#excuse my poor coloring outside the lines

[mothsakura]

testing out a new artstyle for slugs, admittedly i like this style better than my previous one, makes them look slightly more alien in a way?

[mountingpulisic]

SENSE OF COMFORT

part one

it was lewis who called you, concerned about mason’s recent behavior, not only on the field but off as well.

“hey, y/n it’s lewis. i know you’re probably busy right now but it’s about mason. he hasn’t been himself in awhile and i know it’s probably the break up to be blamed. just please call me back when you get this or maybe even call him? alright, love. i’ll catch you later.”

it was evident in lewis’s sigh at the end of the voice message that he was rattled by his brother’s sudden behavior.

after the breakup mason started to appear in the tabloids more, paparazzi catching him leaving the clubs almost every evening, with a different girl clinging to his arm.

to say the pictures didn’t hurt would be a lie, it had cut you deep. however, you knew deep down you couldn’t be upset. you were the one who caused his pain, the one that had him out until two am partying with strangers and missing trainings.

mason on the pitch wasn’t any better, as if he wasn’t getting ridiculed enough before the break up, it was ten times worse now. so called fans typed hateful messages to him after he would play poorly. pointing out that his head wasn’t in the game and that he needed to find it soon or else he would get traded. you knew that it would break the poor portsmouth boy heart if he had to trade in his signature blue uniform for one of another color.

“he’s calling again.” your assistant spoke, holding up the cellular device that displayed a picture of lewis on the screen. you gently took the device and excused yourself to another room to speak to him privately.

“hey lewis.” you answered, nervously pacing up and down the narrow hallways awaiting his response.

“y/n, hey, glad i was finally able to reach you. did you get my message?” he asked, knowing already that you did or you wouldn’t have picked up the second time he called.

“yeah, i did. i was just getting ready to call you back.”

that was a lie.

you intended on ignoring the voice message all together, figuring you had already dug yourself in a hole deep enough with mason and planned on not crawling your way out anytime soon.

“he misses you, y/n.”

his sentence was meet with silence, just like mason’s cry for help was that night he stood in front of you begging for you to let go of your fear.

lewis exhales loudly, “y/n, mason didn’t share the details into why exactly you guys broke up but whatever the reason had gotten him all torn up. look, i’m not asking you to swoop in and save the day. just please talk to him at least? he is at the bridge right now training.”

his last sentence brought confusion to your face because you were certain that they had been dismissed on break the following week. only knowing that due ben’s posting about his trip to ibiza on instagram.

“he stayed home this time, wanting to get better for the international season.”

“lewis, it’s pouring outside?” shifting your gaze to the window next to you, rain coming down a steady pace.

“i know, he insisted.”

silence filled the line once again as you had a silent battle with your head and your heart. your head was telling you that this wasn’t your job anymore, that you didn’t have to pick back up the pieces of mason’s broken heart. your heart on the other hand, cursed at you for causing the breakage in the first place.

“okay, i’m on the way.”

the drive to the training facility was a quiet one, the only sound filling your car was the rain violently coming down on your windshield. when you had reach your destination you were sure to grab your umbrella to shield you from the down pour; getting sick wasn’t in your agenda either today.

your feet followed the path under the tunnel and out onto the pitch where you spotted a soaked mason. he looked concentrated as he aligned his foot to the ball, kicking it with force. he unfortunately missed the net and screamed out a series curse words, tugging tightly onto his hair.

“mason.” you called out, causing the number nineteen star to halt his movements. he slowly looked over to where you were and suddenly he forgot what it was like to breath.

you two hadn’t seen each other since that morning when you left. you had quietly mumbled a sorry as you passed him in the kitchen whilst grabbing your keys. since then it had been remote silence from both of you, neither reaching out to the other.

“what are you doing here?” mason asked, shouting lightly since you were a good distance away from him.

“lewis called, his worried about you.” you say in response, hands clutching tighter around the umbrella handle. “mason, you really need to get out of this weather. you’re going to catch a cold.”

“why do you care? i’m not your problem anymore.” mason bit back, voiced laced in bitterness as he kicked the ball harshly into the net.

“mason can we no-“

“what was it about me that you were ashamed of?” he interrupted, closing the distance between the two of you. from this angle you could see his once chocolate eyes that were filled of happiness had turn to a much darker color when they were set on you.

“was it because i’m a shit player? that i don’t deserve my spot on the team?” he asked hypothetically, running his fingers through his hair.

“or was it because i’m the reason why chelsea isn’t doing so good right now in league? huh, sweetheart, could you not be seen with the failure? was i going to ruin your image?”

you knew he was only projecting but damn did it hurt. you shifted uncomfortably under his bleak gaze, not having the strength to look him in the eyes.

“damn it, y/n! tell me why i wasn’t good enough!” mason shouted, you felt as if his tone had shaken the field the two of you were on. before he could shout once more, you were quick to speak up.

“mason, i told you the reasoning behind me wanting to keep us a secret.” you defended, eyes staring back at his now. mason sarcastically laughed and let his head dip back.

“since you don’t want to tell me the truth, you can just fuck off.” with that being said, he started to make his way back to the spot you found him in.

those words caused something in you to switch. dropping your umbrella, you crouched down and picked up a spare ball, lunging it right at mason’s head.

“no you don’t get to tell me to fuck off, mount!” you screamed.

“did you ever stop to think this that maybe for a second that me wanting to keep us a secret wasn’t about you? that maybe it was about me?” you were quickly getting soaked as the rain started pouring down even harder than before. mason went to speak but you held up your hand to signal for him to shut up.

“i’m scared mason! i’m scared that once we let other people into our bubble that they are going to bring their pins and needles, and do everything in their possible minds to pop it!” you had seen it first hand with y/ex/n. how ruthless the media was to tearing down not only you but your relationship too. you were constantly told you weren’t good enough, that he was probably cheating on you with his co-stars, that he was only with you to elevate his status.

“no you didn’t, you just automatically assumed this was about you, and your flaws. but it’s not mason, it’s about me and my fear that i was going to let the voices win and let them tear down what we build up.” at this point a few tears fell from your eyes, hoping that the rain disguises them. however, you were sure you were caught when mason’s face softens drastically, taking a few steps towards you and grabbing your hands. you tried fighting him off but in the end he had won.

“y/n, i’m sorry, love i didn’t even think to factor in what could’ve possibly caused for you to want to keep us a secret. gosh i feel like a major asshole right now.” he had brought you into his chest as he softly stroked your hair, mumbling a million sorrys.

“no mase, i should’ve been more aware of your feelings as well. i should’ve been more vocal about my worries towards publicizing our relationship. i’m the one whose sorry, i shouldn’t have just let you walk out the bedroom that night.” now you were crying, shaking uncontrollably in mason’s gasp, he just held you even tighter.

“if you want us to been known to the world, then i’ll swallow my fear. i won’t let the comments get between us, mase, i just want what we have back.”

instead of a response you were met with mason’s wet lips pressed to your own, slowly snaking his arms around your waist and pulling you remotely closer even though it wasn’t possible. your hands found a home on the back of his neck, and you two stood in that position for what felt like an eternity.

pulling away slowly, you stared into each other eyes. it was the first time in two months you were able to analyze the brunettes face closely once again.

“mase, i just have one question though.”

“go ahead, love. you can ask me anything.”

“did you sleep with those girls you were caught leaving the club with?” you didn’t know why it had bothered you so much, you two were broken up for christ sake.

“did it make you jealous?” mason asked, head tilting back slightly to read your expression. you unashamedly nodded your head.

“no, i didn’t. i actually had just asked them to follow me out the club hoping you would see the tabloid and become jealous. thought it was have you knocking at my door.”

"mason!"

[baby-girl-e]

Their Legacy part 2

Characters - Iceman x Maverick, Original Female character x Phoenix, Rooster, Dagger squad, Original Male character

Summary - Legacy wins Top Gun and gets to tell her extremely proud family and flirt with a pretty girl

Word Count - 3.5k

Warnings - None :)

A/N - It’s me hi, I’m the problem it’s me! I know it’s been ages since I posted the first part of this fic and I have no other excuse but that I more than likely have something wrong with my brain that prevents me from sticking to something for long! (my poor therapist and publishing agent) And that I am working on my debut book so this kinda took a back seat! BUT! I am back with a chapter I hope you like (: 

The last week before graduation flew by almost as fast as the F-18’s they were using, and before she knew it, Legacy was prepping for the graduation ceremony the next day. Her and Thunder had stayed in their front lining spot and were winning the trophy at the ceremony. She still hadn’t told her dad’s which she knew was cruel but hey, she wanted to surprise them. Now she knew she couldn’t keep something like that hidden from her Admiral father because he knew and saw all, so she decided to tell him herself after she heard the news, practically begging Merlin to keep quiet until she could tell him. 

Which brought her where she was now, nervously standing outside of an office she knew well. She wasn’t nervous he wouldn’t be proud of her, that much was obvious, she was just anxious because this was so big. Nepotism ran rampant in the Navy, it’s all about who you know and what they can do for you, but her father actively fought against it. Not once did her dad ever make a call on her behalf (something she held over her other dad’s head) or put in a good word. Sure she was asked constantly if her last name ‘Kazansky’ was because of the Kazansky, and she never lied, but she never brought it up herself. A simple “yes” was enough and she moved on. She got to the TOP GUN trophy on her own and damn it if she’s not proud of herself. 

After a moment to take a breath she knocked on the door and heard her father say to come in. It’s now or never. 

“Hey dad.” She stepped in and could see him hunched over some paperwork, glasses perched on his nose. 

“‘Hey sweetheart! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sitting down across from him she fiddled with her fingers, a nervous habit. 

“Well, I have some good news and I wanted to tell you in person.”

He lit up at her words and gestured for her to continue. 

“I, uh, won the trophy. I’m Top Gun.”

There were tears in his eyes. Scratch that, the COMPACFLT was actively crying. 

“Oh honey.” And with that he was out of his chair embracing her. Clutching her tight and swaying slightly. 

“Are you proud dad?”

“Proud? oh I’m a step above proud. I’m in awe. I knew you could do it.”

Legacy smiled and held onto her dad, just happy to be here. But she knew there was something else missing. Or more accurately someone.

“Let’s call your father in shall we? He’s out here somewhere. I really ought to put a tracker on him.”

It’s like he read her mind.There was a rumor that went around that he could do that, she believed it on occasion. 

He made a turn for his phone and clicked on the contact labeled ‘Husband’. She remembers the argument that the word ‘husband’ wasn’t cutesy enough for Mav and to settle it her father had added a red heart. “Look there’s a heart, happy?” Paps had just smiled cheekily and admired his husband's contact labeled ‘Baby’ with about every color heart there was. 

“Hey babe, where are you right now?”

She was only hearing half of the conversation, but she could see her dad pretty much shaking with excitement. 

“Well tell Admiral Simpson that you’re wanted by the COMPACFLT.”

…

“Mav can’t you take this seriously? Please tell him but without the innuendo?”

…

“Oh my god you twelve year old boy, our daughter is sitting in my office right now. That light a fire under your ass?”

…

“There you go, I’ll see you in ten.”

He put his phone down and told Elizabeth that Pete would join them in about ten minutes. 

“You know he’s gonna think something bad happened right?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m hoping for. Your dad is kinda dense and needs some encouragement sometimes.”

“Why is he my dad when he’s being dumb, but he’s your husband when he’s being sweet?”

Tom just smiles at his daughter and puts his hand on her shoulder. 

“Because when he’s being dumb I can’t think about what it must say about me that I married him.”

Ten minutes later they hear a rumbling of feet and the door swinging open to find a very frazzled Pete Mitchell. 

“What is it? Are you okay?”

He was breathing deep, and for most men his age that wasn’t a good thing, but her dad was made out of metal so… he was fine. 

“Relax Paps, it's good news.”

He lights up a bit and leans onto the arm of his husband's chair. 

“Oh, well, great!” He turns to his husband, “You could’ve said that before I ran like a madman over here!” 

“What’s the fun in that?” Tom said rather cheekily. 

“Guys! Good news here? Remember?”

Tom turned to his husband and nudged him a little. 

“Listen, it’s pretty good.”

“You know already? You son of a bit-“

“PAPS!” 

He quickly shut his mouth and nodded at her to continue. 

“What I’ve been trying to say is, I won Top Gun. I’m taking home the trophy!” 

Pete jumps up from his perch and picks up his daughter. She’s about an inch taller than him but he never cared. She was his baby. 

“Are you kidding me? Oh my god little princess I’m so proud!!” 

Being called a little princess after sharing the news that she just won a trophy for being one of the best pilots in the entire navy wasn’t exactly what she expected, but hey, it’s her paps. 

“Indeed. That’s three people in this family with the trophy, sorry Pete.”

“Hey I would've won that and you know it.”

Note the skating over the ‘why’ he didn’t win. That was rarely, if ever, brought up.

“Say whatever you want Pete, doesn’t make it true.”

Good god did these two ever stop bickering? She knew the answer to that all too well. It was never. She didn’t miss however the fact that he had said three  people had won the trophy in the family. He was obviously referencing Bradley.  No matter how long it had been since he’d left home and basically took himself out of the equation, they’d always consider him family.

“Well, as much fun as it is listening to you guys bicker, I really should be going. I’ve got a big day ahead of me.”

That seems to kick her parents into high gear. Tom is immediately turning from his husband to his daughter. 

“Yes you do indeed. I’ll talk to Merlin and see if I can be the one to present you with the award.”

“That’d be great. But maybe let him announce it? Let you soak in the moment, yeah?”

“You want me to give you the award but you want Sam to do the talking?”

She nods affirmatively at her father and he gives his husband a look. 

“Cryptic, you’re more and more like your Paps everyday.”

“That’s a compliment, little miss. Take it as one.” Pete wasn’t about to be slandered in front of his daughter. 

The truth was, she still wanted to keep the whole “I changed my last name and I’m proud of it” thing a secret, wanting to make tomorrow even more special. 

With a kiss to each of her fathers’ cheeks she headed out to celebrate with Jake. This was just as much of a celebration for him as it was for her. She had told him to meet her at the Hard Deck and lost track of time so she had to go in uniform. Grand.

“There she is, the woman of the hour!” 

Jake shouted to her as though he had started to celebrate already. Smelling his breath it seemed highly likely. 

“Oh please, I’d be nowhere without you Jake.”

“I know, I was just giving you the opportunity to brag for once, good to know it didn’t last.”

He was right, she rarely bragged. It was all due to the fact that if she did brag it would sound more like bragging on the Kazansky name which she was taught never to do. Maybe she could brag on the Mitchell name, but probably not in the Navy. 

Looking over at the bar she spots Phoenix standing with what she assumed was her WSO. It wasn’t a secret that there weren’t many female aviators, so the ones there were teamed up. It sounded cliche, but the reality of the situation was, women had to stick together. In Legacy’s case, she tried to make friends with as many people as possible, and did her best to look out extra for the women she was around. Even with the Kazansky name, she still had a moment or two where she was looked over or harassed for her gender. That came to a screeching halt when the second person harassing her got a shiny dishonorable discharge from the COMPACFLT himself. After that it was quiet, and she knew her privilege so she tried to get as many people under her umbrella of protection as she could. Was it sad that you had to know people to be protected from harassment? Yes. But was that just the way things were? Unfortunately. 

She decided to approach Phoenix, if she was being honest she was a little shy, an unusual emotion for Legacy. She was usually very confident, a trait all aviators inherited, but when it came to beautiful women she looked up to as a role model? That goes out the window. If she was being completely honest, she was crushing hard on her. 

“Hey, it’s Natasha right?” She decided to go simple, hoping for the best. 

“Yeah, you’re Elizabeth right?”

“Yeah that’s me. My dad is training you guys for your mission.”

Phoenix smiles and turns more towards her. Now they’re an arms length away and Legacy has to remember how to breathe. 

“Captain Mitchell is your dad? I’ve been meaning to ask you how you’re Bradshaw’s sister.” 

Legacy liked her already. Her family’s story was one that was told over and over again in the Navy. She never really got to introduce herself to anyone since everyone already ‘knew’ her. Whether Phoenix really didn’t know her story or she was just being nice and letting her tell it, she appreciated it either way. 

“Well it’s a long story but, Mav adopted Bradley when his mom died. And my mom died when I was a baby and her brother, Admiral Kazansky, adopted me since nobody knew who my biological father was. So as far as I’m concerned Admiral Kazansky is my dad. Mav and my dad have been together since 1986, and raised Bradley and I together so I always considered Mav to be my other dad and Bradley to be my brother, and then they made it legal when they got married in 2015 and Mav adopted me.” 

Phoenix looks like she comprehended that enough, even if it was a lot of information. 

“Wow, that's complicated. That would explain the last name Kazansky then.” She pointed to her shiny name badge.

“Oh yeah, my legal given last name is actually Kazansky-Mitchell, but because of all of the military’s homophobic shit I had to pretend Mav wasn’t my Paps.” 

“That’s rough. Was it hard keeping that secret for so long?”

Oh boy was it. You try telling a kid that they can’t call their dad, “Dad” in public. She had even resorted to not calling him by name in public, feeling weird about calling her dad “uncle”. 

“I had a lot of practice, but every time I had to refer to Paps as ‘Uncle’ it physically hurt me. Him too I’m sure. Did he really not tell you guys this stuff?”

Legacy loved her Paps, but the man had a big mouth. It’s a wonder that he never outed himself. 

“He mentioned that he had a daughter at TOP GUN here and there, but nothing specific. Hey, isn’t graduation tomorrow?”

“Indeed it is.”

“Well, who took the trophy??” She leaned in close, all excited. 

“You’re looking at her.”

Her jaw dropped and swung Liz into a big hug. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying every millisecond of being pressed up against her. 

“No way! Congratulations!” 

She pulled back slightly but didn’t really seem to want to let Liz go. Not that she was complaining, not even a little bit.

“Thanks Nat, it was rough but I did it!”

“Wow, you must be so excited. Guess we’ll get Mav in a good mood tomorrow then?”

“Well you’ve been seeing him in his good mood so far, it doesn’t get any better than when his husband is in town.” 

Nat remembers that she’s still holding Legacy by her arms and releases her. Much to Legacy’s disappointment. 

“Then this plus his husband in town might be a sight to see huh?”

“If you’re not tied up during graduation, you could come see for yourself if you want?” 

This was Legacy’s shameless way of trying to invite her to the graduation. Hopefully it didn’t come off as desperate as it sounded in her head.

“I would love to, I’ll tag along with Bradshaw. Hopefully he won’t mind, I’m powerless to resist an invite from a pretty girl.”

Liz was in such shock from her words that she nearly forgot that she had yet to tell Bradley she won TOP GUN. Did Phoenix really just call her pretty? 

“Well I’m powerless to resist inviting a pretty girl to come to my graduation.” Her aviator confidence just now coming in. Better late than never. 

“So it seems we’ve established we both think the other is pretty. What do you want to do with that information?” Nat takes a step closer, impossibly closer. Her hand comes down on Legacy’s that’s resting on the bar. 

“Hmm, we could take a walk on the beach? Somewhere more private? Talk about it some more?” 

“Lead the way Legacy.” Phoenix gestures towards the doors that lead to the beach. It was quiet in the bar already, even quieter out there. 

Once they made their way outside legacy decided that she’d make the next move and grabbed her hand. It felt right, like that’s where her hand ought to be. 

“So... you think I’m pretty?” Phoenix was known for her confidence, this sudden questioning was... abnormal. 

“Well yeah, have you ever looked in a mirror?” They were walking hand in hand down the beach, seemingly both nervous. They have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and do it without a second thought, but flirting? Forget it. 

“Look Nat, I like you. Like a lot. But I don’t know if this is such a good Idea right now. With Bradley and your mission…” Natasha nodded along like she understood, but stopped walking. 

“I know your brother, he’s going to be impossible, but he will want you to be happy.” She knew she was right, obviously, but she still had her reservations. 

“I don’t know what you’re going up against out there but I do know that you can’t afford to be distracted.” 

Natasha considered this, obviously rolling it around in her head. “Okay, but I expect a kiss when this is all over.” 

Legacy smiled and nodded. “You’ll get one I promise. I’ve got to go tell Brad that I won, but I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Of course. See you tomorrow.” She winked at Legacy before taking her leave. 

Legacy had to giggle to herself for a moment to shake off the flirtatious energy before she went back inside to tell Jake she was leaving. He groaned at her early departure (again) but relented. 

////

Telling Bradley went about the same as it did for everyone else. He was ecstatic for her and gave her a hug not unlike the one her Paps gave her. 

“Liz, I’ll be there I promise.” 

“Even though both our parents will be there?” She made sure to call them our parents.

“Of course. My love for you goes beyond my distaste for them.” She sighed. That was probably as good as it was going to get. But maybe she really was like her paps because she couldn’t help a little push. 

“Are you ever going to forgive them? Come home?” Bradley stepped back and rolled his eyes. 

“Come on Liz. I thought you understood why I can’t.” She put her hand back on his shoulder and made her way into his space again. 

“I do Brad. You know I do. What Paps did was shitty okay? But what you don’t see is their regret. Dad especially. They had me for more of my life, but you were their first kid. Neither of them ever thought they’d be parents, let alone together, but there you were. They love you so much it hurts them, I know it. Just…” She wasn’t sure what to say next. “Just think about it okay? Maybe just talk to Dad if that’s easier.” 

“Lizzy, Iceman is just as at fault in this as Maverick. You know he’s an accomplice.” The callsigns coming from him were weird. At least he wasn’t calling them Captain or Admiral.

“They’re married Roo. Of course they’re going to be together on things. But you know Dad was more reluctant to pull your papers.” He had said so many times, when he didn’t think she was listening. 

He just lowered his head and sighed. “I know. I know. Just… I haven’t ever been able to figure out my mind about this. I know it’s confusing but I just can’t do it yet.” 

She sympathized with him, she really did. Did he have years and years to figure this out? Yes. But was that ever enough time? Nobody really knew. Things tend to happen when they happen regardless of what your timeline is like. 

“It’s okay brad. I just want you to know that they’re ready when you are. And I selfishly want my family back together.” She gave him a hug and took her leave, she didn’t really know what else to say. 

/////

Her Top Gun graduation was exactly what she imagined it would be. She should know she’s been to a few. It was hot and sunny and she was in heaven. She sat in the front row next to her best friend and had a straight shot of her dads on stage smiling just as widely as her. 

“I know you’re all anxious to be done with this and celebrating with your families, but we have one last thing to do and dare I say it’s the most important part of this ceremony.” Merlin had a look in his eye that Legacy knew all too well, and winked at her knowingly. 

“I’d like to ask Admiral Kazansky and Captain Mitchell to please join me if you would,” They got up quickly and joined their friend at the podium. “This is a special ceremony for both me and these men beside me, and those rowdy old flyboys out in the audience.” 

Slider, Wolfman, Hollywood, Chipper, and Sundown had all made their way to the ceremony the minute they heard the news. They had apparently all received calls from both of her parents the minute she had left her dad’s office. The group cheered at Merlin's words. 

“We are all so excited to present this award for ‘Top Gun’ to Elizabeth “Legacy” Kazansky-Mitchell and her RIO Jake “Thunder” Thompson. Come on up here kids.” He then handed her dad the plaque and he looked like he barely realized what had just happened. Paps looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes as they tracked down to the name on the plaque. 

