#but meeting earlier might have allowed them to avoid some hurt
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grison-in-space · 1 year ago
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Listening to Artificial Condition again, it strikes me how much Murderbot uses empathy reflexively as a survival skill. Look at this bit.
Upon meeting it, ART allows it on board and then announces that it knows that Murderbot is rogue. Then ART threatens to destroy it if it hacks ART's own systems. Murderbot is immediately terrified and shuts down all inputs, gives serious thought to spending the entire three month journey unconscious, and then considers the potential avenues of damage from ART's drones. ART, not realizing why Murderbot had suddenly gone silent, tells it to quit sulking, which understandably pisses off the still-terrified Murderbot. It dumps a bunch of memories of coercive treatment into ART's feed, and ART goes silent.
Then this happens:
Then it said, I’m sorry I frightened you. Okay, well. If you think I trusted that apology, you don’t know Murderbot. Most likely it was playing a game with me. I said, “I don’t want anything from you. I just want to ride to your next destination.” I’d explained that earlier, before it opened the hatch for me, but it was worth repeating. I felt it withdraw back behind its wall. I waited, and let my circulatory system purge the fear-generated chemicals. More time crawled by, and I started to get bored. Sitting here like this was too much like waiting in a cubicle after I’d been activated, waiting for the new clients to take delivery, for the next boring contract. If it was going to destroy me, at least I could get some media in before that happened. I started the new show again, but I was still too upset to enjoy it, so I stopped it and started rewatching an old episode of Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. After three episodes, I was calmer and reluctantly beginning to see the transport’s perspective. A SecUnit could cause it a lot of internal damage if it wasn’t careful, and rogue SecUnits were not exactly known for lying low and avoiding trouble. I hadn’t hurt the last transport I had taken a ride on, but it didn’t know that. I didn’t understand why it had let me aboard, if it really didn’t want to hurt me. I wouldn’t have trusted me, if I was a transport. Maybe it was like me, and it had taken an opportunity because it was there, not because it knew what it wanted.
The thing about Murderbot's survival is that it clearly involves quite a bit of negotiating with other constructs and bots. That's how it talks its way onto cargo hauler bots in the first place. It uses empathy--envisioning the emotional and cognitive context of the individuals it encounters--to work out what different kinds of people want, so that it can offer them fair trades. It also uses empathy to consider what humans might be looking for, so it can practice blending in and hide.
Murderbot would never have survived so long if it wasn't capable of assessing the individual desires of the people--human, bot, and construct--around it. It thinks about ART's probable fears and motivations so that it can consider whether ART is inherently an ongoing threat or a potential ally.
When your survival depends on evading detection, you get really good at assessing perceptual biases so that you can shape yourself to fit into them. People talk about murderbot being radically empathetic as a choice it makes, or as a feature of its personality that makes it a good person. But I think murderbot would be the the first person to tell you that this empathy is part of its threat assessment suite, a skill that was developed out of necessity in order to allow you to survive.
It is also a trait that makes murderbot a good person, of course: it chooses very carefully to try to survive by doing as little harm as possible and by offering things, like media, that buy it access to things it needs. But it started as a survival skill. It's part of hypervigilance.
I think one of the strengths of this series is that so many of the things we love about SecUnit are traits developed for survival in an inherently threatening world. The shape of its mind and heart have been changed by the trauma of its origin--but they don't make murderbot less good for being altered, even if that skill was developed in a traumatic context.
I like that.
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flamingpudding · 2 years ago
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The Ghost King is my Uncle Drabbles
A/N: The original this sorta ties too: Original One Shot
>>Masterpost
Shovel Talks
Constantine swore up a storm of course only mentally. It wasn't like he was going to voice any of his thoughts right now. Not when he was faced with the good damn Ghost King. All he wanted was to summon one of his contracted demons to gather some information and what did he get the fucking Ghost King.
"Trench coat! We meet again. You worked on your manners, I hope?"
"Of course your majesty." Well he didn't but he avoided the freaking bats like crazy.
"Well I gotta thank you. Well you and my In-Law that's busy and asked me to substitute for your call since we meet and before and so on." The Ghost King casually waved his hand in a dismissive manner before looking around with his eyes sparkling in recognition and it sent a shudder down Constantine's back. "You are giving me the perfect opportunity."
Did… did the Ghost King just pull out a green glowing sword from a fucking portal and why did he have that glint in his eyes? Constantine paled. Why did this have to happen to him?
"If you will excuse me for a moment. I need to look for a Kryptonian real quick. I will deal with your problem right after. Promise."
With that the Ghost King phased through the floor apparently in search of Superman who just happened to be in the watchtower today. Fuck. Constantine run out of the room in mild panic and pushed whoever was on communication aside as he dialed for the bats. The moment someone on their end pick up he didn't bother to explain anything and just shouted for one of them to get their fucking ass here as fast as possible or superman was going to be history!
Okay that might also have sent the people witnessing his panic into chaos but this was a fucking emergency.
It was only minutes later that Batman did indeed arrived together with Nightwing and Red Robin with the Zeta-Tube at the watchtower to bear witness to Superman getting cornered by the Ghost King with Constantine bound by echo-bindings for apparently having annoyed the Ghost King with his pleading to spare the Kryptonian.
"Now I am sure I don't have to repeat myself but, IF you ever hurt Baby Bat a fate way worse than the Soul Shredder and the Nightmare Realm will be the least of your problems. The last guy that hurt my family is still in there and I will gladly make you permanently join him."
A cough resounded and Danny turned his head, a bright smile on his face as he spotted his little nephew and two of the little babies.
"Baby Bat, Baby Menace and Baby Stalker! I will be done in a little bit!"
"Ghost Ki-"
"Uncle Danny."
Batman let out a suffering sigh as Nightwing and Red Robin snickered.
"Uncle Danny. Why are you threatening Superman?"
"Because Jazz forbade me to use the Soul Shredder on humans but Superman is not human so I am allowed to use it on him."
"Uncle Danny, why do you want to use the 'Soul Shredder'" -as a joke Nightwing used air quotes- "on the him in the first place?"
"Shovel talk."
Batman chocked and Red Robin spluttered as Nightwing had a hard time suppressing a laugh. Constantine and Superman gapped at the Ghost King.
"You… are threading him for shovel talk purposes? What even is the nightmare realm?"
"A place you don't want to be in. Very traumatic and perfect to externally punish anyone that hurts my family in any regard as long as I am allowed to dump them there."
There was an added barely hearable grumble of "I would have sent the Joker and Ra's in there long ago if Clockwork weren't such a stick in the mud about keeping the timeline straight and their roles and bla bla bla."
Red Robin did a double take. Did the Ghost King just admit that he would have liked to sent their rogues into a place that was most likely hell? Wait didn't he mention sending someone in there permanently earlier.
No one noticed Superman slowly inching away from the blade still pointed at him while the Ghost King's attention wasn't on him. Well the bats noticed but didn't react to it, deeming it safer for the Super.
"Uh you said you dumped someone permanently in there?" Red Robin tried to keep the attention on them.
"Well yea." The Ghost King casually shrugged, adjusting the blade so Superman could no longer inch away from him. "I looked away from the Ice Mirrors for a week and someone dared to hurt Moma Bat. Of course I was enraged and snatched that guy off the street to permanently drop him in there."
There was a beat of heavy silence. Batman under his cowl bluescreened especially with how casually Danny just admitted at having snatched up his parents murderer to punish the man. Well that explained why he never found the culprit.
"Now If you excuse me little Babies I am gonna finish this talk with the Kryptonian and make sure he knows what will happen if he hurts Baby Bat."
With this the Ghost King turned back to the rapidly paling Superman with a feral grin. The Birds sweat dropped as Batman was still not mentally present, his mind still working through the information.
"Think I would be able to borrow that sword?" Red Robin suddenly asked as Nightwing eyed Batman worringly. "He only said that Great Grandma forbade him to use it on humans. He never said we couldn't."
"Don't let Robin or Hood hear that." Nightwing said, even if he wanted to borrow it himself too. With B mentally still checked out he had to act as the responsible one. That wouldn't stop him from asking their Ghost Uncle later if he could borrow the sword anyway.
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kanatajelly · 2 years ago
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general yandere headcanons - wanderer
wanderer - genshin impact
warnings: general yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, mentions of kidnapping, mentions of physical and verbal abuse, mentions of murder (not darling), spoilers for the 3.3 archon quest
word count: 1888
what kind of yandere are they?
The yandere archetype that this man takes on really depends on the point in his life in which he meets his darling, I think.
Pre-Fatui Kabukimono would definitely be a very clingy yandere. He has a deep fear of being abandoned again like his mother abandoned him, so he would latch onto anybody who he cares for and refuse to let them go. He is desperate for affection of any kind, so it would be rather easy to make Kabukimono obsessed with you at this point in his life.
The Fatui Harbinger Scaramouche would lean more on the possessive side. Unlike the desperate boy known as Kabukimono, Scaramouche doesn’t put any trust in anybody anymore, due to the numerous betrayals that have hurt him in the past. If he gets attached to someone, Scaramouche would want everyone to know that they are his and his only. He would probably be a little controlling as well.
Scaramouche as a yandere is also most definitely sadistic. He wouldn’t do anything to severely injure or kill his darling (because what fun would it be if they died?), but he would definitely be one for physical punishment if his darling did anything wrong. He would probably find some kind of sadistic enjoyment in the punishments as well.
Finally, post-Fatui Wanderer would still be possessive, but in a less intense way than Scaramouche. The Wanderer may even allow his darling some small freedoms. However, he would still be very much paranoid about being left behind, which he likely wouldn’t admit unless you caught him in a very vulnerable state.
I feel like one thing that all the incarnations of this man share in common is jealousy. It doesn’t matter if you met him as Kabukimono, as Scaramouche, or as the Wanderer, he would still be extremely jealous of other people, especially other men. Scaramouche would be more mean about it, probably even physically harming his darling or the person who made him jealous if it got too bad. Kabukimono and the Wanderer may be less likely to practice physical harm, especially Kabukimono, but they would still get jealous. I can imagine Kabukimono outputting his jealousy as verbal abuse, while the Wanderer would likely bottle it up and avoid his darling for a while until they either figured out what was going on and confronted him, or his emotions died down somewhat.
how do they treat their darling?
Kabukimono would treat his darling as the one thing keeping him from crashing down, which is partially true. This boy has been hurt so much and he isn’t very used to living by himself, so he can easily break down when there is nobody close to him. However, due to his desperation for connection, he blows this out of proportion, which leads to his extremely clingy nature.
Like I mentioned above, Scaramouche would be controlling of his darling’s actions, because he believes that if he keeps them on a tight leash, it will lessen the chance of them abandoning him. Physical punishment would probably happen often. The thing I can imagine him doing the most is shocking his darling with his Electro powers. He might also leave bite marks and/or bruises on his darling to show his possession over them.
I also feel like Scaramouche would expect his darling to worship him, especially after he undergoes the process that turns him into Shouki no Kami. He likely wouldn’t worship his darling very much, but it is clear that he cares about them in some twisted form.
The Wanderer is… an interesting case. Now that he is finally free from Dottore’s manipulations and can decide his own fate, the Wanderer would be much more forgiving than Scaramouche. He now understands the importance of freedom, and as I mentioned earlier, he would likely give his darling some small freedoms, like going out on their own ever so often. 
However, that being said, the Wanderer still has a strong obsession with his darling. That means that his possessiveness and jealousy are not gone. Even so, he would deal with it in a somewhat healthier way. Unlike Scaramouche, who would regularly physically abuse his darling, the Wanderer would probably not resort to violence unless his darling did something that really made him snap. That being said, physical violence towards his darling may be off the table, but violence towards others… not so much.
I can see the Wanderer being a feral cat (especially because the 3.3 fairytale literally represented him as a cat). He’s untrusting of pretty much everyone, but for those who have managed to get close to him, he clings onto desperately and fiercely protects them. If anyone were to hurt or try to take away his darling, the Wanderer would lash out. He’d resemble his Fatui self within those moments.
In terms of kidnapping, Scaramouche probably would kidnap his darling, but how fast he does so depends on how much they stretch his patience. Kabukimono and the Wanderer likely wouldn’t, the former because he wouldn’t quite have the means to do so, and the latter because he understands the concept of freedom better than he ever did.
what kind of person would they obsess over?
No matter if it’s Kabukimono, Scaramouche, or the Wanderer, this man would probably obsess over someone who is very kind and selfless.
Kabukimono would obsess over a person because they may show him some sort of kindness. No matter how trivial that kindness would be, Kabukimono would become fixated on it and eventually develop an emotional attachment to that person. This boy hasn’t really been shown much kindness in his life, so I think he would take anything he can get.
Scaramouche would probably still yearn to receive kindness from others deep down in his twisted self. However, he would bury this feeling, and convince himself that he obsesses over his darling because of the satisfaction that comes with possessing and breaking the spirit of someone so benevolent. 
I imagine the Wanderer being more open about his feelings than Scaramouche, but he would still probably not admit to anyone that he genuinely admires his darling’s kindness. Though, it would come out in his most vulnerable moments, in the dead of night while his darling is sleeping, and nobody else is around them… The Wanderer would absolutely be the type to watch them sleep, and he would do it with a fond smile on his face.
Another type of person that I think could attract him is a person with a fiery streak. I think this goes especially for Scaramouche and the Wanderer, and a little less for Kabukimono. 
Scaramouche would take a lot of sadistic pleasure in tormenting his darling, and if his darling fights back, it just makes it all the more fun. It gives him a motivation to be more harsh with his treatment of them, which feeds into the aforementioned sadistic pleasure. Though there is a bit of a fine line here, because if his darling is too eager to fight back, then it would just annoy Scaramouche instead. He does want some sort of submission from his darling, so if they act defiant over every little thing, he definitely would not like that.
I think that the Wanderer would appreciate someone with a fiery and free-willed spirit. He admires their boldness a lot, but never admits it. He’d probably enjoy some light banter between him and his darling, since it makes his days more interesting, but like Scaramouche, there’s an upper limit to how much banter he can tolerate. Too much gets him irritated, and irritation is more likely to bring out violence in the Wanderer.
are they aware of their actions? how dangerous are they?
Kabukimono would be a rather delusional yandere, I think. At the same time, he likely wouldn’t realize that what he was doing is unhealthy. He just genuinely wants to be with his darling, why is that such a bad thing?
Scaramouche and the Wanderer are definitely quite lucid, though. They would both know that their actions and thoughts are unhealthy, but I don’t really think either of them would care. Scaramouche, especially. He would take pleasure in seeing his darling squirm because of his actions. This goes for the Wanderer too, but to a lesser extent.
In terms of danger, Scaramouche is definitely the most dangerous incarnation of this man. The Harbinger is dangerous both towards others and towards his darling. If someone tried to come between him and his darling, Scaramouche is definitely not below killing them. Conversely, although he wouldn’t kill his darling, the physical abuse and isolation are enough to pose a danger to their well-being.
The Wanderer probably ranks second in terms of danger, moreso towards others than toward his darling. I’m not convinced that he would jump to killing someone if they interfered like he would have done as Scaramouche, but that person definitely isn’t getting away without a beating.
Kabukimono isn’t very dangerous. Although his obsession would develop much quicker than Scaramouche or the Wanderer, Kabukimono makes up for this by being the least likely to resort to abuse and murder.
what is their most dangerous trait? how far would they have to be pushed to bring it out?
One word: persistence. Kabukimono/Scaramouche/Wanderer would go to any lengths to keep his darling with him. He’d go to the ends of the earth to find them, and he’d tear up anything in his way if need be.
Scaramouche is definitely the one to be most afraid of here. He has so much influence in the Fatui that he can use to find his darling should they ever escape. Unlike the other Harbingers, he doesn’t care much for the Tsaritsa, so I can also see him ignoring any orders from her if his focus is on finding his escaped darling.
Speaking of escape, that’d be the thing that triggers his intense persistence. If his darling ever succeeded in leaving him (somehow), he would go absolutely crazy. Like I already mentioned, Scaramouche would use the Fatui to find them. 
On the other hand, Kabukimono and the Wanderer don’t have many connections that they can use to find their darling, so they’d have to do it themselves. This is really not much of an issue for the Wanderer, since he has his Vision to aid him if the need for combat arises. 
However, in Kabukimono’s case, he really doesn’t have much going for him to help with the search, other than his friends on Tatarasuna. While they may help him at first, they would likely tell him to give up if they absolutely couldn’t find his darling. But he would search for his darling anyway, even if it left him hungry, sick, or injured. He’s that desperate. I do think there is a point where Kabukimono would give up, but it’d be when the pain of being left behind becomes so intense that it’s soul-crushing. So… not anytime soon after his darling’s disappearance.
Overall, this man’s persistence is nothing to be laughed at. If he puts his mind to it, he will find his darling again, no matter the consequences, and drag them back to him even if they are kicking and screaming the whole way. Do not underestimate him.
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emberfrostlovesloki · 1 year ago
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Melancholia [Hotch x Reader]
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Photo credits: Right (@optimistic-nihilist) Center (@vivienvalentino) sent to me via my love (@sadgirlzluvdilfs) Right (@citronplume)
Prompt: Characters both duck for cover under the same tiny storefront when it starts pouring, aka, how the reader met Aaron. Also, the reader is feeling down due to the seasonal changes, and Aaron is there to give her some love and support. 
Category: Hurt/comfort/fluff
Word Count: 6.7K 
Content Warnings: Mentions of mental health (depression and seasonal depression), mention of eating (reader has missed some meals), light drinking, minor language 
A/N: This is another one-shot inspired by @imagining-in-the-margins Meet Cute Writing Challenge and this one is actually a meet-cute! The reader is also a non-BAU member. I’ve been having the seasonal sads, so this is sort of based on my feelings a bit. Given that World Mental Health Day was earlier this week I just want to say that you matter! You are loved, and I am so happy you are here. There is not shame in getting help or just talking to someone. I’m very grateful for my friends on here and my messages are always open. If you liked this story, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! I hope you have a great rest of your week - Levi. 
List with all stories 
y/n = your name 
_y/f/b_ = your favorite book 
_y/e/c_ = your eye color 
_l/n_ = your last name
_y/b/f_ = your best friend 
_y/b/f’s/n_ = your best friends name 
_y/f/a_ = your favorite artist 
_y/c/f_ = your comfort food. 
y/n checked the weather diligently every morning before she got ready for the day. As someone who had a penchant for keeping up with her favorite aesthetic look, knowing what the weather was going to be for the day was a must. y/n had not planned for a total and utter flood to come down from a sky that was promised to be ‘clear and sunny’ all day. It had started out as just a few drops, but soon it was an unrelenting pelting of water on the pavement. The street offered little cover, and y/n moved more quickly down the road looking for any relief. Finally, she saw it in the small awning of a local bookstore she liked. There was just one small issue, there was already someone standing under the protected space. ‘What the hell,’ y/n thought. She would rather be uncomfortably close to a stranger than continue to get soaked through. At this point the outfit she had picked for the day was a bust anyway, so why not lose a little dignity while she was at it. Thankfully the tall man saw her coming and moved as far to the side as the space allowed. Even with this being the case when y/n slipped under the awning the two of them were standing with their shoulders essentially pressed together.
