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everythingsinred · 3 years ago

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Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 2)

And we're back with more exciting and mean Natsume! Here we will further explore Natsume's life and how absolutely dark his existence is, as well as some very important aspects of his personality that will be useful to us when NatsuMikan starts picking up speed.

Again, I am warning people that this whole essay in general talks heavily about topics like bullying, child abuse, suicidal ideation, and depression, so if those are triggering topics, it might be better for you to not read.

Previously, we were introduced to Natsume and he has sent Mikan on a dangerous quest to the Northern Woods. During that trip, she and her friends have captured his one and only best friend, Ruka, which will not bode well.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five is instrumental for completing Natsume’s introduction, long as it’s been. Natsume is a mysterious character, and he will continue to be evasive and strange for many chapters to come, but by the end of this chapter, we will understand some basic foundation for his character.

The chapter starts with Ruka’s point of view, recalling a moment when he saw Natsume cry, presumably after a mission. Ruka wonders why it’s only Natsume that has to go through “this”, and Natsume tells him that he can take it--for now. He says he wants to grow up and be an adult, to be big and strong enough to properly escape this hell. This is a consistent wish of Natsume’s, and in many ways his only wish: to grow up already.

Higuchi really out here trying to convince us this was supposed to be a cheerful story.

Natsume had to be an adult, had to make the selfless and responsible choices for the sake of his family and for Ruka, had to abandon play and smiles and laughter for a life of secret missions and frequent hospital trips. He’s dying and he wants to be an adult already because he’s certain he’ll never be able to grow up. He wants his body to match the level of responsibility he’s had to take on, but he can’t force the outside to match the inside, especially when he’ll probably be dead long before it happens anyway. This wish evolves and changes when he falls for Mikan, but it doesn’t go away.

He associates adulthood with control, because his life at the academy has been observing the adults control and use him. He wants control for once, to be able to make a choice and even just say no.

Ruka notes that Natsume hasn’t cried at all since that night, and that he now keeps all his sorrow locked away. This kid needs therapy, immediately. This is another reason that Ruka is so precious to Natsume. Ruka is compassionate and kind, so concerned about his friend that he would also shut away his own heart so that he can’t be happy for as long as Natsume is in agony.

Natsume has a scene of his own, where he snaps at Permy for saying that Mikan is full of crap and lying about being an alice. He points out that the academy is not an easy place to lie your way into, and Permy immediately backtracks and lies that she’s agreed with him this whole time. Like I’d said earlier about the loneliness involved in being surrounded by fans who don’t really know or understand you, having people all around you bend over backwards for your approval makes it clear that they really have no interest in what you’re saying, just that you’re the one saying it.

In the anime essay, I’d pointed out that because of their admiration for him, it would elude people that Natsume is in fact lonely. He speaks out against things and people rush to agree, not really considering why he might say that. This is a similar moment, though he doesn’t seem too bothered by Permy’s behavior. It’s still concerning, but it’s interesting to compare this “yes, man” attitude to Ruka’s.

There is obviously a difference between someone agreeing with every word of your mouth no matter how much it changes and contradicts, bending over backwards for your approval, and someone wanting to match you out of compassion, but Ruka’s line of thinking does still have some major flaws.

Ruka is a child, just like the rest of them, so even though this behavior is motivated by love and compassion, it’s still immature and raises some questions.

“If you won’t smile, I won’t smile either,” is a sweet line, but now Natsume is aware that Ruka’s misery is his fault. If he wasn’t so sad, Ruka could be happy. This doesn’t make Natsume happy; it just makes them both sad, and that doesn’t solve any problems. Naturally, Natsume would never say that, and Ruka would claim he’s unbothered and--just like Natsume--that he doesn’t care about hanging out with the others, but they’re both miserable now, and I think this is part of the reason why there’s a gap between them at the start of the manga, and why they’re a bit distant, despite being best friends.

They’re each other’s most important person, but they don’t really communicate that well, and Ruka constantly feels like a burden.

Natsume needs something that Ruka can’t give him, and that something is what he’ll eventually get from Mikan.

That being said, at the moment, Natsume is getting nothing but irritation from Mikan. When he finds out Mikan and her gang kidnapped Ruka, that irritation turns into rage and we see a final fundamental building block for Natsume’s character: his berserk button.

Natsume doesn’t care about the reasoning or justification for the kidnapping. He doesn’t care about explanations or common sense.

His rage only increases when he discovers Ruka was tied up and even beaten (he is told this by a classmate, when Ruka is actually unharmed). The other kids in Class B--his admirers--are terrified to see how scary Natsume is when he’s furious.

Natsume's biggest weakness is Ruka so Mikan is kinda fucked.

He doesn’t care about the game anymore. He only cares about Ruka.

So he goes to the Northern Woods, where nobody is expecting him. He tells Mikan to leave the school, which… she cannot do, obviously. He is overtaken by rage and he ceases to be reasonable.

He uses his alice on everyone but Ruka, and is about to use it on Mikan, but her alice nullifies it. Then Narumi kisses him, prompting him to pass out.

Here, we are introduced to a consistent character trait of Natsume’s, one that may contradict all that talk about forced maturity and selflessness. In fact, Natsume’s habit to go absolutely postal on anyone who threatens a loved one is a contradictory one. Going into a rage requires the sacrifice of common sense and reason for the sake of complete emotional detonation, and as a result he fails to understand that his actions could inadvertently hurt his loved ones or innocent bystanders. No reassuring words are enough to calm him down, and sure enough Natsume will destroy something.

It’s important that we see this trait now, as part of Natsume’s informal introduction, as we will see plenty more instances of it later on. In a way, going berserk for someone can even be a love language of his, where if a person being threatened is enough to set him off, he probably cares about them.

And just as interesting as seeing what he does in these situations is posing the why! Why is it that Natsume goes ballistic in these situations, when it requires the loss of the one thing he wishes he had more of, control? My guess is that Natsume has had a rough childhood and much of that time was spent running away from a dangerous entity. Staying cool and calculated under some conditions would have its benefits, but so would the quick-action and confidence that Natsume would gain by going berserk. When you have to protect someone, and Natsume has been in that situation many times, then it’s sometimes even beneficial to be able to lose yourself for a moment or two. But perhaps it’s not that either. Natsume is, despite all his airs of coldness and mystery, actually a very emotional person, and in that way he is easy to understand. Even if this isn’t a habit he developed by watching his loved ones ripped away from him through either extortion, manipulation, or just plain murder, it’s still something he might be predisposed to: attacking with everything he has despite not having a clear plan or even any real thought.

Chapter Six

We pick up where we left off and Natsume wakes up grumpy after everyone seeing him under the effects of Narumi’s pheromone alice. He causes more destruction, still in somewhat of a rage, and even causes Narumi a head wound though his teacher seems unbothered by this (or maybe even used to it, who can say).

The next thing that happens is that an alarm rings, signaling that Natsume is due for severe punishment, and, as Naru points out, not something he can help with this time. Narumi warns him to get a move on before a mystery enemy (Persona) arrives, and that is enough to scare Natsume into getting out of there. But not before he issues a word of warning of his own to Mikan, that she will regret coming to Alice Academy of her own free will.

Isn't it interesting how her optimism, something he hated so much about her from the start, ends up being something he loves about her?

I have very many thoughts about this warning. It might even seem like a threat, as if Natsume will go out of his way to make sure she regrets her decision, but he does no such thing. He is convinced that Mikan doesn’t need help reaching that conclusion--she will realize it on her own because the school is simply that terrible.

It makes a little bit of sense to view Natsume’s hatred of Mikan this way: Mikan skipped right into his own personal hell with a smile on her face and a bubbly attitude. Meanwhile, he fought and kicked and screamed right until the very end when he was forced into attending the academy. And Mikan is not some normal girl who might be able to live a quiet and pleasant life in the academy. She’s already been marked, what with all the games about her enrollment, and that might anger Natsume even more: she’s really naive enough to walk into a place that’s not just hell to him, but inevitably to her too. Because of this, Natsume hates her and is predisposed to hate her more the more cheerful and optimistic she is.

And, unlike in the anime, this hatred takes much longer to go away.

Anyway, we see Natsume again later in class, when he shows up late after having just been terribly abused as punishment for his actions in the Northern Woods.

In the anime, Natsume catches Mikan insulting him while wearing the punishment mask, and although he’s covered in scratches and the kids are whispering about his bad mood, there’s not much else to it. He doesn’t seem any more unpleasant than he’s been this whole time.

There's nothing funny about this but I will put here as a warning that anybody who jokes that kids should be hit will be hit by me!

In the manga, Natsume is so weak that he can hardly stand. It’s not just scratches, but blood and gashes on his wrists and legs. The mask is not only used to mark him, it’s also used to punish, by physically abusing him when Persona has better things to do.

He makes his way to his seat, but Narumi is on the way, just enough to make a quippy comment.

(I wonder sometimes about Narumi establishing himself as untrustworthy to the children, particularly Natsume, and how exactly that’s supposed to be a help to the student body at large. I mean there’s the possibility that Mikan is special, and her being Yuka’s daughter helped Narumi remember what he became a teacher for. In that case, it might make sense that Narumi, being so jaded and bitter, might be content acting as a villain to the abused children of the academy, and especially to Natsume, but I can’t help but feel that’s not the case. I don’t want to think that Narumi was willingly complicit and even amused by Natsume’s abuse. It’s difficult to tell for sure, though, because Narumi is way more mysterious than Natsume tries to be.)

Sumire tries to kiss up, whining to Natsume about how everyone is suddenly acting so nice to the new girl, until Natsume forcefully kicks her desk to shut her up. He only holds back with Ruka, who he would never lash out at.

Narumi then announces that Mikan shall have a partner, and that her partner will be Natsume. It’s funny because although Hotaru made it clear she didn’t want the job, Iinchou was willing to volunteer, but Narumi ignores that because he always wanted Natsume to be her partner. At this news, everyone is shocked, wondering if Mikan is supposed to be special, seeing as she’s paired up with Natsume of all people.

Narumi smiles to himself despite the chaos and then lets himself leave the classroom, saying, “let’s see what happens.”

Why does he partner them up?

Mikan thinks Narumi is crazy for this, and from an outside perspective it certainly might seem that way.

Natsume’s theory, as becomes clear later during the exams, is that this was organized by the ESP and Persona, perhaps as a punishment, but definitely with ulterior motives. He is closer to nailing it, but a little off. There is no way in hell the ESP would want to partner the child of rabble-rousers with the school’s pet child soldier. That’s a recipe for disaster. Knowing that the ESP was excited to welcome Mikan because of her alice, and that her presence at the school might encourage Yuka to try and save her, he wouldn’t have wanted to disturb his own plans.

So what is the reason?

It’s all Narumi, of course. Perhaps the O.G. shipper, Narumi could tell right away that Mikan’s nullification would be useful, particularly in regards to Natsume. Pairing them up is just another means to an end, as Narumi actually wants the kids to raise some trouble.

Chapter Seven

Being partners with Natsume is quite unhelpful.

Mikan ends up a No-Star and her Special-Star partner is for the most part absent throughout her ordeals, having to cope with it all on her own.

Chapter Seven is mainly lacking Natsume. He functions to not function for most of it, that is to establish himself as being a terrible partner.

There is a moment that stands out, when Mikan is writing a letter to her grandpa, where Natsume appears. Yes, he appears in her head to taunt her about her regret coming to the school, and she spites him by committing to optimism and determination in the future. But he also has a short appearance paralleling a panel of Mikan: they are both in their beds, awake.

WHAT WAS THE REASON?????!??!?!?

This parallel is interesting, their panels right next to each other. She is thinking about her grandpa, and we have no way of knowing what Natsume is thinking about, but there has to be a reason for him to appear despite having been mostly absent so far in the chapter.

To me, it’s another narrative tool to pair them together. They have been so far, in more ways than one, and will continue to be as they fall in love, and this is just another example of how they’d been fated from the start. Even when they hate each other, and even when they aren’t thinking of each other, they’re still tied. Looking at those panels, and seeing Natsume despite his relative irrelevance to the plot, seems to be a message that there’s more to come between them. I don’t know if any of what I’m saying makes sense, or if it seems silly, but there’s very little analysis I can do without just talking about potential.

Later, with Mikan in a new mood, ready to make the most of her situation, the kids are talking about her resilience with both her no-star status and having Natsume as a partner.

Ruka does the talking for Natsume, warning Mikan that she’s being watched and remarking that nobody should have been assigned a no-star for simply disturbing class.

Once again, Mikan and Natsume are paired: they are both treated unfairly, with Mikan given a no-star status she doesn’t deserve, and Natsume given a special-star status despite the fact that he doesn’t even go to class most of the time. They’re the exceptions to the rule, and the reader is made to wonder what exactly it is that they have in common that would result in this treatment.

Ruka tells Mikan not to trust any teachers at the academy, not even Naru, and this is almost like hearing from Natsume himself. Unlike Mikan, who will happily make strong bonds with teachers like Narumi and Nodacchi, Natsume has absolutely no positive adult figures in his life. His father is far away, his mother is dead, and every teacher is someone he holds either directly or indirectly responsible for his suffering. The adults at the school have failed him and he has nobody to trust. Something Natsume needs is a positive role model, somebody he can look up to and have faith in, because as it stands he’s a traumatized boy who absorbs negativity and takes it out in bad ways. A trustworthy adult would very much help Natsume grow and learn better coping skills, and in the meantime it makes perfect sense that he would act out and even be a bully at times.

Chapter Eight

Natsume has a habit of ignoring any and all episodes where Mikan has confrontations with her teachers. He is either dozing off or listening to music with Ruka, and doesn’t seem particularly interested in even watching.

That being said, we see a new side to Natsume in this chapter, a new emotion in a way we haven’t before: fear.

Natsume ditches class with regularity. He does not care about being present. For most classes, he would simply walk out and go screw around somewhere else, but with the dangerous ability class, he doesn’t have that choice.

The other teachers may be complicit, but they won’t do the abuse themselves. Persona is not above that, as we have already noticed despite never even seeing him so far.

If Natsume does not want to attend the dangerous ability class, then he has to run for it, and in this chapter he does, like his life depends on it, because his safety sure does. He’s only ten years old and forced to do horrible missions for the school. This is one of the scenes that reminds me that he is just a child. He knows he could get punished for running, but he does it anyway. Maybe, if he runs fast enough, they won’t catch him. Maybe, if he doesn’t get caught, he doesn’t have to go on a mission. Maybe, just this once, they won’t mind if he doesn’t show. It’s such a childish and desperate thing to do, to avoid pain at the cost of more pain to come.

Natsume is scary when he's scared...

It’s funny that as he is running from pain, he runs into Mikan, who will later alleviate his pain. For now, he just shuts her up so that Persona can pass the area while looking for him. We see Persona for the first time, what Natsume is scared of more than anything, and although his fear seems obvious, Mikan is preoccupied by annoyance for being shut up like that.

They bicker--or she bickers at him, mostly--until the middle schoolers encounter them and start bullying them.

Natsume is ready to ignore them and walk away, until Sumire’s brother calls him a murderer, reminding us of the rumor Hotaru and Iinchou discussed. Natsume stops, and Sumire’s brother whines that he’s just a special star because he’s “Persona’s favorite”.

Sumire and her brother have, like, nothing in common other than curly hair, huh.

Being Persona’s favorite is no privilege, as we know now from the run-in we just had with him and Natsume’s fear. This sets Natsume off and he starts some fires. When they threaten to call Persona, who Natsume was just running from, he responds that they can call him all they want, but he’ll burn them before he can get there to capture him. We see once again, through Natsume standing up for himself, that his berserk button lacks reason (as he is willing to sacrifice punishment by Persona again).

In a last-ditch attempt to threaten him, the middle schoolers threaten Mikan, who they perceive to be Natsume’s new girlfriend. (Calling her his girlfriend is interesting because it is even more proof that they are being narratively paired together! It shouldn’t be a surprise at all that they eventually get together, when almost everybody around them pairs them up like this, even when they can’t stand each other.) They do not expect that Natsume actually hates her, and genuinely doesn’t care if she gets bullied or not. He smiles in twisted amusement at this turn of events and walks away for good this time, leaving Mikan to be bullied.

Aw, he's smiling! How sweet.... oh wait that's a skull.

Now, Natsume is a good person deep inside, somebody who is selfless and kind in secret ways. There is no secret kindness about this scene. He is not a nice person, for sure, and this scene is proof of it.

Natsume is used to sacrificing himself for the comfort and well-being of his loved ones, so there might be relief in not caring about the comfort or well-being of somebody, and being able to choose his own well-being before that of somebody else for once. It makes sense that he would be so amused, because this time nobody has anything to hold over his head.

Conclusion

We have seen some more of the abuse Natsume faces on a daily basis. He and Mikan have been partnered up and they are presented narratively as foils and as pairs even outside of that dynamic.

For the next part, we'll see even more examples of them being paired together, as well as how Natsume is isolated from his classmates.

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#gakuen alice #alice academy #hyuuga natsume #natsume hyuuga #natsumikan #sakura mikan #mikan sakura #my meta #ga #mine #ga meta #ga meta: nm #ga meta: manga #ga meta: manga nm #let's talk about natsumikan #let's talk about natsumikan: natsume #i love him! i love THEM! perfection! excellent story-telling! fantastic! so much to analyze! i ADORE!

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hobidreams · 5 years ago

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MotH Minis: I

“The rumors are indeed true. I am engaged. Soon to be married.”

His eyes swept across the room, finding various reactions to his words: shock, joy, confusion. Miss Ingram sat up incredibly straight, her fingers smoothing the tresses of her hair. She was smiling, her fan set down upon her lap - sitting pretty, as if she were waiting for her portrait to be drawn, her ballot to be called.

“To Miss Kim.”

pairing: hoseok x reader genre: fluff words: 2.6k contains: victorian au, much banter, mr. jung is all sorts of sweet & way too handsome, mr. min returns, miss ingram gets what she deserves, SERIOUSLY so much softness read the original fic first! // this drabble contains spoilers & starts off right where the oneshot ends.

“Are you prepared, my love?” Long fingers brushed across the thin fabric that covered your shoulder. “It seems quite impossible for your beauty to grow any further, even if we delay our descent.”

If you had been in any state of calm, the deep, intimate tone with which your betrothed poured these sweet words into your ear would have shattered your psyche entirely. But your excited heart had not quite settled back into its normal pattern throughout the entire evening (for good reason), and thus left you in a state of nerves that threatened to hold your tongue.

“As much as I ever shall be, I suppose,” you eventually replied, setting your hairbrush down upon the wooden vanity. It was perhaps a touch of irrationality that bade you to fear the possibility of any of the party guests realizing what illicit activity had just occurred in this private room based solely on the appearance of your hair, but it did no harm to be prepared. “Still, you flatter me, sir.”

“And you wound me with such distant terms,” Hoseok retorted with a laugh. “But even ‘sir’ has a certain charm falling from your lips now.” He captured your hands in his, urging you onto your feet so he could lavish said lips with a tender kiss. “Now, when I truly know where your affections lie.”

“And you will know it evermore,” you whispered, words hot against his handsome mouth. Yours to taste, whenever you pleased. That concept alone could make you dizzy with bliss. “Shall we?”

“Certainly.”

You both agreed it was unseemly to appear for the first time in closer proximity than was allowed, since you intended to maintain your outward relationship of friendly acquaintances. It was proper etiquette to first address your parents before any announcement could be made to the general public. But it seemed even that knowledge could not staunch the smoldering looks he cast generously in your direction as you made your way to the staircase.

You placed a hand on the cool banister. “Mr. Jung, if you continue to be so blatant, they will see through our guise in an instant.”

“Hmm.” He pressed his lips together, contemplating your words but not openly affirming or denying a single thought. You never were able to control him, were you? But he did eventually turn his attentions away, refocusing on the path before him.

The chatter emitting from the open drawing room doors swelled as you approached. Be still, you commanded your heart, they know nothing about Hoseok and I. But it seemed trepidation had machinations of its own, as your fingers began to tremble. Without words, Hoseok covered your hand with his own. A single warm squeeze, his thumb rubbing over your knuckles. It was enough.

“Allow me to enter first,” you said, when there was no more corridor to protect you from the inevitable.

“Whatever you wish.” He gave you one last, encouraging smile.

You stepped into the room. Namjoon’s head immediately turned towards you, though he was still in conversation with Mr. Jeon. He tilted his head to one side in question at your presence. Then he opened his mouth, likely excusing himself from Mr. Jeon. As you followed the walls of the room inside, your brother did the same, meeting you somewhere along the middle.

“Sister. You are here?” He carried a slight frown. “Did the carriage I call for you not arrive properly?”

“No, I… Circumstances shifted. I—I remain welcome here still.”

“Hm? Was there ever a time when you were not? I find it difficult to believe that Hoseok would turn you away, regardless of any ‘circumstances.’” His arms behind his back, he pushed his broad chest slightly further out. “He may be stubborn, but he is certainly not that slow-witted,” he added. His voice was so quiet, you gathered the words were not fully meant for you. “Either way, I am quite delighted you are staying. For the rest of the party?”

“Yes, that seems to be the present plan.” And much, much more.

Namjoon smiled, his cheek caving in slightly at the action. “I would have missed you otherwise.”

The chatter throughout the room was beginning to decrescendo as the steep, cool night drew on. It was almost time to retire for the evening. A few guests were hiding their yawns behind their fans. Miss Ingram had located herself in the middle of the room, her cheeks rosy as she discussed topics that were likely frivolous, with Maria and some other women. Alice was now commanding Mr. Jeon’s attention, her fingers fluttering as she spoke.

But it all quieted when Mr. Jung, your Hoseok, stepped into the chambers and cleared his throat.

“Hoseok!” Mr. Jeon’s voice soared. “Whenever did you return?”

“A few hours ago.” An easy, unaffected smile graced his lips.

You were struck by him even though you had been in those arms just a few short minutes ago. If this was to be your reaction to his mere presence, your impending marriage was sure to be fraught with his teasing of your deep affections. But if he continued to smile like that… Perhaps you would not mind such a thing.

“For what reason did you not come greet us immediately then?” Mr. Jeon pressed, pretending to be highly affronted at the slight.

“Mm. Let me just say that I had much more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Well, we are very glad you have returned, aren’t we?” Miss Ingram broke in, to the instantaneous nods of the ladies around her.

“Thank you, Miss Ingram.”