Liz and Jake shook the hands of the airboss and other brass that had joined them and then she was hugged swiftly by her uncle merlin. She stood before the COMPACFLT/ her father and jokingly held out her hand to shake. He had tears in his eyes as he handed her the plaque and hugged her tightly. 

“Oh I’m so proud of you sweetie. So proud.” He whispered only to her. 

As he let go she was brought into another hug by her Paps almost immediately. 

“You know you didn’t need to change your name right?” His voice was shaky and uncertain. Unusual for the great Maverick. 

“I know, but I wanted to. It’s high time your name is on that plaque. You’ve certainly earned it.” She pulled away to see his tears too and couldn’t help but smile wider. Her Paps had been through so much, he deserved this. 

She turned to the audience and sure enough there sat both Phoenix and Bradley, clapping wildly and smiling at her. She didn’t know what she did to get so lucky, but damn was she grateful. 

[rustedskyprisms]

I’m continuing with taking a break from here but I had to tell this story about something that happened when I went to the allergist yesterday lmao.

So, for context, I, obviously, have albinism, and my skin is very white. My dad’s skin is a good amount darker than mine, and this nurse who works there (not my first time dealing with her and yeah she’s…odd) started talking about how my skin was white and my dad’s skin was brown LMAO….I just started laughing because like wtf but I wanted to ask her like what is wrong with you??? I wasn’t offended or anything and neither was he but who just says shit like that???

The reason it’s “acceptable” is because she’s also a brown Mexican (like over 90% of people here are and yeah that’s what my dad is) but holy shit I can’t imagine the things this woman has said when she’s been around people of ethnicities/races she’s not normally around because I just know she’s said shit lmao…..

There was also this girl there with kind of a strange name, and this same nurse said something along the lines of, “where do these young people get their names” LMAO like…..She also wasn’t the only one saying stuff about this girl’s name and I was just thinking like damn poor girl. I wasn’t in the same room as them but I heard everything.

On the subject of skin color, it’s kind of funny how people don’t see beyond that. What I mean is, from my face, I look a lot like my dad, not my mom. My mom is really white though, so I’ve had people say I look more like my mom than my dad and yeah I know why they’re saying that, even though it really makes no sense when you look at us (beyond skin color).

Oh, also, when I was a small kid, like up until I was 5, I would throw fits when overwhelmed or when something I didn’t like happened (not making excuses here but yeah that was undoubtedly largely because of the autism lmao….) and one time my dad took me outside when this happened at Target, and there was this cop who basically thought my dad was kidnapping me….because of the difference in skin color lmao…….

[linkon-city]

01. 𝑰𝑵 𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑵𝑺

The Intel Department, Protocore Research Department, VR Training Center, Armory, Archives... In a towering 20-story building, various sectors with their own responsibilities exist. It offers a variety of services, all meticulously organized and fully equipped to support every aspect of a hunter's work and life.

𝖮𝖳𝖳𝖮-𝖢𝖲𝖤 Hunter's Watch, HOS. 11.4. Metaflux detection system has been updated to the latest version. Guidance for each floor has been uploaded. Use of the Slepen Pod has been approved, and access to the VR Training Center has been granted.

After performing a flurry of dazzling maneuvers on my watch, the spherical robot opens a compartment on its body.

𝖮𝖳𝖳𝖮-𝖢𝖲𝖤 The system log shows you had less than four hours of sleep last night. The quality was also extremely poor.

A console appears from the compartment, and it presents a small pill box.

𝖮𝖳𝖳𝖮-𝖢𝖲𝖤 A special delivery. One Draumril.

I touch the bags under my eyes, my mind replaying the scene of that "eye" appearing by the window last night. I thought Wanderers had appeared, so I rushed out of my home. Despite scanning the nearby area, I didn't find any abnormal traces of energy fluctuations.

𝙼𝙲 I'll try and dig up some info from the squad's files. I'll also be on the lookout tonight.

Suddenly, a holographic screen appears and interrupts my thoughts. The adorable voice resounds in the room once again.

𝖮𝖳𝖳𝖮-𝖢𝖲𝖤 Alpha team has special life insurance for its members. Please sign here.

𝙼𝙲 ...Huh?

𝖮𝖳𝖳𝖮-𝖢𝖲𝖤 The Alpha team is on the third floor. The office is next to the Movere Bridge. This is so, in case of an emergency, you'll be able to arrive anywhere in Linkon City within seconds. I need to go now. Have a great day!

The robot leaves, and I'm all alone. I turn around and see an empty office. Sunlight shines through the glass walls, illuminating a pile of untouched paperwork.

𝙼𝙲 A new recruit's equipment should be at their desk, and mine is...

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 ...A newbie?

I hear a voice in the corner. A table appears from the shadows, and behind three rows of old, widescreen monitors is a man with small eyes scrutinizing me.

𝙼𝙲 He must be my teammate. Hello, I'm—

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 S-stay... Stay right there!

Hesitant, I don't move. I inadvertently look at the array of dark-colored monitors. It's rare to see such old-fashioned products in an era of rapid technological advancement... I guess they're mainly used to avoid small talk. The back of the monitors are plastered with dozens of portraits of Wanderers, big and small. Handwritten notes containing all sorts of information are present. Among them is a familiar face.

𝙼𝙲 Isn't that a Luminivore?

The Wanderers in the records are all rare. It seems this person is quite knowledgeable.

𝙼𝙲 Oh, right. What I saw last night outside my window...

I walk up to the monitor and give it a few taps.

𝙼𝙲 Excuse me. May I ask a question? Do you think there are Wanderers that turn invisible or just disappear in a split second? It's okay if you don't want to answer...

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 What did you see?

As if a switch has been flipped, he suddenly springs up from behind the desk and walks over to me.

𝙼𝙲 Well, it's just...

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 Shh, draw it.

His small eyes look surprisingly bigger as they're fixated on me. He shoves a pen into my hand. Its tip is a flickering red light.

𝙼𝙲 ...A Braimago?

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 You know about them? This has the latest Kenel OS! It's fresh from the oven of our techies! The resolution is three times better than the previous version!

Oh, I only use it for work. That's it. Look, here's the TSC security authentication code. 

I nod and take the pen. I press the switch, then the tip emits three green streaks of light which coil around my arm. The memory of what was behind the curtain appears in my mind once more. The moment the pen touches the paper, lines begin to dance across it. In a matter of seconds, that fearsome eye is drawn out.

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 It's beautiful...

𝙼𝙲 ?

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 I mean. It looks dangerous.

Recalling what I saw, I manually added a few more details.

𝙼𝙲 That's all I can remember.

𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙾 Just leave it to me.

𝙹𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 Nero. Andrew is looking for you.

The door swings open. Captain Jenna walks in. It seems she just returned from a mission.

��𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 Let me remind you that Data Analytics is on the fifth floor. If you prefer to hide out here for some peace and quiet, you might as well request a transfer.

Nero doesn't dare to respond. He snatches the pen and paper from my hand and runs away without looking back.

𝙼𝙲 Ma'am.

𝙹𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 Call me Captain like everyone else. Jenna works too. How's the paperwork? If there are any issues, you should speak up now. 

𝙼𝙲 Everything's going well, but the squad...

𝙹𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 It's normal for us not to be here. We don't need to sit in HQ all the time if there's no mission.

𝙼𝙲 I see.

Perhaps sensing my awkwardness, she smiles.

𝙹𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 Relax. Yes, our job can be dangerous. But before any mission is assigned, Advanced Tech Labs considers the hunter's Evol, overall capabilities, and efficacy.

Of course, while efficacy can be measured, people are another story. Outside of urgent missions, you're allowed to pick and choose.

Don't worry, you won't be forced to resign from Alpha team on your first day.

𝙼𝙲 Understood. Thank you, Captain Jenna.

I feel a vibration on my wrist. As I lift my arm, the Hunter's Watch shows me the virtual user interface for missions.

𝙹𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 Perfect. Advanced Tech Labs has a job for you. Hear them out first, then go take a look.

𝙼𝙲 Yes, Captain!

𝙹𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰 Getting to that place will be tricky. I have a 207 HM already parked near Movere Bridge for you.

[tuliharja]

BLEACH: Thousand-year Blood War ep 4 review

RIP Hidetomo Kajomaru. As a manga reader, I already knew you would die after your explanation. You served your purpose and you did it well.

Oh gosh. Jugram's voice is so hot. He is otherwise hot. Excuse me for fangirling, but when I first time saw him...I right to way wished he and Byakuya would have ikeman showdown! Like yes, even if it would only be a comical encounter, so what? I think it would have been funny...too bad this Bleach version doesn't have "Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book" at the end of it, but I get it. This is supposed to be as serious as anime can be because it's about war and things are super-duper serious. But still...imagine Byakuya and Jugram having intense ikeman showdown where sparkles multiply as they flip their hair like some sort of models, fangirls screaming and fainting left and right, and just when they're about to rip their uniforms show some eye candy, a wild Kenpachi crashed and steals the victory because he flashes that predator smile while mega-sparkles fly! Oh yeah. Don't try to deny it. You would have loved that kind of showdown.

I loved how Rose did all but bleed out his heart to NaNaNa Najahkoop about Izuru and how Izuru was his muse. It was super cute and made me feel sympathy toward him as a fellow artist (not as a music maker as I can't make one even if my life would depend on it) as it just sucks when your muse is gone (in this case quite physical sense), yet he was still quite chill (at least to outside.)

Oooh, Äs Nödt's introduction was very cool! I can't wait to hear how people are going to spell his name when/if they'll...(Because people who don't use 'ä' and 'ö' in their alphabet normally can't spell them correctly.) Also, it made me a bit chuckle how that lone shinigami who tried to keep the morale up survived just in time for Renji to rescue him...yet unlike other one-minute or few more minutes new characters, he didn't get a name or even a rank. You poor thing. At least you survived enough for Renji to rescue you... And good thing Byakuya came to help Renji! (And yes, I fangirled again a bit when he just walked on the scene like he was taking a stroll in the neighborhood...) I loved how chill Byakuya was and having his 'superior' talk to bad guys. Classic Byakuya, I must say.

Bambietta calling Komamura a doggy was funny/cute and brought back that joke of Komamura being a dog, even though he is a wolf... I can't wait to see their proper showdown! That little bit of what we saw already was very cool, but what surprised me a bit was the fact that Bambietta's bombs remained blue-white. Like I understand that because her Quincy powers manifest as bombs, those would be that color, but even so...I don't know. I suppose as long as it's part of Quincy's power, their power will appear in that color. Just like Äs Nödt's spikes.

Seeing bits of other captains fighting their opponents all around Seireitei really made it feel like the war is going on fully on Seireitei. Visually speaking (writing) it was a really good pull as usually in shonen anime fights it can feel like a huge group of people is fighting in a very limited area and while Seireitei is kind of 'small', it isn't exactly that small...it's in fact super big city. So, that spacious feeling and each captain has their individual fights were important as they're fighting separately yet at the same time.

Though, I must admit I liked the fact they gave Byakuya's fight toward Äd Nödt more focus than with other captains' -at least for now. Though...the impact of how Byakuya stated 'they stole Bankai' could have been a bit better. Now it didn't really hit home, but considering how Byakuya is...it's no surprise. Though, I would have wished the animators could have portrayed that feeling of 'I just lost part of me' better, because in the manga as a reader I could feel Byakuya's terror, but now? Not really. Now it was more along the lines of 'okay, this is bad, but I'll manage'. Like how? Because apparently, every captain has forgotten 'oh yeah, we've kido'... But luckily we had Toshiro to deal with the more impactful of 'they stole my Bankai!!' Always trust Toshiro to deliver that panic over losing something precious to himself... I think Soi Fon's reaction was a bit surprising, as while it was in the filler where she claimed she trained other tricks to use just so she doesn't have to rely solely on her Zanpakuto and its skills, I felt like her horror over the matter didn't suit her. And eh, Komamura...goes to show when canines are angry/fearing, they'll show all their teeth.

Also. once again it was proven communication is important but so underappreciated. I mean, Mayuri had a point when he questioned why they couldn't just wait for his analysis to be complete. Why the need to rush? Yes, the situation is dire and serious, but seriously...if it was already before stated their Bankai could be nullified, why still try one's luck? Because 'I won't believe it until I, myself, have tried it!' Such arrogance. Not to mention, there was like zero planning or leading in this. I mean, they had captains' meeting, but apparently planning for the upcoming war they knew that was coming wasn't something they did? It also made me wonder...even if Yamamoto wouldn't have given them any advice on what to do or how to act apart from 'be on alert!' the captains themselves could have like talked with themselves or sort of? Or, at least waited for Mayuri to complete his analysis and not jump the gun, like they did...I'm still baffled there was like zero planning in this. No wonder Quincies had quite an easy time... Like yes, making counter plans toward the unknown is hard, but not impossible. Even when reading the manga I couldn't help but wonder why Kubo rendered the shinigami so...useless. I get that Ichigo is the star of the show, but even so... So yeah, Mayuri's outburst was justified, even though Kyoraku tried to gloss it over. Like, kido, anyone? No one? Okay then.

(Also, Yamamoto mourning over Sasakibe's death isn't any excuse to mop around like a sad blob when the rest of his subordinates and other people are dying left and right. Like yes, Sasakibe's death was a big loss to him, but even so...)

Luckily Akon decided to call for Urahara, even though it was basically 'I'll call for shonen protagonist to rescue our butts'. Though...even so, the fact Urahara had to deal the final blow to Quilge Opie, made me wonder how exactly Ichigo will deal with the bad guys. I understand that for shonen protagonist to keep his 'innocence' he can't kill, but even so...but I guess that's just shonen magic to you! The protagonist will beat up the bad guys and then someone will come and deal the final blow, dirtying their hands because...well, because the plot requires it. Expect in this case, the 'bad guy' won't just die! (At least not yet.) I'm still a bit surprised over the fact Quilge Opie left Urahara basically unscathed, apart from that lone arrow he hit to him, while Orihime and Sado got beaten down badly...but I suppose it's because they fought against him. Though, I think Orihime mostly covered Sado when he fought.

Also, that last quote at the end...was it Sasakibe speaking? The picture, words, and voice suited him, so I suppose it was him at the end speaking. Kinda ties the whole Yamamoto mourning over his death...

[rayofsunas]

"what's this about a video game?"

a/n: i'm back!! i hope you're all having a great week :) good news! i have the next two weeks of requests written out and ready to be posted mon and fri :)) I'm trying to get ahead of myself before i get busy with adult things ;-; anyways, enjoy! <3

summary: in which the boys are transferred to the real world, only to learn that they're just video game characters, who gamers adore and save/spend hundreds to thousands of dollars trying to get.

characters: aether, albedo, scaramouche, xiao.

warnings: swearing, slight violence, police (i know how difficult this topic has been for so long, even more recently, but there is no police violence - i don't condone that at all!), weapons, CRACK/sarcasm, fluff, spoilers if you're new to the game, (i keep forgetting this is not the baby daddy universe and i write fem pronouns for scara's reader ALWAYS, apologies besties. the other three are gender-neutral though!!), once again scaramouche's is way longer than the other three combined sigh. click their names to see their modernized outfits! (none of the amazing art belongs to me! credits to the artists)

word count: 3.3k

Aether

Everything was going alright, your day was as chill as it had been in weeks. But no sooner did you step away from your friends at the amusement park to use the restroom, did things go terribly wrong.

First, all of the stalls were occupied, leaving you waiting for a good while in an excruciatingly long line outside. And to make matters worse, as soon as you got the chance to finally use the restroom, your phone fell out of your pocket onto the tiled floor while you were washing your hands, cracking the expensive device in the process. Now you would have to shell out the money to fix or probably even buy an entirely new phone. And now, a blonde boy who looked oddly familiar was standing directly in front of you, having just come out of your shattered phone...

"Are you real?" You asked nervously, staring at the boy with wide eyes. Of course, you recognized him immediately. Aether - the male traveler in a very popular video game you sometimes play during your free time - Genshin Impact.

He had to be real, right? You legit just watched him come out of your phone... maybe you were just tired and overworked, yeah, that made much more sense.

"Are you real?" As soon as the blonde spoke, you felt the shockwaves overcome you, and it clicked. This was real, he was real. Though, you were more shocked that he actually had a voice behind that adorable face...

"How is this possible... I choose Lumine as my traveler." You whispered to yourself, ironically, more curious as to why he was here instead of Lumine than the fact that a video game character was actually standing in front of you.

"You've seen Lumine?!" The boy suddenly yelled, drawing the attention of very few around the public bathrooms.

"No, I-" Oh. How cruel of you to bring his missing sister up, the one who he hasn't seen in so long. "I mean in the game... sorry."

"What game?"

"Your game."

"I have a game?"

"Yeah." You laughed. "It's pretty popular."

as soon as aether gets over the initial shock that he's in an entirely different world, with odd colorful rides and people dressed in bright, tight clothes, he starts asking so many questions.

"have you seen paimon? she's usually just right here..." "i haven't sorry..."

"what is that big colorful spinning circle?" "a ferris wheel!" "do you happen to know where my sister is? you mentioned her." "the players haven't seen her in a while... but I could tell you where to start?"

yes, telling poor, sweet, innocent aether that his younger sister has joined the abyss for unknown reasons, is hard.

he doesn't believe you, not at first that is... you couldn't blame him.

but when he starts to accept that what you're saying is the truth because all the proof you have is in-game, he has excuses for her actions...

"i'm sure she's doing this to protect me. she's always looked out for me! i don't think there's any ill intent behind this."

"i hope you're right, aether."

now that aether, at least for now, knows lumine is alive and seemingly well, he's much more relaxed and isn't asking about her twenty-four seven.

but nonetheless, despite how calm, and peaceful your world seems in comparison to teyvat, he does want to return to find his sister.

that's all he wants, truthfully!

you understood his choice, hell, you expected it. so, you make it your mission to help the boy somehow return to teyvat, and you don't plan on stopping until he's safe and sound back in mondstadt.

"when i return to teyvat and when i find my sister, i'd love to return to your world and introduce lumine to the lovely person who's dedicated so much of their time to see me happy."

Albedo

As soon as you stepped into your apartment, you heard odd spark sounds coming from somewhere in the small space, followed by low hisses of pain.

What the actual hell...

There, sitting comfortably on your couch was the Albedo. From Genshin Impact, the very popular game with incredibly attractive and adorable characters, who have, over the span of seven months, taken more than a few paychecks totally meant for bills.

In all his glory, there sat the famed alchemist, who oh yeah, wasn't real. Before you could stop yourself, you began laughing uncontrollably, without a care in the world, nor the mental capacity to process what was going.

Plopping down beside the man, who now seemed very uncomfortable due to your laughs and giggles, your weary eyes scanned the room, noticing the flickering and spark sounds were coming from your PC by the entrance to your bedroom.

"I've just had a very long shift at the hospital, so I don't have the mental capacity nor energy to talk to fictional characters right now," you explained, body feeling heavy as he eyed you.

"Um... do you need a doctor? I'm afraid I cannot be of assistance, but I do know-"

"That's not one of your voice lines..." You muttered stiffly, but nonetheless, this couldn't be real. Many nights, you had found yourself talking to fictional characters after incredibly tiring and long shifts in the Emergency Room, you were typically drowsy and daydreamed as soon as you arrived home; you blame your lack of a social life outside of work... even though this situation was quite... weird... your body relaxed and your eyes gently closed. "When I open my eyes, you'll be gone, like always!" You said with a small chuckle, allowing the darkness to encompass you.

"I'm afraid I don't understand... why're you laughing?" The man asked, surprising you, even more, when he spoke so nonchalantly.

You ignored the sandy blonde, gently drifting off to sleep. "You're very funny, Mr. Alchemist! I'm actually going to sleep now, bye!"

let's just say, when you woke up the next morning uncomfortably on the couch, albedo was NOT gone.

in fact, the sandy blonde was roaming your apartment, pacing in front of you when you'd woken up

"you're not gone? maybe i should check myself into the hospital..."

"you're awake. i hope you don't mind, but i went through your cupboards in hopes of finding food."

"you don't have much."

"...i need to go grocery shopping..."

why in the world was he still here? and looking so calm nonetheless...

"i'm afraid i also broke that box over there."

box = your pc :( that cost so much to buy

"a-ah... no biggie! it only cost me over a thousand dollars!!"

"apologies."

after albedo explained what he'd come to the conclusion of, you realized he was in fact real, especially after he began saying things not originally in his voice lines...

"sorry, if i stare... i just can't believe you're real."

he promises that somehow he'll pay you back, but you're not holding him to it, because how in the world can he pay you back if you have two different currency's? mora doesn't exist in the real world...

nonetheless, he's determined!! he even says he'll fix it for you! but you're also not sure how he'll be able to do that since even you, someone very familiar with the real world, had trouble...

he doesn't stop apologizing, and since you explain that neither of the options he suggested could fix the little accident, all you ask for is his company :)

in return? he wants to explore your world!

take him to the largest library in your area! he could sit for hours in there, and definitely wants to take some books back home for research purposes.

you can find him more often than not in the "historical figures" section or part of the room where there is a huge world map on the wall - overall? he's so intrigued and definitely doesn't mind that he somehow ended up here!

Scaramouche

When you got a call about a possible hostage situation at your local mall, you weren't expecting this at all...

"Sir, I'm not going to ask you again!" Yelled one of the officers from your station. "Let him go." She snapped, eyes glaring into the dark arcade, only lit with dim neon lights.

You've seen her around filing paperwork and in interrogation rooms questioning minor suspects, but never out on the field in a situation like this... she was a rookie if you remembered correctly, and this was her first time out on the field.

"What's going on?" You exclaimed rushing down one of the pairs of escalators, hand on your hip where your gun laid in the belt, approaching the young officer who was also mirroring your actions.

"There's a man inside the arcade, he has somebody in there with him; it's a hostage situation."

"Have you called for backup?" You asked, moving slowly to the right in hopes of getting a better view into the arcade.

"Yes, one of the officers on patrol will be here soon, he was a few minutes away when you arrived."

"Good," You exclaimed, eyes widening when you noticed somebody shifting around in the dark shadows. "Where's your partner?"

"She and a few of mall security are escorting civilians out of the building." You nodded, happy she seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Alright, great job," You praised, she offered you a tight-lipped smile before her eyes were back on the arcade. "It doesn't look like he's coming out. Did you see a weapon on him?"

"No." She answered, to which you nodded at and began walking slowly towards the suspect and his victim.

"Okay, keep your guard up. He may have one concealed, but do not take your gun out. It's not needed right now."

"Follow close behind me." With that, the young cop did as instructed and got in line behind you. The closer you got to the arcade, the more of the entrance you could see, and that's when you finally saw the man. No way...

"Scaramouche?"

Your fellow officer's eyes whipped in your direction, stunned. "You know him?"

No, not really. "Ah, yes, sorta. It's complicated." You waved her off, hand drawing away from the weapon, arms relaxing. If this was real, if he was real, there's no way he could harness and use his vision here. He would've already done so already, right?... you were safe, for now...

"How do you know my name?" Called the man, further proving who you assumed he was. His voice was identical, as were those glowing violet eyes in the dark, lined with red eyeliner.

"He doesn't seem to recognize you." The girl behind you muttered.

You chuckled nervously, "It's been a few years..."

"I'm going to go in." You exclaimed, walking smoothly into the arcade's entrance.

