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ms-cartoon · 2 years ago

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Helluva Boss just keeps getting better and better....

I honestly wish that I could say that this episode was the best....but I would be lying. So I'm gonna be full on honest about this entire thing. I DO NOT care what comes my way.... so shoot me with whatever have to say if your gonna kiss a** to this show.

This whole episode was like any other HB episode - STRAIGHT UP GARBAGE! Beyond sh*t. It sucked, I was disappointed, and I highly doubt that the rest of the future episodes would be anymore than okay in the long run. I just- I hated it. I would LOVE for someone to argue with me about this whole thing. Like, I WANT someone to come up with excuses for this episode so I can shoot back at them with this dumpster fire, cuz there is no excuse, not one speck of it to cover for this entire show.

You can say that this whole episode was nothing but filler with only a couple of emotional scenes. But you know what, those emotional scenes were not even enough to make this episode any better. In fact, they we're just as terrible cuz they made no sense. And they're not justified.

So the entire synopsis of this episode is that Octavia wanted to see a meteor or something with Stolas, but he was busy with something else and forgets about it. So she runs away to see the stars for herself. She steals the book and travels to L.A.. That leads to IMP and Stolas to go out and search for her. Even though the main objective was to find Octavia, majority of the characters get sidetracked and caught into some shenanigans. The kind of shenanigans that shouldn't have to stop you for finishing you're objective. And that's one of my problems with this show! The characters are trying to get one thing done and can't even do that because they get deliberately sidetracked, and somehow they get so distracted that they probably forget what there trying to accomplish!

I'm just gonna go ahead, tell the plot and explain why it was terrible. This is gonna be one Helluva rant! (I'm not sorry).

SPOILERS (Obviously)

So we start somewhere in the past with Stolas telling a little Octavia about Meteor showers. Specifically, Azazoth's tears. Octavia is really excited about it and wants to see it with him someday. So before tucking her into bed, Stolas made a promise that when the day of the meteor showers come, they will both see it together.......

Surprise, surprise.... he didn't make that promise.....

Because we jumped to the present where Octavia is 17 and marks the day of the Azazoth's Tears on her calendar, which means she remember's that today's is the day the meteor showers come. So she looks for her dad and finds him outside on the phone with an angry Stella (of course she's angry). Since they're divorcing, Stella forced him to take the entirety of her possessions and move it out of the palace. While that was in progress, Stolas is arguing over the phone with Stella. He's seemingly so preoccupied with going back-and-forth with his ex-wife, he wouldn't take the time off the phone to talk to his daughter, whose trying to grab his attention. He even called Stella a b*tch right in front of Octavia (regardless of him censoring his words by spelling it out for the sake of Via, he still said it. And that is pretty disrespectful considering you are talking about your daughter's mother). The fact that Stolas had forgotten about his promise and was more concerned about dealing with Stella angered Via. So much so that she started throwing and flipping things in her room! Like, damn girl! Is it that serious??? You'd think your parents getting a divorce would be the last straw! I'm surprised she could even get angry that easily (guess she had to inherit something from her mother). So, she packs some of her things and storms off to see the stars for herself and without Stolas. She would even go as far as to sneak into IMP's office just to steal Stolas's grimoire.

...Y'know, for someone who's parents are getting a divorce (and probably on that same day), she seems to be much more concerned over a meteor shower...

Anyway, we jumpcut to the next scene where Loona is fighting Blitzo (with Moxxie and Millie on the sideline). Blitzo tries to have a talk with Loona about her behavior toward clients (he shoulda been talking to her about her behavior toward him. He needs to put his foot down more often, just sayin). Loona honestly started to get on my nerves in this scene. Let's be real, she pissed me off this entire episode! She constantly started throwing knives and other sharp weapons at him, saying,

"WHY DON'T YOU GROW A PAIR AND REPLACE ME!"

Blitzo replied (with no boom in his voice) that he just might replace her as a receptionist and tells her to go to her desk. She felt even more angry, but she did what she was told. Meanwhile, Octavia managed to sneak inside the office without anyone seeing her (I mean, Loona noticed her, but her careless a** paid it no mind). She rummages through the desk to look for the book and then finds it inside a safe. She manages to unlock the code and she tells the book "Take me to see the stars...".

This is a little nitpick, but lemme just say; how the hell did she know where IMP's headquarters were? What, did she just visit there at one point with her dad? And if so, then what for? I doubt she'd wanted anything to do with anyone in the company considering one of the members screwed Stolas and caused the affair in the first place. And another thing, how was she able to unlock the passcode to the safe so easily??? It's like she just predicted it would be 1 2 3 4, when really, she was just pressing buttons and hoping to get lucky. Just imagine that not being the right passcode. Octavia would've been in that office forever just pressing buttons until she could put in the right code. That just made no sense to me.

Moving on! IMP walks in on Octavia right before she leaves. When she arrived at her location, it's not what she expected. She shows up in the human world, the HB version of Hollywood called "Holly's Wood" (I'm not even gonna bother with this pun) Really though, she's just in L.A.. A lot of jerks everywhere, people trying to sell CDs on the street, a freakin' drunk clown, a dead parody of Brandon Rogers (who she accidently killed, I think?), another parody of Kim Kardashian leaving Kanye West with her child, only for Kanye West to go straight to making out with parody Jeffrey Star...... Y'know, Hollywood. The whole time, I was expecting Octavia to turn into her human form, but I guess she just doesn't have one?......

These humans are dumb af anyway.... Octavia should've been more specific with her request.

Blitzo starts to panic and is worried about how he was going to tell Stolas that his daughter stole the book and ran away..... I don't know why he would be worried about how to tell Stolas anything. Like, didn't those two have a falling out in episode 7 season 1? They didn't even-

Y'know what? Imma talk about that later.

Blitzo calls Stolas about the whole thing anyway, and of course Stolas isn't two happy about this. What I can't gloss over is the fact that Stolas sorta blamed Blitzo for letting Octavia take the book and running off -

"Do you just let people waltz into your office and steal infintely powerful artifacts??!"

Um....sir? YOU DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE OCTAVIA LEFT THE MANSION UNTIL YOU WERE CALLED ABOUT IT!!!! Hell, YOU were the main reason why she even left!! You we're probably still too busy bickering with Stella over the phone to even notice she was gone! And you say "Infinitely Powerful Artifact" as if your grimoire is so important that it shouldn't be at the hands of some random person or just anyone in general. I mean, sh*t, it sure as hell wasn't all that important when you were thinking with your d*ck!!!

Somehow by smelling air, Loona figures out that Octavia travelled to L.A.. So everyone decides to to team up together to find Octavia. Whenever they show up, Loona mentions that she can hardly smell anything in this messed up city. If she was able to smell where Octavia travelled to by smelling air, and all the girl did was teleport somewhere, then why is it a problem for her to smell something now?

Of course, in order to blend with all the human, everyone has to where a disguise. Okay now, let me explain something;

So from what we've seen, Stolas, Loona, Verosika, and her peers are the only ones in this show capable of turning human, while the imps.... can't for some reason? I don't how the rules work in this show, but they need to be made clear. Of course, the prince of hell has a human diguise, but how is Loona able to do it and the imps can't?? It would've been interesting to see what Blitzo, Moxxie and Millie would look like as humans, but instead, what we got is them wearing stupid corny outfits that no one seems to question. Does it have anything to do with Imps being of a lower class or just being more poor? If that's the case, then hellhounds are in the same category as imps, yet Loona is able turn into a human with no sweat. OCTAVIA DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A HUMAN DISGUISE, AND SHE'S STOLAS'S DAUGHTER!! What the hell!! What kind of logic is this??

Not only that, but Stolas and Loona having disguises is completely pointless!! What would be the point in them trying to blend in when Moxxie, Millie, and Blitzo can walk around practically showing off their species in front of everyone??! The only reason why it's so easy for them to walk around with NO disguises is because the humans in this universe are literally STUPID! They're practically BLIND!! So stupid that one thought Moxxie was a possum. Some thought he and Millie were just wearing costumes. Hell, Blitzo was trying to put on a disguise to fool people, but his devil horns, along with his red skin, and his tail are the only things standing out. And that's more than enough to be noticed!!! But these humans are still so dumb, they don't notice a thing!! Stolas and Loona didn't need any disguises! They are just fine walking around like demons! It would make more sense if Loona just acted like a dog and be human Stolas's pet if they wanted a disguise! Let's face it, human Stolas and human Loona are nothing but eyecandy for fans!! That's the only reason why they're human! To satisfy fans.... They're literally going gaga over human Stolas, and he doesn't even look that hot!! I've seen fan art that can pull off a better human Stolas!!

Blitzo asked if Stolas is able turn him, Moxxie and Millie human too, but Stolas says that without his grimoire, he can't do much of anything. That sounds like a big bucket load of bullsh*t to me! Aren't you suppose to be the prince of hell? You're able to turn people into stone, turn into a big a** demon, make a portal and teleport anywhere whenever you please, YOU CAN TURN YOUR OWN SELF INTO A HUMAN, AND ALL WITHOUT A GRIMOIRE!! Why is it suddenly issue for you to use you're powers!!?? I swear- both Loona and Stolas!!! I'm starting to think y'all can do something and you just choose NOT to do it!

So the gang venture off, but Moxxie and Millie get stopped by some dude who is trying to sell his CD. Moxxie for some reason is so determined to buy something he thinks is so meaningful. He cares so much that this random dude poored his heart and soul into some stupid CD that's probably the worst thing to ever be made. He could always give it back, but Moxxie's sensitive a** would just feel bad for not buying it. So he and Millie (in all fairness, Millie wanted to stick with the gang) decide to get left behind to get 20 bucks for some worthless CD, along with some other artifacts in the city that Moxxie is so interested in and not help find Octavia......

Leave it to those two to become side characters....

Blitzo, Loona, and Stolas stop at a costume store or something to guy a disguise for Blitzo. Like I said before, having a human disguise is not needed, but this episode just has to have conflict. So, Blitzo is mistaken as a parody Brandon Rogers, Brennon Ragers, who is a known celebrity a lot of these fans seem to like. Of course these idiots think that the red skinned looking demon with a tail and big a** ears is Brennon Rogers. So he and Stolas (who is believed to be Brennon Ragers agent) are captured and thrown into a van. While stuck in a van and on their way to a set for Blitzo to perform a sitcom, Stolas worries over Octavia, but Blitzo reassures him that Loona will take care of it. Thing is, Loona doesn't help at all unless it's convenient for her....

So Stolas and Blitzo gets caught on set and ready to perform in a sitcom. Blitzo gets super nervous about performing live in front of everyone considering what happened when he was on stage last time (He doesn't indicate what happened. All we know is that he tried to make people laugh once at a circus when he was a kid....And he failed). And Stolas's response to Blitzo's sudden stage fright made me mad so much, I could laugh-

Stolas approached Blitzo and lifted his chin, "Blitzo, if your performance on stage is half as good as it is in bed, you'll leave them "breathless." cunned Stolas inches away from Blitzo's ear, deepening his voice as he gave Blitzo a gentle touch on the neck and softly rubbed downward.

What bugged me about this was that he was FLIRTING with Blitzo! Like- wha- ARE YOU FREAKIN' SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!!! You're seriously gonna go right back to flirting with him???? Did we just forget episode 7 where the tension between those two took a toll. Did you just forget that you're constant flirting is the reason Blitzo pushed you away in the first place???

UGHHH!! I'm definitely gonna get right back to this topic later in the page, but for right now, let's just move on!

Stolas forces him on set, live in front of the audience and is expected to say a line. Blitzo is nervous to his core considering he was never given an actual script to the scene he's currently playing in. Not only that, but there's a whole audience watching him, so that just adds on his anxiety. Since he doesn't know his lines, his best option was to read the teleprompters. Fortunately enough, the audience laughed at this line (mostly because it was technically their cue to laugh. There were signs saying "laugh" connected to the ceilings), which gave Blitzo just enough encouragement to play along. Meanwhile, Stolas starts feeling more aroused looking at Blitzo, as usual (barf).

Meanwhile, Loona walks around the city, drinking coffee, taking photos on Sinstagram. For real though, Loona would be the kind of character that doesn't do anything to help unless it's convenient for her. Like for instance; Blitzo requested that she go find Octavia, but her response is to flip him off as her way of saying, "I'm not doin' sh*t!" So she goofs off for while until she scrolls through social media to see selfies of Octavia, taking pictures to each place she's been too. Then suddenly, Loona gets a change of heart and decides to try and look for her. Why...I don't freakin' know. She just does.

Back to the studio, everyone is getting bored of laughing at the sitcom, even Stolas as Blitzo continues to play the role. He then plays a scene where a little parody of Darla Dimple offers to adopt a puppy that Blitzo is holding. When Blitzo hears the word "adopt", we cut to a flashback of the day where he first adopted Loona. I honestly felt like laughing when they tried to make me feel as sad as possible for Loona. They show that she was in an orphanage for hellhounds and it looked like a whole dog pound. She's locked up in a cell and she looked super depressed, scooting to the corner and crying. I'm laughing thinking about it now, lol!! So we're suppose to feel sorry for her, yet she always acts like a total ungrateful b*tch to the person who took it upon himself to adopt her and finally set her free from a prison-like adoption center??!! A place she was never happy in??!! Freakin' PLEASE, MAN!! PLEASE!! Don't bullsh*t me!!

Blitzo goes in rage mode and refuses to give up the dog, breaking his character. Everyone tries to get Blitzo off set while also trying to take the dog from him, so he pulls out his gun and starts shooting everyone that comes his way. Stolas tries to save him and the way he goes about is so GODDAMN STUPID!!!

The Prince of Hell everyone....

When the water is spilled all over the producer, he starts to burn??? So apparently, the water bottles that Stolas was holding contained acid. Acid that could burn someone's skin off in an instant. So it can burn someone and yet, Stolas started downing it like he was dehydrated after feeling hot because of Blitzo?? Omg...So a whole fire starts and when Stolas trips, Blitzo catches his hand and Stolas once again starts to feel attracted after seeing Blitzo who has abs now...???(Idfk). So FINALLY they go to search for Octavia and Loona.

Eventually, Loona finds Octavia sitting outside an Observatory. Now, this is where we get our famous sister moment between these two. Octavia expresses how she's angry at her father for breaking his promise to see the meteor shower with her and is not even sitting with her right now. I swear bro- Loona's responses and excuses for Stolas makes me want to laugh even more:

"Try to cut your dad some slack....He may not always get it right, but he's trying."

FREAKIN' WHAT!!!! Loona, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT STOLAS'S CARE FOR OCTAVIA!? What exactly has he done to show he cares at all about Octavia and her feelings??? Majority of the time he's even around her, he has done nothing but act inappropriate! Episode 2 of season 1, he flirted with Blitzo non-stop in front of her, the same guy he had an affair and cheated on her mother with! That caused Octavia to feel bitter towards him, and rightfully so! And despite that heartwarming talk they had in the last scene, Stolas still continues these affairs with Blitzo, completely disregarding his daughter's feelings and the talk they had about it!! Loona wasn't even there that episode, so how would she know about him caring about her?

"He's somewhere down there... looking for you."

Right...He wasted majority of his time with Blitzo in a studio he didn't even have to stay for and decides at the last minute to finally continue looking for his daughter. He just had to rely on Loona (who probably didn't even want to be apart of this) to look for HIS daughter, when he could've done himself instead of deliberately getting sidetracked. Hell, he could've just left the studio.... Yeah, he cares all right...

After getting a change of heart, Octavia is quick to give Loona a hug (OMG! This is so forced!!). And finally the girls meet up with Stolas and Blitzo. Blitzo missed Loona so much that the first thing she does is give her a hug. This was her response-

youtube.com/watch?v=91g5HqTu16Y

I'm so freakin' done with her, ya'll! I can NOT!!

Octavia apologizes to Stolas for running away and worrying about him. Stolas apologizes to Octavia for forgetting his promise. Loona and Blitzo = no progress. I'm not even gonna talk about what happened with M&M cuz those two served absolutely NO purpose in this episode. They might as well have not even been present.

Loona

This is actually my first time talking, or in this case, ranting about Loona. Well you know what, it's about time! Cuz woo boy!! There is a TON I wanna say about this character!

Now, at first, I never really disliked Loona like that. Or at least I never really paid attention to her. She was just... there. And that is the main problem! Loona never really does anything that I don't bother to notice. Believe it or don't, but anytime she's on screen, she's either being a d*ck to Moxxie or Blitzo or just being the eyecandy for all the furries and HB fans, and mostly because of some relatable personality she has. I don't really see what be so relatable about her, especially up to this point. I know I sure as hell wouldn't kick someone in the balls as a response to them trying to embrace me with a hug. But she doesn't really do anything interesting other than smelling, taking action when needed, or being a receptionist.

Come to think of it, she never bothers to do her job anyway. Lets face it, she's just straight-up unproffesional. It was already made clear that she shows some bad behavior toward clients. I don't see why she would be surprised or angry when Blitzo came at her for her bad attidute or threatened to replace her. She clearly doesn't care about doing her job and she knows damn well she's always treating people, even the ones that work with her, like sh*t!! Take Squidward from SpongeBob; Squidward clearly hates his job. While he's over there, he does nothing but show sarcasm and he looks less than happy to even look at customers in the face! He doesn't even like his coworkers! If Mr. Krabs fired him, he'll be absolutely THRILLED to get the hell out of there! He wouldn't be upset at all. All in all, if you don't like working somewhere, or if you're not even gonna do your job/do your job right, then don't bother to continue working.

Anyway, one of Loona's biggest issues is that she has absolutely NO DEVELOPMENT. If she did have some sort of change after this episode, you're gonna have to give me a whole 10 page essay on how Loona developed into anything at all character wise. Even when being considered the main character, Loona is practically never there! She might as well be considered a supporting character. If there's one problem this show has, is making the main characters entirely irrelevant. At first glance, the only thing we knew about Loona was that Blitzo adopted her - not just as his hellhound, but as his daughter. Her characteristics include being a b*tchy, angsty, snobby, emo teenager. She unnecessarily acts like cynical jerk to everyone around her, including the person who adopted her and freed her from a prison-like adoption center.

It would've been interesting to see why she acts such a way toward Blitzo, Moxxie, or Millie considering the imps don't do anything wrong to Loona. And PLEASE don't give me the excuse saying "Um, they're in hell. Of course they act like that.", damn near EVERYONE is always giving that excuse because they like to kiss a** to these characters while justifying their behavior and I'm beyond SICK OF IT!! That's like saying since Millie and Moxxie are imps and born in hell, then that means their relationship is toxic and should be toxic. But those two practically love each to death, and waste NO time showing it!!! Being in hell has NOTHING to do with your behavior towards other people and some of these fans need to understand that!