He fell silent for a spell. Then his eyes suddenly flashed with something you knew too well. “Ah. Before I allow you all to continue your discussions, please indulge me in one matter. I have an important announcement to make.”

Oh? Your lips fell apart. No, he was not about to…

“I shall be holding a ball! On the second to last evening of our party.”

Your every nerve seemed to unravel with relief.

“A ball!” Maria immediately cried, her hands flying to her chest. “Oh, Mr. Jung, you spoil us!”

“How thrilling!”

The voices swelled upwards, but it seemed he was not done with speaking. “It will be—!” he started, waiting until the excitement quieted once again. “It will be in celebration.”

“What happy event are we celebrating?” Namjoon asked.

Hoseok did not even pause before he answered. “The rumors are indeed true. I am engaged. Soon to be married.”

His eyes swept across the room over the murmuring, finding various reactions to his words: shock, joy, confusion. Miss Ingram sat up incredibly straight, her fingers smoothing the tresses of her hair. She was smiling, her fan set down upon her lap – sitting pretty, as if waiting for her portrait to be drawn, her ballot to be called.

His gaze finally fell upon yours. This meeting he held, like he intended to do for as long as you would have him.

“To Miss Kim.”

Looking back at the scene, if you had not been caught in just as much surprise as Miss Ingram, it would have been very amusing to watch how her jaw gaped and how her powdered eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. Her abrupt gasp was enormously obvious in the silence Hoseok’s words had left. Maria’s head snapped to her friend, seeking explanation.

“M-Miss Kim?” Miss Ingram’s bottom lip wobbled. “You… You mean to marry her?”

“Yes, quite right.”

Alice placed a hand on Miss Ingram’s shoulder, but she refused it by surging to her feet. Her fan clattered noisily to the floor. “What is the meaning of this? Have you partaken of too much wine by mistake?”

“I assure you I am perfectly sober. It is rather simple.” Hoseok’s calm was enviable. “I am in love with her.”

“In love!” At Miss Ingram’s affronted expression, he might as well have said he was going to marry one of the horses!

Your heart thudded in your chest as you watched her stare him down, her fingers curled in the folds of her expensive dress. She was fighting hard to compose herself, but it seemed her less rational side was about to win.

“Why--!” She caught herself, biting back the shrillness. “…I. I plainly do not understand why you would want to have…” she quickly bent her head in your direction, as if she could not bear to look, “her, when you could have something much more tolerable. Considering our families.”

Hoseok’s laugh came naturally, a beautiful sound. “Oh, not to worry, I find Miss Kim exceedingly tolerable.”

It was becoming imminently clear to Miss Ingram that Hoseok was not going to alter his mind and pull her into his arms instead. This… This she did not like for one second. Her cheeks were growing increasingly red with unbridled emotion. You were all aware she was showing too much in such a public space, herself most of all.

She had little choice but to steel herself, shaking stray strands away from her proud face. “I see. Mr. Jung, then I wish you all the best in your marriage. Excuse me.” She held her head extremely high as she walked towards the door, but not towards the one closest to her. Instead, it seemed her intentions to be the door you stood by instead.

You met her crystal eyes and refused to shrink at the noble fury that had been bred in them.

It was with indignance that she took a deep breath. “Though I cannot imagine you will have much fortune marrying down,” she muttered, only loud enough for yours and Namjoon’s ears. Then she disappeared into the hallway, her extravagant dress’ long train dragging behind her.

Hoseok stood still for few long moments longer, surveying the hush left in Miss Ingram’s wake. “My esteemed guests, please, continue your festivities,” he eventually said, his features returning to their regular pleasantness. “Miss Page, would you please look after Miss Ingram?” He asked of Alice, who curtseyed instantly before she hurried off to do just that.

You, who still held your heart in your throat, attempted to portray your best imitation of calm as you watched him take long strides in your direction. When he stood in front of you, merely a foot away, looking at you with such open adoration, you felt a sense of comfort wash over the shock. That is not to say the latter did not remain in your system, however.

“Hoseok, I had thought we agreed to do no such thing!” You exclaimed, though you hushed your tone as much as you could manage.

“My apologies, love. I had no intentions of keeping our engagement a secret,” Hoseok murmured, his tone low and undoubtedly certain. “In fact, I wish the entire world to know that my heart has finally found the home it sought for so long.”

Your lips twisted in what could only be described as a fond grimace as you allowed him to step back into your good graces with such a compliment. (You were both aware that he had never left.)

“Hoseok!” Namjoon’s grin was ever so wide, allowing the charming indents beside his lips to appear. “I have truly long waited to see this day come to light. My darling sister and my closest friend. I am beside myself! Overwhelmed with joy.”

“You anticipated this?” Bewilderment painted itself across your features. “Had you known of our… affections all this time, brother?”

“Mm. A gentleman never interferes with affairs that do not directly concern him,” he said, looking far too pleased with himself. “But neither of you are as prudent in hiding your intentions as you believe.”

Your eyes only continued to widen at his words. Beside you, Hoseok was barely concealing his amused laughter. At least one of you find this to be a positive occurrence. “You could have saved us much trouble, Joon.”

“Ah, but where is the romance in that?” With a final smile, your brother excused himself to refill his tea.

“I am blessed to have such considerate companions,” Hoseok said, watching as Namjoon almost tripped upon a quilted ottoman, but managed to catch himself before he spilled the remains of his cup upon Mr. Jeon. Said gentleman was clearly accustomed to such goings-on’s, as he gave Namjoon a look of exasperated fondness.

“Miss Kim. Hoseok.”

A quiet, polite voice came from beside you. It could really only belong to one man, with a gentle visage and comforting words.

“Mr. Min,” you breathed out.

This was the first time you were speaking directly since his proposal last night, and the slight guilt at having to turn him down still remained ever present. It must have been incredibly rude to announce such a thing in his presence only a day after. You felt the urge to apologize. “Mr. Min, I am—”

“Please. Accept my warmest wishes on your engagement.” Mr. Min shook his head slightly, as if already knowing what you were about to proffer. “You have found an excellent partner, Hoseok. In the short time I have known her, Miss Kim has made quite an impression upon me.”

“Oh, Yoongi. Thank you. I know this perfectly. She has an affinity for sticking in one’s mind, though by perhaps unconventional methods,” Hoseok said cheerily, no doubt thinking of the first time you met as children. He had taken a ball of snow to the face, courtesy of your mistaking him for your brother.

Mr. Min let out a brief laugh, his smile small but affectionate, showing just the hint of pink above his teeth. “You are well suited for each other.”

“Yes, she keeps me in line, she does.” Hoseok stole a touch, brushing the back of your hand ever so briefly with his thumb.

“Even though you make it as difficult as possible!” You retorted.

Mr. Min had averted his gaze, finding the piano in the corner of the room. “Allow me to play you a song. Anything you wish.”

“What, not going to threaten to charge me this time?” Hoseok teased, patting his dear friend on the back.

“No, for this singular exception, I will waive any such payment and consider it… a sending off gift.” His expression waned for the slightest second, his eyes blinking slower than was usual. But then his geniality returned as quickly as it had gone. “Next time, I shall not be so generous!” He warned, without any real spite.

“Then let us have something lively!” Hoseok declared. He spun towards you as Mr. Min made his way to the piano. You held your gazes together, something lovely and warm settling into your silence.

The first notes of a plucky, undoubtedly joyful tune filled the air.

“That Yoongi has excellent taste. Now, I wish to dance a few rounds with my beautiful lady, if she will allow me the honor?” Hoseok knelt slightly, offering his upturned hand and a grin so dazzling that you wanted nothing more than to break decorum and kiss him.

The truth was, you never once thought that such happiness could find a suitable home in your wild heart. But now, when you could no longer deny the rush of reciprocated affection as you placed your hand in his, you realized that happiness had been waiting patiently for you for a long, long time.

Your smile came with ease, as it always did around him. “You have only but to ask.”

He laughed loudly and wholeheartedly, throwing his head back, eyes alight with brilliance as he began to lead you to the dance floor. “Then I shall be asking you for the rest of our lives!”

a/n: i really wanted to give you all a huge blow out but it just wouldn’t have fit the time period D: i hope you enjoyed Miss Ingram’s outrage all the same! it would mean so much to me if you left a comment or sent an ask & let me know what you think 🥰

huge thanks as always to my beta readers @hoseoksdior & @mypurplelamp 💕

#ficswithluv #bts fluff #hoseok fluff #hoseok x reader #bts reactions #bts imagines #jung hoseok #bts scenarios #j-hope fluff #bts fanfiction #rain writes #matters of the heart #i missed these babes

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leviackermanscleaningbuddy · 4 years ago

Text

BTS DRABBLE-Taehyung

You’ve always loved to act. Being on stage feels like you’re in a completely different world-a happy one-and when you get cast as Juliet in your college’s stage rendition of the old Shakespearean classic, you’re sure you’ve never been more thrilled. That is, until Kim Taehyung-the quiet, incredibly handsome, and exceptionally sweet heartthrob of your class-gets cast to play opposite you as Romeo. Suddenly, you’re even more thrilled to play the main role. And when he suggests a movie night at his place to study the film adaption of your play for some acting ideas, who are you to say no?

Tags: BTS, Bangtan Boys, Bangtan Seonyendan, Bulletproof Boy Scouts, Beyond the Scene, BTS Drabble, Fluff, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, Kim Taehyung, Taehyung, Tae, V, BTS V, Taehyung x you, Taehyung x reader, Kim Taehyung x you, Kim Taehyung x reader, College AU

Genre: Fluff

Title: A Rose by Any Other Name

“This is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die.”

Your eyes are glued to the television screen-the flitting pictures of the old, black and white movie lighting the room like a train flashing past a window-as Juliet utters her last words and plunges the long blade of the dagger deep into her breast, falling to her final resting place on top of the prone form of her lover.

There is so much emotion, so much passion, so much heartbreak and love in this one scene, that you feel as if you cannot possibly capture that feeling by recreating the lovers’ plight on stage, no matter how hard you try.

But damn it all, you really, really want to.

“Taehyung, wait.” You don’t look at him, eyes still studying the now toppled, tangled forms of Romeo and Juliet, lying like some macabre centerpiece in the middle of the tomb, but you hold out a hand in his direction, and when you continue, your voice is soft. “Can you pause it please?”

Taehyung shifts on the couch next to you, and stretching to the coffee table with a small grunt, he grabs the remote, before pausing the movie, the fateful scene now frozen in place.

“What?” He asks you curiously, and you feel his dark gaze shift onto your face, but you still do not look at him, as you try to internalize everything Juliet must have felt in that moment-the moment she had realized her true love was dead at her feet.

“Just, hold on a second.” You shush him, and reach up with one of your hands to lay your palm across your eyes, effectively closing off your vision, but not before you see him shrug from the corner of your eye and toss another handful of popcorn into his open mouth.

“Suit yourself.”

Through the darkness of your eyelids, you envision yourself in the place of Juliet, picture yourself waking from the fake death, thrilled and excited to see Romeo once more, only to see the devastating scene of his death before you, only moments earlier.

You bite your lip, and you can almost feel the tears gathering behind your shut eyes, can almost hear the sound of your heart breaking, as you fall at your lover’s feet, hands clawing at his body, willing him to live, to feel his heartbeat once more.

“What are you doing?”

Taehyung’s quiet, deep timbre breaks through your concentration, and your eyelids flutter slightly-eyelashes tickling the palm of your hand-but you do not open your eyes, resisting the temptation to look at him, as you let out a soft breath from between parted lips, a breath you didn’t know you were holding in the first place.

“I’m picturing it.” You reply simply, and your voice sounds loud in your own ears. “Whenever there’s a really impactul or important scene in a play or musical, I try to envision it in my own mind’s eye. That way, I know I’ll remember it when it comes time to go on stage.”

“Does it really help?” Taehyung asks once more, his voice holding slight amusement, and you finally lower your palm from your eyes, to see him grinning at you slightly, full lips curled up into an expression that accentuates his handsome features even more than you thought possible.

“I think so.” You shrug slightly, and when the expression of slightly amused skepticism continues to light his features, you stick your tongue out at him, and lean over, taking his hand into your own, as you pull it roughly up to cover his own face. “Try it then!”

“Okay, okay.” Taehyung laughs, a sound that fills your belly with warmth, and blindly sets aside the almost empty popcorn bowl, as you settle back in beside him, crossing your legs beneath your body and the blanket that covers the two of you.

“Okay, focus. Really feel what Romeo was feeling when he saw Juliet, and thought she was dead.” You coach, closing your eyes once more, as you fit yourself back into the character of your mind.

There is silence for several moments, and then Taehyung shifts beside you, the warmth of his thigh pressing into yours through the fabric of your jeans, and he whispers loudly, “Am I doing this right? Like this?”

You crack open one eye and meet his dark gaze, sliding through the large gaps he has created in his fingers, and when your eyes meet his, he offers you a large grin from beneath his palm. “Are you sure this works?”

“Shut up!” You laugh slightly, and elbow into his side, silencing him as he lets out a playful grunt as the sharp point of your elbow digs into his ribs.

Straightening back up, you take in a few deep breaths, trying to get into the right head space once more, as your thoughts are now properly distracted by the boy sitting next to you-close, you might add-on the small couch.

Taehyung is silent this time, and you let your thoughts drift, back into the character of Juliet, although this time, you are not crying over a dead Romeo who lies in the cold, dark atmosphere of the tomb-are not getting ready to take your own life with the sharp point of a dagger.

No, this time, you are standing on a balcony, backlit by the sinking sun, and Taehyung is standing before you, and everything is warm and comfortable and right.

You blink several times, caught off guard by the change of scene, and Taehyung cocks his head, dark curls tumbling into his honeyed eyes, as his pink, full lips curve upward slightly into the start of a charming, and overly enchanting, smirk.

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” His voice is even deeper than normal-if such a thing is possible-and his words are laced with huskiness and a dangerous sort of hunger, and the way his pupils expand as he watches you, swallowing up the caramel of his irises, has you feeling as if your heart has filled your throat.

You swallow, your fingers playing with the lip of the entrance to the small balcony, the long, soft, elegant fabric of your nightgown hiding your bare feet from view-cool and slightly chilled where they rest against the tile.

“What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?” You ask carefully, and your voice is barely above a whisper, though the words are fervent and serious-you are asking for his answer to your question.

Taehyung takes a confident step toward you, closing the distance between the two of you, and you feel as if you’re drowning in the dark sea of his eyes, as he tilts his chin to look down at you, and murmurs, the words dripping from his lips like honey, laden with meaning, “The exchange of thy love’s faithful vows for mine.”

Your mouth is dry, and suddenly you’re floundering. You don’t know your next line. And there’s no way you’re going to be able to remember it when Taehyung’s looking at you like that, so close that you can smell the woody aroma of his cologne.

And then, he’s leaning into you, and you’re forgetting the fact that you’re supposed to say something, as his fingers brush hair back from your cheekbone, and his eyes dip down to follow the outline of your slightly parted lips, and your heart is pounding so loudly in the cage of your ribs that you’re sure he can hear it, must hear it.

And he’s so close, you can almost taste him, almost feel the way his velvet mouth would fill against your own-

“(Y/N)?”

You jerk out of the trance of your thoughts, and your wide eyed gaze meets that of the real Taehyung’s, sitting beside you on the sofa, staring at you quizzically, as a hot blush begins to bloom across your cheeks.

“What scene were you picturing?” He asks curiously, and you realize that his thigh is still wedged against your own.

“What? Oh.” You tuck your hair behind your ear, suddenly feeling hot and flushed, as your gaze unwittingly drifts down to the corners of his mouth, the skin taut and pink, before you can pull yourself away, and clear your throat. “Just the same one.”

“Really?” Taehyung offers you the hint of a smile, reaching up to run a hand through his dark curls, before he raises a slender brown in your direction, and his voice is suddenly filled with amusement once more. “Because you were smiling, and I’m pretty sure the scene we just watched was super tragic. So unless you’re a masochist....”

Dammit. He’s right. He caught you.

“You’re right.” You let out a puff of air from between your lips, and glancing over at him, you fiddle with the edge of the blanket that rests in your lap, as you sheepishly admit quietly, “I was actually thinking about you.”

“Me?” Taehyung asks, and you can hear slight surprise in his tone,

“Yes.” You nod, and forcing yourself to be brave, you glance up once more, meeting his gaze with your own, his perfect features-as if made of marble-gray and black in the flickering light of the still paused TV. “I was thinking about-” You take in a hurried breath, and your mouth feels dry, but you push on. “Kissing you, actually.”

You expect Taehyung to be weirded out by your admission, or to at least show some sort of caught off guard expression, but instead, his lips pull back to reveal white teeth, and he grins, before he asks lightly, “What, like, right now?”

“No!” You blurt out, slapping your hands over your mouth, as your voice comes out more loudly than you intended. “No.” You repeat, waving a hand at him, as the blush once again covers your face. You offer him an unsteady smile, because suddenly, he’s the one who has caught you off guard, and your heart is racing in your chest. “In the scene. You know, on the balcony. On stage.”

You duck your head, suddenly feeling embarrassed for admitting what you were thinking. Taehyung was your costar, maybe an acquaintance,but probably not even a friend at this point.

And you had just admitted to thinking about kissing him.

“I was thinking about kissing you too, you know.”

Your head jerks upward in surprise as Taehyung speaks once more, and when your eyes meet his, he’s watching you carefully from beneath dark bangs, although the hint of his previous smile is still curving his lips, just slightly, the pink skin parting slightly beneath the tension.

“Really?” You ask, before you can stop yourself, and you can’t help the way your gaze follows his movements, can’t help but notice the subtle, yet super tantalizing way his tongue darts out to trace over and wet his lips.

“Although, unlike you, I wasn’t thinking about doing it on stage.” Taehyung murmurs, and his eyes have darkened, pupils blowing, just like you had imagined in your mind, and his features are set into the same hungry expression you remember from your imagination.

He leans toward you, and suddenly, you’re very aware of the smell of his cologne-strong and heady in your nostrils-and the feel of his fingers sliding into the edge of your hair, brushing it back from the still slightly flushed, hot skin of your neck and cheeks.

You note, briefly, amongst your jumbled thoughts, that Taehyung is even more handsome up close than you had ever imagined.

Your eyes drop to his lips-parted slightly, warm exhales washing across your skin in a balmy caress- and your heart is pounding loudly in your ears, as you manage to breathe out, “What scene were you picturing then?”

Taehyung chuckles-the sound low and husky under his breath-and the sound sends a pleasant shiver down your spine, as his fingers tangle deeper into your hair, and he tilts your head back ever so slightly, just enough so that your lips are almost brushing across his, and your mouth is aching to fit with his own, as the corners tilt upward into the hint of a smirk.

And when he speaks again, you’re suddenly very aware that reality is much better than anything you ever could have pictured in your mind, or performed on stage.

“This one.”

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katsukikitten · 5 years ago

Text

Irritated 2

A chorus of bangs ring out on the cold metal door echoing in the small space of your hotel room. At first you jump, your nerves frayed as memories flood the forefront of your thoughts. That is until you take a deep breath knowing full well who is impatient enough to beat on a woman's hotel door. Irritation paints your features as you finish touching up your makeup in the bathroom mirror.

"Oi!" The culprit calls out, his voice pulling you out of your ritual head space causing a vein to pop up in your forehead.

"I'm coming!! Damn." You shout back slamming the tube of mascara onto the vanity top giving yourself a once over in your hero suit. It's a body con black suit, nothing fancy, no modifications. A zipper in the front that can stop at your navel. But you never unzipped it past the beginning of your cleavage. It was just a suit fit for summer that is breathable and wicks sweat. You twist this way and that as you over look your body thinking only of the comments made about it.

Did you look too thicc in your suit? Were you leading males on just because a tight suit benefited easier movements?

Hell no you weren't leading anyone on. You blow a kiss to your reflection before flipping your French braid behind your shoulder stalking out of the room with a card and a tube of chap stick angrily.

You open the door just as Katuski was about to bang on it. He either cannot or does not, stop his fist from following through the motion and it lands harshly on your shoulder, his gauntlet rattles from the force.

If only it put you out of your misery.

You look at Katsuki with the most annoyed face you can muster, shoving his arm away as Deku stands behind him offering a sheepish smile and small wave.

"Uh hello Y/N." He all but squeaks. His hero suit, now all black, is snug over his chest and stomach, his mask pulled off of his face resting on at the top of his sternum while his cowl lies unused on his back.

"Hello." You say dryly looking at both of their costumes. Deku doesn't seem to have pockets or at least pockets large enough to hold your items as well. Leaving you to glare at the man in front of you. His uniform all black for stealth, having long lost the little orange and black flair that comes off of his mask. His muscle tank is snug as well, hugging every line of his muscles leading to a set of almost lose black pants tucked into his combat boots. He still has his utility belt of mass destruction and his knee pads for cracking teeth with.

You grimace as the gods have decided your fate on who you will have to stick more closely too. You sigh audibly thinking for a fraction of a second that maybe his pockets are bigger but you know they are not.

You hold out your chapstick, a must as you would rather die than not have your beeswax chapstick, your card, and your phone to an exasperated ash blonde.

"The hell is this?" He snarls and your eyes narrow to slits as you pick his left pocket to shove your items in knowing full well he keeps his phone in his right.

"OI!" A blush so faint dusts his cheeks but you mistake it for rising blood pressure as you smooth your hands over your hips.

Where pockets should fucking be but honestly they would fuck up the aesthetic.

"No pockets." You shrug shoving past him as you guide the way, "So you're stuck with me."

Izuku shares a look with Bakugou before he shrugs his shoulders falling in step behind you as scarlet watches your fading back.

××××××××××

The crowd outside erupts as the three of you make your way into the convention center, a building that dwarfs the block. You wave and smile, stopping here and there to sign somethings for many female fans.

And the occasional male that looks decent.

Izuku takes the time to sign a few items for fans too and even begins fangirling with one over a limited edition All Might magazine the fan wanted to share with him as Bakugou sticks closely to you.

Offering a grimace to many of his squealing fans but it does nothing but encourage them more.

"Please take a selfie with me!!" One screams loud enough that it catches his attention. He smirks when he sees the grenade gauntlet tattoos she has on her forearms and snatches her phone. He sets it to selfie mood but is smart enough to be at least a foot away. He offers his deadliest smirk, throwing up three fingers getting mostly himself and the tattooed fan in the picture. He returns to phone to her hand and she freezes before exploding into a fangirl scream.

