#and keeping both the brown and blond is showing that while he is returning to personhood. he still was changed by his time in the org
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
twilighttowntormentnexus · 2 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
sxajne throughout his life, and how his hair changes
15 notes · View notes
thezombieprostitute · 6 months ago
Text
Tech Tuesday - Introductions
A/N: Entirely written on my phone. Apologies for errors!
A/N2: This chapter is mainly an introduction to the setting and the majority of the characters. It'll be different readers for each character (give or take).
Tumblr media
Ok, first day, very important to not make an idiot of yourself. That's been your internal mantra for the entire commute. You've been really hoping it'll help you out today.
You've gotten a ticket to take to IT for your new work laptop but you got lost trying to find your way there. You look around at the signs, trying to figure it out when someone gently coughs to get your attention. Turning you see a tall, lean man with short blondish brown hair and light blue eyes.
"Do you need some help?" His accent and soft tone help soothe your nerves.
"Um..." you hesitate. "I'm, I'm trying to find the IT department?"
His eyes widen as he smiles, "you must be the new hire." You nod and he holds out his hand, "I'm Jonathan, manager of the IT department. I'll show you the way."
He talks as he guides you to the one section of the building you hadn't been to yet.
"Here is our own little corner of the world," Jonathan gestures around the open area. "For a new employee you're going to want to talk to Jake." He points to a young man with spiky hair, glasses and a goatee who's talking on the phone.
"Ain't gonna happen for a while." A large bear of a man with a beard and a bald top, wearing a Lynyrd Skinner shirt steps towards you. "He's helping that little old lady on the third floor that never remembers her password."
"Ah, yes," Jonathan winces. "She is quite the talker." He looks to you and introduces the second man as Syverson. "We both run the department but Sy is better at managing the employees while I'm better at convincing the higher ups to give us a better budget."
"One of th' smoothest talkers I've ever worked with," Sy grins. "As far as your laptop, you wait right here an' I'll go get from Walter. He's our main hardware guy. Then we'll get...hmmm." He looks around as he ponders.
"Johnny is currently mid battle with that hacker he keeps toying with," Jonathan muses. "How is Ransom's mood today?"
Sy snorts, "same as always. Definitely don't wanna scare the lady away." He snaps his fingers, "Rogers!"
A head pops out of a cubicle, "you call?"
"Got a new employee," Sy explains. "Gonna need you to help her get her laptop setup." Sy turns and heads to where you're guessing Walter is with the hardware you'll need.
You turn back to where Steve was situated and almost jump at seeing him so close. He's huge but you didn't hear him at all! The big and tall blonde man's eyes are shining with enthusiasm.
He holds out his hand and you introduce yourself. "It's nice to meet you. Not a lot of new people around here lately. I work with the designs for our internal programs. Me and Bucky," he gestures back to his cubicle, "work together on the UX and accessibility stuff for the external website."
"That's impressive," you nod, practically hypnotized by his eyes. And his muscles, if you're being honest with yourself.
Sy returns and hands Steve the laptop. "Follow me," Steve smiles as he turns. You try your best to fight the urge to ogle his ass. It's your first day and you don't want to already make a fool of yourself! No matter how handsome these guys are.
Steve takes you through the setup. He's incredibly patient and kind. Plus his voice could keep your attention forever. He's going through some of the standard company security stuff when there's a knock. You both turn and you see a burly man with a beanie and a beard so full you almost miss the lip piercing.
"Hey, Curtis. What's up?"
"Bucky's out getting another coffee," Curtis starts. "Need you to tell him I've got the code worked out for the next update and need him to check the legacy compatibility."
"Sure thing," Steve nods and Curtis heads back to whenever he'd been.
"Don't you have an internal communications thing for this?" You're surprised that someone has to intervene in the communication.
Steve chuckles as he pulls out his phone. "Bucky never responds to work stuff while he's out, even just to a cafe. But there's a time crunch on this and I'm the only person he'll actually check his phone for."
"Oh," is all you can say.
Steve finishes his text and gets back to your training. When you're done you thank him for everything and he blushes a little.
"If you want I can help you with the physical setup at your desk?" He almost looks like he's pleading for you to say yes.
"It won't be a problem? I don't want to get you in trouble."
"Not at all," he assures. "Besides, I don't want to be here for the upcoming Bucky and Curtis debate."
You giggle nervously, "ok. And thank you!"
Tumblr media
Tagging @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82 ; @ronearoundblindly
Also tagging @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory to test if this post is working!
Please let me know if you'd like to be tagged.
94 notes · View notes
jackiequick · 1 month ago
Text
How Lucy Met Ollie | Smallville Fanfic
Tumblr media
Paring: Oliver & Lucy
Tumblr media
———
Setting: Season six episode ‘Sneeze’
Characters: Oliver Queen, Lucy Kent and Lois Lane
Mentioned characters: Senator Martha Kent, Clark Kent & etc
—^^0–
Summary: When Oliver Jonas Queen came to the Kent Farm, last thing he expected was to find a beauty…
———
The sky was partly cloudy, sun shining across Smallville every one in a while. Seemed like it might rain later on, but at the moment it was shiny skies for the townsfolk.
His car parked a few feet away from the household, stepping out of the car, Oliver smiled. Beautiful house, old fashioned and smell like a warm slice of homemade apple pie. He loves pie. Some flowers even scattered around the front yard.
He held a file in his hand, jogging up the steps to the house, knocking on the door twice as he assumed that it’s a large household so they might not hear him the first time. Just in case.
Once the door opens, Oliver Jonas Queen was dumbstruck when one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen turns to face him.
Ollie never thought of a encounter like this today. He was expecting to see Senator Kent or someone else. But not a lovely young women is dark hair, a pink baseball t-shirt and a beauty mark next to her roundly shaped nose.
“Yes?” Said the women, when Ollie kept staring at him like she had something on her face.
“Oh um. Yeah, sorry.” He laughed breathlessly, “I came to deliver this to your home.”
He gladly extended the envelope to her, she took it and slipped it underneath her arm.
“Queen Industries.” Read the dark haired beauty with a slight rasp in her voice, “Great! Mom was waiting for this to arrive.”
Oliver found the rasp in the voice cute and something he hasn’t seen too much in women he met. Wait mom?! Is that-does that mean-? He would’ve mistaken her to a young Senator Kent if he didn’t know what she looked like in the first place.
Or at least, her assistant.
No one told Ollie that Martha Kent was blessed with the most beautiful daughter. He wondered if she had more kids, two daughters? A son? Oh god, Oliver would have a field day and never want to leave!
If they have told him, Ollie would’ve brought flowers to the farm.
And a ticket to see a movie.
“You mean to say, you’re Senator Kent’s daughter?” Asked Oliver to confirm his decision.
“The one and only!” Replied Mrs. Kent’s daughter delighted.
“How wonderful.”
“Uh, thank?”
He was laying it on thick, as one can see.
She chuckled, thinking that this blonde was a sight for sore eyes. A supermodel with that charming smile, bright chocolate brown eyes and fluffy spiked up hair. One word to describe him, playful.
He’s probably taken by a gorgeous young blonde with blue eyes and killer curves. Lady killer.
If someone told her that Oliver Queen was coming, she would’ve prepared him a little gift to take home after he given her the files.
“And what do they call yo—” Oliver started.
“Lucy? Is something w-” called someone, unknowingly answering Ollie’s questions, “-oh! Who’s this?”
Tumblr media
A lovely young blonde, probably older than the brunette, appeared joining Lucy at the door. GOD DAMN! Are there any more drop-dead gorgeous women in this house? Is Martha Kent hiding them all in her barn?!
He should’ve returned home to Smallville a long ass time ago then! Are they sisters? Cousins?
God Oliver wouldn’t be surprised if another showed up within the next few seconds. His grin is just growing by the minute he’s standing at their doorstep.
Honestly Oliver doesn’t care, all he knows that Mrs. Martha Kent was hiding beautiful women in this house and no one thought to tell him.
“Hey.” Said the blonde women, taking a breath when she sees him.
“Hi.” Ollie replied with a charming smile.
The women keeps on smiling at him. Again, gorgeous! Ollie internally winces, he’s been blessed today but doesn’t know how to truly handle it.
He likes both women’s beautiful grins and hint of amusements in the older ones voice.
Lois chuckled, smiling onto the way this man carried himself. Just like her friend, she found him super cute. Charming like a prince, but layback like a cool surfer boy.
Meanwhile the way he dressed screamed business causal with a hint of a playfulness that she liked.
“I’m Oliver.” He said offering another sunny smile.
“Lois. Lois Lane.” Said the blonde women with a grin, shaking his hand.
“And I’m Lucy, as you already gather from that.” Added the brunette with a smile.
“I had. Can i say, it’s a real pleasure to meet both of you, ladies.” He purred.
Lucy tried holding back a giggled, bitting the inside of her cheek and nodding.
Lois chuckled, holding up five bucks to him and said, “You know with a face like that, you can do a lot better than playing errand boy to the rich and arrogant.”
“Thank you very much but what is-is?” Oliver replied with a smile, sorta confused.
“You’re tip.”
“It’s a tip. Okay.”
“Seriously, aim higher.”
“Listen um—”
But before he could finished, Lois slammed the door in his face with a smile and walked back to her place on the kitchen counter. Oliver stood there, huffing not getting a moment to come out with a full sentence.
Lucy laughed shrugged watching her mother come in and ask Lois Lane who was at the door, as you can see the total embarrassment and emotions of regret wash over her punky friend’s face. The realization fell on both of their faces as her mother causally told them who that guy actually was.
As her mother left, Lois looked at her friends muttering, “That was Oliver Queen.”
“Yup!” Lucy replies wincing at the foolish timing at their actions and quickly race out of the door.
“Where are you going?!” Yelled Lois from her seat, watching the brunette go.
“To grab a coffee with Oliver Queen!”
“Ohh! I’m gonna go apologize to your mom.”
“And I gotta apologize to him.”
———
Once Lucy was stumbling out of the steps of their nicely sized two story house, popping out her the collar to her jacket, the women looked around for the man. Never mind that, she was wondering if he came by car or foot!
Cause if this man came by either motorcycle or something, it would definitely harder to catch up to the blonde. Moments like this she wished she had Clark’s X-Ray vision or super speedy legs but sadly she wasn’t given the time to wonder, as out of the far left corner of her eye she saw it.
A deep black cherry car driven past the fields of the small freshly grounded land. There he was. She scurried out the gateway, racing past the tall grass and chilly weather trying to reach the car.
She ran up as fast as she could, trying to reach at least close to the side of the car, yellling out his name.
“Oliver! Hey!” She yelled out repeatedly when suddenly a screeching halt was loud that the cows from a yard away might’ve heard it.
Tumblr media
Oliver heard a mix of yelling, shouting and screaming from behind the far right of his ear, looking at the rear view mirror to see the brunette from earlier. He gasped slightly, with a cheeky chuckle at the sight. She looked kinda silly racing toward a car that ran faster than her.
He started to slow down his car, wanting to tease the women a bit speeding up once he saw she got closer. Oliver laughed, reversing his energy into driving the car to the quickest speed he could without causing any damage or anything to the road.
Finally he noticed that he was wasting time, yelling back a joke about how slow she was as he came into a screeching halt that was too loud. He leaned against his driver seat, seeing her benched over her knees panting and huffing, mumbling softly ‘finally’.
He opened the door for her and told her hand, helping her inside the passenger seat with a soft smile and tossed her a water bottle. She quietly thanked him by taking the water and downing a large gulp, breathing heavily with a chuckle.
Tumblr media
“Didn’t you hear me?” She asked with a smile, shaking her head.
“I did. But what the hell made you think you can outrun a Supercar?” He joked with a matching smile.
“Uh, i don’t know. But you slowed down a few times?”
“I was trying to see if you can take the heat.”
“Not funny. And not nice either, Mr. Queen?”
“Mr. Queen? Who told you?”
She panted with another chuckled, “My mother, she confirmed who you were. Lois didn’t know.”
“I can tell.” He replies holding up the 5 bucks from earlier, “She tipped me! But it’s fine, I wasn’t thinking straight either.”
“I can tell. You were kinda out of it. My mom wants to hopefully meet up with you later, if that’s alright?”
“I was hoping i would have time to meet her this afternoon anyway. I can do 5 o’clock.”
“Why 5? She’s free to talk now, if you like.”
“No, because I think i owe Senator Kent’s daughter small lunch after what i did. You know, trying to make a first impression on her?”
“Well played. Sure I’ll love that, Ollie.”
He smiled at the nickname, taking her out of a small drive around the town before a quick lunch at The Talon. Hopefully next time he can take her or Lois Lane out to Metropolis for a date.
She returned the smile, liking him already seeing something unique within this man, who just met but she didn’t what it is yet.
Little did she know that, Oliver Queen would become a longtime friend and future part of her extended-family.
——
———
AHH! ☺️ I had fun writing this it’s been in my drafts for ages!!! Let me know what you think 💭
For the those of who are wondering about Lex Luthor and Lucy Kent? Don’t worry I’m working on something special yet specific for them! 😉
Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @gcthvile @missstrawbs2001 @aidanxsophxoxo @rickb-chaos @starkleila @infinetlyforgotten @meiramel @sherloquestea @djs8891 @buckysteveloki-me @yetanotherwells @ximehs @rose-of-oz @rowinablx
44 notes · View notes
nectardaddy · 6 months ago
Text
mirage | suna rintarou
three | high pain tolerance ★
masterlist
ignore timestamps
cw/notes: yn and suna are both messy, hurt feelings, self destructive behavior from both sides, misguided anger, smoking, we can all throw rocks at him it's ok but I swear he gets a redemption arc
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Suna Rintarou, a man that used to be nothing but kind, and shared sweet words after stolen kisses. The man who used to have a polaroid, perhaps erring on slightly risqué, in the back of his phone case of her, which he was never ashamed to show off. Who's adoring sentiments started to dwindle after a full year of loving and caring, leaving a strained relationship hanging in the balance. Suna Rintarou would be be the smoking gun for the woman next to him, who already smoldered to begin with.
Maybe it was the shot of rum she took still swimming in her veins, doing nothing else but knocking a bit of nerves off. Possibly the pot, that's smell still lingered within the threads of her clothes. Which ever it was, it caused her skin to crawl every time someone so much as brushed against her. It was him. Of course it was him. Slammed packed to a rectangular table, forcing her to swallow her pride and sit reluctantly close to him, a proximity that made her want to vomit. So, of course, it was his knee that had to keep touching her own.
Eyes scanned the table as her jaw tightened, keeping her mouth shut was an olympic level sport. While the others around her chattered, laughing and getting drunk as moments passed, she locked eyes with familiar brown ones across from her in boredom. A wry smirk pulling at his lips as their eyes met, untoned blonde hair falling in front of flushed features from liquor; fighting a smile in return because she knew the orgins all too well. He wanted a show.
His smirk was all she needed to dive head first into the spectacle her and her "partner" always became; because when his, god forsaken, knee touched her again she scowled. "If your knee touches me one more time, I swear to god-" A harsh whisper as she turned to him with a glare.
"You'll what?" Narrowing his eyes with a scowl matching her own. "Leave? Be my guest, have fun walking."
Neither of them paid attention to the snicker from across the table, Atsumu biting back a laugh and his smirk turned to a grin. And the man next to him, Kiyoomi, who was all too reluctant to sit at the table in the first place, let out a sigh. "Here we fucking go."
"Don't start with me tonight, Sunarin." There was a bite to the nickname, laced with venom; a name that was once uttered with care and love, of which that was gone with the wind. "If you make me walk you'll never hear the end of it."
"I never hear the end of it, regardless, babe." His voice was quiet in comparison to the deafening words; slinging a name that was formally endearing now crushed and bruised, covered in mud. Forcing the word out through a wry smile, using it in revile. "You're the one who started it anyway."
"Then stop touching me, honey." Another discolored name. "Can't you do one single thing I ask without bitching?" One rhetorical question was the catalyst to a back a forth that would always become of them. Sticks and stones. Hurling insults at each other like it was a competition - because it was.
"That's rich coming from you considering that's all you used to do."
"I bitched because nothing ever got through your thick ass skull."
"My thick ass skull never cared what you had to say anyway, all you ever talked about was work."
"Says the one who'd rather play around with balls all day, even during the off season. You were never around long enough to hear about my work."
"I can't believe I ever dated you, you're a nightmare." Huffing out a breath and averting his eyes, deep down he knew the words would sting, maybe that was the point. To deflect what love he still had into misguided anger; maybe then he would be ok.
