#honestly every choice she made was more baffling than the next

[235uranium]

perhaps it's bc I actually had to experience an asexual adult be a pedophile that I'm so like. wary of people assuming that sexual attraction is a prerequisite for sexual abuse

[luvrsux]

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒙

❝ 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒌 & 𝒋𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔 ❞

other chapters

➠┊word count: 7.7k

➠┊characters: trafalgar law, shachi, penguin, ikkaku, roronoa zoro, portgas d. ace, sabo, nami, monkey d. luffy {mentioned}

➠┊cw: mentions of alcohol use, mentions of marijuana use, arguing, minor swearing, angst

➠┊modern au !!

𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒑

❛ after you two finally sealed the deal in laws car, you and law have been dating for quite some time. you two built a strong connection and strong love for eachother for a few months, but relationships aren’t perfect… ❜

{colors for dialogue may switch when other characters are introduced}

»•» song choice: whats up - malcom todd «•«

・❥・

Girl I wanna play the game

Baby you know what's up It's always been the same

Cause you just need my love

And I need you to stay

Baby you know it's hard I'll make it go away

You hummed the song playing before you in a chair. You had a loving smile plastered on your face while gazing at the person in front of you playing music beautifully. You were caught in a complete trance, and nothing could rip you away from it. The Earthy scent of marijuana flooding the room, the people sitting around you, nothing could rip you away from giving your new boyfriend the attention his voice deserved.

Law performed his small band in front of you and his other friends in his basement. You and the raven boy have been in a relationship for roughly a few months or so, and each day has been better than the last. Law, surprisingly, took you on frequent dates and surprised you in your window at night whenever he pleased. You couldn’t have asked for a better partner, and here he was. You’d been attending his little performances every weekend to show your appreciation, sometimes even after school during the week. Not only did you fall in love with the man himself, but his music was nearly impossible to not get hypnotized to.

You sat next to one of Law’s band members, who would be in the performance in front if Law hadn’t taken the spotlight in singing, Ikkaku. She pulled the rolled-up drug out of her lips and exhaled.

“So you and Law have been dating for a little now, huh?” She asked with a sluggish smile and rose eyes. You finally disconnected your trance from him and paid attention to the intoxicated vocalist, the music playing in the background.

“Oh, yeah we have” You smiled proudly. Ikkaku nodded slowly and nudged your shoulder.

“Aren’t you one of a kind then. I’ve been trying so hard to get that loser a girlfriend since freshman year” She giggled. You reciprocated and turned your head back to the singing boy.

“I guess I am. I’m honestly surprised” You gushed. You never would’ve thought out of all people, Law would pick you as a partner in crime.

“I remember the day he told us he got a girlfriend, it was hilarious” Ikkaku smiled. You raised an eyebrow, remembering that Law never told you how his friends reacted to the rather big news.

According to the girl, everyone was baffled. Especially since it was you, of all people. They’d assume you were popular and well known considering the jock you were latched onto throughout the halls of Grand Ocean. Upon hearing the news, they treated it as of Law survived a terminal illness or a train wreck. You couldn’t help but giggle at Ikkaku’s explanation, that could’ve been fabricated to her own amusement.

I thought that you would want my hand but now

I love you can't be sad

Go be free I'll get on with no dread

I'll find a new focus to free me

I thought that you would go away but we would always feel the same

More dummy more money you think the things you show me are so funny it's not funny

Law began the song's iconic guitar solo. The way his hands fluently plucked the strings with complete ease made your cheeks flare up. The music made goosebumps trail up your spine and body. Law had his eyes shut and a prideful grin on his face as his solo filled the entire room with his sheer talent. You slowly grew a beaming smile, all the way to the very end.

You clapped your hands and gave a small cheer at his talent. You caught a glimpse, even through the colorful LED lights and slight clouds of transparent smoke, of his happy smile with your loving support—which he appreciated more than anything. Law pressed his lips close to the mic and performed the last verse.

I thought that you would want my hand but now

I love you can't be sad

Go be free I'll get on with no dread

I'll find a new focus to free me

I thought that you would go away but we would always feel the same

More dummy more money you think the things you show me are so funny it's not funny

Shachi hit the last note on the drum and Penguin let go of his guitar that was supported by a strap once the song concluded. Law ran his fingers through his damp locks that were caused by his own sweat. He had a smile as soon as you lifted your relaxed body to jump on his own. His chest was slightly moist but you didn’t care. You absolutely adored his performance like any other.

“You liked it?” He chuckled, supporting your body with his arm and holding your cheek with his palm. You looked up at his steel eyes with excitement.

“Duh, of course! You always do amazing” You giggled. Law planted a chaste kiss on your lips in front of everyone. Law loved one main thing about you, and that was how you weren’t afraid to publicly display your affection towards him—in a moderate manner, of course. You heard Shachi playfully gag from behind.

“You two are gross…” Penguin sighed, leaning over to another person in the basement to grab ahold of the rolled, smoking drug.

“Get a room!” Shachi said, cupping his mouth with his hands to project his voice louder.

Obviously, you two both heard the teasing boys loud and perfectly clear. Law had a smile on his face as he continued to leave kisses on your happy lips, all while pulling up a loving middle finger to both Penguin and Shachi.

“Alright, lover boy” You cooed, pulling your body away from your boyfriend. He took your separation as a chance to finally pull off the instrument on his body and place it gently on its designated stand.

“Have somewhere to be?” Law asked as he watched you step down from the mini, hand-made stage and to grab your jacket you immediately tore off from the high temperature of the room.

“I do, yeah” You responded. Law stood closely next to you while you situated your belongings in your palms.

“I’m throwing Ace’s birthday party at my place. Nami and Sabo are helping me set it up” You explained. You finally turned your body to the raven boy that had his hands on his hips.

“I see, I can give you a ride and help out if you’d like” Law offered. Your face grew a happy smile knowing you’d be able to spend more time with your lover like you always yearn for.

“Of course, baby” You sang, kissing his cheek in the process. Law chuckled and ruffled your hair, turning his body to Ikkaku who was in the middle of rolling a new round.

“Meet me outside in a few, just need to grab my things” Law informed, snagging the freshly rolled drug from Ikkaku and receiving an angry punch in his thigh in the process.

You hummed and waved the room goodbye, to which you were quite fond of by your frequent visits. You thought Law’s friends were a pleasure to be around, despite the fact they were barely sober half the time. You always reeked of the iconic smell back at home and prayed your mother didn’t catch on. She loved Law and she’d hate to find out he actually did a few things here and there that people wouldn’t take too kindly. You didn’t want to be the one to jeopardize that.

Luckily, you wouldn’t have to deal with that. On this current weekend that dwelled upon you, your mother was out on a business trip that would pay her more money than usual. You thought it’d be perfect to celebrate your dear friend’s birthday on the day you had zero supervision.

There you stood outside of Law’s car, dowsing your body in your handy perfume to dull the pungent smell of weed. As soon as your body smelled more like strong chemicals than the infamous drug, you stood there satisfied and waited for your tall, tatted boyfriend to arrive.

“Sorry, that idiot Shachi moved my keys and we spent ages trying to find them” Your boyfriend huffed after he bolted to the car. You had been standing beside the vehicle for a few minutes and figured Law had been so high, he'd forget about your newfound plans. You giggled.

“I thought you passed out. I was ready to hijack your car” You watched him walk to the driver's side to finally unlock the doors.

“Just because your car is bad doesn’t mean you have to steal mine, sweetheart” He laughed. He placed a hand on the headrest to turn his body towards the back window. You watched him pull out of the driveway, and this position was oddly attractive to you.

“Hey, my car isn’t that bad! Respect your elders!” You crossed your arms. Law just replied with a chuckle and turned his body to proceed down the road.

Now, in contrast to the first few visits you had in Law’s car, he had a tender hand squeeze your thigh each drive you had with him. Each time you felt his printed hand on your thigh, you formed a sheepish smile with tinted cheeks. You’d gaze at it like it was painting in a museum each car ride. Sometimes, Law would rub your thigh as a silent way of saying ‘I love you, and I got you’, and you’d feel a fuzzy blanket form around your body each time. Sure, Law displayed a stone-cold, nonchalant attitude in front of anyone, including you, but he did the subtle things that made you feel loved.

“How many people are going to be at the party?” Law asked. You were locked on your phone that you were mindlessly scrolling onto to pass the time. You hum and click your tongue at Law’s question.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of the school came. I invited everyone” You replied. Law blew a raspberry with widened eyes, seemingly not expecting an answer like that.

“Good luck cleaning that up, (F/N)-ya” He reminded. You shrugged, fully aware of what the aftermath may look like but your mother wouldn’t be home until after the weekend came to a close so you had plenty of time to tidy up the reckless mess.

“You’re coming, right?” You asked, turning your head to the focused driver beside you.

“Yeah, I will. Just for a little, I don’t do parties” Law sighed. Law didn’t want to go at all but considering his partner was going to be there, probably intoxicated, he had no other choice but to go.

“Party pooper…” You muttered.

“Don’t make me cry, (F/N)-ya”

Law finally pulled up to your home only to see two other cars in front you were familiar with, unlike your boyfriend beside you. His overprotectiveness completely washed over, making the grip on your thigh get firmer. You giggled, admiring his protectiveness.

“Relax, it’s just Nami and Sabo. I gave them keys to my place just in case I was late” Those words eased up Law’s tension.

You both exited out of the car and into the house. Law was right behind your tail, keeping a comfortable distance. Although he had his hands in his pockets and his head turned away, you knew he always had his guard up to protect you. You secretly gave a sweet smile before entering the building.

“(F/N)! You’re here!” Nami, who was standing straight up on your kitchen island hanging decorations, gleams at your entrance. You gave the orange-haired girl a happy wave.

Sabo comes cautiously down the stairs with a box of what seemed to be more party supplies. He placed the box down beside the couch, wiping off his forehead and exhaling.

“Good to see you, (F/N). Oh, and you too Law” Sabo greeted. Law only hummed nonchalantly at Sabo’s greeting. Your eyes trailed to a tall, bulky, green-haired man sprouting from the same steps Sabo was once on.

“Zoro?” You asked. He cluelessly looked in your direction and just waved his hand.

“Oh, yeah I brought him along to help with the heavy lifting and stuff” Nami finished hanging the decorations up top and plopped on her bottom on the island.

“Awesome! Now we have two tall guys helping out” You giggled, turning up to your tiresome boyfriend behind. Law placed a hand on your head before he strutted passed you.

“Let’s get to work. Party’s in a few hours” He says, lifting the party box on the counter to lift the lid off.

Everyone agrees and proceeds to finish decorating the house from top to bottom in decorations. Each piece of decor was a shade of red or orange for Ace’s typical color pallet. On the very front, big shiny lettering displayed ‘Happy Birthday, Fire Fist Ace!’ and under displayed an ‘18’ at the bottom. All that was left was food, drinks, and, of course, the guests.

“Sanji should be coming with the food soon. Zoro is getting the booze” Nami stated. You happily clapped your hands together in excitement, knowing that your dearest friend would be through the roof of happiness by this party.

“Why do I have to get the booze!?"

“Because you’re always drinking, moron! Be useful!”

“I have been, you witch! I might as well have skipped gym day today with all this heavy lifting I’ve been doing!”

“Oh, shut up! You’re lucky I’m not even compensating you that much for the drink run”

“You what!?”

You giggled at the big brother, little sister troupe Zoro and Nami displayed. You felt a hand turn your body to meet a bigger, taller one. You looked up to see your exhausted boyfriend standing in front.

“I’m gonna head out and study for my medical exam. I’ll see you at the party, okay?” He held your hands from below. You exhaled, the sight of those dark circles was concerning to you.

“Are you sure you won’t overwork yourself? You’ve been studying for this exam forever. You’ve barely gotten sleep!” You trailed your thumb to his dark eyes. Law carved a side smile.

“Relax, I’ll be fine. I wanna pass this, that’s all” He grabbed your hand that lingered on his face to give it a quick peck.

“I’ll miss you…” You murmur. Law plants a soft kiss on your forehead and ruffles your hair once more.

“I’ll be here soon, don’t worry. Be safe” He gave you one tender embrace before pulling away to leave the house. You gave him a small wave, slightly pained to see him go so soon.

“You two must be really happy with each other,” Nami says from behind. You hum and turn your body. Nami was far from wrong. You smiled proudly.

“Of course, he’s the sweetest if he’s not a sarcastic prick” You giggle. Nami smiles, sliding her body off of the marbled island.

“I honestly thought you and Ace would be together, not ever Law” Nami giggled, stretching her body.

You couldn’t help but exhale a nervous laugh, not really sure of what to think by that statement. You were sure you strictly displayed your and Ace’s relationship as sibling-like. On top of the fact, you took pride in your relationship with Trafalgar.

“I’d rather die than be in a relationship with that idiot” Is all you could muster up. Sabo and Nami exchanged laughter at your comment. You decided to brush off the discomfort for now.

Law, not even a few feet off the steps, heard the conversation from beyond the door. Nami’s comment made his heart sting just a bit, already slightly on edge of your inseparable relationship with the fire fist. He just exhaled and proceeded to his own car to make his merry way back home.

・❥・

Law found himself staring at a blank notebook page with a cracked open textbook that’s been sitting on the same anatomy page for over a half an hour. He had his clouded head resting on his palm, tapping his mechanical pencil on that same blank page. Law barely studied for his upcoming exam, mainly because it wasn’t necessary, but also because his brain was preoccupied from you.

The boy found himself wondering why of all people you chose him to be with and not Ace. Law wasn’t the insecure type, but based off of Nami’s judgment and assumption, it left him a pit of despair. He loved you, dearly, but he couldn’t help but wonder why he got to have this type of relationship with you. He internally began to make a venn diagram of him and Ace with their talents and attributes. So far, Ace slowly exceeded. To prevent his mind from going further into the trenches, he drew a quick sketch of your own side profile—knowing it from the back of his hand. He smiled, seeing how it progressively began to look more like you. His heart was truly full of nothing but you, aside from music and art of course.

Law’s phone finally buzzed.

(F/N) - 8:46 P.M

[Attachment: 2 Images] how does this outfit look???

There you sent two images to Law of yourself. One of which was, what he thought, your adorable face, and the second was the single weakness Law had upon seeing it. You wore a dress that wrapped around your body beautifully and Law felt his cheeks burn up several degrees. He felt his thumbs tremble before beginning to type a response.

Law - 8:48 P.M

thank god i’m going or else everyone would be gawking over you

(F/N) - 8:49 P.M

never saw you as the jealous type <;33 i’ll see you soon, luv i love you

Law smiled at your message, completely at ease by your simple notification. All his negative thoughts began to wash away knowing you loved him just as much as he loved you. Finally, Law began to scribble down words that were relevant to the medical field.

Meanwhile, you were welcoming guests inside. You wanted everyone to arrive before Ace did, and you had the perfect plan for it. No one spoke a word to the jock about his surprise birthday party just as you asked. Sanji was cooking in your kitchen, despite him already bringing platters upon platters of food. He insisted, all while rather flirtatiously, to you that’d he cook a bit more considering Luffy would be running around. Zoro already helped himself to some alcohol but that was no shocker to anyone. The last few stragglers came in until nine o’clock finally struck; the official time of the party.

“Alright everyone hide!” Nami instructed with her powerful voice. Everyone scrambled behind tables and the couch while you dialed the number of the birthday boy.

“Hello-“

“Ace Ace! Please come over now! I think a wolf broke in and I need your help!” You shrieked. Your tone made the party guests believe you for a moment before they realized it was fake. There might as well be an actual wolf.

“Wha-!? Seriously!? I'm on my way, just stay locked in your room or somethin’” Ace said frantically. You held in every bit of laughter in your system to avoid giving away your award-winning act.

“Hurry! I hear it coming up the stairs!” You say, finally hanging up the phone.

“Was that actually necessary?” Zoro said, sitting on a still on your kitchen island sipping on a glass bottle of beer. You glared at him.

“Yes, now go hide. He’s speeding down here as we speak” You pointed your finger. Zoro groaned and sluggishly leaned against a wall that was a fairly long distance from your door.

You peeked through the window that perfectly displayed your front yard. You could see familiar headlights in the long, night distance and scrambled to shut off the lights.

“He’s coming! Everyone be quiet!” You whispered.

Your hands yanked the party popper off a nearby table and held it in your hands. Your body hugged the wall right beside the door, intentionally avoiding where the door would slam against from Ace’s hands.

He burst the door. The sudden shockwave made your body flinch, you thought you almost gave yourself away for a moment. Ace was met with complete darkness, not to mention an intact house despite your cries for help. He expected the place to be in shambles.

“(F/N)!? Are you okay!?” He yelled out. At the sound of his worrisome voice, lights beamed at his freckled face as well as pieces of colorful paper from the party popper you carried.

"Surprise!"

The crowd cheered off in different pitches and volumes. The “audience” clapped and cheered, some even latching onto the man himself who was baffled, to say the least.

“What is this…?” Is all the brunette could say.

You giggled and wrapped your arms around his body. Your giggles, as well as your safe body, made Ace holler in laughter. Ace finally adjusted to the sudden shock and realized it was nothing but a false alarm.

“I was wondering how a wolf would come in if the door was closed” Ace spun your body around in circles before placing you back on your feet.

“You did all this?” He asked. You nodded, picking off bits of colorful paper off of his shaggy hair.

“Yep! All afternoon! Happy Birthday, idiot” You nudge his toned arm. Ace gave you a ruffle of your hair, similar to your boyfriend, and filled the room with more laughter.

The music was now blasting its way down your entire neighborhood, letting all the peaceful sleeping households know the party only just started. You raised a drink in the air with Ace and cheered, but little did you know that wouldn’t be your only drink of the night.

About an hour into the celebration, you were growing slightly tipsy, but you could still speak coherently and control your thoughts. The door opened, revealing a familiar presence you have been missing for hours.

“Laaaaaaw~” You sang, latching your entire body on the raven boy. He chuckled, supporting your loopy body with an arm. He was met with chaste, sloppy kisses on his cheek and lips.

“Hey, hey…” He pulled you off by your shoulders to get a better look at your slightly intoxicated face. He planted a soft kiss on your forehead.

“Missed me that much?” He smiled. You nodded profusely.

“Always” You giggle.

You pull Law into a larger crowd. Seeing the immense crowd was a one-way ticket for his social anxiety to flood his insides, already wanting to bolt out that very door he walked into. Law signed up for this the moment his hand turned that same doorknob, though. Besides, he did this for you and only you. He promised to only stay for about an hour or so.

But Law felt himself wanting to leave earlier. Your clinginess only lasted so long until your body became glued to the man of the Party; Portgas D. Ace. Law drank bottles of beer to fit in, but realistically only had a drink or two. He watched from afar to your friendliness to the birthday boy. He felt himself wanting to smash the bottle in hand and swing it over someone’s head from his pent-up anger.

“I can’t believe (F/N) isn’t dating Ace! I thought they were together until she posted that she’s going out with that Trafalgar guy!”

“I know, right? They’re still cute though”

“But I thought Ace and her would’ve been the cutest!”

“You’re not wrong!”

Those words would be jumbled around over the course of the night Law stayed. He had to faintly hear almost every conversation about it on the sidelines. All his insecurities came flooding back from a small cooldown, but this time you weren’t there to help it relax. In fact, Law felt like you only made it worse.

As soon as he caught a glimpse of you with your arm around Ace’s broad shoulders sharing the same bottle, he felt like he lost it. He threw his bottle somewhere on the table, completely soiling whatever was in its radius.

To be frank, you were drunk out of your mind. What started as a slight buzz turned into a complete blackout. You weren’t thinking. If you were sober, you’d hate to be this close to Ace but nothing stopped either of you. Ace was just as, if not more, intoxicated as you were. Although, neither of you did anything with each other besides drink and obnoxiously sing the lyrics of the songs loudly playing around you.

You felt your arm have a sudden, firm grip around it and detach your arm away from the drunken jock. You yelped. Ready to start throwing punches at whoever grabbed you, you realized it was none other than Law himself. He dragged you upstairs where no one stayed, and the music was beginning to muffle out. The hallway was dark and mellow. You had a loopy, dumbfounded face while Law had eyes ready to murder. He held a strong grip on your shoulders.

“(F/N)-ya I-“

“Babyyyyyy~ I missed youuuu~ Where have you been?” You slurred, swaying your body left and right before you leaned your face against his. Law quickly jolted his head away, which was completely new to you. You raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, what gives? You don’t like my kisses anymore?” You puffed out your bottom lip dramatically before coughing out a fit of giggles.

“Stop, you’re so drunk I can smell it off of you,” Law said, completely unamused. You rolled your eyes and pressed your back against the wall.

“Whatever, whatever. What’s upppp~? In the mood to make out or somethin’?” You winked. Law scoffed, his patience wearing dangerously thin.

“Stop it, (F/N). Please” He said sternly. The fact he didn’t use the iconic nickname he gave you made you pause, but still wobble on your own balance.

“Look, you’ve been glued to Ace all night and… I need you to cut it out. Get some rest while you’re at it” Law said with a pained sigh. You burst into a fit of laughter. The jealous boy couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow.

“You’re funny, babe! C’mon, it’s his birthdayyyy~” You said, your body almost collapsing on itself the more you tried to stand still.

“(F/N), people are starting to think you’re cheating on me with that guy. Relax a bit, would ya? Please, I know your room is this way-“

Law tried extending a hand to escort you to your room, but a sloppy hand slapped it away. Law stared at you with hurt, yet angry, silver eyes. You couldn’t even make out his own face from the immense alcohol intake, but you could make out his words. You glared at him.

“Stop being such a party pooper, Law. I’m trying to have fun!” You scolded.

“Excuse me? So you dancing and being with him all night long is having fun? I’m right here!”

“And? It’s his birthday! Can I have fun just this one day, jeez!” You began to sound like a pre-teen yelling at their parents. Law felt like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

“I get that, (F/N)-ya but you're being ridiculous”

“Well, if you’re so bothered by it then just leave! You don’t even like parties so just leave me alone and let me have my fun! I set up this party, y’know!”

Your words might as well be a harpoon the way it plunged into Law’s heart. He stared at you with widened eyes, not saying a single word. Law couldn’t even give you the benefit of the doubt of the fact you were drunk off your mind so whatever you were saying was deemed fabricated and false because of how distraught he was by your words. The words didn’t hurt him as bad, though. What made everything a hundred times worse for the boy was your angry, careless expression to go along with it like it didn’t phase you a second that you shattered his heart.

“So can I go now?”

After those words, Law pushed passed you with zero remorse left. You were left there in the hallway, whose atmosphere was now filled with despair and animosity, all by yourself. You glared at Law with each step he took downstairs.

The crowd made its way for Law. His steps could bash someone’s skull in and his demeanor gave off the vibe he was about to murder anyone that dared spoke a word to him. Everyone grew quiet once the loud, slamming sound of the door echoed in the room. You stood up top on the steps with a careless smile.

“C’mon! Who said this party was over!?” You shouted, raising a fist. Everyone cheered to your voice as if nothing happened. As if you didn’t unknowingly ruin your relationship.

The rest of the lively night was a blur. The more you took, the more you began to lose control of your body and became blackout drunk. The last thing you remembered was screaming Happy Birthday over cake and everything went dark. To your surprise, you woke up in your bed the following morning.

You never thought sun rays could burn your eyes so bright in the morning but here you were. Wincing like a vampire as soon as you realized the bright morning sun flooded up in your windows to peek through your curtains. Your head was on the verge of exploding from the grueling headache. You winced as you sat up from your bed to realize you were still in your party attire, minus the absence of your heels.

“Fuck, what happened…” You murmured.

You didn’t hesitate to slip your body into more comfortable clothing compared to the tight dress causing more discomfort in your distressed state. Your legs were wobbly and weak but you still managed to make your way down the steps. The living room was not only several times brighter than your room but also looked like a hurricane went through it. A happy, morning Sabo was slowly cleaning up the place while the birthday boy was snoring on the couch with drool.

“Sabo?” You said groggily. Sabo flinched at your voice and quickly exhaled.

“You scared me, (F/N). Slept okay?” He asks with a smile, carrying a full black trash bag. You nod slowly, making your way to the messy kitchen.

“Last night was pretty crazy, huh?” Sabo hummed. He made sure his voice was quiet for you and Ace.

“I barely remember it…” You murmur. The main thing you focused on was grabbing a crisp bottle of water to soothe your body at least a little.

“I don’t doubt it. You were pretty crazy” Sabo gently placed the bag by the door with the rest of them. He began to continue cleaning the place little by little.

“I’ll help out,” You say, grabbing the wooden stick of the broom to sweep the floor from the party.

