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queenimmadolla · 2 years ago

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𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃

(dad!eddie x mom/pregnant!reader)

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 ─ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐 ─ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟑 • more of the pennyverse here.

Summary: . . . After your eventful labor and delivery, you and Eddie can only wait to see what fate holds for your newborn son as you two finally decide on a name. warnings: angst, a whole lot of angst, near death experience, difficult pregnancy, early labor, preterm birth, talk of loss of infants, birth defects, happy ending.

a/n: we have finally reached the rainbow at the end of the storm, my friends. wrapping this up feels so bittersweet, i'm going to miss all the interactions! i don't think i've gotten to talk to this many people here before and i hope it doesn't stop after part three. from the bottom of my heart, thank you. and a HUGE thank you to my partner in crime, @kitmon, for beta-ing this (all three parts) bad boy for me. while Wayne's World is finally over, i'm excited to continue writing for this little family. on to the next thing! word count is 4kish. happy reading! and for the people mad about the long post, sorry, had the 'keep reading' tab on but it kept fucking with the format and eating chunks of it. you're gonna have to scroll. let me know what you think? ◡̈

While Eddie was out like a light, your doctor had also dropped in for a visit to inform you you’d be staying at the hospital for at least another day, which you weren’t too excited about. You were prescribed medication to take during your stay and so long as you felt good, you were allowed to roam about, meaning you could visit your son.

Wayne had also dropped by, with a bag he’d packed full of Eddie’s clothes and things he thought he would need. He hadn’t wanted to wake Eddie up, either. After making sure you were okay, he ended up taking Penny home with him. You’d debated on letting her stay, but you figured Eddie would be vehement on staying with you and she’d want to play with her toys soon. Wayne had promised to bring her back for visits.

Then it was just you and your sleeping husband. Eddie slept through the morning, past the afternoon, and into the evening. You were just about to run out of patience—eager to see your baby—when he finally woke up.

“Wha’ happen?” He rasped out, voice groggy and eyes squinted almost shut as he stretched, letting out an inhuman grunt.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” you glanced at the clock on the wall, “or goodnight, I guess.”

“Night?” He followed your gaze, eyes shooting wide open when he realized how late he’d slept. “Oh, shit. It’s seven.”

“I’m aware,” you were entirely amused, “Your breakfast, lunch, and dinner are on the counter.” You pointed over to the counter and cabinets lining the wall.

Eddie was starving, he tossed the blanket aside to get up and made quick work of all of his meals, to your surprise.

Watching Eddie eat was always so entertaining. He ate so chaotically, messy like a gremlin. And not just when he was starving.

“Where’s Pen?” He asked through a mouthful of food.

“With Wayne and Maude. He stopped by and dropped off some things for you.” You pointed this time to the duffel bag resting near his makeshift pullout bed.

The burger you’d got him for lunch was clenched in his teeth, the wrapper around it preventing its contents from falling out, as he rifled through it, pulling out a clean shirt, a pair of sweats and some boxers.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” He asked, again with a mouthful of food as he unbuckled his pants, pushing them down his legs.

You watched as he struggled to get his feet out of them without using his hands, aggressively shaking them off his right ankle. He cursed under his breath once they were off and you couldn’t help but elate in the fact your husband was still a dork.

“You were tired, snoring up a storm—’’

“—I don’t snore.”

“—And looking like you were in a coma.”

Eddie snorted as he devoured the rest of his burger before he was able to go put on the clean boxers (you’d made sure to lean forward so you could get your eyeful) and yank on the sweats. Then he pulled his shirt off and you responded by clapping your hands appreciatively.

“Now, give me a little twirl,” you swirled your finger downward, with a smirk and Eddie laughed as he threw the shirt at you.

“Knock it off, six week waiting period still applies to you so you’d better not tempt me.”

You whistled as you pulled his shirt off your head, holding it to your chest, “You might have had the dinner but I definitely got the show.”

“You’re incorrigible,” but he was still grinning as he yanked the clean shirt over his head.

You waited until he was comfortable, with his food, on the pull out before you informed him, “My doctor came by, too. Said I’m stuck here for another freaking day.”

Eddie pulled the fry he’d been about to eat away from his mouth so he could tease you with a pout. He was actually glad, you’d be surrounded by medical professionals so if for some reason something happened, they’d be able to take care of you. Plus, he’d be by your side every day until then. This was his last day off, but he’d call Norm in the morning and let him know he’d have to take the next couple of days off. He’d saved up more than enough paid time off at the shop, something he’d chosen this particular one to work at for offering.

Of course, when he’d gotten the gig as a teenager, he’d only been concerned about using that time to try out a new strain or micro dose.

You rolled your eyes and slumped back into your bed, “Jerk. She also said I could move around. After you finish eating, will you take me to go see him?”

Fuck, Eddie would take you right now. He was about to set his tray aside when you hissed.

“Eat.”

He held his hands up in defeat, but finished off his food a little faster.

While he finished eating, you’d gotten out of bed (yes, he almost had a heart attack and you had to threaten him to keep him from hovering) to freshen up. By the time you were done, so was Eddie.

You’d dug around his bag until you found one of your favorite shirts of his and put it on, under the stupid hospital gown, along with a pair of his sweats.

And you hadn’t wanted to, like really, really didn’t want to, but you allowed him to push you to the NICU in a wheelchair. It was the only way you were allowed to leave your room. Why didn’t you want to? Because Eddie insisted it was a game, full on running to propel the wheelchair, even spinning you around in it, when he wasn’t pretending to crash into things. It was fun, but you were sure the hospital staff didn’t appreciate it.

When you finally got to the NICU and the nurse placed your baby in your arms, you knew everything you’d been through was worth it. Every single second you got with him was precious and worth the possible sorrow that may follow.

“He does look like Penny,” you agreed, lifting him up to press a kiss to his forehead. He was in better looking condition than you recalled, not pasty or almost blue, and breathing. You remembered the shock of fear that had shot up your spine when he hadn’t been after you’d pushed him out.

He was small, smaller than Penny had been for obvious reasons, and while it made you sad that you hadn’t been able to keep him in you to develop more, you were still happy to have him.

“Although, I think their noses are different,” you mused and gently stroked your finger over the small tip of his nose, tubeless since he’d been removed from his incubator to be placed in your arms. He scrunched it up at the contact, and you were delighted with his response, “he’s got your’s, Eddie.”

“You think so?” Eddie was taken with that nose scrunch, absolutely entranced. He’d seen you do it in the wee hours of that very morning.

“Oh, yeah. He’s perfect. I wonder whose eyes he has.” Selfishly, you hoped a pair of big, brown baby cow eyes, like his father’s and sister’s, were under the eye cover.

“You can take it off,” The nurse hovering nearby informed you, he was handling another baby but he’d heard your comment, “he’s done with his phototherapy. The lighting in here isn’t harsh either, so he’ll be just fine.”

He stopped what he was doing to hand you a couple of wipes, “Just moisten the edges and it will come right off.”

You did as instructed, Eddie hovering over you in anticipation. Once the edges were saturated with the warm wipe, you carefully peeled the eye mask away, heart squeezing as your baby boy blinked them open. Well, that was a stretch, he blinked them into a squint.

He glared up at you like that for a few more moments, before his blinking became rapid and then they were finally open, forehead scrunched up in curiosity as he stared, little mouth just barely parted.

“Hi,” you giggled out, absolutely ecstatic to see a pair of familiar dark eyes peering up at you.

“Guess that answers that.” Eddie’s smile was soft as he watched you press another kiss to his head, your fingertips mingling with the fluff on his head. He couldn’t help but notice how enthralled his son looked with you, little fists curled near his face.

“You are so perfect,” you cooed down at him, finger stroking his cheek, he blinked at the contact, gave your hand some serious side eye for surprising him then returned his awed stare to your face. “I love you so much, my little grump. You’re gonna be okay, yeah? ‘Cause you’re just like your daddy, aren’t you? Gonna make it out even when you’re dealt the shorthand.”

Was Eddie Munson about to cry again? Yes.

“Perfect, perfect, perfect,” You enunciated each one word with a kiss to his head, “We still have to name him.”

The morbid image of a potential name for his son, etched into stone came to the forefront of his mind and Eddie felt a stabbing pang in his chest as he forced the image away.

“You know, I technically chose Penny’s,” you drawled, craning your head to look up at him, “I think it’s only fair you name him. Since you won’t let me name him Eddie Jr.”

Eddie stared back at you, gaze intense before it shifted down to the little bundle in your arms, at the face peeking out from the blankets.

He hadn’t wanted to name his baby after him, wanted him to be more than just a namesake. With Penny, well, her name meant something to him. Unconditional love.

It didn’t actually translate to that, but it had belonged to the one person in his life—other than you—who showed him affection, emotion.

The baby’s eyes moved away from your face, catching Eddie’s stare and something about it prompted a thought, a fact really.

Eddie was wrong. He was so, so wrong in his thought process. The weight of the realization almost had his knees buckling as he stared back at that little face.

For the first time, Eddie thought of his son’s name. Etched in stone or not, it was the only one worthy of him.

You’d let the nurse know and he retrieved your son's birth certificate for you. You loved the name so much and since Eddie had been the one to decide on it, you insisted he write it on his birth certificate as well. It had to be the neatest thing Eddie had ever written.

It hadn’t been easy to let the nurse take your baby back, away from you and you had teared up, afraid it would be the last time you’d see him.

Eddie had been upset too, in the last few moments you were allowed with him, he’d let his little guy hold onto his finger and reminded him of their earlier talk. He had to make it through tonight, so he could go home with them. After a few parting kisses, tears and reaffirming your love to him, he was whisked away to his incubator and you and Eddie made the sullen trip back to your room.

He held you in your bed while you both cried.

And cried.

Eventually, the two of you fell asleep, the sheer emotional exhaustion too much for either of you.

When you woke up, it was to sunlight streaming through the cracks in the curtains and the nurse taking your vitals. Eddie was still lightly snoring into the side of your head and just as the nurse finished, both Dr. Eisenberg and Dr. Houseman entered your room.

“Good morning!” Dr. Eisenberg chirped. Dr. Houseman silently made herself comfortable leaning against the counter.

“Morning,” came your groggy reply as you shook Eddie awake. He peaked an eye open to glare at you but the moment he caught sight of both doctors, he snapped awake.

“Sorry to disturb you two, we just figured you’d want to hear the news. Mrs. Munson, although I know you must love your hospital bed, today’s looking like your last day here. Which means I want to hear about you doing lots of walking today. I’m gonna check on you again tomorrow, but if all is well, you’ll be discharged then.”

Halle-freaking-lujah.

Dr. Eisenberg stepped back, nudging Dr. Houseman’s shoulder enthusiastically to take her place.

“I believe this is the first time we’ve met, Mrs. Munson,” she regarded you with kind eyes before acknowledging Eddie, “Mr. Munson. Nice to see you’ve gotten some rest.”

Eddie tried not to feel personally attacked.

“I come bearing news of your son. He made it through the night, with no issues. He’s out of phototherapy, responding well to feedings—that’s very important—and while his breathing is fast, it’s also a good sign. It doesn’t leave him breathless, so it may just be his excitement at being in the outside world and getting to use his lungs. He doesn’t tire more than would be normal for a newborn, either. We’re gonna keep him a little longer, let him develop a little more and ensure the hole starts to heal up, but I give it no more than two weeks before he goes home.”

The amount of weight lifted off both your shoulders and Eddie’s was almost disorientating. Your baby made it. You’d get to take him home! You wanted to cry, jump around, do backflips, but you settled for leaning into Eddie, who was blinking an awful lot.

“Alright, I think we served our purpose. We’ll let the two of you have some peace.” They both gave you grins as they made their way out of the room, though Dr. Eisenberg stopped, effectively halting Dr. Houseman as well, “By the way, LOVE the name you gave him. Really fits the little guy.”

Dr. Houseman nodded in agreement before she was ushering Eisenberg out of the room.

You held each other again as you cried, this time tears of joy and relief.

Wayne stopped by again, this time with Penny and a bag of necessities meant for you (packed with care by Maude because Wayne was too embarrassed to go through your drawers). She’d begged Eddie, literally wrapped herself around one of his legs until he agreed to take her to see baby brother. He hadn’t wanted to, would much rather have them meet at the trailer when the two of you could finally bring him home and not when he was still in an incubator, patched up to machines, but he relented.

Wayne kept you company while he took her to see the baby. She hadn’t asked any questions about the babies, only stating the stork must be getting ready to take them to their mommies and daddies because they were in boxes.

When he’d pointed out her brother, she couldn’t look away, placing both hands on the glass as well as her forehead to stare at him.

“My little baby potatoes.”

“He’s not—alright, sweet pea.”

“I getta keep him, huh, daddy?”

“Yeah, you get to keep him.” Eddie found himself blinking away tears, comforted to know he wasn’t lying to her, didn’t have to be obtuse to avoid telling her the truth anymore.

“Okie dokie, les take ‘em home.”

Eddie chuckled and pulled her a little ways from the glass to press a kiss to her cheek, “He has to stay here for a few more days, but he’s gonna come home.”

“Pomise?”

“I promise.”

She eyed him suspiciously, “You won’t fuwwet ‘em?”

“Forget,” Eddie corrected but Penny didn’t amend the word like she would normally do when reminded of the proper pronunciation. She still had a little difficulty with her ‘r’s so if a word had the letter in it and she said it right the first time, great, if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be fixing it, “And that was one time, sweet pea, I came back for you like a minute later.”

Penny maintained an impressive, nonstop commentary about all the things she was going to teach her baby brother to do during the walk back to your hospital room. At some point, she’d asked Eddie to swing her the rest of the way, which he scoffed at because that would make him look ridiculous to the staff.

Needless to say, by the time they got back, Eddie was sure the staff would be making fun of him.

Wayne hadn’t asked to see the baby, he was content knowing the little fella would be coming home with you. He still had that image of him in the truck stuck in his head, and he’d rather replace it with a baby in a car seat instead of an incubator. He and Penny stayed a while. She took your doctor’s walking orders (that Eddie foolishly mentioned in front of her) seriously and demanded you walk back and forth around the room with her. It was no problem until it just got annoying but you entertained her anyways.

Then all your friends had shown up, waiting strategic intervals of time to slip into your room as small groups so the nurses wouldn’t notice. They’d brought tons of gifts and Eddie had to sneak them to the NICU entrance, a few at a time, so they could see your baby through the glass.

After what a c-section was had been explained to the boys, Dustin’s respect for you skyrocketed, which you hadn’t thought would be possible considering his high opinion of you in the first place, and Lucas thought you had to be some kind of superhuman to survive that, he was amazed. Poor Will and Robin looked like they wanted to throw up when Steve’s girlfriend explained how some of your insides had been briefly removed to get to the baby.

It had been Nancy and Jonathan who got the group out of the hospital, and just in time. Your main nurse had come to check on you with all the suspicious hallway activity. Wayne and Penny left when visiting hours were over and you convinced Eddie to sleep on the bed with you, you always fell asleep fast when you got to cuddle up to him and you needed the night to pass already so you could get discharged.

You were impatient the next morning, Eddie watched on in amusement as you got ready, fluttering about the room until you finally slipped into a shirt and some comfortable pants with a high waistline (nothing was pressing into your scar until that bad boy was healed), then put your hospital gown over them and climbed into bed to disguise your getaway outfit.

Your plan was of course foiled when Dr. Eisenberg arrived and had you walk across the room a couple of times. She’d been amused with your expectations, but stuck to her promise and a nurse was wheeling you out after you were discharged.

Wayne, Penny and Maude greeted you when you arrived home, and while you were pleased to be in your own clothes and trailer, you wanted your baby with you.

“What happened to the spot?” You’d asked Wayne, at some point while Maude and Penny were showing Eddie a new dress Maude had made for her.

You were referring to the stain you were sure your water breaking had left—unfortunately, rather bloody as well.

“Maude got rid of it. Took ‘er a couple ‘a days but she managed to scrub it out, ‘s why she couldn’t come see you, reckon she figured you wouldn’t wanna see it.”

The widow from a couple of trailers away—and Wayne’s lady love—was shy as hell, but you were positive you loved her.

You and Eddie made sure to visit your son as often as possible. While Eddie worked, you spent most of your mornings and afternoons at the hospital, learning from the nurses about his improving condition and how to care for him. You’d learned he was fed a couple of special formulas, though they still encouraged you to breastfeed. On day seven of his hospital stay, you got to nurse him for the first time.

It was difficult, he wouldn’t latch properly no matter how hard you or the lactation consultant tried at first. It took him a while to get the hang of it, and it had been mildly uncomfortable for you, but eventually he did start latching. Day eight was spent encouraging him to latch each time. You knew you’d have to feed him those special formulas, but that was the extent of sharing him with a bottle you were willing to go. It was 50/50, and they’d informed you as soon as he caught up in development, and started gaining weight, the need for the formulas would lessen and you wouldn’t have to share him.

GOOD.

On day nine, you and Eddie got to bring him home. It hadn’t been completely planned, Dr. Houseman had suggested it the day prior, hadn’t guaranteed it and hadn’t been expecting you to have a carseat and anything else you might need for the ride home, but when she mentioned that he was good to go—though he’d have to be seen regularly to ensure his heart was in healthy condition and healing—Eddie bolted to retrieve the car seat he’d had waiting for his little dude and came just about running back.

“Don’t look so sour, baby,” He cooed as he tucked his little baby in and secured the harness around him. His son’s face was scrunched up, glaring at Eddie while he buckled him in. Clearly, he wasn’t a fan of the car seat, but he changed his tune when Eddie gently squished his cheeks between his thumb and index finger, the baby immediately relaxed, eyes wide as he stared up at his daddy. Then Eddie was tucking a blanket around him, and lowering the visor to protect him from the cold air.

It was wonderfully symbolic how peaceful the drive home from the hospital with your son had been compared to how chaotic the drive to the hospital, with him, had been.

Wayne, Penny and Maude were waiting for you again. Penny practically attacked Eddie’s legs as soon as he made it through the door with the car seat.

“Whoa, sweet pea! Careful, daddy doesn’t want to step on you.”

“I wanna see ‘em!”

“You will,” You promised as you shut the door behind you. Wayne and Maude were perched on the couch as Eddie placed the car seat down and squatted so he could carefully take the baby out of it. Penny’s energy seemed to disappear, she was stock still, watching as Eddie lifted the visor, removed the blanket, unbuckled the baby and finally pulled him out.

Maude’s reaction was instant, sounds of adoration slipping past her lips as the baby scrunched his back while Eddie lifted him, tiny arms pulling up near his head.

Wayne laughed, relieved to see the baby looked nothing like he had when he’d first seen him. In fact, if he didn’t know better he’d think Eddie brought home the wrong one.

“You wanna hold him?”

“Bring ‘im ‘ere.” Wayne held his hands out and Eddie carefully placed his newborn son in them.

“Well, ‘yer in better shape, ain’t you?” He commented down at the little guy. As soon as those eyes were on him, he knew there had been no baby mix up. He was Eddie’s kid.

“‘Shoot, another one with ‘yer eyes?” Wayne chuckled and Eddie’s chest puffed with pride. His next joke was directed towards you, “He’s lookin’ like Penny did when she was a baby, you sure you ain’t a copy machine?”

“Not anymore,” You scoffed, smiling at the sight as you leaned into Eddie’s side. He slipped an arm around your shoulders, hand moving to the side of your head as he pulled you even closer to kiss.

“He’s a cute lil’ fella. What’s his name?”

Eddie smirked against the top of your head before he answered him, “Wayne.”

“Hmn?” Then, without looking up from that little face, Wayne figured Eddie hadn’t heard him and was asking him to repeat himself. “‘Said what’s his name?”

“I heard you, his name is Wayne.”

Wayne looked up at the two of you then, eyes wide and unbelieving.

“Wha—?”

“His full name is Wayne Edward Munson,” you had to make sure they knew Eddie compromised and was willing to allow you to use his name as his son’s middle name, the smile on your face was smug. “Wayne.”

Wayne cleared his throat, tongue darting out to wet his dry lips.

“‘S really…” He trailed off, throat thick as he swallowed, head nodding a couple of times.

“I didn’t always imagine myself as a family man growing up,” Eddie confessed, “but when I did, I imagined having these crazy, weirdo kids who I’d love and who would love me back. Teach them to play the guitar, how to appreciate good music, play Dungeons and Dragons with. Was already afraid I’d mess up, though. And they’d stop loving me.

