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ray-gt · 22 days

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A Night at the Quasar Cafe [gtgotcha4gaza]

For: @biggnansmol, @gtgotcha4gaza Prompt: First Date (giant/human) Summary: Sabine Ducote is professionally curious, or at least that's how she likes to describe her work. Part private eye, part bounty hunter, she makes a living dealing in other people's business. But when a favour sends her to a sketchy out-of-quadrant "Boundary Bar" to meet with an informant four times her size, Sabine realises just how dangerous curiosity can be.

CW: side character death, descriptions of minor violence

[ao3]

The Informant

Sabine’s ship communicator flashed a bright red and she didn’t know whether to smile or groan when she saw the ID. She decided on both. She ignored it for a while, focussing on navigating to the jump point, hoping the call would die.

On the back of her neck, the hairs pricked.

Let him wait

But when it began bipping incessantly - angry at being ignored, like a toddler pulling at her pant leg - she finally answered.

“With all this cold calling, Jay, I’m beginning to think you’re sweet on me.”

Jay’s voice erupted with something between a cough, a bark, and a laugh. Sabine could imagine the volcanic ash pouring from his thick, scarred lips, and between his black mandibles, as he sat in his office, looking over the bright lights of Blue Marine, the casino empire he built from nothing to cover an entire moon.

No doubt, there was a Nethulyan cigar between his pincers - Sabine could almost smell the smoke through her ship’s speakers.

“Ah, Saba,” He said with a wheeze. “You know me, can’t be tied down. But if I were to go for one of you gross, fleshy humans, you’re first on my list.”

“Every girl’s dream. Though really, Jay, being first hasn’t exactly done me any favours.”

“The Irixes still on your tail?”

She couldn’t help but tense her fists around the ship controls. She fought every instinct in her begging to turn around, to check no one was sneaking up on her. Rationally, she knew it was impossible for the Irixes to be on her ship, but it didn’t stop the slow wave of goosebumps washing over her skin.

“Yeah, yours isn’t the only list I’m top of.” She muttered, reworking her route to accomodate an approaching comet. “Hugo got life.”

“I heard. Took every lawyer within 20 systems to stop him getting a sunset. Well, that’s the business, ain’t it?” She heard Jay’s mandible’s click together over the line - his equivalent of a mother’s disappointed tut. “Lotta money in the Go’oran trade, but it’s a risky market and the competition’s killer.” This earned another laboured laugh, chuffed at his own joke. “Hugo’s top dog. They’ll be lost without him for a while.”

“And they’re channeling all that loss into finding my arse and roasting it on a spit.”

“Come on, Saba. That’s not their style. They’d much rather spaghettify you in a black hole.”

“Which is why I’m getting as far away from Keridian as I can.”

“This is what happens when you take jobs with the authorities. No protection, no thank you - just a lowballed cheque and lot of enemies. Never met anyone more crooked than a judge, I’ll tell you that much for free.”

“About the only thing you’d do for free.”

“I have something you might like.” His voice peaked in a tease, like a used ship salesmen slapping a claw on a vessel that wouldn’t even reach orbit.

“I’m lying low.”

She knew there was no point hinting with him. It wasn’t that he was daft. He’d pick up a hint, but he’d prefer to crush it between his pretty orange pincers than take it seriously.

“I know, but I’ve always said the best way to get over an old job is to pick up a new one.”

“We’re talking about one of the biggest crime families in the galaxy, Jay, not one of your exes.”

“Eh,” He offered in response, taking a long drag of the cigar. She knew he was rolling his head on his neck, unconvinced. “You want a job.”

“I want quiet.”

“Quiet’s boring. You want something that makes you curious.”

“Isn’t that what kills the cat?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Earth thing.”

“Ah.”

Her navigator flashed, warning her she was approaching the jump point.

“Look, Jay, I’m about to make a jump and I’m not calling you back.”

Jay clicked his mandibles again and voice became unusually sober.

“I need you to take this job, Saba. I don’t trust anyone else. Consider it the Favour.”

Sabine ground her teeth together and veered her ship off-course, pulling out of the high-trafficked bottleneck leading up to the jump point.

Jay wasn’t a good person but, really, neither was she. He was one of her first clients when she entered the trade and they quickly formed a profitable partnership. Sabine was good at getting information and Jay was good at using it. It wasn’t a question of morality - they’d both happily take money from the sinners and the saints - but there was an unspoken honour code to these things. Once you commit to a job, you finish it. And a favour is always repaid.

She put the ship into an idle orbit around a nearby moon and stood up. Pacing, she took groups of her braids and begun weaving them together into one large plait. She couldn’t speak. It was like she’d been caught snitching by the Moth-Ean cartel and had her jaw sealed shut.

“You still there?”

Sabine rubbed her eyebrows.

“I can’t believe you’re calling in the Favour. With the Irixes sending word to every contact in the Quadrant. I’d be surprised if my face wasn’t slapped on every Keridian bounty board available.”

“Stop acting like this is your first time in hot water. You want safe, Saba? I could’ve given you a job working tables at Blue Marine. The Irixes are no worse than the Tooras, or the Solaris Siblings, the Li Party, or any of the other targets you’ve had.”

Sabine sighed and shook her arms in an effort to rid them of the tickling nerves shivering within. He was right. This wasn’t the first time people had tried to intimidate her and stop her from working - if they killed her or chased her off, that’d be a win for them. She had to keep going like they didn’t scare the living shit out of her.

But, there were very few people as deadly as Hugo Irix. It’d taken more time, resources, and personal sacrifice than she’d like to admit to become a trusted member of his circle, learn the key nodes of the Irixes Go’oran trade network, and systematically turn them in with enough evidence to get Hugo a life sentence in maximum security.

The look she’d shared with him as she stepped up to testify….

“What’s the job?”

“There’s my Saba! I was afraid I’d lost her. Don’t worry, compared to Hugo, this is child’s play.”

Sabine doubted that. Knowing Jay, he wouldn’t use the Favour on something simple. He had a better eye for value than that. She didn’t interrupt him though and he kept going.

“And it’s far enough away from Keridian that the Irixes won’t follow you. They have very little presence.”

“Out of Quadrant?”

“Boundary. Have you ever been to the Quasar Cafe?”

***

Sabine approached the Reeka woman from across the adjusted bar, weaving past other mixed size gatherings. As she passed, she heard snippets of conversations, locking any interesting details away in case they became relevant later.

Mostly, the folk who occupied the mixed size bars wanted to keep their business to themselves. It wasn’t illegal, per se, to mix with other species of such varying sizes, but it definitely wasn’t the norm. The hushed chatter of business deals or awkward flirting floated around her like the gentle thrum of a ship engine.

There was the shabby business woman whose eyes never left her cradled glass as a large, brick wall of a Hexigal slid a black bag across the table with his pinky. It would take her both arms to lift it. As it was nudged, the bag squirmed but made no sound.

“As promised.” Grumbled the Hexigal. The woman neither moved nor spoke.

Then there was the over-confident human, teething a martini olive as the reptilian skin of the large Olura (nearly double his height) opposite him shifted from a deep blue to a brilliant chartreuse. A blush if Sabine could hazard a guess. Or, at least, close enough.

Next to the Reeka, a Zidirin (half Sabine’s height) and a Vojuk (5 times and then some) spoke in low tones over a game of mahjong. Seeing the familiar Earth game in a Boundary Bar half a galaxy away almost made her do a double-take. How did it get there? Where’d they learn it?

Despite the sea of curiosities that flooded the bar, the Reeka woman stood out, and not just because she was four times Sabine’s height. Reekas were a colourful and extravagant species. Jaunty, gaudy, vivacious. It was said Reeka weddings often ended in funerals when someone inevitably laughed, drunk, or danced themselves to death.

Sabine had never met one before. The few she’d seen were only in passing as they rarely ventured outside their territory. Her skin was a pale green and her hair a vibrant candyfloss pink. And despite the attention she garnered simply by existing, she was nervous.

Coy.

Her eyes, like polished peridot, kept glancing around - aware of everyone, focussing on none. Her long, slender fingers knotted themselves in the bright orange fabric of her skirt. She’d clearly come straight from work. The clash of orange and red fabric was harsh, even for the Cafe, and reminded Sabine of the uniforms diner waitresses used to wear in the 1950s.

She looked like a fresh hunt, unsure of the cage. Trusting neither the feeding hand, nor the whip. The patter of rain and the rattle of chains were, to her, equally menacing.

Sabine had met with a lot of informants before - blabber mouths who didn’t know the meaning of ‘relevant’ and the tight-lipped types who’d rather have their teeth pulled than give anything up. The opportunists, cowards, good Samaritans.

The ‘What’s in it for me's…

The ‘Maybe if I’d’s…

The ‘You didn’t hear it from me’s…

But for the most part, they looked like this. Baby giraffes on gangly legs, wide-eyed, wondering how everyone else can walk around normally when the ground was shifting beneath their feet.

Most people in the galaxy didn’t know how to turn on a stunner, let alone fire it. Most people couldn’t fly an interplanetary ship, let alone interstellar. Most people heard Hugo Irix’s name for the first time when he was arrested. They weren’t as tightly woven into the fabric as Sabine. The weren’t aware of the back rooms, back alleys, backstabbing.

This kind of informant both comforted and saddened her. Could she even remember a time when the universe shocked her with its real face?

She rolled her neck on her shoulders as she approached.

There was one part of this job which was different from the others. Her first Reeka. Her first… well, anyone this large.

In principle, the big folk handled the big folk. The same went for Sabine and her circles. People kept to their business, and that business only mingled in the most extraordinary circumstances.

Well, Jay, She thought. Consider me curious.

“Vivara?”

The Reeka’s head snapped up, both over-prepared for and surprised by the interruption. Though her gaze went too high - too used to meeting her own kind at eye-level. It took her a beat to realise the empty space ahead of her and adjust. She seemed, if only just, surprised by just how far her eyes had to travel before they landed on Sabine.

It didn’t matter that she was expecting a human, or that she was meeting a stranger at a Boundary Bar in the mixed section - she still looked surprised. She didn’t even attempt to hide her shock and fascination. Like her childhood doll had suddenly sprung to life and called her name.

She wasn’t alone. Much to Sabine’s own surprise, her skin began to buzz when their eyes met. While she’d dealt with larger folk - mostly walls of flesh valued for the way their arms resembled tree trunks - she could hardly call them ‘big’ now. Here, in a way that was entirely foreign, was a towering creature, both impressive and lithe. Powerful and delicate. Features refined and precise. She existed at scale that should be considered brutish, but there couldn’t be a word less apt. Under her rounded stare - innocent, fascinated, unsure - Sabine was hyper-aware of herself. To be swallowed whole in one glance left her feeling like she was naked with a cold wind tickling across her skin. An odd sensation to be sure, here at the back of an intimate, humid bar in a forgotten corner of the Galaxy.

She cleared her throat, pushing the feeling away with a shake of her head.

Focus.

“Sorry, I’m late.” She said as she sat opposite the Reeka, adjusting her jacket in a stolen moment to compose herself.

From her pocket, she produced a small, round device. It looked like a standard communicator, mid-range and unremarkable, but had been modded with far more sensitive microphones to record their conversation. She pressed a small, indiscernible button on the side and placed it on the table between them

She wasn’t late. She’d been at the bar since before Vivara arrived, tucked into a corner and watching to see if anyone was tailing her or if she truly was alone. Only when she was satisfied, did Sabine make herself known.

“The IH472A was a nightmare.” She continued. “But you know how the end of the week is.”

The Reeka woman didn’t say anything. Despite their difference in size, she seemed intimidated by Sabine - scattered and frozen like the shards of glass that stared back at you after taking a bat to a mirror. Not that Sabine knew anything about that.

It didn’t bother her, she knew how these things started. Now she was seated and ready to interview, she felt that initial buzz begin to fade to a dull, distant hum.

She met the large peridot eyes again and smiled her best smile, which Jay thought still needed work after all these years.

What the fuck is that, Saba? Are you trying to fuck me or kill me?

It wasn’t the first time he’d suggested mandibles would make her face more appealing.

I know a girl - very talented. She did Charley’s second pair. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do anything about Charley’s personality.

“I’m Sabine,” She said. “Thanks of meeting with me, Vivara. I know this all must be overwhelming.”

At the mention of her own name, Vivara’s green cheeks deepened in colour. It was as if it shook her from her trance and made her aware of how much she was staring. Her shoulders ever so slightly relaxed back onto her chair and she untwisted her fingers from her skirt to tuck a loose strange of pink hair behind her ear.

“Sorry,” She muttered, her voice lower than her pointed, elfin features suggested. “I’ve never been to a place like this.”

She gestured around her with jagged movements. From her jumpiness, her waitress uniform, and the neat curl of her pink hair, that was hardly a revelation. But she suspected there was more in the comment.

Sabine nodded. “That’s ok. I’ve been to enough Boundary Bars for the two of us.” Liar. “They’re aren’t as scary as they seem. Jay’s people chose the Quasar for your benefit more than anything else.”

She frowned. “Really?”

“Yes. They figured you would want a place where no one would recognise you, but that wouldn’t require you to leave Reeka territory.”

“I appreciate that. Can you imagine if people knew I was going to a Boundary Bar.” Vivara’s laugh was breathy, and the sound of it made Saba’s buzz spike. “I feel like I’m so out of my depth here. But if I went into your Quadrant, I don’t know if there would be anywhere I could even fit through the door. And if I could, where I wouldn’t be gawked at.”

There was a harmony in the way she spoke, a natural fluidity that took her from one word to the next. Sabine could see the version of her that existed prior to her being involved in this mess. Open. Free. Unburdened. She decided not to tell Vivara that even here, in the Quasar Cafe, where Reekas were regulars and mixed meetings were the norm, she still drew the attention of everyone present. Every now and then, the focus of the mahjong players on the neighbouring table was broken by a glance in her direction. She didn’t blame them, even Sabine had been shocked when she saw Vivara first arrive.

But it did make things difficult for Sabine. With everyone so aware of the beautiful Reeka in the room, either consciously or subconsciously, they’d be suspicious of why someone like her would be in a place like this. As she chipped away at the wall of strangerhood between them, Sabine worked through options. What legitimate reason would she have for being here? With her of all people.

“You’d be surprised.” She said. “The galaxy is much more diverse than you might think.”

“Are most people in your Quadrant as… - sorry, there’s no other word - small as you?”

For reasons unexplained, Sabine felt her blood go hot. There was something about that word, small, that brought the difference in size between them back to the forefront. She’d never been described as small before, being above average height for a human woman. She’d been called weak - even short by a few of the taller species - but never small. Small felt all-encompassing. An assessment. A metric of how little space she took up. Small could be dismissed with a flick of the wrist.

It set her jaw.

“You’ve definitely never been over the border have you?”

Vivara’s cheeks deepened again. “Sorry. No. I haven’t. I don’t really know what I’m meant to do here.”

Sabine rolled her head on her shoulders, enjoying the way the space between the vertebrae popped as she did.

“There’s no rush, we can start when and where you’re most comfortable.”

Saba read the files Jay sent through a few times when they arrived. This wasn’t even her first interview on the matter. Before arriving at the Qasar, she’d spoken to a few cursory people. But this was her most important.

Jay’s son, Jayron, had, without his father’s knowing, began dealing with a powerful Reeka crime syndicate, with the intent to establish his own Blue Marine in Reeka territory. However, before Jay could put a stop to it, Jayron disappeared.

His last known location? Back booth of a diner, served by the only waitress on shift - a green-skinned Reeka with bright pink hair.

Which is why they were there, meeting at the Quasar. Jay didn’t want a Reeka investigating, having little knowledge of their networks and who was on whose payroll. And he didn’t trust the authorities, particularly when it came to inter-quadrant cases.

“I don’t really know if I’ll be of any help.” Vivara rambled. “I didn’t even know anything was wrong until your friends contacted me.”

Saba’s lips twitched at the implication she and Jay’s network were just a group of friends. That she was there for any reason other than professional obligation. It was sweet - the kind of naivety she was always so hesitant to tarnish.

If she could be honest, Sabine never really liked Jayron. Where Jay’s over-confident irreverence painted him as a seasoned and savvy businessman, those same traits were brash and childish in his son.

“Let me be the judge of what is and isn’t relevant. All I need from you is what you remember.”

“Ok.” Vivara nodded. Then she frowned. “So, what are you? A bounty hunter? A private eye?”