Sometimes he loved to make women scream.

"Please have my babies Ground Zero Sama!!!" She yells and for whatever reason he is not bothered by her. So he throws a rare bone to her.

"Maybe one day." His voice comes out gruff and majority of the crowd by him SWOONS. Panties SOAKED for sure.

You roll your eyes but cannot fight back the smile that paints your lips or the butterflies in your stomach from his interaction.

The excitement is infectious.

"Tejina over here over here!" A male shouts and you grab the pen and sign a tasteful magazine photo of you, avoiding everyone who has screenshot pictures of your Instagram printed out.

"Gosh I love you so much! My sister has a similar quirk and thought it was lame until she saw you!" He beams as he watches you make the pen dance across the inked page.

"I'm glad I can help. No quirk is lame. Make sure she knows that too." You offer a genuine smile and suddenly the fan feels different about you. His respect amplifies as he stands frozen. You try to move to the next screaming fan who happens to be another male, you're trying your best to be fair despite your past track record.

"Tejina, this is what the meet and greet is for." The security guard places his arm between you and the fan.

"But!"

"This is what the meet and greet is for. They will keep you here all day." He says sternly as he guides you toward the doors.

"She is always such a bitch don't you think?!" The now jaded fan shouts. You start as if jabbed after hearing the comment and some of them yell in agreement but they are drowned out by the excitement for Bakugou and Izuku.

At least you drowned out to all but you.

And a hot head who walks behind you, baring his teeth at the fan who snaps his mouth shut after seeing the death glare.

The colors of the convention quickly lift your spirits as you see memorabilia and paraphernalia of heroes current and past. Fans pause at various stations all dressed as various heroes. All Might of course being the biggest and first life sized cardboard cut out that you see.

Izuku shoves his phone into your hands as he shouts.

"Oooo take a picture of me with it!"

Your laughter rings out while Katsuki rolls his eyes.

"Dont you have tea with him like every other day?" You ask but pull up the camera for him, "Move closer."

"Yea you useless Deku you see the real thing all the time."

"But you guys know..." He trails off and you make a gesture with your finger for him to smile. He drops his sad thought and beams as the camera.

And not with his weird imitation smile he so badly wanted to use. No he used his true smile, the one he wears so well to save people with.

Slowly becoming the hope of the nation but people enjoy a badass hero equally as much. Speaking of him.

"Hey he was your sensei too right? Get in there...Kaachan." You tease with the nickname and he glares daggers. Flushed cheeks from rising blood pressure.

"I'll kill you." He says but makes no effort to keep his steel toed combat boots planted as he walks towards the cut out. Izuku keeps the same pose and smile as Bakugou crosses his arms, standing a little ways away from the cut out like a brooding teenager would his father in a forced picture. You snap it happy and yet not just content with it.

"Get closer and smile!" You whine as incoming fans begin to form a line, "Others are waiting!"

He looks your way to see five or six people waiting before he gets closer. He looks up towards the cut out and feels something familiar burning in his stomach. Awe, respect, and sheer arrogant determination to outshine him one day. He faces the camera with the smile and you capture it perfectly.

The smile does something to you but you push it down as you quickly send the pictures to yourself slipping Izuku back his phone as you spy something that catches your eye.

"I need it!" Is all you say as you drag the boys before either can look at the photos properly. They find themselves in front of a soft pink booth with a wide eyed artist who seems to be struggling to speak as you look over the work.

The same artist who drew fan art of you with Midnight, and you with your cat posting it to her Instagram account. Not daring to tag you but some other fan had and you couldn't thank them enough.

"Ah here it is!" You hold up the prints of your favorite drawings in cool and warm colored pastels. You make a gimme motion to Bakugou. It takes him a moment before he rolls his eyes fishing for your card from that he since placed in his own wallet for fear of losing it.

"Ah Tejina. Please you do not have to p...pay me." The artist finally croaks out and you whirl on the sweet little bean faster than she can blink.

"Are you not an artist?"

"I...uh I am."

"And are you not charging anyone else?"

"Oh no I am charging them."

"Then you're charging me. I want one of everything. I love your work." Her eyes water as she looks up at you.

"Are you...are you sure. Some of it has..." Her eyes trail to the hot head beside you and you smile.

"Yes I'm sure. Somehow you've even made *him* seem tasteful." You smile and she hesitantly takes your card before placing items into a large black backpack that has a dreamy, almost sleepy looking Bakugou in soft blues staring up at the viewer. She passes you the bag and you wonder how she could capture a side of a person that you're sure no one has ever seen. Something about the image causes a stir in your stomach. You chalk it up to nerves as you make eye contact.

"Th..thank you." She stammers and you smile so brightly.

"No thank you. I adore your work." You give a small bow before giving your bag and your card back to Bakugou who glares at you furiously.

Yet he slides the backpack onto his broad shoulders as he slips your bank card back between his own. He rolls his eyes as Izuku now leads your little party to a group of cosplayers.

"They're us!" He shouts excitedly, fussing over the cosplayers.

"No shit, Deku." The real and fake Bakugou snarl in unison before the real one smiles cocky at the imitation. The fake glares at him, internally fangirling before adding harshly.

"The fuck you lookin at?" The real one cracks a smile as he steps closer, noting not only his assholeish attitude but the attention to detail of his suit.

"Heh." He cracks before crossing his arms, "I'll allow you to parade around as the best. But remember a copy is just a copy."

You go to repramand him but find yourself curiouser as the male fan blushes, fighting to keep his glare as if he was paid the best compliment. The two Izuku's gush politely to one another before you and your fake share photos of your cats.

*"Attention: The cosplay contest will be starting in building B in five minutes."*

"Fuck we're late!" Fake Bakugou exclaims grabbing the wrist of Tejina, "Come on babe."

Katsuki's eyes widen as he watches your and his own carbon copy rush toward the other building both blushing and yelling in excitement about meeting their heroes.

"Good luck!" You call out before they totally fade away. The three of you aimlessly wandering through the buildings. Buying things here and there, Izuku being the worst. Who has a large almigh book bag stuffed to the brim of items. You let your eyes rove over stations buying fan art here and there. Something of Azaiwa holding the fattest cat you've ever seen to even art of every day heroes you've interacted with solely for the purpose that their art makes them seem so normal.

Doing normal everyday things, the simplicity of attempting to capture their vulnerable sides you know they must posses but what you and the artist have never seen.

Izuku fangirls with another All Might collector Bakugou growls to no one in particular as he grows impatient with his rival. You quickly lose interest in the comversation and something catches. You squint unsure as to what the stand is selling until you actually see it causing you to burst out laughing.

Hard enough for tears to well in your eyes.

"I'm dying!" You exlaim, gasping for breath as Bakugou says what the fuck about four times.

"I'll show you." You wheeze grabbing onto his hand to guide him through the crowd. He feels stunned by your touch, his cheeks heat for some stupid fucking reason again as he looks at you. He's frustrated, irritated even but he is thankful that most of the fans believe you three to be cosplayers.

"This." You hold out the body pillow to him to show him a panting version of himself in a torn shirt and looking needy with heavily blushed cheeks. Large hand in hair while the other trails down his own abs.

"No." He says in horror as you can't help but bust out laughing again.

"Oh fuck I might just have to buy one. This Bakugou seems sweet." You can barely finish your sentence as you attempt to reach for his wallet to get your card but he takes a step back. Mortified before a malice laced smile pants his lips, you swallow thickly.

"Yea well this Y/N seems more submissive than the real one." He cocks an eyebrow as he produces an even more needy version of yourself with your hero suit unzipped to your pierced navel, the sides trying to fall away to reveal your breast. The expression they have of you is a few faces away from ahegao. You're panting, one hand behind your head while the other hovers over the space between your legs.

"Hmm must be accurate since they got the belly button ring." Scarlet eyes trail your torso and stop at the tiny bump that shows through indicating the truth about the pillow. You did have a belly button ring but you had to REALLY be looking to see it.

Your face burns as you stare at the pillow while his comment now haunts you, embarrassment rips up your throat.

"OOOOKAY!" You try to snatch the pillow but Bakugou takes delight in your discomfort as you did him. He plans to use this pillow to torture you further. It would be more than worth the embarrassment of owning it.

"I'll take this please." He states as he reaches for his wallet.

"Like hell!!" But he holds it high in his hands and you have to press against the pillow and Bakugou to attempt to reach it. You take in a sharp a breath to yell but it sticks in your throat as you smell something almost hypnotic.

Like deep spices and burnt sugar. You blink furiously as he side steps you to hand the vendor cash

"What about you little lady?" The older man asks in a gravely voice. Bakugou attempts to answer for him but snatch his wallet and spy your card quickly.

"Yes please." You pass him your card, fending off Bakugou as you wrap up your transaction.

"All yours." He offers you both a creepy smile as he lingers on you, "Enjoy."

You visibly shutter and you squeeze the Bakugou pillow closer to you before mirroring the real one's body language. He holds the pillow mockingly as if it were his date.

"Y/N I think we should move onto the next booth." He teases as he walks with pillow in hand and you match his stride never falling behind him.

It becomes quickly apparent that the two of you were venturing into the very NSFW 18+ section of the convention as the hero art become more and more lewd. Yourself, Momo, Midnight and many other heroines were lining the laws as banners. You all mostly undressed if not naked with stars or hearts over your goods.

"Is that her?" A vendor whispers and you catch his green eyes. He holds eye contact not daring to look away.

Bakugou's face sours harshly at the art works, the vendors comment going unnoticed by him and he turns to you. When he sees you looking down with that solemn expression on your face something causes his gut to twist.

"Oi." He nudges you, "Look."

He points out the most embarrassing thing there, himself. Full on ahegao face with the likes of Kirishima and even Deku.

It earns a small smile until you see yourself depicted on your own sheet next to the odd combinations of his own.

"We never speak of this part of the con again?" He asks placing his hand on the small of your back as his guides you and yalls pillows to the safer more PG rated version of the con.

You still feel those green eyes boring into your back but you don't want to let it bother you. You tell yourself its nothing.

"Why, you don't want people to know you actually make that face?" The jab is half hearted he can tell but he pretends to be flustered over it. You laugh when you see his angry face and how his lips curl over sharp teeth.

"I'm hungry let's gooooo!!!" You whine, this time pressing further towards the food court, "Text Izuku-kun we won't have much time to eat!"

"Yea they might run out of food too if you're eating." He teases pulling his phone from his pocket as you stick your tongue out at him, your nose honest to God guiding you towards food stands. But before Bakugou can finish his text a familiar voice rings out.

"Bakugou! Y/N!" Izuku sounds happy and deep as it nears closer before it changes an octave, "Oh my Kami! Do you know what's on the back of those?!

Izuku blushes furiously as a security guard stands impatiently next to him. The two of you blanche having never thought about the fact that most body pillows like this had two sides. You both flip yours at the same time and DIE laughing. Both of you depicted in lewd positions and faces. Clothes more torn than before almost revealing too much on either of you.

"Oh man this side is better." You wipe away a tear, "I'm bringing this to the interview."

"You will not!" Katsuki exclaims, his laughter dying quickly.

"Actually this nice gentleman was sent by Yami to pick up our things and take them to the room." Your eyes follow Izuku's hand to see it pointing to a little wagon. You set your pillow in there nicely as Bakugou come closer setting his own blackmail pillow and your book bag of items into the cart.

"Thank you!" The three of you bow as he grunts wheeling away towards the hotel.

You three walk past a few straggling booths before starting to get into the food area as you do so you spot a tumbler cup with a cute cat being held by Aizawa. Both the cat and Aizawa look bored, irritated at the viewer and MOOD in written in caps beneath.

"Suki my card!" You half shout digging into his right pocket with his wallet.

"Oi you need a purse." He growls but makes no move to stop you as you rush with your card away from them barely in sight.

"This please!" You say holding out the cup and placing it for them to ring up. They pass you back your card while they gently wrap the cup up in paper. As you wait the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up just before you feel a hand ghost over the small of your back, hip and even cupping the cheek of your ass. You turn to see green eyes and suddenly you feel unsettled.

"Watch your fucking hands." You seethe with a shaking whisper of a voice as you quickly flee back to the boys.

"Where's the cup you needed so badly?" Bakugou asks angrily wondering why you're empty handed after making such a big fuss. You place the card into his open palm unable to look him in the eye right now.

You feel like a coward, you need just a moment to yourself so you can collect your composure and spot the bathroom.

"Oh let me use the bathroom right quick I'll be right back." You say as you cross the busy convention traffic to the restrooms. Thankfully few women are in there allowing you to take a moment to breathe. You splash your face a few times with cold water before watching it drip off of your reflection. You stare yourself in the eyes and purse your lips. Snatching paper towels to dry your face figuring you've been in there long enough. You toss them into the trash as you exit the restroom.

"Oh sor... " But the apology dies in your throat when you see the same green eyes again. You squeeze your hand shut to keep your power from flinging him into the opposite wall.

"Ah excuse me." You say tightly as the anger begins to seep back into your bones calling on your power. Your heart pounds as half moons begin to eclipse red in your palm. He does not move and he is close enough you can feel his stale cigarette breath fanning your face before you feel a light pressure on your stomach.

His fingers just barely brushing agaisnt your belly button ring, you watch his eyes gleam with ecstasy as he fingered the ring. You see red, about to explode before you're brought back to earth with a memory.

*"I'll fucking sue you for damages and ruin your career if you don't at least give me one of your worn, dirty suits. Look at me?! I'm bleeding and my arm is broken."*

*"Who will they believe?! An established man in this community or a recluse upcoming desperate heroine."*

You bite the inside of your lip until you taste copper. You swallow your pride, your anger and choke on them as you struggle to speak around the lump in your throat.

"People are expecting me. You have me confused." You manage to slip past him and fight the urge to run. That always makes it look worse to the crowd. As if you're guilty and it would do everything for the green eyed male. As that would give way to his instinct to chase.

Relief floods you when you spy Bakugou, you latch onto his bare muscled arm seemingly nonchalant all the while bitching about how hungry you are. His skin and agitated voice have never been more soothing.

He looks down at you and doesn't miss your odd behavior. Sure you've been touching him here and there but you've never held onto him like this. Maybe Deku, but never him.

And you may think that you are hiding it well and maybe you are to everyone else. But not him. He sees the soft, almost unnoticeable glow to your eyes that hints you have or want to use your powers. It's a telltale sign only he's picked up on from battles and one v ones with you. No one else can ever seem to notice and he doesn't miss you glancing over your shoulder as you would on a mission if you were bait or suspected being followed.

No...something was definitely wrong with you and the fact that you wouldn't even think to share it with him or hell at least Deku, had ire BURNING in his stomach and hands. He flexes his arm confirming that you're keeping your hand tense and squeezing into his bicep for reasons unknown but it was answer enough for him. He resists the urge to give your suspicion away by glancing over his shoulder although it may be for the best that he didnt. Because Bakugou knew that if he did whoever he found your eyes land on...well let's just say they wouldn't make it through the weekend.

#bakugou x reader #bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #bnha x reader #bnha katsuki #bnha midoriya #bnha kacchan #bnha au #bnha imagine #bnha imagines #bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugo

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saltpepperbeard · 5 years ago

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Not Her ~An Everlark One-Shot~

A/N: Hello everyone! *hUNGER GAMES INTENSIFIES* am I right? I’m so happy for the Re-Read that’s taking place, because not only is it getting me furiously posting about THG again, but it brought back my quite dead writing motivation! I was reading chapter two, had a, “Okay but what must have this person been experiencing” kind of thought, followed by the instant urge to write it. So here we thankfully are lol!

I’m probably a tad rusty, but I really did want to write a different take on the Reaping Day. I’ve always wondered what things would be like from a certain someone’s point of view after all! So with that being said, I hope you all like it!

And with further adoooooooo...

Not Her

It’s the day everyone in this District dreads again.

The one where families are torn apart for a sick spectator sport. The one where children are torn crying from their mothers, knowing what horrible fate awaits them. The one where loved ones are officially lost to the Capitol.

Reaping Day.

I clench and unclench my jaw, silently filing in after all the other boys my age. The tension in the air is high, as usual. We’re not a District to valiantly offer volunteers, or boast our Tributes’ strengths. We’re a group of reluctant individuals, with many being fearful, silently praying that their name, or their loved one’s name, isn’t the one to be called.

I’m in the latter half of that group. My name being plucked from the large, glass bowl wouldn’t trigger any tears, from me or my family for that matter. There’s a slight sinking in my stomach as I imagine it, yes, but ultimately it wouldn’t hurt as much as others. My family would get on. The District would get on. And maybe it’d be a sick way to spare me from my current way of life.

I’m more concerned about my brother, concerned about Rye. I wouldn’t want to see him on that stage, awaiting pain, awaiting death. I wouldn’t want to see anyone I love subjected to that. Having to helplessly watch as someone close to me suffers has to be one of my worst fears.

A heavy breath rolls out of my mouth, my attention zoning out as the typical string of events unfolds. The mayor talks about the past of Panem, the history of the Games, and the reasons we should be thankful for them. It makes me sick to my stomach, the notion of being appreciative of murder, appreciative of suffering, appreciative of torture. So naturally, my attention goes elsewhere.

It doesn’t really come back until our District’s sole-surviving Victor, or our District’s Infamous Drunk rather, makes his grand entrance on stage. I let out a sigh as he leaves a path of chaos in his wake, but I cannot deny the slight ache in my chest. That insanity could be someone’s fate today. Or worse, far worse.

Another interesting character, Effie Trinket, attempts to hurry things along, continuing to try and make this some kind of grand spectacle. It’s ladies first as usual, and despite not really having anyone close to me per say, I find that I’m holding my breath.

When the name is uttered, I’m relieved for a split second, and then utterly devastated in the next.

“Primrose Everdeen.”

My throat locks up, with my entire body to follow. I almost feel a bit woozy, my head spinning at the image of a small, frail, blonde girl reluctantly emerging from the crowd.

I know her. Almost too well for never really formally meeting her. I can see her passing by our Bakery in the morning, completely carefree and casting light as she goes. I can see the way her gaze sparkles as she eyes the displays in the window, eagerly running up to get a better look. And I can see her turning around, excitedly pointing at the various cookies and cakes to the person who’s always with her...

“Prim!”

As unfortunate as it is to say, I should be familiar with that shrill, desperate cry. The sound of a person getting their family member torn away from them at the Reaping, a haunting, eerie noise that’s something of normalcy every year.

But it’s from her. She’s in pain. Her sister is going to the Arena. And I can’t protect them, can’t comfort her.

I can feel myself shaking, small beads of sweat forming atop my skin. I don’t even know her. I don’t know either of them. But at the same time, I feel like I do. I’ve seen them both for so long. My heart has followed the one for as long as I know, which means I’m naturally protective of the other as well.

It’s almost like I can feel her anguish, like my little sister is up there.

Mentally, I wrap my arms around her, holding her as tightly and warmly as I can manage. Even if I really could, I know there wouldn’t be enough love in the world to comfort her in this. But God, would I try. I’d want nothing more than to try and keep her lifted out of the darkness the Capitol tries so desperately to inflict upon us.

“Prim!”

Tears spring into my eyes, my heart clenching something terrible. I watch as she emerges from the crowd as well, darting after her sister. I wish I could be there alongside of her too, offering all the support and help I could possibly muster. But I can’t. I’m always doomed to watch from the sidelines, doomed to watch as things unfold.

And unfold they do.

“I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!”

Everything stops. My world completely stops.

My heart stutters to a grinding halt. A noise of anguish poised on my tongue gets jammed in my throat. The tears I had been fighting against have no choice but to fall.

No. Not her.

It’s my nightmare. My absolute worst nightmare come to life. I always knew there was a very small possibility of this happening, a very grim chance of this unfurling before my very eyes. But nothing could have actually prepared me for it happening. No matter how many times I see them per night, the bad dreams are nothing compared to reality.

The light goes dark, and sounds go muffled. I can see some slight, desperate movement near the stage, and hear a scuffle of activity, but I can hardly pay attention. I can hardly focus on anything other than trying not to collapse right here and now, to collapse completely in on myself.

I don’t know her. I never got to know her. I didn’t get to tell her how beautiful I think she is, how her eyes remind me of a strong, captivating summer storm. I didn’t get to tell her how I want to protect her and her family for the rest of my days, to ensure they never have to go hungry ever again.

I never got to tell her how much I utterly adore her, how much I love her to the ends of the Earth.

And when she goes on stage, when she utters her name, the reminder makes a shaky, sobbing-like breath croak from my lungs.

Katniss Everdeen.

Not her. Not her. Not her.

Somewhere in the middle of my woes, I can faintly hear Effie Trinket trying to get our solemn District excited, trying to get our District to roar with thunderous applause.

But in true fashion, much to my utmost relief and yet utter dread, they don’t. Everyone remains ghostly silent, before kissing three fingers and raising them high into the sky. It’s a gesture of complete admiration, but also a way of saying goodbye.

I can’t bring myself to do it. Because no matter how much I utterly adore her, I cannot bring myself to say goodbye. Especially without giving the slightest “hello.”

I simply hang my head, fiercely wiping the tears away, clenching both my eyes and jaw. I wish I could reveal my gaze and be free from this, be in a completely different world where I’m waking up to light, waking up to her.

But I’m not. The awful world I’m in continues on.

I can hear the loud clicking of Effie’s heels as she walks from one side of the stage to the other. I wipe the last of my tears away, sighing harshly and attempting to get myself under some semblance of control. I just hope whoever gets reaped can work together with Katniss, and protect her with his life.

The odds must be somewhat in my favor, albeit in a messed up, twisted kind of way.

Because the name that’s called, the paper that’s raised into the air, sends me through a torrent of feeling.

My first emotion, by complete instinct, is shock, my head jolting upwards and my mouth hanging agape. I can feel everyone who’s in close proximity staring at me, their faces either wearing sorrow or some kind of weird relief. And after I’ve recovered from the initial blow, the initial realization that I’m going to the Hunger Games, the thoughts that follow are what give me the strength to walk towards the stage.

Katniss.

I’m going to be with Katniss in the arena.

Not getting to know her doesn’t seem as devastating anymore. Because now I’ll get to die knowing I protected her, knowing I gave absolutely everything to keep her alive. And that’s all I could possibly want. To make sure I gave my all in ensuring her safety.

Maybe she doesn’t need me. Maybe she can get by just fine on her own. I’ve heard about the way she shoots, heard her way of fighting is silent and elegant. It’d be just one other person who wouldn’t be affected by my presence or lack of thereof; my family certainly isn’t.

