#he's fine i think he will continue to grow and develop his people skills but my gd

[transwolvie]

Quick note that I am not anti-Shuro, I think he has plenty of room to grow and he very much learned his lesson multiple times over, but I cannot fathom ppl who come away from the story thinking he could have a successful relationship with Falin after firstly not really understanding Falin fully as a person and secondly deciding not to even be present for most of the events involved in saving her. He is not up to snuff for her by the literal canon text. I think he will grow and he's fine but fuck he does NOT deserve a relationship with Falin EVER imo

Edit: idk if it was obvious but I mean he doesn't deserve a romantic relationship they can still be friends but he has to see Falin get smooched on by Marcille and know that he fumbled that bag

[hyperlexichypatia]

What some of y'all call "recovery" and "healing" is just... growing up.

The theme I keep coming back to, the theme I keep writing about over and over, is the inextricability of ableism (specifically neurobigotry) and ageism.

The pathologizing of youth. The infantilizing of disabled adults. The structuring and micromanaging of childhood leading to ever more opportunities for "deviancy" to be classified as "disordered." The "neurological" push to raise the age of majority. The constant framing of disabled parents and caregivers as "unfit" or "bad influences" on children. And on and on.

Ageism and neurobigotry are such an interconnected tangle loop mobius strip that people are using the "healing"/"recovery" framework for basic human maturation.

When you were little, you uncritically accepted the worldview of your parents and other adults in your life, but now that you're older and "recovered," you see it differently?

That's called growing up. You grew up.

When you had less information and experience informing your worldview, you saw things one way, and now that you've "healed," you see things differently?

That's called learning. You learned new information and changed your perspective accordingly.

Look, learning and change and growth and maturation are (or should be) lifelong processes with no endpoint, and one of the cultural factors making people so weird about "maturity" and age of majority issues is the assumption that a "Real Adult" is in their fixed final form. So people think "If I've changed and grown in the past 5 years, that means that 5-years-ago Me was Still A Child and should not have been allowed to make major life-altering decisions," and also think that once they reach An Endpoint, they can or should stop changing. And that's a problem.

But. But. Changes in one's relationship to oneself and one's family of origin are especially common during times of major transition. That's not pathological. That's not even abnormal. If you see the world differently than you did before a major life transition, that does not mean that you went from a diseased state to a nondiseased state ("recovery"), or from an injured state to an uninjured state ("healing"). Time passed. You got older. Everyone else got older. You changed. Other people changed. Your family changed. The social context in which you live changed. The pathology paradigm has no place in this phenomenon.

People are out here saying that "People should heal themselves before they have their own children," and then when asked, what they mean by "heal themselves" is "learn how to effectively communicate with children." That. That is a skill. Learning a skill is not "healing." Lack of a particular skill set is not a disorder you have to "recover" from. You just have to learn the skill.

But that's also why when we say "You don't have to recover from your disabilities, recovery isn't a moral obligation," people say things like "You want to use your disability as an excuse not to change and grow."

My good bitch, what does change and growth have to do with recovery?

And this isn't even a new observation, because people have talked about how parents of developmentally disabled children will credit "therapy" and "recovery" for their children's natural developmental trajectory (if your child gained a skill after a year of intensive therapy, that doesn't mean "the therapy worked," that means they got older and developed the maturation to acquire that skill). A lot of the rhetoric around early childhood education does the same thing (the reason your 6 year old can hold a pencil now and he couldn't last year is because his bones got stronger and his fine motor skills improved, not because his high-quality preschool made him ready to compete).

But this. This is adults doing it to themselves! And it's so very original-sin-coded. You are born Unhealthy, but through continual effort and right practice, you can Recover and Heal.

No! You just grew up!

[ultimateplaylistmaker]

Ultimate Talent Development Plan - Makoto Naegi Event Notes

fkamfkjan of course it starts with him getting hit by a soda can

Wait what why are you here Kiyo, also Makoto called him Kiyo. Also what the fuck kind of metaphor is that, what are you thinking about with Makoto Korekiyo-

Alright fine you have a point Korekiyo

Damn he's poignant at times

Have you considered simply getting taller?

Angie no!

Sayaka I love you but this is SUCH a strange conversation starter

Makoto looking at this luck singularity: ah well, this'll get weird

Celeste's character is so so so fascinating and i'm guilty of girlbossing her a bit too hard like many people, her views of luck were very much the foundation nagito was built on

Also if we're talking about the mahjong thing, my ranking of winner to loser is Nagito, Makoto, Celeste, Jin. Celeste gets lost because as she doesn't bet anything it's not gambling, her talent doesn't activate but her skills carry her enough to beat jin at least. Makoto almost wins but loses last minute with a super lucky move from nagito, which nagito views as unlucky as he wasn't supposed to win.

Ouma is such a fucking MENACE in this scene I fucking love him

Why the fuck did you say that like that Makoto I'm laughing why are you saying it like its some criminal nickname or something

Girl what do you MEAN you have friends

OH NO MAKOTO

Makoto this is going to be REALLY awkward!

This is the most awkward moment of his fucking life goddamn pitching nothing but strikes my dude

Too many ahoges.

Wait what huh

The fourth wall is in fucking tatters, truly the true mark of a protag isnt ahoge, its a gift giving love language

Who let you two be in a room

GET HIS ASS

Togami that's gay

Alright sum up

Makoto never really grows into his hope talent due to the lack of killing game, and as such tends to get pushed around a lot and dragged into things. However he's still very kind and quite perceptive on small details, able to push people to improve and open up.

He also stays somewhat hung up on his luck talent to the very end, while he does get a bit more confident, he never really embraces into being an ultimate. That doesn't mean he doesn't end up with a lot of friends and good memories with him and Kirigiri still managing to bond.

All and all a very average school life.

Outside of Makoto, Ouma keeps up his 'hardest difficulty' thing from v3 even in a not killing game scenario, Togami continues to hate everything going on ever, all the protags bonds over being protags and being gift givers, Shuichi still has self esteem issues, and Kirigiri keeps up a very stoic no emotion business relationship with her father. Also Usami apparently is working with the Reserve Course? Well can't get any worse then canon I suppose.

[milksuu]

ur aphelios fic w solari priestess reader was soooo good, i can't stop going back to reread it bc i'm eager for pt 2 if you do end up writing one 😭😭 but there's so much potential for this man bc hello ?? enemies to lovers(?uh) ?? i really like the idea that they're on opposite sides bc as a lover of solari n lunari lore, it feels much more taboo. especially considering how scornful the solari people are of the lunari people which is clear in how the reader treats him 😕 a bit unjustified but it's nice that we aren't exactly a blank sheet of paper in this bc ofc we'd still have to abide by our morals and views 🩵🩵 i also wonder what alune thinks of this if she ever found out, would she even in the first place LMAO "i fear your brother nonconned me 😓😨🧟‍♂️" HDHDHDHS whenever there's an aphelios fic alune always pops into my mind afterwards since she's so dear to me, would the reader ever interact w her through aphelios? bisexuals really winning w this champ 😔

LKJSDVGBFLJHSDFVLSH!! omfg thank you for thinking so much about it. im cryiinnngggg!!! and yeah, im totally writing a part two. I'm at 1.8k words right now. sorry I bounce around a lot so i take a while to write lol.

BUT UGH YES. i definitely wanted to do an enemies/lovers kind of feel. (although i think in phels perspective reader's more 'lover' by his terms because well he's pretty unhinged in his perspective. what can we expect from a guy born and raised as a religious assassin who only ever interacts to his sister?? yeah his 'social' skills aren't going to be the best lmfao)

and like you stated anon, them being lunari/solari just adds the extra layers of drama, depth, and juicy plot potential. all in all, quite a banger.

as far as alune goess, I'd say she 100% knew. only because, alune is a Seer that shows aphelios' path, and directs him on missions. basically the moon told alune "yeah this is going to happen" then alune was like "heyyy soo....you're going to have to do this bro" and then ofc phel was somewhat conflicted the whole time but hey FAITH is never questioning and doing what you're told cause it's supposedly 'right'. and he definitely wants the believe it was all for a 'good' reason. Like him and reader are destined lovers since otherwise, why would the moon have him do that instead of just kill her? kinda like getting a gift for always being obedient to his faith (the copium is strong with this one). but yeah, phel made sure the toxin wore off so that his poor sister didn't have to endure that. (but assassinating people is totally fine obvs!)

alune and reader would have some sort of relationship a bit later. reader is technically a priestess, even though a solari one, she'd still be able to have some way to connect to the spirit realm. or reader can feel the ethereal vibrations emanating from him, but not fully understand/hone in alune's presence. but i think slowly over time, readers growing connection with aphelios will have her gradually connected with alune at some point.

and I want to say the moon goddess has a plan as to why that had to be done to reader. not sure how far i'll actually get to reveal it or develop it, since honestly, i had no intention of continuing let alone build any lore (THIS WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE SMUT DAMNIT HAHA) but we'll see.

whew, kinda went on a tangent, but i hope i've given you some good context anon! again, thank you for rereading my fixations and wanting more. as you can see, you've set off my dopamine receptors with this post lmfao. <3

stay tuned for part 2. ;3

[strangeite]

OC-tober Day 1: Fav OC

To the surprise of no one who pays any attention to my tags, it's Izz/Candor lol. My changeling rogue/paladin (oath of the ambling rose, a homebrew sublcass by L. on itch.io, go check them out!), though I would like to adapt their story away from d&d eventually. Candor is one of Izz's Personas. My partner and I have been obsessing over them for 2 and a half years and we're still going strong ✌

More info about them under the read more 'cause I'm gonna be rambling.

So there's Candor. A tiefling paladin, an itinerant knight traveling to help those in need, whether those needs be big or small. A kind man, a good man. He has dedicated his life to the betterment of others. Almost too good to be true, really, a caricature, but he is earnest in his beliefs and his purpose.

All of that is true. But it is not the whole truth.

Izz was stolen from their birth family as a very young child and placed with a changeling "family". They were trained as an assassin and information thief/spy, with the ultimate goal of taking on the family's legacy Persona of renowned assassin/spy Varna Shadowhawk.

This was not a pleasant process. They were extremely isolated, and their training was rigorous and intense, even more so as it became evident that Izz was quite talented and they were put under further pressure to aim for perfection. They also developed other Personas, full people separate from themself with their own memories, a tactic meant to ensure information could be kept secret between identities as well as have specialized skill sets.

Now, I think that changelings are naturally inclined towards plurality and it's generally totally normal and healthy. In this situation, however, their mind was purposefully broken down to be able to have more complete separation and to prepare for the insertion of the Varna identity, which resulted in both an unhealthy system and an unstable psyche. They effectively have fantasy-enhanced DID and also experience psychosis (usually triggered by stress or by forcing switches between Personas or reaching for information or skills of another Persona without switching). Part of their long term story and character development is working on getting their system to a more healthy place where they can cooperate with their other Personas, and finding happiness and support as they continue to live with psychosis (and CPTSD).

Varna, btw, was a her own whole separate person at one point. How did she become an inherited changeling Persona? Why? Dunno. We never learned in the game before it dissolved, and my partner and I haven't come up with the specifics yet on our own. I can tell you that the process of inserting her into a new changeling involves a necromantic ritual where the changeling is killed and a portion of Varna's soul is placed in them before they're resurrected :) From then on it's a slow process of her presence growing and subsuming the other Personas and then eventually the changeling themself, becoming the Singularity. It's fine, don't worry about it.

Now Izz was all set on this path, forged into a ready vessel and living weapon. They didn't know any other way...but there was one small hiccup. One of their other Personas, Karim, a survivalist and cartographer, while out in the woods one day ran into a man named Veylan. A paladin and do-gooder, with an oath to travel wherever help is needed. And, surprisingly, they hit it off. And they keep running into each other, over the years. Karim learns about this crazy thing called "morals." Compassion. Caring for others. Veylan, so often alone on the road and apart from others even as his life's mission is to help them, finds a friend.

And one day Izz gets a glimpse of him through Karim's memories. Curious, they dive, rooting through their past interactions. And it's like the world opens up to them. A way to exist they had never conceived of. They become obsessed, and terrified, hoarding the memories that are not theirs but keeping them hidden and buried, knowing the punishment from their guardians if they found out would be swift and brutal, and Veylan would be in danger. But the thoughts of another life linger and grow. Especially as their younger adopted sibling, Yan, nears the time when the ritual will be performed. They have no concrete plan, but... what if they could get out. What if they could get Yan out, before they're cursed with Varna's soul.

Their older sibling, Ged, finds out. They find the barn where Karim will next meet Veylan. And, wearing Karim's face to get close, they kill him. Karim shows up and finds his friend dead, his own face above the body. Izz sees the death of their god. And in a fugue state of grief and rage, they kill their sibling. They take Veylan's holy symbol and armor. They take his face. They should not have been to walk out of here alive, so they don't. They make Candor in Veylan's image, and he walks away instead, knowing nothing of Izz or any past beyond his own hazy, half-formed memories and a desire to do good.

[prowerprojects]

*reads tags* What makes it funnier is that Sonic is the reason to why Nine is doing this. Not because he "never met Sonic". (He would just continue what he was already doing: Being hidden away and fight back when necessary. And he was fine with that; whether he was happy or not. Same with Sails and Mangey. None of them came out "evil", just came up differently {and very much alive}. Mainly due to their different worlds.

Tails likely would have been the same; maybe a weird mix of all three in a way. And wracked with self-worth and trust issues.)

Exactly! Nine isn't some kind of evil mastermind, he just wanted to be safe and for everyone to leave him alone.He puts himself first, because that's what he's always had to do. But he's not malicious. He doesn't enjoy other people's suffering. He would let the world burn (if it doesn't affect him), but he wouldn't start the fire.

Sails comes off as more malicious because he gets excited about stabbing people with swords. But no one bats an eye at this because he was raised by pirates. We all get it.

I've been thinking about what could have happened with Tails if he hadn't met Sonic myself. One thing I keep thinking about is how he probably wouldn't have gotten as good with tech as canon Tails or Nine. He would still have had an affinity for it, sure (I mean canon!Tails managed to fix the Tornado and I don't imagine he had a lot of experiences with planes before in his life), but canon!Tails was surrounded by Eggman's robots and always had the need to keep up with him to help Sonic, while Nine grew up in Eggmanland so it was probably easier to learn about it, how it works, etc.; than for potential Tails growing up on Westside Island (not ever meeting Sonic or Eggman), where there just isn't as much opportunity to develop and nurture those skills. (Of course, there could be a million other things that could have happened to him that contributed to the person he became!!)

[waitmyturtles]

[I’m flipping furiously through my manga volume of Our Dining Table, making sure that I’m correct: I believe Our Dining Table, episode 3, is not canon to the manga (which is FINE, I’m not a canon fascist!) -- but if this zoo/bento episode appeared in any web/Twitter specials, I very much stand corrected!]

Another lovely one from Our Dining Table/Bokura No Shokutaku. Such a quiet, well-paced, lovely show. 

Inukai as Yutaka does almost-cringe really well, as the comments of this post discussed last week, and this week, Yutaka really almost took it to the edge. His approach to his colleague to ask for help to learn how to make bento.... oof. I was this close squirming to the edge of my seat. So well done.

I think this framing of Yutaka 1) needing to learn how to make a bento, 2) needing to learn how to ask for help, 3) getting that help, and 4) receiving the warmest gambatte ever from his colleague -- I think, for the dorama’s sake, it was a necessary vignette to help build up Yutaka.

Because next week, when Yutaka runs into his brother in the grocery store -- it takes him out in the manga, and I have no doubt that Inukai is going to nail it in real time in the dorama. 

So: in this episode, we see Yutaka going through a process of gaining confidence. He’s already feeling validated as a human through his developing relationship with Minoru and Tane-kun.

But I like that, in the dorama, this spreads to Yutaka’s social life/workplace, and that his colleagues are also seeing this change in him.

I didn’t quite put it this way when I was reading the manga for the first time, but we see blips of what happened in Yutaka’s childhood -- he was pushed away while groups of people, his family, ate. I didn’t call it this back then, but it was dehumanizing. 

So what we’re seeing in Yutaka NOW, through Minoru and his family, is Yutaka’s REHUMANIZING. And a lot of that process, I realize, will totally be awkward! And Inukai is toooootally nailing how awkward it is for Yutaka to be going through this growth/regrowth process.

Ugh -- and it’s SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE. HOW QUIET HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH MINORU ARE. How quiet that confession was to Minoru about not knowing how to make bentos, how nervous Yutaka was -- and, clearly, how moved Minoru was to be one of the recipients of those bentos.

Man, it gives me the shivers that this show is taking the time to fill in the emotional craters that Yutaka has from his upbringing. And I continue to love the portrayal of Minoru’s parenting towards Tane-kun -- and slowly, slowly, how Yutaka brings energy and skills to that shared parenting as well, because that’s what we’re seeing develop.

I knew I loved this manga because of how directly sweet it was. But what I didn’t realize, watching it in dorama form, is that it is SERIOUSLY breaking a HUGE Japanese paradigm of queer couples not being able to be married on paper and have official families. (In TsukuTabe/She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat, a Japanese lesbian is shown on social media as living overseas with her partner and a child.)

As a mama, I’m seriously getting chills watching Yutaka and Minoru grow in their very unofficial (as of now) partnership in sharing care for Tane-kun, and it is BLASSSSTTINNNGG my mom heart to wonderful little bits. ALKJSDKLJFSDF I LOVE THIS SHOW! This show is SUCH A MUST-WATCH, PEOPLE!

[catchyhuh]

Hi! could I request a headcanon or something where lupin and the gang fall in love with a cop/detective reader or something? (I just think its a cool/fun concept that I haven't seen any one do yet, also if you can't or don't want to its okay sorry for bothering 😣)

you’re totally fine, don’t worry about it! i wouldn’t put that x readers were fair grounds for asks if i didn’t mean it. so. career incompatible love let’s get into it! oh the homoeroticism of the chase

disclaimer this got more. mental analysis-y for these guys than i um.. really intended I SAID THAT I WOULD TAKE X READER REQS I DID NOT SAY THEY WOULD BE WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD EXPECT

lupin:

easily the one who takes to the idea the most. lupin LOVES extra flavor added into his romances, so the conflict of being on opposing sides of the law is like. i mean christ he’s actively seeking out people who want to kill him every day, just being locked up is a nice alternative! so romantic

straight up never considers the potential ramifications of a setup like this because. uh. well it’s never really hurt him in the past! he’s not being selfish about this intentionally or anything, he just can’t imagine why it would be rough on someone else when it’s so easy on him!

to someone like lupin the third, the chase IS love. the idea of constantly being on each other’s tails, knowing the way the other moves and thinks to the smallest step, THAT is romance. that’s caring about someone enough to know them. he loves it

also, it tends to only come in brief, intense bouts. hiding behind a door, secretly coming to see the other to have a quick little dinner in private, thinly veiled flirting (mostly on his end) absence makes the heart grow fonder, and repetition leads to addiction. if anything, outside of, again, trying to murder him, this is the STRONGEST way to his heart

jigen:

took the longest to realize he was developing feelings to begin with/that feelings were being developed towards HIM. it just doesn’t make sense to him. how would he-- how would-- WHY would any of this happen? but there’s only so many times you can do that “touch that lingers a bit too long” thing during a shaky truce without something happening in your brain yknow 

it’s equal parts allure and contention, because unlike lupin, jigen knows all too well what happens when your morals just don’t quite align with your partner’s. he knows WAY WAY WAY too well about how things like this end, and he doesn’t want to spend a meager four months with you just to shatter your heart when the inevitable happens; you won’t change, and he DEFINITELY won’t. and if you would reassess your choices this guy may be fine as hell but he IS a murderer if ANYBODY should compromise it’s HIM

but. again. there’s that draw to it. so jigen does continue seeing you, under the grounds that he’s made it clear from the beginning what he expects to happen. you’ve seen him do this before with dozens of people who just aren’t thieves, so IMAGINE the mental tension when your entire job is STOPPING thieves. this can be a cute, simple, mutually beneficial behind closed doors thing, but he doesn’t expect long term attachment

that… doesn’t mean he doesn’t think about it a lot though. not enough to mention it to YOU of course but there are subtle signs that he’s been mentally working out how this COULD work out. maybe the next time you move you could get a place with a back door hidden a little better out of sight?

fujiko:

at first, it’s kind of just a challenge for her. nothing personal, it just… started impersonal, as a lot of things with her do. it’s not often that fujiko actively enjoys being pursued, and she told herself initially that she was just drawn to you because of talent. the skill! nobody had come for her and her alone and actually come so close!

but as you imagine, as is always the case, she does fall in love. not until she realizes that YOU are in love, first, however. she hadn’t even considered it a real possibility until that moment, and then she considered it WAYYYY WAYYY TOO MUCH and guess what! now you’re finding special notes with lipstick prints hiding around your desk. how is she even. doing that what?

fujiko is also a bizarre master of hiding in plain sight. she can use her name, her face, everything, almost anywhere without raising eyebrows. so, if you were willing to make a little trip juuuust out of your jurisdiction, nobody would REALLY know you were spending a romantic weekend getaway with your esteemed rival, right?

not that it’s a competition but if it WEEEERE A COMPETITION things go the smoothest with fujiko. isn’t that baffling ISN’T THAT BIZARRE. fujiko’s so used to navigating bizarre unconventional shit that she really isn’t thinking twice about any of this, prepared for any outcome

goemon:

unintentionally gets a bit dramatic about it in his head. he never means for anybody to fall in love with him, but ESPECIALLY not when it could put their LIFE on the line! or at least their career life. their… current way of life. HE FEELS ODDLY GUILTY EITHER WAY

however, as has been proven before, if goemon is truly smitten-- yeah he will throw ALL this shit away ALL OF IT! now, i don’t think he’s AS extreme about it as he used to be, he’s not RENOUNCING his entire way of life like he used to when some pretty stranger made eye contact with him, but if you really, really and truly had him hooked, it… would not be hard to get him to slow down on the whole wanted criminal front. NOT THAT YOU’D WANT THAT FOR HIM EITHER, NECESSARILY, JUST THAT-- LET’S BE HONEST, NOT THAT HARD TO SELL THE GUY

there’s a real pattern here with all these guys, and that is-- they are insane and are completely and utterly drawn in by the simple fact that this is something that should reasonably not be happening. but against all odds, love is stronger, love is unafraid, and above iit all, you two have come together despite conflicting ideals-- or that’s how goemon sees it. i think the other three just really enjoy the “we gotta make out in a broom closet” type deal.

but make no mistake he’s not mad about that either lmao

the funniest/not funniest thing about it is that goemon is going to have what he calls “moments of clarity” where he goes No… I can’t do this to you. we have to split for your sake for your safety. and then a month later he shows up on your doorstep at 3 in the morning like “i simply missed your cooking.” it takes 20 minutes max before he caves and says he loves you again sorry about the moment of clarity ordeal my b

(honestly if you want more normal and not insane hcs just hit me up again because i think i accidentally went toooo much into the nitty gritty of it. sawry)

[alicent-hightowers-spouse]

Ok but am I the only one who loved ALL the kids? (Minus Aegon, of course. He can die in a hole).

Like, from the moment they all came on screen, I adopted them in my mind. And I continued to love them all, even as they made mistakes. Even during the fight.

I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to admit that both Aemond and Luke were wrong, in particular. Because really, they were both wrong, it’s just that Luke’s fault had more serious consequences. And also, both of their faults came from a place of great fear for the safety of themselves and/or their closest family members.

Obviously, they all take some of the blame, but I think the ones most at fault for the fight (and by extension Luke’s death), are the adults. Because what it all boils down to in the end is that much like Alicent, and much like the Smallfolk, the kids are people who are innocents (or at least they were upon their initial introduction), who were thrust dead center in the middle of a war.

From the second they were born, each and every one of them was doomed to be turned into a sort of pawn for their parents (unintentionally for most of the parents, but still) and made to eventually fight against the ones that they were supposed to be able to grow up peacefully with.

And as for the “were they? Weren’t they?” Conversation in terms of if Jace and Luke were bullying Aemond or not?

Well, I wouldn’t call it bullying. But I would say, yes, that probably was going on for a while. But the thing is, when kids are young, they tease each other. Especially kids in their family who are close to their age. It doesn’t come from a place of malice, it’s just something that a lot of kids do before they’re old enough to fully develop comprehension skills of why this may be harmful.

Now this isn’t to say, that Aemond’s feelings were justified. No, my point is that his feelings were justified, but this also doesn’t make Jace and Luke some horrible, irredeemable bullies. They were just dumb kids, doing what kids do. Which would have turned out fine in the end if there wasn’t a rift growing between the kids because of their parents.

And by the way, this also isn’t to say that I agreed with Viserys’ choice of not talking to Jace, Luke, and Aegon about the prank.

I’m saying that the pranks don’t make Jace and Luke bad people, not that they’re good things to do.

As a parent, grandparent, and mature adult, however, it was Viserys’ responsibility to explain to his offspring why it was wrong.

And for the last time, AEMOND WASN’T TRYING TO KILL LUKE. He was trying to scare him, (similar to how he was trying to scare Jace with the rock in the fight where he lost his eye, it’s kind of like his tactic I think).

But he wound up scaring Luke’s dragon too, and Luke’s dragon hurt Aemond’s dragon and then Aemond’s dragon got pissed and ate Luke’s dragon, but since Luke was in the dragon it ate him too. THE DRAGON killed Luke, not Aemond.

So yes Luke’s death makes me cry but no it does not make me like Aemond any less.

Anyways, sorry for ranting. It’s just. THEY WERE/ARE ALL KIDS. They make mistakes, but none of with the exception of Aegon ever had any malicious intentions doing anything and I LOVE ALL OF THEM.

[venusacrossthestars]

one is the loneliest number

A/N- This fic is my baby and is the longest thing I have ever written. I want to give a special thank you to @arieslost​ she hyped me up the entire time and was my wonderful beta reader. this is a slow burn, so there will be a part 2. 

Summary- Y/n ‘Condor’ L/n trust very few and works with even fewer, but when Laswell and Price send her to Mexico to work with the Mexican Special Forces and members of the 141. She realizes that her and a certain mask wearing individual aren’t so different and that maybe trusting people isn’t so bad. 

Pairing- Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x fem!reader

Word Count- 14.1k

Warings- guns, knives, blood, gore, injuries, death.

The smell starts to grow on you after the first hour. The amount of mosquito bites you’ve acquired has reached the double digits by the second. And by the third, the little creatures throughout the valley seem to welcome you as one of their own.

“Condor do you copy?”

“Yes sir, in position.”

“Go ahead and come on down, target is rerouting.”

With a sigh you shift up to your knees, stretching your arms above your head working out the knots and kinks that have developed from spending the past three and a half hours on your stomach. “On my way down now Captain.” You reply as you descend back to base. 

“Aye, make it quick, Laswell wants us.”

“Uh-oh Price, what’d you do this time,” you taunt with a smirk.

“Not me. She specifically asked for you, I just happened to say I’d be accompanying you.” 

“You’re not taking me down with you, y’know that right?”

“Not everything is a plan to take you down, Condor. You got to trust me.”

“I do Captain, but you know how it is.” 

“Just get your ass back to base.”

“Copy that, Condor out.”

What would normally be an hour journey back to base was nearly cut in half. Once back, you made your way to where you knew Captain Price would be held up waiting for you. With a slight tremble you knock on the door and a gruff  “Come in,” meets you in response. Opening the door you walk in the room, and are greeted with the familiar face of the one and only Kate Laswell. 

Giving a curt nod, you address the older woman, “Laswell, to what do I owe the pleasure.” 

“Hassan,” she replies curtly, “but you can personally thank him when you’re in Mexico.”

“Mexico ma’am?”

“Correct. After a failed apprehension of Hassan in Al Mazrah, we found American-made ballistic missiles in his possession. A recon mission revealed that Hassan hasn’t been working alone, he has allied himself with Las Almas Cartel in Mexico. We alerted Mexican Special Forces of Hassans’ presences but unfortunately the Mexican Special Forces was unable to apprehend him as well. You will be going to Mexico to assist members of task force 14,1 along with Colonel Alejandro Vargas, in the capture of Major Hassan Zyani.” 

