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zepskies · 1 year

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Strong as Blood - Part 2

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x F. Reader

Summary: After you accidentally break through a solid wood table, you know there’s something wrong with you. You begin to have your suspicions, but can you keep it from Ben long enough to find out?

(In other words: This is the story of how you and Ben discover that you’re pregnant.)

AN: Did you like Part 1? Well, here's Part 2! This two-part fic can be read as stand-alone, but it’s really a bonus sequel to Break Me Down!

(Also, for those of you in the medical field…try to suspend your disbelief on this one. 😅)

Word Count: 6,200

Tags/Warnings: Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff overload.

To find the chronological reading order for the series, check out the series masterlist. ⤵️

💚 Break Me Down

Part 2: “One Year, Forty, and a Hundred”

About a week later, you and Ben told your family the good news.

Your mom, Marie, took Ben’s face in her hands and pressed a delighted motherly kiss on his cheek, and then his forehead.

He very narrowly tolerated it with his usual gruffness, but you knew better. You saw the fond glint well hidden in his eyes, even after Marie released him.

It hadn’t taken her long after meeting Ben to start treating him like a son; always asking about his missions with Supe Affairs, praising a job well done when he had a successful report, and offering a supportive word even when they didn’t quite go his way.

Ben maintained his usual stoic bravado, but you knew he secretly ate up the praise, along with Marie’s genuine, nurturing nature.

Every time you saw your mother, she would give you baked goods in tupperware—for both of you, she claimed. But you noticed they were most often his favorites. You had a feeling she’d won him over early on with her macadamia nut brownies. (She still couldn’t cook worth a damn either, but she’d been taking a baking class.)

So Ben continued to help her do the dishes, even though she insisted he was a guest in her home. He claimed he was doing it so you wouldn’t jump in yourself.

And now we’re family, you had pointed out. Then Ben gifted you with one of those smiles, subtle and pleased, just for you.

You felt somewhat lazy, just sitting at the kitchen table with your sister Luisa. She sat close to you with her arm looped around yours, and she rubbed your lower back, which you now realized had been aching more often. For God’s sake, you hadn’t even realized you were late on your period.

I need to take some time off work, even before this kid gets here, you mused.

Realistically though, you should’ve expected this might happen. You hadn’t ever gotten around to replacing your IUD after you’d gotten it removed a few months ago. And God knew, Ben didn’t know how to pull out. (And he certainly didn’t buy condoms.)

“What’re you hoping for, a boy or a girl?” Louisa asked you and Ben, disrupting the path of your thoughts. You turned to your sister thoughtfully.

She still had her reservations about him, but she seemed to be warming up to your boyfriend a bit more after you told her the news. Especially after Ben had explained one of his plans over dinner.

His first thought was to hire Frank and Loco back as your personal security throughout your pregnancy, and likely even afterwards.

It was a rare time when you didn’t argue with him; the idea made sense, especially if you were going to continue working in Surveillance at Supe Affairs until you went on maternity leave. And, it would just be great to see them again. Frank had already agreed to start on Monday, after giving his polite congratulations.

(You and Ben each got a package in the mail yesterday: a box of bonafide Cuban cigars for him, a maternity body pillow for you, and a hand-crafted toy box for the baby. Inside had been a white noise sound machine to help the baby sleep.)

But now, Ben brightened at Louisa’s question. He crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“A son,” he replied. How brow rose, as if the answer was obvious. “I’ll be able to bring him up right. Strong. Not like these beanie-wearing pussies running the fucking Starbucks.”

“Ben,” you warned. He crossed his arms at you, quite literally standing firm on his stance. But your mother just smiled and pat his arm.

“It’s okay, honey,” she said. “I understand what you mean.”

You raised an incredulous brow.

Oh sure, you thought. She didn’t mind salty language when it was Ben, but God forbid you or Luisa bang a toe in your mother’s presence. Nor did it surprise you that she was agreeing with him.

But then Marie turned to him more earnestly.

“The way you take care of my daughter, I have no doubt you’ll make an excellent father,” she told him.

Ben treated her with a charming smile that showed touches of warmth.

Damn, you thought, as you felt the telltale burn of tears in your eyes. But it wasn’t just about what Marie had said. You had hoped for this one day, but it seemed he was finally making room for your family in his heart too.

“Football. A man’s game,” Ben continued. “I’ll teach him, take him fishing. Everything my old man didn’t bother with, I’ll do it all. Bring him up right…”

As your boyfriend chatted away with your mom, you hid a tendril of worry. You wondered what would happen if the baby turned out to be a girl.

With a glance at your sister, her subtle, raised brows told you she was thinking along the same lines. You sighed and got up; once again, it was time to pee.

Louisa followed you into the hall and laid a hand on your back.

“Hey,” she said. “You know how much I care about you, right?”

“And where’s this going?” you quipped. But you turned around and gave your little sister a half-smile. You knew what she was about to say.

“So what are you going to do about that?” she asked, gesturing to your man in the kitchen. “Mr. Macho wants his prized stud. What happens if he doesn’t get him?”

You sighed. “Ben’s wanted this for a long time. He’s got an idea in his head of what it’s going to be like, and…we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Louisa’s lips pursed, like she wasn’t quite satisfied with that answer.

“And what about you?” she asked. “How do you feel about this?”

You blinked back at her in slight surprise, but then your expression melted into a soft smile.

“I’m happy, Lou,” you said. Tears welled up in your eyes, yet again. “I’m really happy.”

Louisa relented then, squeezing your hand. “Good…then good. I’m happy for you too.”

And that was really all you wanted.

“What? You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Ben said, peering harder at the ultrasound. The kind OBGYN faltered, though she again tried to point out that what he was looking at was actually a small foot.

“Congratulations,” she told you both. “She’s the right size for twelve weeks of development. And look there, you can even see the umbilical cord—”

“You sure this thing isn’t on the fritz?” Ben asked, bumping the ultrasound monitor with his hand.

“Ben.” You looked over at him with a glare. “Are you serious right now?”

He looked back over at you, and you saw his stubbornness in his frown and knitted brows.

“I’m just saying—” he started, but you didn’t let him get that far.

“You heard the freakin’ doctor. We’re having a girl,” you snapped. “I’m the one who has the transvaginal probe shoved up inside me, so shut the fuck up!”

Ben’s jaw worked as he barely held himself from barking back at you. It wouldn’t be the first time you levied your smart mouth at him, but it wasn’t often that you disrespected him.

“Excuse me?” he still groused.

His anger got waylaid though. He watched you heave a sigh and blink quickly, so you wouldn’t release the well of frustrated tears building behind your eyes.

The doctor looked between you both warily. You turned to her with watery eyes, and you sniffed to keep your emotions at bay.

“Continue, please.”

When the appointment with the OBGYN was done, you didn’t let Ben help you down from the examining table. Nor did you let him touch you, all the way to the car.

An hour later, you both made it back to the apartment you shared in Scarsdale. You stomped up the stairs ahead of him and beelined into the bedroom. You had half a mind to slam the door in his face, but you didn’t have the energy to be that petty.

Frankly, you were exhausted with a tinge of nausea. But you didn’t know if that was pregnancy sickness, or if you were just that anxious.

You sat down on your side of the bed, and you sighed when you heard Ben’s heavy footsteps enter in behind you.

“All right, that could’ve gone better,” he said. “But look at it from my point of view—”

That nearly unhinged you. Your stomach roiled, but you got to your feet and turned around to face him where he stood by the foot of the bed, arms crossed.

“It’s not all about you,” you shot back. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the one carrying this baby. I’m not just a human incubator.”

“I fucking know that,” he retorted, but you raised a hand to silence him.

“And you’re not the only one who’s wanted this,” you said. Against your will, your eyes once again burned with tears as you held yourself. “You know very well what I’ve…that I didn’t have a normal family growing up.”

Ben quieted. His irritation softened around the edges, especially as your voice trembled.

“Don’t you know what it’s going to mean to me to give our child what I didn’t have?” you asked. “Stability, support, and…and love, from both parents?”

Tears slipped down your cheeks. And when he didn’t seem to have anything to say to you, you shook your head and walked away.

Ben let out a heavy breath. He followed you and stopped you in the living room. “Listen—”

“No, you listen,” you snapped, whirling around on him. “I would’ve been content no matter if it was a boy or a girl, and you ruined that today. You really did.”

His gaze briefly fell to the floor, before it met yours again.

“But even with that, I’m still happy,” you said, as your vision became blurry and wet. “I’m so damn happy…and so scared.”

When you finally broke down crying, Ben got a full picture of just how badly he’d fucked this up. He collected you in his arms and guided you to sit with him on the couch. There he held you as you clung to him and wept into his neck.

The longer it went on, the more he felt like an asshole—with the kind of uncomfortable, gut-churning remorse that only you tended to draw from him.

Ben hesitated, but he knew you deserved to hear him say it. (And you probably wouldn’t let this go until he did.)

“Okay, sweetheart, calm down,” he rumbled in your ear. Along with, "…I’m sorry."

The weight of that fell between you for a moment. You nodded, with a sniff, and he slowly rubbed your back.

“You don’t need to be scared,” he said. “My blood’s making you nice and strong.”

Well, technically it was the baby’s blood, and the super genes they held. You shook your head against his neck.

“That’s not it,” you said. “I mean, that’s part of it, I guess. Dr. Baker didn’t do a great job of reassuring me, but she did say that if the strength lasts throughout the birth, she didn’t expect serious complications.”

Fuck. Ben’s hand tightened in your hair. That...was a thought he hadn't considered. It now made his stomach clench, though he remained silent.

He wished you would’ve taken him with you to see Dr. Baker, but he guessed he couldn’t begrudge you for your worries. He knew he'd be having his own talk with the good doctor soon enough.

“I love my mom. She did her best, you know? But I…I’ve had to take care of myself for most of my life,” you explained, with a hand fisted tight in his shirt. “What the hell do I know about being a mom?”

Ben considered that with a frown. He pulled back enough to see your face, tucking his curled fingers beneath your chin so you’d look at him.

“You looked after your sister, didn’t you?” he reminded. “Made sure she was safe, and grew up right. Now you take care of me, like I take care of you… And you got no problem calling me out on my bullshit.”

That got a slight smile out of you. He brushed away another one of your tears with his thumb.

“You’re gonna be great, sweetheart. I never had any doubts about that,” he said, “The truth is, I couldn’t wait to fuck you raw to make this happen.”

You spluttered a laugh then, even though you were still weeping.

“Yeah, I know,” you said with a wry smile, stroking his bearded cheek. You leaned up and kissed the other cheek. He turned his head and went for your lips. The kiss was slow and tender while he held you where you always felt safe.

Ben grasped the hand on his cheek…and an idea flickered through his mind.

He parted from you, only to say, “Wait here.”

Your brows furrowed, and you blinked through wet lashes. “What?”

“Just stay put for me,” he said.

But he didn’t tell you what he was up to as he left you on the couch to duck into the bedroom. You took the time to wipe at your eyes and take some deep, calming breaths.

Ben came back soon after, seemingly empty-handed as he sat down next to you. You gave him a curious look.

He slipped a hand into his pocket. “Just for the record, I’ve had this for a while.”

And he pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket. You let out a shaky breath of surprise. The ring he pulled out wasn’t a flashy, gaudy thing like you half-expected. It actually looked delicate, and vintage, pale gold with filigree around the hexagonal stone. It glittered, even in the dim lamplight.

“Where’d you find that?” you asked. But somehow, looking into his eyes, you knew what this was.

“Besides those old pictures, the only thing I’ve got left of my mother is right here,” he said, holding up the ring for you. More burgeoning tears fell down your cheeks as your heart constricted.

“Marry me,” he said, rubbing his thumb across the back of your hand.

Despite yourself, a smile raised the corner of your mouth. “Hmm, I don’t know. Is that a question?”

Ben released a breath. Reluctantly, he smirked.

“Fucking figures that you’d make this difficult,” he said.

“You’re the one who fumbled at the goal line, Romeo,” you replied cheekily.

You then gestured at the ground in front of you. He raised a brow.

But, he obliged your demands, making a show of sliding from the couch, down to the ground. He parted your jean-clad knees so he could move in between them. He knelt one knee on the hard wood, and once again took your hand.