“When we had Penny and she,” Eddie pressed another kiss to your head, “suggested we name her after my mom, I thought it was perfect. Naming the baby I was afraid would one day stop loving me after someone who never did was perfect to me. I was struggling real hard on names for him, didn’t think Edward was worthy of him. Then he looked at me. In that moment, all I could think about was how much I loved him. I couldn't help but wonder if that was how you felt when you saw me.”

Eddie wasn’t the insecure kid he used to be—well, not as insecure. He’d been unsure of it at the start of his stay with Wayne, the older Munson was never very vocal with his emotions, though he had on occasion told Eddie he loved him. It wasn’t a machismo thing, Eddie was sure Wayne just didn’t know how to express emotions. It was how he’d been raised. Regardless, Eddie knew Wayne loved him.

Loved him when he was a baby, born from the woman he loved and not even his own son. Loved him when he saw him sporadically throughout his early life. Loved him enough to try and fight to keep him when his mom died, though the law gave him back to his dad. Loved him when a social worker showed up on his doorstep with him in tow, a broken shell of a boy. Loved him in those few awkward first interactions as they learned how to be around each other again. Loved him when he started getting in trouble, when police officers started escorting him home, when he’d had to pick him up from the police station, when he knew he was selling things and partaking in a business Wayne didn’t particularly approve of, loved him through it all. By blood, he might have been an uncle. By all other means, that man was his father. And his name was the only name worthy of his son. No rock star could compete.

“So, we named him after the other person in my life who never stopped loving me.”

Eddie could see the shine on Wayne’s eyes as his mouth set in a firm line.

Finally, Wayne managed to rasp out, “‘Ye’ah, you’re right. Not for one secon’.”

Not for once second had he stopped loving his boy.

Wayne looked down at little Wayne, whose stare was no longer scrutinizing, “You got ‘yerself a good pair ‘a parents. ‘Couldn’ta asked to be born in a better family.”

“Uhm, ‘scuse me, I fuwwot his name. What’s he called?”

“Wayne, baby.” Eddie chuckled and Penny leaned against Maude’s legs, craning forward to get a good look at her brother.

“Waynie. I like it! Can I put ‘em in my stoller now?”

“No, Penny.”

After the flood of emotions that your living room became that morning, Wayne and Maude had stuck around for a couple of hours before they said goodbye to Penny and baby Wayne and made their way home. So, about a three minute walk, tops.

You settled onto the couch, next to Eddie who had Penny curled on his lap, with baby Wayne, ready to nurse him as Eddie searched for something to watch. You’d just gotten Wayne to latch when Eddie made a pleased sound and you glanced up to find out what had amused him.

On the tv was an episode of Saturday Night Live, specifically the beginnings of one of Mike Myers’ most popular sketches as Eddie’s favorite character from the show.

“Just in time,” At the mention of his son’s name on screen, Eddie glanced down at the baby attached to your boob, whose gaze flickered to the side to meet his as if he was aware of gaining his dad’s attention.

The corners of Eddie’s lips twitched as his big eyes stared at him, “Yeah, yeah. I know. Welcome to Wayne’s World.”

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delightfullyquirkydoodles · 7 months ago

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Okay, buckle up, friends and neighbours, because it's time for:

THE DOOPLISS DISSERTATION

(Obviously, you should take all of this with a HUGE chunk of salt, since I'm not only an internet-poisoned fandom blogger, but also a former English major with a penchant for over-reading.

Still, I spent a long time writing this, so I'd appreciate it if you gave it a read.)

So before we talk about Doopliss himself, I feel like we should talk about Creepy Steeple, since a lot of the topics I'm going to be touching on relate to the actual building.

Neither the original Gamecube version nor the Switch remake really bothers to explain what Creepy Steeple actually is.

None of Goombella's tattles say anything about the building's intended purpose. The name vaguely implies that it's a church of some kind -- in Japanese, it's called Odoron Jiin, or "Astonishing Temple" -- but that's still not very helpful.

Still, for the purposes of this analysis, I'm going to assume that it's meant to be a church.

This brings me to the Steeple's stained glass window, which shows a scary-looking Doopliss standing over some piranha plants.

From a design standpoint, I'm guessing that this detail was added to give the location a spooky vibe, but from an in-universe perspective, the implications are wild.

Like, who designed this? How long ago? And why? What the heck is it supposed to represent?

Unsurprisingly, the game offers no real answers, but I have a couple of theories.

The first is that the people of Twilight Town (or their ancestors, or something) created the window in Doopliss's honor.

Stained glass windows often depict saints or angels, so maybe the Twilighters used to worship him? Like, maybe Creepy Steeple was once dedicated to him and then, for whatever reason, the worshippers decided to leave?

It's not super likely, but I didn't want to rule out any possibilities. This is a weird freaking temple. Literally anything is possible, as far as I'm concerned.

My second theory is that Doopliss designed the window himself. He seems like a guy with a lot of spare time, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that he came up with the idea and then spent weeks building it by hand.

He could have also bullied the Boos into constructing it for him. I dunno. I just have this mental image of him pulling pranks on them and generally being a nuisance until they caved.

The bottom line is someone wanted to Doopliss's face to be front and center. And if that someone is Doopliss himself, then hoo boy, there is a lot to unpack here.

Maybe I'm projecting, but it feels like Doopliss is wrestling with some major self-esteem issues.

Despite being an incredibly powerful shapeshifter who somehow cursed an entire town, he seems very childish. He spends all his time watching TV and coming up with new jokes. He throws tantrums when he loses. He wears a party hat, of all things.

Based on that, I'd say that he's probably starved for attention. He's probably pretty lonely living in Creepy Steeple all by himself (doubly so if my theory about the Twilighters is correct).

I'd even go so far as to say that his scheme to turn the Twilighters into pigs is motivated by this need for attention. I mean, what better way to get people to notice you than to cause a town-wide panic?

I feel like the disguises he uses over the course of the main story also support this theory.

Though Mario, Zip Toad and Professor Frankly are quite different from one another, they all have one important thing in common: they're famous. Mario's a world-renowned adventurer, Zip Toad is a well-known actor and Frankly is a tenured professor whose students love him.

Doopliss even alludes to this after stealing Mario's body, telling him, "You're so popular around here! I just love being you!"

By transforming into beloved figures, Doopliss can get the attention he craves.

I also think that this is why he joined the Shadow Sirens. Sure, Beldam abuses him almost as badly as she abused Vivian, but at least she notices him. That's better than nothing.

The most conclusive piece of textual evidence is found in the epilogue. In her letter to Mario, Goombella explains that Doopliss has joined Flurrie on-stage in her production of "Paper Mario".

Obviously his shapeshifting abilities make the play a lot more realistic, but why would he bother participating in it at all? This guy was a villain for most of the game. Why would he suddenly decide to join up with one of his enemies?

Because, as far as I can tell, he's not a villain. Just a guy who's sick of being ignored.

I dunno. Doopliss's motivations have never been super clear, but I feel like there's more to him than meets the eye.

If you have any thoughts or ideas of your own, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

#paper mario #paper mario the thousand year door #paper mario ttyd #doopliss #screw it. we're main-tagging this.#this dissertation was brought to you by my brother asking why i like doopliss so much. this is why.#he's just a silly little guy

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pernesophe · 3 months ago

Text

Wind Breaker Boys x Touch Starved Reader

(Minors, Ageless and Blank Blogs DNI)

Synopsis: How the Wind Breaker boys would handle a touch averse / touch starved S/O.

(The reader's for this post just aren't touchy feely, don't have that experience, or are just awkward about it so there's more characterization of the reader's for this one I guess? Anyway, still had fun writing it - also Tsugeura has an artsy gf so a lot of his is about that!)

Characters in this post (characters are aged 18+ for any smut portions, and it is specifically implied in the story as well) MDNI:

Tsuguera Taiga (TW: pure comfort, fluff, one line could be taken as suggestive at the end)

Sugishita Kyotaro (TW: pure comfort, fluff, implied size difference cause Sugishita is so tall)

Kiryu Mitsuki (TW: comfort, fluff, one scene where reader is being bothered by a male classmate, suggestive, and smut (cunnilingus) at the end)

Master List (I have no rights to these characters, the works they come from, or the art/screenshots/manga panels used in this post)

Tsugeura Taiga

(2819 WC)

The day you met Tsuguera Taiga was at his favorite restaurant. With an artsy aesthetic you always stuck out at a wrestling themed restaurant, but it’s one of your favorites because they make caloric rich meals that really work for you. As soon as he saw you sitting by yourself, Tsugeura approached you in a boisterous manner and asked if you would like to eat together. He seemed so friendly, so of course you agreed.

After sitting down and ordering, he asks you about yourself. With a bright smile you tell him that you attend an arts based high school in the area and that you’ve only lived here for a few years now. Tsugeura is immediately intrigued by you, your aesthetic, and that you were just different from who he usually hung out with and spoke to.

After the food comes, you ask Tsugeura a little about himself and over lunch he tells you about attending Furin and protecting the town. And then he tells you all about his “virtue” which you think is odd, but really endearing. When he asks about your virtue, you’re a little surprised and don’t have an answer right away. He tells you that’s okay through a big grin with bright eyes to match, and then he says that you can tell him next time he sees you. Heat rose to your face with the implication that the two of you would see each other again, and you bashfully agreed. Tsugeura really didn’t even consider the fact that it could be seen as a date - he’s just a himbo and really interested in getting to know you.

The next time you see Tsuguera is about a week later at the same restaurant. The second you walk in he excitedly waves to you and gestures to the seat across from him, and you quickly join him with a wide grin plastered on your face. As soon as you sit down, you rush to tell him what your virtue is:

To see as much art as you can - good, bad, life changing art - so then you can make art that resonates with a lot of people. Hopefully some of your pieces can spur some real life changes around the world.

Tsugeura can’t help the overjoyed grin that pulls on the corners of his mouth at how excited you were to tell him your virtue. Thoroughly impressed and a little touched that you thought about it so much and gave him an honest answer. After a long moment of him gazing at you with a soft expression, you tilt your head curiously so he clears his throat before telling you it’s a really good virtue to have. Which leads to him asking more about you, the art you enjoy and he even asks to see some of it if you have pictures. Pulling out your phone, you forewarn him that your ‘vibe’ doesn’t necessarily match your art, and he just nods with a big grin.

Apprehensively you show him the first piece: a page full of sketches in the same style, black and white, varying from mushrooms, to bottles, to fish, to skulls, to moths and finally butterflies - all of which were laden with too many eyes. Tsugeura was a little taken aback, but then he leaned closer to the screen and zoomed in on certain pieces. As he did, you explained that it’s just a draft to practice drawing all of those things in the same style. Then you sheepishly add that you put eyes in a lot of your artwork.

“Why?” Tsugeura asks, not a trace of judgment in his voice - only curiosity - as he continues pouring over your work.

“I don’t know, I guess everyone says ‘eyes are the window to the soul’ but I think there’s only certain circumstances where that’s true. Like you have to be facing someone directly to see into their soul, but you can feel someone's eyes outside of that,” Tsugeura peers up at you - expression still completely curious, but questioning.

“Like, I feel like not everyone was taught not to stare growing up, if that makes sense? So, like, sometimes you can feel people staring at you even if you can’t see it…” he nods slowly as he straightens - listening intently. “I guess some of my earlier artwork plays around with giving the viewer that feeling from everyday objects - kind of in a way to put them in my shoes…” you trail off quietly - fearing that you’ve said too much.

“I’ve moved away from that being the point of my work, but I still do incorporate a lot of eyes. Now more so because I think sometimes it’s also a thing that can represent humanity in some ways - so now I try to incorporate them in a way to give humanity back to people and beings that we should treat better in our society.” Explaining yourself softly as you peer around the restaurant before meeting his gaze again, and Tsugeura’s eyes light up at your words.

“Do you have any pieces like that?” Asking with an undertone of hopefulness - unable to hide the way his fingers fidget with excitement.

“Yes actually,” you say softly as you swipe to one of the pieces you made earlier this year in your photos.

It’s a surrealist painting with a giant road lined with buildings leading into the ocean, and on the horizon a giant wave was coming to wash everything away. A crowd of “normal” people were running away while grabbing animals, plants, Knick knacks, etc - all with big, pleading eyes plain as day. Several figures were walking against the crowd - some you could see from the side profiles had no eyes, others had no ears, and some had no mouths - all of them on their way to enter the ocean. No one acknowledged them, no one reached out to spin them in the other direction. On top of everything, the ones walking towards the ocean were slightly transparent - as if they were invisible, or ghosts already. Tsugeura pours over it wide eyed for several minutes before looking up to you for an explanation.

“It’s called Blind,” you say quietly but don’t explain beyond that. He looks back at your phone and then to you and then your phone again as you wait patiently for his opinion.

“Because no one will look at them… or help them?” Asking quietly without looking up at you, and you feel your eyebrows shoot up instantly at his question. Tsugeura was absolutely correct.

“Mhm,” humming quickly with a nod as he meets your gaze again. “It’s kind of my commentary on how people with disabilities are treated by society.” Informing with a nod of your head, Tsugeura nods as well with an astonished expression on his face.

“I think you’re already making art that’s gonna change the world,” musing softly as a prideful grin spreads across his face. Immediately the tips of your ears burn and you bashfully avert your gaze. “This is really, really good Y/N,” adding as he hands your phone back to you, and you take it while shooting him a grateful smile.

After the two of you finish eating, Tsugeura walks you home and continues asking about you and your art. You ended up pulling up your portfolio on your phone and let him scroll through it - he was speechless (in a good way). At the end of the walk he was obviously disappointed to have to stop talking to you, so you offered him your number and he happily exchanged contact info.

Over the next few weeks, outside of the now weekly lunches you two have together, he stays in daily communication with you - asking about your day, art, and if you’ve eaten or drink water today. Not once has he made you feel bad for skipping a meal, but he does send a message like, “Food fuels the brain! You can be an amazing artist even if you’re not starving!”

This always makes you laugh and actually pause to eat the snacks you brought while you ask him about his day.

After about 3 months of getting to know Tsugeura, he asks if your work is ever featured in any art shows. Surprised by his question, you stammer out that there’s actually one this weekend and he of course asks if he can come. Not a ton of the people in your life get your art, so it’s typically you asking them to come - not the other way around. Of course, you eagerly agree and get a ticket to him by the end of the day.

For the show, Tsugeura got uncharacteristically nervous about attending as himself. The day before the show he asks Kiryu about what he should wear, and his pink haired friend tore through his wardrobe until he picked out a plain, long sleeve white shirt that was tucked into a pair of simple jeans with a black belt. Over it Tsugeura wore a coffee brown plaid shirt that was rolled up to the elbow along with the undershirt. To complete the look he wore a pair of long coffee colored socks that peaked out of the black lace up boots that Kiryu dug out of the back of his friend’s closet. His bubblegum haired friend said it was best to come as he is, but this outfit would be appropriate for the event.

Tsugeura felt way more confident by the time your art show rolled around. He, of course beelined to you, but after you showed him and told him about your pieces he seemed to pick up on the fact that you would be doing that all night. So, he made sure to ask you if it was okay to leave you and look at other pieces, before perusing the rest of the show and asking questions about different pieces.

You were pleasantly surprised to see Tsugeura truly engaged with the other artists and asking thoughtful questions about their art. Since he wasn’t an “artsy person” the questions he asked were a completely different point of view than most of the other attendees. By the end of the event, it was apparent that he was really well received and appreciated by the other creators which only made your heart soar even higher.

Once the event wound down, Tsugeura returned to your side and helped you pack up your pieces before walking you home. After the first few minutes of the walk pass in awkward silence - you peering up at him only to see him looking straight ahead with a nervous expression - he finally breaks the silence. In his signature loud way, he tells you that he thinks you’re really cool, creative and so, so smart. Going on to say that he would like to be more than friends, but that if that’s not what you would want then he would really like to just be your friend.

It was honestly comical, because he was so on edge it kind of looked like he was just yelling his feelings at you - and to be fair, he was - but his nervous yet hopeful expression accompanied with those big puppy dog eyes made him so unthreatening.

Instantly all your walls crumbled, and all of those ooey-gooey warm feelings that have been brewing for Tsugeura finally gushed out of you. With a blindingly bright smile you confess that you’ve felt the same way this whole time, and that you just didn’t realize he felt the that way. For a while you kind of just thought Tsugeura was just being kind to you, but he was quick to tell you that he’s so kind to you because he likes you so much. Timidly, he asks if you would be his girlfriend, and you happily agree.

Due to his virtue, Tsugeura didn’t want to scare you and let you take the lead on physical affection - this led to the two of you not really touching for the first 3 months of dating. Some guys in his class asked if you two have kissed, and Tsugeura just shrugs and says no. When they ask why, he says he’s letting you take the lead, and they just stare at him dumbfounded before asking if he’s ever gonna make a move - so he explains his thinking behind it.

Then one of his peers asks if Tsugeura lets you know that he’s attracted to you or likes you outside of physical affection. Tsugeura explained that he doesn’t really, but you seem really secure in your looks and whenever you two talk you just end up in a deep discussion about each other’s special interests. They say “okay” and some forms of “good luck” which kind of make Tsugeura self conscious though he doesn’t show it outwardly to them.

Later that day though, he timidly asks you if he’s been making you feel undesirable by not touching you or complimenting you. Surprised at first by his timidness, but then you giggle and explain your feelings around compliments - you don’t care too much for compliments on your physique, but you do enjoy compliments on your style choices and art. You assure him that you feel like he compliments you all the time - especially when he’s always telling you that he really likes the outfit you put together, or when he asks for your help to put a new outfit together for him. It always makes you feel good that he trusts your style and creative choices enough to ask you for help. In addition to that, you're always bouncing art idea off of him and he always tells you how intelligent you are for the idea.

After that, you go on to tell him - a little more nervously - about your relationship with physical affection. He listens intently as you explain that you don’t come from a very touchy feely home, and that no one in your family is very comfortable with it so you kind of just learned to be the same way.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite understand the physical affection piece at first and immediately bear hugs you with a giant grin on his face while saying, “Well you just need a hug!” He accidentally ends up tackling you to the floor so he’s on top of you.

When he hears you sniffle quietly underneath him, Tsugeura immediately thinks he hurt you and tries to get up, but you're clutching his shirt so tightly that he can’t.

”Y/N? Are you hurt? I’m so sorry!” He cries out, but you shake your head as you cry into his shoulder and pull him closer to you. Tsugeura freezes in place so you're not bearing any of his weight, but he's not pulling away either

”No I-I’m not hurt…” sniffling softly as you try to find the words to explain. “I’ve just never had anyone hug me like this, or been so ha-happy to hug me…” voice cracking as a sob escapes you. Tsugeura finally seems to understand that this was a lot harder for you than he first realized as he silently relaxes his body on top of you - reapplying the pressure from before.

“Thank you,” you whisper softly. “Ca-can we stay like this for a little bit longer? The pressure is really nice…” Warbling out softly, and he immediately wraps his arms tightly around you.

Tsuguera is silent as he holds you and lets you cry into his chest. After this, his approach to small forms of physical affection - hand holding, placing a reassuring palm on your back or shoulder blade, tucking your hair behind your ear - is much more eager. Especially since you mentioned that no one had ever been so happy to hug you before - Tsugeura never wanted you to feel that he wasn’t more than happy to touch you. In private, he’ll give you forehead kisses, tuck you into his side on the couch, and occasionally play with your hair or pet your head. He insists on giving you pressure hugs often - also in private in case you start crying - because after that first time you had been so relaxed afterwards. As if he had somehow squeezed all the tension from your body.

Through the rest of school, graduation, art school, and even at your first big show - Tsugeura always showed up. At that first show and every single one following, Tsugeura would arrive with you; help you set up; look at art and mingle through the event before returning to your side at the end to help you pack up. When the two of you arrive home - per tradition - Tsugeura peels the formal dress off of you and removes your heels before pulling you into a crushing hug. Once the stress of the day is squeezed from your muscles, then you take a long, hot shower together before cuddling each other to sleep in your giant shared bed.

Sugishita Kyotaro

(2296 WC)

You met Sugishita in middle school, after he was already devoted to Umemiya - he got involved when a group of your classmates were bullying you relentlessly. It took several interventions from him before they finally stopped, but after they did he still kept a quiet eye on you.

Often he would be waiting on the corner of the street that your house is on - at first you didn’t realize he was waiting for you until you smiled and waved at him as you walked by and he fell in step with you immediately. Honestly, you thought it was a coincidence, but every day after that started the same way - Sugishita silently waiting at the corner for you. Not once did you question him about it, wordlessly accepting the “scary dog privileges” that Sugishita afforded you.