You two silently cleaned the place from top to bottom. The party aftermath left about five full bags of nothing but trash. You dusted your hands together and shared a high five with Sabo now that the place was clean.

“Free of any evidence” Sabo chuckled. You nodded.

Nothing prevented you from slapping your hand against the slumped boy's cheek to wake him up. Ace didn’t budge until your force grew harder and harder. He groaned and flailed his arms around to push you away.

“Okay, okay I’m up!” His eyes still closed, he sat up from the couch and palmed his eyes. You gave one last light smack beside Ace’s head.

“Morning”

You sat in the seat across from him, yawning. Ace finally fluttered his eyes open with a scrunched-up face.

“What even happened last night?” Ace said groggily. Sabo sighed, ready to explain the chaos he caused.

“You were off the rails with (F/N)” Sabo replied. He turned his body to a growling coffee maker.

“Why are you two here, anyway?” You asked curiously. Ace just replied with a dumbfounded shrug. His response didn't surprise you a drop.

“You two were the drunkest people here, so I stayed to put you both to bed after I forced everyone out. The police were almost called by your neighbors” Sabo chuckled, pouring a steaming hot cup of coffee in a mug.

“Jeez, I guess I threw one hell of a party” You giggled. You flickered your eyes around to see a tall, raven-haired, tattooed boy but nothing. You thought Law would’ve stayed to nurse your hangover but to your surprise, he wasn’t there.

“Where’s Law?” You abruptly asked.

Both of the brothers exchanged eye contact like they knew the answer. Ace said he wasn’t going to be the one to say it through Sabo’s eyes, and he sighed in complete defeat.

“He… left long before the party ended. He seemed pretty upset”

You raised an eyebrow, completely dumbfounded. You traced back the entire night but could only see your moments with the hungover boy in front of you.

“Upset? Why would he be-“

The air in your lungs is suddenly squeezed out by your terrified gasp. Sabo jolted and Ace just looked completely concerned. It finally clicked. The angsty conversation you had with your boyfriend flickered in your brain enough for you to piece it together. You rose up from your seat so quickly, that you grew slightly lightheaded. Your head whipped around your surroundings.

“Wha-? What’s wrong, (F/N)?” Sabo shifted his body away from the kitchen and immediately to you, looking like you’d been attacked by a ghost.

“My phone! I need my phone!” You shrieked. Ace groaned, your voice piercing through his brain.

“I’ll help look. Ace! You too!” Sabo said sternly as if he was a mother of ten kids.

You, as well as the two brothers, scurried around to find your missing cellular device that could’ve been absolutely anywhere. Thanks to your foggy memory and reckless drinking habits, your phone was tucked away in an absurd hiding place that Ace ironically found. You gleamed at the mere sight of it, snatching it off his tired hands.

“What’s wrong anyway? Never seen you so passionate about your phone” Ace said, scratching the back of his head.

“I think I just ruined my relationship while I was drunk out of my mind…”

You frantically turned on your phone and saw that Law hadn’t messaged or called you once all night. That simple sight made your hopes plummet and your heart shatter. You realized this was entirely your fault and looking back at the argument made your heart sink even further.

“Sabo,” You said sternly. He felt a shiver run alongside his body. “Please tell me I didn’t do anything with Ace. Y’know, like…?” You said, insinuating anything that wasn’t platonic. Sabo frantically shook his head.

“No, no! Of course not! All you did was share drinks and be annoyingly loud” Sabo reassured. You exhaled in complete relief knowing you had the control to prevent anything from happening.

“If I so much as kissed that moron I would’ve jumped off a bridge”

“Same here, asshole!”

You quickly opened Law’s contact and didn’t hesitate to call his number. You realized it was rather early in the morning for him to be awake but it didn’t hurt to try. You felt like crying as soon as you heard his voicemail instead of the loving voice you desperately longed for in this current situation. You tried again, but the same fate occurred. You collapsed on the couch once again, sluggishly sitting there in complete defeat.

“No use?” Sabo asked. All you could do was give him a slow nod while you typed out a message to him for him to see when he awoke.

(F/N) - 6:56 A.M

hey law we need to talk. i remember what happened and i really need to talk to you. call me as soon as you can i love you..

The last message was something Law read over and over. Truth be told, Law didn’t sleep since he left your place full of anger and frustration. As soon as he got home, he let out a few tears that not even his guitar could dry. He sat on the corner of his bed in quiet sobs, not really wanting to throw you away by your drunken words. Despite that, your words still pained his already shambled heart past its extent. He couldn’t sleep. He knew the moment he’d shut his eyes, your words would only replay through his eyes.

So Law broke nightfall to now stare at your two messages. He read the ‘I love you’ and reconsidered your relationship with him. He figured that if that were true, you wouldn’t have said what you said back at the party. He didn’t want to talk to you—not yet. Law watched your caller I.D buzz until the line disconnected. Even if he did answer, he wouldn’t know what to say to you, let alone your physical face. He desperately wanted to grab the phone and cry to you about his feelings, but that sense of vulnerability petrified him more than anything as well as the fact that talking to you wouldn’t help his wounds. Law silently told you he wanted space.

Sabo and Ace ended up spending the entire day at your place to comfort your current lovers quarrel. They kept you good company in playing games with you and spending brotherly time together but that didn’t erase Law from your overthinking brain.

5:34 P.M. - You sat on the couch with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around your body. You stared blankly at a movie displaying in front of you on the big screen TV. Sabo was on the other end of the couch mimicking your demeanor, the only difference was he was actually intrigued with the movie.

“Ace, while you’re there can you pour me somethin’ to drink” Sabo called out from the living room. You could hear Ace sigh.

The room began to flood in with the buttery aroma of freshly made popcorn. Granted, it was made from the microwave but it was still delicious. You let out an audible sigh. Sabo noticed your distressed state never vanished all day since the morning. He’d catch you checking your messages to see if Law messaged you under your nose, but nothing. Your inbox was filled with notifications that didn’t matter to you. You only worried about your boyfriend.

“What am I gonna do at school tomorrow?” You asked. Sabo hummed while he averted his attention from the TV to you.

“With Law?” His question made you hum and nod. You couldn’t maintain eye contact with the blonde, but you could tell he was concerned. The aroma grew stronger when Ace plopped in the middle of you two with a steaming bowl of popcorn. Ace shoved a fist full into his mouth.

“Talk to him, duh” He muffled out. You rolled your eyes at the oblivious jock.

“Not as easy as it sounds, Ace” Sabo added. Ace pointed the bowl towards his brother while chewing on his mouthful of popcorn. “If he’s ignoring her online, what makes you think he’ll welcome her with open arms in person”

“I guess, but think of it like this” Ace grabbed the remote that lingered on the glass coffee table innocently. Ace paused the movie that was playing, which you weren’t even paying attention to, panning his attention between you and his brother.

“If he’s ignoring you online, he can’t ignore you in person? Hm?” Ace felt like he was the smartest person to ever walk the planet while you and Sabo gave him eyes that said otherwise.

“Ace, I’m sure he’ll just ignore me in person. Plus, I don’t want to embarrass myself” Sabo hummed in agreement.

“Besides, I think (F/N) must’ve hurt him so bad that he needs time to recover” Sabo hit you where it hurt and you flickered your eyes away in embarrassment. Sabo cringed. “Sorry, (F/N)… Didn’t mean it that way-“

“I get it. No reason to sugarcoat it…”

The two sat in silence for a moment. They equally felt bad for your current situation and seeing you hurt only pained them more. Sure, Ace was an oblivious, one-track-minded guy but he still cared for the people around him—especially you. Sabo was in the same boat.

“I think you should give him some space until Tuesday or so…” Sabo recommended and you couldn’t object.

“What did you even say to him anyway?” Ace abruptly asked. He leaned back against the couch with his arms spread. He rolled his head towards you.

Ace’s question made you realize you kept whatever you told Law a secret. This entire time they’ve been clueless of the actual situation and assumed it was pretty bad for Law’s ghosting absence. You felt cold and bare, despite being wrapped in warmth, when you opened your mouth to explain.

“I barely remember, but he said he was uncomfortable with how I was with Ace last night and I told him to just leave…” Is all you can manage to describe the quarrel. You saw Ace cringe at your explanation, knowing that he was a major part of it. Sabo was left somewhat speechless.

“To be honest, I figured that was the case” Sabo spoke. You shrugged in defeat.

“Yeah, that’s sort of embarrassing…” Ace exhaled, rubbing his back as a nervous stim. “Does he know about our relationship?”

“I’ve told him numerous times but I guess I was just too clingy because I was drunk and it was your birthday”

“Well, take this as a learning experience to never drink like that again” Sabo laughed. His slight sprinkle of humor to the painful situation made a soft giggle escape your lips.

“First and last time…”

Suddenly, the doorknob from behind began to jiggle and rumble. A shiver went down your spine, wondering whoever this was trying to break into your home. Your delusions began to take over and the only person you could think of popped out of your mouth as the door swung open. Your legs moved on their own to an abrupt rise from your seat, the blanket pouring onto the floor.

“Law…?”

The door revealed an exhausted, tall woman sighing in complete relief to be in the comfort of her home. She tossed her keys by the steel bowl beside the door where the rest of the keys lingered. Your body relaxed at the sight of someone you didn’t expect to see, while the two brothers smiled in delight.

“Hey mom…”

You say lowly. Your mother smiled, seeing the surprise of both brothers in front of her. She hugged them both ever so lovingly, leaving a tighter embrace around your disappointed body. You were happy to see your mother, of course, but you oddly expected the raven-haired boy instead to come out and spin you in his toned arms.

“What are you boys doing here while I’m gone?” She said, her voice spewing a bit of animosity towards you. You remembered she strictly told you to not have anyone over unless it was an emergency.

“(F/N) was helping us study for a really important exam before Christmas Break. Sorry if you didn’t want anyone over” Sabo saved your skin to your mother, who had eyes ready to pull you by your ear to lecture you. You silently thanked him.

“Well, I expected nothing less from my little scholar” She giggled.

“Why don’t you two stay for dinner and I’ll drop you rodents back home. Sounds good?” She gleamed, her hands placed on her hips.

You hear the two agree with excitement. You sighed, hoping your lovingly warm mother's cooking would warm your tainted heart. You decided to cover the lover's quarrel with your mother to keep that perfect picture in her head. That is until the dreading thought of you two breaking up occurred. It was all you thought about. It’d make your stomach turn and your throat tighten at the mere thought. It’s only been a couple months or so, but you loved Law more than anything. Knowing that you were the very cause of your perfect relationship only made you want to crumble before everyone.

That night you lay in the comfort of your bed, imagining what would happen in the familiar hallways of the building you were scheduled to arrive to the following morning. It’d be exactly like how it was the very first time you met the boy. You didn’t expect him to hold you in that tight, warm embrace he’d usually do whenever you were stressed or overwhelmed. He wouldn’t kiss you with those lovingly soft lips with an arm on your back that silently spoke; ‘I’ve got you’. He’d push passed you like you were a stranger with those mysterious, steel eyes. Only this time, those eyes had more sadness and sorrow buried within them than before.

The imagery flashed before your eyes, and in your, what you thought would be, peaceful slumber. You didn’t have high hopes of getting good enough sleep that night. With your body coiled in a fetal position and your arms tucked in your chest, you can only think of saying one thing.

“We’ll be okay, Law…”

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𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔

✎ ❝ idc law smokes weed because just LOOK at the people hes surrounded with. anyway ive been slacking so much so im sososososos sorry but YAYYYY ITS OUTTT since im more than halfway, im thinking of making a new novel long after this one is over so if you have any suggestions id love to hear it!! thank you so much for the massive recent support, i genuinely love everyone that enjoys my work YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!! ❞

All licensing and ownership belong to Eiichiro Oda

[moonchild-things]

Chapter One: Summertime

Summary: Iris' first year at Hogwarts has finally come to an end. After the chaos that ensued during her fifth year, she's ready to graduate in two years. As her relationship with Sirius picks up traction and she makes new friends, Iris wants to enjoy her time before she’s forced into adulthood.

Word Count: 4938 

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GOING HOME FOR THE SUMMER WAS NOT something that Sirius enjoyed. He could do without his mother’s shouts, his father’s abuse, and his brother’s smug smile. The Black family was all about blood purity, being placed in Slytherin, and the dark arts. Sirius, a boy who was placed in Gryffindor and is best friends with muggle-borns and half-bloods, is certainly the black sheep of the family. It was a no-brainer why he was picked on by his family. He had suffered through sixteen years of this torture, only a few more years before he could leave his family for good.

All he wanted was to leave his family and never have to see their ghastly faces again. They already made it clear that he was a disappointment and that they wouldn't miss him. A short while longer and he'd get to escape them. The moment he was old enough, he'd get the hell out of that house and find somewhere else. Hopefully, that somewhere else included his Iris.

It has only been about an hour since he last saw her, but he missed her dearly. To think that this girl who he has known barley a year had affected him so much was baffling. That troublesome girl was easily able to grip his heart and was never going to let go of it. He could only hope that Iris felt the same about him.

He trudged along the platform to find his parents and his little brother. He didn't want to see his slimy little brother after what he had done, but he didn't have too much of a choice. If he could ignore Regulus for the rest of the summer without punching his lights out, it would be a miracle.

Sirius hated the fact that the snakes didn't get a harsher punishment than what was handed out to them. Thank Merlin for their pure-blood, he thought bitterly. They should have been expelled or imprisoned for what they did. However, because of their family's statuses and the corruption of the system, they were able to pay their way through a light punishment. All they got was a stern talking to and exclusion from certain school activities.

Sirius was able to find the two people who certainly hated his existence as much as he hated rules. The teen came to stand in front of a strict looking couple who scowled once they caught sight of him. These two, unfortunately, were his parents. Regulus also waltzed over to join their parents and of course was greeted happily by the two. Well, as happily as a pair of stuck up purebloods could muster. Honestly, it seemed like most purebloods had a hard time expressing any emotions besides anger, hatred, or arrogance.

His mother, Walburga Black, stood with her back perfectly straight and her narrow nose pointed high in the air. She was wearing her signature long black dress and tall black heels that Sirius was accustomed to seeing her in. Honestly, it seemed like all the woman owned was just identical black dresses and heels. Her hair was tightly pulled into a braid on the back of her head and a dark bloody hue painted her lips which stood out due to her pale complexion. 

The man next to her, Orion Black, with his stormy eyes watching his sons with judgment swirling in them. However, most of that judgment was pointed at Sirius, the disappointment of the family. It wasn't like Sirius didn't know that he was the disappointment, they reminded him every chance they could that he was the outcast of the family.

There were barely any words exchanged between any of them. Walburga and Orion simply turned from their sons once they saw that they had their belongings. Regulus followed after them obediently like a dog while Sirius dragged his feet and followed as well. Soon enough they exited the platform and their parents apparated them all to their home.

Sirius threw his trunk on his bed with a sigh. The posters of muggle bands were all over the room which was mainly there to piss off his family. Though he had to admit that he enjoyed muggle music. As well as the banners of Gryffindor and plenty of bathing beauties. Just another reason why he was on the verge of being disowned by the Black family. 

He closed his eyes to calm himself down. Only a little while longer in this damned house and he'd get to leave and be on his own. Sirius had no idea where he would go, but it didn't matter to him. As long as he had the Marauders(his brothers in every way except blood), the girls(Lily, Wendy, and Marlene) and, of course, Iris, he would be just fine.

The teen was just about to open up his trunk to start putting some things away when an obnoxious shout broke through the air. "Sirius!" He sighed deeply and closed his eyes in frustration. Not even a few minutes after being home, and his mother was going to shout at him already, joy. After trudging out of his room and down the stairs to see what in Merlin's name his mother wanted, he entered the family room where his parents and brother were.

Regulus, the smug little bastard, was sat in one of the comfy armchairs with a sick smirk on his face. That didn't bode well for Sirius, at all. His father, who had been glaring at him since he entered their eyesight, sneered at him from his seat. His mother, a hauntingly disgusting woman, stood next to Orion's seat with her hands resting on the back of the expensive-looking chair.

He raised an eyebrow at them all with an emotionless expression, "yes?"

Walburga clicked her tongue at the teen and spoke in a snippy voice, "Regulus was telling us about his year."

Sirius glanced over at his brother who had yet to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. He looked back at his mother, uninterested. Why was she saying this? Is this the only reason why she had demanded he come down here? "So?"

"Well," she started, "it seems as though his year was far better than yours, Sirius."

Orion nodded his head, "with what he did to that mudblood, he has certainly shown his worth."

Sirius bristled at the mention of the mudblood, Iris. "What he did to her was terrible!"

"It's a shame that you were caught though, Regulus," Orion continued with disappointment on his lips as if Sirius hadn't just shouted. 

"Though I'm sure you've impressed plenty of our friends," Walburga said coolly and obviously proud of her youngest son. If it was possible, the smirk on Regulus' face grew even larger. Oh, how Sirius wanted so badly to punch him in the face. Their mother then turned to Sirius as her pleased expression twisted into one of disgust. "He has also told us that you were... attached to the mudblood," Walburga spat out in revulsion. "First, you're sorted into the worst house at that school and now you're growing infatuated with some mudblood girl." Her shrill voice bounced around the sitting room and caused Sirius to grow even angrier. "It's a wonder why we let a blood traitor like you stay in our home."

Fury started to build up in the teen's gut at her words. How dare his mother say this! Speak of Iris in such a terrible way! He couldn't stand that his mother would talk about one of his best friends like this. It appeared that Regulus left out the fact that he had also seemed to have an obsession with Iris that was far more intimate than he may want to admit. He seemed to want to leave out the fact that he had kissed her many times, much to Sirius' anger.

The reminder of what his brother had done to Iris only seemed to fuel Sirius's anger with his family. His mother continued to rage on about how much of a disappointment he was to the Black family, but he didn't pay attention much. His anger was just causing a ringing to invade his ears as he ignored the spiteful words she had to say about his friends.

"Just stop," Sirius said through his teeth as he started to seethe at what his mother was saying. By Merlin, if he wanted to just curse the woman already! "Stop calling her that! Don't talk about my friends like that!"

Walburga, unstartled by his words, sneered at him, "Your friends are nothing but the scum of the earth, you idiotic child! I will speak about them however I want."

Sirius shook his head before bounding out of the living room while his parents shouted after him for walking away from them. Though he ignored them, instead he marched right back into his room. The anger was boiling over and he didn't care anymore. He had put up with their shit for years, and this was the final straw. To have his parents say such things about his friends, about the girl he like so dearly, was the final breaking point for him. After everything that happened at school, he already planned on never speaking with Regulus again, even though it wouldn't affect either of them much. Though now he could openly express how much he hated his brother, and for good reason.

His mother came storming after him as well, shouting shrilly at him and continuing to rant on and on about the dirty blood of his friends and how he has stooped low enough to become like them. He didn't care. He had dirty blood now? So what? He'd rather have "dirty blood" than have to spend another second living with this vile family. 

He made it back into his bedroom and grabbed his school trunk and also a few other things which he stuffed in there. When he came bounding back towards the foyer he found his seething mother at the bottom of the stairs with his glaring father and smug brother. A perfect little family they were. This was obviously not a place for him. He didn't care if he had to live on the streets! Anywhere was better than here.

His family continued to shout abuse at him, but he pushed them aside and hurried through the door. "You are no longer apart of this family, you blood traitor!" His mother's shrill voice screeched as he walked out the door and away from those toxic people. As Sirius made his choice to never come back to these people, Walburga stormed into the room of their house that was covered in their family tree. Without a second thought, and anger burning in her eyes, she used her wand to burn Sirius' face from the tree. A burn mark was left right on top of the teen's face, which ultimately meant he was completely disowned by the family, much like a few of his other family members. Though it didn't bother him much.

He tore out of 12 Grimmauld Place and tried to distance himself as far as possible before any of his family had the chance to come after him. Though he doubted they would. He fleed into the dark London streets and began to wander aimlessly. Having no place to go was definitely a problem at the moment. 

Going to other members of his family was obviously not possible. The rest of his family was much like his parents, so they would be no help. However, he was struck with an idea. Maybe his blood relatives wouldn't help, but his brother, in everything but blood, would help him.

Just as he turned a corner with the intention of finding his way to the Potter's home, a purple triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere. It came to an abrupt stop right next to Sirius, who jumped at its sudden appearance. He recognized it instantly as the Knight Bus. Perfect!

---

After a bumpy and hectic ride in the knight bus through the streets of London, Sirius was eventually dropped off at the Potter's home. The moderately large home sat at the end of a long dirt driveway that was framed by an assortment of flowers. James' mother, Euphemia Potter, loved all kinds of flowers and plants. She could rattle off the names of just about every flower that was near their house along with what properties they could have when used in a potion. It was a good thing she had married a potioneer, it seemed.

Sirius lugged his trunk down the path towards his best mate's house. He had been here plenty of times already. He'd spend Christmas here ever since he was twelve and a couple of summers when things at home got to bad. He figured that he would be welcomed by the Potters and at least allowed to stay for a little while. Sirius didn't want to be much of a bother to them. They had done so much for him in the past, and he always thought that they didn't need to have his problems dumped on them.

He finally got to the front door and kicked on it. A moment passed before the door was opened by a meek house elf with beady brown eyes. The house-elf, Dizzy, peered up at Sirius with a confused expression. "Master Sirius?"

The teenager nodded his head, "Hi, Dizzy. Is James around or his parents?"

"Yes, sir!" Dizzy exclaimed before allowing him to enter the home. She scurried off to go look for her owners while Sirius started to make himself at home. The Potter house was really a true home to Sirius. He was welcomed here, he felt safe here, unlike his at his own home. Well, former home. He no longer had anywhere else to go.

Footsteps came bounding down the stairs which alerted to Sirius that James was home. As soon as the glasses-wearing teen noticed Sirius, he came to a stop at the last step with confusion etched on his face. "Padfoot?" He questioned and walked over to his best mate, "what are you doing here?"

Sirius could already tell that James had a good idea about why he was there. He had no doubt that the sour look on his face already explained how he was pissed off with his family. The fact that he had his trunk with him also seemed to show how he had left home on a horrible note.

"What else?" Sirius said with a rueful smile, "ran away from home, the usual."

James' expression became concerned as he walked over to the shaggy-haired boy. "What happened this time?"

Sirius sighed and huffed, "same old, same old. Mum and dad were comparing me to Regulus," he spat out his brother's name with venom on his lips. "And then they decided to call Iris a mudblood." His best mate's eyes widened in understanding then. Yeah, they definitely shouldn't have insulted Iris Evans. At least, not in front of Sirius. Said boy just continued on with a sigh, "Mum was just going on and on about how all of my friends were the scum of the earth... I just couldn't take it anymore."

James understood it, honestly. Having such pureblood loving parents must be the worst thing ever. He knew he was lucky to have parents who didn't focus on that and instead instilled in him not to judge people because of their blood or heritage. Speaking of his parents, both Fleamont and Euphemia came out of the living room of the house to see the two boys.

Euphemia, ever the loving mother, came over to Sirius immediately and embraced him in a firm motherly hug. "Oh, Sirius!"

Euphemia Potter was quite a pretty woman. Despite being a bit older than most parents who have children James' age, she still looked beautiful. Ageless would be a good word to describe her. With short brown hair that was usually up in a loose bun and emotion-filled blue eyes, she certainly looked good for her age. 

Her husband, Fleamont Potter, waltzed over to Sirius as well and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man had a head of grey hair though he still appeared youthful. With bright blue eyes that appeared to hold a child-like gleam to them, there was no doubt where James may have gotten his personality from. "What are you doing here?"

The shaggy-haired boy cleared his throat, as though embarrassed as to why he had just shown up on their doorstep in the evening. "My parents..." He had to think for a second on how to explain what had happened. He shook his head and finally came up with something. "I ran away. Well, they also kicked me out too." Sirius let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

The parents shared a look with each other. They honestly weren't too surprised by this. Both of them knew about how bad home could be for Sirius. Euphemia knew what a horrid person Walburga could be, even to her own children. If she had to hear one more story about how bad of a mother she was, Euphemia would have honestly taken Sirius away from them herself. No child deserved to live in the hate-filled home that Sirius did.

"Don't worry, my boy." Fleamont said kindly, "You can stay here as long as you need."

Sirius looked up at him with wide eyes, "Really?"

"Of course," Euphemia said gently, "you're already a part of the family, Sirius."

Genuinely relieved by what they said, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He breathed out a sigh, "Thank you."

"Come on, Pads," James said with a smile. "Best put your stuff in my room."