Ben somehow hesitated on the question, even though you both were hanging on his words. With your free hand, you smoothed his hair away from his eyes, subtly encouraging him.

“If I had to go back, do it all over again,” he said, “I wouldn’t have done a damn thing different.”

You frowned at him. “Really?”

“That’s right,” he said. “Because I’m right where I want to be.”

You teared up all over again when you realized what he was really saying. You laid a hand on his chest, where his fiercest power resided. He squeezed the hand he held.

“So what’s it gonna be, sweetheart. Will you marry me?” Ben asked. His smirk was almost boyish, despite his age. And yet, it was so very him.

You reached out with your free hand and slid your fingers through his hair, resting it at the back of his neck.

“Yeah,” you agreed, with a beaming smile. “Let’s do it.”

He slipped the ring on your finger, where it fit well. And it was now the most beautiful thing you owned, not only for its shining beauty.

You pulled him in for a kiss. His hands burned up your thighs, squeezing your hips. But again, he hesitated. His lips pulled away from yours as his hand moved to brush your belly. It was already brimming with life. He’d seen the images, heard the heartbeat.

“Thank you,” Ben said. His voice was deep and gruff.

You smiled. With a nod, you held him to you, laying a sweet path of kisses from his cheek, down to his neck.

“I love you,” you said.

He just nodded in response. His throat was tight at the moment. But you wouldn’t let him get off that easy.

“Say it,” you jostled him in your arms. “I’m only growing a super melon for you.”

It earned you an amused look from him.

“I love you too,” he said. His voice was a bit coarse, and laden with rare emotion. You pulled him into a stronger hug, which soon became him dragging you into his lap when he raised himself up onto to the couch. You took his face in your hands.

“See? We made it here,” you teased. You knew he remembered the conversation you two had a few months ago, about waiting a little while to take this next step in your relationship. To have a family.

“Soon. Not someday,” he’d told you. And you’d agreed.

You reminded him of it now while you stroked his face. “I promised you, didn’t I?”

He snorted at that. “You sure took your fucking time with that one, huh?”

“Excuse me?” you retorted.

Ben pulled you into a kiss before you could truly get going. Arguing with him was one of the things you did best.

But what you two ended up doing on the couch was second to none.

A few months later…

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Ben said. His tone was edged, his brows crunching. “What kind of development?”

You curled a hand around his wrist, shooting him a calming look before you returned your attention to Dr. Baker.

“What do you mean, Tonya?” you asked. Your other hand continued to rest over your belly.

At the seven-month mark of your pregnancy, you felt like you were beginning to resemble a parade float as you sat on the medical examining table in the doctor’s office. But you were grateful for Ben’s warm hand spanning the small of your back. It gave you stability as a coil of anxiety began to bloom in your chest.

Dr. Baker reviewed her charts once more. You didn’t like that gleam of scientific interest in her eye while she perused the data, then looked up at you and Ben from her narrow-framed glasses.

“Not with the baby. She’s doing very well,” she said.

That gave you a measure of immense relief.

“The development concerns you,” she clarified, meeting your gaze. “As you know, we’ve been monitoring you very closely.”

You nodded. The weekly checkups and monthly blood panels served to both soothe and increase your anxiety, but you knew that it made Ben feel better, that you were being taken care of in this aspect of your pregnancy.

To government knowledge, no one other than Becca Butcher had ever gone through a pregnancy of this nature. And Homelander had been created in a lab. This was breaking somewhat new ground (which was only in the top five of “things that made you nervous.”)

“I found something…interesting in your bloodwork,” said Dr. Baker. She pulled out two charts from her files and clipped them onto her whiteboard for you and Ben to see. They looked virtually the same, with one graph’s red bars slightly lower than the first.

“What’s that?” Ben asked.

“It’s your wife’s cell regeneration levels,” the doctor replied, pointing to the second graph. “Hers have become almost as high as yours.”

She pointed to the first graph for comparison. You leaned in closer to see as your eyes widened. With the weight of your belly making you off balance, you nearly slid off the examining table. Ben noticed and caught you quick. His arms came around you, though as the news donned on him, his face slid into shock.

“What?” he uttered.

“That’s got to be because of the baby,” you reasoned. “Is it…just temporary? Like the super strength.”

Even that was somewhat intermittent. Some days, you felt your aches and pains and experienced morning sickness and food aversions, like any other pregnant woman. On others, you were able to lift one side of the couch one-handed and vacuum up the dust bunnies underneath it.

“I believe that blood transfusion, as well as your pregnancy greatly accelerated the effects, but no, this isn’t an isolated incident.” Dr. Baker shook her head. “Your DNA has mutated.”

“Are you serious?” you nearly choked out. She nodded. Dr. Baker never joked.

“By my calculations, this process started before you conceived. Over the course of the past year, or more,” she explained. “Do you understand what this means?”

“Y-Yes, I think so,” you said. Your hand squeezed over Ben’s; it was the hand that carried the weight of your gold wedding bands. A lump of emotion rose in your throat. “It means…I’m going to heal from injuries quicker than normal. And…I’m not going to age like a normal person.”

“That’s likely correct,” she replied.

That news fell in the room like a stone. You shared a wide-eyed look with Ben. Neither of you knew quite what to think just yet. Even though he was trying to maintain an even-keel expression, you could see his eyes were beginning to brighten with hope. Yours were too…though you were still confused.

“How the hell is this possible?” you asked. “I mean, Ben gave me his blood for a transfusion. But like you said, that was one time, two years ago now. And you said the pregnancy accelerated this, but that’s not how it started…”

Dr. Baker actually smiled. You didn’t like the wry turn of her lips. She crossed her legs where she sat at her desk and tapped her clipboard with her pen.

“How often would you say you two have sex?” she asked.

That was certainly not where you thought this conversation was going. You couldn’t help but blush.

“How is that even remotely relevant?” you asked.

You glanced at your husband, who merely gave you one of his smug smirks, while his thumb stroked your side. Fucking typical.

“Once a week?” the doctor prompted.

Your face heated up further, and you had to cover your mouth with a hand. Your sex life wasn’t quite as…vivacious as it had been since before you’d gotten pregnant, but it was still a good one, even with your growing size. Ben was nothing if not creative.

And you were still newlyweds, after all.

“Assume we’re doing a healthy amount of fucking, doc,” Ben remarked.

You gasped and hit his thigh, and finally covered your whole face in thorough embarrassment. He just smirked and took your hand so you couldn’t hide. It amused him that you still got like this.

He then pressed a kiss to the back of your fingers.

You sighed and held his hand back. I chose this man. Remember that.

“Again, what does that have to with this?” you asked, your voice a bit higher.

Dr. Baker’s lips flickered at another one of those smiles. “Well, how often did you use condoms over the past two years?”

You and Ben both snorted in response.

“He’s morally opposed to them, doctor,” you said dryly.

She nodded. “I assumed as much.”

Once again, Ben smirked, but Dr. Baker plowed ahead.

“Let me explain it this way,” she said. “Think of how HIV spreads sexually. The infected DNA is transmitted, and it eventually hits the partner’s bloodstream, affecting the entire body. What we have here is a similar case…if for the fact that this was a gradual effect, over the course of several months.”

Ben blinked, and a frown also tugged down his brows.

“Are you saying that I gave her my superpowers…like an STD?” he asked.

Your eyes became as wide as saucers.

Holy shit! you thought, and another one occurred to you. If this all started from the first time you and Ben ever had sex…then that was over two years of being dosed with literal super sperm.

“Not quite,” Dr. Baker said to him. “Just the essence of what sets your DNA apart, even from other supes.”

“Right. Because how the hell hasn’t this happened to anyone else who’s normal?” you asked. “What makes Ben different?”

Dr. Baker finally set down her pen. She folded her hands in her lap to address you with a patience that you didn’t often see from her.

“Remember, the serum he received was still a prototype,” she said. “Vought continued to refine the recipe after the ‘Soldier Boy’ project was successful. For example, the way his cells regenerate is one of those factors that needed to be weeded out, if Compound V was to be a successful product in the long-term.”

You nodded slowly, as that made sense to you. If every supe suddenly lived over a hundred years, it would make it pretty hard to secretly inject that shit into newborns. They had to package it in a more insidious way.

“This is an unpredictable outcome of your exposure to his unique genetic makeup,” Dr. Baker continued, “and there may very well be more to come in the future.”

You weren’t sure how to take that potentially foreboding news, but on the other hand…

“Oh my God! I’m going to live to be a hundred,” you said, holding tighter onto Ben as shock began to make you tremble. His grip was firm and steadying in response. And yet, his face betrayed how he was trying to process this as well.

“Likely much longer than that,” Dr. Baker said, shocking you even further. And she reminded, “Your cells aren’t regenerating at quite the same rate as his…but it is close.”

Again, holy fucking shit.

You let out a halting breath, and you looked up at Ben, a smile growing across your face. You reached up a hand for his bearded cheek. He looked down on you with his usual stoicism, but it was merely a front. You saw through to the true emotions shining in his eyes.

“Well, looks like you’re stuck with me, baby,” you said, even as your own eyes stung with tears. Your heart felt full to the brim, and even overflowing. If this was what it took to be with your husband, then altering your genetics was a price you were willing to pay…at least in this way.

Though you gave him a more teasing smile. “You’re not gonna be able to welch out of that ‘til death do us part thing. So cancel the caravan of blow and strippers.”

Ben chuckled deeply. He held your hand and stroked the inside of your wrist. For a moment, he just looked down at your face. It had become a bit more rounded with your pregnancy—thighs and arms (and ass) thicker too. And to him, you were still perfectly his.

“Fine by me. You’ve got something they don’t, anyway,” he said. He remembered the same words he’d said to you just a year ago, in the bed he still shared with you.

Your eyes gleamed with amusement, and so much more. You played along.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” you asked.

He smirked. “You’ve got a supe STD.”

Your eyes widened at his audacity, but you burst out laughing and hit his shoulder.

“Yeah, from you,” you quipped back. “I should’ve known you were carrying something.”

The two of you didn’t know it, but that was when Dr. Baker smiled to herself. She decided then to leave the room, giving you some privacy as Ben laughed and framed your face with his hands.

His thumbs brushed against your cheeks, catching stray tears as they fell. You bit your lip as your glassy eyes met his once more. Ben became more serious as he let out a sigh.

“It’s not gonna be easy,” he reminded you. “Your family, your friends…they’re going to change, and you’re going to stay the same.”

Your excitement dimmed as that realization hit you. Your hands clenched in his shirt, over his chest. You thought about your mom, your sister, Yvette and Devon, Annie and Hughie and the rest of the team (even Butcher, you would miss).

“Yeah…that part’s not gonna be fun,” you said with a heavy, tremulous sigh. Your heart clenched at the very thought of them growing old, leaving you behind.

But your gaze eventually drew back up to him. You wondered then, not for the first time, how it must’ve been for him. For his parents to grow old and pass on long before him. For childhood friends, old lovers…

“Do you know what I worried about when we got married?” you asked.

Ben’s hands traveled down from your face, down your arms, to finally rest at your waist and thigh. He stared back at you expectantly.

“When you first told me you loved me, you said you were holding back the truth. Because you thought that one day, you’d be alone again,” you said, stroking his chest. “That honestly broke my heart. And it made me wonder if I was selfish to be with you anyway.”

Ben frowned, but you shook your head before he could respond.

“I told myself that after the baby was born, I’d go to Dr. Baker and ask her to find a way to make this happen,” you said. Another smile grew across your face. “But guess what? We figured it out all on our own, super stud.”

Ben smiled then, huffing in amusement as he thumbed at your cheek. You couldn’t really understand the full force of his relief. It might’ve threatened to buckle him into a seat, if he had been standing.

But now, he struggled with the warmth in his chest that for once, had nothing to do with his powers. He moved in to tug you into his arms, and he let out a long breath through his nose.

You couldn’t see how his eyes closed, but you felt his lips press against your forehead. You held him close. Or as closely as you could with your belly getting in between.

You rubbed his back and rested against his chest, hearing the calming, steady sound of his heart beating under your ear.

“And at this rate, I might even live longer than you,” you teased. “After all, you got a head start. Compared to you, I’m still a hot young thing.”

Ben snorted and shook his head. “All right. Now you’re pushing it.”