“Sometimes.” Sabine shrugged. “I like to think myself as professionally curious.“

She paused. Behind Vivara, she noticed another Reeka walk past and sit himself down at a nearby table. He had bright orange skinned and blue hair, and when he glanced in their direction, his eyes were cerulean. They flicked between her and Vivara. There was a squint in his gaze and tension in his shoulders, and his fingers danced on the rim of his glass. He wasn’t, as some might assume on first inspection, here for leisure.

He was here for Vivara.

There you are.

She knew they’d send someone. Nothing like a Boundary Bar to make everyone think they’re more discrete than they actually are. That was the real reason for the Quasar - information. Some from Vivara herself, and the rest from what her presence would tease out, like mice from the walls.

The last thing she wanted was to make Vivara aware of anything that would make her even more nervous. Sabine’s priority was to diffuse suspicion and collect the information she needed without putting Vivara in any further danger.

In this instance, she had the advantage of anonymity. The Reeka networks didn’t know her name or face. They had no reason to suspect this was anything more than two people having a drink together.

Just then, a waitress walked past them and Sabine waved her down. She was another Reeka woman with deep blue skin and black hair. While her clothes were dark, her smile and demeanour were bright.

At her approach, Vivara’s eyes found the floor - as if she were embarrassed that another of her kind would find her in a place like this. Even though, to the waitress, they were the least interesting patrons she’d served that week, let alone that night. She worked the mixed section of a Boundary Bar between different sized territories, while striking, Vivara was far too vanilla to be anything more to this waitress than a passing thought.

“Welcome folks!” The waitress beamed. “Can I get you anything to start?”

Sabine smiled, “Just the house for me. Vivara?”

She looked over at her informant. The floor must have really taken her because it took Sabine repeating her name to get her attention. And even then, she seemed to refuse to meet the waitress’s eyes.

“Ummm, the same, I guess.”

“Easy!” The waitress said, unperturbed. “And how long have you two been together, if you don’t mind me asking?”

That got Vivara’s attention. Her head shot up, her face, neck and chest flushed a deep forest colour. But before she could protest, Sabine interjected.

“Actually, this is our first date.” She made a point of sending a coy look at Vivara. “A mutual friend set us up. And we picked the Quasar because… well, you know.”

Vivara couldn’t have looked more lost if she tried. The poor thing could only stare, embarrassed, as Sabine took charge of the conversation.

The waitress placed a hand on her chest as she cooed. “Of course, aren’t you lucky! I wish I had friends like that. Well,” She said with a knowing smile. “I’ll get your order sorted. Have a good night, girls. Sing out if you need anything.”

When she was well out of sight, Vivara leant across the table, her size more pronounced the closer she got and Sabine found herself leaning back and away despite herself. She could feel Vivara’s breath wash over her.

“Why’d you say that?” Her whisper was harsh and it sent an unfamiliar thrill through Sabine’s veins.

“What?”

“That we’re on a date!”

Sabine shrugged. “It’s always easiest to go with what people believe. Why would I waste the effort trying to conjure a new lie that would barely convince her. You’re so obviously nervous. You’d sweat less if you were trapped in a tin can on Venus - that’s a planet from my system.” She clarified when Vivara frowned. “-You can barely look me in the eye and you’re stammering through every sentence. And that’s normal.” Sabine added softly. “She thinks you’re acting like that because we’re on a date. Let’s roll with it. We’re on a date and you’re telling me a story.”

Vivara pursed her lips. “Usually my dates are taller.”

Sabine felt her eyebrows raise on their own accord. “And mine are more articulate.”

Vivara’s shoulders sagged.

“Sorry,” She said for the third time that evening and guilt wound it’s way around Sabine’s heart and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll tell you everything.”

Sabine’s eyes stole a moment to glance at the shadowing Reeka man. He was typing into a communicator. She raised a hand to Vivara.

“Not yet. Let’s start again. We’re on a date.”

“Right. Yes. Wow, it’s been a while since I was last on a date.”

“You’re joking.” Sabine wasn’t even acting. Even if Vivara turned around and told her exactly where Jayron was and all the contacts involved with his disappearance, that at would be the second most surprising thing she could have revealed that night.

Sabine didn’t date often either. She told herself it was because she was busy, or that it was risky. That she didn’t want to bring innocent people into her world, and that the people in her world were too far gone to ever be in a healthy, trusting relationship. Scavengers and bottom-feeders don’t thrive in partnership. They always end up eating each other.

That was her experience at least. A couple of flings that either burned out pathetically or exploded in a violent supernova. And now, she could hardly claim to be the most appealing piece on the market with her back in the firing line of every Irix contact in the Quadrant. The few beds she was welcome in would turn her away now.

She couldn’t remember the last time she made someone blush. She could barely remember how. And she could hardly take credit for Vivara’s nervousness - for her flustered sentences, her dry-mouthed rambling, her fidgeting fingers. The darkness in her complexion and the avoidant gaze were far more attached to what Sabine did than anything to do with who she was.

That was fine. That was the life she chose. If choice was the word.

But Vivara? Was she falsely interpreting the stares of other patrons? Were Reekas just that otherworldly that Vivara’s smooth, lush skin, gemstone eyes, and bouncy fairy floss bob were just average?

Vivara shook her head. “No, I don’t date often.”

“I can relate.”

“I mean, I get a lot of… approaches.” Vivara clarified and Sabine smirked. “Particularly at work, but the kind of clients I get at the diner are hardly the kind of people you’d want to spend any time with.”

Ah, there it is.

The Reeka man was looking at them again. Sabine made a point of laughing, and began weaving her braids together, eyeing Vivara with intent.

Vivara, unaware of their observer, let out a breathy chuckle. She pressed her hands to her cheeks.

“Is it warm in here, or just me?”

“It’s warm.” Sabine smiled, granting Vivara escape from her own flushing cheeks.

“Ok, good.” Vivara fanned herself with her hands. “I was going to say, you usually have to work harder to get me to blush like this.”

At that moment, their waitress returned with two glasses of a clear spirit - one that fit in her hand and one she pinched between her fingers. Of all things, that’s what made Sabine’s palms go clammy.

“Here you go!” She beamed, placing the glasses in front of them with a wink. “You let me know if I can help out with anything else.”

“Thanks.” Sabine smiled and Vivara echoed it with a low mumble.

Any time she became aware of the crowd at the bar, Vivara closed up. Sabine couldn’t let that happen. She needed her to feel confident enough to speak.

She took a sip of the spirit. It was harsher than she was used to, burning the back of her tongue like she was swallowing lighter fluid. She did her best to hide it, but it made her eye twitch.

Vivara seemed to have no issue. She sipped at her glass as if it were water. She met Sabine’s eyes and laughed.

“Strong?”

Sabine coughed. She didn’t need to, but it did the trick. Vivara laughed harder, resting a gentle hand on her chest. The sound of it, the music, made Sabine’s tongue feel heavy.

“Much stronger than the stuff I’m used to.”

Vivara raised her eyebrows, “Really? I was about to say it’s a bit weak.”

“You’ve got to be joking.”

Vivara shook her head and her pink hair bounced around her shoulders. “No. What we serve at the diner is a lot more intense than this.”

“I think that would probably kill me.” Sabine muttered. Half of her meant it, wondering what kind of battery acid Reekas drank casually at a diner. The other half of her leaned into the hyperbole, itching for another hit of the Reeka’s laughter. She got it and with it, her whole body flooded with a warm hum - much faster than what anything in her glass would achieve.

“I can’t imagine you at the diner.” Vivara said. “This is strange enough.”

Sabine was too focussed to be offended by that. This was her in. Vivara was talking more openly, more naturally. Their conversation was so boring that any inquisitive ear would have turned away.

“Who do you usually see at work?”

Vivara’s expression became serious as she caught on. It wasn’t ideal, but Reekas weren’t known for their stoicism. All emotions were as easy to read as an alphabet picture book. Her brow settled lower over her eyes and she took a swig of her glass.

Her unoccupied hand returned to burying itself in knots in her skirt.

“It’s a busy place.” She started. “Loud. The tables are always full and we’re always understaffed. We get a mix too - families like it because kids eat cheap, lonely folks like to disappear in the noise, people come during their lunch break or after work. We’re open early until late.”

“Regulars, or mostly strangers?”

“Both. Definitely some I know by name, but also plenty I don’t.”

“And in the case of the night two weeks ago?”

Vivara shook her head. “They weren’t regulars, but they didn’t stand out either. They just struck me as normal businessmen. From the way they dressed, I assumed they were workers from a nearby office. Probably higher paid than most. I’ve been working at the diner long enough to know who will and won’t tip.”

“And this group looked like they would?”

Vivara rolled her eyes. “No. The richer they are, they less they tip and the more they expect you to perform. I knew as soon as they walked in that this group was going to be trouble.” She stopped, and bit her tongue. “But not trouble like -“ She waved her hand mostly in Sabine’s direction. “That.”

Sabine smirked. That. Could she blame Vivara for painting everyone associated with Jayron’s disappearance as that? Victim, perpetrators, investigators - they were all, in their own way, trouble.

“Gotcha.” She nodded. “Wealthy, put together. Enough to make you groan, but nothing to set your alarms off.”

Vivara nodded. “That was until I arrived at their booth to take their order, and I saw… well…”

“Jayron.”

“Yes. Though I didn’t know that was his name. When I said we usually serve a mix, I meant a mix of Reekas. It was the first time I’ve ever seen anyone from another species in person.”

Sabine had to make a concerted effort to stop her jaw from dropping.

“You’re not serious.”

“I am.” Vivara’s face flushed again. “I didn’t realise my life was so sheltered.”

Sabine whistled. “So, I must really be a freak of nature to you.” She laughed at Vivara’s appalled expression and waved down her building defence. “Only a joke. You’re doing great for a first timer.”

“Thank you.” Vivara said though she looked bashful, embarrassed by her own naïveté. “If I’d known other species were so pretty, I’d have ventured out sooner.”

Sabine felt her own face warm and suddenly her jacket felt too tight. She couldn’t stop her furrowed brow.

Vivara leant in closet and a tension curled in Sabine’s chest.

“We’re on a date, right?” The Reeka offered in explanation.

The tension released and Sabine let out a long breath. She admonished herself for the small twinge of disappointment she felt now knowing it was just part of the act.

Unaware of her own effect, Vivara continued her account.

“I was so rude when I saw him.” Vivara groaned. “I didn’t know what to do. I just stared. And the others at the booth seemed to think that was funny.”

At that moment, their waitress walked past their table. In response, Sabine made a show of leaning over and placing her hand lightly on Vivara’s. She laughed and pulled her braids over one shoulder.

“Oh my god!” She crooned. “That’s so funny. You have to tell me more about it!”

In the back of her head though, she hyper fixated on the smoothness beneath her fingers, the warmth. The size of the hand beneath her own. Every minute pulse and flinch was on display below her. She could feel them in intense detail.

Vivara stared down at the offending hand - at where the two strangers touched for the first time. The waitress passed and they both pulled their hands away.

Sabine’s gaze flicked to the orange Reeka man. He was, or at least pretending to be, distracted by a game on a high screen above the bar. A few patrons were equally captivated. By the sounds of the spectators, the local team was losing. Sabine didn’t recognise the sport - probably Reekan in origin - but she did recognise the way the man’s head flung back.

“Ummmm,” Vivara said, bringing Sabine back into focus. Vivara was still staring at the space where their hands had met. Her cheeks awash. “Sorry, I forgot what I was saying.”

Sabine smiled. “You saw Jayron for the first time. Can you tell me more about that? How did he look, what were they talking about, how many people were in the booth? Those kinds of details are really helpful.”

“He looked… well, it’s hard to tell because he’s so different. But I’d say he looked overwhelmed. Constantly looking at the others, but I don’t know if it was for reassurance or out of fear. He’s about half your size and he was sitting up on the table, which I don’t think he liked. I mean,” She gestured between the two of them. “At least here, there are mixed sections and we can sit here as equals. But at the diner, the power imbalance was scary and I wasn’t even part of it.”

“That’s probably why they picked the diner. Crowded, loud, full of a species so much bigger with no one else to relate to. They would’ve wanted to isolate him.”

Vivara shivered. “That’s so scary. They stopped talking when I approached and I must have looked so stupid! My usual waitress spiel died as soon as I saw him. Then one of the four men prods Jayron with a thick finger and says, I don’t think she likes our pet, Little Jay…and I laughed!” She buried her face in her hands. “It just came out of me. I laughed. He was in trouble and I just laughed.”

Sabine buried the feeling of secondhand humiliation. But it mingled with her exasperation. Of course Jayron had to pick a Reekan syndicate for his first grand venture. Of course the desperation to out-do his father led him well out of his depth. Led to him going missing. Led his father to getting involved. Led to her getting involved. Vivara getting involved. How long would that list get before he was found? If he was found. And, if he was, Sabine knew he’d just go off and do it again. The cycle would start over.

And beneath all of that, there was her sadness for Jay, who knew his son didn’t have the gumption to take on his empire, and yet encouraged him to dream.

Behind Vivara, the Reeka man sipped his drink and watched the game. Then he paused mid-sip when his communicator flashed. He returned the glass to the table and inspected the new message. After a moment, he began typing furiously.

Once, and so briefly you could argue it didn’t happen, cerulean met obsidian and then both glanced away.

Fuck.

“It’s ok.” She said to Vivara, identifying the easy exits she’d scouted when she first arrived. As always, she had back-ups for the back-ups. “It’s a normal reaction to laugh when we’re stressed. Maybe part of you knew something was amiss, and for your own safety, you played along.”

Vivara glanced up from her palms. Her shoulders relaxed and she nodded, almost desperate for the out Sabine offered. “Yeah. Maybe that was it. I think I suspected something. All conversation died when I came to the table again with their orders but later, I heard more of what they were discussing.” She chewed her cheek. “I don’t usually make a habit of eavesdropping, but for some reason - nosiness, fascination, or fear - I was paying extra attention to whatever I could catch whenever I walked by.”

Sabine nodded, she found herself pulling in closer. This would be the lead. Maybe here would be something she could work with.

“And?”

Vivara took her glass and downed the rest of her drink in a way that would surely burn a hole in Sabine’s throat if she were to do the same.

“It was only snippets.”

“It usually is.” Sabine said, there was an anticipation curling and writhing in her stomach.

“I heard just a few phrases in passing. I remember ’next shipment’, ‘Florean Sector’, ‘Marcho Galvoni’, and ‘each pretty pincer’. But I don’t know if that’s helpful?”

Sabine steepled her fingers and pressed them to her lips. She nodded, committing the snippets to memory. She knew she had the communicator recording everything, but trusted her brain better.

Next shipment.

Florean Sector.

Marcho Galvoni.

Each pretty pincer.

They weren’t answers, but it was enough. She’d worked with less before.

Jayron, you fucking idiot.

“And when they left,” Vivara continued. “I didn’t see Jayron. I remember, despite the rush, looking for him as they left and being confused. But then,” She shrugged. “I didn’t see him when they entered, and the cafe was busy.”

Sabine frowned. “Did they have any bags with them?”

Vivara’s eyes widened like an angel first encountering sin. “Oh yes, they did. I remember. Just a brief case.”

“Would it have..?” She left the question unfinished. Vivara was already nodding.

“I think so.”

“And their colouring? The men in the booth?”

Vivara frowned, and for a second Sabine wondered if there was a better way to phrase that question. Vivara didn’t correct her, but that didn’t mean much.

“One had a deep red complexion and neon yellow hair. Another two were so similar I’m sure if they weren’t twins, they were at least siblings - pale blue skin, mustard hair. But the one who was doing most of the talking was all white - skin, hair, eyes. He was mean - cruel. I struggled to look him in the eye.”

What does that make me? Sabine thought as she could count the few times during their conversation Vivara had actually met her gaze.

She noted the descriptions. This last seemed unique enough for a Reeka that she could get a lead or two. But before she could follow-up, the shadowing man stood from his table, drained his glass, grabbed his communicator and began walking toward their table. She froze and admonished herself when Vivara noticed.

“What?” She frowned, beginning to look around.

“It’s nothing.” Sabine lied.

But then ‘nothing’ stopped beside Vivara at the mixed bar. The two of them together were an impressive sight - all-encompassingly large, dominating her entire view with their bright, saturated colours.

Noticing his presence, Vivara seized. Her whole body when rigid and her gaze once more returned to the floor. Her green face was ashen and Sabine thought she might faint.

But, despite Sabine’s assumption about their shadow, he paid Vivara no mind. Instead, his bright sea-blue eyes bore into Sabine in a way that sent an electric bolt through her nerves and left them sizzling like powerlines in the rain. Now, more than any time before, she was aware of the difference between them - the sheer gap in size, strength, presence. If she were to be cornered by him, there would be little she could do.