She stared at him a moment, taking in his comment; bringing back unsavory memories from a past where they still believed each other to be happy, still in love. Petty arguments sprung out of thin air, only to be squashed with a gentle, I'm sorry - only the apologies became fewer and farther between. The exchanges always, without fail, turning sour until someone's feelings were hurt. An eerily similar situation to right now.
"Ok," a nervous laugh breaking the tension from beside her. Fingers running through ginger hair from nerves of meditating the squabble. "This isn't funny anymore, it's just sad." Hinata looked to his other teammates in response, hoping their resolve was, at least, a bit better than his own.
"You fight like an old married couple." Sakusa rested his hand against his cheek and sighed. "Don't you two ever get tired of it?"
There was a pause, all quietly acknowledging the rift that caused a lapse in conversation in its entirety, even Atsumu had nothing to say. But a chair screeching caused all eyes to turn to her, pushing hard against the table to free herself from the hold of the tightly packed table. "I'm going to smoke, I'll be back."
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
thank you @mollyrolls for your help with dialogue <33
atsumu and yn silently agree that every argument her and suna have is funny as hell (except this one)
she most definitely did come back to the table out of pure spite
thoughts and prayers iwa
suna did apologize though! not a good one, just 'sorry' and she didn't even respond
that car ride home was eerily silent
poor yn was on the phone with akaashi and yachi for hours
Tumblr media
taglist under cut
@mollyrolls @causenessus @froyaoya @seroh @eggyrocks
@nbcvs @rory-cakes @localgaytrainwreck @kodzu-ken @hermaeusmorax
@sunafc @lvtilzs @kr1nqu @hyenagoated @gsyche
@le000xxgrd @iheartpinky @strxwberri-s @wolffmaiden @yogurtkags 
@superboywife
95 notes · View notes
iblameashley · 1 year ago
Text
Krueger's Secret
Civilian | Male | Gay
1,371 words
Content: Fluff.
Sebastian Krueger | Male/GN Reader
!!!SFW!!!
In the wake of a devastating hurricane, amidst the chaos of a relief centre, you cross paths with the peculiar volunteer, Krueger. Unbeknownst to him, you see through his military cover. What begins as a playful exchange soon turns into a budding relationship.
(This was inspired loosely by the hurricane I just dealt with)
Tumblr media
You thought it was pretty amusing when 'Josef' appeared as a volunteer in the relief centre after the hurricane. Despite his attempts to 'blend in' with the rest of the civilians, you recognized his silhouette and demeanour instantly as one of the military men who had been brought in to secure the area while relief workers did their thing.
You had to be 'escorted' away when you resisted. He had firmly gripped your arm and dragged you to safety, but in the process you managed to get his name from him. At least, the name he was willing to give you.
But what really gave him away was his voice – his accent – you remembered it clearly from when he ordered you to move to safety a day or so earlier.
He moved around the relief centre with purpose, helping wherever he could; moving supplies, assisting people with mobility issues, treating simple wounds, and you thought you even saw him donate some blood.
And then you felt him hovering behind you. His gaze burned holes into the back of your head as you organized supply bins to hand out.
You slowly turned to face him with a curious, and perhaps anxious look.
He stood there with his arms crossed, his short, dirty-blond hair brushed to the side and his piercing brown eyes staring you down.
“...can I help you?” You asked a bit timidly.
He tilted his head and studied you for a moment. “I was told to help.” He replied.
'German?' You asked yourself. You shook the thought from your head.
“Ah, well...” You acknowledged, “Its pretty simple, grab a bin, pack in the supplies, and hand it off to the helper on the other side.” You explain.
He steps up to the table beside you and studies the bin.
“Well organized.” He says flatly. He turns to the boxes of supplies around him and begins to pack them into the bin exactly as you had in yours.
He quickly falls into a steady pace of packing supplies and handing them off to the helpers, his training and attention to detail clearly on display. You can't help but wonder if he's showing off a bit.
You can't help but notice the glances he gives you as he works, but you keep your eyes focused on the task at hand.
You both worked diligently over the course of the next two hours or so, amidst the chaos of the relief centre, organizing and packaging supplies as necessary. It was unavoidable that you would start to return those glances he gave you, his intense eyes shifting to a more calm and curious look.
As the workload began to ebb, and the packages were loaded onto trucks for delivery, you decided to risk it and strike up a conversation.
“You know,” You muttered as you tilted your head to look at him. “It's not every day we get someone as efficient as you volunteering at a relief centre.” You commented with certainty. “Though it's not every day you need such a large relief effort for a hurricane.” You added, pursing your lips.
He paused for a moment to think about it.
“I believe in doing my part.” He replied simply. His rugged looks giving no hint of his true thoughts.
“You likely have a background to handle such situations, though, yeah?” You probe.
He gives you a suspicious look, and you worry for a moment that you may have offended or overstepped.
His eyes look away from you and off into the distance as he processes your words.
“I have been in situations like this before, yes.” He nods assertively. “You quickly learn to pay attention to the details. Respond fast and efficiently.”
“Well you've certainly been fast and efficient today.” You beam as you seal the last bin to be shipped off.
You turn to him and place a hand on the table as he pushes one last bin off as well.
“Lets go take a break.” You insist.
He paused, caught off guard by your suggestion. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “I'm fine.” He replied in a measured tone.
He was clearly lying.
Undeterred, you pestered him again, “Come on, everyone needs a break. And we're done our current task... there's time for a bite to eat and relax before we jump to the next problem.”
He grunted as he struggled to find a reason to resist. “Alright.” He conceded. “Just a short one, though.” He nodded.
★��・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
You both made your way to the small volunteer break area where some simple tables and folding chairs had been set up. There were a few stations that offered sandwiches, veggies, coffee and tea.
After you both grabbed some food and something to drink, you made your way to an empty table.
“Whats your name?” You asked. You of course remembered the name he gave you, but he seemed to still be under the impression he had blended in.
“Josef.” He said, his accent thicker with the pronunciation. “Josef Krueger.”
“Pleasure to officially meet you, Josef Krueger.” You replied, extending a hand to him.
Krueger cautiously accepted your hand in his and gave it a firm shake. He nodded before biting into his sandwich.
“Your accent... is it German?” You inquire as you pick away at your food. “Do you speak it?”
"Ja, ich spreche fließend Deutsch." Krueger answered with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“What brings you so far from home?” You queried. “Aside from the hurricane relief.” You smile. Still pretending you didn't know he was military.
Krueger leaned back in the chair and ate his sandwich with a peculiar look in his eyes.
You could see a playful flicker in his eyes.
“Something tells me you already know.” Krueger replied curtly. "Du bist sehr aufmerksam für einen Zivilisten."
You squint a little as your brain processes the words. You don't speak German, but you can infer enough to figure it out.
“Well, I have a knack for picking up on things.” You confidently reply. You take a long sip of tea and raise an eyebrow at him. "For a civilian."
Kruegers eyes widen a bit as you speak, a hint of amusement painted on his face. “How long have you known?” He finally inquires. “How long have you been playing this charade?”
You watch as he tenses his jaw, though he doesn't seem angry.
“The moment I saw you strutting around the relief area.” You admit with a lazy shrug.
Krueger couldn't help but be intrigued by your observational skills - not to mention you never let on you knew his 'secret' until this conversation - he realized his ability to maintain his anonymity had been torpedoed with you, and it piqued his interest. A lot.
“So what's your story?” He questions with an amused tone. “Some kind of spy?”
He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table, staring you down with a devilish look.
You wave your hand dismissively. “Nothing so grandiose.” You reply, shaking your head. “I'm just good at paying attention to the details.”
Krueger takes a deep breath as he processes your words, searching for a hint of deceit. You seem genuine.
“Hmph.” He grunts. He leans back in his chair. “Well, then... what other things have you observed about me today?” He questions.
You take another long drink from your mug.
“Guess if you want to find that out, you can take me for a drink or two.” You smile.
Kruegers gaze lingered on you, much softer than it was before. He was excited and curious to find out just who you were under it all. Someone who could so easily see through his disguise, and yet, be bold and fearless enough to call him out on it, albeit in a mischievous way.
"Es ist gut, dass du nicht nur mutig, sondern auch süß bist." Krueger replies with a chuckle. He shook his head. “I guess I will be treating you to a drink or two.” He conceded.
“Great!” You reply with excitement. “I know a great place we can go once the power is back on.” You advise him.
'This should be fun.' He thought to himself.
222 notes · View notes
yanderecrazysie · 3 months ago
Text
Idol Chapter 2: Game Start
I decided to keep it as Haikyuu, since that poll was winning.
Chapter One: here
Next Chapter: here
Characters: Kozume Kenma
WARNINGS: swearing, Doom being ported to a handheld gaming system
You chewed on your watermelon-flavored bubblegum, your lidded eyes giving off the impression of boredom. In reality, you were not even remotely bored- more like a nervous wreck. You exited the car and swaggered up to the door of the massive building in front of you, trying to look more confident than you felt.
Aunt Rika clearly sensed your hidden feelings, because she took your hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. Gritting your teeth, you walked through the door and to the elevator. Aunt Rika pressed the number 12 and the elevator began to move.
You looked down at your combat boots, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious… No, fuck that, this was a great decision!
You stood straighter. You weren’t going to change who you were just because this was a corporate environment.
The elevator opened to a modern lounge area with leather couches, huge windows, and sleek decor, like a sculpted bust, nice paintings, and countless- I mean, countless- posters of the same five boys you had seen in the autographed photo in the car.
A large desk stood against the wall but had no one behind it. You glanced around, playing with the hem of your suit.
“Hello, Kenma, this is your new assistant manager!” Aunt Rika announced, making you jolt a little in surprise.
Confused, you looked around the empty room, wondering who the fuck she was was talking to. Then, you spotted him, sunken into the couch and slouching heavily, his pudding cup brown-to-blonde hair barely showing over the arm of the couch. 
Immediately, your mind blanked. Shit, I’m meeting one already? I was not prepared! And wasn’t his surname Kozume? Is Aunt Riza so familiar with him that she calls him by his first name? Or do all idols go by their first names? 
While you were frantically chewing your gum at 60 mph, your aunt walked over to the couch and sat down next to the male. To your surprise, he didn’t so much as blink at either her greeting nor her presence.
You walked closer to get a better look at the idol and found that his golden-brown eyes were glued to the screen of a handheld game console. He gave a tiny nod, the only indication he’d heard anything. 
You stared at him, unsure of what to do with this guy. You could barely see his face, curtained by his blond hair and red hoodie. His expression, from what you could see was detached, as if anything beyond his game didn’t matter.
The silence seemed to go on forever and, the longer it lasted, the more pissed you got. What’s wrong with this guy? Does he not know even the slightest bit of politeness?
Aunt Rika, sensing a storm brewing, gestured for you to join her on the couch.
“Don’t just stand there! You’ll be working closely with Kenma- he’s the main songwriter of the band. It’s important to build a connection.
Ew, professionalism, you made a face, but you strode over to the couch anyways and sat down gingerly next to the male engrossed in his game. It almost felt as though you were intruding on a private moment.
Kenma’s golden-brown eyes flickered up for the briefest second, taking the sight of you in before returning to his game. A soft clicking sound filled your ears as he tapped on the buttons at top speed. You weren’t sure if he was ignoring you on purpose or this was “normal Kenma”.
Either way, it pissed you off.
“Hi,” your voice came out uncharacteristically squeaky and you tried again, “Yo, I’m (Y/n), I look forward to working with you.”
No response.
Not even a glance.
You chewed your gum ferociously, feeling both anxious and seriously annoyed.
Aunt Rika, however, didn’t seem to think the guy was rude, she simply smiled and patted Kenma’s shoulder like this was entirely normal. “Kenma’s not much of a talker,” she said quietly. Why she bothered to stay quiet was a mystery to you, considering he was lost to the world, “But he’s one of the most reliable people in the group.”
“Uh huh,” you grunted. Reliable wasn’t the first word that came to your mind as you watched him silently tap away at his game.
You fiddled with the hem of your suit jacket again as the silence stretched on, your eyes darting between Aunt Rika and the near-stranger engrossed in a video game world. What do I say? Does it even matter? Can we leave this guy and meet the others now?
Suddenly, Kenma’s soft voice startled you out of your thoughts, “Don’t worry about trying too hard. Just do your job, and we’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t much, but it was finally something.
“Right,” you said, trying to sound confident, “I’ll do my best!”
Kenma didn’t respond, but you felt as though you’d gotten enough acknowledgement from him. 
Aunt Rika smiled at you, clearly pleased with the exchange, “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted, I have to attend a meeting,” she looked at Kenma, “Make sure you’re not too hard on her.”
Kenma didn’t respond in the slightest. You reached out an arm and mouthed “don’t leave me” to your aunt, but she merely laughed in response and waved goodbye as she walked down the hallway.
You were left alone with him. Great. Fantastic. Really fucking amazing. Now, the only sound was the clicking of buttons once more.
“So, uh, what game are you playing?” you asked, figuring that would get a response.
Nope. Nothing.
You peered over his slouched form and curiously looked at the game yourself. You recognized it instantly as one of the older Doom games.
“Oh, sweet, Doom,” you said, unsure of what else there was to say, “Pretty sure I’ve beat that one.”
Kenma stopped pressing buttons instantly and turned to stare at you. His face was of the uttermost seriousness and disbelief when he said, “I didn’t know girls played video games.”
You just about slapped him right then and there.
38 notes · View notes
valaenatargaryensdragon · 2 years ago
Note
Hello!
Can you make a dark daemon targaryen x reader where he betrays rhaenyra and gives the throne to stepdaughter reader??
A/N: I hope you like it!
pairing: Dark!Daemon Targaryen x Stepdaughter!Reader
summary: Daemon betrays Rhaenyra and gives the throne to stepdaughter reader
Word count: 1,0K
Warnings: Angst, betrayal, fluff
Masterlist 1
Masterlist 2
You slid down from your dragon still feeling adrenaline pump through your body along with your blood. There was quite the mess but nothing that cannot be fixed soon and fast. Your uncles were finally gone and the throne empty for your mother.
You walked into the Keep alongside your younger brothers Aegon and Viserys, the only ones still alive. You still remembered those walls from when you lived here as a small child, you were born within those walls.
Aegon held your left hand and Viserys your left. You guided them along with the guards behind you towards the throne room. You had fought alongside your mother and stepfather to reclaim the throne but returned to dragonstone to bring your brothers yourself.
The doors opened in front of you showing you victory still being cleaned by the maids and servants. Blood was all around the room along with ashes. You killed Alicent Hightower yourself leaving Otto to your stepfather knowing the hatred there ran deep within him.
She did not beg for her life and you made it quick out of the kindness of your heart, she knew her children had all died and she had nothing to live for anymore, nothing to beg for anymore. You were merciful and made your dragon burn her a fast and quick death instead of being devoured.
"Tala" Daughter. Rhaenyra greeted from atop the throne wearing the magnificent golden crown on her head. Your eyes stuck to the crown imagining what it would look like on your own head, you were her heir being the eldest of the three remaining children.
"Mother, my queen" You curtsied while your brother bowed. Daemon was stood by her side. She stood up from the throne and stepped down with her arms wide open.
"Take them" You ordered one of the maids when your mother had hugged both of your brothers. The maid complied without hesitation. Your mother raised her eyebrow confused with you action.
"They are tired from the ride here" You justified. Your eyes darted to Daemon who also stepped down standing beside you two.
"I am glad you are alright, tala, I was worried something had happened to you"Daughter. Rhaenyra placed her hand on your shoulder gently. You smiled lightly and pulled your mother closer to you for a hug. She squeaked surprised, she had not hugged you since you turned ten and two, when you got your maiden blood saying you were a woman grown now and no longer a child.
"I am happy to see you as well, muña" Mother. You spoked eyes looking at Daemon over her shoulder. He smirked stepped closer as well and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Daemon! What are you doing?" She squirmed in your arms confused. You held her tighter to your body, eyes never leaving those of your stepfathers. She let out a shocked gasp body jolted with shock. Daemon broke the eye contact to look at his work, his hand wrapped around a dagger handle plunged into your mother's side.
"Tala" Daughter. Her eyes filled with tears of betrayal. She cried out loud now as a second dagger lodged itself in her stomach with your own hand on the handle. You pulled away smirking, watching as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Why?" She whispered. Her grip was growing weak. You pulled out the dagger along with Daemon and let her fall on the floor. The crown clang loudly as it hit the floor. Daemon leaned down and picked the piece of metal off the floor. Her eyes followed his movement as he moved closer to you and placed the crown on your own head of white-blonde hair, still you were a strong bastard, your brown eyes gave you away but that does not matter when you were queen.