A severe look was always on his face, and he didn’t speak much, but since you met him through him standing up for you - it was easy to be comfortable and smiley towards him. Though, he wasn’t 100% used to that right off the bat (other than maybe from Umemiya) and became enamored by you quite swiftly. The two of you started “hanging out” after knowing each other for a few weeks - you two would see each other at the park or something and sit together quietly enjoying whatever separate activities you brought.

It took him a while to open up to you, and he still hasn’t divulged everything about himself, but you quickly learned that Umemiya and Furin were incredibly important to him. One thing he made sure to mention was that he’s just really invested in following in Umemiya’s footsteps by protecting the town. You thought he was really admirable for it, and made sure to tell him so with a bright smile that exuded reverence - which instantly made him fall for you. As for you, you’ve had feelings since Sugishita saved you, but they’ve grown unruly over time. Especially during those quiet moments where you can just enjoy his company, but you’re not expected to speak.

Every single day, you have to say so many words that you find it to be exhausting sometimes, so you especially loved that Sugishita’s friendship uses a lot of nonverbal communication (head nods, points, a specific look, etc.). It made you feel like he really got you, and at times it kind of felt like the two of you had your own secret language.

Despite how your feelings continue to overtake your heart for Furin’s “Mad Dog” - you keep gardening shears at the ready to cut them back before their invasive vines reach your mouth. Sugishita was so not forthcoming with his emotions, you were convinced he couldn’t feel the same way, and you weren’t willing to jeopardize your newfound friendship.

Umemiya finally asks to meet you one day since Sugishita was spending so much time with you, so he brought you to Pothos to meet Furin’s leader, Kotoha and some of the Furin kings. Though you don’t love talking all of the time - you’re able to communicate really well, and come across pretty bubbly when you do talk. After meeting you, they all think your friendship is adorable since you two are like ‘night and day’, but they also seem relieved that you’re obviously a very kind and caring person. They hid it well, but you still picked up on the fact that they were a bit worried for their friend since Sugishita doesn’t talk, let alone explain much.

After they meet you, Umemiya asks Sugishita if he likes you as “more than a friend” and Sugishita defensively denies it. Umemiya just laughs and says ‘Well, I hope that’s true, because it won’t be long before someone tries to steal her from you,” he says with a teasing grin and arch of his brow.

Sugishita is on edge after that. Truly he hadn’t considered the fact that you might want to spend time with someone else eventually, and that realization surfaced a ton of scary emotions for him. So the next time you two are sitting at the park, he uncharacteristically talks more than usual.

The moment the two of you sit down on the bench, he’s fidgeting his hands in his lap and twitching his shoes in the dirt. Frequently you peered over at him, but the moment he met your gaze he’d look away immediately. Finally, you pin him with that same intense stare he’d give others until he faced you fully and just came out with whatever was on his mind.

“I like you Y/N,” his monotone mutter wavered slightly as a blush crept over his cheeks. Dubiously, you tilt your head with a notch in your brow at him - trying to decipher what that meant.

“I like you too Sugishita!” Chirping brightly at him after the short pause as your face smoothes out, and for a beat his face lights up in surprise and a smile starts to curl his lips. Until you add, “Honestly, and I’ve never told you this, but you’re my best friend.” Admitting with a bashful giggle. Immediately, his face falls as he turns away and he begins fidgeting again - you almost ask him what’s wrong but he meets your gaze with a determined look on his face. By the way, “determined” on Sugishita’s face just looks like a severe glare, so you jump at first.

“Y/N.” He says meaningfully and you lean in slightly - looking up at him through your thick lashes. Gulp - he swallows hard before continuing. “I like you… as more… than a… friend.” Through gritted teeth he breathes the words out, eyes pleading. Just due to his demeanor, you’re stunned, sitting there blinking rapidly for several minutes. Despite every nerve in his being telling him to run and that this was all a huge mistake - he stays and speaks some more. “Y/N, I want to be your boyfriend. If that’s okay with you?” Asking slowly, in such a quiet, vulnerable tone that contrasts his usual one. Finally, you’re released from your shock.

“Really?” Whispering so softly eyes welling with tears. “Sugishita… of course!” Crying out as you nod quickly. As for Sugishita, well, he’s usually not an expressive person but he beamed at you as the tips of his ears burned brightly. “I’ve had feelings for you for a long time - I just had no idea you’ve felt the same.” Admitting quietly as you regard him with a soft expression, and he just bashfully nods while averting his gaze.

After that day in the park the two of you were official, but still a little awkward. Neither of you were used to dating, so touching each other - even holding hands - was kind of off the table. Honestly, the two of you kind of acted the same as you did before so no one really knew. Umemiya thought it was odd that Sugishita was still so calm after their conversation, so he asked Sugishita about it while rooftop gardening. The raven haired teen simply said the two of you were dating now while going about his task - that’s how all of Furin found out that you were official.

As for you - your friends found out when they tried to set you up with one of their brothers who had a crush on you, but you politely told them that you were seeing someone. They begged for photos so you showed them the only one you had saved that Umemiya took of the two of you.

It was from that day in Pothos when you met everyone - you and Sugishita are sitting side by side in a booth, and you are looking off to the side (Tsubaki was talking to you in depth about fashion) and Sugishita is peering over at you. Except that severe look he usually wore had softened completely, a small smile curled the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were brimming with so much adoration. That’s how everyone in your life found out.

It’s been a solid six months since you and Sugishita started dating, but everyone still just calls you ‘friends’. When you asked your bestie about it she said “you don’t act like a couple. Like you hang out a lot, but I’ve never seen the two of you touch each - not even holding hands!”

Her words plague your thoughts for the rest of the day. They were still heavy in your mind as you were hanging out in Sugishita’s backyard later that day. The two of you were sitting on the bench looking at the daffodils starting to bloom.

With your heart in your throat, you slowly reach out and take hold of Sugishita's thumb (too afraid to take his whole hand), and he immediately jumps but doesn’t pull away. He just looks at you with a deep furrow in his brow, kind of like he would look at Sakura, which makes you cower a little.

”So-sorry…” whispering quietly as you let go of his hand and fold yours in your lap. He just keeps staring at you, but you won’t look at him - finding interest in a daffodil swaying in the breeze.

After an exceptionally long pause, Sugishita gently holds his hand above your lap with his thumb stuck out for you causing you to look back up at him in surprise. His expression is confused, maybe a little apprehensive, and certainly nervous. Gently, you take his thumb in your hand again and hold it in your lap, but the staring contest isn’t over yet as he silently pleads for an explanation.

”M-my friend said that everyone keeps calling us ‘just friends’ even though we’re dating, because no one ever sees us touch each other - or even hold hands,” you explain quietly as Sugishita’s brow furrows and he tilts his head to the side, perplexed. “It’s not that I care what other people think, but you are my boyfriend and I would like to touch you sometimes…” trailing off as a vibrant blush overtakes his face. “Not anything crazy… It’s just hard for me to even,” looking down at where you’re holding his thumb, “I was never hugged, or kissed or loved on at home, and I just don’t know how… I’m trying to find a way though, because if there’s anyone I want to do that with it’s you.” Admitting so softly before returning your gaze to the daffodil. Another, extraordinarily long pause passes, where you can feel Sugishita’s eyes boring into you, but you don’t break the silence.

Without warning, Sugishita wraps his fingers around your hand where you’re holding his thumb and pulls so your top half is leaning in front of him, and then he uses his other arm to scoop you up and pull you into his lap. Promptly, he wraps one arm tightly around you while the other stays between you, his thumb still in your grasp, and then he hides his face in your neck. Neither of you speak, or move, or breathe really as you just sit there and get comfortable feeling each other so close. Then, like the wind whistling through a gnarled stump in the dead of night - he finally speaks.

”Me too,” he whispers into your hair. That’s all he says, but you understand - he’s the same as you in a lot of ways, this being one of them. He wants to touch you too, but he doesn’t know how. But he does know that you are the person he wants to touch. The two of you stay like that for a long while, and though your relationship changes marginally (both of you are just slow paced, and that’s okay!!) the two of you start holding hands regularly.

Specifically, when the two of you are sitting somewhere, Sugishita will hold his hand out to you with his thumb sticking out, to which you’ll smile softly and wrap your hand around it - the two of you will sit doing your separate activities while holding hands like that. From that point on though, it is no longer in question whether the two of you are ‘just friends’ or dating. Especially with the way Sugishita blushes brighter than Sakura every time you hold his hand.

Years later, Sugishita still isn’t super touchy-feely, openly that is, but he is actually much more tolerant than he looks - with you and the kids at least. Once your children are old enough they literally use him as a jungle gym while he’s doing things around the house, the whole time he wears a gentle smile as he maneuvers them expertly around corners and furniture.

As for you, Sugishita will come up behind you often - especially when you’re cooking - and place his chin on the top of your head before wrapping his arms around your waste and hugging you snugly from behind. If you are cooking, and it’s something he likes, then he’ll steal a small pinch from the pan while you’re “not looking” (you see every time though).

Your husband only really comes into his own as a touchy feely person when your kids have grown up and moved out - having kids of their own. Teenage Sugishita and Grandpa Sugishita are completely different people. Grandpa Sugi - as the grandkids call him - is often seen scooping them up when they come to visit and peppering their face with kisses.

Around Furin he can be seen carrying one grandkid in one arm, holding the hand of another walking next to him, while a third sits atop his shoulders - hugging his head for stability. Of course, you always take the third one and put them on your shoulders instead - more securely - to both their and Grandpa Sugi’s dislike as they grumble in a way that has to be genetic.

Kiryu Mitsuki

(4913 WC)

The day you moved in next door to Kiryu Mitsuki is the day you fell in love with him. From the moment you met his viridescent eyes - you were hooked. Most of your childhood was spent playing at his house, at your house, or at the park. Sometimes you would end up in the same class throughout grade school, but the two of you were close friends regardless.

And close friends you remained going into high school, despite your obvious crush on your best friend. Going into that first year, you vowed to keep your feelings to yourself so as to not ruin the friendship, and because you also knew Kiryu would never reciprocate them. He was the coolest person you’ve ever met, popular, and one of the most authentic people you know. Whereas you have always been quiet, shy and a bit of a nerd - to be quite honest, you didn’t think anyone was looking your way.

That was until one of your peers from grade school approached you with a wide grin and desire in his eyes. You were thrown off at first to see him approaching you with that expression - especially since he’s the same guy who broke your glasses three years in a row just for fun.

“Hey, Y/N! It’s been a while! How’ve you been?” Asking cheerily as he leans into your space making you stiffen completely. Unaware of how uncomfortable you are, he keeps talking to you, leaning closer and closer until finally he asks, “So - wanna go on a date with me?”

Grinning ear to ear as he expectantly awaits your affirmative answer, but you’re just stuck there blinking rapidly. He couldn’t be serious, right? The two of you haven’t spoken since you were under 3 feet tall, and this may be the first time he’s ever said a kind word to you.

“Um,” stammering for a moment as you flounder for a response, and then you toss him a tight lipped smile as you inched towards an escape route. “No thank you - I have to go actually,” rushing the words as you duck past him and speed away. Not sparing a glance back either, so you completely miss the way his face sours and his jaw clenches in annoyance.

The next few weeks pass with the same peer following you on all of your social media accounts and DM’ing you until you have to block him and go private. Completely missing the hint though, since he somehow acquired your number and has just started texting you directly until you have to block that as well. Finally, you think it’s over until he starts showing up at your school, job, and sometimes randomly when you’re out with your friends. You don’t even know how he knows where you are. Still, you’re not sure if it’s serious enough to bring up to someone yet.

The last straw is when he shows up on your front doorstep while both your and Kiryu’s parents are gone and he is out on patrol - so you’re totally alone. Knowing better than to answer the door, you crouch in your kitchen with your phone opened to the emergency number already punched in - just in case. For 30 minutes he bangs on your door insistently while calling your name, and then suddenly it just stops. Still, you wait another 15 minutes just to be safe.

When you hear Kiryu opening the front gate to his house, you jump up and sprint out the front door over to him. Seeing the panic in your eyes, he immediately goes on high alert - looking around for whatever caused you to be in such a state. After you catch your breath, everything that’s been going on for the past few weeks right up to the incident less than an hour ago spills out of you in one sentence. Kiryu listens silently - eyes widening and jaw clenching more and more with each word - by the end of your tale his expression is downright murderous.

For a moment you wonder if it was a mistake to tell him as you gently reach out to touch his arm, but then he suddenly snaps out of his stupor - face smoothing out as he throws you a reassuring smile. Though his verdurous eyes were still seething.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Just leave it to me,” reassuring you with a serene smile as you slowly nod - uncertain of what he could mean exactly by his earlier expression. “I just found a new game - wanna play it with me to take your mind off of it?” Offering kindly, and you sigh in relief since the boy next door you were familiar with had returned. Nodding, you follow him into his house and chill there until your parents get home. Kiryu insists on walking you the 15 feet home - just to be safe.

Two days later, the guy approaches you - with a black eye and really nasty split lip - and genuinely apologizes for how creepy and completely out of line he’s been. Then he promises to leave you alone. Stunned into silence, you just nod with wide eyes before he turns and walks away. Later that day, you confront Kiryu about it - expecting him to deny beating the guy up - but he just shrugs at you.

“Yeah I did.” He adds to the gesture, matter of factly. A long pause passes where you just stare at him in disbelief, and as you part your lips to start chastising him, he just gives you a deadpan look that makes you pause. Then he states in a cool tone, “If you would just date me already, then I could’ve just told him that I’m your boyfriend and to back off.”

Wide eyed, you just stare at him with your mouth opening and closing like a guppy - causing him to throw his head back in laughter. ”Y/N, don’t tell me you actually haven’t realized it yet? I mean, I’ve known you’ve liked me since grade school, and it’s not like I’ve tried to hide that I like you.” Teasing you gently as he titters at your shocked expression and blushing cheeks. Dropping your head in embarrassment, you sigh deeply before meeting his gaze with an unreadable expression on your face.

“Before grade school actually,” you whisper softly, and a shocked look replaces his smile as a light dusting of pink crawls over his cheeks. “Since I first moved in next door…” adding quietly as your gaze falls to the floor, but not before you catch a glimpse of Kiryu’s ears turning red.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He asks, genuinely curious with his brows raised.

“Because,” you release an exasperated sigh as you meet his gaze again. “You’re Kiryu Mitsuki and I’m just me,” you say - a little miserable by your own admission. Kiryu’s brow creases in utter confusion as he slowly shakes his head.

“Y/N, I have no idea what that means.” He admits, honestly, and a little concerned by how miserable you seem by the topic of conversation.

“I mean that you’re cool. And popular. And you have no problem being yourself, and a lot of people love that about you. People who are also good at being themselves,” explaining while moving your hands about with each of your points. Kiryu’s brow only furrows more as he moves from confused to perplexed. Taking a deep breath, you add, “I’m just me. I’m quiet. I’m awkward. I’m nerdy, and I just don’t know why anyone as cool as you would like me.” Admitting in a cracked voice as tears brim along your lash line. Kiryu still looks so completely thrown off, but you just give up trying to explain - releasing a tired sigh. After a silent beat, Kiryu’s calm voice breaks the silence.

“I’m only cool because of you, y’know.” Your head cocks at his words as one slippery tear drops down your cheek, and he nods before continuing. “You’re the one who cheers me on every time I do something like dye my hair pink or pierce my face, or just try to be myself. I’m cool for you, Y/N.” He explains earnestly as you deflate a little - all brewing arguments dying on your tongue. “I honestly could care less if anyone else thinks I’m cool, as long as you do. So, please, will you be my girlfriend already?” He asks solemnly, and after a long pause you nod dumbly at him, and then you nod quicker as your face breaks into a bright smile.

“You’ve been trying to be cool for me?” Giggling out softly to him as you wipe away the tears in your eyes - starting to feel a little ridiculous for how you’ve denied your feelings for so long.

”Desperately,” he breathes out - obviously relieved that his feelings have finally reached you. Another fit of giggles strikes you as you lean a little closer to Kiryu - looking up at him through your lashes.

“That makes me so happy Kiryu - of course I’ll be your girlfriend,” gushing excitedly up at him. And even though Kiryu knew he probably shouldn’t, he can’t help but lean forward and press an excited kiss to your cheek. Immediately you tense up and turn a bright red, and when he leans back he’s struck with a fit of giggles at your shocked expression.

After that, the two of you were officially dating, and though he hasn’t kissed you again, Kiryu will also occasionally hold your hand. Although he can feel you’re tense and awkward, he stills wants to do it and show everyone else you’ve moved from friendship into a relationship. You aren’t uncomfortable to the point that this bothers you - you’re just really conscious of the fact that you two are holding hands which makes you feel a little awkward.

Finally, your awkwardness around physical touch comes to a head one day when Kiryu is holding your hand - a blush radiating from your cheeks the whole time - when he suddenly lets you go to assist a shopkeeper with hanging a plant. When he returned to your side, he didn’t immediately grab your hand again like he usually did. A bit confused, you walk along a little longer expecting him to remember at some point, but he’s just babbling about some video game as a notch forms in your brow. Eventually - while he’s mid sentence - you stubbornly reach out and take his hand in yours, gripping it firmly.

“Oh, and that one level-” Kiryu stops and looks down at your smaller hand holding onto him by his fingers, and then looks back up and has to stifle a laugh at your expression. You’re looking at him with that same notch in your brow, your lips pulled in a small pout, and slight betrayal in your eyes. “I’m sorry - did you want to keep holding my hand?” Asking in a teasing tone with a slight arch of his brow.

Blushing furiously up to your ears as your expression turns shocked and you quickly look away, but don’t let go of his hand. Humming a small ‘mhm’ as the two of you keep walking. Kiryu titters to himself, but doesn’t tease you further since you finally touched him.

Holding firmly onto his hand until you were settled on a bean bag in his bedroom, as he sets up a 2 player game on his console across the room. Without turning around, he breaks the awkward silence in his signature calm tone.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve held my hand…” he says with an obvious smile in his voice. Proven when he turned around and the corners of his mouth were turned up. “Anything you want to talk about?” Asking in a knowing tone as he arches a brow at your expression.

Nodding slowly - that notch from earlier back in your brow, your bottom lip tucked between your teeth, and hands clasped in your lap as you twirl your thumbs. Laughing lightly, Kiryu nods at you to go ahead.

“I-I don’t know why,” you start in a timid voice - eyes darting back and forth, “but I get really self conscious and awkward when we hold hands.” Meeting his gaze for a moment as he nods again for you to continue. “But I really like it too, and I think I would like to touch you more… but I’m just so awkward I can feel it in my bones. I don’t know how not to be, or how to just let myself enjoy it, y’know?” Finishing in an uncertain tone as you tilt your head forward to look at him through your lashes. Kiryu is just staring back at you with the most amused expression - a scheming look in his eyes.

“I have a few ideas of how to help with that,” offering in a low tone that you’ve never heard him use before as your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Slowly, you nod your head without breaking eye contact. Kiryu crawls over to where you’re seated on the bean bag, and sits on his knees in front of you. “Can I hold you?” Asking with a tilt of his head as he holds his arms out to you, again, you nod slowly.

Wordlessly, Kiryu scoops you up and sits himself down in the bean bag chair before sitting you on his lap. Your legs are bent in front of you between his legs, his arms are loosely wrapped around you, and your back flush to his chest. Kiryus gently places his chin on top of your head. At first, you’re incredibly tense and so red you’re sure you’re radiating heat at this point. Kiryu just calmly sits there without moving until you ever so gradually relax into him - eyes wide and expression uncertain.

Ever so slowly, he begins letting his hands drift down over your skirt to caress your bare legs, feather light touches cascade over your skin making you squirm and blush. Kiryu laughs through his nose, but doesn’t cease his movement. It was almost imperceivable as he leaned forward and let his lips ghost over your earlobe to place a chaste kiss on your cheek. Turning your head swiftly to meet his gaze, but Kiryu had already leaned back and over to the side to place another kiss to the nape of your neck while you were turned away.

This game of cat and mouse continued - Kiryu’s fingertips ghosting over your bare legs and arms, only barely over your ribs at times, while he peppered kisses on your cheeks, neck and shoulders - the whole time you maneuvering and craning your neck to try and look him in his vibrant green eyes. Finally, when you let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in his chest while crossing your arms - Kiryu devolved into a fit of laughter at your annoyed pout.