Sirius smiled as well and grabbed his stuff to head up to James's room. Yeah, Sirius no longer had his blood relatives, who needed them anyway. He's always had another family who has been there for him. His real family and he'd never want to leave them now that they said that they want to help him out. Hopefully, things would continue to get better from here.

---

"Home, sweet home!" Iris exclaimed as she bounced into her house. She took a deep breath as the aroma of her mother's baking greeted her happily. Her stomach rumbled as she tossed her trunk to the side and made her way into the kitchen where she found a plate of assorted cookies. Obviously, waiting for her to devour them like she always did after coming home from school. "Yes, cookies!"

She grabbed a few cookies and started to munch on them as her parents and Lily finally came into the house. Octavia giggled slightly as she could already hear her daughter helping herself to the snacks she made before they left to get the girls. "Oi! Make sure you leave some for the rest of us! I better not see half that plate already gone!"

Iris' head popped out from the kitchen entryway with her cheeks puffed up with cookies as she flashed her mother a sheepish smile. "Oops?"

Craig laughed at Iris and bounced over "Now, now, sweetheart, best leave some for us... or me at least."

Between the two of them, most of the plate was already gone before either Lily or Octavia walked into the kitchen. Both of them shared an amused look before grabbing a single cookie each to enjoy. Much like every summer, Octavia always made sure to bake up something nice for the girls to come home to. One year, she made them a cake. Another year, a pie. Last year, she made brownies. And Merlin, did they taste heavenly!

"We better put our stuff away," Lily said after finishing a chocolate-chip cookie and walking back into the living room to grab her trunk. Iris begrudgingly followed her, of course, right after she snagged one last cookie and chomping on it. Mmm, snickerdoodles. 

The pair of twins grabbed their trunks and walked down the hallway to their bedroom. Just before they entered, Iris found that Petunia's door was open. Their older sister was sat on her bed reading a magazine about muggle beauty. 

"Heya, Petunia!" Iris exclaimed with a wide sarcastic smile on her face as she stopped in the doorway. Their older sister just scoffed and stood up before slamming her bedroom door in their faces. The smile on Iris' pale lips still didn't go away as she shouted through the door, "nice to see you too, sister dear!" 

Lily pulled Iris away from the door and towards their own bedroom. "I don't know why you mess with her so much."

"'Cause she's an arsehole, that's why." Iris huffed as she put her trunk on her side of the room and flopped down onto her bed. The comforting warmth that it brought was already going to try and lull her into a nice nap if it wasn't for Lily grabbing her arm and pulling her back out of the room. Iris whined and reached back to her bed.

"Come on, mum and dad wanna hear about our year."

So the twins went back into the living room to find their parents sitting on the couch with some tea. The girls grabbed their own cups and started to answer any of the questions that their parents asked. Of course, Iris went off about the quidditch matches and the house cup. While Lily went in-depth about their studies and what they'll get to do next year. Neither of them mentioned what had happened. They really didn't want to, honestly.

As long as their parents didn't know about what had happened to Iris for the last few weeks of school, there would be less to worry about. There was no telling what their parents would do if they did know about the potion. The twins could be pulled from Hogwarts and forced to go somewhere else for school! Besides, there wasn't much that could be done. A pair of muggle parents weren't much of a match when up against the likes of the Black family. It was slightly cruel not to let Octavia and Craig know about the trauma that Iris went through. Though they could never know. Never.

Just as Lily was starting to rant about how Iris barely studied for their O.W.Ls, there was a knock at the front door. Craig lumbered over to the door and pulled it open to find the kind smile of Quinn Adams. The older woman enthusiastically said hello to Craig before waddling over to the pair of teenagers.

"Oh, my dears," she cooed as she gave each of the twins a crushing hug. Iris gasped once she was let go and rubbed at her ribs, that she now thought were cracked. She loved Quinn, honest, but Merlin, did she have some tight hugs. Lily was unaffected though, must have something to do with also being able to give tight hugs.

"Hi, Quinn," the girls greeted her as she took a seat on one of the other plush chairs in the living room.

The older woman's smile had yet to fall off her face as she looked at the twins. Her excitement at their arrival was quite apparent as she appeared to be bursting with joy. She always got like this when school ended for the summer. The grandmotherly woman could finally get to see everyone that she had come to adopt into her own family, which included Iris and Lily, obviously.

"Now, how has school been for you two?" She asked the twins.

Lily took that as an initiative to control the conversation then, as usual. "It was stressful, I mean, with how much we had to study for our exams! It was bloody awful."

Quinn hummed, "I can't imagine. All these tests that you lot have to take nowadays, it's unbelievable, I'll tell you."

"Yes!" Iris wholeheartedly agreed, "Why do I have to take so many stupid tests?! It's not like I'm going to use what I learn from it, right?"

Lily shook her head at her twin's argument. One that she has used time and time again. "Of course, you're going to use what you learn from those tests, Iris." She rolled her bright green eyes in slight exasperation.

"Though I bet the rest of the school year was just fine for you girls," Quinn said.

Lily and Iris shared a small look with each other as they simultaneously lied through their teeth, "of course!"

---

The group continued to talk about what the twins' year was like for a while longer. They obviously avoided the topics of magic and made sure that their answers to Quinn were not specific. After all, they couldn't have a muggle who shouldn't know about magic hearing about their wizarding school. Though the day seemed to be getting a little bit worse. For Iris at least.

Lily was more than happy when Samantha, Oscar, and Derek showed up. They also were already on summer break and were ready to start planning what to do with each other now that they had no school. Iris had tried to get away from them and sneak back into her room for a good old nap, but Derek had seen her trying to leave. Thus, here she was stuck listening to Samantha's high-pitched voice to complain about her fashion dilemma while Oscar did his best to get Lily's attention. 

So that left Derek and Iris to sit in a slightly awkward silence. All five of them had migrated out to the backyard to hang out. Seeing as Petunia was being stuck up, as usual, and their parents were still talking to Quinn, they wanted to have their own space to talk. It was already starting to get dark out, but it wasn't like any of them had to worry about anything tomorrow. The first day of summer, a perfect day to sleep in all morning.

Iris had sat herself down in a chair at the backyard table while Samantha, Oscar, and Lily sat in the grass. Derek had tried to sit as close to Iris without making it obvious that he desperately wanted her to acknowledge him. After all, the last time they saw each other had been during New Years... When they had kissed. 

Derek cleared his throat to hopefully get Iris's attention, which she tried to ignore. Though that was kind of hard when the boy was sitting right next to her with his worried stare burning a hole in the side of her face. Reluctantly, she turned to him, seeing as she had nothing else to do. Besides, the awkwardness was suffocating Iris so much. 

"Iris..." Derek started off slowly as if trying to collect his thoughts. "I-I wanted to apologize again, for-for... the kiss."

Iris tried to flash him a small smile though she was certain it may have looked more like a grimace. "I already told you that it was fine, Derek."

The boy shook his head, "but it was still uncalled for! I should have told you I was going to do it o-or not do it at all."

Iris couldn't help herself but chuckle lightly at his concern. She had to be completely honest and say that he wasn't the first to kiss her in that fashion. There were a few kids at Beauxbaton who had tried to make moves on her in an awkward way like him. Though after that, they would be too embarrassed to ever speak to her again after that. So Derek was a tad bit braver than those kids.

"Trust me, it's totally okay." She waved it off half-heartedly, "you're not the first to do that."

Derek's eyes widened, "Really? I mean, I guess that would be understandable seeing as you're so-" He cut himself off before he could embarrass himself even further.

Her eyebrows raised in question at him and saw a chance to hopefully stop the awkwardness from growing even larger. "What was that? Hmm? I'm so what?"

Seeing the teasing nature of her question, Derek relaxed and started to laugh. "You're so troublesome, that's what."

Iris pouted lightly, "and here I thought I was an angel!"

The two dissolved into laughter, the awkwardness between them having disappeared slightly more. Soon enough they eased into talking about their schools and what had happened during their time there. Derek was completely fascinated by the idea of a boarding school and all the mischief that Iris got up to. She still left out the magic parts, obviously. They both agreed on their distaste for exams and difficult assignments. Though all the while in the back of their minds, there were some different thoughts brewing.

Iris was glad to have someone who wasn't annoying to talk to and to tease even. Derek couldn't compare to the Marauders or even Wendy and Marlene. However, he was okay, for a muggle. Perhaps summer wouldn't be as bad as they sometimes were. She could only hope that she could at least see the Marauders at least once during their vacation. Especially Sirius.

However, Derek thought that this was his chance. This summer vacation was his chance with Iris, he knew. He liked her, quite a lot. And since she hasn't mentioned having a boyfriend or anything, so that must mean he had a shot at wooing her. Derek could only hope that he was correct in his thinking that she would also be interested in him. Merlin, things were definitely going to get complicated now.

---

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[evacado3]

Hey 😃 can I request about Vasco with s/o who taller than him? Thanks 🏃🏻‍♀️

Ngl, was kinda surprised when I received this. Me myself is not very tall sooo it might be a little confusing, I’ll still try but don’t judge too hard 😅

hcs

To him it doesn’t matter, nope

Though Jace kinda sees you as a threat

You might have been mistaken for the leader instead

Will try the hair pulling thingy again with you after seeing little Daniel succeed

Will challenge you to touching the door frame

Wanna teach you how to fight, but respects your hobbies

Jace thanks you cause Vasco's not crying for girls no more, and you actually drilled some common sense in him

If your Tabasco's girlfriend, unfortunately you are officially burn knuckles' queen

So don't too surprised if a group of tattooed guys follow you every where, come on they're only checking if you're safe

Uses BURN KNUCKLES SECRET MOVE [INVINCIBLE CHARIOT] for you

Be aware of the ceiling though, will kneel with their head down if you ever get hurt

Burn knuckles will not need a order from Vasco if anyone tries to hurt you, all of them will go berserk

Shopping havoc

Word count: 1213 one-shot

It's been a month of dating the head of burn knuckles, and you're still convinced that he likes kangaroos more than you. No he really made plans to adopt a kangaroo when you agreed to date him.

The scene was basically you blushing after accepting his confession, but only to hear his dreams of having that large animal when he gets married, leaving you very flustered in public.

Though what embarrassed you more, ever since you were young, was the fact that you are taller than the young man before you. You could see he doesn't give it a single shit about that, but insecurities don't leave after a day.

For the last month, every time you made a comment about your height, he'd make a baffled face. "I think it's cool, what are you talking about your height is perfect." No he really doesn't understand why you have it hard on yourself.

Did you fall in love, obviously, yes. Though Vasco doesn't comprehend the reason behind you're insecurities, he assures that not only is it normal, it's beautiful, you're beautiful. Some height ain't gonna scare homeboy away!

So that's why today you wanted to take your relationship on to the next level, the 'normal' level.

I know, the 'normal' level is very correct. Come on does Tabasco really understand the concept of kissing?

Yes, he might have given his umbrella to you on a rainy day, he might have pinned you to the wall just to ask "You do want McDonald’s or KFC?"

Obviously you knew he doesn't have any experience, so fine, you waited. But after another two weeks it came to you that if you don't bring it up to him, he will never figure that out.

So what better to do than teach him on a date? You've planned out all the possibilities and the events that might occur, it took days to work up the nerve to ask him on a date, alone.

Ok, alone. Not with some big group of guys following you, you even begged Jace to make it clear. Alone. He said yes after seeing your desperation, using his detective skills straightforwardly.

"Good luck on that, you might have to even show him a video on how to kiss."

Fine don't ask what video you chose. Anything to open up his eyes to this current problem.

So you weren't sure why, along with your boyfriend who showed up in a nice loose tee and jeans, you felt seven more pairs of eyes following you.

Are you kidding me?

"Hey Vasco, how you doing today?" you asked faintly, despite your height, you're a softie at heart.

"Hey, I'm great, so we going to get some clothes? I could use some new pants."

Yes he does, have yall seen him running around in pajamas?

You tried hard to ignore those guys at the back, what happened to Jace's promise? They all gave out a suspicious aura, everyone was basically looking. And it's whatever if they walked far behind, they're literally stuck to their leader's ass, not even leaving one meter of space.

You could say the date proceeded well on Vasco's side, it was a regular date and you even picked out some nice pants for him. But on your side? Uh... not too great.

Every time you tried to make a move, there just has to be something that stopped you.

"So babe, umm I was wonder-"

"Mister, we are having a sale this month, would you like to pick out another pair to get 30% off?"

As if that wasn't enough, the boys would send you looks of encouragement at the back like it would soothe your embarrassment.

Sighing, you stepped into the final store you wanted to go in.

"I'm gonna pick out some clothes for you too ok? Wait here." he said with enthusiasm, already running off without hearing out your response. Obviously you couldn't trust his choices, but let the boy have fun.

So you minded your own business waiting for him to come back, but why did the receptionist look at you like that. Wait, she turned back to her friend while pointing your way. What's going on?

You could see them giggling after exchanging some words. They both spun your way, one of them making her way to you and the other one just laughed trying to woe her back.

"Hello, yes you over there. How tall are you?" she snickered.

It was almost as if she was the one over towering you when she stared at you curiously. "Uh... I-I'm not too sure." you replied softly, wishing she'd leave you alone.

"Hey no need to lie, damn your voice doesn't suit you at all. I thought you'd sound like a man! You must be at least 180 miss girl!" she exclaimed, though everyone who heard knew, that was spoken disrespectfully.

But you could only nod and fidget a little, not wanting to cause a scene. There was already a few people looking over to you, but shooting glares at the clerk. You were happy that they knew she was the one trying to disturb you.

"Your little boyfriend over there, isn't he bothered? If it was me I definitely would be disgusted. Are you sure he isn't just playing? Oh, do you play basketball?" her ranting agitated the customer, but still showed no signs of stopping.

Your blood ran cold as she kept speaking, what did she say? Isn't Vasco bothered with me?

What if the reason that he hasn't shown me affection was because he was disgusted?

On the verge of tears, you muttered out, "please stop."

"What?"

"Stop, I do not feel comfortable with you speaking to me like this." you expressed clearly.

She scoffed when she recovered from shock, "hey lady, I asked-"

"I'm not." Vasco stated, popping out by your side. You flinched in surprise, but immediately blushing after he gently wrapped his arm around you.

"I heard what you said, and I'm saying I'm not disgusted or bothered by her." He said with a hint of anger. "Please return and do your job, my girlfriend will not like to speak with a girl like you."

Honestly, no words can express how happy that made you, your man stood up for your insecurities while being respectful. How did I end up with such a good man like this?

The girl gasp with an offended look, but looked down after meeting Vasco's eyes. She stuttered out a weak 'sorry' then fast-walked back to the counter.

Ignoring the cheers of other customers, he walked you out of the store. You were still dazed, eyes focused on the man whose eyes where ahead. Maybe the date was good after all.

But before he kept walking, an unexpected sweet peck landed on your cheek. Your face now resembles a tomato.

"Huh?"

Wait, what was that

THAT WAS SO CUTE

You saw in the between those guys, Jace sent you a sneaky wink.

"Was that ok?" Vasco asked, he doesn't look shy at all. Does he even realize what that means?

"Wait Vasco, continue no more, the queen is heating up!"

"The queen is all red!"

"Vasco you killed someone!"

Guess who got assorted out the mall today.

=================================

Forgive me for putting this in two parts and releasing it so late, I was busy memorizing the periodic table 😀

[mitch-the-simp]

The Only Teenage Bitch Worth My Time (Jotaro x Sister!Reader)

(I literally wrote this for my English final exam- But obviously modified and without cursing.)

(Y/n) had always been the star child; not one instance in her life had her intellectual potential been questioned by anyone in her family. Alas, this was one of those moments in which she felt like she didn't deserve to be the gifted child of the Joestar family.

Her brother, Jotaro, was as clever and quick-thinking as her, yet he was treated as intellectually challenged because of his demeanor. He was a rude teenager in his junior year that simply walked around acting like he didn't care about anything. He could walk into a restaurant and if he didn't like the food, he would refuse to pay no matter what. If you were to ask him for his opinion on how you looked, if he didn't like it, he would tell you his opinion straight up. No sugar coating, no nice little words; a simple "You look stupid." would suffice. Not to mention he didn't seem to respect his mother.

(Y/n) tried her best to appease her adoptive mother, Holly. But Jotaro? Oh, he didn't care about respect. He would talk back to her, go out and leave her to worry until he returned hours after his curfew. Yet, for some reason, their mother never scolded him. It was like she didn't even care about all that. She would let anything slide so easily. It baffled her to an impossible extent.

Yet, she knew there was more to him than that. (Y/n) seemed to be the only person he actually cared to talk to. She found it odd at first but eventually stopped asking herself why.

Jotaro would tell her about how annoying it is to walk to school and instantly be swarmed by his annoying fangirls. And with all honesty, (Y/n) felt the same way when she saw all those girls literally push her away from walking with her brother to school.

It wasn't soon until (Y/n) picked up a few delinquent habits from Jotaro, though. They were walking down the pavement as (Y/n) spoke to Jotaro, "Hey, you think I'm gonna do good in that science fair? The top prize is 148000¥!". In her hands, he held her science fair project. A small homemade printer she had been working on for months.

"You're pretty smart, I think you'll give those other nerds something to be scared about," Jotaro mumbled.

"You think you can help me set it up in the gym?" She asked smiling at him softly.

And just before he could respond, the stampede of girls ran towards them. They pushed around to be able to bother Jotaro. And when they did, one of them pushed (Y/n) out of the way, causing her to drop her project.

And that's when it happened. She balled up her fists in anger and punched the girl in the face.

Jotaro looked at her, taken aback by his sister's actions. Then he chuckled, pulled the brim of his black hat down to his face, and mumbled a proud, "Good grief." With that, he continued walking. Leaving (Y/n) alone to be caught and sent to detention, which eventually led to her being suspended for a week.

So that was exactly why she was sitting in the middle of her living room right now.

"Why'd it have to be today of all days..." she thought to herself. The reason being that her father, Sadao, came back from his Jazz tour that same day to go support her in the Science fair.

She looked around, wondering if there was anything she could do while she waited. Eventually, she decided to change out of her school uniform. Making her way to her room and changing her Japanese uniform with something that accommodated more to her Italian fashion desires.

She fixed her (H/c) hair and adjusted her (F/c) dress. Though, just as she was sliding on her boots, she heard a car in the driveway.

"Oh shoot-" she exclaimed, running out into the living room. She knew darn well that her mom had already informed her dad of her suspension. So playing it off was no option.

Her father stepped out of the car and hugged her mom. As soon as he saw him walk towards the house, she knew she was fucked.

"(Y/n), I would like to have a word with you young lady," he announced, not wasting a single second after entering through the front door.

"Yes sir." She gulped. She slowly walked towards him, already regretting what she had done earlier that day.

Her father sat down on the couch and patted the space next to him, signaling her to sit down. Once she did as instructed, her father sighed.

"(Y/n), your mother informed me of what happened in school today. Why did you do that?" he asked calmly.

(Y/n) grew nervous. She was too scared to lie to him, but would he be mad at the truth? She just knew he would, but she honestly had no choice, did she?

"I... I just hate it when all those girls crowd around Jotaro. He doesn't even want all that attention! But you know what just infuriated me?! They are constantly pushing through me to get to him! They made me drop my project! And- and you know what's worse?! I CAN'T EVEN ENJOY A SMALL WALK WITH MY OWN BROTHER! And I just thought, 'Ok, what would Jotaro do if he was as mad as I am?' And well... I don't want to excuse my actions... but it just... happened." She ranted, her voice trailing off at the end.

"I see, you were angry about a situation you constantly find yourself feeling helpless in, so you decided to strike at it as you've seen Jotaro do when he's in a problem." He spoke, attempting to understand what she meant.

"Well... he only reacts like that when someone makes him mad, so yes." She mumbled back.

"See, sweetheart, the past few years, I've seen that Jotaro looked at you as too perfect to even try to be like you. And now I see that in your own way, you see Jotaro as stronger than you. Perhaps more courageous? You have found a hidden nobility inside of him. A resilience that he doesn't even show us. And I know you admire it so much, that you wish you had the capability to be as carefree and careless as he is." Sadao commented.

"I... I guess you're right." (Y/n) admitted.

"Whether you see it or not, you two make a great duo because you're what the other wished they were. I'm not saying it wasn't wrong that you punched that girl in the face, but I'm saying that you should try to channel that newfound courage into... less violent things." He suggested.

"Just go where destiny guides you my cherry blossom," Holly added as she walked by them on her way to the kitchen.

"I'll take this as permission to be mean to people, verbally."

"Take it as you will, just don't get yourself into any more trouble, ok kid?" He clarified.

"Yes sir!" She cheered.

Sadao got up from the couch, he was about to leave the living room, when he stopped in his tracks and turned to see his daughter once again, "Oh and (Y/n)."

"Yes, Papa?"

"You're grounded."

"Awww! What about the science fair?" She asked.

"Well, you have a project to fix." He reassured her, letting her know he was still going to take her.

"Can I at least pick Jotaro up from school?"  You asked.

"Yes, but remember the conversation we had, (Y/n)." He responded as he walked into the kitchen. 

(Y/n) nodded at him, as she walked outside and laid on the grass. As she looked at the clouds. She really wished Jotaro had come to get her out of detention. Or had at least snuck her out of school for one of his smoking sessions before she got caught. Obviously, (Y/n) herself didn't smoke, so she really was just gonna sit there and maybe even snack on something while they both had a sensible conversation. 

That's where she got an idea: Jotaro was probably skipping class to smoke right now, and she had nothing to do, so she thought sneaking out of the house to hang out with him wasn't a bad idea. So she went back into the house and walked into the kitchen where her parents were talking to each other.

"Hey mom, dad, I think I'm gonna go take a nap until Jotaro is out of school." She announced.

"Alright honey, just let me know If you want anything, ok?" Holly smiled as she kissed her cheek.

(Y/n) went into her room and got a small backpack full of snacks. Slowly, she opened the door back up and ran out into the yard and out of the house's territory. Then she ran towards the school.

Once she got there, she looked around for Jotaro. As always, she found him sitting on the bleachers, cigarette in hand and black hat covering his eyes. (Y/n) made her way towards him, climbing up the bleachers and sitting next to him on the top seats.

He slowly turned to her, and chuckled, "Weren't you in detention?" 

"I was suspended you jackass." She responded.

"Oh, well that sounds bad for your permanent record," he spoke softly, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Yeah... it was worth it though, those bitches have been getting on my nerves for some time now." She shrugged, taking a bag of chips out of her backpack.

"Really? Is it because they always push you around," he asked casually.

"Well, that's part of the issue... but mostly it's because I hate how they just won't leave you alone. It's like every hint you throw at them completely misses them! I mean, you literally call them bitches in their stupid faces!" (Y/n) complained.

"Yeah, it's pretty damn annoying..." he mumbled softly. 

He didn't want to actually thank her for getting him out of that situation; it would ruin the careless delinquent image he'd worked so hard to build. But he saw his sister's sweet gesture as the only reason why she was the only teenage bitch worth his time.

And even though he didn't say it, (Y/n) knew damn well that he was thanking her from the bottom of his heart with that response. 

"So, you want to help me fix my printer before the fair? I promise I'll let you use it." (Y/n) asked.

"Sure, it starts at 10, doesn't it?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure that if you help me we can get it done by 9:30." She spoke.

"But you have to tell me what to do, or else I'll probably fuck it up," he responded.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you, little Joot!" (Y/n) said as she pulled down his hat.

"Don't call me that you bitch." He turned away, hiding the embarrassed blush on his face.

"Come on little bro..." She pouted playfully.

Jotaro sighed, "I'm not your little bro. I was here first, you bitch." he grunted.

"Yeah, but I'm still older than you by one year." 

"Yeah, I'm pretty fucking sure that doesn't count." He rolled his eyes.

"Uh- I'm pretty sure that it does. Age is what determines who's the oldest sibling, dumbass." She said, matter-of-factly. 

"I still refuse to accept it." He grunted in annoyance

"Fine... suit yourself... little Joot.~" (Y/n) chuckled.

She wouldn't change what they had for anything in the world, and she knew Jotaro thought the same thing. Even if he didn't really tell her.

[levi-my-beloved]

Birds of a Feather

Chapter 3

Pairings: Canon!Levi x F!Reader

Content warnings: Violence, implied torture, two pining idiots being two pining idiots, probably ooc Levi cuz oof i suck

Word count: 8.2K

Summary: You were the most notorious criminal in the Underground City. With your organisation of highly skilled professionals, only one man could take you down. He also happened to be Humanity’s Strongest… and your ex.