I never liked this girl. Even when I didn't even pay all that much attention to her (mostly because she didn't contribute to the story at all, even if there was one), the only characteristic I ever saw in her was a b*tch. There is NOTHING positive about this character! And when there is, it's just forced onto her, like this episode when she's being friendly to somebody for once! She's just too damn mean, and for what???? This girl was adopted by the guy who took pity on her and gave her so much love. Even when she constantly brushed him off, Blitzo still gave more affection to her than any of the other characters in this series. He always sides with her even when she's in the wrong! He literally dotes on her, and she usually doesn't even deserve it!!

She never treats Blitzo with any respect despite being given love by him constantly, but why??? Why is she always so mean to Blitzo? What has he done to her that was so bad that she never returns any of his affections?? That's the thing we are all wondering about!! But we never get the answer!! Just more abuse that were supposed to laugh at. Sure, it was shown that she didn't look so good while being cooped in an orphanage. She probably had a rough childhood that was so tragic, it made her fall into a depressive state, and made her the way she is now. She may have been abused in the orphanage. But again, Blitzo went out of his way to adopt her and love her! He went for Loona! He could've gotten any other hellhound or even a puppy if he was looking to adopt and care for, unlike any other hellhounds whom are only bought for servitude.

The thing with hellhounds is that they, like imps, are in the lowest ranking in hell's hierarchy system. Most of them are bought or hired mainly for labor or work. Vortex is a hellhound and works as Verosika's bodyguard. It's the same with Stolas's bodyguards; they are hellhounds. But Loona? Blitzo didn't just buy her, he adopted her as his daughter, and during her late teens too! You'd think she would show a little bit of gratitude or some kind of care for Blitzo, knowing he could've gotten a younger pup! Most parents I've seen would mostly adopt children when they're younger than 16. That's just from my perspective anyway. So once again, I ask.... Why is Loona always so mean to Blitzo???

This kind of topic starts to make me question why she has ANY position to be giving a speech to Octavia about "cutting her dad some slack", when she herself can't treat her father any nicer!!

Let me show Loona's speech again, " Sometimes... sometimes it's not as simple as that. This kind of shit gets messy, and everybody's got issues, especially dads. And sometimes they f*ck up -- well, all the time. But, that doesn't mean they don't care. He's looking for you. I mean... try to cut your dad some slack. He may not always get it right, but... he's trying. That's more important than you think."

Like I said, Loona has NO room to give a speech to Octavia about her father "caring", especially when he doesn't give ANY effort. First of all, Loona don't know sh*t about Stolas to be defending him! She shouldn't care enough about him to defend him. Matter of fact, she shouldn't even be liking him!!! You seriously gonna try and defend the guy that treats your own father like a sex toy!!?? Not only does she not know Stolas, but she doesn't know Octavia either!! Like, this is literally their first time meeting!! Loona doesn't know Octavia enough to realize the things she's been through! If you think Loona knows well enough what it's like to be in Octavia shoes, THEN YOU'RE DEAD WRONG!! Loona doesn't have any parents who are divorcing, her father doesn't neglect her or disregard her feelings about things she feels so strongly about.

Second of all, NOBODY SHOULD BE CUTTING STOLAS ANY SLACK!! Octavia shouldn't even have to apologize for doing what she did!! It pisses me off that everyone just thinks that Stolas is a "can't-do-no-wrong cinnamon-roll angel"!!! It's like this show just tries to focus on the fact that he did ONE thing wrong only to be forgiven in the end and disregards all the other things he's done that are inexusable at this point!!

He neglected Octavia and only paid more attention to bickering with his ex-wife! He tells his daughter "Sorry, honey. Can we talk about this later?" and brushes off whatever she was going to tell him. What Octavia wanted to talk to him about couldv'e been a lot more important than fighting with Stella over the phone and he basically just tells her "Go away! I'm talking to your mother!" Bro literally could've just hung up the phone just to hear his daughter out for one minute, but he just HAS to get the last word!!

He didn't realize Octavia snuck out of the mansion until he was called about it! This is just another example on how neglectful Stolas is! He was probably still yelling over the phone and the second he hung up on her was probably because Blitzo called. I bet you he would be quick to hang up the phone on Stella if it meant answering Blitzo's calls! Not to mention he sort of blamed Blitzo for Octavia taking the grimoire and leaving with it! He's really blaming someone else, but he's supposed to be the freakin parent who has responsibility over his child!

Didn't even think to get out of the studio to find his daughter. He just HAD to be there for his uwu Blitzy~~ and rely on someone else to look for HIS child!

It's not even just this episode. Stolas has screwed up with Octavia in episode 2 of season 1;

He tells Octavia that he was just going to spend a day with her and her alone, only to have Blitzo tag along so he get his d*ck hard and flirt with him -- RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS DAUGHTER!!! He didn't even aknowledged her feelings about it the entire time. He didn't stop think, "Maybe I shouldn't invite the man I had an affair with and cheated on my wife, being my daughter's Mother." It didn't even matter how Stella treated him because in the end, it was so easy for him to get a divorce!

Stolas doesn't even bother to tell Octavia about why he did what he did and give a proper explaination. It might be hard to talk to your children about things, but dude.... she 17!

STOLAS GOES RIGHT BACK TO HIS AFFAIR WITH BLITZO AFTER HIS TALK WITH OCTAVIA!! It's like he didn't even consider how Octavia would feel about it! This show really has a problem with making things happen only to not follow through with the plot.

So Loona, remind me again why we have to cut Stolas some slack. What -- because he cares? Because that's basically what she's telling Octavia. She pretty much said, "You should cut your dad some slack because he cares about you. He loves you and you love him too. So he deserves to be forgiven." Octavia does love Stolas -- I mean, no sh*t. So what? Look, it's okay for Octavia to love Stolas. Even when a parent does mess up all the time, it usually doesn't stop the child from loving them. Stolas definitely isn't a good father. But despite this, Octavia still loves him and that's fine.

BUT, you can't honestly expect to forgive a parent so easily or even make excuses for their inexcusable actions. While Octavia can love her dad, she is FULLY in the right to be mad at Stolas! And if she wanted, she would DEFINITELY be in the right to tell him off, cuz he deserves it! Stolas clearly does love Octavia and he cares about her, but as a father, he never fully admits to his faults. He is emotionally negligent of his daughter and he always acts so innapropriately around her. Flirting with Blitzo and fighting with Stella right in front of her while knowing she's a vulnerable 17-year-old girl who has to see that.

THIRD of all; I already said it once -- Imma say it again:

WHAT RIGHT DOES LOONA HAVE TO TALK ON STOLAS'S BEHALF!! ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE WAS SO QUICK TO KICK BLITZO IN THE BALLS AFTER HE TRIED TO EMBRACE HER???!!!! Now I know most of you had to have felt disappointed about this! Loona went from beating up her dad, to giving a speech about fathers, making it seem like that she was gonna be more nice to Blitzo, only to go RIGHT BACK to being an abusive b*tch and beating the sh*t outa him. Like, WHAT WAS THE POINT??? If she knows that Blitzo cares and supposedly appreciates it, then why continue to abuse him?? It's so ironic how she's going to give Octavia a lecture while not realizing that the way she's been acting is wrong! Not to mention how forced they push this sister moment even though the two only spoke to each other for two minutes.

Moral of the matter is, Loona is a hypocritical abusive b*tch! I don't care what kind of backstory you give me. I don't care how sad you try to make the backstory. You can try to force anything you want on Loona -- It won't make me change my mind about her.

Octavia (And Stolas as a "father")

Words can't express how utterly bad I feel for this girl. Just, like -- just what are these writers trying to do with her??? I genuinely feel like she's only exist solely to make it seem like Stolas is a good father, yet they do a terrible job showing it.

So we have episode 2 of season 1 where Octavia is shown to be a miserable teenager. Why is she miserable? Not only is it because of her parents' constant fighting, but also because of Stolas's affair, which seemed to make things worse in Octavia eyes (because according to her, Stella and Stolas didn't fight all the time and their relationship seemed a little decent). And let's not forget when Octavia went with Stolas to Loo Loo Land to spend the day with him, only for Stolas to invite his one and only booty call to flirt and make sexual remarks (and in front of her, no less). He negleted Octavia that entire time, and that's his main problem! He never bothers to listen to her! He's always brushing her off. He might as well be ignoring her!! And when she finally calls him out on it, the writers made it to where she was only worried about ONE THING just to excuse Stolas's actions and continue these affairs with Blitzo! And after that, she instantly forgives him!!

WHA -- I'm -- ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!

It makes NO SENSE for Octavia to only be worried about Stolas leaving her and be cool with him sleeping with Blitzo! IT MAKES NOT AN OUNCE OF SENSE AT ALL!! Especially when Octavia made it pretty clear that Stolas ruined the family over what he did! The whole time, she showed obvious signs of anger and resentment everytime Stolas got horny and flirted with the man he had an affair with!

Then we have this episode!! Stolas forgot his promise to look at the meteor shower with Octavia and brushes her off once more so he can bicker with Stella (as if that's more important than speaking with your daughter). So Octavia travels to L.A. to see the meteor shower herself! Stolas doesn't even try to look for Octavia! He wastes his entire time focusing on Blitzo! By then end of the episode, Octavia didn't get to see the stars and is feeling upset over Stolas not being there with her, and rightfully so! But Loona comes across her and gives her a pointless speech about how much her dad cares, even when he doesn't show it! And guess what..... she instantly forgives him ONCE AGAIN! So, let me get this straight -- Octavia was in the wrong here? She was totally wrong for being upset at her father for ignoring her? She should've acknowledge the fact that he's "trying" to be a good dad?

I swear!!-- It's like Octavia is not allowed to be upset with Stolas for the whole episode! Loona doesn't even know Stolas, and yet she's trying to defend him!!! AND HE DOESN'T EVEN DERERVE IT, LIKE???? He would constantly choose his d*ck over his own daughter! And if you're gonna deny that, then let me remind you that Stolas had an affair and without considering his daughter's feelings about it! Or the fact that he made sexual remarks towards Blitzo countless of times in front of her! He doesn't even bother to look for her because he was more concern with Blitzo and his troubles! Oh, but he's trying.... Stolas is trying to be a good daddy?

My god! People are over here cheering Stolas on for finally talking mess to Stella over the phone! They don't even realize that he's yelling at his ex right in front of his daughter, while at the same time, not realizing how conflicted her situation is! So we have to feel bad for Octavia, but also laugh at Stolas for b*tch talking his ex even if Octavia made it pretty clear that she hated seeing her parents fight? Wow.... For something that's suppose to be serious and depressing, it makes a good laugh, doesn't it? Stolas is not being mature about it at all. He's actually being more childish for fighting back at Stella and just trying to get the last word. Not to mention that it was such terrible timing since Octavia was feeling so happy about spending time with her dad and when she tryna grab his attention, he brushes her off so he can talk more mess to Stella and fans are rooting for him??? Yeah, whoop-de-freakin'-do! Good job Stolas! No, really... I'm very proud of you...

This kinda thing goes to show me how much the writers don't care at all about Octavia as a character. If anything, she's more of a trump card to making us feel bad for Stolas or pat him on the back for being such a "GoOd FaThEr". "Just screw the fact that she has to deal with the toxicity of her family, constantly seeing them fight, or her father acting so innapropriately around her! Let's just have more Stolitz so the fans can suck up to us!"

Point in blank, Stolas is NOT a good dad! I don't care what Loona tries to convince in defense of him. What she says is completely invalid anyway. It doesn't matter that he cares about her or that he loves her. It doesn't matter that he'll never leave her. He hardly does anything to show care about Octavia. And when he is doing something, he's doing a TERRIBLE JOB! He doesn't deserve any sympathy from me. Hell -- Blitzo is a better father than Stolas, and he's not even good person in general.

Octavia deserves way better than this.

Stolitz (ugh)

I honestly can't express enough how much this ship disgusts me. This is literally the most "try-hard" ship I ever seen. It feels so forced!

The main problem with this topic is that Viv gives WAY too much attention to this ship to give a sh*t about ANYTHING ELSE!! Like we're literally given a thumbnail on youtube where it shows Octavia and Loona. In a way, that tells us that the episode was possibly going to be about those two. BUT NOPE!! Just had to have another episode where it's just Stolas and Blitzo. Doesn't even make any sense to put Via and Loona in the thumbnail considering those two only had two minutes of conversation. At this point, we can't go through ONE episode without a scene where its just Blitzo and Stolas, especially when its not even needed! NO! Stolas did not have to spend any time watching over Blitzo perform some stupid sitcom!! He did not need to be there for that. Its like he forgot the only reason why he even showed up in L.A. in the first place! And that was to look for his daughter! His daughter could've been in some sort of danger walking around the city and Stolas is worried more over Blitzo, so he sticks with him. Once again, he puts his stupid crush before his own daughter!!

What kind of progress are we seeing for Stolitzo anyway??? Is the show seriously gonna forget about the Ozzie's episode?? Y'know? The one where Blitzo invites Stolas on a date only because he wanted to spy on M&M and needed an escort to Ozzie's. One where he humiliates himself and Stolas got called out on his b.s.? One where Blitzo gets upset and rejects Stolas, making it seem like he probably wanted nothing to do with him anymore, and making it very clear to Stolas that Blitzo never reciprocated any feelings for him? You see where I'm going with this?

So after that episode, you expect me to believe that Blitzo is suddenly cool with Stolas?? That he just doesn't feel awkward or upset around him after their disaster date night? And these two are just talking to each like they're all boyfriends now!! Shouldn't they feel at least a little uncomfortable around each other? What -- are they just pretending that what happened in their date didn't happen? It could be because they wanted to focus more on finding Via, but it wouldn't make any lick of sense since they get themselves sidetracked anyway. It shouldn't even interfere that much in the state of their relationship anyway. It would make sense for them to feel a little discomfort. This is another example of terrible writing and it brings me back to what I said in the last page:

"One thing happens and suddenly that thing changes, and with no explanation as to why that something is how it is. Or when something happens so suddenly and it just seems out of character, you're left with no explaination as to why or how that happened. It just happens and you're left confused."

This folks is a good example: Stolas and Blitzo had a falling out and Blitzo was rightfully upset with Stolas. Then all of a sudden, they're all cool now! There was no explanation to why there suddenly good with each other. There was no show of them talking things out. They're just completely normal now!

Like -- I can't. I just can't.

So yeah, I hated this episode. I always expect something good, but I'm just left disappointed. There are plenty of other things I can say about this episode, but I just don't have the energy.

If you have any questions about the episode, or my review, feel free to ask!!

If you happen to disagree with any of this, feel free to shoot me with whatever you have, but just be mature about it. It's not like I'm actually gonna agree with you anyway...

#Helluva Boss #anti helluva boss #vivziepop critical #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #helluva boss critique #anti vivziepop #anti stolitz #anti stolas

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pen-observing · 3 years ago

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light shines down on this home still

synopsis: ayato’s birthday comes around again this year but he is always thinking about you. the things you said, what he learned, how you left and when you will be back. (aka. childhood friends + life lessons and the two of you walking two different paths that meet again)

warnings: angst > fluff (kinda), you join the fatui word count: 1k

ayato always remembers the night that you left as the one that changed his life.

in some ways, he wished to remain just a simple child so that no ends would come for him. everything was so much more vivid when he was smaller. the grass he ran on, the trees he climbed, the flowers he would hold in his hands. nature seemed more generous then and he was able to enjoy that generosity in every cloud and sunset, in every sakura petal. there was innocence in existing back then and he treasured it.

ayato knew he was growing when the colors started to lose some of their shine and his feet would pass the same distance in less time. he felt a shift the first time he held his sword effortlessly and realised that it looked smaller inside of his hand now.

and he was right; he wished to remain a child because of that feeling. sure, his family had already started to lose their standing amongst nobility, but he can’t lie and say he was completely unhappy. ayato trusted his father to turn things around; and when his father died – he knew the burden had fallen on him.

and in all of this; ayato never thought you would actually choose to leave. the death of his father marked an end for something greater – it was, in part, and end for the two of you. he imagined taking on the world with you by his side; he imagined changing the standing of his clan while you watched him with an extended hand to help.

you would sword fight with him and trip his feet when he ran. you would laugh and smile under the vibrant sky while pointing your finger at his head – you would say his hair should be longer so it could be easier for you to find him during hide and seek.

because of this, when you finally visited his house a week after his father’s passing – he did not expect you to come at midnight while holding onto a bag with a tightened fist. he had just finished listening to sympathies tied into lessons and advice of what he had to be now for what seemed like the hundredth time. everyone had a different opinion on the matter and it confused him; now, he had to be so many things at once.

so when you showed up in front of him – the last thing he expected you to say was: “i came to say goodbye.”

one end meant another shift. he was about to lose another person so close to him. ayato knew that you had fixed ideas on how to go about your life and how you were going to seek it out – but he genuinely thought those ideas included him.

still, he knew there was no changing your mind. if you wanted to run across the field barefoot – you would. if you wanted to catch the onikabuto with a weird shape – you would. and if you wanted to leave him right now – you would.

“i am joining the fatui and leaving with the ship in a few hours. not saying goodbye to you would have made me feel guilty.”

even as he kept his rationality, he found it disquieting how you were able to lean against the fence so calmly as you told him those words. stay. we were supposed to navigate our lives together. stay. we would have accomplished what we want. stay. you feel guilty to leave without a goodbye because you grew with him, he knows; but the two of you can continue to grow staying side by side.

stay. just stay.

but he couldn’t say that to you. ayato only remembers saying one thing. when you looked up at the sky you asked him if everyone already started pressuring him in describing what he should be. his hands shook as looked at him after that.

“do not go the ruthless way to gain back the name your family once held. it doesn’t suit you. people will hate you.”

ayato remembers being angry. just how many things came to an end that night? “and you are telling me this right before you leave with the fatui?”

you remember the glare he directed at you. remember the bitterness of each word in that question. “i cannot say you are wrong. that is precisely why i am telling you this. be the light to those you lead. having people genuinely like you is the way you will succeed. it is always better to build obedience on that than fear.”

by this time, you were already standing at his gate and he, being unable to deal with you leaving, kept his back turned towards you.

but, when you said: “i am leaving my home in your hands.” he wished he could have seen your face.

he still wishes for that.

on his birthday, ayato can’t help but think of how one ending meant another one was following soon. he can’t help but think of you when his sister says how thankful she is, can’t help but remember your clenched fist when thoma says he is a kind lord.

ayato made a choice that night; he would not go the ruthless route, even if you did. he would be the light and build respect on that, even if you walked the path of darkness. he would take care of inazuma that was your home, it was his too, so that you had a place to come back to.

the night you left changed his life.

but as he walks home from his birthday party in the evening and notices the same blue flower his hands extended towards yours a long time ago next to a note with his name – ayato remembers that change is just like the ocean.

he became the light. he managed to be the light that shines down on inazuma, your home. he was not the sun, no. he was the moon. his hair is longer now and you found your way back. this hide and seek game has dragged on long enough.

this time ayato swears he will not have regrets. he will not turn his back towards you on your next meeting.

a/n: FINALLY HE HAS LINES!! I CAN KINDA PICK THEM APART AND WRITE THINGS!! It has been months; happy birthday to u ayato sorry it turned into angst but you got enough fluff from me before

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #idolteyvat #genshin ayato #ayato x reader #ayato kamisato #genshin imagines #Not ob/ey me #not om

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thedoubteriswise · 4 years ago

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okay so. I am a smart adult with many important responsibilities. I have good taste and care about things that matter. for this reason, I’ve been trying to identify where in cql canon wangxian manage to fuck.

because they definitely do; I like a good post-canon getting together fic as much as the next guy, but it’s just not realistic.

allow them. it’s already been so long.