You smirked into his chest.

“I’ll have to figure out where you rent those caravans.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. At the sound of your giggle, he couldn’t help but smile.

He still swatted you on the ass though.

A couple more months later…

He smelled like cigar smoke. For which you had no doubt, Ben had been puffing away with Frank and M.M. outside the hospital.

The team of doctors (led by Dr. Baker) had finally left you alone with your husband, allowing you to take your first relaxed breath of the day.

“Your mom and your sister are waiting. Blondie and the others are out there too,” he said quietly, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “My girl’s got a whole possy of bitches.”

You assumed he meant Annie and the rest of the team.

You shot him a look, but you were careful not to disturb the sleeping newborn resting on your chest, in the crook of your arm.

“They’re my friends, babe,” you whispered. “And they’re your friends now too, you just don’t want to admit it.”

Ben didn’t acknowledge that, but he laid a hand on your shoulder as he sat down on the edge of your hospital bed.

“How’re you doin’, sweetheart?” he asked. “Got everything you need?”

He’d become even more protective, but also very sweet to you in these past several months. More so than you’d thought him capable of, but it warmed you every time, when you considered how rough, how stoic, and how damn-near emotionally repressed he was not so very long ago.

It seemed that fatherhood was beginning to soften him, even before he began. You quirked a smile at the thought, and at his question.

“Imagine pushing a super melon out of your dick. That’s how I’m doing,” you said, tired but still cheeky as ever.

He snorted a bit loudly at that, and you shushed him, as if it wasn’t your fault he was laughing. He expected nothing less from you.

“But I’m okay,” you answered his second question. “All I need right now is you.”

Ben considered you for a moment, a slightly softer smile curving his lips, and he nodded.

“All right,” he said.

Your daughter woke and began to squirm in your arms, prompting Ben to look down at the bundle wrapped in a soft pink blanket. Gently as possible, he brushed the tuft of downy brown hair on her head. His hand shook ever so slightly, touching her small cheek.

How can this little thing be mine? he wondered. His lips pressed into a firm line.

There was a thought, deep and thrumming inside him, that he didn’t deserve this. That just a couple of years ago, he had nothing to lose.

And now, his entire world was in this room. He’d never admit it, but it was a terrifying thought, for a man who’d had everything and nothing.

You unknowingly stopped the path of his thoughts when you raised a warm hand to his cheek. It earned his attention, and he grabbed your hand to keep it there.

You smiled up at Ben with weariness in your eyes. The super strength had drained out of you a few moments after the umbilical cord was cut, which had made for a less painful labor than you anticipated. But it had also been a long and uncomfortable eighteen hours.

“Wanna hold her for a while?” you asked.

The offer caught him off guard. His brows drew together, but he very carefully took his daughter from you, into his arms. Despite your temporary abilities throughout your pregnancy, he didn’t know if she already had his strength, or if it was something she’d grow into. Ben didn’t want to take any chances.

As he looked down at a small face that already had some of his features, he inhaled a faltering breath.

It was the first time you ever saw true tears in his eyes, as one managed to draw a path down his cheek. You smiled, and the pair of rings on your left hand caught the lamplight as you rested your hand on your chest.

Ben held the bundle close in the crook of his arm. One of the baby’s hands was free, and he tickled his finger in her palm. She grasped it on reflex, opening her mouth on a yawn. Despite his red and shining eyes, he smiled, especially when she reached up for a strand of his hair with small, grabby fingers.

He let her get a hold of it, smirking when she gave it a little tug. Just hours old, and his girl was already demanding his attention. He didn’t know if newborns were able to do that this early, or if it was her blood that made her special.

Either way, he knew then that she was going to be a handful. Just like you.

Ben glanced over and found you watching him with soft amusement. He looked back down at his daughter and told her the obvious.

“You know, you’re blessed to have my genes, baby girl,” he said. It elicited a knowing scoff out of you. However, his smirk softened. “But you’re also lucky as hell to have your mom.”

Ben looked back at you, and there was the predictable well of tears forming in your eyes.

“She’s the best damn woman you’re ever gonna meet,” he said.

He knew then that what he said to you before was right. If he had to go back to 1984, or even 1944, he’d do it all exactly the same.

It all worked out pretty damn well, from where he was standing.

AN: I’m not crying, you’re crying. 🥹😭

I sincerely hope you enjoyed Strong as Blood. Let me know what you think! And then you can...

Keep Reading in the BMD-verse:

Coming up next, get ready for some parenting fluff:

Summary: A quiet moment between you, Ben, and your newborn daughter.

▶️ Next Story: Until Morning

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@deans-spinster-witch @this-is-me19 @waynes-multiverse @mrsjenniferwinchester @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @spalady26 @spnwoman @syrma-sensei @wirdbeimaufhebengebunden @muhahaha303 @123passwort

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@spnfamily-j2 @im-a-slut-for-fluff @lacilou @venicesem @mimaria420 @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @tearsfortheyouth @agalliasi @chriszgirl92

#Strong as Blood #Part 2 #soldier boy #soldier boy/ben x reader #soldier boy x reader #soldier boy x female reader #the boys #soldier boy/ben #soldier boy x you #fluff #BMD verse #Break me down verse #zepskies writes

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ddarker-dreams · 1 year

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How They Flirt / Scarlet Ribbons.

(tl;dr most of them can’t . 🙏)

[Scarlet Ribbons Index]

Giorno

Giorno genuinely has no idea what he’s doing, although you’d never know on first glance. He studies you like he’s a sociologist conducting naturalistic observation. He subtly plays up the aspects of himself he thinks you’d be taken with, adjusting how much he talks or listens, how physically close he gets, etc. Is it a little weird? Yes. In his defense, he’s never cared for someone this deeply, so he doesn’t want to mess it up. Even if he’s making adjustments to how he acts around you, it’s still sincere. He wouldn’t want you falling for a false image of himself, after all. Giorno is easy to get along with due to his polite nature and quiet charm. He makes you feel as if you’ve known one another all your lives within a few weeks. As his confidence builds, he’ll get a little more playful, displaying a mischievousness few expect him to possess. He’ll whisper quips into your ear, lean in to wipe cream off the corner of your lips after you take a drink, and purposefully get ‘lost’ when walking you home so that you spend more time together. He learns fast.

Bruno

Bruno’s flirting is old-fashioned and kinda stiff, but charming in its own way. He has the basics down from watching how his father interacted with his mother before she left. Despite being a prized bachelor, he has no experience in the romance department, he’d been too focused on his ambitions to dabble. Rather than embarrassing himself by trying something he’s unfamiliar with, he focuses on what comes naturally. When you both aren’t working, he’ll lighten up and show a more relaxed side of himself. He has to resist the temptation of spoiling you every waking second. He recalls how enthused his mom would become upon receiving gifts like pearl earrings from his father and takes a similar approach. The concept of there being a reminder of him on your person pleases him greatly, he especially loves giving you necklaces. Surprisingly, he does have something of a possessive streak. He’ll sometimes drape a coat/blazer over your shoulders if you’re wearing an outfit that earns stares, using the excuse that he doesn’t want you to be cold.

Fugo

Lord please help him. Most of his flirting is confined to the realm of theory. He’ll lay awake at night staring at his ceiling, contemplating the most efficient method to get his feelings across. Many hours have been spent penning prose to paper, the parchment ultimately meeting the same fate. He rips it to pieces in fits of frustration so thoroughly, one might believe he used a paper shredder. Fugo already thinks you’re completely of his league and his inability to woo you without internally combusting makes him feel extra pathetic. So rather than go on the offensive, he’s on the defensive, doing what he can to obstruct the other “hormonal imbeciles” from making serious headway with you. For example, he’s always the first to sit next to you in restaurants or on car rides. He also feeds the others false information about you, by saying your least favorite food is your favorite, stuff to that effect. A professional saboteur. Poor guy doesn’t know you’d genuinely be flattered to receive one heartfelt compliment from him.

Mista

He thinks he has mad game (he does not have mad game). Oddly enough, he has more confidence when the others are present? Maybe it’s some caveman instinct that makes him want to show off, but whatever the case, he gets in a decent flow of things. His arm is wrapped around your shoulders more often than not. Mista knows how to make you laugh and you both have innumerable inside jokes. When you’re caught between two dessert choices, he’ll get the one you didn’t pick, so that you’ll ask him for a bite. He then proceeds to feed you said bite while ignoring the death stares from the other gang members present. When it’s just the two of you though, it feels oddly intimate, and he starts losing his cool. He does get better about this over time. Drops some corny lines that you mistake for jokes and laugh at. Honestly, he’s a chill guy, so this outcome doesn’t even perturb him. There’s no better prize than making you laugh.

Narancia

Narancia is the most overt out of all his rivals. He's willing to stab someone for so much as looking at you the wrong way, he really thinks you’re some higher being who has graced him with your presence. His flirting is mostly just him hanging out around you every second he can. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing something fun like going to the arcade or grocery shopping, he wants to be there, by your side, where he feels the most at peace in the world. He laughs at your jokes, smiles when you enter the room, and gets visibly dejected when you leave. Narancia is basically your cheerleader — he hypes you up when you wear a new outfit, offers to paint your nails, lets you test out new makeup ideas on him... he’s down for anything, so long as you’re involved.

Abbacchio

Abbacchio erroneously assumes you’ll be able to piece together his intentions yourself if he drops enough hints. When this proves to be going over your head, he swears that you’re a lethal threat to his sanity. His style is similar to Narancia’s, loath as he is to admit it. He’ll invite you over for a nice vintage bottle he claimed to have happened upon (in reality, a great deal of care went into choosing it), so that you can spend a leisurely evening together. He tries curbing his sardonic comments in your presence, but you never make him feel like he needs to change his personality. You just naturally bring out this softer side to him he didn’t know existed. He is vigilant in looking out for your best interests from afar, helping you in ways you’ll never know about, as he doesn’t expect gratitude. What matters most to him is knowing you’re happy.

#giorno x reader #bruno x reader #fugo x reader #mista x reader #narancia x reader #abbacchio x reader #giorno govanna x reader #bucciarati x reader #pannacotta fugo x reader #guido mista x reader #narancia ghirga x reader #leone abbacchio x reader #jjba x reader #vento aureo x reader #part 5 x reader #scarlet ribbons #my stuff

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mwalani · 2 months

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୧ I GAVE A SECOND CHANCE TO CUPID! ⊹ ᘏ

⌗ whispers. . . Hello everyone!! here it is, my first time writing for columbina, yay </3 but anyways, I hope I manage to do a decent job at least. enjoy it!

ᯓᡣ𐭩 general dating headcanons

⁀➴ including : columbina

⊹ warnings : ooc?

ᘎ˚⊹ CONFESSION

☆ Columbina doesn't seem like the type to confess to you. she either waits for you to notice her feelings, or confess yourself.

★ she does drops hints though. calling you some nicknames with a lovely voice, always teasing you.

☆ if you're too oblivious of her feelings towards you, she might end up saying it like it's nothing, randomly.

★ and you can also expect a lot of teasing from Columbina after you realize it. she would say a lot of stuff like "you're slower than I thought... it's cute."

ᘎ˚⊹ AFFECTION

☆ Columbina is a big fan of PDA. she will always hold your hands and be as close to you as possible.

★ but if you're not comfortable with it, she will try to be more subtle with her touch. but expect her to still be close to you, her head on your shoulder.

☆ maybe even sitting on your lap, playing with your hair as she hums a calm and sweet melody in your ears.

★ Columbina also loves to gift you things. if she can buy it, she will give you. especially things that could be considered more romantic.

☆ but she also expects a lot of attention from you. she will get mad if you ignore her and that would not be good.

ᘎ˚⊹ KISSES

★ Columbina absolutely adores to kiss you, so you better get used to feel her lips on your skin.

☆ the places she enjoys kissing you the most are especially on your lips, the tip of your nose, the side of your mouth and your cheek.

★ her kisses are slow and gentle, holding a feeling of love and adoration, always long enough to leave you out of breath.

☆ Columbina is always looking for the perfect opportunity to kiss you. whenever you do her something, she will kiss the side of your lips and praise you. "thank you my love.."

ᘎ˚⊹ TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

★ the terms of endearment she uses the most with you are 'darling, my love, dear and angel'.

