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kradogsrats · 2 years ago

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Rewatch Shitposts: S2, Ep 5-9

Viren, entering the summit: “… surely you’d not part an old man from his walking stick?”

Making a solid effort to reclaim his drama queen crown from Lujanne, too

imo they chose the worst of the possible concept designs for Aanya, but oh well

there are apparently a lot of assassinations in the human kingdoms, which is an interesting political climate

OH MY GOD THE PORTRAIT THEY WERE SUCH BROS /gross sobbing

Viren somehow narrating this intimate, private conversation between Sarai and Harrow in great detail

Including “oh yeah, and Sarai had whatever the wife version of a cuckholding kink is”

just saying, that’s kinda sus lmao unless this is a polyamorous triad and Viren was there

A lot of digital ink has been spilled about Harrow’s decision to help Duren, but what I’m noticing here is that they are asking for help seven years into the situation, when it’s a crisis. That seems a very irresponsible time to make a first overture, so I’m forced to conclude that they previously asked Harrow’s father for help and were turned down. Along with the assassinations thing, the current period of peace and cooperation between the human kingdoms reads as a) recent, and b) very fragile.

Did not notice before but they did actually pull the gray out of Viren’s hair and beard for the flashback. At this point he has already taken his initial corruption damage and is using the revitalization spell, so the later gray is probably true aging. (Though it could be the spell slowly becoming less effective.)

Startled by the direct parallel drawn between Callum opening the letter and cracking open the magma titan in the flashback because I actually don’t know what that’s trying to say? Unless it’s just “we need to cliffhanger both the A and B plots for the end of the episode at the same time”?

vi.

Why did they do recaps for every episode, anyway? Didn’t they just drop each season in one chunk?

I’m not convinced you can aim a ballista that precisely, but I also don’t actually know anything about siege weaponry.

Viren has apparently cast his one spell per long rest and cannot do anything else in this fight.

This is a much better “everyone learns important lessons” episode than the Cursed Caldera one

Also the parallels just SO GOOD, probably best writing in the show

/MORE GROSS SOBBING

Okay, as I thought, the “Sarai’s last breath in a jar” is… not exclusively a novelization thing, because we have already seen the jar in Harrow’s momentary flashback to preparing the spell (AND in the credits sketch), but it’s not shown or explained at this time.

The population numbers they’re talking about are kind of ridiculous, though. An army of a million, as Aanya mentions, is preposterous for this kind of setting.

Callum pulls out the Key: AGAIN, STAR-SIDE UP

And again, Star-side in the credits sketch

vii.

Oh my god is this finally the wormvaros episode? I have been waiting for these gummi worms SO LONG

We ALL enjoyed that Sailor Moon reference, Callum

Yeah, I feel like this season is where they made Soren stupid, beginning with the sarcasm thing (Soren had no trouble parsing sarcasm before?) and just escalating from there.

Rayla… knows the sound of an angry, attacking dragon? Does this happen in Xadia a lot?????

It’s funny, I remember this entire dragon sequence as being very different, tonally. Like, I remember a lot more emphasis on “Soren has absolutely fucked up”? idek

“Why be chained down, when I can be chained… up?” another absolute peak humor moment

wormvaros wormvaros wormvaros

oh never mind more dragon first

I actually like how Rayla and Soren are pretty evenly matched in a fight

Oof that uh… cronch

WORMVAROS WORMVAROS WORMVAROS

Noted: Aaravos’s blood is red, which I have wondered about

Also the portal between the two cups that the worm goes through is red… traditionally the Dark magic color. In the primals symbology rainbow, at least. Need to think more about the relationship between that and the purple usually associated with casting it, because it feels like the edge of... something.

I’m usually more interested in Watsonian analysis but pretty sure the Doylist reason for wormvaros crawling under Viren’s clothes is that it moves way too fast to not look ridiculous when animated

me, mouth stuffed full of gummi worms: /promptly chokes when Aaravos says “Speak,” because I’m a dumbass

Key is Earth-side up in the credits sketches, a bold choice

viii.

Vision quest time!

Disappointingly, the new Dark magic side of the Key cube Callum pulls out of the pile of keys is not the side that was originally Star. BUT it’s the side that was originally Sky, which is what holds most significance for Callum himself, and this is his subconscious. Actually quite tickled that they put in that detail.

Callum: “Who are you?”, Dark Callum: “I’m you, but with a cooler cape”

”…It’s your dream, kid. /scoots away” ffgddfs????

Nice “freedom from expectations/destiny” parallel scenes transition between Callum’s hallucination and Soren’s “it’s okay, I’ll be a poet now”

As vision quest dreams go, Callum’s is actually written pretty well. Nice combination of meaningful metaphors and complete acid trip through recent memories, highly relatable.

…. oh my god, I only just now figured out that “banther” is a combination of “bear” and “panther”?

ix.

I probably owe the “Claudia talks about her mom leaving” scene some kind of acknowledgment just because I’ve gotten so much mileage out of that 30 seconds, plus maybe 2 total corresponding pages of novelization

and I completely forgot this sequence with Sarai that brings Callum out of his hallucinations, what the hell?

Me tearing up again when Callum casts the rune… it’s these fucking music cues, man

BROS BROS BROS BROS /gross sobbing

Oh shit yes finally time for the real drama to start

So like I get the Aaravos voice kink thing, because even for someone who really doesn’t process the characteristics of individual voices (i.e., me) his voice is definitely extraordinary, so I assume for people who can actually tell which Skyrim NPCs have the same three voice actors it must be absolutely mind-blowing… but for me it was the motion of him casting the big runes that really made me go “oh… oh fuck”

PARTICULARLY THAT LIGHTNING RUNE holy shit

I really have to assume that Aaravos just immediately healed that arrow wound to Viren’s knee because there’s just no other explanation but too bad his adventuring career is over either way

... aaaand I guess they kind of have to find Viren’s secret dungeon now, or Gren would have a few pretty serious problems. Thanks, credits sketch, for clearing that up!

#hyperfocus was definitely a go today #the dragon prince #pre s4 rewatch

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shunkani · 4 years ago

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Chapter 132 Levi/Hange Analysis

Summary: An attempt to explain the sentence in chapter 132

Levi: I see your one sided love with Titans still goes unrequited, four-eyes.

Hange: ...We’ll be getting along soon enough.　（…すぐに仲良くなるさ）

Disclaimer: this is just interpretation and not meant to be taken as official proof of romance between Levi and Hange in Attack on Titan. This is theory and nothing else. I’ve read multiple tweets and essays to compile my own thoughts.

I personally do not have any qualms with other ships, and this essay doesn’t discredit other Hange or Levi CP’s. Also, sorry but this essay has no pictures.

Lesson_____

A quick Japanese lesson (and language comprehension); I will try to make it painless. I make no assumption on the reader’s Japanese level/English grammar understanding and will be talking about it as is.

When は is combined with another particle, it puts emphasis in a way such as English has intonation. Since Japanese does not stress tone (like how one says the words sarcastically/meaningfully/sadly/cheekily) it uses particles to do this job.

So, when Levi says, “相変わらず巨人とは片思いのままだったなクソメガネ“

It means literally, “As always, still an unrequited love with Titans, four-eyes.”

Naturally, “Your love for Titans is one-sided, as usual, four-eyes.”

In Japanese, using には or とは creates a third, invisible option that is outside of the realm of the sentence.

When you use に or と or even は by itself, it creates a one dimensional statement. When used with other particles combined with は it creates another, outside dimension to the sentence. A third suggestion or comparison. は can be used as a comparative or stress particle as well as a topic marker.

quick example.

I didn’t go to the library with him. ->彼と図書館に行かなかった.（ Forward statement. It is as it is. ）

I didn’t go to the library with him. ->彼とは図書館に行かなかった（Implying I went there with someone else, but not him. ）

Just like you’d expect, English speakers understand the implications of stressing “him.” Just as Japanese speakers understand the implications of とは etc. If we stressed library(図書館には）instead of “boy” (彼とは）then it’s implication is that we didn’t go to the library with him, but maybe somewhere else. I hope this is clear.

____

Okay, on with the analyses. Just a note again, but I’ve naturalized any Japanese so that it’s not literal, but the meaning is the same so it’s easier to comprehend for native English speakers. I’ve changed “I” to “we” considering I formatted to fit essays.

From ストリキーネさん’s essay

Like others have said, Levi’s words feel like his true confession. Whether it’s romantic or not, it’s up in the air, but while making small talk and commenting about his long time comrade in arms, it seems like this comment is loaded with unlabeled feelings, like “You gross me out, but I feel something special for you and I get you.”

It feels natural to say “You still have unrequited love for Titans.” right after the banter of Hange and Pieck’s exchange. {note: 巨人に片思いのままだな is using に here, not とは, so it feels natural to say に）

So why did he use “とは” and not ”に”？

If there’s official announcement that say’s there’s no meaning to it, or that it’ll be corrected in the official volume, then this sentence will be meaningless. But if it’s intentional or even unconscious decision, we get the impression that he is recalling a third person (”me” ie Levi) among Hange and the Titans.

Moreover, hearing “four eyes” was unexpected and we can only imagine it was surprising for Hange too. Since we might have never expected that we’d hear “four eyes” in the original manga again, it’s perplexing, but feels filled with something like nostalgia.

With Hange taking over as commander and the world rapidly changing, we get the feeling that there’s a distance between them, at least from what is shown to us from the story.

Because of this short exchange about Titans, all at once we are brought back to “An eccentric, Titan-loving section commander,” and “Captain who’s fond of four-eyes,” and it’s moving.

There’s a little pause (note: talking about the “...” before Hange starts talking) at the end of Levi’s lines and the start of Hange’s dialogue. One wonders if it couldn’t be a mix between surprise and relief on Hange’s end.

Also, as many others have said, Levi is answering Hange’s “I’d prefer if we live here together,” from the forest, to the best that he can. There was no reason to look back at that scene in relation to this because Levi seemed to have brushed off Hange’s shocking statement, but since everyone was referencing that scene, a second re-examination was in order. (Note, the author actually said something a little more personal, so I condensed it to match a more essay-like statement)

Levi could have been surprised.

Someone who he’s known for a long time, and supported each other, and can admit that (Hange) can be troublesome sometimes, but also they hit it off well, yet each of their own responsibilities have become heavier and the world is in this state... in a situation like this, when suddenly alone together in a quiet forest, he might think Hange has stopped thinking if seriously suggesting to run away and saying things like “let’s live together.”

Under circumstances like this, if it were us, we’d likely want to do it, but remember we have responsibilities, maybe we don’t know what the other person feels, perhaps we’d rather we never heard it, so we pretend not to. In Levi’s case, perhaps pretend to sleep (pretending to not be able to hear it) or when he wakes up, change the subject completely.

It’s unlikely that Levi could give an answer on the spot, and would want time to figure it out.

(There’s more to the essay but it’s thoughts on relationships between people and some other things that don’t apply to the quote)

ーーーーー

Notes concluded from various twitter surfing:

Many JP fans think Levi’s statement alluded to the forest scene. It’s like his clumsy answer to Hange’s proposal, since he didn’t give a direct answer. Actually the essay above felt his answer was cold and ignored Hange. But Hange doesn’t seem displeased about it.

As many have said, Hange and Levi are definitely “adults” in this world. They both understand it’s not feasible to do the things they want to do, because their duties supersede that. Hange carries the immense duty of commander, and both hold the responsibility to stop Eren or fight for humanity as a whole.

It’s rather evident to me, even as an ordinary reader, that Levi did not want Hange to go. In fact, Hange says, 行かせて, “let me go.” and anticipated Levi would try to stop Hange. Mind you, it’s not “release me” but “I have to do this, so don’t stop me.” It took him three panels, focused on his dead-like eyes to finally say “Dedicate your heart,” something he’s apparently never said before. To me, “Dedicate your heart” is a self-sacrificing quote when applied to the Survey Corps. Pretty much “go in bravely, and don’t expect to come back.” Levi is a “Live and come back’ type. The strange thing is that Levi puts his hand on Hange and says it.. in Hange’s place..? It’s a salute before battle, but here it feels like a gentle sentence. Why it was delivered that way? I hope that Isayama will answer these questions in future interviews.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Another thing, Levi says みててくれ to Hange, a now deceased person. Levi has never asked anything from the dead. He’s mentioned fulfilling his promise to Erwin about killing Zeke, but some have found it strange for Levi to ask Hange to “Watch me (kill Zeke.”) (edit: the point is that Levi asked Hange to keep watching him, so it seems that his promises and goals may have changed)

One user said something pretty sad. “For Levi, I think Hange is treated as a MIA. Even if there’s no chance of survival, if Levi looks at Hange’s death, Hange has ended for him right there. So since Hange hasn’t ended, he said “ watch out for me.” That’s the reason why Levi, who’s looked at dead soldiers in the eye, didn’t look at Hange.”

It’s simply, Levi didn’t say “Rest in peace,” or “Goodnight.” but “See ya, Hange. Keep looking out for me.”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Going back to the quote about Titans, the summary is, that in Japanese, Levi’s speech seems incredibly nuanced because he uses language that suggests that Hange and him have come to a mutual feeling, and it’s simply by stating “with Titans” (but there’s a mutual love with me). That’s why the above essay questions if this isn’t a misprint or mistake, or perhaps it’s nothing at all. (I want to point out, that one user suggested it could refer to Eren, but it seems unlikely)

This is his “answer.” And Hange says...”...We’ll get along soon enough.”

There’s a “...” before Hange says that, indicating a pause, whether out of surprise by being called “four-eyes”, or carefully thinking on how to respond to “とは”

Some other notes before I close this up, I thought this was a nice thought on LeviHan:

Hange was introduced while talking and having contact with Levi and Hange exited while talking and having contact with Levi. Really, Hange’s story started and ended with Levi.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

I apologize if this seems everywhere, I’m not particularly fond of writing, but for Hange’s last chapter, I feel like English speakers should get in on what Japanese levihan fans were saying.

終わり

#levihan #snk132 #essay

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strawberryjamsara · 4 years ago

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Keiji and Sara’s relationship throughout yttd

In which I analyze the found family dynamic between Sara and Keiji then nobody reads it. But jokes aside, I realized back when that anon asked me for my thoughts on Sara that I had enough thoughts on the relationship between these two alone for its own meta so here goes. What Sara and Keiji’s relationship means in the grand scheme of yttd.

ALSO THIS IS NOT SHIPPING SHIPPERS GET THE FUCK AWAY

Sara when she meets Keiji is distrustful of him. And how can she not be? The guy has some creepy bags under his eyes, doesn’t seem to care about the situation, and for no reason is gravitating towards her. And his response when she asks why the hell he keeps putting a random stranger in charge? “Because you’re cute.” Yeah. I’d stay within 50 feet of this guy too Sara. Especially when he’s not spilling a word about himself.

Alright we might as well get the gross part out of the way. To clear things up. In the Japanese version, the word he uses “Kawai” can be seen as a more fatherly word to use with a kid. But the comments about going on dates from himself and from Shin? Those are still there. And I still think they’re really uncomfortable and wish they weren’t in the game period but we can get thematic significance out of them.

We still don’t know Keijis reasons in game for being attached to Sara. My theory? She’s his handicap. He was told to get close to the higher scorer who could easily backstab him, and he’d be stuck with her. It just kinda makes sense to me. But since that’s just a theory I won’t lean to heavily on it for support. But let’s talk about his comments.

Keiji… well, it’s shown at many points in the game that Keiji just thinks of himself as doomed to be a bad person. It can be seen during his day two negotiations when he calls himself a killer and explains he can’t even trust himself so Sara shouldn’t really bother and more explicitly so is the classroom scene between him and Ranmaru where he says he isn’t fit to protect Sara because of his sins. The flirting is both a way to distract people, and to put distance between himself and Sara. He’s not really “protecting” her.

Okay gross bit nobody wants to talk about is over I promise we won’t talk about it again. Let’s talk about Russian Roulette. In this scene, Keiji once again tries to make Sara the leader with no explanation, but then, Sara yells at him, something he didn’t expect. And through this he actually reveals something huge. The source of his trauma. His shooting. For Keiji to have actually revealed something that big, I think that this is the first moment he began to see Sara past whatever reason he first started making her a leader. This is the beginning of their bond.

This bond gets solidified over chapter 1-2s investigation. Keiji is still putting her in charge because his handicap said to build her up for whatever reason, but they’re able to have chats, and she keeps picking at his armor. He reveals his dark sense of humor to her, and she, suspicious just sort of keeps him at arms length. Also she rides his shoulders to screw in a light and he complains which is funny. The scene post Nao also helps the two of them sharpen investigative skills together, as they discuss the mystery of Miley, and Mishimas head.

Then another significant scene. The white room. I call this scene significant because, instead of letting Sara investigate the gruesome scene of the first trial, Keiji for the first time, allows Sara to walk out. Something that will become relevant later but until then, Keiji has begun to put Sara’s well-being above serving whatever purpose he had by building her up. So keep that in your pocket while we go over the main game.

There’s only two points for the main game I want to cover. While Keiji and Sara do put their heads together a few times, Sara still doesn’t fully trust him, so I will only go over 1. When Shin brings up Kai’s emails. Keiji has been fully logical this whole time, questioning everyone’s alibis including Nao’s who he saw the emotional plea from, but when Sou brings up potentially damning evidence of Sara, he just asks if he read the emails wrong. 2. When Sara is panicking over being chosen for the final round, Keiji loudly shouts “GET A GRIP SARA!” With a serious expression. Before quickly backtracking and going back to a devil may care expression. This shows he is both already emotionally attached to Sara, but unwilling to stake himself towards giving himself to a new cause.