Previous Chapter

First Chapter

A/N: y’all these chapters are getting real long now… and they only get longer as i keep writing. just wanted to a say a quick and huge thank you for the amazing support i’ve had so far. i honestly didn’t think anyone would read this little story and it’s so heartwarming to see people enjoying it

i love every one of y’all so much 🥺

𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔𖣔

If your hands were free, you would have shielded your eyes as the blinding sun greeted you. You weren’t quite expecting it to be so bright. You knew the overhead world was nowhere near as dark as it was in the Underground City, you’d seen the rays of light spilling down from the toll gate but never in your life had you expected life to seem so..,

Vibrant.

Blinking a few times, you almost had to force yourself to remember your circumstances, gently pulling against your chains. The look of awe on your face was unmistakable.

“Holy shit…” you breathed, eyes now wide as you took in your surroundings. It was warm up here. Really warm. The sun gently beating down on the busy streets. Levi appeared next to you, pushing you forward to continue up the stairs.

“Don’t get used to it, you’ll be in a cell before long,” you were expecting to catch some satisfaction in his tone, but there was nothing other than contempt. You took a breath, managing to resist attempting to kick his shin as you kept climbing the stairs, now fully embraced in the sun’s light. Though it didn’t last as long as you would have liked. Sooner than you deemed necessary, if you were honest, a carriage clattered up in front of you. It was surprisingly lavish considering you were a criminal. Squinting in suspicion, your hesitation only earned a rough push against the back of your head.

“Get in.”

“You never were one for manners were you?” you drawled after stumbling clumsily into the carriage. The plush leather seats squeaking against your own getup, leather on leather disagreeing with each other.

“Not when it comes to people like you, no,” the raven haired man took up a seat opposite you, immediately folding his arms as staring out the small, curtained window. A muscle in your jaw flickered in irritation.

“People like me? You mean people like you? Or have you really forgotten where you came from? Did you lose brain cells as well as your sense of self?” god you just wouldn’t let up, would you? Levi rolled his eyes, successfully masking how much he hated the way you spoke to him. Like nothing ever happened between you. He understood. Of course he did. He knew why you were so upset. Why you were trying so hard to hurt him. He knew you wanted him to hurt the same way you did, but knowing what you were doing wasn’t going to stop the spear you kept repeatedly driving into his heart.

You attempted to shift ever so slightly, just so your hands weren’t painfully crushed against your back. Once again the thought of kicking him crossed your mind, but the situation wasn’t exactly in your favour right now.

It was only a few moments of awkward, deafening silence before you two were joined by both Erwin and Hange, the latter opting to sit next to you, seemingly not worried about whether or not you could still skin her alive even with your wrists bound. Erwin sat a respectable distance from you, despite the size of the carriage. The man barely fit, it was only because of your own size and the size of Levi did you assume you were all able to travel together. That still didn’t stop the man opposite you from throwing you a disgusted look as your knee grazed his. Just to piss him off, you did it again.

“SO! Raven, you’re joining the Scouts?” Hange blurted out, earning her a glare from Levi, a sigh from Erwin and a baffled scoff from you.

“Yeeeaaah… no. That’s not happening.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in the matter,” Erwin chimed in, almost defeatedly.

“Why don’t you just do what you usually do with criminals? Hang me as some sick entertainment for the public.”

“That can be arranged.”

“Levi…” Erwin warned lowly, to which Levi simply clicked his tongue in response.

Shit, that one hurt. He really didn’t care for you anymore, did he?

Once again, if you had your hands free, you would have run them through your hair. Joining the Scouts? That was never really something that ever crossed your mind. It didn’t seem to make sense. Why on earth would they want to draft you in? The question was swiftly pushed from your mind, replaced by another. Something you’d been burning to know ever since you realised the Scouts knew your location.

“Who was it?” you asked quietly, staring at your feet. Levi stiffened, shifting his eyes from the window back to you. Your demeanor struck a chord with him. You looked defeated, shoulders hunched over. “Who betrayed us? I just want to know.”

A heavy silence settled over the trio, none of them wanting to be the one who broke the news. The bond and connection between you and your Nest was strong. Trust ran through your veins, so to have it broken by any one of them was already shattering your very being.

“A woman. Brown hair, blue eyes. Scarlett, I think her name was,” at that moment, everything seemed to stop. Your world froze. It was Scarlett. Your own lover. Your wife. The woman you trusted more than any of them. She had betrayed you. Betrayed all of you. She was the one who put Una’s life in danger. The one who was responsible for the scar across her neck she would carry forever.

The three Scouts looked at each other, each not really knowing how you would react. Not even you knew how you were going to react. You were stuck in limbo. Everything and nothing was going through your mind. You didn’t know how long you’d sat there staring at nothing, simply trying to process this information, but it must have been an uncomfortably long time, if Erwin’s awkward throat clearing was any indication, gently bringing you back from your thought spiral.

“Oh.” was all you could manage, still not able to raise your head. Your eyes started to burn after not blinking for seemingly too long. How could she? How could she betray you? To the Military Police, of all people. You hadn’t cried for a very, very long time, but damn you were close.

Shit this entire ordeal had been difficult, but seeing you so defeated was next level. Levi dug his fingernails into his palm to stop himself from holding you. From comforting you. He still knew you well enough to tell when something was wrong. Very wrong. And although his stomach twisted slightly with the ideas of who this woman was running through his head, it was all he could do to tear his eyes from your hunched shoulders, returning his gaze to the window as the world passed him by.

“Did you know her?”

“Why would I tell you?” you tilt your head, glaring at Hange next to you, your jaw clenched. You may have just felt the last remaining fragment of your heart shatter, but that didn’t mean you would give them any more information than you had to.

“Raven, I give you my word, we will leave The Nest be,” Erwin tried his hand at reassuring you. None of this made any sense. Why were they being nice? Don’t they know how many soldiers you and your people had slaughtered? How much you had stolen from their warehouses?

You raised your eyes, seeing Levi glancing at you cautiously. Silver hues flicking over your defeated form with that same, cemented expression of boredom, before slowly looking back to the window. You spent the rest of the journey in silence, going over all the events that had led to this moment. How you could have possibly let this happen.

You trusted Prongs. You knew he would take care of your family. But Scarlett…

The bony claws of betrayal grasped your throat, gently squeezing until it became difficult to breathe. The walls of the carriage started closing in around you. Helplessness tainting the corners of your mind. You were stranded. Captured and soon to be forced into the military. To face those titans you’d heard so many people talk about.

You’d found the first man to ever hold your heart. You’d lost him, and then you’d found him again. And you could almost feel his hatred for you.

And though you put on a brave face. Though you put on an act to convince him you felt the same…

You couldn’t find it in your fractured heart to return his hatred.

The gentle, rhythmic clopping of hooves came to a slow stop, the door opening outwards to let the four of you out. Hange hopped down the step with seemingly boundless energy, before immediately engaging in conversation with a taller, worried looking man. Erwin stepped down, but once again you refused to move. If you could make their lives as difficult as possible, you would. Pure spite was fueling you now, your only current reason to carry on.

“Oi, move,” it was a blunt command, and one you paid no mind to. Not even raising your head to acknowledge Levi had said anything. “Hey. Did you lose your hearing on the way here? I said move,” a sharp kick to your shin prompted you to tilt your chin just enough to shoot another one of your glares in his direction. He too had to keep up his charade until he could get you alone and finally have a proper conversation.

“Go to hell,” was your only response, heavily debating spitting in his face as his hands once again grasped your arm. You flinched ever so slightly at the contact, something that didn’t go unnoticed, but it appeared Levi didn’t care.

Levi did care. Holy shit did Levi care. What the hell had happened to you to prompt you to flinch in such a way? Who the fuck had laid their hands on you? Who the fuck had hurt you like that? He allowed the rage to course through his veins, before letting it simmer down. He would deal with that later.

You stumbled as you were almost thrown from the carriage, knees colliding with the stone beneath you before you were dragged back to your feet

That fucking hurt. You started to think that maybe you could return his hatred. The next chance you got, you were driving you knee into his fucking gut. But for now, you decided to settle your glare on Erwin as he was talking to a darker haired man who kept glancing in your direction. It’s only now you realised your condition. You were filthy, mud and grime greasing your hair, blood and small cuts littering your face and knuckles, a dark bruise blossoming on the underside of your chin. Levi’s hand still held you firm, preventing you from even attempting to escape. Not that you would. You really couldn’t see the point, other than running into titan territory yourself. You tensed as the tall, haggard looking man approached you, apprehension mixed with disgust clouded his eyes, but it was an expression you refused to flinch away from.

“The Raven?” you couldn’t help raising a brow.

“Stupid fucking question. No, I'm just an innocent bystander dressed like The Raven for a costume party. I just so happened to think a pair of manacles clasped around my wrists completed the look,” you hissed sarcastically, and you could have sworn you heard something that could resemble a laugh from behind you, but it was so miniscule it was difficult to tell. If only this had been ten years ago.

You watched with satisfaction as a muscle twitched in his jaw, before the man managed to compose himself.

“My name is Niles Dok, Commander of the Military Police soldiers you seem to have so much fun slaughtering,” he introduced himself in a way that made it seem like the last thing he wanted to be doing was introducing himself to you right now.

“So? Do you want a written apology or something? Have to take these chains off me first,” you spat, with the innocent smile of an adder. This seemed to rile the man up more, to the point where he fisted your hair painfully, yanking your head up. His voice lowered to a dangerous murmur.

“Listen you little whore, I don’t know which door to hell you crawled out of, but I have men specially trained to deal with rats like you. They take pleasure in every agonised scream they can rip from your filthy mouth,” you refused to let your panicked, racing heart rule your mind, using every ounce of mental strength to hold his stare, firing back with a nasty glare of your own. And it took all of Levi’s willpower not to launch himself at the MP Commander.

“Go fuck yourself,” the retort came so naturally as you actually spat in his face. It gained you a much more satisfying reaction than you imagined you would get from Levi.

Swiftly removing his hand from your hair, you slumped back, staring up at the man between the now dishevelled strands. Wiping your saliva from his eye. You flinched as the back of his hand came up to strike you. Quicker than you would have expected, Levi was immediately by your side, eyes glinting with murderous intent. But before anything could happen, Niles’ hand was caught by Erwin behind him.

“Now, now Niles. Don’t go harming my soldiers,” his voice was borderline condescending as the MP Commander turned to look back to Erwin with an expression of disbelief.

“You can’t be serious? Erwin, this wasn’t part of the deal. You said—”

“I said we would aid you in capturing her. What happens to her after, is up to us. Think of it as collateral,” he reminded Niles of the deal they had struck before their meeting earlier.

“I didn’t think you would force her to join the Scouts. Are you insane?” It was a question Erwin had heard many times before.

“She’s just another calculated risk,” —he explained, before turning to his Captain— “Levi, take her to where she’ll be staying for the next week,” you had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on, but honestly, you were just glad Erwin stepped in when he did. You didn’t fancy whatever strike was about to land on you, and didn’t want to deal with whatever trauma it would drag up from your less than agreeable past. You didn’t have nearly enough time to unpack Levi’s own movements.

“Tch, why me? Why not Four Eyes?” his eyes slid to the scientist, who seemed to be engaged in an increasingly elaborate conversation with that poor, poor soldier. Even you felt a pang of pity for him.

“Because I’m afraid if I let Hange take her, she’ll end up in her lab rather than the cell,” Erwin sighed tiredly, looking at Levi with almost pleading eyes as the conversation behind him got louder and louder.

“Fine. But you owe me,” he responded, before tugging you away with him. You were almost sorry when you no longer felt the warmth of the sun on your back as he led you inside.

It was a walk full of disgusted glares and crude remarks. Clearly everyone had heard who you were by now, if that wasn’t evident by the snarls of “Bitch” and “Underground rat.” It didn’t really phase you. What these people thought about you was their issue, not yours. Though, you wouldn’t mind beating every single one of them within an inch of their lives given half the chance.

You failed to notice Levi’s ever darkening expression behind you. The glares promising a painful death thrown in every direction. The way a muscle flickered in his jaw at every passing comment. It was only until the hallway was empty did he feel that tension ease a little.

“Down here,” Levi instructed, leading you down a narrow staircase. As if you could go anywhere else.

“Yeah, no shit,” you snapped, earning you a harsh shoved down a few stairs.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“Why? Afraid you won’t understand me?” that feigned sweetness to your tone was one you had perfected over the years he was gone, and was possibly your favourite form of sarcasm. He clearly didn’t dain your retort worthy of a response, the only sound to be heard being the echoing of your boots against the stone. It reeked of damp and rust, a different stench to the filth of the Underground. Speaking of which…

“You’re disgusting,” a flatly delivered insult was thrown your way as Levi guided you into one of the cells.

“I’m so sorry, I forgot to have a shower before you ambushed us. I’ll be sure to remember next time so I can smell like a fresh forest. I’m sure it would be a more homely smell for you,” you couldn’t help the sarcastic remarks that flew from your mouth. But you fell silent as he began removing your manacles. Instantly a plan formulated in your head. This could be your only chance at escaping. You just had to wait for the right moment.

As soon as the chains were removed from your wrists, you thrust your head backwards, in hope of catching his face. But you were met with nothing but air, and the sounds of quick footsteps behind you.

“You’re even easier to predict now you’re in a cell. Don’t try stupid shit like that,” did he forget how to change the emotion in his voice? He was never the most emotional person you’d met, but he would at least sometimes change his voice from ‘bored’ to ‘slightly irritated’. You were starting to wonder what else he had forgotten during his time here when the iron bar door to your cell was slammed shut, the key clicking in the lock. Now you were certain you couldn’t escape, you took in your living space for the next week. The bare minimum had been provided. A bed with no bed clothes, a rustic sink you weren’t even sure worked, and a broken mirror. Great.

The scraping of a chair behind you piqued your curiosity, turning you head to see Levi had taken a seat in front of your cell door, elbows resting on his knees.

“The fuck are you doing?” you asked, rising from your knees to turn and lean against the wall, arms folded.

“Waiting,” god damn his single word responses. You huff in frustration.

“Waiting for what?”

“You.”

“I could strangle you with my bare hands and feel absolutely nothing right now.”

“You’d have to escape first.”

“What makes you think I can’t?”

“What makes you think you can?”

As much as you hated to admit it, he was right. There didn’t seem to be any way you could escape these walls, you’d already done a quick run down. Threading your hands through your hair in irritation, you cross to sit on the pathetic material they thought was a bed.

“So?” you ask, still no closing to knowing what the hell he wanted. Once again, he didn’t deem your question worthy of a vocal response, opting instead to raise a thin eyebrow. You briefly fantasise about driving one of your long lost daggers into his goddamn eye, before simply brushing it off with a roll of your eyes. “Fine. Stay there and stare at me. It’s your time you're wasting,” you shrugged, flopping back onto the bed, arms thrown out either side of you.

“What have you been up to?” you couldn’t help the bark of sour laughter at the question.

“Seriously?”

“What?”

“After all this time, the first thing you ask me is what I’ve been up to?”

“Would you prefer me to ask you something else?”

“What’s on the menu?”

For a moment, it almost felt like no time had passed since you’d last seen each other. It felt like only yesterday did he have you in his arms, curled up in his bed, gently running his hands over your exposed waist, revelling in how soft your skin was against his.

Running a hand through his dark locks to bring himself out of his thoughts, he changed the trajectory of his questioning.

“Who taught you to fight like that?

“Self-taught.”

“Bullshit,” you winced at his response, raising your head slightly to stare at him, wondering who gave him the audacity to doubt you.

“Oh yeah? Not all of us had the advantage of stupidly strong genes, shortstuff,” shit, you hadn’t said that nickname in a long, long time. Clearly he hadn’t heard it for a long time either, judging by the way his eyes widened his body stilled. Neither of you were able to comment on the irony of the name, considering you were just as vertically challenged. Managing to shake yourself from your daze first, you realised that was a lot for both of you. “Sorry,” you murmured, averting your gaze.

“No, it’s… fine,” there was no malice in his voice. No hatred, a surprise that caused you to turn your head back to face him. Levi cleared his throat before continuing. “How’d you get that scar?” the second question caught you off guard, not expecting anything so personal so quickly. Naturally, you responded with something sarcastic.

“Tea party gone wrong,” an irritated sigh echoed off the dank walls, clearly not satisfied with your answer.

“What happened to you, Raven...?” if it wasn’t for the acoustics of the room, you would have missed the comment, but your heart clenched painfully as the third question reached your ears.

“You left, so I moved on,” you didn’t mean to sound so small or vulnerable. You didn’t mean to drag your knees up to your chest and clasp your arms around them. You didn’t mean to turn your head again, avoiding his gaze.

Levi mentally begged you not to look that way. He’d never seen you so insecure. And that itself broke his resolve.

Standing from his chair, Levi crossed the small space to the barred doors, not thinking twice about unlocking it and leaving the key in the lock. His body was almost acting on a it’s own. Years of taking you into his arms and holding you suddenly came back to him and he wanted nothing more than to take you in his arms once again.

But he hesitated.

You both did.

After raising your head to look at him, you watched as he stopped in the centre of your cell. Almost as if he was silently asking for some sort of permission to just do something.

You shifted slightly so you were leaning against the iron bars rather than the stone wall to the back, Levi taking this as the silent permission he needed to take a seat next to you.

Shit, the instinct to throw yourself into his arms was almost overwhelming, but you refrained, not wanting that kernel of hope to smoulder into nothing when he rejected you.

Levi was the first to break the silence.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” you responded, looking up to him between the loose, mangled strands of hair now obscuring your face just a bit. Age had been kind to him. His features, now much more defined. He was still the same man you knew back then, but this one was more chiseled. You looked away when his eyes found yours.

“You look like shit.”

“I feel like shit.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

It wasn’t the exchange you were expecting, this quick back and forth, but you wouldn’t say it was unwelcome. A familiar warmth started to spread in your chest.

“How’s the jaw?” you asked, eyes wandering to the now hefty bruise against his pale, soft skin. You remembered when you used to leave marks of similar colour all over his body. His neck, collarbones, abdomen, thighs…

“‘S’fine. How’s the chin?” his own eyes slid back to you, silver irises scanning your face briefly.

“Yeah. Fine,” you let the silence settle for a moment, before breaking it again. “Sorry I kicked you,” Levi grunted in quiet amusement.

“It was a damn good plan. Sorry I knee’d you,” it was only when he heard your gentle chuckle did he realise just how much he’d missed you. Every fibre in his body was begging him to roughly tug you into his body. To cup your face in his hands and seal your lips with a burning kiss. But all that changed when he shifted slightly and you flinched at the sudden movement. He stilled, waiting for you to relax again before he too settled back down.

“You knew her, didn’t you?” it was a rhetorical question. Your reaction after the reveal told him everything. Not only did you know her, but she was somebody close to you.

You stayed silent for a couple moments, not really knowing how to respond to his shift in conversation. You decided to match it.

“Yeah. I did,” you wouldn’t tell him. Not unless he asked. You wouldn’t tell him who she was to you. What she was to you. That still fucking hurt like hell.

“‘M’sorry.”

“You say that a lot,”

“You’re one to talk,”

You didn’t even try to quell your small laugh, letting it echo off the stone walls. Even Levi couldn’t stop a small chuckle at your amusement, feeling himself completely at ease in your presence.

“Did you really move on?” it was his turn to feel small. His turn to feel a little vulnerable. He couldn’t bear the thought of you just moving on from what the two of you had. Just throwing it all in the past and leaving it there.

“Yes and no.”

“The hell does that mean?”

You sighed, tightening your grip around your knees. You hoped this wouldn’t be as painful for him to hear as it would be for you to say, but you didn’t hold out much hope.

“Yes, I moved on. I’m not the same girl I was. Trust me on that. I’m not the same girl you fell in love with, nor the girl who fell in love with you,” you had to take a breath, suddenly finding the air down here far too thick. “She wouldn’t have survived down there. That girl would have been killed by some pig the moment you left. So... I killed her myself. You already know I’ve been part of The Nest for a while, but I wasn’t really one of them, if you get what I mean. I didn’t stay with them, I didn’t eat with them. Sure, Viper took me in after my—“ you stopped, burying that can of worms before you even opened it. That wasn’t something you wanted to bring up right now. “Viper took me in, taught me a few things, but I stayed with you. I didn’t have to be one of them when I was with you. But when you left… I didn’t exactly have a choice. I couldn’t be so naive anymore. I couldn’t be so hopeful. I had to be realistic, and to be realistic, I had to hurt a lot of people. I had to see a lot of things,” you allowed the weight of your words to settle before you continued. “But that girl. That girl you knew. She never stopped loving you. Up til the moment she drew her last breath and I took over. She loved you. But I moved on,” you fell silent, realising that yes, this had been just as painful for him to hear as it was for you to say.

It was a long while before Levi spoke again, nowhere near as confident as he was.

“That’s who she was to you,” just as he thought seeing you again couldn’t get anymore painful. Just as he thought your words couldn’t get anymore painful. “You loved her?”

“Yes, but not completely. Part of me was still devoted to you. I think that’s why she did what she did. Scarlett was never a spiteful person, but she did hold one hell of a grudge against you. And I suppose, in a way, me,” the silence was so thick you thought you could cut it with one of your blades.

“She’s still there.”

“Hm?”

“That girl. She’s still there. You’re still in there.”

“Now look who’s being naïve,”

“You’re trying to tell me this new, supposedly ruthless killer would kick the shit out of some soldiers for hurting a kid. You’re trying to tell me this new cold hearted thief would bring medicine to an elderly woman and her son?”

“I—”

“You’re telling me this new, heartless little dealer would earn the respect and thanks of thousands of Underground rats? Because to me, that sounds like bullshit… (Y/N),” he wouldn’t accept it. You weren’t gone, he could see it in your actions. You were still there. His (Y/N) was still in there.

Hearing your name in his low, warm tone after all this time sent a jolt through your system. And when he turned to look at you, he could see silver lining your eyes. It took everything in him not to reach up and gently wipe them away.

“I’m not going to stop until you see what I see. I’m not going to let you think you’ve become this heartless, mindless killer just because you had to adapt. Because you had to survive. I’ve finally found you again. Do you know how long I searched for you? How many hours I spent tracing every single path I knew you would take. Asking every filthy mongrel I could find. Most of them said you were dead. Some of them said you were missing and hadn’t been seen in months. Years, even. But until I found a body, or some kind of proof you were dead, I couldn’t accept it,” well this certainly caught you off guard. Levi was never one for long, heartfelt speeches, or verbal communication at all, actually. So this was a little overwhelming. Two tears slipped down your cheeks, sliding through the sudden cracks in your defenses and leaving a trail through the thin layer of grime and dirt.

Levi kept his eyes trained ahead, knowing that if he saw you crying, his restraint would break and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from holding you. But he knew he couldn’t. From the way you’d reacted to his small movements, he knew suddenly tugging you into him would scare you.

“I’m sorry,” your small voice wrapped around his fragile heart, both settling it and cracking it. He went to extend his hand towards you with the intention of smoothing down your hair, but the way you winced, almost anticipating something much more intense, made him stop. Shit, you really did look like a husk of your former self. He remembered the way your eyes used to glint even in the low lighting of the Underground.

“You should rest,” it was an appealing enough suggestion. Enough to draw a barely concealed yawn from you. Leaning your head against the iron bars behind you, you swore you could have fallen asleep there and then. Comforted by his presence.

You immediately missed his presence as soon as he stood, tempted to reach out for his hand but not wanting to push him away.

As if he felt your confliction, Levi stopped to turn back to you.

“I’ll be back in the morning. Rest, (Y/N),” it wasn’t like you could disobey when your mind and body was so eager to sleep.

“Fuck…” you muttered, running a hand down the side of your face, exhaustion hitting you like a punch to the gut. This wasn’t exactly how you saw your day going today, but you couldn’t exactly say you weren’t thankful. You didn’t know what you were, honestly. So much had happened, you knew you would need time to process everything.

The screech of metal against metal alerted you to the key once again locking you within the cell. Dipping your head, you watched the dark haired man return the keychain to a small nail in the wall.

“Hey…” Levi turned to you as you called out, his expression as soft as it was a few moments ago. “It’s really good to see you again,” a thousand butterflies suddenly exploded in his stomach. How long had he been waiting to hear those words? And suddenly, he found himself unable to reply.

“Tch, go to sleep, Raven,” he reveled in your amused hum as he turned on his heel, leaving you to recover after today.

꧁ꨄ꧂

Levi ran a hand through his hair. Sitting at his desk in his orderly kept office, he could barely focus on the reports in front of him. That haunted look in your eyes had left a significant mark on him. The way you now spoke was so different to the bubbly younger girl he knew.

With a shake of his head, he attempted to divert his attention back to the account of the mission today. You’d taken down a few of his men yourself, he recalled watching your blades find purchase in his makeshift squad. A few others hadn’t returned from where they’d chased your Shadows. Actually, most others didn’t return.