“Do you want me to stop?” Kiryu asked in a teasing tone, and you instantly released another sigh while turning your head to the side. He starts to pull his arms back while speaking in that same teasing tone. “You just had to say so,” he breathes against the shell of your ear as he begins to lean away from you, but you quickly grab his wrists to stop him. Pulling him forward slightly, you wrap his arms around your torso and lean back into his chest again.

“I-I want… more…” muttering through your stubborn pout, still refusing to meet your boyfriend’s gaze. Kiryu chuckles low before smiling serenely at your embarrassed demeanor.

Tightening his arms around you, he leaned forward until his chin rested on your shoulder, and then he whispered, “You just had to say so,” fanning hot breath over your skin.

Swiftly, Kiryu repositions you so you’re cradled in his arms and peering up into his mischievous green eyes with a surprised expression on your face. Stifling a laugh at your blushing cheeks and wide eyes, he bends down to place a kiss to your forehead before peppering kisses all over your face and neck. At first you tense and flinch under his affection, but gradually you loosen up and lean into him more and more until you fall into a fit of blushing giggles.

Kiryu pauses in his affectionate attack to hug you tightly to him and bury his nose in your hair until you both calm down a bit. A wide grin tugging at his lips at how good it feels to finally hold you like this. After a few moments, you wordlessly meet his serene gaze, and without warning you cup his cheeks in your hands before leaning up and slotting your lips with his. Kiryu freezes for a moment - stunned and red in the face - until he relaxes and kisses you back, tightening his hold on you even more.After parting from the kiss, both of you stare at each other warmly for a long moment, before devolving into a fit of giggles together this time.

From this day on, you really don’t have any qualms with holding Kiryu’s hand or sharing a kiss. Now, your favorite thing he does is when he gives a surprise hug from behind while pressing a kiss to your cheek. In private, Kiryu and you often sit in the same bean bag - him in it and you in between his legs - when playing video games or watching a movie. You don’t feel awkward at all any more, and just relish in being able to enjoy your boyfriend’s loving touches.

It wasn’t until the two of you graduated and were living in the same apartment on campus that your relationship went a step further. After the first semester, you surprised Kiryu with a nice homemade dinner and told him that you were ready once the meal was finished. Knowing this was coming eventually, he eagerly cleared the table as you went to get ready without question.

For tonight you bought an olive green, retro lingerie set that was a bralette and a pair of high waisted underwear. To wear over it you purchased a silky pink robe - as close to Kiryu’s hair as you could find - with lace trim around the sleeves and bottom hemline. Once you are touched up and adorned in your outfit, you step out into the living room to find Kiryu waiting patiently on the couch.

The moment his gaze locks on you, those vibrant green eyes are set ablaze like Greek Fire, and it almost burns where they travel over you. After he’s thoroughly snapped the mental image of you looking like the birth of Aphrodite emerging from the hallway - he holds his hand out to you palm up. Crossing the room with a shy smile tugging at your lips, you take his hand and let him lead you to stand in front of him in between his legs.

“I like this,” breathing out heavily as he runs his fingertips along the opening of the robe before smoothing his palms over the velvet hugging your hips. Kiryu continues caressing his hands along your velvety clad curves as his eyes fill with lusty adoration.

“I bought it for you,” you admit softly, and Kiryu’s eyes snap to your face - a little confused. He didn’t want to assume, but who else would you buy it for? Giggling softly at his expression, you point at the green velvet, “your eyes,” and then you grasp the sleeve of the robe in your other hand to hold up to him, “your hair. Though I couldn’t find the right green, so I had to settle.” Adding with a small pout, but Kiryu barely registers the last thing you said as he leans back against the couch to take you in fully once more.

If he had been looking at you with pure adoration before, then this may be closer to worship with his eyes wide, lips slightly parted and brows raised. It felt like he was hit by a Mack Truck - he honestly felt like he couldn’t be any more in love with you, until now.

“Pink and Green aren’t even your favorite colors though,” chuckling lightly while shaking his head at you. Ever since the two of you were young you always said you enjoyed nude colors, you just feel more yourself in them.

“Yeah, but you’re my favorite color,” murmuring with a bashful smile as a blush creeps up your chest all the way to the tips of your ears. Kiryu’s virescent eyes widen before he reaches forward and grabs you by the hips and pulls you down into his lap so you’re sitting on one of his thighs. Without missing a beat, he begins pressing open mouthed kisses into the crook of your neck.

“I’m your favorite color?” He asks teasingly as he nips at your collarbone before pulling back to meet your half lidded gaze with his heated one. “Promise?” Whispering against your mouth and you subtly nod before slotting your lips with his. Kiryu titters into the kiss as he repositions you both to lay on the couch - you on your back and Kiryu’s hips slotted between your thighs.

Your boyfriend is agonizingly slow with his ministrations - trailing his lips down your neck and over you shoulder, slipping the rob off of you as he peppers kisses down your arm to your fingertips. Then, trailing his lips back up your arm, placing open mouth kisses where the strap of your bralette was as he pulls it off your shoulder. Moving down, he begins kissing along the hem of the bralette across your ribs as he slowly lifts the velvety fabric and pulls it off of you.

Before going in farther, Kiryu’s verdant orbs cut to your face again - searching for any sign of discomfort. But all he finds is unbridled excitement and lust as you nod eagerly for him to continue. You see Kiryu take a deep breath to steady himself before turning his attention back to your bare chest. Ever so slowly he brings both hands up to palm them lightly - gently squeezing and rolling the satisfying fat under his hand before moving his hands to cup under them so he can dip his face into the valley of your breasts. First, he places open mouthed kisses along the insides of them before moving to pepper kisses along the tops of your mounds. Then, finally, he brings his lips to over one pert nipple before licking it with the tip of his tongue, and then Kiryu wraps his mouth around it completely. At the same time he moves to roll your other nipple between his fingertips. The new sensations are overwhelming, causing you to arch your back and with it your chest even closer to his hands and mouth. Quiet whines and moans fall from your lips and into Kiryu’s ears causing him to grin against your sensitive skin.

When your soft sounds become more desperate, Kiryu finally makes his way down - littering kisses and gentle nips across your ribs, then down the center of your abdomen until his lips halt at the hemline of your underwear. Casting his gaze up through his lashes at you, he silently waits for permission to continue, and you bite your bottom lip anxiously before giving him a determined nod. Ever so slowly, Kiryu hooks his fingers into the top of your underwear before sliding them down to your ankles - watching your expression closely and giving you ample time to change your mind.

Once the garment is deposited on the floor, Kiryu leans back on his heels to stare at you in all your glory. Goosebumps pucker along your flushed skin as you squirm under his unabashed gaze, and then he reaches out to splay his hand over your abdomen before ghosting it down over your hip and up your thigh to rest on your bent knee. Vibrant, pastoral eyes following the path of his hand - watching the shiver that runs through your muscles from his touch. The expression that crosses his face is the same when he beats a difficult game - triumph and satisfaction.

Slowly bending forward, he brings his lips to your other knee - keeping your legs spread apart - as he gently grabs under your calf with his other hand and extends the leg he’s kissing. Trailing pecks and love bites up your calf to your ankle, where he pauses to cut those heated green eyes to you before grinning deviously as he places your ankle on his shoulder and begins working his way back down. Halting at your knee to bite the back of your knee, causing you to jump and your slick cunt to clench eagerly, before he drags his tongue along the sensitive skin there, then he places a long and sloppy kiss there. Your breathing becomes uneven as his grip on your thigh tightens and his thumb starts tracing circles on your other knee.

“Kiry-u!” Moaning desperately as the string in your abdomen begins to tighten. Grinning wide into your skin, and you shiver while releasing a shaky breath at the sensation of his teeth against the sensitive area. Pulling his lips away, he then leans forward completely - sliding your knees onto his shoulders - until he’s face to face with your drooling pussy. Those Greek Fire eyes have become hungry as he looks up at you from between your thighs for permission.

“Can I kiss you here too?” He asks, oh so innocently, with a slight raise of his eyebrows and everything, but the mischievous look in his gaze betrays his tone. Regardless, you nod with a breathless “uh-huh”. Kiryu’s eyes fall back to your glistening folds as he drags his palms to your hips to grip them and pull you closer. First, he leans forward until his nose bumps that sensitive bundle of nerves, causing you to hiss, and then he breathes in deeply before releasing a long, satisfied sigh. Warm air fans your folds, shooting a shiver up your spine, and then Kiryu ever so slowly drags his tongue through your folds. Back arching off the couch, you unintentionally push your dripping core closer to his eager mouth and without missing a beat he latches his mouth onto you. Licking up your arousal while mapping out your folds up to your clit with the tip of his tongue, and then he maneuvers his wet muscle down to your entrance. Teasing it slowly at first by pushing the tip of his tongue just through that ring of muscle and then pulling it back before pushing it again, over and over again at a leisurely pace that was making you lose your mind. Even more so by the way his fingertips were digging into the fat of your hips bruisingly - holding you tightly in place.

When you finally reach down and card your finger through his rose colored locks - gripping on tightly as you buck into his mouth - Kiryu relinquishes and pushes his tongue fully through the ring of muscle to glide along your gummy walls. Groaning deeply as his eyes roll back into his head as his ministrations become more insistent, the vibration only makes you buck harder into him as you cry out desperately for more. Kiryu moans approvingly into your clenching core as he grips and pulls on your hips to wordlessly tell you to keep grinding against him. Following his silent direction, you grip his hair harder and pull him closer as you grind shamelessly on his lithe tongue.

Suddenly, the string in your abdomen becomes so taught it finally snaps, and with it your release comes crashing over you. Arching your back off the couch as Kiryu’s name is ripped from your lips in a breathy cry and every muscle in your body tenses with euphoria before they relax - pleasure washing through your being - as you collapse back onto the couch. Kiryu pulls his tongue back, but doesn’t stop his ministrations - gradually slowing as you come down from your orgasm. After you’ve relaxed entirely - boneless as you catch your breath - your boyfriend continues licking your folds, cleaning you and drinking every last drop of you.

Once he’s finished, and finally comes up for air - an immensely satisfied look on his face - he regards your flushed cheeks and drowsy eyes. Grinning ear to ear, he lays down beside you and pulls you flush to his chest. “Thank you for the meal,” he breathes against your temple before pressing a loving kiss there as you curl into him and murmur a soft, tired ‘thank you’ in return.

It wasn’t long before you are drifting off to sleep in Kiryu’s arms - him holding you so securely as he continues peppering kisses into your hair and whispering sweet nothings.

‘You taste utterly divine,’ ‘I love the faces you make when you cum - you're so beautiful Y/N’, ‘I can't wait make you scream like that again’.

Until he finally drifted off to sleep with his nose still buried in your hair and a serene smile tugging at his lips.

After this it still takes some time for you two to go all the way, but that was mostly because of Kiryu. He said you’re an overachiever by nature and would focus on his pleasure before you ever found out how good he could make you feel. So you followed his lead, and you were glad you did because it wasn’t long before Kiryu showed you just how well he knows your body.

#wind breaker x reader #wind breaker boys x touch starved reader #pernesophe #SP's Headspace

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chernabogs · 9 months ago

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ERLKÖNIG

Inc: Malleus (/Reader later on), Reader/Prefect, Lilia, Silver, Sebek, Ace, Deuce, Grim, and a lot of fae who should not be in this dimension yet somehow are. Wc: Roughly 9k (Currently sitting at chapter 2/23). Warnings: Violence, reference to war, kidnapping, rituals that fae allegedly did in mythology (wild), psychological horror, body horror (not until much later), and the boys are fighting... a lot. Relies heavily on ancient Celtic and Welsh lore (Tam Lin, Thomas the Rhymer, and Oisin I owe u my life) Summary: Your first encounter with the fae was not in Twisted Wonderland, but rather on the coast of a village your grandmother once lived in—where stones bit into your bare feet and the water poured into your lungs as you were pulled to a world so different from your own. It was by cunning alone that you managed to escape, having since pushed those memories aside. But the fae do not forget—not even when you cross dimensions once more—and as Beltane looms, the time for collecting is near.

Chapter 1 (Prologue) below the cut. Check out the work up to chapter 2 here!

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,

With horrid warning gaped wide,

And I awoke and found me here,

On the cold hill's side.

- La Belle Dame sans Merci, Keats

19??, Dunhill, Ireland. October.

There is an unsettling truth behind the superstitions we hold. After all, why else do we face horseshoes upright, or close our blinds when the sun begins to set? We did not learn to play mute when we hear our names get called at night for no reason, nor did we discover on a whim that blackbirds circling are harbingers of ill outcomes.

Your grandmother was a woman of superstition. Because she lived in Dunhill, Ireland, you very rarely had the opportunity to see her growing up. This didn’t mean that you weren’t occasionally shipped out to arrive at her doorstep for a few weeks at a time over the summer months.

Your memories of her appearance are mostly flashes of the few moments you saw her. Knotted joints on her body, silver hair hidden behind a headscarf she always wore, and the way her shoulders would stoop with each shuffling step she took. What you remember more vividly was the way she acted when the two of you went out. Her trembling hands—Parkinson’s, you think your parent may have mentioned—would always press an iron nail into yours to put in your pocket before you departed.

“They like to wait on the coastlines,” she had murmured when you asked why she gave this to you. “And they’ll like you the most.”

She would not offer any further information, nor would she let you out until the nail was securely tucked away. Despite how slowly she would move on your many walks along Benvoy Beach, you never once failed to miss the way her sharp gaze would always be fixated on the unruly seas beyond.

She dies when you’re ten years old. Her funeral is a vivid affair. Your grandmother’s humble home has been transformed into a centre of traffic within a matter of hours since her passing, barely giving your family a moment to breathe despite catching the red-eye flight earlier that day. People you have never seen before shaking your small hand and offering their condolences. The strong fragrance of unknown flowers and cheap perfume fills each room, suffocating out any last semblance of your grandmother that may have still lingered. It feels more like they’re spitting on her memory than honouring it. You know your grandmother—she is, was, a quiet woman, and not one for all this pomp and circumstance.

Perhaps this is why no one notices when you sneak out and down the rocky hills.

You slip on several rocks and scrape up your hands really good by the time your feet hit the familiar sandy beach below. With the way the sun is beginning to set, the waters seem to be a wine-red color, swirling in their chaotic fervour to reach the earth you stand on. You pause to take several breaths before kicking your shoes off and stepping forward into that hungry sea.

Your parent will be furious at you for dirtying up your formal garb, but this isn’t at the forefront of your mind right now as your eyes slide shut and you stretch your arms wide. You feel the wind rush along your body and the fragrance of salt overtake you as you spill your grief into the vast waters, letting it mix and swirl into that abyss for a moment of catharsis.

It’s when the wind carries the scent of something pungent that your eyes snap open again. The foulness is brief, and for a moment you write it off as simply a byproduct of the ocean, until it returns again stronger than before. It smothers the brine and has your head turning to look around for the source. You look over your left shoulder at the empty beach around you. The sun continues to set, and your gaze tracks the path of a gull flying overhead before you look over your shoulder once more.

This time, someone is waiting.

There is an unsettling truth behind the superstitions we hold. The reason why we are scared of things that try to look like us, why we try so hard to ward them off, is because we know that anything that wants to be like a human certainly has no good intent in their heart. This is the case for the figure you see standing on the beach.

They’re wearing the same dark funeral garb you had seen the others in your grandmother’s home wearing. A wide-brimmed hat sits upon their head to conceal most of their features, although you can see scarlet hairs peeking out, and their hands appear to be clasped behind their back as they stand stoically ahead. Despite the winds that bite at your cheeks, not a single scrap of fabric on the figure’s body moves. It’s as though they’re cut from a painting and placed in real life.

You both observe each other in silence. You can feel your body locking up as your mind chants to you wrong, wrong, wrong, over and over again like a mantra. Your right hand drifts down to your pant pocket—you did not take a nail with you before you left the home.

They like to wait on the coastlines, and they’ll like you the most.

Your breath catches in your throat.

The figure smiles—black, sharp, and not quite human.

Something in your gut tells you to run and you, even as a rebellious child, do as you’re told. Your body twists around to scramble towards the rocks as your feet slip in the wet sand. You completely discard grabbing your shoes in your haste to get away, fully accepting the agony that the stones ripping into your soles will bring as consequence.

You don’t get very far. Whatever is on the beach with you is far quicker than you will ever be. Within moments of you turning, its cold fingers dig into your shoulders. You scream—cry—as the figure leans down and the pungent aroma of rotting fish emanates with each breath it exhales. You thrash and twist in its grip until you face each other, and you lock eyes with her.

She looks exactly as she did the last time you saw each other. Same knotted limbs, same silvery hairs, same stoop of her shoulders.

She stares down at you. The wind whips the loose strands of her hair around her face, and her eyes are the cloudy blue of the dead as something begins to claw in your mind. You watch as her thin and cracking lips form the syllables to your name—but it’s lost to the roar of an ever-cacophonous sea. The ground surges up around you, wrapping thorns—thorns? —around your legs. They bite into your skin, draw ruby gems from beneath your frigid flesh, and when you lift your head again, your grandmother merely continues to wear her blackened smile at the sight.

You cry out once more, but just like your name, your pleas are stolen away by the winds.

Everything lasts all but a few moments before the sea finally reaches what it has been clawing for.

#twst fanfiction #twisted wonderland fanfiction #malleus draconia #lilia vanrouge #twst silver #sebek zigvolt #malleus/reader #malleus x reader #twst x reader #enjoy the sneak preview of the first 5 chapters lmfao #fellas is it dumb to use media as a promotional material? :/#anyway i just want to write about. fae doing things they shouldnt #and the fae in twst seem too bloody nice so im pulling on dimensions #in mythology they can dimension hop anyway so <3 not breaking any logic LMAOOO

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misguidedasgardian · 4 months ago

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Wildcats (Part XVIII)

XVIII. For survival purposes

MASTERLIST

Summary: Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis, that’s how it worked.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Zombie apocalypse AU, living dead, zombies, guts, blood, guns, injures, kissing, longing, angst, fluff, reader is horny, girl talk, might miss some important warnings, but you know what this is about

+18, MINORS DNI

You did not have more time to put Daryl up to speed, you both ran towards the place they were holding the meeting, the palace from where you had heard the gunshot. And what you saw when you got there was heartbreaking.

Pete was dead on the floor, headshot, Rick was still holding the gun. Deanna was crying, and in her arms, on the floor, stood Reg, bathed in blood.

Reg! you whimpered when you saw him.

He was the builder of all of Alexandria’s dreams, and there he was, dead, his throat slit open, blood still pouring from it. A katana on the floor, Deanna was weeping, as many others were too. In frightened moans. Jesse was there, watching her dead husband with eyes filled with tears.

You came back home after everything was sorted, you were shaken, but so was Daryl.

“I know he meant a lot for ya”, he said softly as you were walking back to the house

“He was going to teach me how to build real houses”, you whimpered, “meaning, structures and others… things we are going to need in the near future….”, you mumbled. Like the freaking wall around Alexandria.

“You’ll figure it out”, he said softly, leading you with his hand on the small of your back.

You stood on the porch, both of you, like two normal people, who after a normal date, the normal guy would accompany the normal girl back to her normal house and walk her to the normal door. And they were normally nervous, does she invite him in? Does she invite him back to her room?

He took a step forward leaving no space between the both of you.

He placed his hands on your hips, as he sighed.

“Hey”, he muttered

“Hey”, you greeted back, looking at his beautiful eyes.

“I kiss ya”, he said

“Aren’t you sharp, Dixon? nothing scapes ya”, he snorted as you chuckled, “I enjoyed it, and I kissed you too, pretty aggressively, I might add”, you said with a wide smile

“Ya’ wanna to keep kissin’ me?”, he asked again, he seemed unsure, his eyes shone with what looked to be hope, and you hoped you could transmit how much you wanted it with your eyes as he was doing it himself.

“Yes”, you said, hoping not to sound too eager.

“Why?”

“Why?”, you echoed his question, how could he not get it?

“Why would ya? keep kissin’ someone like me?”

“Someone like you”, what does that even mean?”, you asked, incredulously, “someone kind? strong and compassionate? loyal? generous?, someone who would give his life for his family? Someone who can spend days hunting to make sure we don’t starve? someone who can survive in this fucked up world? someone devastatingly handsome? with arms for days?”, you kept going until he was blushing mess

“I’m way older than ya”, he said then.