Anyways, he stops her from pressing the button blah blah blah, onto chapter 2! I’ve made a post about this before but it seems as early as here, Keiji is trying to talk Sara down from pushing herself further. But at this point, Sara has already dedicated herself to the role because her best friend died due to her priority to protect everyone. Keiji sees the problem and he tries to get her to rest up, but he still doesn’t spend the time to have a serious talk about it because as he says in the classroom. He isn’t fit to protect her. He doesn’t think of himself as a good person who can help her. He thinks of himself as a murderer and he doesn’t allow himself to recover from the trauma.

Sara however is starting to rely more on Keiji. He’s been willing to comfort her in her times of grief and furthermore, she has something to relate to him on. They both have deaths of important people in their lives they feel responsibility for.

There’s also the fact that Keiji sees a lot of his old self in Sara. An idealistic person, being beaten down, and worrying over the idea they might be becoming a bad person. He feels the same as her.

Not to mention… Keiji follows through on his promises. He actually tells Sara about the person he respected like he said he would which establishes a further sense of trust.

However, something that tears that sense of trust apart is the tokens scene. When Keiji doesn’t even let Sara hold 50 tokens, it raises suspicion. Sara already knows he shot a person- what more could he have to hide? That scares her away. The negotiation event is an attempt for Keiji to win back her trust. But it slowly turns into Keiji’s self-loathing session. And his declaration maybe Sara shouldn’t trust him.

However, time passes enough (and Keiji supports Sara enough in the final attraction) for them to get together and investigate in 2-2. And there’s a lot of moments I can talk about there so I’ll be just doing a few rapidfire things. So first, Sara is in peak weird girl mode and Keiji can hardly control her chaos. Second, Keiji makes a full on decision at one point to go against Sara when she’s putting herself in danger of getting caught for their search so they can hide. Third, his response to “I don’t intend to die” when he asks “will you die with me” is that’s a good answer.

And fourth… a moment I really wanna touch on… Keiji watches something that could easily incriminate Sara. It’s not just some word of mouth thing like with Shin who lied about things several times before this point. But in that moment, he still relies on Sara and says he wouldn’t feel bad betting his life on her. The message is clear. Keiji supports Sara unconditionally.

Now let’s talk about Keiji totally dropping Sara’s ass with the card trades.

The way Keiji makes his trades is very telling. He first, steals a keymaster card from either Sou or Kanna to give to Sara. This is supporting Sara, but it’s doing it in a way that supports his view of himself. That he’s a scumbag who would steal someone’s immunity just to give it to someone he likes more. And would a shithead like that be “worthy” of sacrificing themselves and taking the card for Sara? (And he knew she had it. Qtaro had to tell him for their plan to happen) no. Instead he essentially opts for a revenge plot. A plan to ensnare Shin and kill him for pawning off the sacrifice to Sara. Basically, he wanted to fuck up Shin like how he fucked up Megumi. Nice going Keiji. This is… kind of his low point in the story.

But 3-1….. man this chapter hits in all the right ways. I don’t remember 3A that much, (although I do know that Keiji shows a lot of concern over Sara potentially being triggered by Joe memorabilia) and also if you fail the Keiji Midori fight you can have Sara attempt to tag Keiji and he rejects. And how can we forget… the mr policeman flashback. As Sara says, this is Keiji’s first time opening up on his own.

And then… coffin saga. Sara through everything is not willing to let Keiji die. Although she’s had her ups and downs with him, leaving him to die is inconceivable to her with everything they’ve been through together. So she opts to sign the contract both times she is offered it.

Keiji clearly is somebody important to Sara. Important enough that Ranmaru bringing him up is enough to snap her out of her murderous trance. Enough that she throws logic out the window when she has a sign he’s okay.

Likewise, the scene in the classroom for Keiji is… a huge step. When he’s alone with Ranmaru, who is unstable, in that classroom, his priority is Sara. He turns his back to the threat to hold Sara and try and make sure she’s okay- dumb move, but it shows how far he’s come.

And again, I want to reiterate- Keiji is Sara’s anchor. At the banquet when Sara is about to give up, she imagines Keiji talking to her which brings her back in the game. Much like Joe did back in chapter 2. The message is palpable. Keiji is Sara’s new Joe. And when Keiji comes back to comfort her? He’s now fully willing to sacrifice himself. It winds up not being needed seeing as Qtaro is the one that died. But in that moment, we see Keiji has made a huge leap from chapter 2. He almost sacrificed himself for Gin. And he would’ve used his final moments to comfort Sara. He’s embraced that he’s a father figure. He allows himself to be a good person.

Anyways I don’t know how to conclude this and I’ve been writing for hours. Bababooey.

#your turn to die #kimi ga shine #yttd #keiji shinogi #sara chidouin #gothitxt

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bokutoslittlebird · 4 years ago

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As The Sun Sets

King!Oikawa x assassin!prisonser!reader

Warnings — implied noncon, implied smut, trauma and traumatic pasts, Bokuto’s back, Kuroo x Alisa ship, Ushijima x Yachi ship, chains, collar, leash, not pet play, I wrote this and haven’t looked over it since I wrote it so read at your own risk, implied past abuse, alcohol (champagne), arguments, cheating.. kind of

The loud noises around you never stopped; the switching of guards at every 6th hour, the occasional thief thrown into a cell near you and leaving within the same day after Kyōtani disciplined them, it never stopped. Each and every day, you’d sit down in the cell and wish Oikawa would instead cut off your arms and legs instead of his harsh touches and never ending conversation. Time had passed to the point, you weren’t sure if your own kingdom was waiting for your arrival back home, perhaps Bokuto actually spent time with his own queen.

Your thoughts were cut off by the familiar click of heels on the marble stairs. The time of arrival of Oikawa was sooner than expected, your dead eyes looking up to meet his bright and cheery ones. “How’s my favorite captive?”

“You seem awfully chipper. Is it time for my daily lashings?”

“Someone’s masochistic,” he shoots back, his grin turning to a smirk, before it washes off. “No lashings tonight.. if you’re good. I have a special dinner planned and you’ll be accompanying me as a plus one. It’s just me and my court, no one special,” he’s cut off by Hanamaki slapping his shoulder. “Okay, mostly nobody special. Just a dinner and then we can explore the castle. If you’re bad, however,”

“I’m sure Iwaizumi and Hanamaki would have me dead before I dared to lay a hand upon your precious skin,” you quickly reply. Oikawa seems to smile at that, enjoying your awareness of the situation. “That or I’ll be forced back into my place with an audience, which is it?”

“I’d rather have your blood staining my garments and splattered on my dish than have anyone have a glance of your skin, my darling,”

“That’s gross,” Hanamaki cuts in. Oikawa gives him a look, but he just shrugs. “I’m sorry, but you’re kind of weird. Do I need Iwaizumi to smack some sense into your head?”

“Can he even handle a smack from Iwaizumi? That guys had biceps the size of my head,” you interject, reveling in the pout on Oikawa’s face.

“If he holds back, yeah Oikawa can handle it. Then again—”

“Both of you, quit it! Formal invitation to a dinner with me, I’ll pick you up before the dinner. And Makki,”

“Yes, my king?”

“No cream puffs for you!”

“Now you’re just being mean.”

Oikawa and Hanamaki left right after, but their retreating footsteps made your chest ache. It’s better to be with someone, even if it’s the people you hate, you conclude. Hanamaki makes you laugh occasionally, usually with his quick retorts to Oikawa. Even when Kindaichi comes down, he’s actually talking to you when he delivers your food. Kunimi disapproves of it, but he doesn’t do anything. Kyōtani and Yahaba are still distant, but that’s expected when they have a stick up their asses. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi are hardly down here, but Iwaizumi is usually accompanying Oikawa for his late night activities. He never looks at you, turning to stare at the other side of the dungeon or leaving the dungeon completely while you suffer. Although he left the dungeons in the beginning, now he mostly stayed back to stare at the wall.

You wonder if it’s because his moral compass wants to help you. Oikawa invited him to join, but it was quickly turned down, claiming there was no joy in torturing prisoners more than necessary. Although he was always there and never talked to you, he was close to Oikawa. He didn’t stay down in the cells to hear your screams, but his hand on his sword said he was ready to move had Oikawa’s screams joined yours. Your restraints prevented your hands from doing damage, but he’s well aware your legs and mouth are able to do a bit of damage.

Laying in the cell, you watched as the guards switched. Kunimi and Yahaba were switched to Kindaichi and Kyōtani, complete opposites. Kyōtani was more animalistic than you originally thought, going off instincts first and he had sensitive hearing, eyes glancing to your form whenever you shifted. Kindaichi was there to make sure Kyōtani didn’t do anything he’d regret, that’s all. But you wouldn’t make any unnecessary movements.

Though the wait eats you up inside.

It is what feel like hours before the Oikawa comes down, the sun lowering itself in the sky as orange rays lay across your face. Oikawa clears his throat, disturbing your peaceful nap. “Time to get dressed. Hope you can walk.” Two handmaidens enter the cell, one holding a gorgeous aqua blue dress and the other holding silver accessories. Hanamaki is down there with him, ready to attack should you make a move. The diamond shackles come off, you releasing a sigh once your wrists are freed from the heavy confines.

Oikawa doesn’t seem scared, even as he stands beside you while his handmaidens strip you and dress you up. Your wrists ache and your legs are unstable, finding the lack of shoes to be a blessing in this state. The blue gown is not too elegant, but it’s strange to be in such a formal gown when your position in the kingdom is below a commoner. Silver accents line the bodice and litter the skirt, with some being simple sparkles while others shape into different flowers. Fabric is simple, mostly tulle as it feels lightweight and easy for your weakened body to handle. Oikawa himself places the remaining silver accessories to complete the outfit — the chains. Shackles are clasped to your wrists, leading to a silver collar that is secured into place. There’s another chain leading from the collar, but the end of it is a sapphire gem, secured in a diamond crystal. Extravagant and unnecessary, but Oikawa drops the crystal and you fall down with it, unable to hold your body weight up.

“Fantastic, everything’s in order,” he says. You growl as you try to get up, but the crystal keeps you from going too far. Oikawa picks it up and gently ushers you out of the cell, dismissing the handmaidens. He walks beside you, making sure you’re able to walk comfortably, with Hanamaki trailing behind. Supporting your weight as he guides you up the stairs and lets you go at your own pace. The cold marble on your bare feet is almost burning, but the ache in your legs is from not using them for so long. The chains don’t help, adding weight to your body while Oikawa holds the end of the metal leash in his hand. It’s a struggle to get up the stairs.

Making it above the dungeons, you’re practically hissing at the brightly lit corridor. Every nook and cranny is well lit, with soldiers standing guard few in between. One soldier gets your attention, however, who has a familiar frown you’re usually only blessed to see under glimmering crystal light. Iwaizumi comes over and nods, sending Hanamaki away and down the corridor, leaving the three of you alone. “I’m sure you remember Iwa-chan,”

“Yeah, he’s always down with you. I remember him,”

“Well, this time, you’re seeing him in a new light. He’s my guard and my best friend, so enjoy the new side of him while you can,” Oikawa speaks as if he’s talking to an old friend, waving his hands around as he leads you down the corridor. The aqua colored curtains and silver items seem to bring more light into the castle than before, even as the sun takes its final breath over the horizon and plunges the world into darkness. “You should take this opportunity to ask questions, my dear,”

“Iwaizumi, will you kill me?”

“Not unless Oikawa commands it,” he’s quick to reply, as if he was expecting it. You sigh and shrug.

“Okay, fair. Why do you stick with Oikawa?”

“We grew up together. Our fathers were friends, so it was only common sense for us to be so close. I’ve seen him in every kind of situation you can imagine. He’s usually crying over a girl, though,”

“Iwa-chan! You can’t be mean to me when we have a guest!” Oikawa immediately whines, covering your ears as if you can’t hear them still. “I’m the king, I don’t cry!”

“No offense, my Lord, but you cried when you tried to drink coffee in front of Lady Kiyoko, only to then sputter and cough because it was too bitter. She downed hers black and you requested hot chocolate. With extra milk.”

“Iwa-chan!”

“Oh, we starting early?” Another familiar voice spoke. Oikawa’s hands fell from your ears and you looked at Matsukawa. He’s as tall and imposing as the day he caught you running from the throne room. “Nice to see you’re still thriving. How are you?”

“I’d be better if I wasn’t caught by a horse,” you smirk, moving to cross your arms when the chains clink and stop you. “Suffering by the hands of your king, but still alive,”

“I’m sorry, but that’s a precaution,” he finishes, patting your cheek before turning to Oikawa. You have half a mind to try and punch him but Iwaizumi’s hand falls on your shoulder. “Everyone else is seated, my Lord. Is there anything you request?”

“Have Watari sitting next to [Y/N]. She should be close to someone nice,” Oikawa commands. The doors open after he speaks, Matsukawa holding the door open as he urges the group inside. Oikawa tugs you forward, with Iwaizumi following right behind you. Watari stands from his chair, bowing to you in a brisk meeting before pulling out your chair.

“Oh, thank you, Watari,” you bow to him. Oikawa seems to have his eyes fixated on you as you settle into the table. Looking around, you seem to notice how everyone seems stunned by your arrival, but their eyes seem to be trailed to the chains and collar.

Oikawa settles down next to you, clearing his throat. Holding up his glass, full of a shimmering golden liquid, he encourages everyone to do the same. The chains clink together, but you manage a weak hold on the glass, getting Oikawa to smile. “Tonight, let us toast to those who have lost their lives and those who have joined us. With that, we shall discuss the topic of the evening: the impending threat from Nekoma and Fukurōdani.”

“Eh?” You squeak out, drowned out in the cheers from the men around you. Oikawa gently clinks his glass against yours, putting your hand down after. You lean closer to him to whisper in his ear, “should I leave? This shouldn’t involve me,”

“Oh, don’t worry. Any news spoken of will never reach their walls. You’re stuck with me,” he chirps, patting your head before turning to Iwaizumi. “Any updates, Captain?”

“A group of ten went into the forest and only two came back. They’re being treated for trauma, but they won’t speak of much besides the ‘monsters in the forest’ and ‘they’re gonna die soon’, so we don’t have much.”

“I didn’t know Oikawa’s face was in the Dark Forest. Guess Lady Kiyoko showed it around town,” Matsukawa snickers at Hanamaki’s comment, who is grinning at a glaring Oikawa. “Speaking the truth, my liege,”

“We should decree a law where you don’t say the truth unless asked, Makki. You’re much to comfortable with loose lips,”

“Well, then who’s going to tell you you’re being weird or annoying? Matsukawa, would you?” He turns to the man sitting next to him, who has a large piece of meat stuffed in his mouth. He bites down and drops it, in a rather inelegant manner.

“I could never come up with good things like you. How ever would the castle live in Oikawa was unrestrained in his rule, never to be stopped?” He dramatically sighs, an eye opened to glance at a fuming Oikawa.

“You make me sound like a tyrant! I’m a good king! [Y/N], am I a good king?” With eyes on you, you pause in your eating of the mashed potatoes. Looking at him with no emotion whatsoever, you reply.

“You tie me up and force me in chains. Do you really want my opinion? If you’re looking to a prisoner to be on your side, I have a feeling you’re below a-” yet you stop, seeing Iwaizumi’s eyes boring into yours. “Below a tyrant, but not quite the kings I’ve come across.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he nods, sitting back down. “Anyways, Nekoma and Fukurōdani will be hard pressed to reach if we can’t bypass the Dark Forest,”

“Kuroo and Bokuto.. they’re strong, but are they smart enough to know we’re infiltrating?” Yahaba asks, downing the last of his champagne.

“We could ask Ushiwaka,” Matsukawa suggests, but it’s quickly overruled by Oikawa’s firm ‘no’. “With all due respect, you’re allies with Shiratorizawa. Use it to your advantage?”

“Ushiwaka bested Oikawa’s army and they signed a treaty to be allies so Aoba Johsai wouldn’t fall,” Kunimi interjects. “Why would Oikawa-sama want to call on him for help?”

“Because we keep losing soldiers? Let’s have the Shiratorizawa soldiers die at the hands of forest ‘monsters’ instead of our own,” Matsukawa said as if it was obvious. The talk of the allegiance between the kingdoms was good news. News you could take and run with. Not only that, Oikawa confirmed that he is looking to go to Fukurōdani and is going into the Dark Forest. This is vital information.

Now only if you could leave.

The bitterness of those words evaporates your appetite, you setting your cutlery down as you stare at the unfinished food. It’s the first real food you’ve gotten since coming here, yet you no longer want it. Oikawa seems to notice you’ve stopped eating, ignoring the remarks from his court as he scoots his chair back. The action has you turning to him, only to have your body moving into his lap as you squeak. Your noises have attention on you as Oikawa cages you in his arms. “You need to eat, you know,”

“I’m.. I’m not hungry,”

“Lies. Your stomach is growling,” he puts potatoes on his spoon and holds it up. “Say ‘ah’.”

“I’m not a—” he shoves the spoon in your mouth, humming in satisfaction as his hand holds over your mouth. If you had an ounce of common sense, you’d swallow and not spit. Risking a beating or worse over eating isn’t worth it.

“Good girl, look at you,” he coos, giving you another spoonful. “Eating so much,”

“He got weirder,” Hanamaki chimes in. “Remember you have an audience, Oikawa,”

“Makki, hush. She’s enjoying it, aren’t you?” You don’t respond, simply looking at him. “That look says yes,”

“Actually, how-” he cuts you off with more food in your mouth. He seems so happy, stuffing your face with food. It’s almost the only thing you’re focusing on, had it not been for the chains and the men talking around you.

