my fic entirely or focus entirely on negativity (i.e., the commentor is using this box as a space to rant about how much they hate a character, the show, or another author/trope.)

I will usually but not always respond to comments on my next-to-last fandom. On older fandoms I will respond only to especially long or thoughtful comments, or ones that specifically ask a question that I can answer.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

That would have to be Rise From Ash, the Loki timeloop fic I wrote in MCU. Since it was intended to lead into Avengers, it naturally had a downer ending since we know how Avengers went for Loki; but the story also ended with him having a major mental health break and resolving to kill himself in order to end the timeloop, so, uh, that was pretty unhappy.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I think that the Never Gonna Tell A Lie series has to qualify for this one by default; two fics of the “characters from wildly different series meet in a bar” format, spanning seven different franchises.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Occasionally. I can’t answer in a lot of detail because I make a conscious policy of thinking about these comments as little as possible, so I tend to forget the details. Off the top of my head I know I received a few comments on my MCU fics of people complaining that the fic was nothing more than a Thor-bashing exercise (it wasn’t intended as such, but you can’t control how the audience will receive, I guess.) And then there was the whole infamous “ableist torture porn of a mentally ill man” episode.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I can recall. It may have happened that I just don’t know about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Have you ever had a fic translated?

A fair amount! Sometimes people will leave a comment asking permission to translate. I have always granted it. Sometimes they go through with the translation and sometimes not.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! In Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle I co-wrote a couple fics with @faux-fires which were a lot of fun. (Which... doesn’t seem to be on AO3, huh. But Not Quite Paradise is still on ff.net.) And more recently @cerusee and I have been trading scenes back and forth for each other’s stories.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don’t know if I have just one. Maybe Kurogane/Fai. They really manage to straddle all my favorite ship dynamics.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Both of my WIPs in Critical Role fandom, Molly’s Moving Castle and Fjord Mustang’s YEEHAW! Fun and Pony Ranch, are at this point probably never going to be finished. Partly because of Characterization Marches On; the characters that I thought they were when I started writing were not the characters they ended up being in canon. But mostly just because I’m no longer really in the fandom.

Wonder if it’s worth closing out the WIPs on AO3 with final chapters describing how the fic would have ended?

What are your writing strengths?

I can do humor, I can do horror, I can do heartbreak. I can write a complex outline and stick to it, I have a fair amount of discipline and perseverance. People occasionally compliment my character voice, so I’d say that’s decent. I can spin up a plot for just about any situation. I love adapting canon to AU. My dialogue is pretty punchy and my action sequences are adequate.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m really bad at writing OCs, as I admit to every darn time this comes up. I’ve also recently realized that I have a strong tendency to avoid writing about characters I don’t like, on several fronts.

The first way that manifests is that if there’s a main/good guy character who the fandom likes and I dislike, I will avoid writing about them whenever possible. I don’t do character bashing. (Which means that if I am writing about a protagonist character, even if they’re being a jerk and the narrative is whacking them for it, that doesn’t mean I hate the character. It just means that the story requires that they get a good whacking, Thor.)

But the second way this manifests is that I will often just... avoid writing about the bad guys, if they’re unpleasant and I dislike them. Which in shorter things is fine! We’re here to read about the characters we like. But in longer or more plotful things, that means that all of the villain’s bad things happen off screen if they happen at all, so the audience doesn’t get a chance to really build up anger against them, so their eventual downfall is less satisfying.

I’m also weaker at writing romance than I would like, I’d say. If it’s a story that has a plot, the romance will frequently get shoved in around the corners or at the last minute. If it’s a story that’s supposed to be about romance, the characters will usually sidetrack into having philosophical discussions about moral relativity when they’re supposed to be flirting.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m not sure I understand the question. I don’t think this has ever come up in my fic. I do not speak any other languages fluently enough to have ever tried to write any part of my fics, dialogue or otherwise, in a language other than english. Is this asking my thoughts on other people doing that? Sure, why not?

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

That would have been Gundam Wing! Gosh, it’s been so long that I barely remember what that first fic was. But the biggest thing I wrote for that fandom was a ghost story on a space station, which was not very good, objectively, but I look back on it and think it had some seeds of a pretty cool horror/psychological drama going there.

Was Duo Maxwell really haunting the space station? Or was Heero Yuy just going mad with grief? Who can say.

Tagging! Well, Lise tagged me, so she’s out. How about... @hollyand-writes (if you have the time to spare,) @curiosity-killed, @thethirdamell, @plotdesigner, and @cerusee ?

#long post #mikke memes #mikke meta

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evasivaardilosa · 3 years ago

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Real talk, I hate those posts about how readers *owe* writers likes/kudos/reblogs/comments/whatever (and I say readers and writers but you know this applies to every type of art). And I don’t hate them as a reader, I hate them as a writer.

I love comments. If I could, I would want to see in real time every reaction and thought of everyone who ever read my fics. Of course I do.

But maybe it’s because my bad mental illness thoughts go to “people just pretend they like me because it’s polite/out of pity/etc” (and let me tell you being in this actual situation sucks, I’ve had it happening, not as many times as my brain wants me to believe but it did) but I really don’t want people to hit those buttons or leave words just to be polite or because they pity the poor starving writer who doesn’t get anything for their hard work sad emoji. I want them to do it moved by a genuine feeling.

Some people comment on everything they read by default and some people just comment on stuff that has that something special that they are looking for, and I don’t want them to change. It feels more special to know that I earned a comment from the second type of person. I want a reblog that really means “I want my followers to see this” rather than “I saw a billion reblogs>>>likes posts and I feel guilty if I don’t reblog”. It’s okay if you don’t reblog, if it didn’t hit that bar that makes you want to reblog a thing. I wish it hit that bar. I want to make something good enough so that you’ll want to share without me begging to.

I crave the validation just like everyone else does, but I think in the end it’s up to the reader to decide if they want to give it or not, and in what shape.

#ea talks #some posts do sound manipulative and guilt trippy #not all of them #some seem genuine in their intentions and careful in word choice #still the whole idea just bothers me a lot #because any increase in the wanted feedback and validation seems to me to not be genuine

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merlinbingo · 3 years ago

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Good timezone to you, my dear sweet tumblr denizens, and I am so sorry this has taken so long. Those of you on the bingo discord server will know I am in the process of packing up and cleaning my entire house as well as (somewhat perplexingly, it has to be said) occasionally taking on a position of authority at work, and it’s sadly eating into my fandom time.

Aaanyway, I have finally sent out all the badges from June, so if you think you should have one but don’t, please let me know!

Also important this month is the introduction of free fill tokens, which will be awarded for reasons ranging from providing invaluable service to making me giggle to catching me on a bad day when you ask a question. So far, these have been awarded to @fightingforcreativity for helping me figure out what to do for the June bonus badge, and to @warpedalignment for naming the July theme.

Now, on to what you’re actually here for: the round-up! Take a look at all the beautiful fills made last month, sorted by ship and then by rating. Remember to mind the warnings (including where creators are choosing not to warn at all), practice self-care when clicking on that link, and to send all the fabulous participants love in the form of kudos and kind comments!

Gen

Merlin Empathy Gifset by Simoneleona & blueclaw7 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin gifset.

Gossiping with the enemy by Ice-mint Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

Did you eat the almonds again? by evaelisaa Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: “Merlin, did you eat all the almonds again?” “What? No!” Merlin walks out of the pantry, a bag of flour in his arms, to see Gwen frantically searching everywhere for the almonds she needs for her recipe.

Merlin is What? by O_Drakon Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin is immortal. He's not gotten around to actually telling anyone this. When Merlin becomes grievously ill, Arthur seeks Kilgharrah's aid, only to end up learning the truth his friend had hidden from him.

Chaos by warpedalignment Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Merlin takes things that don’t belong to him.

Merlin's purple tunic by thebookluvrr1816 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

Secrets by archaeologist_d Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin really wanted to know the secret of Gwaine’s necklace. Would Gwaine ever open up and tell him?

Morgana with a rainbow cloak by evaelisaa Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

Merlin Characters + Seasons by thebookluvrr1816 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

Hoarding Pride by J_Gun_i Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In a land where magic and tolerance florished- Kilgharrah was young and hoarded the pride pillows.

Who was Morgause? by warpedalignment Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Major character death Summary: Morgause from various points of view.

I Feel At Ease [Having You With Me] by OnceFutureEmrys Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: He knew they would accept him, he knew it. He fucking knew it. And yet… And yet he still couldn't help but tap his foot on the floor, couldn't help but dig his nails into the palms of his hands, couldn't help his heart thudding loudly, too loudly, and oh god he couldn't breathe-- “Arthur?” came a familiar voice, drawing him away from his thoughts. He took a deep breath before looking up at the concerned blue eyes belonging to his best friend, Merlin. “Are you alright?” Or: Arthur comes out to his friends.

No Man is Worth Your Tears by onceandfuturekid Rating: Not rated Ao3 warnings: Major character death Summary: a short excerpt of post canon Leon dealing with Arthur's death

Morgana/Gwen

Morgana In A Collar [FANART] by @the-ballad-of-deancas Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: -

Your Hand in Mine (Our Hearts Beating as One) by @the-ballad-of-deancas Rating: Explicit Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: "Why did you write that letter?" Gwen swiftly draws her knife from the folds of her velvet dress and holds it out, a silent warning for Morgana to stay where she is. For a tense moment, silence reigns and Gwen holds her breath, unable to predict what Morgana will do next. And even though she's the one with the knife, she isn't under any illusions about just how powerful Morgana is. "To call you here, of course," Morgana answers simply, as if she's talking about the weather. "Why?" Morgana’s icy flames contort over themselves, as if sensing their sorceress’ disapproval. Morgana scoffs. "For god's sake, Gwen, can't we just be civil? Do we need that toy in every discussion?" "You're an enemy of—," "Camelot and your throne, yes, yes, I know. I called you here because I want to have intercourse with you." Or: Where Gwen and Morgana have sex in the woods despite being enemies.

Uther/reader

You put the money I put the sugar! by Sandysins Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Second chapter, Y/N meets Morgana for the first time.

Merlin/Gwen/Arthur

Alternate season 4 by camelotsheart Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

"He's seeing a girl." by onceandfuturekid Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Episode AU of The Hollow Queen with established mergwenthur

Merlin/Freya/Lancelot

Drifting by warpedalignment Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Major character death Summary: His whole life, Lancelot had drifted from kingdom to kingdom.

Elyan/Gwaine/Percival

fell off the rack' by donttouchtheneednoggle Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: “The axe must have fallen off the rack,” he said gloomily ten minutes later, after he had had an axe embedded in his shoulder. The little bastards were never going to let him live this down. “I’m surprised that a falling axe would cause such a deep wound,” Gaius remarked. “Not as surprised as I was,” Percival said glumly. They were really never going to let this go. It had been a bandit, he decided. Wielding an axe. He had fought valiantly and sustained a wound before slaying his opponent. A bandit. In the armoury. Right.

Merlin/Elyan

That We May Live Free by gwen-cheers-me-up Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: After Gwen is banished from Camelot, both Merlin and Elyan struggle to remember what’s keeping them there. The longer they strain under split loyalties--Merlin between his people and his destiny, Elyan between his duty and his debts, and both between Guinevere and their king--the more tempting it becomes to join her in exile. A warning from Kilgharrah, a gag order from Arthur, and the discovery of an enchantment on Gwen’s bracelet lead to their departure from Camelot, a re-interpretation of Merlin’s destiny, and what could be the beginning of a brighter future for all of Albion. After all, there’s more than one way to make someone queen.

Merlin/Will

Kettle's On by ravengirl42 Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Their conversation had dwindled as the heat built. Will lagged behind, stinging nettles brushing his ankles and burrs catching on his frayed trousers. Merlin was in front, trying not to think about how his feet were rubbing in his new boots - a leaving gift from his mother. The forest around them was still somewhat familiar, but tomorrow Merlin would be further away from Ealdor than he’d ever gone before. He shivered at the thought. Or pre-canon, Merlin and Will say goodbye

Merlin/Lancelot

A Single Step by gwen-cheers-me-up Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: When Merlin's clumsiness gets out of hand, Merlin reaches out to Lancelot for help. He's a bit skeptical, however, when Lancelot's solution turns out to be teaching him and his two left feet how to dance.

Come Back To Me, My Love by LiGi Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin will do anything to free Shade Lancelot from Morgana's evil magic and get his beloved knight back. Even if it means poisoning him, tying him to a horse and riding deep into the mountains to seek a higher power in a lake.

The Body Sleeping Next To Me by gwen-cheers-me-up Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: There was a stranger sleeping in Merlin’s bed. Gaius didn’t want to admit it yet, and the others either didn’t notice or were too entrenched in their denial to appear otherwise, but Merlin was certain: this wasn’t Lancelot. ...but how certain was he really?

In The Absence of Butterflies by gwen-cheers-me-up Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Lancelot decides Merlin deserves a nice long break from all things Camelot. It's just a bonus that their time on the road provides the perfect chance to sort out his complicated feelings toward the warlock.

Merlin/Gwaine/Arthur

All My Adoration by @the-ballad-of-deancas Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin looks skeptical. "You also look too happy. What have you done?" "I didn't do anything! Can't I just be happy for once?" "Of course, you can," Gwaine interrupts from the doorway. He strides in casually, locking the door on his way in. He drops a chaste kiss to Merlin's lips and walks up to Arthur, crowding into his personal space. Or: Arthur buys presents for the loves of his life. And they assume different things about what Arthur might be hiding.

Merlin/Arthur

Curse of the Gods by camelotsheart Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

fill my little world by RavenGirl42 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin has a deadline to meet and Arthur can't say no to anything Merlin asks of him, so he agrees to look after his nieces for the afternoon, single-handed. He's led a troop of elite marines into combat - surely keeping two small girls in line can't be that hard.

Hugs by @the-ballad-of-deancas Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin is overworked and tired. He just needs a hug.

"You're the only friend I have and I couldn't bear to lose you" by thebookluvrr1816 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

Keep Discovering Yourself by MerthurAllure Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin decides it’s time to share his gender identity with the ones he loves.

Why Gwaine Should Stick To Being At The Tavern by Holmesway Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin gets hurt while on a walk with Gwaine. After taking Merlin to Gaius, Gwaine feeds him a little too much of a sleeping potion.

A Sea of Colours by queerofthedagger Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Morgana’s eyes stray to the pair in front of her once more. Beyond making her brother happy, Merlin also brought Gwen into her life, and while she still knows where she would hide his body if he ever hurt Arthur, she no longer thinks she’ll need it.

Just for Practice by thebookluvrr1816 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Arthur decides that the best way to deal with being in love with Merlin is to pretend to date him for two months.

When Your Legs Support You No More by Holmesway Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Merlin is overworked and exhausted. Of course, Arthur and Gaius are blind, which leads to a series of unfortunate mishaps that they come to regret.

Tsunamis Flood In Waves by @the-ballad-of-deancas Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: “And you look beautiful,” Arthur replies, deadpan, as if he’s simply telling Merlin that he’s an idiot, like usual. “I suppose we all have our flaws.” In Arthur’s mind, Merlin is already aware that Arthur would bed him at the first opportunity, so it is not an oddity that Arthur would say this. Or: Where Arthur loses a horse race but gains a lot more than he could have asked for.

In a heartbeat by YouKeepMeRight Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Suddenly, something was tickling Merlin’s neck, urging him to get up. Merlin rubbed his eyes and blinked at a tiny heart-shaped stone that glowed red like a little fire. The stone smiled. A Merthur "In a heartbeat" AU

Fly Like a Firework by sam4587 Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Arthur picks up his nephew Mordred from ice skating practice one day and meets Merlin, Mordred’s trainer. Poor Arthur doesn’t know what hit him.

It’s a love story (baby just say yes) by heartsocold Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: We didn’t fall in love all at once but rather through a series of moments, scattered throughout space and time.

Own The Night by Clea2011 Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin truly believes that he’s had so many past lives with Arthur. In his dreams he remembers them all. But Merlin also says that he remembers being burned alive. Arthur's glad he can't remember.

The dandy highwayman who you're too scared to mention by camelittle Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Arthur's otherwise tedious journey is enlivened by an argument with his sister and a not entirely unexpected encounter.

Something Borrowed by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: If Merlin left his neckerchief behind, well, who was Arthur to give it back?

Broken Promises by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Gwen has been seeing Lancelot behind Arthur’s back.

Morgana to the Rescue by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Planning a wedding can be the worst, especially for those two idiots.

Forgetting all your standards by camelittle Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Arthur is held up by Dragoon the Great again... or is he?

Do I still bleed (or have they taken that too?) by WarpedAlignment Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: Major character death, Graphic depictions of violence Summary: Arthur died, in camlann, and with him, a piece of Merlin died too.

Don’t Stand on Ceremony by archaeologist_d Rating: Explicit Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Planning a wedding is one thing. Trying to placate an irate Morgana while Merlin using his mouth for more pleasant things is something else again.

#merlin bingo #round up #june #i love you all #you make all my hard work worth it #really

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marriedzukka · 3 years ago

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tagged by @chitsangenthusiast to do this fic writer ask thingie (thank you kath my beloved<3)

name: dani

fandoms: mostly atla, a little bit of sk8

two-shots?: i don't have any at the moment

most popular multichapter: Real Enough to Get Me Through is technically the only one I've written for atla so far but it's also my most popular fic in general, so I think it still counts :)

actual worst part of writing: those frustrating periods of time when the words just...won't come. There are times when the writing flows (amazing feeling) and times when it feels like I've never written anything good and will never be able to form a sentence again lmao. ALSO just in general, second drafts are hard. like getting the words to actually flow the way you want can be a frustrating process

how you choose your titles: almost always from a song lyric or line from a poem. every once in a while I'll have an original thought for one though, but I have yet to use any of them :/ I have a whole separate google doc of potential fic titles that I add to whenever I think of something

do you outline: yes and poorly lol. you should see my google drive folders for my writing, it's a wonder I'm able to get anything done at all. it's a mess in there

ideas I probably won’t get around to, but wouldn’t it be nice?: I'd love to write a -sokka goes out on his own after the war and zuko doesnt become firelord and they accidentally meet up on their travels and then fall in love- au but I just don't have the time at the moment. maybe some day.

callouts @ me: just calm down. take a break when it's not clicking and eventually everything works out. it always does, but you forget this literally every single time...

spicy tangential opinion: uhhhhhhhhh if you're able to, you should always leave comments on works you like. you don't have to give crazy detailed thoughts or anything but nice comments are REALLY effective at motivating writers to keep going, more so than a kudos. it's always nice to hear what parts are resonating with people though, so if something really struck you in a story, even if its just a small moment, tell the author! it makes their day, i promise you

best writing traits: ?? I hate answering questions like this LOL not even trying to be like..humble or whatever. I genuinely don't know. I like my dialogue a lot, and I think I'm pretty good at finding each character's voice? I like the way I incorporate senses to set a scene. The ~flow of my writing has gotten better over time too, so I'm proud of that. Other than that you guys will have to tell me if there's something specific lol

uhhhhhh ill tag @verdanthoney @terracyte and @zukkaclawthorne if you want to :) no pressure

#tag game #answered

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trensu · 5 years ago

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Episode 46: The One with All the Yunmeng Bros Angst

gross, ouyang and yao are talking. let’s ignore them!

blah blah plot plot blah

ooh thank god, wwx is now the one talking

being all detective-y and asking relevant questions

I LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY WHEN HE'S BEING CLEVER

wwx makes some Plot Relevant Point and yao is like I DISAGREE bc ofc he fucking does

LOL WWX'S FACE WHEN YAO INTERRUPTS LIKE THAT

IT'S LIKE HE'S BITING DOWN ON HIS TONGUE TO NOT SNAP SOMETHING BACK

kudos to him on his self-control tbh but it's wasted on yao.

wwx is all asking things like why are you ladies fessing up now, oh and btw that's a real neat bracelet you got there...

and then nhs is like, gee i wonder what kind of person would've sent these ladies here today

LOLOLOL NHS IS SUCH A TROLL OMG

and yao is like DETAILS DON'T MATTER, WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING ANYWAY LET'S GO MURDER FOR JUSTICE AGAIN

and everyone else is like, HEY, THIS LOUD GUY HAS A POINT LET'S GO MURDER

okay, they don't actually say anything about murder but they're harping about "justice"

The last time they did that, it resulted in murder so i'm gonna go ahead and assume this time isn't any different

lwj: many skeptical points remain

THANK YOU, LWJ, FOR BEING SENSIBLE

oh, and i would like to point out that the crowd had been getting rowdy

but the minute lwj interjected there they all fell silent

My guy didn't even raise his voice and was able to shut up a whole room full of people.