“I don’t care”, you said with a soft smile, “but I do care that all you’re doing is looking for excuses”, she chided softly, “we are going to find a lot, you too… my only question is why would YOU like to keep kissing me?”

“Ya are the most beautiful person I have ever seen”, he drawled. “You’re badass, protective…”, he said, you smiled warmly at him, “Would ya like me to… keep kissin’ ya’?”, he asked softly.

“I would enjoy that, yes”, you said, nodding excitedly, “and if you get tired I can always… kiss you”

“Soun’ fair”, he said, with a little smile.

“Like this”, you said, leaning in and kissing him softly. He grabbed onto you, returning the kiss passionately.

You released his lips again, because you believed you were never going to let him go if you didn’t, you shared looks, as he placed his forehead against yours. You breathed each other, enjoying eachother’s warmth

“Are you alright?”, you didn’t know what else to ask him, you wanted to know what happened in that trip

“Yeah”, he whispered softly against your lips. “Now I am”, you smiled warmly at him

“Want to talk about it?”, he shook his head. You weren’t gonna lie, you were disappointed but, you were not going to press him. Something happened on his run with Aaron, something that led him to realize something that led him to kiss you.

But if he didn’t want to talk about it, the important part is that he was ok, he was back home, and he had kissed you.

He leaned in and kissed you now, and you enjoyed it even more…

Should you invite him to your room? Should you… screw him good like you wanted to for a while now? since the very first time you saw his naked arms, you believed.

Someone cleared their throats, making you split.

Michonne, Rick, Rosita and Abraham were looking at you, all of them with smiles on their faces. Rick looked at the two of you and he looked positively surprised. Like he just found his teenage daughter with a boy

“Well! about time!”, said Abraham.

Daryl seemed completely uncomfortable, as he cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at the people there, including you

“Let’s leave them alone”, said Rosita, taking Abraham with her.

Only Rick, Michonne, Daryl and you entered the house. The silence that ensued turned awkward, really awkward. Rick didn’t seem to be in the mood to deal with any of it, he disappeared quickly.

Michonne winked at you before she disappeared as well, leaving the both of you alone.

“Do you want us to… go down to your room?”, you asked him, you believed he was going to be more comfortable in his domains. He smiled at you, but he leaned in and kissed you on your forehead.

“Let’s go to yours”, he said. Not only for having… intimacy of any kind with him, but you needed to talk. You were a bit disappointed that he had not let you go down there, since you had never seen his room, but again you were more comfortable in yours.

You closed the door when he entered the room behind you.

“Wha’ happen?”, he asked, “when I was gone?”, you looked back at him with a conflicted look in your eyes. You were for certain nobody was going to hear you, so you could speak freely.

“Everything happened quickly”, you said softly, “Rick and Pete started fighting in the street in broad daylight”, you started telling him everything that happened, “And when Deanna stopped him, he had a gun and started pointing it at people”, he didn’t seem impressed at all, “he started saying, that Deanna’s ways were over, that they needed to change… then Michonne herself knocked him out…”, you explained, “where did he get the gun? then I learned that he stole it from the armory…”, you said, “he told Glenn, Michonne, Carol, Abraham and me that he intended on a hostile takeover of Alexandria… but it didn’t came to it…”, you saw the guilt in his eyes as soon as you saw him, “you knew”, you said

“I did”, he said

“I thought of Carol…”

“She was in it too”, he said, “she stole guns from the armory…”

“Why?”, you asked him

“I didn’t take one”, he said lowly. You took a long breath

“Did you want to participate in a hostile takeover?”, you asked him

“If it was necessary”, he said, “but I wanted to try first”, you believed him.

“What was on Rick’s mind?”, you asked him

“I dunno”, well, definitively imposing his own vision of things on this place. A violent, but more realistic approach, “he wants to save this place, whatever it takes”, that whatever it takes being slashing some throats, for example.

“What do you want to do?”, you asked him, he looked back at you. Both standing in the middle of the room.

“I wanna us to be safe ‘ere”, he said, “Carl, Judith, ya… ya’ deserve it”. You only looked at him

“At any cost?”, you asked him

“It won’ come to it”, he said, “not after tonight”, Deanna had ordered Rick to execute Pete, Deanna had seen the “light”, so, he was right… You nodded at him.

“So, can we finally call this place home?”, you asked him. He smiled

“Guess so”, he said finally. There was an awkward silence

“Do you wanna stay?”, you asked him. He moved where he stood, uncomfortably

“I reek”, he mumbled

“I don’t care”, you said

“M’gonna ruin yer sheets”, he whispered

“I don’t care”, you echoed, looking at him intensely, “we slept together on the road many times… I think… we should stick together, you know, for surviving purposes”, you said quickly, cheeks heated.

“G’night”, he drawled, kissing you int he forehead, and he left you there. mouth wide open as you saw him disappeared through the door.

He rejected you?

Is anybody else going to block your metaphorical cock? First Rick, then the entire group, and now the very man that was kissing you. You grunted, about to throw a fit like a kid.

You were a woman, a relatively healthy woman, and as such, you had needs.

And now you had a kissing buddy who could meet those needs… but that kissing buddy as much as ran away from you.

But you had just kissed, you couldn’t pressure him, you need to take it slow… a bit hard to take it slow when you had already literally sleeping with him

This meant nothing, right? that he as well as ran away from your room didn’t mean he didn’t want to be with you… in that way… right?

. . .

“so….”, you looked up from the blueprint at Rosita and Maggie, both looking at you with mischievous looks in their eyes. They had found you, the gazebo in the small park had become your sanctuary, is where Reg, Noah and you met, before they both died horribly.

“So?”, you asked, even though you already knew what this might be about

“You had been… kissing… Daryl for a week now…”, teased Maggie, “soo… how is he?”

“Kissing?”, you asked, wanting to throw yourself into the lagoon and never resurface. Because kissing is all you have been doing…

It was… odd, to say the least, he would look for you, place his hand on your hip or waist when he was by your side… he would look for you every morning, to greet you and before he went on runs…

But kissing is all you had been doing, a soft peck on the lips when he said good morning, or good night, or goodbye.

Everybody caught on by now, Daryl made sure to… make his presence known by your side in front of everybody by now, but then, when you were alone, he would just leave, especially when you invited him to your room, or tried to go with him to his.

“No!”, exclaimed Rosita, “you haven’t screwed yet?”

“Hey!”, said Maggie, slapping her shoulder playfully, but then she turned to you, “well… have you?”. you had been on edge, to say the least, you were about to start humping his leg like some horny dog, you were about to start climbing walls like a woman possessed by hornyness.

“Come on! spill girl!”, encouraged Rosita. So you looked at the both of them and sighed loudly

“He won’t fuck me”, you admitted, “he won’t do it, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong”, they shared concerned looks

“It’s not you…”, said Maggie

“I haven’t been sutil”, you warned, “I have invited him to sleep with me, almost every night, on my room, and he won’t do it, I think I scared him, and now he won’t even go to the second floor in fear of me”

“He is special…”, said Maggie

“You know him the longest”, you said, closing your notebook and looking at her, “is he regretting ever kissing me?”, you asked her

“No”

“Have you spoken to him?”, you asked her

“No”, she echoed, “but I’m sure he doesn’t regret it, I mean… he made sure everybody knew you two are together, he might as well pee on you”, she giggled.

You lowered your head, he hasn't even invited you out of the walls, like that day, you had such a good time, and if you suggested it… he shut it down quite quickly.

“Are we even together?”, you asked out loud

“He kissed you”, said Maggie, “he wants to be with you”

“It’s only been a week”, you whispered, “and I already feel like this is not advancing, we aren’t even speaking”

“So weird”, muttered Rosita, “Dixon looks like he would rail the shit out of you”, she said, you both laughed. It was tragi-comic at this point.

Maybe you were getting ahead of yourself, maybe he was the one who wanted to take it slow… but he didn’t even want to hang out with you…

From the gazebo you actually saw Daryl, jumping off of his bike with something in his hand and going into the pantry

He had gone out of the walls everyday since that day… and even though you never needed him here, because Rick had been weirdly calm… you couldn’t help but actually feel trapped in here, you haven't gone out there like he had, He wouldn’t take you anywhere either, so…. you wanted to get out there, maybe, put some distance between you… maybe that’ll do you both some good, to help him figure out what he wanted.

You wanted to be with him, hang out with him, have talks with him, you wanted him to pin you to your bed and…you shook your head… What did he want?

But not only because of him… this place was making you weak, you needed to get out there, you enjoyed it, besides the walkers of course, you liked scavenging, not with the Alexandria team though.

You left the girls behind as you almost ran to the man, who was coming out, empty handed, out of the pantry/garage

“Daryl!”, you said excitedly, he seemed startled, “how did the run go?”

“Found the damn’ pasta maker!”, he said, excited, like he had found the cure. You laughed as you wrapped your arms around him, he placed his hands on your waist, smiling at you.

“I want to go out there”, you said, and yes, you were testing him, trying for the last time

“Wha’ for?”, he asked, frowning, “ya should stay ‘ere”, he said softly, learning in and giving you a peck on the lips, “need to go”, he mumbled, releasing you and walking away like you were the plague incarnate.

You walked back to Maggie and Rosita with your tail between your legs.

You wanted to get out there again, and you knew Daryl wasn’t going to take you.

Also, you wanted to be useful, to your family, and to put your piece into the new community. You wanted to get out there.

And suddenly, you realized where you had to go. And you turned to Rosita.

“I need to ask you something”, you said with a short smile.

. . .

“I want to go to DC”, you said to Abraham, Eugene, Rosita and RIck, you had trouble setting this up, every time you had one, the other was somewhere else, but alas, here they were, besides Rosit helped.

“Why?”, asked Rick

“Those three wanted to go for a reason”, you said, signaling to the trio

“It was a lie”, said Abraham

“Not completely, you said you were talking to people there, and Eugene wanted to go for a reason, and he was right, if there is someone left, is probably there”

“Deanna said they evacuated them all”, muttered Rick

“So it’s gonna be empty, either way”, you said simply

“Are you planning on sightseeing?”, mocked Rosita, you smiled

“I always wanted to see the Lincoln monument, but yeah… I think it’s a good idea, Atlanta was still… lively”, you muttered, but nobody looked convinced, “look, I will go, I just gathered you here to hear your opinions and if you wanted to join me, it's just a couple of hours from here”, you said surely, “I can go for a couple of days''

“You are not going alone”, commanded Rick. You took a long sigh

“I will not make anybody come with me, I get it's very dangerous”, you said with a convincing look, “but I feel like at least one of us has to see what’s up there, for closure or whatever”, you assured him.

“I want to go with you”, said Rosita, and you smiled

“So do I”, said Abraham, “i want to see what all the fuss is about”

“I think its best if I stay put…”, Eugene kept mumbling objections, so you tuned him out.

“Right!”, you said with a wide smile, “we are a team”, Rick looked a you

“Are you sure you want to do this?”, he asked

“Damn right”, you said

“I’ll need to talk to Deanna”

“Why?”, you asked that so quickly you earned a look of disapproval from Rick, “Sorry I forgot”

“Yeah, I don’t like it either”, said Abraham, “since when do we ask for permission?”

“I think it would be best”, he said simply, “let her know”

“But if she insists that one of those idiots has to go with us, I will cancel the whole thing”, you warned, he smiled and shook his head

“Right”, he said, “are you all sure?”

“We need to score a big run”, said Rosita, “DC is out safest bet”

“Fine”, he said, nodding, “I’ll tell Deanna tonight”

“No others”, you said

“You didn’t tell Daryl?”, all eyes were on you when Rick asked you that.

“No”, yous aid shortly, “he is out with Aaron, didn’t want to concern him

“Fine”, said Rick

@crazyunsexycool @capricxnt

#misguidedcats #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon the walking dead #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon #twd daryl #daryl x reader #daryl twd #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead daryl dixon #the walking dead

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the-fiction-witch · 1 year ago

Text

...Because he knows I love You

Media The Artful Dodger

Character Jack Dawkins

Couple Jack X Reader

Rating Flirty

Requested: y/n is a maid again and she helps Jack she's a very sweet girl, but Sneed likes her and like flirts with her a lot and Jack gets jealous bc he's in love with her. Warnings: Aggressive unresponsive Unwanted Flirting (Lil Rapy)

I knocked on the little wooden door waiting a moment or two for a response,

"Come in!" He called,

So I smiled and headed with my tray in hand, I shut the door with my foot and saw Jack Dawkins lying in his bed barely awake yet, but this was normal he had a habit of lingering in his bed longer than he should.

But I greeted his weary face with a wide smile. "Good Morning Dr Dawkins,"

He forced a smile "Morning Y/n," He yawned,

"Breakfast time," I smiled setting the tray down on his table "Toast, eggs, bacon, and I managed to sneak you a few sausages, and an orange" I explained, and I jumped a little as I felt arms snake around my waist and he pulled me down onto his knee making me squeal a little with giggles,

"What would I do without you?" He smiled resting his chin on my shoulder

"Starve," I giggled jumping off his leg and starting on my work to clean his room and organize everything,

"I wouldn't starve," He said getting up and slipping his trousers on "I have the tools to cook, you're not even meant to cook for me but you still do."

"Well if I didn't you'd live off toast and milk." I laughed putting his clean laundry away and handing him a clean shirt for the day,

"Nothing wrong with toast and Milk," he said slipping his shirt on, snapping his suspenders over his shoulders and sitting to eat his breakfast

"Alright," I rolled my eyes making his bed and leaving his waistcoat there for when he was done "Eat your orange" I told him

"I don't need it," he shrugs

"Jack. Eat your orange. No more bacon till you eat your orange it's good for you."

"Fine," he rolled his eyes eating his orange as the last thing he ate for his breakfast, "Thank you y/n,"

"You're welcome." I smiled, "Now, what tie are you thinking today? green? blue? your fancy blue one?"

"Green I think, did you get the blood out of it?" He asked coming and slipping his waistcoat on,

"Did I get the blood out of it? that's a stupid question to ask the best laundry girl in the world." I pouted playfully throwing him it and he only just caught it,

"True, I don't know why I asked" he chuckled "Humm?"

"What?"

"Have you been letting my clothes out without telling me again?" he asked adjusting his waistcoat as even now it was done it wasn't hugging him quite how it usually did. Immediately I noticed the problem the cinch at the back had come undone.

"Would I tell you If I was?" I chuckled

"Are you?"

"No, here." I smiled fixing the back cinch for him

"Oh. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I smiled "You have that surgery today don't forget," I reminded him as I finished up with his room

"I won't forget," He chuckled

"Good, I'll see you later. Soup for dinner?" I suggested taking the tray with me to the door

"That sounds perfect." He smiled "Uhh Y/n?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"...It's nothing, you get on."

"Alright, see you later," I smiled before I hurried back down to the hospital kitchens and started work on laundry and dishes.

I hurried myself up to the theatre with my equipment, Jim was setting the theatre up still putting sawdust all over the floor, and Hetty working away setting the place up as people filed in desperate for blood. I did my best to stay out of everyone's way and soon enough the boys emerged.

Jack Dawkins and Rainsford Sneed, came out of the prep room ready for surgery to the cheers of many visitors.

"Gentlemen! The royal hospital somewhat... begrudging presents Dr Rainsford Sneed and the much celebrated Jack Dawkins!" Jack paid up the crowd enough to make me giggle especially when Sneed glared at him "Now we have a good one for you today, the leg, and two smallest toes were shot off in a fight, your wife wasn't it Mr Petrov?" He asked but of course, the man was in too much pain and panic to answer luckily hetty nodded, "Now the wound is heavily infected and has crawled up the leg meaning we are amputating today just below the knee." He explained "But the big question... who cuts?" He flipped his lucky coin and Hetty caught it in her hand before revealing it "Me." he smirked and the crowd went wild.

I almost didn't trust him, he always won when they used his coin, I could have sworn it was weighted or something. But they made prep for the operation. For a moment he playfully whirled his knife around and made eye contact with me, he smirked and winked at me making me blush "Time me."

It was an utter rush I couldn't deny watching him work, so fast and smoothly with everything he did that in less than thirty seconds it was over.

He took the applause and the few tips, and Hetty took the man to the ward to rest.

So I began my work My first job was to take the bucket with the now amputated limb out to the box where we always put them, Before returning with my scrubbers, brushes, brooms and such. I took all the bloody sawdust away to be disposed of and began to scrub the floor.

"It's not ladylike." A voice spoke up making me jump as I sat up a little seeing Dr Sneed leant against the wall watching me clean, this was pretty normal Dr sneed seemed to have this illusion that every lady in the hospital desired to be in his bed and would fight every other girl for such an honour, Underestably I did not. But that didn't stop his... attempts at flirting. I honestly wondered if any ladies fell for this sort of stuff?

"Humm?"

"Being knelt like that on your hands and knees, scrubbing" he smirked,

"Well, It has to be done." I shrug returning to my scrubbing trying to get the blood strains off the floor,

"The scrubbing has left you with a hole in your dress Miss y/n."

"A gentleman would look away Dr Sneed" I said just trying to get my work down and ignore whatever it was he wanted,

"He would" He nodded "You seem comfortable?"

"Comfortable?" I asked getting more water from my brush,

"Comfortable on your hands and knees." He smirked,

"Well, lots of cleaning to do" I shrug "You boys do know this floor is meant to be grey right?" I laughed,

"You must spend a lot of time on your hands and knees."

"I do. lots to clean."

"Dawkins have you like that a lot?"

"What?" I perked up,

"Does Dawkins have you like that a lot?"

"His room is often messy" I nodded,

He smirked coming over standing where I just cleaned so he stood in front of me looking down at me "So you are on your hands and knees a lot in his room then?"

I glared half at his words and half at him walking where I just cleaned! "Dr Sneed, I do not like what you are implying."

"Liar." He smirked "You know... my room is pretty dirty too. I could do with your visit tonight."

"Well maybe if I get finished early" I answered continuing with my work but he continued to stand in my way so instead of scrubbing around him I scrubbed over his boots with my cold dirty water,

He glared at me for doing so but I just smiled up at him "Insobordinante little thing aren't you? I see why he likes you" he smirked slapping my ass as he walked out my way, "But a pretty thing like you should stay the night with a man, not a boy."

"You're both boys," I laughed, "I'm partly convinced you boys are vampires. You both seem to have a taste for blood" I chuckled taking my bucket to empty it and get some fresh water,

"Why don't you stay a while? just you and me?" He smirked wrapping his arms around me,

"No thank you Dr sneed."

"Aww come on just Rainsford," He smirked,

"Why would I do that?" I glared trying to move away,

"You call dawkins Jack?"

"Cause he's nice to me."

"I can be nice to you" He smirked trying to kiss me but I shoved him away,

Just then the theatre door opened and I saw Jack there, I was happy it was him almost like he'd come to save me, so I shoved needs hands away. He looked so angry like he was about to deck sneed in the face, not the first time I've known him do that.

"You want something Dawkins, Miss Y/n and I were just getting a little more acquainted" Sneed smirked

Jack left angrily and I was so confused,

"There, nice and alone again" Sneed smirked trying to grab me but I threw the contents of my bucket all over him covering him with dirty, bloody, wash water. I dropped my bucket and rushed up to Jack's room seeing him having loosened his tie and pacing around angrily.

"What the hell!" He yelled

"What?"

"Sneed! fucking Sneed! Really?"

"Ohh will you calm down I threw my wash water on his head."

"You what?" he asked already calming down a little

"Yes. he was being weird and flirty and grabby so I threw my wash water on his head."

"He was flirting with you?" He glared

"If that's what you take of that sentence Jack yes."

"And you were flirting back?"

"God no!"

"No?"

"God no! it's sneed. Snivelling, slimy, sneed."

"Oh." he nods "I uhh I thought for a moment-"

"What? That Sneed and I were flirting?"

"Sorry, I just... I heard you giggling and him talking and... I saw you alone I just..."

"Jack, were you?"

"What?"

"Jealous?"

"...Maybe a little." he sheepishly admits

"Why on earth would you be jealous? of what?"

"Of... Sneed getting to be alone with you."

"You're alone with me on a daily basis? we're alone right now?"

"Yeah but-"

"But what?"

"But... you're not giggling and I don't have my arms around you, you know it's different when we're alone."

"And you jealous of me throwing my water bucket over his head?"

"No. I'd really rather you didn't." He said, "It's hard to explain y/n."

"Jack, yes or no, Were you jealous Sneed was alone with me?"

"Yes."

"Were you jealous he was flirting with me?"

"Yes."