But that won’t stop me from trying. That won’t stop me from giving myself to her like I’ve tried to all these years. I am hers and no one else’s. My life is insignificant next to hers.

I finally mount the stage, and in seeing her so close, in getting to properly look at her, it locks my sole purpose in these Games completely into place.

I move to stand parallel to her. Before I do though, I give myself a brief opportunity to look at her. To really look at her. To look at her how I would every day if I was blessed enough to actually be with her.

Her beauty absolutely takes my breath away. It always has. Though her face is hard, completely taut with emotion, she’s gorgeous. Her hair looks softer than the dandelion puffs dotting the District. Her eyes look shinier than the sun dancing off the lake’s surface. Her lips look plumper than the strawberries growing in the forest.

I don’t think I could ever capture such beauty in one of my paintings, or ever truly put it into words. She’s utterly exquisite.

I don’t stare, being quick to tear my gaze away and look straight ahead, out into the crowd. Now really is not the time to dote on her anyway. I can’t afford to get anymore attached than I am now. Now is the time to start planning how I’m going to keep her alive.

As the mayor talks more about the Games, my mind is aflame with possibilities, with different scenarios. I think of how I can keep others away from her, how I can potentially side with her, how I can guard her from anyone who might come near...

My thoughts are cut short by Effie yet again, though this time she actually says something significant to me for once.

“Alright you two, shake hands!”

My head turns towards Katniss as hers turns towards mine, our eyes meeting and locking for the first time in...years. Her gaze is just as mesmerizing as it was the first time I held it, just as captivating. And just like last time, I silently tell her I’m going to protect her. I silently tell her that I will take a beating for her. I silently tell her that I love her.

And to prove it, to seal the deal, I put all the warmth I can manage into our handshake, squeezing her hand tenderly with the figurative promise of never letting go.

The odds may not be fully in my favor during the Games, but hopefully now the opposite can be said for her.

And once we turn to be beckoned into the building behind us, away from our District, my life is hers.

#Everlark #Everlark fanfiction #Peeta Mellark #Katniss Everdeen #thg #Peeta's POV #also i don't think this fits the toastedthg tag but hey the re-read iS INDEED WHAT SPARKED THIS lol #Because I was reading the reaping and was like #'Lord what must have Peeta felt when Katniss voluntee-......WAIT'#Love me a good opportunity for some angst and yearning lmao #MY AESTHETIC IF YOU ASK ME #A GOOD TIME #Also Peeta's POV is a Good Time in general #Mr. Angsty Eloquent Loving Boi #lmao just when you guys thought 'hmmm jodi's really out here posting a ton of thg'#LMAO BET HERE'S A FANFIC ON TOP OF MY META AND EDITS #WE OUT HERE

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psychosistr · 5 years ago

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FOWL Facets- Chapter 10

Summary: Steelbeak tells the girls he’s alive, and Domino tells everyone what he has planned for the future.

Notes: Ah, a short, sweet chapter to close out this emotional rollercoaster of a story. Hope you guys enjoyed it ^^

-First Chapter-

When arriving back in the main entryway, Steelbeak is hardly surprised to find a pair of striped arms wrapping around him from his shoulders to his ankles like a pair of snakes and pulling him right up to an overly-excited spinel hanging from the ceiling by her legs.

“Steely, you did it!” Loony stretches her neck and turns her head so that she’s looking at Steelbeak right-side up. “You made Dommy’s bad feelings go down!”

Steelbeak shrugs with one of his usual arrogant smirks. “Eh, what can I say? I’m just THAT friggin’ good.” After a minute, though, his face changes to a more strained smile. “Hey, Loons?”

“Yeah?” The stretchy spinel tilts her head curiously, still smiling brightly at him.

“Be a doll an’ put me down, would ya?” His eyes flick poignantly towards the floor a couple feet below.

Loony suddenly realizes that she is, in fact, still keeping the melanite suspended mid-air and gives him an apologetic smile. “Whoopsie-doodles! Sorry, Steely!” She sets him back down and unwraps her arms from around him.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, stretch- no harm done.” He tells her while fixing his suit.

“Surprisingly.” A voice from the lounging area beside him says.

Turning his head, to get a better look, Steelbeak is even less surprised to see Gandra reclined back on one of the benches while idly scrolling through something on a projected hologram-screen coming from the watch on her wrist. “And what’s that supposed t’ mean?”

“That you’re still alive.” The star-sapphire replies bluntly. “I’m surprised you made it through that in one piece.”

“Guess I’m just lucky.” Steelbeak’s eyes narrow at the other chicken, before he regains his earlier smirk. “Either that or SOMEONE’S lost her touch.” Oh, how he loves that challenging and frustrated glare he can always draw out when he pushes her buttons just right. “Somethin’ wrong, stardust?” He asks with the fakest sounding attempt at sympathy in the universe. “Hey, you ain’t lookin’ too happy there, toots. Shouldn’t we be celebratin’? I mean, it’s not like you really WANTED me gone, right?”

Gandra rolls her eyes at his taunting and makes her screen bigger to block out his smug face. “Think I’d celebrate more if you’d actually kicked the bucket..”

“So sorry t’ disappoint ya, Gee, but goin’ down that easy ain’t exactly my style.” The only thing Steelbeak enjoys more than teasing the star-sapphire for her height is calling her out on the extremely rare occasions where her predictions end up being off- it’s one of his favorite pastimes.

His laughter is interrupted by a voice too deep to be Gandra’s. “No, but being loud enough to shake the walls certainly is.” Turning to look at the hall he’d come in through earlier, Steelbeak sees Domino entering the main room as well.

“DOMMY!” Loony drops down from the ceiling next to the obsidian, arms ready to wrap him up in an excited hug. She stops just an inch shy, however, when a single black hand is raised in a silent request. “Oopsies!” Her arms instantly stop and retract before they even have a chance to grab the other gem. “Sorry, Dommy..”

Domino gives her a half-smile and shakes his head. “It’s fine, Loony..just..not right now, okay? Maybe later.” After receiving a happy and agreeable nod in return, Domino redirects his attention to the room as a whole, his demeanor shifting into something far more serious. “F.O.W.L. has been compromised by a Diamond loyalist.”

“If it’s true, then that’s a pretty big deal.” The screen in front of Gandra vanishes as she sits up properly. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Domino answers definitively. “I always thought it was odd that none of my requests for information were ever answered or even followed up- if anything, there should have at least been a negative reply- but we were always sent out on long-term missions immediately following a request, most likely to distract me from how much time had passed. If it had happened only once or twice, it could have been blamed on coincidence, or carelessness, or a report falling through the system’s cracks..but I’ve submitted more than eight hundred requests over the years and have never ONCE received an acknowledgement on it.” He shakes his head, the look on his face showing his frustration. “At that point, it’s impossible to call it an accident: Someone within F.O.W.L.- someone very high up in the chain of command- has been intercepting my requests because they KNOW the truth about what happened and are trying to keep people from finding out.”

“So,” His partner looks down at him with a raised brow. “Whattaya wanna do ‘bout it, Deedee?”

“I’m going to find out who that person is and remove him, and any of his co-conspirators, from F.O.W.L. personally.” Domino reigns in the deadly intent of his voice so that he can speak to his team calmly once again. “It won’t be easy…and, if I’m not careful, I could be branded as a traitor, or worse..but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’ll take one of the back-up pod-ships and try to keep in contact with you as much as possible with updates on my location and any information I find.” He looks at the assortment of dark gems in the room with him, at the gems who’d become his team, his family, over the past few thousand years, knowing that, this time, he couldn’t ask them to-

“Count me in!” A cheerful voice to his left says.

Domino looks beside himself to see Loony giving him a confident smile. “Loony, you can’t-”

“We’re a packaged deal, right?” The smile on Loony’s face is as bright as ever, but the softness of her voice and the look in her eyes are far more meaningful. “Where you go, I go- that’s the rule, remember?”

Domino tries to fight the smile forming on his own beak, but it’s practically impossible. He’s not surprised at all to have his own words thrown back at him in such a supportive way. After all, what else would he expect from the gem who was practically a sister to him?

“Guess I’m in, too.” To Domino’s surprise, he sees Gandra get up from her seat and look at him with an indifferent roll of her eyes- the effect greatly diminished by the small smile on her face. “If White Diamond messes things up with F.O.W.L., where else am I gonna go when I’m bored?”

He knows the star-sapphire is just putting up a front. While she’s still the newest member of the crew, she clearly enjoys her spot on the team and the freedom it offers her. Domino and Steelbeak may still be quietly keeping to their promise of seeing anyone else on the ship besides themselves and Loony as expendable, but they knew that Gandra was handy to have around and, given that they scouted her and invited her to join F.O.W.L. themselves, they knew she was more trustworthy than some of the agency’s more senior members.

“Three of you crammed int’ one teeny tiny pod? That’s gonna be a pain.” Domino looks to his other side to see Steelbeak grinning down at him. “Tell ya what, short fuse- why don’t ya just stay here and we ALL take the Black Iron Comet? It’d be roomier AND faster.”

Domino stares up at the melanite before, with a fondly exasperated sigh, he closes his eyes and shakes his head, unable to keep the equally fond smile off of his face. He should have seen that coming. Steelbeak’s been his partner for more than eight and a half thousand years now. Time after time the melanite has proven how far he’s willing to go for him and has more than earned his trust- the incident in his room just a few minutes ago serving as yet another prime example of his partner’s loyalty.

“I suppose you do have a point.” He looks to each gem in the room as he speaks, his voice serious but far less grave than it had been a minute ago. “From now on, we’ll need to be prepared for anything. We’ll have to be extremely careful with who we trust- any information we find stays with us until we know for sure whom we can trust within F.O.W.L. and who we cannot. We’ll also need to stick together to avoid being caught by the enemy- no going off on our own anymore.” He briefly side-eyes one gem in particular after that comment, the rooster rolling his eyes but nodding in agreement at the subtle jab regarding his recent capture. “Now,” He gives the gems around him a confident smirk. “Let’s show those traitors what happens when you double-cross F.O.W.L.”

The chorus of agreeing cheers around him makes Domino’s confidence in their future grow ten-fold. After all, with a team this good backing him up, not even the Diamonds will stand a chance.

<-Previous Chapter

End Notes: And there we have it- an end to one story, but the beginning of a new one. This group was SO much fun to write and I definitely have plans to do more with all of them in the future after I get the main universe more developed. I’m thinking of having the FOWL Facets story run as a sort of side-story to the Fearsome Facets universe that will occasionally cross over with the FOWL group tracking down the origins of the cluster before everyone comes together in the big series finale.

Wanted to give another HUGE thank you to both @eleanorose123 / @thefriendlyfour and @deldraws19 for allowing me to write this story using their awesome OC’s! They’re wonderful and I look forward to doing so much more with them later on ^^

#darkwing duck #ducktales #dt17 #FOWL Facets #Steelbeak #Dominic Domino #gandra dee #Loony Toony #steeldomino #not my oc #100 follower giveaway!

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sunflowerstrays · 6 years ago

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starry night ➳ l.f ➳ 2

lee felix x reader ft. kim seungmin and hwang hyunjin.

words: 2.5k.

genre: fluff.

requested? no.

- part 1 -

---

“The paint on your cheeks is really cute,” Felix says as you step out of your art class. You had spent all morning adding the final touches to a piece you had been working on, and as a result hadn’t bothered checking the mirror before you left. Seungmin takes out his phone and shows you in the camera were the few blue dots were scattered across your face. “Ready for lunch?”

“Always,” you grin as you finish wiping away the paint. Felix and Seungmin stand either side of you, yet you can sense the happiness coming from both of them; Felix had his best friend back, and Seungmin hadn’t lost his completely. The smile on your face couldn’t be challenged as the two of you sat in a small bakery, eating the most interesting things you could find on the menus and sharing those times you used to have.

The afternoon is spent doing the things that you missed doing with your two roommates. It feels different having Seungmin around, but you put that down to him being so absent recently. When the three of you finally crash at the apartment, Felix took to performing in the living room whilst you were busy drawing away, and Seungmin calling Hyunjin in the corridor.

“He’s talking to him again,” Felix sulks after he finishes rehearsing a piece he had been frantically trying to learn, sighing as he flops to the floor beside where you were sitting. You smile, reaching down and pushing his cheeks into a smile.

“He’s trying his best, Felix. We got him to hang out with us today after a long time of not seeing him; baby steps?” You let your hands drop, but the smile stays on his face for a short while.

“It didn’t feel right,” he whines quietly, pulling out his phone and scrolling through instagram besides you. “Like, I liked having him around again. But I like it more when it’s just us.” You can’t tell the tone of his response, and it makes you nervous. You put down your sketchpad and face him properly.

“What do you mean, Felix?”

“I- I don’t know,” he mumbles, putting down his phone and facing you now. “Before you, I loved hanging out with Seungmin. He was my favourite person to spend time with since I moved to Korea, where I didn't understand anything. But now that person is you… And it feels odd having him around now.”

You heart beats hard against your rib cage, and you aren’t sure how to respond. Instead you just smile at him as best as you can, before looking at the ground.

“You don’t mean that, he’s still your best friend Felix,” you sigh, but the boy shakes his head. He takes your hand, squeezes it before shrugging. The silence coming from him sends you a million mixed signals, and you aren’t sure how to respond to a single one of them.

Felix finally opens his mouth to say something, but Seungmin bounces into the room with exciting news before the smaller boy could continue.

“So I have some exciting news!” Seungmin grins, taking a seat opposite Felix and you. “Hyunjin just called. His parents had a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant with some friends but they had to cancel. They said as a Christmas present they'd pay for all our meals instead of letting the reservation go to waste - tonight. Are you guys down for that?”

“Free food? Of course I am!” Felix says, grinning brightly at you. Nodding at Seungmin you smile at the glowing faces of both the boys. Felix stands up and drags you with him, knocking all the sketch pencils and pad off of your legs as you rise.

The piece you had recently been working on spills open, and Seungmin doesn't hesitate to pick up the book and glance at the drawing before you can hide it. A knowing smile crosses his face as he shuts it carefully, and hands it back to you. The look in his eye makes you blush hard as Felix dramatically pulls you towards the bedrooms, spinning you into your room before disappearing into his.

You open the sketchpad again and look down at the image. It was a creative piece, one you had been thinking of designing into a larger work for your finals. The person who had inspired the work was easy to identify though: Felix. His silhouette filled the page, freckles scattered across the page as little stars and his eyes glowing like the moon. Looking at it from a fresh angle made you understand why Seungmin had looked so smug at the work; it was clearly a piece that expressed admiration for Felix, and possibly did so in a manner that could be perceived as more than friends.

You groan and stuff the sketchpad under your pillow before changing into a simple, elegant outfit, not really sure how to dress up for this event. You figured a smart coat, nice scarf and brushed out hair was already a big improvement from your usual paint covered clothes, fluffy socks and scruffy buns. Still, that didn't stop you from feeling underdressed half an hour later sat opposite Hyunjin in the restaurant, who wore some expensive designer you hadn't even heard of before.

Sitting with the three boys reminded you of why you were so happy for Seungmin, despite his distance the last few months. You could see how happy Hyunjin really him, and how Hyunjin hung off of every word Seungmin had to say. Felix could see this as well, and despite his sadness at the thought of losing his best friend sometimes, seeing how happy he was in his new relationship made him very happy.

At least, this is what he told you as he walked home with you later. The two other boys had said they were going to catch a movie after dinner, and whilst you and Felix were free to join them, you felt it was a bit awkward to join them on their entire date with the boy you were beginning to desperately crush on. Besides, it was getting cold out and Felix was flying to the other side of the world in a few days, so you wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

“They are really cute together,” Felix says, his hand keeping yours warm as the two of you strolled along the pavement together. The sky was very cloudy and you couldn't see the moon or stars, which were your favourite things to watch usually. It was like they'd bled from the sky and scattered themselves across Felix's cheeks, and this was capturing all of your attention rather than what the boy was actually saying. “Hey, y/n?”

“Sorry Felix,” you say, rubbing your eyes and finally looking at him. “I'm very tired. These art finals are really starting to keep me up at night.”

“I can see,” he says, flicking your nose before pulling you along the road again. “Let's get you home and get you asleep. I think you need some rest.”

Felix continues to ramble about his theatre work he has coming up soon, and listening to his voice sends you into a daze. Something has happened today that has you dreaming about him more than usual, and you cannot work out what it is.

It is still bothering you when Felix lays alongside you in your bed. You'd been streaming a cheesy movie on your laptop before you'd finally dropped your head on his chest, half asleep and half wondering what these feelings for Felix were. Ever since Seungmin had made your feelings for him so blaringly obvious you hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. Felix wishes you a goodnight and continues watching the laptop screen, tracing patterns into your back that make resisting sleep even more impossible.

You are so close to giving in to the warmth that Felix provides that it startles you when he starts talking softly into your hair. His words are so deep and quiet that you don't quite know what you are hearing, but they make your heart race nonetheless.

“y/n I'm not sure what we are. But what I do know is that I'm happy. Whether we are friends or more, I'm happy with you. And this is what I had planned to tell you tonight, because you looked so beautiful in that restaurant that I just wanted to confess there and then. But I've kept quiet, resisted the urge to tell you, and with Christmas I worry about what will happen.”

“You've got to tell them,” Seungmin's voice from the doorway makes Felix jump beside you, so much so that you accidentally sit up as well. The colour Felix turns makes him look like a ghost, and Seungmin doesn't look much better in the doorway. “Oh sorry. I didn't realise you were both awake-”

“I didn't realise you were awake eitherith, y/n,” the panic in Felix's voice makes you feel awful for staying awake and listening. You shake your head, rubbing your tired eyes and resting a hand on his.

“I was asleep. What happened?” You play it off to rest the boy’s nerves, and slowly the colour returns to his face. He physically relaxes, sinking into his bed again as he gazes at you lovingly.

“Nothing. Seungmin came home all loved up and gave me a fright,” Felix giggles, twisting a lock of your hair around his finger before letting his hand drop. “Come on, it’s fine. Isn’t it Seungmin?”

In the doorway Seungmin nods slowly, giving you his priceless sweet smile before backing out, leaving Felix and you in silence save for the end of the film playing. Felix makes a whiny sound, pulling you back towards him for another hug and trying to play off what has happened. His words are the only thing you can focus on as he tries to lull you back to sleep.

---

Unlocking your apartment door after three weeks of spending Christmas around your chaotic family feels weird. The silence in there is a relief after such a hectic few weeks. You knew that you’d have the apartment free for a few days after returning as Felix was flying in from Australia just before school started again, and Seungmin was returning in about two days from his hometown.

So when you abandon your bag in the hallway and tiredly pace down the corridor, seeing a ginger haired boy on the couch was not what you were expecting. Felix jumps up at seeing you in the corridor, clearly not expecting you to be home either.

“Y/n? You are back already?” He asks, rubbing his eyes. You could see the jet lag set in his figure, from the sleepy look in his eyes to the droop in his shoulders.

“Yes - You aren’t supposed to be back for another week Felix?” You ask, walking over and joining him on the couch. He spreads his small body out comfortably, clearly before close to falling asleep again.

“I know. My flight got rearranged and I had to come back. I don’t know. All this travelling is really messing with me,” Felix says, yawning tiredly. “Besides, I missed you and Seungmin. Can you blame me?”

“I guess I missed you as well,” you teasingly say, poking his sides. “It’s good to have you back. Did you want anything to eat?”

“No, I just want to catch up with you!” He says with the most adorable sleepy tone. “So tell me all about your Christmas.” You sit beside him comfortably on the couch, running your hands through his freshly dyed hair and telling him all about your time away. When you’ve finished he’s happy to tell you all about his time in Australia.

“It sounds so wonderful,” you say in awe when he finishes. “I would love to visit some time. I’m very envious of you.”

“Honestly we should go some time,” Felix says absentmindedly. His words make you smile, but it still makes you jump when he shoots up from the seat and stares at you intensely. “In fact, actually, about that.”

“What about what?” You ask, confusion laced in your tone. Felix takes your hands in his, but refuses to look you in the eyes. “Felix?”

“When I was in Australia, I had a lot of questions about here. What was school like, where was I living, who my best friends were. Family being family, and namely my mother and aunts, were all asking me about any relationships I had. It had me thinking a lot about things, y/n, and this is something that I have wanted to tell you for a very long time.

“I really like you. More than I’ve ever liked anyone before. And I’ve been thinking about this for such a long time now that it’s bothering me that I haven’t said anything sooner. And it isn’t the dramatic moment that I wanted it to be but I doubt you’ll even like me back-”

“Stop talking,” you say gently, pressing your finger to his lips. He sits there like a rabbit caught in headlights, clearly wanting to ramble more until he can’t breathe anymore. “I’m so glad you finally said something. Because I wasn’t sure how to, and I didn’t think I could survive any longer either.”

“Wait- you- what- me- yes?” Felix babbles behind your hand, taking it from his mouth and holding it tightly. “You like me too?”

“Yes, you fool! How did you not know?” You giggle, a blush spreading across your face. Felix gives you the brightest smile before wrapping you in a hug, burying his face in your shoulder.

“Oh my gosh. I am an idiot,” he says when he finally pulls away. “Guess I can do this the fancy way I’ve always wanted?” And like that, he is back to his usual self.

“Be my guest.”

“Y/n, would you allow me, Lee Felix,” he jumps off of the couch and crouches to one knee, taking your hand in his. You can’t help the laughter that escapes you as he dramatically shakes his hair back, “To take you on a date?”

“If you can find somewhere in the city we haven’t already platonically explored, Felix, I would be honoured for you to,” you reply cheesily. The bright smile on his face shines more than the sun does on a hot summer day. The boy doesn’t hesitate in wrapping you in the softest hug ever, pulling you close until you slip off of the couch and join him on the floor.

Having the words out of your head and in the air between you feels so much better. Your Christmas period had also been spent with family who were curious when you'd settle down with someone. Felix was always the person that came to mind, but you were convinced it would never been him.

And now, there was a chance that it could be him.