Matsukawa’s voice, once more, catches your attention. “Wish that was you, huh? Need someone taking care of our big, strong captain?” He makes a heart with his fingers, with Hanamaki doing the same beside him.

“As if. If anything, Oikawa needs to be fed properly because he’s always off doing something weird,” Iwaizumi retorts. His eyes occasionally glance at the two of you, his eyes catching yours.

“Oh yeah, earlier Oikawa was fixing his hair in the mirror before going down to the dungeons. Making strange poses, like this,” Hanamaki tries to demonstrate, puckering his lips and winking while pointing at you. You giggle at his pose, although Oikawa seems to be fuming. “Or like this,” he winks and holds up a peace sign, putting the other hand on his hip. “It’s quite disturbing, actually.”

“Oh, did he do the kissy face?” Matsukawa then winks and blows a kiss to you, who’s now fully laughing at their actions while Oikawa puts his face in your hair.

“I don’t do weird poses! I have to make sure I look elegant and kingly!”

“You act like a woman who’s never seen themself in a mirror, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi interjects. Oikawa then pouts, but you pat his arm. He seems hopeful when you do, but his eyes fall as you grin at him.

“You always look at yourself in the diamond bars, too. You love yourself that much? Narcissistic king,” you snicker. Oikawa’s jaw drops as Hanamaki and Matsukawa start to howl, as if you said the funniest thing ever. Iwaizumi sports a small smile, but he hides it by chewing on his food.

“Well, someone’s comfortable,” Oikawa pouts, but he keeps you on his lap. You’re no longer being fed by his hand, but he does take care to check if you’re still eating.

The dinner is mostly uneventful after that, turning into a mostly political discussion that involves Aoba Johsai’s army and possible future cooperation with Shiratorizawa. Oikawa keeps you secured, perfectly perched on his lap the entire time. Eventually, a guard comes in to interject, telling Iwaizumi that there’s a problem he needs to go oversee. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi leave, with the rest of everyone eventually being dismissed.

Oikawa takes you on a walk of his castle. With no other guards, you find yourself more open to talk and Oikawa opens more to you, encouraging your own tale in exchange for his. He takes you to his throne room, the place you two technically first met. He tells you about his father, how he brought him into the throne room for the first time to watch a petty thief beg for his life. A horrible story, one that makes you feel like you have to give him another story of your own. Torn between telling him your secrets and telling him nothing at all, you tell him your parents abandoned you at a young age.

“Both of them?” He asks. You nod, but his eyes show the sorrow you don’t feel. “You’ve been on your own for so long, not even a childhood friend?”

“One. We were close, but things changed as we got older. He.. changed. His mission was to protect and mine was to attack. Opposing sides, yet you’d think our friendship would outweigh that.” The tale is true, but elements are missing. Oikawa doesn’t pry, moving onto another topic. The trail down the corridor is familiar — back to the dungeons.

Oikawa comes and visits you at random times of the day, now. He offers his hand to take a walk around his castle and orders his handmaidens to dress you in some gown of his own choosing. Each walk breaks down more and more walls, soon enough you’re looking forward to talking to someone. Oikawa doesn’t pry more than he needs to, but he does encourage you to vent all you want. He’s there for you and your secrets are sealed behind tightly shut lips.

Your secrets are brisk, hardly showing too much vulnerability and brushing over the kingdom you’re from, or even what king you work for. Oikawa has an idea, but he doesn’t ask for you to go into any details. Oikawa tells you of his father and how he was cruel, saying only those who carried out his orders without questions were loyal. The ripe age of 16 wasn’t kind to Oikawa, having to wake up and find that the captain of the guard had poisoned the king, then himself. Iwaizumi was almost tried for treason, but he had been out on a mission with other soldiers and was pardoned per Oikawa’s request. They grew up together and Oikawa trusts Iwaizumi with his life, even if Iwaizumi shall turn on him one day.

It isn’t until the last walk do you spill the secrets and the names. Aoba Johsai’s garden is gorgeous, with blooming white and blue flowers, white marble fountains that hosts swans and other living creatures, frolicking in the crystal clear water. Oikawa makes it unbelievably awkward, with his constant closeness as he journeys with you around his garden. He brings up that his mother was beheaded before his eyes and his father told him that women are only meant for childbearing and are cruel creatures, only because she didn’t love his father. Oikawa has no Queen because he focused on growing and securing his kingdom, yet now he is expected to marry and have an heir by the end of the month. It isn’t harsh, it shouldn’t have broken you, but him settling on a bench in front of a red rose bush and crying has your walls shattering like glass.

“It was my mother’s favorite flower. That’s why I made so many blue and white flower bushes. This was the last thing she gave to me,” he had said, through his sobs. It was heartbreaking to see a prideful man cry in front of you, so you hugged him and told him the truth.

Your mission was to kill him under King Bokuto’s orders, sent as his personal assassin. You’re under his rule because you failed a previous mission. Finding comfort in Oikawa’s tragic past, finding it to be something nobody should carry alone, you console him. An assassin and a royal mistress for Bokuto, you abide by each one of his orders lest you find your own blade turned on you. Oikawa turns to hug you, letting you cry into his own chest and just sit in the garden, under the setting sun, ranting about anything and everything.

“Bottling things up isn’t good, you know. That’s why I have Iwa-chan. He seems mean, but he’s never once attempted to hurt me,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Bokuto seems like a tyrant,”

“He’s a good guy, he’s just... he’s the best warrior in the kingdom and prides himself on being the best king to live. He used to be cruel and merciless, but he has his moments. He can be soft and has his down moments, he just hides them behind closed doors. He was cruel to me, but he’s changed,” you try to reason, but Oikawa looks at you. “Really.”

“What would you get if you killed me? Let me guess, freedom? He would let you go? After you killed the king with security tighter than his? If you managed to kill me, you wouldn’t make it past the entrance of my castle,” the confirmation of accepting a doomed mission is bitter in your mouth. “You’re valuable. Bokuto wouldn’t just let you go like that. He’s not planning to give you freedom,”

“No, that’s— that’s wrong, he promised-”

“But I can offer you salvation. It’s not freedom, you’ll be stuck here, but you’ll be able to be free of Bokuto’s clutches. Will you take my hand?” Oikawa leans back, showing you his hand. Looking st you, you don’t move.

“What.. what is it?”

“Be my queen, [Y/N]. Bokuto can’t reach you if you’re here with me. Can you honestly tell me you want to go back?”

The thing is, you can’t. Taking his gloved hand, he brings you into his embrace and presses his lips to yours. For the first time, your hands clutch his shirt and you kiss him back.

It’s only a promise in the garden, yet the next morning, you find yourself in Oikawa’s bed, laying next to the naked king. It’s a strange thing to wake up to, but Hanamaki is entering the room shortly, quickly covering his eyes. “I saw nothing,”

“Hanamaki, not to be rude but, you’ve seen me change like 20 times. Why the hell are you turning away?”

“I’m a respectful man! I wouldn’t look at a lady and my future queen with such indecency,” he says, only go and try to wake up Oikawa with closed eyes. His words stun you, having the previous night really settle in and Oikawa actually asking for your permission before indulging in your body. Then the questions pops into your head, remembering Oikawa’s offer. A look at your hands — chains are gone and a silver ring with sapphire is on your finger. That settles that dilemma.

“I’m up, I’m up! What is it?!” Oikawa shouts, popping up from his cocoon. Hanamaki sighs, eyes still closed.

“I know you had a busy night, seeing as we could hear you, but you have responsibilities. Tonight is the banquet with the other kings. News of you getting a queen spread like wildfire, so they’ll probably want to deal with that before anything else,” Hanamaki explains. Then he points in your direction, though it’s at the wall. “And you need to be ready for their onslaught of questions. These kings prefer political marriages over marriages of love, so you need to know how to defend yourself.”

“No need. They wouldn’t dare ask her any questions if I’m taking care of them. I’ll be down shortly, let me dress.” Hanamaki bows and leaves, letting you heave a sigh as the door clicks shut. “Don’t worry, my dear. Bokuto won’t be able to lay a finger on you.”

“Bokuto’s going to be there?! He probably thinks I’m dead, Oikawa!” You panic, getting out of the bed to dress yourself. “I can’t— Kaori will be there too, yes? I can’t do that,”

“You’re untouchable, completely safe in my arms,” he’s behind you, hugging you close. “I’ll have you seated beside me and put Ushiwaka’s queen next to you. She’s harmless and sweet, you’ll be fine. Bokuto will look, but not touch. Trust me.”

Trust him, you do. As the day passes, you’re thrown into different outfits and putting on heels that make your feet hurt. Your hair is done elegantly, as if you haven’t been living in a dungeon for almost two months. Make up is done to make your face look a bit more lively, compared to the dead inside look you normally have. By the time Oikawa sees you again, it’s time for the dinner. You’re brought to the doors of the dining hall, listening to the chatter from inside. Bokuto’s voice is loud and clear, making your insides churn. But Oikawa is right next to you, smiling and letting your hand rest of his arm. Iwaizumi announces the two of you and lets you both walk in.

Avoiding Bokuto’s eyes, you settle down in the chair, but you feel him staring at you. Kaori has a small gasp that is quickly overlooked, but you’re sure it’s because of you. Ushijima and Kuroo seem to be on edge, but another king you don’t know of seems at ease. Oikawa settles down and clears his throat, requesting the food to be served.

“Oikawa, what is this?” Bokuto speaks through gritted teeth, yet his eyes are on you. Oikawa grins, holding your hand for him to see. “She doesn’t look like anybody we know about.”

“Well, to tell you the truth, Bokuto-san,” Oikawa begins, ready to spin the tale of your meeting together. “We met as she was tending to my garden. She would offer me an ear and listen, then I would listen to her troubles. Soon enough, we were both falling in love. She told me her family is going to have to move soon and I offered her a reason to not leave. Her position is but a commoner, yet I love her as if she was royalty,”

“Oikawa, shouldn’t you focus on expanding territory or a political gain over love?” Ushijima interjects. His booming voice startles his queen, which prompts him to lay his hand on her head and apologize. “If you want love, there are mistresses you can take up,”

“Yeah, Oikawa, love isn’t the reasons we get married. You have options, you know? Some nobody gardener isn’t worth it,” Bokuto’s words cut deep, even if they’re based on the lie spun. Kuroo interjects, before Oikawa can say anything.

“I don’t see a problem. I married my queen for love, so it shouldn’t be a big deal?” He tries to ease the tension, smiling warmly. Bokuto’s quick to create more tension.

“Kuroo, you married Lady Alisa because you expanded your territory to the Northern continent and gained three new ports. Love or not, she came with political advantages,”

“Ushiwaka, didn’t you marry for love, too? Yacchan didn’t have much political gain, the Princess of a kingdom in the southern isles. You got a port and some handful of new citizens, not that great,” Oikawa says, folding his hands and smiling at Ushijima. Yachi mumbles to herself and twiddles her thumbs, but doesn’t do much else. You pay her arm and smile, trying to make her less uncomfortable.

“To be fair, unless you go to another continent, there aren’t any women who can stand up to the challenge of being a queen,” the strange king says, then gestures to his queen. “Mai was given to us as an offering by the previous Dateko tribe,”

“Futakuchi, I don’t think that counts as either political nor romantic reasons for marriage,” Oikawa says, but quickly dismisses it. “The point is, I’ll marry who I want to marry and I chose to marry this woman. She will be my bride and give me an heir. That is final.”

Nobody speaks against him, but the seriousness of the situation has you feel queasy. Leaning over to Oikawa, you tell him you’re not feeling good. “Iwa-chan, take my queen-to-be to her room, she isn’t feeling well,”

“Yes, your majesty,” he bows and helps you out of the chair. Guiding you out of the room, you take a quick glance to Bokuto, seeing him still watching you. It makes you feel even worse. The doors shut behind you and Iwaizumi leans down to whisper to you. “Do I need to walk you to your room or do you need fresh air?”

“Some fresh air, please. I don’t really want to go back,” You mutter. Iwaizumi nods, then gives you directions to the garden. “Thank you, Iwa-chan,”

“Don’t push your buttons,” he growls out, waiting for you to leave before entering the room again. Seeing as you’re mostly alone, you sigh and take in shaky breaths. You’ve never felt so helpless before, unable to do anything or save your pride. Kaori and Bokuto expected you to be dead, not sleeping with Oikawa. But now they— no, he knows. He will find you and use honeyed words to bring you back, but you must be strong.

A throat cleared behind you has you whirling around. Expecting someone you’re familiar with is a given, but you didn’t expect to see Bokuto standing at the entrance. “Hello, my little bird,”

“Go away, Bokuto. I don’t want to deal with you,”

“I told you to kill Oikawa, not sleep with him. Now you’ll be his queen? Do you not want your freedom? Or is this an elaborate plan?” His arms are wide as he moves towards you. You back up, watching his face drop and pout. “Not a plan, is it?”

The lack of care in his words make you think he’s gotten rid of any guards nearby. Deciding your life is better than telling the truth, you lie. “I’ll come back. I got caught my first day, so I need to wait for an opportunity.”

“That’s my girl,” he’s close enough to hug you, pressing your body close against his. “I’ve missed this. You next to me. Me inside of you,”

“That’s vulgar and very gross, sir,” you cringe. He laughs, but it’s short. Then, he’s tilting your head up by your chin. “Boku-” he cuts you off with a kiss, pressing his tongue against your lips. Wanting him to leave you alone as soon as possible, you let him kiss you and bury your fingers into his sleeves. His grip on you tightens, a growl from his throat as he lets his hands brush against your ass. Feeling his intentions go beyond a simple kiss, you retreat and look away so he doesn’t pout. “Not here. Not now. You have to wait.”

“Then I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you to be with me once more and I await the news of King Oikawa’s lifeless body. Remember what I can give you. Oikawa wouldn’t grant you freedom, only I can,” he murmurs the last bit in your ear, pressing a kiss against the shell before leaving. The wind blows as you retreat further into the garden, feeling your cheeks wet with tears.

With only the sun setting as your companion, you find yourself wondering if you made the right choice.

#haikyuu x reader #oikawa x reader #oikawa x you #king Oikawa series #tw.alcohol #tw.noncon #tw.abuse #Mr. Tōru #tw.cheating #Oikawa.Angst

104 notes · View notes

amyisherenowitsokay · 3 years ago

Note

You know what just to SPICE it up a bit imma say zadr too bitch

This bitch tryna give me arthritis smdh. Making me out myself for my dual-ship on main, can't even believe a bitch.

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

1. How did they first meet?

School. We must never forget the infamous handcuffs scene.

2. What was their first impression of each other?

Pure, unrivaled loathing.

3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Gaz said "kiss already" and throws things at them when they're getting too far away from "I want you dead" territory and well into "you want to fuck me so bad and it makes you look stupid" territory. Professor Membrane thinks they're adorable.

4. Who felt romantic feelings first?

Dib. Hormones get the best of us all. You can only be obsessed with someone so long before motivations get blurry.

5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Zim would nearly break his PAK and commit accidental die trying to delete the emotions or install an emotional inhibitor. Dib would have a full mental breakdown trying to sort through it, which would manifest poorly in his behavior and negatively impact his ability to engage in their usual altercations. Pro tip: if you are painfully attracted to someone, being in a position where they pin you to the asphalt or lean over your desk to hiss insults at you is a bad idea.

6. If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

I stand by what I said on my ZAGR post in that Zim doesn't know what a soulmate is, or the concept of a soul, but given this is in regards to his arch-nemesis instead of a creature he's mostly indifferent too, he'd be pissed at the insinuation he was in any way bound to Dib. Dib's fragile psyche would not survive the revelation.

7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?

Really empty. Their rivalry and parallel situations regarding neglectful authority figures is what keeps them going for so many years.

GENERAL

1. Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

As someone who thinks Zim doesn't understand even the concept of not being a possessive jackass, I think Zim just sort of concludes after awhile that, regardless of Dib's feelings, or even Zim's own feelings, whatever they have makes them wholly and entirely each other's. Just completely and hilariously misunderstanding the concept of a relationship, but still being incredibly presumptive in assuming they already have one. He also doesn't let Dib know of this revelation either, so eventually Dib explodes about his crush, and Zim's like "we are already together???? moron???" Dib could argue, and he kind of wants to, but he also never expected Zim to reciprocate, so he just sort of nods and is like "you know what, sure" and that's the end of it. They do not have an anniversary, but Dib's not really like that, and Zim doesn't know anniversaries are a thing anyways.

2. Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

Again, stealing from my own ZAGR post, but I don't think Zim's really a 'date' person who would plan out that sort of thing. Dib is an awkward moron with arguably worse social skills than even Zim, and mentally comes to the conclusion that dragging Zim on investigations is basically like a date, and Zim doesn't bitch about it anymore than expected, therefore he is a master of romance, so it's fine.

3. What was their first kiss like?

Awkward, and quick. Dib is not a great communicator, nor is he great at explaining things like human demonstrations of affection, especially not when Zim's scowling impatiently at him through is fumbling and stuttering. He just goes for it, and it's quick and he misses his mouth almost. Zim is extremely surprised, especially when Dib makes terrible excuses about needing to be elsewhere and flees. Zim does his own research, and their second kiss is predated by a lecture about being better than Dib at everything/Dib being bad at everything. It is much more successful, even if afterwards Dib instigates a fight about Zim's tongue being weird.

4. Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

First everything, except kiss. Gretchen kissed Dib in high school as a dare. Zim will never forgive her for it.

5. What’s their height difference? Age difference?

I'd die to make them the same height, but I think the image of Zim being average height while Dib is a gangly big boi is just too funny. Zim would be pissed, and Dib would be so smug but so uncoordinated.