They avoided looking at each other for a moment due to the awkwardness of their close quarters. However, the feeling passed and the man said in a low tenor voice, “This is some storm we’re having here.” At hearing the man’s smooth, even voice, y/n turned her head his way and actually looked him over for the first time. He was tall, as she had seen before, but now that she was next to him, his height was more noticeable. He was more prepared for the weather than y/n had been, but he was still pretty soggy with his shot hair sticking to his forehead slightly. The man was also fit. y/n could tell from the way his nice clothes sat on his body. The stranger might have been wet, but he was also warm. Standing this close to him, y/n could feel the warmth coming off of him in waves. For a moment _y/n_ wondered if the man was sick, but he didn’t look pale or flushed; he looked perfectly fine as a matter of fact. More than just fine. y/n internally berated herself for thinking that a total stranger was attractive, but she couldn’t help herself. It took y/n a second to realize that she hadn’t yet responded to the man’s comment about the storm and quickly said, “Oh yeah. This is like Biblical or something. Do you think we should start building an arc?” y/n meant to make a joke, and she cringed at her own choice of words even as they came out of her mouth. Thankfully the man made what sounded like a small chuckle or laugh, though in all honestly, it might have just been him letting out a breath. Either way y/n didn’t want to think about it too hard out of embarrassment. 
Hotch watched the young woman move down the soaked sidewalks, her eyes looking for a place to land that wouldn’t mean a bucket of water being poured repeatedly on one's head over and over again like being in the open was. There really only was one place for her to go, and that was next to him under the awning of the bookstore he had hoped to stop in on before heading to Morgan’s. The team was celebrating Emily’s birthday, and even though he had a gift and card for Prentiss, both of which he hoped weren’t ruined by the rain, he had wanted to get her something extra. Prentiss had been going through a lot the last couple of months and he wanted to support her in the little ways he could. The book he had wanted to buy was taunting him from the illuminated window. It was Zadie Smith’s new novel, The Fraud. He had also been hoping to get Jack a new book to read to him at bedtime as well. As much as Aaron liked The Little Prince and the few other stories he often read to Jack before bed, he had to admit that he was slightly sick of them. However, the bookstore had been closed, ��Due to a family emergency’ the sign on the front door had read.
At that point, the skies had opened and he found refuge under the small awning. Now the woman was near to him, and in another second she was next to him, pressed close due to the limited space offered by the covering. Hotch moved infinitesimally to the left to give them both a bit of breathing room. There was a slight awkwardness to the closeness of their bodies, and Hotch took that moment to look the woman over. She was younger than him, he assumed, and not dressed for the weather. Neither was he really, but at least he had a jacket. The woman must have been freezing, as she looked soaked to the bone and her bare shoulders kept catching water droplets from the leaky awning. For a moment Hotch had the idea of taking off his jacket and giving it to the woman. And then he had the more outrageous thought that if they stood face to face, there would be more space for them to be dry. Aaron quickly swiped the thoughts out of his brain. Internally Aaron thought, ‘God get a grip Hotchner. You sound like someone from a dime store romance novel.’ 
Aaron resisted the urge to sigh at his life at the moment. He was attempting, keyword attempting, to put himself out there more. It had been a few months since Hailey had left him, and he had tried his best to process the loss of his best friend and wife. They were still amicable, and hearing it from her side of things helped Aaron make sense of her choice -- even if it still hurt him. Rossi had been supportive of Aaron trying it out with a few women just to see. None of his attempts so far had been very successful. He was on a few apps and when he matched with people he tended to panic. The idea of having to open up to essentially total strangers never sat right with him. What would he say? “Hey I work for the FBI and I can tell when you’re lying, and I work 70+ hours a week, and I’ll be gone a good deal of the time, and I have more classified secrets than you can guess?”
It all felt a bit overwhelming to him. Not only was it overwhelming, but it was demeaning also. Trying to figure out if he liked a woman based on a few photos and a blurb about their life and experiences just didn’t sit right with him. For a moment he let his mind wander. He wished he could just meet someone naturally, but he knew such occurrences were rare in life, particularly for someone his age. Finally, he pulled himself together and bridged the gap between the woman and him to end the silence lingering between them by saying something about the rain. The woman looked up and over him before responding with a joke. He nearly laughed before responding, “I don’t think we have the time or materials. We might be fated to drown.” His reply caused the woman to laugh, and it was a soft sweet sound, like ice being poured into a crystal glass. The sound was quickly muffled by the rain and the sound of an approaching car. The sidewalk with the awning was very near the street and as the car passed it sloshed a large dirty wave up and around the woman’s legs. The woman said, “Eww” as the extra wetness moved over her body. She stepped back a bit as another car came quickly down the street. Aaron, rather protectively, moved his body in front of the woman taking the splash of water himself. 
y/n didn’t expect the man to move in front of her and as he positioned his body to get wet instead of her, she raised an arm, ever so briefly touching his back. She was going to say, “You don’t have to do that,” but he had already gotten wet and the car was far down the street before she had the thought. The man turned to face her, and they were so close to each other, just an inch or so apart that she could feel his warm breath on her face. Looking up at the handsome man caused her brain to stutter for a moment, and she didn’t even realize that her pupils were beginning to dilate, and there was a small blush blossoming over her face. However, the man did. When y/n had composed herself, she finally said, “Thank you for doing that. You didn’t have to.” The man gave her a small smile and replied, “It’s my pleasure.” He seemed like he was going to say more, but the ping of his phone made him stop. He pulled his iPhone from the pocket of his shirt and seemed to nod at the screen. The man put the phone back where it had come from and then returned his attention to y/n. He asked, “How far are you going in this storm? I’m assuming you’re not planning on standing here forever?” There was a sort of mirth in his expression that made y/n momentarily be warmed from the inside. Being this close to a stranger would normally make y/n uncomfortable, but there was something about this man that was inherently non-threatening. She answered his question honestly saying, “I actually really need to get a move on. I was trying to make it to the subway station on 19th Street. It’s only three blocks down from here.” The man nodded undid one of the inner zippers of his jacket and pulled out a folded copy of the days New York Times. y/n could see a fancy car pull up near them and stall. For one fleeting moment, she had a bad feeling about this man and a waiting car, but it was only a moment as he extended the paper toward her and said, “Sorry it’s not much. Maybe you could hold it over your head while you walk? I have to run myself, but have a good rest of your day.” And with that, the man turned around and walked into the rain. His shoulders were hunched as the water hit him once more, and he half-jogged to the Corvette on the street. She could just barely hear the start of a conversation as the stranger closed the door of the car. Now that she had just a slight cover, y/n placed the paper over her head and moved back onto the wet sidewalk as well. She gave the car one final wave as she ran down the road. 
Rossi pulled up and watched as Aaron stood very close to a woman under an awning taking a beating from the rain. He didn’t have a good chance to see exactly what the woman looked like, but he could tell that she was invested in whatever Aaron was saying to her. Rossi sighed softly. He knew that Hotch often beat himself up about meeting new people. He was also still beating himself up about Hailey. Rossi wished that his friend could see that people, women, were actually interested in him. That they wouldn’t pick apart his every flaw or see the guilt that he felt. Not that the woman Aaron was talking to was ‘the one,’ just that people would care about him if he allowed it to happen. If he was vulnerable. Aaron moved toward the car and opened the door, leaning down to sit in the passenger seat. Rossi turned to Hotch and teasingly said, “Having a nice conversation over there?”  Aaron scoffed and said, “It was fine.” Aaron could hear the deeper jesting tone in Rossi’s words, and he was reminded of how many times Dave had been his hype man like he was in his teens going on his first real date. Aaron didn’t mind it as long as he wasn’t being patronized. For now, it was just a reminder of his own personal failings. Hotch didn’t notice, but as he had gotten into the car, there was a tinge of color on his cheeks; Rossi did. 
y/n never expected to see the good-looking man from the rainstorm again, but as fortune would have it, she did. y/n was out at the park taking a stroll and doing some reading a few weeks later. The weather was much improved and the crisp air was perfect to spend a few hours outside exploring her new surroundings. She’d just moved into the neighborhood a few months ago, and due to her busy work-life balance, she hadn’t really gotten to know the area yet. A coworker had recommended Theodore Rosevelt Island Park as a nice place to spend the afternoon and had promised that it wasn’t super busy or loud. The coworker had been right. The park was beautiful. The sprawling trails offered a variety of scenery. y/n had picked a simple hilly paved trail to just enjoy the weather and the crisp smell of fall. After around an hour of walking, she settled down on the grass and started reading _y/f/b_.  After another hour, y/n felt her eyes growing heavy with sleep, and she sat up to get ready to leave. As she shifted to her feet, a glint of sunlight from the ground caught her attention. She stood and moved three yards over to where she had seen the light coming from. The source was a lost phone whose back-facing camera had caught the light at just the right angle to be seen by y/n.
She picked up the lost item and clicked on the home button. The screen blinked alive. The phone only had ten percent battery left and she wondered if it had been laying out for long or if it being in the sun had drained its power banks. There were five missed calls, three from the same number and two from two separate numbers. y/n assumed that the owner of the phone had gone to separate people in the park and asked to use their phone to call the lost one to see if anyone would pick up. y/n checked and the sound was off, so even that strategy wouldn’t have worked anyway unless someone had found the phone. Otherwise, no one would have heard it go off. As y/n walked back to her spot, trying to think about how to get the lost item back to its owner. While she looking at the little boy who was on the phone’s home screen, it vibrated in her hand with a number with no name attached to it. y/n swiped the answer button and said, “Hello?” There was a small silence on the other side of the line as if whoever had been calling was surprised someone had picked up. Finally, the person, a man, said, “Hey. I lost my phone about a half hour ago and, well you found it. Could I come to you and get it?” The man on the other end sounded slightly breathless. His voice sounded oddly familiar. y/n was sure she had heard it before somewhere but couldn’t place it. y/n responded to the man’s question saying, “I’m on the Drivesdale scenic loop. There’s that big oak tree if you know it. I’m under that tree.” The man replied, “I do know it. I can be there in about ten minutes if you can wait?” y/n nodded and said, “Of course. I’ll be here.”  There was an odd silence before _y/n_ heard a muttered reply on the other end of the line before the phone call ended. 
y/n knew the man the second he rounded the corner in the bend in the path. It was the guy from the day that it was raining buckets. He was far less soggy now, and he was wearing a black t-shirt and back jogging shorts that highlighted his distinct calf muscles. His shirt also emphasized his forearms which seemed strong. y/n wished she could think about other things other than the physical attributes of the man quickly jogging toward her, except that was all she had to go off of. That and the fact that he knew someone who owned a fancy sports car. y/n stood as the man drew near. 
Aaron was highly annoyed at himself for losing his phone. How he hadn’t noticed its weight missing from his pocket baffled him. He wasn’t sure how far he had moved since the phone made its mysterious disappearance. Today was a long run day for him, and he had moved around twelve miles according to his Apple watch. He briefly, sarcastically, thanked god that it wasn’t his work phone that had gone missing. But that would never happen. His FBI-issued phone stayed in a zipped pocket on the inside of his shirt and it stayed on all the time. Aaron had asked a few people if she could use their phones to see if someone had picked up the lost item, and he was close to despair and thinking he would have to go back home and try the ‘find my iPhone app. A wave of relief washed over Aaron as someone picked up for his last attempt at finding the phone while not having to leave the park. He listened to the location of the person who had it and confirmed that he would be right over. He ended the call and thanked the kind elderly woman who had let him use her phone. Hotch set out on a brisk jog, not wanting the woman holding his phone to wait longer than needed. 
Hotch had found himself worn out over the last few cases. Not that they were the worst cases he had ever seen, but the continued horrors and depravity he saw on a weekly basis were wearing on his morale. He was also tired. He’d done his normal pre-workout routine, but the energy drink and warm-up didn’t seem to have its normal effects. Hotch blamed both of these emotional blightes for his losing his phone and his not noticing. As he rounded the corner toward the big oak tree, there were very few people around and he saw the woman he was sure he had talked to a few moments before. As he got closer to the woman, it took him a moment to realize that he had seen her before. As he scanned through his memories of the past weeks, he clocked her as the person he had been stranded with under the bookstore awning. She looked lovely and calm as she was clearly scanning the area for him. Hotch had thought she looked good the day he had first met her, with her bright _y/e/c_ eyes standing out on her slightly flushed face. But now that she was dry and more relaxed, Hotch could appreciate her in a more natural environment. Aaron took a sharp breath in as he remembered how close they had been standing next to each other, he looked down at her as the cars passed by, splashing his legs and soaking his socks further. There was also that brief moment as her hand had touched his upper back. Aaron cleared his throat and moved those thoughts somewhere deeper in his mind. Somewhere fantasy could take root if he wasn’t careful. Hotch put on a small smile as he stopped in front of the woman. She was holding out his phone for him, and he reached out for it. After the cool metal was in his left hand, he extended his right hand and said, “Thank you so much for finding this. It’s a pleasure seeing you again. I see you survived the rain.” There was a beat of silence, and then he added, “I’m Aaron, Hotchner by the way.” 
y/n smiled up at Aaron and took his hand in hers. He gave it a firm yet steady shake and she said, “I’m y/n, _l/n_. What a surprise to see you again. How have you been?” y/n wasn’t sure why she asked the last questions, but it felt natural. She was also distracted by his scent. He was sweaty, but there was a sort of brine to the scent. Like when one stood next to the seashore at twilight. When Aaron responded, she smiled and said, “I’m glad you’re doing well. I’ve gotta head out, but it was nice to see you again, Aaron. I hope you have a good rest of your weekend.” _y/n_ didn’t particularly have to go anywhere, but she had a sinking feeling that if she stayed around the figure that was Aaron Hotchner, she might say something silly or stupid, and for some reason, she didn’t want to seem like that to him. As she had the first time they met, she gave a small wave and moved down the path. Again, she thought this was the last time that she would see him. 
They were destined to meet again three weeks later at the local bar in the neighborhood. Seated at a small table,  y/n shared her new life updates with _y/b/f_ who was visiting for the weekend. y/n had just covered the rainstorm incident and she said, “And then on top of that I saw him again later in the month. Let me tell you, if I thought he was handsome in the rain, you should have seen him in his workout clothes!” y/n was speaking openly and candidly given that her inhibitions were down because she had already had three drinks. Her friend who had a similar buzz said, “Okay, wait y/n. I’m going to need you to describe this guy in lots of detail. You always have a way with words, and I need the skinny. He sounds like a dreamboat.” y/n flushed further, above the color of the alcohol that had tinged her cheeks. y/n looked at _y/b/f_, and they had an expectant look on their face. y/n couldn't help but giggle before saying, “Well he’s tall, and he has dark hair. It’s cut short and neat from what I can tell, though both times I’ve seen him it’s been a bit disheveled. He’s fit. I mean, I saw him working out, and the first time I saw him his clothes were pretty much hugging his body. And man what a body he has.
Apart from his name, and his looks, I don’t have that much more to go off of. When I found his phone there was a picture of a little boy on his lock screen. For all I know he might be married or in a serious relationship. That doesn’t mean that I don’t find him attractive, but I’d never do something with a man who was committed.” If y/n was being honest with herself, she’d probably never do anything with the man ever? What could she possibly say if she even saw him again? The world was small, but not that small. y/n had relegated him to a small dreamlike crush to think back on every now and then. y/n took another sip of her cocktail to try and hide her blush from her friend. The door to the small bar opened and her friend, who was facing the door, looked at the large group that was entering the establishment. The final person to enter the bar caught y/n’s friend's eye, and they said, “I think your man just came in here.” y/n incredulously said, “Oh please, _y/b/f_, don’t tease me like that. It’s bad enough that I haven’t dated anyone seriously in years.” _y/b/f_ sobered slightly and said, “No y/n, I’m being serious. The last guy that just came in kind of matches the description you just gave.” 
y/n rolled her eyes but looked behind her anyway and low and behold, it was Aaron who had walked through the door. He was with a group of six people, and he was congenially chatting with an older man and a very pretty brunette-haired woman. y/n hadn’t yet seen the man so at ease, but it looked good on him. It fit. The intense blush on y/n’s face told her best friend that she had pointed out the correct figure and they said, “Damn, He is hot. He must live in the neighborhood or something if you keep running into him unplanned like this.” y/n nodded along in agreement, and _y/b/f_ continued, “You should give him your number or buy him a drink or something while he’s here. Who knows when the next time is that you’ll see him?” At the suggestion, y/n shook her head in embarrassment and said, “I don’t know _y/b/f’s/n_. What if he’s not interested?” _y/b/f_ sighed and placed a hand on y/n’s shoulder saying, “Oh come on y/n. Nothing gambled, nothing gained, and all that. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? He says no, or that he’s married and then you run into him at the supermarket and it’s awkward and you move past each other in the cheese aisle? Would you just give it a chance?”
y/n thought about the cost-benefit of actually making a move on Aaron and found that, as her friend had said, the cost side of the equation was pretty low. After a long silence filled by the ambient hum of the noise inside the bar, y/n said, “Okay, fine. But I’m going to wait for him to have a drink first and make sure he’s not overly attached to anyone in his party, and that will give me time to sober up a bit. I might be taking a risk on my behalf, but I’m sure as hell not doing it drunk.” y/n moved to the bar and got herself and her friend some water. While she was waiting, the pretty brunette and the older man whom Aaron had been speaking to when the group had walked in moved next to her at the bar. As y/n overheard the woman saying, “I don’t know Rossi. He looks sad to me sometimes. Like when he thinks no one is looking? I’m kind of worried for him.” The older man, Rossi, nodded and said, “I see it too. But you see it, and I see it, but Hotch? I don’t know, and I don’t think he would really appreciate us cornering him in his office and asking him about his mental health, do you?” The woman laughed and said, “That’s a big fat no from me. But you know how he gets. I’d just like to see him happy.” As the woman finished the statement, y/n got her water and gave the two she had been eavesdropping on a small smile before heading back to her own table. 
About a half hour later y/n felt more in control of her faculties. Aaron had had two drinks and y/n subtly watched him. He didn’t seem to flirting or attached to any of the women or men he was with; he also wasn’t wearing a ring which was a good start. y/n moved to the bathroom to make sure she looked alright before she made her move. y/n reapplied some mascara and lipstick, but she knew she was just stalling at this point. She took a deep breath and whispered, “You can do this,” as she walked out of the ladies' room. Fortunately from y/n, Aaron was at the bar getting a drink for himself, Morgan, and JJ. y/n idled up to him and said, “Hey Aaron, fancy seeing you here. Can I get you a drink?” Hotch turned and looked down at y/n. He was a bit tipsy given that he had two drinks in a pretty fast period. Hotch looked over the woman who kept appearing in his life and said, “Hey again y/n. We can’t seem to escape each other.” He looked over her face and saw the tells of attraction. He took a steadying breath as he realized that he was also attracted to y/n. He cleared his throat before saying “And you can buy me a drink if you like.” y/n beamed. She had fully expected him to say no, and she asked, “What’ll it be?” Hotch thought for a moment and said, “Margarita on the rocks please.” When the bartender came over y/n ordered two margaritas on the rocks. y/n Aaron chatted while they waited for the drinks and at the of the night, in a moment of inebriation and a bit of teasing from Morgan, Aaron had given his number to y/n. 
In a small moment of vulnerability for both of them, they had started texting on and off. Then they had had their first date and it had gone well. Then they had a second, and a third, and Aaron realized that y/n was steady, calm, and kind. She wasn’t bothered by his extended absences, or him having to change their plans often because of a case. y/n had slowly started meeting the important people in his life. It had been Morgan first. That happened kind of by accident. Then there was Rossi and Em, and Jack of course. By all means their relationship should be growing, and they would have their rocky moments, but happiness and care should be blooming, but for y/n it simply wasn’t. A sadness was tugging at her soul like a millstone. 