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smokingbrumby88 · 3 years ago

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Victim Impact Statement Draft #1

His hands are so tight around my throat, I can’t breathe, and the world is starting to go black around me as I struggle to get free from his grip. My legs have turned to jelly, not that I can reach the ground, but I’m desperate for air. Tonight, I think he might finally be successful and actually kill me. At this very moment I wish he would so I wouldn’t have to struggle anymore. There comes a moment when you’re struggling for your life that you just wish it would just hurry up and end. The fear has reached a maximum level and you feel as though this is it, this is how I go out, this is how my life ends. In the grip of his hands around my throat, struggling for just the smallest amount of air, I was ready. Ready for it to all finally come to an end. But it didn’t, and that wasn’t the end of it for that night either. Threats to smash my head against the concrete brick wall, being punched and kicked for a few more hours, he was careful to never break a bone. This was the real reality of my early hours of Christmas morning 2018. The Christmas I was excited for, the first Christmas I would have in many years with my family, the last Christmas I would ever get to have with my Dad. Who knows what time I was finally able to get to sleep, but when I woke up in the morning and got ready to attend my family Christmas the violence hadn’t ceased. He continued to beat me until I drove out the driveway to spend Christmas day with my family. On arrival, I was noticeably shaking with tears in my eyes and hyperventilating. By now, my family knew if they ask what happened I’d make up some ridiculous cover story. Instead, one sister parks the car for me and the other hands me my niece for comfort, knowing that that is the best way to help me through that particular moment. Later, they would discover the marks on my neck from the early hours of that morning, when my scarf had moved, uncovering the hidden truth beneath it.

It has been just over 2 years since the last time Charles assaulted me, I still remember the multiple times that he attacked me to this day, and parts of it still haunt me. The actions of Charles have completely impacted and changed my life in so many ways. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings of terror I would get every time when he would assault me, but I will try my best. We were in a relationship together for about 3.5 years with the relationship ending with his arrest in March 2019. Throughout our relationship, the violence became more and more frequent and the reasons for it became more and more ridiculous. I cannot recall the first time he assaulted me, there were so many times that the violence occurred that my memory fails me when I try to remember the first time it happened. It should have been the first and the last time that that occurred, but I was young and vulnerable, and I thought I was in love.

I have spent the last 2 years seeking help to get through the trauma caused by all the assaults. I have PTSD in relation to not only the violent attacks from Charles, but the emotional, psychological and sexual ones as well.

Not long after his arrest, I ended up in my local Mental Health Ward due to the impact of what had occurred over the 3.5 years we were together. It all became too much for me and I had attempted suicide, I had to be escorted by the police to the facility to ensure I did no further harm to myself. I have frequent panic attacks, nightmares, flashbacks, and sleepless nights, to name a few, that affect my everyday living. My doors are always locked, and I have weapons placed around my house that are hidden but easy to access, in the event that Charles finds out where it is that I live, and I can defend myself against him finally, because I fear that he will keep his “promise” to me. He promised me that “if I ever go to jail because of you, I WILL find you, and I will F**CKING KILL YOU! That’s a promise and don’t you ever forget it”. These words haunt me every day. My safety is my number one priority no matter what it is that I am doing or where it is that I am. I can’t even feel safe in my own home because of the impact these assaults have caused. For example, when I go out to do something as simple as my groceries, the moment I get in my car, I lock the doors as a precaution, who knows if he is nearby or knows where it is that I am, so it’s better for me to be safe than sorry.

Most of the assaults have gone undocumented or unrecorded. Charles would spend hours upon hours assaulting me over and over for the smallest of things. I wasn’t allowed my own opinion, I couldn’t think for myself, I couldn’t choose things that I wanted, I literally had no control of my own life because I was forever afraid that it would result in me being punched, kicked, threatened, strangled, or have a weapon used on me over and over until he was satisfied that he had beaten the result that he wanted into me.

I can recall one night towards the end of our relationship where he mentioned my weight and I wasn’t interested in talking about it, so he got violent. Screaming at me, telling me I was the fattest girlfriend he had ever had, and I looked disgusting. He spent 4 hours punching me in the same spot in my arm over and over, leaving a really large bruise, I would later tell my family members that it was caused by running into a door handle after chasing my cat through the house. I begged him to stop so many times, but that just infuriated him even more. In the end I gave up and told him what he wanted to hear. The next day we went running around the block, after 2 laps I was done. Half-way through the next I tried to slow down to catch my breathe and he was beating me as we ran around the blocking, and sometimes pushing me from behind, and when I tried to get away, he came after me, pushing me to the ground and punching me until I got up. After that lap I refused to go on because I needed to catch my breath, so I went across the street and sat at a picnic table, he did another lap then came up behind me and kicked me in the kidneys before slamming my head into the table followed by dragging me back to the house. Events like these contribute to the nightmares and flashbacks that I continuously get to this day. At times I often struggle to get through them because I feel that most people expect me to be over it by now, but that’s not the case. Many things trigger me into panic attacks or reliving the trauma. It doesn’t help that Charles will not leave me alone and keeps trying to contact me. Every time he does this, the most recent in April of this year, it’s like the flood gates of hell open up again and all the work I have put in to getting through everything has disappeared again and I’m back to square one and I’m being retraumatized again. This to me is so unfair, I want to move on with my life, I want to be happy, I want this chapter of my life to finally come to an end. I am the happiest I’ve ever been and this trauma that keeps occurring is the only thing stopping me from fully moving forward, so I need this to end so that I can be properly happy. The justice system has failed me on so many levels, Charles got a smack on the hand and I’m still living in fear every single day, struggling to comprehend all that has happened.

I am thankful that someone has finally asked to hear what this has done to me. I could go on and give much more detail and give much more insight into how this has affected me, but even writing this is traumatizing and difficult to complete. I hope this helps to somewhat capture the affects of what Charles did to me and how it has impacted on my life, even to this day, 2 years after the last assault.

#namechanges #moreeditstocome #notagoodwriter #practicewritingmyemotions #notworkingforme

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spellboundtours · 4 years ago

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Experience has shown that children are far more in touch with the spirit world than are most adults. It is not because there is anything inherently special about kids, it is simply that they have not yet been conditioned to disbelieve what they experience. Think about it, I bet throughout your life you have heard people say “there’s no such thing as ghosts”, or “it’s all in your imagination”! Whether you do or do not believe in ghosts is beside the point, the not so subtle societal conditioning seeps into a person’s mind! The majority of people, by the time they reach elementary school age have been taught not to believe in the supernatural and as a result they start to doubt their own experiences and keep it to themselves. In some cases these poor souls convince themselves they are suffering from mental illness when in reality they might be having a paranormal encounter!

But little kids have not yet been trained to deny their experiences. They are still learning about the world around them and simply report what they actually see and feel. Parents may even encourage their offspring’s ghostly interaction, thinking it is cute their child has an imaginary friend or is just so creative and making up such fun stories. Sometimes smart parents figure out what is going on and can properly address the situation, and decide how they want to handle the child’s ghostly connection. Unfortunately, for the most part the guardians just write it off as childish fancy and forget the whole affair. Every once and a while though something will occur that will make even the most skeptical of parents take serious notice and understand there is an out of the ordinary event at hand. This is one of those stories.

One of my favorite parts of being in charge of Spellbound Tours, Salem’s number one ghost Salem Night Tour, is hearing our guests’ own ghost stories from their lives. This tale was related to me a few years ago by a wonderful family from New Jersey who had come to enjoy The Witch City during a school vacation week. It is a story both tragic and heartwarming, it is a story of tragedy and ultimately of hope. When they related the story to me the entire family was clearly emotional and I could tell they believed every word they said. There is even striking photographic evidence to back up their claims. I have every reason to trust that they were telling the truth as they had experienced it.

The family who told me this tale was a traditional nuclear family; mother, father, and two teenagers, a boy and a girl. When the first child, the boy, who we will call Jacob, had just been born the family was living in New Jersey and commuting to work in New York City. They were figuring out how to balance raising a kid and working at the same time. They got a lot of help from their friends, most of whom were excited that the couple had had a baby, as they were the first in their social circle to do so. One man in particular, we will call him Joe, became particularly connected to the infant child. Whenever he could find time he and his wife would volunteer for babysitting duty. Joe loved baby Jacob and could not wait to have a child of his own. The baby also loved Joe, he would make happy baby noises whenever he visited. The young family and their friends were doing well.

One morning just after nine am when Jacob was about ten months old, the mother, who we will refer to as Dawn, heard him fussing in his crib from the next room. The baby was squirming around and grasping at the air, making excited sounds. All of a sudden he stopped gurgling and launched out his first word ever, “JOE!” The mother was delighted, her baby was talking, and the first word he said was the name of one of their best friends! “JOE, JOE, JOE!” hollered baby Jacob clawing at the air above him. His mother ran and grabbed a camera to snap a picture and record this important moment. She then rushed to the phone in the kitchen to call Joe and tell him the news, he would be so happy! She called him up but the line was busy. Dawn tried again, and got nothing, the phone was still occupied. She figured she had tried and went back to attending the baby. Approximately fifteen minutes had passed and baby Jacob had stopped saying the name and was now being eerily silent, almost frozen, with what could only be described as an infant version of concern on his face.

When the baby had fallen asleep, Dawn went back to her chores about the house. To fill the air she turned on the television. The same tragic image was on every channel. Two airplanes had crashed into the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center in New York City. The world was in chaos. Luckily for the new family even though the husband worked in the city his office was nowhere near the deadly scene. But like everyone they had a connection to the horrible event. Their friend Joe worked in one of the towers.

No wonder the phone lines had been jammed. She hoped Joe had made it out in time, but he worked on a pretty high floor where there was no realistic chance for survival. As the television kept replaying the awful event Dawn remembered how Jacob had been calling Joe’s name and grabbing at the air. With horror she realized that this had happened just moments after the news said the second tower, the one Joe worked in, had been hit! Had Jacob somehow known his friend had died?

With the nation in such a state of shock, the accomplishment of baby Jacob’s first word was put on hold. While it was impressive, and it was quite a coincidence that he called out Joe’s name at just the moment he must have departed this life, the family had more pressing matters to attend to. Funerals, and grieving, and worrying about their own safety in this once hopeful, now terrifying, world. Celebrating the first word milestone would have to wait.

Months passed, life went on, and people tried to pretend things were normal and get back on track. After holiday festivities Dawn finally went to develop the roll of film that had been in her camera for ages. She was looking forward to seeing pictures of the baby’s first Christmas. When the pictures were ready, Dawn peeled open the envelope and took out the stack, expecting to see happy scenes of Christmas when what was revealed made her drop the images in shock. Trembling, she picked up the images and looked again. The first few photographs were the ones that she forgot had been taken on September 11th to commemorate Jacob’s first word. What was in those images was breathtaking. In each one right above the baby’s crib there is a perfect translucent orb of light. The infant is looking directly at the orb in every shot, reaching right for it!

Most orbs can be explained away fairly easily, particularly when they are captured with digital cameras. The vast majority are tricks of the light, reflections, and lens issues, but these pictures are striking. Hard as I tried I could not discredit this series of shots. The orb follows the same trajectory in each picture, there is no light fixture or window visible that could have caused the phenomena. The camera was an old fashioned film camera so that rules out digital hiccups, and the thing shows up on the negatives too. The baby is looking and reaching directly at it, the expression on his face is one of recognition, as if he sees a familiar person. The orb in these shots is entirely consistent with the few verifiable energy orb pictures that exist and cannot be discredited by conventional methods. It is translucent, yet the white color is the same all the way through, no gaps or hard edges. To my trained eye it looks like the real deal.

The family now takes comfort in the photographs. They believe that the orb is Joe’s spirit and that he had come, minutes after his earthly death, to say goodbye to the baby he had so cared for in life. I tend to agree with them. Of course it all could just be a coincidence that the baby called for Joe immediately after he passed, and that there is a credible spirit orb floating above the crib in the pictures taken at that exact moment, but I think that stretches credulity. It all fits together too well to be a cosmic accident. None of the family has experienced any subsequent encounters.

If you have any ghost stories of your own, or any photographs that you believe might contain supernatural phenomena please feel free to share them with us.

#Salem Witch Tour #Salem History Tour #Salem Witch Trials

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kitanoko · 7 years ago

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BNHA Light Novel Vol.1 Ch.1 translation

This is the Chapter 1 translation for the first “boku no hero academia” light novel! I actually felt a weight, like sorrow sinking from my head to my toes, when I was translating part of the beginning and also Todoroki and his mom’s conversation. Hope those without access to the book will enjoy this as that is why I spent time typing it up! XD the novel is truly quite fun to read

I will be posting my thoughts on it later but for now, please click ‘Keep reading’ below for my translation :)

At the time when spring turned to summer on a beautiful day, the students who finished the internship were preparing for the final exams. “Next, Midoriya Izuku.” In the empty streets, a soft sound drifted. Aizawa with his tired eyes, looked at the students on the third floor of the large building. “Here!” The student who got called, Midoriya Izuku, had an anxious expression on his face when he answered. His hair was curly and he looked very plain, but the freckles on his face make him give off a positive feeling. “Deku-kun, do your best!” Uraraka Ochako said in a cheerful tone. She was waiting behind him as she is going to go on stage soon. Her joyful voice made his cheeks turn red as he turned around to answer “okay!”. Izuku entered the bag-like tunnel that connects with the ground floor. The tunnel had a lot of twists and turns and this was usually used during rescue missions. Using a strategy similar to sliding on a slide, it allows people to slide from the top to the bottom with ease. This is UA highschool! Right now, Class 1 A is learning about the basics of how to be a hero. This highschool has a lot of amazing facilities like the training facility they are in and this place is able to sustain many people (several ten thousands). There is also a USJ which has areas that imitate places with natural disasters; they still have the memories of how villains trespassed and attacked them in USJ last time. Right now before them is a deserted street that is also part of the UA training areas. Quirks arose long along; since then, people started using their quirks for good and they were known as heroes. However, many also used them for evil. Thus, heroes became an important part of society that serves the public. Until now, not everyone can become heroes, only those who pass tests and get the license can call themselves that. It is illegal to use quirks in public without authorization. If one were to consider becoming a hero, one must enter a hero school like UA. Getting into UA is extremely difficult. Izuku has no quirk, and nowadays, that is called “quirkless”. Heroes must have a quirk as it is not feasible to be without one. Commonly speaking, age 4 is the latest in which one’s quirk will manifest.