"My queen" Daemon was about to kneel but you stopped him and instead pulled him in for a kiss. He snaked his arms around your waist pulling you closer to his body, he was not below you, he was your equal unlike how your mother viewed him and treated him. Now it was obvious to Rhaenyra what you had promised him in return for the crown.
"Guards" She tried to yell but her voice came out weak. You pulled away from your stepfather. You walked over to her while she attempted to crawl away from you smearing even more blood on the floors of the throne room. You held her in place and crawled to sit on her stomach with all you weight on her stab wound.
"Goodbye mother" Were your last words before your dagger slashed across her neck opening it for the blood to flow out.
"Come my queen, we have a coronation to attend" Daemon helped you off your dead mother. You smirked putting the dagger away and held his arm in one of your own while the other rested on your hidden bump where your and Daemon's child grew inside of you.
"And a wedding" You giggled letting him lead you out of the room for the servants to find your mother's corpse and declare you an official queen before the masses with the golden metal crown on your head and the conquerers' on Daemon's head.
You and Daemon ruled side by side not caring when people voiced their disgust over your relationship. He was much older, married thrice before you and one of his wives was your own mother but that did not matter he was your husband now and the father of your children.
You locked your brothers in their chambers until they were of age before sending them away to exile to bravos where they spent their remaining years attempting to kill you to avenge your mother but they never succeeded.
You birther three children for Daemon, first came a son name Valegon followed by twin sons, Rhaelarr and Vaelor. Valegon died along with his father fighting a rebellion against you and Rhaelarr succeeded you later on in life but what matter was that you took the throne and saved the smalkfolk from your mother and her greed for power. Daemon may have manipulated you as a child and you grew to see that as an adult but you were far too gone to back away now after all those years.
367 notes · View notes
narrans · 11 months ago
Text
My Borrowed Son | 6 | Learning to Play
Chapter Six | Learning to Play
That night, Amanda and Mel went back to the park with the hand-sized boy and searched around the ground in hopes of finding some additional clues as to why he was all alone. Amanda showed Mel where she had found him and, sadly, there was no sign the area had been disturbed or returned to.
It was heart wrenching.
Was no one looking for him?
Amanda and Mel even set him back down by the base of the bench and walked several steps away, but that proved to be a disaster when the little boy chased after Amanda, whimpering and crying. He even charged into the thick blades of grass after her. It must have looked like a menacing jungle forest, but it didn’t seem to matter.
When Amanda approached, he timidly sniffled and held up his arms, as if to say “hold me” as his little fingers grasped at the air.
Amanda feared that the little boy might have seen something happen to one or both of his parents and that he knew Amanda was his only chance. She brought this up to Mel, who silently seemed to agree.
Needless to say, Mel and Amanda returned back to Amanda’s apartment and spent the evening discussing other facets of life. They had a picnic on the boxes and kept the boy between them as they ate and made plans for how to proceed. He had room to roam, but he mostly kept himself curled in Amanda’s hand and looked back and forth between Mel and her while they talked. He absorbed every word and seemed to know they were talking about him.
Specifically, how they were going to come up with an explanation for his existence without revealing him to the world.
“I’m just afraid of what’ll happen if I take him anywhere else to get him checked out or if they want too much proof. If he’s some kind of new species of human or some kind of government experiment that got out, I don’t want him shuffled off to some containment unit to be experimented on,” urged Amanda.
“I get what you’re saying, Mandy. But, that whole delayed birth certificate is going to be tricky,” reminded Mel. “Are you sure you’re up for it?”
Amanda felt the pressure of the little boy climbing back onto her fingers after retrieving another fragment of cracker and knew her answer immediately.
“Yes, I’m sure. If something happens or if I’m questioned, I’ll find the right things to say. Until then, I can’t just leave him,” replied Amanda. She brushed the boy’s shoulder with her thumb, which he leaned into. His thoughtful brown eyes gazed up at her as he gave her a crumb filled smile.
It was the look on the child’s face that said it all.
Mel and Amanda continued to talk well into the night as the infinitesimal boy fell asleep in Amanda’s hand, cracker on his chest and part of a blanket on his torso. Plans were made to meet up and have another check-up with the boy in a few days as well as plan out how they were going to get some documents for the little boy.
“I guess I’ll be seeing a lot more of you then,” grinned Mel. “No more monthly calls. I got promoted to weekly. Maybe even bi-weekly. All right!” They hugged and then Mel headed home for the night while Amanda shut herself in for the night.
The rule usually is never wake a sleeping baby, but the reasoning of making sure he was cleaned up and ready for bed was too much for Amanda to resist. She made sure the boy was tidy and had a little to drink before carrying him to her room where she placed him back into the box on his bed, fingers laying against him, as the two of them drifted off to sleep.
When Amanda woke up, she saw the little boy was curled fully into her hand using her thumb as a pillow. It was mesmerizing seeing the way his light sandy blonde hair fell over his eyes as he slept peacefully. Amanda had slept much better than the night before, which wasn’t much of a challenge, and was thankful the boy was getting some rest.
Not willing to wake him, Amanda carefully proceeded with the events of her day while keeping her hand level and steady. She kept the blanket from the box draped over him as she washed her face, retrieved her morning coffee, and brought her laptop to her room where she continued to type up her reports with just one hand.
Then, just like the day before, he stirred awake. He looked a little less confused than he did the day before, and his smile was the sunshine of the day as he looked up into Amanda’s eyes.
“Good morning,” she said. “Did you sleep so good? Ready to get some breakfast?” He nodded sleepily and pushed himself upright, looking up at Amanda thoughtfully before she stood and brought him to the bathroom.
While he ate on the kitchen counter, taking little bites and looking around while he chewed, Amanda thought about what kind of life he must have been living up until this point. Specifically, she was concerned when she brought up the concept of “play” and he had little to no reaction.
She wasn’t sure whether or not the boy knew how to play, which made her very sad. He was so sweet and deserved to know how to have fun.
In the meantime, she needed to get back to work. She would have time to devise a way to have fun with him during her lunch break and during dinner. She collected the little boy, making sure he wiped up with a wet washcloth, before bringing him back to her room.
The moment Amanda sat down, she knew working and keeping an eye on the child were going to be a challenge. For one, the little boy was gaining some energy back. Barely thirty-six hours after giving him some food and water and the boy was already climbing over the mountain of blankets on Amanda’s bed. Each one must have looked like a massive, fuzzy hill to the boy, but he didn’t seem to care. He climbed, hand over fist, to the top of each mound and rolled back down.
He never went far, but how quickly and how easily he tumbled down the soft, squashy surface of the comforter made Amanda’s heart pound and skip like a flat stone on water.
Then, the boy took to climbing on Amanda, clambering up her leg and then to her arm where he would try to get to her hands. He was gently plucked up and set to the side each time, which made him smile and, at one point, giggle even.
He seemed like he was having a good time, which was what mattered.
Maybe he did know how to play.
It was finally lunch time, and it was obvious the miniscule boy was hungry. When Amanda asked if he wanted to eat, he nodded and made no protest in climbing onto Amanda’s hand.
His ability to adapt is absolutely astounding. Seriously, he’s already showing so much trust. Is it meant to endear me to him? Like a survival technique? Or is it him actually trusting me?
Amanda thought about it from a perspectives point of view, and she shuddered to think of what it would be like to have something – someone – loom over her and be able to pick her up in a single hand.
He truly is remarkable.
Lunch was a very simple hot ham and cheese sandwich, which Amanda had to pinch because she was worried the boy wouldn’t be able to bite through the thick meat. She made a mental note to get the finely sliced meat next time she went to the store.
It was a surprise when he had no issue with it, small teeth obviously durable and able to tear apart meat.
Good to know thought Amanda.
The second half of the day involved Amanda giving the boy some cotton balls to toss around as well as watching him once again play daredevil and climb the new obstacle course Amanda had created out of pillows and blankets. His youth and size had nothing to do with how quick the little boy was as he darted around and climbed over the tall pillows.
The few times he took a tumble down the blankets, his body seemed to move on its own and instinct let him find the best way to slide down without getting hurt. It made Amanda more curious about what he could and could not do, but she would save those questions for another day.
She had something better in mind than pillows and blankets to test his abilities.
Amanda sent her final emails and messages to her co-workers before hoisting herself off of her bed. Dinner was going to be simple tonight and it was a good thing too. Tonight was going to be about play and fun.
Bringing him with her, Amanda set of into the living room and began laying out all of her boxes that needed unpacking in a kind of maze, creating passages and hallways while the boy took a nap in his much smaller box. She also included other elements like things for him to climb and jump off of.
It was having something occupy her mind that made her feel almost back to normal. She remembered fondly how her father would make elaborate constructions of cardboard and bedsheets just so she and her brother and sister could live in tents for months on end. They even made a joke that they wouldn’t need their rooms because they were going to live in tents for the rest of their lives.
Getting to make something like this now really and truly made Amanda feel like she was sharing part of her childhood with the boy. It made her heart ache slightly. She genuinely thought she would be doing this with her own children one of these days, but getting to do it now let her feel like she was glimpsing a reality that might have come to pass.
Perhaps one day, this dream could happen. Perhaps it wasn’t out of reach. Just the thought of it made her choke up, chest tightening uncomfortably as she stared longingly at the door, expecting the man she once loved to come through the door so they could begin again. Her mind raced and began filling in the blanks when she heard a soft coo from the box.
Amanda was brought back to the present as she glanced toward the sound, reminded of reality and saved from the life that could have been.
Clearing her throat and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she knelt and peered into the box where she spotted the child standing, hands pressed against the cardboard as he looked for a way out or up onto the ledge.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” smiled Amanda. He looked around and instantly smiled, holding her hands up and making a little grasping motion with his fingers to he could be held. “Good nap? I know. I know. Come on. Let’s get you out of there. I have a surprise for you.”
She rested her hand in the box and the little boy clambered up onto her curled fingers as though he had done it all of his life.
“We’re going to play maze, okay? Like you were playing earlier with the blankets and pillows,” said Amanda. He looked a bit confused at first, but the mention of the pillows and blankets earlier seemed to connect in his youthful mind. So, when Amanda sat on top of the nearest box and laid her hand down into the columns of boxes, it took a few moments for him to see the mounds of pillows for what they were – a playbox.
He carefully walked off of Amanda’s hand and approached the pillows before climbing on top of them. His fists snagged handfuls of fabric as he climbed to the top and, seeing the sheet slide, tumbled all the way down before looking back at Amanda and smiling.
It was like watching him take his first steps, a happiness sparking in Amanda like nothing she had experienced. The boy scuddled up to the edge of the next box and instinctually peered around it before running to the next bundle of blankets and climbing up them. This next one was taller, and his slide down actually made him laugh as he slid down the taut sheets.
It made Amanda’s face light up as she watched him go from activity to activity.
Another element that fascinated her was how the little boy approached the maze. Despite his age, he took the same left turn until he seemed to recognize an area. Only when he recognized where he was that he would add in a new left or right turn. It was almost like he was memorizing the paths Amanda had laid out for him.
The other activities were a little harder for the young child to get. Rolling the marbles and hitting the others made Amanda realize he was strong, but not quite that strong. Chasing him with her running fingers made him squeal in fear until he realized Amanda wasn’t actually chasing him, and soon it was his second favorite next to tumbling down the sheets.
The two of them played in the box maze for nearly an hour before the boy showed any indication of tiring, and even then he was reluctant to return to Amanda because he wanted to rest in the maze and keep playing once he had recovered.
Amanda’s compromise was to let him stay and play as long as he stayed close to the pillows she left him by while she got dinner started. She hurried over to the kitchen and quickly poured in noodles for macaroni and cheese and set the water to boil before hurrying back to the boxes to see the boy. Like she asked, he hadn’t moved from the stack of pillows and was waiting patiently for her to come back just as she said she would.
It wasn’t until the two of them made eye-contact, however, that made Amanda question her action. The boy looked worried, his little chest rising and falling quickly as he looked up at Amanda, before melting into relief. His hands immediately lifted, and he made the familiar grabbing motion for her to pick him up.
Amanda’s mouth slackened as a horrid thought occurred.
Was that what his parents told him? Did they ask him to stay… and he obeyed? Only to be abandoned and left alone?
“Come here, sweetie,” smiled Amanda. “See? I’m back, just like I said I would be.” After a minute, Amanda realized he didn’t want to be left alone, no matter how fun the boxes were, and elected to stay with her. It made her feel guilty and was something Amanda wanted to work on to give him a secure attachment, but it was alright for now.
The rest of the evening went smoothly as they fixed dinner together and ate in relative silence. Amanda decided she needed to wear something with a front pocket so she could place the little boy there while she worked on baking and cooking. The two of them cleaned up in the bathroom, Amanda needing to coax the boy into the water once again, before tucking him into bed all snuggly and clean.
She drifted to sleep with her hand in the box and the feeling of the boy pressed against her fingers. Today was the first of many steps for the two of them. Tomorrow, she would investigate the playground again and keep doing so until she was satisfied no one was truly coming for him.
The thought, however, made her heart hurt. He was growing on her so quickly, but it would be the right thing to do. Even if she, only after a couple of days, was already so attached to the little guy.
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
Continue
Previous
Beginning
50 notes · View notes
3615rose · 9 months ago
Text
Last Guardian Linked Universe AU
Each Link would have a Trico, each of them with different fur and feathers, and little accessories. That's the theory with each Link detailed under the cut.
Hyrule would have a coffee brown Trico. As he's from an apocalyptic world, food is scarce but he always share his part with his beast which would return it. His Trico will be really soft and accommodating to him, leaning its head so Hyrule could climb on its back. Would name it Hope or Light.
Legend's Trico would be a light colored one, almost a blond colored one. Both of Legend and his Trico would have the sassy attitude, and would play bully easily (and Legend MAY have been gobbled up once or twice). But if one touch only one feather of the creature, Legend will rip them apart. Oh and his beast would be COVERED in different trinkets for magic. Would be named Marin, in honor of the dream's woman as he would tell his Trico.
Four and his Trico are the impressive opposite in size, but it didn't matter. The color would be a black and white beast! They would enjoy long ballads in Hyrule, flying high as if nothing was important. The beast is armored, totally by Four's handiwork. Matching colors and frills matching his earring. Totally named White because all colors mixed makes white.
Time and his beast would be the calmest one. White as snow, they would be around at the ranch, both helping. Malon has all right to climb on this Trico too, like a family pet dearly cherished. They may have tried to shoot the moon once or twice. Name would be Space, because Time and Space!
Twilight would have a friendly fight with his Trico, those little play games that pups do together to learn how to fight. the color of the beast would be black, like his fur when he's a wolf. He would put on his beast and friend some Twili style decorations, nothing too heavy for it. Thinking that he could name it something goofy like Butter or Choccy.
Sky is used to creature taller than him, with the Loftwings. So having his Trico is like a Loftwing but in cat shape. The bond between them would be a lot of sleeping and having the head up high in the sky. In Wild's Hyrule, they would climb those Hebra mountains just to throw themselves from that height and enjoy the breeze on them. He would keep the name Trico, for him it suits the creature best.
Wind's Trico is totally cool with long time on beaches, albeit his dark brown feathers taking all the sand in it. Wind would be on top of it, letting the Trico find things in the dirt while he would scourge the place to loot. They're a danger duo, and they know it. Both are playful, and his Trico want to play with the others like a kitten needing affection. He would have a large bandana, more a blanket, but still, like those dogs with the little cloth on them. Named something piraty, like Bounty or Looty.
Warrior and his Trico would be the best commandant and his beast duo. With a stripped pattern of brown and grey, his Trico would also have a custom made armor to resist any attack during the wars. And he would be the one that knew how these beasts fed before discovering real food after the mind control. Named Dove, because he craves peace more than everyone thinks.
Wild and his Trico are like Wind and his beast too, absolute menace. Wild was the one that introduced the Chain to the creatures while showing them the sky islands, where they rest and live usually. His Trico is a golden orange, and covered in Zonai style armor. Both wreak havoc on monsters, knows the best place to find good food and are both amazing teammates when it comes to cooking or guiding the others. He would name his Trico something food or flower related, like Lilly or Bone.