(just like this goddamn post turned out to be, let’s do a cut)

right. so initially it looks like you could place this right after the time skip in episode 33, because it shows us that wwx is with lwj in cloud recesses. we know that he spent the night in the jingshi because he wakes up there the next morning before he goes for a nostalgic tour of his old school.

and also visits the cold spring, where lwj is mostly naked. nice.

but wait! wwx is surprised by the scars on his back and chest. that seems like something he would have known about if they’d already been naked together the night before, so I’m going to say they did not fuck immediately upon wwx’s return to cloud recesses. okay, fine, they’re taking things slow, that’s cool.

maybe they could work it into the next night, then. oh wait, lqr is injured and... staying in the jingshi? for reasons?

I don’t know why. he must have his own house in cloud recesses, and it’s probably at least as comfortable as lwj’s, but here he is. he lives to stop his nephew from getting laid, I guess.

the next day they do some Q&A with the kids and determine that they need to head to qinghe to figure out what’s going on with this sword thing. great! we love a romantic road trip, plenty of alone time. but they also have to do their jobs, and then jin ling needs to get rescued from a wall of dirt, and jc is unfortunately there being himself, and then they have to grill nhs about his tomb full of angry sabers, etc. etc.

with all that going on, their next obvious chance is at the inn immediately after interviewing nhs. this evening has already included:

wwx gazing lovingly at lwj from afar

lwj carrying wwx on his back

lwj pawing at wwx’s robes trying to deal with his cursed leg

lwj helping wwx up the stairs, serving him wine, fixing his flute, and generally being at his beck and call

a very sexy and homoerotic duet

and now they’re alone and drooling over each other as usual. this seems like a plausible spot, right?

it does! but no. after they go back to the nie basement o’ swords and hear the backstory on nmj’s death, we see them walking in yueyang and lwj asks wwx how the curse mark on his leg is doing. wwx says it’s almost healed, which may or may not be a lie, but his inner monologue says:

he’s more concerned about the wound on his arm from the sacrificing curse, which lwj doesn’t know about, because wwx won’t tell him and they still haven’t been naked together.

also, this silly teenage shit doesn’t make much sense unless they’re still dancing around each other.

you guys love the sound of opportunities as they go flying past, don’t you?

right after this, lwj gets drunk. I’m aware that Stuff Happens in the novel scene that inspired this bit, and they do incorporate some of that into the show by having lwj commit petty larceny and admit that he “likes rabbits” as part of the softest and most loving conversation in human history oh my god

but lwj goes to sleep right on time, and the next morning, wwx is laughing and reassuring him that nothing happened.

after this, it’s time to go on a fucked up field trip with the kids in yi city, so they don’t really have any time alone for a few episodes until they’ve finished that and everyone is back at yet another inn. I wonder if they learned something about wasted chances and poor communication from this miserable songxiao story?

maybe! look, they’re being cute and domestic. there are currently no material barriers preventing them from having sex, nor will there be any specific evidence later on proving that they didn’t.

but they’re still firmly in mystery-solving mode and the juniors and lxc are floating around. the vibe isn’t quite there. if I were to pick the most solid reason why I think they’re saving room for jesus at this point, it would be the tension that happens when wwx again asks how lwj recognized him. lwj asks why his memory is so bad, and wwx replies that he wishes he had a bad memory. even though they’re comfortable and happy being together, there’s still some fundamental distance remaining. there’s no sense of romantic resolution. that was actually a point against all their previous opportunities as well; they’re all very sweet, but none of these feel like the place in a story where the romantic leads Officially Get Together.

okay, off to koi tower! shit is getting extremely real. everyone’s busy insinuating that they recognize wwx, but no one is saying it explicitly. wwx isn’t supposed to be here. the guy he’s pretending to be also isn’t supposed to be here. he and his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s brother are trying to figure out if his boyfriend’s brother’s boyfriend is a murderer. no one is comfortable and the political intrigue leaves no time for fucking in front of anyone’s salad.

I guess there’s plenty of time to make dozens of armed guards and like half the people they know wait while they have a romantic moment, though.

could they be more in love? And that sure feels like a romantic resolution that might be followed by narratively-earned sex.

ah. no, unfortunately wwx gets stabbed again. this certainly sucks, but it does have the helpful consequence of making lwj take him back to cloud recesses, where they are mostly alone and as safe as they can be in the circumstances. now there’s even more tenderness and also some plot-justified touching and skin exposure. plus, lwj just made a very public declaration of love.

too bad wwx has probably been unconscious since he started coughing up blood in the forest near lanling. he’s also still visibly in pain. fresh abdominal wounds tend to kill the mood.

but hey, the injuries on this show are only as serious as they need to be to move the plot forward and facilitate gentle h/c scenes, so by evening he’s looking perfectly healthy and walking around under his own steam like nothing’s wrong. I guess that problem can be ignored moving forward.

lxc then offers the the most devastating highlights of lwj’s backstory, like, all at once. it’s nice that he includes a flute solo to give wwx a second to process this mountain of terrible information. what the fuck.

there he is! the most devoted man in the whole world! turns out they can actually be more in love after all.

and then the following scene... look, I’m lazy and I don’t know how to make gifs, but screenshots cannot properly convey how good it is. you all know. the hesitant way wwx approaches, the slow and gentle piano version of wangxian, the two of them watching the snow together, it’s. ugh.

remember how I was talking about how the last scene with no material barriers was an unlikely candidate because of the lack of romantic resolution?

well, here’s wwx still being cagey at the beginning of this conversation.

and here they are in the middle of this conversation, having some epiphanies about the course of wwx’s life - I love this shot for a lot of reasons, but I extra love it because it shows wwx out in the snow, with lwj as the safety and warmth waiting behind him, god this show goes hard, holy shit

they both recall their vow to live with a clean conscience and internally say some very corny things about each other because they are both So Much, and then,

ah, what the hell. he can say it out loud after all. romantic resolution accomplished.

and then the camera slowly pulls away as wuji plays.

a slow zoom out? swelling music? listen, I am a connoisseur, I know a tasteful fade-to-black indicating a sex scene that won’t happen on camera when I see one. at last, we have a winner!

now you may think this post is finally over, but I actually have one more piece of evidence for you - the next scene shows the two of them the morning after, meditating behind a screen in the hanshi while lxc is waiting for jgy to show up.

before wwx got de-cored, he was a pretty powerful cultivator, right? the chances that he’s just bad at meditating or that he can’t stay focused on this task seem slim to me. so why does he keep falling asleep?

well. he had kind of a late night.

#yes I do have a lot of time on my hands #the untamed #cql #wangxian #meta #my meta

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amesstm · 4 years ago

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reacting to someone hitting on you

a/n: inspired by grown ass men hitting on me at work

✨Ushijima✨ sees how uncomfortable you are from a mile away. He only went to the bathroom for a few minutes and returned to a man trying to make a move on you. Ushijima may be bad at picking up social cues, but knows all of your cues. The way that you fiddled with your fingers and shifted side to side. He’ll simply stand behind the guy, grip rest his hand on the man’s shoulder, and simply rumble, “Please step away. You’re making my love uncomfortable.” The predator quickly becomes the prey, gulps, and stutters, “Understandable. Have a nice day.” Ushijima watches him scramble away, making you giggle and kiss him. “Thank you, guardian Angel.”

✨Atsumu✨ absolutely wants this man to know that you’re with him and only him. He casually slings an arm around your shoulders and pulls you in close. “Hey Angel, is this that friend of yers that you’ve been telling me about? The one that’s like a brother to ya?” Although you’re grateful that he stepped in, he was making this too much of a competition despite having already won. It doesn’t end there. With the most innocent smile he can muster, he adds, “Baby, ya should’ve introduced him to me sooner. He could’ve seen my games and seen how hard I serve.” You totally see the underlying threats that he’s making. So, you’re the one apologizing to the man before dragging your boyfriend away.

✨Tendo✨ eyes you two and whines as he makes his way towards you. He throws his weight onto you with his head resting on your shoulder as he innocently looks up at you. “Paradise, you said we were going to see the chocolate museum now.” The man hitting on you snickers, “Who goes to a chocolate museum?” Thrown back to his Baki Baki days, Tendo will literally snicker and quip, “Cultured people.” You step away from Tendo, who immediately crumbles, and say, “I’m calling Wakatoshi, he needs to control you right now.” Suddenly remembering the way that Wakatoshi followed your bidding last time, his eyes widen and he chases after you. “Wait - no!”

✨Daichi✨ was probably still in his cop uniform when he saw this take place. Although irritated, he maintains a calm expression as he walks towards the man, acting as if he didn’t see you. “Excuse me, sir, but you’re trespassing on private property.” The man sneers at him, “What do you mean? Can’t you see that I’m busy?” Suddenly, that calm exterior melts away and is replaced with an angry disposition. “I’ll charge you with harassment if you don’t step away from my girlfriend.” The man gulps and mutters his apologizes as he sneaks away. You only sigh, “Thanks, but really?” Your lovely boyfriend smiles in reply, “I’d do anything for you to feel and to be safe.”

✨Oikawa✨ also whines like Tendo. He wraps his arms around your waist as he hugs you from behind. Pouting, he asks, “Who is this?” Your only reply is a shrug, which shows how uncomfortable the creep made you feel if you wouldn’t even speak. “Ah, then I’ll need to take my beautiful darling away from you. We have a date.” Suddenly, the man gasps, “I knew you were Oikawa Tooru’s girlfriend!” As it turns out, the man was a fan of Oikawa and also took a liking to you. “You two make such a beautiful couple!” Fed by that compliment, Oikawa returns to his charming character. Despite how it began, Oikawa turns away with his arm still holding you, calmly smiling, “He was a nice man.”

✨Bokuto✨ is probably confused about what’s going on at first. “You’re really beautiful,” the stranger would say. Bokuto would just slide into the conversation, hearing this universal fact, and agrees, “My little owl is absolutely stunning.” Slowly, you watch your boyfriend and the person who was hitting on you talk more and more. Bokuto flaunts you like you’re all the stars in the sky to this man. If you were the subject of a museum exhibit, Bokuto was giving this man the whole (PG) tour. At the end, the stranger actually finds the overwhelming love that Bokuto has for you endearing and he’d respectfully pull away. “Awh, I didn’t know you loved me that much!” Your boyfriend blinks at you and frowns, “Then I haven’t shown you enough.”

✨Kageyama✨ comes up from behind you so silently that you don’t even notice he’s only a few inches away from you. A milk carton is in his hand and he’s simultaneously drinking and glaring at the man who’s hitting on you. No one has ever looked so intimidating while drinking milk. The stranger grows more and more anxious about the murderous aura radiating from your boyfriend that he just runs away. You whisper, “Weirdo.” Just as you turn around you bump into your boyfriend. “Oh, there you are. Sorry, that guy wasn’t letting me go.” Kageyama still has that angry expression as he crushes his carton, “I know.” Suddenly understanding what happened, you chuckle and grab his hand, “Come on, you told me that you needed more milk.”

✨Kiyoko✨ stands next to you, making the stranger hit on both of you. He’s rambling on about all of his great accomplishments and how lucky the both of you would be if you hung out with him and his friends. Your girlfriend makes eye contact with you and you telepathically have a conversation about how dumb this guy is. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, your girlfriend speaks for the first time, “I’m sorry, but she’s taken.” The stranger lifts an eyebrow and frowns, “Who’s the lucky guy?” Turning on her professional manager voice, she replies, “I’m sorry, but that’s not her type.” He only blinks, “What do you mean?” “Men.” Kiyoko kisses you, leaving the guy speechless as you two walk away.

©amesstm on tumblr // pls do not plagiarize, steal, or repost my content w/o permission!! BUT likes & reblogs are highly appreciated :)

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asongofstarkandtargaryen · 3 years ago

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Jon Snow Month: Favourite Chapter (1/3)

I’m going to cheat here and not just pick one favourite Jon chapter but three. So, this post is about the first of them (in order of appearance).

A STORM OF SWORDS JON XII (aka the one he finally becomes Lord Commander)

The chapter opens up with the practice fight between Iron Emmett and Jon. The latter finds it difficult to concetrate on the fight as Stannis’ offer (letting Jon become the Lord of Winterfell) stays in his mind.

This is went Jon’s pov give us a very significant flashback on his childhood:

[...] They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." Or Robb would say, "I'm the Young Dragon," and Jon would reply, "I'm Ser Ryam Redwyne."

That morning he called it first. "I'm Lord of Winterfell!" he cried, as he had a hundred times before. Only this time, this time, Robb had answered, "You can't be Lord of Winterfell, you're bastard-born. My lady mother says you can't ever be the Lord of Winterfell."

Something we need to remember about Jon is that he always wanted Winterfell, he wanted to be given Ice after he would have accomplished some heroic deed and be his father’s heir. Make no mistake, he never wanted something bad to happen to any of his siblings - who all came before him in line of succession- but that didn’t mean he wanted it any less. And on this chapter he is finally given the opportunity to grasp his dream and become Lord of Winterfell like his father and role model was once.

I love that Martin doesn’t shy away from showing Jon’s greatest desire but he also he shows us Jon’s fear of not being worthy of Winterfell in the face of the person who always made him feel unwelcomed there:

[...]. Why am I so angry? he asked himself, but it was a stupid question. Lord of Winterfell. I could be the Lord of Winterfell. My father's heir.

It was not Lord Eddard's face he saw floating before him, though; it was Lady Catelyn's. With her deep blue eyes and hard cold mouth, she looked a bit like Stannis. Iron, he thought, but brittle. She was looking at him the way she used to look at him at Winterfell, whenever he had bested Robb at swords or sums or most anything. Who are you? that look had always seemed to say. This is not your place. Why are you here?

Later on he actually admit that Winterfell is his deepest desire:

He wanted it, Jon knew then. He wanted it as much as he had ever wanted anything. I have always wanted it, he thought, guiltily. May the gods forgive me.[...]

While he still thinks whether he should accept Stannis’ offer or not, Ghost appears . This is a very important moment because Jon and Ghost were separated for most of ASOS. Being reunited with the other half of his soul, his direwolf, he finally has his answer:

Red eyes, Jon realized, but not like Melisandre's. He had a weirwood's eyes. Red eyes, red mouth, white fur. Blood and bone, like a heart tree. He belongs to the old gods, this one. And he alone of all the direwolves was white. Six pups they'd found in the late summer snows, him and Robb; five that were grey and black and brown, for the five Starks, and one white, as white as Snow.

He had his answer then.

And his answer is that he won’t accept becoming Lord of Winterfell. Stannis’ offer came with huge strings attached, had Jon accept it he would have to burn the heart tree and abandon the Old Gods his family believed for centuries in order to accept Stannis’ Red God and new customs. Jon doesn’t want to turn his back to the Old Gods, the ones he also sworn his oath as a black brother, and therefore declines to become something he always wanted since he can’t have it on his own terms. Besides, he has sworn to the Old Gods that he will guard the Wall until his death.

The last part of the chapter focuses on the new Lord Commander election and Jon finds out he’s one of the candidates.

Here Martin gives us another beautiful and symbolic scene when the late Lord Commander’s raven appears and shouts Jon’s name. It’s like Jeor Mormont is passing the torch of commanding to Jon via his pet:

With a raucous scream and a clap of wings, a huge raven burst out of the kettle. It flapped upward, seeking the rafters perhaps, or a window to make its escape, but there were no rafters in the vault, nor windows either. The raven was trapped. Cawing loudly, it circled the hall, once, twice, three times. And Jon heard Samwell Tarly shout, "I know that bird! That's Lord Mormont's raven!"

The raven landed on the table nearest Jon. "Snow," it cawed. It was an old bird, dirty and bedraggled. "Snow," it said again, "Snow, snow, snow." It walked to the end of the table, spread its wings again, and flew to Jon's shoulder.

The chapter which started with Jon thinking about Stannis’ offer and ultimately declined becoming Lord of Winterfell ended up with his becoming Lord Commander of the Night Watch.

A much more significant post even if most lords who “play the game” would probably disagree. After all, the real war isn’t the music chairs the lordings play but the war against the Others. And with his new position Jon is able to help the realm and people more than he would have as Stannis Baratheon´s pawn Lord of Winterfell.

#jon snow #jonsnowmonth2022 #jon snow meta #asoiaf meta #house stark #mymeta

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the-hinky-panda · 2 years ago

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Day 20: Labyrinth

10/20: Labyrinth

Universe // Characters: New Universe // Colonel Hugo Martinez

I almost didn’t get this one done on time! Life’s been a little emotionally heavy these last two days but I made the deadline! Whew! This idea was suggested by @seltsamkind who wanted some wonderful Hugo Martinez so I hope they enjoy!

You hate these formal functions at the Presidential Palace. You hate the small talk, the drifting from room to room…the sharp pain in your toes from wearing heels while walking around from room to room. You wonder if anyone will notice if you go barefoot for the rest of the evening.

There really is only one reason why you even showed up this evening, Christmas Eve, to a fancy party: he said he was going to be here.

Colombia does a reason to celebrate this Christmas season. Less than a month ago, Pablo Escobar had been shot and killed on a rooftop in Medellín. And Colonel Hugo Martinez had been asked to attend the celebration for a job well done. You had been friends with his wife before she had taken ill. After she passed away, you felt so badly for the young widower and his son. You made meals and dropped them off on their doorstep. You picked up Junior from school and helped him with his homework, watching over him until his father ended his shift with the CNP.

You shared the responsibility with other neighbors, friends, and family members, but you were frequently in the rotation, often in their home. Frequently enough that you had come to know Hugo and his son quite well. So much so, you know all the attention he is about to receive tonight is going to make him incredibly uncomfortable. And you can’t wait to tease him about it.

“You look like you’re up to something.”

You jump slightly at the familiar voice next to your ear. “Hugo!”

He clicks his tongue. “Guilty people don’t jump like that, tipaza (great girl).”

“So you’re saying that innocent people don’t get startled?” You look over your shoulder. “Where did you even come from?”

“Moniquirá.”

You cross your arms. “You’re certainly in a mood this evening.”

He gives you a small smile. “I’m sorry. I actually came in through the kitchen. I knew if I used the main entrance there would have been…”

“Fanfare? Trumpets?” You grin. “Confetti falling from the ceiling for El Héroe (the hero)?”

He tips his head to the side in a short nod. “Something along those lines.”

“That’s actually the main reason I showed up tonight. I wanted to see you and your accomplishments celebrated.”

“You wanted to see me sweat.”

“I did.”

He gives a short chuckle and looks down at the ground. “I see I’m not the only one who is uncomfortable this evening.”

