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melverie · 2 years ago

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- OBEY ME NIGHTBRINGER GUIDE -

I think I've pretty much covered everything important now, but I'll probably still edit this entire thing from time to time. I'm linking this post back to itself so those of you that'd rather reblog can check for updates every once in a while (last updated: September 25th 2023)

-> guide for Obey Me Shall We Date? -> intimacy raising guide

Things discussed on here currently include:

card building

leveling vs Devil's Tree

skill level & Joker

Ravens

Ruri☆Tunes

Azuki-tan Wallet & Magical Score

other

- CARD BUILDING -

basically, most of the stuff from the first game still applies

the smartest thing you can do is to actually focus on building the UR+ demon cards you get card pieces for in hard lessons and/or both memory and demon UR cards that are in the main summoning pool, since you'll always be able to raise those cards' skill level without having to use jokers, meaning you'll also have an easier time to max out the entire Devil's Tree completely

if possible, build at least one UR(+) demon card of each sin, I'd recommend two minimum tho

if you don't have any UR(+) demon cards for a specific sin, use SSRs

for early game, you can also use SR cards if you don't have anything better, but make sure to swap them out as soon as possible

get your UR(+) demon cards to level 70 minimum and your SSR ones to 60 minimum

check your cards secondary sin. For example the following card is a UR wrath card with lust as its secondary sin, meaning for lust stages, it'll act like an SSR card

the above also holds true for memory cards

only build SSR or UR(+) memory cards; but again, for early game SR and even R memory cards are perfectly fine

get your memory cards to level 50 minimum and try having at least one memory card per sin

focus on your demon cards first and your memory cards second

unlike in the original, it doesn't matter much which characters you choose since sin-specific glow sticks don't exist in nightbringer. That being said, you should still level cards of multiple characters since you can only use one demon card of a specific character in battle

if you want to use them, prioritzie giving your Jokers to event cards instead of the ones from the regular summoning pool

max out you card's Devil's Tree asap. You don't need to get the last 'sin up's if you don't want to (though I'd definitely recommend getting them), but make sure to get the very last 'rank up'!

to unlock Max Level Caps, your cards need to have Skill Level 3 or higher

- LEVELING VS DEVIL'S TREE -

DISCLAIMER: I'm probably not 100% correct on this but from how I understand it, this is the main difference between the two:

Leveling raises a card's strenght for ALL sins, which is more helpful for using that card in stages boosting a different sin than its own and is generally more useful in the long-run

Maxing out a card's Devil's Tree does also help in raising the card's strenght for all sins, but since it focuses mainly on the main and secondary sins, it's more useful for stages that correspond with their sin

Whichever one you decide to focus on first is up to you. Personally, I'd go with leveling tho

- SKILL LEVEL & JOKER -

generally speaking, I'd advise you to focus on the cards you can get card pieces for in hard lessons, as well as the ones in Chapter A and M. Since you can get them anytime, you can raise their skill level more easily than that of an event card

Devil's Trees of certain UR(+) and SSR cards can give you Jokers, with UR(+) Devil's Trees giving you either one UR or one SSR Joker per tree (afaik) and SSR Devil's Trees only giving you one SSR Joker per tree (again, afaik), though they usually require skill level 3 or higher just to unlock that reward. If you happen to have a card that's already at that skill level and has a Joker as an unlockable reward more power to ya, but otherwise it just kind of defeats the purpose

Pop Quiz rewards include a total of 5 UR Jokers, as well as 5 SSR ones. Out of them, f2p players will most likely only really get 1 UR and 2 SSR ones as long as they play every stage daily

The ranking prizes also include SSR and UR Jokers. Realistically speaking however, f2p players will unfortunately never place high enough to receive them unless they have done nothing but safe resources for several months

your To Do List also gives you SSR Jokers for reaching 100% in a certain amount of Devil's Trees. It might also give you UR and even UR+ Jokers later down the line, though I haven't done those yet so no guarantee. You can 100% the Devil's Tree of N cards if you want to go after those, but tbh I think there are better ways to spend your resources

this one's for VIP members only, but apparently the VIP-exclusive job has a chance of dropping two SSR Jokers per shift

lastly, you can get the ones from Akuzon once you have enough Ravens

- RAVENS -

there are five main ways to get Ravens (as far as I know, at least): daily surprise guest gifts, :D jobs, Devil's Trees, events & summoning. Let's go through them one by one

DAILY SURPRISE GUEST GIFTS You'll be able to get up to 2 Ravens a day from your surprise guests, which, yes, isn't a lot (it'd take you about 3.5 years to have enough Ravens to raise the skill level of one UR+ card just once), but you should definitely get them every day regardless since they're super easy to get

:D JOBS After finishing a shift at the Clock Tower, there's a chance you'll get 2 Ravens as a reward (up to 4 if you have two characters working). Item drop rates actually increase if you choose a prefered character, so make sure you always have a shift with two prefered workers running to maximize your chances

DEVIL'S TREES Some cards actually have Ravens as an unlockable reward in their Devil's Tree. UR(+) and SSR cards give you 10 Ravens for 20k Grimm though they usually require skill level 2 and up. Meanwhile, SR, R and N cards give 2 Ravens for 6k and do not need a higher skill level Whether you want to use your Grimm and materials just for unlocking Ravens is up to you, though I'd advise against it

EVENTS For Pop Quiz events, you'll be able to receive 10 Ravens per part, meaning 50 in total. However, most f2p players will probably only get up to 20 Ravens as long as they clear all stages every day during the given time frame. Celestial Blessings can give you up to 63 Ravens, though how many you actually end up getting is entirely down to luck and your resources Either way, events are definitely useful for getting more Ravens, but they definitely shouldn't be your only method of getting them

SUMMONING If you pull a card that already has its skill level maxed out, the game gives you a Raven instead. The best way to go about this would be to summon a bunch in Chapter G since you only need Grimm there. It definitely is an incredibly hefty investment considering the number of cards in that pool, but totally worth it in the long run and most likely also the best way to farm for Ravens. I'd definitely start working on it as soon as possible, even if that means sidelining building your cards a little. You can also use the Azuki-tan Wallets to get more Grimm quicker and speed things up

- RURI☆TUNES -

not 100% sure on this but fever time seems to run slightly faster. If you have trouble with the faster speed, you might consider not collecting the fever tokens in the first place. However, you'll also lose the combo by not collecting them. This has been a PSA

if you prefer, you can hit the little edit button right next to the skip/start button(s) and switch the controls to up/down. The advantage of up/down is that you can hit the actual items as they hit the line

personally I have it set to left/right with my fingers positioned as seen in the pic below, since it helps keep in mind which side does what + sometimes during a song my thumbs wander to the middle of the screen, meaning I'd mess up with up/right controls. It all comes down to personal preference, of course, but maybe tapping like that'll work best for you, too

you can also dim the background and turn of the extra stuff that pops up once in a while if you find it too distracting

notes you have to hold actually end automatically and give you a 'perfect' if you keep your finger on the screen. Here's a video to demonstrate

if you have trouble with hitting the screen at the right time, mash the screen on both sides as seen here. You just need to pay attention to long notes and obstacles

something that helps me every once in a while is turning the sound of entirely. I also sometimes just put on an entirely different song. It certainly won't help everyone but it might be worth a try

you can still win battles even if your estimated rank is D. It depends a bit on how well you do in the rhythm game, so it's best to compare the estimate with your actual result and decide based on that. If you usually finish with a perfect combo and almost all hits as perfect, than it should look something like this

if for whatever reason you want to restart a battle but don't want to lose your AP or items, you can fully close the game and start it back up again. If you used items you'll still be using them if you restart this way. Just make sure that you close the game before the loading symbol shows up, otherwise it'll save your result. The game starts loading shortly after the stage's boss disappears. If you did everything correctly, this screen should pop up after you tap the start button:

if you're stuck because your cards are too weak, use the Flower Staffs. It's probably best to save them for later seasons tho, but I also used them to get to lesson 10 on day 1, so do what makes you happy

save your resources; don’t use the Blossom Flower Staff if you can win with a Bud one

buy the defeat flash sales if you need more Flower Staffs. It's also the cheapest option for getting more Blossom Flower Staffs. As long as you do your daily missions you'll be able to buy it almost every day. Keep in mind that you actually need to get a D-Rank for this flash sale to pop up! Depleting your health bar does not work!

- AZUKI-TAN WALLET & MAGICAL SCORE -

keep in mind that you can use both items when sweeping. You just need to hit the little 'Support' button before sweeping

the Azuki-tan Wallet is a GODSEND. Use it if you need Grimm; it'll give you about 15k per win in an S-Rank stage

the Magical Score is also a godsend. Only use it on lessons in hard mode that give you UR+ card pieces though! It'll give you 3 card pieces per sweep, making farming for new UR+ cards so much easier. You'll need 9 Magical Scores to get the card, 17 if you want to raise it to skill level 2 and a total of 54 if you want to bring it to skill level 5

keep in mind that you can use both items when sweeping. You just need to hit the little 'Support' button before sweeping

the Azuki-tan Wallet is a GODSEND. Use it if you need Grimm; it'll give you about 15k per win in an S-Rank stage

the Magical Score is also a godsend. Only use it on lessons in hard mode that give you UR+ card pieces though! It'll give you 1 to 3 card pieces per sweep, making farming for new UR+ cards so much easier

- OTHER -

skip battles instead of sweeping. You'll level your cards and have a chance to meet with Surprise Guests. Every 50 times you use a character in battle or every 50 time you meet with a (specific) character, you'll get 50 AP, which let's you skip more battles and meet more Surprise Guests, which gives you more AP, which let's you skip more battles and meet more Surprise Guests, which gives you more AP, which le--

Surprise Guest interactions seem to be the same as in the old game, except for Satan's for some reason? Anyway, here's all his interactions: - B to S-Rank - high five -> hair rub -> chest tap chest tap -> chest tap -> face tap - C-Rank and lower - arm tap -> arm tap -> chest tap - home screen - "I want to talk to you" chest rub -> face rub -> hair rub "*yawn* Time really flew by as..." chest rub -> hair rub -> hair rub "Did a cat come through here?" face tap -> face rub -> chest tap

send out friend requests! You can get up to 50 AP a day from friends, so always make sure that your friend list is full My main account's ID is 2342023493 if you'd like to send me a friend request! As long as my friend list isn't full, I'll accept! Just a fair warning though, I regularly check if the people in my friend list are still playing actively

Feel free to add more or ask questions in the comments or in asks (or shoot me a dm if you prefer)! Also if there's anything else about the game you'd like me to mention in this guide, let me know!

Also please tell me if any of the links shouldn't work

Best of luck to all of you!

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me guide #mel's starry musings

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maochira · 1 year ago

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Summer night (Jingo Raichi x reader)

Synopsis: Your boyfriend only wants to get some sleep, but even in the insane heat you insist on cuddles.

Tags: gn!reader x Jingo Raichi, established relationship, fluff, teasing and insulting as a love language, nonsexual nudity, Raichi puts his hand on reader's chest but without sexual intend, a bit of swearing

"You're gonna make me fucking overheat..." Raichi says as he somewhat roughly pushes you away from his body. But that doesn't last long because, in a matter of seconds, your arms are wrapped around your boyfriend once again.

Usually, he doesn't mind your clinginess - he actually adores it very much - but ever since the AC broke a few days ago and the temperatures have been staying high even at night, falling asleep has become hard for him. Especially because you seem to be unable to fall asleep without having Raichi in your arms.

For the past few days, he was able to deal with it. But tonight it's much hotter and even the window that's wide open doesn't help.

"I told you to get a new AC..." You say while nuzzling your face against his neck. "It's not my fault how hot it is here..."

"You know how expensive they are..." Raichi pushes you away again. He doesn't seem to be annoyed by you, he's just bothered by the heat in general.

"How am I supposed to..." Raichi mumbles as he turns away, facing his back towards you, "...sleep when I'm literally melting."

And once again, it doesn't take long until you're pulling your boyfriend in for another hug. "You'll manage..."

"You're fucking disgusting, by the way." Raichi mumbles, "Your shirt is soaked in your sweat." His tone is slightly teasing and even without seeing it, you know there's a grin on his face.

"It's not that bad." You finally let him go and move a bit to the side, but it's not making either of you sweat any less.

"How do you not feel uncomfortable in that shirt?" Raichi asks with the same hint of teasing in his voice.

"Shut up." You respond before sitting up to take your shirt off. Raichi doesn't notice that because his back is still turned towards you. Only when you hug him once more and he feels your naked chest against his back, he realized you took your shirt off.

This time, Raichi doesn't try to push you off and doesn't tell you to move away, either. He knows it'd only be a matter of seconds until he'd be back in your embrace. Also, he still enjoys being so close to you. Only the heat makes it hard to deal with.

"...At least the yucky sweaty shirt is gone now." Raichi turns around to face you again. He places a short kiss on your cheek before he continues talking. "Why didn't you take it off sooner anyways? I did before we even went to bed."

You actually feel a bit stupid fot that and don't have a good response, so the next best idea that pops into your mind is to insult your boyfriend - it's a love language between the teo of you anyways. "I'm not a whore like you."

Your insult catches Raichi off guard, and after he let it sit for a moment, he can't help but laugh. "Did you seriously just call me a whore?"

In response, you give him the most innocent look you can manage. "...Maybe."

To tease you back, Raichi puts one of his hands on your chest and waits for your response with a stupid grin on his face. You're actually about to react to it, but it's already so late at night and the heat has exhausted you to the point where you simply fall asleep in the matter of seconds.

As soon as he notices you just fell asleep, Raichi lets out a little sigh and stays in the same position with you. "...I think I'll get us a new AC tomorrow." He whispers and closes his eyes. But unlike you, he's still not able to fall asleep. You just look too cute to push away again, though.

Taglist (sign-up link): @kaineedstherapy12 @gojosorrygeto @luvcalico @remy-roll @truegoist @acacIa @futuristicxie @bluelock4life

#💟 maochira writes #bllk #blue lock #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #blue lock x you #bllk x you #jingo raichi #raichi jingo #raichi x reader #raichi x you #jingo raichi x reader #jingo raichi x you #bllk raichi #blue lock raichi

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gatormeister · 11 months ago

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39 episodes into Gundam Wing. Still enjoying it, I would say that the second half of the show is a lot stronger than the first half, but it is very disappointing to have not one, but two whole recap episodes in here. Unfortunately they confirmed an opinion of mine that I'd been thinking over since my last post.