As predicted, it was a bloodbath.

Leaning forward, he reached for his tea, continuing to scan over the document until his eyes settled on your alias, and he couldn’t help but wonder why you hadn’t told anyone your name. It prompted a memory he wasn’t expecting. He’d tried so many times to bury his past. Thinking about it saved him from thinking about his lost friends. But it was unavoidable.

“Hey! ‘Re���ya gonna buy anything? Or you just gonna keep staring?” Levi peaked out from behind the legs of a taller man, peering at the young girl who seemed to be giving his father figure sass. He couldn’t understand it. Didn’t she know who he was? She didn’t look much older than him. Maybe eight? Nine even?

“Listen little missy, I don’t think you wan’ to rush me,” the southern lilt of Kenny’s dangerously low voice didn’t seem to deter the little merchant. Levi’s eyes widened as she folded her arms, her grubby face creasing as she frowned. For someone so young, she certainly had an impressive glare.

“Or what? You gonna kill me? I sell to the whole street, mister. You kill me, they starve,” Wow, she really seemed to have this whole thing going for her. Levi looked up at Kenny, able to just make out the subtle smile under the shadow of his hat.

“What’s your name, little girl?

“Hmph. What’s it to you?” she retorted, stepping closer. It was only then she seemed to notice his presence. Her glare seemed to soften almost instantly, head tilting in sheer curiosity. Her sparkling, (E/C) eyes widened upon seeing him there. He only occupied a fraction of her attention, before it returned to Kenny, that scowl also returning.

“You’ve got guts kid, I’ll give you that. But maybe that’s simply cuz you don’t know who I am,” he mused, picking up one of the loaves of bread you were currently selling. They weren’t fresh. Nothing ever was. But it was the best your family had to offer.

“Kenny the Ripper, right? Yeah, I’ve heard of you. Seen your ugly face in the newspaper when those shits up top toss their trash through the grates. And you better buy that now your filthy hands have been all over it,” Levi couldn’t tell if this girl was brave or stupid. He’d never heard anyone speak to Kenny like that and actually get away with it.

“(Y/N) (L/N)! Watch your language young lady! And what have I told you about mouthing off to customers?!” her face quickly morphed from a glare to something he could only describe as sheepish. An older woman leaning out from the door behind you. Her hair colour was different to yours, but those eyes… they were your eyes.

“But Maaaaa, I was just—“

“No buts. Inside, now,” her voice was stern, but Levi was perceptive from a young age. He could see the softness in her eyes as the girl pouted. Turning back, he watched her send a cheery wave goodbye in his direction, pausing slightly as it wasn’t returned. Her brows furrowed, before she darted inside.

“Quite the brat you got there,” Kenny remarked, handing over a coin in payment for the bread he’d picked up.

“Yeah, sorry about her. Pain in my ass but her heart’s in the right place. I hope,” Levi wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation, too distracted by watching the same girl clamber out the open window and onto the ledge above. Only using her right hand to climb, she paused, as if calculating something before shimmying along the wall, round the corner and out of sight. Before Levi even had time to question what the hell he’d just witnessed, her head popped round the corner, eyes searching for him. He raised his brows in question when she gestured for him, whipping back round the corner. Seeing Kenny still caught up in conversation, he quietly left the two adults, heading for the narrow alleyway she’d just ducked into.

“Hey,” the whisper made him whirl, stopping to see her cautiously step from the shadows near the wall. “You looked hungry, so I stole this from our stocks,” it became apparent as to why she was only using one hand to climb when she presented another, slightly smaller loaf of bread. It wasn’t as stale as the ones on the stall. “We got fresh ingredients yesterday. My father’s a baker but we only sell the stale ones because we wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demand for fresh bread,” she explained quietly, her eyes wide in earnest. If it wasn’t for his ravenous hunger, Levi would have declined the offer. However, the smell was too good to pass up on. Slowly, he reached for it, half expecting her to snatch it back. But her honest expression remained, only retracting her hand after he’d taken a bite. “Don’t talk much, do you? That’s okay, I get a lot of people who are shy.”

Crossing her legs, she lowered herself to the floor, resting her back against the wall to what he could only assume was her house. He followed suit, sitting opposite her in the damp alleyway.

“Your dad’s an asshole, by the way. Very obkonshus,” Levi assumed she was trying to say obnoxious, but didn’t correct her. He almost found it endearing.

“He’s not my dad,” his blunt response had her head whipping back to look at him, almost in disbelief that he had actually spoken. A small blush blossomed across her cheeks at her mistake.

“O-oh. Sorry. I didn’t know,” an awkward silence settled over them, before she spoke up again. “Your not-dad’s an asshole,” Levi glanced at her, noting her cheeky smirk. His own lips twitched in amusement. She wasn’t wrong. Kenny was an asshole.

They stayed there until he’d finished his bread, (Y/N) simply talking about everything and nothing.

“Where’d that little rat scurry away to?” Kenny’s drawl interrupted your little conversation, prompting the both of you to shoot to your feet. The girl shot him a worried look, not knowing how this was going to play out. Levi was never one to offer reassurance, never really needing to, until now. He tried his hand at a reassuring expression, before stepping out the alleyway a little.

“Here, I was just—” he looked back to the narrow street where she just was, only to find she’d completely disappeared. His eyes widened ever so slightly, attempting to peer further down the alley. How had she done that? She was right there. Maybe you’d already started your climb? His eyes travelled up the side of the wall, but found nothing.

“The fuck are you lookin’ at brat? C’mon, we’re leavin’,'' Kenny strode past him, roughly tugging him along. But Levi wasn’t looking where he was going, silver eyes still glued to that alley, waiting for her to emerge. But she never did.

A harsh knock on his door snapped him out of his memory spiral. How long had he been sitting here? Usually he had a good grasp on time but right now it could have been four in the morning or two in the afternoon. Running a hand down the side of his face, he went to sip his tea, grimacing as the now cold liquid graced his tongue. Setting it down almost immediately, he would have forgotten anyone knocked on his door in the first place had they not knocked again.

“Levi? Are you in there?” Erwin. Great.

“The fuck do you want Eyebrows?” Erwin clearly took that as permission to enter. Not that he needed permission.

Levi raised his eyes as his Commander strode in, pushing the door closed behind him.

“I was wondering if you managed to get information out of our little criminal.”

Levi’s jaw flexed.

“No.”

“Nothing?” Erwin seemed a little surprised and Levi couldn’t for the life of him think why. He didn’t know about your relationship, and it wasn’t like he was well practiced in his social skills.

“Nothing. She’s refusing to say anything other than annoying, sarcastic quips.”

“You two aren’t so different then.”

“Oi,” Erwin chuckled at Levi’s low warning, holding up an apologetic hand.

“Apologies, forgive me. It was just a joke,” Levi rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue as Erwin took a seat on the leather sofa, crossing an ankle over his knee. “I’m surprised. I thought you two may get along. Considering your shared upbringing,” if he wasn’t talking to Levi, anyone else would have thought it was an innocent enough assumption. But over the years, Levi had learned Erwin’s tells, and knew when there was something deeper going on. But still, there was no way he could know about your literal shared past.

“She’s abrasive, rude, cocky and thoroughly unpleasant. Why on earth would we get along?” Levi knew he was lying through his teeth. Whilst yes, you were in fact abrasive, cocky and rude, you were far from unpleasant. He wouldn’t have shared his heart with you if you were.

Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose. Suddenly he looked incredibly tired, like he hadn’t slept in weeks.

“Did you know her? From your time down there. Did you two ever run into each other?” straight to the point, it seemed. Erwin hadn’t missed the Captain’s flash of recognition back when you’d taken your mask off. He hadn’t missed the way he froze to the spot.

But Levi wasn’t about to open up to anyone, especially not the same Commander that had dragged him kicking and screaming into the Scouts.

Truth be told, after that first interaction, Levi had tried his damndest to see you again at every opportunity. He’d never been shown that sort of kindness since his mother died, and he didn’t want your little spark to be snuffed out by the Underground. He didn’t speak to you very often, only silently offering to walk you home at night, warding off any unwanted attention a young woman would draw.

He offered to share his small home with you when you were both around fourteen. It had been two years since Kenny abandoned him, and he noticed you looked directionless, and though it had taken a while for you to open up, he was happy for you to stay with him until you found somewhere else.

He just never expected to fall in love with you, or for you to fall in love with him.

“No. I’ve never seen her before,” Levi lied, keeping his eyes trained on the same document he must have been staring at for the last god knows how long, too lost in his own mind to concentrate.

Erwin wasn’t quite as good at reading Levi, and so accepted that as his truthful answer.

“Very well, I bid you a good night, Captain,” ah. So it was nighttime. Noted.

“Yeah yeah, see you tomorrow,” Levi waved his hand dismissively, once again earning another chuckle from Erwin as the door was pulled shut.

Levi almost instinctively reached for his tea again, only just remembering it was stone cold. He sighed in irritation, rising from his chair. He didn’t think there was enough tea in the world to help him sort through his thoughts. But damn if it didn’t make it easier.

Rolling his now stiff shoulders, he picked up the cold brew and headed to the kitchen. It was going to be a long night.

꧁ꨄ꧂

Sleeping in the Underground City was a luxury. Despite your exhaustion, sleep didn’t come easily. You assumed you must have dozed off for an hour at least before the faint sound of multiple footsteps had you sitting bolt upright, your muscles barking in protest. You were always aware of your surroundings. Always ready, even when you may look like you were resting.

You didn’t quite know what to expect, quickly running through several scenarios and possibilities in your head. One of those possibilities rounded the corner from the stairs. Four MP soldiers now stood outside your cell, one jiggling the keys into the lock. Immediately you stood, not going down without a fight. Though it wasn’t much of one. Before you had even landed a proper blow on any of them, you were harshly kicked to the floor. Your body having not woken up properly yet, you were easy enough to subdue as they clasped your wrists together in front of you with rope. Not what you were expecting but it was more comfortable than behind your back.

You stayed silent as they dragged you further deeper into the complex of jails and cells. You didn’t imagine they would span this far beneath what you assumed was the headquarters, but nonetheless you kept walking until you were faced with a wooden door. The same soldier fiddled with the lock until it swung open and you were kicked inside.

Raising your head, you saw the room wasn’t exactly empty. An array of bats and blunt trauma objects rested against the far side of the wall, but that wasn’t what threw the spear of terror into your heart.

A single, iron hook extended down from the ceiling. It looked like it would be used for bleeding or drying meat, but you could think of several other uses for it. For example, your current situation.

The door locking behind you had your head whirling, eyes darting from the man with the key to the wood that now trapped you inside.

“Ah, Raven. I’m sure our commander forewarned you about this, I don’t really know why you look so surprised,” you shivered at the fake pleasant tone, a stark contrast to the way you were now being tugged to your feet, arms thrown up above you. You realise now why they used rope instead of chains, your wrists being hooked up above you. Your feet now only just grazing the floor, head falling between your shoulders with your loose thin shirt riding up your stomach. You suddenly regretted shedding your leather jacket earlier, wanting to be a little more comfortable as you attempted to sleep.

“We have strict instructions not to permanently damage you, however we have various other methods,” one of your torturers stalked behind you, reaching up to twist the hook so you spun with him, now facing the wall of weaponry. The other three who had accompanied you all leant against the wall to you right, as if waiting for their turn. “I thought I would be kind enough to let you choose which we start with. Since you’d be the one on the receiving end,” the sick fuck. He was really enjoying this wasn’t he?

“At least tell me what you fucking want,” you spat, thrashing slightly in your bonds. The man simply laughed, crossing to the selection.

“Oh, we don’t want information. Just for you to suffer as much pain as we did when you killed our comrades,” ah, so they had personal connections. Understood.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” your crooked, satisfied grin faltered as his expression darkened, crossing the room towards you in a few strides. Roughly grabbing your chin, he forced your head up to meet his gaze as you writhed in his tight grip.

“You know, you were quite the formidable criminal down there. Slaughtering and murdering whoever you pleased. Harming those who had done nothing to you. But look at you now, strung up like a squealing pig. Fuck, if it isn’t satisfying to see,” he threw your head back down before driving his foot into your gut. The impact sent you swinging backwards, saliva flying from your mouth.

Raising your eyes, you shot him a visceral glare as he browsed his collection of weapons as if he was picking out a pastry at a bakery. Opting for the classic wooden bat, you braced yourself for the night to come, knowing it was going to be a long one.

[itwoodbeprefect]

Inge! sorry I'm a little late to the party, but do you still take prompts? if yes, I'd like to request a friendship piece for either Rodney&Teyla or Rodney&Ronon (w/ or w/out a dash of McShep is good for me) pretty please? thanks! <3

Not that late at all, and what a lovely warm prompt! Thank you. :D

I went with Rodney & Ronon, but also kind of Rodney & Teyla and maybe Ronon & Teyla, and also John is around, and it’s almost teamfic? Also, Jeannie.

---

The door to John’s quarters slides open exactly like his own would, which he expects, but he stops cold after two hasty steps into the room anyway. He turns back to the door to check, and in the process has to look past the Johnny Cash poster above the bed and the surfboard leaning against the wall and the giant brick of a Tolstoy book on the nightstand, so yeah, he decides in the end, without stepping out to doublecheck - these are John’s quarters. There’s not a single thing out of place, except, well, the obvious.

“McKay,” Ronon grumbles. It sounds like a greeting. Like Ronon, sitting fully clothed on the edge of John’s made bed, is saying hi.

“What are you doing here?” Rodney asks, by way of saying hi back.

“Meeting Sheppard.” Ronon grins, in a way that looks a little dangerous. That’s a good sign with Ronon, who has no problem looking a lot dangerous, if he wants. “Unless you want to spar with me.”

Rodney does not. Rodney thinks that’s a little too predictable for him to say out loud; quite honestly, he thinks John is crazy for endangering his life that way voluntarily every week.

Rodney looks back at the door again, which has slid closed, and in front of which the person he’s been looking for has not suddenly materialized in the last ten seconds. “Where is John?”

“Not here.”

Rodney’s nerves make him skip the snappy comeback. “Any idea where he might be?”

“Why?” Ronon asks.

Which is more than enough to make Rodney spill his guts. He was barely holding it in, anyway. “I think Jeannie’s mad at me, and I’m not sure why.” He frowns and starts to pace back and forth and rub his hands together. He’s a multitasker. “I don’t think I did or said anything rude lately, but her emails are shorter than usual, and she didn’t even sign the last one. It’s really not like me to overthink these kinds of things, because I don’t care what people think of me anyway-” That’s a lie, he’s come to realize in recent years, but it’s a comforting one to repeat out loud, sometimes. “But, you know, I think I was the bad guy for not contacting Jeannie all those years and we’ve only just started being brother and sister again, so I’ve been trying to put in the effort, and now I think she’s mad at me.” He stops marching and gives the too long, didn’t read version. “So I need someone to tell me what I did wrong, so I can fix it.”

Ronon levels a look at him. “And you need John for this.”

The look says more than the words, and it has a point, of course. John’s not known for his exceptional social grace and skill. Rodney wags his head a little, considering how to justify his choice. John is his best friend, but he’d feel a little pathetic saying that to Ronon, who he’s pretty sure is also John’s best friend. “He had some surprisingly clever insights about my relationship with Jeannie last time she was here,” is what Rodney lands on, reluctantly. He spots John’s golf stuff in the corner, and wistfully thinks back to being able to just ramble at John without Ronon sitting there, judging him.

Ronon leans back, planting his hands behind him on the mattress. “I could help,” he offers, out of the blue.

Some deep, deep blue. Blue enough to make Rodney stare, hands stilling mid-wring. “You?” Rodney’s not trying to be offensively puzzled, but he thinks he’s allowed a little surprise. If John is dubious in his social grace, Ronon is a tripping hazard. “You could help?”

Ronon stares back like a challenge. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Rodney says. He waits and looks at Ronon expectantly, but nothing happens. Ronon just looks back at him mutely. “Please?”

“What would Teyla do?”

“Huh?” She’s not here, either - if Ronon’s help is just sending him to chase someone else around the city, that’s not very helpful at all.

“Ask yourself,” Ronon says. “What would Teyla do? And then do that thing.”

Rodney is right back to baffled. He’s not sure he ever left - he’s talking to Ronon Dex about feelings. “Is that how you handle a problem?”

“No.” Ronon leaves a pause there. Rodney finds himself unexpectedly distracted by the question if Ronon talks so little because he really just doesn’t have much to say, or because finding words takes effort. “I glare at it until it goes away.”

Rodney huffs a laugh out of pure surprise, because that almost sounds like a joke. It may not have been, but either way Ronon doesn’t glare at him, which Rodney takes as a sign that he hasn’t just become a problem.

“And if that doesn’t work-” Ronon continues, which Rodney feels is surprisingly talkative of him, until he lets that sentence hang unfinished.

But Rodney can do that, now. Finish Ronon’s sentence. “What would Teyla do?”

Ronon nods. He looks a little smug, like there’s a dead Wraith around here somewhere. “Yeah.”

“Oh,” Rodney says, both because he would have guessed that Ronon’s backup plan would involve a lot more knives (though it could, potentially, still involve knives sometimes - Teyla’s very good with those) and because that’s actually good advice. If there’s one person who would know how to get someone to tell them what’s wrong, it’s Teyla.

And if Teyla thought somebody she loved might be mad at her, but she wasn’t sure why, she would... ask. She wouldn’t go into a tailspin and try to guess at the answer while assuming it had to be her fault, she would ask why and listen and then talk it out.

“Oh my God,” Rodney says, feeling like a whole new world just opened up to him. “Words.”

Ronon pulls a face. It looks a little like a sympathy wince.

Rodney flings a hand out at him. “Thank you!”

“Thank Teyla,” Ronon says, which Rodney thinks is a little weirdly modest for the galaxy’s greatest Runner who just counseled him through a family emergency, but they can work on Ronon’s ability to accept gratitude later, over lunch or something.

For now, Rodney sweeps out of the room, because he needs his computer so he can type so he can get Jeannie to tell him what’s bothering her so he can be a good brother, and apologize only once he knows what he’s apologizing for. God, Teyla’s smart.

As luck would have it, John is just stepping out of the transporter when Rodney storms towards it. “Hey,” he says, slowing to a stop when Rodney doesn’t. “What are you doing here?”

“Asking you for help.” Rodney brushes right past him with a pat to his arm; no time.

“You’re going the wrong way,” John calls after him.

“I’m fine! Ronon helped me by making Teyla help me help myself with Jeannie.”

“What?”

The last thing Rodney sees before he steps into the transporter is John’s bewildered face. It’s clear John is left with some questions, but Rodney doesn’t need to hang around for that. Ronon can take over; that’s what Teyla would do.

Or, Rodney thinks, what a friend would do.

(Turns out, in the end, that Jeannie was never even mad at him to begin with - her next email is much longer, and details all the mundane little circumstances that piled up and left her very stressed last month but that she didn’t think Rodney had wanted to hear about (it involves a flu and lice and a car that wouldn’t start and visiting in-laws and school play preparations and a lost teddy bear and half a dozen other little things Rodney is glad he doesn’t have to deal with in Pegasus), and then she calls him very attentive for picking up on her mood and sweet for thinking to ask if everything is okay.

The next day Rodney bribes one of the botanists to cut a bouquet for him and gives it to Teyla, and he hoards one of the last pieces of pie at dinner until Ronon shows up. “What’s happening?” John asks, suspicious. Maybe Ronon’s explanation wasn’t all that comprehensive after all.

“Emotional intelligence,” Ronon says around a full mouth, spewing little pieces of pie across the table, and Rodney nods solemnly.

That’s not what Teyla would do, because she’s smiling at them both, but close enough.)

[itsclydebitches]

Guy who doesn't care for Ozpin here. When Qrow told Ruby she wasn't like Ozpin in Vol 7, I was expecting for there to be a moment where they both realize that was bullshit and sort of learn to empathize with the guy. That never happened. Instead, the open hostility Ozpin's treated with in Vol 8 (as if he hadn't just saved all their asses) left me completely baffled. Then they start talking about how trust is a risk, and it feels like an entire character arc for everyone was skipped there.

I was pretty baffled too, anon. Honestly, the entirety of the “trust is a risk” scene felt unearned, like (as you say) we’d missed a pretty crucial journey across Volumes 6-8. I’m still trying to puzzle out when the group took a risk on trust rather than just… blatantly risking everything on a wild card. Reaching out to Ozpin again would have been a risk. Meeting Ironwood with the truth when he did the same for them would have been a risk. Either one of these situations would have been nicely balanced between, “It feels like a risk because you hurt us before/your methods aren’t ideal” and “But you’re also someone who has done a lot of good for us and has thus earned a second chance/a certain amount of faith.” That would have worked for me in regards to "trust is a risk." But instead, risking trust seems to be applied to Robyn and Hazel, two characters that either the group knew next to nothing about, or knows for certain is an enemy. Neither of those were “trust is a risk” moments, they were just stupid, reckless decisions that never backfired as they were likely to because the plot ensures that things turn out in the group’s favor.

Recently, someone liked an old post of mine about the fireside conversation in Volume 5 and I was reminded of Qrow’s speech about how Salem’s greatest tool is dividing humanity from within. Four volumes later, I’m still shaking my head at the writers’ inability to see that they’ve crafted heroes who are doing exactly that. The group divides themselves from Ozpin. Then they divide themselves from Cordovin. Then Qrow. Then Ironwood. Then the Ace Ops. Then Ren (for a time). How many allies do our heroes need to reject before the show realizes, “Oh, this is what we introduced before. When people are so caught up in their way of doing things and flat our refuse to compromise, they become more concerned with fighting each other than the actual threat: Salem.” I’m not saying all these allies have never made iffy choices that the group was justified in questioning, I’m saying that since Volume 5 our heroes have flat out refused to sacrifice anything in an effort to hold tight to this unity. Why won’t anyone swallow their pride and admit that they treated Ozpin horribly? Why won’t anyone point out that sending Weiss to Atlas is better than starting a war with Argus? Why doesn’t anyone insist that Ruby stop repeating what they perceive as Ozpin’s mistakes? Why isn’t anyone willing to let Ironwood go while they defend Mantle, or suggest ways to buy them all time to finish evacuations? Why do they all wholeheartedly agree that beating the Kingdom's few huntsmen unconscious right before Salem arrives is better than accepting that they betrayed them and facing those consequences? Why does Qrow feel the need to attack Clover rather than just going to Ironwood to (he thinks) straighten things out? Why can't Weiss approach her brother in a compassionate way after her mother specifically asked that of her? Why is Ruby more concerned with preaching about how there are no sides than actually going down and saving people from grimm? Why can’t a single character agree with Ren and admit that they’ve messed things up along the way? At this point, I'm inclined to say "Cheap drama" because throwing in ridiculous airship plans or fights against other teams is easier than writing an entertaining story that also follows the moral code it introduced.

Every time these moments crop up though the fandom is ready with a number of reasons for why this is impossible, with “impossible” being equal to “It would have been hard for the group in some way.” Going to Atlas alone would be hard. Reconnecting with someone you’re mad at would be hard. Leaving Nora in the mansion would be hard. Finding a compromise with Ironwood after he no longer trusts you because of your betrayal would be hard. And my response to that is always, “It should be hard.” They’re our heroes! We expect them to make hard choices and shoulder a difficult burden in the name of protecting others. The show and fandom alike are so concerned with things being as good as they can for the group that they’ve lost sight of the fact that they’re supposed to be better than the average person—yet now, nameless, faceless soldiers (notably in a anti-military arc) end up looking better because they actually did something. The end result of the group’s avoidance of sacrifice is that they’ve spent three volumes dividing everyone around them. They’ve rejected, shouted at, betrayed, abandoned, and attacked every major ally they’ve encountered since leaving Haven and each time my thought is, “This is what Salem wants. This is what helps her get a foothold. Not teams splitting to do separate tasks, Ruby, but your refusal to meet anyone halfway, instead spending all your energy attacking them instead of the genocidal witch. Salem doesn’t need to take out the most elite huntsmen team, or get the Relics out of a vault, or destroy a Kingdom, or get this formidable force to break from within… you did all of that for her. Meanwhile the show, astoundingly, keeps presenting that as not just heroic, but above reproach. Let the group try and make mistakes—a heroism tainted by ignorance and inevitable, human failure—but also call them out on the damage they've done. Let them grow."