You shift on your feet. “These were the only shoes I had that went with this dress.”

“You do look very lovely this evening.”

Your eyes lower as you mutter “thank you” and hope he doesn’t notice the slight rise of color in your cheeks. He isn’t entirely wrong when he accuses you of being up to something. You’ve “been up to something” for the last six yearsof your unconventional friendship, something that you’ve never told him or hinted at even.

You’ve been hopelessly in love with him.

In all honesty, how could you not be? You watched him grieve the love of his life and saw just how deeply those feelings went. You watched him raise his son with a well-balanced doling out of discipline and affection. You watched him rise through the ranks of the CNP. You watched him send his son off to the CNP Academy before leaving for the jungles to fight FARC. And you cried yourself to sleep for a week.

But then the letters started. He would write you a letter once a week. How he was sending them, you had no idea since you were certain post offices were not that common in the jungles. But he managed it, just like he managed everything else in his life.

You had also learned a lot about him from your friendship with Sofia. He was unendingly kind and loving towards her. There had only been two times that you could remember her coming to you and being angry at him for something but by the next day, the hurt had been soothed and the argument put in the past. You had seen what love truly looked like and never found its match for yourself, despite Sofia’s attempts at setting you up with police officers, PR specialists, even teachers that were bringing their classes for a tour through the Presidential Palace offices.

“When you find me someone as perfect as Hugo, then I’ll go out with them,” you would tease her. “We’ll double date!”

Sofia would laugh. “I’m afraid there is only one Hugo.”

And she had been so right.

At first you felt guilty for feeling more than friendly affection towards your friend. Sofia had been gone for five years when you first felt that jittery feeling around him. You had avoided being around him for a week. But then Junior broke his arm at a fútbol tournament, one that you had been attending, and you went to the hospital and stayed with him until Hugo managed to get there. Six years have passed and you can still remember how he hugged you, held you, as he thanked you for being there.

You shake yourself out of those thoughts, not wanting to ruin this evening. You are happy to see him, have him back in Bogotá after so long while he was in Medellín. It’s Christmas and it is time for celebration. You look up at him and see his eyes scanning the room. “Now you look like you’re up to something.”

“I’m assuming you want to be here as much as I do. So, I have a proposition.”

This is just not your night when it comes to blushing but you clear your throat. “Go ahead.”

“Why don’t you grab some food and I’ll go back through the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine, and you take me on one of your educational tours of the palace?”

Honestly, you couldn’t say no if you wanted to and you blame it completely on those seaglass green eyes of his. “Any special requests?”

He smiles before backing out of the doorway. “Lady’s choice.”

You still have your purse, a decorative piece and not for carrying much of anything, but you subtly line it with one of the cloth napkins. You grab things that are easily eaten with your hands: pan de yuca, pandebono, mini empanadas. You top off your stolen fare with a few galletas cucas before closing your purse and moving towards the hallway that runs along the kitchens. You emerge at the juncture at the same time as Hugo, who is obviously holding the contraband wine under his uniform dress jacket. You both start walking down the hallway but the sound of your heels on the marble floor seems to get louder with each step and you’re worried about it drawing attention to your hasty retreat.

“Wait a minute,” you stop, and without thinking place your hand on his arm to steady yourself as you remove your shoes. When you straighten back up you realize your fingers are still curled around his forearm, or rather the fabric of his uniform that is covering his forearm. “Sorry.”

He gives you that sad, wistful smile of his, before slipping his arm out from under your grip but immediately taking your hand in his. His thumb drags over your knuckles slowly. “Don’t be.”

He tugs you along the hallway but you’re not paying attention to where you’re going. You’re trying to piece together what exactly is happening while keeping up with his pace through the empty hallways that make up the labyrinth of the PR offices. He takes a couple more turns, leading you towards the meeting rooms that are set aside for dignitaries and ambassadors from other countries. He must find one that he likes, because he goes into the room and closes the door behind you.

The room looks like a small library: dark wood bookshelves built into the walls, a large fireplace complete with roaring fire. There are a couple wingback chairs and a small settee in front of the fire. It’s warm, especially with the door closed trapping in the heat. Nevermind the fact that you can’t shake loose the feeling of his hand wrapped around yours.

“Querida?”

You start slightly at hearing the term of endearment from him. He typically uses tipaza, a less weighty term, so all these changes are starting to make you wonder what exactly is happening. “What?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you drop your shoes next to the couch and set your purse down on the coffee table. “Fine.”

He nods and sets the wine bottle down next to your purse before going over to the small bar that is built into the bookcase. “I’m afraid there are only scotch glasses to use for the wine.”

You pick up the bottle. “Malbec in a whiskey glass. Classy, Hugo. Did you happen to swipe a corkscrew to open the bottle?”

He smiles and pulls one out of his jacket pocket. “Will this do?”

You hand over the wine so he can open it while you carefully lay out the food from your purse. “Still always prepared, I see.”

“Of course,” he pulls the cork out of the bottle and pours the wine into the glasses.

“How’s Junior?”

“Good,” he sighs. “Glad he didn’t have to come to this event tonight.”

“Like father, like son?”

“Perhaps. He decided to go out with some friends from the fútbol league and celebrate with them.” He shrugs slightly. “And I’m here celebrating with you.”

It’s an innocent enough statement but it still pushes your thoughts into the “what if” territory. “I heard he was the one who located Escobar, using the radio transmissions.”

“He did.”

You shiver slightly, despite the fire. “I can’t imagine how you must have felt when that call came in. Junior, that close to someone like Escobar.”

He nods seriously. “It was…unsettling to say the least.”

“But you got him.” You slip your hand into his and give it a brief squeeze. “And Colombia is that much safer for it.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “There’s still Cali.”

You give him the contemplative moment before you speak again. “Hugo, there’s always going to be ‘there’s still….’ That’s the nature of the cartel beast. Don’t let that reality take anything away from the accomplishment you and Junior achieved.”

“Thank you.” He pauses before changing the topic. “Tell me, how have you been since your father passed?”

You’re thankful he has kept your hand in his as it brings some comfort. “Lonely. I took care of him for the last six months of his life so it’s been an adjustment without him. He’s not in pain anymore and he’s with my mother, so it’s good.”

“Where are you spending the holiday tomorrow?”

“At home.” You take a sip of wine with your free hand. “Me and the cat.”

His thumb runs over your knuckles again, like he’s using them as a worry stone. “Why don’t you come spend the day with Junior and me?”

The offer touches you. It would be lovely to spend the day with them, to pretend for a day that you’re a family, a unit. But it would only make it harder to leave at the end of the night. “You just need someone to make the lechona, don’t you?”

Hugo shakes his head. “No, we have that covered.”

You’re starting to get slightly frustrated. The handholding, ducking out of the party together, the invitation to his home for Christmas, there seems to be an uncurrent of something more than just friendship in his actions and words. But you doubt your interpretation of the situation given just how long you’ve been wanting him to think of you as more than friend.

“Querida?”

“I don’t know what you want from me.”

His eyes drop to still entwined hands. “I know. And I blame myself for that.”

“For what exactly?”

He considers your question for a moment and then answers with an action, not words. He leans over and kisses you. You’re certain your heart stops for the entire time his lips are pressed against yours. You’ve imagined this moment for years, years, and now that it’s happening, all your senses short out and before you can process everything, he pulls away.

“I blame myself for not being direct with you,” he says with a quiet laugh. “I have missed you this last year and half, so very much.”

You’re still trying to process this development when the firelight catches the gold band on his left hand. You had always thought he continued to wear his wedding ring because he wasn’t ready to give up Sofia and you always respected that. But what if you were wrong? And if that wasn’t the reason, then what was? “ Why do you still wear your ring then?”

He smiles sheepishly. “Honestly, I stopped wearing it when I was in the jungles. When I came back and moved to Medellín, there were quite a few women who were…not subtle with their intentions. So, I started wearing it again.”

It had been a practical decision. Of course.

“I wore it,” he continues, “because I was already committed to someone, even if she didn’t realize it yet.”

“Hugo-”

“I love you, and have for a long time.”

You want to laugh and cry at the same time. Laugh at finally having confirmation that your feelings were not silly or one-sided. Cry that it took this long to realize that. “When? When did you start feeling that way?”

“When I was in the jungles. After I left Bogotá, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You were always this fixture in my home, with my son. You were a part of our lives and just fit so seamlessly in there, I didn’t even notice when my affections started to change into something deeper. That’s when I started-”

“Writing the letters.”

He grimaces. “I was hoping you would be able to read between the lines of what I was saying but each letter I got back from you,” he laughs and shakes his head, “I couldn’t tell if you missed the point on purpose or because you just didn’t feel the same way. I was determined when I came back to have a forthright discussion with you about it but then…”

“Search Bloc.”

He nods. “Search Bloc. I figured one of two things would happen: we would Escobar, capture or kill him, or I would die in the pursuit. If I made it back,” he tightens his grip on your hand, “I would tell you everything.”

God, you feel like a fool, a lovesick fool, but still a fool. “That’s why you wanted me to come tonight.”

“Yes, and that’s why I want you to spend the holidays with me.”

You don’t take any time at all to answer him. “I would love to spend the holidays with you. And many more after that.”

Relief is evident on his face as he leans forward to kiss you again and you meet him halfway this time.

#Hinky's October Fic Fest #colonel hugo martinez #hugo martinez #hugo martinez x reader #hugo martinez x you

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ragingbookdragon · 4 years ago

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I'm Only A Crack In This Castle Of Glass (Hardly Anything Else I Need To Be) PT. 4

Batfamily x Batsis Story!

Word Count: 2K Warnings: Explicit Language, ALL THE ANGST Tags!: @itsnottilly @cloudyskylines @starflyer-104 @justine-en @iwillstaywiththemforever @weirdgirlfromtx @edlothia-baby @soul-end @notsostraightweeb @candlestudy

Author's Note: Some of y'all didn't tag so see if that's something on your end. Enjoy the angst and cliffhanger! -Thorne

Wally didn’t come into the coffee shop for almost two whole months after their fight—not that she blamed him—she was still vaguely upset with his harsh words. But she had to admit that she’d gotten used to his warm presence every morning, and not seeing him messed her up more than she thought it would. More often than not, she found herself absentmindedly staring at the door, waiting for him to walk in with that stupid grin on his face and proceed to boast and recall whatever exciting exploits he and his friends had accomplished earlier. It hurt not to see or hear him, and she realized that Wally had become the greatest friend she’d ever had.

Barry still came in though, and if he knew who she really was, he didn’t say anything because he still acted like he always did. So, even if Wally were still angry with her, at least he’d kept his word and not said anything to anyone about her identity. Which if she were honest, tasted bitter when she thought about the price she paid for his silence—his friendship.

It was getting colder again, which meant a lot more people were coming and going from the shop, so at least she could take her mind off her feelings for at least a few hours. Until she got home, and all she was left with were them and a whole lot of silence to think about them with. Sometimes she thought about calling Wally, at least to hear his voice. Hell, even if their last words to one another were frigid, she missed the interaction. She’d give anything to hear him, even taking another round of cold snipes and trades.

She heaved a sigh and wiped down the last few tables of the evening rush, smiling politely at the people who were still sitting at tables or so across. Today had been hectic and there’d been no let up of customers until the last hour of the shift. She’d never thought they’d run out of coffee, but it came close to that a couple hours ago.

The bell above the door chimed and with her back turned to the entrance, she didn’t see who came in, but with another barista at the counter ready to take the final orders of the evening, she didn’t particularly care. All she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. Sleep until hell froze over. That, or until her feet stopped hurting—whichever came first. She let out a quiet laugh that made her chest ache—Wally would’ve found that absolutely hilarious and probably shot back about how if anyone had the right to complain about their feet hurting, it would be him. God, she really missed Wally.

“Melisandre,” someone called quietly, and she glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening when she saw the familiar red head behind her.

Speak and the Devil will appear.

“Wally,” she breathed, voice thick with shock, and before she could stop herself, she was throwing her arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly.

He returned her hug in fold. “I guess I wasn’t the only one who missed this,” he quipped.

She huffed a laugh and pulled away. “Believe it or not, it doesn’t feel right when you don’t come around.” Her eyes narrowed almost sadly. “I’ve missed seeing you, Wally.”

“Same here,” he replied, then glanced at the clock above the espresso machines. “Are you almost off? I want to take you somewhere.”

Nodding, she took a look at her watch. “I get off in about ten minutes. Can you wait that long, or will you perish from boredom?”

“I think I can survive ten minutes, Melisandre,” he retorted and collapsed into one of the booths. “Hurry though, I don’t want to be late.”

She rolled her eyes and deadpanned, “Wally, I can’t speed time up. That’s not how that works.”

“Works for me.” He proudly stated.

“I wonder why?” she retorted sarcastically, then gave him a smile before wandering off to clean the last tables.

***

Despite the fact that Wally could run anywhere he wanted in less than a second, he still owned a vehicle and that was downright baffling in her opinion.

“Dick got it for me.” He suddenly said, shifting the car into drive and she blinked internally wincing at the mention of her brother.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I know you didn’t, (Y/N). But you were thinking it.”

“Uh huh,” she doubted and crossed her arms over her chest. “What am I thinking about right now?”

“Knowing you? Probably food, I know you like to ea—” he dissolved into laughter when she reached over and shoved at his side.

“No, I don’t you ass.”

“Really? Because I distinctly remember the time I took a fry off your basket and you looked at me like I’d killed your favorite dog.” (Y/N) glared at him and he pointed at her. “Yeah, that’s the look right there.”

“I don’t like sharing my food,” she said. “You should’ve known better.” Her eyes drifted to the windshield. “So, where are we going?”

“S.T.A.R. labs.”

(Y/N) cocked a brow and stared at him. “Really? S.T.A.R. labs? What’s there?”

Wally shrugged. “Wanted to show you a bit of what it’s like to be me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You mean you came to see me after all this time and the first thing we’re doing is going to a lab so you can show my what you do?”

His gaze momentarily darted to hers. “Is that a problem?”

“I dunno, I just figured we’d go eat a diner somewhere and apologize to each other.”

“Are you sorry?”

“Beg pardon?”

“Are you sorry? For all of the last three years?”

“Not particularly,” she griped, and he shrugged again.

“Then I’m not sorry for what we said to each other that night.” he let out a sigh. “But I’m willing to let it go, because I’d rather us just have a disagreement than lose what our friendship over it.” he looked at her. “What do you say?”

(Y/N) stared at him for a long moment, then she sighed and nodded. “…Yeah, I agree.”

Wally smiled. “Good.” He turned the wheel and pulled into the parking lot of the lab. “But there is food there for us, so you’ll be satiated anyways.”

“Hardy har har. Shut up, Wallace West,” she shot back, climbing out of the car. Her eyes traveled up the tall building. “Wow, this place is huge, isn’t it?”

She felt him stand next to her. “Yeah. Did you know they had to replace the glass windows a whole bunch of times because Barry and I kept shattering them when we’d run up ‘em?”

(Y/N) blinked, unsurprisingly stating, “No, I did not. But I can see that happening.”

He started towards the doors, leaving her to follow and soon they were stepping into an elevator. She watched him hit the rooftop button and she looked at him.

“If you’re showing me what you do, why are we going to the roof? Shouldn’t we be going to some laboratory inside?”

Wally chuckled. “Patience, young padawan.” He ignored her rolling eyes. “Food first.”

“Oh, dinner in the moonlight? Well, aren’t you just the romantic.” (Y/N) cocked her elbow on his shoulder and grinned. “Don’t tell me you fell in love with me all that time we spent away from each other?”

This time, he was rolling his eyes. “Hardly, (Y/N). I just figured you’d want a nice evening where you weren’t staring at your bland kitchen walls.”

She scoffed and pulled away from him. “Look, I’d paint and hang shit up but the landlord wouldn’t be happy.”

“Since when do you care about making people happy? You’re typically a ‘I’m going to make someone unhappy’ type of person.” Her eyes shifted to his and he waved a hand. “Not what you’re thinking about—I was talking about the coffee shop.”

For a moment, she didn’t say anything, then she hummed. “There’s nothing more fun than telling someone I’m going to get the manager and then do my magic little spin and cheerfully greet, ‘Hi, I’m the manager’.” She grinned. “Does wonders to see Karen’s little head explode.”

Wally chuckled and the elevator dinged. The doors split open, and they walked out onto the rooftop. Surprisingly, the roof was enclosed and lighted, giving her perfect vision and when her eyes fell on them, her heart seemed to stop in her chest, and her feet to a halt.

They stood from the table they’d been sitting at and with her heart hammering against her ribcage, she immediately spun on her heel, intent to flee back into the elevator, only to come chest to chest with Wally, who wrapped his arms around her waist—effectively keeping her in place.

Her feet were still moving on their own accord and she shoved against his chest, trying to get back to the lift. “Wally, move.”

“No, (Y/N),” he murmured, and she could feel her breath starting to come in and out in panicked spurts.

“Wally, please, I’m begging you, move.” She stared up at him and plead, “Please don’t make me do this. I’ll do anything, just please let me leave.”

His evergreen eyes were narrowed in pity, but there was a firmness that rested within that pity and he shook his head. “I can’t let you leave, (Y/N).”

“Wally, please,” she begged, arms starting to go limp against his chest, the tears flooding her vision. “Don’t make me do this.”

“You’ve gotta stop running, (Y/N).”

She couldn’t help the sob that escaped her, and she rested her cheek against his chest. “I hate you…so much.”

“I know,” he murmured.

“You’re a liar and I hate you.”

Wally sighed. “I know you do.”

(Y/N)’s face contorted in anger despite her pain. “I should’ve left the night we fought. I knew you wouldn’t be capable of keeping it from him. From any of them,” she sneered and suddenly pulled away from his grip, eyes flashing with rage.

“This wasn’t your right to tell!” she shouted at him and shoved him in the chest. Wally didn’t budge an inch and she shoved him again. “God, I was so naïve to assume you’d keep your fucking mouth shut! That’s one thing you’re not capable of doing!”

She growled and turned from him, running her hands over her face. “Three years of relative peace shot straight down the fucking drain,” she shot him a teary glower. “All because of you and your big bleeding heart for your best friend.”

Wally frowned. “I’m doing what I think is best, (Y/N).”

“Forcing me to meet them isn’t what’s best, Wally! I didn’t want to be found! I didn’t want to be associated with them again!” she snarled and in an instance her anger cooled, her shoulders drooping as she lamented, “…This wasn’t a decision you should’ve made. This was never your right to decide. For me…or for them.”

“Perhaps it wasn’t,” he agreed. “But if you weren’t going to draw the line in the sand, I was.”

(Y/N) met his gaze and held it for a long moment, then she turned her attention to the four men who were standing in front of the table, their expressions a mixture of regret, anger, and relief.

She let out a long sigh and reached up to rub at her temples. “Let me guess, I’m not allowed to leave until we’ve had our picture-perfect reunion scene?”