Gundam Wing actually does very well with story telling in the moment to moment, but zooming out and viewing the events of the show as a whole so far, feels very... off. So much has happened in the show, and yet it feels like very little has changed at the same time.

Plot beats have this odd disjointedness to them. Things just sort of happen to the Gundam pilots and Relena, they can't change anything from where they are now, and haven't really had the ability to do so since the Romefeller Foundation takes over the Earth. They come close when the Sanc Kingdom existed, but that doesn't last very long at all. They're all just being tossed around an unstable environment with nowhere to really go.

I suppose that's what sets Wing apart though. There is no place to go back to. No White Base, no Argama/Nahel Argama, no Tekkadan, no 08th MS Team, no Earth House, no Inglessa Militia. Sure Quatre has something like that, but they don't show up enough for them to be that for the show. The space colonies don't want them back and White Fang just wants the Gundams as a form of propaganda to rile people up, the Sanc Kingdom was destroyed, those scientists are all over the place, and the Gundam pilots barely even want to work with each other half the time.

Which isn't a bad thing mind you, at least not inherently. Interesting developments are happening all the time, but there is so much that it becomes easy to forget a character or plot beat exists until they suddenly get brought back up.

Part of why Zechs sticks out to me so much compared to the rest of the show is probably because unlike a lot of other characters and factions, he does feel like a constant in the show. Even if he doesn't have an appearance for a bit, you can always be sure he'll pop back up in some way soon, and his plot is very easy to keep track of because of that.

Anyway, I'm going to cut off the ramble for now. I look forward to Heero trying to kill Relena (again) when I get back to it. And I've also decided what I'll be watching in Gundam once I finish Endless Waltz. The current plan is to go through War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory, and Thunderbolt, and depending on the length of those three I might include the Igloo OVAs. Once those are finished, I intend to go for After War Gundam X or Reconguista in G, both of which I've had my eyes on for a bit now.

#gundam wing #gundam #ramble ramble ramble #learn to shorten my posts maybe #probably not

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ask-dametagala · 2 years ago

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Infiltrating the castle!

▪︎Prologue:

Dark Meta Knight knew he'd need a disguise at some point. Taking off his mask and scratching Meta Knight's emblem off his pauldron wasn't going to be a good long term solution to his little problem. Even though no one would recognize him, rumors would definitely start popping up all over the place about a caped stranger. Unlike the mirror world, Dreamland inhabitants are awfully noisy and just can't seem to keep their mouths shut. News travels fast and soon enough, Meta Knight will know of his presence. That was something he wished to avoid at all costs. He wasn't ready to see him again, not yet. Maybe covering his body with leaves? He could use mud as glue, it would still work. Then again, maybe being a bush monster wasn't exactly the brightest idea, that would still make him awfully suspicious.

"Boo!"

"WHO-?!

........Oh….it's you. Hello, Galacta Knight…"

Out of nowhere, a familiar knight appeared from behind the trees, giving him the usual dumb smile on his face. This amused Dark Meta Knight, satisfied that the man he was looking for showed up right in front of him.

"Hello, Dark!"

"Dark?"

"Well…you never told me your name! So I took the "Dark" out of "Dark Meta Knight" for convenience. Speaking of which, what IS your real na-?"

"Enough, I'll get straight to the point. I came here for you."

"I-....f-for me?"

(….why is he acting so bashful? No matter…)

"Yes, I wish to make acquaintances with you. Ever since we first met, I wanted to get to know you a little better. "

"Oh! I- I didn't expect this! I wanted to know more about you as well but I never thought you'd take the initiative…"

"I am not like my br-.....my brot-....my b-broth-.......Meta Knight. I am not like Meta Knight, I am usually more open with my feelings. Now, for what I came for."

He walks closer towards Galacta Knight and lets go of his cape.

"You."

"O-Oh! REALY?! I'm always happy to spend time with a new friend! Tell you what, the king of this star is holding a grand Necromas party where everyone is invited!"

"Huh, so we're still celebrating the birth of the man who literally tried to spread darkness throughout all of Popstar."

"....Dark...are you saying that...NECRODEUS IS A REAL PERSON?!"

"Yeah it's a long story. But for now, let's get out of here first, I want to show you something."

He extends a hand out to the knight, waiting patiently to see if he was okay with holding hands with him again. Galacta Knight must've noticed how strongly he pulled away from him the last time they held hands. Knowing this, Dark couldn't help but think of how ridiculously passionate Galacta Knight was. Wasn't he feared in the past? Feared to the point of being imprisoned in a crystal jail for eternity? That's what Meta Knight's memories seem to recall. It was certainly unusual for someone like him to suffer such a harsh fate. But nonetheless, what's in the past is in the past. He grabs ahold of Galacta Knight's hand and follows the warrior as they fly out of the forest.

Once they are out, Dark Meta Knight's cape immediately transforms into a pair of dark, torn wings. He lets go of the warrior's hand and flies on his own. Together, they scale the giant Necromas tree planted by the diligent waddle dees, passing through various decorations, handmade by each inhabitant of Dreamland. Despite only seeing glimpses of their appearances, the love and dedication to the craft of each ornament was impossible to be unseen. In mere seconds, they were already high above in the skies, hovering over the glowing tree, which was now considerably smaller due to how high up they were. Soon, they managed to find a good spot to land on, choosing a high mountain cliff just tall enough to see castle Dedede. Galacta Knight laughs as he spreads his arms out, enjoying the cold winter breeze while gazing upon the castle's festive lights. The dark knight follows suit and gently lands next to the galactic warrior.

"There! King Dedede's castle….ah it's shining so brightly. It might be a little hard to see it…."

"See what?"

"One of castle Dedede's towers has a wide rounded balcony, difficult to spot through all those lights for you. I can see it just fine, my eyesight is considered the greatest in the galaxy too!"

"Nonsense, just give me a few seconds……."

".....doooo you see it?"

"I will! You are making me lose my focus."

He chuckles in response to Dark's sudden fluster, it was oddly amusing to see him get so worked up. Galacta Knight smiles in excitement, anticipating what's about to come next.

"There, i see it."

"Oh! The one with the marble railing right?!"

"Yes, marble railing gilded in gold."

"That's the one!"

He springs up in joy and points towards it, happily flapping his wings. Dark slightly flinches away, being a bit taken off by his sudden excitement.

"I'll be waiting for you there once the party starts, only if you come of course!"

"I will. "

"Really? That's- that's GREAT! I- oh stars this makes it SO much easier to attend-! Phew…."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Oh it's- it's nothing. I'm just letting out a little steam. The party will start in 3 hours and there's already so many guests. It's a huge event, you know? A bunch of fancy aristocrats will be there. King Dedede must be very renowned."

"Hmph."

He plops down on the soft grass and lays back, feeling the grass against his wings. Dark notices this and sits down next to him, unconsciously touching his soft feathers.

"Ahh….I don't know what to wear. They'll be so many important people there. I could just wear my light armor, i'm sure it's fancy enough."

"Light armor?"

"Indeed! One of my different soul armours. It's adorned with shiny gold patterns! That should surely leave a good impression~☆"

"Interesting. Tell me more about this…soul armor."

"Hm? You don't know? Well alright….so…everyone has a soul, right? So imagine this….."

The dark knight finally made progress, Galacta Knight opened up more to him. They've got more than enough time to talk to each other, which means their relationship can finally advance. His hard work will finally be paid off! The other knight will start trusting him more and more…and soon….he will tell him all about the jamba hearts! Though…articial intelligence? Armor and weaponry from the soul? These were all…foreign concepts to him. The technology from Galacta Knight's era is truly outstanding, maybe a little more inquiries about them wouldn't hurt….

Two and a half hours had passed, Galacta Knight was already out of breath. This was his first time in forever that he got to talk so much! Their enthuastatic conversation made the warrior get up from laying down on the grass. He would eagerly talk about how his armor worked and answer all of the other knight's questions, even if he himself couldn't remember the correct answer. Dark Meta Knight couldn't remember the last time he had such a thrilling discussion. The way Galacta Knight presented his knowledge was rather clumsy and abit hard to follow, but his passion was made extremely clear to him. Had this astral ever got the chance to talk about these things to anyone else?

"Oh….I think we chatted for quite a while….…I should get going!"

"Mm, I….should find something to wear as well."

"Really? Have anything..... nice in mind?"

"I'm….not too sure. I have a very limited closet."

"I-I can understand that. Well, g-good luck!"

.......Hm? Why was Galacta Knight acting so flustered? Dark casts him a confused look.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-your hand…"

"What do you mea-"

He immediately pulls his hand away, clutching it tightly in his other. Unknowingly, his fingers were caressing Galacta Knight's fluffy feathers.

"How long was I-?!"

"You were doing it the entire time! Haha! Don't have to worry much about it! It's fine~!"

"I-!!!"

His wings immediately start flapping, quickly taking off into the sky. Once again, he left the temporal warrior without any warning. Galacta Knight sighs and stands up, waving to him.

"See you soon!!"

".............AH WAIT I STILL DIDN'T GET YOUR NAME!!!

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!?!?!"

[Next]

#kirby nintendo #dark meta knight #reunion arc #galacta knight #my fiction #Infiltrating the castle!#WE'RE STARTINGGGGG #dametagala #still platonic!#im going through the slow burn route for this blog #hehehe BOI #kirby fanfiction

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ode-to-spring · 2 years ago

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♡⋆.ೃ࿔* A QUIET MOMENT AWAY ~

being a respected figure comes with many perks, but equally as many consequences. sometimes, it isn't a bad thing to seek help from people you trust . . .

ੈ♡ barbara x reader (intended to be platonic, but interpret this however you'd like<3) ੈ♡ category :: sort of hurt/comfort? barbara isn't doing too well before the events of this, reader comes to comfort her for a bit ੈ♡ warnings :: barbara is vv tired, this sort of came out as a vent fic because of themes of being overwhelmed & overworked, not having time for yourself, and other things of the like ੈ♡ a/n :: omg emilia posting?? for the first time in forever ?!? i'm really sorry for the inactivity :( a lot of stuffs been happening but i'm hoping to become more active here soon!!

the sun is already near disappearing into the horizon when you meet barbara at your designated spot.

it’s nothing fancy, unlike what most would expect— it’s quite the opposite, if anything. you sat only atop a neatly placed picnic blanket by the roots of the great windrise tree, with a basket full of handmade goods set beside you, and casual clothing from the bottom of your wardrobe… just as barbara had requested.

“i’m terribly sorry for the delay! something came up at the cathedral earlier, and all the sisters were looking to me for what to do, so i left later than i’d expected today—” she started blurting out when you ran to greet her. she did seem to be fresh from a stressed frenzy, if you looked at her closely. the signature pigtails she always wore were a mess (one being already half untied), she hadn’t changed out of her deaconess uniform yet (likely because she ran out of the city after realizing she was late), but most of all the bags under her eyes vaguely reminded you of the dark side of a half moon (and they told you much about how the past few days have been treating her).

“hey, don’t worry about it. i haven’t been waiting for long.” you interrupted her string of apologies while brushing some hair out of her face. “besides, i know you’ve been busy with everything lately. i don’t mind”

what you said was true, of course. between church work and the new events in her idol career, the poor girl had barely been able to catch a break in a while. surprising, considering jean was usually the most well known for overworking herself to no end. maybe it ran in the family.

“are you sure? i’m sorry anyways, i really am.” she started, but upon seeing the reassuring look on your face, she knew it wasn’t needed anymore. “still… thank you for waiting for me. it's been a while since i've been outside the city and.. i was really looking forward to seeing you again like this. just like old times.”

it had been far too long since you'd been able to be with her like this, yes. every time you'd see her on the streets, instead of having a casual chat as both of you would hope, she'd be dragged away by some pressing matter. if anything, that was the very reason you’d organized this little meet up in the first place. away from the prying eyes of the city people, who all only saw her for who she wanted them to. whether it was as their reliable deaconess, their bubbly pop idol, or the kindhearted healer that gets visited a bit too often, you wanted to pull her out of that even only for a little while.

here, under the tree that heals spirits, it was only the two of you. as you talked well into the night until the stars twinkled happily above, it started feeling less and less like you were talking to the respected deaconess, and more like you were speaking to just barbara. and for you, that was more than enough.

#this was really nice to make #this originally came as an idea to subtly vent a bit #but at the same time get back into writing for this blog #the reason for my inactivity recently is definetely the amount of things happening in life rn #it gets overwhelming sometimes and i definitely projected onto barbara a lot here #even the mention of jean is a nod to me disrupting my familys usual routine of whos stressed and who has to take care of them HELP #im not used to having so many people expecting something from me #it's like having responsibilities i did sign up for #but not every day is a good day iykwim #i hope everyone that reads this is doing well :) this became a really nice self care thing for me so i want everyone to remember to #do things that make you happy too!!!#one bad day doesnt mean a bad life #<3 #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #genshin impact imagines #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #genshin scenarios #genshin x reader platonic #genshin impact x reader platonic #genshin impact scenarios #genshin barbara #genshin impact barbara #barbara x reader #genshin barbara x reader #barbara x you #genshin barbara x you fluff #barbara x reader angst

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spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub · 2 years ago

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SO's Bookclub: Secret, Silent Screams

Title: Secret, Silent Screams Author: Joan Lowery Nixon Genre: YA Mystery

Goodreads Summary:

Is Barry's death the latest tragedy in a string of suicides at Farrington Park High School? Or is it murder? Marti is sure her friend Barry didn't take his own life, but no one will believe her except Police Officer Prescott. But opening an investigation takes time, and Marti is determined to find her friend's killer soon. Because even now he could be planning his next crime.

Review:

There is a lot going on this book. Right off the bat, the dedication is to you - the middle grade reader - to say that JLN cares, and please don't commit suicide. It's a sweet sentiment, one that I'm sure came from JLN's heart - but oh my, does the dedication set the tone and this book go in some strange places to get a really muddied point across.

The plot isn't that much different than The Stalker - only this one is at least written better. Marti believes her friend Barry's death is a murder not a suicide, and the book is her trying to unravel the truth of what happened. And of course - the usual unfolding of the plot ensues. Marti isn't that bad of a protagonist, but omg, is she still making dumb choices -- like not telling her cop friend about the person following her around and calling her, or the fact that she calls into a national TV interview to exclaim that the death was not a suicide but a murder - really making her an easy target for the actual murderer.

