#even if it's the map that everyone seemingly saw already

[notsobravetoaster]

Beta map (sort of) spoilers under the cut, click on your own risk

I don't post beta maps memes and *especially* lore ones like lose yourself but I made that one when they dropped in your eyes teaser and since they're too much of the cowards to properly confirm anything u guys can have this

And this one as a bonus

[shallyouobeyme]

Map

Platonic!Yandere!Damian x reader (GN)

Summary: Damian and you have to work on a project together and he realizes how you seem to be invisible to everyone else - how you want to be invisible - and something in him makes him want, no need, to figure out why...

! Minors Do Not Interact !

TW: Domestic abuse (not shown directly), planned kidnapping, Dark content, yandere, This is all fiction, I do not condone this

Day 4 of my Yandere Writetober, Tomorrow word is 'Golden' so if you have any ideas lemme know

People did not think Damian was sentimental, most of all his family. If a person had an idea of who Damian was, but wasn’t close to him or hasn’t personally met him then they could probably still assume that in private he might be a bit more emotional than in public. This person would be wrong though. Sure, in private Damian might be a little more open and showed a few more emotions, but most of those were rage, pettiness and sarcasm. Damian was a lot of things, but definitely not sentimental. At least not usual. And then you came into his life. 

From the moment he was born, Damian had a map of how exactly his life would be played out. Then he was brought to his family and the map changed. From wanting to become the next head of the League of Assassins, he now wanted to become the next Batman. He wanted to step up once his father needed to step down and take his rightful place as the head of the family. Alone.

Everyone and everything else that was a hindrance in that way - be it his age, school, villains, friends or even his own family - was just an obstacle on the map of his life. He thought you'd be just the same, a Problem to be taken care of and to leave behind. Just another annoying child in his class - which Bruce insisted he attend - that weren't fit for the reality of life he faced every single day. It was just typical that he had to be stuck with you working on a project for a class in which he had a grade to make up, because of too many absences. He didn't bother to question why you had to do the project, he just wanted to get it over with.

"I'll be doing the project - I doubt you could help anyways - and you can just put your name on it as well, then I don't have to bother with you," Damian sneered to you once class was disbanded, already more than done with you and with the situation. You seemed to turn into yourself and he recognized how shy and intimidated you were and if he had been just a tad more empathetic he'd feel bad. Damian rolled his eyes and turned to leave when your hand tugged on his uniform's blazer.

"Uhm... I-I'm sorry, but-but I'd really like to-to work on the project together, I-I really need this grade," you stuttered, your head lowered in shame, even though you had no real reason to be ashamed. Damian wanted to make a snide comment about how the project was definitely better off if he was doing it on his own, but something about how small and fragile you looked kept him from doing so.

That was the first detour from the life on his map. That moment of emotion that no one witnessed, not even you because of how your head was held down. And it was only the beginning. He scoffed at your request, but it wasn't truly malicious like before.

"Fine, but we'll do it at your place today after school, no discussion," Damian stated and left no room for arguments, turning around and leaving the room, not hearing your small sound of protest.

During the rest of the school day, Damian couldn't help but watch you from the corner of his eyes, he saw how you were hidden in your uniform, seemingly wanting to merge with the backdrop of the classroom, how you kept completely to yourself and seemingly managed to become completely invisible to anyone but him and some of your teachers.

So after school, he had to keep his eyes peeled open to see you come out since you really seemed to disappear between all the other students. He went over to you and told you to lead the way home, not bothering to offer to have Alfred drive the two of you since, for reasons he didn't understand himself, he wanted to spend the time with you alone. Detour number two.

The way to your home was spent in silence, Damian looking around sceptically and you turned into yourself like you always seemed to be. The route to your home took you out of the more or less safe and high-income neighbourhood of Gotham Academy to the less secure area not that different from the region around Crime Alley. He wondered how your parents were able to afford your tuition for Gotham Academy, but he knew that you were rather good in school so he figured you were on a scholarship.

When you finally arrived at a rundown apartment complex you brought him to a flat on the fifth story, carefully opening the door as if you were afraid of making any sound.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit messy," you mumbled vaguely in his direction as you carefully opened the door and Damian realized it was the first thing he had seen you say since you had asked him to let you work on the project as well. Then you lead him into the apartment and everything somewhat fell into place.

To say it was a bit messy was an understatement. There were empty bottles of beer, vodka, wine and all other kinds of alcoholic beverages, Damian even caught sight of some less legal substances, but he decided not to mention them aloud, already seeing based on the darkening colour of your face and the way you tried to avoid looking anywhere near him that you were highly ashamed and emberassed. Detour number three.

He saw how you looked through the open doors into the other - not cleaner - rooms and he could hear your relieved sigh when there was no one else in there with the two of you. Then you lead him into your room if one could call it a room, which had a size just barely big enough for a measly small bed, a box usually meant for laundry filled with your clothes and a small desk that looked like you had taken it from the side of the road. There was no chair or even a stool.

Damian noticed Jason's influence - much to his anger - when his first thought was that 'Harry Potter would feel bad for you'. His next thought was that you didn't deserve to live like that, that you deserved better. Detour number four brought him right off of the road like never before.

"Uhm... You-You can sit on the bed if that's okay, I'll-I'll sit on the floor, then we can work on the project," you spoke hesitantly and shuffled to sit on what little space was left on the floor, but was stopped when Damian pulled you to sit beside him on the bed.

"There's enough space here for both of us," he argued and turned to you. "But- uhm- we don't have any space for the project then."

You were right, he supposed, as he saw that both of you sitting on the bed were basically taking up all the mattress had to offer. He sighed and decided that he was already neck deep into whatever was happening so he might as well see where it was going.

"Then we won't do the project today," he stated in the same tone that left nothing up for discussion and you seemed almost relieved, "We can work on it tomorrow after school in the library."

"O-Okay, I'm sorry it's so-" You stopped in your tracks, seemingly on the verge of tears, and then gave it another go, "-I'm sorry you came here for nothing, I can lead you to the door."

"I'm not leaving yet," Damian said much to your surprise as he saw the shock displayed on your face, "first I want you to tell me what is going on here." He tried to tell himself that it was just his vigilante persona shining through, but deep inside he knew it was you that made him so curious about this situation.

"What do you mean?" you squeaked, obviously - but badly - trying to hide something. Damian let his instincts lead him as he quickly took your hand and pulled up your sleeve, he had been noticing how you were playing with it every time you were scared or ashamed. He wasn't all too surprised to see blue, purple, green and yellow splotches littered over the area, some bruises new, some old. You tried to pull your hand away, but Damian's grip stayed strong.

He pulled your hand even closer to him as he inspected the arm and asked: "Did your parents do that to you?" He looked up at your face and saw tears welling up in your eyes. It made you look even more fragile and delicate than he already thought you looked like throughout the day, but it also made this rage well up inside of Damian. How dare these people make you cry, how dare they hurt you. He wanted to rip them apart, wanted to make sure nothing and no one ever hurt you again.

"Tell me the truth, I will help you, I promise," Damian encouraged you and received a weak nod from you as your tears started to flow down your face in streaks. "Okay, give me a second, I'll be right back, don't worry." Damian used his blazer's sleeve to gently wipe away some of the tears - something that his family would believe to be a lie if you had told him about it - and got up to leave the room to call Alfred to come pick him and you up.

He told Alfred that he'd be inviting a friend for a sleepover, hanging up on a too-stunned-to-speak Alfred who was surely already on his way to inform Bruce of this new development, he didn't bother to tell him that he planned for it to be a more... permanent... sleepover.

You needed him, you needed him to protect you, to care for you, to make sure you never again had a reason to cry. You were such a pure, fragile soul, one that didn't deserve to be left alone in this cruel world, he was sure that once his father had met you he'd understand. He'd feel the same way. You'd be safe with them, they'd become your family, the family you deserved and needed.

And if Bruce didn't agree if Bruce told him that he was crazy, that he couldn't just take you away from your life, no matter how bad it was, and take over your entire existence... well, he had already become ready to derail his entire plan, had become ready to redraw the entire map of his life just for him to have you along, so he might as well return to his roots because he was sure his mother would be more than happy to take you in as long as it made Damian return...

[stinkysam]

Buggy the Clown - Meet my ex.

Warning : One spoiler but blink and you’ll miss it.

Genre : angst-ish

Synopsis : "You, Luffy, Zoro and Nami get captured by your ex after stealing the Grand Line map from the marines" - @inhumanshadows

Reader : male (he/you)

A/N : Part TWO // basically rewrote the whole second episode so it's kinda long.

"Can't wait to see the look on your face when we find it." Said Luffy to Nami.

And then, you heard an explosion followed by a red light lighting the sky.

"Is that the marines ?" Zoro asked.

"How did they find us ?" Asked Nami, already panicking.

You all quickly stormed outside the cabin as another explosion was heard above your heads, a red smoke covering the small boat.

"The smoke smells weird." Luffy said and you instinctively blocked your airways. Not wanting to breathe any of it.

You knew you were right to do so when you saw Nami and Zoro fall to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

You watched Luffy go back in the cabin to swallow the map before turning to the back window. You quickly joined him, wanting to see who was attacking you.

Oh no.

You looked at him after seeing the Jolly Roger, watching him fall unconscious as well. You couldn't hold your breath any longer so you laid down on the floor, breathing in the smoke.

Luffy woke up first, then Nami, you and Zoro.

"Zoro." Luffy whispered in his ear, only for him to jolt awake.

You stared at each other for a moment before looking around yourselves. You were in a big wooden box.

You sighed as you sat up, groaning.

"For fuck's sake."

"They took my swords." Zoro said, looking for them.

"And my rucksack, ugh, with all my navigation gear." Noted Nami, still slowly emerging.

Luffy quickly brought his hands to his head and sighed, content.

"They didn't take my hat."

"Yeah, small blessings." Said Nami "Damn it, we've lost the map !" She whispers-yelled.

"No !" Luffy suddenly stood up, head hitting the top of the box. "No, we didn't. It's in a safe place." He said, touching his stomach.

"Ew." She said, as Zoro began to try to punch his way out. "Hey, stop. Stop that. Stop that." She whispered.

"What ? I'm trying to find a way out."

"You won't." You said apathetically.

"We've been captured, we need a plan." Continued Nami.

"I don't need a plan, I just need to beat the hell out of every marine I see."

"Not marines." You said quietly.

"Hey, everyone relax. We're fine." Luffy said, trying to calm everyone down.

"We're not fine. The marines will throw us in jail if we're lucky. Execute us if they don't." Said Nami, patting the ceiling as if to find a weak spot.

"They… they are not marines. Before I got knocked out, I saw a Jolly Roger, right [Name] ?" Luffy said. "We've been captured by pirates."

"That's much better news." Said Nami sarcastically.

"It's not." You said.

"No, he's right. Marines have training. Pirates are easier to kill." intervened Zoro.

"Shanks used to say not every situation can be solved with violence." Replied Luffy.

"Who the hell is Shanks ?"

"We don't need to fight… I can talk to them. Pirate to pirate."

"That won't work." You and Nami said.

"Why not ?"

"To start you're not a pirate." Nami replied.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you are just some stretchy guy in a tattered hat."

"I'm a different kind of pirate."

"And he won't listen to you." You finally said a bit louder to be heard this time.

The three of them looked at you.

"He ?"

"Buggy."

Just as you said his name, the ceiling of the box opened, a circus music blaring as one of the walls fell down allowing you to walk out. You hummed to the music in a bored manner.

A man passed before you, juggling on his unicycle as one by one the remaining walls were removed, leaving you nothing to sit against. So you stood up as well.

Then you heard loud clapping and cheering all around you. Even Luffy clapped at the spectacle happening.

"No. No, no, no, no. Stop clapping. No, stop ! It's all wrong !" A man yelled as he entered the circus tent.

You rolled your eyes and sighed loudly, your head falling back. Yep. It's him. Great.

Quickly the clapping stopped.

"Spotlight was late. You completely missed my entrance." He said pointing to another man to the side then to himself. The light creaked as it turned to him.

"And where, oh, where was the dancing… lion." He asked as he walked to the man threateningly.

"Heey, I know you ! I saw your wanted poster in Shells Town. You're the clown guy." Luffy said, growing excited. "Um, uh… Binky, right ?"

"Buggy." You and Buggy said at the same time. "Buggy the Clown." Zoro and Nami turned to you as you continued to mouth what the man was saying. "Buggy, the flashy fool." He walked closer to Luffy, still unaware of you. "Buggy, the Genius Jester." You knew it by heart.

"Wow…" Luffy said, actually impressed. "You have a lot of names. I bet everyone in the East Blue knows who you are."

The people around you gasped and you smiled. Ah, yeah. Here we go.

"What did you just say ?" Buggy's smile fell.

"Just that everyone knows who you are."

"Nose ?!" He yelled, grabbing Luffy's face. His minions slowly approached menacingly as the crowd gasped. "Are you making fun of my nose ?"

"Well, I wasn't. But now that you mention it, is that thing for real ?" Luffy asked, unbothered as he raised his hand to touch Buggy's nose, only for it to be slapped away.

"Calm down, he wasn't talking about your nose, Bugs." You crossed your arms and stepped closer.

Buggy perked at the nickname. Who the fuck dared to call him that ? And that's when he noticed you, his eyes widening as he froze for a second, his heart skipping a beat. What the fuck were you doing here ?

"[Name] ?"

You smiled awkwardly as you posed.

"Ta-daaa…" You quietly said, waving your hands a little.

Your three friends stared at you, confused.