“All due respect ma’am, I don’t think I’m the best candidate.”

“And why is that?” 

“Well, I don’t exactly have the best track record regarding working with a team.” 

“I know that. However, I am not looking at your past, I am looking at your skills– skills I need for this mission to succeed.”

“Ma’am–” before you can continue, Laswell interrupts, “You are a fighter and a survivor Condor, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

“What about Price and Gaz,” you ask looking towards the Captain who looks rather impartial to the whole predicament at hand. 

“I have another assignment for them. I need them there in order to aid your efforts in Mexico.”

You sigh. Knowing fully well that you weren’t going to win this argument against the Kate Laswell, you bow your head in defeat, “Yes ma’am.”

“You leave at fourteen hundred hours, until then you are dismissed.”

“Yes ma’am,” with that you rush quickly out of the room. You don’t happen to make it far when you hear Price’s voice. 

“L/N, slow down.”

You come to a stop and face Price with an unamused look.“This isn’t going to end well, Price.”

“You need to stop being such a negative nancy, everything will be fine.”

“The last time I worked with a team it endly horrifically, I am not looking for a repeat of that.”

“Aye, what are Gaz and I then? Chopped liver?” 

“That’s different and you know it.” You give him a pointed look.

“Listen," he places his hands on your shoulders, "I know these guys and I trust them. If you trust me, trust my judgment. Ghost and Soap won’t let you down.” 

“What kind of name is Soap?”

“You’ll find out.” Price says with a laugh. 

The time spent on the ride to Mexico was used unwisely. Instead of prepping gear and mentally preparing for what was about to come, your mind moves to memories of the last time you worked with a team. 

“My position has been compromised, requesting backup.”

“Negative Condor. Ground troop has priority.”

“Enemy is moving to my position, moving from position.”

“Negative Condor, stay there and wait for the Target.”

An explosion behind you encourages you to move your ass faster away from your previous position. “No can do Commander, Condor on the move.”

“Condor, get your ass back to your position NOW!”

The rough landing on the heli-pad reminds you that you’re in the present, not the past. Gathering your things, you hop onto solid ground and glance around, looking for your welcoming party. 

“Sergeant L/N!” You hear from across the yard.

You spot two men off to the side, by a KrAZ-6322, you quickly make your way over to them. “Colonel Alejandro Vargas ma’am,” the older of the two introduces himself, then jabs his thumb to his right, “and this is my second in command Sergeant Major Rudy Parra. Welcome to Las Almas.”

“Thank you gentlemen,” you respond as you shake their hands, you glance around the base to see where the other men Price and Laswell had mentioned. “Where are the others?”

“It seems that you have arrived before your comrades.”

“Technically they aren't my comrades, this is your first time meeting them as well as mine.” 

“I see, we shall then wait for them together!” 

“So,” you begin, attempting to make whatever small talk you could, “what exactly happened with Hassan? My debrief told me that he has connections with the Las Almas Cartel and that Hassan evaded capture.”

“Si, it is true. Hassan was brought to Mexico so the cartel could smuggle him across the border. We failed to apprehend him before he crossed, and once we caught up to him and his men it was quite a fire fight and I mean that most literally. I had to pull Rudy out of a burning building.” 

“Sorry to hear that, I hope you’re alright,” you direct towards Rudy. 

“Lucky to be out with my life, many others aren’t and I am grateful for that.”

“Amen.”

It isn’t much longer before a transport lands on the runway and opens to reveal two men. One with a mohawk and the other clad in a skeleton mask; you had a feeling you knew who was who.

“Alejandro!” The one you presume to be Soap shouts out. 

“Sergeant MacTavish,” Alejandro greets as he walks to met the men in the middle.

“Please call me Soap.” He insists while shaking Alejandro’s hand. Ding Ding Ding, right on the money. 

“Lieutenant,” Alejandro begins, “Laswell says they call you Ghost.”

Soap quickly buts in, “Actually, I believe he prefers to be called–”

“That’ll do,” Ghost quickly cuts him off, surprisingly with a heavy accent. You’re left staring at the man. “Problem?” He addresses you. 

“None sir, wasn’t expecting an accent that’s all.” As soon as the words leave your mouth it causes Soap to turn to you. 

“And who might you be lass?” 

“Condor. Laswell sent me.”

“Condor, like the bird?” Soap puzzles with a raise of his brow.

“Soap, like the cleaning product?” You quip back, smiling at his expression.

“That’s enough from you two,” Ghost interrupts, silencing the two of you, “Why didn’t Laswell inform us about you?”

“A last minute assignment, she insisted that I be here.” You answer with a shrug of your shoulders. You turn to face Alejandro, however you can still feel his eyes in the back of your head.

“Welcome to the ‘City of Souls’ mi amigos,” Alejandro says with widened arms.

The four of you walk back towards the trucks when Soap speaks up, “I’ve never been to Mexico.”

“This isn’t Mexico, this is Las Almas.” Alejandro points out as if it is the most obvious fact in the world. 

“Shepherd’s contractors are inbound to reinforce. They’re bringing hardware, they’ll need room,” Ghost informs the Colonel. 

You read some of the mission brief on the way here, admittedly less than you should have. However you were well informed that Shepherd was sending his own personal lap dog. Information that brought no comfort. Shepherd was a man who got stuff done and you respected that, you had to. However, it was how he went about getting said things done that you didn’t agree with. War isn’t pretty, you’ve experienced enough of it first hand to know. But Shepherd and his Shadows were a completely different story and Phillip Graves was a whole nother genre. Previous encounters have shown that he is willing to do the unthinkable in the sake of a so-called win. 

“-safe house, ten clicks from here,” is all you hear Alejandro say as you climb into the back of the truck. 

Sandwiched uncomfortably between two men in the Mexican heat in a truck with no A.C. is not how one would imagine their time in Mexico. Looking out the window you take in Las Almas. On the outside it seems like a lively town full of street vendors, families, and children playing and laughing. But, it runs deeper than that, you can see it in the shadows where the men with guns linger, you can see it in those who walk around wearing a skull mask. This causes you to glance at Ghost who also seems to be taking in the abundance of skull masks on the streets. 

“With your mask you’ll fit in well here Ghost,” Rudy jabs. 

Noticing the writings on one of the buildings, you speak up. “El Sin Nombre, The Nameless.”

“Si senora. The leader of the Las Almas cartel. The one who buys off the corrupt cops and causes the good ones to disappear.”

“Well, where can we find him?” Soap asks while shifting up in his seat.

“You can’t. No one knows who he is, but he is everywhere. The cartel is hiding Hassan in the village across the river, let's pray he’s still there.”

You approach the outskirts of the town of where Hassan is supposedly hiding. The five of you exit the truck and start prepping. Grabbing your Signal 50, you give it a quick once over. You then carefully check that your pistols are in their holsters, and that your knife is sheathed on your left side. Lastly, you grab as much ammunition as your vest allows you to. Doing one last pat down you ask Alejandro, “Where are they holding Hassan?” 

He points at the white building towards the back of the town, “There.”

Nodding at his answer the company moves out towards the entrance of town. You are huddled off to the side as Alejandro counts down and Ghost opens the gate leading into a seemingly empty town. 

“Civilians?” Soap questions over the radio. 

“Gone. Cartel took over. This place is a hideout now.” 

Quickly arriving at the next gate, you hear the panicked shouts of what could only be members of the cartel. Ghost opens the gate and Alejandro moves in dropping two cartel members before they have the chance to fire. You quickly follow behind and carefully scope the roofs and ledges for any potential threats. 

Two more cartel members rush out from the left corner of a house; with their lack of armor it only takes one of your shots to the chest to drop him, Soap quickly taking the other. Moving to the corner of the house you quickly peer around seeing another cartel member taking shots from behind a half wall. Soap quickly drops him with a head shot. 

“Nice shot Sergeant,” Soap responds with a quick head dip.  

The others must sense that contact has been made as more and more cartel members round the corner, dropping one after another. Moving further in the town, you move house through house clearing room after room. Alejandro orders his men to set off a smoke deploy so all of you can move safely towards the house where Hassan was supposedly being held at. 

Breaching the door you are met with bullets of the Cartel members. After making quick work of them, Alejandro radios that there is no Hassan on the first level. You quickly move to regroup with Soap so the two of you can clear the second floor. Slowly creeping up the stairs, Soap throws a flashbang and you tell him to clear the room while you cover him. Alejandro and Ghost are greeted with the sight of you, Soap, two dead cartel members and more importantly, no Hassan. 

While Ghost, Soap, and Alejandro look around the room looking for hints to where the cartel might have moved Hassan too. You take up a position at the window, moving back and forth keeping an eye on the horizon for any movement. A glare catches your eye and you spot a group of armored vehicles heading to your position. “Guys, I think we have company.” You announce. The three of them move to the window to see exactly what you're seeing. 

“The Mexican army,” Alejandro blatantly states. 

“We got reinforcements,” Soap adds. 

“Negative, remember what I told you about corrupt cops,” Soap nods his head, “that applies to army as well.” Alejandro starts barking orders to his men to fall back. 

“What’re we doing?” Ghost asks as he takes cover behind the wall.

“We're covering my men, once they are clear we fall back.” Alejandro states. That is all it takes for you to drop down by the wall and perch your rifle on the edge of the window sill at an angle, silently tracking the Mexican Army’s movement. 

“You want us to engage the fucking Mexican Army?” Soap deadpans. 

“These troops are paid by the cartel, they are here to help the cartel protect Hassan.” 

“Fucking hell,” you whisper out. 

“Hold your fire,” Alejandro says, “We’ll dig in until my men are clear.” 

You watch as multiple vehicles surround your position, with even more men exiting them. You take notice of their light armor as Alejandro orders to hold your fire until they get closer. You slowly shift yourself to see even more men with riot shields. 

“Weapons free,” Alejandro shouts.

The first few shots crack the window until glass is shattered across the room. Quickly you start picking off the ones without the shields. Taking a moment to reload your rifle, you notice Ghost taking glances in your direction. You shrug them off. 

Alejandro informs everyone that the weak spot in their armor is their helmets. Soap and Ghost start throwing grenades into the oncoming soldiers hoping to take out the ones with riot shields and confuse the others. Quickly taking advantage of the situation, you and the others make quick work of the remaining soldiers. 

“The way is clear, we need to fall back,” Alejandro orders. He quickly leads you out the window of the former safehouse into the backyard that backs up to a mountain valley. Following Alejandro down the hill you continuously take glances back over your shoulder. “We’ll lose them in the mountains.” 

“Army’s right behind us!” Soap informs. 

“Fan out and stay close, we’re going to the bridge!” Alejandro barks. 

“Copy that,” you reply, taking the right sticking close to all the trees and rocks for at least some cover. 

“Army’s on us!” Soap shouts as bullets are rained down upon the company. 

Taking cover you try your best to take out the snipers, “God I hate not having the high-ground,” you say aloud. Soap chuckles from somewhere beside you. Dropping to your stomach you army crawl towards a rock that provides you a clearer vantage point where you are then able to take more accurate shots. 

“We have to move now!” Alejandro shouts as he moves down the trail. 

You hear Ghost over the radio, “We can’t hold off an army. We need extraction.”

“Affirmative, Rodriguez call for extract.” As you move further down the trail the smooth descent shifts into ledges that you are forced to hop down. “Rodriguez what is the status on extract?” 

“Nothing, sir. We lost comms.”

“Puta, lets keep it moving,” Alejandro stops waving you all through a more narrow path, “Hurry, through here. The mountain is blocking the comms.”

“Your man get the call out?” Ghost asks. 

“Lets hope so.” 

“And if they didn’t?”

“God help us.” 

“Contact! RPG.” You hear someone shout. 

“Condor! Take it down now!” Quickly scanning the soldiers you finally get sights on the one holding the RPG, lining up your shot you quickly exhale then fire. 

Bullseye. The man drops to the ground while his fellow soldiers scatter around his body. 

“Lets move it!” Alejandro yells. You all follow him to the narrow ledges that surround the outside of the mountain. “Watch your footing, this part of the mountain is unstable.” You follow Alejandro through the twist and turns of the mountains until you reach what seems like a dead end. 

Apparently you aren’t the only one when Ghost says, “Looks like you lead us to a dead end, mate.”

“We jump from here.” With no time to process what Alejandro just said he jumps. Following his lead, not waiting for the others, you jump right after. Keeping your rifle close to your chest you feel the harsh impact of the skill water, the air leaving your lungs.

Coming to the surface you hear Alejandro asking everyone if they are alright, with a quick “I’ll live,” you begin swimming towards the direction of the bridge. The radio strapped to your chest comes to life with static of the familiar voice of Phillip Graves. 

“Radio is picking up something,” Ghost says. 

“Sounds American,” Alejandro replies. “Just keep swimming, use the rocks as cover, the further out we get the better the signal.”

As the water shallows you are met with more of the Mexican army. Using the rocks for cover, you reload your gun and readjust your scope. Once again you and the Mexican army are playing a deadlier version of peek-a-boo– the one who loses gets a bullet through their skull. 

You encounter and take out more of the Mexican army as you push up-river. The water continues to get shallower until you see the bridge lined with vehicles. “Those aren’t ours!” You shout out as you take cover. “We aren’t going to be able to do shit against that armor,” you snip out. Soaked in a river with nowhere to go was far off from how you wanted this day to go. 

“This is Shadow-one. Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close.” 

“Who was that?” Alejandro questions. 

“That’s Commander Graves,” you state, “he’s with them,” nudging your head in the direction of Ghost and Soap. Graves and his Shadows quickly unleash hellfire upon the bridge, you can faintly hear Ghost telling them that their shots are good. You watch as the bridge gives way and the Mexican Army along with it. 

“No enemy movement detected, all clear. It’s good to see you guys.” You hear Graves say. 

With a roll of your eyes you quietly say, “Sure it is.” 

You must’ve not said it as quietly as you thought because Ghost looks back at you as he radios Graves, “Likewise, mate.”

You learn from Graves that there is a possible hit on Hassan only two klicks north. Ghost is quick to commandeer a vehicle and you all file in. The ride there is filled mostly with silence other than everyone’s labored breathing until Ghost speaks up. “Nice shooting back there Condor.” 

A little startled from the random compliment you quickly thank him. 

“Hey Lt., how come you never compliment me?” Soap complains. 

Ghost doesn’t miss a beat, “I will when you give me something to complement Johnny.” The only response Soap gives is a quiet scoff and a shake of his head. 

“If you know Laswell, how come I don’t know you?” Ghost continues his line of questioning from early. 

“I prefer to work alone,” you reply, “it’s as simple as that.” 

“Well how do I know if I can trust you?” Trust. What a stupid five letter word, means so little but yet so much. Trusting people has bitten you in the ass one too many times. Being alone was the only way to ensure your safety, but yet here you are in Mexico surrounded by people you didn’t even know existed until yesterday. 

“Besides me just helping you guys and going against a nation’s army, I don’t know. But, I can say the same for you. Price told me that I could trust you but who knows.” 

Ghost doesn’t say anything to that, instead he tells Graves to be on standby. After a quick agreement Graves and the Shadows will be assisting in the sky. 

You quickly approach the target. Getting out of the truck, the four of you spread out and Soap is quick to mark your position for Graves. 

It hurts to say but with the air support from Graves and the Shadows cornering Hassan was a lot easier than before. Air support’s rounds took most of the heat off of the outside while the four of you cleared the buildings. Graves informed you all that the army’s convoy was only 3 clicks out as you entered the compound. 

“Positive ID on Hassan, he’s moving to the second floor,” Ghost comms. 

You and Soap are quick to go up the stairs after Hassan as he scurries along the roof like the rat he is. Hassan runs into a room on the second, you and Soap continue to follow. Slowly you peer around the door frame and take out Hassan’s armed guard. The man himself is currently unarmed, everyone rushes in barking Hassan to get down. The only words the man can get out is “Who the fuck are you?” 

With exfil only two minutes out, you quickly move Hassan out of the compound towards the rendezvous while the Shadows take care of the Mexican convoy. By the time you make it to the rendezvous Rudy is already there waiting for you. You move Hassan around back and shove him in the trunk, the rest of you file into the car. 

“Shadow-One package is secure, we’re RTB,” You radio to Graves.

A moment of silence passes by before you try again, “Shadow-One do you copy.” 

“Affirmative Condor.” Graves pauses before continuing, “Shepard didn’t say anything about you being stationed out here, so let's just say you surprised me.” 

“I’m sure I did.” You say with a humorless chuckle. 

Waiting for Graves to arrive was easily the most boring part of your day and rightfully so. All you wanted to do was take a shower, stretch, eat something, and feel the sweet release of sleep. 

“Condor,” Alejandro pulls you aside, snapping you out of your blissful daydream, "I want you positioned in the field before we pull Hassan out in case he tries anything stupid. He gets loose or anything you have my permission to shoot, understood?”

“Yes sir,” you respond, grabbing your gear and heading towards the tall grass that you spotted when you first arrived. Laying down on your stomach, you position the butt of your rifle against your right shoulder and press your cheek against, it using your eye to peer through the scope. You follow along with Alejandro's movements as he drags Hassan around.

The meeting unfolds rather quickly and while you can only make out a few words you can tell that Hassan has no plans on telling where the other two missiles are. After a few minutes the bag is placed back over Hassan’s head and he is thrown back into the trunk. You prop yourself up and emerge from the grass and come face to face with the man who left you for dead. 

Graves meets your eyes and for the first time, and even though the two of you spoke earlier his face pales, “Looks like you’ve seen a ghost commander,” you taunt. 

“Yeah one’s over here,” you hear Soap say behind you. While Ghost doesn’t verbally respond, a grunt from Soap means there definitely was a physical one.  

“I wasn’t expecting you,” he gestures around, “well, here of all places.” 

“Yeah, I bet you were expecting me dead.” There’s no need to sugar coat it. Commander Graves, Shadow-one, Shepherd's personal lap dog had left you to die. 

“Condor, come on. You know what happened, you know the truth. You’ll have to trust me when I say it was not my call.” There’s that fucking word again. Trust. 

“Of course Commander, all water under the bridge,” you say with gritted teeth. 

Graves pats you on the back, “Glad to hear it. We better get back to cut Hassan loose. Hopefully Laswell gets what she’s looking for.” He passes by you towards his truck while you make your way over to where Alejandro, Ghost and Soap stand. 

On the drive back to the base after disposing of Hassan, you could tell that everyone is eager to ask a question that plagues their mind. A few more moments of tension filled silence pass before Soap speaks up, “Fine I’ll bite. You and Graves know each other. And he left you for dead, like dead dead.” 

“You have suds in your ears there Soap? Yes, dead dead.” you begin, “I was assigned a mission in cold ass Russia with the rest of the Shadows. I’m out there for several hours, having taken out Russian forces one after another. Finally, the Russians find my location and I am requesting back-up and I am denied. With no other choice I radio in that I am moving and that fuck tells me to stay put to take out the target. So I do, trusting my Commander. The fighting dies down, I am radioing in for extraction and he tells me there is nothing he can do for me at the moment. That he has been ordered to retreat.”

Soap cuts in, “He said there was nothing he could do. He was ordered.” 

“Happened to be complete and utter horse shit. He made the call. And we all know better than anyone that we don’t leave any of our own behind.” You glance over at Ghost who has been staring at you this entire time. You can almost see a glimpse of understanding in his normally cold, empty eyes. You finish off still looking at Ghost, “I don’t trust him.” This seemingly snaps him back into reality and he turns his head to face the back of Alejandro's seat. 

The rest of the journey back to base is quiet, everyone exhausted from a long day of work. Once at a stop you basically fall out of the car, stumbling to a stand. Alejandro and the others wish everyone a good night. You are on your way to the barracks when all of a sudden a rough hand grabs you by the shoulder and pushes you against a truck. A forearm is quickly shoved across your chest keeping you pinned. You don’t even have to look up to know who it is. 

“Ghost, what are you doing?” You asked unphased, finally looking into the eyes of the man who towers you. 

“You say to not trust Graves, but why should I trust you?” He questions, “Supposedly Shepherd doesn’t know anything about you being here and yet you told us Laswell sent you.” 

“Laswell did send me. I don’t know what she tells Shepherd, and I sure as hell don’t know what Shepherd tells Graves. Go ahead and ask Price then if you have reason to doubt me. He was there the entire meeting and it seems that he sure knows you.” 

“Why didn’t Kate send Price instead?” He asks, dropping his arm back down to his side. 

“I asked her the same thing. She said that she had a mission already planned for him and Gaz. You don’t have to believe me Ghost, however I think you should heed my advice and listen.” 

Ghost backs away slowly, “I’ll think about it.” 

“You know Ghost,” you call after the man, “you and I aren’t so different. You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you.” 

With that you turn from the man and walk away.

The following evening you, Alejandro, Ghost, Soap, and Graves stand on a bridge overlooking a house that resides one of the Las Almas lieutenants. A quick debrief informs you that the members of the cartel are holding a meeting about none other than your little company. You needed to get in there and learn how the cartel was helping Hassan and where those other two missiles were. How? The only plan you could all seemingly agree on which didn’t automatically end in a blood bath was to send someone in as bait. “I’ll do it,” Soap volunteers.

“Are you sure hermano?” Alejandro asks. “The cartel, they don’t play by anyone's rules other than their own.”

“I’m sure. We came here to stop those missiles. I’ll offer up any information they want in exchange for a meeting with El Sin Nombre.” 

“It’s a bold move,” you begin, "ultimately a stupid one, but bold.” 

“Condor and I will take overwatch,” Ghost states, “Graves and the Shadows will circle the target in a helo.”

After preparing Soap for his intel extraction you all move to your positions. Ghost on the south side of the house while you remain on the north. “Ghost, do you copy?”

“Affirmative Condor. Lost sight on Soap. Do you have a visual?”

“Negative. He entered an elevator and there’s been no activity on the other floors. They most likely took him to a basement or cellar.” 

“Copy that. Keep your eyes peeled.”

“Copy that.”

You and Ghost spend the next ten minutes in silence, watching the house looking for any sign of Soap or Alejandro until he speaks up, “How?”

“Come again?”

“You said that we’re not so different, how so?”

“Curiosity killed the cat.” 

Before Ghost can say anything else, Soap comes through on the comms. He confirms that El Sin Nombre is on the third floor penthouse, but in order to get up there he needs a keycard. A keycard that only the drug lord's lieutenant carries.  

“Soap,” you begin, “there is roof access to the second and third floor. However, it's swarming with guards. Or you can get that keycard either way I can pick them off, keep us informed.”

“Going for second floor via roof access.” 

“Use the air conditioning unit to your left to get on the roof, all other access points on the north are blocked.” 

“What about the keycard?” 

“Your call. You could use the trellis to climb onto the third floor.” 

“Trellis it is. Too many bodies surrounding Diego, would catch too much heat to take them out.” 

“Multiple Cartel. Ghost, you and I will have to clear it. Soap, stay low.”

“Copy that Condor.” 

Shifting the butt of your rifle against your shoulder, you line up your first shot. The member closest to Soap. With a pull of the trigger the first cartel member is down in a second. Reloading the chamber, you and Ghost make quick work of the Cartel members in Soap’s path. 

“Amazing precision Condor.” 

“Well I’m not called Condor for nothing.” 

“Why do they call you Condor?” 

“Focus on the task at hand, Sergeant.” You shake your head at Soap even though he can’t see it. 

“Well, you’re no fun.”  

Soap and Alejandro eventually make their way to the penthouse where they engage El Sin Nombre. You can barely make out who is who through the windows of the penthouse. 

“I have no clear visual on any targets in the penthouse, sorry but you boys are on your own.” 

“Copy that Condor. The Shadows and I can handle it,” a familiar voice comes over your walkie. 

El Sin Nombre is quickly taken into custody and brought back to the base for ‘questioning’. You learn that El Sin Nombre, whose real name is Valeria, and Alejandro once served in the military together. Graves didn’t seem to really care for the not so friendly reunion nor why she does what she does. 

You could tell that it really got under his skin when she insisted that he and her were more alike than they think. Your mind immediately goes to what you told Ghost; your eyes shift over to the man only to see that he is already looking back at you. Turning your attention back to Valeria and Graves, he no longer seems to care what she has to say about her profession, instead shifting his questioning towards the missiles. 

“You need me, you won’t find them without my help.” Valeria says, staring directly at Alejandro. She’s trying to get under his skin, and from where you stand you can tell it’s clearly working. 

“No, I’m not going to do this. We can find those missiles without your help.” 

“It doesn’t change anything,” Soap interjects. 

This causes Alejandro to stop in his tracks, only seconds away from storming out the door, “ No, that’s where you're wrong. It changes everything. If you make a deal with her, it won’t end well.” He opens the door but before he leaves he takes one last look at Valeria and says, “You’re a disgrace.” 

A slam resonates throughout the storage container that the so-called ‘interrogation room’ is in and it is quiet for a moment before Graves speaks his list of demands. To which Valeria responds with hers, and like the fool Graves is, he accepts. 

Shepard’s debrief gives the following information: there is an abandoned oil rig 400 nautical miles off the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. 500 meters northeast from said oil rig is an anchored cargo ship. The rig is said to hold a container similar to the one found in Al Mazrah. Splitting into 2 groups, Graves, Soap, Alejandro, and a team of Shadows are to board the rig and disarm the missile. Ghost is to lead an assault team on the cargo ship that is made up of yourself and another team of Shadows. 

The rain felt like needles against your skin as the boat sped across the water. While the storm didn’t provide ideal boating conditions, it works in your favor to conceal you from the enemy. Your boat breaks off towards the cargo ship while boats Alpha and Bravo head towards the rig.

After getting confirmation that both Alpha and Bravo team have made contact the Shadows secure a line to the deck of the boat. Hoisting yourself over the rail, you land as lightly as you can on the deck and crouch towards the nearest container for cover. As everyone else takes their positions, you notice that the rain mixed with the rough waters is enough to cause the shipping containers to slide easily around the deck of the ship. “Keep an eye on those containers. Try not to get crushed by them.” You advise. From the corner of your eye you spot the familiar reddish flame of a flare. “Well shit.”

“Ghost, Condor. They are signaling the ship. They are going to launch that missile.” Soap comms. After hearing more commotion over the radio, it is clear that the controls are not on the rig with the missile but are here on the ship. 

“Ghost we need to clear out as many as we can so Graves can get to that control panel.” You shout over the sound of the rain. Ghost moves from his position, driving forward while you take out some of the shooters on the second and third levels. 

Ghost doesn’t notice that a cartel member is behind him on his six; quickly you take aim and pull the trigger. The cartel member drops forward and this is enough to catch Ghost’s attention as he looks down at the dead cartel member then up at you. The only response you give to his stare is a slight nod. 

You eventually move up on Ghost’s position. “We wait here for Graves and Soap, we’ll draw out the fire and then storm the bridge once they reach our position,” he tells you. 

“Copy that.” 

Graves and Soap finally make it to the shipping container that you and Ghost have been using as cover. “The bridge is where the controls are. Watch for the shipping containers and watch your footing.” You tell the two men. “Oh and Soap, try not to turn into bubbles.”

“Condor, now is not the time.” Graves reprimands. 

With an eye roll, the four of you move out towards the bridge. In hindsight, you should’ve taken your own advice as you lose your footing on the slippery floor. While you don’t fall it causes you to lose your balance and in that time trying to recover you fail to notice the shipping container coming your way. A rough hand on your bicep pulls you forward away from the sliding container. 

Not knowing who pulled you away from basically becoming a squashed bug, you quickly wind up to punch the person who still grips your arm, only to stop when you see the familiar white skull mask staring back at you. 

“Thanks Lieutenant,” you gruff out shaking your arm from his grip. 

“Graves and Soap have made it to the bridge, I’m going in for reinforcements. You stay here and keep the deck clear.”