6. What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

Gaz interacts with them as minimally as possible, because they are loud and gross and annoying, but she's okay with Zim overall. They have a mutual understanding that Dib is stupid, completely reckless, and requires constant supervision to keep him from getting eaten by a ghoul or something. Gaz does genuinely trust him to skewer anything that tries to kill her brother, but she also knows that Dib isn't the only one with 0 sense of self-preservation. Dib was initially wary of Professor Membrane's reaction, because his dad is sort of unpredictable when it comes to his only son, but the Professor's only commentary is that he is glad his son finally made it official with his 'little green friend.' Dib then realizes that the implication in that perpetual comment about Zim had air quotes around that "friend" part all along.

Dib thinks Gir's gross and loud and doesn't get him, but he likes to team up with him and/or use him as a means to annoy Zim. The Base hates him, because now there's two morons with no sense of self-preservation that it needs to keep track of. Minimoose and Dib are bros.

7. Who takes the lead in social situations?

Zim, if only because he is arguably more 'charming' than Dib's fumbling attempts at communication with non-paranormal parties.

8. Who gets jealous easier?

Zim. Dib I think would have his 'HTTYD Hiccup moment' as he gets older, but still has that ingrained low self-esteem from years of ridicule and abuse. He is completely oblivious to the new attention he gets. Zim, however, is not. Dib never really notices the cause of his weird snarling and clinginess, but he shrugs it off as Zim just being weird and continues with whatever he was doing.

9. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

Zim is a slut, I will die on this hill.

LOVE

1. Who said “I love you” first?

Dib. He says it casually, in the dark, when they're on a stake-out to find some wood goblin or something. He says it like he's talking about something plane and unremarkable.

I think a ZADR relationship would need Zim to be a lot more independent in terms of researching how romantic relationships 'work,' since Dib's not a great communicator, and there's an ingrained rivalry that will never dissolve between them, no matter how many times they kiss, so Zim would be a lot more motivated to figure things out on his own. He would, in this circumstance, know the weight of Dib's way-too-casual admittance, and it would be a huge shock to him. He'd be pretty shaken about it for awhile, and Dib's not bothered when he doesn't reply. Dib would be pretty sure Zim would never admit it, but he does, eventually, because he refuses to be a coward about it.

2. What are their primary love languages?

Verbal affirmations. With their self-esteems firmly in the toilet in Zim's kitchen, being able to have someone validate them who they respect would mean a lot to them.

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

Dib. He uses it to start fights with Zim about linguistics and metaphors. Also, he's 99.9% positive Zim secretly is flattered by it, but hates that he is.

4. How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

Zim is very clingy, but Dib's too on the move to really pin down for a good cuddle frequently. He's twitchy and his minds always racing, but every once in a while when Zim's completely fed up, or Dib's running on fumes but still forcing himself on, Zim will all but pin him to a cushioned surface and force him to sleep. Neither of them are PDA people.

5. Who initiates kisses?

Zim. Dib's really shy about it, and also normally too distracted to pay Zim the attention he so obviously deserves, and often misses Zim's 'signals.'

6. Who’s the big and little spoon?

PAK not comfy against sternum. It's also easier to force Dib to sleep if he's the big spoon, because he can pin his limbs.

7. What are their favorite things to do together?

Paranormal investigations, and morally ambiguous and/or largely dangerous experiments.

8. Who’s better at comforting the other?

Dib, which is hilarious, because he's about as smooth as a cheese grater, but he is very attuned to the person he's been obsessed with for years, and he can also relate to a lot of his issues. While Zim usually shrugs off the sentimentality and the empathy, dismissing it as 'pity,' the affirmation means a lot to him.

9. Who’s more protective?

Zim. He has to anticipate his lover's stupidity to make sure he stays alive to hunt ghosts another day.

10. Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Verbal. Hormones are real, but there's something that eases the sting of years of abusive in a crooning praise or a sincere compliment.

11. What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

https://open.spotify.com/track/3IvUhEVbbA81QnEVhsFHiH?si=b3c5787c9ff14105

12. What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

It is primarily age-old insults that lack the bite and sincerity they once had.

13. Who remembers the little things?

Dib. Zim isn't inattentive by any means, cataloguing all of Dib's weird habits and nuances and what not, but for all the compensating Zim does to keep Dib safe and healthy, Dib reciprocates in meaningful gestures. He remembers to pack Zim-friendly snacks on their road trips and ways to keep Gir entertained, if they have to bring him. He always checks the weather and has an extra coat, just in case. Never makes Zim feel bad about needing to check, just one more time, to see if he got any incoming messages from home.

DOMESTIC LIFE

1. If they get married, who proposes?

Dib.

2. What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

It's just Gaz, Minimoose, and Gir. Membrane is too far away to attend, but that was deliberate. Dib didn't want his tendency to make things about 'the Membrane line' effect the intimacy and importance of the ceremony. Also, Zim insists on incorporating some Irken rituals into it, so it'd be hard to make excuses and explanations to why Zim wants Dib to fuck with his weird pink backpack during their wedding.

3. How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

No kiddos. Neither of them would be interested, even if it was biologically possible.

4. Do they have any pets?

Seriously, Gir counts, right?

5. Who’s the stricter parent?

Dib. Zim refuses to parent Gir when Dib is more inclined to do it, since he's more irritated by it.

6. Who worries the most?

Dib has perpetual anxiety. So does Zim, but he masks it better.

7. Who kills the bugs in the house?

Dib, to prevent the gooey grossness that is Gir's bug-breath.

8. How do they celebrate holidays?

Just with Gaz.

9. Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Zim will strap Dib to a bed himself to get him to go the fuck to sleep, because it's been over 48 hours you insufferable human, and--!

10. Who’s the better cook?

Dib's idea of cooking is a microwave, salt, and pepper. Zim is forced to learn the wonders of human food to keep his idiot from dying of malnutrition.

11. Who likes to dance?

Gir.

#my hand #is deceased #invader zim #ZADR #asks #Zim #Dib #amyisherenowansweringyou

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fanficsfromyesteryear · 4 years ago

Text

SICK & TIRED

A STRANGER THINGS ONE SHOT

— PAIRING: Billy Hargrove x Reader — WORD COUNT: 2,077 — WARNINGS: Cursing, Billy being...himself — REQUESTED BY: @udontneedtokno

Um hi, can I request a billy x fem reader where she Is feeling a bit sick and crappy and he takes care of her? Also could you make it so they aren’t dating yet so he’s still a bit of a meanie and flirts pretty hard with her while he’s taking care of her? I love ur billy x readers sm🥺💖

— A/N: First of all, thank you so much?? Honestly, he’s my favorite character to write for. He’s so unapologetically rude and flirtatious, and I think it’s hilarious. Secondly, I’m sooooo sorry about how long this took!! Life got really busy for a while, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and write, but it’s slowed down again for the time being. Anyway, I can’t even tell you how excited I was when I saw your request! I’m such a sucker for sick reader/character storylines, probably because I relate to them so much. Any time my stomach hurts even slightly, you would think I’m dying with how much I milk it. I had lots of fun writing this, and I hope it was worth waiting for!!

Despite your best efforts to convince your mom to let you skip school, she wasn’t having it. For one, she thought you were just being overdramatic—so what if your nose was a little runny? She handed you a pack of Kleenex, forced cough syrup down your throat, and shoved you out the front door with a promise that you would be fine. You weren’t so sure, and your suspicions were only confirmed when you ran out of tissues by the end of first period, and instead of clearing your head, the medicine had only succeeded in making you drowsy. More than once, you felt yourself slipping away from reality—you weren’t quite falling asleep, but you could tell that you weren’t wholly present either. You wanted nothing more than to go home and take a nap, but your mom was at work, and you didn’t trust yourself to walk all that way on your own.

“Wow, Y/N, you look like shit.”

You were standing in the hallway, unsure of how you had come to be there—you must’ve zoned out again. With a blank stare, you turned to look at Billy Hargrove, who was leaning with his back to the locker beside yours. “Thank you,” you said, sniffing. You couldn’t breathe—it felt like you had a thick wad of cotton shoved inside each nostril. “I feel like shit, too.” As if on cue, you let out a sneeze.

Billy backed away, warily studying you. You had dark circles beneath your puffy eyes, and your nose was red and raw from being smothered with one too many tissues. You looked absolutely miserable, and even though a part of him wanted to stay as far away from you as possible—just in case whatever you had was contagious—he felt bad for you more than anything. He reached up to brush aside a stray piece of your hair. “Hey—” Billy was about to say more but stopped himself mid-sentence, his hand lingering on the side of your face as his eyebrows scrunched together. “You’re kinda hot,” he informed you.

Letting out a groan, you rolled your eyes and swatted his hand away. “Billy, I’m not in the mood for any of your—”

“No, seriously. I think you have a fever or something.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” you said simply. Turning, you started off down the hallway toward your next class. You’d gotten this far—you might as well stick it out until the end of the day. As much as you didn’t want to be there, you didn’t have much of a choice. You figured you might as well try to carry on like normal.

Billy thought otherwise. You hadn’t gotten far when you felt his hand wrap around your elbow. He pulled you backwards, and in your weakened state, you were in no shape to fight against him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Billy demanded.

“To class,” you said, your voice muffled by your hand as you wiped your nose on the sleeve of your sweater.

Billy scoffed. “No, you’re not,” he said. “You’re sick.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” you whined. “My mom’s at work, and—”

“I’ll take you home,” Billy offered. “I need an excuse to get out of here anyway.” Before you could argue any further, Billy slung his arm around your shoulders and led the way outside.

As the two of you trekked across the parking lot to where his Camaro was parked on top of the hill, you were grateful for how close Billy was—you could lean on him for support whenever the need arose, which proved to be quite often.

Billy made sure to help you into the passenger seat—“Watch where you put your hands, Hargrove”—but as he was climbing into the car himself, he looked to you with an air of seriousness. “You better not puke in here,” he warned. “If you do, you’re cleaning it up.”

“I’m not gonna puke.” You hoped that was true because you knew Billy well enough by now to know that he wasn’t kidding, and you didn’t feel like scrubbing your own throw up out of his car’s upholstery.

As the Camaro pulled out onto the main road, you could feel your eyelids growing heavy. At some point, you must’ve drifted off because by the time Billy’s car came to a stop in front of your house, he glanced over to find you fast asleep. Billy yanked his keys out of the ignition and got out with a heavy sigh. As he bent down to scoop you up, he grumbled about how you were going to give him whatever the hell was plaguing you. He concluded with, “Be glad you’re cute,” before kicking the car door shut and walking up the driveway.

Once inside, Billy dumped you onto the couch in the living room. He stepped back and stared at you for a moment with crossed arms as he tried to assess the situation. What had he gotten himself into? He didn’t know the first thing about taking care of sick people—he avoided sick people, mainly because he couldn’t be bothered with them, not to mention how gross they were. You were different, though, and Billy mentally kicked himself for feeling that way. All this trouble just to get you to like him? It was a new low.

When you awoke, you were surprised to find yourself inside your house with a blanket thrown across you, alongside Billy, who was sitting on the other end of the couch with your feet in his lap. You couldn’t remember having walked in—maybe that cough medicine was still messing with your head—and you hadn’t expected Billy to stick around. You had assumed he’d drop you off and then be on his merry way. As far as you could tell, he wasn’t exactly a nurturer. At the very least, you doubted this was how he wanted to be spending his time away from school.

As soon as Billy felt you stirring, he glanced over tentatively and caught sight of you staring at him. He raised his eyebrows in question. “What?” he asked.

You shrugged. “I didn’t expect you to still be here,” you answered.

Billy looked almost offended at this. “And leave my favorite girl to die alone? I would never.”

A small laugh escaped your chapped lips. “I’m not dying,” you said, poking Billy’s knee with the toe of your sneaker. “At least, I won’t be once I take the right medicine.” You must’ve slept off the effects of the cough syrup your mom had given you—you were no longer insufferably tired, which was a plus, but the congestion in your head had culminated into a headache, and it had brought a side of chills with it. You swung your legs over the side of the couch and were about to get up when Billy stopped you.

“No,” Billy said, pushing you back down. “I’ll get it.”

You told Billy where the bathroom was and what to grab—“Aspirin’s fine”—then he disappeared down the hallway branching off of your living room. You were no expert on what the average time should’ve been for completing such a task, but after several minutes had passed and Billy still hadn’t returned, you started to wonder what was taking so long.

The answer to your silent question came in the form of Billy irritably yelling, “Y/N, why do you have so much shit in here?”

Grumbling, you rose from your spot on the couch and shuffled into the bathroom. “What do you mean?” you asked.

Billy turned to find you standing at his elbow, wrapped up in a blanket somewhat reminiscent of the way E.T. had been in the flying bike scene. Only your pouting face protruded from the folds of fabric. The blond couldn’t help cracking a smile at your appearance—comical, yet undeniably cute—and just like that, he had forgotten what it was that had caused your sudden presence.

You took no time jogging Billy’s memory. “It’s right there,” you said, your eyes resting on a bottle sitting on the bottom shelf of your medicine cabinet. A moment later, your hand poked through the blanket and seized the small container. You bumped Billy out of the way as you popped a pill into your mouth and stepped in front of the sink to pour yourself a glass of water. By the time you’d swallowed, he was gone.

“Billy?” you called, stepping out of the bathroom.

Billy’s voice came from somewhere down the hall, saying, “Holy shit, Y/N, is this your room?”

You appeared behind Billy in an instant, latching onto his arm and giving it a tug. “Oh, my God,” you said, your face burning. “Don’t go in there. It’s a mess!”

Being the sort of person that likes to do the exact opposite of what he’s told, Billy easily pulled free from your grasp and wandered inside. He was like a kid in a candy shop as he admired the things lining your shelves—trinkets, books, records, and the like—with wide eyes. Bedrooms tell a lot about the person to whom they belong, and boy, was Billy learning about you.

“And, who is this?” Billy asked with a devious smile as he picked up the faded brown teddy bear that had been lodged between the pillows on your bed.

Groaning, you buried your face in your hands, the soft fabric of the blanket covering your eyes. You wished the floor would open up and swallow you whole. If you had known that Billy Hargrove, of all people, was going to be in your room later, you would’ve made an effort that morning to clean up a bit—at the very least, you would’ve hidden anything embarrassing.

You risked a peek up at Billy, but he wasn’t where you’d last seen him. Instead, he’d moved over to your dresser and was rummaging through its drawers. How typical, you thought with a roll of your eyes. I look away for one second, and already, he’s trying to find my underwear.

Billy achieved his goal, too—you could tell by the cheeky grin on his face. His gaze cut over to you, then back down to the contents of the drawer in front of him, nodding thoughtfully all the while. He was about to pull something out, but you intervened—extending an arm, you slammed the wooden compartment shut, and if Billy hadn’t been so quick to pull his hands out of the way, he would’ve gotten his fingers smashed.

“That’s enough of that,” you said, grabbing Billy’s hand and dragging him back into the living room.

“You’re no fun,” Billy complained.

Both of you returned to your spots on the couch in moody silence. You tried to cross your arms, but you stopped abruptly when you realized that your fingers were still entwined with Billy’s. Blushing, you glanced down at your hands, then up at him, however, he didn’t seem to be paying you any mind. He was facing the wall directly opposite the couch with his eyes closed.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

Billy raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment. “Trying to picture you in that underwear,” he stated simply, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

You snatched your hand away to shove him with it. “You’re the worst, Billy Hargrove,” you said, but you couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped your mouth afterward.

“Damn it, Y/N,” Billy said. “I can’t concentrate with you giggling like that.”

“Good!” you remarked, nose held in the air as you squinted tauntingly at Billy.

Despite the two of you constantly teasing each other, you actually felt substantially better by the time Billy left your house that afternoon to pick Max up from school. He may not have been a doctor in the making, but where he lacked in nurturing qualities, he made up for with playful flirting and good company, and as they say, laughter’s the best medicine. You thought your troubles were over until you woke up the next morning to the sound of your phone ringing.

“Hello?”

You were answered with a sneeze from the other end of the line, followed by a hoarse voice saying, “This is your fault.”

“Aw, Billy, are you sick?” you asked, feigning surprise as you bit back a chuckle.

“Yeah, I’m sick,” Billy whined. “Get over here and fix it.”

“What’s the magic word?”

Another sneeze, then, “Now.”

And your mom thought you were dramatic when you were sick. As if.

#billy hargrove #stranger things #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove one shot #stranger things x reader #stranger things one shot

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kannra21 · 4 years ago

Text

Not Weak

Geten found herself in a tricky situation and she doesn't want Re-Destro to find out. How can a certain fire-user help her by making things even more complicated?

characters: dabi (todoroki touya) x f!geten

word count: 3.2k

warnings: angst, past memories, scars, abuse mention, foul language, comfort, making out

notes: I'd like to thank @seenalready13 for proofreading this work since I can be v clumsy with grammar haha. I'm v grateful for the help! And also, the picture above belongs to 九わん (@91qwn), here's the link to the artwork. Please support their work!

✂-------------------------------------------------------

Geten, as the keystone of the entire army, had the task of leading her group and ensuring that anyone within their ranks followed her instructions. The loyalty of their people was unquestionable as everyone adhered to Destro's teachings, and she was immensely proud of her Cryokinesis.

The ice-user was grateful to their grand commander for granting her this amazing opportunity of making up for all the great things that he's done for her. She wore an honorable title, and her reputation has risen a lot since the hooning of her meta ability for years. However, she did experience all sorts of things their organization had to offer from the moment Re-Destro promoted her to his right-hand woman, believing that she'd be strong enough to take on the responsibility and he was right. It wasn't like she was bothered too much, especially since dealing with a couple of thugs on her own was no big deal for her. Still, this didn't mean that after performing their duties the soldiers couldn't relax and show their true colors.