"[Name] ?" Nami repeated, eyeing you as if to say 'Care to explain ?'

"Meet��� my ex." You said, pointing to Buggy, kicking the ground with your right foot. Luffy tilted his head as the two others looked at you with big eyes. You smiled at them. A big awkward toothy smile.

"What are you doing here ?" Buggy finally asked, stepping closer. His heart was beating so fast the closer he got. Memories of the two of you resurfacing as he tried to ignore them.

"I just missed you." You said sarcastically. You almost didn't see the way his eyes twitched at your words, clearly touched by them. Believing your pretty words for a second. "No, you captured our crew, so…" You continued, putting your hands on your hips.

He stared at you, unsure of what to do or what to say. He hadn't expected to see you again. You still looked so handsome, even after all those years. Fuck. He remembers the way your pretty eyes looked at him, so fond and loving. So sweet. Now they looked at him as if he was just… someone and not the light of your life.

"But, don't pay attention to me, go back to your monologue." You said, waving him away as you took a step back. "I'm sure you had things to say."

He frowned at you, stepping away reluctantly before clearing his throat. You're right, he wasn't done talking.

"You asked if my nose was real, you know what's real ? I've been scheming for months to steal that map from old Axe-Hand Moron !" Ah ! Mh ? No reaction. Heh… "No I can't, you see, you've cut my momentum."

"No, no, it was good, continue, continue." You said, acting interested. "And ?" His eyes squinted. He remembers you used to love his introductions, clapping and smiling at him as he presented himself to his enemies. Now it looked like it was too much, and not just because you were on the receiving end.

"...Only to find out that I was upstaged by three little nobodies and my ex, who stole it from right under my no- No ! It's in my head now ! Gah ! Ugh !"

"Hey ! I'm not a nobody. I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And I will be King of the Pirates." Luffy announced, proudly and confidently, making you smile as Nami couldn't believe her ears.

Buggy laughed.

"Oh ! Now that's funny !" He said and the audience laughed in an unenthusiastic way before he made a sign of the hands to stop them.

"My bounty poster graces the marquee of every marine outpost for miles. And my menagerie of outcasts and freaks is the most dreaded pirate crew of the East Blue has ever known. I am destined to find the One Piece. And when I do… I will be King."

"No, you won't. 'Cuz I'm gonna find it first." Luffy said, still as confidently as before.

"You ? Don't make me laugh." And with that the audience started to laugh again, seemingly upsetting the clown even more. "I said don't make me laugh !"

"All right, listen up !" Zoro intervened, bored of it all and annoyed. Everyone turned to him. "I'm Roronoa Zoro. Drop your weapons now and I may… let you live." He said, approaching Buggy only for him to laugh in response.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a celebrity in our midst. Too bad I hate sharing the spotlight." And with two kicks of the feet against the floor, the light that was on Zoro was back on Buggy.

To be honest, you had missed the theatrics. It was fun. But did you really miss Buggy ? At the moment, watching all the prisoners he had for audience, you weren't so sure.

"Now, maybe we should skip right to the finale." Buggy said, his daggers between his fingers. "My freaks put quite a bit of rehearsal time into this little abduction. And if I can't reward them with that map… I suppose I'll have to offer them a pound of flesh instead." He added as one of his men growled, sharp teeth in full display.

"Wait. Wait. What if I have something else to offer you ?" Nami quickly said, walking forward. You, Zoro and Luffy looked at her confused and interested as well. "Something more valuable than a map ?" Buggy lowered his daggers. "What if, I give you a new freak for your crew ? A rare talent. The most spectacular act in all of the East Blue. Besides you, of course." She took a step back, next to Luffy who was innocently smiling.

"Go on." Buggy said and with that Nami grabbed Luffy's hat and threw it high in the air, forcing him to stretch his arm to catch it and while everyone looked up in surprise she darted, running away out of the circus tent.

She was brought back inside by two other men, struggling to get away from them.

"What did you do ?!" She yelled. "What did you do to their town ? You destroyed everything !"

"Not everything. I let them keep their hands." He said unbothered and the audience clapped. "Okay. Here end the theatrics." As he said this, all the lights went to him, making you smirk. "I know one of you has my map and I'm gonna get it back. What was it you said rubber boy ? That it's in a safe place ? Don't look so surprised, I've got eyes and ears everywhere." He smiled as he clasped his hands together. "So please make our guests uncomfortable in the green room. Except [Name], he stays here."

His men grabbed Nami and Zoro and they tried to free themselves from their grasp. Luffy attempted to follow them but his men stopped him, pushing him toward Buggy.

"I'm gonna have a chat with my stretchy new pal." He grinned, booping Luffy's nose quickly before laughing.

You waited as he installed some sort of something in the four corners of the scene. Probably to torture Luffy if you guessed right. And that you did !

Luffy had his arms and legs tied as the machine began to stretch him.

"What am I doing here Buggy ?" You finally asked, not knowing why he didn't put you with Zoro and Nami.

"You're too smart to be imprisoned, you always find a way out even back on Roger's ship. So I prefer to keep my eyes on you."

"Aw. I missed looking at you too." You said with a wink, a bit too honestly, watching his eyes widen and squint. You will not get him this time. But it was true, you had missed his pretty eyes. You loved looking at them.

He preferred to not answer and focus back on Luffy who was screaming, laughing a bit as his limbs were stretching more and more.

"I want you to think of this like an artistic exercise, because pain leads to art. And art reveals truth. But there's only one truth I need from this exercise. Where… is… my… map ?"

"Truthfully ?" Luffy said and Buggy nodded. "I'm kinda hungry. Don't circuses have cotton candy ?"

Buggy chuckled, placing his hand on Luffy's chest. If only he knew the map was right under his hand…

"What could you possibly need that map for anyway ? You wouldn't last five minutes in the Grand Line."

"I already told you. I'm gonna be King of the Pir-"

"Boring !" Buggy yelled in his face and gestured to continue stretching him. "Let's go another 10 feet."

The audience gasped in horror as they watched Luffy be stretched.

"You can stretch me all you want. I can do this all day."

"I'm not asking the right questions, right, [Name] ?" He looked at you and you shrugged. You trusted Luffy, you knew it wasn't hurting him and he'd find a way out. "We need to go deeper, get you out of your comfort zone."

He turned back toward Luffy.

"What makes a boy want to grow up to be King of the Pirates ? Who are you trying to impress ? A lost love ? An absent parent ? Or was it someone that you worshiped ? A false idol." But all Luffy did was look away, uninterested by what he was saying.

"That's it…" Buggy realized, taking Luffy's hat in his hands.

"Hey, give me back my hat !"

"I used to know a pirate that wore a hat just like this… Red-Haired Shanks."

"You knew Shanks ?"

"Ginger ? Three scars, left eye ? We served together with [Name] on a pirate crew when we were about your age. For a time, I even thought we were friends." Buggy said. "Until he betrayed me. Just like aaaall the others." He added, looking at you. You didn't betray him, but of course, that's how he'd see it. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms, looking away.

"He wanted to keep me out of the spotlight ! He wanted to keep my star from shining too brightly !" Then a thought came to him. "Is that what he did to you rubber boy ? Did Shanks betray you too ?"

"Don't talk about him that way." Is all Luffy said.

"Ahhh. Now we are finally getting to the truth. Stretch him until he breaks."

"Please, don't make me do this." An old man with white hair said.

"I… invite you ! To take part in the splendor that is my show and this is how you repay me ? With a no ?"

"You've destroyed our town. Made us your prisoners. Isn't that enough ?"

"Well. Maybe you'd prefer it if I threw one of your constituents on the rack instead." Buggy threw Luffy's hat to the side, opening his arms wide. "Hey, kid ! You want to get tall fast ?" He said as he grabbed a young boy from the audience.

"Boogie, I'm warning you."

You stepped closer, ready to fight to defend the kid.

"It's Buggy ! And you're warning me ? Now that's a laugh." But no one laughed. He rolled his eyes, annoyed. "I said that's a laugh." He repeated as an unenthusiastic laughing could be heard.

"Buggy." You approached as you heard Luffy grunt, pulling on his limbs to free himself, which worked as he fell to the ground.

"Put him down." Luffy said, this time more threatening as he stood up.

"But why ? He's having such a great time !" Buggy laughed. "Aren't you, junior ?" He grabbed the kids face as if to make him talk. "Yes ! The best, Buggy !" He laughed more as Luffy sent his hand behind himself, stretching it before punching Buggy's head away from his body.

The audience screamed in fear as the head landed on someone's laps, the kid yelling in horror at Buggy's body, still holding him.

Luffy looked at his fist, confused for a second. Did he just... ?

"Nah, don't worry, kid. He's alright." You said with a chuckle, patting his shoulder.

"Hi." Buggy clicked his tongue, head turning on the person's laps. "Well, well, well, looks like we have something in common !" He said with a laugh before flying back to his body, reattaching himself.

"You ate a devil fruit ?"

"The Chop Chop fruit. So you can slice me, you can dice me, but I'll always put myself back together again." And with that his arms, legs and head were separated from the rest of his body before being pulled back together like magnets.

"Want to see what else I can do ?" He whispers, showing his arm without a hand. Luffy feels something poking his shoulder and he turns around only to see Buggy's hand squeeze a red ball full of red smoke before punching him in the face.

You grabbed Luffy, refusing to let his men take him but it was you against all his minions.

You had to watch as they placed him in some sort of glass tank.

"You really don't have to do this." You said to Buggy.

"Oh, but my dear [Name], I do. Unless you can tell me where my map is ? No ? Then I fear I have no other way."

You groaned, it was far the time where Buggy would listen to you and consider your words. But now it is impossible. You missed those days. They were fun.

He missed them too. But they were over.

"You know he's never gonna give you the map ?"

"Just like you were never supposed to leave me ?"

You could not answer anything. Remembering the promises you've broken by leaving.

Luffy woke up soon after in the tank, he was weak and struggled to move to get up.

"Don't bother, it's sea water." Buggy says, ignoring Luffy's grunts as he tries to hit and break the glass. "Hardly seems fair. All those wonderful powers rendered useless from a few splashes." He kneeled to Luffy's level. "Of course, you could always give me my map if you don't want to die alone in this tank."

"My crew…" Luffy began but was too weak to continue.

"Your crew ?" Buggy laughed. "You mean the ones that abandoned you ? Just like Shanks did ? Oh… did that make you sad ?"

"They will come back for me."

"No one's coming back for you. Your only chance is to turn over that map and if you do, I may have a very special place on my crew… just for you."

Luffy struggled as he stood up, slowly, despite the sea water draining his energy. Buggy got up, following him.

"Never !"

"Why not !" And with a bang Buggy hits the glass with his hand, hurting himself in the process. "Ah ! God ! You're an outcast, just like the rest of us. A freak, scorned and abandoned ! Join me… and you can serve the man who will become the King of the Pirates… And when I have that map, I will find the One Piece, and then everyone will know my name. And they'll love me."

"You can't make people love you." Interjected Luffy. "Just like you can't make them smile. I'll never give you that map."

Buggy used to make you smile and love him. It wasn't hard. But now it felt like forever since these happy days.

"Well then, I guess it's curtains for you." Buggy said, increasing the water's level, making Luffy fall back and drown in the water.

"Buggy ! Don't !" You yelled, approaching the tank. "Killing him won't change anything. It won't make the map appear !"

"No, but it might change my bad mood !" Buggy replied, grabbing Luffy's hat on the floor and beginning to pull on the straws.

"Bugs."

"You seem to have forgotten you lost the right to call me that when you left."

"Don't touch my hat !" Luffy managed to shout.

"What was that ? I… I couldn't hear you over all the drowning. You want out ? You know the price you have to pay." Buggy said but Luffy only knocked on the glass, pointing behind the clown.

Nami stood at the entrance, throwing her stick against the tank and cracking the glass.

"Where are my freaks ?!" Buggy yelled, looking around himself. Why were they all gone ?

"They're not coming." Zoro said, approaching from another side.

The glass cracked and cracked until it finally broke, the water gushing out and sweeping Buggy and pushing Luffy out.

Luffy coughed, catching his breath as he vomited the map out.

"My map !" Buggy gasped, crawling toward it while Luffy moved toward his hat. Buggy laughed as he finally had the map between his hands, standing up.

Zoro threw your sword your way and you grabbed it in the air.

"You want a piece of me ? Let's see what you got." Buggy said to Zoro.

Without waiting he cut his neck in two then his torso before slicing it in four. But all Buggy did was laugh and put himself back together as Nami watched in horror.

"Surprise shithead !" He yelled, cutting himself in pieces before sending them flying around the three of you.

"How am I supposed to slice a guy who's already in pieces ?"

"You stab him." You say quietly.

"This is not part of the plan." Said Nami as the three of you began to hit any parts of Buggy flying your way. But quickly you found yourselves overpowered as he re-attached himself to turn to Luffy.

"Ah, would you look at that ? Somebody escaped my Tank of Doom. Well, I'll be back to finish you off. Right after I tear apart your sad excuse for a crew !" Buggy said, laughing more.

"You can dump sea water on me, and I'll let it slide. But don't you ever threaten my friends." Luffy stood up, putting his hat on before punching a hole inside Buggy's chest.

He made it fly back to him, clicking his tongue with a wink as he pulled his daggers out once more.

"So you want to die first. Be my guest." He said, detaching both arms and legs and sending them toward Luffy. Laughing hysterically, Buggy attacked Luffy relentlessly, stabbing his hat to a wooden mat, laughing loudly at the sight. Punching and kicking him when he tried to grab it back, strangling him against the floor.