"Were you jealous Sneed got to cuddle me? I was unwilling in this cuddle but that's not the point."

"I was jealous he got to hold you."

"Were you jealous he slapped my ass?"

"He slapped your ass!"

"Yes, he did."

"Bloody dick."

"I know. but were you?"

"...A little bit yeah."

"Why?"

He didn't answer a moment "Because... I know how he thinks about you."

"How does Sneed think bout me?"

"He likes you. that much is obvious. He's always talking about how... pretty you are, how cute you are, how much he wants to... Do things to you."

"Pervy Dickhole" I sighed

"I know." He sighed "Half the time I think he only does it to piss me off."

"Why him saying he liked me piss you off?"

"...Because He knows I love you." He spoke up.

"You- you what?" I asked in absolute shock.

"I let it slip one day after surgery that I... Was falling in love with you. the first time I said it, been... feeling it a whole lot longer though."

"You're in love with me?"

"Yeah..."

"Why?"

"....what do you mean why?"

"Why? Why would you love me? You're a doctor, I'm a maid hell I'm not even that I'm a hospital chore girl, you're an ex-navy surgeon and insanely handsome, I scrub blood and shit off a hospital floor and I'm not even technically qualified for that! And you know I look like a scrub shit of a hospital floor." I explained "You could literally go into port right now and find a wife within like twenty minutes. why... Why would you want ... me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he said taking my hands "You're sweet, you're beautiful, you can sass me better than any woman I've ever met, you cook and clean for me even when you don't have to, you force me to eat fruit and veg even when I don't want to because you know its good for me, you even do all my laundry and take my clothes out for me without me asking you, you take such good care of me, I don't care what your job is, or how educated you are, I just care that you give a shit about me. And I love you. I couldn't ask for a woman any better than you."

"You really mean that Jack?"

"Of course I do."

"I... I never knew you felt that way about me." I blushed "I- I love you too."

"You do!"

"Of course, I do, why do you think I take such good care of you? I want to make sure you are happy and cosy. Because I care about you. You don't have to worry about Sneed next time he tries anything I'll punch him. I just want you, Jack." I smiled hugging his chest

"I just want you to my darling" He cooed kissing the top of my head "You don't worry about Sneed... I'll deal with him. Do you want to stay here with me tonight? So you safe and we could... maybe cuddle a little?"

"I'd like that very much" I smiled giving him a sweet soft kiss, he happily kissed back with a wide smile

"I adore you y/n."

"Aww I adore you too Jack." I smiled kissing his nose "Now. I shall go get your dinner." I began trying to leave but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to his chest kissing me again

"No. We. Shall make dinner. You heat the stove up, I'll go get stuff for dinner."

"Alright," I smiled, "Don't just leave the veg behind because you don't want it." I warn him

"awww you saw through my plans!" He complained

#thomasbrodiesangster #tbs imagine #tbs imagines #thomas sangster #thomas brodie sangster smut #thomas sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster imagine #tbs smut #tbs #thomas brodie sangster #jackdawkins #jack #jack dawkins #thearttfuldodger #theartfuldogger #the artful dodger

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redux-iterum · 17 days ago

Note

One of the things I love about this redux is that you take into consideration how bad an idea forcing people to do stuff they don’t wanna do is.

Think about it. If a seer hates their job then not only are they going to be miserable, but the people around them are too. Force one person to be utterly miserable in a way their family doesn’t approve of and suddenly its also the business of friends of the family and then that can spiral out real easy.

Forcing cats to have kits will lead to dead kittens. Forcing cats to do a job they don’t wanna do means the job won’t get done properly. The negative effects of that kind of pressure WILL build tension in the community and a community as small and insular as a clan is will struggle not to come apart under the strain.

The original clans struggled to feel like a community at all, let alone a tightly-knit, closed-off, and small one. But here, I can actually see how these cats are able to survive at all. Community is the name of the game here—the ability to remain a cohesive and efficient unit even in times of stress is and has been what determines if a group of people live or die. Here, especially, trust and care are paramount.

If these cats do not want to make this work then they are just as dead as if they starved to death. And it’s really nice to have an author that takes that part seriously, because even if it’s supposedly ‘less cool’ there is a reason soft power is still called power. Community matters! People who have their agency stepped upon WILL fuck your day up and make it your problem, and if that happens enough times then somebody’s going to wise up enough to have some common sense!

Repeatedly making people take up med cat duties is repetitive and lazy. It’s also just…absolutely, obviously counterproductive. It feels like the Erins don’t take them or their queens seriously. Which in the originals ends up being ‘the pregnant women that are probably close family to you have no sway or relevance to anything ever outside of motherhood which is NOT the future of your whole community and is instead A STUPID WASTE OF TIME’ and ‘the doctors we somehow have don’t matter even though we live in a community where BATTLE is referenced in our main code of law.’

Like. It’s bad? It’s misogynistic and wrong but it’s also just bad worldbuilding. There is no way a community of 30 people can manage to both 1) not highly value their pregnant people AND 2) last more than a generation AND 3) not piss off both those pregnant people and their family who can totally realistically make up a full 1/6 of your total community. There is no way a bunch of battle cats would, like, not value hypothetical doctors they have.

Anyways. All of this was a ramble but mostly just—you thought this through and I love that a lot. Like, this manages to feel like an actual society, and that is hard hard hard to accomplish when societies are made up of so many moving pieces which sometimes work against each other at random. So, thank you for writing! And rewriting! Because this is one of the best things in the whole wide world and my favorite warriors cats thing ever.

Thank you very much for this ask, my man! Well thought-out and a very interesting discussion to springboard off of.

The canon Clans always felt like they had...how to word it... "misplaced power", if that makes sense. It was, of course, in service of the plot, but that involved things like an entire Clan who hates their leader just obeying him because We Have To, No Matter How Evil Or Incompetent He Is. Mentors could bully their apprentices freely because the leader, deputy and family of the apprentice wouldn't step up and punish the mentor. Deputy mollies lose all power the instant they get pregnant, even though tom deputies can have as many families as they want and still remain in their position, and no one says anything about how unfair this is.

There's a lack of thought towards how powerful a community really can be, or how even one individual can make change by standing strong and refusing orders. It comes with this weird stupidity everyone gains when a villain needs to progress with their plans - no one asks questions about the power structure, or defends anybody for longer than a couple lines - but, moreover, it comes with a lack of bonds between characters. Even siblings don't speak up for each other, because they're not close or don't express their familial love. There's just a rigid structure that the plot and lore adheres to without examining how easily this structure can fall apart. Unless we need it to fall apart for whatever storyline we have this arc, and then it'll be back in place by the end of things, so it's fine.

#ask #rufuslupislupis #writing #i speak

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mjanelupinblack · 8 months ago

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starving creatures | chapter two 🖤

pairing: xu minghao x reader // jun x reader (mainly lol)

description: starving creatures have arrived at your homeland in forks. little do you know, they not only intend to drain the blood out of you... they'll also to break your heart in two.

genres: slowburn (please bare with me), fluff, angst, vampire!au

warnings: blood drinking, lot of blood related themes, repressed emotions, family issues, miscommunication, kinda toxic friendship with cheol? blood and smut will be mixed. emotionally and physically starved vampires oops. did i mentioned blood?

minors dni!!!

Check out the fic’s playlist 🖤

CHAPTER 2

Not even two days were necessary for your neighbors to become a sensation at the school hallways. Rumors are quick travelers, as you told Joshua before. But you forgot to warn him about how easily they tend to blend with the truth. Especially when they linger around people with such an enigmatic aura, like Jun and Minghao. How maddening it is to know that they have so many adventurous stories to tell, but neither of them dares to share a word about them! How unfair to admire their beauty from afar, since they won’t come close enough for one to scrutinize their eyes. Locals get upset with strangers who refuse to comply with their requests...

That’s when fantasy starts to play its game.

Who are they? Orphans of neglectful parents. Why did they leave California? A girl accused Jun of leaving her pregnant but he’s actually not the father and she ruined his reputation and his life. Some people even say their parents kill themselves, but there’s no way of knowing the truth. So, what are they doing in Forks? Protecting each other. Trying to heal from generational trauma. Finding refuge. Surviving. And it is a heart-rending story. Minghao would do anything to protect his younger brother and the only reason why you’d find them separated from each other would be because of school… where Jun sits next to you.

And who are you? Of course, Cheol's friend, but they've never seen you around that much. That is probably because you used to miss the majority of your classes and now you don't because Jun is here, so you must be a gold digger. A freshman asserts he heard you and Cheol get into a fight because of Jun the other day. Another one is saying that your aunt is sick. But one of your classmates bets that, actually, she's a witch. So maybe you are one too. Who lives in the middle of the woods in plain XXI century anyway?

You never liked the attention. You neither want it, nor need it. It’s impractical in a town like Forks. So, during history class, you decide to confront your seatmate about it.

“I would like to know how you handle all this stuff, because it’s driving me crazy.” You say, assuming he will know exactly what you’re talking about. Most of the time, he does.

“Ignore them,” he advises. “They will find someone else.”

“You ignored them, they found me, how do you fix that?” you say. “They say I’m a witch.”

He chuckles. His usually petrified gesture gives up and breaks into a wide smile. You start laughing too, given the ridiculousness of the situation. Rumors are so dumb.

“Mr. Wen,” Professor Moon calls. “As you are so distended in my class, I’ll assume you know by heart all of the themes we’re talking about in this lesson. Please, enlighten us with your knowledge. Let’s go back to World War I. Maybe you can tell us why it was initiated.”

“That’s a tricky question, professor,” Jun answers, still cheerful. “But if you want a concrete answer, I’d go with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.”

“Place and date?”

“Sarajevo. 1914.”

“You said a concrete answer. Let’s go with the wider one.”

“I’ll have to ask you to be more specific about it. What do you want me to talk about? The alliance system? Economic factors? Nationalism? I can go on all day.”

Well, well, well… If someone had told you Jun would’ve been so thrilled about playing trivia with Professor Moon, you wouldn’t believe them.

“That’s enough, kid.”

After that, he comes back to your conversation.

“You could be a witch, you know?”

“Sorry?”

Before he can say anything, Jun stops himself.

“Nothing,” he answers. “It’s a compliment.”

•••

Minghao avoids discussing the details about the night he got turned. As for most of his kind, it’s a sensitive topic; no one wants to remember the moment they lost their right to die.

He hardly discusses the topic with Jun. Primarly because his brother was the sole reason he ventured into this sick lifestyle.

After a century of consumption, it would be easy to believe that Minghao would have grown accustomed to replacing his bitter coffee with morning packs of blood, but that isn’t the truth. The heavy liquid turns his stomach the same as the first time he tasted it. However, after all these years, the feeling comes hand in hand with the pleasure of satiety and the twisted desire for it not to come from an animal, but from a palpitating neck.

An unthinkable notion that no one dares to speak out loud, leaving Minghao feeling horrible about it.

Joshua tries to reassure him. He says that, in terms of nutrients and structure, pig blood is the most similar to human blood. They’ll have to endure it for a couple of months, at least until Vernon gains the trust of the hospital staff and it becomes easier to sneak out some bags of human blood.

Minghao envies Josh’s lack of interest in human nourishment. Many times he tried to free himself from his appetite, but his instincts won every battle, obliging him to succumb to hospital blood. His instincts are stronger and also wiser than he is. Nevertheless, he tries to suppress them every chance he gets. He does so by exercising, or perhaps painting. He no longer dances because he found movement is a catalyst that, sooner or later, will make his needs erupt like a volcano. So he replaced it with painting, meditation and pottery.

Given the circumstances, his knowledge as a nurse is only a remote memory.

“Hi.”

He’s grown accustomed to suffocating his desires to the point where he completely forgot how to experience them. You, on the other hand, aren’t quite as skilled at concealing your emotions.

“You’re Minghao, right?”

Minghao answers without ceasing his task. With his upper body unclothed, you find him outside his house, leaning over his pottery wheel, his clay-stained arms embracing the wet piece as if it were a long-awaited lover. A wave of heat quickly flushes your cheeks. Your neighbor stares at you, likely curious about the reason for your interruption. He’s used to being interrupted while working. Encountering a nearly naked man in the middle of the forest isn't something you can claim to be accustomed to, on the other hand.

“Sorry for interrupting. Have you seen a white cat?” You ask, with a jar of sardines in your hand.

“Cotton ball-like fluffy, with a black spot on his left eye…”

“Sorry, I’m afraid not,” Minghao answers. “What’s his name?”

“Cat,” You say, a bit embarrassed of your thirteen years old self. “Just cat.”

“I’ll let you know if I find Cat then.”

“Great! I’ll keep looking. Thanks.”

As much as you’d love to continue chatting with Minghao about anything —truly anything— else, your lack of creativity doesn’t stop at your difficulty to name your pet. He continues working on the edges of his raw ceramic vase; fingers sticky from the wet paste he tries to stick the handles with. You don’t have the heart —nor the ideas— to interrupt him once again. And that’s when your seatmate comes to save the day.

“You’re not going anywhere, y/n,” Jun says, appearing next to you like a magician mesmerizing everyone with the trick of teleportation. “I mean… not alone. Especially with a storm coming. Where are your manners, brother?”

“Shouldn’t you be studying or something?”

“Get your ass off that wheel and help us look for the pet. One cup less isn’t gonna hurt anyone.”

“It’s a vase.”

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less.”

You thought he’d be harder to convince, but as soon as Jun orders it, his brother stops the wheel and puts on the t-shirt he was sitting on. Minghao's resistance to the cold weather impresses you. His muscles don’t even flinch at the freezing breeze coming from the north.

“A penny for your thoughts?” your neighbor teases.

“You’re so annoying.”

•••

It was a huge mistake not to get rid of that mirror the moment they got it.

There was no use for it in the middle of the living room. But there was also no reason to keep it in the basement, as Vernon had insisted. It usually wasn’t pleasant to get into a discussion with his friend. So, as he attended his interview to get a job at the town’s hospital, Joshua found himself following his orders and carrying the furniture down the stairs and to the basement.

The material it was made of felt unbelievably heavy, even for a human-fed vampire. Like Sisyphus, Joshua repeated the same routine until he reached the cellar; going down two steps, stopping abruptly, and trying to catch his breath before continuing.

When he finally reaches the ground, he understands the reason behind Seungkwan’s little present. And he’s grateful that Vernon is not there to see it.

In front of him, he finds his own image. First young, like he hadn’t seen it in more than a hundred years, and then gradually rotting until his skin starts to detach from his cheeks. So that’s the infamous Life Mirror. There are very few in the world, and Joshua never thought he’d get to see himself in one. The more you mesmerize yourself at your young image, the more crudely it’s going to show you the reality of your soul. Joshua used to believe it was just a myth from the vampire folklore. But he should’ve known better. Myths tend to be history for the immortals.

“Son of a bitch.”

That's the last straw. Joshua doesn't care about Vernon's instructions when the Boo Family's welcome was, in fact, a declaration of war—a war they're not ready to fight, nor would they be even if they wanted to. Years of weakened minds and bodies are not so easy to recover, not even with a gallon of fresh blood.

He needs to destroy that mirror before his friend comes home. But his knuckles aren’t strong enough to do it, and the hammer is near Minghao’s workspace, who’s most definitely going to be curious about the reason behind his urgency. As a temporary measure, he decides to throw an old blanket over the structure.

He needs air.

Outside, the ground shakes with the wind. Minghao is no longer at his station, yet the piece he was working on lies unfinished over the wheel. Rain will catch it any second, converting it into a liquid vestige of what could’ve been a beautiful plant vase. That’s an odd behavior from him. Where could he possibly be?

His question is quickly answered by laughter emanating from behind the lodge. Joshua follows his senses until he finds Jun and you jumping like crazy to reach one of the thickest branches of a tree.

“Stop! You’re scaring him.” You tell Jun, who insists on being the one to bring the cat back to the ground.

“Scared? No! He rubbed his head on my wrist.” Jun complains. He sounds very determined.

“Jun, Y/n is right. It’ll be better to bring a ladder. He doesn’t know you.”

“I got…I got him!”

“Wait! He’s gonna…”

Blood. Lots of it pouring from your hand. Maybe trimming your cat’s nails would’ve been a wise decision to make before throwing yourself in the territory of four very thirsty vampires. Your scent is strong, like cold pennies resting on the palm of your sweaty hands, but it is also sweet. Pig’s blood could never be that sweet. The thought of it makes Jun’s fangs start showing without him being able to notice. Minghao notices and quickly grabs your wrist. He turns you around to face him, leaving a trace of dry clay over the spot your blood flowed.

Clay and blood, intertwined.

Your heart races. Minghao's touch is both frightening and tender. He worked hard on his self-control just to be able to handle these types of situations. If you saw Jun in that state, it would be over for them.

“Are you okay?”

But now that he thinks about it, your blood smells like candy taken out of its wrapper. And it running so fast due to your nervousness releases a scent he never sensed before. One that has him dying to let go of his virtues and succumb to sin.

And Joshua notices.

“T/n! Come here, let me see.”

He rips you out of Minghao’s clutcht to check at your wound and you head inside together.

“Guys, grab the cat and come inside before it rains. T/n, does it hurt too much?”

In another scenario, you might have noticed he was trying to distract you. But right now, the spot where Minghao's hand was grabbing still feels hot and throbbing when Joshua touches your hand. It’s hard to concentrate. He gestures for you to sit on the sofa, and you comply. Not even two seconds later, he returns with a first aid kit. You can't help but contrast Minghao's firm grasp with the compassionate way Joshua is holding you while disinfecting your cut.

“You must think I’m a terrible mother,” you say, watching Joshua shake his head as he kneels in front of you to examine your hand more closely. “He’s not usually like this. I don’t know why he got so scared.”

Animals rely on their intuition. They detect danger and protect the people who love them and take good care of them. Joshua knows you’re not a terrible mother. It was Jun’s hand your cat was trying to sever.

“Don’t punish yourself,” he says. “He’s lucky to have you. It was Jun who drove him crazy.”

“He was so nice though, trying to help me,” you hiss at the strong liquid Joshua pours over your skin. “Do you think Hao is okay? His eyes went all weird when he looked at the scratch.”

“What do you mean, weird?”

“I don’t know, dark? I think it disgusted him.”

Thank goodness you think that, among all the things Minghao’s look could have made you think.

“Oh… Yes. Hao can’t stand blood. There’s no wonder he refuses to become a doctor.”

“He doesn’t need to. He’s so talented in ceramics.”

“He is. He will appreciate it if you tell him. Do you see all of the pots and vessels in the house? They’re all his work. Minghao is an artist, he’s always been.”

He truly is. The fact that the piece he was working on has already lost its shape due to the rain makes you feel sad and guilty about interrupting him. You're amazed at how your neighbor achieved most of the patterns and textures. They highlight the house, once yours, with the sparkle you thought it would never regain after your uncle’s death. It’s fascinating to realize that Minghao’s mind is so vibrant with colors.

“You don’t stay behind,” you say to Joshua, as he bandages your now disinfected hand. “Suddenly it doesn’t even hurt.”

“You are too kind,” he answers, smiling shyly while he stands on his feet. “I appreciate the compliment. But I hope I never have to display my skills on you again.”

“Sorry. I’ll pay you next time.”

It’s heartwarming to make him laugh. Before making the comment, you had a hunch that Joshua would crack a smile if you told him something along those lines. His smile is not only kind, but also genuine. It makes you wonder how many of the ones you were given before might have been only half as sincere.

“God, no, t/n,” he answers. “Please just take care of yourself.”

After a few minutes of watching the storm shake the trees, a soaking wet Jun opens the door for his brother, who enters with your cat purring in his arms. You wonder if your eyes are deceiving you. Cat is an animal of strong character and delicate temper. Yet, he sleeps like a baby in your neighbor's embrace, as if he has been charmed into tranquility.

“He liked Hao best,” Jun explains, with his hands on his waist. “I don’t care. I’m not a cat person anyways… Now, who’s making dinner?”