"What?" She called after you.

"Cover me."

"O-Okay!"

Inside the dark area, you noticed an emergency light switch on the wall, next to the fire alarm and sprinkler switch. With the flick of your finger, the lights in the room were on.

"Hey there," You smiled warmly, hoping to get him to lower his guard. "If you pretend to recognize me, getting you out of this situation will be a lot easier. Though, you're going to have to release the man,"

"Or else I'll have no choice but to arrest you."

Scaramouche glared at the man in the corner of the room, in a fetal position, without a doubt scared out of his mind. "No, he's a thief. He stole my belongings." The video game character snapped violently.

Now with your attention turned to his victim, you said, "Sir if you have his things you should return them, that will fix everything."

"He's insane! I didn't take his crap, I'm a-" Scaramouche whipped around fast enough to silence the man.

"A thief and a liar... my stuff is right over there in that window, you idiot!" Following Scaramouche's extended arm, across the arcade you spotted a shop, a cosplay shop nonetheless. In the window, various anime and video game character's cosplay and souvenirs could be seen. You only recognized Scaramouche's hat and outfit, and the attire of a character from a popular anime.

"That isn't your stuff." You exclaimed to which Scaramouche stared at you as if you were stupid. "But I can help you find it."

"I don't need your help because it's right there!" Scaramouche yelled.

With a sigh, you extended your arm, motioning to the entrance and exit of the arcade. "Alright, sir, you're free to go, the officer right outside will escort you home."

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you." You smiled, hoping to ease him out of his instinctual position. Eventually, he stood on his feet and stumbled quickly past you and Scaramouche.

"You don't give orders, I do. Get back here!"

With the roll of your eyes, you said, "You're lucky I'm an officer who sometimes plays Genshin Impact, or else you'd be in jail right now."

escorting scaramouche out of the mall was a hard task, which ended up leaving him handcuffed; he wouldn't comply, you had no choice...

he yapped the whole car ride back to the station, and complained that he was still missing his belongings; his hat and catalyst.

you promised the dark-haired man you'd help him, as long as he shut his mouth until you made it to your office

he still didn't be quiet once you got back, he only seemed to talk more to anger you.

"you're lucky i play your game." you kept reminding him, hoping he knew how lucky he was to be in this unique situation where he wasn't facing any legal trouble.

he didn't seem to care though... "what exactly do you do?" "i'm a police officer; we regulate rules, and enforce safety."

"so, not a soldier?"

"commoner, I see. your rank is pathetic."

he's very rude to someone who just saved his ass, ahh.

despite his... shock as to where he is. he's not so bothered or overwhelmed by it, he just wants his stuff back! he's seen his fair share of things, so this situation is really nothing to fear...

but let's get this straight, if you stroke his ego with compliments, he'll stop being difficult to deal with and actually work with you to find his missing belongings.

"you're popular despite your character not being released yet, but i personally haven't seen much cosplay for you yet-"

though, explaining to the short man that his character isn't out yet in the game to play, really does bother him (as it should, mihoyo...).

"well, why the hell not?" he would ask, voice laced with accusatory authority.

"you should ask the company." you had joked, not realizing how serious he had taken you as he spun around childishly on your office chair.

"wherever i must go, take me there, now."

Xiao

You were tired and hungry, so yes, you shouldn't have been driving late at night with those two concerns in the back of your head; but alas, you decided to risk it without much thought to it all. You couldn't argue that you weren't entirely at fault for hitting the dual hair colored man that had seemingly fallen from the sky... because it one hundred and twenty percent was.

"I'm so sorry!" You screeched rushing out of the driver's seat of your car, the headlights blinding you once the short man came into view as you kneeled above him.

When you got no response, you started to panic like any normal and sane person would. But were you really normal or sane if you had just possibly killed someone?? It was accidental of course, but that didn't change anything...

"Are you alive?" Despite shaking the man multiple times, and gently patting his cheek, he didn't budge. "Oh my fucking god-"

I should call the ambulance, you thought, slender fingers twitching as you searched your pockets for your phone, finding them all empty.

Without much thought, you were on your feet and dashing towards your car to search your phone to call the cops. You were frantically searching your car for what felt like an eternity until it finally found purchase in your hand, having been between the seat and middle console.

"What the hell..."

The man was gone? How? You had shaken and jabbed at his cheeks, and nothing. There wasn't even a pulse when you checked minutes ago. How had he been able to get up and just walk off? When you hit him nonetheless with a car???

"Am I insane?" You asked yourself. Checking in front of the car a few more times, even peering into the dark forest surrounding you on both sides, only to find you were at a loss for words when you saw no sight of the man anywhere.

You knew you were exhausted, but not so much so you were imagining things...

Though as soon as you turned to get back into your car, you felt something sharp press against your spine, emitting a screech from you.

There, behind you was none other than the man you had hit less than thirty minutes ago. Alive, staring at you with glowing golden eyes illuminated by the dark, in his hand, a sharp stick pointed at you like a spear.

"Are you alive?"

"Of course I'm alive, idiot."

"B-But I killed you?! You weren't breathing, there wasn't a pulse!"

"I was pretending."

"You asshole! You terrified me!"

when you eventually get over the initial shock of assuming you had killed the man, only to realize he was just pretending, air eased into your lungs.

you could FINALLY breathe.

and when your heart rate slowed down, you were able to actually focus on him and that's when you realized who he was.

xiao... one of the most popular characters from the video game genshin impact, who, unfortunately, you didn't get the chance to wish for months ago.

your first question was, "how are you here?" followed by you wondering if he was okay after you'd hit him... surely that hurt, right?

xiao obviously was just as confused as you, gripping the stick that appeared to be a homemade spear, like a vice...

he hadn't let it go, even when you guided him into the passenger seat of your car, promising you wouldn't kill or harm him in any way...

let's just say he doesn't trust you, for MANY reasons.

one, you hit him with your fucking VEHICLE, probably going anywhere between 50-60mph.

two, this world is strange... he had been stumbling through this world aimlessly for a while, even before the sun fell, and he had seen some pretty weird things, one being the thing that struck him...

and lastly, you were a complete stranger, seemingly out for blood in his eyes.

ofc he couldn't just trust you!?

once the situation of how he came to be here is explained thoroughly, and you both somewhat understand what's happening, xiao is still on edge lets be real.

it takes two weeks for xiao to settle into your apartment comfortably, feeling at ease when he reaches into your fridge for food or even just relaxed enough to sleep on your couch comfortably.

it took three weeks after his arrival for him to ditch his attire that didn't help him blend in whatsoever, and wear your world's clothes, and it took three months after this to forget what he was supposed to be doing; finding a way back to liyue.

your world is insanely comfortable in his eyes. no raging battles or wars to be fought, not everyone is depending on him for their own safety, you tell him you have law enforcement for that! and he also finds it much easier.

food ready for whenever he's hungry, no need to wait weeks for crops to grow or worry about them being edible. things are much tastier too! coffee in his world was so bitter, and raw... but here, there's so much to add to the bitter mixture! xiao enjoys his iced coffee topped with a bit of whipped cream ;)

and no visions... something he never thought he wouldn't take for granted.

8.9.21, rayofsunas

[therenlover]

In Fleeting Touches & Airy Sighs Chapter One (A Three Chapter Helmut Zemo/Reader Fanfic)

(Thank you to the wonderful anon who requested angst and smut between Zemo and the reader because Zemo had to be away from her on the run!)

Synopsis: A year after working together with Zemo in the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam and Bucky seek him out once again in need of shelter from John Walker. Meanwhile, Zemo’s wife resents his absence and prepares for guests.

Tags: Flashbacks, Depression, Alcoholism, Separation Anxiety, Arguing, Struggling Marriage, Reunions

Rating: T (E in future chapters)

Warnings: Guns, Swearings, Reader shows signs of alcoholism/alcohol abuse, Reader uses a hot shower as a mild form of self harm

Word Count: 5000~

This fic has been crossposted under the same title to my AO3!

----------

Helmut Zemo was not often a man backed into a corner.

He was smart, resourceful, and had nothing left to lose. If it came down to the line, he would do whatever had to be done within his morals to achieve his goals, even if that goal was simply staying alive. The Baron bowed to no man, and made his enemies, no matter their size, fall to their knees with sheer wit instead of brute strength. That’s why, when he stood backed into an alley with the barrel of James Barnes’ gun to his forehead as the Falcon watched on, it was strange that he didn’t try to weasel his way out.

“We need answers,” Sam said, hands in the pockets of his dark hoodie. Bucky wore a similar one, only he wore a baseball cap instead of keeping his hood up. “How the hell did you break out of prison for a second time?”

Usually, Zemo would have replied with a clever quip. He had never been one to back down from a fight. This time, though, he looked almost frightened as he raised his arms in defeat. “I got in contact with friends on the outside during our short adventure together. They decided to help me out once I was re-incarcerated, willingly I might add. I had no part in the plan, but who would look a gift horse in the mouth?”

“And I guess I’m just supposed to assume you had no part in getting my pardon revoked?” Bucky spat.

“If you hadn’t noticed, James, I’ve left you alone,” A hint of his usual mockery slipped into Helmut’s tone, but he quickly pulled it back, “Believe what you want about me, but I’ve had some time since last year to… re-evaluate my feelings on the world. You had no choice but to do the things you did as the Winter Soldier, and as long as you pose no threat to society now I have no qualms with you,”

Despite the strangeness of Zemo’s response Bucky remained unphased. Sam, on the other hand, was less stoic.

“Man, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the government is looking for Bucky and I harder than they’re looking for you, and it’s kind of all your fault, so excuse me for not giving a shit about your supposed sudden change of heart!”

“Can we get to the point? I’m afraid my flight leaves in an hour and I would hate to be late,”

“Cut the bullshit!” There Bucky went, pushing the cold metal closer to Zemo’s furrowed forehead.

“Bucky...” Sam warned.

“No, Sam, I can do this. Did you or did you not actively attempt to get my pardon revoked when you took us to Madripoor? Because thanks to you, a worse symbol than Sam is now standing unchecked with the title of Captain America AND he has access to the last of the new super soldier serum AND he’s trying to get us killed so we can’t tell the world about the awful shit he does,”

“I-” Zemo went to speak and, for the first time since he had met him, Sam believed he was being genuine. There was a tremble that made its way through him, all the way to his raised hands and even his voice. It was enough that Bucky even lowered the gun minutely. “I understood that by following my lead, the both of you were risking a lot. I didn’t intend any specific malice with my actions though, no. If I may… the two of you have attracted a lot of attention here in the past few days. I assume Walker is very close to finding you?”

Sam and Bucky shared a look before Sam responded. “Maybe, why?”

“I have a safe house,” he continued, “I don’t stay there often so the location isn’t compromised, but it’s my next stop. Might I suggest we take this conversation on the road? I would hate to host your reunion with Mr. Walker in an alley over my corpse,”

There was a moment of complete stillness. Zemo remained, face dark with that strange deer-in-headlights look, a perfect statue, as the barrel of Bucky’s gun remained pointed firmly in his direction and Sam shared what seemed to be a completely silent conversation with Bucky. It was true that they had been burned before. Zemo was a man with his own agenda who did what it took to fulfill it. That being said, he had returned willingly with them back to prison before he was broken out, and without his help, the band of freshly minted super soldiers would still be running around Europe causing chaos. In the end, Bucky lowered his gun slowly before tucking it away into his boot holster.

Zemo grinned.

“Don’t think this means we trust you,” Sam groaned, pointing a finger at the man.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now, gentlemen, I believe we have a plane to catch,”

As the trio began to make their way out of the alley Bucky and Sam fell to the flank of the group. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Bucky asked, eyes darting between his two companions. Sam shrugged.

“At this point, I’m doing whatever it takes to get home to my family in one piece. If that means I have to ride in Zemo’s stupid private jet again and lay low for a while, then that’s what I’m gonna do, because Sarah and those kids don’t deserve to lose me all over again,”

“But don’t you think he’s acting a little… weird?”

“Don’t worry, I have my eye on him. If he tries anything we can just throw him out front when Walker tries to shoot us,”

“You’re doing a very poor job of concealing your conversation,” Zemo shouted.

Bucky stormed ahead as Sam laughed.

“Oh, shut up!”

Surprisingly, the drive to the airstrip was mostly uneventful, as was the relatively short flight from Zurich to Avignon. There was, of course, the usual cutthroat banter and tension so thick you could feel it like a fog hanging over the group, but in an unusual twist of fate, the baron did very little to initiate. Of course, he wasn’t fully innocent though. He never was. That being said, even as his chauffeur carefully navigated the stone roads to the dropoff point he was strangely quiet. He had texted someone earlier to have the house prepared for their arrival but he kept looking down at the phone as if a response would come. It didn’t.

Sam appreciated the break from the noise. To him, it was a moment of peace after a few months of constant opposition. For the duration of the trip, he had chosen to shoot a few choice quips Bucky’s way before taking a long nap. Bucky, on the other hand, was only growing more suspicious of Zemo by the minute.

After his time with Hydra, Bucky had become intimately acquainted with the type of man that Zemo was. He was ruthless, driven by ideals that couldn’t be changed by any amount of debate or theory read inside a prison cell, and willing to do whatever it took to fulfill those ideals no matter the cost. There was remorse but no regret. A man like that doesn’t just stop believing in the thing that led him to kill dozens if not hundreds of people, because once the impetus is gone so is the only thing upholding their sense of self.

In basic terms, he was hiding something. Bucky was intent on finding out what that thing was, a thing important enough to make Zemo of all people shut the hell up and tell his enemies exactly where his safe house was, and he wasn’t going to rest until he did. The answer came easily enough in the end, but not before Sam and Bucky were forced face to face with the strangest thing they had ever seen, even when including aliens and wizards. That thing was Zemo buying flowers.

The trio had gotten out of the car somewhere around the center of the city and continued towards the safe house on foot. A few minutes after they started, though, Zemo had spoken.

“I apologize, but I’ll have to stop for a moment,” He said, holding up a hand to alert the two men trailing him to the fact that he was about to stop. Sam quirked up an eyebrow.

“At a flower shop?”

There, to the right of them, was a small fleuriste. The window was a burst of bright color. Pinks, reds, whites, purples; a certain bunch of spring blooms had caught Zemo’s eye. He shrugged. “It’s rude to arrive at someone’s house asking for a favor without a gift, Mr. Wilson. Excuse me,”

With a comfort that said he had been into the shop many times, Zemo walked through the door and began conversing with the shop owner in perfect French, even referring to her as tu instead of vous as he made his purchase.

“Did he just say someone’s house ?” Sam asked Bucky, eyes widening.

Bucky gritted his teeth. “Yeah, I think he did,”

“So, we’re just showing up at someone’s door,”

“Yup. Not to mention they’re someone who aligns themself with him,”

A groan escaped from Sam as he ran his hand down his face in disbelief. “I didn’t expect much from Zemo, but damn,”

“It’s your fault for expecting anything from Zemo in the first place,”

“For once, you’re right,”

They dawdled for a moment. As their conversation stilled, Zemo returned, now burdened by a sizable bouquet from the window. Around them, the city was starting to get off of work. Families walked together as businesses had their 5 o’clock shift change. Somehow as the world around them came to life it didn’t look at Sam and Bucky with anything more than a passing glance. They were tourists, nothing more. For a moment Sam understood why Zemo would go to a place like this for safety and anonymity.

Without ceremony, the trio began walking towards their destination once again.

“I apologize for the delay,” Zemo said, keeping his pace brisk and remaining about a foot ahead of his companions, “I suppose it’s become a bit of a habit that I buy Y/N flowers whenever I come back. We shouldn’t be long now, though, the house is just a few more blocks away, maybe 3 minutes by foot,”

“Y/N?” Bucky asked. The name felt heavy on his tongue, familiar. That had to be a coincidence though. Zemo would never align himself with anyone who had worked for Hydra, and there was no other place he could have heard that name and had it hold any significance. Right?

Zemo chuckled. “Y/N is our host. I’d appreciate it if you tried to maintain some semblance of respect when we arrive, she tends to have quite the temper and it would reflect badly on me if she believed I was asking her to indefinitely house two people who would happily send her to prison,”

“About that,” Sam chimed in, “Who the hell are we about to be staying with? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t, and by extension, I also don’t tend to trust people who trust you,”

“I assure you, Sam, Y/N is more trustworthy to you than I will ever be,”

“That doesn’t answer my question, nor does it make me feel any better,”

“She’s American, and like you, she is seeking shelter from the government. Isn’t that enough for you?”

“Man, at this point I feel like you’re not telling us because she’s actually some sort of crazy Sokovian sleeper agent who’s gonna stab us in the back while we sleep. Am I crazy, Buck, or am I right?”

Bucky, who had been trying his best to stay out of the conversation, replied. “You are being unnecessarily evasive, Zemo, though that’s nothing new…”

“Right? Like, I’m really grateful that you’re lending us a hand, but I’ve gotta be honest, if I think for a second things are going south-”

Sam never got to finish his sentence.

Suddenly, Zemo stopped short, turning around and looking Bucky in the eye with a madness neither he nor Sam had ever seen before. His whole body was stiff, rigid. The hand that wasn’t cradling the flowers delicately was gripped in a fist at his side. He looked angry, but underneath the anger, he really just looked scared. “You will not touch her. Do you hear me? Do what you’d like with me, I have made choices worthy of punishment, but you will not touch Y/N. If you so much as think of it, all bets are off. Do you understand me?”

Bucky nodded, sharp. This was certainly interesting. Sam just smirked.

“Is there something else you want to tell us?”

Zemo walked up a small set of stairs towards a home to their right. “No, Mr. Wilson, I don’t believe so,”

The building was a nice one, all tan stone with dark wrought-iron fixtures on its many windows. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a normal midtown manor-house for some upper-class member of the community. The normalcy of it all hid its true purpose in plain sight. It was genius, really. Over a dividing wall made of the same yellowing stone, Sam could see a small sliver of vibrant green garden space and a pool at the side of the building.

With a steadying breath, Zemo knocked on the door.

“You have to knock on the door of your own safe house?” There was a hint of incredulity in Bucky’s voice as he crossed his arms. This was going to be a disaster. Why had they agreed to this again?

“A little etiquette goes a long way, James, especially when you’re already in the doghouse,” Then, the door opened.

Bucky froze. There, standing in the doorway with a pistol in her hand and a fire in her eyes, was a woman he thought long dead: you. This couldn’t be right! He had killed you back in ‘02 with the rest of the AAHR...

You quirked up an eyebrow at Zemo.

“Give me one reason I should let you in and not shoot you on the spot,”

They were so fucked.

________________

The day, on your end of the world, had gone by much slower.

It started off like any other, with the alarm on your bedside table blaring as you opened your eyes and your arms reached out into the emptiness in the sheets beside you. Sometimes, when Helmut’s flight got in late enough, you would wake up and reach to the side only to find that he had appeared beside you in the night. Those were the best kind of reunions. They were free of pretense, no bitterness or resentment clouded your sleep-heavy brain when you opened your eyes to his peaceful resting face, and you could simply fall into the comforting rhythm of husband and wife. If you reunited with a clear head things tended not to go as well.

You groaned. It wasn’t as if there was even a guarantee he would come back, especially not after the way you’d left things last time. The philosophy of attendre et espérer, waiting and hoping like an Edmond Dantés type, wouldn’t do you any good, at least not anymore.

Maybe it was time to start moving on…

Tomorrow. You could start thinking about the next steps tomorrow. For today you’d enjoy what you had.

Getting out of bed was difficult but you managed. The sun streamed through the curtains that billowed gently in the breeze near your balconette, brilliant gold beams illuminating the dust that danced in the air. The first thing you did was shuffle along to the corner and pour yourself two fingers of brandy from Helmut’s private collection. It was like a morning ritual these days, a numbing agent against the loneliness. Once the drink was downed you moved on to the closet to get dressed.

Dressing yourself wasn’t of much importance these days. You couldn’t exactly leave the house, and nobody was visiting, so more often than not, it was easier to just wear the same pajamas for a few days until you knew Oeznik would be around to drop off groceries. Today, though, you felt… filthy. Not dirty in a physical way, just sticky and filthy and unclean under your skin and in your very heart. Maybe a shower would help.

You looked around the closet with a clinical eye. It was difficult to be in there, surrounded by lavish dresses and expensive suits that you and your husband had worn arm in arm while plotting the downfall of the Avengers before your unsteady alliance had turned into so much more. Everything still smelled like his cologne. In the small, often-closed, walk-in closet, the scent had only intensified, covering every article of clothing with a fog of cedarwood and sage. It made you sick, choked the air from your lungs and left you gasping for even a single breath that didn’t sit heavy on your tongue with the bitter taste of that familiar musk.

The alcohol had helped. It always did. The remnants of its burn in your mouth formed a sort of guard against the scent of the closet as you searched through a pile of shirts for something soft and easy to wear. Your hands suddenly stilled.

“Zemo, I’m gonna be honest, this is the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen in my entire life,”

“I’m hurt! That’s one of my favorites,”

“Where did you even get it, a 90-year-old grandpa’s closet? Jesus Christ, it looks like something out of a shitty 70’s flick about family values,”

“I’ll have you know that I thrifted that sweater. It’s very eco-conscious you know,”

Your heart hurt. Well, no, your whole body hurt, but your heart ached a little more prominently as you carefully picked up the sweater and held it to your chest. It was terribly ugly, 4 sizes too big even on Helmut and covered in an olive and forest green argyle. Somehow he was always able to pull off the oversized thing no matter how ridiculous you had always insisted you found it. When was the last time he’d worn it again?

The memory evaded you.

Still, it was a happy relic, happier than most of the monuments to a failing marriage that lined the shelves of your beautiful personal prison. It wouldn’t hurt to hope that by wearing it, you might rub just a little bit of that lost happiness off onto your present-day, right? With one last forlorn glance around the closet, you gathered up the sweater and a pair of jeans before getting out as fast as you could. With the scent of cologne clinging to you, the shower wasn’t just a good idea now, it was necessary.

So, you showered. You took the stupid foot-long exfoliating brush Helmut loved so much and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed yourself under the near-boiling stream of water until your skin was pink and raw. Disappointingly, even the new skin felt filthy. It was better, though, less intense. With some lotion and a little bit of Neosporin on the fresh patches of blotchy red, you were able to feel okay. Not good. Not clean. Just… okay. At least you didn’t smell like him anymore. The clock read 12:14 when you finally made it out of the bathroom in search of some real food.

Lunch, if you could call it that, was a silent affair. The fridge was almost empty and the pantry was only a little less bare, so you threw together a cheese sandwich, not even bothering to waste butter and grill it. You ate it plain with another glass of brandy out on the pool deck. It was gone sooner than you hoped it would be.

Oh well.

You finished your brandy with a sigh. Only seven or eight more hours until you could finish your day with a few more drinks and pass out in bed until nine or ten once again. Ah, dreamless sleep. That sounded divine. Now if only you could fathom any non-depressing way to spend the time between sleeping and waking. Swimming was out, the chemicals would burn your freshly eviscerated skin. Playing solitaire for the fourth day in a row sounded like absolute hell on earth. Even watercolors, a usual calming respite from the torturous and neverending monotony of life trapped alone in a house you had no help in stocking, were off the table ever since you’d run out of paper.

Somewhere inside the house, your phone dinged.