That's when Luffy got an idea.

"Nami ! The crates !" He yelled, voice straining.

Luffy threw Buggy's arm to Nami, who kicked it with her stick inside the crate before closing it. They continued like this with each part of Buggy's body until all that was left were his hands, feet, and head.

"What have you done to me !?" He yelled, head falling to his feet.

"Cut you down to size."

"The One Piece will never be yours ! You're just a sad, lonely little boy wearing another man's hat !"

"I know exactly who I am. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

"Gum gum…" Luffy yelled, throwing his hands behind himself. "Bazooka !" Before sending them full force against Buggy, throwing him out of the circus, making a hole in the giant tent.

And with Buggy gone, Luffy walked to the Grand Line map, giving it to Nami.

"You're giving this to me ?" She asked.

"You're the navigator." He simply answered.

"Let's get out of this clown show." Zoro said only for Luffy to stop him.

"Still one more thing we have to do."

"Tell [Name] to pick better partners ?" Zoro said, looking at you as you glared at him to shut up.

"No." Luffy shook his head, walking toward the audience to free them.

"Are you our new captors ?" The white haired man asked.

"What ?"

"Well, you're a pirate, aren't you ?"

"I'm a different kind of pirate." He smiled as Nami stared at him.

[sleeplessdreamer123]

Fanfic Idea! (Lucemond, modern AU, where Arrax is a kid, Lucerys is his babysitter, Vhagar is an old veteran, and Aemond is a geriatric nurse)

Lucerys was told that he and Arrax were suppose to and visit Vhagar, Arrax's great grand aunt, the last of her siblings, in a nursing home. Apparently, there were signs of her getting weaker (or at least, weaker than she already was) and they'd like Arrax to at least spend time with her before she inevitably goes. Arrax's mother, Syrax, and his stepfather, Caraxes, were supposed to go with him, but an emergency call had them rushing to get out the door. Still, it would be nice for Vhagar to see their younger child.

And Lucerys, intrigued to meet someone who was at least a hundred years old, agreed. When they saw her in the nursing room, Lucerys froze. Vhagar was, in fact, old, but he expected a one hundred year old woman to be laying on the bed with IV drops, barely able to get out of bed. Hee expected her to be on life support with the way Syrax described her. He didn't expect to open the door to her doing lunges with weights. Aside from that, he noticed she was heavily scarred, from her face to her hands to even her feet. He even noticed she was missing a two fingers on her left hand.

She glanced at the door, seemingly uninterested, until she looked down to Arrax barreling towards her. Lucerys noticed her eyes lighting up, carefully dropping the weights in her kneeling position, and opening her arms so Arrax could quickly run to her arms.

She spoke in High Valyrian, her voice thick, powerful for someone her age. Lucerys watched as Arrax spoke, mixing High Valyrian words mixed with common, happily babbling away as he showed her his new stuffed toy, a pearlescent dragon with red spikes.

After he deemed it ok, Lucerys walked towards them. Once Vhagar glanced at him, he immediately greeted her in High Valyrian, surprising her. Not many people know the old language, the Doom, the string of erupted volcanoes, completely wiped Old Valyria off the map long ago, only few survived to ever know the language. They taught their younger generation everything they knew, trying to keep their culture alive through them, even intermarrying to keep their bloodlines pure, to never allow it to be erased. Vhagar was most likely a young girl when it happened, a live witness to the events that unfold, and Lucerys, the History geek that he was, was very interested to talk to her.

Just by his name, she could already tell he was of Velaryon descent. She was old friends with Velaryons, they often came to visit her for a while. She asked who is mother was. He quickly answered that she was a Targaryen. Vhagar huffed, saying he didn't expect the line of white haired brats to produce a Dornish looking boy. It stung a bit, questions of bastardy had always been a sore spot for him, but he shook it off when he saw that he moved on from it, too busy petting Arrax's hair while he babbled on about his school and his new friends. Lucerys placed the basket of treats on her bedside table, an Old Valyrian treat that Vhagar noticed, her eyes softening.

After a few minutes or so, Arrax was sleeping on Vhagar's bed, too tired from the ride and running around earlier on. Lucerys took that as a chance to talk to Vhagar. She was quite an interesting woman, and her life was very intriguing.

She confirmed that she was there, when the volcanoes erupted. She was only four, and it was so long ago, her memories were a bit hazy, but she still told him what she could remember. It was a young woman named Daenys, a Targaryen, who warned everyone of what was to come. Many people didn't believe her, saying that the volcanoes wouldn't erupt, not in such a catastrophic way she was predicting. At that time, Vahagar's family was a loyal friend to the Targaryens, and when they told them the volcanoes will kill them all, they were the first to believe.

Vaghar remembers being on the ship, miles away from Valyria, but the ship still shook from the eruptions. Her home was burning, but at least she and a few others were alive.

She doesn't remember much about their move, but they stayed with the Targaryens, and she made friends with their children. She was close to Visenya, closer to her than any of the others. They were both headstrong, fierce and loyal, ready to protect their own.

They had to be, in order to face the discrimination they endured. They had to flee quickly, and they weren't able to get as much money as they should have, leaving the once proud families forced to work. The Andals were not welcoming in the least, their customs and religions so unlike what they're used to. Some of the Targaryens were forced to change religions to continue to be able to work, and a war was brewing between the people of Westeros and Dorne. There were already offers of money and glory for soldiers, and they cared not much for the glory.

In Old Valyria, it was normal for the girls to fight alongside the men, but it was different in Westeros. She, Visenya, Rhaenys and Meraxes had to prove they could fight just as well so they could earn the money promised.

It was at that war that she lost one of her fingers, she gestured to her index. The Dornish killed Rhaenys, and she and the others went ballistic. She was not careful enough, and, well, she was lucky it was just her finger and not her entire arm. She petted Lucerys' hair, deep in thought. Lucerys was a bit scared she would start having flashbacks and start choking him, but she said that she was wrong about her earlier statement. He looked less Dornish and more like Aegon's brother, Orys, who carried the name Baratheon. He appreciated that.

Lucerys soaked all the information in. She spoke of his ancestors, knowing them personally. She told them of their lives, their little secrets. Did he know that Maegor loved Aenys, perhaps? Oh, his jealous rage when Aenys married someone else was so much like the tantrums he had when he was younger.

That was how they spent their afternoon, telling stories, mostly her recounting her life to him, and he told stories of his own, how their family rose to the top once more, how Vhagar's family was still close lines to hers. Then he asked, a bit delicately, why he never met her, despite their family being friends for years.

She looked sad all of a sudden, the usual energy she had earlier was gone. She looked like she was thinking if she should say something, but the door opened, and Lucerys froze.

His uncle also froze, his eye staring at him as if he wasn't supposed to be there. Aemond then glanced at Vhagar and took a deep breath, ignoring Lucerys and focusing on Vhagar. Lucerys went quiet, looking anywhere else but at them, focusing on Arrax instead, who surprisingly was still asleep. Oh, he is not sleeping tonight.

Aemond took her bp, gave her her dinner, and her medicine, and told her that her visitation time will end soon, before leaving the room.

Vhagar snorted when she noticed Lucerys was still looking at the door, making Lucerys blush at being caught.

She told him not to worry about it, that Aemond was just acting grumpy because he usually talks with Vhagar at this certain time of the evening, asking questions of his own. Lucerys wanted to ask what they usually talked about, but kept silent instead. He told her that him being cold to Lucerys was less likely about that and more likely because he cut out his eye years ago, intriguing Vhagar. He told her how he didn't even remember what the argument was about, that all he remembered was Aemond picking up a huge rock and aiming it at Jace, his older brother, and he acted out in pure instinct. He didn't expect Vhagar to laugh.

"So you're the little brat that brat was talking about." She cackled, leaving Lucerys confused.

She patter him on the shoulder, and told him not to worry about Aemond. She also told him that it was getting a bit late, and that Arrax should be getting home now. She hinted not to secretly that he'd like them to visit again some time.

He thinks he will.

---------

I'm free!! The exams are over and I'm free!!!🥳🥳🥳

[your-neighbor-in-the-northblue]

Airplane ↠ Rodger x Reader

➼ Word Count » 0.8k ➼ Warnings » None ➼ Genre » Modern, Romance ➼ A/N » I know this timeline doesn't add up, just bear with me 💀

The Smiths blasted in your headphones as you shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair in the airport lobby. You'd been invited to Sanji's wedding and were being flown out tonight to see him. You ran a hand through your hair out of stress and annoyance, not at Sanji, but at his "family" who had forced him into this arrangement. A frown etched itself on your face as you hoped Sanji was doing okay with all the changes suddenly being thrust into his life.

You kept telling yourself you'd be there with him in a couple of hours, but a "couple of hours" seemed to stretch longer in your head. Your leg bounced as you impatiently waited to be called. You wished they'd hurry up and board everyone already. Every second counted and you felt like you were wasting time just sitting there.

Sanji had texted you a few times to tell you about the sizeable family he was being married into, and from the way he described them, you found yourself nervous to meet the people who'd be attending the wedding with you. Every single one of them sounded awful in their own unique way.

"Give that back!" You heard a kid shout over your music as he sprinted past you. You were planning on just ignoring him but started paying more attention when you saw he was armed with a pocket knife.

"I just wanna look at it for a second!" A redheaded kid called back to him, fumbling to unfold the map he had supposedly stolen.

"It's not yours to look at!" The tiny clown started swinging the knife out at the other boy, as they ran around the lobby.

There was a group of men nearby who simply laughed at the situation in front of them. "Run Shanks! He's catching up!" One of them called out, seemingly unbothered by what was happening.

You felt your irritation grow the longer this went on. Maybe it was the length you had gone without sleep or the anticipation of attending a wedding with a bunch of abusers—either way, it didn't take long before you finally snapped at the group in question, "Hey! Pay attention to your kids!"

The group stopped laughing as they all averted their attention toward your clearly stressed and seething self. "Don't mind them!" One of them called out to you, "They've been stuck in a car together for hours, it's good for them to run around!"

If you weren't so exhausted, you might've accepted that answer from the handsome, raven-haired stranger, however, it was 4 in the morning and you couldn't be bothered with all this.

"I don't care, just control them! They're running all over the place! It's obnoxious." You shouted, before hastily shoving your headphones back in, hoping the music that blared from inside them would aid you in calming down after your initial outburst.

-X-X-X-

You were shamefully sat next to him. You felt so awkward. You had just yelled at him and now you were going to be sitting next to him for the next 12 hours of this dreaded flight.

"Hey," You started, unsure of if you should say anything or just sit there silently, "Sorry about my earlier uh—outburst."

The large man only chuckled before extending his hand out to you, "It was my fault, I'm Rodger."

You hesitantly reached out to grab his hand, shaking it you responded, "(Y/N)".

"So where are you headed?" He asked, his caramel eyes gazing at you almost adoringly. Oh, what were you saying? The man barely even knew you. You were sleep-deprived and delusional, the only way he saw you was as a stranger on the plane that maybe he'd bring up later in a bar years from now.

"Erm—A wedding?" You replied, almost unsure if you should be telling this man all your burdens.

"Oh ho! Lucky them!" He spoke excitedly, clapping loudly at the prospect.

"Yeah"

"I love weddings," He continued, "There's nothing better than watching two people you care for at their happiest."

You just nodded, it wouldn't do either of you any good if you told him that you actually weren't excited. However, he must've sensed something was off since he nudged your shoulder with his elbow and said, "Just stay optimistic, even if it's not something you're excited about."

'Optimism?' You thought. It certainly wouldn't solve Sanji's problems but if it meant he'd be given a little bit of support, then it was worth it to try. Maybe Rodger was right, what harm does a little optimism do? You smiled to yourself internally, you'd make the best out of this wedding, for Sanji's sake if nothing else.

You smiled over at him, "I'll sure try,"

"And hey," He said, handing you the napkin he'd just scrawled something on, "If you ever need someone to rant to, just call me." He winked before slumping forward and falling dead asleep in the middle of the conversation, leaving you alone with the crumpled napkin and a new mindset for the upcoming wedding.

[femmmie]

Ian's Day: Ian and Anthony going on holiday together and being generally adorable?

Oh yes, and they definitely will go on holiday together. I feel it in my SPLEEN! Anyway,

Walnut Grove

Words: 1.397

Genre: general, a bit of fluff

Ian drove. Anthony was trying to make sense of a huge paper road map, spread all over the dashboard. He giggled.

"I'm so clueless and directionally challenged, we're so going to end up in a weird fucked up place!"

"Anthony, we are on holiday. There are no wrong turns. Just... adventure! Ian cracked a sideways smile at Anthony, who accepted the reassurance and sighed happily.

"No work, no social media, no phones! What a life!"

"Truly."

"I did a thing like this with a group of influencers a few years back. I thought I would go insane, it was so bad. But with you, it actually feels good, natural."

"You went on a group holiday with influencers?" Ian jokingly scrunched his nose and brows like Anthony had said something gross.

"Yeah, I did that."

"Hey, I'm just teasing ya. I actually feel the same. This is so nice." He sighed as well. "No frickin' avalanche of information directed at you at all times. And, haha, no corporate emails!!"

"No corporate emails!! Hell yes. It's like we're teenagers again."

"Ha! No teen has a beard as sick as mine!"

"True, or tens of thousands of dollars worth of tattoos."

"Geez, were they that expensive?"

"If you add everything up, yeah, they were."

"Well, Anthony, I think they add something unique to you, nobody has something like that. And I love that for you."