“Yes sir.” 

Ghost quickly leaves for the bridge. Moments pass and after taking out the occasional cartel member you hear Graves in your ear, “Get ready for a firework show everyone.” You look up into the sky towards the rig only to see the missile launching up then turning back around to target the rig. The missile hits the rig, and you brace yourself against one of the tied down containers. You tuck your head in between your legs and cover the exposed parts with your hands. Debris and ash rains down on you. The heavier, larger pieces seem to stick to where the outside of the rig once was. 

“Condor, you alright down there lass?” 

“Affirmative Soap, just a little banged up. Nothing a good shower and night’s sleep can’t fix.”

If there was one word to describe what you were feeling on the way back to base the word you would use would be tense. Instead of feeling relief of finding another one of those damned missiles all the Shadows seemed on edge. This caused an immediate edge to wash over you. 

Reaching the gates of the base, the truck slowly rolled to a stop, confusing everyone in the truck, yourself included. Stepping out of the truck you weren’t met with the familiar sight of Alejandro’s men, instead the full black outfits of the Shadows. 

On high alert you step around to where Soap and Alejandro stand. “What the fuck is this!” Alejandro shouts gesturing at all the Shadows. 

“This is the future. Now step away from the gate,” Graves says. You take a look around, noticing how all the Shadows are ready for a fight. Taking a quick glance at Ghost on the other side of the truck you can tell he notices the same thing. 

“This is my base,” Alejandro points out. 

“No, this is a sizable covert facility and I admire it, so I’m taking it. Thank you for your service, you have been relieved, go take a nice vacation and don’t worry yourselves about this.” 

“You son of a bitch,” you say aloud. 

“I’m calling Shepard,” Soap interjects. 

“General Shepard sends his regards. He said you wouldn’t take this lightly.” 

“You’re out of line.” You say as you take a step towards Graves, “But I think you know that.”

“No, n-n-no. Don’t do that,” Graves points and waves his finger at the lot of you. “Don’t do that. No one needs to get hurt here.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“Oh y/n, you weren’t even supposed to be here.” 

“You have no right to call me that,” you say as you take a step forward, but as you do so the Shadows behind Graves. Soap grabs you by the shoulder, stopping you from moving any closer to the man you want to throttle. 

“You’re right I don’t, not after I left you there to die in Russia.” 

“Oh you motherfucker!” But before you can move forward Alejandro steps in front of you. 

“I don’t take orders from you gringo.” 

“Let’s not do this, soldiers. Shepard put me in control of this operation from here on out. So stand down.”

This only pisses off Alejandro more, “Who the fuck do you think you are? My men are inside!” 

“Your men have been… detained.” Graves says with a smirk. 

All hell breaks loose as Alejandro lunges towards Graves but is quickly thrown against the side of the truck and detained. For the Shadows this must be their green light because the one next to you is quick to raise his gun. You quickly elbow the top of the gun down; the dumbass must’ve not been expecting it because it slips from his hand. Your moment of glory is short lived as you are then shoved into the side of a different truck which you head whips against. 

Briefly stunned, the Shadow pulls out his knife and you can only contort your body enough to where it lodges itself in your upper arm. Hearing the commotion around you could only mean that Soap and Ghost were giving the Shadows the same exact trouble you were. 

Using all your strength you push the Shadow off of you and step behind him while twisting his arm around his neck. As you force him to choke himself, you grab your own knife and sink it into his neck repeatedly. 

Shots go off and you use him as a human shield. You can faintly hear Ghost telling you and Johnny, which if you were more in it you could put together that it was Soap, to get out of here. Moving to the cement barriers you drop the Shadow’s body and hop over into the woods that surround the base. 

Quickly weaving in and out of the dense forest you make your way into the city. You briefly  bunker down in an alleyway to remove the knife from your arm. With what minimal supplies you have in your med pack, you quickly disinfect the stab wound and bandage it as tightly as you can. Checking your head and neck you pull your fingers away noting the blood that coats them. A definite head wound and with the stars you’re seeing, a definite concussion. 

Flipping through the channels the only thing you hear is Graves and the Shadows. You continue flipping until you hear, “-in the blind. How copy?”

“Soap?” you question. 

“Condor. Thank Jesus.” 

“Heard from Ghost?” 

“Negative.” 

“Are you alright?”

“Been better. Gunshot wound to the shoulder. How ‘bout you?” 

“Stab wound to the arm, head wound, and definite concussion.” 

“Condor?” A familiar accent asks. 

“And Soap.” Soap scoffs. 

“I’m here,” you pauses as you hear a cluster of footsteps in the distance. You quickly respond to Ghost and Soap telling them that you hear something.” Moving from your seated position you quickly hide behind a dumpster. “I have Shadows trailing me, Condor out.” 

Having lost your rifle in the whole ordeal you are left with only your pistol, your knife, and the knife you pulled out of your arm. Looking around you spot an empty bottle, quickly you pick it up and chuck it in the opposite direction. 

Using the distraction you sneak back around the corner and into a random side shop. Seemingly empty you sneak up the stairs to see if you can get a better look through a window. And what you can see makes you sick. 

The streets of Las Almas are littered with bodies. Death in war wasn’t uncommon, you’ve seen your fair share and participated in far more. But these people weren’t at war with Graves and the Shadows. Graves might have thought that way but these people were just trying to survive. While their means of survival weren’t technically legal or just, who were you to judge? Tuning back into the channel you hear Soap, “Graves and Shadows are on a killing spree.” 

“Sick fucks.” You respond. 

“Condor what is your location?” Ghost asks.

“Second floor of a random shop.” 

“Can you see the Church?” 

“Affirmative.” 

“Rendezvous there. Then we’ll figure a way out of this.”

“I have four very important words. I. Told. You. So.” You’re fuming; if this was a cartoon there would be, without a doubt, plums of smoke coming from your ears. 

“We will discuss Graves’s actions once we are all out of here together, is that understood?” 

“Loud and Clear Lt.” 

“Copy that.” With your response the comms once again become silent. Moving back downstairs you hear someone come through the front door. Glancing from the stairwell you see a Shadow. Slowly you move from the stairwell to behind the kitchen island. You wait for the Shadow to pass you before you grab his legs and drag him to the ground behind the island. Taking your hand you quickly press it against his mouth and with your knife you slice his throat.

You move house through house occasionally checking in with Soap and Ghost. A dozen Shadows later you are only a block away from the Church in what once was a small eatery. With your knife drawn you quickly set about clearing the place. Entrance way, clear. Dining room, clear. As you open the door to the kitchen, an arm wraps around your neck. Quickly you pry your hands in between your neck and the attacker’s arm, then you drop to your knees and muster whatever strength you have left to fling the man over your right shoulder. Moving quickly you straddle the man and prop your knife against his throat before realizing this isn’t any ordinary man, this is Ghost 

“I have two lists Ghost, a short one and a long one. And I strongly recommend that you pick the short one,” you say without lifting the knife. You’re not dumb, if Ghost wanted you dead you would have been flippled over and have bled out by now. 

“What’s the difference?” He seems unphased by the ordeal. 

“One is of people I trust, one isn’t. I have the feeling you know which is which.” You say moving off of him. “Church is only a block away, I say we make a break for it.” 

Before you can continue, Soap’s voice cuts through your earpiece. “I’m in the Coffee shop.” 

“Get me a tea,” Ghost responds. 

“I could use a couple shots of espresso if ya don’t mind.” 

“You two owe me for this.” 

“For what.” 

“We’re fixing each other’s problems.” 

“What’s my problem?” Ghost deadpans. 

“Your mask, take it off.” 

“Show my face.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Negative.” 

“Are you ugly?” Soap teases. 

“Quite the opposite.” 

You turn to Ghost, raising an eyebrow before you hop in on the conversation, “Am I interrupting something? Because if so I can give you the room Ghost.” 

“You’re with Ghost?” Soap asks. 

“Affirmative.” 

“So much for no man left behind.” 

“No,” you say. “We’re not leaving you. I know that feeling and it’s not happening on my watch.” 

“That brings me to you.” 

“Me for what?” 

“Your problem.” 

“My problem?” 

“Yeah Condor. Tell us about yourself. We know nothing other than your name.”

You’re silent for a moment, Ghost looks at you and you stare back at him before answering Soap. “Y/n. My name is Y/n L/n. I graduated top of my class and quickly made my name Condor. It isn’t uncommon for us snipes to pick call signs after birds, seeing that we are known for our sharp eyes. However, the Condor is a bird of prey. They are one of the more inquisitive and intelligent birds of prey. To my first team I the perfect embodiment of one, I could stay in my positions for hours, I seemed to figure out everything before them.” You take a long pause breathing in and out but you don’t break eye contact with Ghost. “Until we got ambushed. I failed them. I didn’t see the incoming enemy troops. My one fucking job. Got them all killed, myself captured. After I was rescued I was told it wasn’t my fault. But it seemed that I was being punished for my failure because every team I was assigned to, it ended horrifically. You already know about Graves but there were others. Eventually I took it as a sign and figured I should stay true to my name. Seeing as condors are solidarity birds, I decided to work by myself. It was like that until I met Price and Gaz. They are the only ones I trust other than Laswell.” 

“I’m sorry Condor.” Soap says apologetically, “Even if we don’t know the whole story, I’m sure you weren’t at fault. Survivor’s guilt is a real bitch, right Lt.?” 

At the mention of his rank Ghost snaps out of his trance, “Of course.” 

“Why’d you tell us all that?” Soap asks. 

With a shrug of your shoulders you respond, “You asked, and besides I’m adding you to a very short list.”

“What list?” Soap questions. 

“The list of people I trust.” You look at Ghost and you hope he understands why you did what you did. 

“Soap. Condor and I are only a block away from the Church, hurry your ass up.”

“Yes sir. Soap out.” 

Breaking the heavy silence you ask Ghost, “Shall we get a move on Lieutenant?”  

“Lets go.” 

The two of you somehow run into no trouble on your way to the Church. You make your way in, safely barricading yourselves from the Shadows outside. All the adrenaline seems to be wearing off as the pain in your head becomes stronger. Wincing, you reach up to touch the tender spot. 

“Are you alright?” Ghost asks. 

“Yeah. At the gate with Graves one of the Shadows pushed me against the hinge of the truck door. Bleeding hasn’t stopped.” 

Carefully you watch with surprise as Ghost moves from his position in front of you to behind you. What surprises you more is when he parts your hair to get a better look at the wound, his fingers feel warm on your cold, damp skull. “It’s definitely going to need stitches. Concussion?”

“Think so, vision’s been spotty. Not seeing double, however, been getting those little lights that go in and out of my vision.” There is nothing you can do for your head at the moment instead you and Ghost wait in silence for Soap, every so often scoping the outside of the Church. 

Soap is in the tunnels and is almost at the Church when your vision gets worse. Black dots move in and out as you start to sway side to side. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Ghost who keeps glancing back at you. 

“Soap is making his way through the shops, he’s almost here. We’ll commandeer a vehicle from there.” Ghost says as he takes positions at one of the windows looking for signs of movement. Hearing a shot ring out you assume that a Shadow was close. 

“Condor was that you?” You hear Soap question. 

“Negative Sergeant, concussion has left me out of commission.” 

“Just get to the Church Johnny.”

“Roger that Lt.”

With Ghost’s shot the Shadows finally take notice of the Church, getting up you move from your position you move to the ground floor. “Soap we got company. Lets just say they aren’t coming in for forgiveness.” Ghost radios in to Soap. With that, the barricade you and Ghost had assembled early in the night gives way and multiple shadows move through. You and Ghost move the front steps of the Church. On the other side of the fence you are met with the familiar sight of Soap. 

You hop the fence shortly followed by Ghost, your balance waivers a bit but then you are quickly uprighted by Soap who holds you by both of your shoulders. “You alright there Condor?”

“I’ll be better once we’re out of here.” 

“We need a vehicle,” Ghost shouts, “cover me.” You and Soap follow the man as he weaves throughout the trashed square. The Shadows know that you’re all here and it won’t be long until they move in on your position. 

Finally Soap notices an abandoned pick up truck with the lights still on. Making your way to it you try your best to take out as many Shadows as you can with your pistol, aim slightly off but well enough. 

With you once again squished in the middle of the two men, Ghost starts the truck. Before he can hit the gas bullets hail down on the pick-up. Roughly Soap pushes your shoulder down so that you are bent in half staring at your knees. You feel the pick-up reverse and feel as it collides with two solid objects, Shadows you assume. 

“Can you drive a little smoother?” You turn to ask Ghost who seems hell bent on hitting every object in his path. The only response you earn is a grunt. 

The sun begins to break the darkness and the rain has finally stopped as you pull up to an abandoned barn. “What is this place?” Soap asks. 

You shrug your shoulders as Ghost replies, “Alejandro’s safe house. He gave me the location just after Condor told us about Graves.” 

This halts you to a complete stop, “Wait does that mean I have to take back my I told you so?”

Soap chuckles out, “Oh no, I think that was well deserved.” 

Moving to the window Soap enters first but you quickly tell him not to move as a familiar red laser of a rifle scope trains his way onto his back. Ghost quickly follows by throwing a knife to where the glow originated from. 

“Who’s there?” the voice of Rudy fills the air. 

“Rudy!” You exclaim. “You’re alive.”

“My surprise goes to you as well, it’s good to see you again.”

“Same to you.” You respond. 

“Where were you guys?” 

“On the run.” Ghost says.

“Well Condor and I were on the run, Ghost waited for us.” Soap interjects. 

“Of course, no?” Rudy says. You detect an edge in his voice although you can’t exactly tell why.

“No.” Soap says, you whip your eyes in his direction and tilt your head, surprised by his answers. 

However it’s Ghost’s response which shocks you more, “Yes, all of us are a team. This happened on my watch. And I need your help to fix it.” 

“No one fights alone,” You tell Ghost.

You fill in Rudy to the best of your ability, some questions still remain unanswered. The main one- why Graves turned. 

“As of right now, General Shepherd, Laswell, along with anyone else outside this room is considered a hostile, with the exception of Alejandro.” Ghost declares.

“Laswell?” You question.

“We don’t know her connection with Shepherd, she sent you here without telling him, something is up.” 

“I really hope you aren’t saying you’re considering me a hostile Ghost.” You say putting more distance between you and the man. 

Soap, sensing your tension butts in, “I think what Ghost is trying to say is that we have no contact with Laswell, therefore we have to err on the side of caution and assume that whoever isn’t here is a threat.” Sighing you raise your hands in the air, surrendering to the idea that at the end of all this your list will be a few names shorter. 

The focus shifts from Laswell onto getting Alejandro back. Rudy leads the three of you over to a table that contains a map of the black site prison where Graves is holding Alejandro and his men. The four of you come up with a plan, that for the most part goes over well with you up until it is suggested you stay back at the safehouse.

“Are you fucking kidding me,” you say looking at the three men, “you want to leave me here?” 

“Listen Condor. I mean this in the nicest way possible, you look like shit,” Soap says. You roll your eyes as he continues. “We’ll come back for ya, we’re a team remember?” 

“You also can’t shoot for shit,” Ghost adds, causing you to look at the man. “I saw you trying to take out those Shadows before we got to the pick-up, you missed quite a bit.” 

Your guts tells you to fight this, to not let them leave you alone in the middle of nowhere with no way out. “Fine,” you gruff out. “But if any of you leave me I will find you and I will put a bullet between your eyes,” you point at each man individually. 

As the three of them leave you make your way to where Rudy was when you first entered the safe house. Being high up brings a wave of familiarity and it is warmly welcomed. You replay the past couple of days in your head, going back to when Laswell first told you about this mission. You should have argued more with her and Price, this had taken so much out of you. But at the same time you can’t find yourself to be mad, this is the first time in a long time that you have felt comfortable in the company of people who weren’t Price and Gaz. Figuring that the rescue could take awhile, you position yourself to be as comfortable as you can and shut your eyes.

The sound of multiple trucks is what awakes you. Panicking you quickly adjust the borrowed rifle not willing to go down without a fight. 

“Tweety-bird where ya at?” You hear the unmistakable voice of Price. You pop up from above the rafters and Price is already looking right at you. “Not surprising, come on down.” 

“Tweety-bird, how did I not think of that sooner,” Soap exclaims. 

“Don’t get any ideas there Soap, I’ll break your fingers,” you point at him. Your response causes Soap to rub his fingers. 

“She’s all bark no bite, don’t worry about it Sergeant.” Price reassures Soap with a pat on the back. 

You make your way down to where Price stands accompanied by the rest of the 141 and Los Vaqueros stand. “Good to see you Captain, you as well Gaz,” you give a small smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Came as soon as Laswell told us Shepherd went dark.” 

“Laswell’s still solid, good.” You nod, relieved. 

“Now when I heard that you stayed back, alone, I thought to myself. Who is this and what have they done to Condor?”

“Well Captain let’s just say I added a few.” 

“I see, well it’s good to see you in one piece, could’ve used your skills out there.” 

“Let’s just say my brain is a little like scrambled eggs at the moment.” Pausing you continue, “What happened? Why did Shepherd burn us?” You ask, desperate for the truth.

“It’s a long story,” Price begins pinching the bridge of his nose, “A couple months ago Laswell uncovered information regarding a black bag operation. Shepherd and his Shadows were completing a transaction with allied forces in the Middle East to fend off the Russians. They were ambushed by the Russians, they executed the entire squad and got a hold of the comms. The Russians found out that Shepherd was behind it, so they gave the missiles to Hassan. The entire shipment was an illegal transaction, Shepherd didn’t have any bad intentions but everything was off the books.” You nod following along. Price continues, “He and Graves covered it up, so when Kate learned that Hassan was out here she sent Gaz and I out for a recon where we learned that he was moving the missiles to Mexico. She sent you knowing that you really didn’t care for Shepherd and more importantly you didn’t trust Graves. She kept this a secret from Shepherd until Graves informed him that she had sent you. We all got too close and Shepherd decided he couldn’t let that happen.” 

“Now what?” You ask looking at Price, “Only two of the missiles have been found, we’re still missing the third.” 

“We take back my base,” Alejandro interjects, “we see if Valeria is still alive and if she knows the position of the third missile. If not, we can at least get Graves.” 

“I’m going to be the one to put a bullet in that motherfuckers head.” You point out. “Especially after he admitted to leaving me for dead.” This catches Price’s attention. 

“That bastard admitted it?”

“Yup,” you say, popping the P. 

“It’s settled then, but first lets see if we can get a meeting with the big dog himself.” 

It takes a while, but Prince finally sets up a laptop with a stable enough connection to patch him through to Shepherd. “You hid this, but why?” He asks the General. 

“We all keep secrets Captain.” 

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

“You can consider yourself informed now, John.” 

“Well consider it a day late and a missile short,” Price snaps. 

“Then find it and fix it.”

“Yeah and who the hell fixes you?” You pipe up while walking around to stand behind Price, you lean over his shoulder coming face to face with Shepherd. 

“Watch your tone soldier. I am a patriot protecting my country. I don’t need fixing.” 

“The only thing you’re protecting is your own ass.” You say in a matter of fact tone. 

“No one holds me down with a roll of red tape, it looks like you’ve forgotten what you’re fighting for.” 

“I’m going to find that lap dog of yours General and put him down like the rabid dog he is.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“No, it’s a fucking promise,” you say walking out of frame. 

“I got my own promise to make as well General, after she finishes him off, I’m coming for you.” Price says then slams the computer shut.  

“Alright,” Alejandro claps his hands together, breaking the silence, “time for a team meeting.” 

You all follow Alejandro into the garage of the safehouse where he calls the attention of all his men. You all crowd the table that has a map of the base. “All right everyone listen up, we’re getting your HQ back,” Price begins, “We are getting your prisoner and killing Commander Graves.” This brings a slight smile to your face. “We are not 141, Los Vaqueros, and Condor on this, we’re a team,” Price pauses as Ghost picks up his duffle bag and spills the contents.

You stare down at the skull masks that litter the table, eyes shifting back up to meet the eyes of Ghost. Without breaking eye contact, Ghost pulls his mask over his head and tosses it onto the table. “Ghost Team,” Price finishes off. However you are too busy paying attention to the man behind the mask to fully register Price. Ghost stares back at you and you receive his silent message, trust. Ghost showing his face was the same as you spilling your guts to him and Soap. Blinking yourself out of your trance, you nod your head at him in a silent thank you. 

“Good to see you again Simon.” Price says breaking the silence. This causes Ghost to finally break your unspoken staring contest and look at Price as he continues with his speech, “If you’re in, take a mask. If not, don’t.” Reaching for a mask, you take the closest one to you and slip it over your head. As you adjust it so it fits comfortably you look around seeing who else has decided to don a mask. You catch one last glance of Ghosts’ uncovered face before it is once more covered. Though this mask covers less than his other one, it’s a shame he wears one at all.

Alejandro reviews the intel, he and his men know their facility better than anyone. He splits you up into two separate ghost teams. Price, Gaz, Alejandro and a pilot are ghost-one, their mission- use the tunnels that run under the base to sneak onto the tarmac and commandeer a helo and secure Valeria. Your team, ghost -two which consist of Ghost, Soap, Rudy, yourself, and Los Vaqueros are to stand by until Price and the pilot fire upon the entry gate. You are then tasked to locate Graves and neutralize him. 

You and the rest of ghost-two are inbound to the gate, Rudy informs you that Graves is most likely held up in the HQ and that it is best to split up. “With Price’s air support the Shadows will be on the run, we use that to find Graves and kill him,” Ghost states, he moves his stare from Rudy to you, “if the opportunity presents itself get Condor to take the shot.” 

“Understood Lieutenant. All Ghosts stand by.” 

Soap takes the designator and starts to mark the targets for Price, the van you occupy slows to a stop at the gate. Still not at 100%, Soap takes charge of using the spotter scope only to inform you that he sees multiple Shadows moving in. 

Price moves in and takes out the entire front gate while Soap polishes off the few straggling Shadows, your driver quickly takes off into the now opened gates and comes to a stop at the entrance. The four of you rush out of the van and make contact with the Shadows. Building through building you move while Soap marks targets for Price to hit. 

With the help of Price and the helo you all make quick work of the Shadows on the outskirts of the base. While you aren’t at your best, you still make decent work of the Shadows, this time you have a team to pick up your slack.  

After a while you eventually make it to the locked doors of the HQ. Knowing Graves he wasn’t the type of man to leave the front doors wide open so you could storm in. You dig around in your pack for your little surprise, “Breacher Charges,” you say with a grin although no one can see it. You hook them up to the door and hand Rudy the denotator. “Figured it’s your base, you should be the one to do the honors.”

“Clear to engage all threats. If you see Graves, drop him.” Ghost says looking at Soap. 

“With pleasure Lieutenant.” You say as you take your position besides Rudy. Shifting your body, you hear Rudy countdown and feel the heat of the explosion. Waiting a second for the dust to settle you all move in. You catch movement on the second floor, “Eyes on Graves, he’s on the move.” You tell your team before shouting out, “I’m coming for you Graves!” 

Rushing up the flight of stairs you order for Soap and Rudy to cover you, you take out the Shadows that have barricaded themselves in a conference room. When their fire becomes too much you plaster yourself against a pillar. 

Rudy shouts over the gunfire, “Graves. He’s getting away.” 

“He won’t get far,” you say reloading your rifle, “He’ll dig in somewhere.” 

Over your ear piece you hear Price, “All units be advised Graves went over the wall.” You look out the window of the control room that you have entered only a moment before to see the wall in question. However, you can only focus on the helo that Price was in as it gets hit and spirals out of control. Before you can stop yourself you are yelling over the comms for Price. 

Your team rushes out towards the wall and towards where the helo went down. Rudy and Soap already sit upon the wall while you and Ghost stand at the base. “You guys coming?” Soap asks.

You look at Ghost before glancing back up at Soap and Rudy. Unable to make up your mind fast enough, Ghost speaks up, “Go get Graves, I can take care of Price and the pilot myself. Finish this Condor.” 

You nod at his response. "Help me up,” waving Ghost closer to the wall. He sets his gun down and interlocks his hands. You step up on his hands as he pushes you up towards Soap and Rudy’s awaiting hands. However, too much force was exerted from each party causing you to fall off the side of the wall and land on the hard, unforgiving ground. 

“Condor you alright down there?” Soap asks. 

The pain that you have experienced in your head from the past day and a half was nothing to what you were feeling now. Hands fly to both sides as you cradle your head. Moving to your knees, nausea washes through you and you empty whatever was in your stomach into a nearby bush. “Yeah, I’ll survive, definitely didn’t make the concussion any better.” you say waving them off.

“She’s alright Lt.” You hear Soap relay to the man on the other side of the wall. Soap and Rudy are fast to follow you in a more graceful manner. Soap helps you to your feet, but the sudden movement causes the world to spin even more. You hold both your hands out in front of you in order to steady yourself. 

“That’s not ours!” Rudy shouts as a tank approaches your position.

Moving out of the way, you aren’t exactly surprised that Graves has managed to find himself a tank to drive around in. Speaking of the devil you hear Graves’ voice throughout the training yard, “Looks like the hunters have become the hunted. Isn’t that a kick in the ass?” 

“We’ll need something stronger to take out Graves,” you tell the two men. “This is a training yard right?” Rudy nods at you. “There has to be something around here, look for explosives. We each break off, Graves may be in a tank but he can’t chase all three of us at the same time.” 

“Are you sure you’ll be alright,” Soap asks, concern lacing his features. 

“Don’t worry about me Sergeant, I’ve been through worse, just take out Graves.”

With the three of you each on your own it is harder for Graves and his stupid tank. Moving wall from wall you keep your eyes peeled for any crates that may contain any C-4. “Oh little birdie, where are you?” Graves taunts as you plant a few things of C-4 in his path. 

“Now where’s the fun in that Graves?” 

“You know you and your friends really messed things up.” 

“Well how about you come out of that tank and we have a heart to heart conversation about it?”

“Do you think this is a fucking game? We are in a war and it seems that you simply don’t understand.”

“Graves? Do you know what they say about men who drive tanks?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“You haven’t been able to succeed the first two times, what makes you think you’ll succeed on the third?” You know you struck a nerve when you don’t hear a reply. You see Soap on the second floor of some random training building chucking C-4 at the tank. He gets one good shot right in front of the tanks tracks which results in an explosion. You rush to where Soap and Rudy stand, watching the tank with guns raised. The top of the tank opens to reveal a bloody, broken Graves. You motion of the two men to hold their fire. 

You walk up to where Graves struggles from out of the tank. Ignoring the burning metal you pull the man to the ground as you unholster your pistol. “I told you I was going to kill you,” you say, staring at the man, “I want to be the last thing you see before you die.” You rip the skull mask of your head and continue, “You’re a failure Graves, and I am the living proof. I’ll see you in hell you bitch.” You push the head of your pistol into his forehead and pull the trigger, ending his life. 

“You did it,” Soap says as a matter of fact. 

“No we did it, as a team,” you say with a weak smile. 

“I can’t believe we brought guns to a tank fight,” Rudy says with a chuckle. 

Soap radios in to Ghost informing him that Graves has been killed in action. 

“What about Price?” You ask. 

“He’s alright, lost a good cigar in the crash.” Ghost informs you.

“Tell him I’ll buy him a new one.” 

During your short conversation, Rudy speaks with Alejandro informing him of your success and that you are on your way to him and Gaz. 

Valeria looks surprised to see you all alive but is quick to begin a spat with Alejandro. The two of them bicker back and forth before Price cuts in, “You knew there were 3 missiles, where is the third one and where is Hassan?” 

“I didn’t count them, I have people for that,” Valeria states as it is the most obvious thing in the room. 

“Where is the missile and Hassan?” Ghost demands, looking back over towards the man you see that he is back to his regular skull mask. 

“Chicago. I said I’d tell you where he and his missiles were, not that I’d stop him.”

“See, I told you that this would happen.” Alejandro tells you. 