☆ Columbina likes to use them all the time. you probably hear more of these than your own name leaving her mouth.

★ you will never see her let anyone else call you any type of term of endearment. that is a privilege that only she may have.

ᘎ˚⊹ RANDOM

☆ Columbina isn't really jealous. she knows you're not leaving her anytime soon, and that's honestly enough for her.

★ but if any of the harbingers try to test their luck with you, Columbina will make sure that they know you're already taken.

☆ Columbina likes to see you wearing her 'fatui coat'. it's cute seeing that big fluff almost eat you up.

★ one things she loves to do is pet your head. even if you're taller than her, she will do it. and she also likes when you do it on her as well.

☆ when you two are close to each other, in private, she will always sing you songs, or just hum them.

#꒰ ⌗writing ꒱#columbina x reader #columbina #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact fatui #fatui x reader #fatui #columbina genshin

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sunshinebingo · 4 months

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Gwyn and Azriel stumble across Rhys as they leave for their date.

Gwynriel with a dash of Gwynsand - 700 words

For @lulling-night-sky who is a sucker for fluff and anything that has to do with Rhysand (except my fics where he gets beaten up)

***

“Ready?” Azriel asked Gwyn after having gaped at her in awe for a while.

Gwyn beamed, her heart fluttering at how flustered she had – not for the first time – rendered the usually stoic Spymaster, and nodded excitedly.

She had been looking forward to this moment for the entire day. Even as she had fed and played with Nyx, her thoughts had kept going back to Azriel and their upcoming evening together.

Having happily agreed to spend the day looking after the little lord with Nesta at the River House so that his parents could focus on their duties, Gwyn had decided to bring everything that she would need and get ready for her date with Azriel here instead of asking someone to winnow or fly her back to the House of Wind. Besides, Emerie and her had spent so much time here with the inner circle that the High Lord and Lady always had a guest room reserved for them.

She took the hand that Azriel offered and followed him from the bottom of the staircase to the foyer. From the living area, she heard the voices of Nesta and Cassian who was enthusiastically responding to the prattling of Nyx, as well as Feyre who had returned while Gwyn was stressing out over whether to put her hair up or leave it down.

She had gone with the third option proposed by Nesta to tie the top half up with a pretty silver hair stick gifted to her by Emerie for Solstice. The best thing about it was the thin dagger hidden inside that could potentially come in handy. She might be going out with one of deadliest – and most handsome – male alive, but she was still a Valkyrie who loved daggers, especially when they were disguised as pretty accessories.

“You are breathtaking.”

Gwyn blushed from his compliment. Emerie and Nesta were right about the fact that her little black dress was the ideal choice. It was also a perfect match to Azriel’s entirely black attire.

“So are you, Shadowsinger.”

His answering smile almost made her trip on her own feet. He brought their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

Azriel opened the door and started to leave when another set of footsteps was heard coming their way. Looking to her left, Gwyn saw Rhysand strolling towards them with his hands in his pockets, no doubt having completed his work for the day and ready to reunite with his mate and son.

“Bye Rhys.” She waved a hand at him.

Gwyn still couldn’t believe how close they have become over the past few years. Sometimes they were a High Lord and a Valkyrie who worked together for the well-being of those they cared for, other times they were confidants who listened and offered support. Sometimes they were like protective siblings who looked out for each other, oftentimes they were the type of siblings who teased and pestered the other. But at the core of all these versions of them were mutual respect and care. The kind of bond that Gwyn never thought that she would ever have. None of the relationships that she had forged so far had been expected, yet they were all precious in their own way.

“Be home by midnight,” he ordered, pursing his lips to stop the smile that was threatening to break on his lips. His violet eyes sparkled like the first stars that had started to appear in the sky. Azriel snorted at the curfew that his brother was imposing on Gwyn.

“Fuck off.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re not my father.”

Rhys crossed his arms and puffed his chest. The arrogant asshole, she thought.

“I’m old enough to be.”

Gwyn laughed. She squeezed Azriel’s hand and dragged him out of the door, eager to finally be alone with him.

“You’re old enough to be the cauldron’s father,” she shouted at Rhys before slamming his own door shut in his face.

The sound of Rhys’ gasp on the other side of the door was covered by the chuckle that Azriel let out beside her. What a lovely way to start their evening!

#gwynriel #Gwynsand #gwyneth berdara #azriel shadowsinger #rhysand #some fluff #Some fun #gwyn x azriel #azriel x gwyn #Gwyn & Rhysand #gwynriel fanfiction #drabble #Drabbles are so fun to write!

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telomeke · 24 days

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4 MINUTES – ON GHOSTS, DEATH AND DYING (PLUS SOME THAI AND CHINESE CULTURAL REFERENCES)

The cogs and gears in my head are clanking and clunking away, trying to work out what the underlying plot logic of 4 Minutes might turn out to be. (And the machine upstairs seems a little rusty, to be honest! 🤣)

For the moment though, my money's on 4 Minutes as a supernatural thriller in which some of the characters are actually ghosts or spirits from another realm, interacting with humans still in the world of the living.

I've written more about it here:

And looking more closely, there are a few more clues that point in this direction – especially in the scenes with Lukwa, the only one of Den's interviewees who seems to have familiarity with the four-minute rewind.

My view is that Lukwa is a ghost, and that Den is one of the few humans who can see spirits and interact with them.

This is echoed by what Lukwa herself tells Den in Ep.4 – he's the only one who listens to her talk about her experiences after her heart stopped, unlike the others who seem to pay her no mind. I'm thinking everyone else is ignoring her not because they think she's crazy – but because most humans can't see her in her ghostly form, unlike Den who is blessed (cursed?) with the gift of second sight.

At their first meeting in Ep.1, Lukwa had already been scheduled to see Den (he knew her formal name was Arinya without looking up from his file). But she must have died just before the appointment time, and turned up in spirit form instead. This is why Den looked more than surprised to see her, because he had been expecting a living human interviewee, not a ghost. 👀

And this is also why Lukwa is clad in both black and white in this scene – she'd barely left the Four-Minute Zone (where the spirits are clad in black) and was transitioning to white (as is befitting of the ghostly dead) when she decided to keep her appointment with Den.

There are also some subtle visual details hinting that Lukwa no longer belongs in the world of the living.

In all three of her scenes (her two conversations with Den, and also when we see her in the Four-Minute Waiting Room), Lukwa is carrying a bag in which mesh (made of string) features prominently as part of the design composition. In Ep.1 it's a black mesh bag, in her Ep.4 impromptu visit with Den it's a bag with white mesh detailing, and in the waiting room, it's a white mesh bag.

I strongly think all this abundance of stringy accessories is a nod at a particular Thai funerary custom (among many others), in which a sacred string (called sai sin, usually white) is tied around the wrists of the deceased.

And when Lukwa first appears in Ep.1, the string handle of her mesh bag is looped around her wrist, which (I think) is signaling that Lukwa has already departed the realm of the living:

‌It's black rather than white, because Lukwa is still transitioning from the Four-Minute Zone (where black rules) to the ghostly realm (where white is de rigueur).

OK, so when we see Lukwa in the Four-Minute Waiting Room, one of the more unusual visual details is that oddly-positioned bed, deliberately skewed at an odd angle away from the walls:

I think this is a reference to the Thai superstition that beds should never be oriented to face west, because that is the direction reserved for the dead when they are laid out in their coffins at funerals.

Annoyingly, I can't find consensus online as to whether it's the top of the deceased's head that points to the west or rather the chin and feet that do. But no matter – I think it's enough to suggest that the bed Lukwa is perched upon is oriented such because it's the convention for the departed – and this must make her (and any other visitor to that room) one of them (and that includes Great, whom we see in the room with her 😥).

And this calls to mind immediately the scenes where we see Great waking up in his bed – it's also ominously positioned away from the walls (and thus echoes the Bed of the Dead in the Four-Minute Waiting Room). It's another hint that Great is a ghost too.

Still in the Four-Minute Waiting Room, that giant 04:00 projected on the curtain is probably some kind of timer, but we are not shown it counting down:

I think this timer has been counting up to four minutes, just like the giant projection in Great's apartment that we see counting up to 11:04 (which will likely mark the shutdown of his shared interlude with Tyme in the Four-Minute Zone). And as the waiting room projection has stopped at 04:00, this probably also means that both Lukwa and Great have left the Four-Minute Zone behind them and are in the room waiting to be admitted to the ghostly realm beyond.

So the projection is not really a clock, but it does call to mind all the various clocks in the preceding episodes.

And this is more a Thai-Chinese thing (rather than purely Thai), but clocks are also an ominous reminder of death. I'd originally not wanted to post about this (since this is a Thai show, not a Chinese one), but with Ep.5's nod at the Thai-Chinese significance of the numeral 4 and the realization that 4 Minutes is being broadcast (a little too coincidentally) during the Thai-Chinese Ghost Festival saat jeen I think it's worth mentioning.

So clocks in Chinese culture are often associated with death; you should never give a Chinese person a clock as a gift, because the words for "gifting a clock" (in Mandarin and Cantonese especially) sound like "paying one's last respects at a funeral" – song zhong (suggesting that the gift is also a wish for the recipient's death to be imminent).

Even without the gift-giving, the word for clock/钟 (in both Mandarin and Cantonese) is also a homonym for a word meaning death, demise or ending (终).

As a lot of Thai people have at least part-Chinese ancestry due to intermarriage dating back centuries, it's not inconceivable that quite a number of Thai viewers will recognize the ominous undertones every time a clock appears in 4 Minutes.

Although you don't need to know this to understand that a ticking clock also symbolizes time slipping away, which aligns well with the urgently palpitating heart of 4 Minutes, this convoluted supernatural gay romance thriller that has so many of us in a chokehold...

‌

#4 minutes #4 minutes the series #4 minutes fan theory #ghosts

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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 1 year

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The Arcana HCs: Asra and Faust's Birthday

~ it's June 13, so here's how MC might celebrate Asra and Faust's birthday with them. Enjoy! - brainrot ~

You let them sleep in until they're ready to get up

You, on the other hand, sneak out early to collect supplies. For what, some might ask? Well, he's not the only one good at keeping secrets ~

Faust is happy to accompany you while her master snoozes, especially as you promised her unlimited chin scritches and she is determined to get as much out of that as she can

You want them to enjoy a slow morning, so you leave any plans for the afternoon and work on breakfast while the golden morning sun lights up the kitchen

Faust keeps watch so you can focus, and you know Asra's opening his eyes when you hear her excited little voice shouting Awake! Awake! into your mind

This is your cue to climb back in bed to snuggle with them. Breakfast can wait ...

When he is ready to get up, you'll be able to bring him breakfast. One of your errands involved swinging by Selasi's stall, and the lovely baker has given you samples of all his test recipes because he knows how much Asra adores new and unusual things

Selasi also helped you fashion a mini paper party hat for Faust

Now the three of you are piled on the overstuffed, rumpled bed, eating and giggling and watching Faust pose with her hat

You also have to keep coming up with excuses for why Asra isn't allowed to look around certain parts of the shop - pieces of your surprise are stashed in several different corners

"MC -" they're giggling at the edge of the bed, only pretending to struggle against where you have your hands pressed over their eyes to keep them from getting up or peeking. "Tell me what it is!"

Never tell! Faust is wriggling along his shoulders in her own intimidation game, trying her best not to be dislodged by Asra's happy laughter. Friend surprise!

"A surprise, hm?" They get suspiciously still. "How about this?" And the cushion they swing at you is the start of a pillow fight that turns the whole bedroom into a mess

You're trying to figure out how to keep things hidden while cleaning up at the same time when you hear a knock at the door

Right on cue, Aisha and Salim are standing in your shop with beaming smiles on their faces. You bundle Asra out the door to spend lunch with them and spend the next hour or so tidying and closing up

The next stage of your surprise begins when Muriel arrives at your doorstep to help you carry several things up to the palace. Most of what you bring gets whisked away to the gardens under Nadia's watchful eye, and Portia takes the last few bundles with a wink

You stick around for a few hours, helping to set up the majority of the more magical items and finalizing the evening plans. As it nears tea time, you collect a new bundle from Nadia and set off for Aisha and Salim's house

So far things seem to be progressing even more smoothly than you expected. Asra opens the door for you, confused because their parents told them to wait here for you while they went to "run some errands"

"MC?" He eyes the bundle under your arm curiously, a bemused smile on his face. "Is it time for the next part of your mysterious plan?"