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN

lqr: what are they?

wwx: SO MANY.

wwx makes some Points and is like so we got some witnesses now but where's the HARD EVIDENCE GUYS??

and yao is like, whatever, we'll find it sooner or later now that we know THE TRUTH

and wwx's reaction lolol

it's like oh my god how stupid is this guy, that's not how it works, that's not how ANY of this works

I FEEL YOUR PAIN, WWX, I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL

ppl are blabbering Plot Stuff

i'm just gonna enjoy the occasional shots of wwx and lwj's beautiful faces

blah blah blah plot plot plot blah

gosh, my boys are so pretty

LOOK AT THEM BEING PRETTY, I LOVE THEM

(i say as the crowd devolves into vicious mob mentality)

wwx's had enough of this and turns to leave bc angry mobs are old news at this point

And we all know how he ended up last time there was an angry mob

but yao and some rando interrupt his exit as if they have ANY RIGHT to speak to my sunshine boy at all

Eventually we DO escape sword hall and the mob of stupid people and our boys are alone together wandering lotus pier!!!

they're reviewing Plot Info and bouncing ideas off each other and IT'S BEAUTIFUL, THEY'RE SO SMART AND IN LOVE

They determine that they don't have enough clues to say who the mysterious 3rd party is

but they def have enough evidence showing jgy murdered nmj and is generally an evil conniving bastard.

lwj mentions that he's going to send word to his brother to be careful since jgy is EVIL FOR SURE NOW.

oooh, our boys just came upon the jiang clan's ancestral shrine

wwx freezes, eyes red-rimmed and shiny, MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY

lwj: what's wrong?

ALL OF HIS ATTENTION IS GLUED TO WWX'S EVERY MOVE ALL THE TIME, ISN'T IT??

SEE HOW INTENTLY HE LOOKS AT WWX??

me too, lan zhan, me too

wwx: nothing. it's the ancestral hall of the jiang clan

he says this softly, like it hurts to acknowledge it or smth

lwj: do you want to enter?

wwx: no

WHICH IS A BLATANT LIE

EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS SCREAMING HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO GO IN THERE

they make to turn away and pause for a moment, during which wwx looks back at the shrine longingly

cut to the next scene where we see wwx burning some incense sticks in the shrine

AND OUR BOYS BOW TOGETHER 3x TO M-YU, JFM, AND JYL

wwx greets his deceased loved ones solemnly

wwx: it's me. i'm here to disturb you again.

idk about m-yu and jfm, BUT JYL WOULD NEVER THINK WWX'S PRESENCE WAS A DISTURBANCE

now wwx is telling lwj about how he used to spend a ton of time in that shrine bc m-yu would punish him by sending him there to, idk, reflect on his sins before the ancestors or smth

and lwj is like, yeah, i heard about that

then wwx comments on how he's never met a woman as irritable as m-yu, and how she punished him for trifles all the time

then he laughs bashfully and says "my fault, my fault" and bows another 3x bc omg wwx you can't speak ill of the dead, especially not at their shrine

this is a nice moment between them so far, actually.

it's nice to hear wwx reminisce in a way that's not 100% painful

and the fact that he's sharing these little bits of inconsequential info with lwj, his soulmate, is just very sweet to me

lwj: won't you tell jc?

wwx: idk. at least not yet

lwj: after all, you two are sworn brothers

it's nice of lwj to acknowledge that, without any sort of rancor in his tone, considering how much he does not care for jc (to put it mildly)

wwx: since the misunderstanding between us is so deep, it's not that easy to solve

HE SOUNDS SO RESIGNED, AND THE LITTLE SMILE THAT FLASHED BRIEFLY THERE WAS JUST SO SAD

and then he's like, besides, I created Plot Device 2, regardless of whether or not jgy ended up using it to make Plot Device 3

UH OH, HERE COMES JC

jc: wei wuxian

OH GOD, CAN HE PACK ANY MORE BITTERNESS AND VENOM INTO THAT NAME??

wwx stands immediately when he hears jc call, he doesn't look at him tho

lwj stands a beat after as jc enters the shrine

jc: you still take yourself as one of the jiang clan? come and go at any time you like, then bring people here when you wish. Do you remember whose house this is? who's the owner?

YIKES

THAT ONE HURT.

and wwx just takes it

wwx: i didnt take hanguang jun to any confidential places in Lotus Pier. i just brought him here to offer some incense to clan leader jiang and madam yu.

he's so submissive here and not even in a fun way

it’s in his posture and tone of voice, even in how he still doesn't look directly at jc...it makes me sad

wwx: we're leaving

He tries to retreat bc he def doesn't want this this confrontation to happen

jc: you really should kneel down to them, for coming to their presence to destroy the view and ruin their quiet.

DOUBLE YIKES.

that one hurt EVEN MORE

and lwj, who had been following wwx's lead and staying quiet, intervenes

lwj: clan leader jiang, pay attention to your words

oh boy if looks could kill, jc would be dead as a doornail

he's like HURT MY SOULMATE AGAIN, I DARE YOU. JUST GIVE ME A REASON AND I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN

which is pretty gutsy since jc is higher ranked than him, technically, as clan leader.

AND they're both in jc's domain rn!

jc: what did you say? i think someone else needs to watch his behavior

he's glaring at wwx's back and he's got a mean twist to his mouth that would be a smile if it weren't so cruel

jc: you have already been kicked out of our family. how dare you enter and face my parents and my sister?

STOP HURTING MY SUNSHINE BOY

wwx is just accepting this. he's just accepting all these cruel things with his eyes downcast and submissive

BC IT HURTS AND HE BELIEVES HE DESERVES IT

lwj: jiang wanyin

HOLY SHIT

lwj fucking HISSED that name

and he took a VERY MENACING step towards jc

MY GUY

MY GUY, YOU CAN'T ATTACK A CLAN LEADER

ESPECIALLY NOT IN HIS OWN HOME

LIKE, I TOTALLY GET WHY YOU'D WANT TO RN, AND, Y'KNOW, I'M NOT THE MOST POLITICALLY SAVVY PERSON AROUND

BUT THIS JUST SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA ALL AROUND

thank god wwx is there

wwx stops him, pressing the palm of his hand into lwj's torso (!!!!!)

wwx: lan zhan. lan zhan, let's go

he practically whispers this, head bent down, AGAIN SUPER SUBSERVIENT

but jc is looking for a fight and he's not letting go until he gets one, apparently

jc: go as far as you can. i don't want to see you AWFUL PEOPLE again before my dead family

wwx just halts in his steps.

he had been all prepared to go after taking that tongue lashing that he thinks he's earned, but at that he takes a deep, fortifying breath bc jc crossed a line

he purses his lips a moment before turning to finally face jc head on

wwx: jc, scold me as you like but not the others (aka LWJ)

oooh, but that was the wrong thing to say to jc right now bc jc goes off on a VERY PAINFUL rant

he's like, oh, i should be nice to lwj? don't you remember that MY PARENTS WERE KILLED AND LOTUS PIER FELL bc you just HAD to play hero and save lwj?? and it wasn't enough! you HAD to play hero and SAVE THE WENS too, which killed my sister!!

oh he's getting really mean here

he's like, how generous you are wwx! letting wn wander the entrance of lotus pier and letting lwj offer incense!!

the minute jc started his rant, wwx cast his eyes to the side, again just enduring everything jc is throwing at him

oh but now jc starts in on lwj again

he's like, lwj, the great second jade, ignoring his reputation to side with wwx, your brother and uncle must be so proud

wwx: JIANG WANYIN!

wwx shouts at him

he's shaky and almost panting here.

wwx: apologize this instant.

jc: apologize? why should i? bc i insulted your great friendship?

THIS WHOLE ENCOUNTER IS A SHIT SHOW AND IT HURTS.

wwx just loses it here and grabs jc by the collar of his robes and gives him a shake

wwx: ARE YOU DONE?

and jc is still the little brother, you know, so obvs he does not back down here, he's not intimidated at all

jc: LET'S FIGHT THEN. should i be afraid of you two?

wwx's breath is all shaky and he's trembling and he would've given into jc's demands for a fight anyway but then he sees jyl's nameplate

and he must remember how upset jyl would get every time they fought

ME TOO, JYL, ME TOO. I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, MAKE IT STOP

so he lets go of jc and stumbles back. he's looking very weak right now AND I’M VERY CONCERNED

lwj, obvs, catches him by the arm when he stumbles

lwj: wei ying

wwx: lan zhan, let's go

lwj agrees and the two of them turn and leave the shrine, lwj still gripping wwx's arm and providing support bc wwx is NOT looking good what’s happening to my sunshine boy, somebody fix this RIGHT NOW

BUT JC IS LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE BC HE JUST STORMS AFTER THEM, HE WANTS HIS FIGHT

he freaking leaps across the little lotus pond and lands before them, blocking off their exit

he starts antagonizing wwx, and he grabs wwx by the collar now, and again, wwx just takes it BUT LWJ DOESN'T

lwj slams his hand around jc's wrist (the one that's grabbing wwx), WRAPPING HIS FINGERS AROUND JC'S ZIDIAN, EVEN

lwj: let him go

holy crap. Stone Cold. LWJ'S STARE IS STONE COLD, AND HE TIGHTENS HIS GRIP ON JC'S WRIST

god damn, if lwj ever looked at me like that, i'd drop to the ground and beg for forgiveness. i'd be scared witless

when jc makes no move to let go of wwx, lwj releases his wrist and hooks his arm under jc's forearm and shoves upward to FINALLY break jc's hold on wwx

wwx stumbles at the force of it and his nose starts to bleed

MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY LOOKS SO WEAK AND OUT OF IT!!

lwj looks at him, eyes wide with worry

lwj: wei ying!

even jc looks concerned (i would even say scared, tbh)

wwx reaches up and wipes his nose; he's not steady on his feet AT ALL

wwx: lan zhan, let's go.

lwj: okay

and he immediately starts to leave, practically dragging wwx with him bc wwx is barely able to stand at this point

lol, lwj shoulder checks jc as they walk past him

but jc is a stubborn bastard and brings out zidian and whips at their retreating backs

brief moment here to admire how FREAKING COOL THE ZIDIAN IS OMG,

*GRABBY HANDS* I WANT ONE OF MY OWN SO SO BAD.

IT'S A SNAKE BRACELET!!

THAT TURNS INTO A WHIP!!

A PURPLE WHIP!!! OF LIGHTNING!!!!!!

LITERALLY NO ASPECT OF THIS WEAPON IS UN-BADASS

so jc whips purple lightning at them but the hit never lands bc lwj swings his still-sheathed bichen and bats that attack away like nothing

but as he does that, wwx starts to fall

lwj spins around and AUDIBLY GASPS, eyes wide with worry again, as he watches wwx lose consciousness.

he dives forward and catches his soulmate in his arms and cradles him gently

jc doesn't see this happen and swings right back with another lash but wn swoops in out of nowhere to take the hit instead.

AND HERE WE'RE GONNA GET THE BIG REVEAL OH GOD I'M NOT READY

jc is all who let you in, how dare you?? and whips wn again

BUT WN WILL NOT STAY DOWN, NO SIR

HE'S GOT STUFF TO SAY AND BY GOD, HE'S GONNA SAY IT

he offers up suibian to jc but jc whips him and sends him flying again

Wn gets right back up goes back to offering the sword to jc, DEMANDING HE UNSHEATHE IT

AND IN A FIT OF FURY JC PULLS AT THE HANDLE AND SUIBIAN COMES FREE

SHOCK, UTTER SHOCK ON HIS AND LWJ'S FACES

(also YIKES jc nearly sliced out wn's eyes with the force of his unsheathing of siubian. he obvs didn't expect anything to come of him pulling at the handle)

GOLDEN CORE TRANSFER REVEAL!!

FLASHBACK to wn's part of the story

we see wn holding an unconscious jc and wq is telling wwx to come out from where he was hiding behind a convenient boulder

and we see wwx give the go ahead to start the golden core transfer

back to the present, jc looks like his whole world is a lie

bc it kinda is

I'm still kinda mad that wwx never told him anything.

like, i get why he didn't and i sympathize but informed consent in medicine and surgery is kind of a big deal!

and then omg, we got a close up shot of lwj's face

his eyes are wide and shiny and his jaw is dropped open just a bit. HE IS SHAKEN TO THE CORE

HAHAHA GET IT? THAT THING WWX DOESN’T HAVE ANYMORE?? Oh god i’m sorry that was AWFUL

he turns his gaze back to wwx, who is still resting gently in crook of his arm

i love the camera angle here btw

the scene is at a slant, with the white of bichen's handle, and the white of the flowering tree behind them filling all of the right side of the screen

it makes the dark bundle of wwx and the dark flow of lwj's hair more stark

the slant of it really emphasizes how the whole of lwj's attention is on the man in his arms

And how his whole world is off its axis at this revelation

god lwj is really just letting his whole heart pour out of his eyes as he watches wwx

jc and wn are arguing loudly in the background but lwj makes NO INDICATION of hearing ANY of it

now we get to watch the emotional confrontation between jc and wn

lwj finally looks back at them when wn starts reciting details that no one outside of jc would have known unless they were there themselves

another flashback as wn describes everything in excruciating detail

oh this line gets me every time

wn: the reason you thought it was repaired was because of my sister, the best doctor in the wen clan of qishan, Wen Qing

WN LOVES HIS SISTER SO MUCH. HE WAS SO PROUD OF HER

AND HE LOST HER. HE DOESN'T HAVE HER ANYMORE

GOD DAMN IT, SHOW, LET THESE BOYS KEEP THEIR SISTERS

and now we go back to lwj, gazing soulfully at wwx and a single tear rolls down his cheek as it really hits him what exactly wwx did, what wwx gave up

wn is going off on jc, like, didn't he ever wonder why wwx never picked up the sword again?

wn looks hardcore here tbh.

we cut back to lwj, who is now holding bichen tightly, and boy, he's got his jaw clenched so hard.

at least until he looks back down at wwx, and his mouth softens as more tears drip down his face

flashback to when jc first found wwx after the burial mounds, and a series of flashbacks of every time jc brought up wwx's lack of suibian and wwx brushing off his questions

THEY SHOULD'VE JUST TALKED IT OUT, MY GOD, THEY COULD’VE SPARED ME ALL THIS PAIN IF THEY JUST TALKED

another flashback to that time that jc pushed wwx and wwx fell hard to the ground and jc thought he was just drunk

I AM DONE WITH THESE FLASHBACKS, THX. CAN WE NOT, ANYMORE? IT'S HURTING TOO MUCH

and we also keep getting shots of lwj's face, STREAKED WITH TEARS

HE'S GOT A TEARDROP ON THE TIP OF HIS NOSE

ALL OF THIS IS PAINFUL

PLEASE STOP

oooh, lwj's mouth twists into a firm scowl and he slams bichen on the ground with a loud CLANG

this is too much for him too! he's furious, he's had enough of hearing how wwx suffered for jc

so he scoops up wwx, carrying almost all of his weight, as he walks the both of them outta there

wn leaves suibian with jc and tells him to have anyone else try to unsheathe it if he doesn't believe him

jc doesn't want it. he doesn't want it at all.

he desperately wants it to be untrue

AND I CRY A RIVER FOR MY YUNMENG BROS

WE'RE ON A BOAT NOW

UNCONSCIOUS WWX SPREAD BACK, HELD LOVINGLY IN LWJ'S ARMS

Now we get some lwj & wn bonding time where they discuss a-yuan! (after lwj promises not to tattle on wn to wwx)

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! WE'RE GETTING A FLASHBACK FROM LWJ

LWJ IS ENTERING WWX'S LAB CAVE THING, ALONE, FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR WWX

lwj: on that day, when the wen clan were captured and killed, i went to the burial mounds to seek wei ying but discovered a-yuan instead

we see him find a-yuan, who is unconscious and clammy.

lwj immediately drops to his knees beside him and checks his wrist, then presses the back of his hand to a-yuan's forehead

oh, lwj's hand is all roughened with dirt. That’s very striking, for some reason.

he purses his lips making a split-second decision, and scoops a-yuan up

lwj: he was hiding there for so long that he had a fever and was severely ill

wn figures out that the fever is probs why lsz doesn't remember anything, and hasn’t mentioned wn at all. lwj looks surprised

lwj: didn't you tell him?

wn: about his birth origin? he's happy now. knowing too much about the past and remembering something heavy, would make him less happy than now

HE'S SUCH A GOOD PERSON

WHY DO THE BEST OF THEM HAVE TO SUFFER SO?

lwj: sooner or later, he will know

and wn doesn't deny it. he's like, yeah, sooner or later. just like master wei and jc with the golden core transfer.

at this lwj looks back down at wwx

lwj: is it painful?

the way lwj's throat bobs before he asks tho.

like he's forcing himself to ask, bc he needs to know even if he already suspects the answer.

He needs to know even tho knowing will hurt. he's steeling himself against the pain already.

wn: what?

lwj: taking out the core, is it painful?

wn: you won't believe me if i say it's not, right?

lwj: i thought wq might have some method

he sounds desperate, hoping against all odds that it didn't hurt wwx as much as he suspects it did

and here wn explains that wq wanted to ease the process, make it less painful, but due to the nature of the procedure, she couldn't use any anesthetics

wn: the one who donates the core has to be awake the whole time

THE WHOLE DAMN TIME

HE HAS TO BE CONSCIOUS TO WATCH IT GET CUT OUT OF HIM AND EXPERIENCE THAT CONNECTION SLOWLY BE SEVERED OTHERWISE IT DOESN'T WORK

HOW MESSED UP IS THAT OMG, HOW MUCH TRAUMA MUST THEY PUT MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY THROUGH

lwj: awake?