"Thanks! Oh, in a few miles, turn right."

"Thanks, buddy."

The land stretched seemingly endlessly around their rented Ford Mustang. It was clear blue skies, yellow grass and black trees to infinity. Hours passed and the sun began to set, when they approached their destination. The scenery had slightly changed, like minimal music, to include more and alive trees under a clear but darkening sky.

"Okay, the map says we have to take a left in a few miles, I can barely see anymore in this twilight. Let's hope we get there alright!"

Ian chuckled. "Imagine we get lost and run out of fuel, and have to just sleep on the side of the road."

"That sounds like the start of a horror movie!"

"Yeah, let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Sure enough, a large roadside billboard appeared with a big arrow pointing left. Green on white letters said 'Walnut Grove Resort'.

"Yes! We've made it!" Anthony yelled excitedly. They drove up a rickety driveway, along all kinds of holiday cabins. Rarely any had the lights on inside.

"Ours is number 31.."

They squinted through the dark, but finally, they found their house. It was right by a lake. Ian parked, and they jumped out of the car.

"This is awesome!"

Ian got a little key out of an envelope and they got into their house. It was very roomy and probably had an excellent view of the water and the forest that surrounded it. But it was so dark outside that they couldn't see anything.

Anthony walked around. "Wow, look at this room, look at the wooden walls, the high ceiling, the..."

"Fireplace!!" Ian jumped and made a victorious gesture, he walked to the fireplace and started to put blocks of wood into it, starting a fire. Anthony walked around some more. There was a huge bedroom with two beds and an en suite bathroom. There even was a second bedroom and another separate toilet. The kitchen was a bit old timey but large and when he opened the fridge, he saw it was fully stacked, just like they had ordered. Anthony did a little happy dance. Walking back into the living room, the fire was already crackling and Ian had taken seat on an incredibly comfortable looking fauteuil. Anthony lay down on the couch.

"You know what's funny?" Anthony asked.

"What?"

"If we would have our phones with us, we'd be scrolling right now! We wouldn't be able to truly enjoy this amazing house or even our holiday because we would be semi-working again!"

'You're so right. You know, everyone worries about AI taking over the world, but what part of people's lives isn't dictated by an algorhitm COMPLETELY, already right now?"

"I hadn't even thought of that. That's crazy."

"This fireplace is so fucking dope."

"I feel SO relaxed!"

"Yeah, me too, I'm already recovered from driving so long. I'm just chilling now."

They sat and lay about for a couple of hours just like that, and as the fire finally went out, Anthony stood up from the couch.

"Ian?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's go on a hike!"

"Bro, it's the middle of the night!"

"Yeah, dude! Dude... we might see her!" Anthony said this so suggestively that Ian laughed out loud."

"Who?"

"The Milky Way!"

"Is that a she?"

"Oh for sure. And she's gorgeous. I've never seen her in person yet though. It's been a life long dream."

"Well, how can I refuse that! Let's go live your dream, Anthony!"

They went outside where it was pitch-black. Anthony brought a flashlight but it only cast a small light on the path before them. They strolled along the path of the resort, alongside the lake. Then the road led out of the park and into the woods.

"I mean, this might be the end of us, Anthony. 'Last seen near their holiday home, Ian and Anthony mysteriously disappeared!' It's SO dark oh my god!"

"My eyes are adjusting to the dark though, are yours? I can see without the flashlight now. I even begin to see some stars!"

"No, don't put it out.. okay fine. But let's keep close?"

The genuine panic in Ian's voice melted Anthony's heart. He grabbed Ian's hand and they walked into the forest. And as they walked and it got even darker under the trees, the clear sky above showed the unfathomably large amount of stars there. The moon was only a sickle so that wasn't helping much. They continued, Anthony more and more enthusiastic, Ian cracking jokes to keep from being terrified.

"Wait! Anthony?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you see that?"

"Huh? Oh!"

There was a board with an arrow pointing left and on it stood 'Firewatch'.

"Ian, we HAVE to go. We will have the most epic view imaginable."

"Alright, but only because it's you. And after that I want to head back home okay? I mean to our holiday home, not actually home, we just got there..." Ian's voice trailed off. They were still holding hands and Anthony was rubbing his thumb on Ian's hand.

"I promise, okay?"

"Okay."

The turn left proved to be a less accessible path than they had thought and they slowed down quite a bit, having to let go and walk behind each other. But at long last, they reached the base of the watchtower.

"Are you sure we are allowed to go up at night?"

"It's not like we're vandals or something. We just want to see the view. Come on!"

They walked up the croaky metal staircase and Ian somehow found his courage again. "This is so cool," he said with a smile. Anthony smiled even wider.

When they reached the top, Anthony's idea proved to be literally stellar. The sky was filled to the brim with stars. They saw Ursa Major, Andromeda... they didn't know a lot of constellations after that but they still looked, in wonder, to the night sky they never ever saw in Los Angeles. They decided to sit down for a while.

"This is beautiful," Anthony said softly.

"Absolutely. Nature is crazy like that."

"Ian."

"Yeah?"

"I see her!"

"Oh shit you're right! Wow, look at that."

There, up among all the stars, was a large area that was extra bright. Like a path across the sky.

"It makes you feel so small, but in a good way, if you know what I mean," Ian said.

"Yeah. We're just insignificant specks in the universe. And yet, our lives are full of meaning. So just imagine, the amount of meaning and stories, and feelings, here in America, across the world, maybe even somewhere out there."

"Do you still believe in aliens?"

"Yeah, sure! If we're here, why wouldn't there be other planets like this?"

"If you say so, Anthony."

They sat there for quite some time before they headed back home. This promised to be one of their most unique and special holidays to date.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

what are some cool games u have played? dont matter if u mentioned before. tell me again tell me again :D

uhh hmm.

well okami is my all time favorite the art & the music & the message/story are all just incredible theres not a single time ive finished it i havent cried. i absolutely adore ryoshima coast ive spent so many hours just running around there to listen to music. which fun fact for u i only know about this game bc in about 6th grade i picked up okamiden bc i thought the little doggy was cute & was like fine i'll play as this boy if i get a cool dog and u cannot imagine how excited i was to find out u DID play as the little dog. i was SOOOOO obsessed literally my exact thoughts were 'if issun is ammy's celestial envoy then i am going to be chibis' i have a metric fuck ton of fan art i did at the time bc i thought it was quote "the epic-est game for ds ever" also cried every time i finished it. i was 13 so i didnt know what "being down bad" was but do know i was as obsessed with kurow as i was with d-ne later and now tenshi not a single irl friend was unaware i was in love with him. also fun fact for u bc at the same time i was also getting super into vocaloid i was so convinced my vocap name would end up as chibiP to the point i named myself that in pkmn x chibiP after chibiterasu of course. please enjoy my banger old art which is not even a fraction of my output

yume nikki is my next favorite game specifically the og that changed my brain chemistry as a kid. i adore that game so much its hard to put it into words. its just so unlike anything else. there is absolutely nothing in the game that can directly harm u theres no real health meter theres no way to die during the main play the absolute worst that will ever happen is u get stuck or woken up. in a horror game. which is already just amazing. and the whole horror aspect just plays on something i dont think is often done as well in many other things. ur alone. u wander and wander thru worlds that loop and connect and seemingly have nothing to do with each other. theres no dialogue; talking to npcs just gets u a noise or animation at best. ur entirely alone with just urself. its all dreams so u know everything is of madotsuki's own creation, another layer to the all u have is urself feeling. the art is just unusual i cant even say any of it on its own is in anyway scary. the whole thing shouldnt be scary and yet every time i start wandering in a world i cant help but feel unease. amazing 10/10 no other game will ever have what this gave me.

everyone knows i play pkmn the best is still pmd sky that also rewired my brain i still cant play it without crying.

its been a long time since i was really just playing it as the chapters released & got translated but 1bitheart is so so so important to me too. i dont kin for multiple reasons but if i did nanashi would be my first choice. like- without saying that to her i got my one irl friend to play once & when she saw how nanashi was she turned to me and went "this is just you" hes very important to me even now. absolutely loved the whole friendship sim & the story & its twists & the endings & their implications left me in shambles at 1 am on a school night. my fave charas are nanashi enri & saaya btw. i should replay this.

i also love the etrian odyssey series i love the character portraits (esp with the more recent games' color customization) i LOVE the dungeon art & i think all the monster designs are so cool. adore the whole make ur own map aspect keeps me so entertained to take a step & look around & chart all the walls & path ways. unfortunately i fucking suck at every single one i am not very good at strategy games so i end up stuck at or before the 3rd stratum. but thats okay its still fun to me.

the other one i'll talk about at length is spirit of the north another game i loved the art of. u play as a fox & get a partner spirit fox & i just love it SOOOO much. its also a game with 0 dialogue but theres A Lot going on it if u care to follow along & explore & dig into details & the game play is also pretty fun to me. this is the one game i started learning the speedrun btw thats also a very fun way to play it but ABSOLUTELY play it as intended first it has so much to offer

aaaand special mentions to omori, oneshot, witch's house, mermaid swamp, corpse party, & limbus company

[lastdreamofazombifiedbrain]

LE DÉPART

The tour came eventually to an end as the crew entered in the Combi. Everyone taking places in the cockpit. The bulletproof windows letting them appreciate one last time Neo-Nice, even if Mart didn't really entered actually entered the city.

Paperworks and customs check up done. They took their place in the long row of big and armored vehicles ready to take one of the hourly opennings to the Mega-route.

Mart eyes were intensely scanning the fortifications eager to pass them and visit the world. He even cracked a smile when it finally opened.

The seemingly infinte grey lane of the Mega route first apeared to him. His eyes adjusting to the bright rays of the unforgiving sun on wich the planet was rotating around. And of course the gargantuan flat and rock landscape the road was build on. It was all that can be seen. Endless upon endless of barely fertile lands. A brown rocky horison with occasionnaly some short vegetations.

As all the vehicles continued he finally saw that the beginning of the Mega-route was actually a bridge of titanic proportion. He could see the faint glow of the sun on water. He didn't even realised he was up on his feet until Marcel laughed.

HOW COULD THEY NOT ADMIRE THE BEAUTY OF THIS NATURAL ABYSSMAL MOAT?

"Il est pas déjà passé par là pour entrer ce gars?" Seemed to ask Ramid.

"Il est peut-être venu en cryo' comme notre marchandise, ou dans une caisse, on a pas tous la chance d'avoir la vue sur le voyage." Seemingly answered Irham, throwing an angry gesture.

Mart didn't know what they were talking about but it seemed that it affected dearly the arabian man wich looked up at him after answering, making eye contact. Whatever was said, the traveler decided to throw the man a thumb up in hope to lift his spirit wich seemed to works.

"Hey Mart!" Called Marcel.

The cyborg tapped the console and a map of the Combi appeared on a screen in the habitacle.

"Si tu veux voir Neo-Nice, c'est maintenant ou jamais!" Yelled the man with the bulldog like face, poking what appeared to be a panoramic window in the back of the vehicle on the map.

Mart immediately ran to the door, exiting the cockpit. And at the second he was out of sight, he opened the -door-, arriving immediately to his destination.

And here...

He first saw what appeared to be an ocean behind the city.

Then he witnessed the glory and height of the city he didn't even visit. An imposant series of fortifications all of them with an incredible number of set of gigantics cannons. He really wondered how can they kept in such great state all this antiques.

Behind this walls was a natural mountain on which a motley city was build on its sides. But, clear distinction was apparent. The base of the city was grey and full of buildings and the more you looked up, the less dense was the architecture even more older. Near the top, clear sign of agriculture finally gave some greens to the megalopole and finally, on top of all this, a castle, an actual castle like in the fairytails, it looked even older than the very ground it was build on.

As he stared, dumbfounded by this oddity, his attention came back to the bridge as the last vehicle exited the city, the great doors closing and the cannons coming to live, moving to point the bottom of the ravine that became the moat of this fortified citadel.

Mart then understood two things, all the tech he was seeing were the state of the art here and clearly and that they were here for a reason.

He couldn't see on what such armament was aimed at, but witnessing how bright the shots and explosions were, it was big.

He opened the -door- directly to the cockpit. The crew didn't noticed, for them, he just passed the door. As they were already happily talking and maybe to him. He took place on an unocupied seat and smiled. This place was incredible.

He had to restraint his feets from tapping and his hands from clapping from excitment.

He was eager to discover this world.

END OF CHAPTER 5

Previous chapter:

[thefangirlthatwaited]

Awoken (Chapter 2) - A Destiny 2 Origin Story.

Uldren Sov x Original Female Character

Aurora Till is an Awoken born in the distributary and one of the only few female Crow's. She chose to be a Crow to hide the powers nestled inside her. Powers that could destroy everything she holds near and dear. Little did she know the hatred she once held for the Queen's Brother - Uldren Sov, is slowly evolving into something dangerous. Love. Now, not only does she need to hide from Mara, she also needs to navigate these growing feelings while knowing one wrong step could send everything around her crashing down. She needs to choose between her heart and survival.

What else could she want? I picked up the pace, knowing that I was already late. Rounding the corner, I found somewhere waiting outside for me.

“You’re late.” Uldren scoffed. Of course, it was Uldren waiting for me. Jolyon and Uldren were as thick as thieves, but given the choice, I would throw Uldren off a cliff. He was an arrogant asshole whose whole life was being the Queen’s Brother.

“I will be on time if you will let me through,” I growled, pushing past him. 

“When the Queen demands an audience, she expects you to be here earlier.” 