“I have a business to run gentlemen, I must grow or I will die. Now get the fuck out of Las Almas and don’t ever come back.” 

Price looks at Alejandro before saying, “She’s all yours for now,” his eyes move back down to where Valeria sits, “but hear me when I say we’ll be back.”

You and Price are last to leave the room as he calls for Soap to prep a transport and to get Laswell. “We’ll get you medical on the way to Chicago.” 

“What?” you say. 

“Geez kid, how many times did you hit your head? I said we’re going to get you medical on the way to Chicago.”

“No I heard you sir, but why am I going to Chicago?” 

“To help take down Hassan and that missile, why else? Come on, lets get a move on.” 

Alejandro thanks you personally and you tell him he’s made a very exclusive list which leaves him confused; you only offer a wave and a smile before you load onto the transport. You are then ushered to a seat where a medic checks you over as you wait for the rest of the 141 to board. The medic flushes and disinfects the gash on the back of your head, stitching it up before going through basic concussion procedure and deems you unfit for combat. 

“What do you mean she isn’t fit?” Price argues with the medic. 

“Price I have been bashed in the head two separate times in the past 36 hours, I think that’s enough to warrant caution.” 

“Well do you feel fit for combat?”

“Price, I can barely hit a headshot at the moment.”

“You said barely, not that you couldn’t. I won’t force you but if you think that you could be any help in Chicago please don’t bail.” 

“Let’s see if Laswell agrees and if she gives the okay then I’ll do it.” 

Soap finally gets a connection to Laswell and you all inform her of what the past few days have entailed. In response, she fills you in on what Hassan has been up to, that the missile along with Hassan and his men have been smuggled through a port on Lake Michigan. While no one knows the location of the missile or what its target is, Laswell knows that Hassan was taken to a building in downtown Chicago that is owned by a shell company of the Las Almas cartel. Laswell has the local police blocking off the streets surrounding the building. All the local police know is they are looking for a stolen shipping container, not a missile. 

“We believe Hassan is held up in a server room on the 54th floor, I will be on the ground working to locate the missile. Before I give you your assignments I was told that Condor hasn’t been cleared for combat.” 

“Yes ma’am that’s correct.” 

“I shouldn’t even be considering this but if you feel you are able to aid on this mission I will give you the green light.” 

“I’ll be alright Laswell.” 

“Look at you being a team player, it’s settled then. Ghost and Condor will be armed overwatch and will be stationed across from the objective. Gaz will infiltrate with the Marines via the Chicago river. Price and Soap will take one helo and touch down on the target building, another helo doing the same with a troop of Marines. I will be working with the police on the main level. Gaz and the Marines will push up the building while Price, Soap, and the Marines work their way down. Soap will be repelling to the server floor, hopefully pinching Hassan right in the middle. Main objective is to find and disarm the missile, however you have execute authority to kill Hassan, any questions?” No one dares to move, “Alright then, you have your assignments. Lets wrap this up.” 

The helo rider to the building was silent, but you didn’t expect anything else from the man sitting next to you. Instead you take in the Chicago skyline admiring its beauty. 

The helo finally drops you and Ghost off at your building across from the target. Prices’ voice fills your ear, “Ghost, Condor. We’re all set. Are you in position.” 

“Affirmative,” you respond, “we are eyes on, Ghost is flashing now, I repeat Ghost is flashing now.” You say as Ghost pulls out his light and flashes to Price and Soap.

“Copy visual,” you hear Soap say, “Lt., what you got?”

“Civilians.” 

“Hostages,” you correct him, “Hassan’s buying time.”

“Reposition if you need Johnny, two x-rays below,” Ghost starts as Soap begins his descent, “you are clear to engage.” 

You watch through your scope as Soap climbs down the building, you and Ghost instructing him on which floors he needs to be careful of and where there are hostages. Soap drops target after target and makes it safely to the server floor. Soap and Price breach the server room when Laswell informs them that the missile has been activated. 

Losing visual on both Price and Soap, there is nothing else you can do other than scope out the remaining floors and wait. With no active updates from any of the teams you mutter to yourself, “A lot of people are going to owe me a lot of drinks when this is over.” 

“Say that again, Condor?” Shit, with how silent this man is you forgot for just a second he was here. 

“I said that a lot of people are going to owe me a lot of drinks. Gaz, Price, and Laswell specifically.” 

“You didn’t have to come, you could’ve used your concussion as an out.” 

“Do I look like someone who would take an out?” You ask but you don’t wait for his reply. “No, I follow through on everything I do. I didn’t want to go to Mexico but here I am sitting on a rooftop in Chicago with your spooky ass.” 

Your concussion might be worse than you thought because you swear you hear Ghost chuckle, “Did you just laugh, Lieutenant?” 

Instead of answering you, Ghost asks his own question, “How many drinks do I owe you?”

“One,” you answer in a heartbeat.

“Just one?” 

“Yeah, you did try to choke me out at that eatery in Las Almas so I figured you kind of owe me one.” 

“Oh,” Ghost says quietly. 

“However, I recommend you use it wisely. I am a lightweight and I have a feeling Price, Gaz, and Laswell will buy me all three at once so they can get rid of me faster. And I have been told one drink me is far more entertaining than three drink me.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, how about Soap?” 

“That man owes me at least two, maybe three after tonight, and I’ll be sending my bill to Alejandro and Rudy because those two combined owe me at least six.” 

“You were right,” Ghost speaks out into the open air. 

“About what?” 

“About us not being so different.”

You don’t respond to it and you feel as if you don’t need to. You spoke your history, your identity as an olive branch to the two men who you were on the run with, and in exchange Ghost showed you a part of himself that, judging by Price’s reaction, many people don’t get to see. They always say eyes are the windows to the soul, and when looking into the eyes of Ghost you can briefly see a man who has experienced the same things you have. 

Before you can get lost in deeper thought, Gaz breaks through the comms saying that Price has been W.I.A, but Soap has made contact with Hassan who happens to hold the missile’s control pad. 

“Missile has been destroyed,” you sigh in relief at Lasswell's voice, “but we’ve lost contact with Soap. We can only assume that he has been captured by Hassan. Watch those windows you two and take Hassan out.” 

Rubbing your eyes, you try to clear your vision as best as you can. So far there is no movement and no sign of Soap through the windows. Seconds pass and from the corner of your eye, you see the back of a man who appears to be dragging an unconscious Soap behind him.

Whistling you get Ghost’s attention, you quickly motion to the 52nd floor where Hassan and Soap reside. Soap briefly comms in asking the two of you to watch the window. Ghost moves to next to your position and lines up his rifle. 

You watch as Hassan uses a charge to blow the window out and picks Soap up by his tactical vest. Hassan drags Soap towards the window but before he has the chance to move any closer you pull the trigger. 

Hassan’s skull explodes and his body drops to the floor, Soap falling to his knees next to him. You radio in, “You alright there Sergeant?” 

“I think I owe you a drink Lt.” 

“Not me, you owe Condor one, or as she tells me three.” 

“You let the sniper with a concussion take the shot?”

“Hey that sniper just saved your life, and besides that was the clearest shot I’ve had during this entire fiasco.” 

“Let’s go home.”

“You could say that again.”

The official report was that it was a power surge and some “severe wind” bullshit that caused all those explosions downtown. How people believed this, you haven’t the slightest clue. And frankly you didn’t care if they believed it or not. 

You sit with Laswell and Price in some random downtown bar watching the news coverage unfold with their respective owed drinks in front of you, “I will say that is some creative writing.” 

“It’s all CIA shit,” Price mutters. 

“I just can’t wrap my head around all of it,” you say. 

“Well, that’s probably the concussions.” 

“You know you should be nicer to me, especially since you want me to join that task force of yours.”

“You’d be a great asset Y/n,” Laswell joins in. 

“Remember, I work alone.” 

“What just happened proves otherwise.” 

“Just because I happen to trust them doesn’t mean I’m ready to be on a task force again,” you down your second drink and turn to look at Price, “John Price don’t you dare give me puppy eyes because I will punch you. Besides, you didn’t let me finish. While I won’t join your task force, I will offer my service when you need it. This does not mean for every mission. I get the final say in whether I go or not. You are not allowed to pull me out of any current mission or recon. These are my terms.” 

Price and Laswell just stare at you as if you have grown another head. Price is quick to regain himself as he sticks out his hand, “It seems we have a deal.” 

“It seems we do.” You smile, shaking his hand. 

“Well in that case, are you ready to hear our next mission?” 

“Lay it on me Captain.”

two can be as bad as one- coming soon

[wetmithrun]

Elaborate more on that Kakyoin Polnareff Jotaro dynamic? Esp Polnareff and Kakyoin. I love seeing a teenager bully an adult man

hi im so sorry this took like 2 business days i kept forgetting i got asks. i have dementia (editing to add . im sorry this kind of became a kakyoin analysis and thats really funny because hes actually my least fave in canon :') )

(another editing to add. this aint even a kakyoin analysis this is a life analysis . of everyone . holy shit. oh my god)

looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnngg post below ;vv

anyway this is quite literally one of my favorite dynamics in jojo so far (these 3 but namely kakyoin and polnareff). i'm not a kakyoin or a jotaro expert but i like to think i am well versed in polnareffisms.

so as we know kakyoin never really socialized much growing up due to being a little freak weirdo who has a green monster. no hate 2 kakyoin but basically this means, in my opinion, he never developed a "real" personality because he had no one to reflect off of as a child and develop himself. and since we know that video games are one of his hobbies (and hes spent many hours playing that one particular racing game), i feel like he based some aspects of his personality on video game characters so often the shit he will say or do comes off as really uncanny and seems like something No Person In Real Life Would Ever Say Or Do

as a result he doesnt know how to talk to people or what's correct in social situations, ie when to be nice or when sarcasm is appropriate, or when to cry and feel sad etc. dont get me wrong, he understands sarcasm perfectly fine; in fact he got to fine-tune his sarcasm and rebuttal skills thanks to being one of dio's minions and living in that mansion where you have to be sharp as fuck or else the meanies are gonna tear you to shreds and not give a shit. another side effect of being a minion of dio, kakyoin also kind of became mean as hell. thats what happens when ur evil and also surrounded by mean evil people. once again, since he had no influences really growing up, he saw these people and became a social sponge and absorbed the way they talked to each other.

in short what im trying to say is, the little green booger is mean, awkward, Very strange, and still fumbling his way around relationships with other human people.

polnareff, on the VERY opposite end of this spectrum, grew up well socialized and very extraverted. he treats basically everyone like his friend as long as you dont insult him or hurt his feelings (which is amazingly easy to do) and in that case he'll either fight you or cry. it depends. or maybe both!

hes very in touch with his emotions and not afraid to express them; as a result whenever he Does experience a feeling he displays it Loudly and Dramatically. probably also because hes french.

as well as emotionally loud hes vocally loud. hes got a big mouth and a big voice and a big chest for it to resonate and echo around in. this was also very helpful for the environment he grew up in.

i personally headcanon that he grew up on a farm in rural france as sherry's sole guardian. they weren't in the meat business but rather animal products and crops. so think goats, cows, sheep, chickens- except they really didnt have all that much, because they grew up fairly poor. maybe 3 chickens and a rooster and like 2 sows (the pigs were used for truffle hunting if yall were wondering).

anyway this isnt a backstory post (but i can make one if wanted) so ill continue on with the social aspects.

another headcanon of mine is that jean's parents died when he was fairly young, somewhere between 12 and 14. so he had to take on the responsibility of a farm as well as raising sherry pretty early. subsequently, alongside being silly and flamboyant and easygoing, jean is always looking out for his friends and taking liabilities and feels responsible for nearly everything that happens. its why he was so hard on himself when something would go wrong during the trip to cairo; hes so used to being the caretaker, the one whose shoulders everything rests on, that when a disaster happens he gets in his own head about how he could have prevented it and its his fault for not doing so. (he took the deaths really hard.)

relating back to how emotional jean can be, hes also kind of like a Feelings Sonar. basically an empath supreme. he feels and reflects the energy of the people around him tenfold, which really sucks for him because the people hes around dont know how to be anything other than stressed out.

to kind of alleviate this he takes it upon himself to lighten the mood - nothing makes him feel better than making other people happy. so maybe he plays things up a little, acts a tiny more dramatic, gestures a little more, says off-color things at the wrong times. his antics almost never fail to at least get a grin, or even an eyeroll or a groan - hes content with that too.

he has a problem with boundaries though (both physical and emotional) so sometimes he pokes and prods too much, too far, anything to get a reaction; when someone snaps at him (usually nori) hes quick to escalate and take things to the extreme. (yea he experiences a wide range of emotions but no one ever said he could Control them or is even mature enough to try) its not uncommon to find nori and pol arguing with each other about something that started off as a joke, or even physically fighting (it usually doesnt get too bad, mostly shoves or 'roughhousing' but nori almost always wins because of hierophant) but sometimes if hes feeling silly or pathetic he'll hit nori w/ this face

and that usually (USUALLY) de-escalates the situation and they go back to being literal worsties.

also, honestly i think jotaro just doesnt care anymore. he finds pretty much everything annoying, those two especially. he doesnt quite get how or why theyre friends, or if they seem to hate each other so much, why do they still talk to each other.

speaking of jotaro. our very own mr kujo is somewhere in the middle between the two, emotions-wise. he often seems to be neutral to everything (on a good day), maybe even leaning towards annoyed or kinda pissed. something he would rather die before admitting though is that he actually does feel things, and hes not an apathetic monster of teenage hormones with the most serious resting bitch face since dio died.

usually his emotions are quite muted, even when he doesn't express them. physically, he might grunt, or his lips will twitch a millimeter, or he'll huff and sigh, or do that 'tch' thing or go yare yare and cross his arms. sometimes his face betrays him and thats what his trusty hat is for - he can easily pull the brim down over his face to hide any semblance of emotion cause he cant have bitches thinking he feels anything. (small note: polnareff has been forcing him to go hatless so he physically cannot hide his face. hes evil)

inside his head, its about the same. due to his quiet and reserved nature, he didnt talk about feelings or anything growing up and still doesnt now, so often when he feels something he cant figure it out or understand it, so he tends to bury it beneath apathy so he doesnt have to deal with something new - because that scares him. but jotaro cant be afraid, of course not, thats not allowed. if hes afraid, then what does that mean for everyone else?

aside from not being able to express himself properly, his emotions are hidden due in part to fear of vulnerability and being pulled apart, dissected like some kind of creature he took a scalpel to in middle school. (he went home and cried to holly that day.) mocked, ridiculed for being human and feeling things. anger, mostly, just anger. but that's something everyone feels, something men feel, so it's okay to get pissed off at the smallest things. that makes sense to jotaro at least.

as for his relationship with polnareff and kakyoin, they've helped him tremendously in his ordeal with emotions and expression. kakyoin's seemingly unafraid to be weird and bitter and sarcastic and uncanny (or maybe feels ... comfortable?) and jean's feelings, regardless of what they may be are always being aired out, conveyed in such intensity that even a stone wall like jotaro cant help but resonate in some kind of way.

the way polnareff and kakyoin so unabashedly dote on each other, hate each other, poke fun at each other, and encourage jotaro to do the same - well, maybe it has him coming out of his shell a bit. maybe sometimes he'll make a snide comment and catch polnareff off guard and flounder, or maybe sometimes he'll contribute to kakyoin's long, long rants about something he likes, maybe even chime in with more than a few sentences about his own interests.

........... so erm.

needless to say i think this is one of my favorite relationships in jojo ever and theyre all very healthy for each other. three weird kids who complete each other in almost every way and somehow manage to not kill each other in the process (though theyve come close)

so......... SO sorry about. all of that. let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything, dont be afraid to send another ask ;>>

[readyplayerhobi]

Little Wolf, Pretty Wolf, Your Wolf

; Omega!Jungkook x Alpha!Reader

; Genre: Fluff, smut, angst

; Word Count: 22.3k

; Warnings: Stereotyping, blowjob, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, knotting, sub!Jungkook, dom!reader, impregnation kink

; Synopsis: An Alpha wolf is supposed to be strong, powerful and bold. A commandeering presence that can rule a pack efficiently. An Omega is supposed to be submissive, quiet and meek. A calming influence and a lucky charm for a pack. But you’re not like a normal Alpha wolf. Just like Jungkook is not a normal Omega wolf.

; A/N: I’m very unsure over this story. We’ve been having troubles but I finally got it finished and out! It’s half proof read...I hope you enjoy. If you do, please reblog and leave me comments, feedback or reviews! Or send in an ask, I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions :)

-

“Now, what you need to remember is that the Ancient Greek’s weren’t one nation like how we think of them today. They were a collection of city states which were called polis back then. In their times, this was considered a nation on it’s own like the Vatican City or Singapore is today. You might realise that polis is actually still used today in words such as metropolis, which basically means ‘mother city’ as it comes from the Greek word for mother, necropolis which translates to city of the dead basically and so forth.

“The notion of ‘nation’ as we understand it is actually a relatively new concept that has only emerged in the last few centuries so trying to discuss things like a ‘nation’ or a ‘nationality’ is hard. Particularly when we’re talking about ancient civilisations.” You carry on talking, hands gesturing to the interactive whiteboard behind you that currently shows a map of Ancient Greece.

Your students are watching intently, some nodding slightly while a few of them jot down notes in their exercise books or read from their textbook. History was one of those topics that many people found boring but it had always inspired a fire inside you. The desire to learn from the past and incorporate it into the future was strong. Over the course of your own education, you’d also felt it was important to teach and mould the minds of the young with the lessons of the past.

It was why you’d gone into the teaching career, despite the concerns of your parents and everyone around you. Alpha’s like you simply didn’t go into teaching, the aura of power and dominance around them normally too strong for youngsters to cope with.

But you’ve always been a little different to the other Alpha’s you’d known throughout your life. Your wolf was always present and willing to protect when necessary but mostly she was content to lay back and watch the world. While most Alpha wolves were tall and extremely well muscled, a genetic quirk that gave them a visual representation of strength along with the metaphysical one that all wolves could understand, you were of average height and just looked in shape.

Your scent was sweet and pleasant to be around, according to your friends growing up you smelled like the tastiest candy with the slightest hint of rose. That on it’s own was unusual because Alpha’s were supposed to smell like...well an Alpha, power with that hint of earth that reminded everyone of the forest. Instead, you just smelled like a candy shop.

While great for the Delta’s, the general population that made up most packs, or Omega’s, the rarest and most treasured of all wolves, it wasn’t really great for an Alpha. You were the equivalent of a teddy bear instead of a grizzly, which didn’t really mix well with people's expectations.

On the plus side though, it meant that you were excellent at getting through to people because they listened to you first and only if you needed to would you show the aggressive and dominant side of yourself. You may not look or smell like an Alpha, but you were still an Alpha and you liked to make sure some people remembered that.

A sudden movement out of the window in the door to the corridor catches your attention and you continue to speak, only looking in that direction for a moment. The mop of silver hair on the lithe wolf standing outside tells you immediately who it is and you stifle a smile, glancing over at the clock and noting the bell is about to go.

“Okay class, it’s time to end. I want you all to read this chapter and then write a one page essay on any Ancient Greek city state. I want you to try and be creative though, don’t all do Athens and Sparta. There’s plenty out there.” Smiling at them, you watch as they begin to put their stuff away into their bags when the shrill ring of the bell causes you to wince slightly.

You always hated how loud they put it, but you guessed that was the whole point. 

Once everyone has left the classroom, a few of them running to catch the bus that was waiting for them outside, you lean back against the table and let out a deep sigh. That silver mop of hair darts through the door just before it closes and grins at you broadly, his eyes almost disappearing as the roundness of his cheeks takes over.

“Ahh Ancient Greece...your favourite topic.” Jimin says cheerfully, moving over to give you a quick side hug before standing back and looking around. Your big brother was taller than you, though not as tall as any Alpha got. He was a Beta though, so just below you in the pack social hierarchy. He used his height to his advantage in any arguments you had though.

Smiling at him, you nod as you begin to clean up the classroom that teenagers have made messy throughout the day. There’s a whole stack of papers on your desk that need to be taken home and marked, plus a whole new lesson plan to come up with for next week. For now though, you’d just focus on this and be thankful it was the weekend.

Jimin begins to help you, moving through the desks and placing the chairs on top of the tables carefully. He’d come straight from one of his jobs and so is still wearing the oh so stylish black work trousers that have a billion different pockets sewn into them, some of them still filled with items from wherever he’d been. A plain black polo, covered in a few stains from whatever he’d been doing has the logo of his company on the left side.

Your big brother had always been good with his hands and he’d developed a love of manual work when you were younger. Everyone in your family had thought that he’d become a mechanic or something, but he’d surprised you all by becoming a plumber of all things. But he seemed to enjoy it and he’d founded his own company last year, enabling him to take on jobs at his own pace while also taking on another plumber along with an apprentice.

“Have they called about your car?” He asks absentmindedly, throwing the trash that he’d found on the floor into the bin before moving over to wipe your whiteboard clean. You’re putting away some of the books that you’d used earlier in the day before storing the printouts you’d made but you give him a quick nod.

“Yeah, it’s all done. Are you okay to drop me at the garage so I can grab it?” Jimin smiles and nods, giving you a thumbs up as well before hopping up onto your desk. His hands drop between his legs while his feet dangle happily as he watches you.

“That’s fine. I can take you there and then go get some pizza if you want? The job today will pay well and they’ve already signed up to be a repeat customer. Which is exactly what I want as it’s a chain of businesses!” He says excitedly, wiggling in place and you grin at him.

“Awww, that’s so good. Congrats. Told you that you’d do well.” Turning back to the little bookcase you keep in your classroom, you place the final book into its place before standing back and moving over to him. Jimin has that look on his face now and you sigh, knowing where he’s going to go with this already.

“Yeah, I’m doing well. And I think you’re going to do well in the elections too. You just need to actually...get out there and talk to people in the pack. They know of you, but most of them don’t really know you, know you? I mean...you work out here in the city so there’s not really any reason for anyone to get to know you well.” Jimin points out, leaning back on one arm and raising a brow at you.

Sighing again, you look over at him before chewing your lip. “I grew up there and I live there again. How is it that people don’t know me? They’ve known me my whole life. I’m only really doing this because you’re adamant on it and think I’ll have a chance, which I think is stupid by the way.”

The pack leadership elections were going to be in less than a year and the candidates had already put their name forward for consideration a month ago. You’d been one of those to enter your name and had been confirmed as a potential candidate only a week ago.

Unsurprisingly, only Alpha’s could enter the pack leadership contests because Alpha’s had the required inherent characteristics that allowed them to lead. They needed to be strong enough to cope with everyone’s demands, empathetic enough to listen to people, diplomatic enough to make decisions about people’s problems and tough enough to defend the pack if necessary.

You didn’t think you really had the required skills given your unusual nature, but Jimin thought you’d make a good leader. Family and friends had thrown their weight behind you too and so you’d found yourself submitting your name, wondering what on earth you were doing.

The idea of you being the Pack Alpha was ridiculous, but you knew that you were going to receive a lot of stigma and hate because of your differences to a regular Alpha. On top of that, there had also been the creeping misogyny that had been spreading throughout the wolf world in recent decades, in direct contrast to the humans, which meant that many of the old schoolers in the pack were beginning to look down on a female Alpha.

It was all bullshit and everyone knew it. That was actually one of the reasons you’d gone along with it, because if you somehow did win then you’d love to be able to rub it into all of their sexist noses that you’d beaten their little boys. Petty? Yes. But you had to do what you had to do.

“Yeah, you grew up there. And we both live there. But you also went to the other side of the country for five years to go to college. They remember the baby Y/N, the teenage Y/N. Most of the folk in town don’t even recognise you. It’s only when they scent you that they realise it’s you. You went away and became all cultured with the university elites, became friends with other wolf packs and even other shifters. Most of the people in our pack have never seen another shifter breed or even left the state. They don’t know you anymore and you need to show them.” The look on your brother’s face is incredibly serious and you let out a groan that ends in a whine.

It’s very unbecoming for an Alpha but you don’t care. The idea of having to ingratiate yourself with a lot of people who would likely laugh at you for the very idea of thinking you could be Pack Alpha makes you want to throw something. But you know he’s right.

Jimin’s always right, unfortunately.

“Fine. Fine. What do I do? Go and knock on everyone’s doors? Hold a party? A meet and greet? Come, meet the pack’s weird Alpha and vote for her to your leader!” You make an overly exaggerated gesture as you talk, walking towards him and he rolls his eyes in response.

“Just...become a bigger part of society. Join some of the groups, come with us on pack hunts or runs. It’s easy. I don’t get hugely involved but everyone still knows who I am. I swear, you’ll be able to do it. And if you get to be our Pack Alpha, then you can start to make all those changes that you rant to me about regularly.” He shifts off the table at that, stretching his arms back until you can see the toned muscles of his abdomen.

Reaching out, you poke at them hard and he lets out a soft whine as he recoils forwards, arm covering himself before pouting at you. You grin and ruffle his hair, leading to even more complaints before he escapes your grasp.

“Those aren’t rants! They’re issues that need to get sorted out! I mean...you know that I thought this place was a little backwards when we were growing up here but moving away and coming back? God, you wouldn’t believe it.” Jimin grabs your bag from beneath your desk, placing it onto your desk before carefully putting your stuff into it.

You don’t go to stop him or anything, you trust Jimin with your personal belongings. The two of you live together in an apartment in the town you’d both grown up in, the ancestral homeland of your pack. It was partly to save on money for rent and utilities and partly just because you both liked being around each other.

Unlike other families in your pack where having four or more kids was normal, your parents had only been able to have you and Jimin. And it had taken six years for you to come into the world after Jimin. So despite the age difference, you were both close and adored each other.

“I do believe it. Because you tell me it’s true and I know you wouldn’t lie to me. Plus, you know I think there’s a lot of people in our pack that need to come into the 21st century. Some of them make me think they don’t even know what electricity is. And this is all why I think you’d make the best leader for us. Someone to modernise us finally and stop making us just look like the little backwater pack still stuck in the 18th century. I know we can do it, we have good wolves in our pack and there’s probably a lot who think like us but just don’t want to rock the boat.” Handing you your bag, he waits out in the corridor as you do a final sweep before turning off the lights and leaving.

“Yeah...you’re right. God yeah, you’re right about it. I’m trying to teach my kids here about the mistakes that were made in the past so that they know not to repeat them but I should try more with our pack too. And then...then I can make sure that our kids learn better and how to be better right?” Jimin grins broadly and hugs you to him, kissing your forehead sweetly tickling your sides until you growl gently.

“Yep. So...Operation Leader is a go.”

-

Humming lightly, you looked over the basket of potatoes that was on display in your local supermarket. It was your turn to do the grocery shopping, which was why you were stocking up on all the vegetables that Jimin turned his nose up at half the time. Sometimes you felt like you were living with a child but he always ate them eventually.

Tonight you were going to make lasagne and garlic bread, one of Jimin’s favourite meals. It was incredibly easy to make and you’d found yourself craving it as well, realising it had been a month or so since you’d last had it. And given Jimin was going to be home tonight, you’d decided it was time to make the cheesiest lasagne possible.

You might even indulge and make the garlic bread cheesy too. It was more than an indulgence really, because you would happily cover it all in cheese until it made you sick. Jimin wasn’t a huge fan of it though, so you knew that you’d have to limit it.

Picking up a tomato, you squeeze it experimentally to see how fresh it is before nodding and placing it inside the little net bag you’d brought for the vegetables. Fresh herbs go in as well and you get enough vegetables to make a hearty stew tomorrow, figuring that if you make a big enough pot then you can freeze some for the future and let both Jimin and you take some for lunch at work.

It’s only when you walk towards the dairy aisle, intent on grabbing a bottle of milk and deciding upon which cheese to liberally accentuate your lasagne and garlic bread with, that you accidentally knock into someone. A small ‘oof’ leaves your mouth as you wobble slightly, dropping the bag of prunes that you’d grabbed as you’d passed the end of the fruit aisle.