And it all started with Ozpin. Not just the snow scene, but all the way back in the Haven house when Yang waltzed in ready to tear him a new one because her absent mother said so. We’ve lost the camaraderie of early RWBY—when the inner circle disagreed but still worked together, when different schools stood side-by-side to defend Beacon, when the group was eager to learn from and assist Oobleck, when an adult arriving to save Ruby’s life was greeted with a smile rather than a charge of spying—and that has severely messed with the messages the show is trying to impart. Now, even a straightforward speech about coming together includes the oblivious note, "But not Ironwood. Don't trust him. Trust me, a random teenager, but one of your world leaders is a lost cause. I haven't been able to unify with the people I disagree with, but you all should. I see no conflict in my expectations here."

We’ve lost that camaraderie, but because RWBY is supposed to be about coming together, we get these incredibly random moments of, “Let’s trust the thief stealing the supplies we need and then keep that as another secret” or “Let’s trust Hazel with the very thing he’s torturing us for,” or “Let’s immediately welcome in the woman who has spent years trying to murder us.” Like sure, go for it, plenty of shows shrug off villainy in the name of second-chances and that's fine provided it's consistent, but in order to achieve consistency you’ve got to trust the people actually working to help you first. Moments like Qrow telling Ruby she’s better than Ozpin not only ruin the dynamic the heroes once had, not only undermine the message the show wants to impart, not only makes the group look like hypocrites without that being a characteristic the story wants to explore… it also ruins the forgiveness for any other character who has done legitimately worse things. Emerald, Hazel, Robyn, and their like would by default have better arcs if Ozpin, Ironwood, Ren, and their like had been treated better.

[remywrites5]

            Regulus sat on the sofa, where he fiddled with his hair nervously, and shifted uncomfortably in the dress his mum had put him in. He hated that he was forced to keep his hair so long. Sirius had been growing his hair out since he was fifteen, ever since Reg finally told him the truth, that Regulus identified as a man. “Look, Reg,” Sirius had said, once his hair was past his shoulders. “Boys can have long hair too. So don’t feel bad that mum won’t let you cut it!”

           They had poured over the many Astronomy books in the library to find Regulus a different name – a boy’s name. After a bit of back and forth between the two brothers, they had eventually agreed on Regulus Black.

           Regulus had had a rough go of it at Hogwarts – being misgendered, people using his dead name, and having to sleep in the girls’ dormitories. The only time he had been happy was on the Slytherin Quidditch team, because everyone wore the same uniforms. But now he was out of Hogwarts and had hoped he could finally live his life the way he wanted. Those small glimpses of hope had been dashed once Sirius ran away from home. Sirius was disinherited and burned off the family tapestry. Regulus was now responsible for producing a Black family heir, since he was not eligible to inherit.

           Since graduating from Hogwarts, Regulus’ life had been a parade of men from pureblood families. Walburga was searching for someone worthy. Regulus had lost count of how many men had come by, looking for an arranged marriage that benefited them. Some of them were just looking for the status that marrying a Black would bring them. Others were interested in the money. Regulus had taken a page out of his brother’s book, and had causes enough trouble that they all ran away.

           Walburga had stopped giving Regulus any insight into who would be coming to the door. Perhaps she had figured out that if Regulus had knowledge of the suitor, he could figure out a way to scare them off. Most of the men coming by were people Reg knew from school, which meant he knew their weak spots. After all, Regulus was a Slytherin at the end of the day, and he would use every advantage he had if it meant he didn’t have to marry.

           The door to the parlor opened and Regulus stood up. He smoothed out the skirt of the black satin dress his mother had forced him to wear and prepared himself for the worst. He was a little caught off guard when James Potter of all people walked in. His mother considered the Potters to be blood traitors, which meant she must have been getting desperate to find someone pureblood still left.

           “James –“ Regulus said, feeling himself blush.

           “Hi Reg,” James responded, giving a little wave.

           Regulus was so shocked to hear one of these stupid suitors call him by his name. It was almost enough to make him cry in relief. “What are you doing here?”

           James shuffled awkwardly on his feet and scratched the back of his neck. “Could we maybe sit down?”

           Regulus crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not like it’s a secret.”

           James made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. “I knew this was going to be bloody awkward. Look, I’m probably the last person you want to get saddled with after everything that happened with Sirius, but your mum invited me out, and Sirius wanted me to come see how you are.”

           “Oh,” Reg said, rubbing his arm self-consciously. “Well, I’m fine, you can tell Sirius I’m fine.”

           James took a tentative step forward. “Are you sure, Reg?”

           “I’m sure,” Regulus snapped at him. “You don’t want to be here anyway, so just go,”

           “I didn’t say that,” James countered defensively. “I said you don’t want me here. I know you don’t like me all that much since Sirius came to live with me.”

           “I never disliked you,” Regulus confessed quietly. “I disliked the situation, but I always understood why Sirius had to get out.”

           “So…” James took another step towards Regulus. “You don’t hate me then?”

           Regulus shook his head. “No, I don’t,” he said out loud in case James needed it verbalized to believe it.

           James sighed in relief and smiled at Reg. “I’m glad to hear it. I was a little worried you were going to hex me on sight.”

           Regulus smirked and sat back down on the couch. He crossed his legs primly and then patted the spot next to him. James eagerly hurried over to sit down beside him. Regulus tried not to find it endearing and failed miserably. “Here’s the thing, I don’t want to get married and I certainly don’t want to have a child.”

           “Okay…” James said, his brow furrowing. “Then why are you going along with all of this then?”

           “I don’t exactly have a choice,” Regulus said through gritted teeth, his hands curling into fists by his sides. “The Black family needs an heir and we both know Sirius isn’t an option anymore. As far as pureblood wizards go, you’re about the best I’m going to get. Besides, I want someone who is going to accept me as a man. I know I might not be what you were looking for –“

           “Actually –“ James interrupted, scratching his chin. “Sirius informed me I’m something called Pansexual…so, you know, I’m fine with you being a bloke.”

           Regulus blinked a few times in surprise. He honestly had not been expecting that at all and was completely baffled. He had always thought James Potter was straight, after all, he had spent most of his time at Hogwarts chasing after Lily Evans.

           “So wait, you’re actually considering this?” Regulus asked, shaking his head slightly in disblief. “You’d marry me?”

           James shrugged. “If you’ll have me.”

           “You’re not just doing this as a favor to my brother, right?” Reg asked, eyeing James suspiciously. After knowing James for so long, it was difficult not to imagine he had some kind of ulterior motive for all of this.

           James grinned. “I love Sirius like a brother, but even I’m not that altruistic that I would marry a bloke just to make him happy.”

           Regulus was satisfied with that answer. He couldn’t believe that he was actually considering marry James Potter. “You must have something you want out of all of this,” he said, chewing his bottom lip. “This is a lot to give up.”

           “I don’t see it that way,” James said, slowly reaching over and taking Reg’s hand in his, giving Reg enough time to pull away if he wanted. “I mean, you’re very pretty. Handsome? No, blokes can be pretty. You’re pretty. Beautiful, actually. I – fuck – you know you’re gorgeous. I don’t have to tell you that.”

           Regulus felt himself blushing horridly. He couldn’t believe one compliment like that – and a fumbled attempt at one no less – was enough to get him flustered. “So you just want to marry someone pretty then?”

           James laughed but it was a bit strained. “I think you’re more than just a pretty face, Reg.”  

           Regulus turned his face away to hide his deeper blush. What was wrong with him today? “Shut up, James.”

           “What do you say, Reg?” James asked, giving Regulus’ hand a squeeze. “Do you want to marry me?”

           Regulus turned and eyed James up and down for any sign that he was being disingenuous. Instead all he saw was the stupidly earnest look on James’ face as he waited for a response.

           “Yes.”

                                                                       ***

           Regulus felt like he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since he’d agreed to James’ proposal. After they got married, Regulus and James had gotten a flat together in London, and being away from his parents meant Regulus could finally breathe. He donated all his dresses and skirts to charity, so that he never had to see them again. James didn’t say a word when Regulus cut his hair, picking a fashionable undercut, the front still falling into his grey eyes.

           Regulus still felt like they were on the precipice of something, though. James never asked for anything, and that simple fact put Regulus on edge. He wasn’t used to someone not having any expectations for him. For the most part, James just let Regulus be, and since they weren’t sleeping in the same bed, they were almost more like flatmates than a married couple. It made Regulus uneasy, since he still didn’t know what James was getting out of their arrangement.

           It started with Regulus stealing James’ shirts and hoodies. James was fairly muscular from his obsession with Quidditch, so when Regulus wore James’ clothes, he was kind of swimming in them. They were so cozy that Regulus couldn’t help wanting to wear them. Being wrapped up in James’ clothes kind of made Regulus yearn for the man himself.

           James was relaxing on the couch, studying for the Auror exam he was taking later that month. He glanced up when Reg entered the room and his hazel eyes immediately went soft behind his glasses. He took in the sight of Regulus wearing his Gryffindor t-shirt and smiled. Regulus chewed his bottom lip for a moment and then walked over to the couch. James watched him for a minute and then scooted over in an invitation. Regulus dropped into James’ arms and they tangled themselves in each other.

           “James?”

           “Yeah, Reg?”

           “Am I enough for you?”

           James frowned for a moment and Regulus immediately buried his face away against James’ neck. He was nervous that he had upset his husband. “Why would you ask me that?”

           “Because you’ve given me a home, and you’ve let me be myself,” Regulus said, his voice muffled against James’ skin. “I don’t know what I do for you.”

           James chuckled, rubbing his hand over Reg’s back. “Do you want to do something for me?”

           “Well I am your husband,” Regulus groused, wrapping his arms around James and hugging him tightly.

           James slid his hand down, brushing his finger along Reg’s jawline, before tilting his chin up. James ducked his head and kissed Regulus tenderly on the lips. Regulus gasped slightly, but the kiss was already done before he got the sound out. “There,” James said, shifting around so that he could comfortably hold his book, his other arm still around Reg. “That’s all I wanted.”

           Regulus’ jaw was still dropped. “That can’t possibly be enough for you,” he reasoned.

           James put his book down in order to focus his attention on Reg. “Fine, I’ll do it again then,” he said with a soft sigh. He captured Reg’s lips and proceeded to kiss him breathless. Regulus clung to James, letting his mouth be invaded by James’ talented tongue, whimpering slightly against his husband’s’ lips.

           “James –“ Regulus said, breaking the kiss. “I want you to be honest with me. A few kisses? That’s really all you want?”

           James grinned and ran his fingers through Reg’s hair. “You want me to be honest, huh?”

           “Yes.”

           “I want you to wear my clothes all the time, because it does things to me to see you in them, and I’m a bad, possessive husband, who wants to see my husband in my t-shirts. I also want to kiss you pretty much all the time. Finally, I want you to fall in love with me, but that one I’m willing to wait on.”

           Regulus hid his face away again because the things James said were simply too overwhelming. “So that’s all I have to do?” Regulus asked in astonishment.

           “That’s all,” James confirmed, pressing a kiss to the top of Regulus’ head.

           Regulus huffed indignantly. It all sounded so simple, but that couldn’t be all James wanted. Regulus knew that his mother had constantly been bombarding James with owls since their wedding night six months ago. A barrage of letters and howlers had come asking when they were going to get pregnant and produce and heir. Walburga probably would have had conniptions if she knew James and Regulus weren’t even sleeping in the same bed. But after their little cuddle session on the couch, Reg was thinking he might have to reevaluate his stance on that. Being held by James was actually very nice. “May I tell you what I want?”

           Regulus felt James nod, since Reg still had his face buried away. “Of course,” James said softly. “Anything you want, Reg.”

           Regulus pulled back, so that he could see James’ face, and took a deep breath. “I want you to fall in love with me too.”

           “Too late.”

           Regulus sputtered for a moment. “Y-you’re not –“

           “I’m not?” James challenged, raising an eyebrow. His eyes got that same softness to them as he smiled before leaning in to kiss Regulus again. “I’m pretty sure I am.”

           “Only pretty sure?” Regulus murmured against James’ lips, managing to tease him, even as his heart was fluttering away in his chest.

           James chuckled, pressing their foreheads together, so Reg had no choice but to stare into those hazel eyes he’d become enamored by.

           “I’m sure.”

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #31 - Ammo and the Anti-Glowup

So, the Lost Light disappeared, stranding all the crew in space in their little escape pods. 200-some robots just lost their homes and worldly possessions. That’s absolutely horrible. What a devastating thing to happen.

Anyway, here’s Drift with a flashback sequence.

No hips, fingers all the exact same length, hockey pucks embedded in his forearms- Rojo, this is a crime you’ve committed. When will the long arm of the law stop your sinful, pancake-shaped hands?

About two years prior to current events, Drift, Riptide, and Pipes- yes, Pipes!- were wandering around trying to find a ship for the space yacht trip. The gang’s here to see who owns the big honkin’ ship outside. Problem is, Drift is unintentionally terrifying because he has a great deal of swords.

Now, you may say to yourself “isn’t it a bit odd that the species that has members who literally turn into guns would be nervous around a guy with swords?” This is a valid critique, until you remember that at least some of the folks who turn into guns were born that way, and Drift was very much NOT born bladed the fuck out. There’s an entire miniseries devoted to explaining this, it’s called Drift. The swords are a choice, one that he makes every day.

Drift is willing to pay an honestly absurd amount of money for the ship, if he can just find the dude with the paperwork- don’t ask where he got the money. Pipes isn’t being terribly helpful in finding them, so Riptide decides that now is the time to start practicing being proactive and pulls a Coyote Ugly.

No, no, he doesn’t.

He does climb up on a table and start yelling for the ship’s owners to reveal themselves, though. Which they do.

Now it’s time for the world-building portion of our comic issue. Let’s learn about chirolinguistics.

Drift, staying true to his Mary Sue nature, uses his near-perfect Hand skills to strike up a deal with the owners of the ship. This would be impressive, if it didn’t just look like the most convoluted hand-holding session in the friggin’ universe.

Still, Drift is rich enough to make Jeff Bezos weep with envy, so the arrangements are made and the lads go on their way, talking some mad shit about the original name of the ship as they do.

So it is revealed to us that the Lost Light is named after a festival for honoring the dead and disappeared, which makes the fact that Rewind and Chromedome were there all the more sad.

Back in the present, Megatron tells Riptide to shut up so they can figure out what the hell they’re going to do about this whole “our home and also ride has ceased to exist” situation. He’s putting an awful lot of distance between himself and the rest of the Autobots as he does it, something that isn’t lost on the more bitter people of the crowd.

But why were we even talking about the Lost Light in the first place? Not to reminisce, believe it or not. See, it’s time for Nautica to get a little panel time, and she’s going to use it to be a massive fucking nerd and explain how the quantum engines work. As she does, Ratchet notes that his hands feel funny. Must be the weight of his hand-stealing sins manifesting itself in his joints.

Nautica explains that the engines run off of improbability- it is highly unlikely, but not impossible, that the ship can reach light speed, and riding the fine line between what can happen and what can’t, results in the creation of power for the engines. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Brainstorm gave us a watered down version of this explanation back in issue #2. If it sounds familiar for a different reason, it’s because this is how the Heart of Gold runs in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Again, I’m not sure why it is that the British love this concept so much, but there you are.

Oh, it appears someone has a question. Let’s see what they want to know about, shall we?

…Rojo, what the fuck is this.

Our muppety friend here isn’t too keen on how much of a smarmy asshole Nightbeat is being right now, though I’d assume it actually has something to do with the fact that Nightbeat got smacked around with the pretty-boy stick while Getaway very much did not. While the two bicker- there’s a lot of bickering in Season Two- Nautica presents a theory on what happened to the ship; it went too far in the direction of “can’t” and made itself cease to be.

Megatron gives not a shit about quantum improbability, though. He only cares about how they’re going to get out of this mess. Which, y’know. Valid.

Blaster picks up a radio from Rodimus, who tells the gang that they’re to meet up on a nearby planet to regroup and figure out their next move. The call drops before he can get more than a couple Megatron-directed insults in, however. Megatron, in response, tries to be the bigger person, and almost immediately fails. We do get a headcount though, which is good, logistically speaking. This information is communicated to us by way of a splash page full of character head shots. We’ve got 20 ‘bots on board this ship.

Yep. 20. No more, no less.

As our friends approach the planet, we’re informed that it’s actually a Lectureworld- a planet devoted to the study of a single field. Except it’s actually a Smartplanet now, and it’s been privatized by the Galactic Council, so you’ve got to pay to go there. Cyclonus thinks that that’s bullshit, and I can’t help but agree. Crosscut tries to network with they guy about his play, probably because word got around that Cyclonus is rich as hell, when the lights cut out. When they come back on, Crosscut is nowhere to be found.

It’s time for a Whodunnit.

Tailgate immediately pegs Megatron as the culprit in this disappearance, and breaks out a gun over the matter. Megatron thinks that this is absolutely adorable, which only serves to further infuriate our marshmallow friend. I guess he’s still mad about the whole “I was a Decepticon for five minutes and got brainwashed over it” thing, and wants someone to pin the anger on who’s socially acceptable to hate.

Cyclonus and Ratchet both think that Tailgate’s not going about this the right way, but the guy is simply too het up to listen to them. Tailgate suggests that they lock Megatron in the engine room for the time being and-

OKAY WHO LET HIM HAVE THAT

Riptide breaks out his gun, and soon we’ve got a standoff going between the three of them. Cyclonus tries to deescalate, which makes Gears and Huffer break out their guns. Then Hound breaks out his gun, though he seems to be doing his own thing, by pointing it in Nautica’s direction.

Broski, I think that might be animal cruelty.

Megatron manages to shoot Ravage “unconscious” and catches him by the friggin’ throat, stating that he has zero idea how this guy got here. With the heat off the two of them for a moment, Megatron communicates to Ravage to play ‘possum for the time being. Ravage responds, and I wonder exactly how he’s doing that, considering I don’t think he has enough fingers to effectively utilize Hand as a language. Or fingers at all, really.

While this is going on, Cyclonus snatches the gun out of Tailgate’s hand, admonishing him for being reckless about picking his fights. Generally speaking, you don’t want to try to go toe-to-toe with a guy who’s responsible for the deaths of literal billions. Getaway swoops in to comfort Tailgate, calling him gutsy. I wonder if this will become a trend.

Swerve says a thing, as he is wont to do, and it’s made known that multiple folks have disappeared during this incredibly brief standoff.

Wow, Chromedome just fucked off, huh? He wasn’t even in that sequence, just left.

Everyone’s positively baffled by the current happenings. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who’s being taken. I guess we’ve got a mystery on our hands.

And who better to solve a mystery than a detective?

Nightbeat wrangles all the leftover folks into a corner of the room, so they can figure out what the common denominator is with all the disappearees. He starts with the easy stuff.

And by “easy”, I mean the super-special racism Tyrest subscribed to.

If you’ve read Eugenesis, you know that Nightbeat was also part of the first wave of cold-constructed bodies there. However, the general populace wasn’t nearly as chill about it as they were in IDW. Also, Wheeljack was his dad. No word on if that particular tidbit made it into IDW lore.

It’s at this point that we learn about M.T.O.s- made to order soldiers. They were cold-constructed ‘bots created en masse during the war in order to keep up with the demands for troops. Pretty fucked up, if you think about it, being born to die like that.

Now where have we heard that name before…

Chromedome, can your love life not be part of the plot for five minutes, my guy?

Nautica makes the honestly horrific claim that a lot of folks owe their existence to Megatron being a warmongering fuck, and even Megatron himself seems rather uncomfortable with the idea. Some thoughts we keep to ourselves, Nautica, even if they might be technically true. And even if Ammo wants to tack on his two cents on the matter.

What did they DO to you, Ammo? You’re supposed to be hot! Where are my three-paragraphs of description as Hound stares slack jawed the entire time? I miss Polyhex Wars.

Anyway, it’s Megatron’s turn to get poked with the questioning stick, and he’s not having it. He claims that by revealing his mode of creation, he’s risking a repeat of Functionist ideology. This would be valid, if people weren’t literally disappearing without any sort of explanation as to why. As it is, he’s being a stubborn asshole, but I guess he didn’t get his reputation by being a decent person who knew when to back down, now did he?

It’s at this point that Ratchet remembers he knows all the info Nightbeat’s looking for, and the conversation on Megatron’s birth is shelved for another day. I’m sure it won’t be a major plot point later, not in the slightest.

As it turns out, Nightbeat’s theory doesn’t hold water, and folks are still popping out of existence. We get another splash page, this time with everyone’s mode of creation listed under their names, and we move on to other theories about what the fuck is going on. While Nightbeat has a minor crisis over what the answer could possibly be, the MTOs in the group reminisce on the Ten-Step Program, a series of tests they were put through to make sure they worked well enough to get handed a gun and shoved out the door. Riptide wasn’t a fan.

Riptide has more wood panelling than a 70’s-style ranch house, and I think that’s very brave of him.

It’s at this point that Ratchet remembers it’s been quite a bit since he last shat on religion, and takes the time to do so while informing the reader about Information Creep. This is a concept we’ve seen mentioned previously, during Chromedome’s runaround in Overlord’s brain, but it’s here where we get the juicy implications.

Because memories can become corrupted in the brain due to extreme age, what ought to be objective fact has to be reinterpreted due to missing pieces. This is why nobody knows what the Knights of Cybertron got up to, or if they’re even actually real at all.

The lights go out again, and when they cut back on, Cyclonus is missing, leaving only his sword behind. Tailgate is extremely distraught by this, but Nightbeat gives not a fuck about Tailgate’s impending breakdown. He only cares about the truth!

And then a giant eyeball shows up.

It’s Ultra Magnus, coming to us live from his shuttle, via holomatter avatar! He shrinks down to a far more reasonable size, in a panel reminiscent of the first time IDW readers saw Megatron.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a neat parallel, I’m just… not terribly sure why it’s happening. One could say it reflects a reversal in power dynamics, but that theory gets tossed out the window when you remember that this isn’t actually Verity. I suppose it’s just a cool little thing.

Because the comms aren’t working, Ultra Magnus has been forced to use this avatar to communicate with the folks in the Rod Pod. Megatron asks just what the hell is going on, but unfortunately Magnus isn’t sure either. Then his shuttle disappears, and it’s bye-bye grunge girl Magnus.

It’s at this point that Nightbeat decides it’s time to stop pussyfooting around and get serious. He tells Ratchet to throw HIPPA directly in the garbage and write down everything he knows about the Autobots who crewed the Lost Light. And he does mean everything, as we get the splash page again, this time with lots of neat info on our friends, including spark type.

Spark types will become plot-relevant in the storyline after this, but for now let’s focus on some weird gender essentialism that got slapped into the first print of this issue.

As we know very well by this point, Transformers as a franchise has a tumultuous relationship with the idea of women existing. You would think that the awkward introduction of other genders we got in “Dark Cybertron” would have been the end of things being weird in IDW. However, you would be wrong.

In an effort to explain why genders exist, Roberts had the idea to make it spark-based. Nautica, in the solo print of this issue, has an estriol-positive spark. Estriol is a type of estrogen, which is the hormone that develops and maintains feminine secondary sex characteristics, when present in certain levels, in conjunction with other hormones. Biology

This “spark = gender” idea is, generally speaking, not a great idea to be presenting us with, especially when the writer is a cishet male, because it implies biological essentialism- the idea that a personality trait/quality of a person is innate and predetermined by their biology, as opposed to social, cultural, or individual experiences. Because this story doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s irresponsible to reduce the experience of being a woman to a single, physical, unchangable asset, especially when all other assets of the same class have zero effect on one’s gender identity. You don’t exactly see many nonbinary robots running around, now do you? And there are definitely more than two spark types, despite the Transformers as a species being... very binary.

It also makes female Transformers into an “other”, which is a problem that has existed from the very start of the franchise, in some form or fashion, and really doesn’t need to be perpetrated anymore than it already is.

The estriol spark type was removed in the trade edition, and Roberts has expressed regrets over its inclusion, having realized that it was potentially offensive.

Getting back to the story, Swerve, Tailgate, and Ratchet have disappeared, though Ratchet seems to have left his hands behind. His stolen, Pharma-original hands.

That’s still fucked up to me. I don’t think it’ll ever not be fucked up.

Riptide reveals the reason that he wasn’t in Season One of MTMTE was because when he went back to grab a receipt for the ship two years prior, he’d discovered that the original owners were worshipers of Mortilus, Cybertronian god of death, and knew about the nasty little problem that was the sparkeater from the first storyline. When Riptide went to confront them about it, they beat him up so bad he was unconscious for two solid days.

Which is a long-ass time to be unconscious. That might have been a coma, Riptide. Jesus, I hope someone got him to a hospital after this beatdown happened, or at least scraped him off the floor.

With this last piece of the puzzle, we finally have the common denominator in this big ol’ mystery. Everyone who disappeared was on the Lost Light when it took off from Cybertron in issue #1, and everyone left behind- Skids, Getaway, Nightbeat, Nautica, Megatron, and Ravage- didn’t join until afterwords.