I rolled my eyes before turning back to him. “I will keep that in mind, and when she asked me why I was late. I will tell her you held me up.” I glared at him through my helmet, and he glared back. 

“ULDREN,” We heard, and Uldren got on one knee right away, and I followed suit. “I hope you aren’t holding my Corsair back.” 

“Of course not, my Queen.” I stifled a snicker that I felt building in my chest.

“Aurora, you are just in time,” Mara said, standing before me and holding out her hand. 

“I am sorry for being late.” 

“You are here now; that is all that matters. Come.” I stood, not looking back at Uldren, and followed the Queen into her Throne room. Inside, there are a lot more people than I expected. I thought this was a meeting for just me. Now, I saw this as something more significant. Mara continued to walk to her throne at the tip of the table, and I saw some of my Corsair comrades, so I joined them. Uldren came in a few moments later and took his spot next to his sister.

“Now that we are all here. We can start. Uldren and his Crow’s have intercepted some Fallen transmission recently.” The Queen began, then nodded to her brother to continue. 

“The transmissions are currently broadcasting on all Fallen frequencies. My Crow’s and I are working on breaking the encryption. All we know is that the Fallen Houses were all talking to each other. That was a thing that had never happened before.” Uldren stated, and everyone nodded. 

“With this information, I’ve asked my Techeuns to look into what may be occurring,” Mara added, nodding to Sedia. 

“We have looked earthward—and saw the Fallen there becoming bolder. Tactics suggested they are planning a massive attack.” She explained. 

“What does this have to do with us?” One of the Paladins at the front asked. 

“The City could be an ally for us in the future,” Mara explained. 

“We don’t currently have a way to inform them of what we know. Therefore, we must help them from here.” 

“We have detected a large group of Fallen in the Reef. The House of Wolves. The numbers are in the thousands, if not millions.” Uldren said, bringing up a holographic map on the table. “They are currently making their way to Earth. If they get there, the City will fall.” 

“Then what can we do?” A Corsair beside me asked. 

“We can stop the House of Wolves from joining the fight on Earth.” Sjur Eido interjected. I didn’t even see the Queen’s Wrath arrive. But then again, she would never leave Mara’s side. “Seemingly oblivious to our existence, the bulk of the Wolf fleet stopped to regroup at Ceres. They do not know that it is Awoken territory.” 

“If we attack...” Abra Zire began to say. 

“If we attack the House of Wolves, we will reveal ourselves to any and all enemies.” I said, “Or we stay silent and let the City fall and lose an ally as the Queen said.” I could feel the stares on me. I wish I had kept quiet. 

Full Chapter on Ao3

[isledolon]

lucid dreaming || chapter 2 start

There isn’t even a moment that passes between your realization that Rudy and Shiloh are standing before you--Is it them? Can it really be them? Them with their transparent forms and spawning from seemingly innocuous items?--and a voice breaking through the shocked silence.

"I was going to ask you all to go to the fields behind the High House but saw you were all already toge--"

For the first time since your arrival, Eydís’ voice cuts off in shock, and you can see the confusion starkly on their face. If you had no idea what was happening, then it was clear that it knew just as much as you did about this strange situation you’ve found yourselves in. It’s just as unbelievable to the island’s Storyteller that the deceased are walking among you as it is to you all who have been kept in the dark at every turn.

"I…How…Are you here? O-Oh goodness, this is…"

They’re clearly still knocked off balance, but a bright smile lights up their face quickly enough, eschewing confusion for joy.

"This is wonderful! I-I don’t know how you’re here--why you’re here--but I’m so happy that you are. I-I don’t know what this could mean, but it could only mean good things for you all and bad things for the Festival, yes? Which…Which I will gladly accept!  U-Um, not that--not that I wish to overshadow such an exciting and unexpected development, b-but I have been instructed by the island to take you to the next location for our tour. Your belongings will be moved alongside us…Oh! And, well, you’re just incorporeal, and I’ve moved beings like you before as well, so….I can bring Shiloh and Cedar--Rudy? I’m sorry, I don’t know how you’d like me to, that doesn’t matter right now--I can bring them with us!"

In its rapid, excitement-enhanced frenzy, Eydís forgets to give you all a moment to brace yourselves for the whirl of petals and sugar that wrap you up and drop you off in a completely unfamiliar location.

You appear to be standing on a small land patch in the middle of two small creeks. Off in the near distance is a massive stone house surrounded on all sides by streams; it’s clear from its grandeur that it will be your place of residence for this stretch of your trip: the High House of this region of Taig.

Eydís turns to you all with a soft but beaming smile.

"Welcome to Årud. This region is best known for its natural beauty and the rivers and streams that criss-cross the land. Most major maps only showcase the major waterways; that’s just how many there are around the land that it would be impossible to chart them all!  It is a serene place, but it’s also one not short of adventure for those who wish for something more exhilarating. There’s plenty of activities for the more laid back tourists as well. Best known for the astonishing masonry and artistic contributions to the history of Taig, it is a place that has inspired creators for generations. I hope that its beauty and the people within its boundaries will inspire you, in turn, to remember goodness. To remember the majesty that comes with life."

Its eyes turn to the two recently-returned Cursebearers.

"I hope you will inspire them, too."

Turning its attention back to everyone, it says its farewell:

"Call upon me should you need or want for anything. I will always come if you ask. Until I seek you out once more, please enjoy everything Årud can provide. And enjoy some time for yourselves. You’ve earned it."

Now, you are left with an indefinite amount of time to yourself. But what do you do about this new location? 

And, most importantly, what do you do about the two miracles before you?

[wingedshadowfan]

not to sound like i'm doing rebuttal (because everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i am way more interested in having a discussion!) but i have to admit i saw all these things way differently.

personally i think violet's changed a lot inside the quadrant - she's had a lot of turning points, like her fight with dain (in whom she lost trust, stopped listening to and fell out of love with), her conversation with liam in the scribes (learning she doesn't know everything and not all she knows is true so she should doubt command/history more, her attitude towards the marked ones changing), her killing jack (having to come to terms with her power and the fact he won't be the last person she'll kill), etc. she became good friends with the marked ones in her squad, whom she used to distrust (and yes, at the end she did have a moment where she thought she'd been tricked and that they actually still plan on harming her and navarre, but i saw that as a contextual and momentary jump to the wrong conclusions, not as proof her prejudices didn't change).

furthermore, i didn't find her to be average at all?? her poisoning all her opponents (even with brennan's book as a guide, she pulled it off herself), figuring out how to pass the gauntlet (with xaden's cryptic ass hint), her questions at battle brief, her idea to steal the map in lilith's office, surviving that long in the quadrant despite being at a constant physical disadvantage and the fact she only had half a year of training, enduring pain constantly, retaining her humanity and compassion way longer than most (refusing to go for the kill, not being apathetic towards all the death and despair), etc. i saw her as smarter than most, capable, brave and ferocious (facing xaden many times and talking back to him without budging when she knew he could've killed her easily, same with jack, fighting him, tynan, and oren at threshing, she even got stronger and better at fighting towards the end).

i fully agree with xaden's character being exceptional too, possibly even more so, but i also think it makes total sense that he fell for her. from the get go, he noticed her switched boots with rhiannon at parapet (she risked her own life to help a stranger), he figured out her poisoning scheme, he was impressed with her way of beating the gauntlet on a technicality, his intuition told him she will keep his 'club meetings' secret and she really kept her promise, she was afraid of him but never ran away (except when dain told her to), faced him with a chin up and refused to give him any power in their interactions, her chucking daggers at him and then jack, he saw her defending andarna against 3 stronger men with her own life while injured at threshing, he quickly learnt she has really impressive and strong shielding and wielding abilities, he saw her father's note in the fables book, etc.

you're right about her seemingly not having a reason to like him, let alone love him (other than his looks) - except to me it read like she did have a reason, she just refused to admit it to herself and give him credit for all he did for her. she didn't want to believe that he was a good person or that he was helping her, but in her defense, when your two closest most trusted people tell you to stay away from someone, that someone wants to kill you because your mother executed his father, and his father killed your brother, then... you'd believe them. so she did, for a long time. even unfairly lashed out at xaden for not helping her (when he was helping her so much already and had a million things on his plate she didn't know about) and sending liam and imogen to do that instead. but she'd already changed in that belief of hers by the time her squad visited montserrat and defended xaden against mira's accusations, finally acknowledging all he'd done for her. i think that's what had her falling for him more than just his beauty. he began properly flirting too.

at this point, she'd been wronged by her mother, her sister and dain multiple times, even command and her scribe training itself turned out to be deceiving, and a bunch of cadets had tried killing her, and then xaden who she'd finally began to trust and fall for in more ways than one dropped a bomb on her that basically shattered her whole world. and here I'd love to reiterate that she didn't refuse to believe him or join his side of the war. she only refused to continue being in a relationship with him, because he kept the truth from her for so long for no good reason (yes, dain saw her memories but imogen could've wiped his or xaden could've taught violet to shield against dain since she was alr so good at it), and she needs to trust him again before she can be emotionally or physically intimate with him. which i personally side with her on and i think it's consistent with her prior refusal to keep being intimate with him unless he admits his own feelings for her - she's saving herself a world of hurt by setting up walls to protect herself

the one good thing about rebecca yarros killing liam off at the end of fourth wing was the fact that if he'd survived, he'd get shipped with violet so hard that "xaden vs liam" would become the new "peeta vs gale" or "edward vs jacob", a thing for the history books

[sweetnsour1]

10:12

Fluff, Kaminari x g/n reader

“Don’t be du-“ Your eyes darted to his face, already regretting the word it was too late to change. “-mb.”

His golden eyes widen, but smoothly shift away from you, angling further down the table of friends. You shut your eyes for a moment to block out the sight of his plastered smile, knowing the corners of his mouth will look strained while the corners of his hurt eyes will be relaxed. The mask you hate to see him wear…and yet, today you were the reason for its intrusion on what was supposed to be a fun weekly meetup.

You turn away from him as well, rejoining the conversation he had decided to leave. You let their words ricochet around you, not volleying many responses of your own. Sometimes it was surprising really…how easy it was for the two of you to act okay.

You were both praised for the warmth and fun you’d bring into a situation, but…the seat beside you had gone cold. You could feel it as sharply as if someone had cranked the thermostat to frog hibernation levels. Yet, none of the smiling faces surrounding you had noticed. They hadn’t heard the crack your faltered word had forced onto his painstakingly glued together self worth. The way it struck one of the weakest spots, fracturing his years of hard work in no time at all.

You continued smiling through the lunch, wondering if the rest of the heroes at the table realized a villain was among them. You had hurt their friend right in front of everyone. You felt anger roll through you, displacing it onto them for a moment. You wished one of them, any of them, had caught you and reacted with the frustration you now turned back onto yourself. Instead you laughed at their jokes, made a couple of your own, and smiled at his, while something inside you twisted at the dulled light in his usually bright eyes. You waited.

You frowned as you watched him get the gps set up, plugging in Love Shack as the destination, before the directions home began to echo through the song he had playing. He hummed along, seemingly determined to wait until he wouldn’t bother anyone…not even you. Even after hundreds of arguments and pleas, he’d still hide pain from you if he could. You couldn’t wait the way he could. You set your hand over his as he grabbed the gear shift, determined to stay in this parking garage until you fixed what you’d broken.

“Ki…look at me, please.” He laughed until he saw you weren’t smiling. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine, baby. I was being d-“ You slapped your hand over his mouth a little harder than you'd meant to, causing his eyes to flash for you a bit as his eyebrow shot up.

“It’s bad enough I said it. Don’t make me mad at you too.”

You made sure to go heavy on the pout. You felt his lips smile against the palm still pressed tightly against them. He grabbed at your wrist, rotating it so his mouth was free to kiss the lightning tattoo marking one of his favorite spots like an x on a map.

“Maybe I like it when you’re mad at me?”

His laugh crinkled the corners of his bright eyes at the sight of your double extreme pout. He grabbed at your chin with his thumb and pointer finger, not unlike Chargebolt’s pose, pulling you to him. He munched at your bottom lip until your smile tugged it back into place. Once all traces of pout were gone, he kissed you...letting just a little bit of electricity course through his lips as they met yours. You readied an eye roll for his usual Did you feel a spark? punchline, but didn’t need it after all. He tapped his forehead against yours, muttering something softer and more genuine against your lips.

“Thank you.”

Masterlist

Join the tag list

[knullanon]

Invincible, mark’s older sister seemingly didn’t get powers, but after mark got his, Nolan is led to believe that she’s hiding her powers. It’s an awkward conversation for a returning college student

hmmmmmm.... good idea blooming.... also this?? was so good for me to write?? it just felt like I actually wrote something good??? thank u for this, I'm tired but I'm actually happy rn thank u :)

Disappointment

words: 2401

summary: getting accepted to a college almost across the country was you plan, but now that your father is suspicious of your timing, you realize it's not going to go to plan.

warnings: arguing,

--------

markie: did dad tell you about the family dinner tonight...

me: what dinner?

markie: he wanted to host a dinner to show his congratulations on you getting into collage

markie: lol, lucky ass. I'm getting tossed to the curb when I get out of highschool 😭

me: nuh-uh, bitch, I'm bringing your ass w me!! fuck this shit

me: besides can't be that bad. bring up a map and show me mongolia

markie: …bitch are you for real

me: YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE MONGOLIA IS????

markie: …no :')

me: yeah you're getting kicked out lmao

You shut off your phone to stare out the window of the cab, starting to wonder if it was a good idea to even tell your dad about the acceptance. The original plan you had was to get whatever college accepted you first and get a plane ticket, a dorm, the whole thing, and then tell him.