“I’m so sor-” You paused, brow creasing as a delicious scent fills your nose. Inhaling deeply, you take it in with wide eyes as your inner wolf growls lowly, her instincts immediately roused to life by the smell. Omega, she rumbles to you and you immediately get the biggest urge to press yourself to this newcomer.

The reaction from you isn’t surprising, given what you know of Omega’s. You’d never encountered one before, not until now, but everyone grows up learning of Omega’s. They were the rarest kind of wolf and a pack with an Omega present was considered to be exceptionally lucky.

Due to their rareness, an Omega was often treasured and deeply adored by the rest of the pack. They were to be protected at all costs, with the entire pack often banding together to ensure that they were okay. The reason for this was that Omega’s were considered to be the most submissive in a pack, naturally weak and timid along with being passive. It was a pack’s duty therefore to protect their Omega.

So you were beyond surprised that you’d encountered one in the supermarket of all places.

Shifting backwards slightly, you turn and pick up the packet of prunes before grabbing the tin of tomato soup that’s rolling your way. Standing back up, you hold out the tin to the Omega before pausing, your eyes going even wider as you look up.

He’s taller than you, a lot taller when combining what must be his natural height with the thick sole of what look like combat style boots. And he’s broad, his shoulders wide and accentuated by the black leather jacket he’s wearing, the silver embellishments of the buttons shining in the light.

Skinny jeans in black adorn his thighs and you can’t help the way your eyes drag over them, in awe of how...tight his jeans are. Especially when combined with the fact that this Omega evidently does some serious workouts given how thick and muscular his thighs are. In fact, how muscular everything looks.

His white shirt doesn’t give much away to you, but you have no doubt that if his legs look like that then the rest of him must look quite similar. Long, wavy hair is messed around his face, the strands wild and dark as they cover part of his eyes.

And it’s here that you discover the only part of him that looks like what you’d imagined an Omega would look like. Because right now, they’re wide open with shock and you freeze at the sight of them, the inner instincts that have been bred into you over centuries roaring to the fore and telling you to protect.

His eyes are filled with innocence and a tiny hint of fear, almost as if he’s afraid of what you might do. To any onlooker, that might look comical given how tiny you look in comparison to him. But his scent gives away the difference, because despite how...non-Omega he looks...he is still an Omega.

Which means if you wanted to, you could make him bow at your feet in submission as you forced a wave of dominance towards him. It wasn’t something you liked doing as it often felt like an assault on the receiver and you felt gross doing it. Some Alpha’s abused their ability, finding it amusing to lord their status over others.

But you only used it how it was meant to be used. When you were faced with someone who was refusing to follow the rules and putting others at risk. It was the only time you felt was acceptable to use that power, in order to save others.

So the fact he was looking at you like that made you pause, confusion making you hesitate as you wondered if maybe he thought you were going to force him to do something. And you realised that he’d probably be right if he’d met anyone else. There were plenty of asshole Alpha’s that you knew that would be pleased to play with an Omega, despite the reverence that a pack held for them.

Gesturing towards him with the tin, you give him a sweet smile as he takes it from you carefully, the way his fingers carefully avoid yours almost comical. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you or I would’ve moved out of the way.”

He doesn’t answer, his brow creasing in confusion as his eyes scan over you. You can’t help but watch those eyes in complete fascination, they’re so naturally big and you feel a strong urge to protect him. Not because he’s an Omega, but purely because he looks like someone with an innate curiosity that you don’t want to see die.

His nose twitches ever so slightly as he inhales deeply before speaking. “Why do you smell like that?”

You know what he means. An Alpha is supposed to smell earthy and musky, to remind a wolf of their forest homelands from centuries ago. It inspires confidence and trust, yet you smell sweet and gentle. Jimin said that you often smelled like he’d walked into a candy store.

This Omega though, he smells like an Alpha should. His strong scent is so reminiscent of the pine trees that grow in the forests around the town you’d grown up in, the only reason you know he’s an Omega is that genetic knowledge that distinguishes that part of his scent that’s different. It amuses you that you’ve found someone as contradictory in their nature as you.

“Why do you smell like that?” You counter, lips quirked up on one side in amusement as you tilt your head to look him over once more. A true contradiction of everything. Now you can understand why people find it hard to understand you.

He doesn’t respond, just stares at you with that same confusion that everyone always gives you. Only it seems a little stronger now, causing you to laugh slightly as you shake your head. “Well, it was nice to meet you, but I really have to finish my shopping and go. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.”

Turning away from him, you continue onto the dairy aisle as you ponder what you’ve just said. You’re naturally nice as an Alpha, always polite and helpful to anyone who asks it. As someone running for the pack leadership, you’d resolved to be even more helpful from now on in order to try and help. Jimin had said it was a good idea, and you’d long ago discovered that it was easier to just go along with whatever he says instead of questioning it.

Questioning it would just lead to him whining.

But you’d felt the need to be extra nice to the Omega, almost as if to prove that you were not like other Alpha’s. Which was ridiculous, because why on earth would you care to prove that? You’d never even seen the Omega before, and you doubted that you’d see him again. They were so rare that you doubted it would be long before some Alpha snapped him up as a mate.

Pursing your lips, you hum to yourself in thought before shrugging and carrying on. You’d discuss this more with Jimin later. No doubt your brother would be fascinated to find out what you’d discovered today.

-

Jimin turns up in the kitchen within two minutes of you getting home, his curious expression ever so familiar as he tries to peer into all the bags. You don’t know why he’s so interested as he knows that you always buy the healthier food compared to him. Whether or not his card has ever seen a vegetable remains a mystery known only to him and the universe.

“Oooh, lasagne?” He says excitedly as you pull out the familiar items that make up his favourite meal. Grinning at him as you place the perishable items into the fridge and begin organising everything else, you nod.

“Yeah, I thought it’d be nice to have since you’re home tonight. I’m gonna try and make it so that I make one side be overloaded with cheese while the other side is more normal for you.” Your stomach gurgles at the thought and Jimin snorts in amusement, taking one of the apples that you’d bought and biting into it eagerly.

He may not be fond of vegetables, but you knew that he loved fruit.

“I fully expect you to make a mac n cheese lasagne one day. No meat or anything.” Jimin says, sitting down at the table as he watches you finish putting everything away before you turn on the oven to preheat.

Your nose wrinkles at his words and you shake your head in response, taking the minced beef out of its packet and into a saucepan before turning on the hob. Waiting for it to heat up so you can brown the minced meat, you turn to making the sauce for the lasagne.

“No way. I may love cheese but that’s because it can make the lasagne go all lovely and crispy. Mmm. I do enjoy the meat too.” Lips pursing, you take the juicy tomatoes that you’d bought to make the sauce and look at it for a moment, memory suddenly sparking.

“Hey Jimin...when I was at the supermarket...I bumped into an Omega there? It was really weird, I didn’t even think the pack had an Omega or anything. But like...he didn’t smell like one properly, nor did he look like what I imagined an Omega would.” The tone of your voice is wondering and Jimin can tell that you’re going through scenarios in your head.

He lets out a long noise as he considers for a moment before making a small ‘ahh’ sound. “That was probably Jeon Jungkook. You remember him? Or...remember of him?”

Nodding slowly, you frown as you try to think back to when you’d been younger and you’d heard of the stories of him.

“Yeah but I thought he, like, never left his house. Weren’t his parents super overprotective of him? He got homeschooled and everything right?” Jimin shrugs in response, biting into his apple once more and chewing carefully.

“He did. I think they did it so he wouldn’t get bugged by any Alpha’s or anything. I mean...your reaction right now is telling me that was probably a good reason and you’re one of the best Alpha’s I know. But he’s spent the last year living on his own, away from his parents. I think he’s trying to gain more independence and experience the world in a safer way or something. I see him occasionally around town. Not really what you expect of an Omega, huh?” That makes you laugh as you nod.

“The man is built like a truck. Honestly, I think he could probably take on most Alpha’s and win. He didn’t say much to me. He bumped into me and I gave him back his soup. In fact, all he said to me was ‘why do you smell like that?’ to which I asked him the same thing. He smells like an Alpha should smell, only with the overlay of Omega. He was very brusque, almost confrontational.” You ponder that as you turn the meat over, evenly browning it all before setting a second saucepan on the hob.

“Well, that’s understandable. I mean...he gets accosted by a lot of the Alpha’s and Beta’s who see him around town. The whole stereotype of Omega’s means that they think they can basically bully him into hanging out with them or...doing stuff with him. I think he’s probably been given a ridiculous number of mating requests and he’s turned them all down. Despite what many wolves think, apparently Omega’s are not as submissive as they’re stereotyped to be.” His voice gets light at that and you can practically hear the irony in it, knowing that Jimin probably severely disapproves of how Jungkook is treated.

It makes sense though, he’s grown up seeing how people have mistreated you because of how you don't adhere to the stereotypes of a traditional Alpha. Hearing that about Jungkook makes you feel angry though, almost resentful of everyone else in the pack who make Jungkook’s very existence a likely chore to him.

“Well that’s just rude. He’s still a person, a wolf with his own mind and abilities. Why are they so mean to him? I mean...I’m the least Alpha you’ve ever seen but it doesn’t mean I’m not an Alpha, you know? This is what I mean I say the pack is so ridiculous and outdated! It’s just gross. Why are they so bigoted and small minded? There’s no one way to be an Alpha and there’s no one way to be an Omega. Jungkook and I both show that. There’s nothing wrong either of us.” You say vehemently, grip tightening on the large plastic spoon in your hand.

Your argument makes Jimin laugh lightly, causing you to glare at him until he holds his hands up in defence, one hand holding an apple core. “Hey, hey. I agree. I fully support Jungkook being an ass to everyone if they’re being an ass to him in turn. See, this is why you need to win the leadership! So that then everyone can see how stupid they’re all being and backwards!”

That makes you groan loudly, eyes rolling to the ceiling as your head tilts back. You don’t even look over at Jimin as he deposits the core into the bin and makes his way over to the door frame. Your defeated expression makes him chuckle though.

“Jimin, I swear, every conversation with you better not end with you bugging me about this stupid fucking leadership competition. If it does, I promise that I stick this spoon up your damn ass.” You threaten, lifting the spoon threateningly as he laughs even louder.

-

Licking the ice cream that remains on top of the cone you’d bought, you let out a little happy noise before grinning over at Sana. She’s eating her own ice cream, only she’s already onto the cone now and you snort in amusement. Salted caramel was her downfall and you’d known immediately which flavour she was going to pick when you’d both headed into the small, family owned ice cream parlour in town.

It had been years since you’d been in there, long before you’d headed off to college and part of you had been surprised that it was still going. Mainly because it seemed that in this day and age, a lot of smaller stores like this seemed to die off as bigger conglomerates took over.

There was a Baskin Robbins just on the outskirts of town so it was impressive to see just how busy and popular the old ‘50s themed parlour still was. And also kind of nice, to see people still doing well in the pack while the pack supported them in turn.

They’d upped their game since you’d left though and now offered a ridiculously large range of flavours to match the national chain that had opened up while also expanding their range of milkshakes and smoothies in turn. And that was to say nothing of the cakes, cookies and other baked delights they’d invented.

Sana swore that it was the best place in town when you’d agreed to meet up with her today, praising it to the heavens. You were both just going to chill out and do a little shopping in the smaller, more boutique stores that your town had to offer while catching up on everything.

She was your best friend from childhood and when you’d gone off to college, she’d chosen to stay behind to attend the college in the closest city. It had allowed her to attain her degree in law and she was now working towards the bar, while interning at the only law firm in town. Quite obviously, it specialised in wolf law and inter-species relations and Sana had been determined to be a part of the law network around here.

Understandable, given her mother was a human and her father a Beta wolf. Their relationship hadn’t been entirely well received by the pack, yet another reason you felt spurred on to enter the leadership contest as it was another example of the pack being outdated. Human-wolf relations were completely normal when you’d been in college, the city you’d been living in cosmopolitan and liberal.

Perhaps it was too much of you to expect your small town to be more open, but you were determined to try. For wolves like you, Sana and Jungkook.

Bumping into her gently, you smile softly before taking the final lick of what remained of the ice cream in your cone. You’d picked your old favourite, chocolate chip mint, and had enjoyed every bit of it.

“Mmm, this was a good choice. It tastes even better than when I last went there.” Sana grins brightly, her face lighting up with happiness at the combination of the ice cream and just being with you again. It felt good to hang out with her and you were determined to spend more time with her now that you were living here once more.

“I know right? I mean, it was good five years ago but that Baskin Robbins has really made them up their game. Along with the general like for more flavours now. And thank goodness they decided to invest in learning how to make a salted caramel flavour because I swear, I go here once a week for this stuff.” She sighs dreamily before eating the last bit of her cone, licking her fingers in an attempt to make sure she got all the flavour before pouting dramatically.

Chuckling, you carefully bite your own cone before licking at the remnants of mint ice cream that cling to the inside. “Do they sell tubs? They should, it’d be a good business venture. They could even stock them in the stores here. People would buy it.”

Immediately, Sana’s eyes go wide with excitement as her jaw drops.

“Oh my god, yes they should! Why have they never thought of that? That's the best idea ever. We need to suggest it to them, they have a suggestion box and I would like to have my entire freezer filled with delicious salted caramel ice cream. Oooh, and the cookies and cream. And the pecan ice cream! Oh, and the pistachio!” Snorting, you shake your head as you finish your own cone and push her arm lightly in amusement.

“It’s a good thing you’re a wolf with a wolf’s metabolism because I don’t know how you’d keep that figure otherwise. Honestly. Does your fridge or pantry even have any food that doesn’t contain sugar?” You tease her gently, smiling as she scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Of course. There’s water. That’s the perfect remedy for when I’ve indulged in too much wine.” Amused, you look away from her to the window of the store you’re both passing. Sana hadn’t changed much since you were both eighteen and you were thankful for it. She was still the happy, bubbly girl you’d been friends with for years, only now she has a veneer of adulthood about her.

Hopefully you were the same.

“You know, I can see why Jimin started dating you. You both have the eating habits of a five-year-old. If it wasn’t for me, I’m not sure Jimin would even know what a vegetable looks like. And I mean any vegetable.” That gets Sana smiling as you mention your big brother, and her boyfriend of two years.

The two of them had started dating in your final year of college. It hadn’t been too surprising as you’d known that Sana always had a little crush on Jimin but you’d been surprised that Jimin had reciprocated it. He’d always been steadfastly avoidant of anything that could potentially encourage a crush with your friends when growing up, which you’d definitely appreciated.

But apparently they’d come across each other a few times in your small town and one thing had led to another. They weren’t mated yet or anything, but you had a sneaking suspicion that it was only a matter of time. Jimin never did anything quickly, always taking his time to be as sure as possible before doing anything. It’s what made him a good plumber with a 100% success rate.

You had no doubt that Sana probably appreciated it as well, as being mated would mean they would have a higher chance of creating pups. And you knew damn well that Sana had big dreams for her career before starting a family. Not that she wouldn’t welcome them into her life, but you were pleased that they were both taking things slowly still.

“I don’t know, I’ve seen him with a cucumber before.” Frowning, you look away from the display of the latest book releases and over at her. You were about to ask her a question when you recognised the sly look of mischief on her face and you gagged loudly, turning away and back to the display.

In the window, you could see your expression of pure disgust. “Sana. That is my brother! I do not want to...oh god, ew. Ewwww.”

Sana’s high pitched giggle takes over as she enters the bookstore, her pure amusement at your horror causing you to smile despite the gross image you’d just had ingrained in your mind. That was the last time you were ever buying cucumber for the apartment.

The scent of fresh books welcomes as you enter the store and you instantly relax, closing your eyes to take a deep inhale. You’d always loved books and reading, it had been a strong passion of yours which was why you’d taken a dual subject degree; English literature and history. Your master’s degree had been in teaching, meaning that you were qualified to teach both English and history in the school you worked at.

Books were one of the most important things in the world to you as they not only informed and passed on the knowledge that people had gained over the centuries, even millennia, but they also opened up entirely new worlds to positively millions of people around the world. There was no world too big when it came to books and you felt passionately about encouraging everyone to read and indulge, whether they loved a bodice ripping romance or the autobiography of a popular sports star.

Sana tugged at your arm as she directed you towards the shelves of the popular novels, both of you scanning over them quietly. Reading had been a passion of you both and your parents had always been amused to sometimes come into your room when you were younger to find you both reading separately, the only thing making any noise was the stereo that played your favourite songs.

“You heard of anything good coming out?” You ask idly, crouching down to examine the history section and pursing your lips when you see an interesting book on the history of Ancient Mesopotamia. Flipping it over, you read the blurb intently before standing with it firmly in your hand.

“Not really, I think I’m just in the mood for something really light though. Easy to pick up and read for ten minutes or so at night.” She says, pulling out a copy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. You take in the cover before laughing and taking it from her, putting it back in its place. 

“That is not the book you want then. Trust me, you have to read that book like, twice, to even understand what happened. Hmm...I’d recommend this, I have read it and it’s got a few sequels so you’ll be able to sink your teeth into it.” You hand her a copy of The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. “It’s a series called The Witcher, they made some games from it and there’s a Netflix show out too. You’ll enjoy it.”

Sana makes an interested noise and reads over the back before nodding in approval, giving you a smile of thanks before wandering off to her favourite genre section of the store. She’d always been a sucker for the fiction books with a particular love of crime and thriller. No surprise really, given her career choice.

Smiling, you make your own way over to the non-fiction section. You would read anything but you really enjoyed your history, autobiographies or memoirs. Tilting your head, you scan over the titles carefully before pulling out a book called Educated by Tara Westover. It only takes a quick scan over the blurb to see that it’s something that interests you and you add it to your small pile before continuing to look.

“Are you stalking me or something?” Comes a deep voice to your right, the sound so low and unexpected that you jolt in surprise, a hand coming to rest on your chest as a noise leaves you. It’s probably not a very Alpha-like response but honestly, what did he expect when jumping up on you like that? He was lucky you hadn’t responded the other way and tried to rip his throat out.

Turning quickly, you go to snap at the intruder and pause, eyes having to scan upwards to meet him. You’re so surprised at who it is that you take a step backwards, any irritance you might have had vanishing as you take in the sight of Jeon Jungkook standing before you.

Today, he’s got an oversized black hoodie covering his entire torso while black cargo pants adorn his legs, the numerous pockets looking empty and meeting the same boots he’d been wearing the other week. You take all of that in within seconds, brows narrowing inwards as you try to understand how you’ve come across him again.

“I’m not stalking you. I’m buying books. What does it look like I’m doing?” The words fall from your lips before you even run through them mentally, causing them to come out simultaneously belligerent and confused. 

Jungkook’s beautiful eyes narrow slightly at you and his free hand pushes his hair out of his face, his surprisingly soft looking lips going particularly pouty. You take the moment to admire how clear his skin looks, the crappy lighting of the store making him probably look worse than he actually does. Which is impressive, because he already looks monumentally handsome.

“Well I don’t know. Wouldn’t be the first time an Alpha stalked me.” He grumbles, glaring at you before turning to face the bookcase. It’s almost with amusement that you note he doesn’t even look at the spine of the book he grabs, instead just pulling it out immediately.

Brow rising, you bit your lip to try and stop your smile. “So...got an interest in the history of sex hmm? Not really something I’d try and teach my students but it’s always good to have more information.”

You can’t help it, not when you see the obscenely large pink text that clearly states ‘A Curious History of Sex’ on the front cover. Of all the books he could’ve picked out, he managed to grab that one. And you think he’s probably mentally thinking that too by the way his cheeks flush the prettiest pink, even his ears going red with heat as he lets out a sigh and quickly shoves it back into place.

“Shut up,” The growl he gives is actually kind of impressive. “Of all the fucking books. Of course you picked out a sex book with an Alpha next to you.” He mutters quietly to himself, rolling his eyes and actually taking the time to read the spines this time. You’re kind of impressed that he gave you an order, particularly given the unfortunate stereotype of Omega’s. Evidently, there were a lot of things that were exaggerated.

Silence falls between you both and you sigh this time, eyeing him out of the corner of your eye. His raised shoulders indicate that he clearly wants nothing to do with you, but you feel a deep and innate need to say something to him.

“Hey...Jungkook. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me and I swear I’ll leave after this. Or at least...go to another part of the store. First of all, I know your name because my brother told me about you. I’ve not been in town for a few years. And second of all...I know it’s probably not much but...I’m really sorry about how you’ve probably been treated over the years. As you can probably tell, I’m not really like other Alpha’s so I’ve been on the receiving end of some negative treatment too and I know how cruel wolves can be. I just...I’m sorry for anyone who has stereotyped you and felt they had some right to you as a result. It’s probably not a lot but I hate that you felt the need to say that to me.” 

Taking a deep breath, you give him a hesitant smile before carefully stepping away from him. It was probably pointless that you’d done that, and he would probably laugh at your idiotic behaviour lately. You knew Jimin sure would. Why the hell would Jungkook care if one Alpha apologised for the bad treatment he’s received for years? Particularly given you’re the least Alpha-like wolf out there.

But Jungkook is staring at you intently, his eyes narrow not in anger or suspicion but careful thought. His lips purse slightly before he licks them, his body posture loosening up slightly as he relaxes a little.

“You’re not like other Alpha’s are you? I mean, besides from the whole being tiny and smelling sweet thing,” He gestures to all of you at that, causing you to give a smile of amusement to let him know you’ve taken no offence. “You’re the first Alpha that’s ever apologised to me. For anything really, and you haven’t even done anything to warrant the apology.”

Chewing on your lip, you play the books in your hands before shrugging at him.

“Yeah well, no one ever apologised to me for all the comments they’ve made over the years. Not sure if I’d like to accept one either but I at least like the thought of someone trying to apologise. Won’t help everything that’s happened but it’s a start, you know?” You offer the words to him gently, hoping that he’ll understand why you felt the need to apologise to him.

He was right, in that you hadn’t done anything to offend him so far. You hadn’t said anything rude or negative to him, you hadn’t stalked or pursued him. In fact, the very idea of it was absolutely abhorrent. Sure, he smelled delicious and you had the biggest urge to press yourself to him and preen but you wouldn’t do it. You were an Alpha, and Alpha’s were supposed to have the best control.

Jungkook pauses slightly before nodding, running his hand through his hair once more. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Does feel a little nice to get some form of apology I guess. But you didn’t need to. You’re the first Alpha to not try to bully me into submitting to them or obeying them. I’ve even had a few try to force me into sex. In fact, I think the only time I’ve ever smelled your dominance was when I just scared you. And that was my fault, so I’m sorry.”

Grinning, you nod your head at him in acceptance and casually reach to the bookcase, grabbing a book about the history of the British SAS and adding it to your pile. You don’t even need to read the blurb, already knowing that you’d enjoy it and Jungkook eyes your books curiously.

“I don’t like making people submit to me if they don’t want to. It’s cruel and demeaning. We only have that power so that it’s used in dire circumstances. Anyone doing it to you is an asshole and you should tell them that. Or...well...think it at them, don’t do anything that might get you hurt,” Pausing, you frown over at him as you feel your heart expand in sympathy while a fire of anger burns in your stomach. “And I certainly don’t force people into sex with me. There’s a legal definition for that, and the act is most definitely illegal. Anyone does that, or tries it, I hope you report them because that’s disgusting.”

The vehemence in your voice is strong and firm, causing Jungkook to back away ever so slightly, his eyes widening as you accidentally let slip of your control. But you see no fear in his eyes, because it was quite clear that your anger was not directed towards him. In fact, it was more of a protective anger, an anger that he’d possibly been hurt or scared.

Still though, you don’t like the fact that you’d slipped and you bow your head, apologising quickly to him. He doesn’t say anything and you take a deep breath, calming yourself down before giving him a very neutral smile.

“I think it’s probably time for me to go now, I’ve got enough for my bookcase and my friend is waiting for me. It was nice to meet you Jungkook and I hope that whenever we meet next, you can feel a little more comfortable with me. And that you don’t terrify me at the start.” That gets a laugh from him, the sound high and lou. You end up laughing in turn, your own laugh quieter and more gentle.

Turning from him, you go to head over to the cashier before you feel a slight pressure on your arm. Pausing, you realise that it’s Jungkook before you even turn around, his delightful scent surrounding you so much that you can’t help but close your eyes and take a deep breath. Combined with the heavenly scent of books, you’re not sure you’ve ever smelled anything better.

Shifting until you’re facing him, you see Jungkook’s face looking a little nervous. His eyes glance about, almost as if he was checking to see if there was anyone around and you wonder what he wanted from you.

Finally though, he gestures down to the phone in his hand that he points towards you, the screen open to a new contact page. Glancing back up with a raised eyebrow, you have to seriously fight to stop the smile that wants to spread when you realise that his cheeks are pink once more.

“I’m sorry if this is...a little forward or anything but, is there any chance you might be okay with giving me your number?” He smiles at that, his white teeth perfect and straight in his mouth as his eyes positively light up with the same mischief you see in Jimin sometimes. “I think I’d like to get to know you a bit more...if you’re okay with that?”

You’re positive that your jaw has dropped and you desperately want to shove it back into place, feeling that you were probably being a little rude. Okay, a lot rude. But seriously, Jungkook had just asked for your number. An Omega, who had a clear dislike of Alpha’s for a good reason, had asked for your number.

Carefully, you eye him and realise he’s being completely serious. There’s a small delay between you realising this and your hand moving forward to take the smartphone from him, your fingers carefully typing in your name and number.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Handing back the phone, he glances down at the screen and smiles softly.

“I think so. It was nice meeting you Y/N. I’ll talk to you soon.”

-

It had been over two months since that day at the bookstore, when you’d experienced how...non-Omega like Jeon Jungkook was. And he’d continued to surprise you ever since. He was bold when you expected submissive, arrogant where you’d been told to expect meekness and so much more. 

You were thoroughly delighted by how contradictory he was and enjoyed testing the limits with him. He seemed to enjoy it too, given how he let you push at his boundaries while he in turn pushed at your own experimentally. It was an odd give-and-take with him, something you’d never experienced before and you were finding yourself increasingly enamoured with him.

Not that you were going to tell him that of course. The last you wanted was for him to feel like there was yet another Alpha pressuring him for anything. But it was just hard to not develop any feelings for him when he was so sweet and kind.

The two of you had texted frequently for the first two weeks before you’d met up at a local café, learning how to translate that easy going conversation via text into face-to-face conversation. You’d learnt how to though, carefully navigating the intricacies of a friendship with an Omega.

Jungkook could often be abrasive and sometimes took things to heart. A simple sentence from you that had no negative implications would be misunderstood by him to the extent that you were sometimes left wondering if you’d said something bad. And then he’d apologise, his cheeks red as he’d admit that it had been him who has misinterpreted you.

It was the strangest friendship you’d ever had, yet also one that you’d grown to love. Jungkook had a big heart beneath all his overly large, black clothing and his blunt personality. You had certainly enjoyed discovering that, finding out all the ways that made him smile in that soft and shy way, how to make him laugh in the overly sweet giggle that made your heart race a little.

Tonight he had come over to your apartment with the promise of freshly made Greek food and a night of watching Locke and Key on Netflix. You’d both watched the first episode independently before deciding that you’d watch it together when Jimin and Sana had shown no interest. Which meant that tonight, you would hopefully both blitz through the rest of the series in one go.

Of course, Jungkook wasn’t going to turn down food. Especially free food. So he’d happily said yes and had been a surprisingly good help in the kitchen as you’d shown him how to help prepare the food. Right now, your stomach was pretty content and happy; full of pork souvlaki, dolmades made of hollowed out and stuffed tomatoes with a whole array of delicious sides including homemade tzatziki and fresh olives. 

The dessert had been a store made baklava, because you weren’t quite willing to put your talents as far as making that. But it had been just as delightful and you knew that Jungkook had enjoyed every mouthful. In fact, he’d probably wanted more when he’d realised there was no more souvlaki left. He’d even eaten all the salad.