She didn’t recognise him but the look in his eye was knowing, which unnerved her even more. She was well-known in some circles. Mostly in circles where being well known did more harm than good.

“Sabine Ducote?” He asked and she didn’t grace him with a reply, simply opting to maintain his stare. If he knew her name and face, this was just performance. “I thought it was you, but had to check with a few contacts to confirm.”

Vivara’s pink curls bounced as her head swung frantically between the two and their silent standoff.

“What’s happening?” Her voice was rising in urgency.

The Reeka man placed a gentle but firm hand on Vivara’s back, making the larger girl freeze. Her eyes when to Sabine’s with some silent plea for comfort. Assurance. Sabine wondered if this was what Jayron looked like at the diner.

“Don’t worry.” She said and knew it was unhelpful. She wasn’t willing to give anything away yet.

“I agree.” The man smiled. His hand still lingered on Vivara’s shoulder and the Reeka woman’s expression was as if she thought it would leave a stain. “You have no need to worry, love. Your girlfriend though?” He smirked down at Sabine who, was calculating whether reaching for her communicator or her stunner first would be wiser. “Well, see for yourself.”

He placed his communicator on the bar between them. It was huge next to Sabine’s own and what she saw on it made her feel as if all her bones had suddenly dissolved - that she’d flop onto the floor to be mopped up by the waitress later.

There, on the display, was her face - her white, thin braids, her dark skin, the scar across her nose. It was a candid photo but she couldn’t place where it was taken. It was too zoomed in to gauge any location. What she did recognise was the Irix sigil stamped in the upper left corner of the photo.

Bounty brand.

Across the bottom of the photo was her name. Another instance where the Hugo prosecutor’s screwed her over. Instead of using her case alias, they, in front of Hugo, called her to the stand by her full name.

She swallowed when she saw ‘PRICE NEGOTIABLE’ underneath her name. Open priced bounties were beyond rare. This would send every money hungry hunter in the Galaxy after her, even well outside Keridian territory.

“Hugo sends his regards.” The Reeka man grinned.

But before his hands could move to the stunner tucked under his coat, she had hers drawn and ready. One quick pull and there was a pretty new red freckle between his surprised brows. His cerulean eyes rolled and as his body crumpled to the floor, his hand slid off Vivara’s shoulders, causing the larger girl to shriek.

Around the bar, all eyes turned to them and Sabine sighed. Her heart pounded. She was in deeper shit than she or Jay could have ever imagined. As patrons began to stir, uncovering the cause of the interruption, Sabine snatched her communicator and quickly deleted the bounty message from the Reeka’s.

“What’s happening?” Vivara’s voice was wavering and panicked.

Sabine looked at her and peridot clung to her gaze desperately. Her chest aches at the sight. She didn’t have time to explain. Their Reeka shadow knew nothing of Jayron business as Sabine assumed, but was instead there for her - for the mess Vivara had nothing to do with.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she reached over and stole a precious second to place a sure hand on Vivara’s again.

“I’m sorry.” She said, and meant it. “Thank you for everything. I hope you never have to see me again.”

And then she bolted, leaving Vivara in a stunned silence as fellow patrons and staff of the Quasar swarmed around her. They were intrigued more than anything, and did not share Vivara’s horror at the lifeless form beside her. It was, after all, a boundary bar.

As she ran towards the closest exit, Sabine heard their waitress tut her tongue to a couple she was serving.

“Been there.” She said.

Sabine didn’t have time to think about anything except getting as far away from the Quasar Cafe as possible.

Though lingering in the back of her mind was a stupid thought she couldn’t quite shake.

All things considered, not a bad date.

______________________________________________________________

(@biggnansmol - thank you so much for donating! I'm sorry it's been a while coming. I hope you enjoyed xx

I loved this prompt and wanted to put a different spin on it. And let's be real, if it's a story by me it will have two key components: awkward gay flirting and batshit insanity. And added bonus if it's in space.

I had so much fun with this one. Someone sent me an ask recently about there not being enough wlw stories in GT - happy to make another contribution with these girls.

-ray xx)

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idemida · 2 months

Text

The Commander’s Darling | Chapter 5

Reposted from AO3

~ Summary:

You are a poor young woman working in a tavern around some sketchy people and Erwin gets you out of a bad situation. He is immediately drawn to you and has to have you around, so he comes up with an excuse that he needs a secretary. Of course you say yes! After all, you need the job and shelter, and he is the only man you have felt you can trust in a long time.

You fall in love and lust for each other, but who knows who will give in first.

This is going to be more of a slow-burn, with little connection to the actual plot of the series, although it does take place in-universe. Some characters will be used for plot-points very different from the actual series.

~ Word Count: 4,948

~ Pairing: Erwin Smith x Reader

~ Tags: slowburn; loveatfirstsight; lustatfirstsight; jealousy; pining

Erwin left you to work on your own on the new pile of documents he brought you for three days. It certainly was not the type of work that would take more than a day and you found yourself continuing to read the books that Hange gave you to keep yourself occupied. The only contact you had with him was at lunch and dinner, which made your connection with him feel a lot more casual than it should. You did notice, however, that even if he was warmer than you expected a commander to be, he definitely did not smile or laugh as much as Hange and Miche. Levi was not exactly a reference point. You wondered if he had to be that way, even with his close people, because there had to be some semblance of order and respect he could not breach. They all called him his first name rather affectionately, and they allowed themselves to make jokes, even about him, but you did not see the same joking behaviour from him. Hange and Miche would spend the lunchtimes giggling together, Levi would judge them from the sidelines with a slight huff, but you could see he had an affection for them. Meanwhile, Erwin only allowed himself to smile here and there. However, when he did smile, it was a full smile that reached his eyes, and his face flushed pink. It brought out the blue colour of his eyes, you noticed.

‘Oh, Levi, I wish you would eat with your squad more often.’ Hange said one day, at dinner, almost through tears as she laughed at something Miche had said ‘It gets tiring feeling guilty for laughing and enjoying life as I am eating my meal.’

Your mouth gaped open as you heard her and since you were sat diagonally from Erwin, he noticed and smiled.

‘Erwin,’ Levi ignored her ‘When are you going to give Y/n her clothes allowance? I’m fed up of looking at her in these ugly outfits.’ Of course, you were wearing Hange’s clothes still.

‘Levi…’ Erwin almost scolded him

‘What?’

You turned to Levi, who was next to you: ‘I like these clothes, Levi.’

‘I’m just trying to help you out.’ Levi shrugged and there was a slight smirk as his eyes darted towards Hange, who was still smiling. Sometimes with all the bickering between them you were worried they might really offend each other ‘There’s no need to pretend. Also, keep in mind you’ve been in the cafeteria quite a few times now. At this rate, people might think this is your actual style.’

‘Levi, I-’ You wondered why you were getting so worked up. After all, it was just a joke anyway. You just felt guilty he was pressuring Erwin to give you money

‘We’ll arrange something later.’ Erwin looked at you ‘I promise.’

As you were going to put your trays away, Erwin pulled you aside to talk.

‘I was wondering if from now on, as you go on your walk you could also bring me my post to the office.’ He said and you noticed his voice was taking on a more professional tone ‘I don’t think it will be heavy. It’s mostly just letters. If there are any heavy parcels, do not bring them. Actually, don’t bring me parcels at all, unless they’re so light you can carry them with one hand.’ You kept on nodding as you were taking the instructions in ‘The post is usually left with the porter and they keep the stack delivered to me in a special section. I’ve told them who you are, they should give it to you with no problem. Also, it might be useful to show you the office.’

‘Alright.’

On that day, you went to retrieve his post and you were able to carry the stack of letters just fine.

You went to his office and knocked on the door. He answered in an exhausted tone, calling you in. As you opened the door, you noticed he was surprised to see you, straightening up.

‘What is it?’

‘I brought you your post.’ You entered the room, smiling. He was surprised to see you smile. It was as if the awkwardness that invaded every conversation prior had evaporated from you. You actually seemed happy to be there.

‘Oh, yes!’ He smiled back, despite his exhausted eyes and stood up

You approached him and readied the stack in both hands. The room was quite dark, so you could not see everything very well.

‘I know I told you I’ll show you around, but this is not the best time.’ He said ‘The daytime is preferable for this.’ You nodded ‘Are there any parcels you left behind?’

‘No, sir.’ You said and immediately got flustered as you saw the negative reaction on his face ‘No, Erwin.’ You smiled in embarrassment. This was the first time you called him that. You never used his name at lunch or dinner and you tried your best to not even use it with others when he was not around. It just felt foreign in your mouth, like you would be reprimanded if you dared to, even if he allowed it.

‘Is it that difficult to stick to first names? You do it with everyone else.’ He raised his eyebrows and there was palpable disappointment in his voice. He took the stack from your hands and placed it on the desk.

‘No, Erwin, there is no instruction I cannot follow, so I’ll call you whatever you want. Promise.’

You saw the way his eyes lifted up towards you. There was shock. A pause. His hands were still frozen on the stack he placed on the desk. In reality, you hadn’t said anything shocking, but when you saw the way he inhaled, you realised what you said really affected him. Your face was hot all over. Seeing him embarrassed in your presence did something to you.

‘Should I go now?’

‘Yes, I’ll bring you new work tomorrow.’

For the next five days you did more or less the same thing. You did the easiest work possible in your room, brought Erwin his post and went on walks with Hange, with Miche joining from time to time. You and Hange had started hanging out pretty much every day, even in the mornings. You would go to each other’s rooms or her department and chat about the books she gave you. You also started walking outside on the square in front of the Scouts’ headquarters. The square was often crowded with people, so you had to be careful not to bump into somebody and worsen your injury. Erwin still hadn’t shown you around the office, but he did show you your own. He did not require you to stay there yet, since you might still feel discomfort in your chest.

On the sixth day, you had finally managed to wash your own skirt and top to wear, so this was the first time since you moved here that you wore your own outfit. You could not lie, you looked much better in this than in Hange’s clothes. You actually felt attractive, while wearing it and it showed in the way you met people’s gazes, the way you smiled and your gait.

You delivered the post Erwin received for the day, this time holding the letters in one hand and a small parcel in the other. No heavier than you could carry in one hand, as agreed. As you walked into his office, the way you held the parcel and the swivel of your hips caused him to reminisce about the night you first met at the tavern.

‘Thank you.’ He said ‘Please go and ask Hange to give you the report she promised for today. She’ll know what I mean.’

He watched you walk away, feeling guilty for having his gaze linger.

Then he decided to turn his attention to the pile of letters you left. As he was going through it, he found one that was not addressed to anyone. It was a folded piece of paper, wrapped in all four directions by a tied black thread that formed a cross. It was strange, so it made him open it first.

He assumed it was for him, but as he opened it, he saw it was addressed to you. Then his eyes darted to the bottom and he saw it was from Jan.

He could not deny that it was wrong, but he was too curious, so he started reading, his sense of guilt getting stronger as he was reading each line.

‘Dear Y/n,

I am deeply hurt by the way you abandoned me and threw everything we had away as if it was nothing. I did not know I was so easily replaceable.

I saved you from hunger, homelessness and your grief when your parents died, but you left me without saying a word.

I’m sure you’re lying to Smith the same way now. I cannot believe how easily you can fake your feelings to get what you want. I was such a fool. I thought the love in your eyes was genuine. I thought your gratitude was genuine, but now you must look at him the same way. I loved you and you lied to me.

All of those words, all of those nights meant nothing to you.

I certainly hope you will never need me, because I will not be a fool again.

Jan’

Erwin realised the hand that held the letter was shaking. He knew he had no right to read it. He had no time to think, so he focused on getting it back the way it was - folded and tied by the thread. He put it back in the pile and tried to control himself. It was not clear to him why he was shaking, he wasn’t even sure what he felt. Of course, it irritated him to know there was something between you two, but then he really started to think. For the letter to reach him, Jan must have said it was for him, and it was not addressed for a reason. Jan wanted him to read it. It was all an intentional attempt to sully you in his eyes. Now most things in the letter sounded suspicious. If he was so great, you would not have left him, if he was so great, he would have protected you against Ritch. Well, didn’t he? He tried to fight him off. But he didn’t want to help you get treated. He didn’t care about the way Ritch treated you.

Erwin was really doubting himself now. Should he address the letter to you to avoid you thinking he read it? No, because his handwriting would be different. Should he untie the string? He would have to have opened it to realise it was for you, so he might as well. A few minutes after he untied it, he heard your footsteps approaching.

‘Y/n, there is a letter left for you here. I’m sorry, it wasn’t addressed to anyone and I assumed it was for me. I opened it, but I did not read it.’

You were incredibly confused, but also did not exactly believe him.

‘Who’s it from?’ You asked, trying to not seem irritated by the situation

He simply passed it to you. You tucked the report Hange gave you under your armpit and started reading. As your eyes moved down the page, reading the tone of indignation you decided to check who it was from at the bottom. Embarrassment hit your face, your cheeks felt so warm and your hands felt weak.

‘You really did not read it?’ You said quietly and he shook his head

‘I swear, I did not.‘

You continued reading down the page to yourself, and you could not believe Jan had decided to embarrass you like this. Of course, most of the letter was a lie. You did not tell him you love him, kiss him or spend any nights with him. You most certainly did not look at Erwin the way you looked at Jan.

‘It’s all a lie, just so you know. If you did read it, I want you to know it’s a lie.’

‘I believe you.’

‘Jan sent this. He must have stalked me and seen me walking around. I assume he is jealous and wanted to sabotage me. But I swear, there isn’t anything true here.’

‘Well, you did abandon him without saying a word.’

‘And you think I am a bad person?’

‘No, not at all.’ His face appeared warm, but he was avoiding smiling ‘I am just saying, perhaps he was really in love with you and his feelings were hurt. Now he’s lashing out. Don’t worry, it won’t affect your position here. But we should be more careful about you going out on your own because he might be violent.’

You did not want this situation to lead to anyone exercising more control over you. You did not know Erwin perfectly well, so you did not feel comfortable with him making decisions about your life. For example, if he wanted you to be accompanied everywhere with the pretext of keeping you safe, you would run away immediately.

‘He is not violent.’ You said folding the letter angrily ‘But he is petty. He also likes to gossip. He might tell the others where I am.’

‘Well, I would recommend you don’t go out much on your own in the next few weeks. Especially because the expedition is coming up, and if I am not here to protect you…’

‘Right…’ You said, almost cynically

‘Y/n. I really do think this is serious. I mean he is serious enough to show you he knows where you live.’

You ignored what he was saying and put the report down on his desk.

‘Can I go?’

‘Yes.’

Once again, he watched you walk away and noticed, the anger added something to your walk that made it even more attractive.

A few days passed with more of the same. Hange had come for your regular morning meet-up, just as you were getting ready to go to Erwin. He had told you to arrive at a specific hour for the first time that day and you were in a rush. Your eyes lit up when you realised she had brought you tea. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had tea, especially with a friend.

‘I love you so much for this, but it seems like this morning Erwin actually wants me to show up at eight o’clock and I cannot afford to be late on the first day when I have an hour set.’ You said as you went back to getting ready.

‘Y/n, as much as I wish this was a completely selfless gesture,’ she put the teacup on the cupboard next to the door ‘I am doing this because I want something from you.’

You turned back, surprised.

‘I need one of the books I gave you. That copy is very special to me and I hadn’t realised I gave it to you.’

‘Oh, of course!’ You looked down at your skirt, dusting it off. You wore your own skirt, but one of her shirts ‘Which book is it?’ You looked at the clock and you had five minutes to go ‘You know what, you go through them since you would know. I have put one of the books in the outside pocket of my coat back here.’ You showed her the back of the door ‘I am heading out.’

Meanwhile, Erwin could tell there was a change within you. You kept your demeanour polite, but he could tell your eyes did not show the same warmth towards him.

He was starting to feel stuck. He wanted to spend time with you, away from everybody else. Something more special, but also not special enough to confirm any potential suspicions he was attracted to you. He wanted to win your trust again, maybe even your attraction towards him. As you were in his office way before lunch, he thought it was the perfect opportunity.

‘There’s a bakery nearby, that sells nice breakfast and lunch options. If you want to join me and see what they have, you can come. I might ask you to pick something up from there at some point, so it would be good for you to know where it is.’ That is the reason why he called you in so early. He assumed you would be hungry.

You smiled and nodded.