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚

Heyyyyyy let’s play a game. I write and you tell me how many taylor’s songs possible references you find ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ (there’ll be many lol)

Taglist: @90s-belladonna @milopenne @angel-ishere @cheiyoma @hipsdofangirl

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚ ⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚

masterlist | next chapter (soon)

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funnywildlife · 2 years ago

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THE SECOND VULTURE:

In the 1990's there was a widely circulated photo of a vulture waiting for a starving little girl to die and feast on her corp. That photo was taken during the 1993/94 famine in Sudan, by Kevin Carter, a South African photojournalist, who later won the Pulitzer Prize for this 'amazing shot'.*

*However, as Kevin Carter was savouring his feat and being celebrated on major news channels and networks worldwide for such an 'exceptional photographic skill', he lived just for a few months to enjoy his supposed achievement and fame, as he later got depressed and took his own life!*

*Kevin Carter's depression started, when during one of such interviews (a phone-in programme), someone called in and asked him what happened to the little girl. He simply replied, "I didn't wait to find out after this shot, as I had a flight to catch..." Then the caller said, "I put it to you that there were two vultures on that day, one had a camera".*

*Thus, his constant thought of that statement, later led to depression and he ultimately committed suicide. Kevin Carter could have still been alive today and even much more famous, if he had just picked that little girl up and taken her to the United Nations Feeding Center, where she was attempting to reach or at least take her to somewhere safe.*

*Today, regrettably this is what is happening all around the world. The world celebrates stupidity and inhumane act, at the detriment of other. Kevin Carter should have taken the girl away from that place, which will cost him nothing, yet he didn't. Here is the inhuman posture, "he had all time to take his shot, but he had no time to save the girl's life".*

*Thus, we must all understand that, the purpose of life, is to also touch lives. So are you too a Vulture. In whatever we do, let humanity come first, before what we stand to gain out of the situation. In all we do let's always think of others and how we can be of benefit to humanity, how we can lend a helping hand and wipe away tears. Hence, when we seek knowledge, wealth, fame, skills or even positions, let's think of how we can use it to benefit the people and society at large.*

*Today, there is a lot of poverty in the land, so if our God Almighty has blessed you, be a blessing to others, extend a helping hand to those in need. Remember, you giving, is also a way of appreciating divine blessings, bounties, and favour of God Almighty upon you. Therefore, it is very important that we all should help the poor and needy, the orphans and widows amongst us, so that they can meet their needs. Please don't be a Kevin Carter, be human and think humanity.*

*Beware, we humans are not humans, if we lack humaneness in all we do.*

#FoodForThought

#food for thought #quoteoftheday #humanity

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seulszn · 1 year ago

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7 days and your gone

Pairing: Abby x Reader

Warning: suicide, death, angst, no happy ending

Day 1

You didn't know how fast your life can change one moment your laughing with friends, hanging with family, planning dinner dates with your girlfriend Abby just loving life and then the next your suicidal wanting to end it all.

You asked to be alone, just for a few hours no longer you turnt your phone off and just played some music to take your mind off of it, but music wasn't working so you tried to make your favorite dish to cook but it wasn't as good as how your mom makes it, so you went to the bathroom to take a hot steamy shower the water wasn't doing anything but irritating the cuts you have so you decided on looking at yourself you stare at yourself in the mirror for hours on end not moving feeling like if you do something might change.

You stare long and hard at your hair you used to get made fun of for, your stomach that you would starve when you felt like you were too fat, your nose you hated, everything you hated everything about you everything your girlfriend Abby loved

“Look at the way my stomach looks”

“I love the way it looks”

“Your just saying that cause your my girlfriend”

“I’m saying that cause it's true

You stayed their and cried, cried until you fell asleep.

Day 2

“Here Julien I want you to have this” you say handing your best friend your gaming consoles with a smile Julien looks at you with a face of confusion “this is unexpected why you giving me this?” she ask placing the consoles down on her table you shrug your shoulders “well I don't need them anymore and I felt like selling them would be a waste so I said why not just give them to my best friend in the whole wide world!” you said as Julien nods her head grabbing you and pulling you into a tight hug “thank you Y/N this means a lot to me i’ll make it up to you I swear” she says and you shake your head.

“No need,” you say as you smile at your beautiful best friend you have known since kindergarten “Julien you know I love you so much right? I thank all the gods above for bringing you into my life, I honestly don't know what I would have don't if I didn't have a friend like you thank you for changing my life I'll see you soon” you say as Julien looks at you with a confused smile on her face. “Y/N your scaring me what's going on?” she ask as you don't say anything just smile looking around “Y/N talk to me please”

“Nothing is going on just grateful for all my friends you know?” you smile as Julien nods nothing is said for a few minutes until Julien speaks “Well I love you so much Y/N your still coming to my birthday in six days right?” she ask as you shrug your shoulders she nods her head a little disappointed “well I gotta go you take care of yourself ok Y/N? I love you so much” Julien says pulling you into a tight hug you melt a little inside

“We are for life, nothing not even death can break the bond we have” Julien says one last time before closing the door on you for the last time.

Day 3

“Abby I think we should break up” you say as Abby looks over at you from her computer desk “What?” you look over at her before repeating what you said “I think we should break up” she turns off her computer before walking over to the couch to sit by you “and why is that? What did u do this time?” she hums pulling you into her lap with a smile you look at her feeling your heart melt Abby your Abby the one who loves you so much “I just feel like we should” she looks at you nodding her head at what your saying

“Well, that's not a good reason to break up what I do? Tell me so I can fix it” you don't say anything you just stare at her with a small tired smile you wrap your arms around Abby pulling her in to a tight hug “I just feel like I'm not right for you, y'know? We are two completely different people with different backgrounds, I always wonder what a person like you is doing with a crazy bitch like me” you say as Abby pulls away looking in your eyes

“Y/N you are enough for me everything I do is for you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you Y/N, I want to make you my wife I want to have kids-”

“How many kids?”

“Six of them” you laugh for the first time in weeks, a true genuine laugh “I want our first daughter to be Y/N Jr” Abby says caressing your face you look at her to see if she's joking.. She's not “really?” she nods her head before laying back on the couch spreading her legs “Y/N I hate when you speak like this is breaks my heart I don't like how you treat yourself, your beautiful Y/N your my sun, my heart, everytime you talk like this it's like a stab right in the heart” Abby vents you nod your head listening you want to apologize but you feel like you can't like their is something stopping you “I love you Y/N your not getting away from me anytime soon”

Hours go by of you and Abby talking, laughing, and cuddling, that you feel that sadness coming back that you wanna excuse yourself before you get to caught up in this “What where you going?”

“To write”

Day 4

Dear Abby,

My baby, my love, my hero I wanna say thank you, thank you for the love you have given me, thank you for the energy you have spent on me, thank you for the shoulder I can lean on when I needed to cry, for the laughs we shared, the arguments we had that had us wanting to kill each other but ended with us fixing it. Your probably wondering why I'm writing you this when I can literally go into the living room right now and say everything I need to say.

I can't

I can't look you in the eyes and tell you how fucking exhausted I am, how worn out and weak I am, I can't tell you how I've been cutting again after we celebrated a week clean, I can't tell you how depressed I have been it will ruin the mood and you know how much I hate an awkward situation lol. But Abby I love you so much you have shown me how strong I am when I thought I was weak, you loved me when I thought I was unlovable, loved me when I was Insecure and even ugly. When I was a kid I was always the ugly duckling, but when you told me “even a ugly duckling needs its Swan” I couldn't believe that I was gifted with such an amazing girlfriend.

We planned a whole life out together, what was it again? Oh yea six kids the first two named after us, a big house with a farm, with a dog and cat. I'm sorry but I don't think in this lifetime we was meant to reach those goals we wanted life isn't fair as much as we hope and pray for it its just not in us.

You have to forget about me. Heartbreak is temporary you will find someone better then me I'm sure of it. I am sorry for all the pain I have put you in. I never meant to do that. I loved you too much to see you get hurt by me.

I love you so much words can't express my love for you. Anytime anyone mentioned you my heart would flutter, like I'm falling in love with you again.

I remember when you told me on our first date that you would never fall in love and that love is overrated and here you are in love with someone who is dying. I love you so much Abby. Maybe In Another Life we will finally be together.

Forever yours,

Y/N ❤︎

Day 5

Ambulance, and police cars crowd your parents house. Screaming, and crying are the only things to be heard. Your mother panicking craddling your bloody body as police men try to remove you

“NO NOT MY BABY! YOU CAN’T TAKE MY BABY AWAY FROM ME!” she screams pulling you in closer as your father tries to pry your mothers arms open to let them take you to the hospital. Your mother refuses to let go until your father grabs ahold of her face “stop being difficult dear and let them take her they might be able to save her if you let them do their job. Your mother looks down at you and then at the men hovering above and she lets go slowly…slowly.. And she slowly relives everything your birth, your first word, your first day of school everything, slowly her baby, her first born, the life she made to protect you slipping away, going down the drain.

The ride to the hospital was long, well to your parents at least, your mother couldn’t stop crying and praying to any god that is out to to hear her prayers, she doesn't want to believe it her baby girl, wanting to kill herself why? Was it because of her? Was she not a good mother? She tried to change for the better for her baby girl she didn't wanna end up like her mother who mentally and verbally abused her but it seems like the Apple doesn't fall to far from the tree.

“MOM PLEASE TELL ME ITS NOT TRUE!” She hears from her left she lifts her head and sees Dina, and Julien running to your mom she gets up and opens her arms as they run into them making her stumble over “She-she just I- I’m a terrible mother!” she chokes on her words as Dina and Julien comfort her with tears in their eyes the doctor comes out with a clipboard in hand and a small smile on her face.

“Your Y/N’s Mother correct?” the doctor ask as your mom their nods her head interlocking her hands and placing them onto her chest “your daughter just got out of surgery” the doctor announces as your mother nods her head just wanting to hear if her daughter is ok “your daughter tried to kill herself, and sadly she stabbed a few major parts of her body, so now she's in a coma and we tried everything we can but it's up to her now if she want to come out of it” the doctor adds on as your mother starts to break down the doctor apologizes before excusing herself.

On cue, Abby runs through the doors in a sweat was she too late? She tried to get to the hospital as fast as she could she really tried but she couldn't exactly believe that her Y/N would try to kill herself, it wasn't even a day ago when you wanted to break up with each other was this the reason why? Was it her?

Day 6

Abby stayed with you since she got their not leaving your side once not to use the bathroom not to sleep nothing afraid if she was to do anything much as breath you would be gone forever

Beep

Abby squeezed your hand anxiously waiting for you to wake up looking at your life monitor and then at you “come on Y/N wake up baby girl”

She decided to scroll through photos of you guys smiling at all the memories, like your first date to the zoo and seeing all the cute animals, or the movie date you guys did she smiles at the memories wanting to make more but all she need was for you to wake up.

Beep

“You remember when you told me how you was tired of living with your parents? Well I found a sweet three bedroom apartment that would be nice for us, we can use the third bedroom as a little office since college is starting soon” Abby asks speaking to you as if your gonna answer. “I gotta you the bathroom I'll be right back ok?” Abby says squeezing your hand and leaving the room.

Beep

Abby looks at herself in the mirror she looks fucked, her cheeks are stained with tears and her eyes are red she looks like a zombie. She opens the bathroom door and sees doctors rushing somewhere… somewhere?…Y/N?….No it can't be why can't she move.. Abby move run she was lost in thought everything playing back your first introduction, to the first kiss, to the make out that led to you losing your virginity, to..to..to

“MOVE OUT THE WAY KID” a doctor yells pushing past Abby knocking her out of her train of thought she walks over to your room but it felt farther why? She wants to come back and see you hug you but she can't…

She's too late

your parents and Julien come rushing in as the doctors speak to them “say goodbye” she says as your mother nods running in to hug you kissing your face and saying how much she loves and wishes she could have protected you.

Abby doesn't say goodbye in shock she stands their and watch them pull your life support she stands their as she sees the life drain out of you, she stands their until they zip your body up and drag you way.

“I’m sorry about your lost kid” the doctor says patting her back. She was the last one their and the last one to leave.

Day 7

The day of the funeral hit hard for Abby, she lost everything in a span of 48 hours, she had no time to process any of it, she didn't even get to say goodbye, she didn't get to hug you, kiss you any of it you were pulling right from under her. She tried not to cry just for you she tried to stay strong but she couldn't, not when a piece of her heart just broke, not when the light in her life suddenly went out.

“Y/N was loved by everyone” the pastor says but Abby wasn't listening too busy trying not to break down, trying hard not to to open the casket and see if your actually dead and not playing a sick joke on her. When it was her turn to speak she couldn't really find her words without feeling like she was gonna choke on them “Y/N was my everything, I feel like I have just lost apart of me, life is so unfair why her? Why me? We're we not meant for a happy ending like everybody else? Are we so out of luck that the world just gave up on us? I wanted to marry her, I promised her a happy life, I wanted to get old with her but fate said no and just took her and I didn't even get to say bye” Abby holds the box with the ring she was gonna use to propose to you with and just looks at it with a sad smile.

“Y/N you were my soulmate and I don't think I can find another person that will fill your spot I know you would want me to move on but I can't I feel like it would be cheating, like I just forgot about you if I do you were my Juliet, and I was your Romeo. Maybe in another life fate will bring us together” Your mom looks at Abby as she walks back over to her seat “Thank you for loving my daughter” Abby smiles nodding her head and showing your mother the box “I really meant what I said I wanted to marry your daughter”

When they was lowering you to the ground Abby pulled out the ring she was gonna marry you with and threw it in and then put the other one on her finger. She watched as they covered you, she watched as they sang, and she watched as your gravestone was placed, she sat their and didn't leave even hours after the funeral ended she stayed, looking up at the sky seeing all the pretty birds

A dove the bird that means peace, hope, transformation, and love. she smiles at it “Goodbye Y/N you can rest now”

The end I hope you like this (this made me cry writing this so hopefully it makes you cry as well) first post of 2024 kinda nervous hope I did good fr and remember life isn't worth killing yourself over, if you ever and I mean ever need to vent about anything my DMs are always opened.

#bellaxellie #the last of us #tlou2 #abby anderson #abby anderson x y/n #abby anderson x reader #abby the last of us #abby tlou #abby x reader #abby x fem!reader #abby angst #angst #ellie williams #ellie angst

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cookie-waffle · 1 year ago

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It’s probably so dumb to be feeling this upset over a copper-age mummy, but, Ötzi the iceman makes me so sad.

He didn’t get lost. He didn’t starve. He didn’t freeze to death. He was murdered in cold blood, and left there in the snow. His family never knew what happened to him. He was never laid to rest by his tribe.

If you’ve ever seen a mummy up close before, they don’t usually give you that same feeling of disgust or sadness that a fresh body would, because they’re so old and dry that they look a lot like detailed movie props. And their skin is hard, almost like plastic. It’s so easy to forget that the body you are looking was at some point a real person, who had a childhood, who cried, who loved, who had hobbies and interests.

One of the things that really gets me about Ötzi, is how he died. No sacred ritual. No elaborate mummification process. He was murdered, left there, and never seen by his loved ones ever again. And when you think of him as not just a mummy, but as a real person who likely had people waiting for him back home, it’s all the more heartbreaking.

Human greed and senseless violence transcends time. People still get murdered in cold blood, just like Ötzi was, to this very day. The only difference being guns instead of bows and arrows.

But, human compassion also transcends time. His family may have never gotten to properly mourn him, but thousands of years later, people world wide respect and mourn him. There’s something truly beautiful about that.

#I have no idea where this post is going im just typing shit #anthropology

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staycalmandhugaclone · 1 year ago

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You'll Have to Go Through Me

We're at a point where I strongly recommend not reading this until after working your way through the entirety of Doc's Misadventures beginning, of course with Touch Starved!

There are still some slots left for the 400 follower celebration. I'll be bouncing between Doc fics and reader oc fics bit by bit (though, I can't really stop mid arc for brain reasons, so you'll get part 2 of this fic before I pop back into Asks)

Last head's up: Given my last fics weren't Doc fics, I didn't start this yet, but after today, I'll be reducing my tag list. If folks haven't interacted in some way for a few fics, I'm going to stop tagging you. Because Tumblr just can't do things easily for me, I frequently hand type my entire list, so if yuh want me to take the time to tag you, ya'll have to give me something back so I know I'm not tagging people who've lost interest or aren't even on here anymore. To all my lovelies who silently reblog: I adore you and you can do no wrong in this world! To those of you who frequently comment/chat with me about this crazy little world I accidentally made: I would happily burn the world to see you smile

Warnings: Lots of heavy emotions in this one - angst, guilt, angry, blame, got some profanity in there, and reference to child soldiers kinda

WC: 3,171

There was a rumor that the Kaminoan’s eyes could see colors humans simply couldn’t; that everything from the unblemished armor of shinies to the very reports endlessly updating on their communicators was overlaid with additional data invisible to those deemed a “lesser race.” That rumor left the identical, monotone halls of their cities feeling even more unwelcoming; as though secrets laid all around me, taunting my every step in some undeniable proof that their prejudiced beliefs held a merit I would never be able to fight, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about that anymore.

I roamed those immaculate halls aimlessly, purely for the want of letting myself get lost in them. The need to hide, to flee despite there being nowhere I could run drove me to wander endlessly through the most distant corridors, blindly staring at barracks that had long since been left abandoned as the production of clones lessened with every day that passed. Once, each of the countless rooms around me had been home to cadets too young to understand the horrors awaiting them, and I bleakly wondered how many of those children were now lost to the never-ending demand for sacrifice towards a goal that seemed just as distance now as it had during that very first battle.

I’d nearly walked past him, utterly oblivious to his presence until his helm shifted just enough to catch my attention, and, with a sharp gasp, I was ripped from the illusioned reprieve of my thoughts.

“Kriff!” The curse hissed through clenched teeth, wide eyes locking on the lithe figure leaning silently against the tiny inlet of a doorframe. That silence lingered until my panic withered into that too familiar dread, air catching in my lungs as I stood frozen before him.

“We’re leaving in an hour. Hunter sent you a com.” He stated, and I nearly broke from the chill in his raspy voice.

“I… I haven’t read it, yet…” I finally admitted, jaw stiff. I’d remembered how my heart had dropped at the alert for the incoming message, certain I’d find orders detailing my reassignment lingering within, and I hadn’t been able to bring myself to look. Crosshair said nothing for a long moment, and I had to fight the nervous dance of my fingers. Without another word, he turned and began to walk away, and a new panic overwhelmed me.

“Wait!” I gasped, body stealing a half-step toward him before locking up once more. He paused, but didn’t turn back, and I could feel something on the verge of shattering within me.

“I thought you said you didn’t regret it.” It was quiet, as though whispering those words might hide the hurt in them, and the air fled me in a shuttered exhale.

“I…” My throat locked around that choked word, and I cursed myself for faltering when I so desperately wanted to offer him some hint of reassurance, but I could only stare as his shoulders sank before starting through those sickeningly pristine halls once more.

“Wait…” I begged, voice barely audible, but he didn’t stop, and finally, my body remembered itself. “Wait! Wait, dammit! I don’t regret being with you!” I shouted, racing forward to cut him off. He said nothing as he stared down at me, that emotionless visor offering nothing of the warmth with which he’d looked at me just days prior, and I could feel myself wilt beneath it. Letting out a carefully controlled exhale, I reached up to remove my own helmet, robbing myself of what protection that barrier feigned to lay myself bare before him.

“They… they can’t even look at me, Crosshair…” I whispered, and I could see the dark circles beneath my eyes in the sliver of my reflection, “and I don’t… I don’t know how to deal with that.” I couldn’t breathe as I waited anxiously for some manner of response. When he finally began to move, that need surged anew within me, and I could only watch as his hand slowly reached up to trail lightly along my jaw until his palm rested against my cheek.

“I told you they’d figure it out.” A short scoff escaped me, and I couldn’t keep myself from shifting further into his touch. My lips parted, breath catching with the beginnings of speech, but I felt the words abandon me, too weary to force out a response. Instead, I let myself grasp his hand reverently between both of mine and turned just enough to press my lips firmly against his gloved palm, fingers tightening with a desperation I couldn’t risk giving voice as I listened to the air leave him in a slow sigh. Without a word, he pulled his hand away and wrapped his arms around me. I didn’t hesitate, eagerly pressing myself against him for that familiar comfort of his embrace.

“Every time that damn com went off…” I whispered hiding against the rigid planes of his chest plate as sobs vied to rob even those strained words from me, “I was so sure it was an alert that I’d been reassigned…” and, I couldn’t fight back the tiny hitch of a sob as his arms tightened.

“That’s not going to happen.” A hopeless huff of laughter escaped me, but when he called my name, I found my gaze automatically turning up to his, and I couldn’t bring myself to doubt him. “Just give them some time… Please.” How could I not yield beneath the raw need in his voice? I barely noticed the way my head subtly nodded against him, but that didn’t diminish the truth of the gesture. Of course, I would give them time. I would grant them as long as they needed regardless the way my heart twisted at the mere thought of subjecting myself to the terrible quiet they fell into at the very threat of my presence… I knew I could never leave them… any of them… not unless they told me to… I’d promised.