And now you were both sitting on the couch, your feet curled under you as your belly protested ever so slightly from being filled with so much food and a glass of red wine in your hand. Jungkook had a bottle of beer and you were surprised by how...domestic it all felt really.

Jimin wasn’t home tonight, he was spending the night with Sana and had given you a very peculiar look when you’d told him that you wouldn’t go with him because Jungkook was coming over. Normally, you’d spend a few hours at Sana’s before heading back home and leaving them both alone to enjoy each other.

Your brother had met Jungkook over the last few weeks. Even become quite friendly with him. Jungkook’s own friends, Kim Taehyung and Kim Namjoon had slowly become friends with both you and your brother as well. They were both Delta’s, the general population of a pack, and so were completely harmless to Jungkook thankfully.

It had been particularly amusing when you’d met them to see how protective they were over the Omega. Especially given the fact that as an Alpha, you were the top rank out of them all. But their hackles had slowly gone down as they’d gotten to know you better and realised that you had no intention of pushing your will on any of them, particularly Jungkook.

All of you had gone out to the city one day, checking out the giant shopping mall there and even playing around in the old school arcade that they had. Jungkook and you had engaged in more than one round of the classic Time Crisis, both of you yelling whenever you died and had to feed more money into the machine. The others had stood around watching for a while before moving off to play the basketball game. 

After that, you’d both devoured fully stacked cheeseburgers and a portion of large fries before drowning them in a large cookie dough milkshake. It had been fun and had almost felt like a date, if there hadn’t also been Jungkook’s two friends with you along with Jimin and Sana.

Thankfully, the presence of an Alpha and two Beta’s had prevented anyone from trying anything funny with Jungkook, leaving him to simply enjoy the day out. And you were beyond happy that had been his experience so far with you every time you’d both gone out together. Your mere presence as an Alpha kept others at bay.

Despite how easy everything was being tonight, you felt a little funny and strange. Jimin had made a casual comment the other day about how your scent seemed to change when Jungkook was around, taking on an almost earthy scent while Jungkook’s in turn became sweeter. You thought it was just because you were near someone who was awakening the primal instincts in you, and vice versa with Jungkook.

That had got you a droll stare.

But you would have to admit that being like this, sitting with him and his warmth being so close to your own while his scent overwhelmed you so delightfully, made you feel happy and content. A small voice in the back of your mind was telling you what it was, what it all meant. But you didn’t want to acknowledge that voice, didn’t want to let it gain ground in your mind.

What you had with Jungkook was good right now. It was solid, surprisingly stable given the short amount of time you’d known him and how drastically different both of your backgrounds were. Though you couldn’t help but think.

Okay, if you were being entirely honest with yourself then you wanted Jungkook. You wanted to date him, to hold his hand and make him smile. Kiss his cheek and his nose, feel all of that strong body beneath his clothes, feel his hands on you while you run your hands along him, learn the taste of his mouth and…

Shaking your head, you try to push those thoughts out of your mind before your scent changes in a way that even Jungkook is going to notice. Taking a deep swallow of wine, you point at the screen while scoffing loudly.

“Is it just me, or are these kids taking all this weirdness in their stride way too easily? Like, oh look! A key opens a mirror world where you can get lost and die! Nothing weird there. Casual day in their lives.” Jungkook snorts, grinning as he takes a drink. 

“They do seem to be quite calm about this whole thing. I mean, I’d be freaking the fuck out if that was me. Taking the first train to Nopeville and stopping at Hell the Fuck No City on the way.” Laughing, you press your face into his shoulder. He had the strangest humour sometimes.

Jungkook particularly liked those old school ‘90s comedy films or early 2000s. He’d already made you watch Dumb and Dumber along with Clerks, Happy Gilmore and Dodgeball. You’d admit to enjoy Dodgeball, okay so maybe you’d laughed particularly hard at the ‘if you can avoid a wrench!’ scene, but the others had questionable humour to you.

To him though, it had been the funniest thing he’d ever seen. His laugh was particularly loud when he was enjoying something so freely, the sound infectious until you were giggling along with him. So even though you weren’t exactly enamoured with the films he liked to watch, you went along with them because he liked them. And you liked it when he got the happy look in his eyes.

“I guess it wouldn’t really make it exciting though if they just noped the fuck outta there, huh?” You muse, casually eating a fruit gummy from the pack of Haribo you’d bought at the grocery store too. Jimin would kill you if he found out that you’d bought them when he wasn’t here, but whatever.

Offering the packet to Jungkook, he gives you a sweet smile before carefully reaching inside and picking out a tangy cherry gummy. He pops into his mouth quickly, a hum of happiness leaving him as he wiggles slightly, rosy pink lips pouting slightly as he chews. Snorting, you smile brightly and poke his cheek affectionately.

Looking at you, his eyes widen in that innocent way of his that makes your heart strings tug. Despite his bold and aggressive exterior, the tattoos that line his arms in what you’re convinced is a way to express his creativity while also protecting himself from anyone looking, he was still an Omega. He growled at you and grumbled frequently, ignoring your requests and straight up argued with Jimin frequently.

Jungkook defied every stereotype of an Omega and almost took great delight at doing so. Yet at his heart, just like you were still an Alpha when you stripped everything away, he was still an Omega. The way he would watch with boundless curiosity when you cooked or helped to build the new bookcase you’d bought last week. His sweet nature was always so giving, how he would happily share his food with you and how much he loved affection despite his initial belligerence. 

You knew that the only reason you were seeing this Jungkook was because he felt comfortable with you. That you gave him the stability and protection that made him feel like he could be open with you and honest about himself.

“Jungkook...how...okay, don’t answer this question if you don’t want to or anything. But...when we first met, and the second time, you were surprisingly aggressive. For an Omega. And I know, I know, stereotypes and all that. But...having got to know you, I’m a little surprised by how unlike you that was. You’re so sweet and kind and funny, genuine and honest. I was half convinced that you were gonna bite my head off the second time we met.” Jungkook’s cheeks flush bright red at that, one hand coming up to rub at them before he lets out a quiet laugh.

“Yeah...I know. It's an, erm, survival mechanism. My parents taught me to be...bolder than I actually am. Inside, I’m quaking with fear when I act like that because all it takes is one genuine command and I’d be on my knees. Usually an Alpha is so surprised by my aggression that they don’t do anything further. No one wants to fight an Omega, right? And then I make my getaway.” He takes another gummy from the pack, chewing on it carefully.

“That makes sense. Your parents were smart. I know I confused my parents when I was younger because of how...non-Alpha I was. By all of the stereotypes, I should’ve been hammering and pushing around Jimin when I was old enough to walk and shift. But instead, I would let him push me around. It was almost amusing how confused it made them.” You laugh, grinning at him brightly with an aura of smug amusement. “I have the instincts in me, but I don’t feel like-”

“Like you’re being run by them. I get it. Same here. I get the urge to be submissive and quiet and meek, all those lovely instincts that Omega’s have for some godforsaken reason. I just don’t feel the need to let them come to the fore. Instead, I can almost push-”

“Push them away. They’re there, in your head and your body, your wolf knows them, but you don’t need to use them.” Jungkook looks at you for a moment with a serious expression, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly and you wonder what he’s thinking. He looks like he’s considering something.

“I’ve never met anyone who understands what it’s like. And it’s even weirder given how different we are in the pack hierarchy.” Reaching for his drink, he takes a long swallow and you watch the way the muscles in his throat work as he does so, your own mouth suddenly bone dry. His words permeate your mind and you purse your lips, shrugging slightly.

“Same. But...it’s nice not to feel so alone, you know? Part of the reason why I’m running for leadership. I mean, a big part is to shut Jimin up but...I genuinely want to change the way this pack thinks and how it runs. Wolves like us are just as normal as any other and I don’t see why a stereotype should be the way we have to run our lives. You’re an Omega, yes, but you’re so much more than that. I know we have our wolves in us, and there’s part of us and instincts we can never change, but the human side of us needs to learn and grow. Move with the times.” That gets a laugh from Jungkook as he places his bottle back down, grinning at you.

“You sound like you’re giving some great speech. But you’re right. I’ll vote for you.” Looking at him sharply, you scan over his face closely to see if he’s joking or anything. You’d had plenty of people who were being honest when they said they would vote for you, but you’d also had plenty of people who had been joking.

It would be nice if you could say the high school nastiness had stayed in high school. Instead, it had just become an unfortunate personality trait of some wolves.

But his face was serious, his expression earnest and his eyes wide with his sincerity. Your hackles slowly relaxed as you chewed your inner lip before giving him a small nod and an even smaller smile.

“Thanks. I mean...I’m not gonna win but you know.” 

“Well, not with that attitude. Come on, you’re an Alpha. Embrace your stereotype for once and be braggadocios. It’s the one time I won’t hold it against you.” Dancing his finger around your nose, he practically sings the words and you laugh while also noting he has a nice voice.

“Okay, okay. I guess. Even though I’m all about dismantling the stereotypes of the pack, I will embrace my own this once. For Jimin and you, because I think between you both, you’re going to drive me crazy until it’s all over.” The Omega laughs loudly, the sound so pure that you can’t help but laugh along as your heart soars and you feel almost light headed. You’re not sure if that’s basically of his basic nature, or if it’s just because it’s Jungkook.

“Good. And while you’re embracing your stereotype, I’m going to take your advice and go against mine and be bold right now,” He pauses for dramatic effect. Or at least, you think it's a dramatic effect, until you see the nervous way his eyes look away from you constantly. “I like being your friend. It’s really good, and I really like it. I do. But...I was wondering if maybe...you wanted to be...more?” 

Jungkook’s boldness dies away by the end of his sentence until his words are so soft and gentle, you can barely hear them. His cheeks are a flaming red now and you get the impression he’s trying to hide behind his luscious locks of hair. But you heard the words all the same, and you let go of the breath you’d been holding.

Part of you wants to interrogate him, to ask if he was being serious. If this is what he really wanted. If he was really okay with being with an Alpha. You wanted to make sure this was all comfortable for him.

But the bigger part of you, the part that was jumping for joy and your wolf who was howling in excitement along with you, wanted to just say yes. Jungkook was a grown man. An adult who just happened to be an Omega. If you were serious about ignoring the stereotypes that had been placed on you both, then this would be a prime start.

By letting him have true agency over his decisions and acknowledging that he had evidently thought them through until he had come to this request. Jungkook was naturally shy beneath his veneer of boldness, and you knew he thought things through a lot. So to know he’d been thinking of this...in the same way you had.

You only have one word to say to him, a word you both evidently want to hear and you can’t stop the giant smile that paints across your face as you give it to him.

“Yes.”

-

Standing in front of the mirror in your bedroom, you contemplate whether to wear the olive green shirt or the buttercup yellow one. It was traditional for the candidates for pack leadership to wear the colours of nature on the election day and you were keen to uphold this one tradition at least. If there was one thing you did agree with the pack on, it was the need to appreciate and love nature.

But still, you were unsure of what to wear. You had to make a good impression after all and you were the only woman going forward for the Pack Leadership. That thought immediately makes you scowl though and you want to pinch yourself. There was no need for you to put more effort in than the other two candidates just because of who you are. That was the kind of thinking you were rallying against.

“You should wear the yellow. It looks pretty on you.” Jungkook’s voice pipes up from where he’s laid on the bed. He sounds a little tired and you know that he’d been up late last night trying to finish the project he’d been assigned by the digital marketing company he worked for. Their deadline had been moved up drastically which meant he’d had to work harder to get everything finished, being one of their few website and graphic designers.

“Really?” You hum, shifting to assess yourself as you hold the yellow shirt in front of you instead. It does look pretty good on you but you were going to be wearing sand coloured jeans. That would be too pale overall and you didn’t want to stand out too much, plus there wasn’t any green in your wardrobe. But then again, the olive would make you look like some kind of army dropout.

“Don’t you have some dark green pants in there? I’m sure I saw them.” With that, he heaves himself out of bed and stretches, looking mighty fine as you’re gifted with the view of his muscled body and tan skin, the abundance of tattoos he loves so much scrawled across his arms. His hair is just as long and ruffled as the day you first met, only it’s looking even more like a mess right now and you snort.

You don’t remember the pants he’s talking about so you wait for him to finish scratching his belly, nails scraping against the fine hair that leads above the band of his boxers. Finally though, he walks over and rummages through your closest while humming lightly to himself. Smiling, you run your fingers along his back and enjoy the way he shivers against you.

It’s been a good few months since the two of you had started dating. The rest of the Pack had been surprised to find out that the impossibly grumpy Omega had finally agreed to date an Alpha and you’d gotten plenty of suspicious words from people over time. There were a lot who didn’t understand why Jungkook was with you of all Alpha’s, given how...unlike the one you were.

But it had also bizarrely had a strange effect on your popularity in the rankings. Given the almost mythical status afforded Omega’s, it was almost like the Pack viewed you as someone more worthy of the very idea of leadership because he’d chosen to be with you. Jimin had told you it was because of yet more antiquated ideas surrounding Omega’s and the fact that a lot of wolves believed that they would only mate with superior Alpha’s.

While you weren’t going to push away the idea of mating with Jungkook, if anything you were pretty positive that your wolf had long ago picked him, you didn’t like the pressure it placed on him. Nor did you like how you felt like you were manipulating the people who were coming to know and appreciate.

You’d tried not to let it bother you too much and had instead focused on getting to know the people of your town and Pack once more while exploring the budding relationship between Jungkook and you. He was perhaps the sweetest wolf you’d ever met with a pure heart of gold and you adored the gruff exterior he presented to keep away others. 

“Here it is.” He says proudly, bringing out a pair of olive green pants that you’d forgotten you even had. How he’d found those, you had no idea but you were pleased to see that you’d had the forethought to at least hang them up, meaning there were currently no wrinkles.

Ideally, you’d obviously have washed them but whatever. As long as it looked good and not like a last minute decision. Smiling brightly at him, you take them and pair them up with the shirt, liking the neutral tones that look like sunshine and earth combining.

“Good decision ‘kook. I like it.” You’d already showered, hence why you were currently wrapped in a towel, and carefully chose some underwear as well. This wasn’t as important obviously and you preferred to be comfortable instead of sexy. Though there were certainly occasions when the latter worked...particularly with a certain wolf.

“I’m gonna go shower quickly and then get dressed. We’re meeting up at the parking lot right?” Jungkook asks, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek to avoid morning breath before heading over to the bathroom. You gave him a nod before he slipped inside and began to get ready, taking a deep breath to steel yourself.

Jimin had moved out two months ago and Jungkook had moved straight in, your relationship deepening even further. You’d say it was fast, but you were probably just used to Jimin and Sana’s snail pace relationship. They’d finally mated though and you’d been informed only last week that you would be able to play with a nephew or niece sooner rather than later.

But logically, you knew that a true mate pairing just knew with each other. And you suspected that had happened with Jungkook. You were taking things slow not only for him, but for yourself to make sure that you weren’t just rushing into something. Which was silly, because your wolf wasn’t going to change her mind anytime soon.

Pulling on your clothes, you accessorise with a few pretty rose gold bracelets and a beautiful necklace with a small, bejewelled hummingbird pendant. Jungkook had bought you it for your six month anniversary, which made you laugh because you didn’t realise he’d been counting, but it was a sweet gesture and worked perfectly with your colour scheme today.

A few touches of make up to your face are finished by the time Jungkook comes out and he snorts at the sight of you nearly finished already. Apparently he was constantly surprised by how quickly you got ready, more used to his mom’s time consuming efforts. 

He pulls on a white, button up shirt along with some dark grey skinny jeans. Witnesses aren’t required to dress to a code like the candidates were, but you couldn’t deny that he looked almost outrageously attractive. You didn’t even realise you were growling at a subvocal level until Jungkook looked at you with a grin, drying his hair and styling it to make sure he looked good.

He always looked good though.

Before you even realise what you’re doing, you’ve placed the lipstick down you were about to put on and are standing in front of him, arms wrapping around his slim waist to hug him. Jungkook hadn’t buttoned his shirt fully yet so none of your makeup got on his pristine shirt but you didn’t particularly care right then.

Humming lightly, you inhaled deeply and took in his scent, body relaxing as your nerves washed away with his presence. This was why you weren’t protesting your wolf’s choice of mate too much, or the fact that she’d become more insistent over the last few weeks. Because he made you feel happy and stress free.

Honestly, you weren’t entirely sure what you’d been doing before him.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, instead wrapping his arms around you in turn and simply hugging you back. The two of you sway slightly as he moves you both and his chest vibrates as he hums a song in his usual habit, the sensation gentle against your ear.

“I love you.” The words fall from your mouth before you even realise what you’re doing and you go to freeze, uncertain if he’d accept the words. Declarations like that were not taken lightly in your world given how mate bonds were permanent. You simply didn’t ‘fall in love’ with someone who your wolf didn’t want and trust implicitly.

Which meant you’d just given the game away to Jungkook. And on this very important day that you had been anxiously waiting for, you now had to comprehend with the fact that you needed to hear whether he would reciprocate or deny. Because it was entirely up to him now.

He could respond, meaning all you would need to do was consummate the bond together later, or he could deny you which would mean your relationship probably wouldn’t last much longer. Swallowing thickly, you wait to see what he’d say.

“I love you too.” They’re so soft and gentle that you almost don’t hear them, even with your superior senses. And you get the impression that he’s a little choked up himself, a little shy and beyond all that, happy with the way his arms tighten around you. It makes you want to cry too but you’ve just put your damn makeup on and you are not going to ruin it when you don’t have time.

Pulling away, you look up at him and bite your lip in excitement, taking in the way his eyes practically glitter with reciprocal emotion. You’ve never seen a more beautiful sight in your life. The two of you move like magnets attracted to one another, lips connecting as if there’s not a force on Earth that could stop you both and you sigh into his mouth happily.

It doesn’t take him long though to gently push you away, his hands firm on your shoulders as you whine at the loss of him. He doesn’t give in though, very carefully directing you back over to the make up he’d distracted you from before kissing your forehead quickly.

“There’s no time for that right now. We can discuss this further after the election, okay?” Jungkook’s voice is soft as he crouches next to you, resting a hand on your thigh and giving you the sweetest smile that makes his eyes positively glow. Resting your hand on his cheek, you stroke the skin there softly before sighing and nodding.

“Well...at least one good thing has happened today.” He laughs at that, standing up to finish dressing while you finish up as well. The two of you chat about the show you’ve both been watching, carefully avoiding any discussion of what had just happened or what was about to happen.

It stays like that until you’re meeting up with your friends and family in the parking lot outside the entrance to the forest. Well, there’s lots of entrances but this was the entrance. The one that led to the ancestral clearing that had been used to determine the leader of the Pack for centuries now. Long ago, the election had actually been a competition in which Alpha’s would fight to claim the leadership.

Those who didn’t submit, or die, won the right to lead. Thankfully, that had been outlawed long ago or you wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of entering the election. The very idea was simply barbaric and despite the fact you turned into a wolf, and had a wolf with her own mind inside you, you were still also human.

“You ready?” Jimin asks, smiling at you reassuringly as he moves over and hugs you tightly. Smiling, you press yourself into your brother and inhale the smell of him, the familial connection helping you to relax. Sana soon joins in the hug and you laugh softly, enveloping her too and taking in the difference of her own scent now that she is pregnant. There were subtle hints of Jimin in there, indicating he was the father and you wanted to squeal with excitement.

You’d been beyond happy that they’d finally bonded together after what seemed an absurd amount of time but you were even happier than they were pregnant. The two of them were going to make fantastic parents and you were beyond excited to be an aunt as well. 

Looking back at Jungkook, you reach out for his hand and tug him into the hug too, making him whine before laughing. He was still pretty shy with affection in public, almost like he was afraid that people might make comments about him or something but you weren’t going to let him get away with that right now.

That baby was going to be his nephew or niece too now. Though obviously Jimin and Sana didn’t know that just yet. Still though, they welcomed into the hug with open warmth and you sighed happily as some of the most important people surrounded you with their love and support.

“Thank you all for coming.” You mumble before separating yourself from them and giving your parents a hug as well. They give you their own well wishes and support as well and you chat with them for a few minutes about everything that’s been going on, promising to visit them more often.

“Come on, we’ve got to go.” Sana says suddenly, interrupting you with an apologetic smile before looping her arm through your own. The two of you start doing the dirt trail, quiet for a moment as you take the time to inhale the clean scent of the trees that surround you. Reaching out, you run your hand along the rough bark of the trunk of the nearest one and feel yourself centre with the help of the nature surrounding you.

Generations of wolves had been born, lived and died under the watchful gaze of these trees and you wondered what stories they could tell. The love stories they’d seen or the battles they’d been witness to. What would be the story they were going to see today? Would it be you, taking leadership or someone else?

“You’ll be fine,” Sana whispers to you, giving you a big smile before squeezing your arm reassuringly and you give you a tight smile in response. “Seriously, I think you’re going to do great. You underestimate how popular you are with people.”

“That’s just because I’m with Jungkook.” You mutter, pouting slightly as you contemplate just how much of people's warmth towards you was because of what you had done yourself or because you were dating the pretty and mysterious Omega. Glancing back at him, you watch as he chats with Jimin contentedly, laughing softly at the sight of him so big and broad next to your slight brother.

“You’d never think he was the Omega.” Your best friend muses, her tone light as she looks back too and you nod with a snort. Out of the two of them, Jimin looks like he would be the Omega instead of Jungkook. People would get a shock if they tried to treat Jimin like a submissive though. He’d probably bite their head off first.

Your brother could occasionally have a bit of a temper.

“He puts effort into looking that badass. Works though.” Chuckling, you turn back and take in a deep breath as you spot the opening just ahead. There’s sunlight streaming through, giving everything an almost ethereal look and you bite your lip as trepidation burns in your stomach.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t win anyway. It’s all fine. I took part and hopefully changed some people’s minds too.” Nodding in confidence, you eye Sana for a moment before pushing at her lightly with affection. She raises her eyebrows at you before grinning and you both burst into nervous giggles.

“Okay, okay. Let’s be serious now. Game faces on. This is important.” You say, holding out your hand in front of your face before bringing it down in a gesture to simulate you getting serious. It makes Sana snort but she doesn’t say anything to contradict you. She knows you’re not entirely confident about this but you don’t want her to say anything about it.

Letting go of her arm, you turn and take a deep breath as you take in the faces of support from everyone you love. Sana’s parents along with Jungkook’s have joined now, having already reached the clearing and moving over to be with your supporters on the outskirts. You give them a nod of acknowledgement and thanks before heading into the centre of the circle of trees.

It’s bigger than you’d expect when you heard the word ‘clearing’. The tall sentinels that stand guard in an almost perfect circle have wide, foreboding trunks that indicate they’re old while the centre is wide enough to have wild grass growing freely. The strands sway slightly in the gentle breeze that filters through the trees and you note that there are a few wildflowers beginning to pop up as well, their colours bright and vibrant against the lush green.

Quiet murmuring and soft discussions mean that you can’t hear any of the natural sounds of the forest, the Pack members who were eligible and able to vote clustered around the outer edges. It always surprised you just how many wolves there were in your Pack, particularly considering it was considered to be small compared to Packs elsewhere.

There were a good few hundred people in the clearing though, making it seem even smaller. Even then, a lot of them were actually in the trees, waiting for their moment to come forward and vote. One day, the Pack wouldn’t be able to fit in this clearing. They were already spilling over the edges and you frowned, wondering when it had all gotten so big.

That was a thought for another day though and instead you simply go round, greeting as many people as you can and giving them your most gracious and humble smile. You would be leading these people if you won, but you would also be serving them too. It’s something a lot of people didn’t seem to realise about leadership positions, that they were designed to serve the very people who put them there.

Most were happy to greet you, giving you equally polite smiles and making small talk while there were a few others a little more frosty. You weren’t surprised that the families of the other candidates, Kim Seokjin and Oh Taewon, weren’t exactly the happiest to see you but there wasn’t exactly a lot you could do about that except be civil.

Soon enough thankfully, the current Pack Alpha is calling for quiet. His strong voice has a deep timbre and is still strong, despite his age. Though that might be because he was using the dominance he’d been born with to reinforce his words and ensure that everyone was listening to him.

A few of the Alphas in the crowd bristled to be ordered about, not exactly an unusual occurrence given the clashes of dominance that could happen. It wasn’t usually a problem but with this many wolves around, the election would have to take place quickly to ensure it didn’t cause any issues such as fights.

The quietest whine from behind you causes you to turn, catching Jungkook’s eyes and taking in the slightly distressed look in them. Almost immediately you feel protective, a need to rush over to him and comfort him. You’d been worried about him coming here, with so many dominant personalities present and how he’d handle it all but he’d been determined to come for you.

When he realises you’re watching him, he gives you a tremulous smile that’s a little weaker than he probably anticipated. It makes your heart clench and you catch Jimin and Sana’s attention subtly, indicating towards your boyfriend who was now fidgeting with his hands. They take approximately a second to realise what’s wrong before nodding at you with a smile, Sana’s arm wrapping around his waist in a hug.

It’s not you, but the comfort of someone he knows and trusts makes him relax and you sigh in relief. The last you needed during this moment was to be constantly fretting over him. As much as you love him, you need to get through this.

Turning back, you stand in between the other two candidates and listen to the current Alpha talks. He explains the history of your Pack along with how important the role of leader is. You zone out for a little bit, the nerves causing you to ignore what he’s saying until you realise people are moving forward slowly.

The way your ancestors had devised the more democratic, and less brutal, method of choosing the new Pack leader was for each member to place a stone in a wooden bowl that was set in front of you. Once everyone had voted, the stones were counted by the current Alpha and the leader declared. In case of a tie, the vote was decided by the Pack Alpha, who didn’t vote normally.

As people came forward and voted, you decided that while you appreciated the concept of voting, you didn’t particularly appreciate having to actively watch as people you had come to know voted for others. It was beyond awkward as you tried to avoid eye contact while also making sure you didn’t appear too upset or offended.

But what surprised you more than anything was the fact that...you seemed to be winning? The stones in your bowl were growing more and more plentiful while your opponents had only handfuls each. Frowning ever so slightly, you realised with a start that at this rate, they wouldn’t even need to count the stones. It was that obvious.

Instead of fretting over that, you focused instead on who was giving you their trust and loyalty. The people who were telling you that they thought you were the best Alpha to lead them forward, despite how you’d always been considered a lesser Alpha in the past. Part of you, the part that didn’t think you were ready, wondered how much of their choice had been impacted by Jungkook.

Shaking your head slightly, you pushed the thought away. It didn’t matter at the end of the day. If the final votes kept up like they did, then Kim Seokjin and Oh Taewon were going to be congratulating you on your win and acknowledging your leadership. You, the Alpha who defied all stereotypes.

Smiling slightly to yourself, you looked down at the ground as the final votes slowly trickled in. The win was to such an extent that your bowl looked like it was in serious danger of overflowing and you felt almost embarrassed at it. Glancing over to the other two candidates, you saw them give you a warm smile before they both walked over to give you a congratulatory handshake.

Given how temperamental Alpha’s could be, you were thankful that both Seokjin and Taewon were magnanimous and kind in defeat. Though you supposed that only level-headed Alpha’s would even be allowed to contest the election. No point allowing a candidate who was a hothead and would start a fight just because they lost.

Still, you made sure to be warm and welcoming to them both to avoid any future awkwardness. He current Pack leader, or rather the previous now, didn’t even bother counting the stones and instead moved over to you with a wide grin. Once you’d finished talking with Seokjin and Taewon, he grasped your hand and lifted it high above your head.

“I think this is probably the easiest victory in a while. Which is a testament to the popularity of Y/N and the strong belief that she will lead this pack in a positive way for the future. With this, I officially relinquish my role as leader and bestow it to you. May you experience good health, a fortuitous life and no troubles.” He smiles at you as you have the bizarre knowledge that you’re now higher ranking than he is. This is the wolf who has led the Pack since before you were even born, the wolf you had acquiesced to every time when he made a decree. And yet now, he bowed to you.