You already knew how angry he would've been, and the only reason you had told him a few days after the letter came was because of a mix of guilt, self doubt, and most of all fear. What would he do if you just told him "hey, leaving in 2 hours, say your goodbyes until maybe Christmas"? It wouldn't be a disaster, it would be the disaster.

The memories of him being so mad, no, enraged at you leaving the house only telling Debbie came back to you within those 3 days. With him being possessive and angry whenever you didn't do something right...

And when your powers never showed up, it almost felt like he was disappointed. You were, supposedly, disappointed as well, but for those first few months, he acted like he only had you for those reasons.

Which is exactly why you wanted to get out. It's why you started saving up, getting better grades, looking for possible places to live, colleges, everything you've done was now for what you wanted, and it was no longer just the "I'm going to be a hero" route.

While, yes it was a struggle to get everything in order and actually do it secretly, it was supposed to be worth it. Now, you were almost regretting deciding to announce it.

The slowness of the car made you focus, and you saw the house you were almost dreading to see. Was dreading the right word? You didn't know.

It almost felt unreal. You hadn't been going to actually live in the place for almost a year. Sure, you visited now and then, but you were more focused on your job, and more importantly, the research to get out of town.

Walking up the steps, you didn't even knock on the door when it almost slammed open. You were about to be knocked on your ass if not for the strong arms embracing you in a tight hug.

"_______! You take forever with everything!" Mark lifted you up into the air, and spun you around, before he set you down again.

"We're almost done with dinner, let's get your stuff back up!"

~~~~~

You thought looking at your room, neatly presented and almost untouched was a slap in the face of how much you missed home. And then you actually started talking to everyone.

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you got that scholarship! I know you've always wanted that college for a while." Debbie was still the supporting mom you remember, always wanting for you what you wanted. "What major did you pick?"

You ate some food off your plate before you responded. "Well, they haven't said which ones they were available because of last years over-acceptance, but I was thinking of-"

"Where is the college, again?"

Oh no. Here was the conversation you were hoping to avoid. "It's on the West Coast, dad." Nolan was already looking pissed, and while you knew why, it still almost hurt on why he was like that. He set down his hand, and continued talking. "Why not a college nearby? Even a state away would be better than that, right Debbie?"

Debbie simply turned towards her husband before turning back to you. "_____, while I'm happy you got into a college, Nolan does have a point. What made you think of going so far."

Fortunately, overthinking sometimes gives you an advantage in these situations. "Well, I kinda just went for the top colleges since I had good grades. I mean, I'm never going to have a guaranteed job, so I might as well make sure I will."

You almost regretted your words as soon as they came out, but it was too late.

Nolan simply hummed, before he continued his dinner. Debbie realized what you meant, but she just simply lingered back to her food. You didn't turn your head to look at Mark, but you could feel the tension in the room. He probably felt it as well.

Which is probably why he spoke up. "So, dad, uh, I heard you caught a weird bird man?"

Nolan, who visibly jolted, looked up at his son and replied, "Oh yeah, that guy. Huh, I'll tell you that he was weird and creepy at the same time. So, I was flying around town when..."

~~~~~~

2 hours later, and you were sitting up in bed on your phone, looking through your phone, and reading through different news stories. The bird ones were almost comical to read, and the Invincible stories were wholesome or made you proud.

What if you did that?

You cut that thought out as a story popped up, the headline in big bold letters:

KILLER OF GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE: WHO, WHY, AND HOW?

You clicked on it, remembering attending the funeral a few weeks prior.

While the killer hasn't been found, it has been notified that Omni-Man, the only survivor of the attack, has been found to be healthy and is now continuing his hero work. Meanwhile, the deaths of these heroes has been affecting the whole world and while support and love have been shown from around the globe, it does bring up a new question: who will be the new Guardians of The Globe, and will they meet the expectations of the world?

You sat there staring at the screen for a minute, before you started to actually think about the whole situation. It just made you feel more guilty.

You could be helping! Saving lives! Making your family proud! But instead, you decide to live a life and leave them to help themselves! For what? Will you not be a good hero? Will you do nothing anyway?

Are you afraid of him?

You tossed yourself off your bed, and grabbed your headphones, and put on a jacket and some comfy pants.

Walking outside of your room, you remembered you didn't drive here, so you couldn't drive anywhere, which narrowed down a lot of places. Then, an idea came to your mind. You tiptoed over to your parents room, and saw that they were fast asleep. You did the same thing to Mark's room, and saw the same thing.

You decided that the coast was clear for the night, at least. You flew to the outside and up and into the air. It does feel better to move this fast without feeling like I'm giving up something, you thought to yourself.