This was the case with one guy in particular, who was casually hitting on her and calling her pet names which were utterly gross and humiliating. She had the utmost need to wipe the fucker out of the face of the Earth, but she also knew damn well that Re-Destro would disapprove of such actions considering that the army must avoid inner conflicts at all costs. Of course, she wanted to take matters into her own hands, to prove to the commander that she was deserving of her title, but the jerk simply wouldn't take her seriously as she wanted to be through with whatever problem she had without necessarily dragging Re-Destro into it. That's why she decided to take the easier route and use someone to her own advantage.

"What's in there for me?" Dabi asked, uninterested as he fixed the staples on his burnt skin.

It's true that they were partnered up to share their leading spot at the Vanguard Action Guerilla Warfare Regiment: Violet, but this didn't mean that they had to play nice with each other. Especially after Geten's offensive speech of power and people's place in this world.

She clenched her fists in her pockets; of course, she should've known that he'd ask for something in return. "I don't have much to offer,” she said through greeted teeth.

She looked almost pitiful if it weren't for her leading position; she felt stupid to even ask for help when she could've just ended the whole mess with one swift motion of her ice, and bam, the fool's dead. Well, if things could be that easy.

"I... I'M THE TOP LIEUTENANT AND THEREFORE I DEMAND OBEDIENCE! LIKE I NEED TO CONFIDE IN YOU, BURNT CHICKEN NUGGET SCUM!"

"THE FUCK-" Dabi stood up, fire flaring up in his hand and ready to strike as he saw Geten backing off with ice covering her right arm, bracing herself for the upcoming attack.

And then he saw it, at this very moment, the look of hesitation and unease covering her blue eyes. She... didn't want to fight? Was she defending herself? It reminded Dabi of something else from his past, or rather someone, defending themselves from his flames, wearing the exact same expression on their face while protecting his youngest brother. The dripping water from her ice washed over his memories as he obtained one after another in a frantic blur. Nostalgia soon followed the guilt, and it tore him apart, except he didn't want to show it, but Geten already noticed his anger faltering which was her cue to relax.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered under his breath, barely for her to hear.

"What?" as the question rolled out of her mouth, she internally lost herself in delirium "BLUEFLAME CRISPY MCBACON JUST APOLOGIZED WTFWTFWTFWTFWTWTF-"

"Geten?"

"YES?" she snapped, too loud for what she initially intended.

"I'll help you, and there's actually something you can do for me in return."

She crossed her arms and smirked confidently at him from her previous ego boost, much to his frowning expression.

"Whatcha suggestin'?"

"I'll scare the fucker off, and you'll then... cool down my skin from using my flames. Deal?"

Geten looked at him for a moment to determine if he was joking about the offer but from the looks of it and his deep husky voice that she got used to oh so many times during the past week of working with him, she concluded that he was, indeed, not messing around. Dabi expected her to laugh it off or straight up refuse whatever suggestion he had on mind, but from the manner she weighed her choices in her head and the way she looked at him, with those bright, beautiful eyes and long lashes fixated to his own... Wait, when did they get this close?

The two backed off and cleared their throats in embarrassment. They were freaking staring at each other, and for fucking what?

"I... It's a deal then."

"Good."

…

"Just... don't hurt yourself too much while dealing with the idiot."

Dabi turned his head so fast his neck hurt.

"WHY ARE YOU ACTING SO WEIRD?!"

"SHUT UP AND MOVE YOUR FUCKING ASS!"

As they reached the place where their target was supposed to be, the man soon showed up by Geten's side and started pestering her with all kinds of bull he made her deal with on a daily basis. And just as she felt sick enough, Dabi put his hot hand on the guy's shoulder, making his skin sting in the first-degree burns. The guy then backed off and glared at the fire-user with utmost disdain.

"THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?"

"Listen up freak", Dabi took Geten for the waist and gently pulled her towards himself, her body leaning on his own and fitting perfectly under his larger frame, "I saw what you did there. You’d better stop messing with my girlfriend, or else you'll burn to ashes."

Geten internally screamed and pinched him on the side for being a fucking idiot. "HIS GIRLFRIEND!? THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO PLAY OUT LIKE THAT!"

"You sound too confident, guess I should give you a nice beating to teach you a lesson."

He soon regretted his decision because Dabi was entirely down to realize his threat, and after a couple of burns, the moron retreated while he still could and left Geten alone.

And while she hated that they needed to make a scene in front of the other soldiers who were whispering to each other and exchanged who knows what kinds of things, she couldn't leave Dabi alone like this so she put his hand over her shoulder and helped him reach a more secluded area. They entered his room because he said that he kept the first aid kit in a drawer. It was also the first time that Geten came by but it didn't look at all exciting either; the room had a very plain interior, darkened space with the shutters down, piles of dirty clothes creased to the side probably waiting to be washed, the bed left unmade since this morning, a bunch of disinfectants sitting on the nightstand and some used medical gaze forgotten to be thrown away. Geten almost felt sorry for him. It's not like she was doing any better but at least she knew how to take care of herself.

She seated him carefully on the bed, and he started digging through drawers until he found what he needed. When he was all set, he began to take his jacket and shirt off but then Geten panicked and lowered his shirt.

Dabi's confusion mixed with annoyance was now directed towards the ice gremlin's pretty face. "Aren't you going to cool me down?"

"I THOUGHT YOU ONLY MEANT HANDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!?" she shouted with blushing cheeks covering her face with her hands.

Dabi soon understood what she meant and closed his eyes, wearing a disheartened smile.

"It's not like you'll see much. Just a bunch of patched-up skin and bruises. It's not even that hot."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT-,” but then she noticed that his expression never actually faltered, he looked to the front and waited patiently for her next move, sadness surrounding his wounded features. It's not like it was his first time reconciling with the facts, but still, being this burnt and knowing that it wasn't entirely his fault, but his father was also to blame, which made him remember the days when he wasn't in such a fucked up condition as he was now. It made him feel a bit of regret too. But he needed to acknowledge that the path he took was the one with no return, and he needed to accomplish his mission. Endeavor needed to be brought down at all costs; maybe then he'd gain a sense of worth and show him, prove to him, that he was deserving of more incredible things. The ice-user sighed in defeat and gave up on her embarrassment, "just show me what you got.”

Dabi was brought out of his train of thought, and he took off his shirt. It turns out that he was right, some of his scarred skin was sizzling slightly, and his wounds looked terrible because they were situated further on the back where he couldn't reach. She took the disinfectant from the nightstand and tapped it lightly on the freshly made scars. He made a slight grimace, but didn't flinch, didn't wince, like he was afraid of showing his weaknesses by putting on a tough act. It'll all pay off, he assured himself, once he gets rid of his dad.

When she finished, he allowed Geten to scoot closer to make her do her thing. Her icy hands on his skin felt so good that suddenly he forgot about all of his problems. He turned his face to the side so she wouldn't notice, but the goosebumps on his skin told her otherwise.

She made a sly smile and cocked her head to look at him from the corner.

"What's up, tough guy? Can't hide the way I make you feel good?"

He laughed under his breath. He liked when she was this flirty. It made the situation less awkward. But he also felt uncomfortable with how he needed to depend on someone, just like her, when she asked for his help. Were they that similar?

"I need to ask you something,” Dabi asked quietly like he was probing the waters.

"Yea?"

"Do you still think that I'm weak?"

The silence filled the room, and he had the need to explain himself.

"You said that there's no worth living if the user doesn't possess a strong meta ability. Hooning your power was the only thing worth your time as you didn't wish for anything else. You always thought that our Quirks defined us, that they're things we identify with for life. Now that you've taken a closer look at my condition, tell me, what do you think?"

Geten suddenly grew interested in the laminate floor under their feet as she couldn't look anywhere else, her eyes deep in thought.

"That was very mean of me, and I'm sorry, especially since you risked your own health for my reputation."

"... by calling you, my girlfriend?"

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY ACTUAL SENSE!?, her teeth grew sharp, and her eyes furrowed like some rabid cartoon character.

"It did, actually. Because of my threat, the fool is now afraid of looking at your general direction, knowing that I'd kick his ass whenever he says something stupid again."

Unbothered, he drank his painkillers from the glass of water.

"... Wait. You'd really repeat all of this... for me?"

Just as he drank, so did he spit, coughing and wiping his chin with his forearm.

"Of course I would, but don't get the wrong idea."

""WRONG IDEA"? YOU LITERALLY CALLED ME YOUR GIRLFRIEND IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!"

"IT WAS JUST TO CONFUSE THE FUCKER!"

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU REPEAT IT?"

"IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU REALLY!"

"THEN WHY'S IT!?"

"I JUST NEED YOU FOR YOUR STUPID ICE FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

The room fell in complete silence once again, and the tension became so thick one could almost cut it with a knife.

Her expression grew cold, and her eyes bore nothing but pure disgust. "So that's what this was all about."

"WHY ARE YOU ACTING SO SURPRISED NOW? IT WAS OUR DEAL, REMEMBER?"

She sat up from her seat and went straight to the door, readying herself to leave.

"Wait."

Just as she was about to step out, she turned around, his tone of voice catching her off guard only to see him sitting miserably on his bed, head hanging and elbows leaning on his knees, grieving.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Geten stood at the doorway for a minute and then slowly entered again, closing the door behind her. Dabi continued.

"I say things that I don't mean and push the people I care about away."

The white-hair watched his back in silence until she decided to speak up again "... So you actually meant it... the other way?"

"I'm such a sick fuck."

She sensed the crack in his voice and came closer, undoing his hands only to see blood trailing down his face.

"Whoa, what's going on with your scars?" she tried to wipe it off only to smear it across his cheeks, and Dabi smiled a little.

"Aren't you disgusted by it? Now all of your fingers are red."

She didn't mind his words but created an ice cube to wash it with the water.

"I should call Sceptic. He’s much better at this medical shit than I am."

"No one can help me with it. My tear ducts are all burnt out, and I can't really tear up much."

"Wait, you're crying?"

Dabi refused to say anything as she tried to wipe the rest of the blood off, pressing gentle circles on his now iced skin.

"Blueflame…"

"Hah, actually, you're right. Maybe I really am as weak as you told me back then. I literally am falling apart. How pitiful."

Without a second thought, she slapped him across the face, and he took his stinging cheek in his hand.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

"Thanks...."

"I'm sorry. Look, you're everything but weak, so don't you dare call yourself that. You endured so much pain, your skin is the proof of the things you've gone through in life, and you freaking survived. No one would be able to do this but you. You're not weak, Blueflame, far from it."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do! If it weren't for your help today, I would have talked to Re-Destro, and he'd think that I was too weak for my leadership role. I never actually thanked you for this, thank you."

"You're not weak either, doll. I'm pretty sure that you've beat my ass the week before."

She just smiled at him, and then they looked at each other the same way they did when they made their offer, except they didn't back off this time. They leaned into the kiss that was slow at first, but then they applied more pressure, and it grew more passionate. It was also their first time, so they couldn't really make fun of each other's clumsiness. Whenever their teeth collided, they laughed a little but continued until it felt right. She melted against him, her lips working in tandem with his and his hand slid up her outer thigh as he leaned forward to deepen it. She grasped his lower lip with her teeth before pulling away for some air, and he groaned.

"God, this felt good..." his chest heaved, his words a gravelly whisper.

She stood up and widened her stance, legs bracketing his own as she reached out to grab the back of his neck. She leaned over, forehead resting against his.

"You're not so bad yourself, gorgeous-eyes."

"I differ, yours are much more gorgeous."

"Really? Kinda sappy coming from your side." she grinned, but this didn't discourage him in the slightest.

"I could get lost in them, I mean it."

He caught her face in his palms, drawing her in deeper as his tongue slipped between their lips and slid against hers. His Quirk activated, his kiss is fierce and sweet all at once, and her head spins as his hands slid up her thighs, warming her up. Her mouth became much cooler now, and it sent shivers down his spine. She planted her icy hands on his shoulders and pushed them both backward, landing on the comfort of his bedsheets.

He drew circles over her back and waist, taking in her beautiful features as her head hovered over his own, hair tickling the skin on his face. She gave him a little peck that made him smile, and she cupped his face, thumbs stroking the side of his cheeks.

"So we're official now?" she didn't know why she asked. It was kind of obvious now, but she wanted to hear it coming from his lips.

His expression became serious again as he looked to the side concerningly. He really didn't want to spoil whatever they had going on with his fucked up story about his family, hero society, his mission that could possibly cost him his life for the sake of achieving greater good. Now the last thing he needed was to fall in love with someone and die when he finally found his reason. Life was such a bitch sometimes.

"I'm currently dealing with a very unfortunate situation. I'm afraid that you'd get affected, and I don't want to endanger you by it."

She tilted her head questionably, "And I thought that we'd overcome everything as long as we're fighting together."

He looked at her worryingly, but his words bore a tad bit of curiosity in them, "You want to fight by my side?"

"Of course, you have my full support." she grinned widely, and he smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. It was amazing how much optimism, or rather confidence, could be stored in one single ice gremlin. But he loved her more than everything.

"Very well then." he turned them over and planted a kiss on her forehead before getting on his feet and pulling her up towards himself. "Boss told me about some business we need to take care of in the neighborhood. Cocktail hours?"

"FUCK WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY EARLIER!?"

"Relax, we'll arrive on time." he took his shirt and jacket and put them on.

As they walked towards their location, Dabi took her hand in his while some of the soldiers watched them in confusion, remembering when the two fought against each other.

He couldn't care less. She was the first person who ever supported him, so if his days were outnumbered, then he'd as well spend them with the only person worth his time.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #dabi #geten #dabiten #dabi x femgeten #f!geten #fanfic #paranormal liberation front #meta liberation army #league of villains #plf #mla #lov

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vesperlionheart · 4 years ago

Note

Mamihlapinatapei - The look between two people in which each loves the other but is too afraid to make the first move. For KisaSaku. :D

KisaSaku & a belated happy birthday for @darth-salem-emperor-of-earth!

(Sort of a companion fix to This One)

‘In matters of inheritance in the land of Kirigkure, the country is old and small enough to cultivate its leftover practices from the oldest days, when Kiri citizens had to fight tooth and nail to protect what was once only a small fishing inlet. Their monarchy equivalent is selected from the previous ruler and approved by a majority vote from the three departments.’

“It shouldn’t count until an official hearing is held to conclude such matters,” Sakura grumbled to mostly herself. Mei was the least sympathetic out of all her supporters when it came to Sakura’s mood and opinions on her stupid country inheritance.

When Mei heard Sakura’s grumbles she only giggled and added another ‘grievance’ scroll to the ever increasing pyramid of incoming missives that would need to be addressed by the end of the day. “Honestly, you have no one else to blame but yourself. What did you expect would happen when you arrived on our borders with all of Tsunade’s tutelage and the copy nin’s keen sense for seeing underneath the underneath? You thought we’d let you go?”

Speaking of Kakashi made Sakura remember the old man’s poor advice: “Just go and check them out. Get in a few fights, drink a little and show them how terrible of a leader you would really be.”

That had worked out terribly.

While Sakura was legally considered a citizen of Kiri, she had grow up outside its boarders and adapted to the culture of the Fire Country where it mattered to have manners with strangers. Her strategy had been to walk in with a buzz and a beer in hand, provoke a shop keep, fight a swordsman-a legendary swordsman-and curse her way out of town. Everything had been going tremendously well, except actually it hadn’t. Kiri was wet in more ways than one and Sakura had unwittingly impressed more than just a few curious eyes with her tolerance of the local booze. Shit talking was seen as a greeting amongst Kiri locals, and fighting might as well have been synonymous with hugging.

“They’ll kick you out soon enough and you’ll be back home before you know it.”

For not the first time, Sakura lamented Kakashi’s backhanded advice. When she berated him about it later on he only congratulated her on the revitalized economy, the updated hospitals, and all her efforts towards dismantling the caste system. Sakura’s protest that she never meant to do any of that fell on deaf ears.

The trial month was nearly over and plans had already been made to install her as their Mizukage, a position that would put her on par with her one time teacher, the Hokage in the Land of Fire. There was a lot of pomp and ceremony the elders were caught up in that pushed back the actual initiation-but the decision had been made and Sakura’s will was not enough to reject the concessions of the Trident-or the three seats of the Mizukage’s cabinet.

Mei made up the executive branch of the Trident, while the seven swordsmen made up the military branch. Yagura was the head of Economics and the mouthpiece of the Elders who weighed tradition against advancement. Sakura’s job would be to balance all three of their voices and carry the responsibility of any decision they came up with. Only a 3 to 1 vote could overrule a Mizuekage’s executive orders.

“Have you chosen your Second Shadow, yet?” Mei asked.

“I’m actually hoping that if I don’t that this whole party thing can get called off,” Sakura sassed back to Mei, already half finished with the next scroll and all but made up on her finial verdict for the request it presented.

“Have you looked at my boy?”

“Chōjūrō is a sweet kid and will make a fine swordsman one day,” Sakura answered diplomatically.

“But…?”

Sakura looked up and glared. “He’s as shy as an Angel Fish and he still somehow came up with the idea, completely on his own with no help from anyone, to wait for me in my hotel room in a silk robe and slippers and nothing else.” Sakura’s tone was heavy with sarcasm. “I don’t take kindly to attempts of coercion.”

“The kid just wanted your favor and you would hold that against him?” Mei playfully teased.