She was lying in bed; she had been all day. It was 11:00 a.m. The day outside looked pretty as the leaves fell and soft light came through the window. She had barely had the will to open the blinds. She had been crying a few minutes earlier but had managed to stop the flow of tears eventually. All y/n had wanted to do over the past few days was sleep. Sleep and cry. She had managed to keep up her hygiene a bit because she had to look and dress professionally for work, but if that wasn’t the case, she knew she wouldn’t have done any of her normal care routines. Her hair was on its last legs with dry shampoo, and she could feel it getting greasy and gross on the pillow. A sound at the door caught y/n’s attention. ‘Aaron,’ she thought. She had forgotten that he was coming over today. She tried to find the will to get up, but she was embarrassed about her current state both mentally and physically. She turned her back to her bedroom door and sniffled. Maybe if she didn’t answer he would leave? There was a second of silence and then there was a ping of her phone. y/n was sure that it was Aaron asking if she was okay. Then after that, there was a call and she could hear Aaron’s voice from outside saying, “y/n are you in there? Are you okay?” There was worry in Aaron’s voice and she cringed because it was so silly to be sad right now. She thought it was too early in their relationship for him to see her so sad. 
Aaron stood outside y/n’s door. There was a small panic rising in him. He had texted and called with no response from y/n. There was an eerie quiet outside her door. Normally at this time, she’d have her vinyl playing _y/f/a_ and making some coffee or reading. Hotch could picture it and it made him feel warm for a moment. But he didn’t feel that warmth now. He sensed that something was wrong, and he called out saying, “y/n if you’re in there I’m coming in, okay.” Aaron punched in y/n’s seven-digit code, and the door clicked open. There was no one in the kitchen or living area and the lights were off. He checked the bathroom and it was also empty. Aaron called for y/n saying, “y/n are you here?” More softly he said, “God, please be here.” Hotch moved to the bedroom door and gave a hesitant knock saying her name again. There was a soft sound from inside and, fearing the worst, he opened the door. When his eyes fell on y/n's form under a bundle of sheets and blankets, he let out a momentary sigh of relief.
He stepped into the semi-dark room and approached the bed saying gently, “y/n, are you alright?” y/n was facing away from him and said, “I’m sorry, Aaron. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be alright.” She spoke so softly that Aaron almost didn’t hear her. There was a sadness in her voice that pulled at his heart, and his concern for her only grew. Hotch sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on her upper arm asking, “Honey, would you please look at me. I need to see you.” Hotch needed to know if she was alright. Sluggishly y/n moved from her side and onto her stomach. She turned her face toward Aaron, and he assessed her. It was clear to him right away that she had been crying. Her tear streaks marked her face and her eyes were red and bloodshot. Aaron rested a hand on her cheek and said, “Sweetheart please tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been crying.” y/n sniffled and said, “It’s nothing, it’s stupid.” At hearing y/n say this, Aaron turned to face her more directly and sincerely said, “Whatever it is, it’s not stupid to me. I wanna know why you’re sad.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. There was silence as y/n thought about what to say. Finally, she responded with, “I’m just sad, Aaron, and I have no right to be. I have everything I could want. I have a job I like. I’m finally stable in my life. I have you and Jack, and I’m still so fucking sad, over nothing.” While she spoke the tears started falling again. 
Aaron listened and his heart ached for the pain y/n was feeling. He brushed his hand down her cheek and then moved his thumb to wipe away the tears falling on her face. Tenderly he said, “Darling, I’m so sorry. You’re allowed to feel sad, even if there’s no reason. And you’re allowed to be sad near me; it’s not embarrassing.” y/n made a small sound as she pressed her forehead to his thigh. Aaron wondered if this was an attempt to hide from him. He looked down at her and asked, “May I hold you, y/n” y/n sniffled but nodded yes to his request. Aaron leaned down and undid the laces of his loafer and kicked them both off with his other foot. He slipped his jacket off and moved to the other side of the bed. He pushed up the covers and lay down. When he was settled a bit, he pulled y/n close to his body. When she was cradled close to him, he could feel her relax. Aaron ran a hand up and down her side as he asked, “Have you felt this way before? Have you spoken to your therapist about these feelings?” 
y/n felt better being close to Aaron. She responded to his question saying, “I have sometimes. When the weather starts changing and the days get shorter it can get really bad. I’ve been okay for the last year or so, but now it’s back. I haven’t told my therapist yet. I was going to in our next session. I had kind of hoped that it would just go away, but it hasn’t obviously.” Aaron hummed and moved his hand to her stomach, rubbing soft circles over the flesh there. Next, he asked, “And you’re still taking your medication?” At this, y/n actually chuckled and said, “I have. I know what happens when I stop taking those and it’s not pretty.” Aaron felt a tiny bit better hearing her laugh and make a joke. The feeling in the room lightened slightly. The silence lingered for a few minutes and Aaron broke it saying, “Would you like to stay here for a little bit?” In his arms, y/n sighed and said, “Yes please.” Aaron shifted in the bed so his head was resting near her neck, and he circled his arms around her protectively. He planted a few kisses on the nape of  y/n’s neck and then stilled his movements as she quickly fell asleep. Aaron looked her over. He was glad that she found comfort in him. His embrace. He would have to do more research on seasonal depression because although he knew it was a type of depression, he didn’t know much about it. The only person that he maybe knew had issues like that was Spencer, as his younger agent had once told him that he had worse thoughts during the winter. But for now, he would just be there to support y/n. Her health and happiness were paramount to him, and he was going to do everything he could to make her feel alright. 
After an hour, Aaron and y/n woke and Aaron thought of something. He asked, “When is the last time you’ve eaten, darling?” The moment it took for her to answer told Aaron what he needed to know. When y/n replied, “It was yesterday at breakfast.” Aaron frowned at the answer and said, “Alright. Well, how about we get some food? We could make something here or I could order something for us?” y/n thought and said, “There’s not much in the fridge. Maybe we could order some _y/c/f_ ?” Aaron replied and said, “Of course, I’ll place the order now.” Aaron pulled out his phone and opened Uber Eats to get the food. After this, they both moved to the living area. Aaron opened some blinds to let some light into the room but chose not to turn on any of the overhead lighting to create a calm environment. He turned on the TV and put on Seinfeld putting the volume on low to give them some ambient noise. y/n sat on the couch and Aaron pulled her into his arms while they waited for the food to arrive. Aaron moved to stroke her hair, and as he started, she cringed slightly. He stopped his movements and asked, “What is it, y/n?”y/n felt the shame rise in her again as she said, “It’s dirty. My hair. I haven’t washed it in three days.” Aaron nodded and said, “It’s okay, y/n. I don’t mind.” y/n softly said, “Okay.” She believed him and rested her head against his chest again. Aaron started gently combing through her hair with his hands. y/n listened to the steady thumping of his heart near her ear, and her hands found a place on his stomach. When he sat, Aaron had a little tummy that hid the muscles of his torso. It was actually one of the favorite parts of his body. They hadn’t been undressed in front of the other yet, but when they were, she looked forward to paying that area extra attention. y/n knew that just being with Aaron wasn’t going to fix her mental health problems. She would have to face the emotions and it might hurt, but it was worth it. For now, Aaron was a balm and a light, and she looked forward to moving forward with him in life. She knew that with Aaron by her side, better days were coming. That the sun would shine a bit brighter than it had before.
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emotionallychargedtowel · 2 years ago
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It has been interesting to read your meta about Hira and Kioyi. I really enjoyed the second episode. When I was watching the first episode I wondered how Kiyoi felt about Hira spending time with Koyama because Kiyoi is pretty jealous and he considered Koyama as his rival on the first season because his co-workers called Koyama Hira`s boyfriend. It was nice that they addressed Kioyi`s jealousy on the second episode. It was nice to see that Kiyoi knew that he couldn`t prevent Hira meeting Koyama even if he was jealous. Plus I agree with Kiyoi on that Hira should discuss important things like work and his insecurities with his boyfriend. I mean it`s important to have friends who listen to you but in a good relationship you should share some of your thoughts with your partner and both of them should be able to rely on each other with the negative things as well. It`s interesting to see what kind of a role Koyama will play in the future because it seemed like he was trying to drive a wedge between Kioyi and Hira.
Thanks for this! You make good points and raise some good questions here. I was actually thinking earlier today about Hira sharing things with Koyama that he didn't with Kiyoi, and I was thinking along similar lines. Yet again, Hira's tendency to idealize Kiyoi is actually putting distance between them. His explanation that he can't talk about "embarrassing things" like his anxiety about job interviews is, of course, missing the point entirely. There was a time when Hira didn't have any way of knowing how different the real Kiyoi was from the one he imagined, so he had an excuse. But he has known better for a while, or at least, he could have known better if he listened. And Kiyoi has been pleading with him, off and on, to see him as an actual human being and to relate to him like a partner. Hira seems like he might have made some progress on this but for the most part, he either isn't getting the message or isn't acting on it. It reminds me of something Kiyoi says the first time he confesses his feelings to Hira (after the infamous finger scene). Something to the effect of, "You can chase your ideal of me if you want, but leave the real me alone." Of course, he doesn't really want Hira to leave him alone, unless he's unable to let go of the "ideal." This situation is a prime example of how treating him like that "ideal" version of himself harms their relationship. Imaginary Kiyoi is perfect, but cold. Early in season 1, Hira calls him "selfish and strong.." That version of Kiyoi isn't someone it's safe to be vulnerable with, nor would Hira presuming to do that make any sense. But the real Kiyoi definitely wants Hira to be vulnerable with him. He's ambivalent, sure. Hence all the times in S2E1 when Hira's sincere excitement freaks Kiyoi out so he runs away and/or kicks him. But he wants to know about anything important in Hira's life. And he definitely doesn't want Koyama to know more than he does. His worry that Koyama pointing out that he knows things about Hira that Kiyoi doesn't is a kind of "asserting dominance" isn't unfounded. But regardless of Koyama's motives, Hira opening up to Koyama and not Kiyoi is destructive and legitimately hurtful. In the end, Hira remains a kind of pursuer, and at times his pursuit triggers Kiyoi to distance himself. But as he gets closer to the real Kiyoi, it becomes more hurtful when he treats him like the "ideal," imaginary Kiyoi. Largely because he's avoiding actual intimacy. He's pursuing in a sense, but he's not pursuing a real person who can reciprocate his feelings. It's a particularly effective way of allowing yourself to chase after someone you claim to love but making sure you can never actually "catch" them. This situation is also hurtful because being seen as something you aren't by someone you love is inherently painful.
This reminds me of a favorite quote of mine, from All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. I like this quote so much that it was actually a reading at my wedding.
[F]or when you get in love you are made all over again. The person who loves you has picked you out of the great mass of uncreated clay which is humanity to make something out of, and the poor lumpish clay which is you wants to find out what it has been made into. But at the same time, you, in the act of loving somebody, become real, cease to be a part of the continuum of the uncreated clay and get the breath of life in you and rise up. So you create yourself by creating another person, who, however, has also created you, picked up the you-chunk of clay out of the mass. So there are two you's, the one you create by loving and the one the beloved creates by loving you. The farther those two you's are apart the more the world grinds and grudges on its axis. But if you loved and were loved perfectly then there wouldn't be any difference between the two you's or any distance between them. They would coincide perfectly, there would be perfect focus, as when a stereoscope gets the twin images on the card into perfect alignment.
Actually, the more I think about it the more I can see parallels between this quote and the situation Kiyoi finds himself in in season 2. Loving Hira has really changed Kiyoi. He's trying things he never would have before, taking risks, gaining self-awareness. In Warren's words, he "[got] the breath of life in [him]." But the version of him that Hira has made is too different from the version of himself he "create[d] by loving." It's quite close to the imaginary Kiyoi that Hira created in season 1. This disparity is painful. And it seems inevitable that it will keep coming up until something changes.
When it comes to Koyama, I'm really not sure how to interpret his behavior or guess what he'll do next. He's definitely sticking it to Kiyoi in some ways in their conversation. Sometimes he's directly critical, even insulting--saying Kiyoi must not be able to cook (though of course, he's right), saying he's "freeloading" (also at least partly true). But he's giving Kiyoi information that might actually help his relationship with Hira. Does Koyama want to help their relationship? Nah, that's really doubtful. But he does seem to sincerely want to help Hira. For example, he knows that by letting Kiyoi know about the photography contest, he's increasing the chances of Hira applying much more than he could by anything he could do directly himself. In the process of making this happen, he must know he's risking helping his rival be more in the loop about Hira's life and potentially bringing the two of them closer. But it seems like helping Hira is more important to him. Then again, who knows. He makes it abundantly clear that he doesn't think highly of Kiyoi as a boyfriend. Hira's still obviously in his thoughts. And he's careful not to speak ill of Kiyoi directly in Hira's presence, but he doesn't shy away from implying things. It wouldn't be totally out of character for him to make a more overt attempt to come between Hira and Kiyoi, or ingratiate himself with Hira. Not that being helpful to Hira even if it benefits Kiyoi too would be out of character either--he chose that path in season 1 when he told Kiyoi what Hira had said about him and got Hira the lighting gig at the play that would give him an excuse to see Kiyoi. It seems like things could go either way, or some kind of combination of both.
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daihell · 8 years ago
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Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Elden and Dorian had met earlier in their lives
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starry-blue-echoes · 2 years ago
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Now that you finished Stone Ocean i can finally tell you some of my ideas!
Let's start with something simple but that can give a bunch of angst: ✨️time travel✨️
How the time travel happens we can just say is something raleted to the whole reset thing, but WHO is the big question
My first two options were Jolyne and Emporio but never could choose between them, so if you want it can be both :D
How far back they go it's kinda obvious, Jolyne first day in prison
What they are going to change? Will they tell the others about it? If both came back will they know?
Now the rest is up to you :D
Time travel fixits are genuinely one of my favorite au things to do so this is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY
But to add an extra spark of chaos…… what if everyone in the main Stone Ocean Gang gets time travelled EXCEPT Emporio, and none of them realize the others have time travelled either (at least at first)
so all of them have all the knowledge of the entire journey(sans Foof), their learned skills with their own Stands and knowledge of enemy ones, how to escape the prison, what events they need to avoid, everything……. except for how to actually beat Pucci. Hell, they might not even know Pucci had been beaten the first time because none of them would know what Emporio did
Starting off when they first wake up, Jolyne and Hermes would have things mostly the same, just with the benefit of their added skill. They absolutely try befriending each other again, and are so happy that it works not knowing it’s because they’re both looking to rekindle that friendship. Foo ends up spending a couple days/weeks just sitting there, vibing in the swamp formulating as many plans as they can and making as many shrimp as possible to increase their power while they wait for Jolyne and Hermes to show up. Anasui is trying to meet Jolyne earlier (and when Foo does join he’s actually nicer to them because ✨guilt✨)
Weather though…… he’s going to be interesting. Specifically in how we could go about his memory. And sure we could just have it so he remembers his life before because he got his disc back in the old timeline…… but I had a weird possible idea that may or may not work
What if Weather doesn’t have those memories specifically. He knows that he got them back, remembers the unrelenting loathing and hatred, how it was all consuming and filled his mind in a wrathful rage, how Pucci needed to suffer, to die, for what he had done, how that urge was so strong it didn’t matter who was hurt along the way to get that revenge……. but he just can’t remember the memories themself
after all, White Snake doesn't put some kind of mental block over the memories, it physically removes them from that person’s body and soul. And in this time, they’ve still be removed.
and this would probably scare him. What could have possibly happened in his life that he would go that far? What unforgivable act had Pucci done to push him to those limits? That anger, that pure murderous intent, the way it clung to his mind like a fog, not allowing any thought or compassion……. it’s absolutely terrifying and leaves him torn between wanting his memories back so he could understand what drove him to such lengths and wanting to be as far away from his memories as physically possible out of the terror that they’ll drive him to that brink again
(and of course the whole time this is going on, Emporio is just. Sitting there, mildly anxious because Weather and Anasui are acting weird but he doesn’t want to ask because that might be rude)
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sunatooru · 4 years ago
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Hewwo :3 I won't lie i saw this idea in an another blog but i loved it too much. Headcanons for Suna, Tanaka, Aone and Kita's reaction if their s/o acts weird and suspicious like she is hiding something and cancel their dates for a week. Then she text them "we need to talk" and they think she'll break up with them, she starts to talk like a break-up speech and they got scared, say something like "we can talk, please don't break-up with me" she says "what? I was just trying to propose marriage!"
Hii I love this idea! If you could tell me where you first read this I would love to read it and see the boys worrieddd and if you see this interact! (I love angsty stuff) x
Hope you enjoyyy and also I have no reason why some are long and some aren’t xx
Suna
* You hadn't replied to him in 5 hours
* He knew you could be busy, I mean you both usually are, but it's almost tradition that you send an "I love you sleepy" at this time
* He has noticed that your conversations have gotten shorter
* He thinks you're probably stressing out and doesn't want to press you
* He tries to set up a date, booking a private dinner room in hopes of relaxing you
* You had an excuse on why you couldn't
* He'll send you morning texts and general messages but you'll rarely reply
* He's not loving the distance
* He decided to go to Osamu's shop and bring you some onigiri
* What he didn't expect was to see you hugging Osamu as he closes the shop
* He's having so many thoughts right now as he walks back to his house that he doesn't realise the buzz of his phone
* It's only a shower later he sees you've messaged him
* "Hey, we need to talk"
* No emoji, no nickname, no suggestions that this is not a break up text
* He could barely sleep, had to force himself to open the door when the knocking woke him
* He felt his heart freeze at the sight of you, your hand fidgeting with your sleeves as you nibble your lips
* He didn't want you to leave him, not when he's loved you so hard, not when he knows he'll never love anyone like he has you
* And then you start to speak, he has to control the pain beginning to ache in his heart
* "So I know we've been together for a long time now and it has been amazing. You're amazing and I hope what I say next doesn't change your view of me because I-"
* "Please don't leave me!" His voice cracked at the end and your eyes widen
* "What?" And you see him looking at you sadly
* "I- please don't break up with me...I can't...even if you like Osamu..I can't love anyone else." Hug him please
* "Rin what? I'm not breaking up with you! I'm trying to propose!" You comfort him and he's shocked
* "What..? But what about last night at Miya's?" "I obviously wanted your best friends help, I'm been trying to propose for days but end up ignoring you. I'm sorry baby."
* God he's softly chuckling now
* "Yes" He grins, kissing the corner of your lips
* "I haven't asked yet"
* "Doesn't matter. It's always been yes."
Tanaka
* You're already his life partner in his eyes, adores you and always messages you
* Gets so excited to communicate to you in any way
* So he's not sure what's he's done to receive the cold shoulder from you
* Everything was smooth sailing until a week ago
* You suddenly stopped receiving his calls, choosing to text and even then they were short
* You've cancelled on him twice already
* Both reasons being you was busy
* Too busy for him?
* He tries not to overthink anything of it
* Doesn't allow doubt to creep in knowing that you two were strong, right?
* But then he notices how your calls with him got shorter, your texts becoming less frequent
* He would zone out thinking about what's going on with you two
* He would reread over you texts
* Gets a little depressed when he realises something is wrong
* He can feel a heat creep into chest, tightening when he sees your latest text
* "We should talk"
* His heart just cracked, he's pacing in his room
* He's not ready, you're his one, he's crying at the thought of you not wanting him anymore
* A day later he sees you in his living room
* His anxiety shoots up the moment you open your mouth, he closes his eyes
* "Don't break up with me!"
* "Huh?" He opens his eyes, you're on one knee as you have a ring box open
* "I've never wanted to. I'm sorry for being distant... I was nervous. Would you marry me?"
* He's crying, relief spreading around him, he digs into his pocket and kneels in front of you
* "I've been saving this for months. I'll take you if you take me."