Well, he didn’t actually bow. But the metaphor was the same. Eyes widening at the thought, you accept his words before turning to look at the Pack. Your Pack. Catching the sight of your family, you see the tears of joy and pride your mom and dad cry while Jimin beams so brightly at the knowledge his little sister had actually done it.

And then you see Jungkook, who’s smiling so brightly at you that his nose is all wrinkled and his eyes have disappeared into the sweetest crescent moons. His cheeks are flushed with a combination of happiness and what you presume to be stress from the presence of so many dominant personalities but he pushes through it for you, focusing firmly on you as he cheers and howls alongside the rest of the Pack as they celebrate.

Getting them to calm down with a gesture, you laugh as the howls continue for a moment before stopping and simply look over the wolves who are now yours. Yours to rule and nourish, protect and discipline if necessary. It’s a big ask for someone who’s simply a teacher, but if you can handle a day full of moody teenagers then really, the Pack would almost be a vacation.

“Thank you, for putting your trust into me to lead you. I will try my best to be fair and kind, an Alpha who you can come to with your worries and stresses. I know that many of you may question me given...how I don’t appear like other Alpha’s but I promise you that I am just as ready to protect and fight for you if necessary. I am here for you and I will respect each of you. In turn, I expect equal amounts of respect back. I may be your leader, but I am not your ruler. Please, if you have any concerns then bring them to me sooner rather than later. And with that, I think that’s enough of discussing politics for the day. I’m sure you’re all waiting to go back to your homes and have your parties so...please enjoy.” Grinning, you stifle the laugh that wants to erupt at the enthusiastic howls and yells from many in the crowd as they begin to disperse.

Election day in your Pack had long been a day that everyone would take off from their normal work, turning it into a day of voting in the morning and partying in the evening to celebrate the election of their new leader. You would spend a few hours visiting random parties tonight throughout the town, making an appearance to them and showing that you were there before settling in at the party your parents would be hosting.

Glancing over at Jungkook, you bit your lip as anticipation roiled in your stomach. Under normal circumstances, the next few hours would be a breeze as you socialised and got to know people. You may not particularly enjoy it, but you were well versed in how to do it thanks to your job. But today?

Today you just wanted to rush home and into the arms of Jungkook. Because tonight you had more important things to do than having a party. Tonight, you were going to join together as mates for the very first time.

-

You wish that you could say that you enjoyed the parties that you went to that night, but it would be a complete lie to be honest. What you really want to do is get home, spend some time with your family and friends while you were still in a content and happy mood before spending the night with one Jeon Jungkook.

But you were, after all, the leader now. So you didn’t get to be selfish when it came to things like this. Though you kind of wished that you could because as much as you’d ended up wanting this role despite only doing it because Jimin had bugged you enough to sign up, some of the people in the Pack weren’t very accommodating to you. Or even nice really.

You were generalising really, because the vast majority of wolves who you had met and spoken to tonight had been very sweet and congratulatory towards you. Many of them had openly told you that they’d voted for you, leading to you awkwardly thanking them for their support. A lot of them had laughed at your uncertainty regarding their words but they seemed to appreciate how genuine you were being.

Perhaps they thought you might have ended up being like another Alpha who was brusque and almost rude, as if their support was never in question. There were plenty like that in the Pack and you were glad to give them someone who defied their expectations.

But after three hours of driving around town and greeting people, you were just ready to leave. So you give a polite smile to the young couple whose barbecue you’d crashed along with all of their friends and family, including their grandparents who had haughtily told you that they’d voted for Kim Seokjin, a real Alpha. 

That had just amused you and you’d shrugged apologetically when they’d told you, telling them that you’d do the best you could for them to meet their expectations. Of course, they’d just sniffed at that but you didn’t see any point in trying to change their mind. 

After finally saying goodbye to everyone there, you hop into your car and drive to your parents house with a relieved sensation in your stomach. Pulling up into their drive, you smile brightly at the sight of the cars of all your beloved friends and family, realising that they’d all congregated here for what must have been hours now.

“Ah, here she is. Our noble Alpha.” Greeted you when you walk through the door, Jimin’s bright smile accompanies his sugary sweet words and you snort in amusement, punching his stomach lightly as he goes to hug you. The whine he lets out is overly exaggerated but he embraces you tightly, his emotions genuine.

“Seriously, congrats. Told you that you could do it.” Rolling your eyes at him, you acknowledge his words with a nod before hugging Sana just as tight. She’s already babbling on about the election and how she’d thought it was going to be tense but that you’d made history with the landslide. Of course, she then starts to suggest laws that she’d like to have in place and you take her hands gently, squeezing them.

“Hey, hey. Sana...I love you, but can I please at least have tonight? We can talk about laws tomorrow, I promise you. Okay?” She pouts slightly, her pretty pink lips giving away her eagerness and you just chuckle.

“Sweetheart, what did we say about talking law tonight?” Jimin asks his mate, brows rising slightly with an expectant look and you watch in fascination as your best friend pouted even further, her shoulders dropping.

“To leave it alone for the night. But it’s important we get started on the right foot!” She protests, looking from him to you and you just smile at her. Jimin sighs deeply before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek affectionately.

“Peanut, I love you, I really do. But I’m sure that Y/N has had a really tiring day and probably just wants to go round and say hi to everyone before dragging Jungkook off.” He’s looking firmly at Sana when he says that but you feel yourself go warm with embarrassment at his words. Not that he’d said anything crude out loud, but because he was perfectly right.

You did want to drag Jungkook off, because you had something very important to do with him. So you take Jimin’s words as permission and give them both a warm smile of happiness before hugging them both tightly together.

“Thank you both for all your support these last few months. I really mean it. I couldn’t have done any of this without you both. Especially you, you weasel. It’s because of you that I probably am going to have a massive headache and a short temper 24/7 with the Pack. I’ve already met some grouchy folk so I’m sure it’s going to be fun.” Jimin laughs loudly at that, his eyes almost disappearing with the intensity of his emotion and he squeezes you even tighter round the neck, causing you to yell as he drags you down.

“That’ll be nothing for my little sister. She’ll put them straight, won’t she?” He teases and you growl, the sound rumbling from your chest without even meaning it. But the wolf inside you is displeased at being caught like this, being restrained, and so before Jimin realises what’s happening, you’ve grabbed his arm and twisted with an enormous amount of force and strength. 

A cry leaves him as he gets flung over your body, his ass thumping the ground hard as he lays there with a stunned expression. Not that he should be too surprised really. You’ve done this with him plenty of times over the years so he really should be used to being thrown around by his smaller, younger sister.

Still, it makes Sana laugh with wild abandon at the sight of seeing her mate so thoroughly put in his place. Grinning at her, you give her a high five before heading further into the house and saying hello to the people closest to you.

Your parents give you the tightest hug possible and you can practically feel the pride dripping of them, that their little girl is now the leader of their Pack. It was something they’d told you that you could do as a child but you doubted they’d have ever considered you were actually going to go for it.

“Are you going to quit teaching now? Being the leader is basically a full time job.” Your dad asks, a frown on his face as concern fills his expression. Humming, you shake your head with a smile before squeezing the hand of Jungkook. He’d been talking to them when you’d arrived and had slipped his hand into yours as soon as he’d been able to, the pride in his face possibly equal to the one in theirs.

“No. But I will transfer to the high school here instead. And maybe teach some classes at the local community college for anyone who wants them. I still love teaching and I don’t want to give it up. If anything, I think I want to encourage more people in the Pack to learn. I’m considering offering some cultural lessons to try and broaden the minds of some of our more...reticent members. Maybe offer cultural exchanges by inviting other Pack’s to send a representative and tell us how they operate and live. You know...every little helps right?” Your mom is nodding thoughtfully, her arm looped through your dad's arm and you feel pride at knowing she approved of your thoughts.

“Sounds like a good idea. There’s plenty of people that need to be dragged into the 20th century in our Pack, never mind the 21st century. So if you can succeed in that, then I’ll be a very proud dad.” He grins before hugging you, and you contemplate the fact that you’ve probably never had this much physical contact in years.

“Anyway, as much as I love you all and this is a great party, I’ve already been fed about six times by now so I’m ridiculously full and I’m tired. Are you okay if Jungkook and I head off? I know I’ve barely been-” You barely even get the words out before your mom is pushing Jungkook and you with a tut, rolling her eyes.

“Honestly, you don’t need to apologise. It’s been a big day. For both of you. I’m proud of you too Jungkook, for doing so well with everyone there. So I want you both to go home and just relax! You’ve done enough for today.” Snorting, you let her practically push you out of the door while you manage to wave your goodbyes to everyone, noting the amused expressions on their faces as well.

Getting into the car once more, you turn and look at Jungkook with raised brows. “Ironic that I’ve spent more time with other people at their parties today than with my own parents at my own party.”

“Hey, they understand. Don’t be too worried about it. They’d already told me that they planned on sending you home as soon as you got here to be honest. We all knew you’d be a bit tired and stressed after it all and I don’t think anyone wanted to cause you anymore anxiety than needed after what’s happened.” He says thoughtfully, running his fingers over his lower lip and you hum quietly.

“Are you okay? I’ve been worried about you since I left. It was a lot to take in and you did so well Kook. I’m really proud of you. I can only imagine how hard it was to be there with almost the whole Pack, all those different personalities and dominance battles going on.” Your voice goes soft with worry and you see him smile out of the corner of your eye, reaching out for your hand and intertwining your fingers once more.

“It was hard, yeah. I wanted to run away for most of it but I’ve got a reputation to uphold you know? I’m an Omega, yeah, but I'm also a badass,” He puffs his chest out at that and you snort, gently pushing at him without taking your eyes away from the road too much. “Seriously though, I’m really proud of you too. You were so convinced that no one was going to vote for you because of who you are and how you don’t meet the stereotypes others have for you but...you were wrong. And now you’re our lovely leader.”

“Yeah...you’re right.” Silence falls between you both but it’s not uncomfortable, instead it’s familiar and comforting. Sighing softly, you run your thumb along the back of his hand before smiling once more. You’d managed to do it, despite a year ago being convinced that you wouldn’t even be considered. And along the way, you’d found your mate.

“This morning...what you said...do you still think that?” Jungkook’s voice is soft now and you pause at his words, thinking back and remembering the intimate moment you’d both had in your bedroom. It felt so long ago now, but those emotions came swarming back with a vengeance as you pulled into the parking lot of your apartment building.

“Every word.” Turning the engine off, you look at him with a serious expression and he swallows thickly. His eyes are wide, reflecting the light from the nearby buildings and you feel your heart positively clench at how beautiful he looks. It’s not that he’s innocent, because he’s not, but it’s like he has an innate curiosity and wonder about the world that his eyes can’t seem to hide. As if he wants to learn and see everything before his time ends and you want so desperately to give that to him.

“Me too.” He whispers and you don’t stop yourself from leaning forward in your seat, pressing your lips to his in a kiss that is gentle and yet needy at the same time. The underlying ‘I love you’ is so prominent between you both and you feel the need to mark him. To make him yours and show the whole world that he chose you.

Pulling back, you look at him at him intently and see the way he swallows at whatever he sees in your own eyes. Nipping at his lip playfully, you nose along his cheek before biting softly at his jawline and enjoying the way he gasps.

Sex with Jungkook is more than satisfying and you’ve been pleased to discover that he’s not as submissive as he looks in that department either. There’s days when he takes control and you love it almost as much as the days that he lets you wreak havoc with him. But today is a day when your base instincts will take over, the wolf inside you demanding you dominate your mate to show him that you were capable of protecting him, of loving him and keeping him safe.

Unsurprisingly, Jungkook’s own wolf was obviously telling him to go along with his own instincts as well as he leans his head to one side, revealing the wonderful expanse of golden tan skin stretched over the strong tendons and muscles of his neck. The beautiful skin that is currently unmarked.

“We need to go inside. Now.” You growl and he nods immediately, hands grasping at the door handle before you even finish and you almost want to laugh at his eagerness. But you don’t, because you’re following him every step of the way, almost stalking his steps like the predator you truly were.

The idea of doing this to him normally would be horrifying because it would immediately set off his Omega instincts. And no matter how much he’s managed to suppress them over the years, no matter how much he can pass for something other than what he is, he is still an Omega at the end of the day.

But tonight, the tension in his shoulders wasn’t from fear. It was from anticipation. And from the way he looked back at you with eagerness in those pretty eyes, you got the sense that he was turning this into a little game. The rumble of appreciation rolls from your chest before you even realise and you bite your lip at the sight of him shuddering when you reach the apartment door.

Getting your keys into the door is a bit of a challenge when your mind is solely focused on him. You finally do it though and as soon as the door latches shut behind you, you turn and pull him down for another kiss.

This one is deeper than before and more frantic, the need to join stronger than ever. The two of you leave a trail of clothes through the apartment as you move to the bedroom, his shirt torn from the force of your pull. Humming happily at the feel of smooth, warm skin beneath your palms, you nip at his collarbones playfully and delight in the way he squirms and whines for you.

Running your hands down his toned and muscular stomach, you reach the waistband of his boxers and eagerly pull them down. They slip past his slim hips with complete ease and you resist the urge to salivate at the sight of his cock, bouncing gently as it strains against gravity.

Jungkook is not a stereotypical Omega. He is tall, broad, muscular, tattooed, has a black belt in taekwondo and will snap at anyone if pushed. And his cock is just as beautifully magnificent as the rest of him, not too long to be painful but beautifully girthy and with the most delightful veins that make him whine when you trace over them. In a simple word, Jungkook is physically perfect.

"You're so damn beautiful," The words slip from your mouth reverently and you press your lips to the dip in his hips to a kiss that turns into a nip. "You're perfect and all for me, aren't you?"

As you whisper words of affection, praise and dominance into his skin, you wrap your fingers around his shaft and stroke slowly. The whine he gives it like music to your ears and you growl in appreciation, licking along his stomach before rewarding him with one, slow glide of your tongue along the underside of his cock.

He sighs in contentment at that, his hands clenching and opening repeatedly as he struggles to find something to do with them and you laugh. Pulling back, you stand once more and point to the bed.

"Lay down for me, pretty boy." You almost don't manage to get the words out before he's practically throwing himself on the bed and you have to stop yourself from snorting and ruining the mood. His eagerness to please suddenly is endearing and this is the one Omega stereotype you're glad he embodies.

The sight of him laid out on the bed, his skin almost glowing with health from the soft lighting of the bedside lamp he’d turned on, has you almost turning into a cat as you practically purr in contentment at the sight of him. His big, sweet eyes are focused firmly on you while his cock strains against his stomach, desperate for your touch.

“Good boy.” You praise him sweetly, running your hand along the muscle of his calf and biting your lip at the way he shivers in response. Slowly, you remove the final pieces of your own clothing and delight at the way Jungkook lets out the softest keen at the sight of the damp spot in your panties, a visible sign of just how unbelievably wet you were for him.

It didn’t take much for him to get you going, you’d discovered this in the past, but there’s something particularly delightful about him today. You may not be a typical Alpha but you’d be damned if Jungkook’s willingness to submit right now wasn’t hitting every dominant bone in your body.

Kneeling on the bed next to him, you continue to let your fingers dance along his body in a slow, steady exploration that only heightens his arousal. Everywhere you touch tenses beneath your fingertips and you don’t miss the way his hips subtly move, trying to catch your attention and give him the blessed relief he wants.

But you don’t want to yet. You want to make him desperate for you, to make him whine and pout and cry out for your touch before you finally mark him. The wolf in you demands it, demands his full submission as your mate and you want it as well. From the look of pure need in Jungkook’s eyes, he wants it just as much.

Pressing a kiss to his lips, you dart away from him quickly when he goes to follow and smile at the whine he gives you. Tutting quietly, you begin to kiss down his body in hot, open mouthed kisses that leave a slick mess to follow, a few spots darkening from where your kiss had been particularly forceful.

“What do you want, baby boy? Tell me.” You whisper, biting gently at his hip and enjoying the way he writhes beneath you. There’s almost zero resistance before he’s speaking to you, the subtle whine in his voice telling you he’s trying to hold back.

“I want you. Please. Please. I love you, please.” Pursing your lips, you move down till you’re kissing along his inner thigh, enjoying the way his muscles twitch with need. There’s no missing the way his cock jerks occasionally, his balls tight and firm in your eyesight and you resist the urge to play with them. Not yet.

“Tell me what you want.” The words are repeated back to him and now Jungkook does let out a whine, the sound strained in his throat with frustration and need. But he responds to you perfectly, causing you to grin.

“Please touch my dick. Jerk me off. Lick it. Put your mouth on it. Anything. Please.” He mutters a few more times, almost praying to you with how much he wants your touch on his cock and you pause for a moment to watch him. His face is ever so slightly flushed while his hair isn’t as put together anymore, his hands having ruined what he’d carefully arranged this morning.

“Since you asked so nicely.” You purr to him, voice going low. It’s not really because he asked, but more because you can’t handle not touching him anymore. Not when you want him this badly.

Grasping his cock at the base once more, you give him a slow stroke while squeezing tightly, enjoying how he gasps. A second stroke has his hips jerking, but not nearly as much as when you lick him from bottom to tip, flattening your tongue to try and reach as much of him as you can. The noises he makes are nothing though compared to when you wrap your lips around his head, engulfing him in your mouth and sucking tightly.

It’s pure enjoyment from your part as you take in how he reacts, moving your hand to meet your lips in a rhythm that’s perfect for you both. Head lowering, you press your tongue to him as hard as you can on the way down before hollowing out your cheeks as you rise back up, trying to increase the amount of pressure he’s feeling. The gasps tell you he likes it and you hum, adding vibration to the mix while your free hand moves to cup his balls, running your fingers along him until you find what really makes his hips jerk.

For a few minutes, you continue on like this. Changing up the speed with which you tug on him, the pressure you apply to his cock and how you play with his balls to make sure he doesn’t get too complacent or too near completion. It would ruin the fun if he came too early.

Pulling off him, you begin to lick at his tip almost like you’re enjoying an ice cream, eyes closing as you let your tongue slide around the head of him and find all the places that make him quiver with need. Your hand slows on him as well, squeezing the base of him tightly to stop him from reaching his end if he is near and the reduction in pleasure has him whining your name.

“Please, please. Oh god, please fuck me. Please. I want to be inside you.” He begs desperately, his hands moving to grasp at the covers of the bed as you press kisses to his cock, letting go of it and enjoying the way it stands for a moment for falling back to his stomach with a wet slap from the weight of it. Smirking, you sit up and wipe at your mouth before looking down at him.

His pupils have blown out from lust while his cheeks are a beautiful, rosy pink and his chest is breathing a little heavier than before. Moving over him, you carefully avoid his cock as you lean down to kiss along his neck, biting gently and sucking in other places before moving up to his mouth. It’s already swollen from your previous kiss and the way he keeps biting at them, but it doesn’t stop you from nibbling on his lower lip.

“You want to be inside of me? Do you think you deserve to be in me, baby boy?” You ask the question lightly, whispering the words into his ear and he shivers in response. Jungkook is nodding before you’ve even finished speaking and you hide your smile.

“Yes, yes please. I’ve been good. I was good today, right? Please. Please let me.” Sitting back up, you lift yourself and grasp his cock, straightening it till the tip is brushing against your wet folds. The slight sensation has him making the strangest noises, his throat tight while his hips try to push up and you tut at him.

“Stop pushing. We go at my pace, okay?” He settles down, forcing himself to be still at the thread of dominance you weave through your words before nodding. Feeling a little bad that you’d done that, you lean forward and kiss him gently.

“I’ve got you baby boy, don’t worry. I love you.” You try not to grin at how he almost preens at that, his chest pushing out while happiness and pride fills his eyes. Despite the lust rushing through your body and the incessant desire that makes your pussy ache to have him inside you, your chest feels full of love for him.

Slowly, you lower yourself onto his cock. There’s no foreplay for you, but then you don’t need it given how wet you already are for him. Slowly, he penetrates you inch by inch and you let you the deepest sigh of relief once you’re finally seated on him, clit rubbing against his pelvis as you lean forward ever so slightly. 

You feel full and an experimental squeeze of your muscles has slight pleasure rolling through you while Jungkook moans at being so deep inside your warm depths. Biting your lip, you rock your hips slowly and feel the perfect friction as his cock slides out of you before pushing back in just as deep. The slickness of your excitement allows him to glide with each and you hum at how good he feels.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good in me,” Panting slightly, you slowly speed up your movements until the room is filled with the lewd sound of him slipping in and out of your soaked pussy. “Mmmm, Jungkook. Fuck, you’re perfect.”

Half of you isn’t even actually sure what you’re saying anymore to be honest, the sensation of him inside you as you fuck him is all you can really focus on and you’re just saying whatever comes to you. But it’s all praise for the man beneath you, the man who is grasping the sheets so hard to avoid touching you yet because you haven’t given him permission to.

Who is holding himself so steady to avoid pushing up into you, letting you use his body however you want. You love it and opening your eyes, you tell him so while shifting, leaning forwards ever so slightly to lightly scrape your nails along his chest. It makes him writhe and whimper, the sound deep from his throat and you automatically squeeze around his cock when you hear it.

“Good boy.” You whisper absentmindedly, your fingers reaching down to rub at the swollen flesh of your clit. It’s almost hard beneath your touch from how turned on you are and you slick your fingers in the sticky mess before rubbing in a rhythmic circle that has you gasping and tightening.

Rocking your hips on top of him, you take all the pleasure that you can get and slowly, your movements begin to match so every circle of your fingers is complemented by a rock of your hips. You mix it up occasionally, circling your hips and sighing in relief at how Jungkook’s cock presses against every part inside of you that sparks fires of pleasure.

“Touch me Jungkook. I want your hands here,” You take one of them and press it to one of your breasts, making his fingers twist and pull at your nipple in exactly the way you love. “And here.”

His other hand goes to your clit and you press his fingers in exactly the manner that you enjoy the most. It feels even better with the extra stimulation and you whine loudly, the sound mixing with your gasps as you feel almost overwhelmed.

“Are you close?” You whisper to him, opening your eyes after a few minutes of enjoying some of the best sex you’ve ever had with him and he nods quickly. His eyes are scrunched close, jaw tight as he clenches his teeth together in a desperate effort to control himself. Your wolf growls at the sight of it and you feel your chest rumble too, the sound causing Jungkook’s hip to push up automatically.

“I want you to knot me,” Moving to almost lay on him, you kiss and nip at his jaw insistently as his eyes widen suddenly at your words. “I want you to fill me up with your cum until you’re spilling out of me.”

“Seriously?” He pants and his hands still on yours. Looking into his eyes, those beautiful eyes that you love so much, you nod and kiss him deeply. Tangling your tongue with his, your hands move to cup his cheeks almost tenderly as the kiss takes over your thought process. Your hips slow down until you’re simply rolling them, your clit getting the pleasure of rubbing against him and it suddenly changes from sexy to intimate.

Parting from his lips, you pant softly, chest heaving from the effort of riding him for so long before nodding. “I want you to cum in me, and I want your knot. I want you to breed me while I bond with you, fill me up with your pups. Do you understand me?”

His eyes are bigger than ever and you wonder if he’s about to say no or something. Knotting is only done when you’re trying to impregnate and you want that desperately, want to feel him swell inside you until you can’t even move while he fills you up with rope after rope of thick cum. The thought of almost intoxicating and you tighten around him.

“Give me your knot baby, give it to me. I know you can. Don’t you want to give me pups? Watch me grow with them, all with the knowledge that they’re yours? See your Alpha, your leader, all swollen with your pups while I deal with everyone, knowing that they can see I’m yours?” The dirty, dark words whispered into his ear work and he lets out a deep growl of his own, the first time you’ve ever heard him growl.

His hands grasp at your hips, holding you steady as he begins to thrust up into you and you moan in delight at the increased sensations. You encourage him along, nipping at his jaw and continuing to coax him to knot you as you squeeze on his cock tightly, trying to encourage him and you finally begin to feel it.

It starts almost slowly and you’re not sure it’s happening at first, but then you’re certain his cock is beginning to swell in you. Reaching between you both, you rub at your clit exactly how you like as he continues to expand slowly, his jaw clenched so tightly. Any sign of the sweet, innocent Omega you’d fallen for is gone at the moment and you could easily mistake him for an Alpha with how strong he looks.

His hair is matted to his forehead, the strands ink black while his skin shines with the sweat he’s worked up and you’re not sure you’ve ever seen a hotter sight. Though looking between you both and taking in the sight of his cock thrusting into your pussy, there may be one thing hotter. 

“Cum for Jungkook. Knot your mate.” Panting into his ear, they must be the magic words because he pushes into you harder than ever, pressing down on your hips to keep you in place while he swells inside you. A deep moan that sounds like it’s been pulled from his chest comes from him and you shudder as your own release takes over, pussy tightening around him as your orgasm washes through you.

Before it finishes, you snarl softly and bare your teeth, the fangs that have grown suddenly biting into the soft skin of Jungkook’s neck as you mark him. He stiffens momentarily before letting out a ridiculously loud groan, his knot growing even bigger and you hum contentedly as you practically feel him orgasming inside you. 

The remnants of your own orgasm continue to rush through you and are intensified when Jungkook bites back at your own neck. Almost immediately, you feel the mate bond snap into place between the two of you as you mark each other at the point of orgasm. There’s no ceremony, no special words, just pure instinct that drives you both to fulfil this need.

Pulling your fangs from him, you slowly lick at his neck to help the wounds to heal while he does the same to you. Warmth fills you with the knowledge he’s your mate now while you can feel the oddest sensation of the knowledge that someone else occupies space within you now. You can’t talk to him telepathically or anything like the books, but it’s more just an awareness that he’s there.

A bottomless pit of love and protection for him along with an oath to love only him for as long as you live. 

Resting against him, you take a moment to simply enjoy the feeling of being on him while his knot continues to keep you held in place. The knowledge that he could even now be impregnating you is hot and you sluggishly lift your head up to gaze into his own tired eyes. Jungkook gives you a slow smile and you kiss him lazily, realising the sensation feels a little different now that you’re bonded.

“I love you.” You whisper, your dominant flair vanishing in the comfort of his embrace as he wraps his arms to simultaneously hug you and keep you in place to avoid you hurting yourself. A gentle kiss is pressed to your nose before he kisses you once more, a quiet hum of contentment leaving him.

“I love you too.” Neither of you say anything after that, simply enjoying each other as you wait for his knot to go down. When it finally does, there’s an almost uncomfortable feeling as a rush of his cum begins to seep out of you and onto him. You’re used to him orgasming inside you, knotting was the only way to get pregnant and wolves didn’t get STI’s like humans after all, but this was entirely different.

“God, how much did you cum?” Laughing, you shift until you can see between you both. His cock has slipped out of you now, resting against his thigh and shiny with your own excitement. But your thighs and his groin are beginning to become covered in white cum as it drips out of you.

“Well...you did tell me to get you pregnant.” Is all he says, his face innocent and you laugh loudly at that. Nodding slowly, you kiss him once more and enjoy how comfortable he is with you. There’s not much you wouldn’t do for him, you decide to yourself.

“I guess I did. You did a good job...baby boy.” Teasing him for how much he likes his submissive nickname, you watch as his face screws up into a scowl and he goes to reach for you. But you dance out of the way, moving off the bed and heading to the bathroom while he whines quietly.

“Please don’t call me that in public. I’d never live it down.” He begs and you pause at the door frame, looking back at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Well...I guess the only solution to that is that you give me a reason to make sure I only use it in private...right?”

[arvandus]

So hopefully I got in on time! Btw, I’ve been absolutely loving your HC’s, the stutter one was friggin adorable! I love soft Dabi, there’s not much of him out there in stories 😢

Anyway! I was wondering if you could do HC’s with Dabi for someone who may be deaf or just hard of hearing? Ifff your comfortable, I would love to see what he would do for a male s/o (or platonic friend/league member, etc, whichever you choose!) If you don’t want to do this it’s completely fine and you can switch it to ambiguous/female (I don’t know if you have ever done men before haha!)