“I didn’t appreciate it, Mei. Don’t bully your boy into my bed.”

Mei rolled her eyes and picked through the finished missives Sakura had set to the side. “He needed the encouragement. He wouldn’t have done it, even though he wanted to, without some help.”

“I’m not like you, I don’t enjoy robbing the cradle.”

Mei snorted. “Okay then, babe, tell auntie what your type is?”

Sakura paused and looked up over her next scroll. “Why?”

“Can’t you just believe I’m curious? Why do you have to sound so suspicious of every one of my questions? I’m honestly just curious.”

Sakura’s expression turned blank but Mei didn’t seem to care. “Sure, and my answer would have nothing to do with an attempt by you and the elders to set me up with a nice local boy who will convince me to stay. Suuuuure.”

“So if you’re not interested in our little prince, what abut the naughty type. Suigetsu doesn’t have anyone right now.”

“I thought you were trying to convince me to stay, not scare me off. That starfish can’t keep a relationship on lock for more than a month for a reason, and it isn’t the fault of any of his partners.”

“So the naughty type is a turn off. What about the daddy type?”

Sakura’s face made an expression of horror. “Gross.”

“Not literally a daddy, don’t look at me like that. You might be surprised so don’t knock it till you try it. I’ll put that down as a ‘maybe’ for now.”

“Please don’t.”

There was a knock on the door and Sakura shouted out for them to enter before Mei could even turn around. A half second later Sakura realized her mistake when she saw Mei’s gloating face. The office already felt like it was Sakura’s.

Damn.

“What?” Sakura barked a bit rudely when Yagura stopped in front of her desk.

“There’s an issue with deployment.”

“Why are you telling me this? Aren’t Kisame and Zabuza usually the ones who tell me what’s shit with their nin?” Sakura dropped her scroll and leaned back in her seat before waving for him to continue. “What is it?”

If Yagura was bothered by her rude address he didn’t let it show on his face and he never let it carry over into their conversations outside of work. “More of the Kaguya raiders are making issues for the settlements but we don’t have the resources to send out anyone to deal with it. Kisame and Zabuza are both off on missions you approved.”

“This really requires an S ranked response?” Sakura asked, knowing there were few others who could do what Kisame and Zabuza did. If Yagura was asking for either of them he deemed the threat S ranked.

“I’ve already written up the details of the response we’d need.” Yagura produced a thinner scroll and Sakura took it as it passed over her desk.

“If we didn’t have one of the swordsmen on this we’d need at least two dozen nin and we just don’t have those kind of numbers right now.”

“What’s the best we can do?” Sakura asked while rolling back in her chair to check the chart on the wall with a dozen different secret symbols that helped keep her up to date on the military numbers. It showed how many nin of different rank were deployed, how many were wounded, how many were undercover, and how many were available for deployment. It still took Sakura a minute to decipher everything on the chart but she would have it like a reflex by the end of the month.

“Eight.”

Sakura made a face. Eight was a really low number and it was her fault they were in this situation in the first place. She had gambled and played the number game with her nin. Kiri always needed a coalition of soldiers to defend it in case of invasion, and so even if there were over two dozen shinobi at home, she couldn’t touch those.

“Kisame is due back this afternoon, how time sensitive is this issue?”

“It depends on how much the lives of these colonists matter. They’re notorious for skirting on tax payments and regularly sell their produce to rival groups before our citizens.”

“But they are our citizens,” Sakura clarified. They lived outside the walls of Kiri and were largely bitter old marsh farmers and fishermen, but they were culturally more Kiri than Sakura.

“It would be a shame to loose their assets,” Yagura honestly answered. “The Kaguya clan would only grow emboldened if they took over the rest of this territory for themselves.”

Sakura was already standing, pulling off her robes. “Mei, tell Kisame to head over to the settlements as soon as he gets here, even if he’s on fumes. Just the sight of his big blue mug will send some of them running.”

“What are you doing?” Mei asked, eyes wide.

“I’m dealing with this. I still have my rank from Konoha. I should be sufficient with these four,” Sakura said while showing off the mission scroll with her name and four others filled in. “I’ll let them know personally. Yagura will-”

“I understand. I’ll stand in until you’re back.”

“You can’t leave, you’re our Mizukage,” Mei agrued. “That’s against customs. If you fall-”

“I’m not Mizukage yet and you still can’t tell me what to do,” Sakura warned before stalking out of the office with hands itching for a fight.

Hours later her Kabutowari was soaked with blood on both ends, both the hammer and the axe head had been fed enough blood and savagery to sate its appetite for carnage. Sakura was proud of their success and how cheep it cost. Not a single soul on her unit had been seriously wounded or lost and that was quite an accomplishment considering the Kaguya attacked in bands of eight to twelve.

“It’s cause we got to fight with our Mizuekage that our moral was so high,” old man Jinin cheered, looking ready for a stiff drink and maybe an audience who could listen to his tall tales and elaborations on the day’s battle.

Haku came up beside Sakura and touched her elbow to get her attention and she leaned in while he whispered the status of the nin’s health along with the injury inventory. It was a new step Sakura wanted utilized when units emerged from battle. If hospital records could be updated with a complete list of all injuries-including those treated and healed on the battlefield- it would help in future diagnostics.

Haku had helped develop the program and sell it to the other medic trained min. He had been invaluable in helping roll out new changes and on the battlefield his skill set had complemented her fighting style well, since he was more of a long range fighter while Sakura liked to deal damage up close.

“We’re good to go then,” Sakura sighed. “I’m tired. Someone treat me to hot saké once we’re back,” she playfully whined only to get a roar from the men and women on her team.

Haku kept close to her side and walked with her until they got to the natural mist. Sakura gave the signal and the rest of her team blurred into the fog and took off like birds in a dive, unseen and deadly.

“You wanted to ask me something?” Haku queried.

Sakura was about to say yes but something else caught her eye and she pat Haku’s back in dismissal. “It can wait until after we’re back. I need to catch Kisame up but I’ll see you at the Drunken Whaler.”

Haku turned and saw Kisame emerging from he fog with the blood and grime from his last fight still stuck to his uniform. The two locked eyes and Haku nodded first before taking off.

“So, are you slipping for any particular reason or are you just getting old?” Sakura teased while approaching Kisame.

“Hey, no jokes about my age when my boss orders me to pull a double shift. Slave driver actually expected me to do some good here. Shows you what she knows.”

“Maybe she just wanted you to see what she could do, ever consider that?” Sakura teased back, shouldering her Kabutowar’s axe end on her shoulder while she carried the hammer half with an idle swing in her left hand. The weight never bothered her but she wondered how her weapon would react to a new pair of hands.

“How willing are you listen to your bad ass boss?” Sakura asked.

“You mean my hard ass boss?” Kisame teased back. “Dunno, it depends on the request. Does it involve drinking?”

“Eventually all decisions and requests involve drinking, but not yet. We can get sloshed at the Drunken Whaler with the rest of them but before we get that far…” Sakura rolled the axe head off her shoulder and held it out. “Wanna trade?”

Kisame whistled low and reached up to rub at some of the blood on his chin with the heel of his hand. The twilight was creeping in but the clouds were heavy and low so everything shaded in tones of gray and diluted yellow. Sakura saw a fragment of that sunken gold color in Kisame’s shark eyes when he looked at her weapon, but she wished he’d been looking at her.

He reached over his shoulder and rolled Samehada off his back, letting the bandages drop. The trade off was as natural as any other tradeoff would be between the swordsmen. If the seats hadn’t been filled Sakura might have replaced Haku as a swordsman, since she had a legendary blade and he didn’t. If she had been a swordsman she might have had the chance to do this earlier and with more than just Zabuza’s Kubikiribōchō, but she wasn’t a swordsman and this wasn’t a guaranteed thing.

“Thank you,” Sakura said before Kabutowari finished leaving her hand.

“Careful with him, Samehada can-oh, ya know, never mind. He’s a bitch that’s roll over for anyone with tasty chakra, I shouldn’t have worried for ya,” he chuckled while watching the handoff.

With issue, Sakura held the massive blade level and admired its scale pattern in the gray twilight. There was a delightful shiver as it sucked on her chakra and swallowed it down like a drunk with fine wine. Sakura could feel it purr not unlike how Kabutowari would in her mind once they were linked.

“Let’s see how you like this,” Sakura cooed before swinging Kisame’s blade against the wind and stepping into the dance she had first learned for Kabutowari with minor adjustments since she was wilding Samehada in one hand. She felt it tense and almost cut at her hand but settled down as it realized what she was playing at.

Samehada cut into the fog and then shaved it down into a finer mist before wrapping it up around Sakura the way the first swordsmen would, back in the old days when chakra was still too wild to name and gods dared to walk amongst the children of men.

Through the mist and over her shoulder Sakura could see Kisame have fun on his own, dancing through the same steps with her two handed Kabutowari, showing mastery of the finer points in spite of his bulk. At first glance Kabutowari seemed too heavy and burly a weapon to expect any delicacy with, but if one wanted to unlock it’s full potential they would have to know more than just the brutal steps that wrought the most damage, they would need to know how to dance and make both the axe and hammer sing.

She watched Kisame twist through her steps like a ghost of her old master’s memory and watched, transfixed, as he let go of the axe side to swing around and snap back with perfect timing.

“Jealous?” the voice in her mind purred. Samehada helped himself to a drop more of her chakra as she paused in her steps.

“No, I know Kabutowari is my blade and he’ll return to me in time. There’s no reason to be jealous of your master for handling my blade so well.”

“Didn’t mean Kabutowari,” Samehada chuckled so deeply it made Sakura’s mind feel like a cavern with no end. A half second later she realized what Kisame’s blame meant and she giggled, almost manic at the implication.

“No,” she hissed through his stifled giggle. “No way, not you too. Leave me alone and let me have my fun.”

“Don’t see a reason you can’t have it both ways,” Samehada teased, poking at her palm but doing no real damage.

It wouldn’t hurt her if she could hear its voice and give him her chakra to sip on, but even if tried she’d be able to heal such a modest attack. There wasn’t any real danger to her from Samehada, but she felt unbalanced by his words enough to step out of the old steps and swing the monster blade down against the earth with a surge of chakra that split the earth.

She heard his excited cheer and delighted cackle as he served as the conduit to her legendary chakra release. Sounding almost drunk it asked for her to do that again but Kisame was already laughing at her and that was the only sound she could pay attention to.

“I think I’ve had enough fun for one night,” Sakura said with a tired laugh, hopping over to Kisame’s side with his sword. The exchange was easier this time but before Kisame could press Kabutowari into her hand their fingers touched enough for Sakura to feel where all his blisters had hardened into callouses. Even down the sides of his fingers she could feel the evidence of his devotion to the blade and she wondered, wickedly, what it would feel like to be handled by hands like that.

“Naughty,” Samehada purred to her before their link was severed. Sakura felt her face roar with heat and embarrassment, which she tried to play off by jumping back with Kabutowari and a nervous chuckle. Her weapon purred in confusion and almost understood but Sakura sealed him away into one of her pocket dimension before he could scream out the truth like an echo in her mind.

Damn, dirty thoughts-this was all Mei’s fault for planting the seeds in the first place.

Sakura ran her hands through the fog and then combed them through hair, grateful for the cool the almost night allowed. She knew she didn’t have a ‘pretty’ blush like some other girls. She went beat red and it was almost impossible to hide.

“We should head back, we’ve held back long enough the others might get worried. Plus, I wasn’t exactly quiet just now,” Sakura said.

“Aww boss, don’t make this old man run all the way back after I ran all the way out here only to be late,” Kisame playfully whined.

“What, you want to walk back. That’ll take forever,” Sakura said.

“Not for the whole while, but we can run off later. Can’t we just take it easy for a little while?” he asked.

Only because he asked Sakura agreed.

After a minute Kisame spoke up. “So the word going around is that you haven’t picked a second yet. Don’t you have any ideas or is no one willing to take on the load? You’re kinda a slavedriver.”

“I’m still thinking about it.”

“What are you thinking about.”

Sakura made a face, not knowing if he was teasing or being serious with his question. “It’s so different compared to Leaf, I mean this second almost feels like a marriage partner according to Mei, and it’s kinda serious enough that the thought process is similar. You pick someone and then they’re with you the whole time, nearly day and night, and that’s similar to how Shizune was for Tsunade, but…I don’t know, the cultures are different.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Kisame chuckled. “When Kiri loses a kage it’s tits up and everything goes to shit real quick-we know because we’ve seen it more than any of the other hidden villages. More assignations mean more hard lessons learned.”

“But does it have to be one person? Tsunade had ANBU who were rotated out all the time.”

“Yeah but that’s such a shit idea here. If I wanted to kill the Hokage I’d just impersonate an ANBU and wait in rotation until I was alone with-ah, don’t give me that face, I’m just saying hypothetical things.”

“It’s not so easy to infiltrate ANBU.”

“You say that like we haven’t ever done that,” Kisame snorted and then when he saw Sakura’s face he laughed. “Nothing so bad, boss, nothing so bad! You’ll see for yourself when you get access after inauguration, but those ain’t your people no more. You are ours.”

There were a few too many things making Sakura’s gut church with complicated feelings. What Kisame said about belonging to Kiri was right and it hurt, not because she hated being accepted, but because of what it meant for her ties to everyone back home-back in Konoha. Tsunade and Kakashi were her teachers but they couldn’t call her their disciple anymore. For the sake of the future of their foreign policy, Sakura had watched as the steps were taken to cut her off from the village hidden in the leaves until there was only one place she could run to. It wasn’t a vicious thing and there was nothing personal about it. Sakura actually understood why they did what they did-changing out the codes and locking her out of accessing ANBU updates.

Kiri was supposed to be her home now…her village.

“Boss?”

“You know you can call me by my name when it’s just us,” Sakura said instead, trying to sound annoyed so he didn’t misunderstand the meaning of her words and think she wanted him to speak to her familiarly. “Boss makes me feel like an old lady.”

The other feelings that made her gut churn came from the last thing he said to her. “You are ours.” Someone once said the people in Kiri were a people who knew loss to well to share decently in the future, thus they were a possessive people who coveted many things.

“Then Haruno kun-”

“Haruno kun?” Sakura sputtered. “What are you my uncle? No-ugh, you’re-oh man I had a teacher who would call me Haruno kun in school back when we were in the academy. You’re banned from the ‘-kun,’ if you’re gonna tack something on at least make it sound cute.”

“Sakura chan?” Kisame playfully called out, pitching his voice high and squeaking out the title.

“Never mind, I take it back, just Haruno or just Sakura, but nothing else. Gosh, I thought someone said that in Kiri they didn’t have manners or shit. Just call me whatever, I don’t care,” Sakura said even though she cared.

“Then Haruno, who do you think would be a good candidate for second. You’ll pick from the swordsmen right? Where else would you go?”

“Mei wanted me to go with her boy Chōjūrō but can you see that working out?”

“That jellyfish?” Kisame hooted. “He’s as shy as an Angel Fish. You’d eat him alive for breakfast.”

“I live to entertain,” Sakura mocked with a silly bow. “But you’ve got a point about pulling from the swordsmen. What would that do to your seats? Would you replace whoever left or take in someone new?”

“Maybe Chōjūrō,” Kisame joked.

“He’s an excellent fighter, he just doesn’t have a future in politics,” Sakura defended. “I could see him growing into that role.”

Kisame watched Sakura a half minute longer before saying anything new. The sun was half sunk into the horizon and all the mist seemed to choke on dying colors as they waded through the distortion.

“You have someone in mind, don’t you?”

“I have ideas but I don’t want to have ideas since I don’t like this whole set up. If it was up to me and the elders didn’t insist on tradition, I’d just have the Seven of you on rotation as my guard.”

Kisame made a thoughtful sound. “That could work as a back up, but you know how those old tradition fogies are.”

Sakura rubbed at her neck and looked ahead. “I need a drink. Race you back?”

“Ah, but I’m all tired from-” Kisame never finished his sentence since he chose that moment to flash step forward and take off running. Sakura cursed and raced behind him but came last and ended up having to buy a round for everyone at the pub.

When Kisame woke a week later he was wide eyed and energized, which was a rare thing for him these days. He normally hated mornings but the sight of his fresh dress uniform hanging up was enough to make him remember why today was such a big deal. It wasn’t just any other day, it was Sakura’s inauguration.

The whole of Kiri was hyped as fuck for a new Mizukage like Sakura, one who revitalized their economy and recovered their crumbling hospital system. The fact that she was the wielder of Kabutowari made it feel like a long lost child coming home from the war with spoils to share with the whole country. Sakura felt like she had always been theirs, like Kiri had always been her home. Even when she had been trying to piss people off and get out of the inheritance she had fit in too well. Her brash personality and strong convictions made her-

“Perfect,” Kisame said out loud, a little too caught up in his thoughts.

He grimaced a the sound of his thoughts and moved to wash up before dressing for the day. He needed to finish waking up or else he was bound to say something else equally stupid. Today was too important to look like a fool.

In short order he was as handsome as he’d ever get with an ugly mug like his and dressed for the occasion. Samehada fit into the latch carrier on his back and outside he saw the others waiting in the courtyard to the mansion where Sakura would start her procession.

Already, people were filling the streets in hopes of catching an eyeful of their new Mizukage on her first day on the job. Some were selling flowered crowns and wreaths as the newest trend had been to emulate Sakura’s flowery good looks. Young girls were cutting their hair like her and boys were dreaming about an impossible future among the swordsmen because of her. There was a building that had been painted with a modest mural of Sakura trees and different blooming flowers in celebration. The love his people had for her was everywhere.

“You’re not late,” Suigetsu taunted.