23 notes · View notes
nickeverdeen · 1 month ago
Note
heyy so i was wondering if i could have a characters match ups for TUA, MCU, and the arrow plss
im a she/her 5'5 long straight blonde dark brown eyes and size 2 maybe 4 and kindaa worked out
ISTP and scorpio
fav colors are red and black
who has an eclectic musical taste, and that also likes to play instruments. used to do martial arts but quit like 5 months ago. chess player
idk what else to say just i dress msf with a similar style for jade west and taylor momsen
male characters only plss (might ask for a fem version with other tv shows soon lovee your writting stylee s2
Your The Umbrella Academy match is…
Five Hargreeves
Tumblr media
Five would constantly challenge you to chess matches, his competitive nature making every game intense
He’d find your eclectic music taste fascinating and would love hearing you play instruments, often asking you to teach him a few chords on the guitar
Despite you quitting martial arts, Five would insist on sparring with you, loving the physical and mental challenge you bring
Though he knows you can handle yourself, Five’s protective streak would come out, especially when it involves someone underestimating you
Your shared sarcasm and sharp wit would lead to endless banter, often confusing everyone around you
Five would love sneaking out with you for spontaneous, adventurous walks under the stars
He’d admire your bold style, often commenting on how you stand out without even trying
He’d push you to reclaim your martial arts skills, believing they’re an essential part of who you are
If you ever win a chess match, Five would get mock-annoyed, but deep down, he’d respect your strategic mind even more
With you, Five would feel safe enough to let his guard down occasionally, knowing you’re strong and understanding enough to handle his emotional scars
Your Marvel match is…
Bucky Barnes
Tumblr media
Bucky would love when you play music, often closing his eyes and letting the sound soothe his mind after a long day
He’d train with you, sharing techniques and helping you refine your skills while sneaking in compliments about how capable you are
Bucky would learn chess just to impress you but secretly lose on purpose at first, enjoying how much fun you’re having
Your dark and edgy fashion sense would remind him of his Winter Soldier days, but in a way that feels empowering and cool rather than traumatic
He’d introduce you to his old-school favorites, and in return, you’d show him your modern eclectic playlist, leading to fun debates about which era of music is superior
Bucky would love quiet evenings with you, just enjoying each other’s presence without feeling the need to talk
He’d always have a hand on you—whether holding hands, guiding you through a crowd, or placing a protective arm around you
Your playful sparring sessions would turn into flirtatious competitions, often ending with laughter and teasing
With you, Bucky would feel safe and valued, slowly allowing himself to relax and trust someone deeply again
Your Arrow match is…
Oliver Queen
Tumblr media
Oliver would love training with you, admiring your martial arts skills and pushing you to reach new heights
Your chess-playing abilities would make you an essential part of planning missions, with Oliver often consulting you for advice
He’d always compliment your outfits, loving how your fashion sense reflects your strong personality
Your eclectic taste in music would fascinate him, and he’d secretly try to learn some songs on an instrument just to impress you
He’d take you to quiet, scenic places where you could both unwind and escape the chaos of the city
Though he knows you can handle yourself, Oliver’s protective nature would shine through, always making sure you’re safe on missions
Oliver would deeply admire your strength, intelligence, and confidence, seeing you as an equal in every way
Your sarcastic banter would keep him on his toes, and he’d love how you can match his wit effortlessly
8 notes · View notes
the-forests-blessing · 3 months ago
Text
Chapter 18
In a silent world, there is nothing to be heard but the sounds that arise from his own slow movements. What can be heard is the soft crunch of brittle, frosty grass cracking underneath the pressure of feet. The near desolate, frigid wasteland shows no abundance of life. Only the steady snowfall keeps him company as he wanders… At this point, he’s quite unsure of where his presence lies.
     The author looks back from the path he came from, seeing nothing but the distant shrouding of darkness slowly creeping in, following him, but stopping whenever he looks back. Pausing in his tracks, Lukas furrows his brows, his lips drawn closed and tight as he takes in his new environment. There’s some short, snowy hills nearby, as well as a select few trees growing here and there. Something about the way things look around him feels almost… unnatural. How is it possible that nature could look so artificial? 
     Lukas glances down, finding himself to be dressed in his own casual outfit consisting of dark brown formal pants, as well as his orange turtleneck. Though there’s a black leather jacket wrapped snug around him. The blond grimaces at the strange addition. Certainly not something he’d dress himself in with his usual outfit. How odd…
     He straightens up once again, returning his attention to this unnatural winter wonderland. He presses on further, when suddenly there’s a brief moment of fear that strikes him when he catches a glimpse of a lone stray hobbling towards him. The blond panics, yet instead of sticking to his instinct of running, he pats himself down in search of something– a weapon most likely. Nothing of the sort turns up, and as the stray comes closer, Lukas raises his fists in hopes he’ll stand a fighting chance.
     To his surprise, the stray passes directly beside him without so much as sparing him a glance. Lukas’ arms drop back down to his sides, watching the skeleton distance itself from him until it too disappears off into the shadows. If Lukas could make a sound, he’d hum in thought, but nothing comes of that. Instead, the author walks and walks… Realizing none of the mobs that turn up under the shadow of nightfall ever pay him any mind. 
     Eventually, Lukas comes upon a massive lake, completely frozen over with packed ice. On the other side of it is something that catches the glimmer of interest in his teal eyes. He lifts his gaze, as well as his smile. On the other side of this frigid wasteland is something extraordinary, both in beautiful, yet unbelievable ways. It’s a build that would impress the Creator’s themselves. Tall, very tall, and made up completely of ice, is a palace fit for a king. 
     Lukas quickly pats himself down, searching for his journal, but it seems as though that too turns up empty. In fact, he can’t find anything of note in his inventory. His mind dismisses the strangeness to it all, instead lifting his gaze to memorize the crystalline features of the otherworldly structure.
     Closer… and closer… He begins to hear the sound of a ticking clock. The closer he gets, the heavier the ticking noise sounds, to the point it is pounding in his heart, making his eardrums ring until the ringing overwhelms him, forcing Lukas to slap his hands over his ears, scrunching up his face until all fades into darkness.
     Lukas startles awake. 
     Another strange dream to start the day. At least this time he’s not waking to someone pounding on his door. Instead, there’s the puffy white chest with spotted paws tucked into it loafing right on top of his chest. A heavy purr produces from the large feline that has decided to settle atop his owner. Dewey instantly brings relief to the human, only realizing now he can feel his pounding heart beneath his ocelots heavy weight. Lukas pets Dewey, causing the ocelot’s purr to rumble harder while the author searches the vague memories of his dream. 
     It’s not unusual for him to have nature dreams like this, but these snowy landscapes have been a recurring theme in his dreams for the past week. It’s strange, but with the cold seasons making their return, he doesn’t find it unusual. Instead, he smiles and gives Dewey a scratch behind the ear, then speaks softly. “Ready for another fun day?” 
     “Mrrrraaow!” Dewey responds with a mighty meow, standing up on top of Lukas to begin kneading, showing his eagerness for the fun… and treats to be had. 
     Lukas chuckles, finding the enthusiasm to be quite amusing. “And here just a week ago you were still glaring at me for even talking about the idea of returning to the forest. I think the treats Admin’s been giving you are getting to your head, Dew… And your belly.” Lukas gives the ocelot’s pudgy side a delicate poke. Dewey scowls down at his owner at that, unable to share in the amusement. Instead he turns, hopping off Lukas and quickly makes his way towards the door. Another loud meow can be heard from the other side of the wall. Lukas smirks, sighing with a shake of his head.
     “Alright, alright, give me a second to get ready.” 
     With every single day that passes, Lukas awakes and his first thoughts return to what lies beyond the trees of the massive alpine forest. The Admin walks amongst his thoughts, whether it be while he’s strolling through town, taking time to eat, exploring around the woods, and especially when he’s getting comfortable in bed at night. The author will settle into bed, suffocating in the loneliness the darkness of his room brings, where the only light is that of the moon shining through the windows on cloudless nights. 
     The moonlight is nothing more but fuel to add to the already extensive longing he’s begun to experience the moment he’s alone. Dewey will always be precious company no matter where he is, but the Admin’s company has turned into something entirely different as time passes and he finally gets to know and understand him more. Lukas lays awake, head tilted on his pillow so he can look out towards the window, out at the trees, wondering where Admin is, and wondering if he too is experiencing the same yearning.
     The past few days have been a blessing. Hanging out with Admin has been more fun than he could have ever imagined. The question that resided on Lukas’ mind since their first moment sitting together side by side in the moss patch, is if Admin would mind Lukas helping him with his handwriting. The question went unanswered for a few days, that is until the Admin himself brought it up during one of their gentler conversations under a large oak. With colored leaves falling around them, Lukas sat close to the man and examined his practice of penmanship, although the closeness very quickly began to distract him.
     His heart shakes as he’s brought back to the idea he’s had on his mind for days now. An idea he’s been running scenario after scenario in his head about, keeping him up some nights because he’s just so eager , yet entirely too nervous to commit to it. This is about hugging, of course, and never in Lukas’ life would he have ever expected such a simple act to be such a significant testament to his increasing desire for closeness. 
     The visual of it lays in his mind all throughout each passing day, especially when it comes down to saying their goodbyes. Lukas shifts awkwardly on his feet, looks anywhere but Admin, yet can feel himself warm up with that ‘ friendly feeling’ , or so Lukas has officially decided to call it, whenever they’re standing together, only an arms length away. He always clams up, picking nervously at his clothes or fumbling with his hands as he mumbles out a hesitant goodbye, all the while he’s internally pushing himself to just… just do it. 
     It’s what friends do. Hugs are normal. Hugs are nice. So why can’t he just do it? He doesn’t mind the fact that Admin is cold. He doesn’t mind the occasional low pitched growl that comes from him whenever Lukas draws a little too close. And he most certainly doesn’t mind the Admin’s own gentle, yet rare touches. Touches Lukas has grown to look forward to.
     “Gaaahhh.” A frustrated groan. 
     On his way to the forest with Dewey, Lukas cannot help but succumb to the dismay of his own troubles. He’s stopped mid-hike, hand resting over his eyes, rubbing at his forehead as frustrations begin to arise. There is something wrong with him. Something Lukas cannot even begin to understand. 
     Dewey sits on stand by, rolling his eyes to look away from his owner and turns his head. Just then, the sound of leaves crunching in the distance are quickly noticed by the ocelot. Dewey stands and turns, bristling up when he sees them.
     “Lukas?”
     The familiarity of the voice makes his stomach drop. Lukas’ eyes snap open, taking a mere second to come back to reality before he drops his hand back down to his side and turns, feeling his heart plummet into the pit of his chest when he sets eyes on them.
     Dark clothes, weapons at their hips or drawn in their gloved hands, with straps and holsters holding Creators knows what other kinds of useless junk these people carry. The hunters approach him, crushing the fallen leaves as they ascend a slope to meet up with him. Petra is at the front, her voice being the owner of the one who’d called out his name. Beside her is Jack, and to Lukas’ unsettling realization, Aiden and his little gang follow close behind. Lukas’ heart pounds. He doesn’t even want to spare a glance at those three. 
     He nods his head once, acknowledging the hunters’ approach. “Good morning to you, Petra. Jack.” He nods at the deputy hunter, Jack returning the gesture with a simple nod and a fond smile. 
     “Mornin’ to you, Lukas!” Jack responds first in a positive tone, something that immediately helps ease the rising tension of being caught out here. At the very least, he’s still a good couple chunks away from the Admin’s domain.
     Dewey puffs up, stepping back slowly as the hunters close in until he’s uprooting from his spot and bounding behind Lukas’ legs, peeking out from behind. Jack fixes Dewey with a friendly look, while Petra ignores the ocelot’s presence. Dewey’s wide green eyes flick between the two before darting towards Aiden, his eyes narrowing into unfriendly slits and his ears flattening back when Aiden’s equally unwelcoming glare meets his own. 
     Petra now stands in front of him, Jack beside her and Aiden… crossing his arms and scowling, keeping his glare averted on something in the distance. Maya and Gill don’t seem quite bothered by Lukas’ appearance as much as their little ring leader is, so the two stand idly and watch. 
     “What brings you guys out into the woods so early?” Lukas questions, attempting to keep things casual despite the adrenaline spiking his nerves.
 ��   “Patrolling.” Petra replies flatly. The redhead looks Lukas up and down, always seeming so unimpressed no matter who or what she’s looking at. “What are you doing so deep in the woods?” 
      So deep? Lukas tenses. I’ve only been out here for twenty minutes or so! I’ve hardly made my way in. 
     “Uhh..” Lukas hesitates, feeling an unimaginable rise in discomfort. He keeps his gaze rested upon Petra, that is until Aiden’s glare of suspicion catches his attention, immediately making Lukas’ blood boil. He quickly looks around at his feet, spying something of interest and an easy excuse out of his predicament. 
     He reaches for his satchel, opening its flap and reaching in to grab a few fern fronds he’d collected a few days prior. “I’m very glad you asked. I’ve been studying the ferns out here, comparing the fronds of many different growths. As you can see, this frond has fully developed,” the example he shows is a frond that’s completely unraveled, “while here you can see this one has a fiddlehead, a young frond that can be cooked or eaten raw as a vegetable. They’re high in nutrients and low in calories. Did you know ferns are known to be one of the longest existing plant species? They commonly grow in tropical climates, but they can also grow in many other warm, moist places where there is plenty of shade. Also–”
     “Okay, okay…” Petra grimaces as she gestures for Lukas to stop. “I got it. Thank you for the… fern insight.” 
     “Fern facts.”
     “Whatever.”
     “Hey, I thought it was kind of interesting.” Jack shrugged. 
     “Aw, see Petra? Jack thinks it’s interesting.” Lukas smirks, crossing his fern wielding arms. 
     “Yeah well Jack thinks a lot of things are interesting. You should see how he acts about sand.”
     “Wha-! Interesting? More like deadly. Once when I was in the–” 
     “Oh jeez,” Petra pinches the bridge of her nose. “Let’s just drop this. We don’t have time for sand stories. Time is of value, so let’s not waste it standing here.” Petra turns away now, walking past Lukas. The author feels a wave of ultimate relief wash over him when the group begins to move past him. 
     “Uh, good luck with your patrol! Be safe out there.” Lukas says, feigning a smile. Such words stop Petra in her tracks. The mayor comes to a halt, standing still, staring forward for three seconds before she’s turning back towards him, resting her hands at her hips. 
     “Why don’t you join us today, Lukas?” She asks.
     “What?!” Both Lukas and Aiden say in unison before snapping their attention back to each other and glaring daggers. 
     “What do you mean, what? ” The redhead steps closer, approaching him with her chin raised questioningly. “To join us on the other side of the forest, the land which you have no permission to enter. Come on? Doesn’t that sound exciting to you?” She narrows her gaze, staring down upon Lukas, making the man feel smaller and smaller with every word, and every agonizing second of being questioned. “You finally have a chance to see what’s really out there.”
     Lukas’ heart hammers in his chest just as his palms have begun to sweat. He meets Petra’s dark, amber eyes, utterly stunned with the question, and all the more horrified of what may become of him if he is to answer yes to it. 
     “I don’t know… I almost died out there,” Lukas insists. “I’ve been quite comfortable here in this forest. There’s nothing for me out there but more dangers of falling into more of your guys’ pitfall traps.” That causes Petra to laugh. Laugh heartily, and with unsettling amusement. Lukas does not find humor in his response at all. 
     “Hahaha! Pitfalls? That’s what you’re worried about? Seriously?” Petra scoffs, shaking her head. “You’re funny, Lukas. Here.” The woman reaches into her inventory and pulls out something that immediately makes Lukas’ blood run cold. She holds a stone sword by its grip, the blade facing up as she offers it out to the petrified blond. She waits… eyeing his tense and unresponsive demeanor. “Come on man, just take it.” 
     …No response. She doesn’t wait any longer, choosing to shove the sword into Lukas’ hands, something the blond struggles to get a grasp on until she finally lets go. 
     Lukas holds the sword with both hands, awkwardly wielding it by its grip with the sharp end pointing down at his feet. He’s speechless, his stomach churning with a truly uneasy feeling as he stares down at the stone weapon. It isn’t much on a scale of weapon reliability, but a weapon is a weapon, something Lukas has never wanted to, or had the need to wield since his failed training back at the Citadel many many years ago. 
     Petra just stares at him, giving him a quizzical look over before reaching back out, taking the sword from him and adjusting his hand for him, then giving back the sword so it’s held up right in his hand properly. “There. Jeez dude, you act like you’ve never held a sword before!” She laughs again as she walks away from him now. His look of uncertainty does not fall away, only strengthened when he sees her use her left hand to pull a diamond sword from the scabbard attached to her hip. “Let’s move. Come on, Lukas. You’ll have a great time. Oh, and I promise so long as you keep up with us, there will be no falling into pits or anything of that sort.” 
     Lukas opens his mouth to speak, then clamps his lips shut and looks back down at the sword in his hands. Creators, he’s shaking. What does he even do in this situation? He can’t just… just say no. That will raise suspicion. These people know how enthusiastic he is learning about the nature around him. To turn down the opportunity to be escorted through the part of the forest he’d been told to never enter… It should feel like a dream. This, however, feels like a nightmare.