* I headcanon Tanaka carrying a ring always once he knows you're the one
Aone
* He picked you were acting strange recently
* You would greet him fast and leave faster
* He doesn't really understand what's happening
* As a way to have you around him more he offers you dates
* "There is a new restaurant, so you want to go?" "Sorryyy I'm really busy today but maybe next time!"
* "It's hot today, I can buy you ice cream?" "That would be nice! but I just need to finish stuff"
* He's starting to feel neglected. A whole week has gone by and he hasn't seen you
* He's feeling pain
* He frowns when he sees his lock screen of you
* Starts to write a message but then deletes it
* He doesn't even know who to talk to about it, his sister? His friends? His pet?
* If it he could, he can't voice his concerns, as if he doesn't know if his voice can handle the words or his feelings
* Doesn't know how he ended up thinking about you not wanting to be with him anymore
* "We need to talk" his chest tightens, for some reason those words have him sad
* A day passes and all he can think about is what you want to say, doesn't realise his vision starting to blur until he he feels a tear run down his cheek
* Stares at the ceiling and frowns, he would never hurt you, so why are you?
* The next day you arrive at his home
* He welcomes you silently and senses that your feeling jittery
* "We can talk but please don't break up with me.." he needed to speak first
* "Aone?! Baby no what? I don't.. don't want to break up...I was just trying to surprise you." You mumble
* "I love you. Will you marry me?"
* Enjoy his crushing hug, never worry him again please
Kita
* He knew something was up the minute you didn't send him a good morning text
* He knew something was wrong when you didn't replace the text with kissing and heart emojis
* He knew something was wrong when he felt his head get heavy when you didn't send him a single text the whole day
* When you did finally message him he was relieved but still concerned
* You ended up meeting the next day but he could tell you were acting strange
* You seemed to avoid his gaze, barely relax around him, wouldn't even hold his hand for longer than 5 seconds
* He was not happy, why won't you let him hold you?
* Starts to get annoyed when you pay more attention to your phone then him
* Tries to glance at it but you're fast to not let him see and point to something else
* This goes on for days
* Except he hadn't seen you in those days
* You've either seen his message to meet late or have a reason why you can't
* Reasons he does not believe
* Tries to call you but you decline
* What? He's apprehensive now
* You've never declined before, what's going on
* He start to overthink, do you not like him anymore? Is there someone else?
* Tries to run his errands but can't do a complete job without his thoughts going back to you
* Thinks about how you've been tense around him, less touchy, secretive and he wants to know why
* He want to know why you have been distancing yourself from him
* Why when he thinks about you this last week he feels like crying
* He's suspicious and doesn't want to be
* He thinks about the things he lacked
* The things he couldn't give you that you wanted
* He's fragile but he doesn't want to give you up
* "Can we talk later?" He should feel happy you messaged him but why is he feeling uncertain? Why does he want later to never come?
* And now you're in front of him
* "Shinsuke, I know I haven't been talking to you recently but I've just had things on my mind. I really wanted to talk to you earlier but I just got nervous. You know I love you and we've been together for a while now but-"
* "Please..don't break up with me.." he lets out a sob and your eyes widen
* "Kita no no I'm just trying to propose! Please..don't cry please" you rush to comfort him
* "Propose?" "Uh yeah I was waiting until the ring was done by the jewellers but then got scared you might say no.."
* "Why would I say no?" You raise your brows at him
* "Silly, when have I ever said no to you" he chuckles and then kisses you
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edendaphne · 4 years ago
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“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 21
>>Click here to read on Ao3<<
>>Click here to read on Wattpad<<
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CHAPTER 21: IMPROVVISANDO
Music glossary: Improvvisando: with improvisation
Glossary: Wǎnshàng hǎo : Good evening Shīfù : Teacher/Master
(Mood music: Night of Beijing - Jia Peng Fang)
That evening
Marinette fidgeted with her napkin, occasionally sipping her now-lukewarm tea while sitting at the kitchen bar counter. Chat Noir sat on the stool beside her in silence, also nursing a half-emptied cup. She checked the clock for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last few minutes.
“It’s about that time. I’ll head up to my room to let Ladybug inside. Will you get the door if your visitor arrives before she does?”
“Sure,” he replied, uneasy but compliant, doing his best to avoid staring at the black eye she’d received earlier that day.
Marinette set her cup in the sink and headed upstairs, leaving Chat alone with his thoughts.
He tried to keep his fast-beating heart in check, subconsciously clenching his jaw. It was finally happening. He was going to meet “him”: The Guardian of the Miraculous.
Following the events at school earlier that day, Adrien had walked Marinette to her house, where her family invited him to stay for a cup of tea until his “ride” arrived to pick him up. Of course, he’d eagerly accepted. It was nice to interact with the family as Adrien instead of just as Chat Noir.
After leaving, he hid away and transformed so he could sneak in through Marinette’s balcony as he usually did.
Upon transforming, however, he found a series of voice mails from Ladybug that she’d left during Adrien’s attempted abduction. Her voice was frantic. He could hear the urgency and distress in her tone, and a heavy blanket of guilt settled onto his shoulders as he listened.
The first message asked him to come to their school, that it was an emergency, to please call her back as soon as possible. He chewed on his lip, wanting nothing more than to hide away in a cave in shame.
The second one must have been left right after she’d rescued Adrien and left him at the school nurse; she’d called to let Chat know the incident had passed. Then she asked if he was okay, since she hadn’t heard back from him. He sighed. Typical Ladybug, always worrying and thinking about others first, even when she was having a rough time.
The last voicemail caused a trail of ice to trickle down his spine as he listened. Ladybug informed him that she had scheduled an impromptu meeting with the Guardian at the Dupain-Cheng’s house that evening, with Marinette’s permission, and that it was of utmost importance that he attend.
He shivered as goosebumps appeared on his arms and he swallowed hard. What was the purpose of this meeting? Was he in trouble for not showing up today during ‘Adrien’s’ kidnapping? And why meet here, at the Dupain home, instead of somewhere more private and away from civilians? What was the Guardian like? Would Chat get reprimanded and treated with disdain for having been their enemy for all these years, or would he be understanding and forgiving?
More importantly, would he have to disclose his identity to him, or to both him and Ladybug, to prove his loyalty? He winced at the mere thought of it. The last thing he wanted was for Ladybug to think less of him, or to pity him. Especially after the kidnapping attempt.
Additionally, if they were to learn that Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste, would they want to confront him head-on? Adrien didn’t feel ready for that, for several reasons.
First of all, would he be able to protect Ladybug, as he’d promised her? Hawkmoth had shown that he’d developed some sort of new power. Either that, or an entirely different person had become involved and was helping him. In any case, he didn’t know what exactly they were dealing with anymore.
Secondly, if the time came and he had to hurt or even kill his father, he didn’t know if he’d be able to do it. Yes, Gabriel was a monster and Adrien despised what he had become. But what if the damage was reversible and there was still a way to bring him back to normal? He just had to know, before doing something he might permanently regret.
The sudden ringing of the doorbell startled Chat out of his thoughts and he practically fell off his seat.
He ran to answer the front door, looking to make sure no one else was around. At the last second, he remembered to detransform and slip on the hood of his zip-up sweater (the one Marinette had gifted him), pulling a scarf over his nose and mouth so he wouldn’t be recognized if anyone outside were to catch a glimpse of him.
He looked out through the peephole, only to see the very top of someone’s head, balding with grey hair, and a little bit of their eyebrows.
Huh. Somehow Adrien thought the Guardian would be a bit… taller?
He turned the knob and the door opened, its squeaking hinges somehow louder than usual. Peeking out from the side like a scared tortoise, he checked to make sure the individual matched the description he was given, then stepped back to allow the door to swing open all the way. The older man stepped inside, closing it behind him.
“Hello,” Adrien said meekly, bowing his head slightly. “You must be…”
“Yes. I am Wang Fu,” he replied, bowing politely in greeting. “It is very good to see you again, Adrien Agreste.”
While Adrien’s face scarf efficiently concealed the way his jaw dropped when the elder man called him by name, there was no hiding the way his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
“W- what?!” he sputtered. “How did you—”
The man called Fu chuckled, stroking his beard. “It was a long time ago, but we’ve met before.”
Adrien lowered his scarf and frowned in concentration, falling silent for a few seconds. Then it dawned on him.
“YOU!!” he gaped. “I do remember you! It was my first day of lycée! You fell down in front of our school and I helped you up. It was you who put the cat miraculous in my bag that day, wasn’t it?”
“That is correct,” Fu confirmed.
“But why me? You could’ve picked anyone, so why did you choose someone like me?”
Fu’s smile faltered when he said this. Adrien had said “anyone”, but he could see that Fu knew what he’d actually meant. Why did you choose someone as broken as me?
The man folded his arms behind him, considering his answer. “Guardians are bestowed with several powers and abilities. One of them is to locate and select good candidates for the miraculous jewels. And so I was led to you.”
Chat grimaced in confusion. “So if you already knew it was me, why bother to ‘test’ me?”
“My powers as a guardian may lead me to a potential candidate, but ultimately the choice is still mine to make. It was a simple test, but it showed me what your first instinct would be if you saw someone in need. The answer I received was satisfactory. You were meant to be Ladybug’s Chat Noir.”
Adrien sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. “Honestly, a couple of months ago I wouldn’t have known whether to hug you because I got to become Chat Noir, or whether to punch you because I had to become Chat Noir. But it’s because of you that I got to meet Ladybug, so I am grateful to you for that. It’s good to finally meet you. Officially.”
He extended his hand and Fu took it with a smile, giving it a firm shake.
Afterwards, Adrien’s gaze fell, brows scrunching together. “I can’t believe it. All this time, you knew. You could’ve told Ladybug who I was years ago. She could have figured out a way to take away my miraculous while I wasn’t transformed, like at school, and she would’ve had one less enemy to deal with. It would’ve––” he pursed his lips, expression full of shame, and he lifted his eyes to meet Fu’s once again, “–it would’ve made it easier for her. She would’ve suffered less if I’d been out of the picture. So why didn’t you?”
Fu’s countenance became somber, his eyes carrying years of pain and regret. He took a few moments to consider his words. “When I was a boy, barely a teenager, something terrible happened. Hundreds of innocent people died, and it was all because of me.”
Chat almost reeled back as if he’d been smacked across the face, puzzled about the sudden switch in topic. He remembered Ladybug briefly mentioning this a few months ago, on the night they danced together. He waited for Fu to elaborate.
“I was only trying to protect them,” the older man explained. “After I was orphaned as a child, the monks of the Guardian Temple took me in. They became my family. They were stern, but fair and kind. It was a tough childhood, but I was happy.” He sighed. “However, there were those who would try to steal the miraculous and use their power selfishly. It was an endless struggle. Many were lost over the years. I longed for peace. I wanted my family to be safe, I wanted us to be left alone. So I did what I thought would be a better route, an easier one; one with less hardship and bloodshed. You see, one day while I was supposed to be on guard duty, I sneaked away to where the miraculous box was kept. I put on both the ladybug and cat miraculouses and used them to make a wish: I wished that our enemies would disappear.”
The older man exhaled, squeezing his eyes shut, the memories of what came next clearly still haunting him. Adrien couldn’t help but hold his breath while he listened.
“It worked,” Fu resumed, voice quiet and slightly shaky. “But as you might have suspected, there is always a price to pay; a balance that must be maintained. Therefore, because of my wish, all the monks in our Guardian temple and the innocent people of the surrounding village were ripped away from me, along with our enemies. The wish was technically fulfilled, but I never suspected that the cost would be that high. I have had to live with that in my conscience for over a hundred years.”
He clasped his hands behind his back, appearing more vulnerable than Adrien would have ever expected. He continued, “Since that time, I have both seen and caused much death in my lifetime, protecting the miraculous box alone as the last Guardian. So, you see, if there was even one person I could save, I had to try. I wanted to trust in the miraculouses, like I should have decades ago, during my misguided attempt to control the outcome of a complicated situation.”
Adrien absently rubbed his arm, pondering Fu’s words. “Looking back,” he began, “I can see the reasoning behind a lot of Ladybug’s decisions and principles, now that I know your story.”
“Indeed. Ladybug is a remarkable young lady; I knew that even back then. When I would ask her if she was willing to risk her life for the sake of a stranger, she would say yes, every single time. If anyone can persevere for the greater good, it was her. Was it unfair of me? Probably. Have I asked too much from her? Absolutely. Have I made mistakes while trying to guide her? Yes. Many of them.” He put his hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “I wanted to save you that day by giving you the cat miraculous. But I never would have guessed that it would also doom you and force you into a role of servitude. I hope that you will forgive me for this.”
Adrien’s heart pained for Fu as he admitted his guilt. “You couldn’t have known it would’ve turned out that way. It wasn’t your fault,” he insisted.
Fu shrugged. “I try to tell myself that, but I can’t quite convince myself. The situation made sense once Ladybug told me about Hawkmoth.”
“You mean, when she told you that Hawkmoth was my father?” Adrien asked.
“Yes,” Fu replied. “I had my suspicions, because it would explain your motivations, but I had no proof, no way of finding out for sure. It made sense that Hawkmoth would be Gabriel Agreste. The butterfly miraculous requires its wielder to be creative and inventive, since it relies on their ability to convert the subject’s emotions into a source of power. And he had the motivation.”
Adrien hummed in agreement.
“Additionally, such a clever and talented individual getting ahold of the cat miraculous would be incredibly dangerous. I’d be lying if I said I had never considered taking your miraculous away. But even still, it was safer to let it all play out. I didn’t want to repeat past mistakes. And if Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste, your fate if you were to lose the cat miraculous would have been disastrous. Maybe it would have even alerted him about the presence of a Guardian in Paris. But now that we know the truth, we can plan accordingly.”
Adrien gulped. So Fu had considered taking his miraculous away before. “A-are you going to tell Ladybug who I am?”
Fu shook his head. “It is not up to me to decide when it will be right for there to be no more secrets between you two. I only know that it is not yet time.”
Adrien curiously tilted his head, brows furrowed in confusion. “How do you know that?”
As Fu started to answer, Adrien heard a doorknob twist open behind him and he quickly pulled his scarf back over his features.
The door opened and Ladybug’s voice exclaimed, “There you are! What are you two doing out here in the entryway?”
Adrien cleared his throat, then stammered, “R-right, pardon my manners. Please, come in.”
Fu walked past him, entering the living area. He took Ladybug’s hands between his, shaking them briefly, and said, “Wǎnshàng hǎo, Ladybug.”
With a small bow, Ladybug replied, “Wǎnshàng hǎo, shīfù. Thank you for coming at such short notice. Please, have a seat.”
Chat entered the room, having transformed now, and stepped forward to greet her.
He stopped short, realizing that he wasn’t quite sure how to greet her since last night’s development in their relationship, not to mention being very conscious of the Guardian watching them. He settled for a hug, which she returned, squeezing him tightly, and added a quick, discreet peck on his cheek. He smiled, feeling his face heat up.
Pleasantries aside and everyone seated, it was Ladybug who spoke first.
“Thank you both for being here. There’s a lot we need to talk about.”
----------
A transformed Wang Fu stood at the bedroom window, curtains drawn, chanting in a language that neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir understood, holding the last of several metallic talismans he’d blessed and scattered around the room. The pair kept their eyes on him, marveling at the efficiency and care that he put into each incantation. There was something sacred, even holy about this ritual. They could feel powerful magic emanating from his form, invisible bursts of energy swirling about the room, dancing all around them in a silent symphony.
Ladybug cast a furtive glance at her partner. He’d been quiet for a little while, after learning about his attempted akumatization the night before. Ladybug had told him that it was Marinette who let her know, and that Plagg was the one who had informed her.
She’d called Master Fu before going to school to let him know what happened last night, and he promised he would figure out a solution. He’d spent all day preparing these special talismans, which would ward off akumas and keep them from entering this room. But only this room. He wasn’t strong enough to cast such a potent, long-term spell over a larger area; especially not at his age.
Fu, or rather, Jade Turtle, was silent for a few moments after placing the last charm, a silver one with indecipherable symbols carved into it, then turned around to face the couple.
“The talismans are almost done being enchanted,” he said, pretty out of breath, beads of sweat present on his brow. “There is one more thing that needs to be done. But I think I’ll need your help for this, Ladybug.”
Ladybug stepped forward in response. “Sure, Master. What is it?”
“I would do it myself, but, well… let’s just say I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“Of course Master, anything you need. Just tell me what to do.”
Fu removed his bracelet, the turtle miraculous, and turned back to his civilian self, then handed the jewelry to her. His kwami, Wayzz, floated next to them awaiting instruction.
“If you could transform with my miraculous to finish the protection spell, I’d very much appreciate it. I’ll show you what to do when you’re ready.”
The young woman gaped at him, having never transformed into any hero other than Ladybug before.
“Oh! R-really?? S-sure! No problem...” She took the bracelet hesitantly, studying it like she’d never seen it before, then excused herself to the ensuite for privacy.
In the bathroom, Ladybug detransformed and removed her earrings, handing them to Tikki for safekeeping. She put on the emerald stone bracelet, staring at it as if it might try to crawl away from her if she wasn’t careful enough.
She squeezed her eyes shut in preparation. “Wayzz, shell on.”
Jade green light shone around the bathroom, and Marinette felt the magic of the turtle miraculous engulf her form. When it passed, she gulped and opened her eyes, lifting them to the mirror to catch a glimpse of her newly transformed self.
“Whoa.”
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The heroine stared at her reflection across the way. She ran her fingers over the various bits of fabric and armor, taking the time to appreciate the feel and texture. Somehow, she felt quite powerful. Tough. Solid. Almost like a sentient brick wall.
“Wow, Marinette! You look incredible!” Tikki whispered to her.
“Aww, thank you Tikki,” she replied. “It feels so different, but it’s also really cool.”
Sparing one last glance into the mirror, she finally emerged from the bathroom. Fu was seated at the desk chair across the room, taking a short breather. Chat was speaking to him in hushed tones, but turned around when he heard her re-enter the bedroom.
His jaw dropped and he gasped.
“Oh my God, you’re adorable!” Chat blurted out. He caught himself and turned tomato red, then stuttered, “Umm! S-sorry, I––”
Ladybug (Lady...turtle??) giggled, stepping forward to stand beside him once again. “Thanks,” she replied shyly, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear as she usually did when she was nervous, but her hand bumped into her suit’s hood instead. Not quite sure what to do with her hands, she folded them in front of her as she awaited further instruction.
Tikki flew in front of Master Fu, bowing her head in greeting. “It’s good to see you again, Master!”
“Likewise. I hope you are doing well,” he greeted back.
Tikki flew over to Chat Noir, to say hello to him as well. “Hello, Chat Noir! It’s nice to formally meet you,” she chirped happily.
Chat beamed and answered, “Tikki, right? It’s great to finally meet you too! I must admit, you look a little different than I thought you would.”
Tikki giggled. “Did you think I’d be more insect-like? Maybe with six legs and an exoskeleton?”
Chat shrugged timidly. “Well, I mean… Maybe…?” ‘Ladybug’ and Tikki looked at each other and snickered at his reply.
Fu smiled at their interactions fondly, recalling times spent with loved ones, allies no longer here. With a small grunt, he stood up to continue the protection ritual.
“This way, Ladybug. Chat Noir and Tikki, please stand over there; we’ll need a bit of space for this. You might feel a bit tired once this is finished, so be sure to get plenty of rest tonight,” he instructed.
Tikki perched on Chat’s shoulder as he moved towards the edge of the room. They spoke in hushed voices as Fu instructed Ladybug and had her repeat phrases from his notes.
While they waited, Chat turned to Tikki and whispered, “By the way, I wanted to thank you... for helping Ladybug and keeping safe all these years. She means a lot to me.”