The actual secret and silent screams will come from the reader who just wants Marti to make more sensible choices. That said, she is way, way better than a majority of the other heroines - and the fact that I decently enjoyed this one is a testament at how much more tolerable Marti is comparatively.

Before I get into what really interested in the books - it's trope watch! It's small town Texas, but isn't so Texas that you /know/ you're in Texas. Religion, however, pops its head up again after a long absence (and I'll get to more on that in a moment). I've also come up with a few more tropes - ever since The Ghosts of Now creepy phone calls have become a thing. Yes, it does add tension (it always creeps me out) but JLN has streamlined how she does her tension.

And, I realized that the heroine never has any female friends. Marti kind of has a bff named Kim, but Kim is blown off every. single. time. Man, I'd be annoyed, too, if I were Kim. Usually, the love interest is the only real friend in these books - but since this one was DOA (a twist for ole JLN) Marti seems particularly cut off.

I should note that, like the Stalker, Marti befriends a young cop named Karen to help her out. Karen's fine - and works as the older mentor role - though the whole side plot where Marti fixes her love life is a little - meh, why are we doing this?. (As an aside - it's actually Karen on the cover - something I never realized as a kid, because I failed to really pay attention to the details of the character descriptions.)

As a whole, I did enjoy reading it more than most of the rest of them. While Marti still is an idiot - at least the plot makes sense and works as a middle-grade mystery. I think the tension is really what JLN does well, and she's got it here for a majority of the book.

But, okay, so here's the thing, though. Unlike most of these other books - this one had me thinking about thematic elements. Because there is some complicated messaging in here, and I'm not exactly sure what Nixon was going for.

But what stuck out to me the most, however, was that we're now in the late-80s. And during that time, there was a push back on pop culture - particularly rock music, as it was claimed that it was destroying the youth of America. And Nixon kind of digs into what would have been a hot-button issue of the day. But how she does it is so... weird.

There are a few suicides before Barry's. And this leads a pastor and a psychologist to come out and push back against specific rock music that was glorifying suicide. (And, omg, there's even an Ozzy Osborne reference - the first real pop culture reference I think I've noted in one of these books. I kind of mad me laugh.) It's somewhat clear that both the pastor and the psychologist are looking to exploit these suicides to further their own teaching and get a book published. It's such a weird framing.

Because - yeah, suicide is a heavy topic (and you can tell Nixon did research it) but since this wasn't a topic, and since those pushing the suicide narrative had their own (conservative) agenda, it felt somewhat dismissive of the conversations people should rightfully be happing about suicide.

Layered on top of that is Marti screaming her head off at both of them for being wrong -- but not because she disagrees with the sentiment about rock music (and youth culture) but because (almost comically) she believes her friend was murdered.

There are attempts to have discussion about suicide and mental illness but they're completely undermined by the fact that Barry's death was a homicide and not a suicide. It's like Nixon wanted to talk about suicide, but also had to write her mystery, too. Idk, like I said - the whole thing is muddled and I, overall, wish the conversations surrounding suicide would have been better handled and not flippantly dismissed because one character was murdered.

Overall, it's a bit average for a book, and a decent read against all the rest of these that I've been reading. But, man, there are some definite talking points in it...

Rating: 3 stars

#sbc bookclub #books #book review #joan lowery nixon #secret silent screams #tw: suicide

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jplupine · 1 year ago

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Feral Possession: Chapter 12

Layers

Pairing: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez x Wynter Hughes [Nonbinary OC] Word Count: ~3.7k WARNINGS: 18+ Minors/Ageless get blocked, Exophilia, Demon!Grimmjow, Feral Behavior, Grimmjow being a Terror, Threats of Bodily Harm, Sexual Harassment

Summary: Wynter learns more about exorcists. And toe beans.

You can also read it on AO3!

Masterlist | Chapter 12:

"The office is back here." I pointed while going down the hall.

"And where is he?"

"The office."

"You even have a dog?" Ichigo questioned while Dagur was walking right next to him to get his ear scratched.

"Yup."

"I.... How have you done this? Surely you know how Pantera is the most dangerous of the Espada. But you just....had him at a barbecue." He was making a face, and I chuckled.

"I'm smart. I figure things out pretty quickly, and that really saved my ass." I waved one hand while opening the office door. "But my uncle is the one I have to thank for getting the time to figure things out."

"Strawberry bitch." Grimmjow popped off as soon as he saw Ichigo. He was laying across the desk while munching on Goldfish with his tail lazily curling and uncurling as he had his head propped up on his hand.

"Just ignore him." Rounding the desk, I grabbed the chair and paused. "Since you're here for answers, I want a few of my own."

"That's fine."

"How come he knows your name but doesn't compel you? Do you two have a deal or something?"

"No." Ichigo quickly said.

"It's because he's a half-breed." Grimmjow glared. "His demon half is strong enough to break the commands on his human half. I'd need his demon half's name to actually compel him. ....Unlike you." His gaze drifted to me as I pulled the chair around the desk.

"Save it." Patting the chair, I then looked at Ichigo and leaned against the desk while crossing my arms. "And before you ask, he can't compel me because we have a deal."

"You made a deal with him?!"

"Trust me, I know how it seems, but he has to 'give me what I want'. I put it in an 'I want' phrase, and it's good. I keep that to a minimum though, for obvious reasons."

"How'd you manage that?" Ichigo furrowed his brows while sitting down.

"Offered my soul, then gave the clause that he couldn't kill me or have any part in my death. I plan on dealing with him before he can collect."

"How did you get him to listen to that?"

"Remember when I said my uncle gave me time? Yeah, he sealed Pantera in the house. His body in the basement, his power in a book."

"And you released him?!"

"Didn't have much of a choice, actually. Uncle Jordan couldn't seal him completely, so he was able to project himself out here." I explained while waving my hand. "He then figured out my name and compelled me to release his body."

"I didn't compel you to do everything."

"I don't need your two cents. Anyway, then with the deal, it was my soul and his power that I had to give him. So long as I did that, he had to honor the deal. Throughout that time, though, I was figuring out things about him. However, half that shit only applied to his projection, so it didn't really stick when he got his body back. But it was enough. Then, when I was destroying the book to release his power, I saw his name."

"How do you plan on getting rid of Pantera without being an official exorcist?"

"The greedy bastard doesn't want another demon to beat him to my soul. He's teaching me how to fight them to ensure he gets my soul if I can't kill him."

"You must have a lot of spiritual energy for him to want it that badly." Ichigo furrowed his brows again while looking at me.

"He says I do."

"And fighting back? How can you possibly manage that without a sanctioned weapon?"

"Sanctioned?"

"Forged by the Soul Society." Grimmjow rolled his eyes while popping some more Goldfish into his mouth.

"Oh. Pantera just helped me forge my own." I stated, and Ichigo paused before laughing."

"Right." His laughing stopped when I reached behind Grimmjow and lifted the katana from the desk. His face fell before he stood up and pointed at the sword.

"Do you mind?"

"Go ahead." Handing over the weapon, he scrutinized the sheath over the blade. Hearing the tinkle of the bell, he gently cupped it in his hand to look at it.

"I can't believe you just handed that to him." The demon grumbled. Ichigo and I both ignored him, and the other man wrapped his hand around the handle to draw the katana from the sheath to reveal the black and silver blade.

"You have no clue just what you have here, do you?"

"It's a katana."

"A katana forged with the power of an Espada. Where did you get the materials for this?"

"Blessed railroad spikes Uncle Jordan used to seal his body, then there were other demon powers sealed in books laying around."

"You've got to be shitting me." He muttered.

"What?"

"Wynter, your weapon was made from metal that sealed Pantera, and then used Pantera's power to take shape on top of the other demon powers and your own it used."

"Yeah. It's just a sword unless I learn how to use it, though." I glanced between him and the demon as I was putting together that Grimmjow didn't actually tell me everything about this weapon just from Ichigo's reaction.

"Do you remember how my own sword turned to smoke?"

"Yeah."

"With these weapons being forged using the wielder's spiritual energy, it can return to being just that. But it's more like it's being stowed away to be used again later. However, if you turn this katana back into energy, Pantera's energy in this sword will become a part of yours."

"Why is that different from the other demonic energy in the weapons?"

"Because he's an Arrancar of the Espada level." Ichigo sheathed the sword while looking at me. "If you don't know how to handle that, the destructive nature of Pantera could overwhelm you to insanity. Do you know how Arrancars come to be?"

"Soul cannibalism."

"Exactly."

"....The most powerful soul becomes the consciousness." I stated and turned to Grimmjow before smacking him on the thigh. "You ass! Why didn't you tell me about that?!"

"You're nowhere near dematerializing that fucking thing, didn't think I had to tell you until you got there." He then reared up while smirking and brushed his nose against my cheek. "But wouldn't you like a part of me inside you?"

"Definitely not." Shoving his face away, he chuckled before rolling back to dump more Goldfish into his mouth.

"This is so fucking weird." Ichigo muttered while looking at us.

"Tell me about it. I have to live with his annoying ass."

"So, let me get this straight. You tricked him into a deal to where he couldn't kill you in any way, then learned his name, basically gaining immunity, so he, what? Acts out in any way he can to somehow make up for it?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Literally, that's exactly it. He'll knock shit off of counters, tables, and shelves. Break things, throw things, leave a mess, and make sexual advancements because apparently, the Destructo-Kitty is a hornball." I popped off before getting shoved off of the desk by Grimmjow's paw.

"I'm not a fucking 'kitty'." He snarled at me.

"Destructo-Pantera doesn't have the same ring to it."

"Hold on, can we back that up a second." Ichigo made a face while waving his finger in a winding motion. "He's a what now?"

"Hornball. Pantera even claims to have made deals in the past exchanging sex for souls."

"Because I have."

"I can't fucking believe this." The orange-haired man ran a hand down his face. "Pantera is known for killing anything that moves, especially if they have enough power to make him want their soul."

"He's got moods." I shrugged. "I mean, he doesn't need to eat, but there he is, snacking. And with his hatred for exorcists, I doubt he's gonna walk up to one and offer them sex. So, like I told you before, I know more about him than what's documented. Well, at least what was documented in the book Uncle Jordan left behind."

"Hey, put it in your books how Murcielago is a fuckin' prude. Seriously, I'm pretty sure he's still a virgin."

"I'm not doing that."

"You're only saying that because you don't like him."

"Yeah, and because it's true. Dude's such a downer, no one would even bother."

"Anyway, back to the topic we were on. The sword? Is there anything else I should know?"

"Wielding it should be fine if you've already been doing that. If you start to feel like you're being affected by his energy though, call me."

"Why?"

"I can exorcise his energy if you absorbed any. Since I am the officiated exorcist that found this....arrangement you two have, it's my responsibility to keep an eye on how things go."

"You already reported it? I figured other exorcists would try something if they knew he's here."

"The Soul Society heads are split. Like I told you, it's unprecedented for someone to know an Espada's true name, and to live more or less 'safely' alongside one is hard to believe even when seeing it, let alone just hearing about it. Some of them want to see this play out, the others want to send him back to Hell."

"What, are we some kind of experiment?"

"Actually, yes. Pantera, the most impulsive and destructive Espada, is literally eating Goldfish on your office desk instead of ripping your throat out. It's very....strange."

"Oh, you mean 'cause he nearly killed you?"

"Yes, because he nearly fucking killed me."

"And I'll do it again, bitch. Just wait."

"I will turn the pool into holy water if you don't stop."

"Wynter.... How are you still alive?" Ichigo looked rather concerned.

"Because Pantera is a dumbass while I'm not." I said while raising my eyebrows. "I used his impulsivity against him."

"If you don't mind, could you tell me what exactly you've learned about Pantera in the time you've been together? No offense, but if you don't succeed in killing him, we're going to need all the information we can get."

"Well, as a projection, he can't be in direct sunlight, so he'll mainly come out at night or late evening when the sun is going down then. He also can't touch people in that state, but he can touch objects like their clothes or things in his surroundings. Uh, except if he has your name. That gives his projection the ability to touch you and compel you. And just like he can't touch you prior to that, you can't touch him."

"What about his clothes?"

"You can those, but as a projection, he looks like a black shadow with eyes, so you can't really tell what's what until your hand is on it." I explained. "He goes for psychological attacks in this state, as well as throwing things to cause harm."

"Psychological?"

"Scares you shitless, keeps you awake at night so you can't sleep. When he has his body, he goes for more direct attacks, as you know. And, as his looks imply, he shares a lot of common characteristics with felines. He likes to nap in warm, sunny places, has a tendency to be on top of things," I gestured to Grimmjow since he was still on the desk. "his pupils dilate in the same manner as a feline as well. If you pet certain places, it'll cause him to momentarily go into a state of, I guess the best description is 'bliss', and start purring. As far as I know, those places are under his jaw, his ears, and just behind them."

Grimmjow didn't like me exposing that fact and began to lowly growl. Ichigo gave him a look of caution, but when he saw me not react, he tried to relax.

"His eyes and his tail are also good indicators of his emotions, so if you know a bit about feline body language, you can get the gist of his. However, don't rely on that since he's not actually an animal. Pantera is still oftentimes unpredictable."

"....Does his tail puff up?"

"I actually don't know, I've never seen him scared. Does your tail puff up?"

"Fuck off."

"Okay, either that means yes, or he doesn't know. Oh, yeah. Some of the stuff I've found out, he didn't even know he did. Like the petting making him purr. Because he's been basically fighting and fucking his entire existence, that doesn't exactly give the chance to discover these things."

"Right." Ichigo then leaned on the armrest of the chair. "And how did you discover that?"

"Thought he was Dagur when I was half-asleep and pet him."

"Uh-huh. And with the dog? How does that work?"

"Dagur will bark if he senses danger from Pantera, but if he doesn't, there's no big deal. They actually play fetch sometimes." The man made a face while glancing at Grimmjow. "As in he throws the ball and the dog fetches it."

"Oh."

"You thought I fetched?!" Grimmjow threw the bowl he'd been eating out of at Ichigo. "I'm not a fucking house pet!" He bared his fangs while growling.

"That's another thing. He has a complex about being compared to a pet or housecat specifically. I also keep that to a minimum except for the occasional crack at him. Also, I'm not sure if it's just me, but he likes to compare me to a prey animal, which I assume has a part in his complex and the fact that he has the features of a predator."