‘But I need to get my coat.’ You didn’t need it only to shield against the cold. You decided that since Jan might be lurking around, it would be useful to have the gun as some semblance of protection, or something to threaten him with.

The walk out of the building was slightly awkward, because it was difficult sticking to small talk topics when both of you wanted to delve deeper. It was also difficult for you to understand what was appropriate to ask. What you didn’t know was that he was struggling with the same thoughts about you.

You walked with him through the square, on the way to the bakery. The weather was colder than you expected, so you unfolded the collar of your coat and raised it up to keep your chest and neck warm. He thought he should probably offer you something of his to warm you up, but he knew people would talk and even that might be inappropriate. He turned to look at you, as you were snuggling in your coat, not realising how adorable you looked.

‘Y/n!’ You heard a familiar voice shout your name from Erwin’s direction. You turned towards it and saw that Erwin was already looking at you. His head then also turned in the voice’s direction.

It was Jan. He was walking towards you with a briskness that could only point to anger. He stopped a few steps away and you noticed Erwin stepped closer to him, as if to get in between.

‘What are you doing here?’ Jan asked you, his eyebrows furrowed

‘What are you doing here?’ You asked back

‘No, you don’t get to ask me that. I thought he had kidnapped you, or killed you.’

Erwin turned towards you when he heard that, but you could not read his face.

‘No, I’m fine.’

‘And why did you not come back?’ Jan asked and as you were about to answer he interrupted you ‘I’m hurt. I thought we had something special.’

‘I was also hurt. When I was underpaid, overworked and unprotected.’ You crossed your arms ‘And what was it that was special between us?’

‘We were practically engaged. What are you talking about? You wore my mother’s ring!’ He stepped forward and you stepped back ‘Everybody in the neighbourhood knew that you were wearing it.’

You stood there silent for a moment, arms still crossed. Erwin was looking at Jan, and you could not see his face.

‘Jan, are you-’ You were going to ask him if he was mad, but because you actually feared that he was, you decided against it ‘Are you being serious? You never proposed! I was using the ring to pretend I am married to a made-up man. How could anyone think we were engaged?’

‘What about our kiss, though?’ Jan asked, full of indignation

Erwin did not turn to look at you.

‘You kissed me. I rejected you and then you pretended you thought I was someone else. You were drunk out of your mind and I was sober. I think I remember better than you do.’

Erwin turned slowly to you and once again you could not read his face.

‘What are you doing here?’ He asked again and you were getting more confused. He could see the confusion, so he added ‘Do you live with him? Do you work with him? What are you doing here?’

You held the collar of your coat closer to your chest, as if to protect yourself from your own anxiety. You didn’t want to admit you worked for Erwin because that would also reveal where you live and even if you just worked here, he would know where you spend the majority of your days.

‘I came here to give back some money I asked him to borrow. On the night I was shot I needed money, and he obliged. I promised I would give it back and I did.’

‘Why is he out with you now?’

‘To walk her out.’ Erwin interjected

‘Why not just let her find her way out?’

Erwin suddenly walked closer to you and you noticed he wanted to say something to you more quietly. You moved closer to him as well.

‘Did you have a contract with Jan?’ Erwin asked and you shook your head ‘Everything was informal?’

‘Yes.’ You said and he saw the desperation in your eyes

‘Listen,’ Erwin turned to Jan ‘Neither of us owe you an explanation. She decided she doesn’t want to work for you anymore. That’s it. Just get over it.’

Jan then reached for something inside his coat pocket and you already knew what it was. Of course, he pulled out his other gun, only enough for you three to see it, but not enough to stir panic on the square. Erwin took a step back pushing you behind him.

‘You do owe me my other gun with the bullets, though. You took it, with no intention to return it. That’s called stealing. And you know how expensive those things are.’ He pulled the safety back ‘You will have to show me your new place because I assume that’s where it is.’ Jan almost looked satisfied with himself

Erwin did not know what to say now. All of this was new to him and he was starting to think of ways he could help you if it was really true. He would surely have to find you another place to live now that you were discovered

‘You owe it to me. It’s mine.’ Jan insisted sternly

‘How will you get it?’ You asked ‘Kill me? Kill him? How will you get away? Can you imagine killing the Commander of the Survey Corps and having Levi Ackermann come after you? I would love to see that.’

‘What did you use the money for? The one you had to pay back?’ Jan asked, and you could not believe his mind was still thinking about that

‘For accommodation.’

‘If you’re not working for him, where did you get the money to pay him the money back? It’s only been like two weeks.’

‘Where do you think?’

‘Did you sell yourself? Jan asked and Erwin turned towards him as if in shock

‘I sold the gun, idiot.’ You said and Erwin turned to you, eyes so wide it would have made you laugh if you did not think you were going to die any moment

Everybody stood still, with Erwin turning towards Jan again, so he could keep an eye on his actions. He stood firmly in front of you. Jan pulled the gun all the way out at that point, but let his arm relax, with the gun pointing towards the ground. He seemed to be debating something in his mind and you saw his mouth quiver.

‘I don’t believe you.’ He said, looking up, a madness in his eyes ‘I don’t believe you know the places where these things can be bought or sold. I don’t think you have the bravery to go into one of these places and walk out unarmed. I did everything for you and look at how you lie to me, straight to my face, with no guilt in your eyes.’

You looked down at his feet and saw them inching anxiously towards you. You took another step back, pulling Erwin with you by the waist.

‘And for what?’ His voice began shaking ‘For a guy like that? You’re planning to rely on him now? Everybody knows the Scouts drop like flies. You will eventually have to crawl back to me and beg me-’ He was gesturing with the gun in his anger ‘You think you know what’s best for you, but you don’t.’

‘If you love me so much, why are you getting ready to shoot me?’ You asked and you were not expecting to sound so emotional. The fear was really getting to you and it seemed like nobody on the square had realised what was happening. There was no panic, no scurrying away from the people around you. ‘I’ll give you back the money. I swear. I can’t give you anything else.’

As you were looking into his eyes, pleading, awaiting his decision, a hand came from behind him and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the gun. He swiftly turned around to pull his wrist away, and a member of the military police revealed himself. Jan was then tackled from the side by another, and a third joined in to get him incapacitated. They almost wrestled him to the ground, careful not to set the weapon off, and eventually one of them managed to pluck it out of his hand. They all seemed quite young and well-built, certainly an improvement from the ones you were used to seeing in your area.

‘Not only is this plain assault,’ The one with the gun began speaking ‘But I want to see your certificate for the weapon. I assume you have none.’

As the adrenaline in your body alleviated, you almost collapsed to the ground. Your grip on Erwin tightened and he finally felt it was safe to turn back towards you. He saw the tears in your eyes and how you weak you looked, so he held you by your waist and shoulder. Jan was on his knees now, looking up at the officers in angered defeat.

‘I don’t have it on me.’

‘Tell us your address and we’ll search for it while you’re in jail.’ The officer with the gun laughed

‘Fine. I don’t have one, but she doesn’t either and I know my other gun is with her. She admitted it plainly in front of us both.’ He nodded towards Erwin who did not react, still looking at you ‘She was my employee and she ran away with the gun to spite me.’

The officer turned towards you and you could feel your knees buckle under the weight of the new wave of anxiety. He was definitely going to search you and find the weapon now. You will have to suffer the consequences for what you did.

‘Keep him in place.’ The armed officer turned to his colleagues who were keeping Jan low on the ground. He put the gun somewhere in his own inner pocket ‘Miss, I hope you won’t resist the search. We just have to make sure.’

You nodded in defeat. You wanted to attack Jan for managing to be such a successful nuisance that he completely ruined your life. You weren’t sure what the consequences of such an offence were, but you knew your life will immediately be turning around for the worse. He asked Erwin to step aside and he complied.

As the officer came next to you, he seemed almost apologetic about it. He patted you down, then he went through your coat pockets where the gun was. You looked down in shame, not ready to face Erwin’s judgment. The officer took a step back.

‘Must be a tiny gun, I can’t find it.’ He chuckled at Jan

You looked up at the officer. You kept your face as neutral as you could, but to Erwin and Jan the shock in your eyes was visible. The way your eyes darted from left to right. Your eyebrows twitched ever so slightly in surprise. It was obvious something was bubbling up inside you. You had to resist the urge to smile. Either you truly were the luckiest woman on earth, or the military police were the most incompetent people in existence.

‘You realise it’s probably in her house, right?’ Jan spat back

‘Miss, would you co-operate by leading us to your address, so we can search it?’

You began nodding as if by command, but you certainly did not want to co-operate. If it was not in your pocket, then you must have forgotten it in your room and you were not as lucky as you thought.

‘No.’ Erwin interjected ‘You can’t. You can’t search her house without a warrant.’

‘Commander,’ The officer turned his whole body to face him ‘We might not have a warrant, but we do have reasonable cause to believe she might have it.’

‘That’s the thing. You don’t.’ Erwin continued, his voice steady ‘She has shown no signs that she could have anything on her or that she is dangerous. I know the rules. I appreciate you want to be thorough, but you can’t disregard procedure. If you do, I will speak to Nile Dok personally to report this issue.’

The young officer stood silent, then he looked back at Jan and back at you. He asked the others to handcuff him and take him away and then he agreed to end this by taking your information. You co-operated with that, admitting where you lived and worked. You also asked him to keep this a secret from Jan and he agreed. As he walked away, you looked at the ground, not having the bravery to look Erwin in the eye.

‘Let’s go inside.’ He said 'I want to understand what is going on.'

#erwin x reader #ao3 #attack on titan #erwin smith

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bauhausdog · 4 months

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how i do my drawing style (obv not every thing is for everyone and this is how i personally do it art are not rules but exploration)

i draw with my palm resting on the tablet, i cant do super precise movements with my hands so i use thick lineart and a bunch of stabilizer for that. if i need long lines i can just lift my hands. i use a 2016 samsung tablet after i switched from the horrible sliperry drawing tablet

currently i use a "pen" brush with opacity AND size jitter so it can sketch and line when i want. ON GREATER BLENDING MODE, this gives a marker sort of look (lines wont overlap)

canvas is 1000x1000 because my tablet is slow and also pixely crunchhhh

my sketches are shapes and dynamics first then anatomy second, in my process i find that treating the sketch as a "newgrounds funky shape artstyle" kind of thing makes things fall in place much smoother too so thats a bonus, and also obv i like it that way lol, its much looser and less stressful, eyeball is my guide. when done my way it looks "imprecise".

I grabbed my shapes/dynamics principles from some of what sinix does and the anatomy/gesture is like 2 bites of knowledge from anatomy guides (the ones who helped me with the style most were the ones who focused in dynamics) furry anatomy was by looking at art and photos, but 80% was just me messing around and finding out

generally i do my sketches in one layer because i softly erase instead of making a new layer (too much work and i cant do really precise strokes) this makes some soft sketchy lines a bit visible, i make a outline if i think the color is drowning the lineart

use curve adjustment to make soft strokes less visible and stronger strokes more visible, i do this because i really like how for me it creates more space for color/shading to fit in

either use 'enclose and fill' tool from krita or just make blocks of color by hands, i make a loot of layers in this process because i like to finetune the colors to my liking and to shade cleanly

currently the way i pick colors isnt too crazy, mostly its based on color theory ideas and my own taste as the judge, if i feel experimental i will try to make some "weird/wrong" color decisions to make it a bit more fun.

as for the color theory what i apply from there is mostly relations with hue saturation and value and my own personal understanding on how they interact together (quick example, for me increasing the saturation of a color "darkens" it a bit)

after this i paint/shade, i try to make it look fun, i use a basic round brush with opacity for more control

after this i make collages backgrounds on my computer WITH ALSO KRITA, my sources of images vary (wikimedia commons, tumblr blogs, pinterest, flickr)

the way i get this specific look is to mess around with some photo manipulation (curves adjustment blending modes), i like krita because it gives you a bajillion filters and blending modes

my favorite ones: "gradient map", "color to alpha (removes background)", "cross channel adjustment" "levels", "hsv adjustment", "curve adjustment" BLENDING MODES: "hard mix (photoshop)", all of modulo blending modes, "overlay", "hard overlay", "lighten", "darken", "dissolve"

mostly what i do on images is bump saturation on hsv adjustment (krita legacy mode on hs vadjustment makes colors a bit more distorted), cut some greens on levels, compress blues and reds, compress saturation, decrease the lightness range and adjust hue a bit if needed, mess with noise and layers. mostly i keep in mind to make the lightness range different from the subject so it doesnt melt together,

if you want more distortion compres with levels and use posterize

glaze on my windows virtual machine (i use linux lol) on high on low quality (this is to protect from theft but also gives a funky filter)

#art process #talking about how i draw #art style #style guide #photo manipulation #krita #art style guide

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ninhaoma-ya · 2 years

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Chapter 1068 – A genius' dream

Will this be a lore-dropping arc, an action-packed arc or a dramatic arc?

Why not all three!

To start with the cover story:

…now I really, really, really want to see young Caesar and Judge. Look like Vegapunk's tongue there in the middle. And they say "two of MADS reunited", but I'm not sure if the size of MADS ever has been mentioned? They've said Caesar, Judge and Vegapunk was in it, but I don't think we know the true size of the mad science group.

There's obviously been a string of disappearances, which probably is why CP-0 is sent there.

Nice nod to Dr. Livingstone (if that was the original intention and not a scanlation decision – we'll have to wait for the official release to know for sure).

However, it looks like the Vegapunks really don't know anything about it, if Lilith's reaction is anything to go by.

And like the CP-agents, Kuma is also gone! To join the fray?

Back at Egghead, Luffy and Jinbe learn about the greatest problem scientists of all ages have faced: the boundaries of reality. A bloody shame that you can't do it all, just because of pesky little things like "there's only 24 hours in the day" and "antimatter costs 59,3 trillion euros a gram*".

*As of the 9th of April 2020

We also learn about Vegapunk's dream.

It might be the scanlations, but then close-up of Veggy's face really show how sketchy Oda's drawing style has become.

It's never been perfectly clear, with a certain charm available only to those who use ink, but as we can see in this Arlong-panel from chapter 75, the lines were still much clearer and more consistent back in the day, even if we have a certain sketchy quality to for example the brim of Arlong's hat and pieces of cannon ball falling out of his mouth:

Oh, well. Such is the time constraints of scientists and artists.

Back to the story and the arrival of CP-0!

…really, Shaka? You, who made the seraphims, and said they can send over S-Bear (which is such a cute moniker – I like the animal theme in the seraphim's namings), and who is the embodiment of logical thought, can't see how they might have bypassed the port?

Nami and Sanji's protection of Robin makes my heart go fuzzy.

Nice nod to Wano there, with the sacrifice of the ship. "We're not going back".

The plot thickens like a slowly boiling soup.

Why is Sentomaru there, and why does Vegapunk trust him to take their side over CP-0?

Chopper, you've sailed with Luffy for over 20 years by this point. Why does this surprise you?

Stussy is amazing. And where does it take her? To… MADS?

I like her.

And so much information on the last page!

Atlas is huge

Atlas is also some sort of robot

Lucci took care not to tear his clothes by taking off his jacket

The denizens of Egghead like Atlas/Vegapunk

Will Luffy one-shot Lucci or have they both developed? My money is on one-shot or run away. The fight comes a bit too soon for it to be a true testing of strength, which would indicate that this is more of a lore-dropping arc than a fighting one which is lovely after the intensity of Wano.

Nice pacing, interesting information, line work could use more work. I give the chapter a

#one piece #ch 1068 #ch 75 #nin reads one piece #opspoilers #one piece spoilers

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longboxd · 2 years

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2022 comics reading log

In the early days of last year, I was inspired by some twitter mutuals to post my comics reading in the new year and kept it up from Jan 1 2022 till just about the bitter end. Something about it really helped keep me invigorated by the medium even in some pretty bleak times, so I’m going to keep it going this year, but here at Longboxd instead of on twitter, which I’m trying to spend less time at. Before I can do that though, I want to archive the 2022 entries in a spot that’s more permanent/less twitter-iffic, so here we go—pretty much every comic I read in 2022! (As transcribed from here)

Part 4: 60-83 (of 387)

(I can “only” post 30 images at a time here, so that’ll dictate the length of these catch-up posts)

60) Avengers Forever #2

61) Avengers Forever #3 - Kangtown, USA

62) Moon Knight #7 - the way Moench writes the multiple personality stuff Is so camp

63) Moon Knight #8 - Frank Giacola on early Bill Sienkiewicz kinda feels like Ken Landgraf, I dig it.