If kwamis could blush, Chat was sure that’s what Tikki’s face showed at the moment. “It’s been a pleasure to be her kwami. She’s the best! I’m glad you’ve gotten to know her and see what a sweet person she is.”
Chat smiled, cheeks dusted pink. “I am too.”
------
Many minutes passed, and Ladybug and Fu finished casting the protection ward. Chat helped Fu gather his things as Ladybug excused herself to transform back to her regular hero self.
As she re-emerged from the bathroom, Chat handed her a glass of water and invited her to sit on the bed so she could catch her breath and gather back some of her energy. “Welcome back, Lily-bug,” he greeted her with a wink. Ladybug beamed at him, accepting the water and taking a seat next to him.
Fu stood beside them, having finished gathering his belongings in a satchel. As he gave Ladybug time to rest, he asked, “Do either of you have any questions about the protection ritual, or about anything else?”
Ladybug replied, “I actually do have some questions, sir.”
Fu nodded.
“Master... why did Hawkmoth attempt to akumatize Chat Noir last night? If he’s tried it before, why did he not succeed during other nights?” Ladybug’s questions came faster once she got started. “Since he tried to akumatized Chat, does that mean he knows where he lives now? Is Chat even safe here anymore? What about the Dupains? Are they gonna be okay? How much does Hawkmoth know?”
Chat looked at Fu expectantly, realizing that he, too, had those same questions.
Fu replied, “The owner of the butterfly miraculous sends out his butterflies in search of a specific strong emotion, but is not aware of their location until after the host accepts it. He is able to learn some vague details about why they are feeling that certain emotion. My guess is that he was able to locate him while he was having a nightmare. So, no. He does not know that Chat Noir lives here. His powers have limitations, just like you do with yours. He is more powerful since he is older and more experienced, but even he can’t overextend the capabilities of his miraculous.”
He paused, stroking his beard, and contemplated. Then he asked, “Did something happen last night to make your emotions different from what they normally are?”
Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other, blushing furiously, stammering as they attempted to answer without divulging too much unnecessary information.
Fu raised an eyebrow, then chuckled knowingly, raising his hands to stop them. “It’s okay, I don’t need to know the details.”
“Umm! I-it’s not what you think!”
“M-master, don’t misunderstand–”
“Y-you see–”
“What happened was…”
“My guess is–” Fu interrupted, “–That Hawkmoth sensed your great joy last night, and became enraged. He couldn’t stand the thought of you being happy because it would mean that he is in the wrong, and his pride won’t allow him to accept that.”
Chat and Ladybug fell silent, looking downcast, as the explanation both made sense yet was immensely disheartening.
“There’s something else, Master,” Ladybug spoke again. “Something happened at school today. Akumas, but they vanished without a trace. I mentioned it to you earlier today over the phone. Have you ever heard of such a thing?”
“Ah, yes. And all that remained was two white feathers?” Fu asked.
“That’s right. Could the akumas still be out there because they haven’t been purified?”
Fu shook his head. “Allow me to explain. Firstly, as Ladybug already knows, two of the miraculouses in my box went missing when the temple of the guardians was destroyed: the butterfly and the peacock. One of them fell into Hawkmoth’s hands sometime within the last few years. But after hearing about what happened at the school today, we can now confirm that Hawkmoth is currently in possession of not just one, but of both of them. Either that, or he has someone else working under him.”
“The Peacock… of course!” Ladybug gasped, voice filled with dread.
Chat looked at her, then back at Fu, waiting for him to elaborate.
“The Guardian’s Grimoire calls them ‘sentimonsters’, mystical beings created out of thin air using the peacock miraculous, which harnesses the power of emotions. They can be created and destroyed whenever the wielder desires. Usually they are simple creatures, designed to be helpers or perform smaller tasks. However, they can also be more sophisticated, even indistinguishable from other humans, although an enormous amount of energy is required to create these complex sentimonsters. One can even ‘borrow’ the appearance of an already existing person. In this case, Hawkmoth chose not to give the sentimonsters the ability to speak, so they couldn’t divulge their secrets, in the event that they were caught.”
Ladybug shuddered. “What the hell?! That is so creepy.”
“Indeed.” Fu looked over at Chat, who had remained pensive throughout this exchange. “Any thoughts, Chat Noir?”
Chat looked up at him, trying to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say. “I… I think I remember seeing the peacock miraculous in my father’s safe once. I only caught a glimpse of it; I just thought it was some of my mom’s jewelry he kept as a memento. I had no idea it was a miraculous. Otherwise, I would’ve had Plagg help me break into the safe and taken it with me when I ran away from home. There are so many things my father never told me… I’m sorry I don’t know more.”
Ladybug reached out to hold his hand, giving it a small squeeze, which he returned.
“You’ve done more than you know, believe me,” Fu replied as he unconsciously squeezed his satchel, which contained the electronic tablet where his copy of the Grimoire was stored.
He stuck his hand in his pocket and stepped forward, handing Chat Noir a card with his cell phone number.
“Call me if you have any questions, either of you. Even if it’s the middle of the night. Wayzz will make sure I hear my phone if it rings; he’s a much lighter sleeper than I am.”
“Thank you, Master Fu,” replied Chat, smiling. “And thank you too, Wayzz.”
“Thanks, Wayzz. Thank you, Master.” said Ladybug.
“Also, I must remind you once again that your identities must remain a secret until things settle down. There are negative effects that could happen if you are revealed too soon, and I’m not sure what they could be; but it’s best not to find out.”
Ladybug frowned. “But when will that be, Master? It would be so much easier to be able to communicate without having to transform.”
Fu shrugged helplessly. “I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that. We must allow things to continue to develop on their own. I'm sure we’ll know when the time is right.”
Ladybug let out a displeased sigh. Chat nodded, glancing away with a worried look in his eyes. Despite Ladybug’s eagerness (and despite his own curiosity), waiting suited him just fine for now.
After saying their goodbyes, Fu left the pair behind and let himself out with a final wave. The two heroes remained in the bedroom, contemplating what had been discussed.
After sitting in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to say next, a lightbulb seemed to light up inside Ladybug’s brain, and she began typing away into her yo-yo communicator. Chat watched curiously, wondering what she was up to.
Moments later, she hopped out of the bed to jot something down onto a sticky note from Chat’s desk, then walked back.
“Just because we can’t tell each other who we are doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be able to contact each other when we’re not transformed. Kwamis aren’t pagers, after all.”
“Pagers? What decade is this, anyway?” Chat razzed.
“Hush, you,” she mock scolded him, suppressing a smile. “ Anyway! Here’s my brand new, Chat Noir-exclusive email address,” she said, handing him the note with a wink.
Chat’s eyes lit up. “Wait, really??” He unfolded the paper as if it was a Christmas present, excited to read the contents. His eyes widened and he burst out laughing.
“ ‘[email protected]’ ?!”
“What, you don't think I’m great?” she teased, striking an exaggerated, Chat Noir-style pose.
Chat’s snickering only intensified and he nodded. “Oh, for sure! The greatest!” he agreed.
Ladybug smirked. “I made it just now,” she explained. “So you’re the only one who knows about it. We may not be able to hang out in person yet, but I’d still like to talk to you during the day. Plus, it’ll come in handy for emergencies.”
“Buginette you’re a genius!”
Ladybug giggled, feeling her face warm up despite herself. “M-maybe we can message each other when you have some free time? I mean… now that you don’t have to worry about getting akumatized in your own room anymore. Your bedroom’s pretty much the safest place in Paris now, thanks to Master Fu.”
“And thanks to you, as well, my dear ‘Lily-bug’,” Chat reached up to take her hand, gently pulling her down to sit next to him. “I feel much better already. And knowing I can talk to you anytime makes me feel even safer.”
She scooted closer, setting her head down on his shoulder. “Y-you know… you make me feel safe too, Kitty.”
Chat’s insides twisted into pleasant little knots, suddenly feeling rather warm. “Really?”
He felt her smile as her hand squeezed his arm, her other one sneaking across their laps to wrap her fingers around his own. “Yeah. I know we’ve only been allies for a short time, but I’ve already lost count of all the times you’ve saved me or sacrificed yourself to help others. Our partnership grows stronger every day, and I think Hawkmoth knows it. He knows we’re stronger together. And it’s only a matter of time until we can be together without these masks too, I just know it.”
He turned towards her, putting his fingers under her chin and lifting her head to have her look up at him. Their eyes met, her pupils dilating as they focused on his own, and he could see a bright blush blooming on her cheeks.
“Me too,” he whispered, as he brought their lips together.
She blissfully melted into him, letting out a small noise of contentment. She deepened the kiss, reaching behind his head to caress his hair with her slender fingers. Their kisses and breaths mingled together and they lost track of everything else around them.
A little while later, they faintly heard the grandfather clock striking the hour in the living room, then some noises as the Dupains shuffled upstairs from the bakery to get ready for bed.
Ladybug pulled back and they separated, his lips still tingling from her touch.
“I… I should probably get going soon,” she lamented with a small shrug. “It’s starting to get late.”
“Would you like me to walk you home? Or rather, to somewhere around your neighborhood?”
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. Besides, I’m closer than you might think,” she added a bit cryptically.
“I wish you could stay,” he said softly, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. He gave her nose a tiny smooch. “Just a teeeeensy bit more?” he begged, giving her the best kitten eyes he could muster.
Ladybug giggled shyly, cheeks still dusted with pink. She gave his own nose a peck, her lips soft and inviting. “Well… I guess I could stay just a little bit longer,” she said with a smirk.
“Purr- fect,” he said, capturing her lips once again.
-------------
Note:
Many of the events in the “Volpina” and “Collector” episodes happened in this AU, albeit heavily modified to suit the story. Adrien found the grimoire in his father’s safe, took it out to study it, and Lila stole it. Since Adrien didn’t act impressed about Lila knowing Ladybug, she didn’t magnify the lie and claim to be Ladybug’s best friend; therefore, Ladybug never showed up to call her out on her lie, and Lila was never akumatized.
However, Tikki did see the book in the dumpster and retrieved it, and Marinette showed it to Master Fu. After Gabriel discovered the book was missing and pulled Adrien out of school, Fu made a copy so that Marinette could return it to Gabriel, and Adrien was allowed to attend school again. Currently, Adrien has no idea that this is how Fu acquired his grimoire; he merely assumes that Fu has always had his own copy.
Of course, Marinette began to suspect that Gabriel might be Hawkmoth because he owned the grimoire. Gabriel akumatized himself into the Collector in order to avoid suspicion, and with Chat’s help, almost succeeded in obtaining the ladybug miraculous. Ultimately, Ladybug outsmarted him, got him to accidentally “collect” Chat, and succeeded in purifying his akuma. But by then, Gabriel had “proven” he was an innocent civilian and Ladybug dismissed his potential involvement as Hawkmoth.
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P.S.  Another note: Certain things that are similar but not identical to canon have been in my outline since the beginning, so I apologize if they're a little confusing (such as the protection talismans being similar to Ladybug's akuma victims' lucky charms or the destruction/disappearance of the Guardian Temple)
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tsukishimas-shortcake · 4 years ago
Text
Relationship Headcanons
↦ Character(s): Hakkai Shiba x fem!reader
↦ Rating/Warning: No rating though there are some light mentions of abuse (if you have read the manga you are aware of what I am talking about, I’m not going very deep into it though it literally just mentions it), mentions of anxiety attacks (no detail though), fluff, not proof read
↦ Word count: 1.8k (longer than planned, sections are bolded)
↦ Your Momo’s Receipt: Hello~ I’m post yet another TR headcanon and this was requested by the lovely @strawbub I hope this doesn’t disappoint, it did get longer than planned but I enjoyed writing it. I'll prob do a part two that's more of a scenario based on your first date or something since I didn't go into it here. Please note: for those of you who don’t know my blog is currently under construction, meaning I will not be updating my masterlist for the time being.
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So how did you guys meet, well mostly because of Yuzuha,
One day in like elementary you’re walking home and you see this super pretty middle school girl just like yelling at this small group of guys
The guys end up running off just because they don’t wanna deal with her or the attention she's drawn to them
Behind her was a boy, taller than her but obviously younger. You didn’t assume they knew eachother though.
The boy and yuzuha began walking in opposite directions because one was going home while the other was going to pick up something like groceries
You’re so entranced by how she stood up to them yet she’s a girl who was far smaller and you end up catching up to her, almost stepping on her heels
You end up absent mindedly following her into the grocery store and eventually she just freezes, turns, and stare directly at you
Your eyes widen since you must’ve been staring and she just goes “may I ask why you’re following me?” And you explain how cool she was earlier. She invites you over for dinner (esp since her older brother won’t be home) and figured it’d be good for Hakkai to meet someone his age
You end up going over but Hakkai didn’t come down to eat so you never actually got to meet him, though from then on you would see Yuzuha every so often, visit every other weekend or so
But no matter how often you came over the next few months, you never once met hakkai,
That was until you both reached the end of your middle school education and we’re about to begin high school
You had gone over because you were going to borrow an old work book from Yuzuha, and when you go to knock on the door the door opens before your closed fist could hit it, instead hitting a firm chest
You blush and quickly apologize but the person in front of you doesn’t move at all, doesn’t say anything and almost looks like they drifted into space with their dead stare
You assume this is yuzuha’s older brother because you’ve also never met him and you immediately turn to walk away but Yuzuha calls over hakkai’s shoulder
“Y/N-Chan! You just got here where are you going?” This was def not yuzuha’s older brother. There’s no way she’d be that happy with him around; oh my god. Realization hit, the guy who you hit (though it was more of a tap) was hakkai.
The hakkai you had only caught a glimpse of in yuzuha’s photos, never talked to or actually seen in person despite going to the same school and living in the same neighborhood
He must hate you. That’s why he avoids you. That’s def why - is what you think
Yuzuha drags hakkai back inside and invites you in; you sit down with them in the living room and watch hakkai visibly relax now that he’s inside his house, his own space, with a pillow behind him and a blanket covering his lower half, he almost curls up into it as he continues to avoid your stare
“Hi hakkai…Kun? Im L/N Y/N” you say and you see his face dead pan once again
Yuzuha can be heard laughing from the kitchen as she comes back in.
She leans over and begins explaining that hakkai literally just freezes with any interaction between him and girls who aren’t in his family
You nod, thinking maybe it’s an anxiety thing? Which is the case with you, but only because he’s been watching you since you’ve come over (not in a creepy way) wanting to and working the courage up to talk to you
The 5th or so time you came over after that encounter he was inches away from introducing himself before the house phone rang causing everyone to kind of “wake up” in a sense
Every time since then he gets closer and closer but isn’t able to say anything; he even realizes he has a crush on you.
The way you sit when you do homework and how cute you look when you’re focused.
How your forehead scrunches up when you’re trying to figure something out and you end up just sitting back with a small huff followed by yuzuha’s signature laughter.
It’s also a huge thing that you get along with Yuzuha.
So enough with first meeting time for the confession.
He ends up confessing accidentally. He didn’t know you were coming over to begin with so he was flustered out of his mind. And how was he supposed to know you hadn’t actually fallen asleep and you could hear him over the tv
The tv was more white noise than anything and the day was hot since it was the middle of summer causing the window to be open and the sound of soft wind and small birds to drift in; this was the hot that makes you tired so you were all sprawled out of just sitting in a daze
So while resting your head on the table you’re dozing in and out but then you hear hakkai begin to speak, something he never really did around you
Now did you and hakkai text? Yes. Did it take him an hour to reply because his brain would explode when you replied to him? Yes. But was it a start to communication? Also a yes.
You hear him say your name quietly before he moved closer, you can feel his gaze on your features
“I like you” is all he says. Simple and sweet. But you sit there in shock, trying not to blush so he’ll have no idea you heard him but he can tell because your forehead scrunches
You heard him and are focused on if you should reply or not. And he knows that.
You open your eyes and just look up at him, he’s closer than expected. His hand close to yours on the floor and he reaches over and grabs it lightly. Hoping you’ll also return the gesture by holding his hand instead of leaving your hand limp inside his.
And you do, thank goodness, and Hakkai almost mentally can’t handle it.
Once you start dating it’s more so just hanging out at his house or yours; however he talks a bit more and you text a lot more. He’s gotten better at replying. It usually takes him like 15 minutes now
He’s kinda stressed about your relationship but not due to anything you or him did
He’s stressed because of the mentality his older brother gave him
Is he even allowed to be this happy?
He finally has someone thats small enough and naive enough that he can protect you; compared to constantly being protected it’s a sudden, strong, yet good change for him
He’s touch s t a r v e d
Yes Yuzuha shows affection; but he stopped accepting her hugs when he was around 8 just because he physically wasn’t able to handle it due to his bruises and such
But with you, even with his bruises and all you take care of him. Able to coax him into using medicines and toning down the physical violence (that he can control himself)
He also finds it super soothing when you lightly brush over his scars (especially those that his brother gave him), it helps him believe that scars are only physical and can fade with help
One thing that stresses him out the most is trying to hide you from his brother. Any time you leave something at the house its easy to pass it off as yuzuha's but when it comes to things like photos he has with you, he can't hang them up, show them off, or have them as his phone Lock Screen, etc. because he just really doesn't want his brother to know and target you since he'll then know that you're his weakness (aside from yuzuha as well)
Sometimes won't explain why he can't hang out and has legit pushed you out of his house before at the last minute notice of his brother coming home
Will always make sure you get home safe though, usually by having Yuzuha go with you since then she can just say you're a friend from school
Your parents love him, though they were a bit hesitant it became a "you always have a place to stay" because they learned about their family situation from you and yuzuha. So expect him to spend the night when he's too scared to deal with his brother. Same with yuzuha. (yes I know this isn't yuzuha head canons but its hard to write for him without mentioning her when they're so close)
We're talking three person sleep overs. Yuzuha and you of course share the bed and Hakkai takes some time to even set foot in your room much less sleep on a mattress that's on the floor
He has a small heart attack every time he comes into your room because he's overwhelmed with everything, he's never been so comfortable and it makes him feel restless. Like he's never and I mean n e v e r been less stressed and slept better than when he does so in your room
The smell, the colors, just being surrounded by you is something that completely changes his mood
Once showed up after he fought with his brother, tears in his eyes and clothes a bit tattered and you just pulled him to your room, and sat down with him.
You laid on your bed with him laying down onto of you, head on your chest as you rubbed his head and only said a few words "its not your fault"
He ends up crying so hard he falls asleep and gets dehydrated and you have to make him drink a bunch of water when he finally wakes up.
NSFW
super fucking careful w you
almost annoyingly so, but you're understanding
He knows that he might be taking things frustratingly slow but he knows that since you understand and know his history that you can help him get through it
Your first time you think you'll have to call it off because he's shaking so bad
"baby... are you sure it won't hurt you?" he keeps asking.
pretty sure that's the longest its ever taken him to finish because he was so anxious
despite being so slow and hesitant, late he isn't too scared to get a bit rougher
but im not talking anything crazy im talking like he's willing to pull your hair a bit or nip a bit harder at your neck.
Please never ask him to do anything like degrade you or some type of harsh physical rough shit, he can't
like literally im 99% sure that if you ask him to choke you or something he will pass out because of the anxiety attack he would have at even the thought.
in short with nsfw though he is sweet boy. He's a switch through and through. Loves when you take care of everything because then he doesn't have to be scared of hurting you.
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levisgirll · 4 years ago
Note
Hi! Can you do a headcanon of Levi being jealous/posessive when someone tries to flirt with his crush?
𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)
text: Hello anon! Thank you so much for the request🥺 Of course I can! and I hope you like what I wrote💞 (also I’m sorry this took some time! this week and last week was just so stressful ahhh) incoming some cute jelly levi boi, I also realized now we need more of this- ALSO will be using this fact stated by Isayama about levi getting jealous which is he wouldn’t get jealous over his lover because he would trust them, although if he were to be jealous he’d stay low about it then by time explode. in this case it would be his crush and not lover as requested! (incoming some real cute fluff and levi being a cutie who is a bit jealous <3)
synopsis: Levi Ackerman isn’t the one who would get easily affected by others, he wouldn’t care most of the time what people would do and say to him. But....he has a crush on y/n for the longest time now and it seems his feelings is growing too with time. He notices some scouts trying to tease and flirt with his crush, he starts to feel something about it and pushes the thought away, but the feeling is still present. One day, something happens and he can’t take it anymore and becomes a bit possessive and clingy towards y/n!
fluff, aot world, headcanon fanfic ♡ —
You let out a long sigh as you were heading back to the survey crops headquarters from your training. Today was a really busy and stressful day as you had to train a lot and also manage to keep up with everyone.
You joined not long ago and you still were trying to fit in, learn new skills from others, and kept on training to catch up with others. Many saw you as a really hard worker.
But, you recently been getting some help and advice from Captain Levi! The strongest solider that everyone talks about and with that, you both got close and Levi seemed to like your attitude, and would usually ask you for your opinion on things.
Everyone was quite shocked how Levi seem to show a little bit of interest in you and even spoke to you. Y/N was different, unique more like it and how they never gave up and still kept on going amazed Levi. He was a bit worried about you though cause you could be reckless, but he had your back always watching without you even noticing. Later then, he realized after sorting out this emotions and feelings he had....he actually had a crush on you instead!
It was a fact that Y/N was quite attractive and good looking, everyone had eyes on Y/N and Levi would sometimes be quite annoyed and pissed about how some guys who seemed to have bad intentions always trying to get a chance to talk to you and get you alone but Y/N would usually avoid them and leave the scene before it happens.
You were just such a likeable person though! Who wouldn't like you? and many tried to make a move on you but you made the scouts that you were hard to read. But instead for one guy.
A scout was keeping his eyes on you for a while, and with his friends telling him that 'he would never get a chance with y/n' made him take the bet and go for it.
"Hey there! I see you training hard? My name is Roy, nice to meet you" He said with a big smile and gave you a little wave while coming up to you. You were setting up your ODM gear and glance at him. "Oh, I see it's Y/N." You said normally, but you weren't going to lie, the guy did look kind of cute but you had a gut feeling something was up.
"Of course, you are the great Y/N everyone talks about." He said with a smirk, "You look so much prettier." You were taken aback by the comment and thanked him, it was not everyday you would hear this comment and someone saying that bluntly.
"Haha, you don't have to be shy! It's the truth so own it. Anyways, I'll see you later yeah? Bye!" He shouted out and ran back to his friends, and you stood there quite shy.
You did not notice that Levi was actually standing near the entrance of the headquarters and watched the whole thing. You could tell by his gaze towards Roy he was...glaring at him? "Tch." He scoffed and walked away from the training area, looking rather pissed but you managed to go over to him and caught up with Levi. There your bright energy opened up, and you gave Levi a bright big smile that you would only usually do for him. "Hi Captain Levi! How was your weekend? I haven't seen you for a while." Y/N said in a cheerful tone, they looked rather happy to see Levi and that made him relax and warmed his heart since his crush has always greeted him this way. "Hey Y/N, it was alright I guess. And Oi, didn't I tell you to just call me Levi? Drop the captain, don't wanna hear that from you." He said and crossing his arms and looking slightly away to hide his faint little blush on his cheeks.
He observed you for a while, and he realized that you were the only one who would talk to Levi like this and he was the only man you ever showed your cute and gentle side to! And the same goes to him, you were the only one who he showed his soft and nice side by his small actions and words. So, he felt really lucky and somehow was assured and felt trusted that you might not be interested in anyone else, and maybe....just maybe he had a chance!
"My bad, Levi" Y/N said after a small giggle which was one of his favorite sounds, hearing his crush laugh a little was one of the main things he wanted to achieve. "I'm going to do hand-to-hand combat training later. Could you perhaps train m-" Before Y/N was going to finish talking, Levi cut them off and said "Yea sure, don't ask me and just tell me what it is and I'll help you train."
Levi didn't notice, but he was becoming rather tender and considerate only to Y/N these days which not only shocked them but also made them happy. "Thanks Levi, you are the best! I'll see you later!" Y/N waved at Levi with a joyful expression and ran off. After that small interaction and chat, it seemed like all Levi's worries and stress was relieved and he gave a small smile. Not only that, but also another feeling he had earlier was gone, but he couldn't figure just what was that feeling from earlier?
Later on, training for hand to hand combat has started and you were there, ready and waiting for none other than Levi to show up. But, someone else showed up instead of him. "So we meet again, Y/N." You turned around and it was Roy, he looked rather excited and he was checking you up with a gaze that made you slightly uncomfortable. "Um...yea cause we still have training?" You gave him a confused look and raised your eyebrow at him 'Just what does this guy want...' you wondered.
"You aren't pair up with anyone, so let's train together!" He said cheerfully and was in his fighting stance, all ready without you even having the time to respond to his offer.
"W-Wait...I'm waiting for Levi to train me!" You finally said in a stuttering tone. "Levi? Ha....since when did you start calling him that? Anyways, I don't see him? So, train with me instead sweetheart." He gave you a flirtatious smile, and you sighed and brought out the wooden dagger which you took your stance and took charge at him. He somehow let you take the hit and you looked up at him "Wow, you are good!". He was not taking you seriously, and was playing around with you, teasing you more like it. While you were training with Roy, without any warning he made you trip and you fell on the ground which you felt your knee starting to hurt. "Oh no. Are you okay?" Roy said and bent down, to check your knee. You felt it was done on purpose just to get you off guard, and so he can get closer to you.
With your surprise, he brought his hand out and pushed your hair back and behind your ear and then touched your cheek which made your eyes wide "No one should be allowed to look that good. How do you do it?"
"Huh...what do you mean?" Y/N said, all confused and tried to get up but Roy's grip made you not get up so easily. "Say, tell me how are you still Single?"
Before you could respond, someone quickly grabbed Roy by his wrist and pulled him up quickly. "You....The fuck do you think you are doing?" It was....Levi! He gave a death glare to Roy who now seemed to have been displeased. "I'm helping them up...What do you think you are doing holding me like this?"
"Did I ask you a question? It a command, answer it. What. Were. you trying to do." Levi said now in a very serious tone that gave off a scary vibe and everyone had stopped their training and were all frightened. Levi was not dumb, he clearly knew what Roy was up to, seductively flirting with you which he ignored before he knew you would not respond to it but.... he then purposely made you trip which he noticed and was not able to hold it in any longer.
"Do you want me to fucking break your leg to answer me?" Levi was being impatient and without any hesitation and not giving Roy any time to respond, he knee kicked him right up his chin and that made him fall down on his knees and covered his nose which was now bleeding. "You little shit, and you dare even question me after disrespecting Y/N? You have a death wish for sure."
Levi was about to kick him when Y/N quickly held on his arm and pulled Levi a bit back, holding on to his arm. "Stop! That's enough Levi. Don't bother with him, I'm fine now!" Y/N said, trying to calm Levi down and reassure him.
He stayed silent, and looked back at Roy, deciding on what to do. "Hm...Alright. I'm only stopping cause of Y/N." Levi took Y/N's hand which shocked everyone in the training area, including Roy and Levi turned around while saying in a cold tone. "Roy, you have cleaning duty for all the toilets at the HQ for a month and it better be fucking clean or I will make you redo it. You are nothing but a piece of trash so be useful and clean them."
Levi still, holding your hand tightly, pulled you and you both were walking away from the training area, away from everyone else. Y/N was blushing now and was looking at Levi's back head where they clearly saw his neat underhair cut. 'Levi why did he do this....' You wondered and Levi then stopped walking when you both reached near the stable. "Are you...hurt?" He said, turning around to look at you with a slight worried expression. "N-No, and thanks for back there." Y/N said, blushing even harder and looked down. "But, why..." They finally said looking directly at his grey eyes which soften, this was a question that kept killing Y/N's curiosity.
He stayed quiet, and looked away from your gaze. He seemed to refuse to respond. 'Wait....don't tell me!' Y/N then jolted their head up which caught Levi by surprise (worried if they noticed-) and they immediately said in a hyper tone.
Y/N: "Oh Levi....were you-"
Levi: "No."
Y/N: "You sure? Cause I swear you-"
"Shut it. I was just being annoyed by him, alright?" He would say and ruffle your hair gently. He wanted to hold you, hug you. You were just too adorable to him! But he knew he couldn't do any of that.
"Weird...I don't recall saying anything about that. But you just proved to me you were actually jealous!" Y/N said, and let out a happy and cheerful laugh. He would not admit it, but he felt embarrassed right now.
"Tch, brat are you gonna actually keep saying it now?" He said with a slight blush and turned around, "Well...Not till you be honest with yourself." Y/N told Levi in a shy tone, and still with a smile that was too big it hurted their cheeks, they were just too happy to see Levi like this!
You weren't going to lie, but seeing Levi jealous really made you feel something and so did he!
He took your hand gently and caressed your hand with his thumb. "If you want to know....come to my office?" Levi, was now a blushing mess, he was being nervous but he knew that at some point he had to let his feeling out because it was not an easy one to handle despite him being emotional he was able to control that but this was a special case and today proved that to him. He had to let you know.
You both went to Levi's office, and he pulled you closer and looked at your eyes which was filled with lust and love just for you "Please....Could I?" Levi said softly which had a little bit of nervous and tense tone. You then realized and confirmed, you both did actually shared the same feelings and behind closed doors while the evening was approaching you both slowly started to kiss each other even though you both were new to this sort of thing you took it slowly, and kept trying it again and again, till you both got the hang of it. Levi did that just to show that he wanted to make you his starting tonight and not having anyone else flirt with you anymore and that that he was capable of being romantic to u too! You never saw him this clingy, it was super cute.
With your reassurance and talk with Levi, your words would comfort him and calm him down and he then started to trust you even more which he was since the beginning but now that he got your approval he never felt such a lucky man.
Now, no scout with bad intentions ever dared to come up to you and Levi does not take it lightly next time if he even sees someone checking you up, or making you uncomfortable. With this, he promised to protect you from any harm and swore to that, he wanted to be your protector.
So poor them who ever tried to flirt with you and poor Roy stuck with a broken nose and having cleaning toilets duty!
But thanks to Roy, Levi finally was able to explain and show/say his true feelings to Y/N and now he can keep Y/N close to him only and cherish and protect them without any hesitation. He truly did value and care for Y/N.
This was actually so fun to write up ahhh and I find Levi acting sort of like this when he explodes at the person trying to flirt with his crush and the one responsible making him jealous! (I don’t think he would explode or lash out on his crush/lover, he is too mature for a situation where someone flirts with them, he would lash out on whoever is hitting on them instead of his lover ofc) I hope you enjoyed this anon and sorry this was late but hope you enjoyed it and if you did or anyone else please leave a like or a reblog!🥺 ♡♡♡
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pocketramblr · 4 years ago
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Ask game: AU where Hawks doesn't understand why Izuku dislikes him, not remembering he gave him the MBA book, please!
ok this is funny bc my cousin called me saturday to ask a question about class but then we got into a long rant talking about how stupid and ooc it was for izuku to just NOT read that book and go to sleep instead lkjhjkj
1- Izuku reads the book. His copy is not highlighted with any code. He is instead treated to long treatises on how important quirks are at defining people and their role in society and how making quirks illegal is inhumane. He finds some parts interesting- especially about the stories where children need to use their quirks and suffer for being discriminated against and not allowed to use theirs.
2- But others are disturbing: advocating a violent overthrow of everything, every mention of the laws as relics of a backwards time, not a thought taken for quirkless people still being born and having value, the only references being them as suffocating and doomed to trying to bring all of humanity to extinction with them.
3- He doesn't know how he'd feel if he were still quirkless reading this. He doesn't know how other people who are, other fans, would feel if they knew their hero felt this way about them. But others, who were hurt for their quirk, would feel better, right? But the outright violence against the laws would get the Commision's attention, so Hawks knows its dangerous to tell people thats how he feels, right? Izuku doesn't know. So he doesn't tell anyone. Not Toshinori, not Aizawa-sensei, not Endeavor or his friends. Not Hawks either, but he avoids the winged blond as much as he can. Tokoyami, though. He asks about the internship and hears things are going well, but isn't sure how to warn him. Tokoyami, he could easily see getting mistreated for his quirk, so maybe Hawks had been a compassionate mentor for him. But, with that book, it could still ruin Tokoyami's career to be associated with anti-hero beliefs. There's only one hero ranked higher though, so Izuku asks Shoto if his old man would be willing to take Tokoyami on too, that it might be good for him to train against so much light. Shoto brings it up, figuring its just a normal bit of analysis and the urge to help others from Midoriya, and Endeavor begrudgingly asks Hawks. Hawks agrees to Tokoyami doing more training there- he's too busy, away so often for the LoV mission.
4- Banjo actually brings it up with Izuku one day- the fact that he was an early hero, that the first MLA were trouble for him. That he's right to be on guard, but that Banjo can't give him any advice about the quirklessness. He can only say he's one of the vestiges that supports him and that they'll trust him to do the right thing when the time comes.
5- Toshinori asks Izuku what he wants to do after the Jakku thing. He finally tells Toshinori about Hawks and the MLA book, and that he knew more about Endeavor's crimes way earlier. They decide to go off alone, and have the heroes run distraction and intel for them. They can't give away Izuku when they don't know where he is, but they send updates to Izuku. Hawks tries to find them anyway, figuring they could use more help (and well, he could use more information.) The commission is gone, he's just the second in command trying to hold things up until afo can be taken out and reinforcements can arrive. Izuku, exhuasted, finally talks with him after Toshi leaves to drive someone to safety. He asks about the book, about hero society. Hawks says he just used the book to pass on a code to Endeavor about his mission, and it was a risk worth it. He knows there were problems with hero society, deeply. He tried to help people, but he never wanted it turned to dust and in as much chaos as people are now. That's why he killed Twice, to ensure the whole country wasn't massacured like Jakku. Izuku nods. Some of his vestiges warm up to Hawks- Second, is def one. Izuku doesn't care, Second's opinion isn't one he treasures like Eighth's. Hawks says he thinks Izuku and his classmates like Tokoyami are better than him, that they could build a better hero society. Nana warms to him. Izuku is just relieved for Tokoyami, and then remembers another reason he didn't trust Hawks. He asks Hawks what he thinks about quirklessness, and the bird is thrown off guard without anything to say. Izuku takes the silence, and then just leaves, telling Toshi to meet up with him somewhere else.
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collectionoftulips · 2 years ago
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For those who have read the latest strictly au chapter (chapter 4), I wanted to share some general thoughts re my plot/thought process behind this chapter, particularly centred on why I chose to end the chapter the way I did (sorry, I'm a nerd)
Naturally, like with a lot of fics in this fandom, a lot of establishing fun is really setting their dynamic and playing with how certain key scenes may or may not play out in an AU. The phone call was in an earlier chapter for all intents and purposes the 'meet-ugly' scenario (as the lovely @dil-ibaadat commented) that shapes their first meeting.
Kate and Anthony are clearly the kings and queens of self-sabotage and getting in their own way (Anthony especially), and while I've worked with that a few different ways in other fics, what really appealed to me in this fic was playing with this other form of self-sabotage that I haven't really used before: the way we can sometimes compare what we have to what we perceive others to have.
Like in the show (which is my main entry point into this fandom), Anthony has his whole almost insta love feelings for Kate, which he obviously represses deeply. Yet, the more he's around her and is impressed by her, the more difficult it is for him to shut those feelings down. She's very reserved and he just wants so much to know her, to please her, to get a sense of how she feels about him (which he can barely read at all).
But with this competition, it isn't just them, and as they get into the group rehearsals, he sees so many variations of partnerships that are established on the show and the different ways that they are with each other, that seem so much closer than what he has with Kate. He might not be able to fully admit his feelings for her, but he wants that closeness, that bond he sees other people have with their dance partner. He, of course, doesn't understand that the reason why the majority of these other partnerships don't seem as burdened by complications as his with Kate is precisely because Kate is aware that she could very much like him in a non-platonic way if she let herself (but of course she doesn't because you know...). So he just sees variations of what he wants paraded in front of him and it hurts. And because he and Kate are both such guarded people, of course he doesn't talk to her about it.
Sitting with those feelings and allowing himself to be vulnerable in that way with her is difficult, if not near impossible, so it's easier for him to focus on the jealousy he feels towards her friendship with Simon (also because this is one of my fics and I looooove jealous and pressed Anthony). He sees that ease and comfort that she displays with Simon and not with him so it's easy for him to imagine that clearly, something could be going on with them. But of course all of these thoughts nag in the back of his head but easily evaporate once they start dancing, because Anthony's brain always short-circuits a little bit when he's in physical proximity to Kate.
Then they are on camera and she says she's proud of him and that hits in a very particular deep way due to the way I've chosen to have the family dynamics in this chapter (which will become a later factor). That makes him sort of realise (yet not fully) that he has Feelings. And for someone who's spent the better part of his life avoiding all kinds of Feelings, that becomes really scary. Scary in that way that is also a little bit exciting if he allows himself to hope.
So he opens up, trying to repay the compliment that she gave him by saying how brilliant he thought she was, thereby allowing some of the feelings that he both fears and wants to bubble up to the surface. And just maybe everything could be wonderful, maybe he was wrong all along and maybe she could care.
Then their dance ends and in the depths of his feelings, he gets a brief hug, which he doesn't mind, only to recover in time to see Kate wrap Simon into a hug seemingly with all the feelings he wanted, that he thought she didn't really show, only to realise that no, actually she does show them, but not to him. And why should he think he was special, right? There is nothing in the participation criteria for Strictly that is about forming lasting friendships or anything. He's reminded that for all intents and purposes, this is a professional arrangement that Kate did not choose. She was allocated him as a partner so why should she feel any particular way about him?
These things just set off this incredible spiral where he gets angry and frustrated with himself for allowing all of these 'weaknesses' (god, this character needs therapy so bad) and he thinks back to all of these external markers of closeness he's seen with other dance couples and uses those to invalidate his feelings and what he feels to be true (that maybe there could be something there). This is of course when Kate catches on to something being wrong, and he just hates how seemingly consumed he is by her good opinion, how he can't stop thinking about her but she doesn't even seem to know he exists. So he takes it out on her, which is just fundamentally wrong.
So really, what I wanted to kinda play with in this chapter was how comparison really truly is the thief of joy.
(wow I really just rewrote the entire chapter into this post but whatever haha)
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dancingamongstdust · 3 years ago
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MHA Scenarios - First Meeting (Part 4)
Requests are still open as of this post.
Shigaraki
You hadn’t meant to cause that level of destruction. It was an accident.
But they hadn’t seen it that way.
Their words followed you even when they could not. You could hear the accusations ringing in your head whenever you used your quirk – for better, or for worse. It became easier to ignore as you slowly learned to stop caring.
Until your quirk went out of control again.
You woke up in a dark room with a pounding headache and exhausted limbs. The doctor who was looking after you (a man you were relatively certain had no actual medical knowledge) had gotten very close and asked how much you remembered. When you informed him that it wasn’t much, he had smiled.
“Well, you certainly drew attention to yourself,” he had laughed. “Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky that the heroes didn’t get to you first.”
“I guess so…”
Something warned you that this situation was more dangerous than it seemed. Your eyes drifted over the covered windows of the room and you stared at the door. “Why did you help me?”