HE SOUNDS HOARSE AS HE SAYS THAT

wn: two nights and one day. he has to be awake

MY SUNSHINE BOY, MY BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE BOY SUFFERED SO MUCH

lwj's lips purse briefly. he's staring at his wei ying

lwj: at the time, what were the chances

wn: fifty percent

lwj looks at wn here with horrified disbelief

lwj: fifty percent?

wn proceeds to explain how wq didn't want to do it but wwx kept insisting that the odds were worth

AND OH MY GOD LWJ FLASHES BACK TO THEIR FIRST CONFRONTATION AFTER THE BURIAL MOUNDS, WHEN THEY FINALLY FOUND WWX AFTER 3 MONTHS OF SEARCHING

IT HURTS JUST AS MUCH AS THE FIRST TIME AROUND

Wwx must have some sort of sixth sense for knowing when Emotional Discussions are Done, bc he regains consciousness only AFTER wn & lwj finish bonding lol

he sits up, head aching, and pulls himself from lwj's embrace

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, BC LWJ OBVS DIDN'T MIND HAVING HIM THAT CLOSE

IN FACT even as he helps wwx sit up, you can see his hand trail up wwx's arm, grip loosening and tightening sporadically

He's def trying to prolong contact here, very reluctant to let go of his wei ying

wwx: lan zhan, how did we get out?

lwj: we had a fight

AND ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING

wwx: i knew that jiang cheng wouldn't let me go that easily. so unreasonable.

and then he looks at lwj and hurries to assure him that jc didn't mean all those cutting remarks. that that's just how he gets when he's upset.

lwj looks off to the side, pressing his lips closed bc he couldn't care less about jc or jc's words. THEY MEAN NOTHING TO HIM

wwx covers lwj's hand with his own and very earnestly says: so don't take it seriously

BC HE HASN'T YET REALIZED THAT LWJ DOESN'T ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT JC'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE

lwj doesn't look him in the eye as he's told this, and his lips are still pressed together in a firm line.

he probably doesn't actually want wwx to realize just how little jc means to him.

wwx notices they're on a boat on a lake now lol

wwx: i often played here with jyl when we were children

AND HERE HE HALLUCINATES HIS PRECIOUS BEAUTIFUL KIND AMAZING SISTER JYL

Jyl: a-xian come have some lotus seeds

WWX'S EYES REDDEN WITH TEARS AND HE CALLS OUT FOR HIS SISTER

AND I'M FIGHTING BACK SOBS

WHILE JYL'S SWEET GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS AND JYL SMILES WARMLY AT HER LITTLE BROTHER

wn snaps wwx out of it

ONLY FOR WWX TO FLASHBACK TO JYL CRYING AND SAYING THAT THEY'RE THE CLOSEST THREE IN THE WORLD

WWX LEANS HIS HEAD ON HER KNEE AND SULKS ADORABLY ABOUT HOW HE'S HUNGRY

AND I WANNA DIE FROM ALL THE FEELINGS I'M HAVING

back on the boat, wwx eyes are still filled with tears and it's awful

wn is all, wwx what's wrong? and wwx shakes it off and just says he's hungry

so he yanks out some lotus pods from the lake and gives one to lwj and one to wn and one for himself

HE'S SMILING NOW, THANK GOD

wwx: it's perfect timing to be here now!

and he's happily tearing into the pod

I LOVE SEEING HIM HAPPY AND SMILING

SUCH LITTLE JOYS AND HE REVELS IN IT

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE HAPPY AND SMILING.

NOTHING SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO MAKE HIM SAD. NOTHING

lwj: wei ying

wwx: what

lwj: does this lake belong to someone?

LOL, HE GAVE THE POD A SUSPICIOUS LOOK BEFORE ASKING THAT AND HAS NOT TRIED GETTING ANY SEEDS OUT YET

wwx: of course not

HE SAYS IN A COMPLETELY NOT BELIEVABLE WAY

YOU CAN TELL BY HOW HE DOESN'T LOOK LWJ IN THE EYE AS HE RESPONDED AND KEEPS MUNCHING AWAY ON THE SEEDS AS A DISTRACTION

Lwj is watching like, yeah, i’m not buying it.

lwj: i heard that lakes here all have owners.

lolol wwx pauses in his chewing for a second and looks around guiltily for a bit before letting out a nervous laugh

wwx: hanguang jun, you really hear much, don't you? i didn't even know that.

he's looking at him all innocently and LWJ LOOKS BACK STILL NOT BUYING IT LOLOLOL

wwx looks away and then looks back, relenting

wwx: fine.

HE'S ALL POUTY, IT'S ADORABLE, I LOVE HIM

he sulkily tells wn to get them moving

and sulkily tosses his lotus pod at the bottom of the boat

HE'S JUST HAVING A SULK-FEST RN AND IT'S SUPER CUTE, I'M ENJOYING IT A LOT

wn starts to get the paddles to get the boat going, when lwj suddenly leans over the side of the boat and snaps up a lotus pod

he very seriously offers it to his wei ying, who is watching him wide-eyed and surprised

lwj: only for today

bc i just found out about your traumatic golden core transfer for your awful ungrateful little brother and i feel horrible that you suffered alone, he doesn’t say

bc i wish i could have done something to help but i couldn't so now i'm gonna steal you a lotus pod bc that's literally all i can do right now, he also doesn’t say

LOL

THE WAY THE CAMERA CUTS TO WN HERE CRACKS ME UP

WN IS JUST PASSIVELY MUNCHING ON A SEED AND WATCHING THAT EXCHANGE HAPPEN WITH HIS BIG BROWN EYES TAKING IT IN, WITH A VAGUE, "HUH, THAT'S INTERESTING" MANNER

wwx looks at the pod and then back at lwj before taking the pod with a nervous laugh

I am convinced that he had WAR-FLASHBACKS to that time drunk!lwj gave him roosters

He’s probably frantically trying to remember if lwj drank ANY alcohol earlier

TRYING TO CALCULATE THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE SLIPPING SOME ALCOHOL TO LWJ BETWEEN THEIR FIGHT WITH JC TO THIS BOAT ESCAPE LOLOLOLOL

he clutches that pod with both hands and gives lwj a pained smile

The exact pained smile he had when he accepted the roosters that time

LMAO WWX TURNS TO LOOK AT WN, HIS BROWS ALL FURROWED IN CONFUSION LIKE, WN WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING, EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

but wn just smiles cheerfully at him

cut to the next moment where we see the boat's floor is now littered with a bunch of lotus pods and wwx is happily munching on seeds, all smiley

BUT OF COURSE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO ENJOY HAPPY PEACEFUL MOMENTS EVER

SO A GLOWY GLITTERY MESSENGER BUTTERFLY APPEARS AND LANDS ON LWJ'S OUTSTRETCHED PALM

I mean, wwx giggled happily there for a moment there!!!!! WHY CAN'T THEY LET ME BASK IN THAT FOR ONE MINUTE, GOD.

anyway, the butterfly

wwx: the paper butterfly messenger from the jin clan?

(side note to say that the butterfly messenger is actually very pretty. i like it a lot)

wwx pats lwj on the knee after the butterfly flies away

wwx: what happened? what did it say?

Lwj’s like, jgy is in yunmeng now and my brother hasn’t responded to my message...

wwx: you worry jgy would harm him when desperate?

bc wwx can tell right away when lwj is worried. BC THEY'RE SOULMATES AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL

And then bc my sunshine boy is a GENIUS, he remembers the deed jgy had hidden away in the secret chamber, for Yunping City in Yunmeng

he excitedly tells lwj that this is where jgy will be

lol he was so excited he tipped himself over a bit and jostled the boat so lwj had to reach out to steady him

we cut to the next scene we see people dying fabrics and our boys wander through

Wwx confirms with some random worker lady that they’re in the right place and tells lwj they should explore the city as a date for Plot Investigation Reasons

lwj nods in agreement and then wwx turns back to look at the lady and gives her THE SWEETEST SMILE, THE ONE THAT SQUINCHES HIS EYES CLOSED AND MAKES ME SWOON

BUT LOL LWJ SEES HIM SMILE AT THE LADY LIKE THAT AND IT NOT AMUSED BY IT AT ALL

oh god, just the way his eyes flick from wwx to the lady and how his lips firm up before he stalks off in a snit cracks me up

GREEN IS NOT YOUR COLOR, LAN ZHAN, I'M JUST SAYING

LET THE GUY SMILE AT ME, I MEAN AT PEOPLE. IT'S NOT A CRIME

wwx is confused by the reaction but hurries off after him

oh wwx, you dense idiot. you're lucky i love you so

now we see come random guys bully wn for no reason 😞

wwx tells them to back off but they don't listen and lwj very nonchalantly pulls out a talisman from his sleeve and offers it to wwx

wwx looks at the talisman and then back at lwj with SUCH A PLEASED SMILE

OMG I WOULD DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FOR HIM TO SMILE AT ME LIKE THAT

wwx: lan zhan, you even kept it until now?

AHHHHHH SO CUTE, I LOVE HIM

lwj doesn't respond but it doesn’t matter bc wwx does that squinchy-eyed smile AGAIN AND I DIE, I DIE

wwx activates the talisman which releases a whole bunch of glittery butterflies that distract the guys and allow wn to escape.

omg guys, this is the same trick lwj used to distract wen chao and wen zhuliu to escape ages and ages ago WHICH MEANS LWJ HAS BEEN CARRYING A PIECE OF WWX WITH HIM ALL THESE YEARS AHHHHHHHHH

And after that wonderful, touching revelation, the episode ends.

SO, we had lots of depressing Yunmeng Bros Feelings that made me wanna die

BUT we also at the end here get rewarded with MULTIPLE squinchy-eyed smiles from my most precious darling sunshine boy that made me wanna die but, like, in a good way

I WOULD ENDURE SO MUCH MORE FOR THOSE SMILE, NGL

Return to Masterpost

#WangXiantics #wangxian #the untamed #cql

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mayquita · 5 years ago

Text

Damn You For Making Me Love You (7/15) - Don’t Stop Me Now Part 2

Thank you so so much, for your likes, reblogs, kudos and comments. It means the world to me.

Beta-Reader: Thank you so much, @ultraluckycatnd I couldn’t have asked for a better beta. Thank you for all your effort, your suggestions, your advice and for always being there when I needed you.

Special mention to @saraswans and @onceuponaprincessworld, thank you so much for your perpetual support and for believing in me and in the story. Thank you again to the moderators of the event, @captainswanbigbang for giving us this opportunity and making this possible. You all are the best :)

Summary: Emma Swan and Killian Jones are close friends and co-workers. And both are in love with each other. The problem? They keep their feelings secret not only to the other but also to the rest of their friends. When Elsa, Emma’s best friend and Liam, Killian’s brother and Emma’s boss find out, they decide to form an alliance and work as a team with a clear goal, to get Emma and Killian to take the next step in their relationship and confess their love for each other.

Rating: M

Word count: ~ 3700 (98k total in 15 chapters)

Ao3 / FFnet

About this chapter: We'll know the consequences of Emma's accident and we'll also have the opportunity to learn a little more about both Liam and Elsa's backstory.

Chapter 6: Don’t Stop Me Now Part 2

Kilian - December 2019

Elsa and Emma were taking too long. Liam and Killian had been waiting for what seemed like hours in the waiting room of the hospital. Killian was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even realize he was wiggling his leg up and down until Liam laid his hand on his knee.

"Calm down, Killian. They will come out at any moment."

He tried, he really did, but as time passed without news of Emma, he was getting more and more nervous. The fury that seemed to have dissipated before was now coming back with more force. He was angry not only with the asshole who had hurt Emma, but also with himself. I shouldn't have let go of her hand . That thought kept repeating itself over and over in his head, making him feel more and more guilty about what had happened. And if that weren’t enough, another even more frustrating thought threatened to drain the little composure he still had. It should be me who was accompanying her inside.

But Elsa was Emma’s emergency contact and also her roommate, so everyone expected Elsa to be the one beside her at the moment. After all, he was just a friend, he repeated to himself bitterly.

Bloody hell… He stood up, unable to remain still any longer, and began pacing up and down. He felt like a caged animal, unable to do anything to help Emma while a wave of helplessness crawled over him.

To make matters worse, his demons from the past, those which were buried in the most hidden corner of his memories, threatened to emerge, bringing back a reminder of two of his most heartbreaking experiences. He had lost Milah forever in one of these places after her car accident, and his mother had also passed away in a hospital room after not being able to overcome her illness.

Just as he began to notice the beginnings of a panic attack crawling up his throat, Liam's voice brought him back to reality.

"It's going to be okay, Killian. It was just a hard hit." Killian had been so focused on his own miseries that he hadn’t realized that his brother had also risen, getting in his way.

Liam searched Killian’s gaze as he laid his hand on his shoulder, giving him an affectionate squeeze. "I know what you're thinking, brother," Liam addressed him in a slow voice, as he always did when he tried to calm him down. "Emma will be fine."

That was all Killian needed. His brother had always acted as a lifeline to which he could cling to in hard times. This time it wasn't going to be less. The confidence that denoted both his words and his eyes were enough to make him calm down. Killian felt his muscles relax instantly at the touch of his brother as he nodded, his lips drawing up in the ghost of a smile.

"I know it's frustrating; you feel helpless and you want to be in there with her. But Emma is in good hands, Killian."

"I know... but she's always so strong, and yet after the fall, she seemed so fragile..." he trailed off, hating the vulnerability his voice displayed, but he couldn’t help feeling a strong instinct of protection towards Emma.

Liam was about to reply when something caught their attention on the other side of the hall. They both turned in the direction of the sound and finally, Killian let out the breath he had been holding as the two lasses appeared.

Elsa was holding on to a weak Emma. Her face was pale, a large dressing covering the wound over her eyebrow and her left arm was in a sling. Killian clenched his jaw, the previous rage threatening to appear again at the thought of the guy who had brought them to this situation.

The moment Emma noticed him, though, she seemed to gather all her strength, since she threw herself into his arms suddenly, clinging to his body as she buried her face against his chest. After his initial shock at the unexpectedness of her movement, he held her in his arms, holding her tightly as his hand gently caressed her back up and down.

Killian searched for Elsa's gaze, encouraging her to explain with a nod.

"She's got a little concussion. Nothing serious, apparently, but the doctor has recommended that someone take care of her for the next twenty-four hours. I'll have to wake her up every two or three hours to make sure everything's okay."

“And what about her shoulder?” Liam asked.

"She got a bad bruise, but fortunately there is no fracture or dislocation, so she will only have to wear the sling a couple of days. The doctor has given her some painkillers."

"I'm fine," Emma mumbled against his shirt. She turned her head a little looking for Liam. "But I'm afraid today you'll have to work without me at the bar." Emma was dragging her words, a sign that the medicine was working.

Killian couldn’t help it and held her even more tightly in his arms, careful not to damage her shoulder any further. She didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, as she curled up against him. Killian was aware that Elsa would be in charge of taking care of Emma during the night. After all, they lived together and he had other obligations. Still, that didn’t stop him from feeling powerless and frustrated because he couldn’t do anything else for her. Perhaps for that reason, their embrace persisted a little longer, both reluctant to abandon each other's arms.

"Well, I don’t know about you, but I'm already tired of this hospital. Shall we go so that this lass can rest?" As he spoke, Liam gave Killian an apologetic look.

They walked silently down the hospital corridors, Killian holding Emma by her waist. When they reached the area where their cars were parked it was also time to say goodbye.

Emma seemed reluctant to leave the shelter of his arms. After a few seconds of hesitation, though, she pulled away a little as she gave him a shy smile.

"I'll call you in a little while, okay? Take this time to rest, Swan." She nodded. Though her smile still lingered, she looked exhausted. Both the hit and the drugs were taking their toll, no doubt. In a rush of tenderness, he cupped her face with both hands and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, before gently pushing her and helping her into Elsa's vehicle as Liam kept the door open.

Killian helped her to fasten her seatbelt and when he looked at her again, her eyes were closed. With a sigh of resignation, he closed the door gently and turned to Elsa.

"If you notice that she gets worse or needs anything, just call me and I'll be there." Killian paused for a moment. Maybe he was exposing himself too much. After all, Elsa didn’t know his true feelings towards Emma, but after the day’s events, it was difficult to control his emotions. "And thanks for taking care of her, truly."

"Sure, it's the least I can do. And don’t worry, she'll be fine." Her quiet voice and reassuring words had their effect on Killian. He let out a heavy breath and then offered a smile of gratitude. Everything will be fine , he told himself while making a mental note to restructure his schedule and go to Emma's apartment as soon as possible.

"Although it is still early you should also take the opportunity to rest now, Elsa." Liam's seemingly innocent comment had two immediate effects. On the one hand, Killian tilted his head slightly as she studied his brother intently. The affection for Elsa was evident both in his expression and in his voice. The curiosity to know what was happening between these two grew at times, especially when Killian noticed the effects of Liam's words on Elsa. A soft blush colored her cheeks as the corners of her lips move up, drawing a timid smile, which widened with his brother's next words. "I don't even want to imagine the arduous task that awaits you to try to wake Emma in the middle of the night.”

"I'm aware, but at least if she yells, growls, or lets out curses, I'll know she's on the right track in her recovery," Elsa joked, getting a little giggle out of them and thus releasing some of the tension that reigned over them after Emma's accident.

Killian also didn't miss the fact that Elsa kept her eyes on Liam almost the entire time, barely acknowledging his presence there too. He didn't really mind, not when that might imply that whatever was going on between these two at least seemed reciprocal.

After the brief relaxed moment, Killian continued. "I'll replace you tomorrow morning, so you can continue with your routine activities."

Before stepping into the car, Elsa glanced at Liam with a strange expression on her face, perhaps apologetic? Killian couldn’t identify it. His brother, in response, nodded almost imperceptibly, but that didn’t go unnoticed by Killian. He couldn't wait to tell Emma his little discoveries while his mind began to work on the best way to act as a matchmaker with these two. He would have time to think of it later, during the endless hours at The Kraken without Emma's company.

Killian took one last look at Emma. His stomach tightened into knots with the vulnerable image she offered, remaining in the same position, with the bandage covering almost half of her face and her eyes closed. A few seconds later, the vehicle drove away until it was out of sight, leaving Killian alone with a tight heart filled with helplessness and a still lingering worry. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand over his face. It was going to be a very long night without Emma by his side.

Liam - December 2019

Liam brought the cup of coffee to his lips, lost in thought as he waited for Elsa. He supposed she wouldn't take much longer since Killian had left home early after having slept, or at least tried to sleep, just a couple of hours after returning from the bar. His brother would replace Elsa in the task of taking care of Emma, so they had decided to meet for breakfast in a cafe and take the opportunity to talk about their failed plan. Once again.