"I don't have a complex!"

"Then why are you upset?" Quirking up a brow at the demon, he looked at me for a second before turning his back on me.

"Just shut the fuck up already."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I don't think you already know. Having actually fought him, you'd know more about that side of him than I would." I said while completely leaving out how the demon liked to cuddle. I highly doubted they'd use that information for anything, and I didn't want to admit to Ichigo that I'd cuddle with the demon that nearly killed him.

Even if it was to placate Grimmjow while also giving me something out of it, it wasn't something I'd admit willy-nilly. Not to mention, Grimmjow had a complex about that, too, and just might try to kill Ichigo to make sure no one outside of the house knew he liked to cuddle.

"Wait, no, there's one other thing." I pointed, and Grimmjow's ear twitched. "With Arrancar coming from human souls, I'm thinking that's why Pantera isn't so one-dimensional with destruction being his sole purpose of life. It'd be best to not forget that. I can use his impulsivity against him at times, but he does learn. The same trick won't always work. I think it's also safe to say the same for the other Espada."

"Why just the Espada?"

"Pantera explained how the lower Arrancar are driven by their desire to fill the missing piece, so much so it's the cause of the cannibalism. If that desire is so strong it makes them eat one another, they're more predictable and, well, basic."

"You really should join the Soul Society, Wynter. We could use someone like you."

"Fuck off, strawberry bitch. This one's mine." Grimmjow lowly growled while grabbing the back of my shirt.

"Told you he was greedy. And hates exorcists."

"Just how much spiritual energy do you have to make him so territorial of your soul?"

"I honestly don't know."

"It's none of your fucking business, Kurosaki. Keep your half-breed hands off my soul."

"That's not even remotely why I asked. I don't eat souls."

"I didn't ask if you did."

"He doesn't either."

"I'm sorry, why are you two talking like there's two of you?" I questioned as my brows furrowed.

"Because there is." Grimmjow pointed at the orange-haired man. "It's why you need two names instead of one to compel him. The fucker's demon half is a separate bastard in the same body."

"He's under control now." Ichigo said while glaring at Grimmjow.

"Yeah, right. That fucker is the only reason you're even alive. You're just his bitch."

"Okay, you need to stop." I crossed my arms while looking over my shoulder.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Kurosaki. You get a whiff of strong spiritual power, and he's right there under your skin."

"You're wrong. I'm not the same as I was then." Ichigo looked upset, but he was managing to keep a steady tone. Grimmjow was looking the man in the eye when he snatched up my hand and pricked my palm with his claw.

"Ow!" I tried to jerk my hand back, but the demon's hold was stronger. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and my gaze shot to Ichigo. He was suddenly on the edge of the seat, gripping the armrests so tightly that his knuckles were white. His sclera had gone black while his irises were bright orange, and Grimmjow licked my hand to heal the small prick.

"That was barely anything. You really think you're so in control that you wouldn't put Wynter in danger? He doesn't give a shit that you don't eat souls. This little fucker has a lot of spiritual power they can't even access and will only get stronger the more they train. You shouldn't be around Wynter."

"And you should? You literally plan on eating Wynter's soul."

"I have this soul through a deal. I also don't lose my shit just from the scent of their blood."

"I didn't-"

"Ichigo, you should leave." I spoke up before swallowing. "I.... Pantera's right. If you nearly pounced on me for a drop of blood, then there's no way you can be around me to 'oversee' anything." Ichigo looked at me with his eyes now brown, and his jaw clenched.

"I'm sorry. But, Wynter," He stood to his full height with a serious expression on his face. "you are not safer with Pantera."

"I actually am. He literally can't kill me."

"I wouldn't-" Ichigo cut himself off before sighing. "Look, I'll deal with this. Just....try to stay safe." He said lowly before leaving the office.

"What if his reaction was worse, you ass?"

"I'm here. Nothing would have happened to you." Grimmjow's tone sounded like he wasn't lying, but that didn't exactly make me feel better. "....You're shaking."

"I thought he was going to fuckin' eat me." I snatched my hand away from the demon.

"Not before I do." He smirked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Just fuck off."

"Oi."

"What?"

"Get me a phone."

"Why the Hell would you want a phone?" I questioned while flipping the page in my book as I sat on the couch. "You don't have any friends to call."

"I want to get on the internet."

"Yeah, no."

"Why not?"

"You're literally a demon, first of all. Secondly, you'd get a virus so fast on the damn thing from going to porn sites." I popped off, and Grimmjow clicked his tongue at me. "Just watch TV."

"There's nothing on." He groaned while stretching out his legs over my lap.

"Put in a movie then."

"You do it."

"Lazy ass."

"Bitchy ass."

"You've got two perfectly good legs, use them." Grimmjow clicked his tongue but didn't even budge from his spot on the couch as a commercial came on. He left his paws right in my lap, probably in an attempt to annoy me, but it'd take more than that.

"You're so boring."

"You're so annoying." I said as my gaze dropped to the paws under my book. Just like a big cat, they were adorable but attached to a vicious creature. But....did his paws do the same thing a cat's did when squished?

Glancing at Grimmjow, I saw he was staring at the TV with a bored look on his face. He switched the channel with the remote, and I looked back at his paws.

I was going to risk it all....in the name of discovery.

Reaching down with one hand casually, I grabbed Grimmjow's paw and pushed against the middle pad. The pad was actually rather soft, and his claws slid out while looking like black hooks. Grimmjow was staring at me now with a 'what the fuck' look on his face, and I had to lean on the armrest while covering my face with my book.

"This is bullshit." I muttered. "Why the fuck are they so cute?!"

"Hah?!" Grimmjow jerked his paw from my hand. "The fuck are you on?!"

"You have toe beans. Big, soft, toe beans. It's too damn cute. Why the fuck does a demon like you have something so adorable?"

"Fuck off, you weird little shit!" Grimmjow rose his voice while shifting on the couch to reposition his paws away from me. "The fuck's your problem?!" Looking at him from over the book, I saw him tucking his feet underneath himself before curling his tail around the side of his leg. "Huh?!" He looked over his shoulder at me with pink dusting his cheeks.

"You get embarrassed over the weirdest things."

"I'm not embarrassed, you little shit!"

"You're literally tucking your paws under yourself and blushing." I pointed at him, and his eyes narrowed at me.

"Fuck you, I'm not embarrassed."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"It's hot in here."

"You're a demon, and the A/C is on."

"So?!"

"Just admit you're embarrassed."

"Fuck off, I'm not."

"You definitely are."

"Not."

"Look at me then."

"No."

"Because you're embarrassed."

"Because I don't want to look at your stupid face."

"Big, scary, demon man has cutsie, widdle toe beans."

"Shut the fuck up, you annoying little shit." He lowly growled.

"You're so quiet when you walk because your pads are so soft. It makes sense."

"They're not soft! Or cutsie! I could tear you to shreds, fucker!"

"Can't tear me to shreds if you can't even look at me."

"....I just don't feel like it."

"Right. Sure." I smirked while opening my book back up to read.

#Feral Possession #grimmjow jaegerjaquez #bleach #bleach au #bleach fanfic #oc x canon #demon/exorcist au #exophilia #orange #Wolf does fanfic

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0heartangel0 · 4 months ago

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Could I add an addendum? (putting a 'read more' here, because it's long)

For a separate section, I'd put 'Too Depressed', for when a fic decides to focus on it, they crank it to eleven, to the point where you wonder why he hasn't done it yet. I'm not saying he isn't, but much like his character, there's layers to it. The only times his depression pops up is when he is either alone or he's practically backed into a corner to admit it. When Ryuji asks him about what happened to Aoi, it takes him a beat, before he decides to tell the details, but the details themselves are very minimal, and he shares it like he's reading off of a case file. He only mentions that it was a hit-and-run, and the killer hasn't been caught, because they're "out of his reach". When Joker tries to push for further info, Zenkichi just tells him that it's "none of your concern". Then when Ryuji tries to get more, only for Makoto to announce that dinner's ready, Zenkichi takes that as an excuse to avoid the topic all together. This moment, plus the later one where Ryuji tries again, only for Zenkichi to make the world's most fake-sounding yawn and announce how exhausted he is from the day-and-a-half long drive (only to not even go to bed as shown by the end of Akane's breakdown with Makoto), shows how, unlike with Akane, Zenkichi is very avoidant about sharing his true feelings and keeps it bottled up. And when people try to pry, he either tries to dance around the details, or just makes an excuse to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. This is one of the major reasons why him and Akane have an extremely rocky relationship these past two years. While Akane is overly emotional, to the point of lashing out at her father, not even caring to hear him explain himself most of the time, Zenkichi is emotionally distant, never sharing his feelings, and almost never even tries to explain himself, for he feels (or knows) that what his daughter says about him is true. So to have most of these fics interpret his depression as being full-on blatant, even to other people around him, just goes against this established characterization. He's having full-on mental breakdowns in front of not just his co-workers, but even Akane. That mask that he wears throughout most of Strikers is completely off here, and how he feels is completely out in the open. But the worst thing these fics do is have him blow up at Akane, which just is SO out of character for him to do. While some show him backpedal and realize what he said immediately after, it still doesn't change the fact that he would never do this to her. Every time he interacts with Akane, and she yells at him and doesn't give him the time of day, he never fires back, and instead just takes it. He might sometimes try to make an argument in favour of him, but it immediately gets shot down by Akane, and all he can do is roll with it. Never once does he ever raise his voice at her. And when he did, it was when he was confronting her shadow, pleading for her to come back. Despite Akane never giving him the time of day, and he himself isn't around all that much, there's no denying how much he LOVES her. Almost every major decision he makes throughout the game surrounds or is influenced by Akane. He goes through Hell and back, risking his life, just to get her back. The reason he stopped pursuing the case at all was because he got a letter threatening to kill Akane if he continued. So him calling her a burden is just SO out of left-field, considering all that he sacrificed just for the sake of her safety. If he even thought for a moment that she WAS a burden, he would've ignored the letter's warnings all together. Also, painting the hit-and-run to be started because Akane ran away from her mother is just dumb and I hate it, and it makes it so it feels less like it's Owada's fault, and makes Akane being angry towards her dad feel confusing, since, as a young teen, she might be having survivor's guilt over what happened? Just, don't do that. It's gross. And it would feel too much like Kasumi's and Sumire's situation.

"hobby" of mine is going on the zenkichi hasegawa ao3 tag and sorting by recent, then judging how ooc he's written based on strict yet arbitrary internal metrics. by which i mean i receive psychic damage on a regular, yet voluntary (?) basis as i constantly find him in the red zones. attached is a sloppily made chart for reference

#reblog #rant #VERY long rant #sorry Felds...#I would also add to Too Freaky but would be admitting to some fics that I've read that I'm not ready to admit that I've read.

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anarchy-and-piglins · 2 years ago

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(reposting bc I fucked up formatting. Set in the same sire!Ranboo with fledgling!Techno AU I wrote here.)

The nest isn't very warm.

And Ranboo is freaking out because he doesn't know what to do about it. Turn on the heaters, obviously. But the buttons are all fiddly and Ranboo doesn't know how to connect the plug because Wilbur always keeps pulling it out again since he's scared one of the younger ones will give themself a burn messing with them and Ranboo should be figuring it out but he can't, he can't concentrate when his fledgling is shivering like that, curled up into a tight ball and making a low whining noise.

He's hurt, Ranboo's mind unhelpfully provides. As if it's not clear by the misery coming off the fledgling in waves, hitting right into the sensitive epicenter of Ranboo's brain that has been activated since he became a sire barely two hours ago.

Phil always said it could be a rather intense experience. He never warned Ranboo about this.

"I'm working on it, really, just... hold on, okay?" He doesn't think his words are reassuring to the fledgling. The man hasn't really been reacting to them at all. He's in no state to speak, he hasn't even been able to tell Ranboo his name.

Probably because Ranboo is a horrible sire who can't even succeed in the most basic task of giving his fledgling a safe nest.

How can he already be screwing things up this badly?

He gives up on the heaters then, partly because he doesn't want to wait a minute longer and partly because he knows the others will be back soon and they can just get them working. Ranboo can't waste anymore time.

His fledgling needs to be held. Ranboo needs to be a good sire.

"Come here," Ranboo tells him, rearranging pillows nervously.

The fledgling doesn't move.

Ranboo let his thrall die down a while ago, too young to keep it up that long. His fledgling hadn't tried to run away again and he had chosen to interpret that as a positive sign. But now he was refusing to get up from his spot on the floor.

"Look, it's- It's exactly as it should be, right?" Ranboo gestures at the bed. He almost sounds like he's questioning himself. As if this isn't the exact nest he'd spent consecutive weeks in when he was first turning. "It's very comfy and soft and I'm sure we can get it warmed up in no time. You'll feel better."

Still nothing.

Something settles deep in Ranboo's gut. It's unpleasant and painful, and he knows it's probably bad. But it eats at some uncertain part of him that clouds his mind. He's angry. Angry that his fledgling isn't listening.

Angry that he would deny Ranboo's care. Can't he see that Ranboo is trying to help?

But it's gone as soon as it pops up and Ranboo feels terrible because of course, of course this fledgling would not recognize a nest when he was kept in a cell. of course, Ranboo will have to show him.

The man flinches a little when Ranboo grabs his wrist. He tries to grab high enough that his fingers don't press into any bruises or scars.

"You need to rest."

The fledgling struggle against him. Ranboo shakes his head, patient. He's a lot stronger than his fledgling, especially in his current state, so it's not too hard to drag him over to where they need to be.

Just as Ranboo thought, his precious one does not know what's good for him.

When they're both in the nest, the struggling dies down quick enough. As if a flip has been switched in his brain. The man's pupils dilate again, not unlike what happened during thrall. But it's a different kind of instinct he's lost in now. His chest rises and falls rapidly with unneeded pseudo-breathes.

Ranboo holds his fledgling close to his chest, threading fingers into long pink hair gently and pretending he can’t feel the way he shivers at his touch. The fear inside his fledgling spikes, feeding through the bond until it has Ranboo cringing.

But he ignores it.

Soon this will be easier. Ranboo knows it will be.