The second the sound hit your ears you jumped, dropping your glass and letting it shatter into a thousand tiny shards on the stone of the patio.

Phones were a difficult thing to own for someone who was trying to stay out of the eyes of the government. They were too easy to track and could tip off enemies to your location with very little error needed on your part. Even searching the internet for innocent things was too risky. If your search history was too similar to that of the alias you had used before Helmut went to prison, it would have been easy for them to find a connection and send someone to track you down. Still, you kept a cell phone charged and ready on the kitchen counter despite the risk for one reason and one reason only: Emergency contact with your husband.

He never texted from the same number on more than one occasion, always switching from burner phone to burner phone as he flew across the country doing god knows what, but if he was ever in a situation where emergency contact with you was needed, he was able to reach you at your number immediately. It had only happened a couple of times, and each time he had been in a considerable amount of danger. So, when you suddenly heard the sound you dreaded more than anything else in the world, you were quick to rush inside, even ignoring the shattered glass at your feet as you shoved through the doors and found the phone.

The small, LED display was lit up with the notification. It made your heart both soar and sink.

Flying home with two guests. Prepare the two rooms for their stay. We will be there by 5 at the latest - B

You read over the message several times before letting the phone fall from your hand and back onto the counter with a dull thud.

That absolute asshole.

Three months. Three months you had spent sitting alone. Three months without a call, or a text, or a letter, or even a word of when he was coming back by way of Oeznik. Three months! And after three months of loneliness and sleepless nights and empty bottles on the drink cart he reaches out through an emergency line of contact that almost certainly means he might be dying only to tell you he’s bringing two strangers into your safe house, the place even he refuses to stay in too long in order to not give its location away. The scar on your spine was starting to burn as you leaned up against the counter and cried.

It was ridiculous to think you had ever believed him capable of more tact than that.

Really, it was your fault. From the beginning, you’d had too much faith in a man incapable of being trustworthy, even to those closest to him. You knew that, and yet you had married him. Maybe the soft touches and sweet lies he had spoon-fed you had made you weak. Maybe you always had been.

“I’m not a child, Helmut, I know what I’m doing!”

“I don’t think you do,” he shouted. He was a few drinks in now, you both were. The nights before his departures never tended to end well when you both drank. “Because no matter what I do to protect you, you have the need to disobey me! Have you considered that I do the things I do for your own good!”

“Oh! Oh yes, the things YOU do!” You slammed your glass down on the table as you stormed over to Helmut, “I sit here all day like a fucking dog in a cage while you fly to fucking Ibiza and flirt with supermodels, but YOUR story is just so fucking tragic! I’m your wife, Helmut! I’m not an animal or your property, I’m your goddamn wife! You can’t just order me to sit and stay like a dog,”

He glared down at you, eyes hawkish and glinting in the low lamplight. For the first time in years, he looked threatening, “You may not be a dog, or a child, or my property, but you are a weapon! It’s my job to keep you here, away from the-”

“Excuse me?” You interrupted. The two of you stood, inches away and yet miles apart. Slowly, the drive in Helmut’s eyes faltered. “Say that again. I dare you,”

“Schatz, I-”

“No, Helmut, you meant it so say it again. Call me that again. I fucking dare you,” Tears were streaming down your face now. He took a step towards you, hand extended to wipe them away, but you were quick to take a step back out of his reach.

“You misunderstood me,”

“I don’t think there was anything to misunderstand,”

You swept the shards of your glass tumbler into a dustpan, hands still shaking even ten minutes after you’d read Helmut’s message to you. As you worked, your last conversation before he’d left echoed in your mind.

How had it all devolved into that? It wasn’t hard to remember Helmut before prison, jaded and broken and lonely. He had been so much like you and yet so different. Each of you seemed to be the perfect balm for the others' wounds. In the end, despite all of his flaws, you had found yourself in love. Now that he was a different man, was that love gone? You couldn’t say. All you knew for sure was that you weren’t nearly drunk enough to be facing the confusing feelings in your brain. With the last of your energy, you emptied the dustpan of glass into the trash can and returned to the house, sweater itchy against your irritated skin, to ready the guest rooms.

The job wasn’t a long one. You had never used the guest rooms in all the time you’d spent at the Avignon property, so the sheets were already clean. There was just a thin layer of dust on the furniture that needed to be swept away as you checked to make sure the dressers were bare and the bathrooms were stocked with amenities. Then, when that was done, you were left to your thoughts as the hours ticked by.

Most of the time you spent sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing. It sounded terrible, and in all honesty it was, but what else could you do? The house was already spotless so cleaning wasn’t an option, and you didn’t quite feel like doing much of anything as you stared at the clock and tried to remember a time when your life was less of a disaster. As it got closer to five, though, you started to get antsy.

You had tried your best to not think about the obvious issue of the guests. Zemo was not the type to threaten his home, even if he wasn’t happy with you, so usually having anyone who wasn’t Oeznik or another paid lackey aware of the location of your safe house would be a big no in his book, but then you started thinking of the implications of him bringing people into your home. Your home, not his. Was he on his way to kill you? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Or maybe he was bringing your replacement.

Now that thought made anger bubble up in your throat. You were no stranger to the idea that when your husband was away, he could be doing anything. There was no guarantee when he slept in lavish hotels or drank the night away in elite lounges that he kept his wedding ring on. The fact that there were two guests meant it was unlikely he was bringing two mistresses, but never impossible. Nothing was impossible when it came to Helmut.

No, it was more likely he had finally decided it was time to end your suffering. The shouts and boisterous laughter that started to sound directly outside of the front room window only confirmed the for you. Slowly, you crept towards the door and grabbed a small pistol from its place in the umbrella stand. If he wanted you dead you weren’t going to go without a fight.

Through the curtains on the front door, you could just barely make out the trio. When you saw them your blood ran cold. It was one thing if he needed help to take you down, but getting the Winter Soldier on board? Your rage only grew by the minute.

Helmut said something, probably planning the best course of action to catch you off guard, and you sneered. Two could play at that game. When he knocked on the door you opened it calmly and held the gun with your finger just barely ghosting over the trigger.

Everyone froze.

“Give me one reason I should let you in and not shoot you on the spot,” you said, rage coursing through every nerve in your body. You may have been in retirement for quite a few years, but you still knew how to handle a gun. Everyone there, except maybe the Falcon, knew that. As Zemo went to open his mouth, you prepared for a firefight.

“Because I brought you flowers,”

-------------

a/n: Sorry that only one chapter is out! The fic is just getting very long and complicated and I wanted to make sure you got as much as possible before the next episode drops lol. I’ll be working pretty much nonstop from now until then, though, so the next parts should be out soon!

TAGLIST: @tatestripedsweater​ , @elaineygrace​, @multiyfandomgirl40​ ,  @lovelymischief​ , @rami-malek-trash​ , @dazzlingseb​, @avgravy​ , @sarahsilver , @wh0re-4-techno​ , @forcebros​ , @sugarsweetkiss​ , @grandmuffinsharkbailiff​ , @killsandthrills​ , @novasstudy​ , @thnksfr-ptrkstmp​ , @inmate-marmalade​, @alanathedeer​ , @mossybank​ , @simsiddy​ , @xxspqcebunsxx​ 

Please do not post my work on other sites, thank you!

[ca-8]

Yakko x Reader Scenario: When You First Meet

'This is it. The beginning of the end.' 

Gripping on the straps of her backpack, (Y/n) exited the bus and stared up at the water tower that displayed the famous Warner Bros. logo. As expected, it emitted a smug aura onto the entire area; however, surprisingly, there was a slight twinge of mystery to it as well. But she didn't have time to ponder about it, so she only gave it an uneasy look and headed straight for the entrance.

Her heart stopped. She knew the place was going to be busy, but it was like an entire New York City packed in one section! So many writers, producers, actors, large men carrying heavy sets, every type of person working in film was scattered all over the place. It was like an ocean, with the people as marine life doing what they're designed to do, and (Y/n) being the puppy that was abandoned at sea.

The moment it all settled in, an involuntary realization invaded her thoughts. 'I don't belong here.'

The young girl reminded herself to breathe and rushed over to a vacant wall, then pulled out her phone. She had already sent her mother about a thousand messages telling her she was here, but since she hasn't responded, a few more shouldn't hurt. Fingers rapidly typing away, she bit her lower lip, already wishing she had stayed on that bus. 

"Oh, you're just gonna love it!" Her mother's squealing voice had already filled her skull. "You're so talented, I know you're gonna fit right in."

'Yeah, standing around all day with a bunch of people I don't know while doing something I suck at is exactly how I wanna spend my summer.' She let out a soft sigh. 'It's fine. Just shut up and make her happy, (Y/n).'

Several attempts of calling and texting later, no response. (Y/n) sighed again, and her eyes wandered over to the bustling crowd. 'No way. Absolutely no way.' But if she wanted to get the day over with, absolutely yes way.

First, she walked up to a lady looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "Um, excuse me," (Y/n) said. 

The lady's head snatched up. "KYLE!" she yelled, her eyes now ablaze with fury, "YOU IDIOT! THAT GOES IN THE WAREHOUSE ACROSS THE STUDIO!" And like there was nothing but a breeze behind her, the lady stomped off to the poor soul that had to face her wrath.

The breeze took a step back and ran around the corner. 'Maybe I'll find someone else instead…!' (Y/n) stopped and spotted a man sitting on the steps that lead to the entrance of a small building. She swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and reluctantly approached him. 

"E-Excuse me, sir?" she stuttered, hoping her voice was louder than the last time. As she got closer, (Y/n) noticed he was chuckling, and his gaze was glued onto a small piece of paper. 

"I...I did it…!" he said. She yelped and shrinked back when he suddenly jumped to his feet. "I FINALLY DID IT! WE'LL SEE WHO'S REGRETTING THE DIVORCE NOW, MARGARET!" And with a manic laugh, the man dashed into the building. 

'...Or maybe I'll just find it myself.'

It wasn't too long before (Y/n) got herself lost. Despite the help of maps that were stuck to some of the buildings, all of them seemed exactly the same. It was like a maze, and with each passing minute, she was more and more convinced that there was no finish line. Even worse, her mother was too busy to respond to anything she sent her. 

'Oh, what should I do?' (Y/n) thought for the thousandth time. No matter how hard she pinched or held them, her arms refused to stop trembling. Not too long ago, the outside of the studio became deserted and she'd hate to walk in a warehouse and possibly interrupt something important, so asking for help again was out of the question.

...Or, perhaps it wasn't. 

A tiny, hopeful smile crossed (Y/n)'s face when she heard the sounds of frustrated grunts around the corner. It was the first time she was so relieved to see a stranger. 

And thank god that stranger was a security guard. Though she wondered why he had a giant net in his hand, she shoved the curiosity as far in the back of her mind as she could and reached up to gently tap his shoulder. 

"Um, excuse me sir?" she asked as loud as she could. 

His head whipped around, revealing angry eyes and a scowl that said he was ready to kill. But right as his gaze landed on her, it changed within an instant. 

"Oh, hello!" he said with a bright smile. 

(Y/n) blinked, cocking her head. ‘What was this guy up to?’

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where (M/n) (L/n) is filming? I'm her daughter, (Y/n), and I'm trying to look for her. She's not answering her phone either."

His joyful expression slowly melted into a confused one. "Uuhhh…(M/n) (L/n)?”

“Yes. She’s a part of Animal Kingdom? Do you know where that’s being filmed?”

“Oh! I know there’s a zoo around here called Animal Kingdom! I don’t think you’ll find it in a film studio, though.”

(Y/n) frowned. “...No, I mean the show. Aren’t they filming in a warehouse today? Do you know where that is?”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Her eye twitched, and she was just about ready to drown the entire studio in the nearest ocean. “N-Nevermind, I’ll just-”

As if the universe wasn’t satisfied with tormenting her enough, the security guard suddenly launched up into the air and flew into the sky. Right before her eyes, the heavens were coated with explosives of every color that ever existed. 

“Oh my god!” (Y/n) yelled. ‘Who strapped fireworks on that guy?!’

“Oh, I knew you’d love it!”

Her eyes were ripped from the loud fireworks show as she was immediately smothered in a hug. “It’s so nice that another girl’s here! All the other ones here are either too busy or just keep shouting about a restraining order for some reason. I dunno, but anyway, I just know you're gonna love it here! Anyway, my name’s Princess Angelina Louisa Cantessa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the third! But since we're friends now, you can just call me Dot.”

This confirmed it. This was a trap set up by her mother to deliberately drive her insane, because how else can someone explain the nut jobs and talking dogs in pink dresses? 

A combination of those two things happened to be clutching her head and digging her face into hers. “...Huh?” (Y/n) mumbled.

‘Dot’ jumped off of her and smiled widely. “Sorry about Ralph by the way. I figured out you were coming at the last second and I really needed someone for your welcoming gift.” she said.

(Y/n) glanced up at the sky where the fireworks were slowly dying down. “Um...Is he gonna be okay?” she asked.  

“Of course he will!” her backpack said.

The teen screamed and threw her bag on the ground. A hand popped out and unzipped it with impossible ease, then a taller boy version of Dot jumped out, pulling up his long brown pants and flashing a grin. 

“H-...H-H-How did you…?!” (Y/n) stuttered, pointing at him. 

“What? Never heard of cartoon logic?” he said, approaching her. “And Ralph’ll be fine. His skull’s so thick, concrete’s the last thing that can kill him.”

“What-?”

“Anyhow,” he walked over to Dot and put an arm over her shoulder, “The name’s Yakko, this here’s my beloved baby sister Dot, and this is-” He stopped, staring at the empty space to his left. He leaned into Dot, whispering, “Say, uh, you don't mind looking for Wakko, do ya sis?”

Dot glanced at (Y/n) for an uncomfortable moment and suddenly shot her brother a glare. "I've got eyes all over this studio, Yakko," she warned, slowly stepping away.

Now (Y/n) certainly knew she didn't see pairs of eyes appear around every inch of her sight. 'Oh god, I didn't breath in drugs on the way here, did I? Actually, that would explain whatever the heck's going on.'

Yakko smiled as he watched his sister leave and turned to (Y/n). He walked closer to her, and she realized that his half-lidded eyes had a strange glint in them. “Sooo, your name’s (Y/n), right? A pretty name for a pretty girl.”

(Y/n)’s face heated up. ‘First I get lost, then see a guy get blown up, and now some other guy’s flirting with me? ...To be honest, this is still better than what Mom had planned for today.’

“So what brings ya’ here?” he asked.

“O-Oh, well, my Mom was supposed to give me a tour of the studio, but I’ve been giving that to myself all day. I tried finding her, but I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near it by now.” Her eyes wandered over to the ground, but a realization made them perk back up and over to Yakko. “Hey, do you happen to know this place by any chance?”

“Know it? Please, my sibs and I live here, we know this place by heart and soul!” He mumbled something else, along the lines of “Basically made our hearts and souls”. 

Her heart jumped; finally, a piece of good news. “Really?” she said, a smile spreading across her face.

He nodded. “So where do ya’ need to go?” Before she could answer, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and moved in so close, their shoulders were smooshed together. Yakko unfolded it, and it turned out to be the biggest map (Y/n) has ever seen. “Well, from here, you’re gonna need to take a right and continue straight until you get to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts exhibit. But be careful, I heard some of them escaped, and if anyone asks if you’ve seen any of them, don’t tell them I gave one to Dot as a late birthday gift. Anyway, you take a left from there, then a right where you’ll see the lot where they used to shoot Game of Thrones. Now this is only a rumour I’ve heard, but I think some of the producers are still on that set. If you happen to see them, do not, I repeat, DO NOT mention season eight, or maybe just don’t mention the show at all. Actually, don’t even look at them. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t even go there at all, just keep heading straight until you get to the D.C. Universe lot. Then you just take left there, then a sharp right over over, then you keep going straight until you get to here, turn up over there, turn right there, and then you’re there. Did ya’ follow all that?”

(Y/n) stared at his face, which was practically radiating with enthusiasm, and she felt her eye twitch again. “...No,” she said, shaking her head.

His smile dimmed, but it became just as bright as the sun again a split-second later. “Ah well, maps are gettin' old anyways,” he said, throwing the map over his shoulder. “WAKKO!!”

And, low and behold, another anthropomorphic dog popped out of nowhere, and (Y/n) was starting to question if there was an army of them hidden somewhere. But she had to admit, it was pretty cute how this one was dressed in an oversized blue sweater and red hat. 

“Tablet, please,” Yakko said politely, holding out his hand. 

‘You're not gonna walk me there-?'

Wakko suddenly held his head back with his cheeks puffed out, then leaned into Yakko’s hand as he forced out a small object from his mouth. After an incredibly uneasy moment, a tablet glazed in spit was in Yakko's grasp. While he praised the little guy, (Y/n) forced back the urge to vomit.

“E-Ehhhh…?” She couldn’t say anything else while her gaze frantically went back and forth from Wakko and the regurgitated tablet. 

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Yakko said. “(Y/n), this is my dear little brother, Wakko. Wakko, this here’s our new special friend, (Y/n).” 

“Hello!” Wakko greeted, who was suddenly in her arms. “You’re really pretty!”

“Ehh? Thank you? I guess??” she said apprehensively, and finally managed to make eye contact. Despite his...quirks, he's actually a little adorable... She let herself grin a little.

The moment of semi-peace was ruined when she took notice of Yakko’s narrowed eyes. “ALrighty, (Y/n)!” he said loudly, grabbing his little brother by the collar and gently setting him on the ground. “Animal Kingdom, right? Let’s get ya’ right over there.” He moved right beside her and taped the screen a couple times. 

“Um, what’re you doing exactly?” she asked.

“Doing what every person does to get somewhere nowadays.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, and (Y/n) flinched from his touch. “Please keep your arms, legs, and personal items inside the tablet at all times.”

Just when she was about to question him for the hundredth time, he pressed the screen again, and her vision became nothing but white. Her body felt like it was launched into a tornado; a strong force of wind thrusted her back, and somehow, the boy’s arm kept her from flying off from his side. A second later, her feet were back on the ground, the sky was where it needed to be, and reality was back in place. 

Except for (Y/n)’s mentality. 

She stumbled around, trying to find her balance as the world unbearably whirled around her. Finally, she shook her head, and quickly turned back towards Yakko, whose face tried to tell her whatever happened was perfectly fine and normal. 

“What was THAT?” she yelled, staggering towards him and gripping his shoulders.

And he still had the audacity to have that 'why-are-you-freaking-out-so-much-we-do-this-every-Friday' smile. “Thank you for attending Warner’s Travel Tours! I would say my Agent Ralph’ll take your bags, but I left him alone with my sibs, so he’s probably in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by now.”

(Y/n) could only stare at him. Her mind was twisting and turning, trying so hard to make any sense of what happened but only making her headache grow larger and larger. And then, her thoughts just went blank.

She smirked. Then giggled. And a few seconds later, she had burst out laughing whilst holding her stomach. (Y/n) looked back up at Yakko, wiping a tear from her eye. “Th-Thank you…” she said, catching her breath. 

His smile had grown and she thought his white cheeks were red for a moment. Yakko had opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a net suddenly covering his entire body. Ralph was behind him, his skin and clothes burnt and ears practically smoking. “You’re coming with me, Warner!” he said.

And yet, Yakko only grinned. Like physics was his enemy, he disappeared from inside the net and appeared sprouting from the security guard’s back, cheerfully waving at (Y/n). “I’ll see ya’ around, yeah?” he said, then ran around the corner with Ralph sprinting right after him.

(Y/n) giggled and reached for the straps around her back. But when she only felt the (f/c) fabric of her shirt, her smile dropped, and a deep sigh escaped her lips. “Great…” she whispered.

“(Y/N)!” 

She gasped as a pair of arms squeezed the life out of her. Her mother spun her around to face her gleaming smile, which was immediately replaced by an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get your texts! That scene took forever, but I’m glad you found your way here! You’re so smart! Anyway, I know we don’t get as much time now, but there’s still so much we’ll be able to see!...”

She rambled on and on and on and on. Her daughter’s shoulders slumped and she followed her to where she wanted her to go, but the frown on her face didn’t last long when she remembered the fun she had just a few seconds ago. ‘Maybe this summer won’t be that bad.’

[bokettochild]

Sisters, Scoldings and Seaside Memories

My excuse? I wanted to write the Oracles meeting the heroes and it spiraled into some Legend angst, because, well- this is me.

I do have a prompt I blame for this though, so go yell at the folks at @linkeduniverse-prompts for inspiring me with this idea.

The heroes had landed in Legend’s world again, jolted across time and space by yet another sudden switch, one that had left them more shaken and out of sorts than normal, and which, quite to everyone’s panic, had nearly made Four pass out. As was, the smithy had clutched ahold of the nearest hero at the moment, Legend, and refused to let go, resulting in his getting picked up and carried by the vet after they had figured out where they were.

The fact that they had been dumped so close to Legend’s house (they were only just a half an hour’s walk away) had unnerved the vet, and a few others, but there was no sign of monsters as far as their scouting crew could tell, even with the heavy rainfall, and if Hyrule, Wild and Twilight all agreed that the path was safe, then no one else was going to be the one to question them. After all, if you can’t trust the two best survivors and the best tracker on their team, who could they trust?

Ravio had greeted the group with open arms and cheerful welcomes, pulling the sopping smithy out of Legend’s hold and cooing when the multi-colored hero hadn’t even protested. Legend didn’t appear too very put out about it either, just shaking his head with a smile that he hid behind dripping bangs as he’d removed his shoes and barked orders at the rest of them to do the same.

While Legend stoked the fire and grabbed a blanket for Four, who Ravio was settling in his own favorite overstuffed arm-chair (if Ravio hated Legend's rocker, then Legend had already condemned that chair to the furthest corners of the dark world), the rest of the heroes stood about toweling themselves off and looking around. Ravio had reorganized again, although he’d left a few things, like the strange mask on the wall and a few other decorations, alone. It looked nice, cozier, although a bit less like a shop. When asked why, the merchant had waved off the curious looks from both the heroes and his housemate.

“I figured with all y’all visiting so much I’d probably better work out of the shed. It took a bit of tidying up- now Mr. Hero, don’t look at me like that, it was a mess! Anyways, I tidied it up, moved most of the things into the basement where you can get at them easier, Mr. Hero, and set up shop! Now y’all won’t have to worry about my things getting in the way.” Ravio smiled brightly as he finished, patting Four’s head and ignoring the smithy’s irritated look and looking pointedly at Warriors instead.

It was clear that Ravio’s adoption of Legend and Twilight’s use of the word ‘y’all’ was bothering the poor captain immensely.

The evening progressed as usual, with Ravio humming off key as he bustled about the house making ready the bedrooms for the heroes’ use. Wild, perhaps in wake of the pie incident, had finally been granted access to the kitchen, which allowed him to make dinner while the others offered Ravio their aid.

As “host” Legend had been assigned the task of sitting with Four until the smithy felt a bit better. The vet had at first protested leaving all the work to the others, but Ravio had finally persuaded him by pointing out that Mr. Smithy shouldn’t be left alone to stew too much in his thoughts, and wouldn’t Mr. Hero like to make sure the Hero of the Four Sword was quite alright in this particular Hyrule? Why that worked, or why Ravio had used that specific wording was unknown to the others, but Legend caved quickly after that, changing into a horridly oversized tunic and joining Four on the couch, the smithy leaning against him while the two talked over mundane things like metal imbalances in weapons and other such matters.