After age 4, Izuku could not help but to accept reality. His dream of becoming the world’s best hero like All Might floated away further and further until it was so far that he can’t even reach it anymore. But he did not give up. No matter if others laughed at him or looked down at him and say how he has no quirk and can’t become a hero, he did not give up his goal. Maybe it’s because God or whoever out there heard his plea and wishes and so Izuku met All Might. All Might saw his potential and after training him, transferred “One For All” to him. In the beginning, Izuku couldn’t do what he wanted with the quirk and had no control, always wrecking his own body. However, both All Might and Gran Torino mentored him and gradually he was able to control it better. “HEEEUUUU” After a short time, Izuku slid out the tunnel, safely landing on the ground. “Okay the boys are all done. Now it’s the girls turn! Yaoyorozu, go.” “Yes!” The Vice President Yaoyorozu replied and slid to the ground through the tunnel. After Yaoyorozu landed on the ground, the small, grape-headed boy named Mineta let out a huge breath. “What’s wrong Mineta?” Izuku asked and Mineta let out another breath. “Midoriya, since we are on the topic of the girls sliding down, the thing that we should be looking forward to is seeing their skirts flip up right? Why is she wearing gym clothes….even though I should have known! This attire is not sexy at all, not even a little bit!” “You have no changed your bad habit one bit, Mineta.” After Yaoyorozu slid down, it was Tsuyu who could not help but comment as well. “Yeah, Mineta. If all the girls’ skirts flipped up then how do we continue lessons? Wearing gym attires make more sense. Wait actually, in order to stimulate a real situation, the girls should be wearing skirts actually!” Iida, wearing the normal uniform, came out with a serious expression said. “No I think you are thinking too much.” Izuku couldn’t help but laugh at Iida. “Stop laughing stupid Deku!” “Ah…Kacchan…” Standing near them was Izuku’s childhood friend Bakugou Katsuki. He’s always spewing out swear words and rude comments to others but has already toned it down…well compared to his childhood that is. “Stupid exercise! Die!” “What are you saying?! As a hero, rescuing others is the first thing so this is very important! This is a very meaningful exercise, isn’t it?!” “Whocares! Everyone has crap they’re good at! I can be the one who takes care of the villain while others do the rescue!!!” “Do you truly want to become a hero?!” Iida has a very strong sense of justice and so as he argued with Bakugou who has a self-esteem several times higher than everyone else, the two is like water and oil, cannot be mixed. Deku stood between the two. “Iida-kun please calm down!” “Yes, you’re right. Everyone has their own strong points.” The person who said this was the student with a cold expression and a scar caused by a burn, Todoroki Shouto. “Todoroki-kun?” “I cannot imagine Bakugou rescuing anyone.” “….WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?! BASTARD?!?!?!” “Ah, I understand! I feel like he would end up injuring people instead!” Kaminari spoke up and Bakugou was so angry he shouted at Kaminari with, “YEAH LETS SEE ABOUT THAT, I’LL HURT YOU FIRST!!!!” Bakugou’s palms started to have explosions within them. The girls who just all landed on the ground did not know what was going on in front of them and just stared with wide eyes. The groups of boys crowded around; some tried to stop the fight, some looked annoyed and once the fighting got to its peak, a voice came. “….Do you guys know what time it is?” It was Aizawa. Upon hearing his stern voice, the students quickly stood properly, poised and quiet. Up until this point, the students recognized how scary their teacher can be. Aizawa’s quirk activated for a second, revealing his red eyes. Aizawa’s quirk erases other people’s quirks, but because he hates the media knowing well how the media can interfere with his hero work, he would always keep himself hidden. “I heard you guys saying how everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but this excuse during when people need rescuing is not valid. In order to become a great hero, you must do your best for any tasks at hand!” Aizawa turned his head to look at every one of them and continued on. “When the rescue crew and the police arrives late, leading civilians out to the escape route is also a hero’s job!” “If we are to lead them out, isn’t it faster to just rescue them ourselves?” As Hagakure was asking this question, all you can see is her gym suit wrinkling. It looked like she was waving and raising her hand. Hagakure’s quirk makes her invisible so her gym clothes look like they are floating in midair. “But if there are a lot of people, then you can only lead them out.” Yaoyorozu said logically and Aizawa nodded his head. “Exactly. If there were only one or two people, then rescuing them is easy. But if there were a lot then it will get problematic when using rescue equipment. Also, if you don’t know how to use the equipment at the time of need, then it’d be over. That is the main reason why the school prepares these lessons so you’ll have practice on each and every rescue equipment. Do you hear this, Bakugou?” “……..I understand.” Bakugou answered in a low voice. This is Bakugou’s way of getting along with others, using a lower voice to talk. Izuku stood near Bakugou and started mumbling analysis like he usually did. “Right, when letting lot of people out, we need to use the appropriate quirk with the appropriate equipment……I wonder how that will be? Uraraka can make thing float, or Sero who can use his tape, and Mineta can use his sticky balls…..mmm yes that should be useful. There are lot of combinations…..!!” Izuku loves to analyze and think of strategies as he wants to become a hero so much. Every time he begins his rambling, everyone would get scared because of how fast he talks, like a tongue twister. Everyone already accept this though and would watch him with warm eyes, with the exception of Bakugou. “Then, after….” At this moment, a loud sound was heard above them, covering Aizawa’s voice. Everyone was shocked and looked up to see a helicopter coming down. From the aircraft, someone large came jumping down. “From the helicopter………I AM HERE!” “ALL MIGHT?!?!?!” All Might looked muscular as always with his powerful demeanor. The two horn-like hair spiked up from his head and was wavering in the wind caused by the aircraft. He showed his bright, white teeth as he grinned. “Everyone, I’m sorry I am late! I had to chase down a villain and so I just came!” “Uh yeah, this lesson was supposed to be your responsibility,” Aizawa said in an irritated tone. In contrast, All Might was beaming. “It’s already on the internet!!! During lunch I saw that you captured the bank robbers, right?!” “Yes, looks like the other case hasn’t been broadcasted yet.” “….AS EXPECTED OF ALL MIGHT!” Izuku admires All Might and so he looked super happy and excited. All Might has the aura to suppress evil. He is the “Symbol of Peace”. He has a student and mentor relationship with Izuku and only a few knows this secret. All Might can also only transform to his hero form for a short period of time now, which, also, only a few knows. “Midoriya my boy, thank you for your compliments, but we now must move onto the helicopter.” “Isn’t the helicopter just for bringing you here?” “No, our next exercise will be involve the helicopter, are you ready?” “wow, such is expected of a hero class….” Because Izuku was so stunned by All Might, he was standing here dumbfounded. Such is Ua! ~~ After learning how to rescue people on the snowy mountain and from the water, the students all returned to their classroom. “Right before this, when I was diving at the sea, it was the girls who helped me do CPR…..its like a deep kiss….can’t help but stop myself from breathing on purpose!” “But weren’t you ACTUALLY not breathing?” Hearing Kaminari and Mineta’s conversation nearby, Tokoyami muttered “What an annoying duo”. Tokoyami was someone who looked like a bird and had the quirk ‘Dark Shadow’, which is like a creature living in his body. At that moment, Aizawa entered the classroom and everyone sat properly at their own desks. “Good work. Even though this is sudden, in two weeks we will have a day for parents to visit the school.” After Aizawa said that, someone shouted, “What, even UA has parent-teacher days?!” It was Kirishima Eijirou. He is a very manly student who has the ‘hardening’ quirk. Aizawa handed out the notice, “Okay these need to be returned to me. Next, I need everyone to write a ‘thank you’ letter to your parents. You must put your feeling of thanks into it. After you’re done writing, you can hand it in to me.” Their homeroom teacher’s announcement caused a silence over the students, though someone quickly let out a loud laugh. “NO WAY, WE AREN’T ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS!” Kaminari shouted out, speaking for the rest of the students, but Aizawa cut him off. “Do I look like I am joking?” Aizawa was indeed scary and again the class fell to a silence. “When you write it, make sure to fully express how grateful you are to them and for your parents’ daily care.” Now that the students know their teacher wasn’t joking, everyone started to talk to each other, looking a little worried. “What, no way!!!! This must be a joke!!!” “Ugh so embarrassing….” As the bustle continued, Iida stood up and did his habit of chopping his hands in the air. “Everyone please quiet down. QUIET, QUIET, QUIET!!!” “Wow, Iida is so loud.” Tsuyu, who was sitting in front of Iida, was the one who said that and so Iida sat back down and mumbled a “sorry”. Iida, however, continued on, “Aizawa-sensei, everyone’s reaction is to be expected. The parent visiting day should be for them to see how our usual classes are normally right? Suddenly telling us we need to write and say out our thanks, I don’t understand the point of it. Letting our parents observe the specialty of a hero course, that should be the main point of the day, isn’t it?” Iida was breathing very heavily as Aizawa answered back, “Well, because it is a hero course, that is why we need to do this.” “What does that mean….” “Your goal is to become a hero. Think about it, you would usually hear those who got rescued express their thanks to those who rescued them. It is because of that, you should see it from another point of view and understand the importance of giving thanks.” “Oh is that so! I understand now! This is for us to understand how to be humble as a hero!” “Iida got convinced quite fast!” Uraraka sat behind Iida and she gave a laugh. Seeing Iida’s immediate change in expression, everyone lightened up and the whole atmosphere of the room changed to a positive one. Everyone now accepted their teacher’s request. In this class where anything can happen, one cannot let small things like these bother them. “I am planning to let you guys bring your parents over to see the facilities in the school, and let them take a look at how a stimulated lesson looks like before we let them see the letters.” After Aizawa explained that, Kaminari again shouted out something that everyone else in the class was thinking, “Why don’t you say THAT was actually the main point of the parent-teacher day?!” ~~ “Parent visiting day….and letter of thanks…what should I do?” Izuku mumbled in frustration. “All you CAN do is to write it obediently,” Todoroki replied next to him. Walking nearby was Iida. The President began to voice his opinion, “In the beginning, I was not comfortable with the idea either and was questioning why we needed to do it but now I feel that it is a very good idea. Even if we always care for our family members, it is not common for us to say our feelings out loud. Speaking of which, is there a limit to how many pages we can write for the letter? If the maximum number of pages allowed is very few then it will be very difficult for me to write it. I will have to think about how to shorten it.” The threesome were wearing their school uniforms on the way back home. From a bystander’s point of view, they may look like normal highschool students but in fact they were the ones who stopped Stain the hero killer. The three were not official heroes so if they were to use their quirks to fight against the villains, even if it were Stain the Hero Killer who killed many heroes, it would be illegal. The reason is that using their quirks without passing the license test could potentially mean that they could hurt civilians. The regulation people do not want to hurt those that could become heroes in the future so this rule was made. Iida was set on avenging his beloved hero older brother and his two friends Izuku and Todoroki came to save him. Fighting together helped them form a strong bond. “Iida-kun is so impressive being able to write so much. I don’t even know what to write. I used to send a lot of messages to pro heroes on the internet but I have never written a letter in real life.” “Really? I would write thank you letters (Iida means thank you letters that are meant to be returned after receiving a gift) sometimes.” “Thank you letters?!” “Occasionally, the people I help on the road like old grannies, would send me gifts and so I would write them a ‘thank you’ letter for the gift. My mom and dad told me that after receiving a gift, I must return a letter of thanks of my own.” Hearing how Iida can say that like it is nothing special, Izuku could only reply, “As expected of a family of hero ancestry!”. Izuku is so impressed by Iida! “Really? I think it is very normal,” Iida says but felt embarrassed after seeing Izuku’s reaction. Iida turned around to try and get Todoroki to agree with him but Todoroki did not seem to feel the same. “No, that’s not normal. I have never written one,” was Todoroki’s deadpan reply. That caused Iida to again feel embarrassed, “Oh..really….” Seeing Iida’s discouraged face, Izuku instinctively started rambling again to lift Iida’s spirits, “W-well! Writing letters is a good thing! Now every time after I meet such situations I will write letters! It will help! Writing letters can really help me express my thoughts! Yes…yes…like last time when…” Izuku rambles on and hearing this Iida felt better. All of a sudden, Iida raised both of his hands up to the sky and shouted, “OH!!” “What is it Iida-kun?” “I’m so stupid, I totally forgot about this!” In his backpack, Iida took an envelope out. “What is that?” “Native-san gifted it to us! Tickets to the amusement park!” “Who?” “The pro hero that was with us when we were fighting Stain! Although, I wonder, why is he giving us tickets for the park?” “I think it is a thank you gift from him.” Iida took it out and there were 4 tickets. “Why four tickets then?” “He’s probably thinking how most rides have seats in pairs so that is why he gave us four?” Izuku’s answer was agreed upon by Todoroki who nodded his head and replied, “Ah, I see.” “Since Native-san is so nice to us, we should ask one more person to join us.” Hearing Iida’s response, Izuku became super energetic, “YEAH!” “Sure, doesn’t matter,” was Todoroki’s response. “But the tickets expire next week. Is next Sunday okay with you guys?” “O…OH! Sorry, I can’t go!” Izuku said, wide eyed. He really wanted to go! “What do you have?” “The Cultural Centre has a ‘Meet the Hero’ event! This time, new heroes are going to be there so I really can’t miss this event! Normally, I don’t have the chance to get data on the new heroes so this is my chance! Not to mention, there will be a special edition photo album with data and details of the new heroes!” Izuku’s expression was etched with anticipation and Iida replied, “Midoriya-kun, you really do love heroes….” “I’m sorry!!” “I can’t on Sunday as well, I need to visit my mother, I’m sorry.” Iida remained calm at his friends’ replies and said, “So, It’s like that. It is quite unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Wasting these tickets would not be good, I guess I’ll ask the others!” “Let’s go together us three next time! Uh..if only I could go,” Izuku’s previous excitement dwindled away and Todoroki and Iida turned to face him. “What’s wrong,” Iida and Todoroki asked their friend, and Midoriya’s face became red. “I don’t know if I’m the only thinking this way of wanting to go together with you guys.” Todoroki and Iida watched Midoriya, amused. “Midoriya-kun, you have such a strong quirk but actually no one can tell by your usual behaviour!” Iida exclaimed and Todoroki agreed. Midoriya laughed at how surprised Iida looked. “Ah…yeah so on Parent visiting day, who from your family is coming Iida-kun?” “My mother because my dad has to go to work. How about you Midoriya-kun? “Just my mother. How about you Todoroki-kun?” “For me….probably no one from my family is coming,” was Todoroki’s only words and after a second, Izuku became frozen and could only say “Oh.” Izuku forgot about Todoroki’s family situation; knowing this why did he let his tongue slip and ask that question? Todoroki’s dad is the number 2 hero, Endeavor, while All Might was always the number 1 hero. Because of Endeavor’s obsession, he had a quirk marriage with Todoroki’s mom to produce the perfect child. From all of Todoroki’s siblings, Todoroki was the only one who was powerful and born with the best combination of quirks. Since young, Todoroki’s dad would train him with very extreme measures, hoping he would take over All Might as the number 1 hero. His mother tried to plea for Todoroki but his dad did not care. After all the torture that his mother had to go through, she poured boiling water onto Todoroki and burned his face, leaving a horrible scar. His mother was then sent to the hospital and after, Todoroki hated his father even more. “That….I’m sorry.” “So your mother lives in the hospital…..sorry.” Iida and Midoriya both felt bad and gave Todoroki their sincere apologies. Todoroki did not care however and answered, “Its fine. I don’t mind. Frankly, it isn’t something that you two need to apologize for.” “But not being able to see your child’s face in class and in the school exercises, your mom and dad must feel regret!” Iida added, continuously nodding his head. “…………..” Todoroki had no reaction hearing Iida’s comment and stuck his hands in his pockets. Inside was his notice from class earlier. “It’s not that bad. If ‘that old man’ came to see, then I’d actually feel uncomfortable.” “’That old man’? Are you talking about your dad? You can’t use ‘that old man’ as his title! That is disrespectful, you must at least call him your father.” “That kind of shitty father, saying ‘that old man’ is good enough for him!” “If you don’t want to call him father then how about ‘papa’?” “….pa…” “Or dad?” “…da….” Thinking about these different ways of calling his crappy father, Todoroki’s expression became more and more dark. Almost instantly, Izuku interrupted the two to stop their conversation. “Ah, of course!” Midoriya tried to salvage the situation, “Some families have different ways of calling their mom and dads, or maybe they would use their names directly!” “But calling them with their names would sound like a normal friend? The feeling of respect would become shallow I think.“ “You want me to call him properly? …..that’s something I can’t do.” Izuku stood there thinking of ways to revert the conversation topic back to normal, and ended up saying “Everyone can have their opinions on what to call others.” The three turned around the corner, but just as they did so, Todoroki suddenly halted. “Todoroki?” “I suddenly thought of something I have to do.” Seeing how Todoroki said his words, eyes unfocused, Izuku said, “Then, why don’t we split here. See you tomorrow!” “K.” ~~~ After separating from those two, Todoroki arrived at his mom’s hospital which had white and red columns. The visiting hours for the hospital was almost over but there were still a lot of people waiting at the lobby. Noticing that, Todoroki decided to take the elevator in a hurry to go up to the patient rooms. His eyes followed the lights on the elevator that graduating rose up and realized how nervous he actually was. He was anxious even though he knew he came up here many times already. This did not compare to the first time, however, when he was so rattled that his hands shook when reaching for the doorknob. As he strolled down the silent halls, he recognized the bleach smell that filled the air. From Stain’s incident, he went to another hospital and he thought “so, all hospitals have this same smell.” He recalled sleeping in that hospital after the incident with the other two and waking up in the middle of the night, cold sweat dripping down his face, and it was then that he thought about how horrible it was that his mom had to live in such conditions. “Shouto, that’s a surprise that you’re here today,” a voice came over the counter that he just passed. ….a surprise huh. “….hello,” Todoroki replied and he stopped midway. Originally, he wanted to ask the nurse when she said that it was a surprise for him to come today but a bell on the counter just rang and so he was interrupted. Gloving his hands back into his pocket, he could feel the notice from class. He continued walking, and after reliefing a light sigh, he opened the door. “……..mom.” “Shouto?” Sitting at the edge of the bed was his mother. Behind her was a window. She had on such gentle, soft rounded eyes that widened slightly. “Why do you look surprised mother?” “Ah…..it’s nothing. Come. Come sit.” She stood up and pulled a chair up to her son. Todoroki answered with a ‘un’ and sat down. His mother sat in front of him but didn’t move a muscle, eyes gawking at her son as if examining him. “….uh…mom?” Todoroki started feeling uncomfortable and shy now, wondering what his mother’s gaze meant. Quickly, his mom apologized and slowly shifted to sit at the edge. “You don’t have to apologize. I was just wondering if there was something weird on me that’s why you’re looking at me like that.” “No…its just that I don’t get to see you regularly…it feels like you’ve grown.” She started to stare at him again, making him feel awkward and he started to look downwards. A revelation arose. He realized that the nurse used the word “surprise” earlier because on regular school days he wouldn’t come. Today’s an exception. “Sorry for suddenly coming here.” “Don’t need to apologize, whenever you come, your mom will be happy.” Todoroki was happy that she said that. He swore before that he will save his mother from here and release her. Sitting in front of her, he also felt as though he returned to his childhood. “…………..” His fingers brushed against the notice again. Coming here so urgently albeit knowing that his mom wouldn’t be able to participate in the parent-teacher day, Todoroki knew he couldn’t help himself, subconsciously being pushed to come here, legs moving on their own. Should he tell her about that school event, or should he not? Seeing that her son wasn’t talking, Todoroki’s mom broke the silence and said, “That’s right, do you want something to drink?” “Oh…okay.” Todoroki stood up, expecting to buy his own drink outside. “I have prepared drinks, just open the fridge.” Hearing her said that, Todoroki went over to the table nearby and opened the fridge next t it. Inside were some green tea, soda and juice. There was also a yoghurt drink with a child-friendly, cute cow logo. “Shouto, when you were young, you used to love that drink, right? When I saw that in the store last time, I couldn’t help but to buy it.” Todoroki pursed his lips and didn’t mutter a word, brain totally blank. He had some memories of this drink but he knew he tried to forget about such memories long ago. Todoroki’s mom began to giggle a little seeing her son’s expression, “Ah…mother forgot that you are already a high school student….so I bought other drinks for you to choose. I wasn’t sure if you still like this yoghurt drink after so long……..” Inside Todoroki’s heart, a rush of happiness and warmth came. So his mom cared about him and thought about all this for him. “….then I will take this one.” He took the yoghurt drink and his mom cheerfully replied, “oh is that so.” The yoghurt drink didn’t have much of a taste, in fact, it was quite mild, but it was full of nostalgia. After he finished the drink, Todoroki playfully thumbed the drink and threw it away in the trashcan. The time they spent together from his childhood, those feelings will not suddenly rush out. Yet, the feeling and care they have for each other is something still kept within him after all this time. Because she was not there as he grew up, they can still feel the awkward atmosphere between them. Like always, his mother’s comfortable and gentle voice can still break that solemn feeling. “So how is school?” “mmm…” At that moment, Todoroki let out a sigh. He couldn’t think of anything else but the notice and again he felt unsettled. But if he were to let her know about it, it should be now! He still can’t say it though he kept repeating that inside. Todoroki’s mom waited for a long time for his response but none came. Her expression started to change to concern. Todoroki quickly said something so she won’t worry anymore. “Today in class we learned how to use a resuscitation device and we also went up the air in a helicopter.” “Wow, helicopter? Using such things!” Todoroki felt good noticing how surprised his mom was and continued, “Because heroes need to rescue people too. It’s part of their jobs.” “Yes that’s right.” “After, we learned how to use a rescue slide that goes from a higher place to the ground.” “uh huh…” “And then we learned how to use code to contact each other, that sort of a thing.” “Oh is that so.” “And….” Todoroki started to go on and on in a low voice. His mom kept watching him, a small smile slowly gracing her lips. “All Might also came, he helped teach the class.” “I remember back then when you were young, you loved All Might, right? But your father never allowed us to watch it so I secretly recorded it and we watched it together, remember that?” “mm.” For some reason, Todoroki knew he wanted to be a hero like All Might since young but without realizing it, Todoroki had kept that so deep within his heart and slowly he wiped that feeling away completely without a speck. While on this topic, Todoroki thought about Midoriya’s messed up hands, twisting unnaturally with lots of blood. “….there’s this guys named Midoriya.” “Ok.” When he first entered the school, he didn’t notice Midoriya, but during the villain invasion, he saw how he and All Might released super human strength. Todoroki saw how All Might would care about Midoriya and so during the sports festival, he wanted to fight Midoriya. Todoroki had always wanted to fight with only the side that his mother gave him, his right side. He saw how his father was super irritated by how Todoroki was still winning without using the left side and so Todoroki thought he had his revenge and won against his father. But when fighting Midoriya, who had so many injuries and still screaming at him about how “this is your power!”… That somehow hit him. Midoriya’s voice. Seeing how Midoriya was totally beat up but still kept fighting and running straight towards him. It was because of how much Midoriya respected and admired All Might, it allowed Todoroki to feel the same way deeply. It was at that moment that Todoroki forgot about everything. Forgot about his dad whom he hated so much. After forgetting everything, he was able to see himself and use the left side. “During the sports festival, I fought Midoriya and he ran towards me even though he was beat up.” “mm.” “…so I used my full power.” “…..mm.” “That was the first time I used my full power.” “…I see.” “Midoriya is strong.” Todoroki’s mom gave a smile, “I see you have made a good friend.” Todoroki nodded slowly, “…un.” “Mother, this is the newly washed clothes…..what? Shouto? Why are you here? How rare.” It was Todoroki’s sister, Fuyumi. Her appearance looks just like their mother’s and had a very joyful aura. “The second time….” “What?” “Nothing.” “Really? Okay, mom I’ll put the clothes in the closet.” “Thanks, I bothered you again.” “What, don’t so formal with me mother!” Fuyumi came in carrying the clothes and placed it into the wardrobe, and while doing that, she asked Todoroki, “Was there something that happened today?” “No.” Todoroki stood up, planning to throw the notice into the trash but as his body lifted, the paper fell out of his pocket. “What? What’s this?” “WAIT!” Fuyumi turned around after she placed the clothes, and picked up the paper to read it. “A notice about parent visiting day…?” “huh….” “…hey don’t just go looking at my things!!” “Oh….” Fuyumi’s face had a smile etched onto it but the irritating feeling that Todoroki felt for half the day suddenly came rushing back, though hearing his mother’s next words did not help. “Shouto…I’m sorry, your mom cannot go.” Seeing how sad his mother looked, Todoroki felt frantic. “No. I just wanted to tell you about it….don’t apologize…” Todoroki now regretted. If he knew earlier that his mom would feel this way he would have not came here. “Sorry…” “Shouto…” Todoroki said his apologies in a mumble and his mother scrunched her brows together in worry. “Ah… you two…” Fuyumi, who accidentally caused all of this, stood between the two to try and fix it. Abruptly, she came with a great idea and cried out, “RIGHT!” Fuyumi’s eyes lit up with energy. “How about I go to the parent visiting day!” “What, don’t you have to teach?” Fuyumi was a elementary school teacher. “Don’t worry, if it is family things, I can tell my work early and get half a day off. So, I will go to the parent visiting day and take a video and show mom! Isn’t this idea great?” Fuyumi was grinning widely making Todoroki speechless. “But this isn’t some elementary school sports day.” “Huh? So no video? Recently, there was a elementary school parent visiting day and all the parents were happily recording videos!” Todoroki wanted to refute by saying, “don’t mix high school with elementary school!” but his mother cut him off. “So…recording the video is not okay?” Todoroki’s mother looked very hopeful at first but now she had a shadow over her expression, Fuyumi noticed this and tried to raise the mood. Todoroki actually really hated videos and didn’t want to have recordings but he knew his mother was anticipating it and eally wanted it so he said, “…I’ll ask the school and see…” This was Todoroki’s way of negotiating. Afterwards, dinner was served and so Todoroki and Fuyumi had to leave. In the halls, Fuyumi began to speak. “Your teacher is Aizawa sensei right?’ “Yes…” “Why do you look so tired? Oh yeah, dad may be able to go….” “You DEFINITELY cannot tell him about this!!!” “Oh? but…’ "You can’t tell him!” Fuyumi watched as Todoroki’s expression became serious as he repeatedly objected her and so she said, “…okay..okay” Waiting for the elevator, Fuyumi could see Todoroki still frowning. “Do you hate videos that much? If you really don’t want to I won’t record anything.” That made Todoroki lift his head. “Yeah I don’t like to be recorded but I’m not thinking about that anymore!” “It’s not that?” “….I’m just thinking, if I didn’t come and tell mom about this, wouldn’t it have been better?” “Oh, so its about that issue!” A corner of Fuyumi’s lips tugged upwards and she reached her hand out to pat on her younger brother’s head. “What are you doing?!” “Listen. No parent would be sad knowing that their kids are working hard for them. Mom may be unable to go and feels like she owed you for it but you coming here to tell her makes her feel happy already. This is your first time telling her about parent visiting day.” Hearing Fuyumi’s explanation, Todoroki realized she was correct. Whether it was towards his mom or his dad, this was still the first time he told them about parent teacher day. “…..you are acting like a teacher.” “Well I am a teacher!!” Fuyumi stroke his head again lightly after hearing him saying it while hiding his shyness. The elevator announced its arrival with a sound and its doors opened. “Shouto are you not coming in? The door’s going to close.” Todoroki went in after his sister’s suggestion and had a thought in his mind. Even if it is quite embarrassing, he will still endure the video taping because that small deed would make his mom happy.

#boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #iida tenya #bnha #mha #my hero academia #bnha light novel translations #my translations #bnha light novel

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arianakristine · 7 years ago

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Title: Between the Shadow and the Soul, Chapter 8 Note: Another that is unprompted, and another guided by a picspam.

She is practically vibrating, her whole body reacting in anticipation as she sits at her vanity. Her makeup is done, softly applied and accentuating her features. Her dressing gown covers her outfit, a pale blue dress as light as air. Teena and Constance are at her sides, fussing over the styling of her hair. It is in big loops, thick and spiraled, and the crown of her head is teased into a temporary bouffant to be fashioned appropriately around her tiara later.

“You look beautiful, Highness,” Teena gushes. Teena is perhaps twelve, participating today as part of her begging to learn the trade from her sister. She is sweet and earnest, though she tends to bother the near-unflappable Constance from what she can tell.

Emma smiles at the compliment. “Thank you.”

“And the dress! You will be the talk of the party,” she continues, beaming.

“Indeed she will be. It’s her highness’s birthday,” Constance says flatly, but smooths down a curl with care.

Emma bites down at her lip, excitement buzzing through her. Her birthday.

“There is to be an absolute feast! Everyone shall attend. There is already a mountain of presents arrived. You should see all the finery! And I am sure you will dance with the handsomest of princes,” she sighs wistfully.

“Hush, now. You need to get that side even,” Constance snaps.

Emma blushes slightly and twists her fingers into the robe. A fair number of royal families are to attend, she knows, and she is sure to be expected to look to a few of the ones her age. Of course, her parents do not push suitors on her. Quite the opposite, in fact; they are content in keeping her as a youth instead of the adult she is for as long as possible. Nonetheless, she anticipates spending much of the party on her feet, twirled around from noble to prince to noble until she is dizzy with it.

But that isn’t why she blushes. She blushes because a certain garrison is due to arrive at any moment, bringing with them a knight whose soul knows her own better than she.

She cannot wait.

It hasn’t been a long absence this time. A quick squash to a protest more than a rebellion. They even brought Jiminy to explain rather than use any force. But any time he is absent her heart twists and aches. It hasn’t rained in days, and she needs to know that they can sneak away a few more times before the storms begin in earnest.

Teena’s brow furrows as she brushes a curl straight and redoes it to fit Constance’s standards. “It’s a good thing the garrison has arrived,” Teena muses. “The castle will have enough protection for all your guests and you.”

She freezes and tries not to let her reaction show over her features. “The garrison … they’ve arrived?”

Constance nods. “Just an hour ago, Highness. They were quite weary, but were a full three hours ahead of schedule. They are preparing for the party as well.”

She trembles slightly, anticipation creeping up her spine. “Is that so,” she says softly.

Constance pulls away first with a quick nod. “Your hair needs to set for another hour, Your Highness,” she determines, then pulls back the length of the strands so they aren’t in her way. “Do you wish me to fetch a book from the library?”

“No,” she says and rises. She pulls off her robe, the twinkling of the filigree on her dress shinning in the daylight. “I need some air.”

Constance opens her mouth to protest, but then snaps shut.

Teena’s eyes grow wide. “But Highness! Your pretty dress!”