#technoblade #Ranboo #Shara writes #dark ranboo #dark sbi #sireboo au

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imissjensi · 2 years ago

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on this hellscape we call earth there are two things i am passionate about. dungeons and dragons, and kotlc. so why not combine the two in a dnd table to determine a special ability?

the first question you probably have is: "gubbs. there are twenty abilities here, why didn't you just use a d20?" and my answer to that is that i'm insane and chose to try and break down the abilities based on the likelihood of manifesting them without any genetic influence, and since some abilities are rarer than others, i used a d100 instead to represent the different weights of abilities.

really in-depth info on how i broke down the abilities below, along with a TL;DR with just the percentages at the end :)

I omitted Teleportation, Inflicting and Descrying since those abilities likely won't pop up again for a very long time. Since Inflicting and Descrying both only had one reported elf each before Sophie, and both are Councillors, they won't be passing along their genetics anytime soon. And Sophie's Inflicting was a result of the Black Swan tweaking her genetics. Teleportation is also exclusively a horse girl thing so that one is out as well, since it doesn't occur in elves organically. I am also aware that the Talentless chance is far lower than it should be. I address that near the end.

Due to there being twenty abilities on this list, the baseline percent for each is 5%, as that's how it would be if all abilities had an equal chance of happening. I adjust the chances from there.

First, I separated the abilities into categories. The first one was the easiest, which was the rare abilities. I only put three in this category, those being Pyrokinetics and Enhancers at a 1% chance, and Telepaths at a 3% chance. Pyrokinetics was easy, since Marella says that there were only twelve of them when the ability got banned, so it's very unlikely to manifest it. Sophie is the only Enhancer we know of, but we do know that there are more, since Dex had heard about the ability when she manifested it. However, I assume it's rare, since Sophie manifesting it is the first we hear of it. I also made Enhancer a reroll ability, since I believe it mostly manifests in people who already have an ability. There is absolutely no canon support for this aside from Sophie, so take this with a grain of salt. We are constantly told Telepaths are rare, (even if there are so many of them in the story) so they're at a 3% chance. Rarer than most abilities, but not the rarest. In total, the three rare abilities have a 5% chance of manifesting.

The next category is elemental abilities. Due to the elves being in tune with nature and appreciating natural beauty, I bumped the baseline percent from 5% to 6%, which is the likelihood for Frosters, Chargers, Gusters, and Hydrokinetics. Flashers sit at an 8% chance due to the Lost Cities' focus on light. We are also introduced to far more Flashers than any other of the elements, leading me to believe it shows up more in elves. Shades were bumped down to a 4% chance, because if light is the foundation of the Lost Cities and manifests more in it's citizens as a result, then the distrust and shun of darkness would make the shadows manifest less. Elemental abilities have a 36% chance of manifesting.

I then put Empaths, Mesmers, Beguilers and Vociferators into the "affects others" category. Empaths don't quite fit that description, but it was the best place I could put them. Empaths are at a 6% chance of manifesting, just because there are a lot of Empath characters in the series, so manifesting as an Empath may be more likely than other abilities. The other three in this category are all at a 4% chance. This is because all three of them involve manipulating/harming people. Mesmers manipulate actions, Beguilers manipulate emotions, and Vociferators can harness their voice to incapacitate someone. I know that these abilities aren't the only ones that can be used to harm someone, but they are the only ones (apart from inflicting) where you can only use it on someone else. Since elves can't handle guilt, I believe that these three abilities manifest less frequently, as their genetic makeup probably pushes against manifesting as something that can easily be misused. Hopefully that makes sense. The abilities that affect others have an 18% chance at manifesting.

Next is the "affects self" group, which is Vanishers, Psionipaths and Phasers. Psionipaths can use forcefields on anything, but I assume the most common use is to protect the user from something, so I put them in this category. All three of these are at the baseline 5%, as I could not think of a reason for any of them to be more or less likely based on elvin psyche or nature.

Finally was the miscellaneous group, which was just the last three. Technopaths are at the baseline of 5%, since there was no reason for it to be anything else. Polyglots sit at a healthy 10%, and are also a reroll ability for hopefully what are obvious reasons. I made the likelihood so high because to me it seems like every other character we meet is a polyglot. It should probably be lower though. Speaking of abilities that should definitely be lower, I made Conjurers have a 10% chance of manifesting. I should not have done this. The flimsy reasoning I do have, is that it's incredibly practical. Just having the ability to summon anything to you from anywhere as long as you know where it is is so useful. I would love to be able to do that. I also thought there were far more Conjurers in the series than there actually is. But logically, it should be a lower chance, and I should have took the left over percents from Polyglots and Conjurers and put them into Talentless. I made it a 1% chance for an elf to not manifest an ability at all. Far more than 1% of the elvin population is Talentless, I think I can say that confidently. I would go back and adjust the table, but doing so would require me to adjust all the numbers, as well as edit this post. I have been working on this for two hours and don't want to do that. Maybe I'll reblog it later with an edit.

I plan on making more dnd keeper crossover content, so hopefully this finds it's target audience.

TL;DR

#i spent so much time on this my head is going to explode #i am good at one thing and that thing is math #math + kotlc + dnd = this appareantly #hopefully you can all understand my ramblings #this is potentially the start of a very big project i have in my head but the question is can i follow through on it #probably not tbh my adhd doesn't let me follow through on shit #you can also just use a random number generator if you don't have a d100 #hell i dont have a d100 but i do have percentile dice #kotlc #kotlc fandom #keeper of the lost cities #yoooo i just rolled a 71 i'm a phaser like my bestie blur #anyways do with this what you will #i think i will also color code the table #after i take a fat ass nap bc good god this tired me out

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jameui · 3 years ago

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MOVIE DATE

PAIRING: Hwang Hyunjin x Manager!M!Reader

GENRE: Angst, Fluff

WARNING: Hyunjin being a jerk

SUMMARY: You boyfriend, Hyunjin took you out on a date to watch your favorite movie.

You sighed in exhaustion and as if the world was trying to test you, a fast running bicycle came your way causing you to jump to the side, so fast that you forgot about the takeouts you had in your hands and at a blink of an eye the neatly boxed items fell to the ground, all the food now spilled on the floor with your eyes widening in fear. "Shit!" You yelled out and tried to get back to the restaurant again, but as soon as you got there the line was already long and it'd take you ages to get to the counter to order, again.

You were at your way to your work with your phone squeezed in between your shoulder and ear as you talked to your co-manager on the other line who seemed agitated for your tardiness, while you tried to balance the foods you were made to order. "Yes, sir. I'll make sure that won't happen again." You told the male before the call was cut short when he decided to hang up all of a sudden.

Looking around, you saw a chinese restaurant that had the smallest line, so you went there and bought the food there, even though the orders of the group was not exactly what they wanted for you to buy. You just couldn't go back empty handed.

After a few minutes of walking, you finally arrived at the venue of the fansign event and got there just in time before Stray Kids were called to the stage for their activity to be done, but the moment you got there you saw that the people present were already eating their food away. They noticed your presence entering the room whilst their head turned to look at you. "I... Good morning, everyone." You greeted them. 'Guess their manager got their food delivered.'

You didn't get a reply, except from the group who was more than happy to see that you had food on your hands. "Hyung! Thank God. I was starving." The group's youngest, Jeongin said as he helped you put the foods down on the table. "You're seriously a life saver."

You smiled at him giving him a muttered thanks that earned you a smile from Jeongin. Honestly speaking, Jeongin was the second best person you ever liked in the group, the first being Lee Felix since he was the only person to ever approach you on your first day since he was able to see how much you were so nervous. Felix was also one of the members who taught you korean, the other being Bang Chan. You had always knew the group back then, and now and you were damn thankful that you got the opportunity to be in their circle.

Knowing how young you were to be working for them, they treated you nicely, not because they needed to, rather cause it was in their nature to be caring. Well, at least except one person. You were the closest to Felix who treated you like his personal manager and a friend as well, going out on friendly dates with you to the park, dog cafés, just anywhere Felix would find interesting to visit.

Who's the person that seemed irritated whenever you were around you ask? Why, the one and only visual king, Hwang Hyunjin. He doesn't actually treat you bad, but the way his eyes would always turn dark or displeased when you show up in his line of sight made you feel so small and felt totally unwelcomed. That was then, apparently, since today the male looked a little too quiet and didn't even bother to look at you. Believe me or not that's actually the kindest thing he's done to you.

You would try to go to him to try and talk to him, worried by his silence. You just furrowed your brows and sighed completely aware that no matter how much you try to talk to him he won't even dare to acknowledge you being there for him.

"M/n, are you just gonna stand there? Come and eat." Chan told you, but you just politely declined his offer with the shake of your head before telling him that you had just taken your breakfast and that you were full, more and you feel like your stomach's gonna burst. "Hm, suit yourself, but I'll be leaving mine untouched, so you can eat it when you get hungry, yeah?"

"You're so kind, Chan." You gave him a smile that got Chan smiling also showing his deep dimples that you could just dive in it anytime soon.

"Hey, hey, hey! We've known each other the longest. Why do I still have to call you 'hyung' and M/n doesn't?" Jisung, one of the group's rapper, pouted with folded arms as Chan chuckled before ruffling the kid's hair that Jisung angrily shook off.

"Well, since he's not that spoiled, unlike you." Chan answered Jisung who gasped dramatically. "And he also gained my permission, so—"

"Whenever or not he's around, is he the only person that ever comes into your mind?" That all too familiar voice spoke out, all your heads turning towards the person. He scoffed and stood up with a smirk on his face, probably in disbelief that the whole group was talking to you and always thought about you. "I mean, come on. There's gotta be something else to talk about other than this... person." You felt his eyes look at you while your eyes stared at him with rising anger. "There's sports, other artists, songs, music, so many and you chose to pick him as the topic of your talk."

"Hyunjin, that is very disrespectful." Chan gritted out, but Hyunjin knew better than to listen or to even stop.

"I'm really not, hyung." Hyunjin's smirk grew wider eyeing you with a suspicious look on his eyes. An idea popped in his head as he opened his mouth to talk. "But, if you want to, I could show you how disrespectful I can get." Without any warning, he took the take-out container and bottled drink in his hand and gave you no second to react as he poured all of its contents onto your head with a loud gasp coming out of you. "There. I'll call it a masterpiece even."

"Hwang Hyunjin!" Bang Chan's voice boomed through the whole room a still smirking Hyunjin turning around to face the older male who was fuming with anger. "You—"

"Chan!" You called out to him before things got a little out of hand. For pete's sake their going to just fight because Hyunjin had made a mess of you? You were not even worth the fight. "No. I'm fine. I can just quickly change, that's all. I'll be right back and I better get no reports about you two fighting." You told the two, Chan rolling his eyes.

You got out of the room and ran as fast as you can to the nearest restroom, cleaning yourself as soon as you arrived. Times like this you would immediately bawl your eyes out, but with the constant behavior that Hyunjin showed to you, you grew used to it. Heck, you even sometimes feel that the other boys only act like they liked you being there and when you weren't, they'd stab you behind your back. "Goodness, why won't this get off."

"Need help?" A raspy voice came from the entrance of the restroom, turning your head around to see Felix leaning himself on the door frame with his arms crossed, then untangled them to let his hands rest inside his pockets and stepped inside as you smiled at him. "Do you need more tissue?"

You shook your head at him, your attention back on your stained favorite shirt wiping them clean with the tissues the place's restroom owned. "Nah, there's plenty here. Besides, I'm all dried up now." You said and showed yourself to him, Felix knitting his brows in worry.

He seeped air through his teeth and cocked his head to the side, unsure if you should be wearing that now dirty shirt when you'd be with them during the activity the whole time. "I don't think you should be wearing that."

"Why? It's my favorite sweater." You chuckled half-heartedly.

"Yeah, I know, M/n, but it's dirty. Plus, I think it gets pretty uncomfortable seeing that stain on your shirt and it gets sticky. Yeugh." Felix pretended to barf which got you laughing softly. Felix, though not trying to be funny, whatever he does it always seemed so funny to you.

"Fine, fine. I'll go change, the problem though is that I didn't bring an extra shirt with me today." You told Felix scratching your nape.

"Really? Well, I guess we have to borrow from one of the group's." Felix suggested, but your eyes grew sizes bigger upon hearing that and waved your hands.

"No way, Felix! I have already done enough damage, I can't afford to borrow a shirt from one of the members, or to you even." You told him, but it all fell on deaf ears as Felix refused to listen. "I'm just trouble, Felix. You don't have to worry about me."

Felix hummed with two fingers pinching his chin gently. "Yeah, I don't think so." He took your wrist and started to drag you back to the dressing room. "Come on, I know there's someone willing to let you borrow a shirt." You just sighed, knowing that Felix won't even dare to change his mind when he had already set them on something.

Alas, as you two got there, none of the members even had a spare shirt to let you borrow. They were very willing and even tried to look around if there was anything, but to no avail. Although, there was one last person you didn't ask. "Hyunjin. You were the cause of this mess, you let him borrow your shirt." Felix sternly told the older male who pilled his brows together.

"What?! No way! Are you telling me I'd offer to do something for that guy? No!" Hyunjin retorted making Felix growl.

Felix was so ready to throw punches at the male who didn't seem to be bothered by the situation, but you just put a hand on Felix's shoulder and assured him. "That's alright, Felix. My sweater was thick enough to not get my undershirt wet. Although, I'm grateful for your effort." You smiled at him and sighed.

Just in time, you heard a call from one of your co-manager that the group was already being requested to be at the stage right now. You gave them an encouraging smile as they all did the same. "Alright boys. It's time to go out there and meet millions of your fans."

The group all shouted, excluding Hyunjin, hurray and hurried out to get on stage, you following behind after you were able to discard your sweater, leaving you only on your black t-shirt. You shivered at the cold now that you were left with a thin clothing that wasn't appropriate for the type of weather you were having and not mention that the place was fully air-conditioned.

Your shaking was not too evident, but one of the members, Seungmin, was able to notice it. Feeling pity he made his way to Hyunjin and tried to convince him. "Jinnie, M/n's cold. Please lend him your jacket, at least. He'll get sick if he continues to get exposed to the cold."

"Better for him."

"Hyunjin, please... Besides, you're already wearing thick layers of clothes why not let M/n borrow." Seungmin reasoned out and solemnly knitted his brows to persuade the male, Hyunjin rolling his eyes at his bestfriend and huffed before taking his jacket off of him and handed it over to Seungmin who silently squeaked. "Thanks, Hyunjin." Hyunjin brushed it off with a 'whatever', the younger of the two jogging his way towards you and gave you the jacket he got from Hyunjin. "I noticed your shivering, so I want you to take this jacket and no, you can't say you can't accept it."