"Not yet." You drag them to the couch and pull them down next to you. "Now we take a nap."

He's not arguing with that. You doze with him, knowing that the coming night is going to be longer than he can guess. You shake him gently awake as the sun begins to set, brewing him a quick cup of tea before you hand him the first bundle

"I can open this now?" They smile teasingly and purposefully fumble with the wrappings

Inside is a lovely new set of clothes, Nadia's gift. They're styled and tailored perfectly enough to be suitable for any party, and yet as durable and practical as the best traveling gear

It's twilight when you walk across the palace bridge hand in hand. You can hear and smell the festivities wafting from the palace gardens, and even better is the thrill of curiosity and excitement in Asra's fingertips when he squeezes your hand

They're prepared to be dazzled by whatever delights you and Nadia have clearly conspired to create, but they don't expect the number of people present when the two of you enter the grounds

All of them people he knows, all of them people he's friends with, but so many he assumed he didn't mean anything to. He was expecting to see under ten people, but this number is easily over thirty

They can't remember a time when they were considered a part of a community. For as long as they can remember, they've been a wanderer who found home with the two people they felt most connected to, with no permanent place or support system

This is different. Seeing all these recognizable Vesuvian faces in one place is the proof that there is a community around him, and that this community has a spot for them in it

The evening is magical. There's all kinds of food laid out with puzzles to solve to unlock different dishes, there's floating magical bubbles which play out different comical scenes in whorls of colorful light when they're popped, and there's a game of riddles that lead him on the silliest scavenger hunt Vesuvia's ever seen

Eventually it becomes late enough that even the night owls are beginning to get tired. Muriel disappears briefly and returns with two traveling packs, which he trades with you wordlessly for the shop key

Asra watches in delighted confusion. "MC, there's more? Where are you taking me?"

"Where do you think?" You bid everyone your goodbyes together, Aisha and Salim adding their own mysterious "see you soon"s, and then you're taking their hand and walking through the silvery moonlit fields to meet with a familiar beast

A very sleepy Faust curls herself up under Asra's shirt as the two of you take off. His head turns so he can speak in your ear over the rush of the wind

"We're going to Nopal?"

"Nopal first," you murmur back, "and Zadith after. Your parents say they want to show us where they learned alchemy - and where you got your name from. We'll meet them on the coast in a few day's time."

You won't always be able to plan elaborate garden parties or a month away from the shop for Asra's birthday. But for the dimples that keep appearing and the contented love and joy in their eyes? You'll do it as often as you can

#the arcana #asra the arcana #asra alnazar #happy birthday asra alnazar #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #the arcana game #the arcana fluff #asra the magician #asra alnazar x reader #asra x apprentice #ask arcana brainrot #the arcana fanfic

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writergirl2011 · 1 year

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Regarding Hyle Hunt

There's been a little discourse regarding the role one Ser Hyle Hunt will play in Lady Brienne of Tarth's storyline going forward. Some people seem to think that he is her perfect match because they hate the idea that Brienne deserves to have a romance with the man she wants--aka one Ser Jaime Lannister--because that messes with the narrative they want to push, whatever that narrative may be.

Some people think that Ser Hyle Hunt is a more interesting and more remarkable man than he truly is, when nothing he's said or done to this point has shown him to be anything of the sort. Personally, I'm not impressed with a man who set up a bet with his buddies over a young noblewoman's virginity--which was essentially the kiss of death to said young woman, who didn't have much going for her on the marriage mart in the first place. (Don't give me the "men will be men" explanation. That makes you no better than Randyll Tarly.) And his proposal of marriage boils down to: "Hey, baby, you've got an island and a lot of money, I've got a functional dick that's already proven to be fertile. I can close my eyes and blow out the candle. Let's do it." How romantic.

There has been absolutely no indication that Brienne will ever love this man, or even care the slightest for him. Threatening to turn someone into a eunuch isn't playful banter, especially not when said man once bet on her virginity and the last time she confronted someone(s) in that bet, she beat the living shit out of them. She hasn't forgotten, and she really hasn't forgiven. And when it comes to Hyle, she never really will, because in her eyes, what he did was the worst of all of them. He came the closest to winning by doing the one thing none of the others did--he made her feel included, like she might be earning a little bit of respect in that camp. Then she found out it was all a lie.

"But she hated Jaime at first!" Yeah, but that was before Jaime: told a lie about Tarth's wealth to save her from rape; shouted "sapphires" and risked a beating to save her from rape again; risked his own life to save hers by jumping unarmed into a bear pit (with only one hand to boot), and revealed the truth about why he killed Aerys, thus revealing that rather than it being a callous act, he'd saved an entire city of innocents--a noble act. THEN he put his trust in her to find Sansa, gifting her with a horse, armor, and a priceless sword. He gave her the respect Hyle only pretended to give her, expecting nothing in return.

What has Hyle done on their road trip? When Brienne kills the three former Bloody Mummers, I'm curious: how long was Hyle there? At least long enough to see her and Pod burying Nimble Dick, but the way he's described sitting there casually makes me think he'd been there longer. Watching. Sitting back doing nothing while she might've been killed. And we don't know what his true motives are in following her. If she finds Sansa, is he going to help her get Sansa to safety--or is he going to betray her and try to turn Sansa in to the Crown for the reward?

If you want any further proof that she doesn't care about Hyle, think about who she tried to bargain for when Lady Stoneheart was about to hang them all. Not herself, and certainly not Hyle. Podrick, the boy. And when they were hanging, as she was dying. the only person she had eyes for was Pod.

And who did she presumably agree to kill Jaime for? Podrick.

Yeah. She's really going to come around on Hyle.

#Brienne of Tarth #Hyle Hunt #Jaime Lannister #ASOIAF meta #give me a break people #reading comprehension #it's a thing

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jiaoqiu-s-bitch · 1 year

Note

hi, i read your hcs for nagi earlier and i finally got the courage to request something too! :) can i get sfw and nsfw hcs with bachira? thank you in advance, and keep up the good work!

Oh sweetie, there’s no need to be shy, especially not about sending in an ask!! I promise I don’t bite (or do I-?😏)

Thank you so much for sending in this request, enjoy!!

————————————————————————

Bachira Meguru - fluffy/spicy hcs || 18+ (under cut)

sfw:

• Bachira is absolutely the kind of boyfriend where you would say "He’s not only my partner, he’s also my best friend"

• he’s not someone you would call "romantic", but he is just very affectionate in general and will constantly give you little gifts and trinkets (ex.: a plushy that reminded him of you)

• if you go to the beach together, he will come running to you with a new shell that he just found every few minutes; he will absolutely insist on taking all of them back home, he’s a collector (not only of shells, also just of the most random things ever)

• he’s overall a very giving partner and doesn’t expect anything in return, he honestly just loves making you smile and being able to laugh with you

• it’s very important to him that you get along well with his mom, which is honestly not hard at all because she’s an absolute sweetheart (when you first met her she was like "Nice to meet the future Mrs. Bachira!")

• the lock screen on his phone is probably a picture of you drooling in your sleep or something of that sort; he is, however, open to negotiations - you could definitely convince him to take a cute picture of the two of you instead (only if it’s silly enough, everything has to be silly with Bachira)

• he definitely sets that drooly pic as his home screen instead though

• speaking of, his social media is FILLED with pictures of you and him (and pics of just you); he only has one account, his official one, but he uses it like a spam account because he genuinely dgaf - and that’s beside the fact that he just thinks you’re absolutely perfect and wants everyone to see

• it has occurred multiple times that you had to practically beg for him to take a picture down because you think you look absolutely horrendous in it, so now he SOMETIMES asks you first before he uploads anything (you had to give him an actual checklist of things to watch out for that are a no-go, selfies with your sleeping form are one of them)

• Bachira is extremely laid-back because he has full faith in you and your relationship, so jealousy is nothing that would ever even come up from his side

• on the flip side, it’s better if you are not on the jealous side either because Bachira is just extremely friendly and pretty touchy with basically everyone

• he has absolutely no shame and "personal space" is a term that simply does not exist in his vocabulary, neither with you nor with anyone else, so if you value your personal space from time to time, you’re gonna have to be very explicit about it and explain it to him

• he’ll TRY to respect it but I feel like he literally just doesn’t know any boundaries, like, this man would not bat an eye when you’re sitting on the toilet; he would barge in, do what he came to do, wish you good luck and walk back out💀👋🏼 (he strikes me as the type that wouldn’t even close the door behind him iabfosbfls)

• I am convinced that Bachira watches old kid shows from time to time, mainly because they remind him of his childhood, but opposed to back then, he now has someone to watch them with🥺 (pls that’s so sad but so wholesome)