64) The Silver Coin Vol. 1 - “Not since the days of Pat Moriarty’s BIG MOUTH have we seen…” 🤪 This was a fun inversion of the power dynamics of the “art showcase anthology” being driven by the artist-as-auteur rather than the other way around.

65) X-Men #7 - Duggan is really working hard to make a case for Cyclops and I’m starting to feel it just a bit.

66) Human Target #4 - What I was initially buying for the art has served me up a lot of nice JLI moments.

67) Grrrl Scouts Stone Ghost # 3 - probably the funniest thing I've seen in a while is some poor soul complaining that Mahfood's art doesn't look as good as it did in the Clerks Special.

68) She Hulk #1 - I would like more big 2 comics to realize that "some random person shows up" is not a good cliffhanger.

69) Monkey Prince #1 - haha, okay now THAT is a cliffhanger!

70) Super Sentai Himitsu Sentai Gorenger - I wish I could make comics this pure, brainless, and good.

71) Aposimz vol 7 - More oddly compelling, elliptical, atmospheric, sketchy wasteland and tunnel comics broken up by biopunk tokusatu battles

72) Aposimz vol 8 - Interesting thing in this & the last volume is how the art has actually gotten more solid, maybe for speed, w/Nihei finding a new balance between his normal style and the super airy drawings of the first few volumes. (personally I like it better when it's less solid but 🤷🏽‍♂️)

73) Batman and Robin and Howard - A very fun, breezy bedtime read with my son. (He quickly asked about the existence of a follow up book as we finished, so hopefully there’s more) A large part of the book’s charm is the positive examples of social communication between kids that don’t immediately get along.

74) 2000AD Prog 387 (1984) - I got a short stack of newsprint 2000ADs. Look at this beautiful shit. I know “the best Kev O’Neill is his b/w work” but anytime he breaks out the dyes and markers I am so on board.

Inside cover, love the newspaper photo style on the Tharg illo. Cool Cam Kennedy and Ortiz pages. Wagner/Grant and Ron Smith (who does lovely work here) truly doing the work to make sure people know that the Judges are the bad guys.

75) The X-Cellent #1 - Not exactly sure how I felt about this but it’s got enough of that old juice that I thought about picking up the next one (but didn't).

76) The Thing #4

77) One-Star Squadron #3 - Giffen & DeMatteis’ How To Get Ahead In Advertising wasn’t on my bingo card but here we are.

78) Dead Dog's Bite #1 - Stylish, but this kinda felt like if they’d roped Adrian Tomine into one of the waves of Vertigo comebacks that didn’t work.

79) Future State: Gotham #10

80) The Jam: Super Cool Color Injected Turbo Adventure From Hell #2 - A thin POD book of *mostly* new BEM, I'll take it however. Forever missing his ink on paper era, but I guess that's long gone—& “A Secret Bowman” looks about as good as anything he's done since going digital.(prints a little dark) The extra material is variable but fun enough.

81) X-Men #8 - MODOK makes sense as an X-Men foil. I like the soapy stuff with Synch.

82) Venom #5 - The way Venom is now Elric...

83) Marauders #21

To be continued! Read Part 1 here

#inklogging #longboxd #2022 comics reading list #comics reading list #comic books #bincrawling

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supercorpzine · 3 years

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🌈🌈🌈It’s time!!🌈🌈🌈

Artist and writer applications for the final You Are My Hero Volume 5 are now OPEN!

ARTISTS APPLY HERE

WRITERS APPLY HERE

Applications will be open until January 2, 2022 and all profits will be donated to The Trevor Project, the Transgender Law Center, and Futures Without Violence!

Please read all directions on the application forms carefully!

To see our thoughts and guidelines on the topic of angst please see this post.

We are looking for artists who can create finished illustrations but if your style is more loose and sketchy or painterly we will take that into consideration when reviewing your application. If you work in traditional formats we also encourage you to apply! If you have questions about presentation please message the zine. However, due to potential scheduling issues we ask that you have the ability to photograph or scan your piece and clean it up to a portfolio standard. We will not ask you to physically mail us your art. If you are selected, more specific guidelines for the size of your zine piece and file specs will be given.

We are also looking to expand our roster of writers! Your chances of being accepted into Volume 5 will NOT be affected by returning writers, these are brand new spots! If you are selected, more specific guidelines for the word count of your zine fic and other specs will be given.

You may apply for both artist and writer! Your applications will be judged separately should you choose to do so. Remember, if you are selected we will ask you to create a brand new never-before-seen piece of Supercorp art or fic!

This is a curated zine! By submitting to this zine you are consenting to having your application reviewed by standards set forth since Volume 1. Only the zine moderators will have access to reviewing your application and your forms will be kept confidential.

If you have any questions please check our FAQ!

Reblog to spread the word!

We hope you can join us! Good luck! Art by: @sango-blep

#supergirl #supercorp #supercorp zine #v5 #applications #mod post #Thank you Sango for the wonderful art!

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appy-polly-loggies · 3 years

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Opening commissions

Prices under the cut

(feel free to skip my little rant)

So apparently our dog has cancer now. And she could get a surgery that would save her but my parents refuse to pay for it because iT’s JuST An AniMAL. So I’m going to do it myself. But as a student I can’t afford it and I’m afraid that even with the summer job I already have I won’t be able to make enough in time. And I don’t want to just ask people to give me money.

So PLEASE, I understand that not everyone can/wants to pay me for something, so please share this, that way maybe someone who will be interested in commissioning me will see this.

Here are some examples of how I draw

More details and prices under the cut

Digital drawing

I’m most comfortable with this sketchy kind of style, but I can do clean or lineless too. Also if you’d like me to draw it in a certain existing style I can do that too, the extra 5 bucks is there because I have to learn the style first. Oh I can also do character design.

Comics

Plus a few extra bucks if you want me to be the one to make the story too. If you only want me to put your already existing story into comic panels, you only pay what’s above.

Traditional drawing

Mostly with linework but I can do lineless here too. Also I’m from central Europe, so if you’d like me to send you the actual piece of paper the shipping might be a little pricey. If you’re okay with not receiving it like that I can send you high quality scans and/or photos (much better quality than these don’t worry).

Animation

Right now I can only do 2D, both hand drawn and tweened. I can also do these moving pictures (also both lineless and lined), those can also have some fancy effects like particles and such. The pricing is a little tricky on this one, depending on how long and complex it would be, but I’d imagine the price would start at about 35$ for a basic loop without coloring (not nearly as long as the example above).

Photo and video editing

I don’t have any examples to put in here :( but i can do the basic video editing, (cutting stuff to make you look like a pro youtuber, putting a picture/another video/a gif over your video/photo, blurring/pixelating something out, adding sounds/music, keying and all that jazz) plus I can also do some more fancy effects in adobe ae. Also I have some basic photoshop skills, I’m no professional but I can do the basics like erasing pimples or such. Or making/editing gifs. Idk how much to charge for this :( I guess it depends on what exactly it’d be? We can talk about it

Also I’d just like you to know that I am in fact kinda desperate right now so I will also draw things I am not comfortable drawing, NSFW and whatever weird fetish you might have included, as long as you pay for it. Also don’t worry, I won’t judge you. I just want to save my dog.

If you’re interested dm me here or if you don’t want me to know your tumblr you can also dm me on instagram (@quitthisshitt)

The money will most likely go through paypal and I’ll start working on the commission as soon as I get them (or if it’s one of those more expensive ones and you want to make sure I won’t ghost you after receiving the money, you can send me half of the price first, I’ll send you the sketch/animatic so you can rest assured, then you send the rest and I finish it.

#art commission sheet #art commissions open #art commission prices #art commisions #digital art #digital drawing #traditional art #traditional drawing #animation #animation commissions #animation commissions open #commissions #commissions info

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gothamslittlejester · 4 years

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Obsessive Ledger!joker x reader

I’ve been spoiling you all recently with all this Ledger!Joker, so you’re welcome 😎 (but also so sorry because I did go on a hiatus without saying anything for half a year 😬). Let me know in the asks if you want something in particular, I love writing for J so much! I have a few already that I am working on as we speak, so stay tuned for those 💜

Below are headcannons for a more yandere and darker joker than I usually write 👻 nothing abusive here because J is still very much my comfort character, but it definitely includes over-possessive, protective and stalker themes, as well as encouraging reader to join in on his murderous chaos

Warnings: morally ambiguous reader, joining joker on his “fun” i.e. mentions of torturing others, blood, weapons, severed body parts as gifts, implied seggsy time

· Before adoration, fondness or love, the first feelings Joker had for you was pure obsession. Obsession with what you thought and felt, what you liked to do and why you liked to do them. Obsession with your safety and the need to protect you, which led to jealousy and possessiveness very often. It was primal, and longing, and left him thirsting after your presence like a greedy, hungry wolf. He wanted you- needed you- and he was going to get you

·In spite of a period of flirting, suggestive jokes and hinting touches, Joker made it clear pretty quickly what his feelings were for you. Because of his lifestyle death is like a waiting shadow, and wasting time on what he wants is just not his style

· Quite soon into the beginning of your more romantic relationship, you move into his hideout for the sake of your safety, which calmed J down with some of his possessiveness and paranoid thoughts. He knew his home was the safest place in Gotham, excluding Bruce Wayne’s cave, and with you in it that meant you were safe too.

·When he’s gone, he’ll leave a huge shotgun behind for you to use in case of emergency, as well as Chechen’s Rottweilers. You’ll find some stray knives and pointy objects hidden in your coats too, “just in case”, but its more heartwarming to you than annoying

· He loves to lay on you at night, whether it be right on your chest to hear your heartbeat, or on your belly where he can feel your soft skin pressed against his scared cheeks. Not only is it pleasant and lets his touched-starved soul get some attention, but it also makes him hyper aware of every shift or move your body does while asleep. It also prevents you from sneaking out of the bed to run away, which is one of his more paranoid thoughts. Don’t try to move away or push him off, he will smack your hand back and snuggle in deeper, wrapping his arms around you like a snake

· He doesn’t care what insecurities you have regarding your appearance; he admires every single piece of you and will cuddle with whatever he wants, so push your anxieties aside because Joker hungers for all of you

· His gifts can sometimes be very macabre. Generally, he loves to spoil you with an array of things, such as new clothes or lingerie, plush toys of your favorite animals, snacks you said you’ve wanted to try, or even just random knick-knacks he stole from his victim’s homes. However, if he’s feeling adventurous or extra flirty that day, he will bring you certain body parts to symbolize his feelings for you.

· You’ve definitely found your fair share of human hearts in your fridge, because he adores how your heart races when your scared. You’ve found a pair of lungs stuffed in there too, because the little gasps you make when frightened or anticipating his touch are delicious to him. You went to get milk once and right behind the carton was a tongue, symbolizing how much he relishes your little talks and midnight conversations

· Once, he brought over a whole corpse, the body decomposing and gnarled, skin ripped to shreds and a face pummeled so brutally it had concaved. “Don’t need to worry about them any more doll,” he giggled, spitting on the body with a fervor that thrilled you. It took a few minutes of intense staring- why did they look familiar?- but then it clicked in your mind; it was the very person you had fumed and vented to Joker about last night, right before he had spontaneously left

· “J,” you began, eyes nearly popping out of your head. “Did you kill him... for me?”

· “ ‘Course I did, sweetheart.” He rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You know I’d, uh, kill anyone for you. Nasty fucks like them especially-ah.”

· If you have to leave for longer periods of time, whether that be for school or work, Joker will always have a few of his men stalking you from a distance, making sure you’re safe and that no one dangerous is within a 1 mile radius of you. They also have explicit instructions to take photos and send them to J, because he likes looking at your oblivious little face.

· He’d do it himself if he has the time, which he sometimes does, but he too is quite busy with his own things (when anarchy calls, as they say), so hiring lookouts is the next best thing. If he could, he’d have you right by his side at all times… how pretty you’d look in a soft purple leash... but that’s just daydream fuel for now

· Speaking of photos, Joker knows his ways around a camera. He makes... lovely home videos that he sends to news channels in his free time (rip fake batman) and he continues to practice at his craft from time to time. He even won a deepweb award for best snuff film of the year, which boosted his ego to ungodly heights. He’s absolutely delighted about it and hints that you should watch it on one of your movie nights, but he does warn it’s not for the faint of heart

· Taking videos and photos are one of his favorite hobbies, and if you’re down to clown… he’d certainly bring it in the bedroom

· Speaking of his more thrilling hobbies, Joker will constantly suggest you join him on his escapades or help out behind the scenes, especially if he picks up on any sort of interest from you concerning his ‘job’. Joker is an observant man, and he reads you like a book. He knows you likely have some dark, sinister thoughts running around in your head - you must, if you’re with him- so he does everything he can to encourage you to let them out. Joker will never judge this side of you, no matter how grim. He’ll try and harness it, bring it to light. He hates the thought of you shying away from your true self, embarrassed of your darker nature, but what he hates even more is you thinking he’ll be disgusted with you or disappointed. How can you think that?

· “No no no, bunny, not me. You’re my muse, so give me some inspiration hmm? Tell daddy exactly what’s going on in that mind of yours...”

· If you do show interest in the darker side of his job, he’d smile so big that his scars take up his whole face. He’d teach you everything; how to fire a gun, how to stab someone, how to hide a body and how to torture one. He’ll spread out all his weapons on the floor and let you choose which one calls to you, like a deranged ceremony, informing you on the pros and cons of each one. He’ll even invite you into the warehouses he designated just for torture, which are just as gruesome and sinful and they sound

· J let’s you watch as he hurts his victims, whom are purposefully rapists and killers to make you feel less guilty, and let’s you join in on the fun whenever you gain the courage. He even went as far as to buy a whole torture set off the black market, from scalpel to needles, just to give you options. Joker loves to see how creative you can get, and it’s one of the few times he lets you take complete control

· “The floor is yours, bunny. Impress me.”

· He is down for pretty much anything, and that mindset is not exclusive just to the bedroom

·Any couple activity you fear might be too far or creepy for other people… is right around J’s alley. Weird kinks or foreplay games you want to try? No problem. Making love in abandoned houses or cemeteries? Now that’s his type of romance. You want to carry a small vial of his blood around your neck? He is all game, but only if he gets one of you as well. Matching knives? He’s blushing. Satanic blood ritual from a sketchy website that’s supposed to bond your souls for eternity? Perfect, his weekend plans were centered around you anyways

· Now…If he feels that you’re not giving him enough attention or start to push him away, he will resort to crazier means to obtain your love back. He’ll set off random bugs, rats or even henchmen into your home to scare you, gleefully waiting to hear you cry out his name in fear. Like a small, dependent little kitten, mewling for their protector. He’d come in, guns ablaze, looking for whatever scared his darling angel, killing them on sight. You’d run into his arms, tears streaming down your face as you cling to Joker like your life depended on it- just how he liked it. He’d coo mockingly and pull you closer, rubbing your back as he unashamedly basked in your physical touch.

· In general however, your soft caresses, kisses and reassuring words are enough to keep him very pleased. He knows you adore him and are head over heels obsessed just like he is, and that truly does put a smile on his face.

#joker x reader #ledger joker x reader #ledger!joker x reader #joker headcannon #dark knight joker #x reader #dark headcannons #yandere

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boytouya · 3 years

Text

to get my thoughts out before i actually write it..

tattoo artist!dabi is one of those sketchy mfs who will do it in your house...even on top of carpet. don’t get me wrong, he’s sanitary and cautious but he’s had years of experience when it came to tattooing drunk frat boys/girls... so he just does not care. he charges based on how much he likes you, if you were giving him attitude you boutta pay a brick for a tiny ass tattoo. despite being sketchy he’s actually a professional, and his line work is mf outstanding. hasn’t cut a client ONCE, used endeavor’s status to open his own studio- but it’s attached to his house.

assuming this is an au, i’d take away SOME of his scars and replace them with tattoos (like that art i rb-ed last night). he shows them off a lot, brags about how some of them he gave to himself. a lot of them are doodles, he prefers practicing on his own skin instead of those fake skin kits- so they’re mostly arrangements of skulls, flames, daggers, lazily drawn dogs with speech bubbles (prolly saying sumn angsty like ‘Anarchy!’).

he hates tattooing virgin skin, especially if they choose places that urt the most for their first time. he bites his tongue though (which has a piercing btw lol), gets it done and it always looks good. i’d say he’s pretty good with just about any style, but he will judge you if you ask for something weird. (in his head)

a menace in the workplace. takes him a second to get to a client cause he’s too busy messing with other artists tomura, chisaki and jin to start the mf appointment. he does look scary but he’s pretty chill. keeps a collection of bongs, doesnt use them often but he takes a rip if someone is having a tattoo party cause it helps with the stress. they actually come out a lot smoother when he’s high too. talks shit about other people’s tattoos, if someone is getting a coverup he will be the first person to express how ugly it is😭

#dabi x gender neutral reader #anime x you #anime x gender neutral reader #bnha x gn!reader #bnha x gender neutral reader #mha x gn!reader #mha x gender neutral reader #dabi x reader #dabi x y/n

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kimistorm · 4 years

Text

Bang Chan x Reader || Dreams of Soulmates

Fandom: Stray Kids

Pairing: Bang Chan x GN! reader

Genre: Soulmate AU, Idol Chan, exchange student reader

Warnings: mentions of food

Word count: 3.1k

Something felt off when you realized you were dreaming. The flower field you were in was a comfortable, almost unnoticeable temperature, and the sun was partially covered by clouds, not enough to make it dark, but enough so you weren’t blinded by sun rays to your face. You hesitantly pinched yourself and stared down at your hands in shock when the pain didn’t register. You were definitely dreaming, especially since you had no recollection of how you got into this lush field, but you were aware of what was happening.