You nodded your head at him and took the jacket from his hands. "Thank you, Seungmin."

"My pleasure." He smiled at you with those puppy dog like smile. He skipped back to reunite with his group while you put on the jacket that Seungmin offered you. You were still in thought though how Seungmin was able to convince Hyunjin to let you borrow his jacket. You knew Hyunjin owned the jacket since he wouldn't let them go since the moment you arrived.

You noticed how the jacket was too big for you, since the sleeves of the piece of clothing only let your fingers peek out through the holes while the flaps reached further down your hips, but it totally felt cozy and smelled like... Hyunjin. How do you explain it? You don't even know where to begin. It was him. The reason why you wanted to work with Stray Kids. You didn't want to look like you were some type of stalker, but all you ever wanted was to befriend Hyunjin.

The befriending process didn't go the way you actually thought it would go. Everytime his eyes met yours or you heard his voice you'd get all flustered and so nervous that your tongue always gets tied, the words you want to tell him gets trapped inside your mouth. It all started to be just an admiration towards the slightly older male until your determination to become his friend gradually became an unknown feeling towards Hyunjin, until realizing later that you actually liked the group's rapper, despite all his bad treatment towards you.

Back to reality, you hugged yourself and took in the wonderful scent the artist gave off until one of your co-worker nudged you. "Hey, stop sniffing the clothes. You totally look like a sasaeng."

"W-what? I wasn't sniffing anything." You denied it earning an eye roll. Later, you heard the whole place bursted into shouts of joy and excitement as Stray Kids made their appearance on the stage greeting all their fans inside and outside of the place. They all took their turns taking the mic to express their happiness and gratefulness to their ocean of fans that filled up the whole place.

Soon, the group was seated at a long rectangular table that was a perfect fit letting all the members seat on their respective seats. There were chairs as well settled in front of the table with each settled across a specific member.

You were appointed to keep guard and stand behind Hyunjin, in any case of fans throwing shade at him or any forms of harm or hate towards the member who had just been caught up in a supposed bullying rumor.

The line started to form as people who were present inside the place took their turns to talk to each member and get a sign from them. So far, you could only wonder how paranoid the company was to keep you on guard of Hyunjin when all these people here are Stays and they wouldn't do such thing to throw hate to any members in the group. Right?

The line was still too long to be gone in just minutes making you sigh, hearing your tummy rumble hoping that no one heard that. You now finally regret not eating that noodles that Chan offered you, the hunger finally hitting your system as your tummy continued to grumble. You pursed your lips and forced your eyes closed while you brought your head down in embarrassment. 'Fuck... why now?'

After a short while, the line was starting to get shorter and shorter, you thanking the heavens for the fast passing by of the time. But, the moment you least expected to happen happened. You felt a harsh tap on your legs and another and another after it finally took your attention, getting a little shocked that the action was done by the person who hated you the worst. "Take it before I change my mind." He told you. You complied and bowed at him politely as he tuts his tongue. "Who would even think of going to work on an empty stomach?"

'You... poured it on me?' You thought then shrugging it off before you looked at the treat offered to you by Hyunjin. You wondered what type of bread it was and hesitated, although Hyunjin's back was facing you he was able to sense your hard time on trying to eat what he gave you.

"It's not poisoned, M/n." He whispered as he signed the album that had his photo on it, then looking up at the fan who would like to talk to him.

Their talk wasn't audible to you, but you opened the packaging of the nicely wrapped pastry and bit on it with your body facing the wall so your back was turned against the people to cover yourself while you ate. One of your co-manager did notice your unwanted behavior and stomped his way to you and took the baked good from your hands and threw it to the ground to step on it and crush it good. "What do you think you're doing, L/n?! You're being inappropriate right now." He gritted out to you with a small voice almost like a whisper so no one else would hear you two. You bowed your head subtly before a hand was placed right below your chin as you looked up at him confused. "Spit." He ordered, referring to the food you were chewing.

You nod your head and spit out the food that was in your mouth into his hand while he picked up the wasted food and left, then threw it all at a trash can. "Fuck." You sighed as you held your chest and slowly turned around to face the non-existent line, the group now interacting with their fans.

Just looking at them now, you were able to remember when you were the one who was there seated at the chairs shouting out the name of the person you would call as your bias, which is no other than Kim Seungmin. At least, when you still didn't take the job to be one of the group's manager. Usually, it would only take one manager to manage the group, but why did this group require another one? You questioned yourself. It was all unexplained to you, but all you gotta do was to just be glad that you get to be friends with the people you see as your role models.

"Hyunjin-ah! When did you start trading jackets with your manager?" The question came out as a shout that got everyone laughing, including the group. You were only able to chuckle knowing that it was Seungmin who convinced Hyunjin to let you borrow his jacket.

Hyunjin didn't get to answer the question, when another fan spoke from the crowd that got every fans' attention. "Are rumors true that you don't treat Manager L/n well?"

Chan furrowed his brows and picked up his microphone. "Where did you get this story?" He chuckled trying to make it sound that it wasn't true and just pure bluff. Chan looked at Hyunjin with the face that told Hyunjin that he should start treating you well if he didn't want the netizens to know about his treatment towards you. "Anyways, it's seriously not true."

-----------

A few minutes later and the event was finally finished and the group was bidding their goodbyes to their fans as they started to walk backstage. You waited for them at their waiting room with a handful of bottled waters for the boys to pick up once they get inside. The door soon opened revealing the group with a tense atmosphere following them that got you so confused. "Hey—"

"Hyunjin. If word gets out about your mistreatment to M/n, that would be a serious damage to our image and to M/n as well, 'cause he's obviously in pain because of you!" Chan yelled at the trouble causing male who only rolled his eyes paying no heed to his warning.

"Atleast, I never went too far as to really hurt him physically." Hyunjin deadpanned Chan growling at his response. Your eyes flickered to Hyunjin, then to Chan not knowing what to do in this situation.

"You are seriously being a jerk right now, Hyunjin." Chan fumed in anger while Hyunjin just continued to act deaf and played on his phone. Chan, giving up, sighed and plopped down on his seat. "Ayayay."

They took turns in getting your glances as you thought of a way to calm the atmosphere. You had already been their manager for a over a year now and this was the only time that Hyunjin ever spoke up to Chan and, to top it off, with sass and without the slightest feeling of being bothered. That was the moment you felt like you had enough. You've had enough with all these things. You were tired of yourself to even think that Hyunjin would finally soften up to you and be his friend. You were wrong to even apply for this kind of job. The group wouldn't be fighting if it hadn't been for you appearing in their lives all so suddenly. "Guys... let him do as he pleases. I'll be the one to take of whatever the netizens hear."

Chan raised his eyes up at you with furrowed brows. "What do you plan on doing? Whatever it is don't do it."

You smiled and nodded. "I won't, Chan." You held up the bottles in your hands and turned on a toothy smile. "Water? Anyone?" They all sighed in relief and got their turns in picking their own bottled water, the last one not being picked up by Hyunjin, so you decided to give it to him. You brought the cold drink to his face making him flinch as he looked up at you. "Thank you for the bread, by the way." You told him and giggled. "I've already packed your jacket in your bag." You informed him and patted his back.

The once crazily terrifying atmosphere now turned into a more comfortable one, the one you always would want to see. You didn't know what got you the courage to speak or blurt out whatever you had in your mind, but you looked at Hyunjin and said: "Hyunjin, can I talk to you privately?" Thankfully, their loud voices was able to distract themselves from hearing your request to Hyunjin who sighed and nodded his head. He stood up from his seat and started to move outside of the room. You followed behind closely, feeling intimidated by the month older's tall figure. "Hyunjin..."

"Cut to the chase, M/n. I don't have much time." He told you as you nod your head in understanding and fiddled with your fingers.

"I know, you'd probably like hearing this, but could I have the permission to quit as your group's manager?" You asked him, his forehead creasing that made him pull his brows together. "I was able to notice what the group had become the moment I became your manager—"

"And do you think quitting would change it?" Hyunjin asked you with a raised brow. "If anything, it'd probably—no, it would break their hearts to know that you quitted. If you do so, you're not only quitting as a manager, but as their friend as well."

"And you're able to say that after you purposely tried to have me fired or suspended from work by offering me that bread?" You sarcastically answered, Hyunjin clearing his throat.

"Well... that wasn't my intention. I didn't even know it'd get you fired." Hyunjin replied making you chuckle.

"Yeah..." You replied with a sad smile. "But, I don't wanna be the reason why you and Chan would always fight. Stray Kids is Stray Kids because they're fun and loving, caring. And I don't want to change that by being around the group." Hyunjin never replied anymore and you sighed. "I'm heading back now." You said and as you started to walk back inside, Hyunjin spoke.

"I wish you never entered our life, at all, M/n." He told you that got your heart broken into pieces. Sure, you admitted that he never liked you even just a bit, but him saying it so bluntly to you, it's like he does really mean it and could only care less. You were about to speak when Hyunjin beat you to it. "If so, I wouldn't be able to garner these undeniable feelings I have for you."

You froze. Were you hearing right? You just cleaned your ears this morning, well you do it everyday. Is your ear trying to play with you? "W-what?"

"DAMN! WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT?!" You gasped with your mouth full of popcorn, your boyfriend, Hyunjin seated beside you at the movie theater. He smiled at you admiring how cute you looked with your shocked expression that was being illuminated by the big screen. "Jinnie! Look, they're gonna kiss! AH!!" As the two actors in the movie was about to kiss, one of the movie's cast bursted out of the door cutting the kiss and earned a few 'oh's and 'I hate you, Chan's. "Chan is such a cock blocker."

"Watch your mouth, babe." Hyunjin told you making you pout.

"It's true, though!" You retorted and Hyunjin could only laugh at your cuteness and honest opinions.

#hwang hyunjin x male reader #bottom male reader #x male reader #bxb #male reader #idol x male reader #kpop #fanfiction #stray kids x male reader #skz x male reader #stray kids #boy group #angsty #skz #skz hyunjin #stray kids hyunjin

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shitty-marvel-fan732 · 4 years ago

Note

Hi can I request a peter parker x barnes-Rogers reader (steve and Bucky's daughter) and me and Peter find out I'm pregnant with Peter's baby and we try to keep it a secret but everyone is suspicious of us cause I've been really poorly lately and Peter is being overprotective and one day Peter accidentally says "don't do that it could hurt the baby" or "and everyone freaks out and me, Peter and my dads have a long talk but everything is fine thanks xx

Unexpected

Pairing: Peter Parker x Barnes-Rogers! Reader

Requested?: Yes!

Word count: Almost 7k

Warnings: Pregnancy, some angst but thats it I think?

Author's Note: Yessssss this was so fun to write! Very excited to be back to posting on this page again. Thank you so much for the request! Hope to start adding in more content soon, so if yall have any requests feel free to send them in! And if you have requests sent in already, know that I love you and I will be getting to clearing out my inbox here pretty soon 🥰

Taglist: @just-that-bi-girl , @winterfrostsarmy

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

In retrospect, the entire team should have realized what was going on with you a lot sooner. To their credit, most of them had noticed that something was different about you, but other than Nat and Wanda none of them had a guess as to what exactly that was.

The men appeared completely clueless in respect to the cause of the recent changes in you. Even Clint, a married father of three, hadn't caught on even after he'd seen you leaving the bathroom having clearly just thrown up. Tony had been the closest to figuring it out of the all men, having noticed your odd mood swings and crying fits as they became more and more frequent. He noted the same behavioral pattern as he'd found himself stuck in after the Battle of New York, and secretly worried for your mental well-being. He hadn't felt comfortable enough to broach the topic with you just yet though, instead opting to watch you from a distance for the time being.

The women, however, seemed to understand almost instantly what was going on. Nat had figured things out once she realized that you had been skipping training lately and noticed that you and Peter barely appeared to leave one another's sides for even a moment. Wanda based her guess almost solely upon the fact that she could just feel that something was different about you; your entire energy had changed in the last few weeks and she noted it even before Peter had. Both women had their suspicions, but had seemingly agreed to keep their thoughts to themselves until you were ready to tell the team what was going on.

Your dads were a different story altogether.

It took Steve and Bucky much longer to notice something had changed with their daughter, Steve longest of all. Either you'd done a great job of avoiding your Pops or he'd been incredibly unobservant (or more likely both), but he hadn't seen anything that he would've considered out of the ordinary for you.

That is, until today.

"AAAAUUUUUUGGGGH"

Steve was on his feet in an instant, sprinting into the kitchen at the sound of your enraged scream. He skidded to a stop and surveyed the room with a trained look for the source of danger, but found none. In fact, you and Sam were the only two in the space as far as he could tell. Sam's back was pressed snugly against the furthermore countertop as you practically cornered him, the older man clearly caught off guard by your sudden burst of rage. You flung your hands around wildly as you yelled, one gripping a box so tightly that your knuckles were beginning to turn a concerning shade of white.

Completely bewildered, Steve watched in stunned silence for moment as you fumed and screamed expletives at the slightly-terrified looking Sam, without any clear indication as to what had happened.

"I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE YOU, YOU GODDAMNED ASSHO-"

"Y/N Barnes-Rodgers!" Steve scolded you finally, momentarily stopping your verbal assault. "What in God's name is going on here?"

Your eyes turned to your Pops' briefly before flickering back to glare in Sam's direction.

"Pigeon-brain ate the last of my oreos," you seethed, walking forward and jabbing an accusatory finger to Sam's chest, his hands instantly flying upwards in surrender.

Steve felt his jaw drop in utter disbelief.

“You-,”

“What’s with all the commotion in here?” Bucky interrupted, striding into the kitchen much as Steve had moments ago and joining his husband's side with a confused look on his face. Steve crossed his arms and frowned at their daughter.

“Apparently our daughter is screaming at Sam because he ate her cookies.” your Pops explained tersely.

“Not cookies, oreos,” you muttered, glare never wavering from Sam. You furiously threw the offending empty package roughly at his still bewildered face in lieu of another expletive. Sam was evidently so bewildered, in fact, that he didn't even flinch as the box hit his head and bounced pathetically to the floor.

Bucky raised his eyebrow.