     He watches the hunters go, hesitating to follow along. He doesn’t miss the narrowed glare Aiden shoots at him before turning his head to follow his superiors. Sucking in a deep breath, Lukas swallows the nervous block in his throat, puts the sword in his inventory, and picks up his feet, following them further into the forest. At the very least, this may be another good opportunity to gain more information on the hunter’s motives. But before that, there is something else Lukas wants to investigate first.
     Dewey follows close after his owner, keeping a sharp eye on the trio of hunters he’s heard plenty of bad stories about. Passing most of the group, no one stops Lukas as he makes his way to reach the patrol leader who walks a couple blocks ahead.
      “Petra… Can I talk to you real quick?” Lukas whispers.
     “You already are, aren’t you.” She responds dryly, without sparing him a glance. 
     He must restrain the urge to roll his eyes. Ever the optimist, this girl. Lukas dismisses her careless attitude and continues. “I… I don’t understand. Why did you give me a sword? Y-you know I really don’t need something like this, and well, I’m surprised you’re giving it to me anyways? I thought you’d hate me after…” He trails off, assuming she’d catch on to what he’s referring to. 
     She quirks a scarred brow, her dark eyes flicking down to Lukas as he walks beside her. “I heard you don’t carry weapons. Is that true?” 
     “I… well… yeah, but–”
     “But nothing. You’re in the woods. You’re in the presence of many monsters who are just waiting for the sun to go down to come out and try and kill you. You know, for such an intellect, I never took you to be so foolish.” Petra responds, her tone casual as ever, sparing no emotion. 
      Foolish? Lukas bites his tongue. “I have stayed on time getting back to anywhere I’m staying before even worrying about getting caught under nightfall. There’s nothing to worry about when you stick to your schedule accordingly. I rarely come across monsters, and when I do, they’re never fast enough to catch up to me.”
     “Yeah, well, the monster in these woods won’t give you even a second's chance to run.” Petra averts her gaze, staring ahead. She and Lukas step over a large fallen tree, continuing further into the serene woodland. “Just shut up and stop complaining. I’m not taking the sword back.” 
      Creators, this woman is difficult to work with. Lukas scowls and shakes his head, allowing the conversation to break into a moment of silence before he’s choosing to speak up again. “Why? Why are you even bothering to arm me? Why did you offer to bring me along? Aren’t you upset with me for what I said?”
     Petra seems to give the questions some thought, ignoring the first two when sharing her answer. “Nah.” She replies. 
     Lukas’ eyes widened at that. “What? No? Seriously? Why not?” Petra sighs, and Lukas can hear the leather of her gloves tighten as she balls her hands into tight fists. 
     “Jeez, you are loaded with questions. Short answer, because I don’t care to get into this, is that you… are correct.” Petra admits with a strong look of annoyance on her face. “I don’t like what has become of BeaconTown either. I don’t want to see it like this, but until we are free of the Admin, life cannot go back to what it once was.” 
     Lukas sucks in a sharp breath. “And why is that exactly?” He asks on a whim. Petra simply chuckles, though the sound doesn’t come out light-heartedly. It’s dark and unsettling, holding something wicked behind its dip in pitch. 
     “You’re better off worrying about your snails and ferns, Lukas. The Admin is business far out of your league. You’ll be safer staying out of it. Trust me.” Petra responds, and Lukas cannot be any more annoyed with that answer more than he already is with the constant tip-toeing around information. Why not? He wants to blurt out, but he holds his tongue. 
     “Stay out of it? Aren’t you getting me…directly involved by bringing me into the part of the woods where this… Admin guy resides?” He asks pointedly. 
     “Hmm. Yeah, guess you got me there.” She shrugs. “No, but really the point of me deciding to bring you along is to see how skilled you are in this new kind of environment. We could use someone with ecological smarts like you on our team.” 
     Lukas’ jaw drops and he must look away. What a horrifying response that is. Completely out of nowhere, and so direct? As if Petra thinks he would actually say yes to working with them, especially when they’re still so unwilling to give up details. Her mind is more far gone than he’d previously presumed. “Petra… that’s…” Lukas shakes his head. “ No.” He states instantly. 
     Unbeknownst to him, Lukas is having a hole burned into the back of his head by a certain hunter listening in on the conversation. 
     “Eh,” the mayor shrugs. “I expected that answer, but let’s wait until you see what’s on the other side of the fog. I’m sure there’s plenty of…uh…nature things to fill up your journals with. It will make for a great chapter in your encyclopedia.”
     Lukas feels like he’s gonna be sick. To have a weapon handed to him, and the offer to join forces with the very people going out of their way to hunt down his friend so they can kill him… If Lukas had ocelot ears and a tail, they’d be pinned back and dragging at his feet the same way Dewey’s are while hearing this conversation. Lukas glances down at his ocelot companion, the jungle cat walking by his side looks up at him to meet his gaze with a worrisome look. Me too, buddy. I don’t like this at all…
     Approaching the fog laden treeline, Lukas begins to feel nauseated with dread. Is it too late to turn now and say he’s fallen ill? Maybe he can conjure up an excuse. Anything to get him out of this situation and running back to his room in BeaconTown. Although, he is driven with the temptation to learn more about the hunters’ intentions here in the Admin’s domain. He just hopes… Oh Creators how he hopes that the deity is not awaiting his return in their secret meeting spot. 
     Petra suddenly grabs Lukas by the arm and pulls him close to her side. He gasps and looks up, startled and confused. “Stay close. The fog is like a maze. It may take some time to breach, so don’t venture off or we might lose you.” The woman’s grip on him tightens and Lukas mumbles out a stressed “okay.”  
     Like she said, the fog is nearly impossible to see through. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen it so dense here. Maybe during the first few times he’d attempted to return, only to have found himself teleported out over and over again. This means Admin must know they are here. The most dreadful feeling overcomes him knowing this. Knowing Admin could be watching him right now, traveling with the hunters. He just hopes his friend will understand when he tells him.
     After minutes of treading through the vast fog layer, the author and mayor breach the fog first, Jack following right after, then Aiden and his followers. The forest�� has never looked darker. Lukas’ skin immediately rises with goosebumps, his body tense and uneasy. Petra seems to notice this because the woman lets go of his arm and gives him a firm pat on the back. 
     “Woah dude, relax.” The redhead chides. “We hardly stepped a single foot in.”
     “I… really don’t know about this, Petra.” Lukas mutters, unable to ease the tension. 
     “Aw, what’s wrong, Lukas? ” The last thing he needs right now decides to speak up unprompted. Aiden circles him like a bristling wolf, glaring at him with a cocky grin. Lukas’ nervousness keeps him from responding, which only persuades Aiden to make more snide comments. “Seem nervous. Why’s that?” The bratty hunter closes in, crossing his arms and leaning forward. “Someone here you don’t want seeing you with us?” 
     Lukas closes his eyes and breathes in. He has never been one to insight violence, but Aiden is in close proximity to getting a face full of fist. He… hates that Aiden is right. But he doesn’t know that, does he?
     “Good grief, leave him alone Aiden.” Jack speaks up, coming to stand next to the two. “Anyone would be scared to be led back to the place they almost lost their life in.” The veteran adventurer turns towards the tense blond, giving the taller man a light pat on the shoulder, a gesture for comfort. “Trust me when I say Lukas, there will be no falling into any pitfalls today. Heh, not that there’s really any left to fall into afterall. Ol’ Admin’s been up to no good. Destroying everything we’ve set out and whatnot. As Petra said, you’ll be safe so long as you stick alongside us.”
      I don’t want to be alongside you. I want to be with Admin.
     Lukas turns away, giving Jack a single nod. 
      So… They want to see what I can offer in terms of ecological knowledge. Lukas thinks on this as he follows the group in, always sticking by Petra’s and Jack’s sides and refusing to look back at Aiden. He doesn’t need to look back to know that Aiden is focusing all of his downright obsessive attention on him. Lukas instead focuses on the surroundings ahead. 
     While the forest does appear darker, with far more fog filling in the gaps between the distant trees, Lukas is able to recognize some notable details in the area. One of which being a downed tree resting upon another, being held up by the spruce's thick, sturdy branches alone. Lukas sighs, glancing down at the forest floor. This part of the forest lacks the colors he’ll find deeper in, closer to the river and beyond its flowing current. Here, there’s nothing but towering evergreens and thick foliage to get any adventurer lost. 
      What knowledge could they possibly be looking for? These people have been at it for how long? It’s been years now. Why don’t they just give up and leave Admin alone? Lukas’ irritation rises and keeps him silent, even as the group around him talks occasionally. Mostly Maya and Gill goofing off or Jack and Petra exchanging insight on their surroundings. Aiden hasn’t said a word, which is very unsettling.
     The ocelot is being herded by a pack of wolves into a dragon’s den. The tension never wavers, only strengthening when Lukas feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, coupled with a strong shiver striking down his spine. The author nearly gags at the implication. He looks around, searching the vast fog for a glowing set of eyes, but sees nothing. 
      Oh Admin please… Please, whatever you do, stay away. 
      A gentle touch at his leg draws Lukas’ attention down. Seeing Dewey smear his spotted pelt over his leg, the ocelot glances up, giving his whiskers a twitch and opening his mouth to offer a silent meow. Lukas sighs heavily and smiles tiredly. We’ll be okay, Dew. We will be.
      Time passes…and passes. Lukas glances down at his watch. It’s already noon. 
     The group has come upon numerous traps that seemed to have been destroyed. The one Petra and Jack investigate now is some sort of pressure plate system. The group is ordered to stand out of the way, and when they do, Jack gives the plate a tap with his sword. A dispenser can be heard activating somewhere, but nothing else of note happens. Lukas looks around, trying to spy where the trap is hiding. Jack approaches a tree, and to the ecologist’s shock, watches him open up part of a tree to reveal the hidden dispenser. 
     Wow. These people are dedicated to a disturbing degree. This is probably the first trap he’s seen that could have maybe actually done something to the Admin. The pitfalls seem pointless, knowing the Admin can just lift himself out of them, and the net traps are the same. Meaningless and ineffective. This though, he watches Jack shake his head, making a ‘tutting’ sound as he leaves the dispenser. 
     “Looks like it's been emptied. Shall I refill it?” He asks. 
     “No. If it’s empty, the Admin probably emptied it himself.” Petra glances around the area, specifically the area where the dispenser is pointed. “Doesn’t look like it was ever triggered.”
     Lukas stays silent as he watches the two discuss the matter. He recalls Aiden saying that these traps… they’re all meant to be distractions . Lukas has mulled that over plenty of times in his head, and the only logical reason he could come up with for that purpose is that they are trying to keep the Admin on his feet. To keep him aware that they’re still actively seeking him out. If they aren’t truly trying to trap him, then perhaps they’re trying to buy time. What for? Lukas has no idea. He’s made a spider web of ideas in one of his journals trying to figure it all out.
     Now comes the only other problem. Clearly, these people have no intention of telling Lukas the truth behind their motives. Jack and Petra both have now said that he’s better off staying out of it. That he’s safer this way. How is he any safer? These are the people setting up traps. These people are the one turning BeaconTown into a hotspot for criminal activity. They’re the ones burning down the forest, forcing animals out of their home, and all for the sake of weeding one single, …innocent person out. 
     At least, he’s sure Admin is innocent. Admin has never given him a reason to believe otherwise, what with all the rescues and gifts. He’d been hesitant to open himself up to Lukas because of what these people have done. There’s just no way Admin is in the wrong in this situation. Lukas refuses to believe it. 
     “Let’s keep going.” Petra turns her head towards the group, her tired gaze resting upon Lukas. “There’s a few more areas I want to check out before evening.” With that, they keep moving. 
     Lukas is briefly brought back to his thoughts about the traps and their purposes. Mostly back to the words Aiden had spoken over a week ago now. The author takes a careful peek over at the brunette as they all walk. Aiden’s focus is fixated forward, and his expression has that eternal pissed off look. At least the Admin was grumpy for a good reason. Aiden is just… Aiden is scary.  Lukas takes his chance to look at him. Really look at him. 
     He cannot believe this is the same Aiden from The Citadel. It truly is no wonder why Lukas never recognized him at first. The man looks much paler, with scars littered across his face. His hair is a short, choppy mess. He looks extremely unkempt. His green eyes don’t gleam like emeralds the same way Dewey’s does. Instead, they’re the color of potions of poison. Dangerous eyes. Lukas looks away the moment the man looks back at him.
     Feeling uneasy, Lukas decides to pick up his pace, Dewey trotting alongside him up to Petra and Jack.
     “Heeey so…uhh…what exactly was it you guys wanted me out here for? You mentioned my…intellect. What exactly are you hoping for?” Lukas asks, offering a shy, uncertain smile. 
     “Glad you asked,” Jack says with a kind smile. “You seem to really know your way around forests and trees and stuff. An ecologist like you with knowledge of the environment could really prove useful in helping us navigate and, well, better understand what it is the Admin is doing to this place.” Jack raises his right arm, gesturing around to the trees. “Clearly you can see it’s not normal here. Nothing like back in the first forest layer. This is all the Admin’s doing.” 
      Yeah, and it’s kind of beautiful isn’t it? Lukas wishes he could say. The blond draws in a sharp breath, looking around. “Well, I mean yes. It certainly is way different than any forest I’ve ever been in, but usually when I do my studies, it takes me almost an entire week just to get comfortable in the biome before I can settle down and start my real work. I’d have to…” Lukas grabs his own arm, looking away towards the fog. “I’d have to spend a lot of time here before I can get a good idea of what I’m working with.”
     “Hmmm…” Jack hums, considering the idea while Petra gives them both the side eye, silently waiting to hear Jack’s response. Jack turns his head to Petra. “Think we could try upping our patrols? Bring Lukas along as a group?” 
     “N-no!” Lukas blurts out before he can stop himself. The blond snaps his mouth shut when both heads of authority in BeaconTown shift their curious eyes to him. Under an extremely unwanted spotlight, Lukas quickly continues. “I don’t have time to help you guys. I’m really sorry. My deadline is coming up at the end of October. We’re already closing in on September’s end and I cannot waste a second of time out here. My work is dedicated to normal biomes people are likely to come across. Not whatever…this is. When October ends, I leave, but uhh… I’d be happy to leave some of my notes of the first forest layer for you guys.”
     Just then a dreadful shudder overwhelms him. His skin feels prickly. The blond slaps the hairs on the back of his neck and attempts to look around without being suspicious. Jack and Petra watch the author’s strange behavior, keeping an eye on him as he keeps his eyes averted to the foggy distance. After a few moments of silence, Jack just shrugs. 
     “Ah, it never hurts to try. Thanks for hearing us out at the very least. You’re dedicated to your work. I admire that. Nurm is a lot like you. He won’t stand for anything getting in the way of his tasks.” Jack chuckles, seemingly taking the refusal well. Petra stays silent, keeping her amber gaze on him for a few moments longer before turning away. 
     Lukas is forever thankful of Jack’s comforting demeanor. 
     “You seem awfully tense, Lukas. Got something else on your mind?” The mayor projects a question that our author can only feel increasing turmoil with. There is not a second of this nature walk where he feels anywhere close to as good as he does when he’s with Admin. These people are just… Lukas blinks, coming to what feels like a random realization and idea. 
     That’s right. These are people. Just people. With many, many years of life experience. He may be able to use this moment to his own information seeking advantage. 
     Lukas glances up at Petra and nods. “Yeah, I guess I do have a bit on my mind. Do you mind if I ask you something…” He glances at Jack, then back to her. “In private?” Petra seems taken aback by such a request, her amber eyes widening for only a split second before narrowing in on him. She doesn’t respond verbally, instead offering a single nod. 
     “Lukas and I will walk ahead.” She tells Jack.
     “Sure thing.” Jack responds.
     Lukas walks fast, but Petra walks faster. Putting nearly a chunk’s distance between them both and the rest of the group, the ecologist begins to feel a little more at ease being further away from Aiden. He sighs softly when the two drop back into a normal walking pace. 
     “Uhh. So…kind of a weird…question.” 
     “As to be expected.”
     Lukas just rolls his eyes. “Okay so you’re like…friends with a bunch of people, right?” 
     Petra sighs. “Yep. Definitely weird question.” She shrugs. “Uh. Yeah. Guess you could say that.”
     “And… Jesse was your friend right?” 
     Petra sucks in a sharp breath. Lukas watches her maneuver her head, as if she were shaking something off in slow movements, before releasing a deep, deep exhale. Her eyes darken and now, Lukas can get a much better look at the bags under the mayor’s eyes. Her voice darkens significantly. “Yeah. He was my best friend.” 