• does the grabby hands whenever he wants cuddles/a hug, his eyes practically staring into your soul and making it impossible to deny him - he’s a very physical person, so expect LOTS of random hugs and cuddles, both at home and in public

~~~

nsfw:

• this man is freaky and NEEDY - can and will go whenever and wherever without hesitation

• he is definitely not against sex in (semi-)public places, in fact, he might actually prefer that over doing it at home - he’s kinda an exhibitionist and no one can convince me otherwise

• he’s utterly in love with you and your body, he literally loves everything about you and he’s not afraid to show it in every way he can; mainly in the form of praising and showing you off

• Bachira has absolutely no shame WHATSOEVER, actually, he definitely has the fantasy of doing it in front of a webcam at least once; he also casually offered some of his teammates to watch the two of you going at it before (they thought it was a joke except for Otoya and probably Lavinho tbh, they wanted to take him up on it)

• ok but hear me out… GOING LATE NIGHT SKINNY DIPPING WITH BACHIRA. that’s it, just think about it.

• his favorite thing ever is pleasuring you with his fingers; eating you out is a close second, but nothing beats watching your facial expressions up close when he’s working you to ecstasy

• he’s not into edging at all, but he’s extremely into overstimulation - both on you and on himself, so the good news is you won’t have to beg him to let you cum, the bad news is you might have to beg him to stop LOL

• you don’t know how the man does it, but he somehow does not slow down at all even after reaching his own climax, and he just keeps going until his body can literally take no more; you better match his libido cause both his stamina and energy are fucking crazy, bro’s a monster (lol)

• Bachira would oftentimes wake you up in the middle of the night because he’s horny - well, he’d keep grinding himself against you for some relief, you waking up is honestly just a matter of time cause he’s not exactly holding back

• on the contrary, he will keep whispering to you all the while, moaning shamelessly into your ear "Mmmh I really really need you baby… Gonna help me take care of this, aren’t you? Ohhh, my good girl…"

• he genuinely adores the way your body reacts to his touches even when asleep, it gives him some kind of kick, even more so when he manages to build up your orgasm without you being fully conscious - though if you’ve made it this far without waking up, he’ll definitely be waking you up now for the grand finale

• he’s a big fan of finishing together; it’s like the ultimate bonding experience for him, and he’s naturally incredibly good at managing both of your pleasure to time your climaxes perfectly

• his favorite positions are basically all positions that allow him to see your face and to let his hands roam freely all over your body (aka he’s not a fan of positions that require him to hold you in place)

• after sex, he usually just wants to cuddle up to you (preferably still naked), rubbing his face against yours affectionately with a happy grin to make you giggle before settling in for a little (or big) nap

#pls pls pls don’t be shy about sending me asks #i love hearing about what you guys wanna see next #as well as your ideas #blue lock #blue lock hcs #bllk #blue lock x reader #blue lock x you #bllk x reader #bllk x you #bachira meguru #meguru bachira #bachira meguru x reader #bachira meguru x you #bachira x reader #bachira x you

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saiyanmyname · 9 months

Text

Hi, I just want to wish everyone a lovely Christmas, however you’re spending it Xx

My gift to you is this goofy pic of Endeavor… and a reader insert ;)

Enji kept looking at the clock, how much longer until his shift was over? Just over half an hour.

He couldn’t believe they were making him work Christmas, especially since he’d done so the previous three years. Not that he had anything to go back home to, but he’d rather be at home doing nothing, instead of having to watch all of the happy families out and about on Christmas Day. He almost found himself wishing a terrible villain would turn up, at least then he’d have something to do, turns out even villains took Christmas Day off. He chuckled to himself at his own silent joke.

“Merry Christmas Endeavor”

“Still working Endeavor? Have a good Christmas”

Why did people have to talk to him? He grunted and nodded. He’d never liked dealing with the public, it was partly why he made himself so unapproachable, because he was scared of talking to people, making small talk was something that came naturally to most of the pros, but he’d always been introverted. Not that you’d believe it if you’d seen him, with those flashy flames and booming voice, but it was just an act, an act to get by.

That’s when he saw them, five of the most perfect mince pies, stacked neatly in a row of three and a row of two, they looked delicious, pale shortcrust pastry and sugar on top that had been caramelised to a hard shell, they were in pale blue and green festive foil wrappers, and he had to have them. He checked his watch, and peered through the window biting his lip hungrily, it looked like they were closing, it would be impolite to go in now, so close to closing time, but he just had to have one. He didn’t have any at home, and it would be a terrible thing not to have at least one on Christmas Day. He’d rather hoped Fuyumi might bring him some, but she was away on a trip for Christmas.

“Are you sure you’ll be Ok on your own dad?” She’d asked.

“Of course, it’ll be fine, go and enjoy yourself.”

He’d replied, it was a lie, and now he had no mince pies at two minutes to five on Christmas Day.

He pushed on the door and the little bell rang. He tried to sound casual.

“Oh sorry, are you closing?”

“Yes, I was.” You reply bluntly, without looking up from sweeping the floor, back turned.

“Oh…” he was not expecting this response, he was Endeavor, usually people went the extra mile for a hero, he was stunned.

You paused waiting to hear the bell as he left, but he didn’t move. You leant your broom against the counter.

“Look, I’ve just closed up, you’ll have to…” you turned, the last person you’d expected to see was Endeavor. His flames were roaring from his jaw and his boots, snow had started to fall outside, but the the windows had already started to steam from the intensity of his heat.

You briefly wondered how his wife had ever gotten close enough to him to produce four children, he was hotter than the sun, but then again, you’d heard she’d had an ice quirk.

Enji looked at you, trying to discern the look on your face, you looked like you were solving a mathematical puzzle.

“Could you move away from there?”

“Sorry, from where?”

“Behind you, you’ll melt the truffles.”

“Oh, I’m sorry” he stepped forward.

“What is it you want?” You asked folding your arms across your chest. It brought his eyes to hover briefly over your breasts. You noticed and tried not to smirk.

What was the number one hero doing waltzing into your shop and checking you out?

“Are you this rude to all your customers?” He asked bluntly, he shouldn’t have said that. He realised straight after he said it, but he still really wanted those mince pies.

You replied before he could apologise.

“Only the ones I like” You smirked, wiping your hands on your apron. His eyes hovering over you again, where of course they shouldn’t be. You wondered if it was only more noticeable because his eyes were so glaringly blue, so bright and icy against the billowing flames that burst around his face. “Do you check out all your shop keepers?”

“I was not…” He stepped back.

“Truffles!” You exclaimed.

“Sorry” he said jumping forwards again. “You should put them somewhere further from the natural place to stand”

“Most of my customers aren’t on fire.”

God this was awkward, he shouldn’t have come in, this was exactly the kind of social exchange he hated, it was uncomfortable.

“So, what can I get you?” Your face softened, you had a lovely smile he realised. His heart settled a little, and his flames reduced.

“Um… the mince pies in the window.” He paused, you looked like you were waiting for something. “Please.” He added, tentatively.

“Sure, how many would you like?”

“All of them…” You raised you eyebrows waiting again. “Please” he added gruffly. You were winning and he didn’t like it. Making him say please, it was annoying… and maybe a touch erotic? He tried to get the thought out of his head, but it stayed like one of those trick candles, reappearing with a flicker.

You took them out of the window.

“One each is it?” It was common knowledge he had four children, but he felt it a little presumptuous of you to ask. Or was that small talk? He wasn’t sure.

“No, I’ll be on my own.”

“Ah, me too.” There was that smile again, like butter, your lips… they were really… pretty. He thought to himself. “Big appetite fighting all those villains?” He was fairly sure you were mocking him now, the question was rhetorical.

You placed them in a white box. With six gaps. “Room for one more if you want anything else?”

He was still thinking about your retort about spending Christmas alone.

“Excuse me?” He asked, wondering if he’d heard you wrong.

“Box holds six, you have five, do you want anything else?”

“Oh, of course.” He held his chin, gazing down at the glass cabinet. Most of the really good things had sold out, but there was still too much to choose from, aside from the five mince pies. He was rather pleased with himself about getting those.

“Spoilt for choice?” You leant over the counter. “Need some help Endeavor?”

The way you added his name at the end of the sentence made him blush, what was it about the way you said it that made it sound so intimate.

“I think so…” he hummed.

“Ok:” you jumped up squatting down behind the other side of the glass.

“These ones,” you tapped the glass, “are a big hit, they’re custard on the inside but with a hard crème brûlée type topping, most people think they’re going to be soft until they bite into them, and they are, but I just like the way the crunch adds something special to the experience. Custard pastries are usually a hit with men, I don’t know why. Sound like something you might like?”

“Perhaps,” you were really quite passionate about the subject. He smiled, you were pleased you’d managed to break down a barrier, Endeavor wasn’t known for smiling, it felt like a little win.

“Well I’ll take one out for you try. Then we have these, don’t confuse them with mince pies, they’re Eccles cakes.”

“But they’re not cakes?” He looked at them confused.

“Look, I didn’t invent them so take it up with the name police. What does Endeavor mean anyway?”

“What do you mean, what does it mean?” You’d struck a nerve you realised, this could prove interesting.

“They’re filled with currants rather than mincemeat and then wrapped in flakey pastry, that’s what sets them apart from a mince pie. Hawks flies, Jeanist… jeans, All Might is a cool name because he’s ‘All Mighty’ and strong etc, so I’ve always been curious, why just Endeavor? Why not… Flamey McFlame Face?” You giggled. “Sorry I wasn’t being rude, I promise, I just assumed I may not have another chance to ask.”

“They sound good, could I try one of those too?” He paused then “I’ll pay for these too of course?” He added hastily.

“Well, I wasn’t going to ask since I need to get rid of the stock, but since you’ve offered, how about I do you a deal?”

“Ok.”

“Good.” You didn’t mention anything further about the deal and it got his mind ticking.

You continued to explain each of the different flavour and textures of the treats, they all sounded delicious.

You glanced at the clock, you’d been going through all the different items for about quarter of an hour, he’d chosen four to try, although he’d struggled to whittle it down to so few.

“I’d really like to try them all.”

“Well if you’re really good maybe Santa will let you.” You smirked. “Maybe not all in one day though.”

You were definitely flirting with him, at least he thought so, people didn’t tend to flirt with Endeavor, he was unapproachable, and that’s the way he liked it, or so he’d thought.

He decided to try his luck.

“I am good, very good actually.” He said, picking up the first pastry.

“Oh?” The corner or your mouth twitched. “Then you’ll have to show me.” You leant over the counter.

“Oh my god, this is so good.” He said as he finished it up.

“Isn’t it?” You grinned, eyes lit up.

“How do you make these?” He asked, mouth half full, chewing away.

“Trade secrets.”

“Hmm, I bet.” Endeavor raised an eyebrow.

He made the rest of his way through them deciding to buy the remainder of each, 1, 3, 1, and 5. He smirked. All your stock was in odd numbers and all the boxes were even. A smart way to suggest people leave with more than they intended to buy.

“What’s your quirk?” He asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Is it perhaps a… disappearing quirk?”

“Very perceptive Endeavor. People do like filling things up. It’s not illegal, reducing your stock is it?”

He leant over the counter in the same way that you were. Suddenly you felt very very close, noses almost touching.

“Would you like it to be?” His voice was almost lower up close, you could feel the heat from his flames and the breeze of his breath. He was actually quite good looking up close.

“Why, will you arrest me Endeavor.”

“No,” he grinned, a boyish grin that you rather liked. “The police arrest people, I just bring them to justice for what they’ve done.”

You were blushing now, you didn’t think he’d pluck up the courage to be so blunt, afterall you’d be coaxing him for about half an hour or so now.

His lips brushed yours teasingly, an invitation to open your mouth, his hand sliding gently around the side of your neck. His fingers big enough that he could stroke his thumb down your cheek, you bit his lip gently and he groaned. You found yourself leaning further over the counter, hands in his hair, pulling it a little, he groaned again. You smirked as he kissed you, you were fairly sure he liked it a little rough.

“Hold on” he paused, making his way around behind the counter. “Mind if come back here?” He asked, arms instinctively wrapping around you, leaning to kiss you again. He was a good kisser, and it was better now the counter wasn’t in the way, you could feel his whole body against you. You wondered if his kiss would feel just as good elsewhere. “So…” he continued, speaking, about an inch away from your ear. “About this deal?”

“Only if you say please.”

#endeavor mha #enji todoroki #endeavor x reader #enji x you #minors dni #endeavor x y/n #enji todoroki imagine #enji todoroki x reader #enji x reader #enji todoroki smut #endeavor x female reader

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kerubimcrepin · 6 months

Text

Live-read: "Julith et Jahash" - Part 3

"A huge peasant from Bonta?" Their first meeting is so romantic and her first impression of him is so beautiful.

2 seconds have passed and she is trying to kill him by throwing him off a flying platform.

This is off-topic, but I like to think that Jahash and Julith were "opposites attract" in regard to everything: like, personally, I like to think she comes from a wealthy family that didn't care about her, just her success, — and that she was a gifted huppermage kid. The opposite in every way to Jahash (save for the canonical bisexuality they share).

I make myself emotional a lot, thinking of the ways these two are similar to their son, thinking of the ways Bakara is similar to their son, etc, etc... What if Julith was a perfectionist too...

There are also huppermages from these places specifically, — and interestingly enough, there are only three Brakmarians. Considering the seemingly random way contestants are chosen, this might not mean much.