A few minutes later, the cafe door opened and Elsa appeared. She looked around until she met his gaze, a delicate smile adorning her lips. There was no doubt that the night had been hard for her as she had to watch over Emma's sleep. Her tired expression and swollen eyes were proof enough. Yet, the lack of sleep and surviving Emma's moodiness hadn’t succeeded in diminishing the serenity her features always conveyed.

Liam welcomed her with a soft kiss on her cheek, a habitual act lately as their relationship became closer by having to work as allies with a common cause. She dropped into the seat in front of him, making a signal to the waitress. Elsa's love of coffee was something she shared with her roommate. Emma couldn’t function properly if she didn’t get her adequate dose of caffeine, and neither did Elsa.

"You look exhausted. It's been a long night, I take it?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Emma can sometimes be too stubborn. She hasn’t taken it well that she has to wake up in the middle of the night on several occasions."

Liam gave her a knowing smile. Of course he knew Emma's stubborn side and her badass attitude, in contrast to the soft side she'd only occasionally revealed, especially when Killian was involved.

"Well, that's a good sign, isn’t it?" The image of a fragile Emma in his brother’s arms was something that had affected them all. "That means she's back to herself.”

"Indeed," Elsa giggled. "You should have seen the way she received your brother this morning. She was sulking and saying stuff like — I don't need a nanny —." Elsa mimicked Emma's sullen voice.

"That's my girl," Liam answered, unable to avoid a hint of pride in his voice. Both the strength and bravery that characterized Emma were admirable. "Let me guess, my brother made sure to return some comment at her level, right?"

"Oh, of course. He put on that characteristic gesture of his, you know, his eyebrow naughty arched and that wide smirk while he answered something like — well, love, technically I'm not your nanny, but your nurse —.” This time Elsa imitated both Killian's voice and his expression, causing Liam to break into laughter at such a good performance. "Emma didn’t take it well, of course, and she threw one of those glares at him. Fortunately, it didn't go beyond that and when I went back to the living room to say goodbye before leaving, I found them like this."

Elsa grabbed her phone, searching for something, then showed it to him. It was a picture of Killian and Emma, the two of them deeply asleep on the couch curled up in each other's arms.

His lips curled into a wide smile of satisfaction. "It looks like our plan wasn’t so much of a failure, after all, was it?"

"Yeah, did you see how they clung to each other in the hospital? It was as if they had forgotten to hide their feelings. It's a shame they are both so terrified that they don’t dare to take the next step.”

They spent the next few minutes talking about Emma and Killian, and about how it became increasingly difficult for them to hide their feelings.

They talked about the Saturday concert in which the chemistry between them was explosive, or the good time they had on Sunday while they skated until the accident happened.

While talking about skating, an image jumped into Liam's mind, Elsa's showing all her skill on skates. He had been greatly impressed not only by her skill and the elegance of her movements but also by her great patience as she taught them and her tenacity to avoid letting him fall.

"You were magnificent yesterday, by the way. You're very talented, Elsa." They had already dedicated a lot of time to the pair of lovebirds, so it wasn’t a bad time for a real conversation between them. And a compliment was the first thing he found to change directions in the conversation. "You looked like a professional on the ice rink."

Elsa's cheeks colored with a soft pink hue as she turned her gaze to the mug in front of her. "Well, in fact, I was a professional skater for a while."

Liam's eyes widened in surprise. He had no knowledge of that information and suddenly he found himself wanting to know more about Elsa's past. "It's not that I have anything against teaching children to skate, but is there any reason why you stopped competing?"

Elsa didn’t answer at once. Her thoughtful expression seemed to suggest that she was remembering old memories. When she spoke, her eyes had a special glow.

"Our aunt Ingrid died when Anna was too young to fend for herself. She was sixteen and I was twenty, so leaving her alone for long periods of time while I was competing didn’t seem plausible to me at the time. We had lost too much in our lives; I couldn’t leave her alone."

A wave of tenderness came over him as he listened to her confession. He felt like he totally identified with her story since he himself had experienced something similar with his brother.

"That's commendable of you, Elsa."

"Well, you did something like that for your brother, so I guess you’d know how it feels."

Yes, of course, he did. He knew what it meant to take care of his brother when he himself was still too young. He knew what it meant to give up his dream of starting a military career at the naval school. But there was something he was sure about. He would do the same thing over and over again if that meant he would get the almost full life that both Killian and himself were enjoying now. A business of his own, good friends, a stable life, and his loyal brother always by his side, having overcome all obstacles that life had put before them.

His admiration for Elsa grew at times when he remembered that she hadn’t only taken care of Anna but, from the moment she met Emma, she had also decided to take care of her somehow. Although Emma and Anna had gone to the same college, the two blondes had connected much more, creating a very strong bond between them.

They talked for a few more minutes sharing experiences from their hardest years. The level of understanding between them was high having dealt with similar situations. Liam found himself feeling very comfortable talking to Elsa. It was as if he had discovered someone with whom he could share all his fears and all his worries. He knew in advance that she wasn’t going to judge him because she herself would also be reflected in him.

Time passed without realizing it, they were so caught up in the conversation. Their respective coffees remained untouched on the table, long after they had turned into a cold, brown undrinkable liquid.

Suddenly, Elsa's phone, which was placed on the table, began to vibrate, thus breaking their conversation. "Oh, God, I'm late!" An expression of disappointment crossed her face while her gaze slid across the screen of the device. "I still have to go and run some errands before my lessons start." Elsa seemed to hesitate for a moment but then continued. "Are we moving forward with our plan?"

"Sure, but no risky sports this time, thank you very much," he joked, getting from her an adorable smile. "We're not going to give up. I have the feeling that Killian is almost there. He nearly lost his temper with everything that happened yesterday. I'm sure he just needs a little more push."

"Emma, however, is more closed to the idea, but I know she finds it increasingly difficult to hide her feelings."

An idea had begun to form in his mind and he had a suspicion that things would be better this time. What could fail? "How about a quiet movie evening in my apartment? You could invite Anna and Kristoff to cover our actual plan up.”

Elsa seemed to like the idea since, after assessing it for a few seconds, she arched a brow playfully. "Uhm, a movie night, that sounds good. And since Killian likes a challenge, how about we organize some kind of competition?"

"Something like guessing movies?"

"Yes, I know, it's a silly game and we're supposed to be responsible adults, but it would be fun, and of course, they would be on the same team."

"You're brilliant, Elsa, did you know that?"

She smiled sheepishly, staring at him through her eyelashes in a gesture that Liam was beginning to find perhaps too attractive for her own good. She held out her hand. "So we have a new plan?"

Liam took her hand, feeling her touch warm and firm. He also felt a spark of electricity running through his body with something he didn’t dare identify.

Several minutes after Elsa had left the cafe, Liam was still sitting there, her warm touch lingering on his skin. He shook his head as he let out a sigh and tried to gather his feelings. Even if he tried, it was impossible to ignore the fact that he had begun to feel something he hadn’t experienced for a long, long time. He didn’t know whether to feel hopeful or terrified. Maybe a mix of both feelings was the best choice right now. But he had one thing clear. He was more than willing to continue sharing these precious moments with Elsa.

In case you were wondering, your brother is still here. - Elsa

I figured so. He has the perfect excuse since it's Monday and The Kraken is closed. How is Emma doing? - LJ

She is still in pain, but that doesn't stop her from messing with Killian. Right now we're watching a movie. Well, I'm watching it because they won’t stop with the bickering. Sometimes they're a bit insufferable, just like children. - Elsa

I know the feeling, love. I work with them. - LJ

Sometimes I have to restrain myself so as not to shout at them to stop fighting and kiss already. - Elsa

Well, I'm not sure about that, imagine when these two get finally together. What would you rather witness, their bickering, or their make-out sessions in your living room? - LJ

Oh god! You're making me rethink if we should continue this HE operation. - Elsa

By the way, I laughed so hard that Emma just shot me a suspicious look and asked me who I was chatting with. Now Killian is also looking at me with a curious expression. At least they stopped fighting... - Elsa

And how did you respond? About the chatting? - LJ

I told them I was chatting with Anna. They don't seem to be buying it. I just hope Emma doesn't ask my sister. I'm going to hell. - Elsa

I'll be right there with you then. - LJ

What about you? Something interesting on your day off? - Elsa

I actually was about to head towards The Kraken. - LJ

What? But isn't the bar closed today? - Elsa

Aye, but there's always something to do there, lass. - LJ

Something you can wait for tomorrow, no doubt. I have a better plan for you. What do you think if you stop by my apartment? We would kill two birds with one stone. I get company and then you will drag your brother's ass out of here. - Elsa

So you just want me there to keep you entertained? - LJ

We are allies, remember. - Elsa

I will be there in a little while. - LJ

Oh, and Liam? Bring pizza for dinner, please ;p - Elsa

As you wish ;) - LJ

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think :)

What to expect in the next chapter? New flashback, new performance and Emma being Emma...

#cs ff #csrt #captain swan #cs au #damn you for making me love you #cs au ff #captain swan rewrite a thon #mayquita writes #my cs writings

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tiny-maus-boots · 5 years ago

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Wild West AU pt 16

A/N: Always a huge huge huge thank you to @chloes-yellow-cup for beta’ing and doing the thing with ao3 because I am intentionally incapable of doing it myself.

also a thank you to @antiquesoul83 and @eleanors-rigby for letting me ramble and all the others that have left comments, kudos, likes, and messages. y’all are so kind.

A/N 2: i guess i’m not as close to finished as i thought? i swear i thought this would be over chapters ago.

Stacie

“I know, I know darlin’. Just a little bit further….” Stacie lifted Aubrey as carefully as she could, her heart stopping in her chest every time a pained whimper slipped from the blonde’s lips. Beca and Chloe jumped down from their wagons and moved to help her lower Aubrey off the cart but Stacie held her closer unwilling to let anyone else put their hands on her girl. It was silly, she knew that, Beca and Chloe cared deeply about Aubrey, and she knew they would be as careful as she. But she couldn’t. Not just yet.

Beca gave a slight nod, immediately understanding Stacie’s need to keep Aubrey to herself. “I know Stace…but we ain’t got much time to waste. Let us help you. Please.”

She hesitated a second longer but Aubrey gave a soft whine and Stacie caved, nodding her agreement. Beca and Chloe eased Aubrey out of her arms and out of the wagon while she scrambled down quickly. Stacie immediately reached out for the blonde as soon as she was on the ground and Chloe settled Aubrey into her arms. The front door of the large house they were moving toward swung open and a man stepped out onto the wide porch to watch them.

“This doesn’t look good.” John shook his head and yelled over his shoulder to the interior of the house. “Ma, time to bid our visitors goodnight, Stacie’s come home with some friends.”

Gail poked her head out and surveyed the group as they all climbed down from the various wagons. She eyed them all with a slight frown then gestured to The Sisters. “You two will sour a man’s appetite in those getups. G’wan. Take those horses to the barn and stash those wagons.” When she was sure they were far enough out of sight she turned back toward Stacie and gave a soft snort. “Of course it would be you. Let’s get her inside.”

It wasn’t the warmest greeting but Stacie was beyond grateful that they were welcome at all. She kept her focus on Aubrey’s drawn face as she carried her, careful not to jostle too much. Each step up to the porch made her mate’s face twist as she fought the urge to groan out her discomfort. It made the tears fall from Stacie’s eyes faster, blurring her vision enough to almost make her miss the last step. Once she was through the door she stopped, suddenly unsure of where she should go.

There had been a time when she lived there at the house and her steps would have carried her to her old room upstairs at the end of the hall. But that was a lifetime ago. A lifetime before Aubrey. Stacie raised her head slowly and finally met the older woman’s gaze. “I dunno what to do here Ma…” It was more that she didn’t know what she would do if she ever lost Aubrey rather than she didn’t know where to go. But Gail took pity on her, gaze softening a fraction for half a second.

“Best take her into my boudoir.”

Stacie gave a nod and walked as quickly and carefully as she could to Gail’s room. Chloe yanked the heavy spread off the bed and Stacie gently laid Aubrey in it. The second that Aubrey’s warm weight wasn’t in her arms she sagged to her knees, kneeling by the bed with the blonde’s hand clutched in her own. “Please don’t die on me, darlin’. I still need you.”

Aubrey’s lips twitched and her hand gripped Stacie’s far too weakly. Beca rested a comforting, warm hand on her shoulder and it was all just too much. Stacie felt herself breaking down and knew it was something they could ill afford right then. Gail nudged her out of the way and inspected the injuries with a critical eye. “Stitch work looks good. She’s lost a lot of blood though. Pa, ring the bell and clear the house. I have a feeling we might need to hunker down.”

“Yeap, I figured. This is not a good way to do business Ma.”

John gave a quick shake of his head but stepped briskly from the room. The sound of the chow bell caused a flurry of movement above their heads and Stacie caught Beca looking up at the ceiling wonderingly. “Just spit it out already Bec.”

Beca dropped her gaze quickly blushed. “You lived here.” It wasn’t a question because she already knew the answer. They all did. Stacie gave a curt nod and kept her eyes on Aubrey’s face willing her to sit up and be well again. Heavy footsteps bounded down the stairs as several people left the bedrooms above them. She could hear the rough masculine voices grumbling out their displeasure and John making conciliatory sounds. She knew he was offering them a chance to come back the next day to finish what they’d started, it was just part of business.

Stacie bit her lip and nodded slowly. “A long time ago, yeah. Before she found me.” Stacie sniffed once and took a deep settling breath. “But you already know that.”

Beca nodded and leaned a little into Stacie’s side. “Still my favorite love story.” That did it for her, the kindness in Beca’s voice, the warmth of her words, it broke the dam she was barely holding up. Stacie couldn’t fight the crushing pressure of her pain and fear and she let out a gasping sob. Arms wound around her body and she was dimly aware that Chloe was holding her as she cried.

Gail looked at them huddled close to Aubrey, her gaze landing on each of the women crowding the room. “Alright let’s just get ourselves square here. You three give me some room, the rest of y’all can just git. Go on. Shoo. Go find a drink or a girl or a room, or all three, just get out of here.”

No one moved a muscle until Beca jerked her head at the door in a signal for them all to leave. When the door had closed behind Ace, Beca turned to Gail and pinned her with a deeply intense look. “They might be coming after us before too long, you’ll wanna clear out if they do.”

“They. Well who is it this time hm? Sheriff Cox and his posse?” Gail chuckled and only gave the barest glance at John when he slipped back into the room. “We might have some trouble coming, Pa.”

“I figured as much. Damned womenfolk always causing some kind of dustup. You especially.” He pulled a chair from the corner and settled into it with a sigh, his keen gaze holding Stacie’s. John took his time packing a pipe with tobacco and lighting it before he spoke again. “You know there were several gentleman callers that would have paid a good price to keep you on regular, maybe even marry you. All you had to do was give ‘em some babies.”

Beca gave a rumble of a growl and Chloe snapped her head up to stare at John with pointed defiance. Stacie wasn’t too bothered, that was just the way he was. Despite the type of business he and Gail ran, or maybe because of it, Pa never quite got over the idea that women were a commodity that could be traded and sold.

“Shut up John.”

Everyone turned to Aubrey who had finally opened her eyes again. She looked tired and far too pale but the heat in her gaze held the force of her personality.

“Oh you’re awake. You sure did piss off someone. Who did you steal from this time?”

Gail chose to remain silent as she set about the business of cleaning the dried blood from around Aubrey’s leg wound. She tutted softly at the damage but her hands were gentle and steady. Stacie brought her gaze back to John and shrugged. “Who says we stole anything?”

“Ha. Oh you are funny, girl. Very funny. Couldn’t lay on your back and make an honest living, you had to take up with notorious thieves. You think we didn’t hear about this one getting set to hang?” He gestured to Beca with his pipe and then pointed it at Aubrey. “And this one stole our best girl. So yes Stacie, I know you stole something from someone and they want it back bad.”

It was the first time he had ever shown real anger with her. Though in all fairness she never did manage to say goodbye when she’d run off with Aubrey. Maybe in her heart of hearts she had known that John wouldn’t take it well. Gail stopped what she was doing and gave him a tired sigh as if it was a tirade she had grown used to hearing over the years.

“I’ll tell you one time, John Smith…” Aubrey’s voice was tight and gravelly but her gaze was steady and penetrating. “I can’t steal what you never owned.”

It dropped between them all like a lead weight. John gave a mutter and she wasn’t exactly sure what he said but Gail turned quickly to him and pointed toward the door. “That’s enough now, you get out too. She’s weak not dead and I reckon still strong enough to put a bullet in your dumb ass. Now go.”

He got up and left without a backward glance but Aubrey’s eyes followed his every move until the door shut behind him. She let out a shaky breath and relaxed further in the bed. Stacie squeezed her hand and smiled at the firmer grip that Aubrey gave in return. It gave her hope that her girl would pull through. The truth was John was a little bit right though. Aubrey had stolen her. She had stolen Stacie’s heart the moment she crossed the threshold into Ma and Pa’s parlor and every day since. The memory made her breath catch and she had to look away to settle herself.

“How much trouble are ya in?”

Mercifully Beca answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “Fair amount. We’ll clear out soon as we can but we’ve got to take care of something first.”

“Hm. That something wouldn’t have something to do with settling a score would it?”

None of them said anything and Gail gave it a nod of acknowledgement before moving to clean up Aubrey’s shoulder. “You know Pa wouldn’t be this sore at you if you’d just apologize for leaving. After your father died…we were the ones what took you in. We fed you, clothed you…”

“And then there was business…right?”

Gail didn’t say anything to that for a moment. Her hand shook slightly but she gathered herself up and levelled a gaze at Stacie. “You were a grown woman Stacie. Maybe we didn’t give you good choices but you made the ones you made.” The older woman set the blood stained rag to the side and finally looked at Stacie fully. “For what it’s worth, I always thought choosing her…was your best choice ever.”

Stacie gave a nod and smiled down at Aubrey. “Yes she was.” The blonde smiled sweetly and closed her eyes with a sigh of content that was only marred by the wince of pain as she shifted her shoulder too quickly. It was a small reminder that they were running out of time and Stacie was torn between settling up with Avery and never letting Aubrey out of her sight again. Chloe reached out and put her hand over both Stacie’s and Aubrey’s joined hands.

“You don’t have to…”

“Yes she does.” Aubrey groaned as she struggled to sit up and Beca slid an arm behind her to ease her up gently. “Thank you Beca. Yes. She does. You three need to stick together now, you’re already one gun short and odds are bad already. You have to go, Stacie.”

She hated it, hated even more that Beca and Chloe didn’t try to argue against it. And hated the most that she knew deep down that Aubrey was right. “Bree…”

“I’ll be here waiting. Promise.” Aubrey had hit on her deepest fear and Stacie had to look away. She would never forgive herself if she left with Beca and Chloe and came back to Aubrey being… “Hey….I’m not going anywhere.”

It would have been easier to believe if the last time Aubrey said something similar hadn’t ended with her shot full of holes but she didn’t dare mention that now. Stacie licked her lips and nodded even though everything in her was screaming that it was wrong. “We’ll be back soon, then we’re all out of here. You hear?”