“And that’s why you’ve been screaming like that?” he confirmed. You nodded, arms crossing your chest stubbornly.

Bucky shrugged, looking towards his husband with a look of indifference. “Makes sense.”

“No, it absolutely does not make sense,” Steve lightly scolded, glancing at Bucky with a pointed look before returning his gaze to you. “Y/N you’re completely overreacting. Apologise to Sam right now.”

Your mouth dropped open, and you gaped at your dads with an expression that was equal parts betrayal and rage.

“No.”

“No?” Steve repeated incredulously. He stared at you with disbelief, looking between you and Bucky like he was hoping he’d somehow misheard you. You met his glance with an equally stubborn look as you planted your feet solidly beneath you and tightened the cross of your arms. “What do you mean, no?”

“You heard me,” you spat, unwavering.

Sam merely looked confused as he watched the two of you argue, if albeit still a bit scared, but Bucky was sure his shock was evident on his face. You never back-sassed your Pops, not even when you were really angry, and Bucky only felt his disbelief grow at the prospect that your attitude was all due to a few cookies.

"Y/N, you don't get to tell me no," Steve ground out carefully, voice stern with a rare sort of parental authority he seldom had to use with you. In fact, Bucky was pretty sure he hadn't actually heard him use this particular tone since way back when you were a toddler testing the limits of your dads' patience. But unlike your three-year-old self, you didn't back down at your Pops' disapproving tone; in fact, you met his intense stare with a flippant roll of your eyes, deepening your dad's shock at your abrupt behavioral shift.

"He fucking knows what he did, everyone knows those oreos are mine," you snapped, eyes alight with a kind of fury the likes of which your dads had never seen from you before.

"Language!" Steve gasped at his daughter, his authoritative tone giving way to a spluttering one of complete disbelief.

"FUCK OFF!" you shouted instantly.

"HEY!"

Bucky had officially had enough. Irritation blossomed deep within his chest at the hurt he saw wash through his husband's eyes at your vulgar screech. Teenaged angst was one thing, but it was entirely another to blatantly disrespect Steve like you were. He still didn't know what was really causing you to act like this--because no way in hell could this be all over some oreos-- but he'd definitely passed the point where he even cared.

"Doll, that’s enough. Clearly you're upset, but you cannot speak to your Pops like that," he practically growled. You turned your attention to your dad with the same kind of indignant irritation in your eyes, a flash of fresh anger rolling across your face at the sight of Bucky's equally irate expression.

"You can fuck off too," you spat.

Bucky's jaw clenched dangerously, the muscle in his cheek jumping and twitching as he took in his daughter's crass retort. Sam had long since left the scene, the nearly suffocating tension officially too much for him to take. Steve's eyes went wide for what felt like the millionth time since he'd first walked into the kitchen. If he hadn't known something was wrong before, he undoubtedly did now.

You may not disobey him often, but you never snapped at Bucky.

Steve had long since accepted that, though you loved the two of them the same, you'd always liked Bucky more. A daddy's girl from birth, you and Bucky had always been inseparable-- so for you to now scream and curse at him like this was like a flaming-red flag in Steve's mind.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Excuse me?" Bucky hissed. The two of you faced one another, arms crossed and expressions grim. You planted your feet even more solidly underneath you, staring your dad down with a fury so intense it was almost palpable. If it weren't for the overall tension of the situation, Steve might've teased the two of you for your near-mirrored positions.

"Y/N? What's going on, I thought I heard yelling?" Peter asked as he practically skidded into the kitchen. He immediately joined you, face morphing into a look of utter concern at the sight of yours and Bucky's standoff. Steve braced himself, mentally apologizing to Peter for the verbal assault that was surely coming his way.

But it never came.

It was as if all the unwarranted anger was sucked from your body in a rush as soon as you caught sight of your boyfriend. Your face crumpled into an anguished expression, and Steve could see how the tears welled up in your eyes instantaneously. Peter clicked his tongue in pity and you thrust yourself instantly into his awaiting arms. He gripped you tightly, and you eagerly buried yourself further into his embrace. Face smashed tightly against his chest, you began to sob uncontrollably.

Your dads gaped at the scene, wide-eyed.

"S-sam ate my oreos a-and now everyone's mad at me, and I j-just wanted my snack!" you all but wailed, voice muffled by Peter's body.

Bucky blinked once as he turned to his husband, total confusion written all over his features. Steve just gaped in response, unable to formulate a semi-coherent thought, let alone words.

"Oh angel, it's okay," Peter cooed softly into your hair, hands rubbing up and down your back soothingly as you continued to cry. "I can go and get you more oreos; don't cry Y/N/N, I'll just run down to the store right now to get you some."

Lifting your head from his chest, you seemed slightly placated and hopeful as you sniffled and looked up at him.

"C-can I come with you?" you asked him shyly, tear-stained cheeks turning a slight shade of pink at your childish request. Peter smiled fondly down at you, clearly happy to see that you were feeling better.

"Of course, it'll be nice to walk with you," he smiled sweetly at you and lightly kissed your nose. You giggled as you removed yourself from his embrace before walking over to your dads.

"M'sorry I shouted daddys. Love you guys!" you apologized in a chipper voice before kissing both of the men's bewildered cheeks.

The two supersoldiers both stood in stunned silence as they watched you leave hand in hand with Peter, who briefly shot them an apologetic look before the pair were gone. Steve thought he heard Peter mumbling something to Y/N as they left, but the only words he could pick out were "not good to get so worked up", which only confused him further.

"What in the hell was that?" Bucky grumbled, face still crinkled with bewilderment. Steve simply shook his head.

"I have absolutely no idea. I've never seen her behave like that, have you?"

"Nothing like that, but she was acting funny the other day too," he frowned, recalling the scene he'd walked in on just a few days prior. "She was full out sobbing on the couch a few days ago over a toilet paper commercial."

Steve gaped at his husband.

"Sh-she...what?"

"Doll have you seen your Pops? I can't find him any-"

Bucky's question died in his throat as soon as he hit the threshold of the TV room. You were curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around your knees as sobs racked through you. Peter sat next to you with his eyes crinkled in concern and hands rubbing gently at your shoulders as you cried.

"Y/N what's wrong, why are you crying?" Bucky asked. Feeling his protective instincts kick in instantly, he couldn't help but search the room with his eyes in search of any danger. Finding nothing, he narrowed his eyes at your boyfriend.

"Did he do something?" Bucky demanded. "Parker I swear to God if you hurt her I-"

"What? N-no I didn't do anything Mr. Bucky I swear!" Peter spluttered, eyes widening in fear at the terrifying look in your dad's eyes.

"Bullshit, then why's she crying like that? Of course you did someth-"

"N-no it's not P-peter dad!" you interrupted tearfully. "There was an ad on TV that just made me emotional okay? You know, the one with the boy crying in the bathroom and his dad offers him toilet paper for his tears?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Doll, you really mean to tell me that you're sobbing over a toilet paper ad?" Bucky asked, brows furrowed in disbelief. You sniffled as you nodded, and fresh tears began to pick your eyes once more.

"Yes! I mean it's just so inspiring," you blubbered. "I mean how often do you actually get to see a teenaged boy cry on TV? Never, cause toxic masculinity standards in this stupid patriarchal society we all live in say otherwise! And not only does the dad accept that his son is crying and is allowed to feel real emotions, he sits down to talk with him about them! I just got so happy thinking about all the little boys who will see this ad and feel the validation that they're normal for feeling sad every once in a while!"

Bucky just stared at his daughter with a blank look for a moment; he looked like he was unable to formulate a single response to the information he'd just been given.

"Well that's...uh….that's great I gue-"

"I can't believe you would just assume that me crying just had to be because of something Peter did," you interrupted, angrily brushing the leftover tears from your face. "It's so unfair, you always blame him for everything!"

"I-uh," Bucky stammered, flustered by the sudden change in your emotions. You scoffed and stood quickly from your spot in Peter's embrace, crossing your arms petulantly.

"It's true dad, you're always looking for something to yell at him for! It's so biased and unfair," you practically yelled. "Honestly it's such prejudiced bullshit. Some kind of outdated 'lock up your daughters' rhetoric that I can't believe yo…"

At some point during your impassioned speech you began stomping away from both your dad and Peter while still ranting. As your shouts became fainter and fainter Bucky found himself directing his dumbfounded expression at Peter instead. In a rare show of solidarity with your boyfriend, Bucky silently begged for an explanation as to what on earth had just happened.

Despite the way his heart was hammering wildly in his chest Peter remained silent. He offered only a passive shrug to your dad before he clambered to his feet and began following after you. If Bucky hadn't been caught so off guard he surely would've been suspicious at the visible sweat that was beading on Peter's forehead and the way the young boy's hands trembled as he quickly left the room, the question of what was causing your mood swings laying thickly unanswered in the air.

"What the fu-"

"She...a toilet paper ad? Really?"

"Yep, a friggin' toilet paper commercial," Bucky nodded solemnly. Steve blinked once, shaking his head.

"So what did you do?" he asked incredulously.

"Nothin'," Bucky shrugged. "She was so damned worked up that I figured she needed some space, and by the time I went to talk to her she'd already seemed completely fine. Thought it wasn't worth upsetting her all over again."

Steve snorted.

"Yeah right, you were just too scared you would make her mad again," he chuckled.

"Hell yeah I was," Bucky admitted freely, crossing his arms and shooting his husband a defiant expression. "You've seen her, you know how terrifying she can be when she's pissed!"

Steve chuckled once more, shaking his head fondly.

"Mmmm, and I wonder where she got that from."

Bucky narrowed his eyes and scowled at the implication, a surly look overtaking his features. Steve couldn't help but laugh outright at the expression on his husband's face; it was the exact same face you always made when you were annoyed, right down to the little pout in your lip.

"For the last time Stevie, she doesn't get that from me," he grumbled.

"Sure Buck, whatever you say," Steve laughed.

Though your odd behavior and mood swings were at least now on both your dads' radar, neither had any clue as to the actual reason for your sudden changes. The pair of them chalked up the incidents to little more than teenaged angst, however they had no idea how wrong they were nor just how soon they were about to find out what was really going on.

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

"I don't understand Y/N," Steve stated carefully. "Why exactly don't you want to go with the team?"

You shifted your weight from foot to foot anxiously, huffing out a breath in mock annoyance and very real frustration.

You'd been in the training room, lightly working out with Nat and Wanda when your Pops and Tony had walked in to announce that there was an urgent mission that apparently would require the entire team. Internally cursing your timing, you'd tried to sneak out of the room unnoticed, but as your luck would have it, your dad caught you. Now you were stuck arguing with your dads, the attention and curiosity of everyone in the gym directed at you.

Your heart was thrumming wildly in your chest as you furiously racked your brain for some way, any way, out of this assignment and this conversation without an actual reason.

Well, a reason you were actually willing to give, that is.

"Why does it even matter?" you snapped, hoping that no one clocked the tremor in your voice. "It's not like you guys even need me anyways."

"Doll, you always jump at the chance to come with us," your dad interjected. "So what's so different about today?"

"I just don't want to," you whined, lying through your teeth. "I'm tired and I don't feel good."

"But you were literally just training?" Sam pointed out. You narrowed your eyes at him, irritation bubbling under the surface of your anxiety at the contradiction. The older man shrank back a bit under your firey gaze, the previous incident in the kitchen clearly prominent in his mind as he stepped behind Wanda.

Clint snorted.

"If you could even call that training," he mumbled under his breath. Your jaw dropped.

"What is this, gang up on Y/N day?!" you sassed as your arms flew to cross your chest defensively. Your Pops shook his head.

"We're just worried Y/N/N," he reassured, brows furrowed with concern. "You've been behaving very strangely lately, and this is just one more thing."

"Yeah doll," Bucky nodded, agreeing with his husband. "So what gives?"

Your pulse sped up once more at the direct question, a sickening feeling rising in your throat like bile at the realization of just how suspicious your dads were. Unable to think clearly through your panic, you did the only thing you could think of.

You scoffed in fake disbelief, rolled your eyes, and began stomping out of the room.

"Y/N Barnes-Rodgers!" your dad shouted in an indignant and angered tone. "We are not done talking about this!"

Damn.

"What?!" you whirled around, stomping your foot like a child. "I just don't want to go this time okay?"

Bucky's face turned red at your open defiance, but Steve interrupted before he could even open his mouth to snap back at you.

"No Y/N it's absolutely not okay," he scolded. You felt the burn of unshed tears prick your eyes as they searched desperately around the room, mind racing to think of an excuse that would get you out of this situation.

"But-"

"No, no buts Y/N," your dad barked, clearly having composed himself enough to speak once more. His arms were crossed as he glared at you, and the stubbornly annoyed look on his face was enough to make the tears in your eyes begin to fall. A feeling of utter entrapment and fear settled in your chest like a suffocating weight as you felt the hot, fresh tears stream down your cheeks.

"Doll, are you crying?" your Pops questioned incredulously. "What on earth is going on with you?"

"Nothing! I just can't go today," you blubbered, past the point of being able to hold back your sobs.

"You can't go, or you won't go?" Bucky asked pointedly, evidently not swayed by your tears.

"It doesn't matter," you cried desperately. Your dad's eyes bored into yours directly as if he was searching your brain to find out what you were holding back from him.

"It clearly does matter, otherwise you wouldn't be acting like this," he continued harshly. "I'm not sure what it is you aren't telling us, but I don't even care at this point. Stark said he needs everyone and your Pops told you to go, so you need to get yourself together and go and get ready."

The tears were now cascading down your face in giant streams and your face was growing warmer by the second. You darted your gaze back and forth between the other team members' faces, still searching for some kind of last minute way out of this situation. Finding only curious or concerned expressions, you turned back to your dads with wide eyes. You felt your mouth go dry as your lips open and closed wordlessly, the severity of your current predicament weighing you down more and more by the second.

"I-"

"No. I don't want to hear another word from you Y/N," your dad snapped. "Go and get ready for the mission now."

"But she can't go!"

Time stopped for a split second as the entire room's heads snapped towards the desperate shout.

Peter had only just entered the training room, wondering where everyone was, when he caught the tail end of your dad's order. He couldn't help but blurt the first thing that'd come to mind, the implication of which only dawned on him afterwards. As he rushed to your side he shot you a sheepish look, and you internally cringed a bit at his slip.