And then you saw him. There was another man in the field with you, looking about as bewildered as you felt. You lightly ran up to him, your white clothes brushing lightly against your body from the wind. He too was wearing a loose white shirt, with blue jeans that seemed to match the color of the sky around you. However, that wasn’t what caught your attention, it was the elegantly styled purple hair that rested atop his head. “Hi,” you tested out a little breathlessly when you were a respectable distance apart.

He started and spun around to look at you with a shocked look on his face. He evidently didn’t see nor hear you running up to him. “Hi,” he replied back with a smile, recovering from the shock quickly, “do you know what this is?” he gestured to the field surrounding you and you gave him a sheepish shrug in return.

“I was honestly hoping you knew,” you couldn’t help but look around in wonder as you voiced your thoughts, “this is the first time I’ve been here.” He let out a hum of agreeance. You continued to watch the stranger in front of you, you had never seen him before, you figured purple hair like that would cause enough of a memory for you to remember, but as you wracked your memory, nothing came up. “Are you a figment of my imagination?” you couldn’t help but ask. If this was all a dream, was he also just a dream?

His face scrunched up cutely as he thought about your question, his eyes darting around in confusion, “I don’t think so.”

You couldn’t help but laugh nervously, wherever you were, you and Mr. Stranger were both completely lost. “Well, I’m (y/n),” you held out your hand for him to shake, which he promptly did.

“Chan. Nice to meet you.” He gave you a brighter smile than before, making dimples show up on his face.

“You as well.” You gave him your own bright smile, he seemed like a good person. You thought back to what you did before bed. You finished up an assignment before flopping onto your bed to check your social media for any notifications (only to be disappointed with nothing of importance) and then falling asleep. Nothing out of the ordinary, and definitely no drugs that would’ve caused this wild dream. Could it even be called a dream by this point?

“So what do you do?” you were snapped out of your thoughts to see Chan had taken a seat in the field with his hands behind him as he leaned back comfortably. You quickly took a seat next to him, the tops of the grass hardly coming up to your elbows.

“I’m a student,” you answered honestly, “studying (your choice). Took a gap year, but I’m going to graduate soon!” you replied excitedly, the thought of being free from school brought a smile to your face, “what about you?”

Chan turned his attention to you and you took the opportunity to notice how clear his skin was. How you wished you could get clear skin like that. “I make music,” he replied with a smile.

“That’s so cool!” you couldn't help but gush in excitement. You loved listening to music, and while you entertained the idea of making your own music, the layers of vocals, harmonies, backing tracks, and the programs were all too discombobulating to you. So you were content to just listen to what other talented people could make. “What kind?”

His face quirked as he thought about it, “a variety. Mostly hip hop and rap.” You nodded eagerly and seeing your excited expression, he elaborated a bit more, “I mainly do it with 2 friends of mine, they’re amazing honestly.”

“I’m sure you’re very talented as well,” you replied reassuringly with a confident nod.

He ducked his head shyly, “how can you say that when you haven’t even heard it?”

“It takes amazing talent to know amazing talent,” you replied with a knowing grin. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he and the field suddenly vanished. Leaving you discombobulated as your hand fumbled around for your phone that was blaring at you to wake up. As you sat up in bed, trying to figure out what day of the week it was, you remembered Chan’s smiling face. That dream...it felt like more than just a dream.

☁☁☁

Several weeks passed and your nights passed without a peep from Chan. Maybe that was just a dream. But you couldn’t help but feel something was different about that encounter. It felt more substantial than your past dreams, and you could remember every moment of the interaction, something your other dreams couldn’t come close to (if you could even remember them).

So it was to your delight when you found yourself in the field again. You quickly looked around for Chan and rushed over to him when you spotted his figure. “I thought this was all a dream,” you couldn’t help but rush out breathlessly when you got close.

His eyes widened in recognition as he smiled and you felt a warmth grow in your chest, “(y/n)! It’s you again!” his head tilted to the side cutely, “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Same here,” you replied before plopping down to take a seat in the field, “so how’s life been?”

He smiled again, “it’s been good! I’ve been doing a lot of performances with my friends, it’s hard work learning the choreography,” he replied honestly with a shy look on his face, “but totally worth it.” He sighed happily as he gazed up at the sky, “I love being on the stage.”

“That sounds wonderful!” you couldn’t help but smile with him, his happiness was just contagious like that.

He turned attention back to you, “and how about you?”

“It’s been good! I think I’m finally getting the hang of Korea,” you replied with a grin as you thought about how you finally navigated the route from your dorm to the grocery store without the use of a navigation app.

His eyes widened in shock, “oh! Korea?”

You nodded and gave a hum of agreeance, “I guess I forgot to tell you, I’m studying abroad this semester, and I chose to go to South Korea!”

“How do you like it?”

You didn’t even have to think about your answer, “the food here is so good!” The other exchange students and you made it your mission to go out and eat at least three times a week, it was a pain on your wallet, but hey, you were in a new country and you were going to use every opportunity you could get.

His eyes widened in delight, “right! Korean food is so tasty.”

“Do you live in Korea?” you were nervous to ask it, but what if he did? Would you be able to meet Chan in real life? Did you even want to? You’ve only met him twice, and meeting an almost-stranger seemed pretty sketchy. Turns out you didn’t have to worry about his answer though, as you were suddenly yanked out of the dream and pulled back into reality.

You sighed, you wanted to talk to him more, but you smiled again when the image of him smiling at you popped up into your mind. There was just something soothing about his atmosphere. In the dream world, you felt safe with him, and time always seemed to fly by. You felt a blush rise to your cheeks as you recalled how his smile made your heart skip a beat, you couldn’t be falling for the man, you’ve only met him twice. Yet, even just the thought of him made you feel safe and happy.

☁☁☁

(friend’s name) gave you a (somewhat) judging look through your phone as you recounted your dream experiences with Chan, “not gonna lie, that’s kind of weird.”

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, “gee thanks.”

“Let me finish my thought,” (pronoun) responded with an eye roll, “it’s like, soulmate level of weird.”

You froze, then blinked. Once, twice, “you think he’s my soulmate?”

(f/n) shrugged, “I can’t think of any other reason why you’d be able to vividly remember your dreams of him.”

You couldn’t help but just stare in disbelief. You’d heard stories. Only a small percentage of the population had signs of their soulmates, you never thought you’d be part of that population though. For your entire life, you had gone with hardly a second thought about it. Your eyesight was fine, there were no markings on your body, heck, even if it was the dream world, why did it make itself known now? Why was this your first time ever setting foot in that field? “Do you think I should ask him about it?” you were nervously biting your lip, what if Chan didn’t believe in soulmates, and you bringing it up would make him hate you?

“I mean, I don’t know him, so I can’t say,” (pronoun) responded honestly, but you could see concern leaking in (pronoun) eyes, “but what can you lose?”

You looked away, “I enjoy our conversations, I could lose a friendship.”

“Or, gain a soulmate,” (f/n) wiggled (pronoun) eyebrows mischievously, “but it’s only happened twice?” you nodded as (f/n)’s tone became serious, “if you think he is your soulmate, and that he does live in Korea, you’ve got to make a move. You’ll be moving back to (home country) before you know it and the opportunity will be gone.”

You gave a firm nod, (f/n) had a point. You’d ask the next time you saw Chan.

☁☁☁

Almost as if the world knew, that night you met Chan in the field. “Chan!” you gave him a happy wave and the two of you ran to each other.

“(y/n)!” the two of you became inches away from a hug before you froze, and he quickly did the same. “Oh, sorry,” he replied nervously and took a step back before taking a seat in the field again, just like normal. You couldn’t help but silently curse at yourself, why did you freeze? You wanted him to be your soulmate, you wanted a hug, but maybe you just made the whole situation awkward before you even asked the question you’d been worried to ask. “How you doin’?” he asked after a moment of awkward silence.

You gulped as you sat down next to him, this whole soulmate thing has been on your mind ever since (f/n) mentioned it, your mind really hasn’t been on anything else other than it. “Good, um,” you had to ask it, but you were still so nervous. Chan looked at you curiously, not pushing you to continue, but just waiting and letting you go at it on your own time, “do you believe in soulmates?”

You nervously awaited his response as he turned his attention to the sky again and thought about it, “yes.” He replied finally and you felt your heart skip another beat. He turned his attention back to you with a soft smile, “why do you bring it up?”

You wanted to shrink under his gaze, it wasn’t harsh by any means, but you suddenly felt uncertain. Maybe he didn’t feel the same pull as you. “Do you think we could be soulmates?” you couldn’t look at him as you asked the question, opting to mumble into your knees instead.

“Sorry?” he leaned closer to hear you better.

“Do you think we could be soulmates?” you repeated clearer, but still avidly averting your eyes. There was silence and you tried to will yourself into a smaller ball, wanting to disappear from the awkward atmosphere you created.

“And that we’re connected through our dreams?” Chan’s soft voice didn’t sound judgeful, instead, it sounded like he suddenly came to a realization. You looked up from your knees and saw awe settled on his face. His dark eyes met yours with a sudden passion that almost scared you, “do you go to sleep at like, normal times?”

“If you’re saying midnight, then yeah?”

Chan let out a sound that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a cry, “then that might be why I hardly ever see you.”

You tilted your head in confusion, what revelation did he make that you didn’t know about? You wanted to ask him but once again, your dream with Chan was disturbed by your alarm. You let out a groan as you turned it off. Why couldn’t you and Chan have a proper conversation?

☁☁☁

Much to your surprise, for the second night in a row you found yourself in the field of flowers, however, that did nothing to dampen your delight when you saw Chan already pleasantly sitting in the field. “Glad to see you again so soon,” you grinned as you took a seat next to him.

He turned his dimpled smile to you, “your hunch, or maybe my hunch, either way, it was correct.” You looked at him in confusion, you had no idea what he was talking about. You mentioned soulmates the last time you met, but you didn’t know how that had anything to do with controlling when you met up in the dream world. He seemed to notice your confusion and quickly took it upon himself to explain, “I think the only time we meet is when we’re both asleep, and I’m,” he nervously shifted his gaze, “not one for sleeping before 5 am.”

You couldn’t help the cry of shock that escaped from your lips, “you need to sleep!”

He laughed, “I know, I know.” He then met your gaze with a quiet intensity that you had never seen on his face before, “but I think I’ve found a reason to go to sleep at a decent time.”

You couldn’t help the stuttering of your heart and lips as you pointed at yourself, “are you talking about me?”

“Of course I am!” he replied with a bright smile, “even though I remember these interactions vividly, I still wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.” You couldn’t help but nod in agreeance. Yes, it took you a hot second to wake up (as usual) but it never felt like you got any less sleep.

“So you live in Korea?” that seemed to be a logical conclusion, seeing as he was talking about sleeping at normal times and was so excited about Korean food, but his accent made him sound Australian, which could make sense, considering the two countries weren’t too far apart from each other.

“Yeah,” he nodded, confirming your hunch, “I’m from Australia though, and I’d like to keep my accent.”

You smiled at his comment, “cute.” You found the words spilling from your lips almost naturally. You gasped and clapped a hand to your mouth, but Chan was laughing joyfully, seemingly unperturbed by your sudden exclamation.

He stopped laughing as he looked at you, “do you, want to meet in real life?” he fiddled with the collar of his shirt nervously and turned his attention away from you again as if he was afraid of what you were going to say. You, on the other hand, was at a loss for words. He already seemed to know what you were going to say and what conclusions you were coming to without you even saying anything. Was this what it meant to be soulmates? You seemed to be on the same frequency, coming to the same conclusions and having the same experiences from the dream world. “Ah, nevermind, forget I said that.” He hurriedly took back his words after you accidentally let the silence drag on for too long.

“No wait!” your hands reached out in a panic and he looked to you curiously, “yes! Yes, I’d love to meet you in real life!”

A bright smile broke on his face, “when are you free?” he asked eagerly.

“I should be free this-” the field suddenly disappeared and you found yourself staring at your dark ceiling, “weekend.” You finished your sentence quietly before you turned to your phone. It was still early in the morning, so it wasn’t your alarm that ended the connection. You couldn’t help but feel dejected, you were so close to finding him, but something stopped you. Again.

☁☁☁

You were in the grocery store, staring at a wall of tofu that you could throw into a pan and make a quick stir fry, but your mind kept on wandering to Chan. Was it him who broke off the connection? Or was it something else? Something more ethereal and had to do with you being soulmates? “Sorry, excuse me,” you jumped back to let the person get access to the tofu you were standing in front of. He had a bucket hat pulled over his hair and a mask on, just like everyone else, but you couldn’t help but feel your gaze was drawn to him. Something about him seemed familiar, though you couldn’t put your finger on why.

He seemed to notice your stare as he awkwardly turned to you, “can I help you with something?” you met his eyes and that’s when it hit you like a lightning bolt.

You recognized those eyes, they matched the eyes on a face you couldn’t stop thinking about. “Chan?” you let out a breathily, not believing that this was real. You pinched yourself and winced when it actually hurt this time.

“(y/n),” his eyes widened in recognition before they folded in a smile. “So we get to meet in real life anyway!”

“Wow,” you couldn’t help but say back breathlessly, “this isn’t a dream right?”

He grinned back, “I don’t think so.” He suddenly fished in his pocket for something, “what’s your phone number? This way we can talk without being dependent on our sleep schedule.” You eagerly nodded as you dug around for your own phone. You quickly exchanged numbers, and you felt giddy when you saw a simple ‘hi’ from Chan appear on your phone. “Sorry, I’ve got to run,” he apologized once you traded numbers, “but let’s talk later yeah?”

“Of course! Looking forward to it!” you couldn’t help the goofy grin on your face as he gave you a wave before rushing to wherever he had to go. You found your soulmate.

Masterlist

#stray kids #skz #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #bang chan #bang chan x reader #bang chan x y/n #bang chan x you #skz bang chan #soulmate au #x reader #reader insert #kpop x reader #kpop x y/n #my work #kimi's writing

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ksqwildwest · 3 years

Note

Hello I wanted to ask about karlnapity’s (karljackmason? is that their ship name here? anyways,) handwriting and artistic abilities!

is karl the type of author that has beautiful font-like handwriting or is it chicken scratch? jack seems like the type of person to have ugly handwriting but it would be a pleasant surprise for him to have nice handwriting. honestly mason seems like the type of person to have decent handwriting. it probably changes with his mood. idk though it’s up too you.

i also wanted to ask about their artistic ability!! would karl be cursed with no artistic skill? (since he can write well, would the universe balance it out by making him horrendous at daring?) mason seems like he would be decent at drawing. no idea about jack, though. again, these are just my thoughts on it. i would really love to hear your opinions on this!! <3

Thank you for the ask!

I'm sticking with Karlnapity since it rolls off the tongue better and is an established tag!

Handwriting

Karl: I think he has pretty nice handwriting, but can not for the life of him read or write in cursive. He writes with really big letters but has trained himself to write smaller so he can fit more writing on each page and his words are so pressed together they almost blend into one another, with little to no spacing in between.

Mason: he has decent handwriting, like you said, but he never has to write anything so it's a bit messy sometimes. He's not the best at spelling though, with the lack of practice and reading, he has forgotten some of the common spellings of some words like because or their vs. There vs. They're, but past that it's perfectly readable.