Hello! I’m so flattered for this ask because you’re trusting me to portray something that’s personal to you and outside of my own experience. I can absolutely do this with a Male Reader (my first one!).

I’m not sure what type or level of hearing loss you had in mind, so I did my best with this and went with an acquired hearing loss that’s moderate-to-severe. Also, I wrote Reader as someone who wears hearing aids. I hope that’s all right, since that’s typically the case for those with more severe hearing loss (otherwise communication is really difficult to do, since I don’t suspect Dabi would know sign language). Also, I got a couple of cute ideas that I really wanted to fit into this that follow more of a friends-to-lovers sort of vibe rather than established relationship. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!


Headcanons for Dabi x M!Reader who’s Deaf/Hard of Hearing (HOH)

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 1240

💙 When you first join the LOV, Dabi will be skeptical at first, as he is with all things. How could someone with a hearing loss really be of any value to the league? He can’t help but wonder what skills you’re bringing to the table to that convinced Shigaraki to allow you to join.

💙 Dabi doesn’t interact with you right away... he prefers to observe. Part of it is that he doesn’t care for attachments, even amongst his comrades. Another is that he doesn’t expect you to last very long in the League. If he does interact, it’ll be through snarky quips and insults. After all, he loves getting under other people’s skin... it makes him feel like has an advantage.

💙 So, it goes without saying that Dabi will be a hard nut to crack at first. He’ll definitely have some crappy preconceived notions about people with hearing loss that he’ll get to face as he’s forced to get to know you.

💙 For example, he learns super fast that your hearing has little to do with your intelligence. You’re fucking smart and more than capable of handling yourself, much to his surprise. You quickly become an important member of the team, and even Dabi can’t really argue your value. It only makes his interest in you grow, his skepticism giving way to curiosity.

💙 Another thing he learns about you... you value your independence and hate when others coddle or dote on you due to your hearing loss. The first time Toga had tried to treat you as something fragile (granted she was trying to be nice), you’d quickly put her in her place. Dabi couldn’t help but grin at that exchange...

💙 The great thing about Dabi sitting back and observing everyone else most of the time is that he gets to learn by proxy how to interact with you.

💙 Don’t mumble or talk too fast. Don’t look away when talking to you. Talk more clearly, and slower, but for God’s sake, don’t treat you like you’re dumb. You’re hard of hearing, not stupid.

💙 Even with all of that taken into consideration though, he’ll notice that while you seem to do fine in one-on-one exchanges in quiet environment, you’ll withdraw more in group gatherings. Is the chattering of multiple voices too much? Is the noise overwhelming? Even he can’t always tolerate the prattling of the social butterflies of the group, so he wouldn’t blame you if it got under your skin too.

💙 His interest will finally be piqued when he watches you retreat during a rather boisterously loud game night amongst the League. He’ll follow quietly behind you, watching as you pass your own room in favor of the stairwell leading up to the rooftop.

💙 You don’t notice he’s followed you until he sits next to you. Your eyes betray your surprised at his presence.

💙 “What are you doing here?” you demand.

💙 He’ll give you a grin and a cock of his head. “You didn’t seem like you were havin’ much fun back there. Got anything to do with these?” he’ll tap your hearing aid playfully.

💙 You huff at him. “If you want me to hear you better, you’ll need to sit on my other side. My hearing aid battery died.”

💙 “You don’t have a backup?” he asks as he adjusts his position.

💙 You shake your head.

💙 “Doesn’t sound too bad.” He’ll tease. “I wish I could turn off my ears, especially when Toga laughs.”

💙 You give him a glare at his insensitive comment. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

💙 He raises an eyebrow at you and think for a moment, before looking back out over the cityscape. “Why don’tcha tell me about it then.”

💙 You give him a skeptical look but he waits silently for you to continue. His smirk is gone as his sharp eyes glance back at you. He's serious.

💙 You’ll finally open up to him, explaining how hard it can be sometimes. How noisy environments can make your hearing aids nearly useless when the noise is too much, when everyone is talking at once. How frustrating it is to not be able to follow a conversation let alone participate, and how it can sometimes make people assume things about you. At best, they’ll assume you can hear fine with your hearing aids and therefore assume you’re being aloof or don’t want to interact. At worst, they’ll think your slow or stupid, and look at you with pity.

💙 Dabi will listen, but he won’t offer much up except sarcastic remarks about the others in an attempt to make you feel better. After all, sympathy isn’t his strong suit. But you’ll find yourself feeling better by the end, just grateful to be able to vent to someone.

💙 When you smile at him and tell him thanks for listening, it’ll take him by surprise. Not because of your reaction – he expected that, at least. What’ll surprise him is his reaction to it – a strange sense of satisfaction will wash over him, filling him with an unfamiliar warmth. He realizes - a moment too late, before he can bring down his barriers - that he likes seeing you smile, especially when it’s at him.

💙 You’ll feel slightly closer after that, finding more opportunities to hang out on the quiet rooftop and chat.

💙 He’ll surprise you on your next visit with a brand-new pack of hearing aid batteries. You’ll give him a suspicious look, asking where he got them and how he knew what kind to get you, but he’ll give you a wicked grin and brush off your question with an evasive comment.

💙 It won’t take long for you to start developing a crush on him, and against your better judgment, you find yourself staring at him a lot more and finding ways to be around him more. Hanging out at the bar, going on missions together, sitting next to him during the LOV discussions… you try to brush it off as ‘becoming friends,’ but deep down you know better.

💙 It doesn’t take long for Dabi to take notice and begin to suspect that maybe… just maybe… all of your secret glances and increased attention aren’t strictly platonic.

💙 What a wonderful turn of events. He wasn’t sure if you were interested in men, but now he’s 99% sure you are... or at the very least, interested in him.

💙 It leaves his skin feeling hotter than usual, his heart pounding in his chest with excitement. He wonders if you know... or even suspect... that he watches you too in mutual attraction.

💙 He’ll start testing the waters, just to make sure, of course. Hit you with a few flirty nicknames to see how you react. As soon as he sees you fluster and flounder in obvious embarrassment, he’ll know he’s got you, and it makes your exchanges only that much more entertaining.

💙 The more he learns about you, the more interested he becomes. He’ll start to do research on ways to support you with your hearing loss. It’ll be purely out of curiosity, of course... it’s not like he’s gonna go out of his way or anything. But he ends up finding himself down the rabbit hole of hearing aid supports, and learns about Bluetooth capabilities, FM systems, infrared systems... ways to send targeted noise – like speech for instance – straight to your hearing aids, bypassing any pesky background noise.

💙 It won’t take long for him to get an idea – two birds with one stone, so to speak...

💙 You’ll be on the rooftop together, when he says, “I gotta surprise for ya.”

💙 He pulls out a box that’s labelled ‘Dynamic FM System.’

💙 If you try to reach for it though, he’ll hold it out of your reach. “ah ah ah... we gotta find the right place to try it out.”

💙 He’ll lead you downstairs and you’ll think he’s heading to the common space where the others are, but instead he takes you outside of the hideout, leading you down the street.

💙 “Where are we going?”

💙 “You’ll see.”

💙 The two of you will end up outside of a bar. Not just any bar, though… the line of patrons is already a huge hint of what you’ll find inside.

💙 “Wait isn’t this….?” You’ll start.

💙 Dabi will only smirk at you though, before he grabs your hand and leads you in.

💙 Inside will be loud. So loud you have to turn down the volume on your hearing aids, and too loud for you to hear anything of value. But as you look around, your suspicions are confirmed - instead of the usual opposite sexes pairing up like you find at most bars, this one is different. Men are pairing up with men, women are pairing up with women. Your heart is beating like a drum in your chest, your pulse racing with excitement. Of all the places for Dabi to bring you…

💙 You keep close to Dabi, holding onto his arm. He loves that, loves that you’re looking to him for protection. And protect you he does, his eyes threatening violence to anyone who stares too long at you.

💙 He’ll sit you down at the bar with him in the center of the noise while drunken gay couples flirt over their drinks and a group of girls laugh in the corner. He’ll say something to the bartender, and a minute later, two fresh drinks are place before the two of you.

💙 He won’t try to talk to you yet as he opens the box and begins taking out all of the pieces. He’ll plug in the small, cylinder-like component into your hearing aid - the receiver. He’ll be completely up in your space when he does it too, grinning at you with his ocean blue eyes. In his hand he holds the transmitter that contains a button with a microphone on it.

💙 Once everything is hooked up properly, he’ll speak into the mic, his finger on the button.

💙 “Hey there.” He says. His voice comes through crystal clear.

💙 “Hey.” You smile.

💙 Once Dabi knows you can hear him, his devilish grin will widen and he’ll lean casually against the bar counter as he stares at you, his eyes drinking you in. “Have I ever told you how hot you are?”

💙 That’s when it finally clicks… Dabi is actually interested in you. And he’s taken you out on a date.

💙 BONUS: If the bar scene ends up being too much for you, he’ll be more than happy to spend the rest of your date on your favorite rooftop spot with some take-out. 10/10 will kiss you by the end of the date.

[chudleycanonficfest]

Day 26, Post #1 by @cheesyficwriter

Title: The Greatest Chapter 

Author: cheesyficwriter

Pairing: Harry/Ginny

Prompt: Moving in together

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: None

Prompt: Moving in together 

  The Greatest Chapter

At age 10, I had the most embarrassing schoolgirl crush on Harry Potter. I'd see him and run in the opposite direction, painting the perfect image of me as a young girl who lacked the confidence needed to formulate words — any words — around someone I liked. 

Before getting to know Harry for who he really was, I was so infatuated with the idea of the Boy-Who-Lived. I wanted so desperately to be going to Hogwarts with Ron before I was old enough, knowing that Harry Potter would be there too. 

The way Harry took on a basilisk to save my life during my first year did nothing but solidify my growing feelings for him. My crush never really went away but instead transformed into a casual friendship based upon our shared experience in the Chamber of Secrets, a friendship that I was willing to accept at the time because I just wanted to be around him. 

As we grew up, I started to relax more in his presence. We gained a mutual respect for one another, exchanging laughs in the Great Hall and sharing in-jokes during Christmases at the Burrow. Those little moments, in between all of the chaos and turmoil of what used to be, helped me learn a few things about Harry that I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise — not even on the front page of The Daily Prophet.  

When I was younger, I admired Harry because I was under the impression that he possessed traits that I didn’t. I never imagined that I could be as brave, or courageous, or charismatic as he was to me. What surprised me the most about our developing friendship at Hogwarts was that there were far more similarities between us than differences. We shared the same wicked sense of humor — that I like to say I inherited from my plethora of brothers — yet could still hold my own during quick-witted battles, and I often found myself looking at Harry whenever something made me laugh, just to see if he was laughing, too. My stomach always spiraled when, more often than not, I found him looking back at me. We used our shared humor to our advantage, and I was thankful for that small respite in the midst of so much darkness. 

We shared the same values, both of us realizing the importance of family, friends, and love above everything else. It’s what we fought for every day, even when it seemed like we were too young to really know what love was. 

As our friendship continued, my romantic feelings for Harry were buried deep down in a place where I was once convinced they would stay. I decided to throw all of my energy into school, developing my skills as a witch, thus growing the confidence I needed along the way to put myself out there with other, more available boys. 

For years, we were caught up in our own lives, and it shocked me more than anyone to have captured Harry’s attention when I least expected it. From the first moment he kissed me, I never hesitated. All of those feelings I had attempted to bury came rushing back to the surface, like revealing a galleon that I had stashed at the bottom of my trunk. 

I will never forget those few stolen weeks we had together when I was 15 and he was 16. He described it as something out of someone else’s life, and at the time, I had thought that was all we would ever be. Time was fleeting, and there wasn’t enough of it. 

Harry had no choice but to dedicate his life to fighting for the wizarding world, and I was always determined to be right there beside him, up until the point where I couldn’t. I was smart enough to understand why he didn’t ask me to come with him. It was his mission. His, Ron’s, and Hermione’s. I didn’t often miss the times the three of them carried on by themselves, engaging in secret conversation and disappearing without the faintest clue of their whereabouts until much later. 

On that fateful day that Harry broke things off, I already knew what he was so desperately trying to convey to me. If I were to have accompanied him on the Horcrux hunt, it would’ve been me he was worried about instead of finding the pieces of Voldemort’s soul that were crucial to defeating him. 

That notion — although tragic in a sense — gave me more pleasure than the feeling of scoring an impossible goal during a Quidditch match. 

Regardless, Harry was never far from my mind those long months that he was gone. My childhood crush seemed silly at that point because I had gained so much more than a fleeting romance. 

As time passed, and Harry and I found our way back to each other after Voldemort's defeat, it took us a minute to catch our bearings and resume our relationship that we had put on an indefinite pause. 

It hadn’t always been easy dating him. In fact, dealing with the fame that Harry carried around with him from being a war hero had been a lot harder than I ever anticipated. But it was always unspoken that we managed, despite what any publishings had to say about us. 

I came to love him, not for being Harry Potter, but for who he truly was. His heart. His courage.  

As I stood reflecting on my relationship with Harry in the drawing room of 12 Grimmauld Place, I was overcome with emotion. Our relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was the one we were destined to have, and that made every hardship worth it. 

The room housed a large window overlooking the street, a charming — albeit dusty — fireplace, and ornate fixtures. For a person who just moved in, I felt like the house itself could have been in worse shape. Harry did an exceptional job keeping the place organized, especially for someone who, up until just a few days ago, lived there by himself. 

That’s not to say I hadn’t already spent plenty of nights at Grimmauld Place over the last couple of years. In fact, I probably spent more nights there than I did at the Burrow once I returned home from my final year at Hogwarts. 

It was during those nights that I discovered just a fraction of the pain Harry went through. He’d always been intensely emotional, and so many nights I spent shaking him from his residual nightmares of the trauma he went through, despite the wizarding world being in a much better place. I comforted him the best I could in those moments, determined to make it clear to him that I’m never letting go — not this time. 

I smiled to myself as I took a seat on the piano bench, observing the peeling paint from one of the large, cracked walls. We had a lot of work to do, but moving in together was a proper next step for us. 

"Gin? Are you home?" Harry’s voice carried through the dusty walls. 

Before I could respond, Harry was already standing in the open archway, head tilted to the side with curiosity etched across his face. “Were you just staring at a blank wall?”

I crossed my arms, determined not to let him know about my extensive reflection into our past. “So what if I was, Potter?”

He looked as if he wanted to question my retort further but instead joined me at the piano, bumping his shoulder with mine. 

“It’s a lot of fun coming home to you,” he admitted, the rich, melodic sound of the piano filling the open space from his fingertips pressing against one of the keys. 

“You know that’s practically how we were before, right? When was the last time we spent a night apart?”

Harry shrugged, and it was clear he never really thought about it. “Dunno, but it was one night too many, I reckon.”

I sighed, wanting to ask a question that had been weighing on my heart. “Do you find it odd that we’ve never really argued? I mean, even when you broke up with me-”

“Why must we go back to that?” Harry interrupted, a pained look crossing his face. 

I gave him a playful pat on the arm. I wanted our past to be something positive we could look back on and didn’t fancy dwelling on the shit times. 

“Shush. I’m just saying, even though it hurt a lot to not know where you were for almost a year, I always understood your decision. You had to go.”

Harry’s eyebrows knitted together, clearly still trying to work out the point of the conversation. “Where are you going with this?”

“I just-I can’t believe I’m saying this,” I rubbed my temple to ease my stressed-out mind. “I’m actually worried that we will never fight.”

“Oh, we’ll fight.”

I turned towards Harry, who was too busy fiddling with the piano keys to even look at me. He responded straight away, like he didn’t even have to think about it. “How can you be so certain?”

Harry snorted. “I’ve witnessed you get all hot-headed when you disagree with other people.” He sent me a dazzling grin, reaching out to trail his fingers through my stray ginger strands that hung loose from my ponytail. “You’ve got that fiery red hair. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Hey!”

“In fact,” Harry smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “I think you’re the most problematic person I know, Ginevra.”

Harry yelped when I pinched his forearm. “You prat.”

He chuckled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me closer. “In all seriousness, though, we’re going to be fine.”

I stared at him in awe but leaned into him. “You are so sure of yourself.”

He grabbed my shoulders, pivoting our bodies so that we were facing each other on the bench. “You wanna know how sure I am?”

Before I could respond or even react, he kissed me full on the mouth. He growled as our kiss intensified, and all at once, our positions shifted as I felt a sharp pain in my back from my body making contact with the piano keys with a resounding trill. I was left dizzy and breathless, snogging Harry as a wave of happiness resonated through me. 

When he pulled away, his fierce emerald eyes locked on mine set my mind ablaze. “Does that answer your question?”

I decided his question didn’t require a verbal response, so I simply attached my hand to the nape of his neck before dragging his face back to mine. We didn’t talk much for a while after that. 

I knew, perhaps more than anyone else, how much Harry desired moving forward from the past. I’m ready, too, to start the greatest chapter of our lives.

[abellalu]

Just a Job: Part 1

Summary: The Avengers have been trying to recruit a former SHIELD Agent who has been working freelance. The Agent finally agrees to work with them, but immediately dislikes the idea of having to work with Bucky Barnes (for now).

Warnings: cursing, annoyed Bucky

Word Count: 1.6k

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

A/N: This is just something fun I start planning/writing. I’m not sure how long this series will be, but I have quite a few chapters planned (the next chapters will also be longer) I’m not usually a writer, but hopefully you still enjoy this. Any feedback is totally welcome!

[ Masterlist | AO3 ]

“Steve, you should just tell me the mission and so I can just complete it on my own.” You said as you paced back and forth across Steve’s office. 

This wasn’t the first time you’ve had this conversation with Steve, and you don’t expect it to be the last time. Every few weeks, Steve and the Avengers are planning a mission, Steve asks for your help, and you say no. Though, most of these conversations happen over email. 

“While I do admire your confidence, you know these types of missions are dangerous to do on your own and my job is to keep everyone here safe.” Steve looked directly at you showing that he was not willing to negotiate. 

“Your job is to keep the Avengers safe, not me. I still haven’t agreed to work for all of you and I don’t plan on it.” 

Steve looks directly at you as he starts to speak, “I know what you are capable of. You are incredibly resourceful and intelligent. That’s why I invited you to work with us in the first place, but you can’t always be independent. You can work with a team again, and be surrounded by people who care about you.” 

You laugh to yourself. Steve always loved bringing up the idea of you working with a team again. He valued working with others so much, and yet you could never see the point. You used to work with others, then felt betrayed when you realized it was all a lie. Steve was always someone you could trust though. It's sort of part of his brand, good old Captain America. He always considered you a friend despite the fact that you avoided him most of the time. Maybe you owe him a small favor. 

“How long is the mission?” You ask as you avoid eye contact,

Steve smiles to himself, usually, by now you would have told him you were not interested and to leave you alone unless he has baked goods. 

“The first mission I have for you is only a week long. We will be working mostly remotely for the first few days as we plan, so you can stay here at the compound and work.” 

“Slow down there Cap, I’m only agreeing to help you out with one mission and there is no need for me to stay at the compound. I can easily go back and forth between my apartment and here.” 

"Of course, I promise it will be just this one mission then I won't ask you again." Steve says as his smile grows larger. 

“Alright, I’ll do it.” You immediately reject your decision.

Shortly after you leave the compound, Steve leaves his office to go to the kitchen and finds Bucky and Natasha searching through the cabinets.

Natasha looks up at Steves and smiles, “You seem cheery today, did you find another old man film to watch?” Natasha and Steve both chuckle.

“No, better actually. She finally agreed to join us for a mission.” Steve responds. Natasha seems both surprised and excited, while Bucky continues to search through the cabinets.

“The former SHIELD agent? I still don’t understand why you put so much effort into trying to recruit her in the first place. She clearly isn’t interested.” Bucky gruffs 

“First off Buck, she clearly is at least slightly interested now since she agreed to help us. Second, she is a very skilled agent and tech-savvy. She has found multiple Hydra agents and operations all on her own using technology she developed.” Steve says, looking at his friend while Bucky tries to ignore him. 

Bucky Barnes didn’t know this agent. Back when Steve and Natasha had worked with her, he was still stuck under Hydra’s control and was a puppet for them. He didn’t understand why his friend was so adamant about her skills and getting her to join the Avengers when she clearly likes working alone. Bucky could understand that though. He was still adjusting to being an “Avenger” after decades of being an assassin on his own. 

Natasha laughs to herself,  “She is a good person. We used to joke around a lot together during meetings, always making them less dull. I think you’ll get along with her, Barnes.” 

“I highly doubt it.” Bucky responds unamused.

A few days later, you got up much earlier than you usually did. Before, you were your own boss and created your own schedule. Now you have to get ready for an early morning Avengers meeting. It also didn't help that you would have to walk to the compound since you didn't have a car. While you could have taken Steve’s offer to stay at the compound for a week, you wanted to spend as much time away from the Avengers as possible, and getting up early to walk seemed like a necessary evil.

Eventually, you arrive at the compound early for the mission briefing. All you know about the mission so far is that you will be working mostly with Tony on tech for the mission. You are directed to a conference room that has a large table with only one person sitting there. 

Bucky is sitting at the table with a book in his hands. There is a little crease between his eyebrows and a slump to his shoulders as he stares intently at the book. 

As you enter the room he doesn’t look up his book. Part of you understands that he probably just wants to be left alone with his book, but the other part of you is arguing that now is the best time to introduce yourself. You didn't want your introduction to be too late and Bucky was one of the few Avengers you didn’t personally know.

You walk up to the seat next to him and grab the chair. “Can I sit here?” you ask him, trying to force a smile on your face.

“No.” He responds without looking at you.

“Who sits here usually?” you ask “If it's just Natasha or Clint, I’ll probably just sit here anyway.”

“I don’t like people sitting next to me, Agent.” He says as the tone of his voice gets slightly more annoyed. You haven’t been referred to as Agent for years, but at least now you realize that he knows who you are. 

You look at chairs on either side of him “Oh, so both of these chairs are available, so do you have a good side or-”

“Just leave me the fuck alone” He interrupts you before you can finish your thought.

You stare at Bucky and he never once looks back. You expected Bucky to be more reserved than the others, but you didn't expect him to be so insolent. 

"Fine" eventually, you walk away to the other side of the table and take a seat.

You grab your phone from your bag, trying to stare down at it instead of focusing on the man on the other side of the table. Bucky didn’t even try to fake a nice introduction as you did, he was just irritating. If you knew that you would be working with someone like him, you wouldn’t have agreed to the mission.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, but is really only a couple minutes, the rest of the team starts entering the conference room.

Natasha enters the room with Sam Wilson. She gives you a small smile and they both start walking towards you. 

“It’s good to see you again Agent, we are all excited to work with you.” Natasha says. You chuckle at that. Not everyone is excited to work with you apparently. You quickly glance towards Bucky. His lips are pressed together in a straight line, ignoring everyone who walks by him.

“So, how did he finally break you?” You look away from Bucky to see Sam smiling and laughing. You had only met Sam a few times before. Steve occasionally brought him to try to convince you to join them for a mission. 

Sam continues to say, “I mean, if my charming personality wasn’t enough to convince you to help us, I thought there was no hope.” You laugh at him. At least he will be enjoyable to work with. 

“I’m just helping with this one mission, then you guys are leaving me alone. Don’t worry though, your charming personality definitely helped convince me.” You respond sarcastically.

Natasha and Sam laugh as they sit down in the chairs on either side of you. 

Eventually Steve and Tony Stark enter the room together. Steve walks towards Bucky and for the first time Bucky looks up from his book. Steve holds out his hand and Bucky gives him the book. You notice the title of the book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Steve puts the book down on a table in the corner of the room and begins his presentation. 

“Thank you everyone for being here." Steve looks directly at you as he speaks. "We have reason to believe there is a Hydra operation here in New York. It seems small, but they are developing technologies for other operations. The mission will take around a week and will include-" 

"Basically we just need to develop a tech system to disarm all of their tech and hack into their security system for all intel we can find." Tony interrupts. 

"Thank you, Tony." Steve responds while rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you are so very welcome Capsicle. I'm always here to help." Tony laughs. "Anyways, the tech team will include myself, Banner, and the world's most stubborn agent." 

Everyone looks at you, including Bucky. Steve starts telling everyone about all of your achievements and skills. Bucky just stares at you and you glare right back. 

You realize that you never want to be back here again.

NEXT PART

Thanks for reading! :) 

[indigowallbreaker]

Sylvix roleswap? :3c

See, you said Sylvain and Felix but for those two to swap, we need to swap some brothers too.

-

Miklan is knighted at a young age. He’s pretty skilled with a lance and teaches little Dimitri, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix how to fight. Though still gruff in nature, Miklan’s fine with Sylvain and his Crest, happy to let Sylvain take over for their father while Miklan serves the royal family.

Sylvain comes to admire his brother’s strength. He devotes his early years to training and getting as strong as possible with the lance-- just like Miklan. Though Sylvain’s Crest gives him a slight advantage, Miklan encourages him to hone his skills.

Glenn, on the other hand, resents Felix and his major Crest out of the gate. He doesn’t treat Felix as cruelly but there is definitely neglect. He spends almost no time with Felix-- doesn’t read to him, doesn’t train with him, has almost no relationship with him at all. As the eldest Fraldarius, his father still agrees on the engagement to Ingrid. She’s a little less taken with Glenn, due to how he treats Felix, and develops a small crush on Miklan instead.

Felix as a child is still very much a cry baby and since his big brother has no interest in protecting him, he tries other tactics to cope when he is lonely and far from Sylvain, Ingrid, and Dimitri. Eventually he learns that other kids find him Cute. He uses this to charm people into liking him and then tricking them to get what he needs-- whether it’s to play a game HE wants to play, or for them to just stay with him for a while.

-

Then we have the ~Tragedy of Duscur~ where Miklan is killed in front of Dimitri. Ingrid is broken hearted. Dimitri is traumatized. Sylvain’s father makes an off-hand comment about “at least if wasn’t you, my heir, who was killed. That would have presented a bigger problem” and Sylvain is enraged at this. He never forgives his father for saying such a thing and grows to detest Crests and tradition in the Kingdom.

Felix wrestles with other issues on top of this Tragedy. Girls are starting to notice him. Rodrigue cautions him on choosing a good wife to help continue the family line and to be careful with advances. Felix figures the best defense is a good offence-- he starts flirting first, makes the first move, makes himself as despicable as Glenn to drive these women away.

-

At Garreg Mach, Felix wears his hair down a lot of the time. “Ladies like touching it,” he says when Ingrid asks about it getting in his way during training. Sylvain rolls his eyes at these sorts of comments (but he can’t deny he kinda wants to touch Felix’s hair too). 

Sylvain considers Felix a brat. He thinks Ingrid is ridiculous for mourning Miklan so deeply while her fiancé Glenn is still alive and well. Sylvain is terrified of Dimitri. 

-

Things change, once again, when Glenn steals the Fraldarius Hero’s Relic: the Aegis Shield. The Church sends Byleth and their students to get it, and Felix has to face off against his brother. They argue as they fight and it’s the most they’ve ever spoken to one another. Then Glenn Transforms due to the power of the Shield. He becomes this high-defense Beast that the whole class has to gang up on before he’s killed. Felix takes the Shield with a mournful, “Glenn... my brother.”

Life goes on. Ingrid is much less saddened by Glenn’s death than Miklan’s. Sylvain takes this as more evidence that the Kingdom sucks and privately dreams of running off to Sreng when he gets older. Felix covers up his anguish by flirting his way across the Houses. Dimitri tries to talk Felix into taking his training and future more seriously but Felix waves him away, saying Dimitri needs to be less of a bore.

-

And I’m ending there because frankly this is enough to chew on and I like that dumb pun as the final note XD This doesn’t really hit on Sylvix as a relationship but the back story is more interesting to me than the moment itself in this case. We can extrapolate from here how gruff, tsundere Sylvain and charming, smooth-talking Felix end up together ;)