Aubrey nodded and gave Stacie another small tired smile and a nod. Chloe leaned over the bed and kissed Aubrey’s forehead. “I promise I’ll bring her back to you.” Beca gave Aubrey’s free hand a squeeze before she led Chloe out of the room to wait for Stacie outside.

Gail cleared her throat and lifted the wash basin with dirty water and slipped out of the room behind them. When it was just the two of them Stacie finally said what was plaguing her mind. “If I lose you Aubrey…I lose all the best parts of me.”

“Ain’t lost me yet.” Stacie gave a teary eyed nod but it was still too close of a call and she was worried now in a way she hadn’t ever been before. “Stace…look at me.”

The tall brunette wiped her eyes and looked at Aubrey, really looked at her. “It was too close.”

“Yes. Yes it was. And it will be closer still until you finish the job. Promise me something?”

“Anything.” There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation. For Aubrey, she’d blow up the world and never bat an eye at it.

Aubrey gave a brief nod of her head, her voice growing tight again with suppressed emotion. “Promise me you’ll kill that son of a bitch brother of mine.”

It was firm and direct and Stacie blinked once in surprise but nodded her agreement. It was the last thing she expected from Aubrey but it was a sentiment she could get behind wholeheartedly. It renewed her resolve to finish what they started and she could see that was exactly what Aubrey had intended.

“Yes ma’am I promise.”

14 notes · View notes

weakeninghope · 6 years ago

Text

Thunderstorm

Pairing: Ash Lynx/Eiji Okumura

Rating: Teen

AO3 link here

Summary: Ash started noticing a pattern in his life that would often repeat itself: every time that something bad was about to happen, the sky would darken and a storm came. It had been like that since that mournful night of Halloween and that ill-fated day in Cape Cod. It happened too the last night they spent at Cape Cod, the night of Shorter’s death and the night he confessed Eiji how he felt about himself and had a breakdown in front of him.

Notes: Heyo! sorry, I haven't posted anything in a while ;; I was out for holidays, but I wrote a fic in Spanish for a dear friend and then I thought about translating it so I could share it here. I'm really proud of this fic so please read it and tell me how you feel about it! I'm also really hyped for the valentines exchange, I signed up for the event this time heheAlso as I said before, this work was originally written in Spanish, it's 2AM here in Spain and I've ended the translation in a rush, I'll beta the work tomorrow, please forgive me for the mistakes and typos ;;comments and kudos are much appreciated! <3 you can talk to me via Twitter @Shirotxpoison

fic under the cut!

“Are you sure about going trick or treating tonight?” Aslan asked. The blonde wasn’t entirely satisfied with the idea that his friends had had (he was prepared for the occasion anyway despite feeling a little bit doubtful, wearing a big pumpkin mask and a white sheet on to look like a ghost.)

Yes, it was Halloween, but the weather didn’t look inviting and his older brother had always warned him that when rain and thunderstorms threatened to come, the best that could be done waas staying home. It was better not to risk oneself unnecessarily. Aslan was going to be home alone, though, because Griffin was at the workshop and it looked like he wasn’t going to come back until 10 at night. There were times in which his brother would return home late and Aslan felt lonely, but he knew that Griffin was going to come back. He always came back and gave him a hug, then they talked for a while and the older would tell him stories and tales before going to sleep.

“Of course! It’s Halloween tonight, it’s the best time of the year for trick or treating!” Wendy exclaimed -one of his friends, the boldest person he knew. Wendy was one of those people that would often butt heads with everyone and that more often than not, put her nose into other people’s businesses. In plenty of occasions, the gang was going to meet to play around the town but the plan had to be postponed because Wendy was grounded for having said or done something inappropriate. At least, Aslan was relieved because his friend hadn’t suggested going some place abandoned to look for ghosts.

Aslan didn’t know to what extent he should follow Wendy and his other two friends, but Griffin wasn’t home and even though Jennifer was really kind -she had always been- and that she’d surely serve him a delicious dish of his favorite food, there was something in the way; his father. He didn’t want to see him. Aslan didn’t trust him. He had heard him scolding Griffin more than once and he didn’t want that to happen; he despised witnessing someone treating his brother badly. Anyway, he decided that he’d rather follow his friends in their nightly excursion than being home alone. At the end of the day and in spite of the predictions of the women in town (they said there was going to be a storm that night, and the black, menacing clouds weren’t inviting to think otherwise), there wasn’t raining at the moment.

The gang was formed by Wendy, Jack, Mary and Aslan himself. They were walking all around Cape Cod, their hometown, which was threatened by heavy rain -not that Aslan’s friends minded- in search of candy. Generally, people would gladly open the door of their houses for them and abide to their requests. In that town, everyone knew everyone and Aslan was such a good boy that everyone, mostly the town’s women, loved him and held him dearly. On the other hand, though, there was some people that didn’t even open the door. There had always been that kind of people, too, they were more reserved and weren’t as welcoming as the local shops’ owners.

After a while, it was almost 10 at night and Aslan had a great idea (he would lately regret it, though) of hiding in the small woods near his house to scare his brother when he left the workshop. He then timidly said goodbye to his friends and took his leave, going to the forest. Once he got there, he hid behind a tree and waited patiently.

Anyone would feel afraid in that situation, but not Aslan, he was a brave boy and one of his baseball coach’s favorites. He really admired a respected this man with his whole heart. It was starting to rain, and in the quiet scenario on the forest some noises could be heard; some birds tweeting and flying, the leaves being moved and swayed by the ever growing wind. It was indeed an eerie situation and Aslan was starting to feel uneasy.

Suddenly, Aslan shuddered; he felt something creeping upon his back; he had gotten caught on a tree branch, and that was the breaking point. He was starting to feel afraid. Maybe he shouldn’t have left the group? What if Griffin got angry at him? No, no. Ten o clock must be close. He just had to wait patiently. Nothing was going to happen, everything was alright.

And he did wait calmly until the first thunder struck in the distance and the rain started soaking the floor, splashing his feet with mud. Thunder and lighting were coming closer and closer and their intensity was growing; Aslan was soaking wet and shivering because of the cold. The boy couldn’t hold it in anymore; he turned around and saw what it looked like a giant pumpkin staggering his way. And then he started crying and left the place in a rush. He luckily found his brother in his way home (which he had set out intuitively). Nothing went wrong that night. Griffin just combed his brother’s hair with his hand, put himself at his height and gave him a kiss in the forehead while whispering that everything was okay.

But little did Aslan know about the disgraces looming over him such as those menacing clouds.

Aslan kept shivering. He definitely didn’t like storms. They made him uncomfortable.

He started hating them with his very being that il-omended day in which his baseball coach forcefully took him to his house and didn’t let him escape until the man had satisfied his lascivious and selfish desires. That day, thunders sounded and felt worse than ever. The lightning reflected all the fears and all the panic that Aslan had inside him.

That was the worst experience of his life, but it wasn’t going to be the last one.

Ash hated a few things, it was normal to do so in his world, he didn’t like almost anything, but above everything else, he detested ruthless killers who murdered innocent people, strident noises, pumpkins and darkness. Dark things in general.

That’s what he had believed during his whole life until he met Eiji Okumura, a Japanese boy with jet black eyes and dark hair who gave off naiveté and innocence, something not recomendable at all in Ash’s world. However, Ash felt something indescriptible awaken when his jade green eyes came into contact with the other boy’s black ones.

That day, the boy entered the bar where Ash’s gang used to meet, accompanied by a photographer who was in charge of a report about them (it was a kind of favour that they’d do him because he was Charlie’s friend, and Ash also took benefits from that because their gang would be left alone for a while). It could be said that that boy wasn’t someone that would stand out, he was a simple boy who was there to assist his boss. But there was something in him that ignited something in Ash, that made him focus his entire self in the dark-haired, and the second that they locke gazes on each other, Ash felt that this boy called Eiji wouldn’t be just a temporary figure in his life like everyone, or almost everyone was.

At that point of his life, Ash didn’t believe in things such as permanency, but there was something weird and magical about the way that guy approached Ash, knowing perfectly what he was getting himself into, and asked him if he could hold his gun. That lit a spark in Ash’s insides that wouldn’t fade away for a long, long time. At first, Ash thought that he would only see Eiji that day; that the Japanese would only be there for a few pictures (not of Ash’s face, he made clear that his face wouldn’t appear in any of them. He hated the way those degenerates would do horrible things to him with that camera. Just thinking of it made Ash want to throw up). However, when he recieved a call from Shorter warning him about Arthur’s intentions, everything became messed up.

Skip grabbed Eiji’s hand strongly and took him straight to the secret passageway. Great mistake. They had fallenin the enemy’s trap and that would brim them fatal consequences.

Shit. Now he would have to save a stranger? Ash thought. Nevertheless, he didn’t falter and followed Skip and Eiji. Deep inside his heart, Ash knew he didn’t regret doing it. And that he would’nt.

That day and for the first time in a long while, Ash witnessed something he even forgot that existed; flying. He saw Eiji being swayed by the wind like a feather, freely, without anywhere to go, without being bound t a cruel and miserable life like his own.

That day, Ash Lynx could see that there was still some life in his dark, dark life.

That day, Ash Lynx knew that Eiji Okumura was special.

Life at prison was as dull as life on the streets. He’d encounter the same, at the end of the day; people wanting to take advantage of him. Ah was tired of being holed up there; he didn’t expect the law to protect him -for he had ignored it his whole life- but he did believe in what was fair and what it wasn’t, and that wasn’t far at all. Ash hadn’t kille Marvin.

Besides, he was fed up with Max Lobo, his inmate, who tried to be his best-friend of some sorts. He just wanted to get the hell out of there. He needed a plan and he needed it as soon as possible; and that plan could only be useful if he let himself be used by Garvey and his lackeys.

When he finally ended up in the hospital (unfortunately enough, that was the only way out. He had to make sure that those assholes -Dino’s followers- didn’t put their dirty hands on that little jar with white powder that Steven thompson game him) he saved the capsule for putting it the note inside it later. Now he just had to wait until he could see Eiji.

The following day finally came and with it, the long-awaited visit hours; Ash didn’t hesitate and started his plan. He had to move with agility and stop waiting. In his chest, his heart was beating with strength, as if it was going to leave it. Anticipation coursed through his veins and anxiety filled his body. He knew he was going to steal Eiji’s first kiss, and he felt partly sorry and partly… proud? but it was not as if he had any other option.

Ash’s heart started beating stronger when Eiji entered the room and his black eyes widened when he saw him; time seemed to stop when Eiji told the American that he was glad to see him and to make sure that he was alright, that everything was okay, that he would make it out of jail alive. That was when Ash thought he had to start acting. After a few minutes of chatter with Ibe-san and the other, Ash put an arm behind Eiji’s neck (maybe he shouldn’t enjoy the closeness with Eiji as much as he was enjoying it, but fuck it).

“Thanks for coming to see me, Eiji.” Ash said as he got up from his seat and brought Eiji to the exit.

Now.

“Come alone next time, okay?” Ash said with the softest voice he could muster, and that was partly, and just partly intentional.

And that was when he did it. He slid his hands through Eiji’s reddish cheeks, caressing every inch of his skin with his fingertips, enjoying the moment way too much until, slowly, he closed the distance between Eiji and himself. Their lips touched an Ash felt fireworks go off behind his head, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t particularly mind the noise, he just focused on cautiously moving his lips against Eiji’s and then he licked the seam of the Japanese’s lips before Eiji parted them. He successfully put the pill in Eiji’s mouth and then they separated, not before Ash giving Eiji a determined gaze, which the other seemed to answer.

Ash was mesmerized. He couldn’t have enjoyed it that much, he felt so confused. Eiji’s lips were too soft, his tongue too, Eiji’s shyness was too adorable; everything was too much for him, everything had been too much since the day he saw Eiji flying, so he decided to play off his amazement with a playful squeeze to Eiji’s ass. He wasn’t allowed to show the smallest sign of nervousness. It wasn’t a moment to back off, so with that indescriptible warmness in his chest, Ash left.

The day he met Eiji, Ash had the feeling that they would be together for a long time -which hurt him a little bit because everyone who stayed with him ended up hurt in the end-. Well, turns out he was right, quite a lot of time had passed since the first time they met and they were still together. Together.

Eiji hadn’t left his life. Eiji had seen in which kind of world Ash live and what kind of things he could do and had decided to stay with him, he even went to Cape Cop with him, Shorter, Max and the other to look for Griffin’s documents.

Ash remembers Eiji’s shameful demeanor and attitude then he told him that he couldn’t accomplish his mission, and he also remembers hoe the boy was as determined as to look for alternative and look for Doctor Meredith himself.

Eiji was gaining Ash’s trust spending days with him and with everything he did, but he knew that that had to end soon. He had to go to Japan soon and their paths should never cross again. He had been thinking about that when they arrived to Cape Cod, after he had to -sadly- talk to Jim fucking Callenreese.

When night came, Ash lay down with his blanket as he listened to the rain fall, and in a few minutes, he fell into deep sleep. He dreamt about Halloween night, about the day that the baseball coach abused himm and he suddenly was alone in the middle of a thunderstorm, and there wasn’t anyone near him.

He was like in the middle of some thick, thick fog; he screamed and shouted but no one answered, he moved through the rain and lighting looking for anything to grab onto until…

Eiji?

He thought he saw Eiji’s figure at the porch of his house in Cape Cop; he looked like an angel, like something unreachable, but he still reached his hand to clasp Eiji’s.

But he didn’t reach. They couldn’t touch.

They never could.

“Eiji!” Ash shouted, waking up all of a sudden. It looked like he hadn’t waken anyone up, so he decided to go out at the porch to breathe a little bit; he needed to be alone.

Ash proceeded with caution, he didn’t want to wake Shorter up accidentally (the fucked had bad temper when he woke up) and went to the porch.

And then he saw him, his back facing Ash, illuminated by the lighting. He looked ethereal, unreachable, as he was in the dream. But that time he was truly there, and Ash was thankful for it from the bottom of his heart. The blond tooka few steps and positioned himself by his side, Eiji turned his head and saw him.

“Oh, Ash. Can’t sleep?” Eiji softly Asked.

“Not exactly.” The American answered.

“Your forehead looks sweaty. Have you had a nightmare?”

Score. Eiji had nailed it.

“You could say I did.”

“It’s okay, Ash, it was only a dream.” Eiji said as he rubbed his haind in Ash’s shouldder for a few seconds, though he later retired it as if he had been burn. “Do you want to be alone?” He asked.

“No!” Ash exclaimed. “It’s not that.” He turned his head with a surprised expression. “Don’t leave.” Ash whispered.

“Okay, okay.” Eiji chuckled, and Ash started calming down. “I’m not going anywhere, Ash.”

Something in the way he said his name was like a blanket of warmth that surrounded Ash. Eiji himself was the embodiment of softness and delicacy; for the first time in his life, Ash had something like that, and it was the best feeling in the world. But he was afraid.

“I’m afraid of storms. Have been since I was a kid. I’ve had a nightmare about one and when I woke up, I heard thunders in the distance, and I’ve panicked.” Ash confessed without explaining himself further; he didn’t tell Eiji the whole story, but he couldn’t lie either. Not to him.

“I see. Then I understand why you’ve woken up so jumpy.” Eiji’s hand was on Ash’s shoulder again, and even though the former didn’t enjoy intimacy and rejected physical contact, he didn’t complain. He didn’t have a reason to.

“I guess. And what are you doing here?” Ash asked, curious.

“I couldn’t sleep. I had a lot to think about, mostly after that conversation we had this afternoon.” Eiji confessed, his voice sounded kinda sad.

His expression looked gloomy, and it didn’t look good on him, Ash thought. And it was all because of him. The blond thought that after having drunk his regrets away they would have left along with the alcohol coursing through his veins, but it looked otherwise. There they were.

“Eiji… I…”

“Shhh. It’s okay.” Eiji reassured.

At some moment of the conversation, Eiji’s hand had followed its wat and had clasped Ash’s. Eiji’s hand was soft and smaller than his own, it wasn’t calloused for holding a gun and his fingers weren’t as agile and long as their own, but still, it was lovely and warm, he loved it. Ash squeezed and immediately felt his warmth.

That night, Ash and Eiji stayed together in silence, communicating via hand squeezes every time a thunder broke their silence and a lightning bolt lit the tempestuous and stirred up sky of Cape Cod.

Ash woke up at the break of dawn and realized (not only for his growing neck ache) that he had fallen asleep in Eiji’s shoulder. A little bit ashamed, he moved aside and woke his companion up, who, flustered and red to the tip of his ears, stood up suddenly and left quickly to woke the others up, since they had stuff to take care of.

Ash hadn’t slept that well for ages.

Ash started noticing a pattern in his life that would often repeat itself: every time that something bad was about to happen, the sky would darken and a storm came. It had been like that since that mournful night of Halloween and that ill-fated day in Cape Cod. It happened too the last night they spent at Cape Cod, the night of Shorter’s death and the night he confessed Eiji how he felt about himself and had a breakdown in front of him.

But those last days and nights, Eiji had always been there to grasp his hand and make sure that everything was alright.

But Ash was afraid of another storm coming and Eiji not being there to calm him. He had come to get used to having him way to close. Maybe Blanca was right and he just selfishly wanted Eiji to assuage his feelings of loneliness.

Eiji, on the contrary, had other things to say about the matter. For Eiji, protecting Ash was his number one priority He wanted to protect him of pumpkins, of storms -as long as Ash protected him from moths-

but, above all, he wanted to protect him from himself.

That’s what it said on Eiji’s letter, Eiji’s last words to Ash before returning to Japan.

That day on december there wasn’t a storm, it was snowing, and Ash felt the cold running through his bones while he slid through the snow to reach the airport. As he was running, he thought he saw Sing hitting Lao in an alley, but honestly, he gave a flying fuck. He had other things to worry about.

When he arrived at the airport, Eiji wasn’t there. But it didn’t matter. they would meet each other again soon.

It was about time that Ash let himself be loved.

“Another storm?” Ash ironically asked as he pulled his t-shirt off. “Izumo just knows this kind of weather or what?”

“It’s June, which means monsoon, which means more rain and more storms.” Eiji clicked his tongue at Ash. “I thought you’d maybe read it in one of those books about Japan you read at the library.

Fuck! So Eiji observed him while he was in the library. Damn it… They had beed together in Japan since february, and despite all those months they spent together, Ash still couldn’t believe that Eiji was his boyfriend, That Eiji was with him, safe, alive, and far from any danger. That Ash himself was alive. That it wasn’t temporary that Death hasn’t chasing him anymore.

For Ash, the most important thing in the world was Eiji’s safety. And the world seemed to listen to him for once, for they didn’t leave in separate worlds anymore. Eiji was right. Their souls would always be together.

They would always be together. Forever.

“Shut up and come here.” Ash let go as he patted the space besides him in the bed. He was seated in Eiji’s bed and it was time to sleep already.