Even though you were certain Peter's involvement would only further reduce your already slim chances of getting out of this mission without a full confession of what was really going on, you couldn't help but feel an inkling of relief as his eyes locked with yours. His hand immediately intertwined itself with yours once he'd reached you, and your belly fluttered with a warm tinge of comfort with the simple touch.

True, things were probably about to go sideways for the both of you, but at least Peter was here to go through it by your side.

"Excuse me Parker?" your dad spat incredulously, eyes blazing with anger at your boyfriend's outburst. "I don't recall asking you for your opinion on my daughter or what she can or can't do."

Peter stood a little taller as he looked Bucky straight in the eyes with an unprecedented amount of determination.

"She can't go." he practically growled, eyes stern and unyielding as he openly defied your dad. He was standing a half-step in front of you, tense back partially shielding you from the rest of the team as he spoke.

Even with his face turned the opposite direction you could see from his profile the way his brows were furrowed and how dark his normally chocolate brown eyes had gotten. You felt a slight shiver run up your spine at the fiercely protective energy Peter was radiating, and your heart felt a bit lighter at the way he stood up to your dad on your behalf. You squeezed his hand in an effort to ground him, and he softened marginally as he glanced back at you.

Your dad however looked as if he might combust soon based on the way his eyes bulged out and his face turned a concerning shade of red.

"What's that supposed to mean Peter?" Steve interjected carefully, his hand reaching up to rest comfortingly on his husband's shoulder.

"It means exactly what we said," Peter said firmly. "Y/N cannot go on this mission today."

The team watched the interaction between you, Peter, and your dads with their heads bouncing back and forth between the four of you like they were watching a tennis match. Not a word had been uttered from a single one of them, and yet they stood completely transfixed as they waited patiently to see the outcome of the argument.

"And why, pray tell, is that Parker?" your dad hissed, scowl etched across his features.

Peter's eyes traveled to yours, irises swimming with a silent question. Realizing that there was no way out, you took a steadying breath as you nodded softly and squeezed his hand once more in reassurance. Peter smiled at you fondly before dropping his smile and turning back to your parents.

"She can't go because...it could be bad for the baby."

You could've heard a pin drop in the training room. No one made a sound, no one even dared to breathe. The shock in the room was palpable, but you couldn't be bothered to even glance at anyone other than your dads, their reactions the only two that mattered to you in this moment.

Though you'd expected a rather explosive reaction from your parents (especially from your dad), you were met instead with blank stares. Your dads were simply staring at you and Peter in stunned silence, and their lack of a response actually frightened you more than the screaming you'd been anticipating for weeks now. The beat of silence seemed to stretch on eternally, though in reality it was probably no more than thirty seconds. You watched nervously, your hand becoming sweaty in Peter's as you waited. Finally, your Pops blinked and opened his mouth cautiously.

"Bad for the wha-"

"I SWEAR TO GOD PARKER THAT'D BETTER BE SOME KIND OF DISGUSTING PET NAME FOR MY DAUGHTER."

Ahhh. There it was.

Your dad had clearly broken through his frozen thoughts enough to respond, and you would've laughed if you weren't so terrified. He looked positively furious; his eyes were darker than you'd ever seen them and his face had darkened from red to an almost purple color that looked painful to say the least. His murderous gaze was hyper-fixated on Peter, and you couldn't help but step in front of your poor boyfriend in an effort to take some of the heat off him.

Peter, evidently, was having none of that, and he frowned before pulling you backwards and tucking you into his side tightly. If you hadn't been so focused on your dad right now you might've rolled your eyes at his over-protectiveness. Instead you allowed yourself the comfort of his embrace as you took a steadying breath.

"It's not," you responded as calmly as you could manage while your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your throat. "I'm pregnant."

Silence enveloped the room once more, and you could've sworn it was even more awkward than the first time. It must've been, because you could see Nat and Wanda ushering the rest of the team out of the gym out of the corner of your eye. You weren't quite sure if you were grateful for the privacy or more scared of how your dads would react now that you were alone.

Your dads stared at you and Peter with wildly different expressions. Steve was staring off into space and looking as if he was either going to throw up or pass out soon, and Bucky still looked as if he was about a half a second away from murdering Peter with his bare hands. To his credit, Peter was still standing by your side with the same look of determination as before despite this, but you could feel the way his pulse was hammering through his veins as he too carefully surveyed your dads' reactions.

You stood quietly, trying to be patient as you watched them, but the suspense and anticipation quickly became overwhelming and you couldn't help but blurt,

"Say something!"

Though both their gazes snapped up to your face with your plea, yet neither your dad nor you Pops said anything. You were suddenly overcome with the urge to explain yourself.

"I know that you're probably in shock or angry or maybe both- and honestly that's completely fair!" You rambled breathlessly. "I know we're still only eighteen, but I really think everything's gonna be okay? Really, I do. And I'm so sorry about today, believe me this isn't how we planned on telling you at all bu-"

"You're not coming on the mission," Steve interrupted, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "Nor is Peter. Your dad and I will be back later, and we're all going to have a long discussion."

It felt like all the air was sucked out of your body as you watched your Pops pull your dad towards the training room exit. You hadn't been fully sure of just how you were going to tell them, but never in your wildest dreams did you imagine that it would come out like this. Tears once more welling up in your eyes, your heart sank as you realized just how disappointed and angry they were.

"I love you," your voice cracked as you called to their retreating forms, unable to bear the sight of them leaving without reminding them. They both paused in the doorway, and without turning back both muttered that they loved you too before they were gone.

As soon as they left you immediately twisted yourself and thrust your face into Peter's chest, the tears flowing steadily as you sobbed. He wrapped his arms tightly around your shaking form, lips finding the crown of your head and hands rubbing soothingly across your back.

"Th-they hate me now," you whispered brokenly into Peter's soft hoodie in between sobs. "They hate me Pete, they're n-never going to forgive me for this!"

Peter shushed you quietly, gentle lips kissing your hair as he began to sway you back and forth slowly.

"They don't hate you angel," he soothed. "They're just surprised. Disappointed in the timing maybe, but they'll get over it. I promise."

"I never wanted it to go like this," you cried as you pulled your head from his chest slightly. Peter's hands left your back for a moment to come and rest on either of your cheeks. He leaned down to press a soft kiss to your forehead before retreating upwards to look deep into your eyes.

"I know you didn't sweet girl, but it did," he said gently as he brushed away some of your tears with the pads of his thumbs. "It did and it's going to be okay. We'll talk to your dads when they get back and clear everything up. And no matter what, you and I are going to get through this together, okay?"

You sniffled softly, nodding sadly. Peter's eyes were swimming with guilt and dejection at the sight of the empty expression on your face. He didn't know how to comfort you in this situation, but it was like every molecule in his body was demanding he do so. He leaned down once more to press a loving kiss to your forehead, then your cheeks, your nose, and finally your lips.

You sighed, head retreating back to his chest once your lips disconnected. Sadness was still swirling in your stomach and you just longed for the feeling that being in Peter's arms brought. He seemed to understand perfectly- as he always did- pressing his cheek to the top of your head and wrapping his arms tightly around you without a word. The two of you stood there for a while, bodies entangled as you continued lightly swaying back and forth. Peter's hands continued to roam up and down your spine and your tears began to slow and dry.

Eventually you hummed, stepping back and up on your toes to press an appreciative kiss to Peter's face. He smiled as a faint pink tinted his cheeks at your display of affection. You giggled, slightly amazed that even after everything you two had done, something as simple as a peck on the cheek could still make him blush.

"Thank you," you said quietly, looking up into his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow at you in confusion.

"For staying with me through all that. I mean it's you, so I wasn't really worried...but my dad can be really frightening. So thanks," you half joked.

Peter chuckled lightly as he pulled you back into his arms once more.

"Of course angel. Told you, I'm never going to leave you. Even if your dad is super scary. You two are stuck with me now. I'm never ever going to leave you or our baby," he vowed quietly into your hair as his hands reached down to rub the small but growing bump in your tummy lovingly. "We're gonna get through this all together, as a family."

You felt tears well up in your eyes once more, but this time out of sheer love and happiness.

Damned hormones.

"You're gonna be such a good daddy Peter," you whispered gratefully. Hearing the slight crack in your voice, Peter pulled you away from his chest gently to wipe your tear stained cheeks once more.

"Hey now, no more tears today," he scolded playfully as he tugged you across the room. "When's the last time you ate something? We have the whole kitchen to ourselves now, and I bet my babies are hungry!"

You chuckled lightly as you allowed him to pull you along with him towards the kitchen. All the while, he chattered happily about the new article he'd just read about the specific nutritional needs pregnant women have, and your heart swelled at his thoughtfulness. You were still apprehensive about the upcoming conversation with your dads, but you were definitely feeling better. As much as their approval and involvement would mean to you, you'd come to the conclusion that as long as you had Peter by your side everything would work out alright.

Somehow.

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

"Petey, are you sure you don't need any-"

"No! Nope. I've got this," your boyfriend interrupted stubbornly. You signed, hand absentmindedly rubbing across your swollen stomach as you watched him struggle with the latch on the new crib the two of you were setting up.

Well, the crib that Peter was setting up.

It'd been a few months since the team had found out about the newest upcoming addition to the Tower, and you'd decided that it was time to begin decorating the nursery. Tony, of course, had offered to have someone come in to do all the heavy lifting, but Peter was insistent that he be the one to set everything up. His protectiveness over you and the rapidly growing child you were carrying had only increased as the months went on, so much so that you were lucky now if he'd even let you stand for long enough to watch him put the baby's furniture together. It was endearing, really, how much he cared for the two of you, but you'd be lying if you said that you weren't becoming a little frustrated with how little you could do to help.

"Really Peter, I can help," you grumbled, annoyed. "I'm pregnant, not disabled."

"Of course you could help angel, but I don't need help," he grunted, eyes never leaving the mass of parts around him. "You already have to do all the work of growing and housing our baby, the least I can do is build the crib!"

"Housing?" you teased, quirking an eyebrow.

"You know what I meant," he grumbled, and you couldn't help but chuckle at his growing frustration.

Peter was clearly losing his grip just a bit as he struggled to make sense of the instructions that had been provided with the pieces. He sighed, throwing the pamphlet down on the ground before trudging over to where you stood, leaning against the changing table that he'd put together a few days ago.

"I've engineered web-fluid from absolutely nothing, re-built computers from scratch and yet I can't even manage to put this stupid bed together," he whined as he dropped his head down onto your shoulder in defeat. "M'gonna be a terrible father."

"Ohhh bubs," you cooed sympathetically, smile falling quickly and heart lurching at the tone of pure dejection in his voice.

You wrapped your arms around him, one snaking around his back and the other cradling his head. Your fingers began instantly carding through his chocolate-brown locks as he nuzzled his nose lightly into the junction of your neck and shoulder. His hands wound their way around your waist too- or as well as they could with your round tummy in the way- and his own hands began absentmindedly tracing patterns over your bump.

"Peter you have to know that isn't true," you soothed, kissing his cheek softly. "You're going to be an amazing dad."

He hummed non-commitally.

"You think you're not?" you challenged, fingers halting their dance against his scalp. "Do the thing."

He raised his head from your shoulder, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What does that have to do with-"

"Do the thing," you interrupted sternly. He sighed and knelt down, grumbling inaudible complaints as he went. Once he was face to face with your bump he placed his hands on either side, thumbs rubbing soft circles into your stretched-out skin.

"Hi baby, it's me, your daddy," he spoke softly into your stomach, lips so close that you shivered with each breath that ghosted over your clothed belly. "I love you so much."

The baby responded instantly at the sound of Peter's voice, feet jabbing out and kicking excitedly from within just underneath where his hands lay. You felt your heart skip a beat at both the feeling the movement in your belly and the sight of the dopey smile that lit up Peter's handsome face as he felt his child's kicks. You rubbed over his hands lovingly and smiled down at him.

"See bubs? He starts throwing a party in there every time you do that. He loves you so much already, that's not gonna change," you reassured him softly. Peter's smile dropped just a little.

"But the crib-"

"Fuck the crib," you responded stubbornly. "You are the most caring, sweetest, and most thoughtful person I know Peter. You're going to be the world's best dad."

"Whoa whoa, believe we're the ones with the mugs that claim that title," a voice chuckled from the doorway.

You smiled fondly, eyes darting to find the sight of your Pops leaning casually against the frame of the door with your dad standing just behind him. Both had amused smiles on their faces, and you grinned widely. Even Peter smiled as he rose to his feet and wrapped one of his arms around your back to pull you into his side.

"Okay, third best dad in the world then," you amended, grinning.

"That's better," your dad piped up, smiling. "Now what's this I hear about a faulty crib? Sam said he can hear Peter cursing all the way from his room."

Peter groaned, tilting his head backwards in exasperation as you laughed out loud.

"It isn't faulty, I'm just an idiot," Peter grumbled. Everyone but him chuckled, and your dad walked further into the room. He clapped a hand on Peter's back as he grinned at the younger man.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but I know if I do Steve will bring up how Y/N had to sleep in the bassinet for like 6 months because we couldn't figure out how to put her crib together."

"You mean you couldn't figure it out," your Pops snorted from his place in the doorway. "As I recall, I was not allowed to help with the furniture because you were determined to figure it out on your own."

Bucky shrugged, seemingly indifferent to his husband's insinuation.

"Whatever. Point is, I wanted to see if you wanted some help putting it together. Thought I might be able to give you some tips," your dad continued. Peter's smile widened, and he nodded eagerly before your dad knelt down to help try and make sense of the directions.

The discussion after the incident in the training room had gone much better than you would've ever imagined. Both your dads had been relatively calm once they'd returned from their mission, and surprisingly there had been no screaming, no crying, and no threats towards Peter from Bucky like you'd been picturing. The four of you had sat down together and had a long, mature discussion of what your plans were in terms of raising and caring for your child, and by the end your dads had even seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of being grandparents. Their involvement and excitement had only grown in the following months to the point now that you felt silly for ever having been frightened to tell them.

And now as you stood watching your boyfriend and dad work together to put your child's room together, tears began collecting in your eyes and you felt your chest warm with feelings of overwhelming love. Steve, noticing your tears, moved to wrap his arms around you and you leaned your head against his shoulder. Rubbing your belly lovingly, you couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude wash over you for the men in your life and love for the little one that you'd all be meeting soon.

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