Of course, having the answer doesn’t do us much good when everyone is still missing, and Megatron seems to agree with me, because he’s about to throw hands, when Nautica lets them know that they’ve arrived at the rendezvous. Problem is, so has something else.

...

I’m sure it’s fiiiiiiiiiiiiine!

[shotofire]

bonjour,how are you ? well a oneshot for levi with a kind and shy cadet s/o, who respect everybody but when she gets mad, she'll answer with sarcasm cuz she's dumbass without being afraid or caring about the punishment(even if it's keith or another chef, no body have the right to treat her like a shit) merçi beaucoup ^^✨

Hi friend :p i’m great and I hope you are as well ! Thank you for the request <3

LEVI ACKERMAN x F!READER

Warnings: cursing, age gap (legal of course)

Season: not specified

-

Becoming apart of the Survey Corps was everything but glamorous. Not that anyone would think that, but things definitely were on the ugly side most of the time. To be a scout required discipline and a huge amount of focus. To lay down your life without a second thought would be hard for just about anyone. For some reason, you found it rather easy.

Not a single person believed when you’d say it wasn’t that complicated. Of course knowing you’re going to die isn’t the most exciting thing to come to terms with, but every scout needs to. When your mind is set like that you only excel from there, and that’s exactly what you did. Many of your peers found you admirable, and only wished they could think they way you do.

Levi Ackerman especially found interest in you. At first to find a girl younger than him was controversial, only to him, and he worried that others would accuse you of trying to climb up in the ranks. Soon everyone knew Levi was not the reason you excelled. Sure he’d help you train and push you to your limits, but your natural inner strength is what has kept you alive.

The two of you never classified your relationship, but it was obvious it was closer than an ordinary friendship. There has been several occasions where a group of cadets have spotted you sneaking out of his office. One time Erwin saw you go in without even knocking, that’s the day he knew Levi Ackerman was definitely whipped.

Many couldn’t imagine how you two even came together. Levi was quiet, and only really spoke when giving orders. Then there was you, the quietest girl that had ever entered the Survey Corps. Nobody was being dramatic when they said to hear you speak was rare. You tried to keep to yourself, getting close to others was a weakness. Then Levi entered your life and screwed up that little plan, and now you were perfectly smitten with the captain.

The relationship, or whatever you’d call it, was kept at a minimum to the eyes of others. The furthest it had gone to give others a clue were the office visits, and the way you’d smile at him in the halls or during training.

Before the two of you became a thing you’d given him a few sarcastic remarks. Initially he saw you as someone who needed remediation, but that soon changed. The man saw so much of himself in you it was ridiculous, and he soon started to understand you. On the occasions you’d been a urchin he realized that you were simply sticking up for yourself.

It shocked many to hear the quiet girl stand up for herself, especially to someone as scary as Levi. Unlike everyone else, you didn’t find him intimidating. In all honestly, you didn’t find any of the commanders, chiefs, or captains worth cowering over. You’d experienced titans break down the wall to your home village and devour people in your late teenage years. A couple of humans were the least of your fears, especially men.

Those sarcastic remarks and dramatic eye rolls is what drew the captain in. Not to mention your strength was something they hadn’t seen in years. Some would go as far to say you were worth a hundred soldiers. The raven-haired man made it his mission to get closer with you. This feeling had never been within Levi, that’s how he knew you were special.

He knew you so well after years of watching you become stronger and more skilled. You may be young but you were better than half the soldiers who’d been fighting for a decade longer.

Levi was worried about today, it had been on his mind for weeks. It was time for commander Keith to do his annual checkup. Levi found it rather pointless but it had to be done. The sunkened eyed man always came when he brought a new batch of soldiers. Levi had managed to steer you clear of him year after year, but it still worried him. Keith was a loud and rude man most of the time, and that was your biggest pet peeves. To come face to face with a walking version of the things you hated wouldn’t end well. He knew if the man pushed your buttons in the wrong place you’d have plenty to say.

He spent majority of the day convincing you to train with him away from everyone else. It was his usual solution for this day, to have you separated. As the years went by you started to pick up on it, it’s not like you were dumb. Around the same time every year Levi did this and it started to become obvious and you knew something was happening.

Right now you were trying to take the wooden knife from his hand and pin him down, which was something you hadn’t done since the earlier years. It had been round after round of outsmarting him and throwing him to the ground that you finally spoke your mind, “Levi what’s going on? Everyone is gathered out front and we’re here, I want to get the experience that the others are.” He could see the frustration running through you, and the annoyed on your face expression was prominent.

You didn’t like when Levi took you to do things one on one when everyone else was together. There was a fear of judgment, what if they thought you were getting special treatment? This is what that was to you. Levi was much more skilled than anyone else out there and you were getting to do combat with him, which is unfair in your eyes. “I just wanted to have some alone time with you, is that okay?” The man may have a face that mainly consists of one expression, but you knew he was lying.

He knew you saw right through him once you scoffed. “I’m going to join everyone else, feel free to come with.” There was no stopping you now, even if he tried it’d be more obvious that something was going on. Your eyes scanned the groups of your fellow cadets, and a few you didn’t recognize. Did we get a new group today? You asked yourself.

Before you can really process what’s going on, a bald man with weird eyes is making his way towards you. You recognized his face from past expeditions, but didn’t care enough to remember his name. “Late to meet new fellow cadets?” He asked baffled, a bit dramatic in your opinion. Getting new cadets was nothing special or new, so who cares if you were late? Half of them would be titan food in the next month.

He was quick to talk before letting you answer, but you weren’t sure if you were even going to say anything. For a second you considered just walking away. Someone coming up to you and raising there voice for no reason was enough to irritate anyone. “You’ve been here for years but have never bothered to show up to one of these, maybe you should learn some respect cadet.”

Levi watched from afar with wide eyes. Of course Keith was already talking to you, the man had it out for you. He’s complain that you kept to yourself too much and it was suspicious, and hated that you never showed up to these. Half of that was obviously Levi’s fault. Keith wasn’t aware of that and also wasn’t aware of your relationship with the captain.

Keith’s eyes become staggered when you let out a light snicker, cheeks upturning into a smile. “What the hell is funny?” He asks with his arms crossed, still trying to be intimidating. “The fact that you think i’d ever be afraid of someone like you.” Your words made his mouth fall, no one had ever said something like that to him. He’s pretty much convinced himself at this point that everyone feared him in some way. Then there was you, showing him he was completely wrong.

“You should have some respect!” The man says, stepping closer to you. “So coming up to me without introducing yourself and yelling in my face earns you respect? I don’t know where the fuck you came from, but we say hello first here.” He was down right astonished by you. The smirk on your face made his blood boil, you had zero alarm of him. Before he could come back at you, which he was struggling to think of something, Levi’s hands were on your waist. “Oh well okay, i’m gonna take her away from you now.”

Levi nervously laughs as he pulls you away from Keith. You didn’t want to be around him any longer so Levi taking you away was perfectly fine with you. “What’s that guys deal?” You asked with your lips pushed up and you eyebrows knitted. “As you can tell, he’s not a fan of you.” Well duh, you could tell. You look over Levi’s shoulder to see the man was still looking at you with his same crossed arms. “What a freak,” you mumbled and Levi huffed.

“That freak is pretty important to the scouts, he could have you removed if he really wanted to.” That statement didn’t scare you one bit. Everyone would raise hell if you got taken away, Levi even knew it. “He said I never show up to these, do you know why?” Your brow is quirked and your hand is on you hip, fingers tapping against it. It had become evident that Levi had kept you away from the man, but that seemed to have made things worse over the years.

“I’m sorry,” he said while scratching the back of his head. He knew you had already figured it out by the way you were looking at him. You laughed a bit at his mannerism, the guy really had you isolated from someone like Keith. “It’s fine, you just need to understand I can handle myself.” You smile and Levi ruffles your hair. “I’m well aware you can handle yourself. I experienced the (y/n) attitude when you first got here, don’t think I forgot.” You chuckle thinking of the hard times you used to give him.

“Oh you loved it, didn’t you? I mean look at us now.”He rolls his eyes at you and you can’t help but let out another laugh. “Yeah yeah, whatever you brat,” he says playfully, “Just avoid Keith till he leaves. I don’t feel like listening to him complain about you, I may use choice words with him myself.” You scan to make sure no ones looking, Mainly Keith, before you smack a kiss on his cheek. His cheeks heat up at the gesture, which you’d never done in public before. “You sound like an old man, I may use some choice words,” you voice deepens as you restate what he had just said.

Before he can say anything your giving him another kiss on the cheek and walking off, “I want to meet some cadets this year, unlike all the times before this.” He presses his tongue to the inside of his cheek and narrows his eyes at you playfully. You walk off with a smile and wave, getting ready to greet the cadets. This would probably be the only time the new comers heard you speak to them directly.

Levi’s eyes watch you, then they widen when he sees Keith headed straight for you.

Shit, not again.

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE, BLOOD OFFICIAL VISUAL FANBOOK ー Interview Vol. 1 feat. Saki Ito

Source: DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE, BLOOD Official Visual Fanbook

Release date: 2013

Huge thank you to @keithvalentinex​ for providing the raw scans!

SECTION 1: Q&A

Q1. How did you feel when a sequel game got green light?

A: Not only were we fortunate to receive many passionate messages and feedback from the players, but we also received the news of an anime adaption alongside a game sequel, so amidst the joy, I also remember a distinct feeling of responsiblity and pressure.

Q2. Does the feedback you received from the players reflect in any parts of the game?

A: The series features characters who all have very strong and distinct character traits, so they tend to stand out based solely on these specific elements, which is what made us reflect upon the scenario parts of the previous game. Therefore, in the sequel, we decided to flesh them out so we let Idea Factory know that we would like to create sceranio’s on events of their pasts, so we can give a better understanding of how they think as individuals. We received a positive response but this ultimately required quite a bit of scenarios so later both me and Nakamura suffered because of it. (lol) However, even though there is still room for improvement, I would like to think that we succeeded in creating scenario’s in which the players will get to know them on a deeper level.

Q3. Who did you struggle most with when creating the setting for the new characters?

A: Ruki. Both in terms of design and personality. At first we thought of having him be on an almost equal footing with Karlheinz in terms of power and status, so basically the character who stands at the very top of the Mukami family, with everyone following his lead as they have no other choice but to acknowledge his superiority . But he’s a Do-S...We played with various ideas like that.

Q4. What did the process of creating these characters look like?

A: After settling on their visuals and personalities, we moved on to building a set image of them. I was impressed that at the time of initial recording where we would add the voices to these characters, there was already an agreement amongst the production staff about how they viewed these brothers inside their minds. 

Q5. Were there any moments during the recording which left a strong impression on you?

A: I am sure everyone feels the same in this regard, but I was very much impressed by Midorikawa Hikaru (Ayato’s VA) and his ability to voice a single line in so many different ways and apply minor adjustment time after time. I was baffled how the same phrase could be voiced in so many different ways, and while this may be embarrassing to admit as part of the production staff, I felt as if I could learn a lot from him.

Q6. How did you approach the blood-sucking scenes?

A: We start by creating a fixed image inside our heads of how each character would suck someone’s blood. However, we initially opted to leave things up to the casted voice actors. We figured that if their voicing was somewhat off from how we envisioned it, we would guide them into the desired direction afterwards, but so far that has yet to happen! The voice actors seem to understand that the blood-sucking scenes are a huge selling point of the Diabolik Lovers franchise, so they anticipated on this and had already thought about which personal quirks they want to include in these scenes before the recording. Afterwards they would tell us things such as ‘I wanted to make it sound a little dirty’ or ‘I imagined ____ would suck blood like this’, showing us their effort to voice these characters while thinking about their personalities, which is why we - the production staff - were able to feel the unique traits of these boys through their performance as well, I believe. I cannot express with words just how greatful I am for everyone’s excellent voice work. 

Q7. When writing the scenario’s and the character dialogue, were there any conscious changes you made from the first game?

A: In the first game, there were very little interactions between the different characters, but with the introduction of the Mukami brothers, we focused on these kind of interactions where one of the Sakamaki brothers would fight with one of the Mukami brothers. Additionally, this would allow for us to express the changes in their feelings towards the main character.

Q8. What did you struggle the most with while writing the script?

A: There were just so many different scenarios to write, I recall feeling as if there was no end to it. Every time you think you’re done adjusting one part, you have to move on to the next and by the time you’re done with that, something just doesn’t feel right about the first scenario again...This game includes many scenarios about the characters’ pasts so there would be times where we suddenly went ‘...Hold on!? I feel like the previous scene doesn’t quite make sense anymore...,’ So we’d have to go back and make sure everything remained consistent.

Q9. Which character caused you the most problems while writing the script?

A: Every single one. In case of the Sakamaki brothers, all because of the same reason. For starters, despite this being a sequel game, the intial setting remains the same as before with the main character having arrived at the Sakamaki manor, , so we were worried whether or not the audience would accept this without it feeling weird or off. The Mukami brothers are then added on top of that, so we struggled a lot expressing the wavering feelings of the main character. Each of the Mukami brothers has their own dark past and setting which we came up with beforehand, so it was very difficult to then later add the element of romance to this.

Q10. Is there a character who underwent drastic changes compared to the last game?

A: No. Although the ‘MORE, BLOOD’ games feature the Sakamaki brothers struggling with an immense ‘thirst for blood’ which is different from our previous approach, so we hope this allows the players to enjoy a different side of them.

Q11. The endings are now named ‘Vampire Ending’, ‘Manservant Ending’ and ‘Brute’ Ending. Could you tell us what kind of thought you put into these names?

A: They do each have their own fixed image attached to them. We divided them into the ‘Vampire Ending’ which is supposed to be the most natural ending. The ‘Manservant Ending’ which emphasizes the element of sadism the strongest and lastly the ‘Brute Ending’ which is the most violent. Depending on the character, there might be minor changes such as the main character developing sadistic tendencies herself or it being another character who grows violent. We hope the audience will enjoy this wide array of endings.

Q12. What are parts which have greatly improved or parts you want us to focus on in comparison to the first game?

A: My apologies for repeating myself, but it would have to be the scenarios. Also please pay attention to the upgraded sprite artwork for everyone, as well as the addition of the sprites for the brothers as children!

Q13. Why do you think the series has received such a great amount of support?

A: During the development of the first set of CDs, we made them with a specific niche audience in mind, so never did we expect the franchise would grow this large. We truly are grateful. We would like to believe that Satoi-sama’s illustration are the biggest contributor in this case. I was already acquaintanced with Satoi-sama at that point but due to certain circumstances, we weren’t able to work on a project together. However, when the development for Diabolik Lovers started, I immediately reached out to her. I believe that the way she draws these Do-S Vampires as handsome guys is what the fans enjoy the most!

Q14. Please leave a message for the fans.

A: First of all, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn’t for you guys’ reactions, we wouldn’t have been able to deliver this much content. I won’t go as far as to tell you to continue to loving ‘DIABOLIK LOVERS’ and its characters forever...! Even if it’s somewhere in the very back of your mind, I’d be happy if you could at least hold onto the fond memories of these characters. Honestly, thank you so so much.

SECTION 2: THEIR FAVORITE EPISODES

Sakamaki brothers: Laito’s Vampire Ending. It conveys that feeling of loving someone, yet still keeping you on the edge of your seat as he doesn’t quite fully want to admit to his own feelings, even though you can tell that he does properly love the main character, which made me feel joyful inside.

Mukami brothers: Rather than one specific scene, I loved the interactions between the Mukami brothers. When they are all enjoying a meal together, they would fight over the food, or Kou would make a fuss because he wants to eat Vongole Bianco. I found it cute how they would talk in a way you’d expect from normal high school boys. 

SECTION 3: SAKI ITO CHOOSES ー SITUATION-DEPENDENT CHARACTER SELECT

Who would you choose in these situations? What’s the developer’s opinion?

S1. To sleep together with?

Best: Shuu, he probably wouldn’t bother me.

Worst: Reiji, he seems like the type to get upset if you don’t keep perfectly still while sleeping.

S2. To go on a trip together with?

Best: Ruki, I feel like he would come fully prepped. 

Worst: Azusa, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my trip if I get hurt because of him.

S3. To eat together with?

Best: Shuu, I feel like our eating styles would match.

Worst: Reiji, I’d constantly feel nervous.

S4. To study with?

Best: Ruki, I feel like he’d be able to explain things in a comprehensive manner.

Worst: Laito because he might just blow air into my ear all of a sudden.

S5. To go on a date with?

Best: Kou, he probably knows all the good places so it could be fun.

Worst: Kanato, I can’t stand the thought of him suddenly lashing out at me.

S6. To play a video game with?

Best: Yuma, I feel like he wouldn’t be the best at it, but it’d still be enjoyable regardless.

Worst: Subaru, he would destroy the console!

S7. To play sports with?

Best: Kou, I can imagine his sweat sparkling in the light as it bounces off him.

Worst: Reiji, he seems stiff.

S8. To go on a drive with?

Best: Ayato, it just seems fun.

Worst: Yuma, he strikes me as a speed devil. 

[ravenadottir]

What do you think Kassam’s route would have been like if he had been one of the og boys, and how would his character have developed

my guy, i think i had a braingasm the moment i saw this ask! this is such a cool galaxy brain question, i can’t even...

‘cause i think so much about the possibility of kassam as an og, it’s actually ridiculous!! but in order to put him on day 1, i would have to put one of the boys in casa amor, and i’m choosing gary. that’s because lottie is gonna take interest in kassam right away. let me organize these thoughts in order of happenings in the villa...

♪ when mc steps outside, he’s lowkey interested, but he keeps his hands behind his back, only giving her a nod, accompanied by a smirk, when she says hi.

♪ “if any of you fancy me, please step forward.” kassam would be discreetly stepping forward, shooting her a neutral look, since he doesn’t want to come across as desperate, but a wink is also happening.

♪ “why did you step forward, kassam?” “i think we’re gonna hit it off, and you seem like a real sound girl.” bobby would say something like “ha! get it, because he’s a dj!” and laugh, but the prickly boy wouldn’t even look at him, focusing on mc.

♪ if mc chose to couple up with him, he would stand by her side, whispering his conversation, slightly analyzing the other boys.

♪ when lottie struts out, not gonna lie, he’s gonna think she’s attractive, but maybe a little intimidating. i do believe if she stole him (which i very much want to do here, since it’s an o.g kassam route), he’ll be standing next to her, but glancing at mc’s direction.

♪ the truth or dare challenge would probably be the opportunity to send him the picture, but if mc decided to kiss her partner i think that would “scare” kassam a bit. just because i don’t think he’s into p.d.a.

♪ he would have a lot of trouble relating/talking to anyone, because he automatically hates rocco, and for sure has some issues with how much rocco and bobby talk. which leads me to believe he would be closer to noah and ibrahim. (IT’S SO FREAKY TO THINK ABOUT THAT!!).

♪ priya is still gonna steal mc’s partner, which is not a big deal because she’s more interested in kassam than anyone else.

♪ kassam having more time in the villa means he’s also gonna open up to mc, eventually, and i think that’s what i wanted the most in casa amor. something to make us understand why he’s been closed up and extremely on edge at all times, like having the ear tick, the nerves, the quietness, if there’s anything to be talked about, mc would be person he would go to.

♪ music is probably what helps him relax, and right now he’s deprived of that, in every instance, so if the game wanted me to pay gems to bang some pots and do the glasses’ rim trick with him, i would a hundred percent be paying for that!

♪ bobby being musical himself would definitely blossom a connection between them. something that would make him a little fonder of cake boy. “i was wrong to judge you so fast, i guess.” and this could’ve been the “rap gang” throwback to season 1, having kassam doing beats, bobby doing the harmony, probably ibrahim rapping nonsense along with mc, and getting weird lines out of it! i would pay gems every time, i don’t care how much that would cost!

♪ as the recoupling approaches, kassam says he wants to couple up with us, but because bobby and he weren’t so close, the pastry chef has no idea of the dj’s intentions, proceeding to pick us.

♪ bobby’s choice forces kassam to choose between marisol and hannah, and going for the law student would be the obvious pick. but so much more awkward than gary’s was, because kassam wouldn’t try to hide the fact that he’s into someone else.

♪ marisol and kassam would be a friendship couple from the get go, because they have nothing in common, and that would probably make marisol realize her attraction towards rocco earlier.

♪ i do believe kassam would’ve been a cheeky sort, not the type that gary is, but definitely sneaking around to steal a kiss or two. “i don’t know what’s happening to me. i wouldn’t usually do this...” he smiles, almost not noticing it. “... but i feel close to you... it’s weird...”

“wow, kassam, thanks...”

“no, no i don’t mean like that... i’m just not used to it. you’re not the weird part of all this.”

“and what is?”

“me...” he proceeds to laugh uncomfortably.

♪ twitter bingo would have a fact about him, possibly a secret kiss, but it’s not revealed who he had it with.

♪ mr. love island. his “swimsuit” portion would be similar to lucas’, flexing his arms once he gets out of the pool, direct advice from noah, rahim and bobby. his talent would definitely include music in, possibly doing those beatbox tricks with two or three layers of sound... maybe even the low bass voice, which it’s honestly... SO FUCKING HOT. it would be a tough competition. between ibrahim doing the rubik’s cube trick shirtless, and kassam doing this... i don’t think noah or bobby would stand a chance!

♪ roccosol is still happening, and kassam is baffled by how much lottie is lying through her teeth, and shouting about the matter, since she was already talking to him behind rocco’s back. remember the welcome party for lucas and henrik? which would also mean kassam doesn’t take much heat from food/drinks, and that’s funny to me, for some reason!

♪ i do think instead of rahim, kassam would’ve been voted as “least dateable/leaving the show with a girlfriend. not endangered like lucas/henrik/rocco, but definitely voted. mc having the opportunity of the firepit conversation would end up in a kiss, and the angst is just taken on a new level!

♪ the date with him, before the recoupling on day 9, would be the chance we have to get to know him better, maybe having him tell us an embarrassing story about a gig he had. and if it was an ex’s story, even better! we don’t have that from him.

♪ hideaway scene, after the girls’ choice, would have him slightly less confident than he usually is. “i’m really excited to be here with you, i just don’t know exactly what to do.”

“i mean, if you don’t know, i don’t think i can get a biology book here.”

he would probably chuck a pillow in your direction and laugh at your joke. “i’m just nervous, i guess... i’m not used to feeling nervous around girls.”

♪ now! here’s the tricky part of the whole villa plotline in his route. operation nope. if mc went with it, he would end things, loudly and clearly, because he cannot stand betrayal, much less coming from the girl he spent so many days chasing. and he would probably advise MC to tell hope about it before it happened. kassam should be the type that breaks up with you and don’t want you back, later. i would definitely program him to act like that!

♪ drama to him is pointless, especially if it involves other people. he doesn’t see why people are being so out there about things, and definitely doesn’t understand why his girl has to be the one to solve everything. “i understand they’re upset but it’s not your job to fix it.”

♪ chelsea coming in, along with jakub, would irritate him to the extreme. the bomb she drops about him and lottie would have everyone riled up. YES, I WANT KASSAM TO KISS LOTTIE. they were coupled up before and he thinks she’s hot, besides the fact he was insecure about mc being picked by bobby. similar plot line to gary’s, except he might say something like “i had to know if there was anything there.” i really want him to explain himself here, but with short words: “we were coupled up just an hour before the recoupling. i wanted to make sure there was nothing there.”

“and...?” mc asks, staring at him.

he glances at lottie, shrugging. “there isn’t.”

♪ as revenge, mc would go on the date with jakub, resulting in kassam being apprehensive when it comes to talk about his feelings to her. and very angry and jealous, because that’s just who he is!

♪ the news about the recoupling arrive the night priya and hope are having that big fight, and yes, the bathroom scene happens with kassam, but he’s one of the boys that say the line “i want this to mean something to you”.

♪ disaster recoupling gets you both angry, and kassam would, for the first time, raise his voice, questioning jakub and the boy who steals mc. no, he wouldn’t be like the others and only question jakub or no one. at that point, everything is working against him, and just two days after mc finds out about the secret kiss, this is throwing him into a spiral of stress.

♪ casa amor gets everyone pissed off, and everything stays the same, except you get gary instead of kassam, and he’s interested in lottie and mc. (maybe the unicorn route wouldn’t happen). but casa days would’ve been way more interesting because now marisol and lottie are interested in the same guy! and in some cases, mc as well lol NOW, THAT WOULD’VE MADE CASA INTERESTING!