Jack: now, I think he actually has readable writing, it's still chicken scratch, but it's written big with large spaces between each word. I think he learned how to write in Spanish so he sometimes adds the things on top of letters if he feels like that's how they would be spelled. He knows all the letters, just with Spanish indicators on them like á ã ñ etc, so he just makes up the spelling for English words that he doesn't know how to spell.

Art

Karl: He mostly doodles little shapes and squiggles in the sides of his pages. He can't do anything super detailed or realistic, but he can make little cartoon style drawings! Even then he doesn't do it often and sticks to shapes and lines rather than drawing things from real life.

Mason: I think he'd be pretty average, like you said. He has a basic grasp on anatomy and can draw it out decently, but he's terrible at detail work and shading. His style is sketchy and loose with no sharp lines on anything.

Jack: Okay, hear me out. I kinda want him to be really good at drawing. Like really really good at it. He's not very good with using colors in them because he's only really had access to pencils and pens, but he has a grasp on shading and details that Mason lacks. Not photo realism, but very high quality given that he has no formal training past maybe a single how to draw book in his family home.

But he hides the skill from everyone in town, feeling like if people found out they might judge him for enjoying it or mess with his "dumb bandit" routine that he puts on. If you ask him to draw something he does it with the skills of a five year old.

#tftsmp #tftsmp wild west #tales from the smp #karlnapity #karl jacobs #tftsmp mason #jack kenoff

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syinisuga · 4 years

Text

Begin Again [MinYoongi]

Pairing : Yoongi x Reader

Word count : 5.2K

Genre : Fluff and Angst

Description : Friends to lovers, Long Distance relationship, Lovers to (?)

Summary : when you thought the friendship you once had with him died away after one silly mistake, and you thought you would never have again what you lost;

But it blossoms back unexpectedly stronger and is slowly growing to be something more beautiful than you ever had

"I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break and burn, and end;

But on a Wednesday in a cafe i watched it Begin Again"

--------------------✨📖✨---------------------

It was the start of a new year and you weren't particularly happy about being moved up a few classes into an entirely new class with relatively new students you haven't personally met yet. You were still grateful for your good results in the past year to have you land in such a good class. In all honesty though, you did miss your friends from your old class, all of them being scattered in the back classes however changed your mind about being thankful that you're at least in a better one. The first few days of getting used to the classes went by rather slowly as you were listening to the introductions of the other students and teachers half mindedly, till around your 4th day into the classes that is.

You were randomly seated in the Chemistry lab by the teacher as she familiarised herself with the rest of the class. Not paying much attention you were spacing out, resting your chin on your palm, tapping away at your cheek.

" Um, hey there"

The voice from the stool next to you spoke. You turned your head to the direction of the voice, being met with warm brown eyes looking right at you. He had soft black hair, eyes slightly puffy as if he hadn't slept well the night before, lips curled up in a slight smile as he looked at you.

"Oh, hello"

you answered, trying not to sound overly shocked at the first human interaction you've had in this new class.

"I'm yoongi, what's your name?"

"I'm y/n, nice to meet you Yoongi"

"So what are your interests? What do you like to do y/n? Any hobbies?"

It definitely took you by surprise when this boy you've never really met before was suddenly making an interest to get to know you more. Something about him felt raw and not shy but in a good way.

"Well i really love listening to music and i do indulge in art as well. Spend most of my time listening to songs while drawing. Draw the mood of the song you know?"

"Damn, haha you sound kinda like me. Not tryna be cheesy or anything but i love listening to music too, I'm shit at drawing tho, i can barely draw a stickman"

Both of you exchanged a little chuckle at his open confession about himself. And even though it had only been a few minutes of words between the two of you, you felt at that moment that he wasn't like the other boys who popped up to talk to you first. This one genuinely seemed interested in you just to make a new friend.

-----------------------🤝------------------------

"Yo y/n you wanna ditch PE and hang out in the library? The new Resident Evil movie came out we can watch"

"You know what, yeah let's yeet"

You don't know how it went from spending lunch times together, to skipping the most boring subjects to hang out and hide. It'd been a few months since you started your new friendship with Yoongi, and by now you were known as the inseparable duo, funny enough both of you became the class representatives. Somehow you two got closer and closer each day, the more you talked the more you felt like you've known each other for years, yet some part of you knew that there was more to Yoongi than he was showing to you.

On a particularly slow day at your classes, you and Yoongi had pre planned to sneak out to hang out at your usual spot in the library. Sitting at the back of the library the both of you laughed at a joke Yoongi made about how almost the whole school shipped the both of you.

"You know y/n, I envy you"

"Oh well, I know I'm fabulous" you playfully said as you flipped your hair back, earning a little grunt and a harmless eye roll from Yoongi.

"It's not that you loonatic, i envy you...cause you have such a nice relationship with your family"

His sudden statement caught you slightly off guard but you gave him a look, clearly eager to know the reason behind his words. Flashing half a smile towards you he starts his story.

"Growing up for me was, well, it was an experience. I grew up under the care of foster parents who constantly reminded me that my parents gave me away cause i was a burden, all my life that's what i was told. Never had a father figure or mother figure to help shape my emotions? Guess that's why I don't show it if I'm sad or depressed, which is actually most of the time"

he looks down at his hands and chuckles softly.

"But you know something y/n? Being with you makes me feel like I could be myself, like I don't have to be afraid of being judged. And that's why I wanted you to know the truth but i understand if you don't wanna get involved or-"

You cut him off by placing your hand on his, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Yoongi, i want you to know that I'll always be here for you and you can talk to me about this anytime okay? You're my best friend now! And I'm hoping I'm yours too?" You ask in a more playful tone making yoongi giggle.

"Of course you are"

"Good! Cause i come in a package deal of crackhead and supportive as well as a no return contract"

"Sounds perfect to me bestie"

-----------------------😚------------------------

Over 2 years had passed and the whole highschool down to the teachers were sure the two of you were in a relationship, as everyone saw the two of you being practically stuck together almost all the time. Yoongi and your friendship became stronger than ever since that day he decided to open up to you. It became a regular thing where you'd confide in each other for emotional comfort as well as motivation and support. Not missing the fact that your level of crackhead together had become an all time high.

Your finals and exams blasted through and you had spent all your study weeks with Yoongi in the library. As sketchy as it was you and your best friend actually did sincere studying. And as it would, your hard work together paid off earning the both of you high marks in your finals. The two of you didn't miss to make a trademark crackhead scene at the receiving of the scroll ceremony when you accidentally tripped on your shoelace and Yoongi cracked up laughing and clapping before helping you up. The two of you celebrate with drinks and a lot of food that night and Yoongi paid for everything to make it up to you for laughing when you fell.

You looked at yourself one last time in the mirror before heading out to your highschool's hall. It was your graduation party but more importantly to you it was Yoongi's birthday. Coincidentally the two events had fallen on the same day, and what better opportunity than to get dressed up to party at your graduation ceremony together. It had been a heck of a ride these last two years, and you were going to make sure this last school event would be memorable.

Upon arriving you scan around the hall of students in search of the familiar face.

"Looking for me?"

He makes his presence behind you known by clearing his throat. You turn around to give your usual playful comment back but the words were caught in your throat as your gaze landed on your best friend. He was dressed smart, in a suit that looked like it was custom made to fit him, his hair in a side part and bangs neatly framing his face. You were so used to seeing him in his casual hoodies and ripped jeans that seeing him in formal wear made you choke on your words.

Too focused on getting your senses back in check, you don't notice how Yoongi's train of thought was stopped dead in its tracks as he watched you turn around to face him. He never pictured his crackhead of a best friend in something other than t-shirts and track pants. Seeing you in a dress that hugged your figure in all the right places and taking in the sight of you, with your makeup and hair all done to suit the dress you were wearing nearly made him pass out from how he was holding his breath to admire you.

Clearing the silence between the two of you, Yoongi speaks up first.

"Well well, you don't completely look like the satanic spawn of hot cheetos and depression today. You actually look pretty good"

Smirking a little smile you bite back at his comment.

"Well same to you too Mr. I'm a millennial emo teen. You actually look, presentable today"

The two of you exchanged a playful giggle and assumed your seats at your class tables as the ceremony went on.

You don't see the small glances Yoongi takes in your direction, the thoughts gushing through his mind about how you looked at the moment and cursing himself for not realising your features sooner. He admired the way you had chosen to dress up today, seeing the way you had styled your hair so your curls would frame your face, the way you had done your makeup in a more natural looking way that he thought suited you perfectly. Yoongi didn't remember when the unlabeled feelings for you came but the longer he looked at you the more he was starting to put a name to the feelings he had. So much so that he had completely spaced out in his thoughts of you like that he didn't realise you were speaking to him.

" -don't you think so Yoongi?"

"I'm sorry what did you say? The umm, the music is so loud"

"I saaaaiiddd it's beginning to get a little dull at this graduation ceremony, we need a little surprise, don't you think?"

"Surprise?? What kind of surprise?"

Flashing a smile his way you get up and walk towards the front of the hall where the ceremony host was finishing up their ending speech. Whispering into the host's ear, he gives you the microphone and you confidently stride to the front. But you accidentally go too close to the speaker and it lets out an unpleasant squee, making you move back and away a little. You look up and around finding your best friend's eyes looking back at you giggling at the scene that just occured.

"Well that's one way to get everyone's attention" you chuckle earning muffled chuckles and words from the hall.

"So firstly congrats to everyone on graduating y'all did it. But that's not why I'm up here right now. Today is a special day for someone, and since it's the last day we'll all be gathering I wanted to make this memorable for him. So everyone I would like to wish out here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIN YOONGI"

you started to sing happy birthday and the rest of the hall joined in singing with you.

In all this happening, Yoongi could only focus on you, the way you just boldly got up to sing out loud and wish him Happy Birthday in the most "you" way possible. So he didn't know if it was the moment or if it was his unlabeled feelings overflowing for you, that he got up and walked towards you as the song was ending. He couldn't tell what came over him at that moment but he knew for sure he wasn't going to stop what he was about to do next. Cupping your cheeks in his palms, he leaned in, pressing his soft lips to yours. Kissing you with deep feelings overtaking his mind. The moment his lips touched yours he knew what those unlabeled feelings were, it was Love.

You couldn't process fast enough that your best friend was striding towards you with a goal, a desire. And you surely didn't expect for him to suddenly kiss you. Registering the feeling of his lips on yours, your eyes closed on their own as if on automatic response. You sank into the feeling of his lips, and it was then you felt the spark that ignited your own unlabeled feelings for Yoongi. You had definitely asked yourself countless times before if what you were feeling for Yoongi was more than just friendship. On the countless nights he had cried on your shoulder or when you cried on his, on the many occasions where you were both always partners in crime, you would always glance at Yoongi and wonder what more could there be to the feelings between you.

As the both of you slowly pulled away from each other a roaring sound of cheers erupted as it seemed to be that the two of you were the last ones to know you two were actually in love with each other. Taking your hand in his, Yoongi and you ran out of the hall that night knowing well where the two of you stood from that moment on.

-----------------------❤️------------------------

"No babe I think you should definitely take the opportunity to study there, I know it's far but it'll be really good for you, plus it's something you really like! It'll take some time for you to get used to the new place but i know you'll fit right in. In fact i know your wack ass would stand out"

You giggled at his comment but you wholeheartedly took his motivation and advice. But the question and thoughts still lingered in your mind as you heard Yoongi chuckle on the other end of the phone.

"But Yoongi, this means we'd be in a long distance relationship, with you going off to study in the opposite direction and all. Even our breaks don't match Yoongi.. what'll we do" the worrying tone in your voice didn't go unnoticed by Yoongi as he answered you in a calm reassuring tone.

"It'll take some work, but i know we can get through this okay? We'll make it, we can make it. I love you" you smiled at Yoongi's voice uttering the sweet words of love as you felt yourself calm your thoughts.

"I love you too Yoongi. Well then, keep me company while i pack?"

"You bet"

It had been a few months since you started dating, and honestly it didn't feel any different from when the two of you were in your phase of friendship, everything was going relatively smooth apart from the little fights and misunderstandings you had now that you were a couple. Sometimes you sit to think to yourself if moving into a relationship with Yoongi was the best choice, it would feel as though sometimes he would act differently and not like he always would but you just shake of the thoughts. You just figured with all these future college studies and intakes coming about that he was just as stressed as you were. You assured yourself that the two of you would be alright and that you'll always have each other.

A few more months pass and the two of you have already started your college lives. Yoongi being in a campus almost 8 hours away from you with minimal transport for him to even go home let alone plan to meet you. It was going smoothly, settling into orientation and getting to know the layouts of the campus well, meeting new friends and truly taking in your next step in education. You and Yoongi would exchange day to day text messages about how orientation and the first days of classes went.

All well and good till Yoongi's texts became slower and less frequent, he would always say that he's busy with his friends there, or straight up not giving a response at all. You became more and more fearful at how this long distance thing was going to work out for the two of you.

28th Tuesday

[12:27am] hey Yoongi! I hope you had a great day, I miss you and hope you sleep well, love you!

[08:40am] Hey Babe, good morning! I'm in class now, wishing we could skip like old times haha, hope you have a great day! Text me soon

[6:48pm] Hey i just got back to my dorm after classes, it was super fun! How was your day??

[8:11pm] Yoongi?? Are you okay? Are you busy babe?

[8:24pm] I miss youuuuuuuu :(

[10:16pm] Yoongi :(

You tossed your phone to the side of your bed as you felt your tears well up, why was he suddenly avoiding you? Is he okay?? Did he get hurt? Your thoughts were spiraling, getting messier till you heard the familiar ping from your phone. You scurried to your phone to see Yoongi's name pop up on the screen. Your smile quickly faded, replaced by disappointment at his reply.

[10:43pm] Hey, was busy with friends today, going to bed now ttyl <3

You frowned and wouldn't let him go this time. The days of short texts to unreplied texts and this is how he replies now? In a fit of fury you call him.

"Hello?-"

"Yoongi what's wrong? You haven't been replying to my texts as usual are you okay??"

"Mmh I'm fine, just busy with classes and my new friends y/n"

"Well I can't accept that answer Yoongi, I'm busy with classes and friend's here too but I take the time so why can't you?"

"Hey it's not that big of a deal y/n, we're in new environments now and it'll take me some time to settle in"

"Yoongi surely you have at least 5 minutes a day to text me??"

"Yeah of course I do, I just texted you didn't i?"

"That short ass reply was what you call a text Yoongi? It really sounds like you're avoiding me"

"You know what y/n I don't have time for this right now I'm tired"

"No Yoongi, I haven't talked to you properly in days come on don't you miss me Yoongi?"

"To be honest I've been enjoying the new company here that's I haven't missed you much"

"What do you mean Yoongi? You don't think of me?"

"Not all the time no, i have other things to think about here y/n i have new responsibilities here I can't be thinking about you all the damn time, just be happy I texted you back"

"Are you threatening to not text me anymore Yoongi? Is that what you're saying? You don't wanna talk to me anymore?"

"Oh god for fucks sake y/n stop being so clingy alright? Just grow up a little!"

The sound of his voice in heightened frustration made you choke on your words, you silenced yourself as his words rang loud in your head.

"You know what y/n I don't think this will work out, I'm going to get even busier and this will just be in the way of it all"

"Yoongi…"

"I'm sorry y/n but clearly this distance is proving that we won't work out"

"Are you... breaking up with me Yoongi?.."

The pain in your voice and the soft shaky exhale doesn't go unnoticed by Yoongi. Yoongi takes a deep breath, realising he spoke too fast in frustration. As much as he did feel for you this distance was tearing you apart and Yoongi didn't want to believe it but it was the truth. He spoke softer this time giving his side of his explanation.

"Y/n, you've been nothing but amazing to me, but I realize that we were more compatible as friends, I mean think about it, we've had so many petty fights that we never had before we dated. Our growing college life will further hinder our relationship. I don't want to hurt you like this by not giving you the love and attention you deserve. I'll always love you y/n, just not as more than friends I suppose"

You couldn't believe what was happening right now, your world felt like it was crashing down on you hard and fast, you could feel the sharp stinging in your chest from how your heart was breaking the more reality hit you. Yoongi's words had reason to them, but you were still in a state of confusion. Why could you make time for Yoongi but he couldn't for you? Maybe it's because the two of you are pursuing different fields of studies? Maybe he really had better things to do? Yoongi didn't want to hurt your feelings by making you feel abandoned so he was in fact abandoning you? No? But he said he'll still love you?? Your head was spinning a bunch of thoughts ran through your head.