      Jeez… Lukas frowns, turning his gaze down. “Uhhh okay. Well. Radar and Nell informed me he was quite the hugger. Like… loved hugs. Does that mean he hugged you? And you know…you hugged him? Because you’re friends and all? …That’s what friends do?”
     Petra suddenly stops, stiffening where she stands and taking on this tense look of discomfort. She finally looks down at him, her auburn brows furrowed and her eyes wide and intimidating. “Is this seriously what you pulled me away for?” She growls.
     “Well…I was just…Uhh…” Okay. Lukas had kind of imagined himself approaching this with better wording. So far, he’s done a terrible job with asking his question. He emits an awkward little laugh, rubbing his arm. “ Sorry. I’m trying to ask if you, you know, know how to hug people. Your friends. Exactly.” 
     Petra’s eye twitches. She looks at him like he’s a crazy person. “Okay. First of all, We are not friends. Second of all. I am not hugging you, there’s plenty of trees around here you can go hug. Trust me, they’re way more your type.” 
     Lukas’ expression drops completely flat and unamused. “Okay. First of all,” he repeats. “I’m not asking because of that! I’m asking for…uhhh…” Lukas pauses, a redstone block lighting up right above his head. “Writing purposes! I was actually asking because outside of my encyclopedia, I am writing an article on friendship and how important it is. With you being one of the Order members and all, I was curious to know how you might go about showing your friends affection,” since you’re such a hard-ass and all, “and what’s important to you in friendship.”
     That deranged look does not settle on her face. In fact, the expression nearly pulls a laugh out of Lukas. “Lukas, I’m not even joking, I think I threw up in my mouth a little hearing all that. You have got to stop hanging out around Radar and Nell.” 
     Lukas does laugh at that. His laugh is gentle and lighthearted, putting his hand to his chest as he smiles. “Okay, maybe, but you’ve got to admit, they’ve still got that BeaconTown charm.” Entirely out of nowhere, a horrible cold shiver spikes him, causing the blond to briefly tremble, making his string of hearts jump with anxiety. He is reduced to silence because of the nauseating feeling, while Petra closes her eyes as her expression finally drops into something much softer. A laugh, genuine and tugging at her scarred lips. She shakes her head, huffing her amusement before nodding. 
     “They do, so bad it's actually kind of painful.” Is what she says. 
     The author attempts to shake off this harrowingly bad feeling. Lukas is pleased to see this gentler side to Petra. Before he’d slowly gotten to know her with their few interactions, he kind of just assumed she was this emotionless brute hellbent on making the town insufferable. After that argument they had back in the Order Hall, up to now, knowing she’d given Radar and Nell permission to build, and openly admitted that she… does not like what BeaconTown has become either. This reassures Lukas that there may truly be some kind of internal conflict. Conflicting sides with one going against her true morals, and regretfully winning overall. 
     He may not like her, but she is going out of her way to arm him for his protection. There may be an ounce of care in her afterall. This alleviates some tension from him at the very least, and while she does not respond to his question, he kind of never expected her to in the first place. Anything to make him look weird and make her want to avoid him, the better. 
     For now though, they stop and wait up for the rest of the patrol to reach them, and once they do, Lukas decides on another idea.
     Lukas waves his hand. “Don’t wait up for me. Despite all that I said, I am still a little interested in examining some of the flora here for a bit…” The rest of the group comes to a stop beside them, but the author doesn’t spare them a glance. The hunters wait around him expectantly. “Uhh…” Lukas rubs the back of his neck a bit anxiously. “I’ll need some space with no distractions if that’s okay. Could you guys just carry on ahead and stick around the area?” 
     Petra and Jack look at one another, both giving a shrug, essentially a silent ‘why not?’ gesture. “Sure. But don’t stray out of this area. The deeper into the Admin’s territory you go, the more danger you’re putting yourself in. Just… stick to this spot and we’ll come find you in a bit.” 
     Lukas nods. Sure, he can work with that.
     Following their leader, the patrol leaves through a scrawny path, compact with dense branches that Lukas can hear brushing against their forms until they move out of earshot. He waits… and waits… until in a matter of moments, all returns to that eerie silence. A heavy sigh escapes him, having been withheld since the moment he passed through the foggy barrier. He looks down, expression softening warmly when he sees Dewey sitting by his legs, watching the path the hunters disappeared into.
     “What a surprise this has been, huh Dew?” Lukas asks and the ocelot quickly nods, followed by an annoyed thrash of his long tail. “I know, I know, me too. But… we’ve got to work with them for now.” He kneels down, covering his mouth with his hand as he whispers close to his ocelot. “I want to know what they’re hiding.” 
     “Sorry, what was that?” 
     Lukas jolts, quickly coming to a stand and turning back towards the trail, only to have his attention averted from another spot in the bushes. The last person he wants to see appears from behind a wall of undergrowth, immediately making Lukas’ blood run cold. Aiden’s eyes lay out against him, his expression stern with an annoying confidence Lukas has grown sick of as he closes the gap between himself and the author. No one else seems to be with him. 
      This can’t be good. 
     “Wanna say that louder for me?” Aiden’s hostile tone is ever present, to be expected at this point. “Didn’t quite catch it.”
     Lukas just scoffs. “What? Me telling Dewey he’ll be getting a treat for his extra work today?” He crosses his arms, keeping up a defensive stance while Aiden approaches and stops in front of him. The slightly shorter, but bulkier male lays his hands on his hips.
     “Pffhah! Yeah, right.” Aiden’s nose crinkles and he grits his teeth. “Whatever. You mind tellin’ me what the hell it is you think you’re doing?”
     Confusion. Lukas squints. “What are you even talking about?”
     “Oh don’t play that oblivious game with me!” Aiden snaps, his gloved hands balling into tight fists. “I told you to stay out of our business, yet here you are! Getting directly involved. Trying to squeeze your way into our ranks with no work! No effort! Just some stupid journal and quill. What a joke!” The hunter spats. 
     Dewey bristles and arches his back, emitting a deep growl as Aiden’s voice raises. The man’s sharp, venomous gaze snaps down to the ocelot, his expression turning to that of pure rage. 
     “Tell your damn cat to shut up,” the hunter demands. 
     Lukas sucks in a sharp breath and steps his foot down. “No. Dewey will do as he pleases. As for you, why can’t you just leave me alone?” 
     “What? So you can go get the Admin? Go tell him where we are so we all get killed?!” 
     “What! No!” Lukas takes a step back. “ Creators, Aiden, what is your problem with me? What did I ever do to you to make you think I was some servant to this… this thing I still know hardly anything about!”
     “I already told you!” Aiden growls. “Ever since you came to BeaconTown, the forest has been changing. The traps are being destroyed, the animals have been coming back, and we’ve lost track of that damned Admin!” Aiden steps forward. “Petra is too lost in her own world to listen to me. Jack is too washed up after that stupid villager went home! I’m the only person keeping things on track around here. I’m the only one noticing the obvious.” He steps forward more, closing in on Lukas as the author takes step after step backwards. “You may think you have fooled everyone, but you haven’t fooled me.” 
      “You are way out of your jurisdiction, Aiden. Petra is the mayor. She’s the one in charge. Not. You.” Lukas’ voice deepens with every word. Dewey’s stopped growling, but he stays puffed up and right beside Lukas’ feet. “You’re making false accusations all based on ignorant assumptions!”
     “Ohhoh.. Is that what you think?” Aiden chuckles darkly, closing his eyes and shaking his head with a wicked smirk. “Your types piss me off. You and Radar both think you’re such know it all’s.” 
     “No, I don’t know everything. But you know what I do know? For someone who spent years training to become a hero, you sure do suck at protecting civilians.” This causes Aiden’s green eyes to snap open to stare sharply at Lukas. Lukas swallows the block forming in his throat, feeling tense with adrenaline as he continues. “You’re no hero though. You insult me, you insult others. You threaten me with acts of violence, and a promise to hurt when I’ve done no wrong.” Lukas scowls down at Aiden, finding the confidence to take a step forward and unfold his arms, keeping them stationed at his sides. “You’re no hero.” 
     “No…hero?” Aiden laughs. “No hero???” He continues to laugh. 
     “Yeah!” Lukas snaps, finding immense frustration with Aiden’s abhorrent laughter. “I remember you from The Citadel.” This confession doesn’t seem to make Aiden budge. “I remember so many people looked up to you. You were an inspiration. For your bravery and for your strength, yet at the same time people still feared you for your unchecked aggression! And now look at you.” Lukas gestures towards him. “You haven’t changed at all! Except now nobody looks up to you! And nobody ever will.” 
     Wrong word choice.
     Lukas’ collar is suddenly grabbed and the blond is yanked closer by a tight fist, causing him to stumble and latch onto Aiden’s wrists to keep himself from falling. Dewey growls and spats, but the author uses his foot to keep his ocelot from getting closer. Panicking, he clenches his teeth as he desperately attempts to pull away or to pry Aiden’s hand off him. 
     “You’re wrong.” Aiden’s eyes narrow in on Lukas’, blazing with hatred. “Everyone at The Citadel looked up to me because they saw the real hero that’s in me. They saw someone who would never back down. Who would never give up. Something a stupid, worthless little ecologist like you would never understand.” 
     The fists on his collar tighten, and as Lukas stares, terrified, back into those green eyes, he swears he can see a fire blazing behind those dangerous irises.
     “I will show everyone in BeaconTown what a true hero looks like. The Old Order were frauds! They failed themselves. They failed us! They failed the world! And the New Order? They were all failures to begin with! Jesse was a nobody! All he had was luck! Axel and Olivia too! Just some losers who got lucky! Petra was the only one with the real heroic ideology! Unlike the New Order’s pathetic leader, she was driven! Motivated to do what it takes to be a real hero, and that’s to take down and destroy all those who oppose her! Jesse saw a second chance in everybody! That’s what made him weak.” 
     Lukas scrunches his face up as he’s shouted at, but Aiden gives him a violent shake, ensuring he keeps his eyes on him. “But Petra is cracking. She has been ever since Jesse was lost!” The hunter’s voice settles down now, deepening with grave ideals. “First I’m going to get rid of this damned Admin. Then I’m going to get rid of her. But if you keep getting in my fucking way and keep me from my goals, I’ll find every reason to do away with you myself.” 
     Lukas nearly chokes. He cannot believe what he’s hearing. “G-get rid of her?! Aiden that’s– that’s insanity! You can’t overthrow her!” 
     “I can do anything I fucking want if she’s dead. ” Aiden releases Lukas with a harsh throw, pushing him back to the point where Lukas almost falls over. Almost. He stumbles and looks back up at Aiden, horrified. “Getting rid of Jack will be easy. Killing the Admin will be glorious! And once it’s done, then Petra is all that’s left,” he grins valiantly, raising his fist.
     “ I will be BeaconTown’s new leader. I will show the world what true heroism looks like! I’ll put those damned Order’s to shame. A new generation of heroes will rise, and I will be the one that leads them!”
     Lukas is beside himself with disbelief, shocked down to his very core. He can’t… he can’t believe what he’s hearing. This is what Aiden is planning? He’s completely out of his mind! It’s no wonder Petra has allowed BeaconTown to fall from grace. This man speaks his ideals with confidence and stoicism. Someone desperate for ideas would be moved by the way he speaks, but these horrifying secrets, coming to light before his eyes. And Jack and Petra have no idea! 
     Now would be a great time for them to return, but if Lukas had to guess, Aiden waited until they’d all made it far away enough to sneak back here to try and interrogate him again.
     Lukas is breathless. “But… but why. Why is heroism now not good enough for you?”
     “Don’t make me laugh again, Lukas. You’re the last person to be talking about what it means heroism. All you do is walk around, pick flowers, and take up space and resources. It’s no wonder no one liked you back at The Citadel. You don’t do anything to contribute to our world.” 
     Lukas puffs up, taking a single heavy step closer. “That’s where you’re wrong. My book will save people. It will help guide people of all kinds through dangerous terrain. Help people better understand what to expect when coming into a biome that’s unfamiliar.” 
     “Pffahah… It sure will help weed out inferior people trying to be heroes. A real hero doesn’t need some stupid book. We go off our natural instincts. We persevere with strength and dignity.” Aiden steps closer and closer, closing the distance again and making Lukas’ stomach churn with unease. “I suggest you go back to town, pack your bags and leave. You don’t belong here, Lukas. ” The hunter reaches out, shoving the middle of Lukas’ chest with his hand and pushing the blond backwards. 
     Dewey snarls. He’s had it watching this human growl and snap at his beloved owner. Lunging forward, he gives Aiden a swift swipe at his leg. The hunter shouts as needle-like claws tear at his skin. 
      Thud! 
     A hard kick sends the ocelot hurtling back into the dirt. Dewey lands with a heavy thump, laying motionless for only a second before he’s moving his limbs to readjust. His lip curls to show his sharp canines and his emerald eyes flare something wild and fierce. He’s about ready to pounce, only to stop and hesitate. Aiden is subsequently grabbed by the shirt, the loud smack of a fist landing against his face breaks the silence and sends the hunter stumbling back. He quickly regains control, lifting his hand to hold his cheek that reddens rapidly. 
     Pure unbridled fury turns Lukas’ face scarlet red. Adrenaline spikes his blood and shakes his vision. His heart rages, thundering in his chest. There’s no time to think or speak. Aiden winds back up and closes in, coming at Lukas with his fist flying, making contact with his eye and sending him backwards. 
     His mind and body feel faint. Darkness overwhelms him for a split second until he’s seeing a rush of spiraling visions of his surroundings. There’d been no knowing of the slope they were bordering. The blazing punch that bruises Lukas’ face sends him hurtling down the slope, tumbling and tumbling over dirt, grass, and leaves until he comes to a stop at the base. A ringing fills his ears and through the muffled distortion, he can just barely hear the sound of Dewey yowling.
     Aiden shouts from atop the slope. “If you get in my way… If you try to do anything against me, I will kill you, and your stupid cat too!” 
     With that, all returns to silence.
8 notes · View notes
acidiclungz · 4 months ago
Text
gas station
a mini oc x pastas teehee
Tumblr media
The clock on the wall read 12:30 when the chime of the gas station door announced the arrival of new customers. Lilith barely looked up, assuming it was just another trucker coming after a late night pit stop.
Her indifference quickly shifted when she heard the sharp tones of an argument between two men.
“You’re paying this time,” one of them insisted.
“With what fucking money?”
Lilith sighed and returned to scrolling on her phone, trying to ignore the argument. Her focus was broken again when three more people entered the store.
“Will both of you shut the fuck up!” A girl’s voice cut through the commotion with frustration.
The boy with black shaggy hair and a wicked smile engraved turned towards the girl. “Toby, get your dog.”
“Fuck off Jeff,” said Toby, a lanky figure with floppy brown hair.
The final member of the group was an extremely tall figure cloaked in a hood, their face hidden completely. As the group continued, an uneasy atmosphere lingered in the store, leaving Lilith feeling strangely uncomfortable.
Jeff finally approached the counter and his scowl quickly melted into a grin. “Hi, pretty girl. Mind ringing me up?”
Lilith tried to remain indifferent, but his comment made her slightly flustered. What could she say? She had a weakness for losers.
“Jeff, stop flirting and just pay,” the shorter blonde boy said without looking up from his phone.
Jeff rolled his eyes but returned his focus to Lilith. “How much do I owe you, doll?”
“$25.37,” she replied shortly, aiming to finish up the transaction. Jeff might be attractive in her eyes but his demeanor was unsettling.
“You’re scaring the poor girl, Jeffrey,” the hooded figure interjected. His voice was unsettlingly deep, setting off alarm bells in her head.
“You’re all set,” Lilith said, forcing a small smile as she handed Jeff his bag.
He winked at her before leaving the store, his friends following close behind.
Before the door closed, the girl from earlier called out, “I’m telling Nina.”
“Do not.”
Lilith rolled her eyes. She returned to her phone, checking the list her boss had sent her.
While she was stocking the energy drinks, the bell above the door chimed again.
“Hey, you, what’s your name?” The same girl from earlier approached.
“Lilith. How can I help you?” She responded, slightly glancing up.
“Okay, Lilith, can you show me where the bandages are?”
“Yeah, sure,” Lilith said, standing up and leading her to the first aid aisle. “Here we are. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll meet you up front.” She offered the girl a friendly smile.
“Thanks, doll.” With that, the girl walked off, and Lilith returned to the counter.
“How much do I owe you?” the girl asked sharply.
“$5.97,” Lilith replied as she bagged the items.
“Fuck I only have five bucks,” the brunette said, clearly frustrated.
“No worries, I’ve got it,” Lilith said with a small smile as she handed the girl her things. “Just keep Jeff in check. I don’t get involved with guys who have girlfriends.”