Kisame punched the younger boy in the face, ignoring both Suigetsu and his brother in favor of seeking out Zabuza. “Hey, you hear anything yet?”

“No one here knows who’s getting the nomination, that hasn’t changed,” Zabuza answered.

“Did you sign the consent form?” Haku asked, lookin up at Zabuza first and then Kisame. The consent form was basically a way those with the qualifications could put their name in the hat that Sakura could pull from.

“On day one, brat. Why, you didn’t?”

“I…I mean I eventually put my name in for consideration. I think I’d do well at it,” Haku answered, steeling his words towards the end even if he kept glancing back at Zabuza.

Between the seven of them, the only one Kisame seriously considered a challenge was Zabuza when it came to winning Sakura’s second. The pair of them were the strongest, arguably, and had a good working relationship with others. But, between the both of them, Kisame knew he was the only one who had been on Sakura’s side since day one when she first arrived. Even if Zabuza had been won over and was loyal now, no one had been in Sakura’s corner like Kisame.

Kisame thought his chances were good.

“Get in your dame spots,” Ameyuri snapped with a dangerous edge. Since Sakura had cured Ameyuri’s disease the kunoichi was near fanatical in her devotion to Sakura. When Kisame pretended to drag his feet Ameyuri snapped her sharpened teeth at his face and he backed up with a chuckle.

The doors to the mansion opened and the elders filtered out before Yagura and Mei. Yagura and Mei paused at the top of the stairs before joining the elders in the courtyard where their respective bodyguards were stationed. That’s when Sakura emerged at the top of the stairs to the mansion and the moment Kisame thought his heart was going to stop.

The robes had never looked so good on anyone before. Underneath the white and blue folds a soft dress of flaring gray and white, detailed with pearls and accented with a thick mother of pearl gorget around her neck, like the kind samurai would wear of a heartier material. It was ceremonial but Sakura wore it like armor.

The bells on her hat tinkled as she descended the steps and took her spot at the head of the group. Her painted lips were pressed into a hard line and her jaw was set with determination, but she still looked soft where it counted.

Kisame caught her eye at one point and it made his smile grow when the corners of her eyes crinkled for him.

“Haruno Sakura…” one of the elders began.

The ceremony lasted no longer than twenty minutes before Sakura was told to turn around and address the others. “And in line with the traditions of our ancestors, I will honor them with this choice and accept a second. Should I ever fall may their strength be measured by the gods and men,” she recited perfectly. Then she locked her lips and held up a hand before adding, “and in addition to a second I will be installing a rotating support guard for the Mizukage, with the blessing of the elders who safeguard our traditions. Every member of the Seven Swordsmen will rotate into the role of a tertiary figure of my inner circle, behind my second.”

Beside him Ameyuri gasped in delight, suddenly filled with hope that even if she wasn’t chosen she would still be able to serve her idol.

“Mizukage, your pick for second shadow?” one of the elders prompted.

Sakura nodded and the bells on her hat tinkled. “For my second shadow I have chosen Yuki Haku to serve me. Yuki Haku do you accept?”

That…didn’t… make sense. Kisame snuggled to hear what Sakura said next as Haku approached her and knelt before accepting the mother of pearl pin with the symbol of Second Shadow. Haku said something back to her, maybe in thanks, but all Kisame could hear was the rush of blood in his ears as his gut churned in a grief he couldn’t understand.

#Kisame #KisaSaku #Sakura #Fanfiction #my writing #ask #darth-salem-emperor-of-earth #kisame hoshigaki #Haruno Sakura

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fossntwriter · 5 years ago

Text

You’re Safe

Jay Halstead x Reader

(not my gif)

You thought it was going to be a fun night out on the town with your girls. You hadn’t seen them in what felt like years, but in reality, was only a couple of weeks. You had all been so caught up in your jobs and hectic schedules that you hadn’t had time to even have lunch together on a Saturday. Not even grab a cup of coffee in the mornings on your ways to work because you all worked in separate ends of the city.

You worked at Chicago MED. Of course your schedule was going to be hectic. You were 22 and new at the job- which means you don’t get your pick of shift, unfortunately leaving you with the third shift. You worked nights into the early hours of morning and slept during the days. Fortunately, you got 2 days off, which happened to match up with all of your friends days off- finally.

You and your 4 other friends, decided to meet up on the rare night that you all shared a day off on. You all caught up and talked about jobs, your bosses, cute co-workers and old memories. It was stress-relieving and the most fun you’ve had in a long while. Your job was great, but there was always a scare- especially when you worked in Chicago.

Many people came in that had been shot or abused or even harassed. You’ve seen your fare share of death and heartbreak already in your short time on the job. You’ve yet to witness a miracle, but have no doubt that someday, it will happen. You try your best to help those who need help, to save those who need saving and to care for those who need caring. You’re a nurse- it’s your job. That’s why you wanted to become a nurse. To take care of people who needed to be taken care of. You helped people- it’s like it was written in your DNA. You’ve always felt the overwhelming urge to put others before yourself. To even risk your safety at times. You just want to help others- and there’s nothing wrong with that.

You’ve met others like you. For instance, Jay Halstead. The cop from Chicago PD. The cute cop- at that. He’s also your coworkers brother. You liked Will from the start. He was nice and easy to talk to. It’s no wonder you liked his brother as well. Apparently, to all of your other coworkers- it was obvious you liked Jay. You brushed it off and told them things like “I do not” or “Definetly not.” They didn’t believe you, but they brought it up less. In reality though, you did like the cute brown haired man. Who wouldn’t? He was tall and handsome. He was in good shape and sported a cute smile whenever he was around. He was easy to talk to and cared about helping people just as much as you did. Of course you fell for him.

And he fell for you too.

It was something Will teases him about a lot. He made comments to Jay like, “You like the new girl, eh?”, “she’s a cutie, ain’t she?” and “stop staring at her.” In reality, Will liked the idea of you two together. You were genuinely kind and good at your job. You were funny and nice. Too nice for your own good. Which is why Will thought Jay was a good match for you. He would be able to protect you. You were a smart girl, but unbearably naïve and oblivious at times. There were times where he was worried about you- after all, you did happen to be one of his closest friends even if you just started your job at the local hospital. He was worried somebody would take advantage of how kind you were and use it against you- or even take you. You probably couldn’t defend yourself. You weren’t very strong if he was going to tell the truth. He was terrified of losing one of his friends. He knew your kindness would be used against you. And he was right.

It was supposed to be a fun and harmless night in the bar with your friends. You wanted to enjoy your night off. This was the way to do that. Or so you thought.

It started off simple. He just offered to buy you a drink but you politely turned him down remembering Jay’s advice to never accept a drink from a guy you didn’t know- no matter how nice he seemed.

Then, when you were dancing with your friends he got in the middle of your group and tried to dance with just you by blocking you from them. You slowly moved away to go back to your friends.

From them on, you were cautious. Constantly steeling glances around the room to see if he was near you. Often times, he was just on the other side of the bar- watching you. It scared you. Typically when a guy stares at you, it should make you feel flattered. But this was different. His look made you feel dirty. You felt gross.

He tried to offer you drinks several more times that night. You kindly declined each time, and then shyly went back to your conversation with your friends at the table you all occupied.

He interrupted your friends and yours conversations multiple times and tried to just strike up one with you, but you quietly and shyly turned away. You wanted to tell him to back off and leave you alone, but you didn’t want to come across as rude or full of yourself- so you didn’t. Maybe you should have?

Your friends gave you worried looks all night about the mysterious- and seemingly obsessive- guy all night. You knew you should leave or call for help but you didn’t want to ruin the one time in ages that you got to spend time with your beloved friends again.

So you stayed.

It was when your friends were starting to leave and the bar was starting to clear out that you thought you would finally head home too. You put your jacket on and said your good-byes to your longtime BFF’s. As soon as they left, you glanced around the room one more time and you saw his eyes on you. Again.

You were scared and panicked. You didn’t want to walk home to your apartment by yourself at this time of night when there was a creepy guy hitting on you all night and still staring at you.

So you called Jay.

The only guy you trusted to get you home safe. You felt protected when he was around and it made you feel good. Maybe it was his muscular figure or the gun he carried at all times- maybe both, but you knew he would help you. Because that’s what he does. He helps people in need. He protects people who need protecting. Like you.

So you pulled out your phone and called him even though it was past 1 o’clock in the morning. You felt bad as soon as you heard his groggy voice.

“(Y/n)?” He asked in a tired but still concerned tone. “What’s wrong?”

You could hear shuffling on the other end of the line, and you assumed it was from him sitting up in bed after you called him at an ungodly hour.

“I need help.” You barely whispered into the phone. Jay heard your voice whisper in a panicky way and he was immediately jolted away by the unexpected sound of urgency in your voice.

“Where are you? What’s happening?” He asked rapidly, and you could hear him walking around his room and you assumed he was getting ready to come to your aid.

“I’m at a bar a couple blocks away from my apartment. I walked here and now I have to walk home but there’s this guy here who has been watching me all night and trying to buy me drinks or take me away from my friends and it’s creepy. He won’t take no for an answer. He’s still here and I’m alone. I’m afraid to walk home by myself.”

“I’m on my way. Stay where people can see you and don’t get off the phone with me. I’ll be there in no time. I’m leaving now.”

“Okay.” You whimpered into the phone. “I’m scared, Jay.”

“I know. I know, it’s going to be okay. Just take a couple of deep breaths for me, okay?” He said, his voice breaking with a dying need to get to you in case the guy was planning on doing anything to you.

You listened to him and took a deep breath in. You counted to four and let it out, before taking in another one.

You kept taking deep breaths. It was like your lifeline. It was your way of keeping calm in a situation that was scarier than one you’ve ever been in so far in your life. You were thankful for Jay. You knew what happened in Chicago. You weren’t stupid. You worked in the medical field. People get kidnapped. People get raped. Especially at night or early in the morning.

You feel weak and helpless. Like you can’t protect yourself. You’re defenseless. You don’t like it. But for now, it was okay. You had Jay. Maybe he would even teach you some self-defense.

“You there?” Jay asked.

“Yeah.” You breathes out.

“I’m right here.” He said. You didn’t know how he knew your exact location, but you didn’t question it since he was a cop and also coming to your rescue at the moment. “I’m coming in and I’ll make sure you get out safely.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, feeling a wave of relief wash over you at the fact that Jay was here and would protect you.

The phone call ended and you saw Jay practically run in the door and looked around the practically empty bar before his eyes landed on you, sitting at a stool by one of many empty tables. By the time you stood up, he was already where you were- engulfing you in a giant hug. You never felt more safe- considering the situation you had just been in.

The feeling of Jay’s arms around you make you feel warm and happy. You felt at ease and protected. You hugged him back tightly.

After a couple of seconds he pulled away and looked you over for signs of injury or anything that could make him want to strangle the creepy guy more than he already wanted to.

After he scanned you over and concluded that you were physically alright, he swiftly pulled you into another tight hug. You face pressed against his chest as his chin rested atop your head.

He held you to him by pressing one of his hands to the small of your back while the other soothingly ran over the back of your head and tour hair.

“It’s okay.” He said. “You’re safe now. You’re safe with me. I’ll always protect you.”

“Thank you.”

#jay halstead #chicago pd #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #jay halstead x reader #chicago shows #chicago pd imagine #chicago med #chicago med imagine #imagine

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hansolmates · 5 years ago

Text

jjk; angel’s trumpet [05]

summary; one second, your life is flashing before your eyes and the next, you’re transported into a world exactly like your own. but the jungkook you meet in this world isn’t a renowned singer or your former almost-lover, in fact he has no clue who you are and why you know him so well. as you work to find your way home lost and confused, you conclude that you’re either dead or in the middle of the most wicked drug trip of your life. pairing; idol!jk x reader (f), alternatively film producer!jk x reader genre/warnings; fluff, angst, supernatural, idol!au, non-idol!au, alternate universes, themes of fate, language, alcohol consumption, mentions of smut in future chapters w.c; 4.7k a/n; can u believe this fic is already over halfway done??? i feel more loved and supported for angel’s trumpet w each chapter! i hope u enjoy a more fluffier chapter and some insight on the separate relationships. thank u for the support!

[04] [05] [06] -> masterpost

Bliss. It’s been so long since you’ve experienced this feeling.

These past few weeks have been nothing short of wonderful, like the sweetest version of reality. Working as a language teacher at BigHit was wonderful because of the staff and the fact that in the long run, your job would be helping the rookies get to know their fans better all over the world. But your job was also incredibly strenuous, and you felt an immense amount of pressure from the higher ups to teach the rookies as much as you could in between their other lessons and training. You remember the early days you’d be crying in the bathroom, scared of their exam scores because you knew it wasn’t possible to learn a language in less than a year, but the higher ups wanted you to achieve the impossible.

But now, teaching is like a breath of fresh air. You found it appropriate to reabsorb your classes, and you’re still getting used to the sudden heavy workload. Namjoon was over the moon when you returned to your regular office in the biology department, treating you to coffee and catching you up on what you missed. Chan almost cried when he saw you Monday morning sitting in your lecture hall, saying his grade will finally be salvaged.

However, the cherry on top has to be your budding romance with Jungkook.

Maybe it’s the fact that you’re still swimming in the honeymoon phase, but everything just felt right. Of course, you can only hope your W2 self was already going to interact with Jungkook in one way or another, just like you had in your world. As of late you don’t feel like you're tearing this universe apart, worrying that you’re interfering in an alternate universe.

A buzzing interrupts your thoughts, and you pat around your mattress for your cellphone. You don’t hesitate to answer.

“Good morning, baby,” Jungkook’s rumbly morning voice flits through your speakers.

You swoon, shuffling and kicking under your covers. A little part of you is disgusted how easy it is to turn to butter in Jungkook’s grasp, but it’s unsurprising. “Hey handsome,” you reply, trying to hide your giddiness.

“How do you know I look handsome? My breath smells like leftover mac n’cheese and there’s dried drool on my chin.”

“Mm, still handsome.”

“Ugh, you’re so gross,” but you can hear him smiling on the other line. “Do you have any plans for today?”

“Dunno.”

“Well there’s this new bubble tea cafe I know you’d like so maybe during my lunch we can--”

The rest of the words fade away as you notice an incessant banging on your front door. Whoever wants to come in is far too eager for this early.

It’s then your calendar notification pings, and you see the big fat message atop your phone:

Hobi Date 🍷🍷🍷

“Oh shit—” you smack your forehead, you completely forgot today’s the day you would find Sehlyung’s wine lady. “I’ll call you later Kook, okay?”

You end your call, throwing your phone on the bed as you dash out to answer. Taehyung is yelling from the kitchenette, “I’m trying to eat some damn salad here!” By the time you slide out in your socks and down the hall, Hoseok is already inside your humble abode, holding coffee and donuts.

“I brought libations,” Hoseok says with a bit of flair, setting them down next to Taehyung’s breakfast.

“Thanks man,” and Taehyung makes grabby hands towards Hoseok’s coffee, and Hoseok looks horrified before snatching it away. “C’mon man, no coffee no entry!”

“Taehyung, this is Hoseok,” you introduce, opening the box of donuts and offering Taehyung one in truce. You look pointedly towards Hoseok, sipping idly on his coffee, “Hobi, why don’t you wait in my room before we go, okay?”

Hoseok tilts his head, eyes darting between Taehyung and you. It’s almost comical, the way Taehyung’s early-morning brain is having a hard time processing what was going on, and you wanting to keep a lid on the situation. “Sure, mom,” he slurps obnoxiously on his americano, waltzing down the hallway and into your room. He slams the door rather sharply, and that’s when Taehyung pounces.

“Who’s the hippie?”

“Hippie?” you balk, “Hoseok’s not a hippie.”

Taehyung shrugs, shoving a powdered donut in his mouth and completely forgetting about the limp lettuce on his plate. So much for a balanced breakfast. “I know all your friends, but I’ve never met this one.”

“He’s new,” you take your pick of donuts as well, picking up a vanilla glazed one with rainbow sprinkles, “we’re gonna go shopping.”

“Oo, can I come?”

“No,” you say a little too quickly, causing Taehyung’s eyes to widen in confusion. You quickly backtrack, even going as far as to grab a napkin and dab the powdered sugar from Taehyung’s cheeks, “it’s old people shopping. We’re sending ginseng wine to our families. No brand names there.”

Taehyung immediately buys it, scrunching his nose. “Not my favorite,” he says to himself. “Well, have fun doing old people things. Maybe Jimin will be willing to do something cool with me.”

And with that, he abandons the limp lettuce with a flick of his wrist, letting them out your windowsill and into your little garden for compost. You two make your separate ways, you into your room and Taehyung into the bathroom.

When you open your door, you already see Hoseok making himself comfortable on your bed, flipping through your notebook.

“You really shouldn’t be leaving this out on your desk,” Hoseok waves the yellow pages around, trying to look serious, “Taehyung could read this and you might end up in the cuckoo house.”

With a roll of your eyes, you search for a sweater, “As if he wouldn’t join me.”

You pull out a large black hoodie, courtesy of Jungkook. Trying not to look like a smitten high schooler, you subtly smell the collar before slipping it over your body. You melt in the fabric, and you almost hug yourself. Since your time at BigHit, you’ve missed wearing Jungkook’s things, and that’s a constant you can’t ignore.

“If you end up in the cuckoo house, I’ll end up there too by affiliation,” he flops on your bed, waiting for you to get ready, “so, we gonna nab an old lady today for some wine?”

“Ohmygod. What is wrong with you? You can’t say it like that, someone could report you!” you laugh, slapping him with a long sleeve.

“So it’s more appropriate to say, ‘let’s go find the lady’s coked up wine that could’ve potentially sent you to an alternate universe’ right?”