Time hadn’t been able to hide a snort of laughter as he caught wind of Four very casually explaining proper cooling methods to use on newly forged swords to a flushed veteran, and Legend had looked one instant away from snapping back about a recent mishap involving such a task, only stopped the smith’s continued softness of voice and weary eyes.

The knock on the door only sounded however, once most of the others had already bustled into the kitchen, leaving Legend and Four to eat their dinner together where the smith would be most comfortable and Legend couldn’t scold Twilight for his ‘wolfish’ manners at the dinner table.

Considering the vet had trouble keeping himself clean, Warriors had quietly commented that maybe the other boy didn’t exactly have room to be complaining about table manners.

The sound at the door was lost to those in the kitchen as they chattered and laughed, but to the two heroes in the living room it was clear as day, and startled them both so much that they both fumbled with their bowls, violet clashing with brown as sheepish smiles marred both their faces, light laughter on their lips at their shared startle.

The knock sounded again, this time urgent, repetitive and with a desperate air.

Amusement flickered to worry as Legend had risen from the couch, the line of his shoulders tight with worry as he’d reached for the sword he’d left at the door before even daring to lay his fingers on the door handle. Four’s own hand had scrabbled for his blade, but he’d remained sitting, tense and alert with his ears pricked forwards and eyes sharp against whatever might be outside.

There were a few things Legend was expecting to see when he’d opened the door; royal guards coming for the bounty that the king had still failed to lift from him, despite most all of Hyrule knowing by now of his innocence of the crimes attributed to him, or maybe it would be a villager desperately reporting a monster attack down in Kakariko, he had thought it strange they had been dumped so conveniently close to home with no danger immediately evident.

What was on the other side however was not any of the things on his mental list.

Three cloaked figures stood outside the door, two of them nearly looming over him as a pair of sharp blue eyes stared at him from beneath the shade of a hood, stern and wary, but not entirely devoid of concern. “Link! Oh, thank heavens you’re here!”

“Nayru?” The vet blinked in surprise, gaze falling first on the Oracle in front of him and then to her sisters, standing behind her and wrapped tightly against the rain. And for lack of anything better to say, or even think, he opened the door a bit wider, motioning vaguely with the sword still in his other hand. “Come in.”

Four’s eyes followed the three girls as green, red and blue had brightened the dimming room, the bright hair and clothes of the three Oracles strangely out of place in the muted tones of Legend and Ravio’s house. Legend stashed his sword back against the wall, taking the cloaks from the three ladies and hanging them on hooks with everyone else’s as Nayru turned to him with her face drawn and eyes flickering sternly.

“Link.” Nayru began, frowning down at the vet, who stared up at her with similar seriousness. “It has come to my attention that there has been a temporal and chronological anomaly that seems to have been following you, I’ve come to ask-”

“Four!” Farore’s trill broke through the tense atmosphere as the Oracle of Secrets rushed over to bundle the Hero of Four Swords into a hug. “How? Oh, my stars! It’s been so long! You look so much older!” The girl exclaimed, holding the sheepish smithy at arm's length and inspecting him. “I haven’t seen you in forever! Although, I suppose it seems like less time for you. Linky! How on earth did you rescue him?” That stopped the smithy silent, and he stared up at the greenette before him curiously as she chattered on, worry in her eyes. “Is that why he looks ill? Did you-”

“Farore.” For maybe the first time in his life, Legend actually managed a half decent growl. Sure, he still squeaked a bit, but it was low and harsh enough to nearly count.

“How-” Nayru frowned, blinking slowly at the smithy seated on the couch while Din waved to him quietly.

“Boys, is everything-” Time’s voice was cut off as the three Oracles spun to stare at him, color draining from their faces as Din buried her face in her hands, Farore tensed and Nayru stiffened, sharp blue eyes turning to Legend with a glare.

“I told you to never play with the Harp of Ages!”

“I didn’t!” Legend snapped back, glaring up at the older girl with something similar to a pout. For the other two heroes, had it not been for the painful tension of the situation, they may have smiled at how much the interaction looked like a pair of siblings arguing over a valued toy.

“Then how is he-” Nayru flung a hand out to point at Time, who stood awkwardly in the doorway. “-here?” The Oracle faltered, gaze turning back to Time in confusion before settling on Legend again. “Wait, which hero is that again?”

“Ouch.” Time deadpanned, completely on instinct.

“Hero of Time.” Legend returned with a scowl.

“Wait.” Farore stared from one hero to another in confusion. “Isn’t he dead? Linky, are you- have you been rescuing-”

“This one didn’t die.” Legend returned, looking increasingly done with the situation while Time and Four both winced.

“Split timelines, remember, Fare?” Din offered with a pained smile.

Nayru scowled, pinching the bridge of her nose as her other hand settled on her hip. “Link, I swear, the Harp of Ages isn’t even supposed to be able to cross realities! Do you know what you’ve done? Link, I know you miss her, but searching across time and space for her just doesn’t work! You’re going to-”

“I didn’t use the freaking harp!” Legend shouted, and to the surprise of both of the others, tears were gathering in his eyes. “So could you just not-” The vet’s voice broke as teary indigo glared up into startled ocean blue. “Could you just not bring that up? I know better, Nayru! Besides, which one of us is it that broke the timeline last time, huh?”

“That wasn’t me.” The blue-haired maiden sighed. “We both know I had no control over any of what happened. But your point stands, I’m- I’m sorry for accusing you.”

“Good.” Legend wrapped his arms around himself, a single tear trickling down his scowling face as Din flew over and wrapped him in a hug. “Oh, Sunshine, she didn’t mean it! We’re just worried is all, you know that, right?” The vet didn’t answer, but he did melt into the hold of the young woman as she patted his back gently.

The others chose that moment to make their respective appearances, peeking around Time to see Nayru standing awkwardly beside the embracing Oracle and Hero while Farore and Four exchanged a Look.

“Legend, who is this?” Hyrule frowned, instant regret flooding over his face as he saw Legend swipe the end of his over-long sleeve over his face with a violent sniffle and a huff, releasing Din as the red-head sighed sadly.

“The Golden Goddesses.” Time answered instead, nodding politely to the three ladies, who all offered him awkward smiles in return.

“The Oracles actually.” Nayru corrected with a strained smile. “Apologies, Forest Hero.” She inclined her head respectfully. “I meant no disrespect, it’s only that you are quite similar in appearance to another hero from this world, one that is near and dear-” The woman’s voice stuttered to a halt as she stared at the others peeking out from behind the eldest hero.

The room fell to silence for a brief moment as Nayru’s face fell, eyes widening dramatically as her shoulders slumped. “Is that- Link, how many Heroes of Courage are in your home?”

“Nine.” Legend huffed, crossing his arms and looking anywhere else but at the girl. “Counting me anyway.”

“Nine Heroes of Courage.” The Oracle repeated, dumbstruck, before rubbing her hands over her face. “That’s like half of all of Hylia’s Heroes in all! Why? Why would so many be gathered in one place? How did you even meet them?”

The vet shrugged, still not meeting the baby-blue eyes that turned his way in desperation. “A lizard. Also, portals.”

From where she was now sitting next to Four, Farore nodded. “That sounds just bizarre enough to be true.”

At Nayru’s nod of agreement, Din reached out to ruffle Legend’s pink hair. “Just like you to get pulled along in something like that, isn’t it, Link?”

The soft chuckle earned a hesitant smile from the vet as the others pushed further into the room, only to freeze again as Nayru’s startled again, staring across the room at Warriors, eyes full of horror. “Oh no. Not you!”

The captain blinked in surprise, offense taking over as he stared at the young woman. “Excuse me?”

Nayru shook her head, no long paying attention as she cupped her cheeks. “No, not the blasted Hero of Warriors! Oh, why me!”

“Okay, now that’s just offensive.” The captain huffed, crossing his arms indignantly as Legend chuckled softly.

Sharp blue eyes made the captain still again as the Oracle of Ages whimpered softly. “Of all the people in your home, Link, you had to have the one Hylian that my daughters obsess over? Why?”

All eyes turned to the vet, who now looked similarly dumbfounded and horrified, blinking slowly at nothing as one hand buried itself in his long bangs. “My niece has a crush on-” the vet viably gagged, face screwing up as he looked up to meet the confused stare of the captain, “-Oh my gross!”

“Seriously?” Warriors huffed with a glare before throwing his hands up, voice raising slightly as he spoke. “Could someone kindly explain why all of you suddenly find me disgusting?”

“Not you.” Din laughed. “My nieces just have something of an obsession with you, and Nayru’s sick of it. Add to that that-”

“Of all the people,” Legend interrupted with a horror filled mumble. “For my nieces to have a crush on, it had to be my brother? Just- oh that is just so incredibly gross!” Violet met twinkling red as the vet leaned back to stare at Din. “Why do the ladies in my family always have such weird taste in men?”

“Says the guy who had a crush on his now sister.” Farore sniggered, now fully wrapped up in the blankets with Four, despite no one having noticed either of them move. The smithy didn’t appear to mind either, his smile matching that of the Oracle of Secrets’, even if he didn’t appear to know exactly what was going on any more than the rest of them.

“It wasn’t a crush!” Legend near shrieked, stiffening as his face turned nearly as red as the long hair that shimmered in the firelight behind him. “You get asked to dance by a girl you don’t know and see how you act!”

Nayru, now somewhat recovered, grinned impishly at the blushing hero. “That’s right, besides, I’m pretty sure our little brother had a crush on a certain farm girl.”

“I didn’t like Ropely like that!” The vet huffed, brightening further. “Or Malon, if that’s what you’re implying. She’s my freaking cousin and that would just be gross.”

“Malon is your what now?” Time blinked, confused.

“I have a Malon in my time too.” Four offered, very unhelpfully, as the eldest hero looked like he was descending into mental acrobatics. “She works near castle town and even lives on a ranch. I think Malons are a constant in our worlds, just like Zeldas.”

“I don’t have a Malon...” Wind mused quietly while Time began to look increadibly distressed.

“It’s a family name.” Legend huffed, rolling his eyes as his blush began to fade. “Mine was named after our great-something-gramma. The same is probably true of Mamalon, Time. She’s probably named after an ancestor from Four’s time or something.”

“Great!” The smallest Oracle exclaimed with a clap of her hands. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, can I please make you recognize that my babies are in one place for once?”

Her sisters stared at her, blinking slowly. “Um, Fare, that’s sort of why Nayru just had a freak out?” Legend snorted but his...sister? Ignored it.

“Yes but,” Farore nodded at Four, who she’d once more wrapped in her arms. “Look!”

And they did. Four was cuddled up with a resigned smile, looking positively tiny in the Oracle’s hold and, admittedly, rather cute. There was not one person in the room left unaffected, and several actually cooed when Farore hugged him tightly, burying her face in the smithy’s hair. “All of my babies, I love you all so very much!”

Warriors laughed at that, shaking his head. “What, do the Golden Goddesses have favorite heroes too? I thought that was just Hylia!”

“Unfortunately, that is the case.” Nayru shrugged. “We can’t help getting attached, just like any other Hylian.”

“Who are who’s favorites?” Wind chirped; eyes eager as he stared from one Oracle to another.

It was Din who answered, wrapping her arms around Legend’s shoulders as she stood behind him, smile warm even in the chill of the evening as she stared at the sailor hero. “Sunshine here’s mine, he’s my baby brother after all!”

“Adopted, as all of our other siblings are.” The Oracle of Ages interjected, earning her a pout from her sister and a laugh from the heroes.

“Nayru’s favorite is the Hero of Time, it’s why she calls him by a nickname, and Farore, well...” The red-head grinned to where the youngest of the three Oracles was cooing and fussing over Four. “I think you can guess.”

“Do any of you have second favorites?” Wind pressed, curiosity flickering in ocean blue and silver.

“I haven’t had enough experience with most of the other heroes to really say, although the Hero of Wild’s never fails to make me laugh when I watch him through Nayru’s mirrors.” The Saesonal Oracle laughed, making the hero in question flush lightly. “Both for his pranks and clever antics, and, of course, having a horse named after you means you simply have to adore the owner!”

“Farore has several favorites, she’s just only ever interacted with Link and Four.” Nayru chuckled. “She’s quite fond of those who had to strive for Courage though, so I suppose the Hero of Hyrule and the Hero of Winds likely tie for her second favorite.” The two boys in question grinned brightly at each other. “As for myself, I find that as the Keeper of Time, I have quite the fondness for its hero. Although, my baby brother and brother-in-law are also dear to me.” Twinkling blue settled on Sky’s flushed face as the Oracle winked. “Hylia could have chosen no one better to be her lover, and I approve the match wholeheartedly.”

Sky proceeded to flush a color o one had known existed and quickly lower himself to the floor, smiling madly and covering hisface with his hands, earning tender laughter from the blue-haired maiden as she turned her attention back towards the other heroes.

“And for some reason, I’m the only hero left unfavorited.” The captain sulked.

“If it’s any consolation.” Farore called out. “Our other baby sister thinks you’re cute! She says she’s glad you married her daughter!” The Captain Hero choked, and it was only due to Twilight thumping the others back that the poor man didn’t choke right then and there. “The same goes for the Twilight Hero, Lolia absolutely adores him!”

“How did the same goddess choose us both? We are nothing alike?”

Warriors coughed in what might have been agreement.

Farore only shrugged. “I suppose it’s the same reason she adores Ravio so much, it’s the hero who makes an impression on her world that earns her favor.”

The heroes in question took their time processing that, and in the meantime, Legend darted off toe retrieve dry things for his elder sisters, only to come back to Ravio chattering to the three, who’d now gathered on the same couch as Legend and Four had been on earlier, all answering his questions fondly and politely while Farore continued to suffocate Four with hugs. The smithy didn’t seem to mind though, resting easily, eyes glimmering reddish-brown in the fire-light as the Oracle of Secrets toyed with his ong hair.

“I brought warm clothes.” Legend called, offering the things with a brief shuffle of his feet. “They’re Fable’s, but I don’t think shell mind.”

Ravio frowned, looking up at the offered garments with furrowed brows. “Are you sure that will warm them enough, Mr. Hero? It would be horrible if your poor sisters caught cold!” Grenn flickered knowingly, and Legend huffed as he met the expectant gaze.

“Fine, I’ll brew some cider, since I expect that’s what you suggest?”

“Oh! Mr. Hero, how kind of you! I didn’t mean to ask, but since you’ve offered I’m sure your lovely sisters will love to have some!”

Din straightened in her seat, eyes sparkling brightly. “Cider? Oh, Link! I haven’t had your cider in ages! Please make some! I’d actually kill for a cup about now!”

And really, who was the veteran hero to argue with the will of the Oracle of Seasons?

“He’s made you cider before?” The Oracle of Ages frowned.

“Oh, all the time! The whole circus troupe loved it! Auntie Impa always used to beg him for the recipe, but it was that one thing she could never convince him about. It’s absolute heaven, Nay! You’re going to love it!”

The bluette huffed, crossing her arms and faking a put. “He never made me any cider.”

“Because you tried to kill me!” Legend’s voice called back from the kitchen, making the three girls startle slightly. “If you hadn’t, maybe you could have tried some along with Ralph and Raven.”

“I wasn’t- I was- Link!” Nayru spluttered as a cackle arose from the kitchen. “I was under mind control!”

“Still tried to kill me!” The vet chirped back with far too much cheer considering what he was saying. And really, none of the others could argue his point, either because they didn’t understand what was being discussed or because it was true.

Cider was passed around after a brief wait, during which the others had made idle small talk and Farore had finally agreed to release Four from her grasp. The short hero still sat at her side, trading smiles with the three Oracles as he chatted amiably with them, clearly familiar with all three and quite happy to see them again, even with the drama from before.

No one brought up what Farore had meant about ‘rescuing’ him.

When Legend finally emerged from the kitchen, Ravio’s tray stacked high with mugs of steaming cider, silence had quickly fallen save for the quiet sips and louder slurps of the three as Legend handed out the mugs, finishing with the three Oracles and promptly plopping himself down in their midst, entirely uncaring of the looks they exchanged over his head while Four shifted a bit closer to his brother.

“Link,” Nayru settled her mug in her lap and stared over at the pink-haired hero, unfortunately gaining the attention of the rest of the chain in the process. “About earlier, I really am sorry for accusing you. It was wrong of me to assume-”

“You already apologized, it’s fine.” Legend cut her off, yawning softly as he sipped his cider.

“No, it’s not. But I’d like to make it up to you.” The mug was set aside as long fingers had begun to glow with a soft blue, catching the vet’s eyes and making him stare as the Orale of Ages waved her fingers gently, a blue orb appearing in her grasp as a soft smile graced her delicate features. “Anything you’d like to see, baby brother?”

Violet eyes stared fixed on the orb, glistening slightly with wonder as the vet floundered, nearly spilling his cider only to be rescued by Four’s quick thinking as the smithy removed the mug from his grasp. “A-anything?”

“Anything.” The Oracle reaffirmed.

Legend stammered softly for a moment. “C-Could I see Raven? Where he is now?”

There was some murmuring from the others, curiosity and confusion in their tones as Nayru frowned. “Raven lived four-hundred years ago, Songbird, he’s dead now.”

“Oh- uh- I knew that.”

“I can show you what he was doing today four-hundred year ago though.” She laughed softly, spinning the orb in her hands slowly before turning it to face Legend. The veteran hero stared intently, brows furrowing slightly before his eyes widened and he was pushing back into the couch and away from the viewing orb.

“Oh yuck! Nayru! That- ew!” At the girls’ laugher he shot them all a glare. “I did not need to see a woman eating my mentor’s face!”

“That would be kissing.” Time smirked. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“That’s my ancestor though!”

“And I knew that would happen.” Nayru giggled. “That was a prank, here’s the actual thing.” A small child and a man looking suspiciously like Time appeared on the surface of the orb, both lying on the floor of what might have been a farm-house as the little one played with a few small toys, the man watching with a fond gaze as he relaxed, looking as if he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.

“They look happy.” Legend hummed, gaze softening as he watched the duo a moment more before smiling up at his sister. “Thanks.”

The bluette smiled in return. “I accused yo twice though, so you may have a second. What else would you like?”

Anyone who was watching could see the conflicted emotions flying through Legend’s eyes as he stared at the now blank orb, the vet fidgeting with his rings and long sleeves as he gnawed his lower lip, torn about something that remained unknown to the others but clearly was tearing him up inside. At long last however, the vet’s voice, small and vulnerable, more so than they’d heard even when he was half asleep, spoke his request. “I’d like to see her.”

Ocean blue eyes softened as the Oracle nodded, spinning her orb slowly before handing it over to the vet as the scene of a beach crossed the surface of the ball.

A girl with curly red hair and sparkling eyes sat on the beach, voice rich and lovely as she sang ou a tune that had the vet’s eyes watering as he smiled as the vision, his brothers crowding close curiously as several of them muffled soft gasps.

“Marin?” The voice of a boy rang from the orb, gentle, uncertain and young, but resemblant of Legend’s own in an odd, gentle way.

“Link! Don’t startle me like that!” The girl laughed, shaking her head and making her curls bounce as she smiled over at a boy maybe a bit older than Wind.  The lad was dark haired, but pink showed through at his roots and while he carried a sword on his back, he looked relaxed and at peace with the world around him, face gentle and unmarred by worries or fears as he walked across the sand to where the girl sat. A dopey smile and light blush touched the kid’s face as the girl, Marin, gently patted the sand at her side. “Join me, you’re done running errands for everyone now, right?”

“For today.”

“Good.” The girl reached up, tugging ‘Link’ down next to her firmly. “Lay down.”

“What?”

“Lay down.” Marin ordered. “You need a break. You’re always running everywhere and helping eveyone else, you need a bit of time to yourself.”

A smile pulled at the boy’s features. “Yes ma’am.”

The girl snorted, but patted her lap and tugged at the green tunic of the other, resulting in him at last laying on the sand, head in her lap as she smiled down at him. “You’re going to rest now, because tomorrow is a busy day for us.”

“Oh?” Already there was a dreamy quality to the boy’s voice as he relaxed into the hold of the girl, her fingers tugging gently through tangled black hair as she nodded.

“Yes. We have to sleep in until nine, and then eat a big breakfast before taking a long walk on the shore. Then, you’re going to help me conquer a huge basket lunch before you can then defeat being awake for an hour. After that, we have to chase the tide until it tires, and then dance in victory over the ground that it’s lost.” The boy laughed softly, lashes already fluttering softly across rosy cheeks as the girl continued. “Then, you and I are going to sit here and watch the sun go down, and we will sing it to sleep along with the island until the sun comes up.”

“And what then?”

“And then we do as we please!”

“We build a fire.” The boy hummed. “And I’m going to make you cider so good you’ll be ruined for any of your silly teas.”

“Hey!” The girl huffed, purposefully jostling the lad’s head as she huffed down at him. “My teas are good!”

“Not as good as my cider.” The boy replied, opening one eyes to grin up at her, a cheeky smile on his face. “Just you wait, you’ll see.”

Marin shook her head, eyes glistening gently as she ran her fingers through Link’s hair again. “I suppose I will.”

The orb shattered as it hit the floor, dissipating instantly as the heroes collectively startled.

“Legend?” Four rested a hand on the vet’s shoulder, staring in concern at the other boy, who hid behind his bangs with a faint sniffle.

“Thanks , Nayru.”

“Do you want me to fix it? I can give you another-”

“No, I know what happens.” Legend waved her off, sighing heavily and offering a teary smile. “I just wanted to see her again.”

“Well then you should have said something!” Warriors exclaimed, catching the attention of all gathered as he stared at the vet, caught between a grin and a scowl “Had I known you were Marin’s prince charming I would have said something by now! For pities sakes, the girls have been trying to hunt down her world since the war ended!”

Legend blinked.

“She’s still not home?” Wind frowned. “But, it’s been months!”

“No one knew where she belonged, she didn’t even know, said she knew nothing of Hyrule’s history, only that there was a hero.” The captain shook his head. “Hard to believe the sweet hero she described is this here ass, but who am I to judge?”

“She’s alive?” Legend stared.

“Yes,” The captain smiled slightly, gaze warming as he met the vet’s. “But between Cia, Lana and Midna, we never-”

“Midna too!” Twilight exclaimed, pushing into Warriors’ line of vision with a shocked face and watching the captain immediately fly through every shade of shock imaginable.

“Love of the goddess...” Warriors breathed. “Both of you? The two famed sweethearts of my team are the biggest asses I know? You have got to be kidding me!”

The Oracles laughed, or in Farore’s case, cackled, at the plight of the captain, and the other heroes joined in.

“Wars, I’m not even mad.” legend chuckled, shaking his head, and Twilight nodded in agreement.  “But I will say this, we can’t get to your Hyrule soon enough, and when we get there, Time, know for a fact that I don’t need to wait till I’m older to understand that thing earlier.”

“Okay, that's just gross!” Wind exclaimed. “I do not want to see Legend kissing someone! That’s just- oh yuck!”

The vet threw his head back and laughed, and no one could really help but join in. Except Wind, who scrunched up his nose in disgust while Wild and Hyrule shared a confused look.

[alpacaparkaseok]

Lost in Japan

Requested by anon - a picture of your request will be at the bottom of the post. Thanks for sending it in! 

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x reader

Premise: Taehyung gets lost while shooting Bon Voyage in Japan with the members. Thankfully, he runs into you.