She chuckles and steps out on tip toes. “I can wear a pinafore. Is that sufficient?”

“Quite right. I will get you one and determine which of the guards are available to you,” Constance says quickly, tugging on Teena’s arm to drag her out as well.

Once the door shut, she smiles to herself. An hour. It will have to be sufficient.

Some minutes later, she returns unaccompanied and leads her downstairs. Constance fits her with a cotton apron, fitted over her skirt in such a way as not to sully it. Once she is prepared, she doesn’t hesitate to open the doors to the garden wide. She steps in bare feet out onto the palace steps, dry leaves crunching along her toes.

In the distance, she sees him as he leans against a column.

His back is turned to her, shining armor wrapped around his body. His hair is longer than usual, catching in the wind. When he turns, his eyes are soft on hers. He offers the barest hint of a smile. “Your Highness,” he greets with his usual informal bow.

She can’t help but beam at him, smile wide across her face. “Sir,” she acknowledges, dipping lower than even he did.

He steps forward. He must’ve only just had minimal time since his arrival, his face pink from a quick wash and beard only half groomed. He hesitates in front of her and looks down at her bare feet. “You were in a hurry, I think,” he murmurs.

She nods. “I didn’t want to wait to see … the sun,” she teases.

He ducks his head, smile hidden. “I will wait for you to find some shoes, then,” he says.

She pulls her boots from the second step behind her and turns to him. “You’d assist your princess, wouldn’t you?”

He gives her a sharp look but it doesn’t prevent him bending to strap the boots on. It also doesn’t prevent his lingering touch over her skin, careful enough not to alert anyone watching from the windows and yet provocative enough to make her shiver.

“Let’s go,” she breathes once he is finished.

He nods and then abruptly steps back, head inclined. She stiffens and turns, finding her mother at the top stair.

Queen Snow is exquisite in a deep red dress, intricate detail in gold along her neck and waist. Her peppered hair is swept up and out of the way, though like Emma not finished for the event. She is grinning, pride brightening her whole being. “Emma,” she says, and places her hands to her mouth. “Oh, darling, you look lovely.”

Emma presses her lips together. She is aching being so close, but she still manages to smile at her.

Her mother steps down the stairs and hugs her close. “Happy Birthday, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, mom,” she answers, hoping it isn’t as stiff as she feels. She feels the panic tweaking at her, wondering if she’ll be sent for some big birthday speech from her parents prior to finishing her look instead of the walk. His presence feels heavy at her back, and she desperately wants to at least touch him before the party.

“Don’t be too long, now? And don’t make too big of a job for the girls later, okay?” Snow insists instead.

She gives her mother a real smile back, relief weakening her knees. “I am properly attired,” she says. “And my guard has helped with my boots so I won’t become muddied.”

Snow turns her eyes to her companion then, and her smile becomes strangely distant. “Oh, good. Huntsman, I know you will watch her with a keen eye.”

Emma just barely tosses him a knowing smile, and pulls out of her mother’s embrace. “I will see you later, then?”

“Indeed. You should see the mountain of presents, Emma. Of course, your father and I’s is a bit more extravagant. I think you’ll be pleased!” Snow says with a wink.

She is, of course. But as she bids her mother farewell and follows her knight into the woods, she already knows which present she enjoys the most.

They reach the trees after a few paces. They do not have time to reach the true forest, so instead are in the secluded parts of the palace gardens. The wall and nearly all the castle is hidden at this vantage, and appears almost like the vastness of the place he grew up in. It is empty of people at a busy time such as this, quite luckily so. The creek rushes musically to a small pond with a school of koi swimming in its depths. She sighs and dips to rest her fingers in the water, watching the droplets sparkle in the autumn sun. She needs to touch something, her skin itching, and she isn’t quite sure if they have pushed themselves deep enough into the woods yet.

“You are lovely, Emma,” he muses, accent soft and lilting.

She looks up. He is leaning against a tree, the light silhouetting him in its aura. She reaches out to him and he takes it, curling his fingers around her own. “I’ve missed you, my Graham,” she whispers. Are they far enough away?

He shudders and pulls her standing, and his lips capture hers before she has a moment to worry. He is aggressive, pulling her close, consuming her, and she moans at the sheer force of it.

Just as her lungs finally scream for air, he breaks the kiss. He hugs her close instead, burying his face into her neck and fingers sinking into her back. As always, he is able to express what he feels without ever saying a word.

As he uses a thumb to caress her spine, she pulls back just slightly. She looks upon him gently, hands flitting over his cheeks. “Different, this time,” she murmurs, a question in her tone. If anything, she is usually the one guiding the first encounter, desperate for him after an absence. He usually is more tentative at first, letting it build and steady before taking over.

He presses his forehead to hers and shakes a quick denial that anything is wrong. “Just gossip,” he says and pulls her closer by her waist.

Oh. She’s heard some of the gossip even the men privy themselves to. Celebrations only strengthen this. Everyone has their opinion on who she should pair herself off with, and she has no doubt that the regiment would have no shame in how they vocalize their own.

She captures his lips, slow and intense before parting. “You know me. You know you are my home,” she whispers to him.

His blue eyes shine as he looks down at her, and he bumps their noses affectionately. “Eventually, you will need to choose,” he reminds softly, wrapping a curl around his finger.

She pulls out of his arms and turns, hands brushing over her arms. She feels frustration climb inside her before she turns back. “I have chosen,” she says stubbornly.

“Emma.”

She shakes her head and sits by the pond again. “I do not have to pick from these suitors. I could rule on my own,” she insists.

“You could,” he offers and steps forward, fingers brushing the hair at the nape of her neck. “You are more than capable, Princess.”

There is affection in the title, though the reminder of it makes her wince. “But they wouldn’t like it,” she says hollowly.

“They wouldn’t like it,” he agrees.

Her parents, with their true love and strong friendship, do not like the idea of their only child being alone. There are political reasons to her getting a partner as well, but they are more concerned with her finding someone to share her life with. Someone to lean upon when the crown feels heavy. They would not be content with her pretending to be alone for years, not truly.

What she wants is to be able to tell them about him, about who her heart and soul already recognizes. But it is not ready, not time. Especially as he has already committed treason long ago with that first kiss, and it has only compounded from there. She needs to find a way to present him in a manner they will accept him easily, and she doesn’t know how that’ll be done just yet.

She swipes her eye before the tear has a chance to crawl down her face and ruin her makeup. “Can we—not now, please, Graham.”

He sits next to her and cups her face in his hands. “I am sorry,” he whispers and kisses each cheek gently. “Not a worry for today.”

She closes her eyes briefly, basking in the attention. “I need more time with you,” she commands.

He smiles, eyes crinkling. “I cannot keep you to myself today, my Emma.”

She finds herself smiling back again, the possessive word calming the unrest within her. “Too busy today, I know.”

“But I am glad I was home in time to wish her Royal Highness a happy birthday, at the very least,” he says with a soft kiss.

She sighs pleasantly as she pulls back. “It was a successful mission, then?”

He nods; she sees the change in him almost imperceptibly. He is the advisor more than the lover in these moments. “They were only uninformed. A small village, one that was unaffected when she was in power. I only had a small group go with Jiminy to make a statement to them.”

She puzzles through it a bit. “They weren’t followers to the Usurper?”

He shakes his head. “No. They understood it to be that Regina’s rule was an improvement for their village than what they have now.”

She frowned deeply. “Who is spreading the rumors that life was better with her, then?”

His cheek twitches. “Isn’t there better things to discuss on this day of celebration?”

She tilts her head to the side. “I think of nothing better than to figure out the best ways to rule as I become another year closer to that time.”

Twenty-eight. That is their compromise. If her parents remain as well as they anticipate, she is expected to take a role in the day-to-day ruling when she turns twenty-eight. Something she’s fought for, tooth and nail, for the better part of the last seven years will now come to be not because they heard her but because people thought a coup was possible due to her ignorance.

It hadn’t been her parents’ idea, unfortunately. Instead, it was the neighboring kingdom’s worries that sprung the idea. King Thomas’ lands are small, but they sit at a passage connecting their little seaside kingdom to the vaster lands of the Enchanted Forest. From there, they had the vantage of hearing the stirring of a plot, one that showed just how vulnerable Emma was in not knowing her coming role.

Her studies have intensified, the background of diplomacy and politics for now. But in a mere three years she will actually be let into the real parts of the picture, shown a piece of that darker world she only sees through his lens at the moment. Will see her kingdom as it truly is, the good and the bad. It is a step, at least, to the days when she will rule on her own, when her parents retire some three decades from now.

Even that first step seems distant at this time, years away still. She knows, however, how quick those will come since she both fears and anticipates it in equal measure.

For it means she still has those three years to find a way for them as well.

His chest falls heavily with a breath and his brow furrows. After a moment he forces a smile. “You are a better future ruler just for caring, you know.”

She traces a path in the dirt with a lone finger and breathes out slowly. “I hope that will be true. For now, though, please: tell me why they think the Usurper is better suited.”

He shrugs helplessly. “There was no information to be found from them. They were all too young to have lived through her reign, and it seems it was mere rumblings from other lands that gave them the pieces to believe it so. They think because she struck fear into the nuisances of today, the thieves and the beggars, that she had better control of the kingdom. They thought she was a true and unfairly maligned queen.”

She brushes a hand over his heart, then up to the scar on his jaw underneath the scruff of his beard that she knows of but can’t see at this moment. “Does it ever anger you to see them talk about her like that?”

He sighs and tangles their fingers. “It infuriates me,” he admits hoarsely. “Insanely so. That they believe there was more strength in her rule …..”

She recoils and shivers. “Ruling through terror, more like.”

“Yes,” he says, and he looks pained a moment.

It takes her a moment to remember that the Usurper used him to help in inciting that fear. She cups his jaw a little more fully, fingers splayed across his neck and cheek.

He tremors, his cobalt eyes haunted. “They do not understand what it was like. And they don’t understand how things can truly be better. When you show them, Emma, they will understand what strength a fair ruler has, what she can do to help us all.”

She kisses him, hard, insisting. He coaxes her into a softer kiss, sweeter, and she lets him take control. “I’m sorry,” she says simply when they part.

He shakes his head. “No, Emma. You need to know.”

She hesitates and nods. She does, and she truly believes she does. But in asking, she can see the pain it digs in him to remember. It hurts that she cannot protect him from the past.

“And, my love,” he continues, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth. “I know how well you will rule when it comes time. You are outstanding, and I will watch with pride as they all come to see that in you as well.”

She blushes. “I will be all the better with someone like you at my side,” she says boldly.

“Emma,” he warns.

She stares right back, stubborn. “You will let me keep trying. Especially today.”

His lashes flick across his cheek and he surges forward, firmly pressing his forehead to hers. He says nothing, not to deny her or encourage her. She knows that for now it’s the most she can wish for. He doesn’t like to heighten her expectations, even if she wishes she could raise his.

He wants this for them, she can tell, even if he doesn’t believe they will get it. She will take comfort in that, at least.

“I wish we had more time,” she murmurs, and buries her face into his neck. The cold metal of his armor rests on her chin, and she sighs. She wants so badly to be skin to skin with him again, but she dares not attempt it now.

He must feel her desire as he slips his fingers over her bare arms, carefully touching her and waking her every nerve. He touches her brow with his lips, a whisper of a kiss. “We’ll need to get you back soon.”

She nods. Preparing for a walk and speaking with her mother has shortened the hour to mere moments. She knows she can’t be too selfish. She has gotten to touch him as she wished, gotten to feel his lips on hers again. She has guests arriving from all across the lands, all for her birthday, and they expect her presence.

But it’s also her day to celebrate, and she wishes so much that she could celebrate with him.

He leans in to kiss her one more time, taking the time to drink her in slowly. She feels ignited when they part, and she presses her lips together earnestly.

“Tomorrow?” she asks hopefully.

He nods, dark blue tracing the planes of her face. “Yes. I can help make that so. Just so long as you are not too tired from tonight, my princess.”

She quirks a smile. “For you? Never too tired, Graham.”

He adjusts her hair and smooths a thumb around the line of her lips, removing the smudge of her gloss. In seconds, she is sure she looks as if nothing transpired. He nods thoughtfully, and gives a half smile. “You are ready, then?”

She smirks and reaches to brush her lipstick from him. “I suppose.”

His face looks weary all of a sudden, dulled and disappointed. He stands and helps her rise as well. His mouth is a firm line until he nods sharply. “Tomorrow,” he repeats, mostly to himself.

Heat warms inside her stomach, excitement replacing the disappointment.

They are met at the palace steps by two of her lady’s maids. “Your Highness,” one of them says with a bow. “Constance has said that your hair should be ready, if you are finished.”

She raises her chin and nods. “I am sure the guards will have much to prepare. Sir Knight, I won’t keep you any longer,” she dismisses, and can’t even bear to look at him.

He disappears without a word, and she is led up the staircase to her rooms again. The whirlwind of preparing is quick, comparatively.

As expected, her party is opulent. The receiving, dining, and ballrooms are decorated in silver and red, glimmering and striking. It contrasts and complements her pale blue and silver gown, especially as her family and many of the guests are in reds and blacks.

She sticks out, as she is meant to.

Her parents dote on her, the nobles flatter her, and she is, as predicted, led from one waltz to another over and over again. It is exhausting, and she longs to be out of the confines of the rooms.

She finds herself laughing as she dances with her father though, his broad smile contagious.

“You can’t be my little girl, could you?” he teases. She can practically count the rhythm of his steps, the 1-2-3, 1-2-3, in his own voice.

She shakes her head, continuing the jest. “Must be someone else you’re thinking of.”

“Hmm,” he ponders, and twirls her around. He looks her up and down, inventorying. “I do think there is something familiar in there.”

“Is that so?” she asks.

He nods. “I vaguely remember a tiny thing with those same curls stepping all over my toes at one of these events.”

She can’t help but laugh at the memory. “As I remember it, you made me dance on your feet.”

“Is that what it was?” he asks, eyes twinkling.

“I’ve always been graceful,” she says and whirls to prove it.

He raises one brow. “My dear, if there is anything you inherited from your mother and I, it was not grace.”

“Well, it was twenty-two years ago. Perhaps you’re losing memory in your old age,” she teases back.

His nose wrinkles and he dips her back. “Oh, fine. I suppose you are ours. That wit is all me.”

She giggles and hugs him, letting him guide the steps.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he says and kisses the top of her head.

“Thank you, daddy,” she preens. She misses this kind of ease in their interactions, such comfort missing as of late.

He steps back as the song ends and bows. He leaves with a wink, revealing another royal behind him at the ready. She fights not to lose her smile and readies for the next dance.

She feels eyes on her as she spins, and looks behind her partner’s shoulder to find him on the edges of the party. He is half hidden behind the colored curtains. He is groomed more exactly than he’d been earlier, hair tamed and beard trimmed. He isn’t in armor anymore, either; meant to blend into the party, he is in a tailored black coat of rich fabric over a white silken shirt. His eyes are dark and soft and fond in the candlelight. His gaze is directly on her, wistful and perhaps a little envious, yet proud.

Her confidence leaps just as her heart does. She is smoother in her movements, and her eyes close as she imagines him in the viscount’s place. She could almost wrap memories into her fantasy, a hand pressed lower than the one just below her shoulder blades, the one at her hand more intimately laced. She imagines being able to hold him close in the company of everyone around them and her eyes mist.

She is sure to clap as the song ends, blinking rapidly as she watches the band. When they clear, she sweeps her gaze over the crowd. People have gotten into a fair state of inebriation already, she finds, even if it is only just dusk. Even her partner’s eyes are a little fogged, looking for a more eligible partner as soon as they are finished.

She declines a next dance from the duke politely offering. The crowd is buzzing with laughter and conversation, everyone’s focus on each other and somehow not her. She is pleased, to say the least, when even as the guest of honor she is able to slip away onto the more secluded terraces without anyone following her.

Anyone but him, at the very least.

She never is unaccompanied as the heir, but she knows that if the rest of the regiment is aware that a captain is keeping close eye on the princess they will not be bothered by any more guards. And since the guests are busying themselves well, they should have a brief moment of peace.

She sighs and leans onto the rail, not bothering to look back at him. She feels the warmth of his presence already. “It’s to be a long night,” she comments.

She hears him shift against the pillar. “It’s still early, to be sure. Your guests seem happy,” he agrees.

She turns her head, eyes raking across the striking look he has. He looks like he belongs: at the castle, at the party, at her side. Heat sparks in her stomach and she suddenly can’t wait for the next day. “Do they?” she asks, distracted. She pulls her skirts up and sits on the steps to the garden, spreading the length of the fabric out across the stone. “Sit with me a moment?”

He hesitates but complies. “Not here,” he warns lowly, sure to push against the other rail in reminder.

She nods and squints into the last of the light. “I just want to enjoy the view with someone I love for just a moment.”

He opens the button on his coat, letting it fall open as he relaxes. His eyes close. “I’m glad I am able to enjoy this with you, then.”

She leans her head against the railing and looks at him closer. “You appear exhausted,” she comments.

He hums an agreement. “It was a long trip in this morning. I made them leave before dawn.”

She considers that. “So you could be here?” she asks in a whisper.

He smiles and cracks open his eyes to look at her. “It is her Highness’ birthday. She and her guests need the protection.”

She grins and reaches forward to tug her hands through his curls. “I am glad to have the extra bodies for this detail.”

He sinks into her touch and lowers his head onto her skirt. His dark hair is a pretty contrast to the pale color of her dress, and it is strange and lovely to see him such an intimate state of vulnerability. “I’m listening. I’ll let you know if someone comes,” he murmurs tiredly.

“You won’t fall asleep?” she teases, brushing the strands away from his face.

He shakes his head. “I cannot. Too much is at stake.”

His tone is serious and she sighs at it. She’s not completely sure if he means their secret only, or also the potential dangers of a lavish party so soon after another protest. She knows they will only be able to spare a few moments, and that this will be the most at rest he will be at for hours. She looks back to the curtains blocking their view of the party and hopes that they remain undisturbed long enough for him to refresh. He works too hard, she thinks. “I know, my love. But relax for now. Please.”

He blinks up at her and twists to stare. “I have time with you. This is enough.”

She leans down and dares to kiss his face, softly patterning his skin. “I love you.”

He threads his fingers in the loose curls around her face, his face in gentle repose. “Happy birthday, Emma.”

She melts into his touch, soft and tender. Suddenly he stiffens and rises, pulling away to the other side. She swallows thickly and looks up, a few beats passing before Granny Lucas pushes through the curtains.

The elderly woman looks between them a moment, and then her wrinkled eyes crinkle further. “Princess, they are bringing out the cake.”

She nods, glancing to him a quick moment before rising. “Thank you, Granny.”

“You don’t want to spend much time away, anyhow. People will begin to wonder about you,” she warns, and then disappears back into the party.

She looks up at him from her place on the stairs, and can feel the disappointment stretching across her features. “Reality again,” she breathes.

He frowns slightly, but reaches down to take her hand, smoothly picking her up to him. For a second, they are chest to chest before he distances himself. “You have a kingdom waiting to lavish you in the attention you deserve,” he reminds.

“Not jealous?” she asks, thinking back to the kiss in the woods.

His lashes flick down and his lips tweak up at the edges. “I know you will allow me to give you your attention tomorrow, Princess,” he says shyly.

She beams at him a moment, heart swelling.

He pushes her to the curtains. “Enjoy, Your Highness,” he whispers.

His acceptance sets her at ease. It’s all she needs to be able to gather strength for the rest of the night’s spotlight.

And enough to keep her hopes alight another day.

#gremma #gremma ff #graham humbert #emma swan #gremma appreciation #between the shadow and the soul

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prairiechzhead · 7 years ago

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Poldark S3 US Ep 5/UK Ep 6

Let’s see if my opinions from this post by @poldarkpodcast still hold up.

First, a disclaimer. I rewatch the DVD I have and then I write most of this post. Then I watch the PBS broadcast to reconcile the full UK episode I’ve been watching and their edited for time US broadcast, because there is always the chance that something I referenced in my original post was edited out of the US broadcast.

More answers than you can shake a toad at after the jump.

What did you think of this week’s episode?

For me, it was so-so. I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t left ugly-crying like I was after last week’s episode.

The previous episode was full of action and feels and all the things. This one was not as exciting. But that’s not a bad thing because this episode both signals a wind down from Black Moon story lines and a shift into the Four Swans story arcs.

Your favourite scene? Why? Basically any scene where Aunt Agatha threw shade at George. Also I loved the discussion between Dwight and Caroline at the end of the show. I think it captured both how each was feeling (in regards to Dwight’s PTSD) and showed that understanding each other is the key to dealing with this. When someone has a mental illness, the family has to deal with it, too, and more often than not, there isn’t much support for them.

I’ve been binge-listening to an older version of the audio book for Black Moon. (Basically, someone ripped it from a CD.) When the narrator is doing Aunt Agatha’s voice, he makes her sound like Gollum, especially when she’s talking about planning her birthday party. This has nothing to do with the scenes in the show, or which ones I like. It’s an observation I wish to share.

One of my favorite scenes though, is a very short one with Agatha and George, where George is looking at Valentine in his cradle and Agatha makes a remark about being bullied and why George was bullied as a child. It wasn’t that he was poor, but it was because he was trying to deny his humble roots. She mentioned Valentine’s having rickets.

Another one was that brief moment when Agatha gave Whitworth the stink eye towards the end of the episode.

Least favourite scene? Why? Ossie’s toe sucking scene. If I were to ever consider toe sucking as a kink, this scene basically ruined it for me. That image of his porcine, red face with someone else’s toes in his mouth and then making the same sounds I do whenever I eat tiramisu will forever be seared on my brain. I can never “unknow” that this exists on film.

Three months later and its still gross.

Shockingly, PBS left the toe sucking scene (or most of it) in the episode. They did edit out most of Ossie’s orgasm noises, though.

It’s just as disgusting as it was the first time. See?

I’m not into kink-shaming. But this never, ever makes me want to participate in this kink, either giving or receiving ever. Is it possible to gouge out your mind’s eye?

Favourite new character? Why?

There were no new characters in this episode, but my favorite character was Aunt Agatha and her sassiness.

Her excitement over planning her 100th birthday party is one of the joys of this episode.

Least favourite new character? Why?