And while you flew off to find a mountain. Nolan stared out the window, mouth gaping as he saw you fly away.

~~~~~

The silence helped out a lot. Just being left alone with our thoughts makes you calm down.

Everything had happened so fast. You were ready to go, and relax with your mostly stress free life, when they just... died. You knew you shouldn't be mad at dead people, it wasn't their fault, you saw the devastation it had caused, and yet...

You were pissed. Everything was working. Everything was in motion, why hadn't it worked? Oh, that's why, because someone decided to murder all of these people and then your guilty conscience was fucking you up now?

You didn't want to fill in their shoes, you didn't want to deal with their problems, that was for your brother, your dad, actual heroes. You knew why you didn't want to be a hero: it was obvious.

You weren't meant to be one.

When you got your powers, you were so excited to tell your mom, your dad, Mark: especially Mark: it would've been good to rub it into the face of an annoying 9 year old Mark.

And then you looked at the actual job of a hero.. What they did, what they achieved, everything: it wasn't for you. You didn't have the patience, the attitude, or anything to do it.

So, you hid it all. You only used the powers when you were practicing, like flying around a mountain, or practicing fighting. You were almost caught some times- the news article of a strange blur of a human figure going at Mach 2 near Mount Everest made you think you were done for- but it had all ended up good and great.

And now you were guilty: you were guilty of not helping. Of not being there for others. And now look at what happened.

Taking out your headphones and shutting off your music, you sat and watched the night sky go by. You didn't know where you had flown to, only that you were having a very big moment, and that no one could take it from you.

Except, that's what you believed until you heard him.

"So, UC San Diego, huh?"

You whipped around, flying in the sky for a minute before realizing your mistake and setting yourself on the ground.

"Oh, you think that's gonna convince me?" He said, now setting himself on the ground. "Like I didn't see you fly to this mountain and then fly off the goddamn ground."

"It's not your business anyway." You turned your head to the side, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Oh, so not only can I not have a say in the colleges you go to, but I can't have a say in your powers?" By now he was right in front of you, and you felt the anger and rage coming off of him, almost like an alarm, flashing over and over again, telling you to get out.

"You never had the choice to do anything I did." You ground out back, realizing now that it was fruitless to sit back and wait for him to say something else, so you decided fuck it, you're already waist deep in this shit.

"Oh, really? Like I'm just some random guy who wants to use you?" He almost chuckled

"Well from the looks of it, you are." You turned to face him, now in his face instead of the other way around. "When you realized it wasn't gonna happen, you acted like I was nothing! Like I was just a burden to the family. I wasn't gonna break easy, I knew you only wanted me for my abilities. And you have Mark for that now, don't you? You couldn't have cared about me for a minute after you realized that I was just what you didn't want: a normal human with no abilities."

He didn't say anything, only looked at you with almost a softer look, but still mad.

"Yeah, look at you. You're realizing I'm not an idiot. You liked Mark so much more than me, huh? When you realized he was the perfect son?"

His fists curled up as he sat back, maybe for the first time in a while during your arguments. "I didn't tell you because I don't want you as a dad: I wish you weren't anything related to me. You proved me right on a lot of things, but this one- this one takes the cake.

"You just wanted a kid who was just like you, who you could train to do whatever you wanted."

Nolan didn't know what to say: that he loved you still, even if you never did have powers? That you were still his daughter? That you were his pride and joy, and that no matter what you did he would always be with you?

But then he saw it: he was disappointed in the fact that you didn't have powers. He was so excited for that moment: when you got them. Honestly, he was much more prepared for you to join his side rather than Mark. He saw it in you, he knew it was there.

And then he ruined it. Because of his selfishness and stupidity. He realized that, in the moment, everything, you going to a different college, leaving suddenly, hiding your abilities: it was because he had failed.

He had realized that he was failing at his true mission: but he had failed at the one he wanted to do, as well.

He didn't realize you were walking away until the last minute. "Well, since you know what you did, you might as well go and tell Mark. And Mom."

He reached out, wanting to say something: but what? What could he possibly say to make anything better?

And when you turned around, and seeing you start to choke up and cry, he knew he couldn't do anything in the moment.

"______-"

But you flew away. It was quick too, making dust fly off the floor. The ground shook from the force. It made his heart ache even more, realizing you had been practicing flying on your own-

And there, he saw it. His behavior that had made you like this.

For one of the only times in his life, he felt like he was in the wrong. It came like a slap to the face. Like he had been hit by a planet and tossed around. It was this booming realization, and his guilt started to show itself.

He knew he had to fix this. There was no way he could leave this be: he had to prove to you that he was...

Not a good person. No, he realized that with his mission and failures he would never be that.

But maybe a better father. Maybe someone who you would be willing to talk it out with. He had to convince you of that, before you left.

And who knows, if you don't listen to reason, there's always the option of just holding you with them, until you are convinced of reason.

------

nolan you fucking moron

[captains-simp]

Wanda Maximoff ~ Bottled Up Feelings

Wanda Maximoff X fem!Reader Smut

Word count: 3,139

Includes: oral, fingering and scissoring

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Thank you for this." Your brunette friend said with a small smile for what must have been the hundredth time that night.

The team had been on a long, frustrating mission that had everyone exhausted. All anyone wanted to do was put their feet up or sleep the year away, eventually going off to do just that.

You and Wanda hadn't parted since you got back. You hadn't even needed to suggest a movie marathon as the pair of you went back to Wanda's room almost the moment you landed purely out of habit, after getting popcorn of course, and made yourself comfortable on her bed that had come to be as familiar as your own while Wanda scrolled mindlessly through Netflix.

Once you decided Wanda was taking too long looking for a movie you decided to steal the remote (claiming it was payback for all of the hoodies she had stolen from you) eventually streaming a series of some of your favourite horror films - something Wanda wasn't so keen on.

When you finally decided to call it a night on the movies Want a had been adamant you stay the night with her, telling you if you tried to get up to leave she would keep there with her powers. You weren't entirely sure she was joking.

You hardly needed the persuasion, you were always happy to spend time with your friend and you were glad she felt the same way.

When you came out to her a year ago she had been so understanding and supportive, much to your relief. Nothing changed between you and she never acted weird or uncomfortable around you like you knew some people would. She told you to stay in her room and sleep in her bed just as much as you had before. But that wasn't something you weren't sure if you should be happy about.

You had had a crush on Wanda for the longest time. As time went on you spent considerably more time together it was hard not to crush harder. Everything she did made your heart flutter. And those sleepovers? The way she always cuddled up into your side, the soft smile that played on her lips, the joyful laugh that filled the room (especially when it was from something you said), it had been impossible for you not to fall inlove with your best friend.

You had wondered before if Wanda was strictly into guys. It was impossible to tell with her as she never talked about crushes and became closed off when the convosation arrived. For all you knew she could be asexual or aromantic.

You tried not to be disappointed at that thought as you knew you should support her no matter what, but you couldn't shake the feelings you had for Wanda and that filled you with guilt.

It was only out of respect that you never made a move on her. You wanted to know she was open to something with a girl before you tried anything. And you didn't want to throw away what you had. That thought alone was enough to keep you in your lane.

Whenever you voiced these fears to Natasha when she told you to do something about your feelings (because you couldn't keep anything from the superspy) she told you that relationships were like a gamble. You could either throw the dice or skip your turn. It seemed the latter was becoming more likely.

"Stop thanking me!" You exclaimed with a smile as you pulled the duvet back and lay down next to her.

Wanda had often asked you to stay the night with her. A couple of times she had come into your room at ungodly hours of the mornings and asked to sleep in your bed which you always welcomed with open arms.

You knew her nightmares could be unkind, memories from her past resurfacing and her fears being acted out in scarring detail. She never wanted to talk about it though, so you comforted her by wrapping your arms around her tight and letting her know she was always going to be safe with you.

She seemed to think she burdened you with her worries and fears, but that was never the case and it never would be. You loved her and you would do anything for her.

Wanda was laying on her side with an amused grin and propping herself up on her elbow as she watched you get comfortable. She looked adorable. Wanda always did. You mimicked her position to face her and noticed she was studying you.

"Penny for your thoughts?" You asked in a light hearted tone and saw her smile in response.

"I already have plenty of pennies, thanks." She smiled and glanced away. It took everything in you not to kiss her there and then.

"Really, what's on your mind?" Wanda looked at you a little longer, as though contemplating her words, before speaking.

"What happened with that girl you met last week?" She asked curiously.

Now that was new. Wanda knew you hooked up with girls every so often (she didn't know that it was a lame attempt to get over the fact you were deeply inlove with her) but she never asked about them.

"Just the usual stuff." You shrugged as though the question hadn't taken you by surprise.

"What's the usual stuff?" You looked up at her to meet her eyes that didn't hint at any obvious emotion. She had beautiful eyes, they were perfect. Brown swirls that you always thought you could look at for hours, hoping it might really be a window to her soul and you could finally know what was going on in that head of hers.

"We went back to her place and had sex." You said bluntly, not knowing how much detail she wanted.

"Was it good?" Seriously who was she? She never asked you these things.

"Well she didn't need a map." You joked in an attempt to hide your confusion at her newfound curiosity in your sex life. Wanda didn't smile at your words, appearing lost in thought "Why?" You asked curiously.

"Don't you ever get attached? Develop feelings?" She asked, apparently ignoring my own question as she found interest in the pillow you were leaning on.

You could have burst into laughter at her question. You could have just blurted out "that would be kind of hard when I'm already head over heels for you", but you didn't.

"No. I don't see them after." You said, finding an interest in Wanda's pillow too.

The brunette fell quiet, apparently not having anything to say to that, not wanting the rare topic to end you continued.

"Have you been thinking about it lately?" You asked, afraid you were too blunt.

"Yes." She replied clearly. You hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"You want to hook up with someone?"

"Yes- no! I..." She sounded slightly panicked at first, but after a moment her voice dropped and shifted to a undeniably sad tone. Almost hopeless.

"What's stopping you?" You asked gently.

"I just...I don't want it to be with some random stranger." That was understandable. Lot of people felt the same way. Sex could be such a personal and sacred thing to people, something that's held close to their hearts and is purely an act of intimacy. You always thought that was beautiful and whished you coukd experience that. "I want it to be with someone I know... someone I trust and... someone I love." She finally looked up at you again as she breathed out slowly. "The person that I love."

She's in love? It was the only thing you could think. You wanted so desperately to ask who. For how long? When did it start? Why didn't she tell you?

"Who?" You asked. Your voice almost a whisper because you didn't want to risk Wanda hearing it break as you fought back tears.

"You." She replied at the same volume. You froze. Not believing what she said. This was completely uncharted territory for you. You didn't know what you were meant to do. So you did the only thing you knew how to do right. You kissed her.

Your hand cupped her cheek gently as your face became closer to hers, letting her know what you were about to do. She didn't object, instead she closed the distance between you.

Her lips were softer than they looked and felt perfect against your own. It was instantly addicting so you brought your other hand up to cup her other cheek and rolled over so you were partly ontop of her, never once disconnecting your lips.

You kissed her eagerly and longingly in hopes she understood that you had the same feelings for her. You had years of built up feelings to make up for, you were going to make it worth it if it was the last thing you did.

Wanda wrapped her hands around your neck and laced her fingers together as she pulled you towards her more. You happily let her do so and occasionally paused the kiss to let you breathe before going back to her.

You moved your legs so they were straddling Wanda's waist and you could be in the most comfortable position, the very concept of it giving you chills.

Bravely, you swiped your tongue across her lower lip to ask for permission. Although Wanda seemingly didn't understand what you were silently asking for, something that made you smile.

So you gently bit down on her lower lip, causing her to gasp out and moan. You made a mental note of how she responded to slight pain.

You slipped your tongue into her mouth and moaned as you explored it. It was like you needed to memorize every inch of her in case you could never do this again. You needed to treasure the moment and show Wanda just how much you cared.

"I love you too." You finally spoke. You could hear and feel her breath become shaky in nerves and it made you want to hold her close and comfort her forever.

"Show me." She whispered and you smiled.

You kissed her lips again briefly before switching your attention to her jaw. Your hands wandered down to the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head before throwing it across the room.

Your mouth almost fell to the floor when you realised she wasn't wearing a bra, forgetting you had both changed into pjs. It was dark in the room and you hadn't thought about that fact.

You slowly started to kiss down her neck, along her collarbone and finally planted butterfly kisses on her breasts. You heard Wanda gasp out at the motion and softly moan when you took her left nipple into your mouth.

Softly sucking on the bud gently, you pinched the other then switched, ensuring you gave them equal attention but eventually you felt Wanda push your head lower.

You smirked against her chest and oblidged to her clear wishes by kissing lower down her stomach and hooking your fingers under her waistband.

You pulled the fabric down slowly and kissed every inch of exposed skin before throwing the material to join her top.

Then you softly bit down on small patches of her skin and sucking on them softly to leave small marks along her thighs until Wanda grew impatient with you, groaning at what she thought was teasing rather than you cherishing the moment, you would be sure to clear that up layer.

You pulled her panties down and took a moment to beautiful sight before you and heavenly scent that had your scenes on overdrive. You smiled and instantly flickered your tongue against her clit.

She moaned out in surprise and pleasure, closing her eyes and putting her head back into the pillows as she laced her fingers through your hair.

You took two fingers and stroked them along her folds, smirking when you felt how wet she was against your fingers and relishing under the fact it was a result of your actions.

You moved away from her core to look up at her as you licked her juices off of your fingers with a proud smirk.

She stared down at you with lust in her eyes that made her even more beautiful.

Your mouth returned to her but this time sucked on her outer folds that were also soaked with her juices. You moaned into her when her arousal hit your taste buds again and dipped your tongue into her folds.

You dipped your tongue in further and heard her moan out your name, a sound that made your stomach flip. You took this as encouragement and started thrusting your tongue into her at a faster pace and rubbed your thumb in tight circles against her clit.

Wanda gripped your hair tightly as she moaned out more, her legs wrapping around your head perfectly to keep it securely in place as they began to shake.

Her breathing became fast and shallow as her grip on your hair tightened.

You rubbed harder and thrust your tongue faster until you felt a warm, sweet liquid against your tongue and Wanda screaming out in pleasure.

You looked up at her through hooded eyes as you eagerly licked up the cum she had spilt and moaned at the taste of it, instantly planning to taste it again at some point.

She looked so beautiful blissed out, more tender than you had ever seen her.

You leaned up and kissed Wanda passionalty as she did the same. You knew she could taste herself on your lips as you felt her smile against you at that fact.

"Now let me." Wanda whispered, her hand caressing your bare thigh that wasn't covered by your loose shorts.

"Wanda you don't ha-" Wanda silenced you by placing a slim finger over your lips.

"I want to. I want to make you feel good." She whispered again and pulled you closer by the back of your neck to bring you on for another kiss.

You leaned forward and kissed her passionately, not believing how soft her lips were and how perfect they felt against your own, fitting together perfectly.

She pulled you closer before rolling you over in a playful way that made you smile as she lay ontop of you. She kissed a path down you jaw and neck as her fingers continued to tease your thighs.

Her hand then came up to your waistband, momentarily tracing your hipbones, before slipping beneath the fabric of you shorts and panties.

You gasped out as fingers ghosted over your clit then adventures further to your folds.

Her fingers swiped through your folds a couple of times to gather your wetness on her fingers before slipping inside of you.

You moaned heavily at the feeling as Wanda sighed at the feel of your wet pussy around her fingers.

Her fingers extended fully inside you before retreating only to return again faster. You moaned as Wanda memorized every inch of your core and how it felt around her as she fingered you with earnest.

As her pace increased Wanda's free hand landed on your waist, holding your bodies close together as she leant in to kiss you again.

You eagerly complied as her fingers curled to hit an amazing nerve ending that had you clinging to Wanda's back and moaning the loudest.

"Wan..." You chanted breathlessly.

You squeezed your walls around Wanda's fingers as you approached your high. She took this with a new vigour and rubbed your clit firmly with her thumb, causing you to cum with a cry of her name.

She continued to lay ontop of you while you got your breath back, smiling down at you lovingly.

As she sat up slightly you were reminded of just how naked she was, and how she was right ontop of you. You were aching to feel your bare skin against hers.

You placed your hands on her waist and gently pulled her down onto her back as you sat up and grinned at her and the thoughts playing in your mind.

Wanda smiled back at you as she watched you quickly discard your shirt before pulling off your shorts and panties in one.

She bit her lip at the sight of you completely bare to her but you didn't give her a chance to stare as you were already pushing her legs apart and laying between them as you cupped her face.

"I wanna try something." You whispered, as though the experience was a secret that you two would share forever and guard with your lives. She nodded up at you, keeping eye contact as you lifted her left leg up and spread her other leg further apart, giving you the best access to her still glistening folds.

You could hear your steady breathing as you positioned yourself accordingly so your pussy hovered above Wanda's. You lowered yourself slowly and you both moaned at the contact and friction that was instantly created.

Wanda bucked her hips up when your clit glided over hers and your slick came together to help your movements.

You tried not to get too caught up in the pleasure at first, needing to be able to concentrate your attention on Wanda and the best movements.

You soon fell into the right rhythm, your breathy moans filled the room as you allowed yourself to fall flat against Wanda and kiss her deeply.

You hips rotated perfectly, yours and Wanda's folds glided over one another in was a blissful way you had never experienced.

The movements were making the pair of you breathe faster so you abandoned the kiss to place your forehead against Wanda's as your movements became more erratic.