You were fairly certain that your eyes were deceiving you. Standing awkwardly outside of a convenient store, staring down at a map that one of the employees was holding up, stood Kim Taehyung. 

His Japanese was only getting him so far. From what you could hear, it sounded like the real problem was the fact that he wasn’t quite sure where he was supposed to be in the first place. 

You weren’t the only one that was starting to notice who was loitering about downtown Aomori. 

Taehyung kept glancing up, assessing the growing crowds that were beginning to form, all of them waiting anxiously for the light to change to cross the street. The employee seemed to notice his worry, beginning to lose his patience. 

“Take the map,” the employee sputters out. “Just buy it really quickly. It looks like you need to get going soon.”

Taehyung blanches. “Er...I don’t have my wallet on me...” he pats his jeans as though his wallet might magically appear. “Could I come back later...?”

The employee looks a bit uncomfortable, mirroring Taehyung’s expression. “I don’t know...if you’re lost already, who’s to say you’d be able to find your way back?”

You hardly realize how close you’ve gotten, but as you watch Taehyung’s eyes drop to his shoes and red color his cheeks, you take the last few strides up to him. Both men look up at you, apprehension in their eyes.

“How much is the map?” You ask without thinking, already fishing your wallet out of your bag. 

Taehyung stares at you with unabashed embarrassment. “Oh, really don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out.”

You shrug, already handing over some cash to the shocked employee. “It’s fine. You’re not from around here, are you?”

Blinking at you like you might have suddenly grown another head, Taehyung slowly shakes his head. “...no. I’m not. Do you know...who I am?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you barely manage to contain your grin. “Do you mean have we met?” You shake your head, taking the map the employee extends out to you and folding it meticulously. “No, I don’t think we have. Are you lost?”

Again, Taehyung looks a bit dazed but nods his head nonetheless. “I am, actually.”

Now you allow yourself to smile at him fully, fidgeting a little at how intensely he’s looking at you. “Well, I can call you a cab if you want. Just explain to me where you’re trying to get to.”

“Can I trust you?”

You blink, heart aching a little at the question. “I would say yes, but I’m a little biased. But either way, it looks like you’ve got about...ten seconds to make a decision.”

The traffic lights change, and suddenly a horde of people are making their way across the street and heading straight toward the convenience store. The employee has already retreated indoors, appearing to be boarding up for a storm. Taehyung looks back and forth between you and the other group almost comically before stepping toward you.

“Alright, let’s go.”

~~~~

After some careful maneuvering through the convenience store and out into the back alley, Taehyung chuckles. You give him a quizzical look, marveling as he runs a hand through his curly hair. 

“What’s so funny?”

Taehyung shrugs, giving you a genuine smile. “I feel like James Bond or something!”

“I’m pretty sure James Bond doesn’t get lost so easily,” you tease, heading down the alleyway with the idol in tow. “So where exactly are you trying to get to? Describe it to me.”

Taehyung does just that, and you recognize the location almost immediately. “Really? I know exactly where that is.” Heading toward the street, you wave down a cab. “I’ll just give them the address and they’ll take you straight there-”

“Um, about that...” Taehyung watches with a wary eye as the cab pulls over. “I don’t have any money, remember?”

“Ah...I’ll just pay him right now. Don’t worry about it.”

You lean down to speak to the cab driver but stop as Taehyung’s hand lands on your elbow. Ignoring the blush undoubtedly creeping up your neck, you look back at him.

“I’ll Venmo you,” he says.

“...ok.”

“But...”

“But?” You straighten, frowning. “What?”

Taehyung looks at the cab, chewing on his bottom lip. “Well, don’t you want to get your money’s worth?”

~~~~

And that’s how you ended up here, sitting in the backseat of a cab giving Kim Taehyung a tour of Aomori. 

You whiz past several monuments, wracking your brain for some sort of historical fact you can give the idol. Whatever you do say isn’t all that impressive, but Taehyung goes along with it. 

“You’re an amazing tour guide,” he croons, a teasing smile on his lips. You roll your eyes, pointing out the window to the setting sun.

“And here we have the sunset. This phenomenon happens every evening, and is often subject to many poor-quality photos.”

Taehyung laughs, going along with your joke. “So why do people take pictures if they don’t turn out right?”

You shrug. “I’m not sure. Maybe because they want to remember it? But it never turns out as good as the real thing.” This time you laugh along with Taehyung before something catches your eye.

“Oh!” You all but shout, pointing frantically at an upcoming building. “This is the hidden gem of Aomori. Best restaurant ever.”

Taehyung follows your line of sight, eyes landing on a dingy restaurant. it’s small, one of those that you’ll miss if you blink. He smiles softly, glancing back over at you with a curious expression. Leaning forward in his seat, he taps the cabbie on the shoulder. 

“Pull over please. We’ll be stopping here.”

You try to protest, frowning at him. “But we’re not there yet, and it’s too far to walk-”

“We’ll take another cab,” Taehyung reassures you. “C’mon. Dinner’s waiting.”

~~~~

And that’s how you ended up here, seated across from Kim Taehyung in a restaurant that you’d never realized was so run-down until you were bringing a global star through its doors. 

He doesn’t seem to mind, though. No, Taehyung is grinning as he orders his food, looking over at you every so often. You do your best to not notice, with no success. 

“I’ll have the yakitori as well, please,” you manage to choke out. Hopefully the warmth inside the restaurant is a good enough excuse to cover up the redness in your cheeks. 

Taehyung sips on his drink, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Here, let me Venmo you.”

“Oh,” you start, shrinking back in your seat. “It’s fine, really. This was kind of my idea-”

“No, it wasn’t,” Taehyung clarifies. “And now I’m treating you to dinner. So, Venmo. Now, please.”

Looking at the way his hair falls into his eyes and those eyes appear so solemn yet boyish at the same time, you wonder if anyone has ever been able to say no to him. 

You certainly can’t.

Taehyung begins asking you simple questions, and you fire them right back at him while you wait for your food. 

“Why are you in Japan?” You ask, taking a long sip of your drink. Taehyung sits back in his seat, looking around the restaurant. 

“I’m visiting with friends. On a vacation of sorts.”

“Of sorts?” You arch an eyebrow. Taehyung smiles softly, eyes alight with some sort of inner glow. 

“How do you know your way around so well?” He asks, completely ignoring your latest question. You decide not to push it. 

“I’ve lived here for a while,” you shrug, watching as a waiter appears with your chicken skewers. Your mouth waters at the mere sight of them, and Taehyung chuckles while watching how your expression changes. “Cheers,” you croon, immediately diving in. 

Taehyung follows suit, groaning as the chicken makes his tastebuds dance. “This is amazing.”

You grin, waving the skewer in the air before chomping down. “Told you so.”

You’ve made it through nearly two skewers before you realize that the two of you have been eating in complete silence. Glancing up, you see that Taehyung must be thinking the same thing as he looks over at you with a sheepish smile. 

Covering your mouth, you cackle and relish in the way Taehyung laughs right along with you. He’s read your mind, setting down his skewer and quickly answering a text before returning his attention to you. 

“Are those your friends wondering where you are?” You ask, heart dropping a bit. Taehyung nods. 

“Yeah. I told them that I’ll be back a little later.” He grabs another skewer. “Should we head out?”

You finish off your chicken, trying your best not to look a little crestfallen as you agree. Taehyung smiles warmly, thanking the waiter profusely as the two of you head out. 

This time Taehyung waves down the taxi, repeating the address you told him earlier. “That’s the right place, right?” 

“Yeah, you’ve got it.” You take a step back. “Thanks for the food.”

He looks back at you, the cab drawing nearer. “Thanks...for everything today.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I actually had a lot of fun.”

You grin. “Me too.”

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he chews on his bottom lip for a moment before extending it out to you. “Could I maybe have your number?”

Now you’re unable to stop grinning, and you quickly type your number in, triple checking that it’s correct before handing his phone back to him. “There you go. Now, you should probably get going. Cab’s waiting.” You begin to walk away, not wanting to look like some lost puppy as he leaves. 

Taehyung nods, that dazed look back in his eyes as he hesitates. “Actually...” You whirl around a bit too quickly to be casual, but he doesn’t seem to notice. “Could we maybe take a photo together?”

You smile, recalling a bit of your conversation from earlier. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those people that takes low-quality photos of the sunset.”

Taehyung’s face lights up, a laugh rumbling through his chest. He meanders over to you, smiling down at you. “What? I want to remember this.” His eyes convey the message that his lips fail to speak. I want to remember you.

So you smile for the picture, and ask him to send it to you. As you wave goodbye as the car takes off down the street, you jump a little when your phone pings twice in a row. 

The first is a message, the photo Taehyung just took. 

The second is a Venmo notification sporting a ridiculous amount of money with the caption, Cab $ - let me know when you make it home.

~~~~

It’s only three days later that you find yourself sitting near the back of a large room, fans everywhere chatting or singing along to whatever song is currently playing. You smile down at your phone, Taehyung’s contact coming up as he sends off a text. 

Tae: I’ll call you in a couple of hours, heading into a meeting. 😊

You snort. He has no idea that you’re here, does he?

The past few days have been a dream, living in nearly constant contact with Taehyung while he enjoys his time here in Japan. However, you never quite found the right time to tell him that you actually know who he is. Let alone the fact that you were going to be in attendance at the fan meeting today.

A couple of moments later the boys appear at the front of the room, and the event begins. 

Your heart pounds as you line up to meet the boys, clutching the item in your hands that you brought for Tae. Most of the boys don’t recognize you, which you expected. Only Jimin gives you a double take, but he shrugs it off a moment later. 

He must have seen the photo Taehyung took with you.

Tae hardly looks up from where he’s focused on each fan, making you smile. The sound of your heart pounding fills your ears as you step forward until you’re in front of him. He’s looking at the fan that just left, who’s still speaking to him. 

You slide your photobook across the table to him, and he immediately begins to sign it. 

“Have you been having fun so far?” He asks, still not quite looking up at you. You grin.

“I have,” you say. Then, sliding the same map you bought from the convenience store toward him, you say, “I got you this. You know, just in case you decide to get lost again.”

Taehyung frowns but looks at the map. His mouth falls open before looking up at you, that beautiful smile taking over his features. He has to physically restrain himself from leaping up, but settles for grabbing your hand in his. 

“Hey,” he breathes out.

You smile, and wonder for a moment if you’ve stopped smiling in the past three days since you met Taehyung. “Hey. So, do you like your gift?”

His eyes never leave your face as he grips your hand a bit tighter. “It’s great, but I don’t think I’ll need it.”

“Oh?”

“Not when I have you as my personal guide.”

masterlist

[plush-rabbit]

An Indulgence for the Night

Word Count: 2.3K

A/N: Compress stans have finally been fed and I want comfort (I also wanna get a feel for him)

Atsuhiro lays in bed, a thick comforter on his body that traps heat and feels as if it weighs more than the world itself. His body is tired, exhausted beyond belief with eyes that droop and vision that grows hazy the longer he stays awake. And yet, he can’t force himself to fall asleep- no matter how long his eyes stay closed, they only reopen and he has to bite back a groan to keep you from waking up. 

It’s silent. The electricity that hums in the walls do nothing to calm him down, they make him wary and they’re too loud for him to concentrate on anything. Outside, nothing moves. The trees stand still, not a car flashes by with its headlights, there’s no squealing of tires that fill the night in a godforsaken screech- the world is on pause and he is unable to sleep because of it. 

He’s thought about waking you up, to seek a bit of comfort from you in hopes that it would lull him to sleep but you also need your rest- you’ve been out and about for so long and you’re tired- he won’t ruin your sleep just because his body and mind have decided to fight against each other. He’ll stay in the soft bed, grow warm and have muscles that ache to be stretched until sleep does finally consume him. He’s a grown man- he can handle a bit of restlessness. Even if it means doing it alone. 

The patience lasts for five minutes before he’s removed the too heavy blanket from his body and stretched his legs out in front of him. His hand drags down his face and he’s biting the bottom of his lip as the pink under his eyes leaks for a quick second. He shakes his head and binches the bridge of his nose, nails pressing into the thin skin and tosses his legs over the bed, leaning forward and holding onto the residual limb with a soft groan. His feet- decorated in geometrical print socks with neon colors that you once gave him- press flat against the floor and he paces around the room. He’s aware of what he's doing. You may be a sound sleeper, but with enough noise, you’re bound to wake up. He feels a tad guilty, lips pulled into a frown but he thinks this is better than shaking you awake. At least this way he can pretend that he didn’t mean to wake you up. He’s alway been a great pretender. 

His steps are dulled by the socks, the floors are new so they hardly creak under his weight and there’s a higher chance that he’s going to wake up the people below rather than you. His arm is beginning to ache- a dull pain that isn’t as strong as it once was and his movements are getting sluggish. Perhaps he'll fall asleep with the pacing before you even have a chance to wake up. It was selfish of him to do so anyways- he could have just held you by his side, it’s always been enough to make him grow at least a bit drowsy, to feel himself relax in your arms as you stroked his hair around your index. He just wanted an excuse to not be alone tonight. To not let the silence drown him. 

He stops midway, shoulder slumped forward and head in an acute angle, eyes that close and he can feel his body sway, and he’s sure that if he stays in this position, he’ll end up falling asleep but he’s also positive that if he were to move, he’d disturb the sleep that has begun to creep into his mind. There’s no real reason why he can’t fall asleep, no nightmares that threaten to reveal themselves once he’s vulnerable, no churning in his gut that warns him that something bad might be approaching; there are no worries that keep him awake. He is with you, he is in bed with you, your body draped in a shirt of his, nestled under the blanket where he should be and you both are safe- you’re alive and unharmed. There really is no reason for him to be awake. 

With a heavy head that has begun to ache, he walks back into bed, and lays above the covers, right arm near your body as his hand dances over the space between you and him and under the covers, he grabs your hand, running his thumb over the knuckles, dipping in the small spaces and there’s a tugging feeling gnawing at his chest, telling him to shake you awake and deal with the consequences later as he just wakes you up. There’s no reason to do it- the anxiety is at bay, and he supposes he’s just restive- he just needs something to quell the silence and fill it even if it’s your voice in a hushed manner. He wants to call you name and his mouth opens, turning his head to look at you and your sleeping expression that is content and he can’t bring himself to. You’re content and you indulge him enough with his own wishes- you at least deserve sleep that remains undisturbed. 

His hand lets go and even under the blanket, it isn’t as warm as it was. He reaches over and presses his lips against your temple, tilting his head until his nose is pressed against you in a soft tap. His breath fans across your face, a shuddering breath that leaves him feeling shaky and even as his body grows weary, he tilts his head, lips pressing against your sleeping face, and your brow twitches, aware of his movements and he can’t stop the soft kisses that cover your face. He kisses at your brow, shushing the little twitch and pecks under your eye, feeling your lashes brush against him in a butterfly kiss. He peppers you in kisses, leaving your face marked by his love, feverish and pressing deeper the more he continues, feverish as he breaths against your lips, eyes shut tight until color blooms. He shudders when he feels your breath and lets out a low whine when you brush against him, leg kicking out softly to touch at his. He’s sure that if he were to kiss you again, to let his lips brush against your skin or have his nose swipe against yours, you’d awake and you’d welcome him into your arms.

Atsuhiro remains still, eyes closed and breath heavy and deep, and he’s sure that sleep is just a touch away, that he can rest against you for a moment- for the night until sleep catches him in their clutches but the he hears you yawns, a soft whimper that starts in the back of your throat and he opens his eyes to watch as you roll on your back and curve over the bed, eyes shut tight until you drop unceremoniously onto the bed. You blink once. Then twice. And you turn your head to face him.

“Well hello, you,” you say in a weak voice, a hand coming up to rub at an eye that is still bleary with sleep.

“Did I wake you up?” He asks, smiling as you narrow your eyes in a playful manner.

“I don’t know-” a yawn interrupts you and makes your words so hollow- “were you trying to?” With another yawn you roll back to face him, inching closer to him with the blanket pulled tight in your hands.

“Would you like the truth or a lie?” His voice is hushed, lowered into a whisper as the sleep that he desperately craved, slips past him in wisps.

You hum and bury yourself deeper into the bed, raising the blanket so he could join you. He gladly takes the invitation and comes to rest near you, resting on his arm and raising a brow as he waits for your answer. “Humor me.” Your smile is coy, teasing as you lean up and brush your nose against him in a small kiss.

“Ah!” His smile brightens, immediately closing his mouth until his smile is stretched across his face. “That,” he says in a quiet voice, “I can do, my dear.” He legs jerks against you, knee pressed against yours, until he bends his leg and pushes himself against the softness of your thighs. “I’m always here to entertain, of course.”

You roll your eyes and he can feel his heart quicken. Every smile of yours turns him into someone who he once was as a child- someone who blushes furiously at the sign of attention from someone attractive, whose heart skips a beat when his hands meet yours and words start to slur and stutter until he can do nothing more than smile sheepishly at you. He’ll hold his hat in hand, fiddle with the brim and speak through the mask, face growing hot under and for once, he wished that he could drop the theatrics but you always stayed close to him, pecking him through the mask and letting you hands play with the edges as you held him. You gave him the chance to reveal himself to you, something intimate that left him teary eyed and looking away as if he were sharing something forbidden with you. He let you see all of him- to indulge you in moments that felt so intimate that he was sure his heart was going to stop, to collapse as you took his face in your hands and held him tenderly.

“Well,” he starts off slow, voice below a whisper in a gentle tone, “if I have to be honest- which I will be-” he winks at you and he takes great delight in your chuckle- “I just couldn’t sleep.” His eyes lower and focus on how your lips pout and open. “Nothing bad- just restless, I suppose.” 

You snort and he looks up at you, a silent warning as he raises his brows, lips curling into a lopsided smile. “You- restless? Well, color me surprised.” Your hand reaches under the covers and cups his face and he lets his close in a flutter. “And how long did it take for you to wake me up?”

He smiles and shakes his head softly. “I’ll have you know, I lasted much longer this time.” He opens his eyes and meets yours for a second before turning his head and pressing his nose against your palm. “I even paced around the room,” he mumbles into your hand, pressing a gentle kiss against the lines that decorate your palm.

“Oh you poor baby,” you pout, tapping your fingers against his face. He smiles against you and shakes his head.

 He takes a deep breath. “Alas, that’s how it is.” He pulls away from your hand. “I did want to wake you up,” he confesses, ears burning in shame. “I paced to get your attention. Kissed your face in your sleep and wished that you would wake up.” He can’t meet your eyes, keeps them focused on the thin line that your lips have formed into. “I-” he sighs and closes his eyes, letting the word hang in the air.

Your thumb strokes his cheekbone and the space between his brows knit together. He wants to open his eyes but he’s unable to face you without feeling a tad of shame. He lets out a shuddering breath when your hands slide down his face, and thumb presses in the middle of his lips, dragging down until they part and he looks at you through half-lidded eyes, swallowing nervously. In his chest, his heart pounds against him, painful and heavy, longing and yearning to kiss at your lips and let himself indulge in your touch for the moments that he is awake. He lets out a soft moan, letting his eyes close and lips remain parted when you run your hand through his hair, curving over the side of his head and feeling at the soft curls that decorate his head.

“You know, you can always wake me up when you’re restless,” you mutter, your fingers binding and scratching lightly at his head. “I don’t mind-” your motions are soft and controlled and he sighs in relief when you go to cup his face again- “not when it’s you, Atsu.”

He smiles softly, eyes closed and nods. “If I have to be honest, I think I’m finally starting to grow weary.” He opens his eyes only to shut them once a yawn pulls his mouth open and tears prick at his eyes. “Thank you.” He bows his head and inches himself close to you, leaning in to close the gap between the two of you. “I appreciate it very much.”

“I know you’d do the same. Because that’s who you are,” you reply, closing the gap.

And he would. He’d stay up for hours if it meant that you wouldn’t be alone. He’d do whatever you wanted if it meant that you would smile. He wants nothing more than to see you happy and right now as you kiss him and pull away to pepper kisses down his neck and against the lobe of his ear. Atsuhiro would cherish his moments with you, to keep himself against you and welcome your touch and return it eagerly as he felt you smile. You hold him with softness that can never be replicated, cusped in your hands and fingers threaded through his hair as he whines under your touch, letting out a breathless laugh. He’s grateful to have you here, pressed against him and mumbling good night to him as you push him onto his back and drape yourself on his chest, your hand drawing loose shapes on his chest that he is too tired to make out and he lets his eyes close as your hand falls flat against him, curling and pulling on his chest and he’s glad he got to kiss you before he fell asleep.

[takemealivelh]

midnight city || gang!luke

gang!luke, rival gangs, mentions of drugs, alcohol and violence. smut. 2k. part 1.

feedback is appreciated

he wiped the blood off his knuckles. the feeling of beating the shit out of someone is a rush of adrenaline. it’s like getting high on coke, but he doesn’t deal with that shit. he’s known many people who do hard drugs and then end up in trouble, or dead. he appreciates his life so much. luke likes being the leader of the diamond forsaken. a mafia that dedicates its time to drug transactions and occasionally prostitution. luke doesn’t fuck with that either, at least not recently. he met this girl in a bar and he’s been thinking about her for over a month. they’ve been on a few dates, and the sex has been great. she has a great sense of humor and he can tell she’s got street smarts, which he likes. he couldn’t fathom the idea of being with someone who gets scared about his job.

“you good, bro?” ashton, luke’s right-hand man, looks over at the bruises and leans against the sink of the bathroom, lighting a joint. their day is done and it’s time to go party. luke beat the shit out of a dude who didn’t give them their money and he threatened to go to the police. there was no way they would let him leave the storage unit without a warning. luke choked the man and broke a few ribs. he’s used to the job. it’s not like he was always like this. he used to have big dreams about forming a band and become a good musician. but he fell into the wrong crowds, and now here he is. dealing drugs and other sketchy businesses. everyone in la who knows about their mafia, knows not to fuck with them. they would end up dead. the police don’t do anything, they know how dangerous they are.

luke dries his hands with a paper towel and runs his fingers through his golden locks. “yeah,” he says. he’s never walked out of a fight with anything more than a few bruises. he does boxing on his free time, so he knows how to throw a lethal punch, and knows how to avoid poor kicks.

“i heard the grey lilies will be there tonight. i swear to fucking god those girls... i would bang every single one of them, but... you know...”

the grey lilies were a girl gang. they dealt drugs, too. that’s why they were a rival to the diamond forsaken. they never got into a physical fight, but there were many times they were about to. having the best clients was a problem for the male gang, but at least they had more people wanting their goods. but still, luke was pissed that they had a quality over quantity problem. he’d grown accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle. a good place to live, the most delicious takeout, and fancy cars. 

“for real?” luke looks over at his friend. he hides his excitement. sure, the grey lilies were trouble. but their top dealer, jackie, was the most fascinating creature he’d ever seen. their dates had been fun, exciting, thrilling. the idea of a secret hookup with their enemy was another rush of adrenaline. one that he actually preferred, if he was being honest.