I wish we had more info on huppermages who aren't alligned with Bonta. There has to be some innter conflict, over the fact that most of them are.

What Julith says here, suggest this is either not her first time in this whole situation, — or that she's just been in huppermage battles before.

This leg spin is so unique. None of the trio of the immortal Jurgen-Crepins do it. She's insane for this.

He's so funny for trying to stop the huppermage hunger games by restraining its most active and enthusiastic participant. Surely, she won't kick him in the balls.

Joris was that close to not being ever born.

I feel that it is prudent to point out that being beaten to death and pushed off to become a pancake 38492834ft below the floating platform, is a problem that even Wakfu era huppermages face.

Joris definitely went through this. He definitely thought it was stupid.

"It's cute that you all came here wearing your city's colours. Get naked."

Yeah, very normal and sane of the huppermages to do. Also, very interesting that Julith is unfazed by this. Like she expected it.

Aw! The "she knitted him underwear" thing is referenced. Maybe she decided it'd be funny, if she fulfilled her offer from when they first met.

I think if Joris was in this situation, (and I am thinking about this, because he too, is a huppermage, and uh. what if he DID go through this. The chance is non-zero) he would become violently suicidal immediately. He doesn't like his body, how short he is, his proportions, and looks. He's always felt more comfortable in a hood and some layers of clothing, — and, while he downplays it in the movie, being different from other people does bother him. Even though he's trying to be fine with it, for Kerubim's sake...

He already has it bad enough with all the cruel things people say to him, no matter how mature and professional he tries to act, no matter how he dresses, no matter what he ever fucking does.

And having all his otherness, the way his body differs from people, showcased like that, would be a humiliating, inhumane experience.

One can only hope that it would, very fast, turn into an SCP-096 type situation. He deserves to start killing people. Especially whoever would do that to him.

This is based, and all, but again and again it is shown that a big majority of huppermages, — including at points, the leaders, — are aligned with Bonta. You can't just will the politics away.

Yeah, I don't like huppermages anymore, as an organization. There are far too many things about them that feel... icky. From the institutionalized abuse, to the political stuff that is swept under the rug.

One might say I am taking it way too seriously, — but Ankama can take things seriously. Tot is not blind to what he's writing, and the things the works imply. At least I hope so.

"What an interesting specimen... No fear and no shame to be seen in these features. No doubt, you are from the Abigor family! From now on, your name is the Butcher."

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THIS IMPLIES. From Abigors being an important family, like I predicted, — to them all having resting bitch faces. jdsfkgshdfgdfg.

The thing this woman dubs Jahash, based on his expressions and vibes, is "The Pure". They all get these nicknames. And by god, I am so sad about Julith's being this thing she hates.

My personal headcanon, is that if Joris went through this particular kind of hazing and abuse, his govenrment assigned huppermage name was... "the Powerless," of you get the reference.

Because I'm funny like that.

i hate this lady so much its unreal.

#ro liveblogs dofus #dofus #wakfu #krosmoz #joris jurgen #julith-et-jahash

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final-fantasy-imagines · 2 years

Note

Hi!! I hope you doing well :), May I make a request for Reno x Reader? I wanted see what it be like for Reno and reader meeting on Valentine’s Day! Like he’s kinda mad he doesn’t have a date and she’s just hanging out trying to find something to do, and then they run into each other and just hang out with each other! By the end of the day they say they wanna hang out again and their like “I’m in love” behind close doors 😖 I’m so sorry that was a lot but I thought it would be cute ☺️

Hey there! <3 I'm doing pretty good, thank you. And thank you for your request, too! I know this doesn't match your idea perfectly but I hope you like it nevertheless. Happy Valentine's Day, dear anon! :)

Pairing: Reno x gn!reader

Unexpectedly – Reno x gn!reader

The sun has already started to set when Reno leaves the Shinra Building. The streets of Midgar are crowded, even more so than usual, and everywhere he looks, he sees couples - couples that are chattering about who knows what, couples with happy faces, with flowers and little gifts, couples who are shamelessly making out in a dimly lit corner, thinking that no one will notice them when everyone who's passing by can, in fact, see them.

Reno wants to roll his eyes and tell them that they should just get a room but at the last second, he stops himself. It's not their fault he's angry and upset and annoyed for reasons he doesn't even know. So instead of snapping at some random strangers, he stares down at the road and tells himself to calm down. It's Valentine's Day - of course there will be couples everywhere, and of course, they will kiss and giggle and enjoy their time together. He has no right to take his anger out on them, no matter how much he wants to.

As he continues to aimlessly wander around the city, Reno wonders if there's something more frustrating than working on Valentine's Day. And then he remembers that he doesn't have a date this year, and he figures that yes, that's a lot worse than work. It's not that he's usually bothered by being single - actually, it can be quite nice, especially with a crazy schedule like his - but on some days, he thinks it just would be great to have someone to come home to after a long shift. Someone who just gets it.

And today is one of these days.

Maybe that's why the couples annoy him so much. Because he secretly envies them, although he'd rather bite his tongue off than actually admit that. He's a Turk, damit, and he doesn't need anyone else to be happy. He's perfectly capable of being alone.

Except that he doesn't want to be alone. Not today, at least.

He curses under his breath and kicks an innocent pebble out of his way. He hates feeling like this. It makes him look weak, pathetic even - and Reno might be a lot of things but weak and pathetic certainly aren't one of them.

And then, someone bumps into him.

You're not paying much attention to your surroundings as you rush through the familiar streets of Sector 8, and so it’s probably completely your fault that you just crashed into another person. A young man, with red hair and stunning turquoise eyes, who stares at you like he’s about to stab you, to be more precise.

“Whoops,” you say quickly, taking a step back and holding your hands up, although you’re well aware that a simple gesture like that isn’t enough to shield you from the annoyance in his eyes, “I’m sorry.”

He opens his mouth, probably to snap at you but then he just sighs and, a lot calmer than you expected, says, “It’s fine. No need to apologize.”

That should be it, right? What’s more to say then “I’m sorry” when you bump into someone?

You have absolutely no reason to stay here any longer, and yet, you don’t move. (You’re glad no one asks you for a reason because you honestly couldn’t tell them. It just feels wrong to just turn around and leave.)

“Sorry,” you say again.

“I already told you that you don’t have to apologize.”

“Right.”

The situation is more than awkward, you’re painfully aware of that. Still, you don’t leave.

“I should be the one to apologize,” the man suddenly says, and an almost sheepish grin flashes over his face when you dart a glance at him, surprised, “I scared you, no? You looked at me like you were afraid I was going to murder you or something.”

“Well, to my defense, you had a very murderous expression in your eyes,” you reply, only half-joking. What on earth is going on here? Just a minute ago, his anger has been almost palpable, and now he’s trying to quip?

“Rough day at work.” He shrugs.

“Ah. And instead of taking that out on your significant other, you picked a random stranger. I have to say, on a day like this, that’s kinda smart.”

It’s supposed to be a harmless joke but the way his eyes darken at your words makes it very clear that he’s not too amused about your comment. “It might actually surprise you – and I honestly don’t even know why I should tell you this – but I don’t have a significant other.”

Oops. Sounds like you struck a nerve there.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s actually really hard to believe,” you say with a nervous laugh, trying to save what still can be saved. “I mean, you seem like an amazing person and everything.”

“So, after almost knocking me down, now you trying to flirt with me, sweetheart?”

“Huh?” You’re going to get whiplash from the changes in his behavior, you’re sure. “Definitely not. I don’t even know your name.”

“Reno,” he says and winks at you. “The name’s Reno.” When you don’t reply (you’re still way too confused and taken aback by his suddenly so gleeful and flirty demeanor), he adds, “How about you, sweetheart?”

“If you call me sweetheart one more time I will rip your vocal cords out.” It’s the first thing that comes to your mind, and the words are already out before you can stop them, but Reno just laughs, clearly not impressed by your violent threat. “You know what, I’d love to see you try,” he replies, voice low and smooth like honey, “sweetheart.”

You’re going to punch him if he continues to talk to you like that, you swear. But at the same time, you think that it would be a shame to harm a pretty face like his.

Wait. Did you just think of him as pretty?

But then again, who could blame you? He really is handsome (and you’re sure he knows it), although you’d rather bite your tongue off than actually admit that. And a part of you really wants to swipe that smug grin off his face.

“I hate you,” is all you eventually manage to get out, and Reno’s grin widens. “You know you don’t. Why else would you still be here with me, hm?”

“Out of pity, of course,” you say, quick like a shot. “It’s Valentine’s Day and you poor thing don’t have a date.”

Reno laughs. “Okay, you got me there. Point for you.”

You can’t help but join in his laughter. It’s contagious – and, although it’s probably really stupid to think that – a part of you is proud for making him laugh. Especially since he has been in such a bad mood when you bumped into him. It’s a good thing that you managed to cheer him up, right?

“Come on,” he then says, offering you his arm like the gentleman he most certainly isn’t, “let me buy you a drink. As an apology for scaring you earlier, I mean. We can’t stay out here the whole night, can we?”

“Oh, we could. But a drink doesn’t sound too bad either.” You put a finger to your chin, acting like you have to think about his offer (a fruitless attempt to make him nervous) but you can’t keep up the façade for too long. So, with a wink, you link arms with him. “Okay. Lead the way, pretty boy.”

“Woah, slow down,” Reno jokes, “we don’t know each other well enough for that kind of nickname yet.”

The two of you burst into laughter again, and Reno starts to think that this could be the beginning of something truly wonderful.

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider liking, reblogging and/or leaving feedback. I'd really appreciate the support. <3

Taglist: @sixdaysofsilverashes @thevoidwriting @theimaginaryheir @strawberrymoonsx

#reno x reader #reno ff7 x reader #reno sinclair x reader #ff7 x reader #final fantasy x reader #reno of the turks #gn!reader #gender neutral reader #reader insert #vani's valentine's event

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srslyscary · 3 months

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┊┊. WHAT’S IN HER BAG !

⟿ HER BAG

> BLACK SHEIN BAG . a gift from her mom, she’s had this bag for about a year. it’s continued to be in great shape, and it’s cheap. she never expects anything large as a gift, so she was grateful knowing she had something to carry her things with.

“this was a gift from my mom.. it was for my birthday last year I think.. or the year before that. it’s just a shein bag, but it’s pretty cute. I carry all my favorite items and essentials. it’s big enough for just a couple of things. thanks ma.”

⟿ PERFUME

> OCEAN DI GIOIA EAU DE PARFUM . It’s her favorite scent, the ocean. she enjoys how it’s not hard on the nose but not too light to where you can’t smell it.

“this is my perfume. ocean di gioia. it’s easy on the nose and I really enjoy spraying it on myself.”

⟿ HEADPHONES

> BLACK EARMUFF HEADPHONES . comfortable and easy to take a nap with. she could definitely fall asleep with them on anywhere at any given time. helps her adjust to the things she might be looking at on her phone.

“my headphones are one of the most crucial things in my bag. if I do not have my headphones on at least once a day, who knows what might happen. I love traveling with them because it makes the world seem a little more brighter.. I mean it’s already great but having music in your ears makes it SOO much better.”

⟿ PORTABLE CHARGER BLOCK

> BLACK PORTABLE CHARGER . simple and effective. definitely a must need item during long airplane trips or car rides. charges things up quickly and doesn’t run out of block battery for weeks.

“I bring multiple cords for my block just in case I happen to break a charger. the block charges my phone and headphones. the battery on the block doesn’t run out for a while as long as it’s turned off when you’re done using it.”

⟿ WALLET

> VIVIENNE WESTWOOD WALLET . holds all her credit cards, cash, information, etc. she mostly buys drinks with the things she has in her wallet, the members won’t allow her to buy her own food for some odd reason. she sometimes puts her phone in her wallet for extra measures.

“I carry all my cash and cards in here. mostly just to buy things when I get thirsty. I can’t buy food though, my members won’t let me.. oh and my phone is also in here. I don’t keep it in the bag because I get scared I will lose it.”

⟿ TOOTHPASTE

> CREST MINT TOOTHPASTE . brushes her teeth very often, always after she eats something and knows she won’t eat anything else after. she hates feeling like her teeth are dirty.

“I keep this for after i eat. no matter what time it is I always brush my teeth after every meal or snack I eat. I don’t like feeling like my teeth are dirty.”

⟿ LIP ESSENTIALS

> LIPGLOSS AND CHAPSTICK . another necessity she HAS to have, otherwise she will freak out. if not the lipgloss it has to be the chapstick. she doesn’t like the feeling of her lips being dry.

“especially after I brush my teeth or drink something, I reapply chapstick. and lipgloss is just to add to the look for performances or other things. just to look nice, you know?”

⟿ PLUSHIE

> GREEN ALIEN PLUSHIE . a gift from han, and she never goes anywhere without it. it was a gift that he gave her after they first debuted. she says that’s the first time the both of them actually got along.

“I remember this being given to me by.. han. hannie gave it to me after we debuted. we used to argue a lot predebut, and I guess this was a piece offering. we used to hate each other until he gave me this, and of course we’re very close now.”

⟿ WATER BOTTLE

> BLUE HYDRO FLASK . uses it when she needs to preserve drinks she buys, or when she needs to carry water with her.

“I usually carry water in here, I don’t want to be dehydrated. other times I’ll pour unfinished drinks in here when there’s nothing in here.”

⟿ BOOK

> THE OBSESSION . a book she says she can continue to read over and over again. she never gets tired of this book. likes the plot of a boy meeting a girl, the boy stalking the girl, and getting revenge on the boy after she finds out he’s been stalking her.