Wally nodded. “The elevator is sadly,” his hand shot backwards and with a sharp crackle of lightning, the light went out. “out of order.”

(Y/N) shook her head in disappointment at him then declared, “The next time I run, I’m settling in a city that has no superheroes.”

“Good plan,” he quipped. “But I don’t think there’ll be anymore running.”

She got up in his face and hissed, “Then you underestimate my feelings regarding the brothers and father before me.”

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yourheartonfire · 4 years ago

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A continuation of this poor rebel x royal pair from here, though I do think this snippet stands on it's own. Thanks to @gingerly-writing for the original prompt!

After the stuff the enemy medics had forced down the protagonist's throat, there was no clear line between sleeping and waking. But eventually the ache in their muscles and bruises cut through the fog of the sleeping draught. The protagonist swam sluggishly to the awareness that they were slumped on the cold ground, feet bound together and hands tied tightly to the tent pole. No mystery whose tent it was.

"Back with us at last?" The antagonist's voice seemed to float in the heady, hazy atmosphere. "You were out a long time."

"'S'it smokey in here?" the protagonist groaned. "Or izzat the drugs and the, mm, concussion?"

There was a dry hmph. The protagonist's vision was clearing slowly, and they could just see a lean streak of black standing over them, dark against the gleaming reds and golds of the imperial tent. The antagonist. Their old childhood friend and their new crown prince - thanks to the protagonist's removal of the prior occupant from that position. And from the earth.

The protagonist carefully rolled their neck, loosening the muscles and grounding themselves. The tent was not spinning. Their heart was not pounding. Their friend was not their friend. Not anymore. "Is the part where I'm oh-so-grateful you've placed me in your personal custody?" the protagonist drawled. "For my own protection, I'm sure - "

There was a flash of dark and the crack of a palm across the protagonist's face. Again. They swallowed and breathed through the new pain.

"You're getting good at that, your highness," they said, and spit out red flecked saliva on the carpet. "But may I suggest, for next time, a backhand? With a couple big rings, you can really do some damage-"

The antagonist made a strangled scream. "Stop telling me what to do!" they yelled. "Gods! I used to wonder what would make you shut up. Now I know: literally nothing short of death."

They flopped into a chair, and glared at the protagonist. The protagonist could see their face more or less clearly now, making the expression they always did when they wanted to look cold and foreboding and definitely not scared shitless. Despite the wardrobe, it was a shock how little the antagonist had changed when everything was so different.

"What am I supposed to do with you, [protagonist]?" said the spare-turned-heir miserably.

The protagonist shrugged. Their throat burned with thirst, their shoulders screamed with ache. They pushed it away. Never show weakness. The antagonist had taught them that. "Take me to your father to stand trial for treason, revolt, etcetera. How is the old man these days?"

The antagonist propped their chin on their fist, twisted their mouth. "Not great," they drawled back with vicious understatement. "Better than my lady mother, though. She hasn't left her bed since you had my brother assassinated."

The protagonist flinched. It was a bad habit, a weakness. Of course the antagonist recognized it and twisted the knife. "She took you in," they said, sliding out of their chair to loom over the protagonist. "You were starving in the gutter and she took you into our household, gave you a royal education, treated you like her own child-"

"Her child? Your mother took me in to be your pet," the protagonist spat. "Your own personal peasant for you and your brother to practice ruling on. I guess she thought you were too big for a puppy."

"I- what?!" the antagonist sputtered. For a moment they were genuinely struck dumb. "No! You say what you want about the rest of us, but my mother-"

"She saw which way the wind was blowing with your brother," the protagonist said, rolling their shoulders and subtly testing their bonds. "Maybe she thought putting a face on the faceless masses could turn him around."

"Too bad she picked you then," the antagonist snapped.

The protagonist smiled sourly and the antagonist bit their lip and flushed, realizing they'd conceded the point.

"The irony hasn't escaped me," the protagonist said, hitching themselves up a little higher. "If all of this, all the blood and death as you put, if all I accomplished was removing your brother from the line of succession, I'll have done the empire and your family a greater service than your mother ever dreamed-"

"She thinks I put you up to it," the antagonist blurted out. The protagonist's mouth opened, and then shut again. The antagonist dropped down into their camp chair, somehow making despair look regal and elegant. "The rebellion, the overthrow of the Southern lords, the disruption of the sea trade, my..." They swallowed, reached for another bottle of wine on an overladen table. "The former crown prince's death. Then you just... walk straight into an ambush a day from my camp. She hasn't said, but her letters are... She thinks I..." They made a face, yanked the cork loose. "Father thinks the same, but he actually has more respect for me now," the antagonist added bitterly. "He wasn't so blind to my brother's faults as he pretended to be."

The protagonist let out a low whistle across their split lip. "Well. Now you definitely can't give me a merciful death."

The antagonist put the bottle of wine back down with a shaking hand. "Did you?" they whispered, so quiet the protagonist had to lean forward.

"Did I what?" they asked.

The antagonist started down at their hand pressed flat on the folding table. "Did you do this for me?" they said under their breath.

The protagonist rocked back, hard enough to thunk their head against the pole. They barely felt it, overwhelmed as the antagonist handed themselves over, heart and soul. "Oh, my," the protagonist breathed out. "Oh, your highness. Is that why I'm in your tent? You want me to pat you on the head before you hand me off to be tortured to death and tell you not to worry, that you're one of the good ones?"

"Stop it. Stop talking," the antagonist hissed, face going an angry, ugly red. "I should have known you weren't capable of any loyalty at all."

"Do you remember when your brother beat that housemaid to death?" the protagonist asked, settling themselves more comfortably.

"That was an accident," the antagonist said automatically.

The protagonist shrugged. "Fine then. You remember when your brother accidentally hit a housemaid hard enough that she smashed her skull open on the nursery fireplace? For what, for being nice to us? For slipping us sweeties after he had me whipped again?"

"Stop it, I'm sorry I asked!" the antagonist yelled.

"And I sobbed and sobbed and you comforted me, you remember what you said?"

It was the antagonist's turn to flinch. "Damn you, I was a child. I didn't know better!"

But the protagonist wasn't going to stop. They couldn't now. "You held me in your arms and you said, 'Don't cry. She was only a housemaid. We have more.' Over and over. I still hear that in my sleep."

"So that's it?" The antagonist wrapped their arms around themselves, turned away. "I was a scared, fucked-up nine-year-old who said a bad thing so now none of the rest of it matters? I'm going to die with everyone else?"

"Die?" The protagonist cocked their head and sneered. Their heart was not pounding in their chest, the room was not spinning, their friend was not their friend. "I'm your prisoner. You're taking me to the capitol, to your father for trial."

"Bullshit." The antagonist turned pleading eyes down on the protagonist, bound and bloody. "What are you planning? Why do you want me to bring you to my father? What are you going to do to us?"

The protagonist breathed in and out, reached within themselves for the stone walls the antagonist had taught them to build, oh so many years ago.

"I'm doing what I was taught," they said evenly. "By your mother, your brother, by your father, by you. To serve my empire, even unto death. Difference is, I draw a distinction between the empire and the fucked-up, inbred family that for some reason thinks they were sent by the gods to rule everyone else."

In the silence that followed, the protagonist could hear the distant shouts of the commanders, the jingle of horse bridles and the sounds of hammers and waxed linens flapping to the ground. They were breaking camp. Thirteen days to the capitol.

"All right then," the antagonist said softly, face bloodless against the stark black of their jacket. They put down their untouched wine cup and turned away, never meeting the protagonist's eyes. "Let's play this out. Can't wait to see your endgame."

They walked out and the protagonist sagged limp against the tentpole. Thirteen days. They could stay alive that long. They just weren't sure they could stay unbreakable when they felt so very, very close to breaking.

#my fiction #heroes and villains #heroxvillain #rebel x royal #hero x villain #royals #friends to enemies #protagonist said no divine right of kings #100

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greenygreenland · 4 years ago

Text

What I'd Do For You:

-imagine Roy as your adoptive father

-he'd be so flawed but he'd try his hardest

-I write for females because that's what I'm most comfortable with, but it's not too prominent (please don't be offended! It's only what I'm comfortable with!)

Summary: You're feeling down. Roy's here to help.

Today was nothing short of a bad day. It poured as soon as you stepped out of the house, and before you could grab your umbrella, you realised you were going to be late. Not long after, you ran straight into Ed and Al, who both ignored you in favour of chasing some guy down the street.

Whatever, you told yourself. Not like I needed a 'hi' from my best friends anyway.

Not long after, a car zoomed by and splashed muddy water at you. If it weren't for the rain, you'd be caked in the stuff. As you continued down the street, some guy thought it would be fun to mug you. Of course, when he found out you were a state alchemist, he made a run for it. But that didn't make you feel better, not when there were people staring at you like you were a nuisance.

What did you ever do to them anyway? Maybe it was just the fact today was a terrible Monday afternoon.

When you got to Roy's office, your clothes were sopping wet, your hair a matted mess, and your heart, very much hardened and cold. You softly closed the door behind you. There was no point in slamming it when you didn't have the energy to be angry in the first place.

"(Y/n)?" Roy stared at you incredulously. "What happened to you?" You pointed to the window.. The pouring rain and gray clouds were enough of an answer. "Everything happened, that's what." He raised a brow with a short sigh. "'Everything' is quite vague, don't you think?" He stood and made his way to a cabinet. From seemingly nowhere, he found a towel and threw it at you.

"Thanks Roy." You ran it through your hair and placed it on the couch to sit on. It was just as wet as your clothes, but it wasn't like anyone had a blow dryer on hand. Roy took a seat across from you on the opposing couch. "Care to tell me what happened today?"

You thought back to the Elric brothers, then the mugging and everything else you had to go through today. Roy listened intently. "Why did you leave the house so late?" he inquired. "You could have been here at eight o'clock sharp if you hadn't been up all night reading. Then you could have avoided that mugger, the rain, and everything in between." You huffed. "So what? Changing one thing wouldn’t change the day. And besides, it was a good book. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Put it down." Roy plainly offered. "Save that 'last page' for tomorrow, or better yet, sleep before three in the morning." You didn't like the way he was looking at you, as if he were deciding on whether he should be disappointed, frustrated, or annoyed with you. But bad habits died hard. It wasn't easy to break out of those cycles.

You leaned back into the couch. Defeat crossed your eyes, and that was when Roy realized how tired you looked. It wasn't because of your constant travels, or the fact that Edward and Alphonse ignored you completely (he'd give them a piece of his mind later on), but because you were burnt out.

And maybe feeling a bit down.

"You've been studying a lot." Roy stated. You didn't need him to point out the obvious. It was no secret you were doing your best to help the Elric brothers on their journey towards finding their bodies. "Have you found anything useful?" You shook your head with a tight frown. There was so much you needed to work out, so many variables that didn't add up, and so many frauds you needed to uncover.

"Whenever we're close," you mumbled, "our goal keeps getting farther away. Sometimes I feel so useless while Ed and Al go off on their own accord. I just...I don't know." Your shoulders slumped and Roy's heart began to ache. "It's so hard, and I'm really..." A sigh escaped your lips.

"Tired?" Roy finished. He knew that look well, the one where your eyes darkened with clouds and you looked like you wanted to scream when you couldn't. Long ago, he had the same look. Silently, he swore he'd never do it again. At least, not when you were around.

Seeing that same look on your face made him sick to the stomach. "Take a day off," he started. "The Lieutenant is here so don't worry. As for the Elric brothers, I don't think they'll need your help now. They’re fine as is if you ask me." Roy winced at his words. He didn't mean to make it sound like you were unwanted. In fact, he wouldn't do that even if he was paid.

"Maybe I'm not needed by them anymore.” you concluded. “They're busy anyway, so they won't miss me. It’s been weeks since we last talked actually. And besides, Ed’s really great at everything he does. Same with Al. They’re skilled, smart, everything I’m not." You smiled and it was a bit watery.

Roy's lips parted. No, no, no, that wasn't what he meant. The urge to punch himself in the face was overwhelming. Why was he so bad at wording things?

You stood and folded the wet towel. "I'll take the day off. I'm not sure what I'll do though."

"Wait--"

"If you need me, I'll be around the block somewhere." You looked like you were about to cry, and all Roy could do was watch. He wanted to say something, but what if he made it worse? Saying 'Don't cry!' wasn't exactly comforting, and by the looks of it, you weren't in the mood to talk anything through.

A forced smile made its way to your lips. "I'll be back later Roy."

And just like that, you were gone. The door closed shut with a small click, leaving Roy alone in the quiet office. He stared at the phone on his desk tensely. Hughes was good with people, and he knew how to talk to (Y/n) better than most. If Roy called then maybe...

No. Why should he have to rely on Maes? This was (Y/n). He could deal with his daughter just fine. "Teenagers." He found himself making his way to the phone "Why are they so hard to understand?” The familiar beeping sounded on the other end as he dialed the number.

“Hello, could you connect me to Maes Hughes?”

-----

The lone bench you took refuge on was lonely. But you were fine with that. Here, no one could see you through all the pouring rain and darkened clouds. As your tears mixed in with the cold droplets, you stared into the far off distance. The trees swayed in the occasional breeze and you shivered.

Maybe you should have brought a coat.

Suddenly, the rain stopped pounding against your head. Your dampened hair had rivers flowing down it, and the tears that quietly came to a stop left your cheeks with stains.

“So this is where you’ve been,” a voice calmly said. You didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Why, after an hour, did he come looking for you in the rain? It wasn’t like it mattered. Roy settled by your side, the umbrella hovering above. “Here,” he handed you your coat, “you’re shivering.”

You pushed the coat away with a shake of your head. “I don’t need it.” There was a crack in your voice you covered with a cough. If Roy noticed or not, he didn’t show it. Instead, he helped you put on the coat. “It would be inconvenient if you were sick,” he decided. “How are you supposed to help the Elrics with a cold?”

That didn’t matter. The Elrics were busy for all you cared, and it wasn’t like they needed you anyway. “I’m dead weight, dad.” The words made your eyes sting again. “They don’t-t-they don’t need me.”

“And why is that?” Roy’s gentle tone made the tears fall fast. “Because, dad, I’m useless. Edward’s so much better at everything. He--he’s always saving the day and figuring out all of this country’s problem’s. And...and when I try to help, I always mess it up.”

You thought back to earlier today, where you bumped into the boys spontaneously. They might’ve been busy, but they blatantly ignored you. And the fact that they hadn’t called all week made you worry. Had you done something wrong? No, maybe they didn’t care for you anymore because you were so useless.

“I...I don’t know what to do.” With the umbrella over your head, Roy saw every tear as clear as day. He watched your shoulders tense and your fists clench into tight fists. You were trying to stop crying, but the tears kept coming and coming like a river.

How useless of you.

“Come here.” You didn't want Roy to see your face. “Come here,” he repeated. You hesitantly scooted closer to him on the soaking bench. He held the umbrella in his left hand and pulled you close with his other. When was the last time he actually hugged you like this? He couldn’t remember, and that made him feel guilty.

Was it his fault that you thought so lowly of yourself? Maybe he should have been more adamant on showing how proud he was of your accomplishments. Becoming a State Alchemist at this age was more than a simple privilege. It was a precedent that no generation had ever seen in their lives.

“Why do you compare yourself to Fullmetal?” he inquired, rubbing your arm comfortingly. “He’s not you.”

“But he’s better than me and I can’t measure up to him.” Roy shook his head dismissively. For a moment, you wondered you disappointed him. “It doesn’t matter what Fullmetal is, (Y/n). He’s strong, I admit, but the most hot-headed kid I’ve ever met. Unlike him out, you never let emotions blind your choices. That’s something Fullmetal can’t do. As for strength, you don’t need that.”

He smiled a little and it was so warm. It wasn’t everyday you got to see this side of Roy. He was always caught up in paperwork, plans, and looking after what he worked so hard to accomplish. “You have enough wits to outsmart me. Remember that time Fullmetal challenged me to a match?”

You nodded. “I joined because I didn’t think he could handle it. Ed didn’t want my help, but I ended up coming along anyway.” A smug smirk made its way up Roy’s lips. “And who lasted the longest?”

“Me.”

“And why was that?”

"Because I read your attack patterns?" You uncertainly replied. Roy frowned. "Say it like you mean it."

"Because I read your attack patterns." you repeated. An approving look made its way up your dad's face. "Exactly. Fullmetal has wit, but you are a much more terrifying opponent." You sniffled with a huff. "I'm not--I'm not even close to your level."

"You don't have to be." Roy turned his gaze to the pouring rain, as if he were thinking about how useless his alchemy would be. "If you believed in yourself more, then you will advance farther than you've already come."

That wasn't true. How could you believe in yourself when you felt like an absolute failure? It didn't matter how many successes you've had in the past, because what if they were all flukes? Some day, your luck would run out. Then you'd let your dad down, along with Ed and Al and Hawkeye and Uncle Maes and everyone else you knew.

"You're not a failure, if that's what you're thinking." Roy blurted out. "I couldn't be more proud of how far you've come. The day I met you, I thought I'd fail you. Look where we are now." He laughed a little and it made you relax in his hold. "If you were a failure, you wouldn't have become a reowned State Alchemist. You wouldn't have survived in the most dire times either, and you wouldn't have made me so proud of you."

Your eyes widened. Had you heard him right? You had to be hearing things. Roy met your gaze and smiled warmly. "Yes, I'm proud of you. Why wouldn't I be?" For a moment, you remained still. The gears in your head churned like clockwork, dissecting and rewinding the words Roy had spoken. You tentatively wrapped your arms around Roy's middle.

Yes, I'm proud of you.

You buried your head into his shoulder.

Why wouldn't I be?

And then you cried. Today was nothing short of a bad day, but if you hadn't forgotten your umbrella, gotten ignored by the Elrics, nearly mugged, or showed up late, then you wouldn't have been able to hear those words and the silent I love you's.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, PLEASE REBLOG (IT HELPS ME OUT SOOOO MUCH AS A WRITER!)

#fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchimist brotherhood #fullmetal alchemist x reader #roy mustang #roy mustang x reader #platonic #fmab roy #fmab fanfiction #fma fanfiction #fma #fmab #anime x reader #anime fanfic #sorry i'm on mobile #forgive me

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babyjamiebarnes · 4 years ago

Text

Build-A-Bear

Part One

Featuring: Bucky x Stark!reader, dad!Tony, Peter Parker (platonic), background MCU characters

Warnings: [chapter] language; [series] language, smut, violence

Summary: The only people who knew she was actually a Stark were her dad, her step-mom Pepper, and her “uncles” Happy and Rhodey. A promotion within Stark Industries takes her from an already-sought after position in the Weapons Anaylsis Unit straight to the Avengers as a Weapons Enhancement Specialist... which means her dad is her new boss. There’s only one rule at work: no fraternizing with coworkers. There’s one more rule at home: no dating any Avengers. So what is she supposed to do when a grumpy super soldier becomes not-so-grumpy around her? At 25, do her dad’s rules still apply? Or is her entire livelihood at risk?