“You think I’m going to listen to some brat?” Eiji snapped.

“Come on, Big Bro, you really don’t want me to open the window so a moth makes it in.” Ash raised an eyebrow, he knew Eiji really well.

Eiji crossed his room and sat by Ash’s side.

“The only thing that’s gonna make it in if I open the window is water. Let me remind you that it’s raining.” Eiji answered while playfully hitting Ash’s shoulder.

“Okay, seriously. Are we gonna sleep? I don’t want you to tremble because of the storm.”

And then no one said a thing, the room turned completely silent. Ash looked away from Eiji.

“I-I’m sorry! Forgive me, Ash, I know you’re afraid of storms because… I didn’t want to…”

“Eiji, It’s okay. Thanks to you I’m… getting over it.” Ash said trying to calm his boyfriend, he didn’t want to bother him.. He hated that Eiji could feel bad about something. There were times in which they had this kind of misunderstandings, in other occasions, their make out sessions escalated quickly and they turned more heated than expected, which ended in a line that Ash wasn’t ready to cross just yet, but Eiji was always gentle and knew what to do when he was about to panic, and just as Eiji knew, Ash also knew how to calm Eiji. He was always there for him.

“But it has been horrible, I shouldn’t have said it, I don’t want to say anything to bother you, Ash. You know you’re the most important thing for me. And that you’re always gonna be.” Eiji stated. Ash’s heart skipped a beat.

“Eiji…”

“Ash. I said the truth when I told you that I’d always be with you and I said the truth now, too.” Eiji said as his hand crossed the bed and clasped Ash’s. They now were looking at each other closely.

“Eiji, you know? when I’m with you I feel that I can be a good person.” Ash confessed with all the love he could fit into a sentence. Because that’s what he felt for Eiji.

Love.

“Ash, you’ve always been. Your fear don’t define you.” Eiji said as he came close to Ash.

“You’re wonderful, Eiji.” Ash said. He truly believed it. He had always believed.

“Not at all. I’m unremarkable.”

“Never said that about yourself.” Ash said in a serious demeanor.

“Then you never tell me again that you want to be something you already are.”

“What if we stop talking?” Ash sweetly asked. His hands travelled upwards until they found Eiji’a face.

Eiji nodded his face and their lips joined. Ash had been kissing Eiji for months and he was still getting used to the feeling of having his boyfriend that close; his lips moved in synch and the storm was forgotten when their tongues entwined and the only thing that Ash could hear was Eiji’s soft sighs against his mouth when his tongue traced the roof of his mouth and then his teeth. They parted and let out a few sighs, being very, very close. A few “I love you” slipped in,

After that they moved and went inside Eiji’s bed, it was small and the space was cramped, but they always slept there, mostly the stormy nights in which Ash would come closer to Eiji than ever, with the Japanese hugging his back and resting his weights on him.

Ash thought for a moment before falling into deep slumber. He had still yet to get over his fear for storms, but when he was with Eiji and he started to tremble if only just a little, his warm hands caressing his back always made them stop.

And in a moment of lucidity, Ash reached a conclusion:

There wasn’t a storm able to darken up his life as long as he had his own personal sun: Eiji Okumura.

#asheiji #mywriting #bananafish #banana fish #ash lynx #eiji okumura

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serenephenix · 6 years ago

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... To help you

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

…To help you

[Fandom]:Voltron: Legendary Defender

[Rating]: Gen/ Gen

[Genre]: Family, Hurt/Comfort, centers around Veronica, Marco & Lance

[Warning]: mention of very protective but ultimately supporting siblings

[Word count]: 4.800

[Status]: completed

Post season 7 – related to this post I made

[Omg help me I’m back on my shit again. After months of having been unable to write I can’t seem to stop. Have fun guys. This is suuuuuuper self-indulgent by the way. Kudos to anyone who makes it to the end.]

[Important PSA after the first comments on Ao3: No bashing the team, be it in the tags or in a reblog. Lance is not a prize to be won by either side]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once might have counted as nothing more than a fluke. A second time she might play off as a coincidence maybe. By the third time, Veronica had a sinking feeling plaguing her. After the fifth time, she had stopped counting and instead started to consider that this had to be more than a mere “fluke”.

Far be it from her to hold grudges or make hasty decisions, but the more time Veronica spent around team Voltron, the angrier she became almost every instance.

Honestly, the fact that her ire had grown enough to be noticeable even to her family was admirable in itself – there were few people that could pride themselves in having disturbed Veronica’s inner peace so profoundly that she was falling back into bad habits.

“You’re chewing on your pencil.”

She startled, taken aback by Marco’s nonchalance. She cleared her throat and demonstratively put the poor, abused tool down to recline in the uncomfortable chair they had stolen from another room down the hall so that at meals everyone had a chance to sit at the relatively small workbench that served as their table and “office” outside of office.

But the last one only truly concerned Veronica herself.

Marco was idly scrolling through something on a datapad, finger lazily dragging along the surface. Judging by his expression it had to be pictures from before the war had broken out – small glimpses of the past he had managed to take with himself on an even smaller chip he had guarded with his life. It was incredible he had ever thought of taking them with him, much less having stored them there in the first place.

The original chip still hung around his neck, attached to a sturdy necklace and protected by a plastic casing that had seen better days already. A testament to the trials and losses the journey from Cuba had brought with it.

She caught a glimpse of a picture –fairly old, since she caught her nine year old herself in the left-hand corner – and she felt something in her chest tighten as she caught sight of Abuela smiling up from an angle. Such a sweet smile, unsuspecting of all the terrible things that were to come.

There was no way that Marco had not noticed her taking off her glasses to wipe at the corners of her eyes, but he had the grace to not further comment on it.

“I miss her.”

“Me too.”

She wished she could have seen her at least one more time. Once the Galra had arrived she had not managed anything more than to text her family in a group chat, telling them to run and hide.

After communications had been cut by the invaders, there had been many nights where Veronica had lain awake, wondering, worrying, sometimes crying in the privacy of her small bathroom.

So, when she had reunited with them months later after the missions in the tunnels, the joy had blinded her to the terrible truth for a few minutes.

Knowing that her family was mostly safe and unharmed was a blessing, but as her parents sat her down and told her in soft whispers that their Abuela had suffered a stroke or heart attack during their crossing, Veronica could not stop herself from thinking that it was unfair.

One more time. What she wouldn’t give to tell her one more time that she loved her.

But it was too late, and as she rationalized (as much as it hurt), she was so much luckier than many of her friends and comrades. Many of them had no more family to return to outside of this building.

The gurgling and hiss of the faucet had Veronica looking up, watching with a small smile as Marco came back with a glass of water she accepted gladly.

“Thanks.”

Marco shrugged, corner of his mouth twitching upward a little.

He had been the one to try CPR on Abuela when it had happened. Of course he would, seeing how he had been a lifeguard at Varadero beach for a few years now. Still, it had not worked. Veronica hoped that Marco did not guilt himself over it.

Likely sensing she might ask first if he did not intervene, he pointed to her pencil, her gnawing having left clear indents in the smooth plastic: “What’s up with that?”

Veronica took a large gulp of water first, deciding if she should answer honestly.

Her mind was made-up instantly.

“Lance has been considering staying with us.”

Marco blinked at her in clear shock. His flat palm came to slap at his forehead before it started smoothing his hair back.

“Oooooh… so that’s what the whole morning crying was about.”

Veronica nodded. Neither she nor Lance had explained themselves to the rest of their family and so far she had respected that, even if Maria, Luis, Mama and Papa had needled her. They were worried and Veronica understood it all too well, but Lance was the one who needed to decide for himself when to open up about his impending choice. Today though had put a few things into perspective for her and she needed a second opinion for that, and out of all of their other family members, Marco was one of the more discrete ones. He’d know not to blab.

“I personally think he should stay.”

Marco did give her a questioning look at that but waved his hand for her to go on.

“A team should be about respect and trust. And there is nothing against teasing each other or making jokes. Even our MFE fighter pilots tend to do it,” she smiled fondly at that. One might not be able to tell, but those kids were masters of banter in their own right. According to Veronica’s own tally chart Leifsdottir and Kinkade were tied for first place, not by the amount of shots fired but by the accuracy and truthfulness of them. Griffin and Rizavi, even as a united force, stood no chance.

Veronica’s smile vanished though, as she remembered the interactions she had been privy to over the past week, where she had taken over for a communications officer that had fallen ill.

It was probably due to their late night conversation and the endless praise Lance would wax about his teammates, but what Veronica had seen and heard instantly made that cold yet blazing protectiveness resurge.

As she had concluded, team Voltron was indeed made up of wonderful individuals, unique and incredible in their own ways.

When one gave it a bit of thought, having former cadet Keith Kogane work almost seamlessly with a team felt like a fever dream. While Veronica had never personally interacted with the defiant youth back in the day, she had heard complaints from all of the staff forced to deal with him. The calm leader giving instructions over the comms was almost unrecognizable. Captain Shirogane always seemed to swell with quiet pride whenever it was pointed out.

Veronica could understand him all too well – if anyone were to talk that same way about Lance, she would likely not react any differently.

Pidge, or rather Katie Holt, was indeed just as smart as Lance had emphasized. Not that there had been any doubt about it during the briefings and strategy talks leading up to their final stand, the young woman coming up with a multitude of scenarios whenever a new element and detail was added to their plans. Veronica was all too curious about finding out just how she was processing things so quickly even without a computer handy. In regards to snark, she and Rizavi would get along wonderfully.

Hunk was the main reason they had managed to salvage many of their vehicles in the aftermath of the fight. She had yet to taste any of his cooking (which Lance reminded her daily was to die for), but what she could say was that he was a creative engineer. Just the other day, she had listened to him chatter with his friends all the while helping one of their engineering groups restarting an emergency generator for a medical facility. In the end, he and the other engineers had ended up building it from scratch, Hunk throwing in suggestion to get the most out of it. Some of these adjustment sounded downright alien - which they most likely were.

Princess Allura herself was one of the most regal and beautiful women Veronica had ever had the pleasure to meet. Which may be why she was rooting for her brother and, subsequently, liked flustering Lance with comments and remarks regarding Allura’s interest in him. But as much as Allura was a princess, she was also a kind and devoted person, one of the first to rise to coordinate the actions for reconstruction and the last to leave in the evening.

Amazing people in their own rights and yet…

“I do not think staying with team Voltron as it currently is will do Lance a lot of good in the long run.”

She looked at Marco over the rim of her glasses.

Her earnestness must have hit a nerve, since slowly Marco’s surprised expression shifted from disbelief to concern, his brow furrowing and mouth pinched.

“What makes you say that? Lance seems to like them. Can’t be that bad then, can they?”

Veronica let those words settle a little.

No, the members of team Voltron were not bad people, not by a long shot. But just as any other individuals with agency, they had their faults and made mistakes.

Allura, as Veronica had noticed, could be somewhat stubborn if she saw herself in the right.

Hunk could be dismissive of others when under pressure.

Pidge had a tendency to be unrelenting, be it in her very scientific explanations or tasks she had set herself.

Keith seemed to not always think things through entirely, sometimes getting blindsided by details that had not been discussed prior, ultimately tripping him up.

But all of these, in Veronica’s opinion, were excusable.

She needed to take a deep breath, indignation rising inside her like bile. It was not helpful or necessary at the moment. She needed to keep a clear head. Marco’s judgement need not be clouded by her feelings.

“Did you know that when you are in a relationship long enough, you become deaf to certain things being repeatedly said, both parties no longer noticing it even happens?”

Marco gave a cough that soon turned into full-blown laughter.

“Tell me about it. Marta would never shut up about me messing with her nifty system for all of our clothes,” his expression lost a bit of its mirth. Veronica could only guess that he was mentally revisiting the rooms of a house that was probably destroyed like much else on Earth, “After a while, it just became a running gag. Heh, even the kids were getting a laugh out of it.”

“Exactly.”

He started at her sudden interjection, at the harshness in her voice as she gripped the glass she was still holding with a little more force.

She took another deep breath as Marco slowly came closer, taking with him his chair with protesting screeches from chair legs dragging across the floor.

Once sitting, he leaned forward, crossed arms resting on the table’s surface, face grim.

“What’s going on?”

Veronica raised her left hand, elbow still on the table and started massaging her temple with her thumb. The pain when she pressed just the right spot was distracting enough to calm her.

“I’ve been dealing with communications for a while now, to help with coordinating the reconstruction efforts. Ever since Lance told me about wanting to quit, I might have paid more attention to him and his team, however subconsciously,” her lips twitched but there was nothing funny about all of it, “And this past week, since taking over for officer Anatoly, I’ve been in charge of communicating them their tasks. For that, I’m on the comms constantly and I hear everything that’s going on.”

She took off her glasses, putting them in front of her, wiping at her tired eyes. The screens were doing them little good.

Marco was kind enough to wait, even went to refill her glass and Veronica thanked him for it.

“I cannot tell you how many times Lance has been treated as ‘dumb’ in this one week alone.”

Marco’s stared at her open-mouthed, indignation making his shoulders hunch and his brow furrow so deeply that Veronica was almost afraid the resulting wrinkles would be permanent.

His mouth closed with an audible clack that had both of them wincing, but it did obviously not quell Marco’s anger.

“All of them?” He merely asked, and suddenly Veronica was no longer sure this had been such a good idea.

She put a firm hand on his shoulder, felt him tremor slightly under it.

“Not all of them.”

It still did not seem to appease him.

“What about his commanding officer? Shouldn’t he intervene?”

Veronica resisted the urge to suck in her lips, thinking back to all of the instances where Captain Shirogane had indeed intervened when the team’s discussions went too far off topic for them to still be entirely concentrated on their tasks.

Her heart felt heavy.

When words failed her, she merely shook her head.

“Just as I said: you become deaf at some point.”

The chair went crashing down as Marco surged to his feet, stomping towards the door, and it took all of Veronica’s strength and weight to stop him as she latched onto his wrist with both her hands.

He turned on her sharply, his eyes ablaze with fury and Veronica was so, so glad that she was not at the receiving end of that raw fury.

“This solves nothing,” she reminded him, her voice calm while everything inside her was anything but.

Marco tried to unlatch her, but if he thought her training was for nothing then he was sorely mistaken.

“MY BROTHER DID NOT GO TO WAR TO BE CALLED DUMB!”

His voice boomed through the confined space and Veronica was beyond thankful that right now everyone else was still gone, that luckily it was just them here.

Marco gave another shot at throwing her off, but just as with the first time, Veronica stood her ground, digging the heels of her shoes into the floor.

“I agree with you, I do,” she amended, voice growing louder at the last few words as Marco still resisted, “But antagonizing the people he looks up to and loves is not going to help him!”

Because her brother had told her as much. Shortly after their heart-to-heart, Lance had repeatedly come to her when he could not sleep. As far as Veronica could guess, the impending decision was robbing Lance of sleep. As if recurring nightmares he refused talking about were not already doing a fine job of it. On one of those nights, as Lance had heavily leaned into her side with drooping eyes, he had whispered about the time he had spent hunting coins in a mall’s fountain to get Pidge some retro console from Earth. He had fondly whispered of Keith’s cluelessness about simple cheers, mentioned Hunk and Pidge’s reprogrammed Paladude, a gaming session with Coran and their team leader (and Lance still refused to tell her why he had suddenly been crying at that one), or how Allura had helped him train with a cool sword he had yet to show Veronica.

Lance, undoubtedly, loved his team just as much as he loved them. And Veronica did not doubt that if she asked the team, they would likely call Lance their friend. That did not mean however, that they were properly showing their appreciation.

Veronica would be lying if she said that none of their own family had never called Lance a ‘brat’ or a ‘dumbass’ on occasion. Because Lance, for all of his helpfulness and sweetness, could be a pain to be around. Still, at the end of the end of the day and after every sibling squabble, there never had been any doubt that they loved and supported him.

And as she had observed recently, Lance had very much mellowed out and matured during his stay in space.

Which was why she agreed with Marco’s statement but could not allow her very loyal older brother to hunt down any perceived offenders on Lance’s behalf.

Lance did not need added conflict in his life, and Veronica would not forgive herself if she were to become the source of it.

Marco gave a huff but remained still, face turned to the closed door leading to the hall.

Veronica seized her chance.

“I want Lance to be happy. I promised him that I would respect his decision no matter what. And there might be a chance that Lance does want to go back out there. You’ve noticed as well, right?”

The way Lance would sometimes look out at the night sky, tiny dots of light reflected in his eyes as he gazed out with a longing that was far beyond any of their understanding. It was the core of Lance’s conflict.

He had seen space and its wonders, was enticed by it like those old sailors by the sirens’ calls, but just like the legendary Odysseus, her brother was tired and weary just like most of his friends.

And if Veronica had to guess, there was a good amount of loyalty involved in Lance’s indecisiveness.

Loyalty to his friends.

Loyalty to his duty as a defender of the universe.

Loyalty to their family.

Marco was growing less tense under her touch, allowing Veronica to let go with one hand to cover her eyes.

“If Lance wants to go back out there, I will let him,” her voice dropped to almost a whisper, “but I do not want him to be stuck with people that will inevitably bring him down.”

There was pressure building behind her eyes.

“I don’t want to lose him too.”

Barely a minute ago, she had held onto her brother to stop him from leaving, and the next she found herself enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

They held onto each other for a long time, Marco drawing back first as he gave her an apologetic smile.

“Is there any way to fix this mess?”

Veronica had given it some thought over the past few days. The conclusion she had come to was daunting.

“I think the first thing that needs to be done is addressing the issue. At this point, I’m afraid that Lance will try to rationalize it.”

When they had been younger, Lance tended to do that a lot. He might grow angry if someone treated him unfairly, but in the end he would always find a way to explain it away. Usually the common nominator was Lance himself. In an educational environment, it had sometimes saved Lance’s behind, since he’d end up applying himself more for upcoming tests.

But this was not school, and this was not merely tests they were talking about.

Veronica loathed to think what conclusions her might already have or might come to in the future, should a mission go wrong.

Marco gave a groan next to her, knowing all too well what his sister was referring to.

“What’s more is that Lance is not doing himself any favors. I’m talking about dismissing input that is too complex for him and shutting down attempts to simplify it.”

Because she had heard it herself. Usually it was Pidge, sometimes the Altean advisor that Lance would shut down the moment they went to explain a given topic in depth. At this point, it also no longer mattered whether this behavior was the origin or the result of the team’s perception of Lance.

“You called?”

Marco froze at the voice sounding from the door they had not heard opening, and Veronica felt any hope of formulating a plan of attack fly out of the window.

Marco turning around allowed them to look at Lance who stood in the entrance, head cocked to the side and holding out a generic white plastic bag.

Lance’s eyebrow was drawn up, giving both of them a very questioning look.

His expression was enough to tell them he had undoubtedly heard that last part.

This was not how she wanted this conversation to happen, but if they did not tackle this at once it would only lead to misunderstandings.

Marco was ready to stammer his way through a lie, she could practically hear the gears turning frantically inside his skull, and she decided to intervene at once.