"Okay Yoongi...if that's what would be the best for us..then okay"

"Don't worry okay? We'll still text as usual, talk when we can okay? I won't let you go, you're still my best friend y/n"

You didn't know if his words would be comforting enough, but at that moment you took what you had and calmed your thoughts for now.

"Okay Yoongi.."

"Good, I have an early schedule tomorrow. I'll talk to you later okay? I'm going to bed now. Goodnight y/n"

"Good night Yoongi"

-----------------------💔------------------------

As it will, Yoongi and you slowly drifted apart. You would often see his social media updates about how he was actively participating in clubs, and how he had taken up new responsibilities, going to camps and hosting events at his institute and he definitely seemed to be doing well. You on the other hand fell more and more at war with your emotions, it didn't hinder your studies. Thankfully you could keep those two apart. But whenever it got a little too quiet you'd think of him, the days in highschool when you were inseparable. You missed his laugh, his endearing way of calling you the most heinous nicknames. You definitely missed his comforting arms, his words of encouragement when you were down, you wished nothing more that in this moment you were crying to him instead of because of him.

You couldn't believe that you were sitting here, broken and feeling alone by the guy that made his way into your life, and had now made his way out in the most painful way possible. You were left there clueless and confused. Did he do it for you? Was it the right thing? Did he really think of you? Why was this happening? What would have happened if you didn't date? Would things be different? Would your best friend have stayed? All these questions playing through your mind, countless nights you spent crying yourself to sleep. Thinking of how you felt almost betrayed, you cursed at yourself for sending texts to him that were only left on read or replied with a simple "I'm busy, text you later".

Slowly days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months as you hadn't spoken much to Yoongi. You became stone hearted from all that had happened and slowly you got back into yourself. You were more and more active in your college life and you were growing to be better at controlling your emotions. Sure some little things remind you of him now and then, but it was much easier by now to brush his thoughts off. As sadly as your situation was you learned to move with it and not let it consume you. Every now and then you'd see Yoongi piston updates on his progressively active life and you'd feel happy for him, you wondered if he ever felt the same for you when he saw your updates on how well you were doing.

----------------------🍃-------------------------

It had been a total of 4 years since everything happened, you were on a roll and you had graduated college. You had a few job applications pending and you were more stable with your life by now. All the questions you once had were stored in a box collection dust in the far corner of your mind.

It was a relaxing Saturday evening, you were in your apartment lounging on your bed. As you were chatting away with your friends a familiar ping aroused from your phone. The name that popped up on the screen made your heart heavy and you breathing shallow, a true ghost from your past…

"Yoongi 🥀"

Your screen read. Taking a deep breath you opened the chat.

[9:57pm] Hey y/n it's been a long time… are you free tonight? Can I call you?

You didn't know what exactly to think right now. Every cell in your brain telling you not to. That you shouldn't give into him again, and that you should just talk to him over text no matter what it was. But your heart was screaming for him, the familiar feeling of longing for him returning in a massive tsunami, washing over your thoughts. You took a deep breath to centre your thoughts and decided you'd listen to him and talk to him again.

[9:59pm] Hey Yoongi, yeah I'm free to talk.

As soon as the message was read by him, your phone rang. You took one more deep breath and answered the call.

"Hello y/n, how are you?"

You cursed in your head at how much you missed his voice, the way he spoke to you at this moment had a hint of the same longing you had for him.

"Hey..Yoongi, I'm good. How are you?"

"I've been good too.. congratulations on graduating"

"Thanks Yoongi, congratulations on graduating too.."

"Thanks…"

The silence that fell had you both reflecting on everything that happened and how fast it all went by. The box of questions in your mind burst out once again whereas Yoongi on the other hand was feeling guilt and hate towards himself for everything that he put you through. Little did you know that these last few months Yoongi was hit with the hard realisation that he had lost not only his best friend but the person he cared about the most. His family certainly did not improve and the one person who was there for him when he needed it, he had left broken hearted and abruptly once he found a new escape. Yoongi was slowly flooded with memories of you as he neared his own college graduation. He remembered your highschool graduation and how he felt for you there in that moment of time. He spent a few nights crying at the realisation that he had thought of what's best for you but didn't think of how you felt and how he had left things between the two of you.

"Why Yoongi…."

Was all you managed to say out loud before your emotions caved in. Understanding what you were asking he answered.

"I was so caught up in the new environment of growing up and moving on that I did what I thought was the best to not hurt you...but I didn't think far enough that doing so will indeed hurt you.. and I wasn't there for you like i was supposed to. It took a hard hit to my head to realise that I was wrong y/n… you were always there for me and stupidly I made this mistake… I thought i was thinking of the best for both of us, when in fact i was thinking of myself.. I was selfish and I realised that…so many things reminded me of you y/n, the clouds, the sun, the sight of roses, the smell of hot cheetos.."

You giggled a little at his last comment earning a little muffled one from Yoongi.

"I understand if you hate me for what I did to you y/n… and I don't know if it'll ever be the same between us again.. but I'm willing to try to bring back what we had... if you're willing to give me a chance…"

You exhaled softly before letting out everything that you've been feeling.

"I don't hate you Yoongi, I never could and I never will. You're everything to me Yoongi and I was just really hurt by what you did and how you ended things. So many thoughts went through my head and I won't even talk about how much you made me cry….you dipshit" the playful cursing nickname made Yoongi chuckle a little, slowly making him feel reassured at the directions of the conversation.

"I'm willing to give us a chance Yoongi..and you're right, I don't expect it to be the same as what we had, I just hate that I lost my best friend.."

"I know..i understand that..and I'm sorry..for everything"

"It's okay Yoongi, I'm sorry too… maybe I should've been more understanding…"

"Hey… do you.. wanna hang out Tomorrow night?"

"You wanna hang out?"

"Yeah, i wanna see you and catch up with you"

"Sure Yoongi that'd be nice"

"Great!! I'll meet you at the café by our old highschool?"

"Sure Yoongi, sounds great"

"Right then, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow Yoongi"

You could hear the smiles in each other's voices as you both bid goodnight and hung up the phone. You didn't know what it was exactly but you knew just from that phone call that everything was going to be alright. You felt like you breathed much easier now, your mind much lighter. Yoongi felt the same, he was smiling more now filled with the excitement of meeting you again tomorrow after years.

-----------------------✨------------------------

You made sure to check yourself out in the mirror a few more times before heading towards the café. You had chosen to wear a simple yet stylish outfit, your hair tied back in a low loose ponytail, your short hairs framing your face. You were nervous yet excited to be reunited with your best friend again. And as you approach the café, there he was. Standing outside the door of the café waiting for you. The now slightly more mature looking, dark fluffy haired man, wearing a long black coat was looking just as nervous and excited as he was looking down at his feet.

"I didn't know you needed glasses to see now"

your voice made him turn his head fast in your direction. The moment his gaze landed on you, it felt like highschool all over again. The way you looked standing there, just centimetres away from him. He took in your slightly matured face yet he told himself that you hadn't changed one bit.

"It's official, you're old Yoongi"

He chuckled and playfully scoffed at your comment.

"Well at least i don't dress like the satanic spawn of depression and hot cheetos"

"Sure thing Mr. I'm still a millennial emo teen"

The two of you laughed, and the world seemed to slow down. The feeling that nothing ever really changed between the two of you was knowing, however this time something felt entirely different. Both of you could feel it for sure. It was the feeling of a bond stronger than both friendship and love. You didn't know what the feeling was exactly, all that you knew was that you're never losing each other again. All this while you've been sitting there watching the feelings you had burn and crash in the worst way possible, but today right here at this café, right in front of your eyes you watched everything Begin Again.

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts au #yoongi fanfic #bts min yoongi #min yoongi #bts yoongi #kpop fluff #bts fluff #bts angst

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faithfulcat111 · 4 years

Text

Okay, this bit is going to appear to start in a really weird place, but that is because I wrote this entire AU stream of consciousness style in my notes and just broke it into sections to post here cause it was like thirty pages. So part two!

Vanya wastes no time driving to Diego's. She can't get Five out of the car by herself, so she goes into the gym and manages to find Al who looks like he could be in charge and asks if he know where Diego is. Al is immediately defensive, wondering if this is some weird ex. Not Diego's usual type, but hey who is he to judge. When Al asks why she is looking for Diego, Vanya explains that she is his sister and she has their missing brother and needs Diego's help. Sister instantly set off red flags because as far as Al knew, Diego was pissed and fighting with both of them. Al wasn't even sure how many brothers Diego had, having only seen one around (the only sibling around actually), and only heard of the others as a group in passing. But a missing one? No wonder the kid is messed up. He agrees to help Vanya get Five into Diego's room as Diego is out right now and holy shit, that is a legit kid. Too old to be a kid of Diego's, but he almost looks too young to be their sibling. And Vanya is grabbing a couple duffle bags and abandons the keys. Something weird is going on. Al gets the kid inside for Vanya, but decides he is staying out of this mess.

Vanya waits inside. Five isn't waking and Diego takes a few hours to get back from his vigilante stuff. Al manages to catch him and says his brother and sister are waiting inside so don't throw those damn knives at them. Diego is confused, but Al keeps going, saying that his sister showed up with a kid claiming it was their missing brother and the kid looked horrible and, Diego runs into the room and stops short when he sees Five of all people sleeping on his bed with Vanya reading beside him. He is understandably not happy about Vanya just showing up and wants answers about why she and Five of all people are here. Vanya tries to explain the best she can with her limitied knowledge: Five showed up at some point, Dad was keeping him at the house cause he is sick or something due to time travel, Luther tried to contact the siblings, but could only get ahold of Vanya, Luther got Five out of the house before taking off to some important mission to the moon. Luther never saw Five awake and neither has Vanya yet. Diego needs a moment before he asks why Luther even bothered getting Five out. Vanya says that all he told her was Mom mentioned it, that Five needed family. Diego still feels like there are so many missing pieces, but you know what, he'll take what he has and since Mom wanted Five to get out like everyone else, then he is staying out.

Five chooses this moment to come back to consciousness. The two just hear a slight whimper behind them at first and turn to see Five sleepily blinking his eyes open. They stare at him for a long moment before he just screeches. Vanya practically jumps on the bed grabbing Five and holding him which promptly shuts him up. He looks absolutely bewildered. Diego steps forward, cautiously asking if Five knew who they were and where he was at. Five reaches up one hand to touch Vanya's arm and just whispers in a far too raspy voice, "Ghosts can't touch me." And then passes right back out.

Okay, their brother has obviously been through some things and is traumatized af. Diego helps Vanya navigate their brother out of the coat, startling when something falls out of one of the pockets. It's Vanya's book. Clearly it is Five's copy as a quick flip through the pages shows a bunch of equations scribbled through the margins. What stops Diego though is that this is a library copy. And the last date it was turned in was in 2019. Nearly four years from now. Vanya sees Diego holding the book and starts to say something, but is cut off by him just saying that Five definitely time traveled before showing her the stamps showing when the book was last checked in. He then says that Veggie will be looking for them, or at least Five, and they need to go. So he stuffs some things into his own duffle bag, hands all the bags to Vanya, scoops up Five, and leads the way.

This is where I stopped writing for two months because I was working on another AU and had finals and holidays, but I think I remember where I was going with this, so here we go.

Diego, Vanya, and Five take off with only a call to Eudora from Diego (who they are newly broken-up, so it takes awhile, but Diego finally just tells her he has to leave for awhile and if she can keep an eye out for Klaus, he would appreciate it) and Diego telling Al to just box his stuff up or sell it. They leave in Diego's car, although they trade it out at a sketchy car lot the next town over. Why did they take off like this? Diego knows what the evil there father figure is and Vanya quickly figured out they would have to leave to avoid him taking back Five, which is her focus. It doesn't take long for Diego to deduce that is her intentions and for his big brother instincts to take over and decide to run with them and take care of the two.

Through the initial 24 hours after they take off, Five is mostly asleep. They bring him back to consciousness a couple of times to drink something or eat something soft, but he appears to also have some kind of fever.

They end up in a mediumish-sized town in the midwest just big enough that they can disappear into. They pull the siblings trying to get away from abusive situation card with a nice old lady who manages an apartment building and lets them stay and even hires Diego as part of her maintenence crew for the buildings she runs till he can find a proper job. The old lady seems to be under the impression that Five is one of their kids, not little brother, but they can't figure out whose kid she thinks he is, because she clearly knows that Diego and Vanya are siblings and it is a whole thing. They also give fake names when signing their lease, but I'll figure those out later.

Five finally wakes up more coherent then he has been a couple days later under Vanya's careful care. He seems very confused about where he is, understandably, but especially by Diego and Vanya being there. He appears to vaguely remember being locked up by the trauma-meister, but seems hesitant to explain what happened before that. Vanya explains that Luther got him out before taking off on some important mission to the moon on Grace's prodding and Vanya and Diego took off with him as they didn't want Veggie taking him back to his torture chamber.

After a little bit of prodding, they finally get out of Five that he traveled to the end of the world, set to happen in 2019 and they need to stop it and that he was trapped there for two years. Diego and Vanya are doubtful, but they agree to help under the condition that they do it under the radar considering they need to stay hidden from Vegetable until at least 2018 when Five will be, biologically 18.

And that is the premise. There is no permanent orchestra in the town they moved to, but Vanya lands a job teaching music theory and such at the community college and giving private lessons to local kids on the side. After a month of working for Ms. Roberts (I've decided that is their landlord's name), Diego gets a much better job, working first in janitorial at the local gym and a temp trainer, before being hired on permanently. Five is a bit more trouble. People seem to freak him out in large quantities, but he is also a kid, even though he is a very smart kid. And with Ms. Roberts knowing he is a minor, they really don't want the CPS breathing down their necks and taking their technically kidnapped, but very traumatized brother away. So, Vanya finds a local homeschool coalition. It requires that Five shows up for an in-person class once a week, but he can do the rest of his classes online and that gives him plenty of time to work on the end of the world stuff. He picks the music theory class that Vanya volunteers to teach to give Five free tuition.

And the three slowly build a life in this town. Diego and Vanya seem to have silently agreed to just pretend the Book never happened so they can take care of Five. Five clearly has nightmares and freaks out at both people and being without his siblings, so he goes with them everywhere (he ends up auditing all the classes Vanya teaches at the university when he enrolls at 17 to start on a math degree, mainly because he already sat through the classes a couple of times at this point).

They don't contact Vanya's orchestra, they were miffed when she called to say she wasn't showing up anymore the day she got Five. Diego calls Eudora after about six months to check in. She picked up Diego's only box of stuff from Al that he left behind and is holding it for him and agrees since Vanya's year lease is almost up to clear out Vanya's old apartment soon. (She is just being really great, but they aren't telling her the brother they are watching is a kidnapped minor for a reason). She also tells them that she had to put Klaus back in rehap a month ago and he had seemed really confused by her doing it instead of Diego like usual. Diego won't tell her where he is though. She does agree to look into the eye Five finally admitted he has from the apocalypse and will gather all info she can find for when Diego calls back. (When he does a few months later, she tells them the eye doesn't exist, the company it is from hasn't even started making prosthetic eyes yet).

And then, Vanya's pills. Well, she realizes she is running low and since they are laying low, she can't exactly call her old therapist or psychiatrist and get a refill. So, she goes to a new one who flips at the level she is taking (how is that allowed!!!) and starts a plan to wean her off those and onto a new set of anxiety meds that would be better for her. Vanya starts to feel happier and better overall. There is complaining about the bad lightbulbs Diego always buys because one seems to shatter every two months and she always seems to know what either boys are muttering even across the room, but none of them really notice Vanya's powers. Maybe because Five seems genuinely terrified of his own at the moment and they all know they can't draw attention to themselves as former members of the Umbrella Academy, but powers are the furthest thing from everyone's minds. Diego even goes to a sort of seedy tattoo artist and gets his covered up, playing up the umbrella as a stupid drunk mistake he wants to forget and Five takes to wearing long sleeves and bracelets so people can't see his. Five also goes and sees this therapist and gets classic GAD and PTSD and goes on anxiety meds too eventually. Vanya just has SAD and over the time they are in this town, she eventually gets weaned down to an as needed pill, which she only is to take for an attack which ends up being once every couple weeks or so. Five is on daily meds. Dunno yet if this will be relevant, but to give you an idea of the starting point I have for each of them. Five also has asthma from all the ash.

#again I'm staying vague cause i really wanna write this #I'm totally picturing on of my friends as i write five in this au and i hope he doesn't get mad if he sees this #also #if you wanna suggest names for these lovely people in hiding #please do so #alias au #the umbrella academy #tua #five hargreeves #diego hargreeves #vanya hargreeves

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