Author’s Note: I’ve written a decent portion of this but know I won’t keep writing it or post it unless I hold myself accountable and get it out there in the first place 🙈 I haven’t written much for Marvel yet but I’ve read plenty and have written for other fandoms in the past (not to mention the writing degree on my wall lol). I’ll try to post every 2-3 days to keep this moving! And if you like it and want to, buy me a coffee!

No one knew Tony Stark had a daughter. No one but Tony Stark and his daughter. Well, and her step-mom Pepper. And her godfather Rhodey. And her uncle-not-uncle Happy. But no one in their everyday lives knew. She was given her mother’s maiden name and kept a secret, even when she turned 17 and moved to a small apartment near NYU’s campus (with Happy stationed right next door, of course) to start life as a truly normal adult, or as close to normal as an undercover Stark could be. When she graduated with her PhDs in robotics and electrical engineering at 25 — proving brains really do run in the family — she moved into her own apartment in Manhattan, funded by her father under the pseudonym “Michael Myers.” Subtlety was never his strong suit.

Fortunately for you, growing up without the Stark name let you live a relatively normal life. It also allowed you to apply for a position within Stark Industries without being ushered past any red tape because of who your father is. Outside of the financial advantage you had, you worked for your spot in a STEM career. You suffered through every man in your field belittling your work despite knowing less than you. You dealt with the constant interruptions and “well, actually” because of your gender. You powered through late nights and early mornings when your mind was flowing too smoothly to quit.

The last thing you wanted to do was have all that work disregarded because you shared a name with genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. So you filled out the application, sent in your resume and cover letter, and attached three letters of recommendation from your professors. You went through hours of interviews, background checks (conveniently redacting your father’s name), and polygraph tests until that offer letter showed up in your email. You even had to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreements that would bar you from discussing *anything* work-related with anyone outside of your department.

You spent your first year in the weapons analysis department, evaluating alien weaponry and determining how it worked and how to disable it. You had your fair share of mishaps, of course. Holes blasted into walls, fried robot dummies, even burnt animal carcasses. By the end of your first year, your supervisor sent a commendation and proposal for you for an undisclosed promotion. After Pepper Potts “thoroughly examined your resume, cover letter, and accomplishments during your tenure with Stark Industries,” as the letter read, you were awarded a position working on the Avengers’ weapons as a Weapons Enhancement Specialist. You’d never see a fight in-person, but you were assigned to work on advancements and post-battle repairs for everyone, from the Winter Soldier’s arm to the Falcon’s wings to Vision’s... everything. The only heroes you wouldn’t work on were Iron Man and War Machine (those were your dad’s territory) and Spider-Man.

On your first day in your new position, the one and only Pepper Potts showed you to your new lab on the 47th floor. It took all your willpower to look your step-mother in the eye and say, “Wow, Miss Potts. This is amazing. It’s such an honor to meet you,” with a straight face to convince any passerby that you had no outside affiliation with her. Even if her eyes stayed steady on you, you could see her mentally rolling them.

Once you were alone behind the doors of the elevator, conversation changed course.

“You’re going to be sharing a lab with someone else,” Pepper said.

“Sweet. As long as they’re competent, that’s fine by me,” you shrugged. Part of earning your degrees was learning to share a workspace with others, even those who bumbled and fumbled with no idea what they were doing. You’d had more hair singed by nearby explosions than you’d like to admit.

“He’s still in college so he’s not here as often as the others. Most of his work will be on Spider-Man’s gadgets and suit, but you can use him for any help you need.”

Walking past the familiar faces of Dr. Banner and Dr. Cho in their respective labs, Pepper ushered you into your lab, where you were met by your father and put on the same excited facade you did with Pepper.

“Oh my god, you’re Tony Stark! This is incredible! It’s such an honor to meet you, sir!”

He shook his head at you and reluctantly accepted your outstretched hand. Oh, the jokes you’d be making at family dinners.

“Yeah, anyway, this is your new lab, Miss [Y/L/N]. Make yourself at home. This lab rat over here is mister Parker. If you have any questions, he can at least bullshit an answer for you.”

The young man on the other side of the lab perked up at the sound of his name. He tugged the goggles off his face and set down his soldering rod to rush over to you.

“Hi. Hi, I’m Peter,” he said, reaching his hand out to you.

“I’m [Y/N]. It’s nice to meet you, lab partner.”

He looked to be a bit younger than you and at least relatively smart, if the MIT sweatshirt peeking out from under his lab coat said anything. If your dad gave him an internship like this, you knew you shouldn’t question it. He had to be a genius.

The kid just smiled at you, continuing to shake your hand past what most would deem socially acceptable.

“Okay, enough of that,” Tony said, pushing on your joined hands to separate you two. “Mister Parker might be in and out of the lab from time to time. He joins the Avengers on the occasional recon mission for immediate repairs but since he’s on break from classes, you’ll see him more often than not. Play nice.”

When he noticed you surreptitiously looking Peter up and down, he added, “Remember, no fraternizing with coworkers.” He pointed a finger directly at you before he spun and pointed to your fellow lab mate, realizing he should warn Peter too to save face.

“All the blueprints you need for the Tin Man’s arm are in the system. We’ll have you start on that and see what you can do about minimizing the sound that thing makes. Any other questions, give Pep a call.”

“Thank you, mister Stark. I really do appreciate everything,” you said genuinely.

“Yeah, well… don’t let me down,” he replied, patting you on the shoulder on his way out. Pepper followed close behind, leaving you alone with Peter Parker.

“So Peter,” you started, sliding onto the lab chair next to where he remained standing, “tell me about yourself.”

“Uh… what do you want to know?” he asked as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

“How old are you?” you asked immediately.

“I’m 21.”

Only four years younger than you. So you’d probably get along just fine.

“I assume you’re at MIT?” He nodded. “What are you studying?”

“Biomolecular and mechanical engineering.” He said it so casually, you’d think he was talking about the last song he heard on the radio.

“Damn,” you responded, eyes wide. “I thought robotics and electrical engineering was wild but fuck, that sounds like hell.”

He laughed and nodded, letting a bit of the tension in his shoulders fall. “Yeah, it’s not easy. But it’s worth it.”

He shot you a small smile before gesturing back at his project. “I should probably get back to work and let you get started.”

For the rest of the day, you familiarized yourself with the Winter Soldier’s arm to figure out how to… turn the volume down? You assumed it was the gears inside causing the noise, but part of you wanted to outfit an audio jack and speaker just to fuck with your dad.

You and Peter worked in relative silence, aside from the playlist he had quietly playing through the lab sound system. When lunch rolled around, however, you finally spoke up.

“Hey Peter,” you called, his eyes flicking from the chemical beakers in front of him up to you. “First of all, what are you doing?”

“Um, it’s Spider-Man’s web fluid. Just trying to find more durable combinations.”

“Interesting.” As much as you wanted to touch the stringy substance, you knew better than to fiddle with someone else’s lab work. “Okay so second thing, in my last position, I’d just order food and have it brought to my floor but now that I’m on an exclusive floor, what do you do for lunch?”

“Oh, there are a couple security guys who have clearance to come into this floor. They just can’t get into any rooms so you’d have to meet them at the elevator. But I usually find something in the kitchen down the hall.”

“Oh, sweet. Thanks!” you said as you made your way out the door. Before you could fully exit, you turned back to see if Peter wanted you to grab anything. Once he promised he’d take his own break ‘once I get this one thing figured out,’ you continued to make your way to the kitchen.

As you drew closer to the doorway, you could hear three voices speaking over each other. They didn’t sound angry, but they were definitely arguing. You opened the door anyway and almost immediately froze in your tracks. The Falcon stood with one hand on his own head and one on the Winter Soldier’s head while Captain America rolled his eyes before those same eyes landed on you, along with the rest of the room.

“Perfect,” Sam started. “Hey new girl, between the three of us,” he said, pointing to himself, the Soldier, and the Captain, “who has the best hair?”

“First of all, my name is [Y/N]. Second,” you continued, making your way past them to the fridge you hoped your dad kept stocked with goodies, “that’s an unfair question.”

You grabbed a soda and popped it open before turning back to the three men. “Your hair suits each of you. Cap wouldn’t look good with Winter Soldier hair and Falcon wouldn’t look good with Cap’s hair.” You took a few steps closer, leaning against the island counter between you and eyeing each of them. Your eyes settled on the Winter Soldier, unashamedly flitting across his face and admiring the sharpness of his features. “You,” pointing at him, “could probably pull off either of their looks, though.”

Bucky smirked at you, but his rosy cheeks gave away a hint of embarrassment at your compliment. Steve and Sam, on the other hand, weren’t taking it quite as gracefully.

“What?!” Sam shouted. “Okay, now I know you’re lying. I could pull off Cap’s hair for sure.”

“You know, I think shaggy hair would really suit me,” Cap said, only half sarcastically.

You giggled to yourself as the three of them started talking over each other again, all dead set on their own hair being the best of them and positive they could pull off the others’ looks. While they bickered, you searched the pantry until you found a snack to at least get you through the remainder of the day.

“Alright boys, it’s been fun but I have work to do,” you said as you walked past them again. “Actually, wait. Bucky — can I call you Bucky?” He nodded even though you continued anyway. “If you could stop by lab six today, I’d love to check out your arm in person. The digital renderings aren’t quite the same.”

“Uh, okay. Sure. I’ll find you,” he said quietly.

“Sweet, thanks!” And with that, you skedaddled back to your lab.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x Stark!reader #Stark!reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes series #bucky x Stark!reader

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chatonne-rousse · 3 years ago

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Be Bold, Be Kind, Be Brave

This is one akuma whose intentions are good. After all, who couldn't use an extra dose of courage to overcome fear?

A superhero whose identity will be immediately revealed in the process, for one.

When an akuma causes several secrets to come to light all at once, our heroes will need to drum up some courage to face their fears - and each other.

But what's waiting after that looks like it might be a dream come true. It'll just take a bit of bravery and a lot of heart. Piece of cake.

***

Only eight days late and several dollars short, I’m wishing @jennagrinsoverml a happy belated birthday with this gift, written just for her. ILY, my friend!

Read it on Ao3 here.

***

Ladybug has to give Courageous some credit: she's a rarity, an akuma born of selfless means. A teenager who hadn't mustered the courage to stand up for a younger student being bullied at school, she'd been so ashamed, so angry with herself, that Hawkmoth had found an easy target to ply with honeyed words and promises.

Her power isn't even a terrible one. The beam of light she shoots from her right hand simply causes the person it strikes to relive the last encounter they had when their bravery failed them, this time with courage aplenty. It's admirable, really.

Admirable, but terrifying nonethless.

(The fear of Chat Noir finding out her identity is deep and dark and often floats to the surface of her nightmares with blue eyes and white hair and a drowned, ruined world. He cannot know. The cost is too high.)

"Whatever you do," she calls to her partner, frantic and scared, "don't let her hit you! Please, Chat!"

She hears the desperation in her own voice, and the look on his face conveys that he certainly does. He nods solemnly.

"I'll do my best, My Lady."

She nods back, and off they go into the fray.

For well over an hour, they fight Courageous through parks and plazas, sidewalks and thoroughfares. All around them, the people of Paris have squared their shoulders, lifted their chins, and braved conversations big and small with people only they could see.

Ladybug has to smile as she hears a young man confidently ask for a raise and watches his eyes light up at the response.

That smile fades when she remembers once again that the last time her courage had failed her was just as they were dismissed for lunch break, when she'd tried to invite Adrien to a movie that weekend. His eyes had been so kind as he'd waited for her to gather her words properly, and somehow that had just made it harder.

Then Lila had "accidentally" tripped and knocked into her, sending her to the floor. The memory of Adrien's hand reaching out to her to help her up, those same kind, patient eyes locked on hers, makes Ladybug's cheeks heat even now. But after she was upright again, after Lila had stalked off because no one seemed to care that she "probably would need surgery now because her arthritis would flare", Nino had reminded Adrien about the gig he was DJing on Friday and Alya had led her away to show her something on her phone.

Just like that, her opportunity was gone.

And that would be fine, honestly. Marinette was used to moments of stuttering and botched declarations when it came to Adrien.

But if she's hit by Courageous, Chat Noir - plus the citizens of Paris, Hawkmoth, everyone - will hear Ladybug try to ask Adrien Agreste on a date, and that will be a disaster of epic proportions.

"Ladybug, look out!"

Chat's body slams into hers, sending them rolling on the sidewalk just as a beam of magical light zips over their heads. In a flash, Chat Noir bundles her in his arms and vaults them to the rooftop above, making sure she's steady on her feet once they land.

"Thank you, Ki-" The words die in her throat when she sees over her partner's shoulder that Courageous has followed them.

Chat turns, his baton at the ready, while Ladybug reaches for her yo-yo, but neither is quick enough to stop the akuma's beam from finally finding one of its main targets.

"I'm sorry, Bug," he murmurs as his eyes glaze over.

Using her yo-yo as a spinning shield, Ladybug drags her partner behind the nearest chimney stack just as he begins to speak.

Panic sets in as her mind screams at her over the hum of her yo-yo, the akuma's laughter, her partner's voice.

I can't just leave him!

"Father, may I come in?"

Oh no, oh no, oh no. I can't hear this!

"Yes, Nathalie said she penciled me into your schedule for noon."

Nathalie?

Ladybug's gaze snaps to her partner, yo-yo still spinning to deflect beams of light. She's surprised to find Chat Noir's head bowed in deference, though his eyes shine with a confident gleam.

"I requested this appointment to ask you again if I could attend the event with my friends tomorrow evening. I've already completed my assignments for school and the homework from my Mandarin tutor."

Mandarin tutor? What?!

"Yes, Father, I'm aware that you don't care for Nino, but..."

The panicked scream in her mind gives up any attempt at coherence; by this point, it's no more than a muddled loop of Nathalie, Mandarin, Nino, Father.

Ladybug feints to the left to avoid being hit by the akuma as a mix of terror and adrenaline floods her system. She leaps forward, leaving Chat behind the chimney in the hope that she can engage the akuma just long enough to get her partner back and finally, finally finish this off.

She knows too much already. The cat has bolted straight out of the bag and is running loose on this rooftop beneath her feet, a distraction she can't handle right now.

On hero autopilot, she hurdles one beam after another, then tucks and rolls and pops up to roundhouse kick Courageous in the chest, sending her flying.

She hears the akuma's "oof" just as Chat Noir's jubilant voice rings out from behind the chimney.

"Thank you, Father! Thank you so much!"

She can hear his grin in those simple words, the sheer joy in being given permission to leave the house. Everyone in their class knows what a tight leash Gabriel Agreste keeps on his son. It breaks her heart every time she thinks of it. In fact, she's successfully fought for his release from that marble prison on more than one occasion! So yes, she'd already known with all the clues in place, but there was truly no mistaking it now: that was Adrien talking to his father.

Because Adrien is Chat Noir.

Her heart cracks. Oh, Chaton.

Suddenly, the akuma's progress in clambering to her feet is impeded by the whoosh and subsequent metallic thunk of Chat's overhand swing with his baton.

Relief floods her heart at the return of her partner. No matter who he is, Chat Noir is her other half, and Ladybug is never quite herself without him.

"Maybe we could use a little extra luck, My Lady!" Chat winks at her over his shoulder before facing the akuma again.

"Yes! Right! You bet!"

Get it together, Marinette, she thinks. Her face heats and she scampers away to the safety of the chimney stack where Chat was hidden to call for her lucky charm.

A red and black spotted can opener drops into her hands and she looks at it in confusion. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she grumbles, looking around frantically but seeing nothing to help her decipher how to use the lucky charm.

She takes a deep breath, peeks out from behind the bricks, and promptly takes a light beam to the face.

No, no, no, no!

It feels vaguely like having a water balloon popped on her head, a chill of sensation dripping down her spine and rippling through her nerves. It's a small mercy that being hit by an akuma rarely hurts physically. Her vision swims like a mirage in the desert, the familiar courtyard at school coalescing from vapor around her.

The last thing she sees is her partner's stricken face.

The last thing she hears is the akuma cackling.

"Heylo! Who! I mean," she takes a deep breath, a rush of confidence tingling along her nerves. "Hey, Adrien!" She smiles and gives him a little wave.

His grin takes her breath away. "Hi, Marinette! How are you?"

"I'm great!"

You can do it, you can do it!, her heart sings, and miraculously, her brain listens. Her smile turns coy. She taps her lip with her index finger. Her pulse pounds a bolstering tattoo in her ears. Go for it, girl!

"But I could be better."

Adrien's smile drops a fraction. "Are you okay? Is there something I can do?"

With another deep breath, she squares her shoulders and looks him in the eyes, her very cells imbued with a courage unparalleled even when she's wearing spots. She could do anything, anything, right now, but she has her mind set on accomplishing one thing and one thing only.

"You could join me for a movie on Saturday."

"I could...?" His brows furrow, but his grin grows slowly, bright but incredulous. "Are you asking me....?" He blinks, takes two shallow breaths. "Do you mean just the two of us?"

She nods decisively. "A date."

You did it. You did it! A veritable party erupts in the back of her mind, radiant relief spreading to her fingertips. It feels so good to finally break through her anxiety and fear and ask him that simple question that felt like an impossible task just a few hours ago.

Thankfully, he doesn't keep her waiting. The answer is in his eyes, anyway. "I would love to," he breathes, cheeks pink and smile dazzling.

"Really?" Marinette squeaks, and now it's his turn to nod.

"I'll be there even if I have to sneak out." Adrien reaches for her hand and gives it a little squeeze. "We'll talk about it later today, okay?"

She nods again, her chest so full of emotion she can barely breathe. Not only did she ask him, but he said yes!

Suddenly, blue sky fills her vision and she regains awareness to the sound of a scuffle on the other side of the chimney stack. Ladybug tentatively gets to her feet, reaching for her yo-yo and setting it spinning immediately. This time there's no peeking around the corner; she bursts from behind the bricks on the offensive, ready to finish the fight.

What she finds is Courageous struggling under Chat's baton, twisted up like a pretzel and unable to move for the steel-toed boot resting across her shoulders.

"Just in time, LB!" Chat crows triumphantly. He tosses her a bracelet emblazoned with the words Be Bold, Be Kind, Be Brave that currently pulses with Hawkmoth's dark energy.

In moments, the bracelet is broken, the akuma is freed and purified, and a confused teenager sits where Courageous was restrained a moment ago.

Chat docks his baton at his back and looks at his partner with the softest eyes she's ever seen, a tiny, equally soft smile playing at his lips.

Her heart sighs. Adrien. That's Adrien, and he knows.

The lucky charm sits heavy in her palm. Abject fear makes her hope against hope that she won't remember his identity when she casts her miraculous cure, just as her heart longs to hold on to the knowledge that her precious partner is the boy of her deepest desires, and maybe, maybe they really can have it all.

With a deep breath, she throws the unused can opener into the air, watching magical ladybugs and healing light burst forth and spread throughout the city. She waits, holding her breath, but when pink light swirls around them, the only affect it has is the healing of the twinge in her ankle from when she fell mid-fight.