“Actually, yes,” she gestured at the table with a placating smile, faltering a little when she noticed the chair still lying on the ground. That detail did not escape Lance’s notice and he frowned all the harder for it.

This was not going as planned.

Lance needed to be as relaxed as possible. She needed a distraction.

“What do you have there?” She asked, glancing at the plastic bag still dangling from Lance’s wrist. He appeared taken aback by her sudden interest, but a genuine, excited smile spread on his face.

“Oh! Yeah, this is from Hunk. I asked him if he could cook something for you guys, since none of you believe me he’s a good cook.”

He was bouncing over to the area where the plastic plates and cutlery were stored and Veronica watched a little helplessly as Lance set the table for the three of them while Marco quietly put the chair back in its place.

He looked so happy, pouring water into an electric kettle while dumping a few spoonful of a powder substituting coffee into three mugs.

She wanted this to last. She wanted for Lance to smile like this more often, to be happy and not worry about leaving people behind.

Once everything was set for the three of them, Lance saying he hoped the others would come soon, he finally wrangled out an inconspicuous hot pink bowl out of the bag. The moment he removed the lid, Veronica could feel her mouth water.

“Are those...,” Marco started, voice almost an awed whisper.

Lance’s grin was almost reaching his ears: “Yep!”

There was no mistaking it. Veronica would recognize one of her favorites from a mile away.

She knew she was gaping in a very undignified way but…

“How?” she breathed, taking one of the looped pastries between her fingers, inspecting it with wonderment.

“Don’t ask me. I have no idea how Hunk still managed to cook half of the stuff we ate on our trip back and still make it look like Earth food,” his expression momentarily turned into a grimace before easing into something less disgusted, “Sometimes you really don’t wanna know though.“

He shuddered a little while Marco was already biting off half of his buñuelo, slapping the table with the flat of his palm.

“This is so good,” he finally said, looking close to tears.

They laughed good-naturedly as Marco reached for a second, when his first one was still held in his other hand.

It looked and smelled a lot like the pastry they had baked back at home on special occasions. Hunk had even taken care of covering it with thin streaks of dark caramel. It was every bit as soft and tasty as it looked when she took her first bite, and she now understood Marco’s sudden outburst.

It was one of the few pieces of home she’d had in a few years.

“It’s really good,” she said, actually sniffling, making Lance laugh again.

“I know.”

They ate in silence, Lance closing the lid once they each had two (“So there is some for the others!” he had reprimanded Marco), and each taking a sip from their coffee.

Marco had been won over, obvious in how he kept pestering Lance with questions.

“Where did your friend even get all of the ingredients? Do they have a secret stash of cassava here on the base?”

“Once again: don’t ask me, ask Hunk. He can tell you.”

That had Veronica looking up, still cleaning her glasses with the hem of her shirt. Under the automated evening lights, Lance looked a little washed out. Now wonder, his day had been longer than hers, even without actually having spent that much of it outside of the base.

Now or never. She put her glasses back on, turning to Lance fully and garnering his attention at once.

“On that same matter, Lance,” and she almost did not say it, not when this would instantly break this small reprieve from their everyday lives, “you get along with your teammates, don’t you?”

For a few tense seconds it looked like she had broken Lance with her question.

His chuckles were filled with confusion and discomfort.

“What are you talking about? Of course we get along, we’re team Voltron after all.”

She could feel Marco’s nervousness as if it were her own. This was not going to be a nice conversation.

“I’m not merely asking about your cohesiveness as a team, I’m asking about your solidarity as a group of friends.”

Lance was already reclining back into his chair, his eyebrows going up as he stared at her in incomprehension, hands bracing against the edge of the table.

“Veronica, I’m really sorry, but I don’t know what you’re trying to get at.”

She was ready to retort, when Marco beat her to it.

“Are you really okay with your friends calling you dumb?”

She could not believe him. Veronica threw him a glare she hoped would melt his head off but Marco just returned hers without any remorse.

Their attention was drawn back to Lance as he waved his hands around.

“Woah, woah, hold on a tick! What’s this about? And what’s up with you anyway!” He addressed Marco directly, irritation palpable in his voice.

“This is not some kind of joke Lance,” Veronica interjected, giving her younger brother a stern look that threw him off, “You know I’ve been listening to you for a while over your channels, and I admit that I… do not entirely approve of what I’ve heard so far.”

It was more than just “not merely approving” but there was no need to rile Lance up further. If he was any bit as protective of team Voltron as he was of them, there would be no getting through to him by accusing them of anything.

Still, Lance’s eyes moved from her to Marco quickly, obviously not understanding or accepting what was happening right now.

Finally, and sadly, he leaned back with his arms crossed. She wanted to hit Marco for his blunder. This was now going to be harder than ever.

“My relationship with my team is great. What do you even mean by the stuff you heard?”

Band-aid it was then. Quick and painful.

“I am not okay with my brother being repeatedly told and treated as an idiot.”

Hurt flashed across Lance’s face at that but what really caught Veronica’s attention was a flicker of recognition in his eyes. So he was not as unaware as he pretended to be.

He swallowed dryly, hunching in on himself, his eyes shielded by his brown locks with how much he’d lowered his head.

His words were so low she almost did not catch them.

“Doesn’t matter.”

She was ready to explode from tension alone at this point.

“It does, Lance. It matters to me and everyone else!”

She had not meant to shout but this was just too much. Both Lance and Marco jerked in their seats at her outburst. The defiance he had previously shown was quickly bleeding out of Lance, as he made himself even smaller. He suddenly looked like he’d aged at least a decade.

Still, he said nothing, not in his defense nor of his friends. Just sat here with them; a tense silence consuming them all.

Marco was careful in pushing his chair away as he got up. Veronica was unsure what he wanted to do, knowing Marco he might either stay or leave to fight this battle another day.

Relief flooded her when instead of going to the door, Marco circled the table and before Lance could even react, had their brother enveloped in a tight hug. It was a little awkward, Marco having bent down his bulk to embrace Lance while the latter’s arms hovered in the air a little uselessly, blinking back at Veronica in confusion.

Marco was not really a man of words, and Veronica not someone who sprung into action easily. But maybe, with their forces combined, they might be able to get through to him.

“Lance,” she said quietly, her calm voice having her brother glance at her with his still bewildered expression, “I know you really love your friends, but that is no excuse for them to walk all over you when they hurt you. Even if they do it unintentionally.”

He was enraptured by her face, not even caring about the tears undoubtedly clouding his vision.

Time to put her cards on the table.

“I would feel better knowing that, if you go back up there again, you do it with people that respect you and your boundaries.”

There was no more holding back the tears. Lance’s entire face crumbled, one of many small sobs bursting out of him as he kept staring at Veronica pleadingly, his arms at once clinging to Marco so tightly he might leave bruises.

Not that Marco minded, Veronica could see Lance’s jacket straining a little with how tightly he was winding his arms around him.

Veronica settled with smiling at them fondly.

One step at a time while the clock kept on ticking.

#vld #voltron #vld s7 #vld season 7 #vld spoilers #lance #veronica #marco #Serene writes #completed #i'm on my shit again

19 notes · View notes

settingtrends · 7 years ago

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hiiiii friends! your pal is back with some fics she thinks you should 23948514% give a chance!!!

If you give any of these a read (and even if you don't, but you still read on ao3), please remember to leave kudos and comments on fics you read!! They're actions that take .5 seconds and they mean loads to the authors :)

You Holy Fool by chasingxrabbits

Liam is a good kid, on the right path until he finds something wicked making a home in his church. (A slightly religious AU where Liam has a moral dilemma and Louis is falling head over heals for the curly headed sophomore.)

Unfathomable Distances by chasingxrabbits

A Skyrim AU where Liam is the reigning prince of Falkreath hold. Zayn is one of the palace guards. When Liam's best friend and Thane to the hold, Louis, contracts a mysterious illness, Liam is left with a choice. Does he leave Falkreath City in search for a cure, and who could (or would) ever accompany him on such a tumultuous journey?

Can't Help Falling in Love With You by eternallyunleashed

In the 18 years he's been alive Zayn has learnt to deal with the insane amounts of anxiety and stress that life threw his way. It was always easy to stay back and pretend he was invisible. After agreeing to Harry's idea of an internship he realizes all his hopes of maintaining a quiet simple life as he works towards Med-school get tossed out the window. Liam Payne enters his life. Zayn can't put a name to all the whirlwind of emotions that threaten to rip his body apart by just being near Liam, but he is certain of one thing. The mere thought or sight of Liam makes him lose the ability to breathe.

For Liam his goal is pretty simple. Ever since he laid eyes on Zayn, who looks like sin in human form with eyes that threaten to rip a man's heart out, he knew he had to have the boy. He needs him more than he's wanted anything in his entire life. Otherwise his red hot desire for the boy might just take him to his death.

The author also has drabbles that are super cute and fluffy so when the fic gets real angsty (which it does, bud), you can just read the drabbles to ease heartache, ya feel?

Intoxicate Me, Mesmerize Me, Obliterate Me by eternallyunleashed (WIP)

There was a certain heat obtained from rebellion that even the actual throes of heat never sparked. Keeping up an image of perfection; being the good kid, the perfect son to the Mayor and Chief of Police, the city of Lincoln’s sweetheart omega, it was all taxing to Zayn. Walking the thin line of danger was exhilarating. Was it coincidental that this danger happened to be an attraction to a certain alpha who was none other than the leader of the South Side Vipers gang, who seemed to despise him and the part of town he came from? Probably not. But when had anything ever stopped Zayn?

Tangled Up in You by marcel

It turns out Zayn’s flatmate is essentially a disney prince. Zayn wonders how this became his life.

Never Be Alone by sunnysideup (WIP)

Liam and Zayn have been undercover police officers for several years, and they've got out of messes, serious messes, before.

Except that was together, now they're in a mess again but this time they're apart and Zayn has to find a way to save Liam who knows that even as Zayn tries, his own fate is sealed.

Or is it?

Baby all I need is Time by sunnysideup

Liam's just your average, too average, 13 year old who wants something better, but mainly to be 30.

Then it happens, overnight and things are as complicated as you can imagine.

Push by sunnysideup

They're playing in Sheffield during the TMH tour when suddenly OT5 get body-swapped for some reason and it's a scramble to find out who's who before they go onstage....this is what happens...

So Take me To the Paradise in Your Eyes by deniallisstrong (WIP)

hey, what’s up? he tries. No, too simple for being a number he stole off of a textbook.

i think fate meant to bring us together ;) No. That one, on the other hand, is way too much. Shaking his head to clear out all of his other terrible ideas, he tries one last time. hey, i think u forgot to clear out ur old textbook haha. cuz ur number was still in there. my friend said i should text it, so... hi lol

(Or, where Liam finds Zayn’s number in his textbook, and Louis prods him until he texts it. Things go downhill from there) [A Fetus Uni AU]

Snapshots by lazydaisy

Niall, Harry, Louis, Zayn, and Liam are graduating high school and are looking back on the past fondly. Zayn is valedictorian and writes a secret speech that he won't even let his boyfriend Liam read before the big day. Love, friendship, and dreams are heavy in the budding summer air.

Mind over Matter by lazydaisy

Liam accidentally tells his mom that he and Zayn are dating, and she demands a visit. Zayn goes along with it.

Falling in Love With a Stranger by livingforamiracle

Zayn's having a terrible day, but one beautiful and caring stranger somehow changes it all around, turning it into one of the best days of Zayn's life.

It’s Always Been You by livingforamiracle

An AU where Liam consistently goes on bad dates only to realize that his favorite dates are the ones where he's holed up in his flat with his best friend Zayn.

Longing to Belong (to You) by Pluie13

“Awww, aren't you two domestic?” Louis mocks, while Liam is brutally brought back to reality. Oh, yeah, right, Zayn doesn't like him like that.

A Full Course Meal by LibbyWrites

Liam had been dreaming about having his own restaurant for a few years. Money was always an issue, though, so when he heard the Food Network was recording a few episodes of Chopped in his city, he let his best friend talk him into participating.

Many things could go wrong along the way; from ruthless rivals to impossible ingredients, from unforgiving judges to his own mind getting in the way. He spent long nights fretting about the possibilities and still, he never could have guessed what Chopped really had in store for him.

The Only One Who Takes You Home by ziamruinedmylife

“Maybe we should make this a weekly thing,” Zayn suggests softly, pressing the words into Liam’s hair. “… the lunch or the sex?” Liam isn’t opposed to either. “Both,” Zayn decides, pressing a kiss to Liam’s forehead. “ ‘s that alright with you?” Liam pauses, tapping a finger under his chin, pretending to think deeply before sighing. “I guess I can pencil you into my very busy schedule.” “Thank you for your sacrifice, baby,” Zayn mocks, and Liam laughs. “Anything for you,” and it’s truer than Liam would like to admit. He really would do just about anything for the older man, and it should terrify him, but because Liam is an idiot, he’s not scared at all. Falling is fun, he thinks, that is, until you hit the bottom.

the fluffiest stripper AU in which businessman!Zayn and stripper!Liam have a lot of feelings and they both get more than they expected.

you could be my cure by jmcats

The thing is, Zayn is almost overwhelmingly certain that he’s only ever fallen in love four times but he thinks this is the only one that actually counts

(alternately: Nothing about Zayn is traditional, especially not the way he falls in love with Liam, or everything before and after that)

These Faded Stars Along Our Horizons by ch3stpaynes

Zayn isn't used to this; the buzzing feeling that comes along with pinched grins, cherry red lips and eyes like Sunday morning coffee. He's used to smogged out cities, not enough oxygen between each breath and perhaps a few spliffs with the boys when the weather isn't absolutely dreadful.

we are the quiet ones by englandziam

Zayn feels invincible, in the midst of this small town with a couple of best mates and literature students who seem to get him. He misses home but as every day approaches these people feel less like strangers and more like family.

(Or a University AU where Zayn is an English student and Liam is the football captain).

i wanna see you bright by englandziam

Zayn notices the fond smile smearing crinkles round Liam’s eyes when he realises Zayn is wearing his football shirt, his fingers fisting the crimson material pooling at Zayn’s thighs. He wears it a lot, the ‘PAYNE’ written over his back a little comforting when Liam isn’t there, or when they’re out and everyone is cosying up to Liam at the bar, or trying to dance with him. (Not that he needs to worry – because Liam holds his hand the whole time and always interrupts with tiny kisses wandered over his cheek and dipped into his hair).

A short sequel to we are the quiet ones

i could drink a case of you by englandziam

Liam is a firefighter. Zayn is an art journalist, and neither of them do this - (until they do)

This Is What Makes Us Girls by ziammehome

“Liam, have I corrupted you more than I thought?” Zayn teased, sounding impressed from the side of the pool.

Liam shrugged. “Maybe I was was just waiting to be corrupted.”

Tunnel Vision by scottmcniceass

In which Zayn is an award-winning popstar with a knack for getting himself in trouble, and Liam is the bodyguard he didn’t want to hire who has a few problems with staying professional.

Floating On The Water by scottmcniceass

Liam just wants to get through his last summer working at Malik Resort before University without incident. Of course, life is never that easy, and he ends up getting roped into giving the bosses son, Zayn, swimming lessons. That wouldn't be so bad, if Zayn didn't happen to hate him so much.

Can I Keep You by scottmcniceass

Liam is always trying to do what's best for himself and his daughter, but raising a kid on his own at twenty-two, on top of juggling school work and a full-time job, isn't easy. Zayn just wants a chance to show Liam that he's not going to walk out on them. And Liam's daughter, Emma? She just wants to keep Zayn.

Have You Tried Turning It On and Off? by goddess_julie

Zayn works at the Genius Bar at Apple. She's visited by a lad named Louis who claims to be gay but wants to know if she's single. She fixes peoples Apple problems and in the meantime, fixes a problem she didn't even realize she had.

What the Words Means by SoftlyandSwiftly

Zayn's been a little (a lot) in love with Liam for so long now that he doesn't even really think about it anymore. It's just a constant hum in his veins, and he's fine with it he swears, even though Liam has no idea. But then a certain word slips out of his mouth, and well things change.

honey, you’re familiar by tachycardia

It's December, two years after the end of One Direction, and Zayn moves into Liam's neighbourhood. Secret-dating, post-band fic.

Only you can set my heart on fire by Rosesnfeathers

“And even Liam Payne is on the list man! How funny it would be Payne, playing The Pain!”

Zayn quickly raises his head towards Louis and he feels his own face fall at those words. Knowing that Louis’ would see it, he tries to busy himself by looking at his phone and drinking coffee but, it’s too late. He sees his friend looking at that big poster on their wall, the cover of the first issue of The Pain, and then looking back at Zayn. He does that a few times before finally speaking.

“Oh you didn’t!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Zayn works for Marvel Comics and maybe has the biggest crush on actor Liam Payne. What a surprise it is to him when his comic, blatantly inspired by Liam himself, is going to be on the big screen and Liam is the one chosen to play the main character.

Light a Candle for the Fallen Angel by chocobubblepanda

“Liam?” I ask to the gloom, my voice cracks. There’s no answer. I take a step back while frenetically looking everywhere. I try to reach for my back, but there’s no metallic grip, there’s no sword. Whatever is out there, moves again among the shadows, brief as the blink of an eye, perturbing like a wolf’s howl. I’m terrified. I’m sure by now that it is a demon. It may be Liam and if that’s the case, I fell into his trap like a complete fool.

(Or the one were a mere human named Zayn investigates his father’s death, and when every human and every angel turns their backs to him, the only option left is asking for help among the demoniacal side. And it is here where he encounters a young, mischievous demon named Liam...will he be able to help him? Will both of them act as their natures dictate?...)

Twelve (formerly Hello Twelve, Hello Love) by watyonameisgurl

In which Zayn comes back to him slowly…

When Liam and Zayn were 12, Zayn suddenly went missing in the middle of the night. With no leads, no evidence of a break-in, and no requests for ransom the police eventually concluded that Zayn simply ran away and they closed the case. His family never believed it and neither did Liam.

10 years later Liam gets held hostage during a bank heist only to find that one of the robbers is Zayn. But he doesn’t seem to recognize Liam or even his own name. Liam tries to track Zayn down on his own, hesitant to involve the police who in his experience have proved to be untrustworthy more often than not. But then Liam starts noticing strange things in his apartment. His bedroom door closed halfway when he’s sure he left it all the way open; the tv remote sitting slightly further to the left than where he usually leaves it; a stray hair on the floor, darker and shorter than his own. At first he assumes it’s just the other boys messing with him but the longer it goes on the more he starts to wonder if he might actually be going crazy.

He doesn’t realize until it’s too late that while he’s been busy searching for Zayn all this time, Zayn has already found him.

Taking a Chance (Going the Distance) by transteverogers

Liam loves acting and singing so when he gets casts as the lead in the school's play Hercules, he's excited to say the least. Until he finds out who his love intrests is.

(AKA the one with every cliche of popular!liam and nerdy!zayn with just a dash of high school musical thrown in. With lots of miscomunication and cupboards, too)

Steady to the Shore by transteverogers

Liam's verified on twitter and everything but somehow he's failing english.