You didn't want to cum until Wanda did, but the familiar coil in your lower stomach was becoming to tighten.

"Y/n!" Wanda moaned as her hips continued to buck against your own. The movements threw you off at first but your hips soon collided into one frantic movement.

You grinded your pussys together with vigour as you both chased your release with desperation, your combined wetness making the most lewd sound echo throughout the room and amplifying both of your arousals.

With one hard thrust of your hips you both came with a loud moan, clinging to each other and foreheads still connected as you rode out your high together, your hips twitching slightly until you eventually fell down beside Wanda, both of you still swimming in pleasure.

"Wow." Wanda barely managed to speak, exhaustion written into her voice.

"I love you." You muttered as you placed your fingers together.

"I love you too." Wanda smiled tiredly as she gave your hand a loving squeeze.

[unlucky-qiqi]

Daily Life of the First Years; pt 1

Word Count: 2.5k words

Genre: Slice of Life

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojo Satoru

Bearer of the Six Eyes and the carrier of the largest amount of cursed energy amongst the members of the Gojo clan.

Geto Suguru

Cursed Technique: Cursed Spirit Manipulation. This technique allows the user to manipulate curses that were dominated and absorbed by the user.

Shoko Ieiri

User of the Reverse Cursed Technique. This allows her to heal people using the said technique.

(L/n) (Y/n)

Cursed Threads user. A technique that allows her to seize and attack curse spirit and sorcerers using her threads imbued with curse energy.

Yaga flips through the pages as he reads the brief information about the incoming first year students. There was a tinge of grimace on his face after seeing who might become his students for the next three years.

Meanwhile, on the Shibuya train station stands a young lady whose gaze is upon the large buildings of the city. She had just arrived from the province of Hokkaido and is now enrolled in the Tokyo Branch of the Prefectural Jujutsu Highschool.

She walks toward the bulletin board that contains a map. She reviews the route she is supposed to take later on. She stops at a café to take a small rest before continuing her way to the school.

The strong aroma of coffee wafts in the air as she enters the establishment. With the majority of the seats taken, she decides to take the seat nearest to the window. Unbeknownst to her, a man smiles, amused, the moment he sees her.

She orders a drink of her choice plus a dessert to complement the beverage. Just as she was just about to return to her seat, a lanky tall man wearing sunglasses sat on the chair she was occupying.

"I'm sorry but that seat is taken." She tells the male who just smiled at her as if he heard nothing.

"Mister?"

She calls him out again, this time with irritation, implying that the table is hers. She places her lunch on the table, attempting to claim that this was already taken but then sees the clothes of the man, it was identical to the uniform she's wearing right now. He enjoys the little game that he had created, The wide grin on his face shows that.

She takes a long yet seemingly invisible piece of thread. She looks at him furiously, waiting for her cursed energy to flow through the line before flinging it at him. However, much to her surprise, he was able to catch it easily. He had a small cut on his finger but he still had that smile on his face.

"Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer you'll ever meet." He shows a smug smile, his intention was to irritate her. She didn't like how this 'Gojo' guy was behaving all haughty, although she knows better than to start a fight in public.

(Y/n) just scoffed at him rather than acknowledging his antics. She eats her meal while sitting on a vacant chair on the other side of the table. The soft texture of the dessert that melts in your mouth with every bite and the flavor that pops makes her savor the food even more. If it wasn't for the mister that annoyed her, she would've enjoyed her meal a little more.

She stands up and carries her things before leaving after finishing the delightful meal. Gojo on the other hand, decides to follow the little lady. (Y/n) walks a little faster, hoping she would lose him on the way but she fails to do so after travelling a distance.

"Stop following me, you creep."

"Well, it's pretty obvious that we're going to the same place. Might as well tag along, ya'know?"

———

Both of them arrive at the school.

Buildings of tall and large yet still have the traditional architecture is what the school looks like. At first glance, no one would even think that this place is a place of learning, it looked more like a temple where people pray and worship gods.

"Yo' everyone!"

A tall man with raven black hair tied in a bun approached them. 'These two are giants!' she thought when she saw their heights compared to them. Too amazed by their sizes, she didn’t notice that she was staring at them for too long.

"Hello~ are you still alive? No curse possessed you or anything?"

Gojo calls out, snapping her out of her little world.

"Certainly not."

"Seems like the two of you have known each other. Geto Suguru, and you are?"

The man named 'Geto' butts in on the conversation. She introduces herself, Gojo does the same afterwards. All of them proceed to the building where they were supposed to meet the fourth student and the teacher for the next three years.

———

She was pretty happy when she met a female classmate. It's not that she hated boys, it's just that she might feel out of place with her being the only female among the class.

The number of students didn’t surprise her, curses and sorcerers is believed to be a myth in public. Having four students in one class was more than the usual, most of the time there would only be two to three pupils per class. All of them had their unofficial introductions and then occupied the seats where they wanted to be.

Their teacher enters the room, and introduces himself as Masamichi Yaga. He gives them a brief information about what to expect in their school and other things that they may need to know about.

“Before we head on for the tour around the school, I’d like to give you four a small test.”

He takes out a doll. It has long limbs, green skin, and the face of an animal with a comical smile on its face. “This is a cursed doll.” He introduces the plush to the students and then it moves like it has a life of its own. “With this, I’d like to see your strengths. Who wants to volunteer first?”

Gojo and Geto raise their hands up at the same time. They looked at each other awkwardly.

“You go first.”

Geto suggests the offer and Gojo willingly takes it. He stands up from his seat and observes the cursed doll. He looks down to it but then a sudden attack lunches at him, hitting him on his face.

“You–”

Gojo rubs his face and is now in a fighting position. The doll sets its attack once again however there seems to be an invisible force that stops it from reaching the punch to Gojo. A proud smile was plastered on his face.

"Infinity. It doesn't necessarily stop his attacks but slows it down."

He rests his hand on the marionette. "See, I can still tou—" His words are cut short when the doll gives him an uppercut. "OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"

The doll dances happily but Gojo wasn't too happy with the result. He was about to tackle the doll, but teacher Yaga stopped him.

"All right, all right, thank you for the showcase Satoru. Suguru, you're next."

Gojo grumbles, words inaudible, as he went back to his seat. He slumps, feeling a bit down with his ego crushed. He calls himself the strongest yet a doll beats him, how pathetic.

Geto stands from his chair and stands in front of the class. He summons a shikigami, fourth grade curse. It looks alien with its unrealistic large eyes, small body with unexplainable features and its tongue hangs off from its mouth. It tackles the cursed doll, however with just a jab, the shikigami disperses in the air.

He summons another cursed spirit, now a higher grade than before. It still has a grim appearance however this time, it was able to tackle down the marionette. Still, the spirit wasn't that strong enough to defeat it.

"Okay, that's enough. You may now go back to your seat. (Y/n) you go next. Then Shoko will be showcasing her technique later on."

She takes out a roll of thread from her bag then walks toward the front. With her cursed energy flowing through the string, she tosses the whole roll. It binds the cursed doll. It tries to escape by moving around but fails to do so. However, with brute force it pulls it apart and the threads fall down on the floor.

"Good. You can go back now. And for Shoko, her ability is 'Reverse Cursed Technique'. I'm pretty sure you're all aware of what that is, am I right?"

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Well, that's all for now, pick up your belongings. We'll be touring the school now."

—————

The whole class visited the buildings and temples all around the school though they didn't look at all of them due to confidential reasons. Afterwards, they all went to the dormitory to look at their rooms.

"This place is huge!"

(Y/n) says, bewildered at the size of her living space. She looks around for a second, then she puts everything in their place. She puts up some posters near her bed and her essentials in the drawer.

Her attention moves elsewhere after someone knocks on her door. "Coming!" She scurries towards the door and opens it. Geto's tall figure greets her. He has a sheepish smile on his face.

"It's good to know who'll be my neighbor. Well, (y/n), hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Having fun without me? That's a bummer." Gojo meddles in the conversation. "Sorry." Geto laughs it off with an apology.

"So…" There's a short silence as Geto thinks of a way to break the ice. "How about visiting each other's rooms?" He suggests.

"Pass, I still have a lot to fix here."

"Same here." Gojo and (y/n) declines the offer.

"Alright, understandable. Let's see each other later, then?"

The three of them agreed on the proposal.

~

"I brought snacks!" (Y/n) chirps as enters Gojo's room where they all decided to gather upon unanimous decision. "And, Shoko as well." she added. They all greet each other with 'hi's and 'hello's.

The night is young for the first years. With countless shenanigans and absurdities, they managed to get even more closer to each other. Gojo and Geto even managed to earn a nickname for themselves, "The strongest duo" as Gojo would like to call it. (Y/n) and Shoko just cringed at the name.

"Couldn't you think of a better name?" (Y/n) teases Gojo for his name choice.

"Well, could you think of a better name?" He barks back at her with the same question. She can't think of an answer, however.

Just as she is about to say something to him, someone knocks on the door. "I'll open it." Geto offers. Upon opening the door, Yaga greets them. The evening that was set for them to get to know each other was cut short when their instructor announces an upcoming mission.

"Where will our first mission be?" Y/n queries. However, he only answered with a 'You'll see'.

———

"When you said 'Roppongi' I was expecting something more luxurious, not a rundown building! This is worse than abandoned temples in the province!"

(Y/n) expresses her disappointment loudly. But then again, it was her fault to believe Gojo when he said that that place would be flashy, far more than what she saw in the pictures. The perpetrator laughs, amused by her reaction.

"YOU JERK!"

She exclaimed but before she could get her hands on the young man Geto grabs her on the arm and Yaga stops them to announce their objective. She calmed down due to respect but she was sure to pay him back later.

In the cold rundown building, crawl weak curses that could barely do any harm. She binds the small spirits and exorcises them. "You're doing pretty well but bet you can't do this." Gojo proclaims as he finishes a plentiful of curses with a blink of an eye. "Oh please, save the small talk for later." She responds.

"Hey! Done there? Let's move to the next floor." Geto calls to the both of them and they all rush towards the next side of the building. They were greeted by more curses, some of them more stronger than what they had seen previously on the building.

The curse looks like a mutated octopus. Its several legs block the hallway and the whole floor is covered in slippery and viscous liquid.

"Let's finish the curse quickly."

Gojo orders both of them.

She throws a roll of thread towards the lump of curses. It explodes like a bomb—more like expand—then the strings captures the spirit, preventing it from moving. Gojo and Geto run toward the curse with a synchronous attack to exorcise it. They both huff and breathe heavily from the fatigue.

"Not bad." Gojo compliments Geto.

"I could say the same to you."

"Oh please, little missy there did the job." The remark was aimed towards her.

"I'm more than just a sorcerer, you know?" She proudly exclaims.

———

The three of them exit with a woman that they rescued in the building when they were fighting the remaining curses. "Good job you three in expelling the curse. Shoko, please take the injured person." Yaga greets them with praise.

They let out an exasperated sigh.

"We better get something from this. We almost died out there!"

(Y/n) exclaims. Of course, the statement is an exaggeration when Gojo is around but still they tackle the instructor, crying out their pleas for a reward.

"All right, alright, just stop…whatever this is."

There is a pause in Yaga's sentence as he tries to figure out words to explain the shenanigans of the trio.

"We'll leave the area once Shoko is done with the victim."

After a few minutes of waiting, she returns to the gang. All of them jump happily upon her arrival and greet her with a hug. "Finally you're here, they couldn’t wait for you." Gojo tells her.

"So where do you all want to go?"

Their teacher asks them. As if all of them have the same thing in mind, they look at each other with a huge grin on their faces.

"Sushi Diner!"

"Ramen Shop!"

"5-Star Resto!"

The three of them said in unison. Yaga rubs his temples, knowing where this might lead. The trio grab on to Shoko, persuading her to choose their choices. But she responded as undecided, she couldn't care less where they would eat either way.

"For your information, I killed more curses than the total of yours two."

Gojo said with pride.

"And, I'll be the one paying." He added.

They couldn't object. After all, free food tastes better

Note: An attempt of humor. And, big gaps between paragraphs.

[sweetpeathecat]

Mei and Monkey King bonding part 3

Mei was taken aback she saw Monkey King speed up. Not wanting to lose him she picked up the pace. Mei always loved going fast so she thought it wouldn’t be hard to catch up to him. It turns out that the Monkey King is a lot faster than she expected.

Monkey King looked over his shoulder to see if the little dragon was keeping up. She was in fact keeping up, but with much effort. Sun Wukong continues to weave though the crowd and then in the back alleys. Monkey King actives his Golden Vision again, in search of something. He eventually hit a seemingly dead end. However, what he actually saw was a a barrier behind an illusion of a dead end of the alleyway. The barrier was pretty weak. Only bent to keep out humans and less powerful demons. Compared to the barrier on the map, this was child’s play. With a little push and and power, the illusion and barrier shattered to pieces. Monkey King dropped his mostly human disguise. He steps inside the space behind the now broken barrier and waits for Mei to catch up to him.

Mei was getting frustrated with this little game of “cat and mouse”. She was wondering why he even “running” away in the first place. She want even running but speed walking and she still was have trouble keeping up. Another turn in the alleyways and Mei had lost track of Monkey King. Mei wanted to scream in frustration until she heard the sound of something breaking. She rushed towards the sound. What what see saw next was an alleyway with an opening that didn’t seem to match the rest of the alley. As she approached, Mei heard the sound of songbirds singing. The sent of flowers came from the opening in the alley wall. Well if she couldn’t find Monkey King then at least she could explore this.

In the hole in the wall was a breath taking secret garden. In it was a stone path leading to a pond filled with carp fish, turtles, water lilies and lotus flowers. On the left side of the pond was a a bunch of different flowers. In many different colors. On the right were plum blossom trees. One of the trees had it’s branches hanging over the pond. In this tree sat the Monkey King. She noticed that he look like himself again.

See that the little dragon had finally noticed him, Sun Wukong piped up. He congratulated Mei for keeping up and finding him. Mei blow out of her nose in annoyance. Cutting to the chase, he asked her why was she following him in the first. He figured that it was important so he had lead them somewhere private. Monkey King leaned down. Laying on his stomach with his head in his hands. Tell her that he was all ears. His voice and body language seem playful and relaxed. However something about his expression looked tense and a bit sharper than normal. Back on their journey together he looked carefree and a bit silly most of the time. It seemed like he wasn’t taking the situation seriously and wast everyone’s time. But now he seemed a bit different. So she tuck a deep breath and asked her questions. “Why wasn’t he fully honest with them about the LBD and Samadhi Fire? Why should she trust the Monkey King with training MK when he had already broke his heart? Do you actually care about MK or do you just want to pass on your problems onto someone else?”

Her first question what something Monkey King figured the little dragon would ask. It was what re want to apologize for in the first time place. The last two questions catch him off guard though. Monkey King’s eyes widened and his head raises out of his hands. Did she really think that he didn’t care for MK? That Sun Wukong was just using MK to get what he wants? (Like Macaque did) Sun Wukong’s character has been called into question so many times. He was used to it. Literally everything coming out of Macaque’s mouth was an assault to his character. After all this time it still hurts.

Monkey King pondered how to answer her. With questions to answer first. He figured that he should answer the most important question first regardless of order they were asked in. Monkey king hopped out of the tree. He looked Mei dead in the eye and said MK’s safety and well-being are his top priority. How he trains him. What dangers he lets MK handle on his own. With ones he takes over in dealing with. The Lady Bone Demon and the Samadhi Fire were something Sun Wukong though was too dangerous for MK to handle. He thought he had enough time to find a way to handle the whole situation. Have MK do some long distance learning/self study until he got back. He didn’t know that both LBD and Macaque were mess with Mei during his absence. MK hadn’t told him after he unlocked his Astral Projection. Monkey King himself was quite busy look for a way to beat LBD. As for the Samadhi Fire, he was planing to remove safely remove the piece inside her and then deal with LBD by himself. He never planned on letting the Monkey Kid crew join him. When they all did join in, he wanted to keep the group as calm as possible during this situation. Even if that ment him acting like a court jesters. It wasn’t for Macaque’s interference, Mei wouldn’t have to bears the full weight and power of the Samadhi Fire.

Regardless of what his reasoning. He had handled the situation poorly. He understand that Mei was still upset and had a right to be. With a bow, Sun Wukong apologies to Long Mei. He remained bowing until Mei spoke. For her part, Mei was taken aback. First by his serious and genuine tone. She had expected him to joke the whole time. Making light of the situation. However he went in depth his explanation. How much he truly cared for MK. Finally the apology itself. This situation takes her back to New Years. When Red Son and her were in the Celestial Peach Orchard. How Red Son had opened up to her a bit. That small act changed her whole perception on the fire demon. Maybe see can give the Monkey King a second chance too. Coming out of her thoughts she saw that the Monkey King was still bowing. Clearing her throat to get his attention. Monkey King looks up at the sound. Mei looks him in the eyes with a smile. She states the she Long Mei forgives Sun Wukong. That as long as he treat MK well and tries to communicate best then thing was good between them. Monkey King straightens back up and sights in relief.

With that matter settled, Mei states that she has some more fun questions to ask. Monkey King tells her to go ahead. Closing the distance between them, she asks him about this place. Sun Wukong answers that the garden used to be a public park. Until the construction of more high risers hide it away. Then a butterfly demon found it and claimed it was their own. Although it’s still technically city property. Monkey King will put the barrier and illusion back up when they leave. Monkey King ask her how did she find in the crowd. She said that she had fouls a tea shape. The craftsman told that someone had commissioned a custom tea set. She had ask about the commissioner and they matched Monkey King’s color scheme. Commenting that he needed a better disguise. Monkey King sights and pouts. He thought his disguise was pretty good. Mei asked another question. Who was the tea set for? What it for himself, a friend, family, maybe even a lovers? Mei giggles at the last part. Monkey King pokes her nose and calls her nosey. She give him a smudge grin and puts on her best “puppy eyes”. Hoping that he would spill the bean. Monkey King her a flat face, hoping she would let it go. She did not, playful continuing her begging until he gave in. With a a big dramatic sight he did. He said that he would only tell her if she promised to keep it a secret until it’s done and gifted. Mei agreed to his terms and eagerly waited for the answer. When got the answer, she agreed that it was a great gift and he would love it. With all questions asked for now, the two walked out of the garden together. Monkey King did put back the barrier and illusion. The two went their separate way on good terms.