“Well that’s hardly for me –“
He didn’t get a chance to answer before you dashed for the exit. The doctor’s quirk didn’t allow him to grab you and his alarmed shout was all you heard before you were darting down the hallway. You weren’t going to stick around and get experimented on.
You turned the corner, heart pounding in your chest. They must have given you something because you felt drowsy. The entire world was spinning.
But you had to nearly trip yourself up to avoid running directly into somebody as you sprinted down a different hallway.
This was hardly your first time dealing with villains and many of them had odd quirks, to say the least. It shouldn’t have shocked you to see somebody with a human hand on their face but maybe the medication was lowering your tolerance because it was terrifying.
“Who are you?” you snapped out, immediately on the defense. You took a step away, ready to run or fight, whichever seemed easiest.
The man didn’t seem too bothered by your snap at least; the one eye that you could see watched you steadily from behind his hand mask. “I’m sure you’re not meant to be running around here,” he said. “But you’re no hero so you must be here for your quirk. Do you still have it?”
Your heart skipped a beat.
It wasn’t unknown in the underground that there was a man who stole quirks he liked. Nobody knew what he did with them but it wasn’t unheard of for villains to wake up with nothing. And you would never get them back.
You could feel your quirk was still there. It pulsed under your skin like a warning.
“My quirk?” you repeated. “I have my quirk.”
You did a random gesture, summoning all of your past acting experience to appear horrified when nothing happened. Again and again you tried before looking around in shock and horror.
The guy bought it and he shrugged. “Then there’s no reason to stop you.” He brushed past you and continued walking. “Not like you could find the exit anyway.”
The moment he turned the corner, you dropped the act and bolted again. This place was a maze but you found the exit and avoided any encounters with a practiced ease. Before leaving, you looked back up at the building and grimaced, hoping to never see it again.
Toga
It was late at night when you had the strangest encounter of your life. Not that that was a bad thing necessarily but it was something that occurred, nevertheless.
You had been feeling quite exhausted from a long day of fun with your friends. They had headed off to get a cab when you had realised that you needed the bathroom and disappeared to go find one.
There was a public toilet not too far from the street though it certainly wasn’t as clean as you would have hoped. Not to be deterred, you slipped in and found a sight that, even to your exhausted mind was uncomfortable.
A girl stood in front of one of the mirrors, blood staining much of her face. It covered the counter beneath her fingers and seemed to be coming from her lip.
“Are you okay?!” you asked, panicked.
She looked up at you, startled. Her dark hair covered much of her expression but she seemed a little out of it. Maybe she got hit on the head or something.
“I –“ she paused, her voice croaky and sore. She brought her hand up to rub her throat. “I think so.”
“Just wait, let me help you,” you said. You rushed into one of the stalls and gathered up some toilet paper. “Do you need me to call somebody or?”
“No,” she said quickly. “No. Thank you.”
You offered some of the damp tissue to her and she started wiping it away from her mouth. While she dealt with that, you cleaned the blood that she had left on the counter, making sure to get it out of all the cracks in and around the sink. “What happened to you?” you asked. “Did somebody attack you?”
“I slipped,” she said. “The tiles are really slippery and I think that I hit my mouth on the sink. It’s all kind of blurry.”
“Don’t worry,” you said, digging through your bag and grabbing some headache tablets. You offered the bottle to her. “Take two of those just in case. Even if it doesn’t hurt now, you don’t want to wake up with a headache tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Do I still have any blood on me?”
“Just on your jaw,” you pointed out. “Come on, my friends and I are getting a cab. We can call one for you also if you need.”
She took one last glance in the mirror before leaving. You had forgotten your own need for the bathroom and it was for good reason also. If you had hung around for a little longer, you may have seen blood trickling out from one of the stalls. Perhaps then you wouldn’t have been so worried about this stranger hitting her head.
“What’s your name?” you asked as you looked around for your friends.
“Toga,” the girl said, though she didn’t seem too happy with having told you. The words must have slipped out without her meaning to.
You gave her your own name and went up onto your toes to look around the crowd for your friends. Eventually you spotted them and waved but when you spoke to Toga, she didn’t respond.
She had disappeared into the crowd.
You went back into the bathroom and checked but she was long gone. Just like how the blood has escaped your notice earlier, you didn’t see the blonde watching you from the other side of the street, her head tilted a little.
Dabi
It was a rare day when you found yourself alone without at least one person to watch your back. You didn’t always need the protection but sometimes, it was nice to have.
But you had given your word and it wouldn’t do to back out of this now.
The building where everything had been organised was old and crumbling – its ancient nature hidden on the outskirts of the city and slowly becoming overtaken by countless plants. It wasn’t somewhere anybody with good intentions would find themselves.
You liked to think that your work was good. It benefitted many and took only from those who could afford to lose it. Unfortunately though, rules had to be broken for the best results, and sometimes what was classified as ‘wrong’ turned out to be needed in order to achieve a goal. It wasn’t quite in line with what you believed but it had to be done.
Did working with villains make you uncomfortable? Of course. But it was hardly going to be something that stopped you from moving forward.
The two members from the League of Villains that had been sent to meet you were both men. You didn’t bother with greetings, just holding up the briefcase that you held.
“I’m looking for a specific artwork,” you said. “I’ve been told that you might be able to help?”
“An artwork?” the one asked. He wore a white and black mask that concealed most of his face and an extremely gaudy costume.
“Not just an artwork,” you explained. “It has something of mine hidden in the canvas. Normally, I would just get the police involved but if they found it, it would be quite problematic for me. The group that stole it won’t listen to many but the League of Villains, I’m afraid. They have a few good quirks and they’re extremely cocky for it.”
“We’re not lapdogs,” the other man said. “Especially not for whatever agenda you’re pushing.”
“I don’t pay lapdogs,” you acknowledged. “Consider me a sponsor.”
Flames cackled into existence in his hand, surprising his colleague enough to jump a little. “Chances are, they’ve already found your thing. Even if they haven’t, the league can hardly go around picking fights with random gangs.”
“Shigaraki did ask –“
The masked man was cut off by a glare. Blue flames sent flickering light through the air as they waited patiently for your answer.
“If it’s already been discovered or if it happens to get damaged during the process, then I don’t plan on getting anything out of our deal. It’ll simply be a loss on my side.”
The flames slowly flickered out and you allowed yourself to breathe again. Confidence was a requirement for these deals but you didn’t quite have the nerves of steel that you portrayed. It was always a fight to keep your reactions in check.
“I guess if we happen to bump into the group, we can check around for your shit.”
You knew his bluff as well as your own. The League of Villains had always worked well with those who had money. They required funding and wouldn’t say no to being able to flex their reputation around the underground. It was almost needed with the way rumours were circulating.
It was less than a week after that encounter when you found your artwork sitting outside your home. Charred on the edges, it was damaged enough to make the art itself worthless. But your items inside were perfectly unharmed.
Not bad for your first time working alongside the League of Villains. It was worth the cost… you should do it more in the future.
Twice
When you had been called in for this job, you had no idea that it was going to turn into a fight of the magnitude you experienced.
Flames tore along the streets. They melted lamps and trapped hundreds inside buildings – the screams for help becoming almost deafening as you broke down yet another wall to get civilians out. It was the third building you had had to smash into and there were more yet.
Nobody could get out and, if they remained trapped, they wouldn’t survive much longer.
When your partner and you had realised you were dealing with the League of Villains, you had immediately called in the big guns. What you hadn’t realised was that doing so would result in a brawl of sorts in the streets. The League of Villains didn’t care about collateral and honestly, sometimes you wondered if the heroes did.
You were starting to overheat. The amount of fire swirling around was getting to you, drawing the breath from your lungs and slowing your movements. Its angry blue nature hinted at its abysmal nature.
The next building’s walls took even longer to get through but you managed it and a few people scrambled out. You ushed as best as you could although it was starting to get hard to speak.
But then you noticed a dark figure lying in one of the rooms
Outside, the fire roared and smacked against the walls but you couldn’t just leave somebody there. You stepped over the rubble and made your way to the figure.
It was hard to make out details with the flames. The heat seemed to be getting worse as you approached – soon identified as being caused by the gaping hole in the wall. It radiated around the room in waves. You covered your mouth and nose the best you could, creeping forward to reach where the person was.
When you arrived, it took you no time to recognise that you weren’t saving an unfortunate civilian but rather a member of the League itself.
You hesitated for a second before hooking your arms under his and beginning to drag him away from the danger. This was the type of thing that lost reputation for heroes. Civilians didn’t like seeing villains being rescued but you honestly didn’t care.
If he was left there, he was probably going to end up dying.
Though he had seemed unconscious, when you got him out of the building, he muttered something and moved. It was enough to make you jump back but he didn’t attack or anything. He just touched his face and then let his arm go limp again.
You moved back cautiously. His suit had been ripped on the one side, missing its arm and half of the torso. You checked his pulse, relieved to feel that it was still going, even if it was unsteady.
“Can you hear me?” you asked.
He didn’t respond and you reached up to remove his mask. His hand immediately snapped up to grab your wrist and you prepared to activate your quirk but all he did was push your arm away from his face.
Alright then. No touching the mask.
You bandaged the open wound on his side as best as you could. It looked like he had gotten launched through the building. Once he was as stable as he could be, you moved him to a safer area and jumped back into the fray. A ton of rescues later and the heroes had won, at the destruction of much property.
And, rather unsurprisingly, the villain you had saved was long gone.
Overhaul
There was a new drug running around the market. You had heard of a number of small-time villains taking it – most of them dying shortly after consumption. It wasn’t unheard of. If something had even the promise of a good time then it would attract thousands.
But what was a problem was that you had lost several of your newest underlings as a direct result of this drug.
Given how picky you were about hiring, this was going to be a problem.
You tracked the source to none other than the Shie Hassaikai. They were an old branch of the yakuza, sitting on the edge of a downward spiral into irrelevance. Rumors followed that their boss had fallen quite ill and now, it was only a matter of time until they fell completely on their faces.
So you didn’t feel too nervous when you approached the house that fronted their main base. Even with the members watching you from the bushes, you kept a straight line.
You weren’t unknown. It would do them a great disservice to attack you.
And they knew it.
You walked in the front door with absolutely no resistance and remained unsurprised when two masked men came out to greet you. They didn’t ask about your business or enquire as to who you were. Instead, they led you into a sitting room and gestured for you take a seat.
Instead of that, you walked around the room and picked up everything that looked interesting. Nothing was hidden around but you hadn’t expected there to be.
“Please don’t touch things without gloves on,” a smooth voice interrupted your curiosity. “Cleaning this entire house is rarely needed and I’d rather you didn’t change that.”
You turned around to find somebody considerably younger than you had expected for the head of the Shie Hassaikai. He wore their signature mask and a feathered coat, almost his entire body hidden in some way.
“Not a fan of germs?” you enquired.
“Not at all.”
You shrugged and made your way to the couch, sinking down into it. “Guess that means no drinks or anything? Oh well, that’s too bad.” You gestured for him to sit.  “So, you’re not who I was expecting.”
“You’ve never worked with our organisation before,” he said, sitting on the edge of the chair opposite you.
“No. You’re not in the same line of work as me and I don’t care too much about the Yakuza.”
“Then why are you here?”
You straightened, aware that you were about to get into the most dangerous part of the meeting. “Your drugs have been getting into my areas. Now, I don’t care all too much about how you distribute stock but it’s not just coming into possession of low-life criminals. My men are getting practically gifted it.”
His eyes narrowed. “We need to test it somehow. Besides, that sounds like a problem for you, no? Have better control of your men.”
“Keep your test tube shit out of my territories.”
A small staring contest took place – a test to see who would break first. You had been in almost a hundred of these over the course of your career. They didn’t bother you much at all in anymore.
Eventually he waved his hand through the air. “I guess we could stop supply to traders in your areas but this isn’t a charity.”
“I could kill your men.”
“But you would lose your own in the process. Wouldn’t it be easier to do this the peaceful way and maybe even establish a relationship between our two groups?”
“You have my attention. Don’t waste it.”
Kurogiri
There are those days when everything begins so well only to rapidly spiral into a situation out of your worst dreams. This was something like that.
You had gotten horribly caught in the crossfire of a battle between heroes and villains. It all occurred faster than you could have ever imagined – flashes of light and explosions of sound. People were screaming, the sound coming through a haze as you tried to get a grasp on what had happened.
Blood was trickling down your arm but you felt no pain. You slowly lifted your head. Something had hit you, you remembered that now as your brain caught up to the dull ache coming from your ribcage.
You tried to move, finding that you couldn’t. The ache became worse and a heavy, scraping sound interrupted your attempts to crawl away.
It was a piece of concrete, heavy and painful, pinning you effectively to the ground. A smaller chunk was holding it up and stopping you from being crushed. But if you moved too much…
You forced yourself to take a deep breath, nearly choking on the dust that filled the air. Maybe if you shifted slowly.
A crunching noise made you hiccup.
Alright, so that wasn’t going to work either. You strained your eyes to see through the carnage but you couldn’t make out any heroes. They would come eventually; you just had to wait patiently and try not to move too much.
The concrete seemed to get heavier still and you fought the desire to cry.
There was a crunching sound. You couldn’t just wait around.
Slow as you dared, you began to inch forward. The rough surface snagged at your clothing and made every centimeter feel like it was going to end with you crushed. Worse still, the more you moved, the more apparent the injury on your back became.
The blood that had been trickling down your arm was now creeping along your torso. It pooled in your clothes and made everything sticky.
You tried not to think about it but it made you light-headed regardless.
About half-way out, you spotted somebody nearby. It was just their silhouette but still, relief flooded your veins and you cried out desperately for help.
The figure made its way over to you, soon revealing that the man was almost entirely made of smoke. He wore a suit and tie but his body swirled as though only somewhat solid. Bright yellow eyes stared at you – any emotion behind them was completely unreadable.
His eyes traced your shape. “You’re not who I’m looking for.”
“Please help me. This thing’s going to crush me.”
He paused, the swirling darkness that made up his face shuddered as though it was unsure how to respond. “I should leave you here,” he mentioned. “You’re of no consequence to me or to my cause. If anything, I should add pressure to the piece of rubble and make sure the fatality numbers are higher.”
You caught of whimper before it could escape. “Please.”
His smoke shook again, almost as though he was struggling to keep hold of it. Then he raised a foot and placed it on the concrete.
You screwed your eyes shut and tried to imagine the best parts of life.
A loud horn blaring made you open them again and a surprised yelp escaped as you saw tires race past in front of you. People were shouting, their voices loud and nearby. Bright lights surrounded you and the air was clear once more.
The last thing you remembered seeing was a panicked nurse rushing over to you.
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the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years ago
Text
Crimson Ties (Bela Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 4
Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: None for this chap Genre: Hurt + comfort Summary: Sure, your soulmate may be a vampire (of sorts), but there's nothing that love can't conquer, right?... Maybe it's time you learn a little more about the odd circumstances of your soulmate's existence- and the fear that lies beneath the surface. Notes: If the last chapter was "hurt" followed by comfort, this is "comfort" followed by hurt, also known as the part where the story's central conflict comes into play. Features an appearance from Daniela, who reminds us that Cassandra's not the only one with a sharp tongue around here. Previous Chapters: 1: Stem the Flow, 2: Tangled Strands, 3: Rumbling Thunder
4: That Which Burns
“Of all the stars, the fairest,” Bela murmurs in your ear, keeping her arms wrapped loosely around your waist, before giving you a gentle kiss on the cheek. If you hadn’t already been blushing, you certainly would have now done so. You’re leaning into her touch, face flushed as can be, loving every moment of this. For a while now you’ve been curled up with her, while she reads excerpts from her favorite works. Although both of you would have preferred to do this outside, enjoying the view of the stars, you figured it would be best not to push your health too much. After all, you had lost a huge percentage of your blood. Well, temporarily, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.
“That’s probably my favorite line from Sappho,” you chimed, fondly remembering some of your schooling. “Though the one about being remembered always stands out to me. I’m not sure I remember it correctly, and I’m sure it’s been translated a few different ways over the years… but I think it’s ‘someone, I tell you, will remember us in another time’. Might have gotten that backwards, actually.” Giving an awkward little smile, you sheepishly rub the back of your head with one hand. “Either way it feels so romantic. To think of a love so strong that it echoes throughout time, fondly remembered for generations… it warms the heart.”
“Mhmm, most definitely, my dear. Many aren’t as lucky, however,” Bela laments, an odd expression crawling onto her face. There’s the slightest waver to her lower lip as she speaks. Concerned, you turn in place to get a better look, gently reaching out to caress her cheek. Is there something I’m missing? You think, wondering what you should say. “I’m alright, I promise. Merely distracted by a fleeting thought. Let’s read another, yes?” Before you can protest, she’s already turned to another page, starting to read as if she already knew which one was next (which would not, at all, surprise you).
Love shook my heart, Like the wind on the mountain, Troubling the oak-trees
“Oh, if only I could speak Aeolic Greek, so that I could serenade you with tender prose, all the days of your life… just as it was originally written. Wouldn’t that be lovely?” Bela offers, once again smiling wide, as if nothing in the world was wrong, at least not when you were by her side. Though you are not keen to ignore her earlier stroke of misery, you are equally reluctant to put a damper on her current upswing. Now what were you to do? Little comes to mind, other than the simplicity of human warmth, and so you lean once more into her embrace, head held aloft on the strength of her shoulder.
“Here, as I am now, is more than lovely enough. Your voice is soothing in any language, sweet as sugar, relaxing as can be,” you reassure her in your softest tone. Heart fluttering, she finds herself easing back into the comfort of the moment, forgetting all about her earlier woes. “Shall we read another?” Nodding, Bela again turns the page and begins to read:
He’s equal with the gods, that man Who sits across from you, Face to face, close enough to sip Your voice’s sweetness
And what excites my mind, Your laughter, glittering. So, When I see you, for a moment, My voice goes,
My tongue freezes. Fire, Delicate fire, in the flesh. Blind, stunned, the sound Of thunder, in my ears.
Shivering with sweat, cold Tremors over the skin, I turn the colour of dead grass, And I’m an inch from dying.
“Does that make me equal to the gods, then?” You ask, as soon as the last line is given its moment to shine. A small hum comes from your soulmate, who seems equal parts intrigued and confused. “I look in your eyes and my lungs light on fire, my heart ricochets around my chest, and I hear the chorus of angels singing your holy praises. The fact that I can manage to speak at all is confounding. Maybe the muses have seen fit to lend me their artistry, so that I might make conversation worthy of your existence, my dear.” With that said, you find yourself being squeezed gently, Bela placing another kiss against the top of your head. Now, it seems she is the one without the ability to speak. “The divine witnessing the divine, yes?... Let me read the next one, and we’ll see if my voice could ever compare to your own.”
It’s innocent enough, your choice. A turn of the page, just another poem, selected for nothing more than respect for chronology. Yet something drains from the space around you as you begin to read, so subtly slow that you hardly notice.
Girls, you be ardent for the fragrant-blossomed Muses’ lovely gifts, for the clear melodious lyre: But now old age has seized my tender body, Now my hair is white, and no longer dark
How were you to realize that the great shadow of fear loomed over your soulmate, when she had refused to name it mere minutes ago? How were you to know to halt your reciting, when the aching of her heart rendered her throat dry, and she could not bring herself to call out to you? Words poured like poisoned wine from your lips… your soulmate having no choice but to drink up every last drop.