She looks up, and her partner's eyes say it all.

He remembers, too.

Even as fear grips her heart, radiant joy shines from his face as his grin spreads. It scrunches his eyes behind the mask and pinkens his cheeks, delight seeming to glow from his pores. Ladybug has never seen her partner so happy. That elation is a balm to her soul, and she can't help but smile right along with him.

Ladybug turns to the akuma victim and holds out her hand, offering the bracelet back to her. "I really like that inscription" she says, pointing at the now-silver bracelet as the girl fixes it back on her wrist.

She smiles shyly at the two heroes. "I wish I had the courage to do more. I wish I was brave like you."

"We get scared sometimes, too. Everyone does," Ladybug starts, before her partner nudges her shoulder with his elbow.

"Speak for yourself, Bugaboo. This cat has no fear." Chat Noir throws her an exaggerated wink, and the girl laughs. "But real talk, anyone can be a hero in their own way. Little things, big stuff...you're stronger than you think, I promise. Cat's honor."

She nods. "Thank you for, you know, saving me and everything." Glancing at the street below, she gestures toward the edge of the roof. "Would it be too much trouble to get me back down there?"

"Not at all," Ladybug replies with a smile. Calling on her own courage, she looks at her partner and takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing, she thinks. "The usual spot in five? Or less, I guess, since it...doesn't matter now," she says with a shrug that she hopes looks nonchalant.

And there's that smile that shines like the summer sun. He gives her a jaunty salute. "I'll be there with bells on," he says, tapping the bell at his throat and making it jingle.

Ladybug just shakes her head and giggles.

A few minutes later, when she lands beside Chat Noir on their familiar rooftop, her earrings are beeping a frantic rhythm, signaling mere seconds before she detransforms. Instinct has her looking around the roof, ready to dart behind anything she can use to hide.

Before she can move, Chat steps toward her and quietly asks, "Marinette?"

Her transformation dissolves in a wave of pink light, and she hears him gasp as she catches Tikki gently in her palms. Marinette takes her time retrieving a macaron from her purse to feed her kwami, deliberately moving slowly in an attempt to get herself under control before she looks up at her partner. He knows, and he's thrilled, and that's amazing, but it feels like the entire world will change when their gazes finally meet, and she's just not ready yet.

"I, um...I didn't use my cataclysm, so I can stay transformed if you'd prefer, but..." he trails off.

There's something in his voice that finally makes her look at him. Just like when he talked to his father under the akuma's control, his head is bowed slightly, but instead of confidence, this time his eyes are bright with nervous hope.

Marinette understands both the nerves and the hope, and she'll joke with her partner until the end of time about who's in charge, but it feels wrong for either Chat or Adrien to look at her with uneasy deference.

And that's what she thinks of as courage wells in her chest. Her brave, steadfast partner, the other half of their unstoppable team, the boy with terrible timing who can still make her laugh, her best friend whom she loves so fiercely, should never feel he has to approach her in fear.

"Oh, Minou," she breathes. "Of course, go ahead. I...I already know."

He nods and stands a little straighter, and with a whisper and a flash of green, Chat's magical leather is replaced with denim and cotton poplin.

Predictably, her brain is short-circuiting, hollering in panic and terror, but even as her heart pounds wildly in her chest, it whispers quietly, gently, that this is her partner. Her silly kitty. Her dearest friend. He just happens to look like Adrien Agreste at the moment.

(Okay, this is going to take some getting used to.)

Tikki flies off to join Plagg nearby, while Marinette sits down on the roof with her knees pulled to her chest. She pats the space to her right and Adrien settles in cross-legged next to her.

He's the first to break the silence. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I shouldn't have gotten hit. I shouldn't have let you get hit. I know this wasn't what you wanted, and-"

"No, no, don't apologize," she interrupts, shaking her head. "It happens. It's...not the first time." Marinette sighs and closes her eyes, suddenly feeling a lot less courageous in the face of this world-bending change now that they're in their civilian clothes and it's Adrien apologizing to her. She presses her forehead to her knees and tries to imagine the boy beside her in magical leather and cat ears. It only helps a little, but it's enough. "We, um-" she pauses, licks her lips. "We have a lot to talk about. I just don't know if I'm ready for...all of it."

Adrien is silent for an uncomfortably long moment. "Yeah. We do." She hears him take a deep breath that shakes a bit on the exhale and turns her head a fraction to peek at him. His eyes are on the distant horizon. "I...think I understand some things now."

Abruptly, he turns toward her, a little smile tilting the corners of his mouth when he his eyes meet hers. Fear tells her to look away, but she tamps it down and holds his gaze. His smile widens.

"May I ask you something, Marinette?"

She nods.

"When you came up to me at lunch today, were you...planning to ask me on a date?"

Her pulse pounds in her ears. She could give in to fear, say no and brush it off like Chat had misheard her when she was under the akuma's spell. But suddenly her heartbeat seems to drum, "be bold, be kind, be brave," over and over again, and just as the smile begins to slip from his face, she finds the nerve to nod again.

Just like on the other rooftop a few minutes ago, his face lights up like the first rays of sun after a week of rain, shining splendid even in the early afternoon light.

"Am I--" he whispers, his breath hitching though his joy never dims, "Am I the boy?"

Be bold, be kind, be brave.

She calls on her Ladybug courage and nods once more.

His breath catches again and his eyes fill with tears that he brushes away quickly.

Clarity dawns all of a sudden, sweeping her fears to the corners of her mind to be dealt with later. She understood Chat Noir being happy to know his partner's identity, his excitement in finding out his Lady was his friend, too. But this is so much more. Beside her sits Adrien, wiping tears of joy from his eyes at the knowledge that Marinette is in love with him. This might just be a dream coming true on a random rooftop on a random Thursday afternoon.

"Chaton," she breathes, stretching her legs in front of her and placing a hand on his knee.

His hand covers hers, and she meets his gaze, words caught in her throat at the intensity in his eyes.

"I have a confession to make." He rubs the back of his neck with his free hand and takes a deep breath. "I think everyone in Paris knows that Chat Noir is in love with Ladybug. I...know you know." He shrugs as his smile turns a little helpless. "But no one knows that I might have a little tiny bit of a huge crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, too."

"Kid, don't lie to your girlfriend. You know very well that I knew, because I've been telling you forever!" Plagg calls from somewhere behind them. Tikki hushes him loudly.

"Okay, he's not wrong," Adrien says, huffing out a combination of a laugh and a sigh. I'm just very stupid, apparently."

"Hey, don't talk that way about my partner." Marinette bumps his shoulder with hers. "I have a teeny, tiny, huge crush on him, too, you know, and I don't appreciate your tone."

Adrien's surprised laugh rings out across the rooftop, filling her heart with so much love she can barely breathe with the force of it. She could listen to that laugh for the rest of her life. She hopes she'll have that chance.

He brushes tears from his eyes again as his laughter subsides, his grin still shining bright. "I'm so happy it's you, Marinette. Beyond happy." He turns her hand beneath his and threads his fingers through hers. "Honestly, there's no one else I would rather have as my partner."

"Me too, Minou," she murmurs, squeezing his hand lightly as incredulous joy sings through her veins.

Tikki's little voice pipes up nearby. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's almost time to go back to class."

Adrien lets go of her hand to fish for his phone and curses under his breath when he sees the time. "She's right, My Lady. Could we meet up this evening? I know we have, um...a lot of things to talk about."

Marinette nods. It feels like she's done a lot of that in the last few minutes.

When Adrien stands, he offers his hand to help her up. Just like in the courtyard at lunch, his eyes are patient and kind, but now they shine with something more. She lets him pull her to her feet, then wraps her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

His soft exhale at her ear as he melts against her makes her smile, scrunching up his white overshirt under her cheek. Her senses are filled with him, and she's surprised to realize that it's a feeling of comfort and safety instead of the usual panic.

Maybe loving Adrien and being loved in return will be easier than it seemed all this time. Her fears seem so silly when his arms are wrapped around her shoulders and his head rests on top of hers - a perfect fit.

Even the nightmarish terror of Chat Blanc is diminished. Adrien never told anyone her identity; he knew because he himself was Chat Noir, and there's no way in the world that Chat would hurt his Lady, nor would Adrien ever harm Marinette on purpose. She must have misunderstood. He must have misunderstood. He was an akuma, after all. She sighs into Adrien's shirt. She can never allow that terrible timeline to occur, but whatever happens after this, they'll face it together. Stronger. She'll make sure of it.

"Do you think my father will let me go to Nino's gig in real life?" he asks quietly.

The sad note in his voice breaks her heart. She squeezes him tighter.

"I don't know, Kitty. Do you think we'll be having a movie date on Saturday?"

He leans back abruptly, though his hands still grip her shoulders. "Of course! I'll be there if I have to sneak out!"

Marinette boops his nose, laughing when his eyes cross. "I think that's your answer for Friday night, too."

Suddenly she's in his arms again, this time lifted off the ground and spinning. She can't help but giggle.

"I knew I was in love with a genius!" he cries, jubilant. He sets her down and plants a kiss in the middle of her forehead before calling for Plagg to transform him.

When he turns his masked face back to her, it's like the world is different. She can easily see the brilliant green of Adrien's eyes in Chat's glowing sclerae. The blending of two of her favorite people into one extraordinary boy who - oh my goodness - just said he loves her gives her a shot of courage even before she suits up again.

"You missed, beau gosse."

His eyes widen comically. "I....what?"

Marinette smiles and calls for her transformation, then taps her lips with her gloved fingers. "You kissed me, but you missed."

The sly gleam in his eyes makes her breathing speed up.

"First of all, I would ask before I did that," Chat says, sticking out his thumb before raising his clawed index finger. "Second, I thought I'd save our first kiss for Saturday. Seems like a great way to end our first date, doesn't it?"

Our first date. A tingle runs down her spine. She likes the sound of that.

"I guess I can wait." Her smile turns cheeky. "But it'll be our third--"

"Ah, ah, ah," Chat cuts her off with a grin. He extends his thumb again. "First of all, I don't remember either of those."

Ladybug rolls her eyes, still smiling.

"And second," he says, his voice pitching lower and making her heart skip a beat, "it will be Marinette and Adrien's first kiss."

Oh, this boy, she thinks as her heart soars.

She bites her lip to keep from giggling. "I suppose you're right, even though we both know we're the same people."

Chat gives her a deadpan look. "Just let me have this, Bug."

She bursts into laughter and reaches for her yo-yo, delighting in watching a grin light her partner's face.

"I really am looking forward to Saturday," he says, unhooking his baton from his back. He reaches for her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "We'll talk about it later today, okay?"

She nods and watches him vault off toward home.

The wind against her face is exhilarating as she swings back to the bakery. It's amazing how one revelation seems to have changed everything. Even the zip of her yo-yo through the air sounds different to her ears now that she knows, now that he knows.

Marinette detransforms as she touches down on the terrace and sinks into her pink-striped chair while Tikki phases through the hatch into her room in search of food. A quick check of her phone tells her that she has ten minutes before she has to go back to school.

School. One more thing that's going to be different.

Before nerves can creep in, she thinks of Chat Noir and his beaming joy at learning the identity of his beloved partner. That was Adrien. She thinks of the comfort of being wrapped in Adrien's arms, his scent, his warmth. That was Chat Noir.

And when she sits down in class behind him in a few short minutes, that boy with the soft smile and shining eyes will look like Adrien, but now he's so much more.

Marinette stands up from her chair with a lighter heart than she can remember having in a long, long time. She's suddenly looking forward to the second half of the day, even more excited for Nino's event tomorrow night, and positively thrilled that she has a date with Adrien - who is Chat Noir! - on Saturday.

There's so much to experience, so many memories to be made. It feels a bit like a dream. It feels more than a bit scary. But it's going to be great.

It's just going to take a little courage.

She's got this.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fan fiction #identity reveal #adrien agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #ml fic #ml fanfic #adrienette #my writing #happy birthday jenna!#the real power move is posting this on an episode premiere day #thanks for reading it anyway

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anime-grimmy-art · 4 years ago

Photo

Told you guys I’d ramble in due time.

I absolutely adore Bravely Default 2. It came at a really bad time cos I can’t waste 70 hours on a jrpg, but well, it’s too late to be concerned about that now. And as is tradition with me obsessing over a new game / show / whatever, you’ll basically find a fullblown review disguised as ramblings right under the cut. Be aware that I’m gonna talk about EVERYTHING, so spoilers are a given. Some maybe even for the previous Bravely Default games.

Also, if you wanna talk about this game in any capacity, hit me up, I’m DESPERATE to talk more about it.

Just for reference on how long this is gonna be, I made a voice recording while driving to remember all the points I wanna make, and that recording is almost 2 hours long. I did cut it down but still, this is gonna be a lot.

I’ll start off with the things that actually bugged me about the game, since there are only 3 things that really bothered me. First of, I really don’t like that you can name Seth. He has too much personality to be a self insert and player integration is not that big of a part in the game that this decision can be justified. It wouldn’t bother me that much if it didn’t leave a bad mark on the ending. First of all, we were robbed of Gloria desperately shouting for Seth, which makes the impact work less, and it’s just so prevalent that the name can’t be said because you have all the normal sound design going. If they’d just let the credits still play I wouldn’t have batted an eye, but because every other sound comes in it’s so obvious they’re just silently shouting in this scene, which makes it look silly. Like I said, this decision is more a detriment than an addition, and it’s a shame it casts a shadow on an otherwise heartfelt ending.

Speaking about lost potential, the other thing that really bothers me is the lost potential in certain plot points and character conclusions. I mainly mean Adam and Edna here. Both of them have been built up to be these formidable foes but they just, die. If it was just Adam I’d be fine with it, since you expect Edna to backstab him and be the actual big bad of the story, but I cannot fathom why they dropped Edna this HARD. If not Edna herself, I don’t understand why we don’t get more of a reaction from the Fairies and especially Adelle. I mean, Edna was her sole reason she left for her journey in the first place, then Edna dies and that’s it? No part where she grieves for a second? No concern from the others about Adelle? Mind you, I haven’t finished all the Sidequests, so maybe there actually is one in which this is addressed, but I think even just a Party Chat after Bad End 1 would have been sufficient to show how Adelle suddenly feels about the loss of Edna. It would have made Bad End 2 / The Secret Ending even more impactful, because, yeah, of course, you kinda know Adelle isn’t going to turn her back on fairy kind, but one of the reasons she doesn’t leave is because if Enda didn’t get a happy ending, then she shouldn’t either. It would have been amazing foreshadowing if she showed this sentiment before this scene happened. Other than that, it’s a shame that we know so little about Edna, or rather, how she became “bad”. I get she’s supposed to be corrupted by the Night’s Nexus, but how did it even come to this? It can’t have been a gradual thing, after all, Adelle says Edna was always good natured and then just disappeared one day. Really would have loved seeing more of that plot point.

Ok, last gripe I have, some choices in the soundtrack and sound design. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the OST, and I will get to that, but damn, whatever Revo used for the lead instrument in Wiswald hurts my ears. It’s a really good track, but I always have to turn down my volume because these high pitched sounds physically hurt. And for sound design. Dude, the Night’s Nexus is the least threatening, nightmare fueled abomination that ever existed. I get that its growl is kinda supposed to be layered with Edna’s or sth, but it, it just sounds silly. If they went the route of just swinging between different voices or began distorting it from phase to phase, it would have been fine. But the choice they made really made an otherwise creepy design just absolutely silly.

Ok, enough jammering, on to the good stuff. Like I said, there’s going to be a lot, so I’ll try to be brief in each aspect.

Gameplay

I honestly like the new battle mechanics more than the old ones. This individual, turn based system feels way more dynamic and it’s easier to strategies in battles. Because nothing made me more angry than setting up for a heal and the enemy suddenly being faster than me and killing my healer. Now it’s easier to plan ahead a bit.

I also found myself experimenting more with the jobs. Not sure what it really is, but none of the party members leaning more towards certain types of jobs and the job leveling being way faster probably helped.

And I know some people get up in arms because the boss sometimes can be a real pain in the ass (looking at you pope dude), I still found it very interesting getting around counters or even using these counters as a benefit. As an example, I made Adelle my main physical fighter and gave her lots of counter abilities to help her profit from being countered by enemies themselves. Now, she can attack enemies, get countered, automatically evade that counter and earn a BP at the same time. Made a lot of boss fights way easier and fun to exploit.

Music

Ok, I will try my best to be really, really brief, because in my recording this part takes up almost 40 minutes. Anyways, Revo might have just become one of my absolute favorite composers ever. I don’t know what kind of magic he used, but I initially wasn’t that impressed with the OST, but every time I listened to it, I just fell in love harder and harder. Before getting into specifics, I wanna highlight the two things that made me love this OST overall. First of all, this soundtrack almost seems like a refinement of BD’s. While losing some of that fairytale vibe, it sounds even more fantasy now. And in contrast to the original, this almost sounds more balanced? Like, BD’s OST felt high energy throughout, BD2’s on the other hand manages to find a good balance between high and low energy pieces. Like, the character themes or battle themes are absolute hype, but the overworld themes are a lot calmer and easier to listen to while exploring. Second big point that makes this soundtrack amazing is that Revo is an absolute god at using emotional progression/storytelling and leitmotifs in his songs. And heck, do I love myself my leitmotifs. You’ve got some obvious ones, like the final battle theme in which all the character themes and other leitmotifs are integrated. Then you got some maybe more subtle once, just like how the overworld themes are just the main theme, just a lot calmer and using the lead instruments of the towns of the areas.

But my absolute favourites gotta be the character themes and the main theme. I love how fitting the themes for the characters are and in general, each of them is such a bop. At first I prefered Elvis’, because I sure am a sucker for jazzy vibes, but over time Adelle’s became my fav. It’s just something about the trumpets, and how the theme almost sounds a bit melancholic and bittersweet, that drew me in. And considering her story, mostly her bad end, that the bittersweet tone really fits.

Then there’s the main theme. Just like BD’s it shouts “triumphant anthem” and it definitely gives you a very familiar vibe, but I’d argue it has even better emotional progression. Heck, the first time I heard the music start up in the reveal trailer, I didn’t have to look at the screen to know this is gonna be a BD game. Also, the credit song version had me weeping at the true end. I’m someone who’s very easily affected by music (if me shouting about soundtracks on this blog wasn’t proof enough) and just hearing that ending song, getting the after credits scene, just for the second credits to start as a freaking duet. Dude, at that point I just started sobbing, I’m not gonna lie. Just this little part showed how much Revo knows how to put emotion in a song and also write it in such a way that he can elicit strong, emotional reactions from you too.

Story

People have been complaining how the story is too boring and kinda disappointing in comparison to the last one, but I just think the games tried to accomplish different things here. Since the BD series is a celebration of old, classic jrpgs, “cliche” storytelling is a given. Though, BD did throw a lot of meta stuff in there too. BD2 in contrast just feels like a direct execution of that initial idea. It feels familiar, it feels comfy and it feels safe. Except for the little things with the endings and then overwriting the Nexus’ “save file”, BD2 doesn’t really get that meta, which is totally fine. It doesn’t try to reinvent or innovate anything, it just wants to be a fantasy story, that might be cliche, but still fun and enjoyable in its own right.