“Hah, they’re not dating, but she’s fucking obsessive and might come pay you a visit. Don’t worry, I’ll keep her in line. I’m Natalie. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other more often.”
“Well have a good night, Natalie,” Lilith said quietly.
“You too,” Natalie replied before heading out the door.
Lilith let out a sigh as the door closed behind her. It was going to be a long night.
16 notes · View notes
strawberrybobamilk · 6 months ago
Text
Cut Here (Part 7)
TWs: Language, alcohol, a few kinky content, domestic violence aftermath
1990
"Ooohhhh mother!"
Trevor let a high pitched groan of ecstacy in the private booth as he felt the blonde stripper's bottom grinding against his crotch.
His trustworthy buddy Michael in the meanwhile was sitting at the neon lit club's table, enjoying the sight of the stripper who was on show right now, and the burning sensation of his cocktail in his throat.
The pink curtains of the private booth opened and an ecstatic Trevor came out, running towards Michael laughing, while the blonde stripper giggled along with some of her colleagues quietly calling him 'one pump chump'.
"God! I feel like I died and went to heaven Mikey!"
"You can say that again. There's no better way to celebrate another successful job" Michael smirked, then frowned "Now where is that..."
Before Michael could find an appropriate word, they both felt a tight grip on their shoulders and a loud voice booming happily
"HEEEEEY!!! PHILIPS AND TOWNLEYYY!!!"
Michael looked at the chubby blonde man as if he was ready to punch him and hissed "You DUMBASS, just scream your last name too so we can all be caught and fucked" he took another sip of his cocktail "Now that I think about it, dumbass was what I was gonna say"
Trevor on the other hand giggled "Aw come on don't be such a killjoy Mikey, Brad just wanna have fun!" he patted his hip "And besides, even if they do catch us, we'll have our faithful metals at our sides, ain't that right Bradley boy?"
Brad sat down besides them slurring in a half drunken state "That's right!! And plus I'm sure 'round here there's more Townleys and Philipses..." his sentence turned into incoherent gibberish as he slammed his head onto the table snoring. Brad was an interesting addiction to the duo: he was a fearless, wild and often downright sadistic man, even more than Trevor. The latter which found him a nice match (and drinking buddy).
Michael sighed and thought to himself "As if one lunatic to keep under control wasn't enough... why did I even accept to let him join our team..."
His thoughts, the background chatter and music... everything faded once a new stripper called Crystal walked on stage. Her flowing brown hair, her sparkling outfit, her perfect curves, her graceful movements...
He has never felt like this...
Trevor shook Michael's shoulder, causing the blue eyed man to snap out of his trance. Trevor groaned "Woah don't ever do that again! Do you get a stroke everytime you get a boner or something?"
Michael was sweating and shook his head as he stood up "No... I... just drank too much, I'm ok..." he hastily walked out of the club, getting a suspicious look from Trevor.
Outside of the club, Michael took out his packet of cigarettes and lit one, observing the starry night sky and the cigarette smoke fading in the air.
"Hey" he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him. He turned around and almost jumped. Crystal.
"Uhhh, h-hey..."
He kept smoking and looking away awkwardly.
"What are you doing here?"
The brunette smiled and shrugged "Can't I just go outside, when my shift here is finally over?"
Michael kept his eyes on the sky "Fair enough. Uhm... I... really liked your performance..."
She let out a little chuckle "I saw. You were staring with your mouth open the whole time"
Michael internally facepalmed and let out a string of "uhms" before "I... you're just so beautiful"
"Because I have nice tits? I know"
"No! It's not because of that, I, I really think so" he stared at her face "You have beautiful eyes"
She looked at him, still smirking but with a hint of genuine gratitude "You think so?"
He nodded, taking another nervous drag.
They spent some moments in silence, gazing together at the stars, until she spoke
"Thank you" she looked down "Nobody ever told me that"
Michael smiled, finished his cigarette and threw it away, hating himself due to the awkwardness of that whole dialogue. Before he could return inside to Trevor and Brad, Crystal spoke again "If you want, I am now starting my shift of..." she whispered into his ear "...EXTRA services".
Meanwhile, Trevor was getting increasingly annoyed and shifty in his seat, not even paying attention anymore to the strippers performing on stage.
"Where the fuck is he..." he growled while restlessly scratching his cheeks "Did he abandon me, did he die, did he- FUCK FUCK FUCK"
Brad shifted, half awake half asleep "Mhmmph chill Trev he's ok probably or somethin'..."
"PROBABLY OR SOMETHIN'? LISTEN YOU ASSWIPE HE IS NOT PROBABLY OK, HE IS OK, SAY PROBABLY ONE MORE TIME AND ISWEARI'MGONNASHOVETHISFISTINTOYOUR-"
Both Brad and Trevor ended up getting kicked out of the club.
"WELL YEAH FUCK YOU TOO" Trevor shook his head like a wet dog as he lifted himself from the snowy ground and sticking out a middle finger.
Michael emerged from behind the club wall alerted by the noise, his gun in his hands "Trevor? Brad?" he lowered the gun with a look of confusion at the sight of his friends' bodies in the snow, and ran towards them "What happened?"
"Well look who finally decides to show up" Trevor groaned, his eyes landing on Michael's half unbuttoned shirt.
"What? I was just... smoking, T, you know how it is. Besides I don't know what kinda shit you two did there to get kicked out but..."
The three guys all looked at Crystal, who was looking with wide eyes at the whole situation behind the corner.
Brad laughed, looking pervertedly at her "Sure you were"
"Shut up Brad" Michael looked at her "Uhm, Crystal, these are my friends..."
But as he walked closer to her, she stepped back "Y-you... I didn't know you had a gun"
Michael stopped in his tracks, struggling to find the right words
"It's for... self defense, you know? But... you know I wouldn't hurt anyone... or... you... especially you... you don't have to be scared"
Crystal slowly walked away with a "I'm sorry I have to go"
Once Trevor, Michael and Brad were all back home, Trevor and Brad slumped asleep, while Michael sat in the couch.
He had his gun in his hand, recalling the events of that night.
"It's for... self defense, you know? But... you know I wouldn't hurt anyone" he gripped the metal muzzle "Liar, you're just a fucking liar Townley. Poor girl, she really made the right call, walking away..."
"Or... you... especially you... you don't have to be scared" his grip loosened and let out a long exhale, his hands running through his black hair.
He looked at his sleeping friends, then at his gun on his lap, left it on the couch and walked out, careful to not make too much noise.
He needed another cigarette, and a car drive to calm down and cleanse his mind.
And there she was again, on the sidewalk. With a purple eye.
He slowed down as soon as he saw her and she approached the car with a smile, that soon faded when she saw him.
"H-hey" they both timidly greeted each other, as she entered his car.
He raised his hands "I swear I don't have any weapons with me right now"
"Hmm-mhm"
He put his hands on the steering wheel, his foot hovering over the gas pedal. But he didn't want to drive. He had to ask.
"What happened to your eye?"
Crystal immediately gasped "Nothing! It's just eyeshadow!", she covered the swollen area, hissing as she touched it "So, shall we find a secluded spot and get down to business or..."
"Not until you tell me the truth"
"Pretty rich from someone who walks around with a gun!"
"But I told you that I don't have it here!"
"You also told me it's for self defense!"
"JUST FUCKING TELL ME WHO HIT YOU!"
"WHY DO YOU CARE?!"
Michael sighed, his head against the steering wheel
"Some questions just don't have answers I guess..."
They both stood in the car quietly, until she replied with "My mother"
"Your mother hit you?"
"I brought her the money I made tonight, but she said it wasn't enough so she punched me. Shit, she's the reason me and my sisters work at the club"
Michael gripped the steering wheel and started to drive, as he swore to his soul to send her mother to the darkest depths of hell.
"But yeah, downer moment over, let's just find a secluded area and have some fun"
Crystal, still with her hand over her injured eye, looked puzzled as Michael stopped his car in front of a 24/h shop and got down "Where are you going?"
"Stay there, I'll be right back"
And so he did. Michael returned two minutes later with a bag of ice.
"Show me your eye"
Crystal hesitated, both confused and touched "No... I look awful"
He held her hand, with kindness and at the same time a certain authority in his voice "Please show me your eye"
Crystal breathed in and out as her swollen eye was now exposed to him, and he gently put ice on it.
"You don't look awful. And you never will" Michael gently smiled to her "I may have not been honest my whole life... but this, I mean it Crystal, really..."
She softly spoke with a little smile "...Amanda... please call me Amanda"
He smiled back "Michael..."
11 notes · View notes
kpop-s-akura · 6 months ago
Text
𝒮𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 || 𝓉.𝓇𝓀
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
🌸Pairing: Takayma Riki x fem!Reader 🌸Description: When your boyfriend decides to sniff you. 🌸Genre(s)/Content: SFW; fluff; domestic fluff; some humor; established relationship; Riki is referred to as Taki; Taki sniffs you lol; Taki and Reader are so down bad for each other😋; kissing; pet names (baby, worm(?), pup, love); written for mobile; let me know if there's anything else! 🌸Word Count: 898 🌸A/N: At the end; was too long lol
Happy reading!🤎🩶
⭐️Inspiration:⭐️ [BE ORIGINAL] &TEAM(앤팀) 'War Cry' (Behind) (ENG/JPN) at 5:17
🎶Now Playing:🎶 Scent of you by &TEAM
❀❀❀
“Taki. Baby. Why are you sniffing me?”
After finishing your chores early on, you decided to wait for Taki by lazing around on the couch for the majority of the day with entertainment from your phone.
When your boyfriend finally came home from a late practice, he took the liberty of free-falling onto you and laying all of his weight on your body.
“Oof! Takiiiiiii~~~” You whined with a near gasp. You were barely able to keep your phone in your grip with your left hand dangling off the couch. “Why are you crushing my airways?”
Dramatic as always, his head shot up with a look of betrayal.
“‘Crushing your airways?’ I’m showing my love!”
“Well ‘your love’ is not letting my lungs work properly so you need to get off.”
Taki didn’t hesitate before incessantly wiggling around on top of you, for what seemed longer than necessary, while letting out little gremlin noises.
By the time he finally settled half on you and half on the couch, your lungs could barely recover from how much you were laughing.
“God, you’re such a worm.”
“Mm, thank you.” He said with a comfortable sigh, placing his head gently near yours and draping his arm across your stomach.
You chuckled while setting your phone down on the side table behind you. 
You then brought a hand up to pet his hair, fingers occasionally sifting through the soft brown-blonde oreo strands.
Usual chit-chat occurred as you both cuddled: he told you about his day, practice, and how the boys were doing. You replied with how uneventful yours was and how glad you were to have him home.
The domesticity of your current entanglement was not lost on either of you, and it warmed both of your hearts.
You two stayed like that for an indefinite amount of time, having settled into soft mutters and eyes fluttering in half-sleepiness.
Your hand was continuously moving through Taki’s hair, both parties thoroughly enjoying the soothing action. At this point, your eyes were resting closed and you were unsure if he was even still awake.
Until you felt him shift upwards and gingerly plant his nose in the juncture between your jaw and neck, focusing on the column of skin and inhaling.
Your eyes gradually opened at the sensation, bringing you to this moment.
“No reason; you smell good.” Taki’s words were slightly mumbled as he dragged his nose up and down the side of your neck tenderly. This went on for a couple more seconds before he returned back to the space in between your head and shoulder.
This wasn’t the first time Taki has done this — to you or any of the other members. It was no wonder he was able to identify you all by your scent alone.
You’ve grown more and more used to it when you two started dating.
It was endearing and contributed to the puppy-like image you held of him, much to the chagrin of Maki.
So, you rarely questioned it. And even then, you didn’t get much of an answer besides a nonchalant shrug.
“What do I smell like, pup?” Taki felt his heart jump at the nickname, your words being accompanied by languid strokes up and down his back. You gazed at the top of his head, watching your other hand go on with its ministrations in his hair.
“Like ripe fruit; maybe strawberries and melon?” You hummed.
“Kind of reminds me of summer. Like sunshine, but not sunscreen. Not too strong, but sort of addictive once you notice it. It’s sweet, but not like pastries or candy. It’s not sickly,” he continued. “It’s uniquely you.”
Taki then looked up at you, possibly the first time since he flopped on top of you some hours ago; your hand fell from his head with the motion. 
Your breath nearly caught in your chest as you locked eyes.
His eyes seemed more soft than usual, rounder. There was a slight haziness to them, water slightly lining the edges like he was about to cry. The minute redness told you that it was partly from the drowsiness and partially something else.
His lips were naturally pouty and puckered, the rosy pink becoming even more tempting when his tongue peaked out to lick them fleetingly. 
You wanted to kiss them so, so badly.
He looked ethereal like this.
You smiled deeply at him, not allowing the shyness to take over, and cupped his cheek in one hand. You resisted the urge to pinch and pull at it like usual, opting to brush your thumb delicately across the soft skin.
“Thank you, love.” You lifted your head off the pillow and slightly craned your neck in order to briefly peck his lips.
Once you pulled back, you observed Taki taking a moment to seemingly recover from the kiss by blinking numerous times. 
He must’ve been really caught off guard to look like a deer in headlights.
Such an adorable deer.
He then mirrored your expression with a growing grin, blush painting his cheeks prettily, though it surely wasn’t any match for your own.
Wordlessly, he adjusted his position to lay on your chest, arms coming to wrap around your waist like you were a teddy bear.
As you went back to caressing his head, quietly humming a random song, you wondered if he could feel the prominent beating of your heart.
❀❀❀
🌸A/N: I'm so shocked and proud at myself for how short it took me to write this, might be the shortest amount of time I've ever took. I also honestly can't believe I was able to write a drabble since I always tend to draw my stories out, but Taki broke my curse!
I was first inspired by a clip from &TEAM's 'War Cry' Behind video on STUDIO CHOOM where Taki goes around sniffing the members lol. I also thought of a new perfume I got recently that I fell absolutely in love with. That then led me to remember the several times my friend, @my-starhwa, sniffed me and complimented how I smell lmoa. So I wrote this! This isn't what I was originally working on when I posted that last note, but I'm glad I was able to publish something nonetheless! I hope to be back again very soon with another one!
15 notes · View notes
rizzstappen · 1 year ago
Note
*sets up folding chair, lays blanket along my legs* Just gonna....get comfy real quick. Don't mind me. 👀👀👀👀
Tumblr media
Okay this strays so far from the original tags lol but I was feeling extra soft especially after traveling myself. So this is kinda about the feeling of the ache of your body and returning home and how that’s such a good feeling.
It is a little shorter then last time but it is set in the same universe as my college au!
This is my second time writing maxiel so still figuring it out but of course any questions to comments are welcome!
So I hope you enjoy it Danni! 🫶🏼
Pov: snapshots of college Daniel and Max’s texas road-trip
-
Orange. That’s all Daniel saw as he drove down the Texas highway away from the border. The sun was setting behind them painting the desert landscape in hues of oranges and yellows against the brown of the dust. The week had been filled with memories Daniel would never forget.
On the first day, Max had peeled oranges in the passenger seat as they started their way through Texas stating:
“Of course they’re the best snack Daniel!”
Before he fed a slice to his boyfriend. They had agreed to do a road trip through Texas. They lived in Austin after all but had never ventured out of the city.
~
An hour into the trip, they stopped at a local winery. Of course, they had to get a couple of bottles to remember the trip.
“Look this one has a cool label,” Max said showing Daniel.
“It’s like us. You’re the orange and I’m the blue,” Daniel replied.
The label was a magnificent swirl of blue and orange hues with yellows in between. Daniel nodded “let’s take it,” he said before they went to check out and keep driving.
~
A stop in San Antonio resulted in a visit to the Zoo because of a new Australian exhibit. Of course, Daniel explained how he’d seen these kangaroos in the wild
“When you visit Maxy we’ll see them all along the side of the road” he nodded promising his boyfriend a grand tour of the red-orange Australian desert.
~
An afternoon was spent among the orange and yellow poppies in a canyon in Texas. That year had brought a lot of snow and once the heat of the summer melted the water the seedlings were able to bloom at the base of the mountain.
“Let’s have poppies at our wedding. This is beautiful” Daniel whispered as he lay with Max in the grass picking an orange poppy and sliding it into his soft blonde hair “I’ll even let Charles do the center pieces” he joked.
Max laughed softly against his boyfriends shoulder. His eyes shut “sounds like a plan Daniel” he whispered contently
~
Next came the salsas in El Paso. Green. Red. Orange? The lady had tried to explain in her best English that it was made from an extremely spicy pepper. Chile de árbol. By the end of the meal, both Max and Daniel had tears in their eyes but complimented the local taco shop on how amazing the food was.