I’d hidden away in those abandoned halls for three days before he’d come to find me. Following him back to the hanger had the same taste as an akk dog being dragged home from the pound, and I couldn’t keep my gaze from studying the metal ramp below as we eventually reached the Marauder. I’d finally glanced at my datapad as we walked and found myself wishing I hadn’t. There were only two lines of text in that initial com: the time of the mission brief, which I’d missed, and the time we were meant to leave, which we only barely made it back by. A subsequent message appeared to summarize that brief, but I didn’t have time to more than open it.

As soon as the ramp locked into place, Crosshair pulled off his helmet and stored it in his gun locker. I started to do the same, but paused at the sudden quiet that stole through him once I’d removed my bucket, fingers absently shifting over the ridge where padding covered the unyielding plastoid. He said nothing as he stepped toward me, but I melted at the first feel of his hand slipping up the back of my neck to just tangle into the base of my hair as his lips pressed against my forehead. He held me like that until the ship began to rise, and then he left, silently disappearing into the cockpit where, I assumed, the rest of his brothers waited.

I knew those little moments of softness were, in part, merely an effort to distract me from the guilt ceaselessly twisting through my chest, but that realization didn’t lessen the warmth they granted me. I’d always believed there was more to him than the snarky, eternally unimpressed persona he so loved to flaunt about, but to find myself the subject of such gentle affection was something I would never weary of.

Finding myself alienated from his brothers, however, was a sorrow that contrasted so starkly with the thrill that lingered after Crosshair’s touch that I was left in a place of violently conflicting wants and regrets each too overwhelming to allow even a moment’s understanding of any one emotion. Part of me wanted to follow him, to plead some ignorance that the easy dynamic we’d fallen into hadn’t been shattered so effortlessly, but I couldn’t.

Images of the detached distance in Hunter’s eyes when he’d last looked at me sent me, instead, to the small kitchenette if only to busy myself with restocking menial items in some useless plight to distract myself. When those heavy footsteps sounded from down the hall, however, I found myself regretting that decision, despite how I loathed the thought of hiding away in the medbay again, but my heart raced at the thought of Wrecker coming to a sharp halt at the doorway, at the awkward silence that would fall as he tried to make some excuse to flee, and the coming devastation that would bring me.

I didn’t turn to him when he stopped just outside, attention carefully turned away from him to grant an easier escape, but he didn’t move. After a few tense seconds, I glanced hesitantly toward him, and found myself frozen at the quiet in those mismatched eyes as he looked at me.

“I was worried you weren’t coming back.” He murmured, and I had to turn away for a moment, lungs straining to draw in a steady breath before I could answer him.

“I was worried you might not want me to.” His broad shoulders dropped, automatically taking several steps nearer to me before catching himself.

“Of course, we do!” He said quickly, voice vainly forced into something of a hushed whisper. “It’s just… it’s hard, I guess… different… but that don’t mean we don’t want you around! Just… gotta figure out how everything fits, now, I guess…” Relief and turmoil warred through me as he stammered to explain, and I had to catch my lip between my teeth at the question that followed. “Is that why you stayed away?”

“I think… I think I was trying to figure out how things fit, too…” I answered, stumbling over the same inadequacy of spoken word to touch on the chaos and doubt that led me to wander those abandoned halls.

“… Crosshair… he makes you happy?” He asked suddenly, and my gaze instantly darted back up to find his focus staring blindly toward the too-small table meant to house half the number we’d so often crammed around it.

“… yeah… he does” I hated the hesitation in my voice, and found myself wanting to say more; to offer some promise that… that what? That it wasn’t that Wrecker didn’t make me happy? That the whirlwind of emotions storming relentlessly through me was so devastatingly confusing that I couldn’t begin to sort through them? That I had to bite my tongue to keep from begging him not to hate me? Trapped in that indecision, I allowed myself to say nothing at all, and his response nearly brought me to tears.

“That’s good.” There was still a subtle edge of sorrow in his voice, but I couldn’t doubt the sincerity of his words, which made them all the more painful to hear. “Things have been… hard lately - guess they always are, but… you and Cross… Yuh both needed something to be happy about. So, I’m happy for yuh… Just… sorry it took me a while to figure that out.”

My breath fled me in a broken sigh, and I instantly threw myself toward him, arms locking around his shoulders as my face hid against his neck. I felt him automatically move to return the embrace before freezing, body tense.

“Uh… is…” He stammered hesitantly. “Is it, yuh know… okay for me to-to hug yuh?” The laughter that escaped me sounded too akin to a sob, and I held him even tighter for it.

“Of course, it’s okay for you to hug me.” I said, voice dropping back into a whisper lest the words break, and some of that crippling weight finally slipped from my shoulders as he readily locked me against him.

“You look at the briefing, yet?” He asked after I finally released him, and I couldn’t help but notice the trace of tension hidden beneath that boisterous excitement.

“Not yet,” I replied, watching him carefully though I tried to keep the hesitation from my voice, “I was planning to read over it tonight. What’s the mission?”

“Just stealin’ files off’a some fancy database, but after I get to blow the whole thing up so they can’t figure out what we took!” There was an overzealousness to his too-quick response, a nervousness that I doubted many others would note, but I knew him, and, when I reached for my datapad to finally look through the message, I wasn’t surprised to hear the way his breath caught slightly in his throat. It took only a brief glance to understand why, and whatever traces of guilt within me went silent beneath my sudden rage.

“Hunter!” I shouted, already storming around Wrecker, blind to the way his face pulled into a barely restrained cringe. Two data ports needed to be spliced simultaneously at opposite sides of a large compound on an isolated world recently lost to Separatist forces. Crosshair was being dropped off on a nearby cliffside to provide cover and report troop movement, while Wrecker would begin placing munitions strategically throughout the facility. Hunter and Tech would infiltrate the northern port, and Echo the southern one nearest Crosshair’s position. Meanwhile, I was meant to remain on the Marauder as “backup”.

“What the kriff is this?!” I snapped. He was just cresting the cockpit ladder as I approached with my datapad clutched in my hand.

“If you’d been at the briefing, you wouldn’t be asking that.” He retorted, arms crossing over his chest as he stared down at me.

“Oh kriff you, Hunter!” I snarled, numb to the hurt I knew I should have felt at the feigned impatience in those eyes. His brow twitched briefly together, but he offered no further response. “You’re leaving Echo practically defenseless!”

“Echo is an arc trooper. He’s more than capable of taking care of himself.” He replied blankly.

“Not when he’s plugged in!” My words reverberated slightly against the metal walls, and some part of me wanted to feel guilty for how his sensitive hearing surely ached because of it, but I couldn’t stop myself. “The instant he’s connected, his reaction time-”

“Is still better than yours.” He interrupted harshly. My jaw snapped shut, heart pounding against my chest as he began walking toward me, movements slowed beneath a purposeful intent, exhibiting every ounce of the intimidating, elite soldier he’d been painstakingly created to encompass, but my anger, my dread that something would happen, that his benching me might cost his life or the life of one of his brothers forbade me from yielding, from feeling even a whisper of fear as I stared him down.

“Until we figure this out, you’re a liability. I can’t have them distracted out there in the middle of a mission just because you don’t want to feel left out.” He continued, voice sharp, and I wanted to spit at the word ‘they,’ balking at the vain implication that he’d managed to convince any one of us that he was somehow unaffected. “Unless you want to go running off somewhere again, we can try to figure this out after, but we’re set to land in four hours, and I’m not spending that time playing mediator when we need to be focused on not getting killed.”

Later, the silence that fell between us would break me. Later, I would remember the way my hands clenched into fists as I glared at the man before me with an animosity that, just days prior, I would have thought impossible. Later, I would remember that I was to blame for the crippling discordance that so effortlessly brought our unbreakable family to ruin. In that moment, however, I wanted to hurt him for all the ways I was hurting, and I hated myself for it.

“This is a mistake, Hunter.” The words left in a strained growl, teeth clacking as my jaw snapped around his name. “You know that… and it’s going get one of them killed.” His lips tensed with the beginnings of a scowl just as his attention shifted ever so slightly behind him.

I couldn’t hear what was said, but I held no doubt that that was the intent, that one of his brothers had murmured some warning or plea before he could offer whatever justifiably harsh retort lay seething atop his tongue, and I was glad I couldn’t hear them. If it was Crosshair, would I have lashed out against his attempt to protect me? If I’d heard Tech recant some psychological study dismissing my concerns in favor of Hunter’s logic, would I have yelled at him with that same vehemence? Or if Echo… I couldn’t… I couldn’t do this… I couldn’t breathe beneath the sudden certainty that I was alone in that moment… that I had no one to turn to as my thoughts cascaded into a darkness I feared would consume me.

Gaze falling to metal flooring forever stained with oil and grime and far too much blood as my chest tightened into a vise around my heart, I found myself frozen for a mere second longer before turning away from him. He made no effort to stop me. I didn’t think I could have stopped even if he had. I needed to think… no… I needed to run; to hide… I needed to escape the unspoken accusation in his eyes. I needed to escape the nightmare of my own thoughts berating me for each word that fell so thoughtlessly from my lips, the terror that Hunter was right, that I’d turned myself into the deadly distraction I’d so feared becoming all those months back. I needed to escape this faltering reality as the consequences of my own actions threatened to rip my very sense of self from hands I still couldn’t manage to unclench.

It wasn’t until hearing the quiet beep of the medbay’s door denying entry that I even realized I’d locked it behind me, and I instantly knew who stood just beyond that wall of chilled metal. Wrecker would have called out, and I doubted the others were quite ready to speak to me directly yet. I knew it was Crosshair; knew that he stood there waiting to see if I’d yield, but the seconds turned into minutes, and I made no effort to haul myself from where I sat tucked against the corner, fingers tangled into my hair as I merely let myself hurt beneath the weight of everything I’d lost, everything it felt like I was still losing. I heard his fist fall lightly against the door just once before, after a final moment of denial, treading slowly back down the hall.

Look at this adorable FANART!!! - Thank you so much @mythical-illustrator!!

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mrsfrecklesmarauders · 6 months ago

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It was annoying how good Remus was with younger kids. When Regulus was forced to tutor with him, he thought he wouldn't be able to bare it. Remus wasn't one of his favorite people. Back when they were kids and he was Rosie, Remus used to be nice with Regulus. Tried to include him in the games and pranks. Tried to explain things to him when all that Sirius did was laugh at him. Tried to tell him his and Sirius’s secrets and inside jokes.

But the dislike Regulus had for him was because Sirius used to prefer him over anyone when they were kids. Perhaps he still did. And although Remus was as kind as his mother, to which Regulus had had an affection in the past, it was easier to hate him. It was easier to blame him for everything Sirius did, for how much Sirius had changed, for the fact that he left and all was on Regulus's shoulders.

Plus, Regulus really sucked at tutoring. He didn't have the patience to teach kids what was easy to learn. Remus, on the other hand, had all the patience in the world. It was really annoying.

"You did great today, Reggie!" Remus said as he patted his arm once the kids finally left.

Only Sirius called him that. And Regulus didn't know why Remus dared to do the same.

"I yelled at Danny like five times..."

"You yelled less... That's what's important" Remus pointed out with a smile.

"I don't know how you have the patience" Regulus closed his eyes "I know why Dumbledore made you do this. You're a natural"

"That man is obsessed with me doing something productive after school. He thinks I would be a good teacher"

Regulus didn't say how much he agreed with the old man.

"You could be a good teacher as well" Remus tried with that annoying patience he had. Regulus gave him a look "Different and stricter... But a good one"

Regulus decided not to say anything else. For the past month since they started this tutoring, Remus had been nothing but nice. But Regulus couldn't like him. He had a duty to fulfill.

Remus smiled even if he expected an answer. Regulus wondered if he had the patience with Sirius. Sirius, that sometimes was a lot.

"I could never be a teacher" Regulus replied under his breath.

"Why not?"

Regulus couldn't tell him that he had to pretend to be the good son, the new Heir. That he had to pretend to be interested in the family's company for the sake of Sirius. So their parents would leave him alone.

"It's not my thing" Regulus shrugged.

Remus opened his mouth to say something else. But he was interrupted by none other than Sirius himself.

"Mooooonyyyyy!!"

When Sirius crossed the door of the classroom, it broke Regulus's heart to see him. It was obvious that he smiled at his boyfriend widely but when he noticed his brother, his smile disappeared from his face.

The relationship between the two brothers had always been complicated. Sirius had thought of Regulus annoying, a crying baby, weak and boring. But he had never hated him like now.

In his mind, Regulus was a traitor. He had no idea what Regulus was doing for him.

"I didn't know certain people would be here still" Sirius commented with disdain.

After giving hateful eyes to Regulus, Sirius turned to kiss his boyfriend.

"Hey" a smile.

"Hey" Remus responded but was giving pitiful glances at Regulus.

"I'm starving, Moons" Sirius added with a moan "Can we go for dinner?"

Regulus rolled his eyes openly.

"Aren't you going to say hello, Sirius?" he spat.

Sirius pursed his lips "I don't see anyone else than my boyfriend"

Regulus tried to swallow the knot on his throat.

"Sirius..." Remus warned.

"Let's just go, Moons"

Remus sighed in disappointment. Regulus knew he wanted to fix things between them. Just like he used to intervene back when they were little. And Regulus hated him for that. He hated how considerate he was.

"Okay, I'm just going to pop into the loo down the hall...." he began "Why don't you wait here?"

"I'll come with you!" Sirius exclaimed desperately.

Regulus wished he could just ran. But his hands trembled as he picked his things.

"Pads, I'm not a kid" Remus said with a chuckle "I don't need company to the bathroom"

"But..."

"It would only take a minute" Remus smiled fondly at Sirius "I'll be right back... See you around, Reg"

Regulus just waved. He didn't look at them. He focused his eyes on his bag.

Then Remus whispered something on Sirius’s ear. And Regulus could have sworn he said: "Be nice".

Regulus thought that as soon as Remus left, Sirius was going to ran outside and wait for Remus at the hall. But Regulus felt his brother's eyes on him. Those penetrating eyes like daggers. Though of course he didn't say a word. When Sirius was angry, it was silence treatment.

"Don't worry, Sirius" Regulus snapped as he finally hang his bag on his shoulder "I'm leaving now so you won't have to see me anymore"

"Good" Sirius said under his breath as he crossed his arms and looked away.

Sometimes he was such a little whinny kid.

Regulus was not an explosive person. He usually swallowed his anger when people did something to him. But lately, he had been feeling an unexplainable irritation inside of him that made him explode.

That irritation made him stop on his tracks and face his brother.

"You know what? It is not my fault that you didn't want this for yourself" Regulus said, raising his voice a little "You had it all and you decided to step away from it... Such a fool, Sirius. If you don't want the spotlight, than I do. I'm not such a baby coward like you!"

Regulus had been playing the part very well. He didn't know how he did it. He didn't understand how he didn't break down and confess everything. He had to be believable. Sirius had to hate him so that Orion could consider him as the New Heir. And Sirius could leave his new life in peace.

And of course, Sirius was explosive. He had to yell and have the last word always. He snorted in disbelief as he turned to face Regulus with hate.

"So I am the coward now, ha?" Sirius said, shaking his head "Who is the one licking father's shoes like a pussy just because he is scared of doing anything else? Who is the one who does everything mother says afraid that she would get angry? Ha?" he buffed "Let's talk about cowards, Regulus!"

"I am not a coward!" Regulus shouted "I am doing what I fucking want for once!"

"You never wanted to be the heir!"

"Because you were in the middle!" Regulus snapped "With you there, I never had a chance. But now that you've proven to be a pussy, I am willing to do everything to fill up your shoes... And actually do so much better than you"

Regulus could see anger filling up on his brother's eyes. He knew he was saying the exact things to make him hate him more.

"Who are you?" Sirius tutted with the ghost of watery eyes on his face. "Where is the sweet Regulus that I used to know? Did they wash your brain so badly that you were left stupid?" he smiled evily "You sound like a parrot, repeating father's words over and over.... Did they leave you a personality somewhere?"

Now it was Regulus's turn to get irritated and angry.

"I have a personality, you twat! Just because I am not a rebel like you, doesn't mean I am not doing what is best"

"Regulus, you have a options..." Sirius took a step closer, trying to get some sense into his younger brother "Just because I didn't... You don't have to... We can..."

Of course, Regulus had never been known to be this aggressive, this active, this mean, this interested in the family. Regulus had been quiet, invisible, seen as weak and a baby by others. It was reasonable that Sirius thought he was being forced by Orion or Walburga. That he was doing all of this because he couldn't say no. Because he was a scared little boy who would do anything to please the authority. And that pissed Regulus off all the time. People taking him for granted.

But right now, anger aside, he had to convince Sirius he was the bad guy. That he should be hated, not rescued.

So he smiled in a mocking way.

"You are just jealous, aren't you?" he asked

Sirius let out a loud chuckle "Jealous? Of you? Ha!"

"You've been used to all the attention on yourself, I get it" Regulus nodded "But right now, you can't stand that I am the one getting attention..."

Sirius clenched his jaw and Regulus knew he had hit a nerve.

"Everyone is looking at me..." Regulus continued "Father, Mother, The Family, The whole school.... I have the attention of the Knights and the girls... I am getting more popular than you and that annoys you, doesn't it?"

Regulus tried to smile in a mean way, looking at Sirius as if he was pathetic. Trying to imitate the humiliating tone and voice their father used on them.

"That's ridiculous" Sirius said under his breath. But Regulus noticed nervousness in his voice. So he carried on.

"You used to be the star for everyone...." he looked at him up side down trying to find the courage to say the next words "Now you are just the pathetic little faggot that nobody wants anymore"

Sirius’s reaction was instant. In a second he had pushed Regulus against the wall and had his hand against his throat. Squeezing and squeezing.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Sirius was spiting rage. His eyes were popped and red. He was like a feral dog.

Obviously, Regulus didn't have air to respond. He was getting choked by his brother.

'I'm sorry' Regulus thought when he saw Sirius’s eyes filling up with tears, not quite believing what they were witnessing 'I'm doing this for you. This is all for you, Sirius. I love you'

He found only hate on the older Black's eyes.

Remus was back, pulling Sirius away, pushing him away.

"What the hell?? I go for two minutes and you already are at each other's throats!!" Remus roared in disbelief.

Regulus was finally able to breathe as he coughed to get air back into his lungs.

Sirius looked like he was trying to contain his anger. Red as a tomato. But also trying to contain his tears.

"I HATE YOU, DO YOU HEAR ME!" Sirius yelled as he tried to get closer and hurt Regulus again presumably. Though Remus was holding him back.

"Sirius..."

"I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU, AGAIN!!"

And it hurt like hell to listen to those words from Sirius’s mouth. Regulus swallowed his tears as he tried to contain himself from telling the truth. He wanted to cry and hug his brother. He wanted to tell him he was sorry. That he couldn't keep up with this. That he gave up.

But someone had to do this. Someone had to stop Orion from being a dick and save Sirius. Even save Walburga even though she probably didn't deserve it. Like Regulus had told Barty, someone had to do something to break that family and company down. And Regulus had to be the one. Not a coward anymore, ha?

"The feeling is mutual" Regulus managed to stay under his breath.

He noticed how Remus turned to look at him with shock and disappointment. He noticed how Sirius got even more angry.

However he ran. Regulus got out of that classroom before things got worse. And Sirius actually killed him.

He stopped outside the door though, to let out a few sobs he had been containing inside.

And he heard Sirius’s retaliation with the chairs and whatever he had around to break. Remus tried to calm him down.

"Sirius!.... Sirius, stop!... SIRIUS.. Hey... Hey..."

Finally, Regulus heard his brother breaking down crying in his boyfriend's arms. The latter whispering words of consolation.

"I've lost him, Moony.... I've lost him..."

"It's okay... It's okay, love"

Regulus silently cried as well.

Sirius could hate him. But if the plan worked, Sirius was going to be free and he was going to be able to live in peace the life he always wanted. With Remus. With Potter and the rest of his friends. With his new family.

And seeing Sirius happy would make Regulus secretly happy.

#Bit of Black Brothers angst #Regulus being the secret hero in every universe #Sacrificing himself for his brother #marauders #maraudersera #muggleau #muggle au #regulus black #sirius black #the black brothers #remus lupin #wolfstar #trans remus lupin

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