(AKA the one where they're both sorta famous and go to the same uni and Zayn tutors him and there's a lot of pinning going on)

Nobody Knows You Baby (The Way I Do) by transteverogers

Zayn and Liam accidentally get nominated for cutest couple at school and Louis makes a bet with them that they won't win.

(AKA the one where everyone was betting and nothing is accidental)

Life by transteverogers

Liam Payne is Donny High's own sport protege and Zayn Malik is the lucky (read: unlucky) journalism student who gets (forced) to interview him

(AKA the one where Liam's sweeter than he looks, Zayn's a little judgmental and miscommunication's a bitch)

Let Me Treasure You by transteverogers

Liam's a douchecanoe and Zayn really doesn't want to like him, but maybe it can work out?

(AKA Liam's a pressured son of Zeus, Zayn's the new Aphrodite kid and Harry knew all of this would happen before it did)

Four Arrows (Led You to Me) by transteverogers

An au where people get tattoos of their soulmates and everyone works in a hotel

(AKA the one where I wanted an excuse to do handy man!Liam and soul mates)

#a homie has been working on this for liiiike months lmao #i added some of the fics i recently read and reread tho :')#i hope you find a fic you like!!!#most of the stuff i read is super fluffy but some of them do have some/a lot of angst #and i was gonna add commentary on what i thought for each fic but i ended up deleting that bc it seemed annoying lmao #but if you read any of these fics and want someone to scream with please come to meeee!!!#i love all of these fics loads #mkay i'll shut up now alkdjfaldfj pl E AS E REMEMBER TO LEAVE FEEDBACK #also i got really sad bc i had to take choices like waves off the list since it was deleted and my heart hurts #bc that fic is forever amazing. such a good fic. g o d #okay fr i'll shut up now this is so long i hope it works and that all the links work toooo idk #b y e #ziam fics

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moviepower · 4 years ago

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Five Feet Apart is one of the most touching films

The book Five Feet Apart, and the filmAnd the premise of this film is a pair of teenagers with life threatening illnesses, meet in a hospital.The whole world has probably already seen Five Feet Apart, which is not surprising, because the film brings tears. And of course fall in love. Now the disease showcased in this film is a disease called cystic fibrosis. And if you guys don't know what it is, just a quick summary, this is a life threatening disorder that damages the lungs and the digestive system.

It is very rare. There are fewer than 200,000 cases, U S per year. And it is something that cannot be cured at this moment. Although there is treatment available. Now, I recently met someone through Instagram who has. Cystic fibrosis. He actually reached out to me. We got in contact with each other. He is a content creator as well, although a very different style of content.

I looked into what he does and I have to give this guy a shout out because his work is incredible. Take a look at his works of art. These are all original works of art. He is, he has an Instagram page and a YouTube channel. I will link both of those below. I just found this. Yeah, incredible. And for someone who has cystic fibrosis to do what he does.

And to overcome that disease with works of art like this guys that is incredible. I hope to have some of his artwork up back here, one of these days, and the guy is just awesome. So please give him a follow on Instagram and on you. But now we have to talk about the movie five feet apart. Let's get into it.

The cast wasn't very well known, but it worked

Are I five feet apart? First off, we have to talk about this cast because if you are a fan of the Disney channel, in my opinion, when it was in its prime, you have things like Hannah Montana and a sweet life, Zack and Cody, and two of those stars are actually in this movie. You have Cole Sprouse from Zack and Cody and Moises Arias from Hannah Montana, Tana, what a cast or water crew.

And I will get into those two in just a second, but I have to start. With what I believe to be the standout of this film and that Haley Lou Richardson. She is phenomenal in this movie mind. Oh goodness guys. One of the best leading actor's performance, there's one of the best leading performances I have seen all year.

You put her in any possible role and she always killed it. I have never seen her in a movie where she films as a performer. And once again, she stood out. She stole the show in mind, my opinion. There's one other character in there that I really loved. But really she is the main focus of this film from an acting perspective.

And she nails it. Kimberly Gregory plays, nurse Barb. I also thought she nailed it. She was hilarious. She brought the perfect level of humor to a movie like this because when they tried the humor, as in the younger characters, it did not work as well. But when she brought in the humor, it was always hilarious because she was kind of the person coming in, putting them back on track, where they need to be health wise.

The book Five Feet Apart, and the film

And it was always awesome. And she also nailed the emotion. There were some very emotional moments, especially towards the end of this film, as you can probably predict. And she nails that they all nail it really especially hailing the Richardson button, nurse, Barb. She was one of the best in this film. You can't dislike Jojo Rabbit.

And many people are going to find this film sweet and touching and emotional. And I'm sure there will be tears. I guarantee there were tears tonight in the theater that I was in. I heard some sniffling towards the end, just because it is one of those stories that I think is going to be a crowd pleaser.

It is going to do it. Everything that that age range from, I would say 13 to 18, 19, maybe even early college, that group, those individuals will love this film because that's what they're going for. That's what they do. And it's exactly what you get. And my big issue with this moving, I don't hate me just because I'm giving you guys problems.

There are definitely problems with this film. And it is a movie that is exactly what you expect. It doesn't really take any chances. It doesn't do things that you would say, Oh, that's not conventional. That's not cliche. It is fall in there. This genre, there's not much more you can do to change it up. So I can't make that a debt to this film in particular, but it plays up this romance in such a sloppy way.

There was a lot of emotion in the full movie

Now a lot of people are going to like the romance because they like Cole Sprouse and they like Haley Richardson. They liked those too. Actors, but from a writing standpoint, if you really pay attention to the dialogue and the conversations, there really was not that much of a buildup in the first half of the film.

Now I know I will get arguments on that because once again, this is going to be the movie that appeals to this demographic. I am not necessarily that demographic, but I still felt the emotion from certain scenes experiences. I just can't get past the scripts. Some of the dialogue, especially towards the end.

And I've mentioned Cole Sprouse. One of the reasons that I've not really highlighted him yet. Is because he was not, and don't hurt me for this. He was not a highlight of the movie for me. I like him. I've liked what I've seen in Riverdale, but in this film he was so over the top and so cheesy and yes, the dialogue was cheesy.

So I don't know whether it's him to blame or the dialogue to blame. But he was also, his line delivery was a bit flat. There's a moment towards the end where he comes to a window and every line he delivers, I'm sitting there like, come on, you can't be buying this. This is some of the worst dial. And of course people are going to buy it because once again, it's just that kind of movie.

It's great to see on Netflix

And if you're in it, you're in, it is going to tug on those heart strings and pull on your emotion in a way. Emotionally manipulative, because you will be so sad and emotional towards the end. You may forget about the flaws. And I've done that before. I have been through movies that make me so physically upset and sad and emotional. A big applause for this great director.

I walked out going, Oh my gosh, what an experience. And then I started thinking about it and I go, huh? Well, the movie wasn't that great, but I have to give kudos to the filmmakers because it's the perfect way to do it. Leaving your audience on an emotional high will make them forget about the bad elements and the elements that struggle and the pacing problems that this movie has, because it's definitely there.

It drags this film. Felt so long for me, there are so many moments where they just expand the dialogue. I'm just like, can we move on? And I know this is based on a book and fans of the book are probably wanting to tear my head off right now. I do not know how the book compares to the movie. So I'd love to know in the comments section below is the book better?

Is the movie better? Fight it out? And I hate to be blonde, but I don't want to tip toe around this. I think Cole Sprouse was a bad casting choice. They could have gotten someone a bit more dynamic, a bit less flat, someone with better line delivery. And I think I would have liked this movie. Quite a bit more, maybe it wasn't even Cole.

Soundtrack Five Feet apart is a strength

Maybe it was his character because I didn't feel a huge character arc. It felt like he's kind of a jerk. He's a bit of a douchebag and all of a sudden, boom, they're in love and they're all about it. They're all for it. I just did not feel the buildup to that. What happened. Out the romance. I did not get enough to believe in the relationship and if you're not in the relationship, then you will not get as emotional as everyone else watching the movie.

Now, I don't think that was the case. This movie definitely has its moments. I liked certain character interactions. There were some really funny moments, definitely the emotion, the emotion is what is going to make people walk, hanging out saying this is the best movie I've ever seen in my life. Because I feel like every time one of these teen romance movies come out in this vein, people are saying that this is the best film I've ever seen.

And I get it. Look, it's all about how movies make you feel. If they, they make you feel a certain way than do not change that perspective. If you, I love this movie, tell the world, and I want this film to make a lot of money because I love the concept. I love the idea. I have not read the book. But it seems like there's a lot of Goodwill behind it.

And because of all of those things, I really like what this is all about. It definitely did not all work for me, but it did enough for me to get this film to fresh because I do think it is what audiences want. And that is a 60%, a six out of 10. I think this film was okay. And I think a lot of people are going to like it, it is a crowd pleaser, for sure.

Tragic ending to the film Five Feet Apart

So be sure to go check it out and make up your own mind. So that's it guys. Five feet apart. Did you like it? Did you not like it? Are you in my camp? Are you completely on the other side? And you're saying, Austin, you, you hate people. Give you guys my honest opinion. That is all weekend. Do you guys are the absolute best?

youtube

Thank you so much for watching this video. I will be back very soon with another theatrical review, some more Netflix use. And of course the next episode of duty patrol, you guys are the absolute best and I will catch you. Very soon.

#five feet apart #new movie #best film

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dailymudad · 7 years ago

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mudad sickfic ahoy

Title: Grow

Summary: Dio’s own awakening prompts his son’s stand to emerge. Through the fever and illness, Dio attempts to give him the strength to master it and survive. Dio-raises-Giorno!AU.

Word Count: 2,007.

Leave me a kudos here if you end up liking this! (o´▽`o)

The rounded clock sitting on top of Dio’s dresser sounds loud and imposing enough to be a countdown. He’s tempted to stop time for a moment’s peace.

The child that had been left on his doorstep now lays sick in a bed far too big for him, a cool cloth resting on his forehead as he rolls around to get comfortable in the too-warm blankets. Dio has been reading aloud to him nonstop. It’s a tome too thick for a near three year old to understand, but the real gift is the sound of Dio’s voice preventing him from drifting off. He’d already slept too much during the day, and Dio believes they are about to reach the peak of his fever.

None of his servants are with him. Enya was the only one he’d thought would be any help, but she had only idly commented that Giorno would have to overpower this sickness on his own, or Dio should seek out another one of his offspring— a comment he didn’t appreciate. Giorno’s stand had planted roots from his skin into the bed, trying to find soil that wasn’t there. A gift of creation— things he’d touch would grow ivy or sprout legs in a feverish hurry before losing energy and shifting back into an ordinary object. Such potential couldn’t be wasted so early in life. He fondly strokes Giorno’s cheek, taking note of the heat beneath it. He would raise this son with love, provided he lives.

“Giogio,” The name is fondly mocking, revived from the ground to tease Jonathan’s memory and the imprint he left on DIO’s son’s shoulder. “Stay awake.”

“I’m tired…”

“If you sleep, you may never wake up.”

Giorno blinks in his direction, amber eyes that match Dio’s own meet his. “Not so bad.”

“It is, I promise. Don’t fall asleep. For my, Dio’s, sake.”

He takes a glass of water from the nightstand and gently lifts Giorno up by the back of his neck, tilting the rim between his lips. There’s no medicine here, no IVs, just water and patience and Dio’s constant presence. The roots make it hard to pull him up, but the ones around his shoulder come undone. A sign of control? Maybe. Dio doesn’t discredit his own strength. He doesn’t discredit Giorno’s, either.

Giorno drinks the water, but immediately loses strength against Dio’s hands. Dio tuts him and lets him rest against the bed, pulling out a book on Austrian philosophy and beginning to read it like it’s a fairytale. Eyes always flickering up to make sure he’s conscious, he ignores the slightly open door with a servant peeking in. He had forbidden their presence, and they’re sure to be punished later, but they set a tray inside the door.

“Enya made Giorno medicine. Forgive my presence, Lord Dio.”

“Come here.”

The order is brisk and this nameless follower approaches him with trepidation and respect. Dio doesn’t waste time, his fingers penetrate their throat and silence their vocal chords as he indulges in a light snack as a reward for his own patience. Giorno is watching, and Dio wisely thinks that it’s good to get him used to this sight early, before pity overtakes him for Dio’s food. Sure enough, Giorno doesn’t think twice and only quietly watches as the servant drops to their knees and keels over, leaving the small bottle of murky fluid on the bed.

Dio picks it up when he’s done and looks it over. The instructions are written on the side, one spoonful will subside the fever and give lucidity— if the patient is already not too far gone. He is tempted to withhold it, to see Giorno’s strength emerge on its own, but the temptation is only that. Dio is more than reasonable enough to know that mastering his own stand is different from his two year old son given the same opportunity. There will be plenty of time for Giorno to prove his strength later. Dio humbly chooses mercy for now.

He pours the disgusting-looking concoction, still mixed with mashed roots and leaves that hadn’t melted into liquid yet, onto a spoon and stops time for only a moment to press it into his mouth. It resumes when Dio holds the glass of water to his lips, encouraging his son to drink. There’s no mistaking his face scrunched up in disgust, but Dio pinches his nose and eventually, it’s done. He even finishes the rest of his water to wash out the taste, as well.

“Good…” Dio is proud, because many children wouldn’t survive this, wouldn’t quietly endure without tears or pain. Perhaps Giorno’s life with his mother was already too bleak for him to consider this a pain— if so, Dio will reward him with a life of luxury and love almost too much to be real. He will learn his place atop a throne of others, not as a successor but as a favored child. Dio would be there every step of the way. It is only fitting that something of his own blood and creation follows him. Dio makes no mistakes, and neither does he grant them life.

“Stay awake, Giogio. You’ll feel better soon.” If not, he was sure to have words with Enya.

—

He looked like a dying animal, but one that was powerfully fighting against the light at the end of the tunnel. Dio’s heart warms and constricts at the sight.

“The World,” He murmurs, and at once his stand is out next to him, fixing him with a curious glance. There was nothing he could do for his master at a time like this, but Dio urges him to sit next to his child, as he looms and pets Giorno’s forehead. Dio’s thoughts easily move his stand to do what he wants— to stroke at the vines and blooms and the things that only a stand could manipulate. It was a long shot, but he wondered if one stand could coax out the other, and The World obliges by cupping Giorno’s head.

Dio can feel it through him, a second body occupying Giorno’s, one that feels of cool metal and is currently trying to crawl out through the vines it sprouted. If Giorno was his own child, this one belonged to The World. Even his stand seems to show an interest in meeting him.

“Listen, child.” Dio whispers quietly over Giorno, as the boy struggles to breathe. “You will endure. You haven’t given up yet, and that shows you want to live. How will you figure out what kind of life awaits you if you call it here? You are my son… that means you have the tools to survive already within you. Start cutting yourself free from what’s holding you back. Do it.”

“Pa… pá…”

“Haruno.” A name more familiar to him than the one Dio christened him with.

At this moment, Giorno only understands one thing. That he must live, but he’s fighting against something that has no face, that he cannot touch or strike against. Even at his young age, he understands that this is life or death, and the tethers in his back are trying to stop his heart. The World could see a glint of gold behind Giorno’s back.

Hours tick away, and eventually, Giorno’s harsh breathing subsides. The vines growing out of his skin and the roots growing out of his back recede. He gains a second hand, then a leg, then at once, something small and golden, with a head shaped like a beetle, sits up and breaks free.

“Curious…” Dio murmurs, looking over the stand that emerged. It bears resemblance to himself in an interesting way, down to taking on his fashion. It glitters like its made of gold, and at once, it fades back into Giorno’s body. Shakily, the boy sits up and looks at Dio. The mattress beneath him is torn by the plantlife that tried to make Giorno grow, and though he is very weak, he wonders if this is the end of it.

Dio kisses his forehead. “Sleep.”

Giorno hardly needs the encouragement.

—

“So he lived…”

It’s strange to see Dio carrying around the boy with a sling on his shoulder, but he’s overcome with a sense of protection that befits a father and not a villain. Enya stares at him as he picks books from a shelf, somehow both surprised and pleased.

“How much influence did that medicine of yours have?”

“Do you really want to know…?” The hag cackles.

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

“It was a placebo.” She smirks up at him. “It was only the ingredients for a specific kind of tea. No medicine can help a stand emerge. I thought it would comfort you to give something to him.”

“…”

Dio rubs at Giorno’s back, giving a soft smirk. So that was all Giorno’s strength… and only at the cusp of three years old. Despite his pride, he also feels a little… angry? Of course, he doesn’t like to be tricked. Especially by those who are supposed to serve him, no less. But it satisfied something Dio had wanted to know about him since he’d gotten ill— was he capable of fighting it off on his own, or did he need help?

“I don’t require such comforts.”

“Most parents do. Especially ones that wait by their child’s bedside around the clock.”

“Leave me,” He insists, pulling out a book of Goethe’s and deciding it would be Giorno’s bedtime story.

—

Giorno has been at his side for two weeks now.

The stand that follows him around takes interest in inanimate objects. Creatures emerge from paperweights and books, and Dio encourages his interest by splicing them together. The combination of a frog and a rat hops around the top of Giorno’s bed, before he touches it again and the fusion of a clock and a lamp falls apart on the bed. His father had been encouraging it as he went along, making sure he stretched his wings with his power, and even tested them on his other servants. Each time Dio praises him, Giorno gets a little more daring and tries something new. Even The World has been taking a vested interest in Gold Experience.

“Muda.”

“Muda…?”

Dio is nothing short of amused he speaks the same kind of stand-like language. This really was his son, and while he sees more of Jonathan’s resemblance, it was only with Dio’s nurturing care that Giorno blossomed. He can already tell this small child is destined for great things— and Dio looks forward to testing him in the future. One of his servants commented that the world around them slowed after Giorno had touched them, before things going back to normal. Ah, Dio thought, there’s more to him that meets the eye. Perhaps his son’s stand had even gained a kind of manipulation of time— the very thought fills him with pride. He’ll give his son his youth for now, make sure he’s educated and tended to. Make sure he grows up respecting and loving his father, because it would be so dreadfully ironic if he were to raise a Joestar to kill him in the future. No, that kind of grim fairy tale wouldn’t come to pass in his household.

Watching as he disassembles and reassembles things to grant life to, Dio pets Giorno’s head, and something catches his eye.

The slightest flicker of gold.

Little wefts of golden hair are now growing throughout his head, climbing up the back of his scalp and sprouting up. Jonathan’s dark hair color was slowly being replaced with his own. If all of this had grown since the last time Dio checked, Giorno was sure to be entirely golden by the end of the week. By the look of the boy, he hasn’t even noticed yet. Dio gets curious and tilts his head, suddenly curious about his ears. Though the placement isn’t the exact same, three dots line the shell of his ear.

Dio’s doubts flee him about raising a piece of Jonathan.

He smiles.

#dio brando #giorno giovanna #jjba #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #mudad

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