My heart’s heavy, my legs won’t support me, That once were fleet as fawns, in the dance I grieve often for my state; what can I do? Being human, there’s no way not to grow old
A shaky breath from age-old lungs, exhaled into tense air, forced out past a trembling jaw. Say something, Bela tells herself, any poem but this. For a split second you pause, and she wonders if her thoughts have found new light in your own mind. But you break the momentary silence without much care, simply having been unsure of your pending pronunciation of an old name, perfectly unaware of your partner’s panic.
Rosy-armed Dawn, they say, love-smitten Once carried Tithonus off to the world’s end: Handsome and young he was then, yet at last Grey age caught that spouse of an immortal wife
At last her ordeal was over. The final words hang heavy in the air, weighing down her shoulders, but they are done. Her fears had been dragged out from the pit in her stomach, now waving about like dirty laundry. There was only one way for her to avoid this happening another time: Tell you the truth. By now her silence had earned your attention, with you turning in her lap again, concerned gaze meeting her hollow one. Gently, she gives you a reassuring squeeze.
“I… am not one to balk at the nature of things, however painful the truth. Yet I hesitate now, with the very person I am bound to with crimson ties… How cowardly of me,” Bela all but snarls, anger clearly not directed at you. It’s clear in the way that she holds herself that she has more to say. There’s not much you can do other than wait, though you do tuck an arm around her waist, beginning to rub soft circles against her back. “Allow me to drop the pretenses. You are not immortal, but I am. We’ve only been together for a day and a half, and already I’m worrying about your lifespan. It’s safe to say that this particular poem was an unfriendly reminder of our situation.”
Oh. How exactly were you supposed to respond to that?... Your girlfriend- your soulmate- was immortal. Hmph, as if her essentially being a vampire hadn’t already been enough to freak you out. Now this? Well, maybe it wasn’t too much farther of a stretch from the last revelation, even if you were still recovering from that one. Even then, something told you that this was equally hard for Bela- both to say, and to simply feel. As if she needed more stress surrounding her partnership with you…
“Of all the ways for us to mimic legends… I don’t even know what to say, my dear. I… I suppose that I can only reassure you that we will make the most of every moment we have. However much time we are destined to get, we’ll make sure it is filled with bliss,” you reply, slowly, making it up as you go. An ache builds in the center of your chest as you talk, an internal yearning for greater confidence. Although words were your “weapon” of choice, you were not always a master in your use of them, too human to be infallible. “Maybe we should set aside the poetry for now, shift our focus to something, ah, less meaningful?”
“That would be for the best,” Bela agrees, already shifting like she was going to stand up, before you even had a chance to get off of her lap. Something strange had fallen over her expression, an invisible veil, putting an uncomfortable distance between the two of you. Inside your chest, a thundering heart threatens to go still. Had you done something wrong? Did you commit some unspoken sin? Together the two of you rise, in sync yet more separate than before, a thousand questions and anxieties rendering both of you silent...
—————————
Across the room from you, a pair of bright eyes watch your every movement, peering out from over an open book. If you didn’t know better, you might have thought that the “ruse” was intentionally poor. But for all the five hours you had known her, Daniela Dimitrescu had done nothing other than prove herself odd, clumsy, and quite possibly… overconfident. Admittedly, that still made her undeniably more pleasant than Cassandra. If you had to be stuck alongside someone other than your soulmate, well, ‘twas best that it was this strange redheaded gremlin. Even if she had expressed an unfortunate interest in eating you.
Gods, what is wrong with this family? You think, frowning a tad, unable to stop yourself from making eye contact with Daniela. Instantly she’s looking away, pretending to be engrossed within her book. The very same book that had remained open to the same page for half an hour now. I do hope Bela is having more fun right now, with whatever “business” called her away so unexpectedly. She hadn’t seemed happy to have to leave your side, earlier tension notwithstanding. Coming here to the library had been her suggestion, though you doubted she knew that Daniela was there, or at least hadn’t anticipated her sister’s unnerving behavior. Already the redhead was looking back at you, even less subtly than before.
Sighing, you decided that you could only put up with so much of this tomfoolery.
“Are you in need of something? Or is there something on my face?” You ask, setting your own book aside as you do. There’s a few moments of silence, as Daniela glances around the room, as if you might actually be speaking to someone else. When no scapegoats teleport to her rescue, she very awkwardly clears her throat, then moves to sit at your table. Though you are loath to admit it, your heart starts beating faster as she approaches. Not out of attraction, hell no, rather fear. Perhaps getting her attention hadn’t been the wisest choice after all…
“I just think it’s funny,” Daniela chimes, trailing off just long enough to run a finger down the length of your arm, “that Bela abandoned you so quickly. You’re so… fragile. Cassandra told me about the fun little introduction you had to our family- the blood loss, being chained up, the fear you felt when you got caught in our territory.” Suddenly she’s devolving into a fit of giggles, hand resting not-so-gently on your wrist. When you try to pull away, her nails dig in, and her gaze snaps back to your own. “But you don’t remember that part, do you? If you did… oh, we’d have to lock you up, like the little pet you are, to keep you from running away. I’m sure Bela wouldn’t mind seeing you in chains.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” You snap, uncharacteristically furious. While it was true that you couldn’t recall exactly how you made it into the castle’s dungeons, you refuse to accept Daniela’s implications about your soulmate, or her assessment of your dedication. A brief second passes where you think she’s about to lunge towards you. Instead, she withdraws her hand, moving it to prop up her chin instead. Then, her lips slowly drag upwards into a wicked grin, wide eyes filled with dangerous amusement.
“So you’re more than a wannabe Shakespeare, after all? A bit more teeth, a touch more vulgarity, maybe a twinge of bloodlust, and you might actually fit in around here. Not enough to get our family’s ‘gift’- our secret to a long, happy life- but enough that Bela won’t grow bored of your sappy poems,” she teases with another string of laughter. Before you can question her about this ‘gift’, she’s all but jumping to her feet, stretching out her arms as she does. “I can’t wait to update Cassandra about you. We’ll be betting on how entertaining you’ll end up being. Try to keep from bailing on my dear sister too soon, alright?”
Just like that she’s disappearing into a swarm of flies, leaving you more confused (and angry) than ever. Taking a deep breath, you try to focus on what you need to do next: Find Bela. Talk to her. Get some goddamn answers.
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jediken0bi · 4 years ago
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Boundaries
Spencer Reid x Reader
Summary:
When JJ makes an offhand comment about Spencer not being particularly fond of physical touch to his girlfriend it causes a bit of a misunderstanding.
word count: 3180
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Ever since you and Spencer decided to ditch your colleagues for the third time in a row to watch Doctor Who at his place instead, which resulted in him awkwardly admitted to liking you at the end of the night, you two have been practically inseparable. You knew that Spencer was shy when it comes to physical affection from the start but you also knew that a huge part of it was the lack of said affection throughout his life.
Often times he looks surprised when you hug him or kiss him with no particular reason in mind other than that you wanted to.
It's like he's used to only experiencing soft touches in the context of challenging and heartbreaking events happening to him.
You were set on changing that. You're going to make up for all the people who have failed to treat him with the love he deserves.
So far he hasn't stopped you from trying either. You cuddle him every chance you get, you kiss him whenever the opportunity presents itself and the environment allows it, you hold his hand while you're on the jet. You make sure Spencer is on board for all of this though.
You always ask him if he's okay with it before. The last thing you want is for Spencer to feel uncomfortable with you.
He's never denied you though and your question is always received with a big smile on his face.
Despite being very responsive to your touches Spencer doesn't allow himself to outright ask for them. Your best guess is that it comes from a long line of people denying him these simple pleasures. The thought breaks your heart.
You two were in the elevator on your way to meet the rest of the team in the bullpen when it all sort of went south.
You were holding hands with Spencer and he subconsciously squeezes your hand a little once the doors open. You give him a smile and lean up to press a small kiss to his cheek.
He immediately turns bright red and you giggle. He's given up on asking you for their reasons. He's starting to accept that you like kissing him and that's reason enough.
He grins at you and you let go of your grip on his hand. You both walk to your respective desks and stuff your go bags under them.
Before you can make your way back to Spencer you spot JJ across the room seemingly headed straight to your desk.
You know JJ is Spencers best friend and while you admittedly had a hard time accepting that your boyfriends best friend was a woman he used to have a crush on, you decided that you had absolutely no reason not to trust Spencer. He was happy with you and JJ was married with kids after all. Hell, Spence is their godfather. There's no need to worry about either of them having feelings for the other. You're sure of it"
Plus, you really like JJ. She was the hardest to win over simply because she and Spencer were so close but she never treated you with hostility. She was kind and respectful but kept you at distance until she was sure you were right for Spencer. You would've been upset if you weren't so happy someone was looking out for him after all.
"Good morning JJ" you greet her happily.
It really had been a good morning.
You and Spencer woke up earlier than usual to eat breakfast together. He made you pancakes!
Or, at least he tried. They were a bit burned but you told him that they were the best pancakes you have ever had. And you meant it.
He, of course, turned bright red and refused to take the compliment so you shut him up with a kiss.
A kiss that said 'Thank you for making me breakfast. I love you and i can't wait to spend the rest of my life eating burned pancakes with you'.
"Hey Y/N i was wondering if you had a minute to talk. About Spence." JJ approached you with a certain worry in her eyes that immediately unsettled you.
"What do you mean? Did something happen? I just saw him a minute ago and he seemed fine" You say nervously. Was there something you overlooked?
You make a mental note to go through the events of this morning again.
"No, he's fine! It's not that. I just wanted to talk to you about how it's going with Spencer. You know, being a couple and all"
JJ seemed almost nervous.
You weren't sure what to think about that.
She never dug around in your business before and you don't think she's got any malicious intentions but it does throw you off a little bit.
"Did you have something specific in mind? We're doing great, JJ. I know you worry about him but i think he's happy with me"
You say proudly because you know he is.
He tells you every night when you two settle down to lie in each others arms to read for a bit.
That's code for Spencer reading to you while laying his head on your stomach and you playing with his hair.
You smile at the memory.
"Uh yeah i guess i do. I just don't want you to think of this as something personal but i think as his best friend i owe it to Spencer to talk to you about it"
She looks down at her feet seemingly uncomfortable but willing to go through with this.
You were shocked to say the least. What could she possibly have in mind that would potentially hurt your feelings? Your mind goes to the worst possible scenarios and it's giving you a good bit of anxiety.
JJ seems to spot the look on your face and grabs your hands.
"No, no, no it's nothing bad per se! Just something you should be aware of to avoid misunderstandings"
You let out a small breath and calm down a bit. You're still confused though. If it's so urgent, why wouldn't Spencer tell you himself?
You were curious though.
"Okay so what is this about then?"
JJ looks at you with a bit of pity in her eyes and you immediately decide you hate that look.
"It's just that, you know, Spence is a bit of a germaphobe and he just doesn't do very well with people invading his personal space. Not that you're invading his space! Gosh no, you're his girlfriend after all. It's just that it seems like he might be a bit overwhelmed. I know it's non of my business, but i think he's trying to be okay with the PDA because it's something you want. I'm all for expanding your comfort zones but i'm afraid Spence is not going to tell you himself"
She finishes her nervous rant and you felt your heart sinking.
Is that why he never asks for your touch? You thought it was because he was shy but maybe it's because it makes him uncomfortable.
Was he trying to protect your feelings by not denying you touch whenever you asked?
Or worse, did he think you would leave him if he put up some boundaries?
Your eyes are filled with unshed tears and you look down at your feet out of embarrassment. You don't want to see the look on JJ's face right now. You're humiliated and honestly just upset Spencer wasn't telling you all this himself.
"Oh. Well, i'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought we were okay but i'll make an effort to turn it down. Thanks JJ"
It's clear she wanted to say something in return but you already turned away from her to flee the scene. It was overwhelming and you didn't want her to see you cry over this.
You went to the only place you knew you could feel freely without having to downplay the whole thing.
Penelopes Office.
You knock twice at her door.
"Hey Pen, can i come in? Are you busy?"
She immediately opens the door and with it, her arms.
"Never too busy for you honey bun!"
You give her a sad smile and hug her tightly.
You sniffle a little and she closes the door behind you two.
"What's wrong Y/N? Did Spencer do anything? I'll kill him for you. I have about twenty seven different ways that would make it look like an accident! Perks of working for the FBI"
This actually makes you laugh and you immediately know you've made the right call coming to Garcia.
"It's more about what he didn't do. Pen, am i a bad girlfriend?"
She grabs your shoulders and pushes you out of her embrace to look at you.
"What? How could you possibly think that? Boy Wonder has never been happier and i've known the kid for a solid couple of years!"
You look down again with an empty smile
"Then why would he send JJ to tell me all about how uncomfortable i make him?"
Okay so maybe you were being a bit dramatic but it feels like he broke your trust by talking to JJ about it before talking to you. At least, you assume he did. Why else would she bring this up?
"He did what? Are you sure?"
You raise your arms in a frustrated manner.
"I don't know Penny all i know is that JJ had some thoughts on how to be in a relationship with Spence!"
Garcia looked shocked and it makes you laugh.
"Yeah, that was my initial reaction too"
She shakes herself out of it.
"Did you talk to Spencer about what he thinks?"
You look at her with sheepish eyes.
"I don't want to yet. I'm upset with him and honestly a little embarrassed. I just wish he would've told me certain things himself. I think i'm going to take a sick day, okay? Can you let Hotch know i'm out for today?"
She looks at you with understanding eyes and gives you a nod.
"Of course, Bunny. Take care. And don't forget that Spencer loves you!"
You smile and give her a nod in return.
"Yeah, i know"
And with that you're out the door and on your way to grab your bag from your desk.
Of course you end up running into the one person you don't want to talk to right now.
Spencer looks at you with a small smile and you give him one back. Admittedly, yours looks a bit forced but you don't have the energy to pretend right now.
"What are you doing?" He asks innocently. He must be unaware of your conversation with JJ.
"I- Uh i'm taking a sick day. I'm not feeling so well"
You try to avoid eye contact but you fail to ignore Spencers worried expression in your peripheral vision.
"Are you okay? Was it the breakfast? I told you you shouldn't have eaten the pancakes!"
He sounds so distressed you can't help but laugh.
You were still mad at him but he was just too cute for his own good.
Out of habit you raise your hand to plant it on the nape of his neck where you usually toy with his hair before kissing him.
Just as you were about to put your hand on him you shake yourself out of it and retreat it.
He looks at you with confused eyes.
"What's wrong?"
He asks you with sad eyes. He's giving you completely mixed signals and it's driving you insane. Did he suddenly want you to touch him?
"Nothing. I just- I'm really tired"
You look down at your bag and pick it up to make your way out of there.
Spencer grabs your hand and it causes you to stop in your tracks. You breath in and out and turn around to look at him once again.
"Are- I mean are you leaving now?"
He looks at you with an embarrassed glint in his eyes. But there's something more to it. He looks hopeful. Like he's expecting something.
Maybe he's waiting for you to kiss him goodbye like you always do says a small voice on the back of your head.
No, you shake your head, JJ was perfectly clear about these things.
"Yeah, i am. See you later okay?"
You say with a small smile. You weren't mad at him for not being comfortable with PDA. That's not it at all. You just wanted him to be the one telling you.
You squeeze his hand and he exhales a little.
"Yes! Yeah, um, we're still on for tonight right? Your place?"
He seems so nervous and it reminds you a lot of the first few dates you two had. He was so afraid of messing up, of being laughed at or rejected.
"Of course we are. I'll order us some Chinese"
You give him a real smile and he starts lighting up as well.
"Yeah i'd like that. See you, uh, tonight then"
He's still holding your hand and you squeeze it one more time before letting go.
As you step into the elevator you know that you two have a lot to talk about.
--timeskip approx. 8h--
You've spend all day trying to figure out how to talk to Spencer about what happened at work today. You didn't want to fight with him and you hope he's not going to try and shut you out.
All your worries pretty much wash away when you find Spencer at your door holding a beautiful arrangement of flowers.
When he finally reveals himself behind them you can't help but drag him inside and press a kiss to his lips. You smile into the kiss and it's not long before Spencer does the same. It's harder than it sounds like but you two aren't willing to separate yet so you keep kissing for a little longer before leaning back to accept the arrangement.
"Thank you, Spence. They're beautiful"
You push the curls out of his face and cup his cheek in your hand.
He leans into it and closes his eyes for a second
"Almost as beautiful as you"
It's barely a whisper but you heard him.
Putting the flowers down on the counter you don't waste a single second hugging him tight to your chest.
He hums in contentment and you melt into him.
You've missed him so much today. You weren't used to being at distance with him. Emotionally or physically.
Speaking of.
"Does that mean we're okay again?"
Spencer asks pressing small kisses to your neck.
You shutter slightly before leaning back to look at him.
"What do you mean? Were we not okay before?"
You brush the curls that have fallen back into his eyes away again and he looks at you with wide loving eyes.
"I don't know i thought we were but then you didn't- um i don't know you just left and i thought maybe i had done something to upset you?"
He looks nervous. Almost like he's afraid he's going to say something wrong. You give him a small sad smile and decide that now is as good of a time as ever.
"I didn't kiss you because i know you're not comfortable with that"
You weren't mad anymore. You had enough time to process what happened and you've come to the conclusion that Spencer must've had his reasons. You're willing to let him explain.
He on the other hand looks at you like you've grown a second head.
"What? No i- why would you think that?"
You huff out a breath and look at him for a moment with raised eyebrows. You really thought he was going to tell you now. Is he waiting for you to say it?
Spencer looked genuinely confused and upset you would even suggest such a thing. It makes you wonder if he talked to JJ at all.
"Look, JJ came to talk to me today and cleared some things up and honestly i'm not upset about what she said. Not really. I'm upset i had to find out from someone who wasn't you. You could've told me. You should have told me actually"
This didn't do anything to wipe off Spencers confused expression. If anything, his frown just got deeper.
"Y/N i seriously don't know what you're talking about. I haven't talked to JJ this week"
Now it's your turn to frown. Did he not know? Was it really just JJ making assumptions that weren't true?
"But she said- No it doesn't matter what she said. What matters is that i want you to tell me, right now, if my affections make you uncomfortable in any shape of form. It's okay if they do Spence! I know i'm a lot but it's important we're both okay with what's happening between us"
He stares at you with a mix of adoration and confusion.
"Of course i'm not uncomfortable with you! I would tell you if i was. It's not even like you're doing any of it without checking with me first! Why would i lie to you?"
You let out a frustrated huff.
"Because you don't wanna hurt my feelings! But it's okay. We're equals and we can set up boundaries if you want. All that matters to me is that you won't shut me out"
Spencer smiles at you and it confuses you. Why the sudden mood change? Not that you're complaining. His smile always did manage to make you feel better. This time is no exception.
He grabs your hands and pulls you closer again.
This is new. Not the hand holding, but the fact that Spencer is the one initiating it.
"I promise you i have never been more comfortable with a person. I don't know what JJ told you and i'm definitely going to have a talk with her about boundaries but as far as we go, i'm more than happy with where and what we are"
You give him a small laugh and he joins in.
You wrap your arms around his middle and bury your head in his chest.
"So you're okay with me kissing you or touching you in general? In front of the team"
He presses a small kiss to the top of your head.
"More than okay" He whispers
You smile and lift your head to give him a proper kiss. He grabs the side of your head and pulls you even closer.
Lips just millimeters apart you look him in the eyes and find nothing but love in them.
"Also, next time you leave work without kissing me goodbye i'll make a scene. No hesitation"
You laugh loudly and push him away. He playfully stumbles back a couple of steps and laughs with you. He shrugs his shoulders
"Try me"
You lean your head on his shoulder.
You don't even know what you were worried about anymore. Spencer has a way to make all the problems seem to minuscule. You can confidently say you've never been happier.
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