“this is my favorite book.. it’s called ‘the obsession’. it’s a really interesting book, kind of creepy as it’s about stalking people. I’m not a stalker I just find these things sort of interesting!”

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dcfanficsgallore · 11 months

Text

Didn't plan for this

Wonder Woman x Demigod!Fem!Reader

2859 words

TW: Broken Leg, Hospitals, Reader overthinks everything

Masterlist

Summary: You have only seen a handful of times and have been trying to get her attention ever since, when a disaster occurs, it finally makes her look at you and talk.

A/N: This fanfic doesn't use the usual quotes to show character speaking. Instead they'll use a - to show that they are speaking and every new line of dialogue is a new paragraph. Also English isn't my first language. Enjoy! X3 <33

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Being a demigod in a world that gets invaded by aliens every other week and seems to have a new super-whatever everyday is pretty normal. Especially if you’re a child of Athena, like me…

We don’t get powers like the children of Zeus or the innate charisma of the Apollo kids, but we’re not as insufferable as the Aphrodite Spawn (Long story), we’re just… Pretty smart and can understand stuff that most can’t. When I was a kid my teachers always told my mortal mom that I was ‘gifted’, my mom knew it was always truer than what they intended, but she never told me about it. Nor about my Godly mom…

Usually when an alien attack happens or a supervillain breaks from prison I tend to help the people around me get to safety and prepare all my contingencies for if the threat gets too close, I only had to use a couple of my plans once, that was a mess! But it made me learn that Plan C and Plan T should not be anywhere near each other. Other than that I just wait until the danger is over and maybe, kinda, try to see if she is taking care of the mess.

Of all the children of Zeus, she is the best. Most caring, most humble, the prettiest, and just all around good person. I only met THE Wonder Woman once, and since then I’ve been trying to get her attention the only way a daughter of Athena like me can… I’ve been sending contingency plans to the Justice Hall in hopes one of them will make them want to talk to me and talk about it. You might say it’s pointless, Batman is the best planner in the world, and to that I say: Maybe he would like someone to delegate a few of his responsibilities to… You never know.

It was during one of my walks to my job that I felt it.

Earthquakes

No worries, those happen all the time in New York. I have nothing to fear, just a mild-

Another one, Bigger

Again, not enough to trigger my alarms, but enough to make me start walking slower… And check my bag to see if everything is with m-

A third one, and this time I fall over

Alright. That’s cause for concern, I start sprinting towards my job while grabbing all the stuff I need to start Plan E.

As I turn a corner expecting to see the street to the building I work at, I am startled back by a falling lamp post.

This is bad

As I enter the building I see Ana, the secretary, ushering people out the building.

- How is it looking? - I ask her as another earthquake begins and doesn’t seem to stop.

- There’s still people inside - She looks at me with a worried expression - You might have to bring out Plan H - She says.

Ana is my best friend and that gives her the privilege of a binder with all my plans so she can help me choose one in big stress situations. That’s still not enough because she just suggested the Bird People Protocol, but I get the gist of what she wants.

- I think you might be right - I say not wanting to get into an argument of my plans with her right now

Being a prepared Child of Athena is very helpful when you're the Chief of Security of the company. I take a deep breath, say a little prayer to my mom hoping for a little luck to get inside and not die. And go in…

The first thing I see as I go through the doors is the bottom floor is collapsing. I rush a couple people out while I make my way to my office, in there I’ll find everything to hopefully save everyone. I just have to go up two floors, the elevators are a bust and a death trap. So the stairs are gonna be my friends.

As I start going up I hit a couple buttons on the wall to trigger the slides that help people go down the stairs faster, (hey, it works for airplanes and they were cheap to install. Just a button and they self inflate).

When I open the door to the second floor I am met by so many people that are injured. I go to usher them to the slides, after finding a couple interns that are so scared but not that bad physically and instruct them on what to do once they get down and keep moving towards my office.

I begin to see my office, it's right there, just a few more moments and everything will be fi-

feel a lot of pain and a crack coming from behind me

Something fell on me. I look back and see that my leg is stuck between a stone pillar and the floor. I feel a lot of pain, but I can't stop. I've already sent everyone on this floor down and there are more above me. If I give up now I’ll die along with everyone else, that’ll not be something that a Demigod will be doing today, I tell myself.

I start to try to lift the pillar with all my strength, it’s hard, it might be impossible, I start thinking of ways to maybe leverage a piece of debris as maybe a lever when the pillar starts to float? It’s not floating, someone picked it up. But who..?

It’s her, in all her glory. She looks exactly like I remember, the black locks of hair flowing, the tiara reflecting the little light inside this crumbling building, her golden lasso on her hand and the pillar on the other, she lifting it like it doesn’t weigh anything. Her ocean blue eyes that are looking directly into my soul, her furrowed brows like she’s mad? Wait, no, she IS mad!

- What are you doing! - She says with an alarm in her tone - I was helping the people off the building when I saw you running INTO it? What are you trying to do?

The reality of the situation finally hits me and I say

- Help me. My office. I can help… - I say with difficulty as my leg starts to hurt a lot more now that the big rock was removed.

She looks at me like I just grew frog legs beneath the pillar, not understanding why I’m trying so hard to go even deeper into the crumbling building.

I say it one more time and she seems to snap out of it.

- What are we looking for? - She says as she picks me up bridal style and starts sprinting into the room. Even with a broken leg I manage to get flustered, but quickly dismiss it as I get my head back in the game

I push myself down and limp to my desk, opening a drawer and pushing a button labeled ‘U’.

Immediately the result can be felt as dozens of inflatable slides appear going from every single window sill, out of seemingly thin air, and gives everyone on the above floors a chance to take a faster way down. But not everything can go according to plan as life constantly likes to remind me. The slide on my window did not trigger so I think I’m stuck until I feel myself being picked up again and my heroine jumps out of the window landing safely with me in her arms.

After that she puts me down on a sidewalk and says

- That was incredibly smart, aren’t you the woman that always has a plan? - She says, and I’m a little upset that that’s how she remembers me.

- Yeah, that 's me. A daughter of Athena trying her best - I say before my leg starts to demand more of my attention and I whimper a little

- Oh your leg! Right! - She says before picking me up again and without all the smoke and panic I can actually feel her muscles and smell a little perfume, strawberry? Maybe Daisy? Maybe alcohol? Wait… That’s the ambulance, I’m in the ambulance getting alcohol rubbed on my leg by a paramedic, staring into her sapphire eyes and she’s saying something... Oh shit she said something!

- Sorry what? - I say trying to cool my nerves from seeing her again

- I said I’ll be right back to check on you, these quakes are not natural. The League is currently stopping the cause of it but there are still civilians trapped in building that don’t have slides that help them get down - She smiles a little and it’s the prettiest smile I have ever seen

- Yeah, it’s cool, you’re a hero and all that - Say in an effort to look casual in the face of all this

A few hours later I had to be taken to the hospital to get my leg on a cast and suspended above me on the bed that I’m laying down on. Ana made it out without any serious injuries and is keeping me company, and by company I mean she’s currently hearing me be anxious about my meeting with The Wonder Woman.

- She said she would check on me later - I say for what’s probably the thousandth time

- Yup, but when she said you were on the street getting tended to by an EMT. Now she probably has no idea where you - She keeps trying to manage my expectations.

- But look at the TV Ana, a lot of people need help, she’s probably helping them. and this is one of the only hospitals that didn’t seem to be that affected by the quake! - I reason with her.

- Why do I keep getting into arguments with you? - she says with a long sigh - Damn Owl Spawn - she says with a smirk that gets wiped by the pillow I throw on her face

- Because you live in hope that you can win! - I tease back and am promptly met by the same pillow hitting my face.

-But seriously Y/N - She says looking at me - I wouldn’t get my hopes up, she’s a superhero. She’ll probably be busy until the next morning and then she’ll probably go back to her place and sleep for a long time, maybe she’ll forget.

- I can still hope, right? - I say a little sadly to Ana who nods and pulls me into a hug

- You should get some rest Bird Brain, I’ll be here if you need anything - Ana says, going to turn off the light and heading to her chair next to my bed.

- Fine - I say as the day finally catches up to me and I fall asleep almost immediately

It’s probably not until around 4 A.M when I hear a little tapping on my hospital window, at first I think I’m dreaming because I’m quite a way high up on this hospital, I would say about 30,5 meters away from ground level. But then I hear it again

tap tap tap

Okay, that’s not a dream. I take my leg off the suspension gently so as to not hurt myself and open the curtain to see… HER! She’s flying and staring at me through the window looking a bit shy, if I were to guess.

- You’re here!? - I open the window and question a little too happy about this meeting

- I told I would be - she smiles - How are you doing? - she questions looking at my cast.

- I’m doing fine - I shrug - The drugs help with the pain and I heal quite fast.

- Right, you’re also a demigoddess - she says with a smile - So am I.

- You are? You mean you’re not a goddess? - I ask and immediately regret it. You don’t ask a pretty woman that? Are you nuts? I say to myself thinking she’ll be put off by my comment and fly away. But to my surprise, she laughs and it’s the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever heard.

- No no, I’m the daughter of Zeus with the queen of the amazons, Hippolyta - She says in a casual way like that wasn’t a huge bombshell for me to discover

- That’s so cool - I say after making myself pick my jaw from the floor - Would you… ummm… Would you like to come in? - I ask her and to my surprise she accepts

The first thing I notice when she comes in is how tall she is, I think I would’ve figured out she was an Amazon with enough time, I quickly notice that she’s probably 6,2 inches, which makes me feel fuzzy inside. The next thing I notice is how strong she is. When she went inside, she picked me up by my side and sat me down on the bed before finally touching the floor.

I realize I’m staring again and that I missed what she was saying, again! This never happens to me.

- I’m so sorry, I was distracted, what did you say? - I say hoping she doesn’t think I’m always like this.

- I just asked if she’ll wake up anytime soon. - She repeats without a hint of annoyance. Gesturing to Ana sleeping on the chair in a position that doesn’t seem that comfortable but I’m not one to judge.

- Oh Ana? No, she only wakes with her alarm or when stuff is thrown at her - I say chuckling.

There’s an awkward silence before she clears her throat and says

- I’m Diana, by the way, Diana Prince - she says putting her hand out - I just wanted to say that the fact that you went inside the collapsing building when you could’ve turned the other way and ran, really impressed me.

I blush very hard when she says that, then I shake her hand and say

- I’m Y/N Y/L/N, it really means a lot to me that you found that impressive. And just so you know, running was not an option, that building had so many contingencies inside it I needed to know that one of them worked. If I didn’t try my own plans what kind of child of wisdom would I be? - I say while shaking her hand

- Hm, does your mother require that of all her children? - She asks almost concerned

- No, not at all. She doesn’t even talk to us! - I say without thinking, this woman makes me so flustered my brain stops working I swear! - It’s more, like an itch. An itch in the back of your mind that doesn’t go away if you don’t test your contraptions

- She doesn’t talk to you? I’m sorry… - She says with sympathy on her voice

-Don’t be - I wave it off - She’s a goddess, she probably has more important things to do. Besides, I got my smarts and that’s all I need. - I say shuffling on the bed and putting my foot back in it’s place.

She sits next to me and says

- It’s still sad that our parents don’t talk to us

I shrug before gathering my courage and finally asking

- Why’d you come to see me? I’m sure you meet people that are more interesting than me everyday and it’s not like you owe me or anything, you saved life twice today and now you’re here checking on me. Why? - I ask and she thinks for a moment before smiling and… Wait, is she blushing?

- Well it’s simple really, I was very impressed by the fact that you had a protocol in place for such an event and had the guts to go in and make sure it went accordingly that I wanted to maybe see if you were interested in… Showing me some of your plans - That last part seemed to catch her off guard, but I’ll never say no to someone willing to listen to my plans so I get very excited.

- Yeah, sure, of course! I’ll probably be out of the hospital in a couple of days, maybe less if I can convince the docs I’ll take it easy. - I agree a little too fast, but I don’t care. Diana wants to see my plans! - Here’s my number - I give her my number scribbled on a piece of paper I got in my bag - Give me a call please, and we’ll set it up. - I say a little too eager and failing miserably to be cool

- Yeah, sure - she says, accepting the paper and… She is definitely blushing! - I’ll give you a call, and we’ll set up our date… - She stops herself after she says that - I mean, like a friend date.

- I can accept a date - I blush and nod and look away, trying everything I can to not look her in those sapphire eyes

She gets up and goes to the window but before she looks at me and says.

- I hope I get to see you soon - she says before flying off into the distance

a- Same - I say before snuggling in my bed ready to dream about her but not before hearing

- I heard the whole thing! - Ana says before receiving a face full of pillow.

- We’ll talk in the morning - I say ending the conversation.

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Chapter 2

A/N: Some might call Y/N Paranoid, she would say prepared ;)

#wonder woman x reader #diana prince x reader #wonder woman fanfic #my fic #DianaSimp #justice league fanfic #wonder woman #diana of themyscira #diana prince #diana of themiscyra #wonder woman x you

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