♪ cheeky the way gary is, he’s probably trying to stick with one girl by suggesting a kiss, sharing the bed and etc, but if mc is not interested in him, lottie would probably be torn about bringing him back or not, and marisol would get confused between gary and graham, proceeding to focus on fish boy, later.

♪ coming back from casa amor, kassam is single, and you get bean bags conversation, only with him he says how anxious he was for mc to come back. “i’m just... really glad you’re here. i...” he stammers a bit. “i missed you.”

“did you miss lottie too?” mc would raise her brows, slightly irritated.

“no, of course not! i missed...” realizing she’s being prickly, just like him, he continues. “har, har... very funny.”

“i didn’t think it was funny finding out you kissed her.”

“i wouldn’t think that either... i’m sorry i didn’t tell you.”

♪ the route is pretty much the same from there, except for a couple of moments:

one: the conversation we have with gary, by the pool, is held by kassam, and he talks about anxiety, and how that affected his relationships in the past. he didn’t know how much he missed out because he was too afraid of taking the leap, and he’s glad he’s in a better place now. also, talking about therapy and mental illness in the same tone gary did, with body issues.

two: he would make a comment of how excited he is to write songs about mc, and how much he has been thinking of his journey and the album he’s gonna dedicate to his time there.

♪ asking mc to be his girlfriend would go a little differently, since he’s not the blob of characterization he normally becomes in the game.

♪ he would continue to be prickly, and sarcastic, but his journey would’ve taught him how to trust people more, and the improbable friendships he developed there would go to show just how much he’s opening up, and how it can only get better from there.

♪ his speech, at the prom, would include his friends, mentioning them as the support system he had in there, just like one of the girls do with mc. “my journey wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for you lads. and despite the bad advice i got, i guess everything worked out in the end.”

i really think kassam deserved a spot in the og’s line up, mostly because of how different he is from the other boys. he would probably have a brief friendship with lucas if the physiotherapist stayed, too.

hope this is what you were looking for. thank you so much for this ask!

[general-thinks]

OOODAAAA WHY ARE WE ON HIATUS AGAIN AAAAAAAAHHHH

Ok, now that I took that one out the system, at least we have something Komi related for this week!

I would start talking about the recent @zer0cracy 's animation, but I want to talk about something else before that.

And I'm talking about the Komi-san Live Action adaptation.

Ok, listen, I... I don't like any type of anime live action adaptation. Like, at all.

I-I know there are people that enjoy it, and I can only respect the actors that are so passionate about the source material to do this , but... but I don't know ok? There is just something that I can't pintpoint that makes me so annoyed by them for just existing.

And so, when the news of a Komi san Live Action came, I... I honestly grimaced, and prepared myself for the worst. All I could do was hope they would find some actor similar to the cast, and be the most faithfull to the manga possible.

And so, when today on the subreddit r/Komi_san a 5 minutes teaser dropped, I was already expecting my death, unsure if ignoring it or actually acknowledging its existence.

...I sat down, taking a break every 10-30 seconds due to my visceral hate for Live Actions and my love for Komi san battling againts each other making me feel sick. I felt like Odysseus, roped to his ship to hear the siren's song, a victim to my curiosity, just to have some content to release today and now... *sigh* we need to talk.

Mind you: This is not a mindless bashing. I just want to talk about some decisions and my thought on cast members. And just something to talk about waiting for the next Komi-san chapter.

First off, let's talk about Tadano

...who is this guy? I said-

.............*sigh*...........

Ok, so, let's start with the obvious: WHERE IS THE WHITE TURF? Ok maybe this is a conscious choice, to make him even more average. I can... I can still accept it.

But... I'm sorry, I don't see Tadano at all watching him. I can see AT BEST Kometani. And another thing is that (as it can be in the actual trailer, sorry I can't share the link with you all) is... too much expressive. I know, it's a weird thing to say, but one of Tadano's charm is how easy going and calm he constantly is, despite the chaos happening around him. But this version, it's too... fidgy? He moves too much, it's like seeing a Tadano not out of his chunni fase yet. Like, as you can see here-

...ok never mind let's move on and ignore this.

...ehy, wait a minute but behind him there's... hm... maybe it's a coincidence...

In the end, I give this LiveAction!Tadano a 4/10, even below the average. I hope this one was an error in the production of the teaser and he's actually more Tadano-like in the show, but I fear this is not the case. It's not his fault, if it was, I don't know, Naruse, the characterisation would work perfectly, but... this is Tadano...

Also, as we can see here, Tadano crossing the street, I bet that there is going to be a live adaptation of Yamai's kidnapping too.

Live Action Yamai. Rejoice.

Next one is Komi, and... she kinda works?

Loyal enough to the original Komi, the haircut is almost the same, the only thing that miss and it shows is the murder gaze. I guess it's not that easy to do, or easy as I think, but maybe put a little more of spirit?

I don't know, she just looks depressed. And while that's gold for angsty fanfic writers, for an early Komi-san it's not the best. But hey, at least she is similar to Komi! So take this 7/10

Next one is Najimi, and... I don't know what to think of them.

While at first I was outraged for the missing lavander hair and antennas, watching some scenes with them there made this Live Action version grow on me. They bring a nice energy in the scenes, and it's quirky enough for Komi-san, but...

...It's not chaotic enough, and it's a really big problem for a character like Najimi! It's like a chilled Osana in this teaser, and I'm really, really conflicted about it.

So, in true Najimi's fashion, I'll give to this version a ???/10. I have high hopes for you, don't delude me.

Next one is Katai, and...

...I FUCKING LOVED HIM.

This is the only actor by far that I think nailed down the manga character perfectly, he's so over the top and failing at being a delinquent that actually makes me think "yeah, if Katai were a real guy, he would be like him." I would die for this guy. Also the homoerotic tension between him and Tadano are even stronger than the one in the manga so that's a plus too

Explain this, heteroes.

So yeah, LiveAction!Katai deserve the 9/10, get a little more buffer and you'll top the score easily.

And lastly, Naka- no? Ehm... then Yama- no again? But... who else could be here in the class-

........MANBAGI?????

Ok first thing, the actor works for her. She may be not excactly like our Manbagi, but she looks like a ray of sunshine and like Manbagi she seems like a good and lovable girl. I'm sorry that I couldn't add more photos, but trust me, even in the nurse office scene her vibes just worked. I'll give to LiveAction!Manbagi a 8/10.

But now, let's adress the elephant in the classroom.

THEY ADDED THE FIRST YEAR AND SECOND YEAR CLASSROOMS IN ONE SINGLE CLASSROOM AND CALLED IT A DAY.

This is massive!! Like... like I don't even have the wors to describe how much of a big deal this is, butchering the character arc of Komi and Manbagi, and cancelling icons such as SHINOBINO or NARUSE.

I'm still in shock. I don't understand the creative process behind this idea. "Yeah let's add Manbagi in the first year. Who cares if her struggles for being part of a new class is one of the most important step for Komi since she for the first reached out for someone else and Komi had an entire year of experience to actually talk to someone that wasn't her family or Tadano. I'm sure nothing bad can happen from this decision."

It just... baffles me. Who had the idea to do a Live Action NOW? The anime starts two month from now on, and it's not like Komi need something for build up the hype since we were waiting this anime for years, so much that it became a joke in the anime community. If they wanted to do a Live Action, make a live action of the ONE SHOT at this point! So the people get familiar with the characters and explore the strange world of the prototype Komi, not SPOILING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER OF THE MANGA, SINCE SHE APPEAR IN THE SECOND YEAR AND IT'S A TESTAMENT TO KOMI'S GROWTH.

I... I need to lay down for a moment... no, for a whole day. I planned to do the reaction to Zer0's animation but now I'm exausted from the rant. I'll probably do it tomorrow. I'm sorry guys, and until next time

[dreamylyfe-x]

I always enjoy your takes on Shameless episodes, they're so spot on every time. I agree with you that Ian's handling of Mickey's grief in the beginning of the episode makes sense from a character stand point (Mickey might not be emotionally ready to be comforted, Ian didn't want Mickey to stray too far from the fact that Terry was a terrible father and person, etc) but I gotta say that it was a pretty bad choice from just a storytelling perspective. The fact that Mickey's crying didn't have much of an emotional impact on Ian made it so that it didn't have much of an emotional impact on me as a viewer. It was sad and I felt bad, but I think that the scene could have been made so much better by showing Ian as being hurt because his husband was hurt (we got this later in the episode which is why I think that scene worked better), instead of Ian giving Mickey weirded out looks and side-eyes. Idk I think that scene should have been more of a gut punch than it was (not helped by the background music, either). Ian could have set an emotional "example" for the viewer by being less stoic in the face of his husband sobbing. That would have made more sense to me just as a way to tell the story to us. I feel like Shameless still has good stories to tell but the WAY they're being told just falls so short, sometimes.

First of all, thank you for your kind words, anon. I truly do love talking about this show. 

I get your reaction, and it’s made me think a little more about what the show is going for. Like... It’s definitely not the traditional response to a grieving partner, as depicted on television. But neither is Mickey’s. 

I cannot tel you how little I EVER would have guessed that the next time we saw Mickey after his father’s death he’d be sitting on their bed ugly crying and I honestly love that choice so much. SO much. It’s so unusual that a show would let a male character -- particularly an alpha tough guy like Mickey -- be THIS emotional. This isn’t the red eyes while he holds Ian at the police station. It’s not him wiping tears away after Ian tells him he’s going into the army. I find the fact that Mickey is crying so openly and continuously to be as fascinating as it is to have Ian essentially giving him reasons not to cry like this. 

I think a lot of people read it as Ian giving MIckey what he needs and @pathoftheranger and @damngcoffee both made compelling posts about why Ian meets Mickey where he’s at. I am particularly moved by @damngcoffee point that the degree to which Mickey is crying is proof of how safe he feels. (Also shout out to @doodlevich and this post, which I DEEPLY relate to.) 

Looking at it the way you frame it -- where you had the experience of it lessening the scenes impact -- I can completely see what you mean about how it pulls you out of really empathizing with Mickey (which the music arguably wants to do, too) because Ian isn’t comforting him in a way we’re used to. Like beyond the actual characters and story, Ian’s comments are discordant. This isn’t how we usually see this dynamic presented. 

The scene reminded me of a very different scene from Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill where he calls his partner from the back of a cab in despair, pours his heart out, and his partner responds with impatience and says “the only thing that has changed is that you haven’t slept in 24 hours.” -- that kind of brutal logic is absolutely something people do to each other, but it’s SO RARE we see that in fiction, from a character in Ian’s position. What we see is something more gentle and I think it’s so interesting that they didn’t do that. I also think it’s interesting that Cam doesn’t play the hard edge in the dialogue. He keeps his voice soft, even as he’s openly confused by this open display of emotion. Ian reaches out, touches Mickey, and stays in the conversation even after Mickey blames Terry’s murder on Ian. But this is not your normal depiction of grieving. 

Buuuuut. Ian and MIckey don’t do normal. So. 

I do think there’s value in seeing something that is so different from the average and maybe closer to the way couples would talk four days after the death of a nightmare parent (who has tried to murder both of them) but you are absolutely right that this scene isn’t a gut-punch in the way we might expect. We don’t get the moment of raw shock where Ian comforts Mickey -- but from a storytelling POV I think that scene belonged in 11x08. This episode is about grieving the underserving. And if we had more time, I’d want to see so much more of this particular dynamic, which I imagine is rooted in Ian’s concern about Mickey’s mental health. There is of course the echo of what happened to Ian after his mother died and how that undid him so totally, even though she was very much not a great mother to him. It makes sense to me that Ian would have an outsized concern about Mickey getting lost in his grief and wants to help him draw those lines -- Terry was awful. He doesn’t deserve your tears. I don’t want you to be in pain like this. 

None of that is text and this will always be where I get low-key frustrated, because I could watch a whole hour just about Mickey reacting to Terry’s death. Happily. But the show has a bunch of other characters and Frank’s an art thief now, so we aren’t going to get the detail I want. It’s also just very true that Ian isn’t the sort of person to deeply examine his motives. He just feels the discomfort of watching Mickey in pain and reacts. 

I love that he doesn’t back off. I love that Mickey doesn’t tell him to go to hell -- because he sure as hell would if that’s what he wanted. I love Mickey’s weepy “I know!” moments of agreement. I love that Mickey is completely baffled by how upset he is. Mostly I love that, at the end of the episode, when Mickey looks completely drained, Ian has his arm around him while he says his final goodbye to his bad dad. 

But we never, ever get enough Gallavich in these episodes for my taste. And I do wish we’d gotten just one more moment with them in 11x08.  

[vespertineflora]

Title: we’re family now, aren’t we?

Rating: G Summary:  Jin Ling was nearly three weeks old, and in that time, Jin Guangyao hadn't yet been allowed to hold his nephew, despite very desperately wanting to. Jiang Yanli thought it was time to change that. (2.5k, h/c and family feels) 

@goddamnshinyrock drew this heartwrenching art and i couldn’t accept the hurt so i needed to let jgy hold baby!!!!!!!!! (by proxy of jiang yanli, whom i love)

~~~

“Xiao-shu!”

The name being thrown in Jin Guangyao’s direction made him pause mid-step as he’d hurried across the courtyard, hopping from one set of chores to another as was ever the case for him. Of course, he knew it was Jiang Yanli before he even turned to look, the same placating smile he’d long since grown used to wearing rising to his lips without a thought.

Jiang Yanli was resting comfortably on a bench in the small pavilion nearby, a bundle of blankets in her arms that most certainly contained a particular infant. The smile on her own lips was open and warm, authentic enough to extend that same warmth to her eyes as she looked at him.

Jin Guangyao couldn’t begin to guess why he was being called, but he approached Jiang Yanli regardless, stepped up to the outside of the pavilion as he asked, “Is there something I can get for you, Saosao?”

Upon her arrival in Carp Tower, Jin Guangyao had tried to address her properly as a lady of the sect, the wife of the sect heir, but she’d refuted such a title from him almost immediately. Jiang Yanli had insisted that he was her husband’s younger brother, and she his brother’s wife, and that they should address each other as such, which had been... rather baffling to him. She’d come to live in Carp Tower several months after he had, but of the two of them, there was no question in Jin Guangyao’s mind as to who was more welcome there. Jin Guangyao knew his place, knew where he stood in the eyes of his father and Jin-furen (despite his continual efforts to change this), and knew that Jiang Yanli’s place in the family was more secure than his own.

In spite of Jin Guangyao’s instincts telling him that actually indulging the idea that they were family was most certainly doomed to tragedy, he had sensed her determination and decided it was better not to argue with her.

“No, no,” she said with a faint shake of her head. “I just wanted to know if you had a few moments to spare. If you’re busy, I don’t want to disturb you.”

Continue Reading on AO3 or below the cut

Jin Guangyao might have laughed if he were in a better mood; he wasn’t sure a day went by where he wasn’t busy, honestly, but... it was almost because the work never seemed to end that it wouldn’t truly matter if he dropped everything to indulge whatever it was that Jiang Yanli needed from him, even if he couldn’t imagine what that might be. 

The two of them... hadn’t actually spoken much in the near-year since her marriage to Jin Zixuan. Not only was the difference between their places in the sect enough reason for their paths to cross only occasionally, but Jiang Yanli’s health had been precarious during the pregnancy, and for the last several months, she’d only left her bedroom for fresh air and to have the occasional dinner with the family. He had been instructed to bring things to her room from time to time, but beyond such small exchanges, Jin Guangyao hadn’t really had a conversation with her, and he’d most certainly never spoken to her in private beyond perhaps the exchange of a few words.

Even still, Jin Guangyao could... sense how different she was from everyone else living in Carp Tower. His personal experience with her was limited, but he’d seen the sweet way she interacted with the family, and even how companionable she was to the servants, who were more so used to being ordered around or ignored as they worked. There was a sincerity and a gentleness to her nature that didn’t seem to belong within the walls of Carp Tower.

Maybe it was that, more than anything, that made Jiang Yanli a bit of an enigma to him. Kindness was something Jin Guangyao had so rarely encountered that he had difficultly accepting it at face value. Beyond the kindness he’d learned to expect from Lan Xichen, he wasn’t used to seeing it (and was even less used to receiving it).

“I have a few moments,” he told her, still having no idea what she could want.

“Oh, wonderful!” The smile on her lips only grew as she adjusted her position on the bench, shifting to one half of it, while motioning to the spot beside her as she insisted, “Come, sit.”

Jin Guangyao hesitated just a second, almost certain this would be a trap of some sort if he was dealing with anyone else, before he gave in, crossing the small pavilion and taking a seat on the bench next to her. His eyes naturally fell to the boy being cradled in her arms, fell to his dark eyes open with wonder, his round little cheeks, his tiny fingers curled up near his mouth as he gummed on them inquisitively. Almost immediately, Jin Guangyao could feel a tug somewhere near his heart just from looking at the sweet child, but he swallowed hard against it, and forced himself to look back up at Jiang Yanli, tried to push past the faint tightness in his throat to ask what it was he was here for when...

When he noticed the way she was leaning in to him, extending her arms towards him as if she was trying to hand him...

He hadn’t held Jin Ling yet. The boy was nearly three weeks old now, and had been passed through the arms of nearly every member of the family, and a majority of the servants... but the one time Jin Guangyao had offered to take Jin Ling from his father and back to his room... Jin Guangshan had denied him immediately. In the time since, Jin Guangyao had felt... almost like Jin Ling was somehow off limits to him. For as much as there was a part of him desperate to be close to the boy that was supposed to be his nephew, Jin Guangyao had been made to feel like he could only look on from a distance, had only felt the isolation from his place in the Jin family all the more harshly. Ever since, he’d tried to stayed back, tried to pretend that looking at the baby he’d been forbidden from touching didn’t feel like taking a knife to the chest, because if he were ever going to earn his father’s love, he needed to at least respect his wishes in regards to this.

He’d hoped rather fruitlessly that... he could convince himself that staying away from Jin Ling had been his own choice, and that that could somehow quell the ache in his heart every time he saw him.

“Put your arms out a little more,” Jiang Yanli instructed him gently, meeting his gaze as she asked, “You wanted to hold him, didn’t you?”

There was a lump forming in Jin Guangyao’s throat that he couldn’t seem to swallow, so he just nodded numbly, and moved as he’d been told to, letting Jiang Yanli carefully shift the tiny bundle into his arms.

It... it wasn’t the first time he’d held a baby. Though it wasn’t an experience he’d had frequently, he’d had more than a handful of moments in his life when he’d had some reason to pick up an infant: he hadn’t been the only child born in the brothel, though he was the only one who hadn’t been quietly whisked away by their father; in the Unclean Realm, there’d been hardly any duty he hadn’t helped with at some point; during the war, he’d helped more than one mother carry her baby away from the danger of a nearby battlefield. As soon as the weight of Jin Ling’s tiny body was in his arms, the shift was almost natural to him, taking just a few seconds to hold him to his chest as he adjusted his arm properly to support his head and neck...

But holding a baby had never felt like this before. Jin Guangyao had never felt such a swell of warmth and love like the one that was bowling over him now,  had never felt his eyes prickling with tears like this. He felt overwhelmed by the weight of the baby in his arm, by how small Jin Ling was, by his wide, open eyes, staring up at him with a sort of curiosity, by...

“A-Ling,” Jiang Yanli cooed next to him, leaning in a bit closer. Her hand rested casually at Jin Guangyao’s elbow and she reached over with the other hand to rub her finger against Jin Ling’s chubby little arm as she said sweetly, “Say hello to your shushu, A-Ling.”

He was holding his nephew. Maybe his own father didn’t want to acknowledge what he was, but... blood was blood and there was no changing it. Jin Guangshan was his father, Jin Zixuan was his brother, and Jin Ling... Jin Ling was his nephew.

After Jin Guangyao’s mother had died, he’d followed her wishes all the way to Carp Tower, only to be violently turned away... and in all the time since his father had officially accepted him into the Jin Sect and given him a new name, he’d done nothing but try to please him, nothing but try to earn the respect and recognition that he’d been told should be his by the nature of his birth. Nothing he’d done so far had seemed to earn that from Jin Guangshan, and Jin Guangyao wasn’t going to stop trying but... 

Jin Zixuan had been awkward and distant with him at first, as if unwilling to talk to him, or just unsure how to go about it, but now, in recent months, he’d taken to calling him A-Yao, thinking of him as his brother, and that... that wasn’t meaningless to Jin Guangyao. It wasn’t what Jin Guangyao had been fighting for or expecting, and it didn’t save him from needing Jin Guangshan’s approval, but it was something, it was a start, it was more than Jin Guangyao had had before, and now... Jiang Yanli had decided to recognize him as well, she had accepted his place as Jin Zixuan’s brother more easily than anyone, and Jin Guangyao suddenly found himself all the more grateful for that...

Because it seemed like, as long as Jiang Yanli had any say in it, Jin Ling would grow up knowing exactly who Jin Guangyao was to him.

Maybe it wasn’t what he’d come to Carp Tower hoping for all those years ago, but... in the end, the one thing that Jin Guangyao had wanted the most was family--and it seemed like Jin Ling would be raised in a world where he knew, without a doubt, that Jin Guangyao was his uncle.

Before Jin Guangyao had even realized what was happening, he felt the warm wetness of tears rolling down his cheeks--he was immediately shocked and embarrassed to be crying, and even more embarrassed to be crying in front of Jiang Yanli. He quickly tried to swallow the rest of his tears, even though it was impossible to reverse the ones that had already fallen and take back the raw display of emotion that he usually kept under such tight control. As discreetly as he could, he lifted the arm that wasn’t supporting Jin Ling to quickly wipe the moisture from each cheek, before letting his hand fall to gently touch Jin Ling’s arm and lightly stroke the back of his hand with a finger.

If Jiang Yanli noticed that he’d been crying, she was kind enough not to mention it.

They sat together quietly like that for a few minutes, Jin Guangyao coaxing himself through a few slow breaths until he could feel his emotions leveling out once more, until he felt calmer and more able to actually focus on the baby in his arms. Soon, the expression on his face had softened into a genuine smile as he rubbed his finger against Jin Ling’s round cheeks, brushed it against his little nose, stroked the back of his hand again, just feeling... strangely at peace for a few moments as he indulged in holding his tiny nephew.

At some point, Jin Ling’s little hand wrapped around it, squeezing it with the surprising strength infants had and dragging it to his mouth to suck on his fingertip--if Jin Guangyao hadn’t already felt attached to Jin Ling, that alone would have been enough to win him over completely. 

“I think he might be getting hungry,” Jin Guangyao commented softly, his voice cracking just the faintest bit from the moisture leftover in his throat.

“It’s been a couple hours since he ate, so I wouldn’t be surprised,” Jiang Yanli replied with a soft laugh, playfully pinching at Jin Ling’s foot through the blanket and making him kick his leg as a smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Even still, they sat quietly together for another minute, before Jiang Yanli finally reached for Jin Ling, slowly shuffling him back into her arms as she said, “Xiao-shu, I had no idea you were so good with babies.” Her voice was overflowing with a warmth that made Jin Guangyao’s softened heart feel even softer. “I think A-Ling likes you very much. You’ll have to come spend more time with him from now on.”

Jiang Yanli didn’t have to say it any more plainly than that for him to understand what she was doing. In an instant, it was clear just how much she’d been paying attention. Either she knew what Jin Guangshan had done with him and Jin ling, or she at least knew that Jin Guangyao had been keeping his distance for a reason other than his own desire to do so. In the most graceful way possible, without touching on anything that would have caused Jin Guangyao greater embarrassment to have brought up, she’d found her own way to extend to him a solid invitation into their lives.

Jin Guangyao wasn’t sure anyone had ever done something to make him feel so included, especially not here in Carp Tower; he found himself speechless for a moment as she pushed herself up gingerly from her seat, taking a moment to adjust her hold on Jin Ling.

When Jin Guangyao did finally find his voice, all he could manage to get out was a slightly stunned, “Thank you, Saosao.”

He wasn’t sure he had the words to express how grateful he was, but he had a feeling that Jiang Yanli would understand him anyway.

The smile that settled on her lips was somehow even warmer than before, and with a degree of sincerity and affection that he could only dream of expressing, she said, “Of course, Xiao-shu. We’re family now, aren’t we?”

Without waiting for him to answer, she gave Jin Guangyao a little nod before she turned and headed back towards her room with Jin Ling.

Jin Guangyao took another few quiet moments to himself, letting the even rhythm of his breathing lead him past the erratic emotions of the last few minutes, reflecting warmly on what it was like to hold his nephew in his arms... and how nice it felt to think about getting to do it again sometime.

A quiet smile lingered on his lips for as long as he let himself linger on the moment... until he finally huffed out a soft breath, rose to his feet, and carried on with the rest of his day’s work.