I’d also argue that the pacing is a lot better than the old game, because with BD I sometimes found myself skipping through scenes to get on with the story. Not that this game didn’t have me rushing through stuff as well, but I found it kept my intrigue way better than the original.

Characters

Next to the music, this is the part that I absolutely love the most. While, yes, they did lose a lot of potential with some characters, mostly with the villains, the main cast is just so much fun. I love these 4 dorks so, so much.

I honestly can’t stand how much people compare them to the original cast. Yes, ofc, I’ve been doing my fair share of comparisons too, but calling these four a more boring version of BD’s party physically hurts me. Because except for some initial impressions, the Heroes of Light are completely different from our beloved Warriors of Light.

While yes, Seth and Gloria give off strong Tiz and Agnes vibes at first, they both grow into such different characters that they’re not really comparable. I think this shows with Adelle and Elvis even more. I do understand how people could compare Adelle and Edea, since they’re both the feisty girl type, but I can’t understand how people can see Ringabel and Elvis as the same character type. While those two are the “suave” party members, they act so differently from another. And that’s honestly apparent the first time you meet them.

Anyways, I love these 4 so much.

We technically don’t know a lot about Seth at all, but they manage to pull so much out of just the fact that he’s a sailor, that it makes him really endearing, really fast.

I was kinda disinterested with Gloria at first, because again, the initial impression was Agnés2.0, but she grew on me a lot. Gloria is way more hard headed and honestly sassy in comparison to Agnés and I absolutely adore it.

Elvis. Elvis, my man. I love this fantasy scottosh wizard so, so much. He’s such a ridiculous character but so endearing at the same time. You got all this dorkiness, with him setting himself on fire as a student, him doing god knows what for a good drink or just laughing danger and prejudice in the face. But then you got his super empathetic and caring side. Mind you, most of his wise moments come from quoting Lady Emma, but still, as much as he’s hopeless with certain social situations, he’s actually still really good at reading the room and playing things smart. He’s a smart and powerful idiot, which makes him a danger to everyone and himself, and I love him for it. (I also can’t believe they called him Lesley I MEAN COME ON)

And then there’s Adelle. I liked her from the start, but I didn’t think she would stick out to me. I think now she’s my favourite character. Not even talking about all the stuff that happens in chapter 3 and onward, because these story threads are awesome in their own right, but there’s just something about her personality that’s interesting and appealing to me. Like I said, I’m not surprised people compare her to Edea, I did too at first, but while Edea walks very close to the line of a Tsundere, I was really surprised that Adelle is, well, not a Tsundere at all. Yeah, of course she’s putting Elvis down a lot, but that stems more from her preventing his ego from going to his head than her being all embarrassed. No, Adelle is actually really well adjusted when it comes to communication. While it’s hilarious that she and Elvis met with her chucking her shoes at him, the two just got along well right from the start. Adelle in general has this really open and helpful personality, but also doesn’t shy away from putting her foot down, even if that sometimes comes out as an embarrassed sputter. She’s also the mother hen of the group. She looks out for the other three and gets concerned about them real fast.

I dunno, Adelle just really grew on me over the course of this game, and then her kinda being paired with Elvis too, as partners and as partners, makes me like her even more. Because as much as I like their personalities individually, I like their character dynamic even more. I honestly love the relationships between all four of them a lot. You really feel them grow closer as friends and all the little character sidequests just always made me really happy.

Conclusion

You might not believe me, but I really held back there. This could probably have been 3 times its length. As much as I love this game, it’s of course not perfect. It struggles and flails in some parts a lot and it certainly has some aspects that might turn people off. But for me, it was just a very familiar and comfy game that didn’t necessarily deliver anything new, but that told its story in such a way that it still got me excited to keep going. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and the conclusion of the story actually got me to cry. While not groundbreaking, this game is highly enjoyable and leaves you absolutely satisfied at the end.

Also, I would like to iterate that I am desperate to get more content about this game, so if you wanna chat about it, hit me up.

Anyways, anyone else felt like having a fever dream when everybody in chapter 2 started talking fantasy scottish? Cos I sure did.

#bravely default #bravely default 2 #bd #bd2 #fanart #review #ramblings #seth #gloria #adelle #elvis #elvis lesley

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elentiyawhitethorn · 4 years ago

Text

When Passion Rules the Game | Part Seven

CW: NSFW, language

AN: Wow, I wrote seven chapters in seven days and I feel so accomplished! This fic has been so fun to write, and I hope everybody enjoyed. (Last chapter btw)

Part Six//Masterlist//2835 words

By some miracle, Aelin made it through the rest of the day. She introduced herself to Nox, showed him the ropes, and got some work done. And as soon as she had completed the day’s tasks, she just about bolted out to her car, headed to Rowan’s apartment.

There was no hesitation in Aelin’s mind as she firmly knocked on Rowan’s door. He would let her in, explain, and she would realize that this was all some cosmic joke.

Aelin heard footsteps approach the door, and she braced herself, straightening her back and plastering a smile on her face.

But the door never opened. After a moment, Aelin heard the footsteps retreat, and she blinked in confusion.

She knocked again.

Another minute passed. No more noises sounded within the apartment, and Aelin started to scowl. What right did he have to ignore her? She was his boss! Well, not anymore—but that was beside the point.

Aelin reached for the handle and jiggled it, but it was locked.

“Rowan,” she called. “Please let me in.”

“Dammit, go away, Aelin.”

She hadn’t been expecting a response, and to hear that animosity toward her frightened her. Rowan must have quit because she was sleeping with him, and he wasn’t comfortable with the situation. Aelin had never done anything like this before, never unintentionally harassed someone out of their job, and her heart started aching. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Coming to terms with the fact that Rowan wasn’t going to let her in the door, Aelin pulled a bobby-pin from her hair and inserted it into the lock. She had been a rambunctious teenager, always causing poor Aedion and her parents trouble, and picking a lock was second nature to her.

She smiled internally as the last tumbler fell into place and the lock clicked. Aelin absentmindedly discard the bobby pin in her purse and turned the knob.

Rowan was sitting on the couch, hunched over with his head in his hands, clearly upset about something. His head snapped up the instant Aelin walked in, and his eyes narrowed. “How did you—”

Aelin shut the door, cutting him off. “Why did you quit.” She was slightly angry at herself, and it came out in her tone.

Rowan sighed. “I resigned.”

“Same difference. Tell me why.”

Rowan stood up, but still kept his distance. “I found a new job. I thought it would be a better opportunity for me.”

Aelin scoffed. “You were just relocated to Terrasen. Don’t tell me you’re moving again.”

“I’m not moving. I got a job at Salvaterre Enterprises. It pays more.”

“If you wanted a raise, I—”

“I left. It’s done. There is nothing to say.”

Aelin frowned, trying to cover up the fact that her heart was fracturing in her chest. “But—”

“Do you always break into the homes of employees who decide they don’t want to work for you anymore?”

The ice in Rowan’s voice had Aelin trembling. “I want to know if you’re leaving because of me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re sleeping with me!” Aelin yelled. “And you’re quitting because you’re worried about it or you’re not comfortable with it or something and I can’t just let you do that! I can’t just sexually harass one of my employees and let them leave.”

Rowan’s eyes widened. “You’re not… Aelin, this is not your fault.”

“Then what is this?” she rasped. “Why did you even apply at Salvaterre Enterprises anyway?”

She could see the hesitation in his eyes. Rowan took a step forward, then paused. “I can’t… I just needed to go. I’ve never been uncomfortable around you, Aelin, I swear.”

“Then why, Rowan, did you go? Because I’m going to keep believing this is my fault if you don’t prove otherwise.”

He hissed out a breath and turned around, running his hands through his hair. “It’s because I…”

“Because you what?”

“I can’t… I shouldn’t say.”

“Tell me,” Aelin’s demanded. She dropped her purse on the floor so that she could cross her arms.

“Because I’m in love with you!” Rowan shouted, spinning back around. “Because I love how passionate you are about your work, and how funny you are, and how you pretend to have an attitude but spend your whole life trying to help people. I love the way you tuck your hair behind your ears when you’re nervous, and how red your face gets when you’re embarrassed, and I even love the way you eat your gods-damn bagels with a fork. And I can’t do it anymore!”

Aelin couldn’t summon words. Rowan loved her?

He was breathing hard, surprise evident on his face. Maybe he hadn’t meant to say all that.

“I think you should go, Aelin. Don’t feel bad. You’re not to blame.” Rowan sighed, turning his head.

He expected her to leave. To walk out and pretend this had never happened, to forget about him. Aelin didn’t know what she was going to do next, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to forget about him.

Rowan took a deep breath, then looked back at Aelin, who wasn’t breathing at all. “I’m sorry, Aelin. But I need you to leave now.”

Aelin didn’t do that.

Rowan gasped in surprise as he felt Aelin’s lips crash into his. She had mindlessly surged forward with no intentions of stopping herself. Aelin fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer, tangling her tongue with his. Rowan kissed her back for what could have been a minute or an hour; Aelin was too lost in him to tell. When he finally pulled back, they were both panting.

“What does that mean?” Rowan gasped out.

“I think I might be in love with you, too.”

Rowan yanked her back to his mouth, and Aelin felt herself melting into his touch, trying to get closer and closer, touching as much of his body as she could.

They parted again, and Rowan raised his hand to her face. “You really feel the same?” His thumb stroked her cheek and Aelin leaned into the touch.

“Of course I do. You’re amazing and kind and hilarious, and despite your protests to the contrary, you’re a total sweetheart. I love you, Rowan. I should have noticed it a lot sooner, and I must have been blind not to until now, but I see it now. I love you.”

Rowan leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you, too. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve cared about people, but no one has ever driven me so insane.”

Aelin laughed. “I drive you insane? I have never broken so many rules because of one man. And that’s really saying something.”

“Oh, I know,” he replied, their noses brushing. “No goody two shoes knows how to pick locks.”

“Don’t ask me about that,” Aelin said, laughing. “Or I’ll ask you why you have a picture of a scowling teenage boy with chains dangling from his jeans hanging up on the wall.”

Rowan groaned. “My mom made me hang that up when I moved in.”

“Oh, you’re a mama’s boy, then?” Aelin teased.

Rowan smiled, but the expression turned fond as he leaned forward that last half-inch and kissed her. It was nothing like any of the kisses they’d shared before; this one was soft and sweet. This one was full of love.

When they pulled apart this time, Aelin whispered, “I still can’t believe you love me.”

“Neither can I,” he replied softly. “I never expected you to say it back. Though I’ll admit, I wasn’t surprised to find you stubbornly knocking on my door.”

Aelin smiled, then tugged Rowan down to the couch, plumping onto his lap. “So now that we’ve gotten the love confessions out of the way, maybe we can try to be in a relationship? Be together?”

Rowan smiled. “I would love that. But I might have to dump you if you ever call me a sweetheart again.”

Aelin let out a choked laugh. “But you’re so sweet. Like a little cinnamon bun.”

“I really hope you did not just say that.”

Aelin grinned. “Now that we have all this sorted, you’ll come back to the company? Nox was good at the job, but he doesn’t have your work ethic, and I had to tell him how to—”

Rowan smiled sadly and interrupted her. “Babe, you would be my boss. We may be able to keep a lid on friends with benefits, but you think no one’s going to be upset to hear you’re in a relationship with me?”

“I don’t care what people think,” Aelin insisted, despite the sinking feeling in her gut.

He tugged her farther onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s still wrong. I can’t do it.”

“But… Rowan, you can’t give up your job for me.”

“I’m not. And if it came down to it, I probably wouldn’t. And neither would you, I would guess, should you ever be in that position. Your dedication to your career is one of the things I love about you.” At Aelin’s sad nod, he added, “But I got job with Salvaterre Enterprises, remember?”

Aelin rasied her brow.

“I wasn’t lying,” Rowan said with a grin. “I got a good position there, nothing worse than I had with you. I’ll miss working with you, but I’m excited to be working there, and I’m excited to be with you.”

Aelin bit her lip. “Okay, but I don’t care that you already got hired. I’m sending a recommendation for you. Not just because I love you—never because of that—but because you are an amazing worker. Besides, I know Lorcan.”

Rowan blinked in surprise. “Lorcan Salvaterre?”

Aelin flashed a grin. “We went to college together. Like you, he pretends to be an ass, but is super sweet.” Rowan scowled, and she laughed. “And he’s head-over-heels for Elide. I’ve been trying to set them up for ages.”

“Wow,” Rowan said.

“Underestimating my connections?” Aelin asked snarkily.

“Just shocked that you have friends with money. After all, you just about swiped my savings last time we played poker.”

Aelin smirked. “Lorcan always paid up in other ways.”

“I really hope you didn’t just imply…” Rowan trailed off.

“Imply what?” Aelin asked innocently.

“Did you sleep with my new boss?” Rowan asked, dreading the answer.

She laughed. “No, I was just kidding. I made him do my homework for a month every time he lost.”

Rowan breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised you would trust someone to control what grade you get.”

Aelin snorted. “Oh, I wouldn’t. I turned in my own work. I just wanted to make him do it for the fun of it. He went ballistic when he found out I never turned any of his hours’ worth of work in. He’s been trying to get me back for it ever since.”

“Um, perhaps I won’t tell him I’m in a relationship with you, then?”

Aelin cackled.

After another hour of chatting and laughing, Aelin decided she would tell her cousin and friends about this tomorrow, and Rowan said he would do the same by calling his mom. She could barely contain the joy that flowed through her thinking that people would know about them, that he cared about her enough to tell his mother already.

The hand that Rowan had resting on her thigh started stroking her, and Aelin started trying to recall what underwear she had put on his morning. Hopefully something nice.

Aelin ground down on Rowan’s lap, and he stood in one sudden movement, pulling her legs around his waist. Aelin sighed against his neck as he carried her to the bedroom. It sure as hell wasn’t the first time she’d been in here, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Aelin smiled into Rowan’s shirt, but that smile dissolved when Rowan threw her onto the bed. She smiled up at him prettily, the epitome of virtuous and wholesome. Rowan just snorted and said, “Take your clothes off and touch yourself.”

Feeling blood race to her face, Aelin sensually stripped off each piece of clothing, a bit more urgently than she’d been attempting to do. It was hard to act sexy when Rowan was shirtless and smirking at her.

Once she finished, Aelin lay back and spread her legs slightly. She let one hand tug on several strands of hair, delighting in the way Rowan’s eyes tracked her hands.

Then Aelin licked her lips and moved one hand to her stomach to stroke the smooth skin. She smirked at Rowan as she moved her other hand to her mouth and sucked on her thumb, making sure he was able to see as her tongue swirled around the digit. Aelin brought her wet thumb to her nipple and rubbed it roughly, parting her lips in a breathy moan.

She noticed the bulge in Rowan’s pants becoming more apparent as she played with her nipple and teased him with the hand moving on her lower stomach, and she grinned. “Get on with it,” Rowan growled.

Laughing, Aelin spread her legs farther and trailed her hand down, pressing a finger into her entrance. She immediately gasped and inserted another finger, unused to having control over when she got what she wanted.

Knowing exactly what she was thinking as she started thrusting her fingers harder, Rowan smirked and pulled his shirt off. No matter that seeing him watching her made her even wetter, Aelin couldn’t concentrate on what she was doing when she looked at him. She averted her eyes to ceiling and started pumping her fingers in deeper, groaning.

But it was not to be. “Look at me,” Rowan commanded, and Aelin had no choice but to obey.

Holding his gaze, Aelin thrust her hips into her hand and and brought the second hand down the rub furiously at her clit. She was moaning now, making more noises than she did when she was by herself, turned on by the way Rowan rid himself of his pants and started pumping his own length.

“Stop,” Rowan ordered, right as she felt release nearing. She couldn’t. She couldn’t stop. She was so close, and just few more thrusts and she would be at the edge and—

Aelin’s hands were forcibly removed from her pussy, and she cried out as she was flipped over on the bed and spanked.

“What did I tell you?” Rowan’s voice was the sharpened edge of a blade, and Aelin shivered.

“You told me to stop,” she whispered.

Rowan’s hand smacked her ass once more. “And did you?”

Aelin whimpered. “No, sir.”

He spanked her again, his hand stinging the sensation flesh of her bottom. “Why not?”

“Because,” Aelin rasped, trying to summon even a single coherent thought, “I needed to come. I needed to.”

“Hmm,” Rowan said, trailing his finger along the curve of her ass. She shivered at the sensation. “But you knew I wouldn’t let you. And look where we are now.”

Aelin squirmed in his grasp. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” He brought his hand down, the slap sound filling the air. “Or are you just saying that so I’ll stop?”

“I’m sorry. Please, I’m so sorry.” Aelin clung to the sheets, burying her face.

Rowan hummed thoughtfully and spanked her again. But before Aelin could beg him to stop again, callused hands gripped her thighs and spread them, Rowan’s cock filling her almost instantly.

Aelin moaned loudly into the sheets. “Rowan, gods.”

He grabbed her hips, pulling her onto her knees and farther onto his cock. She whined and lifted her ass higher in the air.

Rowan’s grip was bruising as he slammed into her. He started pounding into her, and Aelin wondered how she was supposed to walk into work tomorrow and concentrate on her job, let alone walk at all.

The fingers Rowan had on her hips dug harder into her skin, and Aelin felt even wetter knowing that he was marking her right now. His cock was hardening fully inside of Aelin, and the immense awareness she had of him was driving her crazy.

Rowan’s balls slapped her pussy and she screamed into the sheets, her orgasm forcing its way over her body in a shattering earthquake of pleasure. Rowan kept moving, fucking her senseless as she shook and screamed, finally coming and spilling into her.

Once he separated their bodies and rolled over, Aelin turned on her side and put both an arm and a leg across his body. “I love you.”

Rowan kissed her neck. “I love you, too, darling.”

Aelin snuggled closer and, instead of reflecting on her previous shortsightedness and poor judgment, thought about how much she was looking forward to a life being teased, laughed at, fucked, and loved by Rowan.

Little did Aelin know, Elide would owe Dorian twenty bucks after losing the bet about how long it would take them to confess their feelings. What an interesting day tomorrow would be.

———

Tag List:

@aelin-bitch-queen

@autumnbabylon

@evolving-dreamer

@feysand-loml

@flora-shadowshine

@gracie-rosee

@infernoqueen19

@julemmaes

@lemonade-coolattas

@live-the-fangirl-life

@midsizewitch

@mis-lil-red

@morganofthewildfire

@nehemikkele

@pagemasters

@realbookloverproblems

@rhysandswingspan

@rowanaelinn

@sexy-dumpster-fire

@sleeping-and-books

@story-scribbler

@swankii-art-teacher

@thenerdandfandoms

@theysayitscrazy

@yesdreamblog

#rowaelin #tog #when passion rules the game #my writing

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