It was Max who attempted in broken Spanish “muy bueno. Gracias!”
After that, it was time to go.
~
Daniel’s muscles felt sore and stiff from driving eight hours but finally, they were back in Austin. He parked the car before he looked over at a sleeping Max. Curled into the door of the old car his parents had lent him enough money to buy. An orange hoodie around his chest kept him warm since Daniel preferred a cold car keeping the a/c on.
“Babe wake up we’re back” he whispered placing a small kiss on his boyfriend's forehead “let’s go inside” he hummed shutting the car off.
~
The water ran down Daniels back. Getting the stale smell of his car off of himself was his first priority so a shower was in order.
The shower curtain opened and Daniel saw the silhouette of his boyfriend step in while he brushed the water out of his eyes.
“You’re gonna use up all the hot water” Max mumbled still half asleep from his nap in car. Daniel laughed as he squirts shampoo from the orange bottle into his hand.
“So you decided to join me?” He asked with a soft grin.
“It’s the only way I don’t have to take a cold shower” Max said sliding close to Daniel to get his own body wet.
Daniel stepped aside to rub the shampoo in his hair letting it suds up in his curls as he watched his boyfriend under the water.
He was glad to be home.
As close to home as they could each get.
Well, Daniel was always home with Max.
~
45 notes · View notes
myloveforhergoeson · 7 months ago
Text
hii <3 i'm hijacking @selangkir 's girl time rush au for my own silly purposes <3 i tried to capture your unique voice from your girl time rush chapters. hopefully you don't mind!!
here's 'espresso' a scene inspired by the sabrina carpenter song of the same name! if we can imagine songwriter james could write such a masterpiece...
James shouldn’t have written the song. 
He knew the second he penned the lyrics it would only cause trouble for the girls, yet at the same time, he didn’t care. Why should he have to quell his feelings to make the songs he wrote more palatable for his friends? Songwriting was all about expression, passion even, and was one of the only chances he got to work through the garbled mess of his mind. 
So yeah. Maybe the song he’d penned was a bit too suggestive. In his defense though, it was never supposed to see the light of day. It’s not really his fault that Griffin had requested a change-up for the band’s newest single; Something “Hot and sizzling! I want to grill a hot dog on it,” the CEO had declared, and Gustavo looked across his office as though he was going to leap out from behind his desk strangle the white-haired man. “Something to put the Pussycat Dolls to shame!” 
That, James figured, was a bit much, because who could ever put Nicole Scherzinger to shame? 
And the answer, apparently, was him, and the song he’d written after losing far too much sleep thinking about one of the girls he worked for. But again, not his fault, because again, the song was never supposed to leave the pages of his book and enter the real world. As were most of the other various musings and journal entries he wrote in there, these days practically orbiting the idea of being with Roxanne after their time at the school dance together like she was the central star of his ever-expanding universe of stupid, sappy, teenage feelings. 
The only blame he could take was leaving his journal open for all of sixty seconds while he ran to the bathroom during his writing session with Gustavo last week. Curse his handwriting for being so perfect and large, the man could read it from the other side of the table they were both working at. When James finally returned, to his horror, Gustavo had the pages spread open on the piano’s music desk, trying to work out the perfect melody for the lyrics his assistant had written. 
When they pitched the song, Kendall had, expectedly, thrown a fit. 
Despite all of their time together as a girl band, she was still having a bit of trouble understanding the market strategy of appealing to an audience.
“You want us to sing this?” She’d practically shrieked in horror, crinkling the pages of the lyric sheets so tightly that James feared they might crumble into dust and leak out between her fingers. “It’s so- so-”
“...Empowering,” Roxy finished for her, eyes trained on the pages she held, jumping from one line to the next as she took his writing in. “Look here, Kendall,” she held out a sheet and pointed out a set of lyrics. “It’s all about girl power, don’t you think?”
Her song, he told himself, finding it hard to take his eyes off Roxy while she continued to read over it. His stomach did a few somersaults when she looked over to Gustavo, an award-winning smile breaking out on her face. And she loves it. 
“Evocative is the word I’d use,” Chimed in Logan, though she didn’t seem to share the blonde’s vitriol for the song she’d been handed. “Definitely… Different but I’m down to give it a try. We can treat it like an experiment - Is this type of song better for a girl band or should we keep sticking to our current musical strategy?” 
“I love trying new things!” Carlota agreed, bouncing up and down on her heels to show her approval, long brown curls following suit. “This song is so upbeat and dancey; When can we get in the studio?” 
James' stomach turned again, still very obviously finding himself lost in his head as he mooned over the girl in front of him, and he knew that Kendall’s eyes were boring holes into his skull. Even with the green light from her bandmates, she still wasn’t on board.
“I didn’t join this band to be evocative, or empowered, or whatever!” The frontwoman huffed, “We’re field hockey players, not seductresses!” 
For a moment, he swore Roxy flinched a bit at Kendall’s words, but Kelly cut him off, clearing her throat before he was able to decipher just what about that statement she took issue with.
Straightening out the lyric and music sheets she was holding by tapping them on Gustavo’s desk a few times, Kelly threw a pleading glance at the band before handing the pages off to their boss. 
“Look, this is what Griffin wants. If you like having a career here, we need to do as he says,” She pleaded. “He’s already given his okay for this one; We’ve got a massive recording and music video budget that expires in a few days.” 
Being on the administrative side of things, James had gained a new appreciation for just how much work writing, recording, marketing, and all that corporate jazz was. Big Time Rush hadn’t been granted a major opportunity like this yet, despite Griffin’s backing; The girls had been too busy settling into their new home and work life and Roxy, on top of all of that, had been nursing a broken heart. 
James was too, slightly, if he was even allowed to call whatever he and Dak had breakable.
Could this song take some of that pain away? He asked himself, clutching the black leatherbound book to his chest. His gaze flickered down at the floor, hoping so. The thought of her still being miserable over that blood-sucking asshat wasn’t sitting well with him… So much so that he was literally losing sleep over it, and Kendall be dammed, writing blatantly suggestive songs about it.
He’d certainly never treat her like Dak had; If she read over the lyrics of the song again, she should realize that. 
“Sooo,” Gustavo slapped his hands on his desk, pushing himself out of his chair, and pointed to the door, “Dawgs, booth, now!” 
Not so subtly growling in displeasure, the blonde stalked out of the room, Logan and Carlota following, as they headed toward the recording room. 
Still standing in place and reading the sheets over again, James stepped around Roxy to get to the door, before she reached out and caught his arm. 
“James, this one’s incredible, really,” She told him, the same dazzling smile on her face from before, and he swore his brain stopped working as all of his focus jumped to where her soft fingers curled around his bicep. “Not that the rest of them weren’t or anything-”
“No problem,” the boy managed, swallowing a lump in his throat that hadn’t been there a moment ago while he fixated on the bright red polish of her nails. “It’s been stuck in my head for a while, I guess.”
When Roxy let him go, he was steps away from entering a period of mourning. “Thank you. For this one, and all the others. I know songwriting wasn’t truly your dream,” Her smile flickered. “Just… Thank you.”
***
By now, James was still 50/50 on whether he should have written the song or not. 
One month in L.A. and he’d finally started to get through to Kendall, as much as one could get through to a girl like that, and all it took was one song to unravel it all. 
She’d been stomping around Rocque Records all day, extra vocal about her hatred of their new song, even though Gustavo had granted her the line with “fuck” in it. James had been hoping that, and a promise she’d get to dance without a partner in the music video, would be enough for her to stop throwing her venom his way, but nothing seemed to make the girl feel any better. 
On the other hand, the other three girls seemed to be having a good time. This song was an interesting, but welcome change to their discography, and the three of them were giving everything new hurling their way their best shot. Recording the song went off without a hitch, mostly, if one didn’t count Kendall’s aggressiveness on the swear word she was repeating even outside of the booth, and the choreographed routine Mr. X had whipped up for the video shoot was nothing less than exceptional. 
With the master copy of the song complete, all that was left to do was film the music video the next morning, and this whole nightmare would finally be over. James promised himself the next song he wrote would be back to what the girls were used to; Airing out his private thoughts to the world didn’t seem to be giving the best results. 
Except for the times Roxy threw a compliment his way or asked him if he wanted a hand on the administrative side. Or sang the words to his song completely unaware of the images that ran through his mind when he’d written it. Or… just spoke to him. 
Ugh, this was getting embarrassing. He should’ve just asked her out on a real date when he’d thought of it last week at the dance. 
But songwriting was easier because there was no way she’d reject a song. (Not that she’d reject him either, of course, because who in their right mind would reject James Diamond?) 
Finally reaching the end of the giant stack of paperwork Gustavo and Kelly had him double-check and file away in her office for the expense report on tomorrow’s video equipment, location, and staff, James rubbed his tired eyes before checking his phone to see what time it was. 
As if the dark sky outside wasn’t enough of an indicator, even against the bright LED lights of the city around him, it was far later than he’d meant to stay. No doubt the girls were already back home enjoying one of Mrs. Knight’s homecooked meals and flipping on whatever hockey game they could find. 
Get out of your head, Diamond! He chastised himself, She’s just Roxy.
Whatever that meant, he repeated to himself a few more times before pulling his small black backpack over his shoulder and locking up Kelly’s office for the night. 
Checking his ScuttleButter as he strolled down the hallway to the elevator, James turned the sharp corner just as he watched an adorable video of two puppies playing with one another loop around to begin again when he accidentally collided with someone else. 
“Shit!” She hissed, just as his phone hit the ground, and pulled her hands up to her face to cover her presumably hurt nose. 
“Rox?” The boy asked, more shocked that she was still at work rather than worried about his expensive electronic that may or may not be completely shattered on the floor beside him. 
As she sucked in a few sharp breaths, the girl nodded, hands obscuring her voice as she explained, “I was just coming to see if you were still here. It’s late.” 
Roxy said it more like a concern than an observation. That was something he shouldn’t have read into, but did regardless. “Yeah, I just finished my stuff for the night. Are the other girls still here?”
Finally, her hands lowered, and thank God her nose wasn’t bleeding because James didn’t know what he’d do if it was. “Oh, um, no. They’re not.”
It wasn’t hard to ignore her soft tone and the way she glanced to her right as if the Rocque Records lounge was suddenly very, very interesting to her. 
“Is everything okay?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking, because clearly, she was seeking him out for a reason. Justifying a once over to make sure she was physically in good shape, he ran his gaze from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and took note that she was still in her rehearsal outfit for the video tomorrow. 
High, high heels, a tight blue dress, and dozens of dangly bracelets adorned her. Certainly, not the usual, more eclectic style she’d choose for herself, but one he thought suited her nonetheless. 
“Yes,” She assured him, nodding her head. Watching her throat work once, then twice, James patiently waited for her to continue. “I think I-” Cutting herself off, she ran one hand to her wrist twisting a few of the bracelets around before another deep breath. “I’m having trouble getting my dance routine down for the video tomorrow and the girls didn’t want to miss tonight’s game and my partner said he had to head home too because it’s so late.”
Stopping again, but still running her hand over the jewelry, James picked up on the hint of anxiety in her voice. 
“That’s to say that I… need some help in the studio. And if you want to go home that’s fine too! It’s just… you sat in on practice earlier and you’re a natural-born performer and-”
At this point she was panicking, her shaky breaths beginning to affect the words she was trying to get out. 
“Woah! Woah!” He tried to assure her, going against the alarm bells going off in his brain not to touch her as he reached out two steadying hands to her shoulder. James’ fingertips buzzed. “It’s alright, Roxy. I can stay I don’t mind.”
While his words didn’t stop her from freaking out, he certainly hoped it would help at least relieve some of her worry. However, he’d be lying if he said seeing her so anxious didn’t feel like a bomb detonating inside his chest. 
Gently, one of her shaking hands tapped his, before she grabbed his wrist and headed for Studio A. 
***
Watching Roxy do her solo part of the dance routine, James determined he should have written the song sooner. 
Even if she stumbled over some of her steps, to say that she looked like an absolute dream was an understatement. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor, her delicate voice as she practiced her lyrics, and the frantic roaring of blood rushing through James’ ears only added to the scene unfolding in front of him, mouth going dry as he let her show him just what she had been practicing all day. 
In his opinion, the routine wasn’t long enough, and the second she pressed the remote in her hand to stop the music coming through the stereo and take a breath, he needed to take a few moments to focus on literally anything but the girl in front of him. 
Who’s playing tonight? Maple Leafs and the Flyers… Starting lineup: Beauchemin, Kessel, Orr, Wallin…
He wasn’t able to get much farther before she asked, “What do you think? Was I good enough?” 
That question made James’ heart wrench, words flying into his left ear, rattling around his brain, before shooting out the right. 
“Of course you were,” He told her, wringing his hands together so he didn’t reach out and touch her again, attempting to imbue his words with as much care as he could. “You’re one of the best pop stars of our generation, Roxy - More than good, great even.”
From the center of the studio, she scoffed like she didn’t believe him. She didn’t even know that if given the chance, he was pretty sure he could go on and on about her passion, dedication, drive… Everything about her was more than just good. 
“Gustavo said I needed more practice earlier, but I think that’s the best it’s going to get. What I’m really struggling with is the partner portion.”
The boy took that as a sign to drop his bag and join her where she stood, watching as the large mirrors on the studio walls reflected his actions. “Right… Any part in particular?”
From sitting in the studio with the girls and their dance partners all day, handing out water and towels when necessary, from what he recalled, the routine wasn’t that complicated. That didn’t mean, however, that Roxy was struggling any less. 
“I’ve got the steps down in my head, it’s just a matter of actually being able to land them in time. It’s a long dance and I’m not as… athletic as Kendall, Logan, and Carlota are. So if we could run it a few times, I’d appreciate it.” 
Roxy didn’t give James any time to respond before she stepped in front of him, grabbed his hands, and drew them to her hips, causing him to stumble forward until they were practically flush against each other. Before she even brought her hands around his neck and started the track, he’d recited the first ten dead presidents in his head. 
As far as the routine went, James didn’t have that many steps to memorize from earlier; The girls were more dancing on their partners than dancing with them. 
Incredibly Pussycat Dolls? Absolutely. 
Did that mean he was enjoying it? Obviously. But the thought of her dancing with another guy on the video set dampened any kind of good mood he could allow himself to be in. It hadn’t been fun today and it certainly wouldn’t be fun tomorrow. 
About halfway through the duo portion, Roxy had taken a misstep and released a loud curse under her breath, pausing the track and allowing herself time to reset. Stepping out of his grasp, she practiced the move a few more times off to the side until she was satisfied and the routine began again. 
What was it about seeing her work so hard to reach her goals that got to him? James was in the presidential thirties now and would probably have to move on to historical wars in a moment. 
Roxy must have sensed some sort of shift in his mood, or maybe she just found the situation as a whole awkward, but as she worked out the next few steps and led him to the right of the room, she asked between breaths, “How’d you come up with this one?” 
He hoped she’d figure his cheeks turned bright red from all the dancing, but she was too busy looking down to make sure her footwork was correct as she silently counted the beat. 
“Uh,” He faltered, suddenly feeling his hands burning into her sides, moving easily with her as she rolled her hips to the music. “Dunno. I was just formulating a story.”
A few more silent counts and she finally replied, “No one special keeping you up all hours of the night then?” 
Was he crazy? Was Roxy flirting with him right now? Or was she just interested in how he’d written the song? 
James audibly gulped, but it was swallowed up by the thumping baseline, “Nope.” 
Good save, Diamond.
Reaching the end of the song and listening to the track fade out, Roxy paused, hands still laced around the back of his neck as she tried to regulate her breathing.
“Too bad. I think it’d be sweet if someone was thinking about me all the time,” was her nonchalant response, though she let him go and walked back to the center of the room, suggesting she was ready for another go at the routine. “So much so they couldn’t sleep? God, that’d be something.”
“Yeah?” He said a bit too quickly, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that he’d speed-walked over to where she was just because he hated the thought of any distance between them. 
Not waiting for her to guide his movements this time, his hands instinctively reached out for her hips; So natural, so easy, so right. At contact, she let out an unexpected squeak, one hand flying to her mouth to try and make it look like she was coughing instead. 
No… I’m crazy. You’re crazy, James!
“Y-yeah, totally,” Roxy affirmed, hitting play on the remote to run the routine again. 
There was no talking this time, just full, clean choreography; Video-worthy if James did say so himself, who cares what Gustavo might think tomorrow. He was too hard on the girls anyway. 
Roxy’s words replayed in James’ head again and again, and for a new run-through of the routine, he debated telling her the song was about her before another round came and he convinced himself that was a terrible idea.
14 notes · View notes