- 

it’d all started at one of the parties. luke knew jackie, or at least he knew her face and what she did for a living. he was jealous she did so good with clients. she was charming as fuck. they didn’t mean to show up at the same place at the same time, but sometimes the gangs coincided. “did you get the dresnners?” she’d asked him as she took a seat on the stool next to him. her caramel-colored hair was in a ponytail and her eyeshadow was pastel blue. she wore ripped jeans, an oversized white t shirt, and high-heeled boots. the look suited her. she looked like the vocalist of an 80s inspired punk band.

luke scoffed. he knew what she meant. they had been fighting over the dressners for weeks and they decided to go with the grey lilies. that night, the diamond forsaken got blackout drunk. “no, but you did.” he finally said, looking down at the glass of vodka in his hand. 

“yeah,” she chuckled and ordered a beer. luke had always thought jackie was pretty interesting, but they’d never talked. not much, at least. just a few words here and there, mostly passive-aggressive shit. but the bickering was also part of the job. that night, though, that night neither felt like fighting. they were already buzzed. jackie took a swig of her beer and looked at him. “you wanna go outside? i got a joint. it’s legit shit, this.” she smiled.

it’s not like he frowned, but something among those lines happened. but fuck it, he thought. “sure. lead the way.”

they went to the terrace of the bar and lit up the joint. luke coughed a little and she laughed.  “i told you it was legit.”

-

luke and ashton walk into the club like the kings they are. everyone stops to look at them. but shortly, they resume their activities. which mostly consists of getting drunk and high. the two men make their way towards their usual booth. michael and calum are already there. calum’s with his girl. a black beauty who gives incredible head, his words. luke takes a seat and drinks the beer in front of him, swiftly drifting off the conversation to look around. he hasn’t seen the grey lilies, but he hopes they get here soon. bathroom sex sounds good right now.

“how was the guy?” michael asks as he throws a couple of fries into his mouth. ashton tells him that luke did a good job in silencing the motherfucker. “three ribs? man, that’s dark. but cool.” he laughs.

everyone seems to stop talking again, and luke shifts his gaze towards the door. the grey lilies have arrived. they look like a grunge band. their leader, lea, wears combat boots and net tights. but his eyes are focused on the girl whose moans keeps him up at night.  she looks gorgeous in that oversized that jacket that seems to swallow her whole, but still barely covers her ass. he wonders if he looks okay, sexy. he didn’t have time to change, and he hasn’t shaved in a few days. his motorcycle jacket has a few stains, but at least they’re not blood.

jackie finds him staring and she puts on a smirk. she pats the pocket of her jacket to let him know that she’s got weed on her. they rarely ever not get high together. that makes her wonder if this, this between luke and her, is just a side effect of the drug. but she doubts it. she actually likes him, even if she despises his friends. they all seem idiotic to her. luke notices the action of her hand and he immediately looks down at his drink. “imma go to the bathroom.” he announces, even though no one is hearing. they’re too into the story about the miami trip calum and his girl took last weekend.

luke stands up from the booth and snakes through the crowd. he catches a glimpse of jackie, who’s making her way towards her regular booth. “meet me outside in five,” he texts her. he watches her check her phone and smile down at the screen. 

-

“they’re gonna kill us if they see us together,” jackie says as she pulls out the joint from her pocket. she knows the grey lilies hate the diamond forsaken. they think the other gang are all egocentric assholes. she used to think that, too. but she met luke. and he’s actually a sweet guy. he’s really smart, too. the strategy they use to get more clients astounds her. but it’s nice to know that the grey lilies have the better clients.

luke watches her light up the joint and he leans against the wall outside of the club. it’s dark outside and the air is cold. there aren’t many people in the terrace, but he doubts anyone will say anything about them being together. getting high together. “then we’re just gonna have to keep it a secret.” his smile is shy, and jackie thinks he’s the most adorable man. even if he has bruises on his knuckles from probably beating up some shady guy. she passes the joint and luke takes a drag. “you wanna come to my place later? i got some cds i wanna show you.” they’re both big music nerds, and he loves that. they sit on the floor of his room, high out of their minds, and they listen to oasis, jane’s addiction and red hot chili peppers. 

“i don’t know. lea wants to do some kind of after party tonight. and i kinda want to be there.”

luke nods his head, he’s sort of disappointed, but it is what it is. he knows the gangs come first. it’s all about loyalty. that’s why he’d be fucked if anyone of the diamond forsaken members came out right now. but he knows they don’t smoke, except for calum occasionally -rarely, actually. so he’s not worried. 

“come here,” jackie smiles as she plays with the zipper of his jacket. they’re incredibly close and she can feel the smoke coming out from luke’s mouth. she kisses him softly, licking his bottom lip. with eyes closed, luke feels stars bursting inside his lungs. he really likes her. “give me that,” she orders and he hands her the joint.

they keep smoking until there’s nothing left and they stare into each other’s eyes. jackie isn’t one to maintain eye contact, but she feels safe with luke. even if he’s forbidden fruit.

-

the men's bathroom is empty. they had to sneak in so the others couldn’t see them. luke made an excuse about going to the bar to get more drinks even if the counter was crammed. jackie said she was going out for a smoke. it’s all hands and sloppy kisses as they lock the door of one of the stalls. luke bites his lower lip as his back is pressed to the white door and jackie drops to her knees. “you gonna make me feel good?”

“imma make you feel so good, baby,” she grins and unzips his pants. he’s already hard from all the making out in the terrace. so it’s not surprise that his cock springs up as soon as his briefs are pulled down to his thighs. jackie licks the tip and he shudders. he’s gotten a fair amount of blowjobs in his life. the first one from one girl that attended his school and she thought he was going to be a musician one day. but nothing compares to jackie’s mouth. her tongue slides down his length and he closes his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. she’s ecstatic that she can make him squirm in front of her. she likes being in control, even if it doesn’t always happen. luke can be pretty dominant in the bedroom. taking her from behind roughly and choking her. jackie puts his cock in her mouth and she starts bobbing her head to the rhythm of the loud bass coming from the other side of the bathroom door. luke appreciates the little detail. his senses are heightened and it feels like she’s one more instrument adding to the song.

“fuck,” he curses under his breath as he feels the tip of his dick hit her throat. she takes him in so good. she’s an angel. luke looks down and he sees her eyes staring up at him, a subtle smirk on her lips. “you’re- you’re-” he’s trying to say something but his brain doesn’t work. the pleasure is too intense. he hits his head against the door and closes his eyes once again. he’s about to cum. exactly at the same time he hears someone come into the bathroom. fuck. “stop, stop,” he whispers to jackie and cups her face to get her off his dick. she looks through the slit of the door and sees someone she recognizes washing their hands.

“shit,” she mouths. “michael.”

-

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[starcrossedkaiju]

Kingslayer AU: Chapter 3

This one is a bit shorter. It’s entirely fluff, nothing bad happens here. I felt bad for my man, I really did. Scott really channeled Ethan Winters in that last chapter.

Also, Jimmy is here!

Once again Scott awoke to something touching his face. This time it decidedly was not water, although he kind of wished it was due to how dirty he felt. Scott groaned when he opened his eyes and was immediately blinded by harsh sunlight. He remembered making it to the desert and presumably passing out. Was he dead?

“Scott?”

Holy shit. Someone just spoke.

“Hey dude, can you hear us?”

Two mystery people hovered over his line of sight. Their faces were unrecognizable due to being backlit by the sun.

“Hey Scott, can you open your eyes?” Someone spoke softly to him. He reached up slightly with his hand and they took it with a loving squeeze.

Back on earth now, Scott recognized a half of his company.

“Is that you Jimmy?” Scott muttered through half lidded eyes, “It’s so bright, I can’t see your face,” he apologized quietly.

Jimmy giggled with a twinge of sadness, his hand traveled up to cup the other’s cheek, “yes it’s me dear. Grian is here too. I’m going to bring you home in no time,” he reassured.

A primal chill went down Scott’s spine. It sent his exhausted brain into an instant overdrive, causing him to loose his breath quite suddenly.

“No..” Scott said. His voice was hoarse and laced with something like fear.

“They’ll kill me,” he whispered pleadingly, “they’ll come back for me and this time they’ll just kill me! Please don’t, they’ll kill us,” he repeated until he had no more air to talk with.

Jimmy’s eyes were wide with shock, he’d pulled his husband into his lap and off of the rough sand so that Scott’s head was off the floor. A hand fruitlessly rubbed circles on his arm in an attempt for comfort, which seemed to be lost on poor Scott.

“Okay- Scott? Count to ten with me will you?” Grian stopped observing and pat his disheveled friend on both of his shoulders to get his attention.

“Deep breath in, then out,” he guided, and Scott followed him shakily.

Grian made Scott do it ten times before shifting to counting up and down from ten. Scott was able to breathe again and he instinctively turned his head away from the sun. Jimmy placed a gentle hand over his eyes.

Scott tuned out of the conversation in favor of slipping into a comfortable numbness. He could infer the pair were considering their options to get him home. Jimmy couldn’t carry him alone, Grian definitely couldn’t.

The sun in the desert was harsh during the summer months, thankfully it was wintertime and a cool wind swept over the land. Scott focused on the calming sound of a breeze on the sand as he fell asleep once more.

*****

“Careful with him Scar, you’ll snap his neck,” Jimmy complained from somewhere under Scott’s line of hearing.

“Dude shut up, you’re being paranoid,” Scar chuckled back at him.

“I’m really not. Don’t let his neck hang like that,” Jimmy replied.

“Guys stop. His neck is perfectly fine,” Grian audibly hit someone on the arm as he scolded them.

*****

The uncomfortable feeling of grime against sheets greeted Scott when he awoke. It looked like late afternoon judging by the light coming through the curtain (which was a white sheet clipped over a window). He sat up, instantly recognizing his whereabouts.

The Sand Castle.

So it wasn’t a dream, he thought, he actually had made it out. Glancing down at his hands, he observed a myriad of bandages adorning his hands and wrists. They must have been pretty messed up. The rest of his body was still covered in dirt and sand, hence why they stuck him in a cot instead of a bed. Figures.

His sheet was also looking worse for wear, so when he stood up on mildly shaky legs he bunched up the ruined blanket and took it with him to go find someone. Making extra sure to hold the railing on the stairs, he came upon a window and took a second to look outside. The desert was expectantly barren, everyone must have been downstairs.

A muffled conversation became clear when Scott made it to the living room. Scar, Grian, and Jimmy had taken up residence on a single couch. They must have been waiting for something to smelt and conversing frivolously with the resident Enderman. A window near the door was propped open to let in the cold afternoon air which dulled the heat and mild stench coming from the furnace. It must be iron, for Scott could taste the faint metal in the back of his mouth.

He leaned on the doorframe casually as all the eyes in the room turned to him.

“Hey look whose awake!” Scar greeted him with an arms open gesture, “the dust man himself,” he added with a smirk.

“You really are quite dirty,” Grian agreed.

Jimmy almost threw himself from the couch, he went to hug Scott but was pushed away to arms length.

“They’re right, I am very gross right now,” Scott cautioned, but his husband would not be deterred.

Jimmy pushed the other’s arms down and pulled him close, leaning his chin on top of the other’s head gently. Scott sighed and gave in as well.

A unanimous decision seemed to be made when Scott was sat down on the couch. Scar, Grian, and Jimmy hovered over him awkwardly with worried faces. Unsure what to ask him and what not to ask him.

“Uh, I’m assuming you have questions?” Scott broke the silence.

“Yes. Many,” Grian said, “I suppose we should start with where you’ve been for the past three days,” he supplied.

“Three days?” Scott replied slightly horrified.

“That’s not good,” Scar said in reference to Scott’s lack of awareness.

“Well okay, let’s start with where you’ve been right? I mean I think we all know the answer, but still”, Jimmy sat down next to Scott. Probably for moral support.

“Right. Yeah, I got kidnapped; if it wasn’t obvious,” Scott said. Everyone nodded with an I knew that expression.

“They whacked me over the head with a stick in the woods and then,” he paused and looked at his hands. They were shaking, so he curled and uncurled his fists a few times.

“They threw me in a hole and left me there,” he said.

“Wait like an actual hole? Underground?” Scar asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Yes, underground, it was like a cell made of cobblestone. There wasn’t any light, and nobody came to visit me either. That’s probably why I didn’t know how long I was down there,” Scott confirmed.

“What so they just left you in there to die?” Jimmy butted in with a concerned inflection.

“Man that’s messed up, but hey this is good news! Now we have a valid excuse to take Dogwarts down right?” Scar said.

“What?!” yelled Grian, “this is not good news at all. What is wrong with you?”

“We are not building another bomb,” Jimmy said.

“We are completely outnumbered,” added Grian.

“I am not picking another fight with those guys. I think we’ve messed with them enough, look at where that got us,” Jimmy agreed.

“Guys shut up!” Scott said. He stood up from the couch. Everyone seemed to eye him with speculation.

“I need to go wash up,” he excused himself, taking the bedsheet with him out the front door.

*****

Around the back of the base there was an area where the mountain dropped off into a small pond. Scott slid down on the loose sand until he reached the dock where the Red Desert kept their stash of gunpowder. The sky was empty and quiet, eerily so. The only sound came from a slight din of insects and the babble of water lapping against the legs of the dock.

Peaceful.

Scott pulled off his boots, dumping a mound of dirt from both of them before continuing to strip down to his shorts. He waded into the water and submerged himself. He could see the cloud of dirt coming off of him when he ran his fingers through his hair.

Scott stayed under the water for a while. The muffled ambience calmed his nerves. He allowed himself to cry for a moment, then returned to the surface.

“Wow, I didn’t think you were coming back up,” Jimmy said from above him.

Scott yelped with shock, spinning around to face the other.

“Don’t do that!” he scolded with no malice, but he splashed some water in his direction.

“I didn’t even do anything,” Jimmy pleaded and laughed as he was bombarded with cold water.

“Whatever. Were you just standing there watching me?” Scott asked.

Jimmy shrugged dismissively.

“You creep,” Scott splashed him again.

Jimmy made to reach down and get Scott back, but the ladder grabbed his hand when it was near and pulled his unsuspecting husband headfirst into the pond. Jimmy seemed to have already dressed for the occasion and was also wearing his shorts and a T-shirt, so there was no real harm done to him besides his meticulously styled hair.

Scott leaned on the dock to prevent himself from drowning in his laughter. Jimmy resurfaced and a long string of water flew from his now messy hair as he flung it from his eyes.

“You…” Jimmy growled, sending a playful spritz into Scott’s eyes.

“You,” Scott said, “were asking for that,” he teased.

“Ugh. Well I’m glad you still seem to be yourself after all that. Don’t be taking it out on me though,” Jimmy joined the other on leaning on the dock.

“No promises,” Scott responded jokingly, but his smile quickly faded from his face. He pulled himself out of the water and onto the dock, a puddle forming under him where he sat with his legs in the water.

The lake was a deep blue color, just barely able to see the bottom through the dark shadows cast by the mountain in the now setting sun. Scott’s reflection gazed back at him. Cleaner than last time, his bangs were plastered to the front of his face by the water, which had turned his hair into as deep of a blue as the lake below him.

He felt rather exposed. Still afraid that Dogwarts was hot on his trail, they’d no doubt realized he had escaped them.

This was not the life he wanted. Constantly being on the run, feeling unsafe at home, and fearing that your presence could be the reason the people you love get hurt. Scott looked at his mangled hands, his fingers were irritated and red from where they poked out of the bandages; and for the first time in a long time he felt pain.

Not the pain that comes when you catch your finger in a doorframe, or the pain from a bad trip down the porch steps; the pain that grows in your chest when you feel like a burden. When you’ve had to be picked up and glued back together by another person one too many times. When you’ve spent your life running, only to fall into someone else’s arms and suddenly feel safe for once.

When you’re terrified of what will happen if they’re not there anymore.

“Hey,” Jimmy said with a reprimanding tone, “you’ve got that look on your face,” he warned.

Scott threw him a side glance, “what look?”

“That look. The look you get when you start overthinking your life instead of talking to someone about it,” Jimmy recited.

“I hate when you do that,” Scott sighed.

“Do what?”

“Know me,” Scott deadpanned.

Jimmy hoisted himself up and sat next to his husband. He tamed the strands of hair from the other’s eyes, tucking them behind his ears.

“I brought some soap. I was planning on lending it to you before an attempt on my life was made,” he said, leaning backwards and coming back with a bucket and a bar of light orange soap. It was lightly used, it smelled of citrus and mint.

“I feel like I never knew anyone before I knew you,” Scott said as he examined the bar of soap up near his face.

That wasn’t entirely a lie. Jimmy was the first person Scott had seen after entering the border.

“Sometimes it makes me afraid that I know someone so intimately. It makes me feel dangerous,” he said.

“Dangerous?” Jimmy took the soap from his hands and filled up the bucket with fresh water.

“Yeah. In the way that loving something so completely makes it easier to get to me. I’m afraid of people finding out that the way to destroy me is destroying you,” Scott explained.

“That won’t happen,” Jimmy replied, “I can’t even count how many times we’ve almost died and been just fine. Remember that TNT?”

“Oh my god don’t even remind me,” Scott covered his face.

“I am reminding you, because it was cool! I mean I’m the one who took out the Red King without dying,” Jimmy bragged.

“On accident!” Scott reminded him.

“Nobody needs to know that. Also I got him first,” the other added. Scott kicked water at him.

Jimmy put a hand on Scott’s back and pushed him into the lake.

“Hey,” Scott said.

“Stay right here,” Jimmy directed and positioned Scott between his knees so that he could reach his hair easier.

“Don’t let that indestructible mindset get to you,” Scott said. He admired the ripples on the surface of the water.

“Maybe if I believe it enough it’ll be real,” Jimmy said with no particular conviction, focused on making sure he adequately scrubbed his husband’s hair.

[thatphatoven]

At the Beginning

 Diluc x Fem! Reader; Anastasia inspired Au

The lost Princess of Fontaine, with vague memories, journeys back to her homeland with the darknight hero trying to discover her past.

Chapter one

AN; This series will set place when Diluc leaves the dawn winery after his dad's death. I apologize if the information is inaccurate or the characters are out of their personality. Also, I used google for translation for some French, so if anyone wants to correct me, feel free. 

Word Count; 2,488

Unedited 

Like a mystery, the night held infinite uncertainty. The blanket of stars provided the comfort of light to bystanders bustling in the streets. Boisterous waves of laughter mingled with the notes of the viola, while at the same time, the patter of feet dances amongst the cobbled pavement as constant jeers chant words of ambition.

A short and stout plump man clambers on the wooden bar table, raising his pint of beer. "Vive la Fontaine!" He bawls. The swarm of drunkards mimics his gesture, laughably heaving their beers. Everyone adores the late-night festivities of celebrations. Conspicuously for a certain Princesse. All classes of the hierarchy were divulging on her 10th birthday. The common folk paraded in the streets, as the aristocrats partake in the Château. One devotee perched away from the horde, gripping his pint considerably tight. Resentment filled this man to the brim. His eyebrows creased at the carefree atmosphere while his teeth clenched vigorously. His unsettlingly deep brown eyes leered at the ripples of his beer. The Tavener in duty glanced at him, wary of his movements. "Are you not enjoying the night, Monsieur?" he questioned. The cloaked man remained mute, desire to be alone with his brooding. Having enough of the repulsive atmosphere,  he pushed the tankard towards the barkeep while fishing out a couple of mora before slamming it against the hard surface.

The barkeep raised a brow at the mug, filled to the brim untouched. "What a waste," he thought, his pupils trailed on that particular individual crashing into other patrons, not until he reached the knob of the entry, but only to slam it vigorously. Not one person wavered at his little act but happily drank more to feeding their drunken state. Outside the Tavern, least people loiter around the city streets. Only the occasional hidden couple is kissing in a dim alleyway as some hasten their journey back to their cozy homes.

Fog swarm the night while the chilly air nipped his skin. In a straight line, rows of oil lamps lit up the murky mist. He begins his stride of pace out of the precinct, and after turning and turning, this section of the city became less active. Only sealed up windows and abandon property lived here. He was passing an unkempt park, with rust and weed growing on the deteriorating swing set. There assigned next to it was where the citizens worship their God. A once tall, beautiful structure is now a decaying building with the statues nation archon, sat in the middle of the courtyard as vines grew on the idol. The wind whistled loudly, fabricating a frightening aura to his personality. Trudging up the cathedral's steps, he swiftly entered the church, in the process of ramming the heavy entree.

Crash.

Shards of a porcelain marble bowl were scattered on the flooring. The heel of his leather shoe crunched against the broken pieces as he stationed himself in front of the altar. Pope Marquis Puissant. A once righteous man was loyal to Fontaine's  God, now castaway for betraying the regality and abandonment of faith. A wicked man, they call him. Instead of the common holy word of the Archon, he was preaching of Ursa the Drake. A draconic creature that wasn't a God. That dragon, though it held an intense amount of power, enrapturing his attention. The local faithful became weary of his sudden turn on his faith which his reputation took a turn. Fewer attended the mass and begged the crown to disown him as a Pope. It was a late Sunday morning when the priesthood strips his power as a Vicar. In a rage, he stormed the Palace ground. "You're all nothing but halfwits blinded by power!" pointing at each, and of them, he cursed words of unpleasantries. "You wait, like this poor country excuse of a God, justice will be served."

Ever since then, he took shelter in a deserted church. Where there in the middle of the stone tablet laid a delusion. The Tsaritsa must have pitted the vengeful man, even if he's not part of the fatui. He will gladly serve two Gods. Now on the night of the beloved nation princess, Marquis will commence his revenge scheme, starting on the birthday girl.

"Higher Papa!" a giggle of chortle escape the young girl's lips. The man twirling her oblige, raising her higher in the air to the beat of the ensemble's melody. The puffy maroon gown fitted around her petite body, while the style of her long white hair swayed with every movement. The (e/c) pierced her fathers, carrying mirth of cheekiness. Sitting on the throne mirrored with the same features of the Princess sat a kind queen, with soft eyes smiling at the ridiculous scene of her daughter's ambitions. "Look at my beautiful Granddaughter." grey-haired, tied in a tight bun with a crown, sat snugly on her head. The Grand-mère watched the ballroom flock in high spirit. However, it was the girl that danced with her Father that held all that energy. "Have the Ragnvindr's arrive yet?" she questioned, looking at her daughter. "Not that I'm aware of Mother, but you should stop inquiring for rare alcohol from Master Crepus." "It's not my fault that the family makes splendid wine" The elderly woman hid her smile behind her gloved hand. "Besides, it's the offspring I'm after," they watched (y/n) grinned at her son-in-law, ruffling the girl's hair. "A charming man, with a charming boy. Don't you agree?" The queen let out a sigh at her Mother's antics.

"Grand-mère!" a small cheer escape (y/n). Pulling the layers of cloth, she began to hurry to the pair leaving her Father on the dance floor. Spreading her arms, the elderly accepted her hug and began smothering with small kisses on her round cheeks; her granddaughter laughed. "Look at you, my little lumière. All grown up," she squished her cheeks together, holding tenderness behind her blue eyes. "Now that I'm ten, you're going to teach me how to play poker! Right?" Tiptoeing closer to her, she held the throne seat, giddy of the thought. Her Mother stared at the child and Grandmother in disbelief. Chuckling nervously, she patted her hair. "Maybe wait until you're coming of age." (Y/N) pouted at her answer, leaving her explanation unreasonable. "But I do have a little gift for you instead." Grabbing the tiny Princess's palm, placing a red leather ring box. In a rush, the child swiftly opened the present. A gasp emitted from her. "Oh, Grand-mère! It's beautiful!" (Y/N) cried. A simple golden chain sat in the cushion, with the same colored ore boldly gleaming in the middle. "Together in Fontaine," reading out loud as she deciphers the cursive writing.  The two grinned at each other as her Grandmother help put the necklace together around her. "When you wear this, think of an old woman who loves you very, very much." (Y/N) nodded at her words, directing her attention to the lockets words—hugging her once more.