George and his stupid, over-the-top, “Ross is behind every bad thing that ever happens to me” paranoia. If “When George blames Ross for something that goes wrong in George’s life” is not already part of the Poldark Drinking Game, it should be. I can handle that he does things to hurt others if it means personal gain for him. I’m tired of how the writers are having his main motivation always be trying to one-up Ross, rather than stay with his main motivation being his insecurity as it is in the novels.

My thoughts on this haven’t changed and I addressed it last week. As over the top as it is, it’s building to something in the season finale. At the time I wrote this, I did not know it.

What made you cheer?

Zacky’s promotion to mine captain. While I am sure that there is no one in Cornwall who wishes that it had to happen because Henshawe died, I’m also sure that everyone will agree that Zacky earned it.

This time, I’m going to cheer over the fact that PBS edited out most of Ossie’s orgasm noises when he was sucking on that prostitute’s toes.

For what it’s worth, PBS cut out Zacky’s promotion scene. Not happy about that.

What made you want to throw things at the television/computer screen?

George blackmailing Morwenna into marrying Reverend Toesucker to keep Drake from the noose. Then having Drake find out about this the way he did. I know it’s for Drama™, but to me, it seemed way too over-the-top. The only thing that was missing was a mustache for George to twirl as he gloated over this.

This plot point was changed from the novel. Winston Graham likes to spring things on the reader and the characters, but in an understated way. One example is in the book Demelza with Julia’s death. We (the reader) don’t learn she died until Demelza’s fever broke. She asks to see Julia and Ross tells her that Julia was asleep or something like that. Then Ross wonders how he should break the news to Demelza that their daughter died. It was the same with Morwenna’s marriage.

Novel Spoilers:

The wedding was held while Drake was in France, but neither Drake, Ross, nor the readers learned of this until after they returned. Then we learn the details. The engagement between Whitworth and Morwenna was never technically broken and she was not coerced into marrying Ossie as a condition of Drake’s release. Basically, George and Elizabeth lied to her about sending her home and releasing Ossie from the engagement. Elizabeth came to Morwenna on a Sunday and basically told her that the Whitworths were coming to Trenwith and there would be a wedding whether she liked it or not. Morwenna was misled and forced into marriage with this man, because George had dropped the charges against Drake. Because of the times and the circumstances, Morwenna was trapped.

The audio book narrator in the version I’m listening to who is doing Elizabeth’s voice makes Elizabeth sound especially creepy in this section.

So to a reader of the novels, the way they handled this would seem over the top. However, given how it was handled in the novels, the “I’ll let Drake go if you marry Ossie” ploy is actually less icky and makes Elizabeth and George look like way better people than how they looked in the books. It also makes Morwenna look like she’s making a sacrifice for her true love rather than be forced into a marriage to a horrible man because it’s the 18th century and she has no say in it at all.

Most of Caroline’s reaction to Dwight’s PTSD, but particularly the line “why are you being so girly” was cut. People had taken exception with this originally last summer, because she was “insensitive”. Her reaction to his PTSD is correct for that time and place. You cannot expect someone in the 18th century to know how to react based upon the knowledge we have in the 21st century. There is no way she could know how she is supposed to react.

Another “throw things” moment is the toad storyline. In the novels, it was a prank. On the show, it’s way too over the top. They gave George a phobia that seems to be the result of being bullied, so it’s not quite as funny as it was intended.

In the novels, George did do some impressive mental gymnastics to try and pin the toad prank on Ross, though.

What was your performance of the week?

Caroline Blakiston as Aunt Agatha. She gave us the perfect blend of sassy shade-throwing, serious advice giving when it was needed, and sheer joy when she talked of her party.

I also would say that Elise Chappel deserves a nod for her portrayal of Morwenna in this episode. I do feel her pain.

So to both ladies...

Any other observations you wish to share with us!

We’re over halfway through the season now. At this point, I think season 3 is okay. However, the more I watch it, the more I pick up on things I may have missed the first few times I watched, and my opinion on it will change. Because of so many new characters and story lines, it may have been better in retrospect, if they’d done only Black Moon for season 3. Then perhaps they could have taken the time to tell the story properly and without it feeling choppy at times and rushed.

I still think they should have only done Black Moon for all of Season 3. Then there would have been enough time to give to those storylines. By doing this, Four Swans, which is basically where this episode falls (with a few storylines not yet finished from Black Moon thrown in), would be all of Season 4. Then we would be guaranteed a Season 5, which would be Angry Tide, and then they could end the entire show with Angry Tide.

They used the same exact footage of Ross riding into the gates of Trenwith and dismounting from his horse twice in this episode. First, when he visited Agatha and second, when he went to see George over Drake’s arrest for theft.

Something I’ve wondered about the PBS broadcast:

How come Darlene Shiley always gets to personally tell us how much she loves drama and Masterpiece, but Conrad Prebys and Debbie Turner don’t? Why?

Next Time: Oh this episode will be a doozy. It has been 3 months since it aired in the UK and I still haven’t been able to rewatch this.

#poldark #poldark s3 #poldark spoilers #poldark pbs #prairiechzhead watches poldark

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road-of-self-love · 7 years ago

Photo

Just a little forewarning, these pictures might be blurry, and that's just because my phone camera has this little thing called sun damage. So just deal with it. First up, we have my cute little door. I hung up my “Surf’s Up” sign and flower necklace thing (idk how to spell it). It’s a cute little foresight into who I am.

After you open my door and walk in, this is the view you’re greeted with. Yes, that is a wall of mirrors, and yes, I dance in front of them like an idiot. Pretty basic so far, yeah? Let’s take a closer look.

This is directly above where my head goes when I sleep, fun fact. So lets start on the top shelf and work our way down. My best friend gave me the “Friends will help you...” sign before our senior year of high school, and even though we went through a phase of not speaking, I kept it anyway. I’m really glad I did, because she’s the best thing since sliced bread. ANYWAY, next to it are the two photo albums I have from my adventures in California. I marched in the 2016 Rose Parade with the Wyoming All-State Marching Band. Those little pins stuck into my headboard are from that year. There’s a compass that says “Find your adventure” which was the motto for the parade, and then there’s WASMB’s trading pin. And we’re moving on again. Next to the photo albums is a cute little R2D2 that I got in Disneyland when I was there for the parade. The little airplane in front of it was given to me when I was six by my grandpa who owns the real life version of the toy plane. The mini Statue of Liberty is from my time spent in NYC when I was in fifth grade. The very wilted rose is from work. I stole it one day when I was having a really tough day. Next is my cute little cactus! His name is Harry and I’m really excited to take him to college with me. The toy horse is from my younger days when I played with horses all the time, wishing to ride and be out in the country with them all day. And then finally, the picture behind the horse is of myself and three of my very dear friends on Valentine’s Day this year. We went on a road trip and did a bunch of super fun things together. My friend Lindee knew how hard it was going to be on me, having just got out of a relationship, so she and her boyfriend planned the whole outing to remind me that love exists in more than just the romantic form. It was one of the best days of my year.

Moving on to my little “end table”. I obviously hate candles. And fun fact (which ties into my door theme), all of them are tropical scented. Except the Candlelights, which, to be fair, I didn’t pick out so that’s why they’re different. My current favorite candle is my Aloha Colada one, which is the white one in the front. You can also see my hair brush that I forgot to clean out after I finished brushing my hair this morning, my hand sanitizer, and my little phone stand thing.

This is my new favorite corner of my room. It’s where I sit and watch Netflix, YouTube, read books, and just generally chill. I dig it.

This is my chair, a little close up. I have a little table I set up whenever I’m using my laptop, so it doesn’t normally sit there. However, When I’m finished using it for the night, It sits right there. My emoji pillows stay there full time, except I use the smiling one whenever I’m too lazy to fluff my regular bed pillow.

Definitely the most boring part of my room. My tank top rack that holds everything, my jewelry chest, and my garbage that ?I need to take out. Oopsies. Also, my flag from color guard is in the wrong corner... I’ll have to fix that.

Recognize this bad boy? It’s my Daily-Do’s from yesterday! I hung it up where I see it every time I walk out my door to guilt trip me into actually following it. Hopefully it works.

Now this corner is probably the most interesting of all my corners. It’s what I like to call the talent/hobby corner.

To begin in this fabulous corner, I have my book shelf. Freshly dusted and slightly reorganized since I’m reading a book from the middle shelf and I keep forgetting to return I’ll Give You the Sun to my friend who let me borrow it in the first place. As you can see, I have a very large variety of books: everything from cutesy romance to hard core action novels to the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe and William Shakespeare. And my movie selection is just strange, not about to lie. But this is just another little insight into who I am. It might be weird, but so am I.

Humble brag time. These are the hobbies I’ve kept with up until this point. So lets just list everything off before I tell stories. I’ve got my nail polish, knitting bag (pink bag under polish), ukulele, guitar, trombone, camera tripod, camera and extra camera bag, work shirts (oopsies), and yoga mat. Hidden beneath my camera are pictures I’ve taken and framed.

I took up knitting in fourth grade because I wanted to be better than this really annoying girl in my grade. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it.

Music is one of my passions. It moves me unlike anything else in this world and I couldn’t imagine living my life without it. I play a total of eight instruments and I used to be in choir, so nine if you count that. I picked up guitar the summer before my junior year, dedicated to learning a new instrument that would challenge me. And let me tell you, it really has. I’m impressed with myself for taking the time and putting in the work to learn it. Ukulele I picked up my senior year as a little passion project. It was extremely easy to learn in comparison to guitar and I really enjoy playing a cute little melody on it when given the chance. Trombone came into my life by accident, really. Jazz Two needed a bass trombone and I volunteered to play, praying I could fill the shoes I needed to properly. And honestly, I did. I went above and beyond, outplaying Jazz One’s bass trombonist (who’d been playing for three years) in just six months. I’ve been truly blessed with my musical ability. If I stayed dedicated and had the true drive for it, I don’t doubt I could go on to be a professional musician and make a life for myself playing music all the time. Anyway, jazz music is my favorite form of live music, and it’s my favorite to play as well. So in college I’m picking up the old horn and going back at it. I’m excited.

Moving onwards, photography is my life’s passion. There’s just something to be said about being able to adequately capture a moment in time forever. Photography does what words cannot do alone, which is ironic because they’re both two things I absolutely love. If you guys want, we could set up a little thing on like Wednesdays where we share some of our writings or just little phrases we made up that we really like! I think it’d be fun.

Last stop in the talent corner, my yoga mat. I started doing yoga when I was a competitive swimmer because it helped my body relax and destress after a week of long, exhausting practices. It and meditation have stayed in my life as little destressing things I do to relax and stay in touch with myself.

So yeah! That’s my talent corner!

Since I finished hanging my lights in my room, my chair’s corner is really chill and it just gives off this really warm, happy vibe. I finally feel like my room amplifies who I am.

And to round out this tour, here’s a panorama of my room with the lights off. It isn’t perfect, but it’s perfect enough for me. After years of not having a full space dedicated to me and my personality, it feels amazing to finally claim ever inch of the space.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this tour! It was fun to walk through my room and share stories and fun facts about me and my life! If you’ve got any questions or want to see more cool things like this, let me know and we can definitely make it happen! Thank you guys for joining me and I hope you have an amazing night/day!

#room tour #daily check in #not traditional #fitblr #health & fitness #my story #my room #my life #music #photography #life passions

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vamichaelalaws · 8 years ago

Text

Yes, My Lady (Part 2)

((Seduce Me / Kuroshitsuji Crossover))

Did I say One Shot? I totally meant mini series. (Thanks Tasha…)

In this AU, Mika is forced to be the head of the Anderson Toys Company and she has NO clue that her servants are demons.

ENJOY?!

Part 1 - http://thebunnyofevil.tumblr.com/post/115557387396/yes-my-lady-part-1

The preparations I had to do were beyond what one would think was necessary for that night’s affairs. Ciel Phantomhive would be there and I would bring him down one way or another. I was determined to finally break through the wall his company had set on my family and bring the name of Anderson to the front as it was meant to be. I felt prideful, determined, and courageous for doing so.

To think that I didn’t believe I was ready to lead my family name. This was my wakeup call.

My dress was elegant and my hair was divine. Erik and James did their absolute best to ensure that I would entrance anyone who would look in my direction and, at the very moment I observed myself in the mirror, I was floored at the amount of work and power I held just in my stance and eyes. I was truly an Anderson daughter.

“My lady, are you sure this is what you wish to do?” James asked, gently fluffing out my bustle and skirt. I nodded, swallowing in a tiny note of fear that bubbled in the back of my throat.

“I must show the Phantomhives that the Anderson family is not a family to be trampled with. One way or another, I will bring this family and the company to the heights it deserves. That is the pledge I make as the heir of the Anderson name.” I replied, hoping to convince both servants in the room of my intentions. With equally proud smiles, Erik and James bowed their heads to my words.

“As you say, my lady.” James responded before stepping back and placing his hands behind his back. Erik, however, continued to fasten beautiful roses within the curls of my hair. Each rose was freshly bloomed and the colors were fascinatingly abnormal. From the top of my ear to the bottom of my curls sat five roses; red, yellow, green, blue, and grey. They were certain to capture attention with the soft lavender and black lace gown.

I was lucky to have my servants.

I finally took my eyes away from my reflection and looked to James and Erik, curtsying slightly in gratitude.

“Thank you, both of you.” I said, smiling to them and earning happy gazes in return. Both servants bowed and walked to open the door out of my room, Erik holding the door and James leading me beyond the arch.

“Now, I must ask, my lady: which of us would you like to accompany you to the event?” Erik asked, closing the door to my room and following James and I down the hall towards the grand lobby. I pondered in silence, unsure of which servant to bring with me. I knew very well that I had to be accompanied by someone, as I was an unmarried woman, but which servant would I choose?

I finally made a choice and looked to James.

“Why not all five of you?” I simply asked, earning a surprised stare.

“All of us, my lady?” James repeated, earning a nod from me. I wanted all of them to be there, as all of them had done so much for me and had helped me grow the company. They were bound to serve me in the end, so it was only polite to honor them as well. As we reached the grand hall, I released James’s hand and turned around to face him and Erik.

“I wish for all five of you to accompany me. I would feel much safer if all of you were there and I would be insulted should you decline.” I teased, knowing very well that I was playing a mastercard that they could not refuse. James stared as Erik chuckled, catching my intention. At last, James bowed and excused himself to inform his brothers and dress himself properly. Unlike his brothers, Erik was always dressed perfect for an official occasion.

“So, my lady, would that mean you would dance with each of us should the desire arise?” Erik asked, holding out a hand to me. I could tell that this was a test: a test of true leadership and lady-like manners. I simply smiled.

“If there is dancing to be had, then I would love to dance with each of you.” I replied, taking Erik’s hand and stepping up to him, earning his hand on my waist and a silent dance to spiral between us. Erik nodded, approving of my choice of words and my posture of dancing, as he spun me around the room. Something about his arms made me feel safe and something about his eyes made me feel...

“Really, Erik?” James’s voice echoed out, pausing our dance. Erik and I turned our heads to see James accompanied by the remaining three boys, all dressed properly for the night. How they had managed to dress so quickly I would never know but I could only feel a large blush grace my cheeks as I realized the sight they must have seen. Erik chuckled and stepped away, releasing me and bowing to me.

“T’was merely a test to see if she was ready for tonight’s affairs.” Erik replied. James raised an eyebrow, seemingly knowing better, as the others seemed to roll their eyes at Erik’s words. I bit my lip slightly, hoping that the silence that followed would end quickly, until Damien stepped up and bowed to me slightly.

“Well, shall we go?” Damien asked, a small dabble of excitement behind his smile and question. I couldn’t help but smile back just from feeling the positive energy flowing around him. This was going to be a night I would not forget.

The carriage ride towards the Patterson estate was one of contemplation and plotting. I was going to steal the limelight from the Phantomhive family, regardless of the event’s true calling. I was more than willing to apologize to my sister-friend Naomi later than let this chance go to waste. Suzu would be there as well, more than willing to cheer me on and spread word of my success as the Anderson Family heir. After all, I was indeed successful; the toy company was flourishing in the markets it was able to take hold of and had high hopes of expanding...

If only the Phantomhives were not in the way...

This night became a night of attack, of rebellion.

And I would make Ciel Phantomhive wave the white flag before the entire world.

When we finally arrived, I was astonished to see Naomi herself greet me with her head-maid. Sam and Matthew both stepped from the carriage and escorted me out, leaving me to speak with my sister-friend as the remaining boys moved the carriage to a proper location.

“My goodness, ___! You look stunning!” Naomi chirped, seeing the full view of my gown and look. I could only smile, happy to have stunned her, and internally hoped to mirror that reaction tenfold within the event.

“Thank you. You look lovely as well! A perfect lady, indeed.” I complimented, taking in the soft pink dress Naomi had chosen to adorn herself with. She was as elegant as a princess, enough to fool anyone into believing she herself was in line for the throne of England. Naomi giggled and waved her fan coyly.

“Come! We must go inside and enjoy the festivities. I only came out to greet my sister-friend, after all; the celebration cannot begin when I am not there.” Naomi teased before nodding to her hand-maid and walking into her mansion. I followed suit, naturally sliding my arm underneath Sam’s, who appeared quickly at my side to escort me in.

The Patterson manor was a treasure in itself to behold; elegant golds and rose-tinted gems on every surface. Her family owned the largest and most successful law firm in the country and they definitely did not cut corners with any banquet occasion. Being that the banquet was a celebration for Naomi, it was made with extreme care to detail and with high finesse.

The guests were lively and chatted about bright things, dancing when the music entranced them to do so and drinking when offered a glass. It was slightly dizzying to anyone who was not familiar with noble customs, but it was a feeling I knew and had gotten over very well.

Not many shared my experience.

After being greeted by the speaker at the entrance of the main hall, I walked alongside Naomi with Sam in arm to the corner of the ballroom, where a familiar Italian lady stood with tension in her shoulders.

“Suzu, posture.” Naomi playfully reminded, gently tapping her fan along Suzu’s shoulderblades. Suzu looked lovely as well, donning an emerald green dress and gold jewels, but her face painted her disdain for the social affair she was forced to be within.

“Is this party really necessary, Naomi? It is not like you are being married off or the like, God Forbid.” Suzu muttered, the grimace on her face deepening at Naomi’s replied laughter.

“Oh, relax, Susanna! Tonight is very special. Trust me.” Naomi cooed, hoping to lighten Suzu’s mood with a smile. My eyes, however, wandered the room.

Many guests cast their eyes on me, stunned at my attire. While I expected many to gawk, I did not expect the room to soften just from my presence and for whispers to tickle within the reaches of my hearing. Maybe entrancing the world would be easier than I expected.

“___, Ciel hasn’t arrived yet.” Suzu commented, interrupting my visual scan of the room and causing me to look back at her in surprise. He wasn’t here yet?

Naomi’s cheeks puffed slightly in irritation. “So that is why you are dressed up so finely? Not for the celebration but for Ciel Phantomhive?” Naomi grumbled, a twinge of jealousy sinking into her words.I could only laugh, finding her expression adorable.

“I care about your banquet more than anything, Naomi. It was only when I heard of Ciel’s expected attendance that I changed my outfit accordingly.” I comforted, earning a defeated sigh from the honored lady.

“Well, I am honored to have you here anyway, ___.” Naomi conceded before sipping from a glass passed to her by her hand-maid. “Ciel should be arriving soon with his butler in toe.”

I raised an eyebrow. “His butler?” Naomi nodded and opened her fan, hiding her lips as she spoke.

“They say that he is... how do I phrase this properly...--” Naomi began, causing Suzu to roll her eyes.

“That he is ‘one HELL of a butler’ and is one of the best.” Suzu completed, causing Naomi to straighten up and snap her fan shut in shock. I stared stunned at the title apparently given to him. He was that skilled? I could only smirk slightly, slightly hugging Sam’s arm and earning a small ‘Huh?’ from him.

“I believe that title belongs to my servants. There is simply no one who can compare to them, especially all of them combined.” I argued, personally prideful of the help I had. I could feel the other four boys approach and surround me protectively, having finished their job in parking the carriage. At my words, the energy around me shifted from neutral indifference to soft pride.

Whoever this butler was could not hold a candle to my five.

“Announcing: Ciel Phantomhive from the Phantomhive family, representing the Funtom Toy Company.”

What perfect timing.

I turned my head to the entrance of the hall to meet my young opponent. At the top of the steps stood my rival, a thirteen-year-old boy dressed in perfect evening formal wear with a large feather in his hat and a hand gripping his cane from an invisible need for dominance over the space.

I already began to hate him just from seeing him. This boy came from a company and a family that dared to bury mine. The vengeful spark that fueled my hatred only seemed to burn brighter at his glance around the room. While part of my heart felt pity, seeing his eyepatch and watching it echo a dark past, I could not hold it for long as he lifted his nose slightly and began to descend into the crowd.

What really caught my attention was his butler.

A mysterious man in servitude black with dark coal hair and strange red eyes. For a moment, they reminded me of the boys’ eyes; simple yet full of an enigmatic power I would never dream to understand. He held a perfect posture and almost captured the room as well as I had standing and walking behind his master.

A gentle hand taking mine didn’t deter me from staring at the figure, even as my sister-friend spoke: “That’s him. That is Sebastian, the Phantomhive butler.”

“Sebastian...” I muttered, unbroken from my stare as I watched Ciel and Sebastian disappear into the crowd. Many people greeted the young master while Sebastian himself stood in silence, awaiting a command.

“Quia hic est.” A whisper rushed past my ear, causing me to turn my head towards the voice. To my surprise, it was Erik who spoke them. Erik himself was leaned over to James, hoping to mask his whisper behind a gloved hand. James, in return, spoke nothing but continued to bury his gaze at Ciel and Sebastian with cold eyes. What on Earth...?

As I looked at all five of my servants, each of them had a gaze that almost seemed... full of cold hatred. For a moment, I could almost see some sort of... glow... in their eyes.

“Ut non habiturum?” Matthew’s voice quietly carried to James. Apparently, whatever hatred the brothers had, James had become the pillar for their collective plotting. While I was in close range of their words and knew Latin, their words somehow escaped me and became lost in translation before I could comprehend them.

Without even realizing it, I was approached.

“Lord Phantomhive! It is a pleasure to meet you.” Naomi greeted, catching my attention and causing me to turn and see the young master Phantomhive himself standing before me.

At last, we had finally met...

#SeduceMeOtome #Yes My Lady #kuroshitsuji #Seduce Me the Otome #Crossover #Fanfiction

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