"Your majesty," a rich and velvety tone interrupts the tranquility. "Master Crepus," the aging regal announced. A tall, aristocratic gentleman with charm greeted the family. His attire consisted of a simple charcoal black two-piece suit, and the tie he was sporting matched his fiery red hair. A handsome man he was. "Finally declaring your arrival, it seems." she teased. (Y/N) gape at the lord, intimidated by his scarlet hooded eyes. "Apologies, I was struggling to convince my son to attend the party." Crepus sighed. "Is this the boy you took in? Kaeya was it?" The ensemble's melody began a new tune as she glanced at her associate.

“attentive as ever, your majesty." The older woman smirk at his reply, "when you reached a certain age, you recall every little detail." He let out a deep laugh only after he shakes his head. "Diluc was the one who managed to drag him." "Ah, the little Crepus did it?" "Indeed, he promised that he wouldn't abandon him during the party."  Their eyes trailed over to a smaller version of the man, who was currently dragging a bashful blue-haired boy across the room. "That little ball of light does have his ways."

(Y/N) fidget on her spot, feeling increasingly uninterested in the adult's discussions. Aware of her actions, Crepus near the girl and kneeled. "Happy Birthday, your highness." Only to pass his present for her. She lightened up at the gift and hugged it."Thank you, my lord." she smiled at his action while showing a missing tooth in the middle of her teeth. "You must be bored just listening to us old people talk," he spoke. Standing straight, he called to the pair of boys. The bubbly red-haired boy was the first to respond, pulling his brother behind him. The Grand-mère scanned Crepus prized possessions; the boy replenish with enthusiasm did take after his Father. The same color hair, all down to his features. While his adopted brother next to him possessed blue hair and sapphire eyes. Though it was the eyepatch that caught her attention, she raised a brow but didn't question. It was like comparing them to the sun and moon.

"Your highness," The boy greeted as his brother mimic his actions muttering the same sentence. "This is Diluc and Kaeya" Crepus put both of his hands on both children's shoulders. (Y/N) looked at them with awe; she has never come across with blazing hot and cold calm hair.  She ponders wanting those colors rather than her dull white hair. "It is an honor to be in your presence," Diluc address. "My, what a sophisticated son you raised." The women applaud. "That's Diluc for you." The group laughs at the small tease. The bold child reached the girl and stared. Uneasy, she dug her hands into the gown, afraid to look at Diluc. "You have pretty eyes," he said, still gazing. (Y/N) blushed at his compliment. "I like you and your brother's hair!" she returned—Kaeya observes behind his adoptive Father's legs, envious of his brother's daring personality. As the two new friends converse, he felt the older man nudge him towards the pair. "Don't be shy now, Kaeya."

As Kaeya approach the Princess and his brother, the girl let out a gasp. "Your eyes have stars!" she inspected closer, now flusters with her bold move. She kept rambling on waves of compliments towards Kaeya. Diluc giggled at the discomposed Kaeya and band in with more teasing. The child lifts his dark hands in defense, trying to calm them. Maybe it was better to stay back at the lodge.

"What's under your eyepatch?"

Kaeya stiffens at her direct question. All of a sudden, the air thickens, and the ambiance of unsettlement quickly replaces the mood. "(Y/N)," her grandmother warns. At once, she felt guilty at her grandmother's tone and the dismal Kaeya. "It's nothing," he whispers. The reflection of his face that the marble flooring held became more interesting. "I'm sorry." tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. She feverishly struggles to hold back the tears, surprising the two boys. "Ah, Princess, don't cry," Diluc reassures, hastily stop her tears with his tie. "But I made him sad! What PrincessPrincess does that to her people!!" Shutting her vision, and her gloves gripped tightly, feeling the harsh material. Diluc looked at both disheartened children; at that moment, he suddenly felt restless. "It's alright, Kaeya doesn't mind that question, right?" looking at his brother for support, he nodded at his words. Then softly smiling at her. 

"Don't worry," he whispered.

The girl gape at him then mirrored his smile. Childish laughter once again replaces their sadness. "Princess, even though we live in another nation, the Ragnvindr's will always aid you," Crepus informed. "Yes! Kaeya and I will be your royal knights when you visit Mondstadt." Diluc hooked his arm under Kaeya while puffing his chest proudly. (Y/N) clapped her hands at his proclamation, "But Diluc were not knights yet." his older brother stiffen. "Maybe wait in five years."

The night crowd with freedom. Not one complained or did the fun died down. The triplex of kids, hanging around each other, and befit on being close friends. This night was the most fun the little Princess had as she watches Diluc tease Kaeya again. However, the night holds infinite uncertainty.

An instant gasp and the shatter of a wine glass caused a halt in the ballroom. The music ceased as a gust of wind expelled the chandelier candles. The cloaked man sauntered his way past the frightened crowd, clapping his hand in slow motion. He let out a deep laugh, approaching the family that strips away his power. "How dare you return to the palace!" The king spoke brashly, pushing his daughter behind. (Y/N) shook in fear, watching the mad man plastered a demented smile at her. "But I'm your confidant," he exclaimed. "Confidant? Ha! You are a traitor to Fontaine!" "Get out!"

"You think you can banish me? Pope Marquis Puissant!" he steps closer to him, hiding his delusion in his cloak. As (Y/n) was watching, she felt a slight tug pulling away from them. Diluc stood in front of her, furrowing his small brow. "By the holy power given by the Tsaritsa and Ursa, I'll banish you and your family with a curse!" The chamber gasp at his comment. "Mark my word I will not rest until I see the end of the Rousseau!" Bring out his power; he directed his attack toward the king. A shriek was let out from the queen as he shut his eye tightly, anticipating the attack.

"(Y/N)!"

The Grand-mère cried, flinging herself out of her throne. All eyes direct their attention towards Diluc; he didn't feel the girl's hand. Turning around, she was gone. "What did you do to my daughter!" Her Father roared. Marquis laughed and grinned, not saying a word. "Guards, get him!"  he ordered to the once holy man. Laughing again, more mist gathered quickly in the ballroom; as the guard's closed onto him, fire circled his figure, preventing them from entering.  The blaze grew quicker; Crepus felt Kaeya stiffen in his arm, watching the delusion in Marquis's hand. The windows exploded in one motion, making the room more in a frenzy while the wind blew harsher.  Diluc, in rage, ran towards him. "Diluc, no!" Crepus warned, however, as he passed the flames and mist, he was gone.

The only ashes and embers replace his spot. Marquis was far gone, along with the Princess. "Quickly close all the borders! I don't want anyone leaving Fontaine!" The distraught Father ordered. " I want every house to be searched, every church, alleyway and caves checked!" "Whatever you do, find the Princess and Marquis!". Tears of despair escape the Mother and Grandmother crying for the kidnapped daughter.  Diluc silently stood there watching the embers die down.

The once festive night took a turn into a nightmare.

[lostcoves]

ft. tendou satori x fem!reader

genre: fluff & a lil angst 

wc & warnings: 3.1k | none

premise: tendou satori has a massive crush on you. could performing with you in beauty and the beast be his chance to finally get with you?

tendou satori loved you.

plain and simple, he loved you. he loved the way you walked, the way you talked, everything about you screamed beauty and grace. you laughed at his poor jokes and smiled whenever he smiled at you.

tendou didn’t understand why you were so kind to him.

you were a beauty while he was a beast.

an irony that would come forth during shiratorizawa academy’s annual charity fundraiser. 

“hello i’m (l/n) (f/n) from the drama club!” you greeted tendou’s homeroom class one cloudy morning. tendou was in the middle of trying to balance a pencil on his finger when you began to speak about the annual charity fundraiser. apparently, the drama club was putting on a musical and needed more male participants.

“you should try out, tendou-san!” his classmate– a freckle faced boy by the name of kawasaki hitoshi– proposed to tendou. tendou paused from balancing his pencil and asked, “huhhhhh? how come?”

“cuz everyone knows about your massive crush on (l/n)-san,” kawasaki snickered. other boys joined in on the snickering and kawasaki exclaimed to you, “(l/n)-san! tendou-san will participate!”

your eyes brightened at the mention of tendou’s name, “really?!”

“well, i mean– oh thank you, tendou-san!” you cut him off with an embrace. tendou’s cheeks turned as red as his hair at your touch, you were so soft and squishy. you released tendou from the hug (much to his dismay) and handed him a flyer, “auditions are tomorrow! can’t wait to see you there!”

tendou watched as you scurried off to the next classroom before examining the flyer. it was in bright, obnoxious colors with the words ‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AUDITIONS’ in bold. 

oh the irony.

─────────────────

“you’re trying out for a musical, tendou-senpai?!” goshiki yelled at tendou during lunch. tendou shot him a stare and signaled him to lower his voice. goshiki covered his mouth and nodded before resuming his eating. 

ushijima, reon, and semi stared at tendou and the four didn’t speak, unsure of what to say to one another.

“will this interfere with volleyball practice?” ushijima asked.

“i don’t think so,” replied tendou before picking up a chunk of white rice, “the practices would be during school hours since it’s a charity event and what not.”

ushijima nodded, “good. you should do it then.”

tendou choked on his rice, “are you serious?”

semi nodded along in agreement, “i think so too. i mean, why not? now you’ll have an excuse to be around (l/n)-san without being a creep.”

tendou scoffed at semi’s commentary and fought the urge to give him the finger. reon chuckled at the exchanged and added his two cents, “i think it would be a great idea, as well. it would also look great on college applications from a community service and extracurriculars side of things.”

“not you too, reon..” tendou groaned, “i’m not–”

“hi, tendou-san!”

tendou nearly screamed and whipped his head around to see you standing behind him, smiling happily. tendou cleared his throat and attempted to be a cool guy, “heyyyyyy, (l/n)-san! what’s uppppp!”

“just wanted to say hi!” you answered, batting those gorgeous lashes of yours, “you’re still coming to auditions tomorrow, right?”

tendou looked back at his friends, all of which gave him double thumbs up.

“yeah, of course! wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

tendou just dug his own grave.

─────────────────

tendou nearly forgot how big shiratorizawa’s auditorium was. it felt daunting, as he stepped inside and made a beeline towards the stage. a group of students stood by the stage, practicing their lines and singing their songs. 

“tendou-san! you made it!” tendou looked down and saw you approaching him. he swallowed his nerves and greeted you with a smile, “heyyyyy, (l/n)-san! how you doing today?”

“i’m doing great!” you answered, “are you ready for your audition?”

“yup!” tendou smiled, “but if you don’t mind me asking, (l/n)-san, who are you trying out for?”

“i’m going for belle!”

the lead? of course, you would get the lead. tendou remembered seeing you perform in the blossoming of kamiya etsuko where you played the titular character. you brought tears to the audience’s eyes with your amazing performance. 

“oh that’s cool! i– er.. i’m going for the beast!”

damnit, tendou! were you trying to embarrass yourself?

your eyes sparkled like diamonds at tendou’s words, “really?!”

tendou masked his anxiety with a laugh, “haha! for sure!”

“i can’t wait to see you perform!” you gave tendou a high five, “break a leg!”

oh he would break a leg, all right. hopefully, in a literal fashion.

─────────────────

“tendou satori?” the director– an over zealous english teacher by the name of hasegawa ryuji– called tendou onto the stage. tendou felt like his legs were jelly, wobbling with each step he took. he gripped onto his sheet music tightly, as he made his way on stage. 

“what song will you be singing for us today?” hasegawa-sensei grinned. 

“i’ll be singing–” tendou scanned the crowd and found you among a group of girls. you locked eyes with him and mouthed, ‘break a leg! you got this!’ to him, “–if i can’t love her.”

not many people knew tendou’s secret but he took vocal lessons from the ripe age of five and until he entered high school. his parents forced him to go in an effort to improve his social skills and make him more approachable. while it didn���t improve his social skills, tendou gained a nice singing voice.

“you can begin at the start of the music.”

tendou took a deep breath.

do it for (y/n).

the music began to play.

and in my twisted face there's not the slightest trace of anything that even hints of kindness and from my tortured shape no comfort, no escape i see, but deep within is utter blindness

tendou’s voice was gentle yet powerful.

hopeless as my dream dies as the time flies love a lost illusion helpless unforgiven cold and driven to this sad conclusion

tendou pictured all those times people made fun of his looks. every person who laughed at him, every person who shunned him. he channeled that into his singing and thought of you, you with your kind nature and you with your warmth.

no beauty could move me no goodness improve me no power on earth, if i can't love her no passion could reach me no lesson could teach me how I could have loved her and make her love me too if i can't love her, then who?

who would love him? tendou was but a beast. hideous and unworthy. 

long ago i should have seen all the things i could have been careless and unthinking, i moved onward

tendou looked out among the crowd and stared at you. 

no pain could be deeper no life could be cheaper no point anymore, if i can't love her no spirit could win me no hope left within me hope i could have loved her and that she'd set me free hut it's not to be if i can't love her let the world be done with me

i could only wish you could love me, (y/n).

the music came to an end and a shush fell over the auditorium. tendou’s cheeks flushed a warm red, did he mess up?

applause suddenly exploded among the crowds. tears were in the eyes of hasegawa-sensei, “that was amazing, tendou-san! your voice was just perfect!”

“o- oh!” tendou cleared his throat, “thanks..”

he could only hope he was good enough to get the role.

─────────────────

“are you going to check the cast list?” ushijima asked a few days after the auditions. tendou saw people crowding outside hasegawa-sensei’s classroom, the bulletin board containing the cast list for beauty and the beast.

“i rather not,” the redhead grumbled. 

“tendou-san!”

tendou perked up at the sound of his name. it was you, standing before him with that dazzling smile of yours. 

“wanna check the cast list with me?” you offered to tendou. 

how could he say no to you?

“sure thing!” he chuckled before approaching the cast list with you. the crowd parted like the red sea upon your arrival. tendou’s eyes started from the bottom of the list, thinking he got an ensemble role.

“hey tendou-san?”

“yes, (l/n)-san?”

“look up.”

tendou looked at the top of the cast list and choked when he read who got the role of the beast.

TENDOU SATORI – THE BEAST 

his eyes darted up above it and tendou nearly fainted.

(L/N) (F/N) – BELLE

tendou was in for a whirlwind.

─────────────────

tendou paced outside the auditorium, unsure if he should head inside. today was the first of ten six hour rehearsals for the musical and tendou was panicking. should he face the music or cower in fear?

“tendou-san? are you okay?”

shit, it was you. tendou couldn’t let you see him like this. he plastered on a grin and turned around to greet you, “hiya (l/n)-chan! how you doing!”

“i’m fine–” you cut yourself short, “–oh, (l/n)-san? that’s a new one. i like it.”

tendou laughed nervously, adverting his gaze from you. damnit, why did you have such an effect on him? 

“well, i’m heading to rehearsal so come along,” you grabbed him by the hand and dragged tendou into the auditorium. you were surprisingly strong for such a short person, or at least someone shorter than tendou. 

the auditorium was jam-packed with students conversing excitedly about the show. tendou felt as if he was the only one not completely invested in the show. after all, he only auditioned for you.

“attention, cast members!” hasegawa-sensei called everyone’s attention. he then launched into some speech about rules and expectations, to which tendou toned out. all he could focus on was you. 

rehearsal went by at an agonizingly slow pace. tendou managed to introduce himself to the rest of the cast, most of which knew him from the volleyball team. still unused to the environment, tendou stuck by your side like a lost puppy dog. 

tendou remembered sprinting out of the auditorium the moment hasegawa-sensei dismissed everyone from rehearsal. he wasn’t sure how he was gonna balance schoolwork, volleyball, and the musical. but the one thing he did was it would be worth it to spend more time with you.

nighttime fell over shiratorizawa academy by the time tendou got out of volleyball practice. he dragged himself out of the gym, not even bothering to see his goodbyes to his teammates from how exhausted he was. 

“tendou-san?” you approached the redhead outside the gym. tendou rubbed the guck out of his eyes and waved to you, “oh hey, (l/n)-san.”

“tired?” you offered tendou a sympathetic smile.

tendou nodded and let out a yawn, “very.”

“here,” you handed tendou some canned coffee, “this should help.”

“thanks,” he cracked it open and took a generous sip. tendou let out a satisfied sigh and smiled, “this is some good coffee.”

“glad you like it!” you returned tendou’s smile. tendou could feel his chest tightening at the sight, you were just.. beautiful. it wasn’t fair, you were too beautiful for this world.

“oh, by the way.. whatcha doing outside the gym?” tendou questioned to you.

your cheeks heated up, maybe from the cold air or maybe from embarrassment, “i– i just wanted to tell you that you did a great job at rehearsal today! that’s why..”

tendou’s chest tightened at the praise, “oh really? that means a lot, coming from you!”

“of course!” you brushed back a loose hair from your face, “and i wanted to extend an offer to you.”

“oh?” now tendou was intrigued. 

“if you need any help with rehearsing our one on one scenes, i’m more than happy to help! like our kissing scene!”

tendou grinned, “alrighty! thanks, (l/n)-chan!”

wait, rewind.

kissing scene?

─────────────────

tendou paced about outside of the auditorium. rehearsals were half way through and tendou had yet to confront the fact that he had to kiss you in the show. he should have had read the script ahead of time; what did he get himself into now?

“tendou-san, are you alrighty? you look pale in the face,” hasegawa-sensei greeted tendou by the doors to the auditorium. tendou nearly puked on his shoes but put up his typical tendou satori charade, “oh hey, sensei! how– er.. how are you doing?”

“i’m fine. tendou, what’s wrong? you can be honest with me,” answered hasegawa-sensei with a frown. tendou broke character and confessed to his director, “i’m scared about the kissing scene.”

hasegawa-sensei patted tendou on the back, “oh, it’s more than fine to have some first time jitters! if it makes you feel better, it will be a stage kiss. you won’t actually be kissing (l/n)-san.”

tendou wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or disappointed.

“tendou-san? hasegawa-sensei?” speak of the devil– or in your case, the angel.

“morning, (l/n)-san! ready for rehearsal?” hasegawa-sensei turned his attention to you with a grin. you nodded and fist-pumped the air, “ready as i could ever be! we got this today! right, tendou-san?”

“yup!” he chirped in response, trying his hardest to conceal his fear. 

did tendou really got this?

─────────────────

tendou laid on the auditorium’s dirty stage, eyes closed and pretending to be dead. this was the moment where he would be revived by true love’s kiss. he anxiously waited for you to pretend kiss him.

“please don’t leave me.. come back,” you stage-whispered your line, leaning in to “kiss” tendou on the forehead.

then the worst thing imaginable happened. 

some dust from the stage floor got up into tendou’s nose and he jerked upwards in an attempt to sneeze. his lips collided with yours in a messy kiss, the two of you kissing one another with wide eyes. 

tendou could only stare when you pulled away with wide eyes. he felt like vomiting, as the crowd in the auditorium fell silent. hasegawa-sensei broke the silence and exclaimed, “take five, people!”

tendou stormed out of the auditorium with you hot on his tail. he managed to find a quiet place to hide when you appeared, covering his face in shame. tendou looked back up at you and his voice croaked, “hey.. (l/n)-san..”

“what happened (l/n)-chan?” you asked. 

“i don’t think i have the right to call you that after what happened,” grumbled tendou in embarrassment. you took a seat next to him and rested your head against his shoulder, “hey it’s okay! i know it was an accident! the stage floor is so dusty, it’s only natural for you to sneeze.”

“that was my first kiss.”

“what?” you blinked once, then twice. your face erupted in a fierce blush, “oh– oh my god! it was?! d– did i take your f– first kiss?!”

“hey, hey!” tendou gently gripped you by the shoulders in an effort to calm you now. you stared at him with an erratic look in your eyes, “i– i’m so sorry! you should have had your first kiss with someone special!”

but you’re someone special, (y/n)-chan.

“i’m glad it was you.”

“wh– what?” you stammered.

“i’m glad my first accidental kiss was with you, (y/n)-chan,” tendou replied. 

your face flushed at his words, “n– now, i’m (y/n)-chan? god, y– you’re gonna be the death of me, tendou-san..”

“you can call me satori if you want,” tendou commented to you.

you smiled, “well.. okay, satori-kun. let’s head back to the auditorium.”

god, you were going to be the death of tendou satori.

and you two haven’t practiced the second kiss yet.

─────────────────

today was the day, opening night for shiratorizawa academy’s production of beauty and the beast. tendou was being held hostage by the makeup crew, as they applied his beast makeup. it itched, the fake fur itched against his skin. 

“we need tendou on stage in five!” the stage manager called for him. tendou rose from the makeup chair and examined himself in the mirror. the makeup crew did a great job, he truly looked like a beast. 

“ready to wow the crowd, satori-kun?” tendou turned around and found you standing in the doorway, dressed in belle’s village girl costume. god, you looked adorable. 

“ready whenever you are,” tendou gave you a thumbs up. you returned the thumbs up with a smile and extended a hand to tendou, “let’s wow this crowd.”

tendou took your hand and squeezed it, “let’s wow this crowd.”

the musical progressed quite smoothly, tendou nailing every line of dialogue and music. the crowd was mesmerized by his singing voice and acting skills, as well as yours. 

then it was time, time for the kisses.

tendou laid motionlessly on the ground, thankful that the tech crew dusted the floor beforehand. no more accidental kisses! you approached his still body with heartbreak in your eyes, “please don’t leave me.. come back.”

tendou felt your sweet lips against his forehead, his eyes opening wide and the music playing to play. he “transformed” before the crowd, morphing from a hideous beast into a handsome prince. 

tendou stood before you, dressed in his princely garments and smiling bright, “belle,” he greeted you breathlessly. 

nerves overtook tendou’s mind, as the second kiss– the kiss on the lips– quickly approached. he took a step forward and covered both of your lips with his hands, just as hasegawa-sensei taught him. 

then something unexpected happened.

you pressed your lips against his, a full blown kiss. tendou remained still as possible, unsure what to do. you– his crush– were kissing him. you were kissing him, tendou satori of all people.

fuck it, he thought to himself and allowed himself to get lost in the kiss. the curtains closed on the two of you kissing. tendou didn’t pull away, too into the kiss to realize what was happening. 

“wow,” tendou whispered when the kiss was broken. you touched your forehead to tendou’s and giggled, “that was great, satori-kun.”

“that almost felt.. real,” he sighed with a smile.

“that’s because it was,” you answered, “i like you, tendou satori.”

everything came to a standstill the moment those words came out of your mouth. you liked him? you liked tendou? for real? you weren’t kidding? you actually liked him for him?

“i like you, (l/n) (f/n),” tendou finally responded after a moment. you broke out into a grin and kissed him again, the two of you unaware that the curtains were rising. a shush fell over the crowd at the sight. you two didn’t realize that your mics were on for the long exchange.

“go tendou! go (l/n)!” 

the silence broke. the crowd erupted in cheers, essentially derailing the show. you and tendou looked out onto the crowd sheepishly, both of you holding one another’s hands.

the beast got with the beauty.

tendou couldn’t have asked for a better ending.