“Exactly,” you grin, pulling him up with an outstretched hand, “now let’s get going before we both end up in the cuckoo house.”

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

Jungkook thought bliss ended once he got a good filming gig and a stable job, but no, it just had to get better.

He doesn’t want to say he’s all consumed by your presence, but he can’t get enough of you. Sometimes he has to reel it in when you go out on dates, but he feels so lucky to call you his and hold you in his arms whenever he wants.

You dropped into his life, quite literally. One day you just showed up and barged into his life. At first it scared him, immensely. But as he got to know you, wear you down and realize that the strong, blunt woman he met on the street is just as kind and sweet and soft–

The bottom line is, Jungkook wears his heart on his sleeve and loves loudly. He feels so much for you he can’t contain it.

Except when Jimin wants to embarrass the hell out of you when they’re going over old pictures during work.

“Can I tell you a story about how y/n almost peed in that fountain?” Jimin points to the small thumbnail Jungkook took earlier last week. You’re perched on a large limestone fountain, smiling at the little fish tickling the sides of the bowl.

Taehyung gwaffs, choking on his sandwich. “God, that night was incredible! I got the Snapchat receipts too, Kook. If you want to second guess your standards.”

A loud laugh bubbles from his throat, and Jungkook eagerly leans over Taehyung’s shoulder to get a better look at the screen.

He likes your friends, too. To the point that he can safely consider them his friends. Of course he was intimidated the first time, especially when you were so pretty in your red skirt and surrounded by your equally attractive friends, but turns out Taehyung and Jimin are equally dopey and cringey as he.

As silly as you look crouched over the water and pulling up your skirt, he melts at how carefree you look enjoying yourself on a free night. Jimin is hauling you off the ledge, grabbing you by the waist as you fruitlessly try to kick him away.

“Careful,” Jimin tuts, sipping at his latte. “She’s gonna kill you if she finds out you showed it to Kook.”

Taehyung scoffs, stuffing his phone away. “She looked like she was gonna kill me today when she brought that friend over. They were acting really weird,” Taehyung points his kimchi in Jungkook’s nose, “do you know Hoseok?”

Jungkook blinks, opting to take a bite off Taehyung’s fork, “Kinda,” he shrugs, letting the tang of the kimchi spread across his tongue, “she has office hours when he’s working at the library daycare. They have lunch together.”

Jimin leans in, hands fold over the white cafeteria table like he’s in the mafia, “What do you mean by weird, Tae?”

“Like, she wanted him to wait in his room and they kinda just snuck out, y’know?” Taehyung divulges, “Like I love y/n, she the home girl, but who’s secretive about buying ginseng?”

Jungkook’s chewing slows. He trusts you, however, he doesn’t know what to make of that little tidbit. But instead he swallows his kimchi, not caring that he didn’t chew enough or that it went down uncomfortably, and steels himself. “Probably just stressed about her thesis or something, I’m sure everything’s fine.” he says smoothly, trying to convince himself that he’s right, and he’s pretty sure he is.

“Awh, Jungkookie’s so mature since he’s started dating!” Jimin paws all over the younger one like they’re long lost siblings. His hands travel to pinch his cheeks and ruffle his hair simultaneously, cooing like Jungkook’s a little bunny who’s merely existing.

There’s a blush staining Jungkook’s cheeks, but he doesn’t mind Jimin’s bouts of attention. A small smile blooms to Jungkook’s face, and confirms to himself that he’s in a good spot in his life.

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

“So, what are you and Jungkook like?”

You shrug, “We’re good. It’s only been a few weeks though.”

“No, I meant your Jungkook.”

By definition, your Jungkook isn’t necessarily yours. However, the term is the byproduct of your current setting, and an unfortunate reminder that the Jungkook you’re dating now can never be definitively yours.

(Or…? Can it?)

“We were,” since when did you refer to you in and him in a past tense, “kind of a slow-burn, actually. We’d pass each other in the hall and exchange conversation during lunch in groups but, he kind of just crept up on me.”

The train is going at a break-neck speed, the fancy rail floating across the track as it beams you closer and closer to your destination. Gone are the concrete jungles and carefully architected trees. You’re finally starting to see some natural foliage and blue seas. Today’s journey is a bit of a shot in the dark, you don’t even know what the person you’re searching for looks like, but it’s the only clear lead you have.

“So you didn’t always know you loved him?” Hoseok asks, fiddling with the wire of his buds.

You shrug, “I had a feeling. He’s an easy guy to fall in love with,” you don’t want to mention that nearly half the world is smitten by the Golden Boy, but from the bittersweet expression on your face Hoseok has an inkling. “There’s just a lot of factors that come with relationships. Factors that aren’t worth it. It’s easy here.”

“It would be easy,” Hoseok replies to the air, closing his eyes.

And he’s right. It would be easy to continue on with life, forgetting about the possibility that one day you could wake up in W1. It would be easy to forget about your other life, Beomgyu’s forgotten quiz that’s still probably lit up in your MacBook back home, Sehlyung’s wish for you to approve Jin’s new outfit.

You wonder how your life back home is going, whether they’re moving on just like you seem to be.

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

You really have no idea what Sehlyung’s wine dealer looks like. Work friends are work friends, where you’re close enough to share sexy secrets to each other but not as close as to divulge family life.

You know that Sehlyung lives in a small town closer to the shore, as she’s mentioned one too many times that her feet are baby smooth from the constant sand exfoliation. You’re vaguely aware that this is the right area, at least you hope because W2 Sehlyung could be living in Guam for all you know.

Passing by the village square, you search idly for an old lady selling ginseng wine. You didn’t realize how much a shot in the dark this could possibly be.

“Hey,” Hoseok whisper-hisses, and you try not to ignore the spit that brushes your ear, “you said to look for an old lady, right? All these ladies. They’re old.”

He’s right.

The village may be small, but there were over fifty booths with plenty of old ladies selling something. It would take hours, you didn’t even know if this lady would still be selling ginseng in this life.

Your hands fall limp at your thighs, and you point to a small house at the end of the square. It’s cute, almost cottage-like, looking more high-end than the other shops on the street. “Maybe we should eat something before we do some searching. Otherwise someone’s gonna have to scrape us off the street.”

“Good idea.”

Surprisingly, the interior of the establishment is nothing like the front. There’s a very authentic quirkiness to it, down to the colorful blown glass vases and the eclectic amount of alcohol lining the bar.

Not feeling like waiting for a table, the two of you wait by the bar, hopping on the two available stools in the corner.

The two of you don’t waste any time, telling the waiter passing by that both of you would like a heaping bowl of glass noodles.

“Care for a glass of something sweet?”

Looking up from their dessert menu, you see an older lady leaning over you to pour you and Hoseok a cup of tea. She’s the definition of a chill grandma, from the easy way she smiles to the colorful hoop earrings she wears. You watch as she carefully pours you a cup for you, and you get a glimpse of the beautifully painted ceramic teapot, adorned with watercolor flowers.

“If you have some angel wine,” you lick your lips, looking straight at her, “that would be lovely.”

There’s no hesitation in her work, and the lady continues to pour Hoseok’s cup with impeccable grace. She doesn’t bat a lash at your slight jab, even goes so far as to send you a crinkly smile.

“Fresh out, m’fraid,” she replies easily, “sold my last batch to a lovely blonde over a month ago.”

You swallow your surprise, the bile coming up your throat returning slow and achingly hard. Hoseok’s eyes dart between you and the old lady, and you clench your hands under the table. “Thought so,” you smile tersely, “then, do you have any recommendations?”

Hoseok noisily slurps tea, as if he’s watching a melodrama. The old lady nods eagerly, placing her ceramic mug on a nearby potholder. “I’ll whip up something extra special.”

It isn’t until the old lady whisks away from the bar and into the bathroom does Hoseok blurt, “Is the special thing drugs? Is she giving us drugs?”

“Who knows,” you thank the waiter who sets down two metal bowls of glass noodles in front of you, “maybe the next drink will send us to the moon.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Hoseok grimaces, “my fuckin’ dream is to visit the moon.”

As you two eat in silence, the restaurant slowly dwindles down as the lunch rush leaves and the start of dinner commences. Being a weekday, there aren't many coming down to eat out. You let yourself be immersed in the hubbub of the cottage, the clinking of clean tea cups and the laughter of staff sitting in the corner table.

The lady finally returns when you’re nearly done with your meal. There’s a tall frozen glass in her hand, ice particles clinging to the barrier. There’s an umbrella and a pineapple adorning the rim, looking uncharacteristically bright and tropical. She places it next to Hoseok’s tea.

He narrows his eyes, “This doesn’t have LSD or anything, right?”

She laughs, the hearty sound enveloping the restaurant. “Nope. Just passionfruit and mango.”

Hoseok easily takes her word for it, sipping happily as it washes down his dinner.

“For me?” you pop in.

“Ah, some advice.”

You shrink in your seat, “I want a fruit smoothie too.”

But you relent when she opens her palms to you, gesturing for you to give her yours. They feel calloused and worn, as if she’s spent lifetimes dedicating her life to her craft. She rubs her thumbs against your palm, sending soothing circles to your skin.

“Enjoy your time as it lasts,” she says, quiet enough for only you two to hear, “things will fall into place very soon.”

She senses you tense, and continues to hold you. You can’t tell whether this advice is foreboding or comforting.

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

“I know what you're thinking,” Hoseok says when you return to Seoul, walking in the direction of your apartment.

“And what exactly am I thinking, o’ wise one?” you kick a stray pepple your way, getting in a groove as you walk lazily down the sidewalk.

“Her words,” he mumbles, “I don’t think it’s an invitation for you to get too comfortable here. Eventually… you’re gonna have to go back.”

“I know, Hoseok.” You don’t mean to sound so agitated. After all, the mission was mostly successful. You got your answers, albeit vague ones. The old lady in the cottage simultaneously sparked and eased your soul, unfortunately it didn’t give you any definitive direction as to go on with this life, other than to simply “enjoy it.”

“I know we’ve been debating whether you’re hallucinating or whether you’re in a coma and you’re having a really long dream or some weird mix of the two—” Hoseok jogs up to stop in-front of you, stuffing his hands in his orange cargos. He’s standing directly behind a 7-Eleven, the gaudy green and red lights lighting behind him like a halo.“And trust me, I’ve spent hours in bed thinking whether I’m real or not and potentially reaching an existential midlife crisis,” he grabs your hand and presses it to your chest, his other hand flailing wildly to the sky, “but this is real. All of it, I’m convinced it’s real. I’ve lived a long, slow, twenty-something life so far.”

He pulls you into his arms, and you suppress a shudder as his warm embrace envelopes you. Is this some sort of punishment? For the first time in a long time, you’ve felt content. Not to say that your life in your world wasn’t normal but you could honestly admit that the time you’ve spent here is nothing short of amazing. There’s an ease to this life, something so simple and easy to love that you want to keep it in your heart and cherish it forever.

“But ‘m gonna miss you,” you sigh into his chest, “we aren’t very close back in my world, y’know. So I’m glad I got to spend the time that I could with you.”

“S’okay,” he mumbles into your hair, and you can feel the smile in your skin, “if we’re really meant to be friends, it’ll happen again.”

Hoseok leaves you with these words, allowing you to breathe easy as you make the steps back to your apartment. Your feet are heavy from the day’s trek, but your mind feels lighter as you near your floor.

You spot a young man in a long jacket hanging a bag on your doorknob, taking great care that the contents inside wouldn’t spill.

“Jungkook?” you ask, smile widening when his gaze perks up to meet yours. It’s almost comical how he reacts to your voice, perking up like a little rabbit at the sound.

His smile grows the closer you get to him, “Hey, pretty girl,” he murmurs, closing the space between you to press a chaste kiss on your cheek, “great timing. I got you something.”

Your eyes dart to the cup of bubble tea hanging on your doorknob. The cup is adorable, pink-tinted and rounded at the bottom with little cat ears for the lid.

“Oh, you went! How was it?”

“It was great! We should go once you’re free. Taehyung ordered three cups! Nearly puked all over Jimin’s couch.”

“So,” your fingers trail up the buttons of his shirt, and you look up through your lashes, “you’re implying that my roommate isn’t inside our apartment right now.”

He leans in, nose nudging your neck as his voice rumbles against your sensitive skin, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

You’ve never punched in your key faster, clutching the bubble tea bag to place it along the counter as the two of you clamber in. Instead of making it to your bedroom or living room, Jungkook traps your body between the doorway, cradling your face in both his hands to press a sweet kiss on your lips.

There’s nowhere to put your hands because both of Jungkook’s are up, so you close your eyes and let yourself savor the slow taste of his lips moving against yours. Finally you decide to settle your hands on his belt buckle, absentmindedly thumbing the loops as you get lost in the feeling.

“Mm, Kook? Koo—” he presses quick pecks to your lips, barely giving you a chance to forge complete sentences, “can we move this somewhere more comfortable? ‘M legs are turning to jelly.”

“Glad to have that effect on you,” he replies airily, thumbs pressing into your soft skin, “but I actually have to go, so no time to get comfy.” You whine against his lips, and he chuckles. “I have a cohort meeting at 8AM. We’re gonna organize our portfolios together.”

“Nerd,” you pout, pressing a kiss to his chin.

“And me and Mingyu are meeting online for some Overwatch in like, two hours.”

“Gamer nerd,”

“Your nerd,” he beams, his thumb reaching out to swipe the sheen from your swollen lips, “lemme plan date night to make it up to you. Minghao will be out of town for the weekend so it’ll just be me at the apartment.”

Date night. It all sounds so domestic to you, planning out designated days to spend time together. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the fact that Jungkook sounds so settled with you is nothing short of heartening.

“I’ll make dinner,” his fingers twine between yours, “and we’re keeping the dress code super casual. I want to see you in nothing but sweatpants and oversized t-shirts.”

“But sweatpants aren’t sexy!”

“They are on you,” he retorts with a wiggle of his brows, “and sweatpants are easy access.”

“Alright, as long as you don’t upstage me.”

“Never,” he grins, pearly whites on display, “now, I really gotta go.”

He unlatches your body from his, only to have you immediately jump on him like a koala. You feel his large hands caressing your hair, taking the time to run his fingers through the tangles. You could fall asleep standing in the middle of your doorway, melting under his touch.

“Good night, baby.” he says, pressing his lips to your forehead.

“Sweet dreams, nerd.” you reply reluctantly, letting him open the door so he can go.

“Dream of me!” is the last thing he says before he forces you to shut the door, leaving you thoroughly needy and wanting for him.

Tonight, you dream long.

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

Seven months ago, W1

You’re crying. There’s big, fat, ugly tears falling in rivulets along your face. You don’t even bother to wipe away the tears, just let them flow freely and dampen your pants as you watch the group take their final bow.

From your seat, you take in the energy of the concert like it’s your last breath. The purple confetti dusting your hair, the slow remix blasting through the speakers. The sea of stars swimming across the stadium, all for them.

You wait until everybody’s long gone before you get up from your seat. Until the only people that surround you are staff and clean-up crew, forcing you to leave. Your face still feels achy and your cheeks puffy. Sehlyung is urgently texting you (quadruple texting!) to hurry your ass up and get to the green room so you can all leave together.

A hand on your shoulder stops you from replying, and you wave them off. “Yeah, yeah. I’m leaving already, sorry.”

“Rude, I just got here.”

Jungkook is glowing. He hoists his whole body to plop himself in the seat next to you, so heavy you fear he may break the plastic in two. His arms splay across the other seats, urging you to lean in closer.

“Jungkook,” you smile, resting your hand on his thigh. “The show was great, I really felt the energy from all the way back here.”

“I can see that,” he tugs at his long sleeves, reaching to brush a stray tear, “you okay?”

“What, yeah.” you scoff, crossing your arms.

“So you weren’t moved by my impeccable talent?”

“Obviously,”

“Because, there’s nothing to be ashamed of if you were crying,” he goes on playfully, using his hands to narrate his spiel as he talks out to the stage, “I mean I get it, knowing how much I slaved over that solo and finally getting to perform it, and how I got sick the night before is a pretty–oh shit.”

You’re blubbering again, feverish now that everyone’s gone and it’s only you two in the stadium. The lights have already started to go out, the only light illuminating are the red exit signs and the last pair of doors leading to the main lobby. Your cries are echoing across the large room, and you feel nothing short of embarrassed but you can’t stop crying.

“Awh, my little crybaby,” he cooes, dripping with affection as he moves the armrest to pull you onto his lap. You dive your face in his neck, wracking with sobs.

“I’m, I’m just so proud of you,” you seep out, nuzzling your nose between his freshly cleaned face, “and you—you make it so damn hard for me to not love you it’s just, it’s not fair!”

“You don’t make it any easier on me either,” he whispers, soft enough to crumble under his grasp and melt under his skin.

The confessions are so soft, so easy to say. Little did the both of you know how much it would strain for you to place this love on the backburner.

#jungkook fic #jungkook fluff #goldenclosetnet #bts fic #bts scenarios #jeon jungkook #koo #unedited so i wont be offended if u message me and tell me theres a mistake #im welcome to it bc im kinda in a rush but i wanted to get it out sooner than later #im running to get my first tattoo appt :)#bye bubbies

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ofide · 4 years ago

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wait i want to hear more about how shrek is good

ok i made a short post here but i can keep going. split into 5 parts and under a readmore for your joy

1. the soundtrack

shrek essentially used the jukebox musical formula of picking popular songs that reflected the mood and/or situation without being a jukebox musical. it’s not that common for movies with this type of soundtrack to not fall into the trap of just using whatever’s popular at the time, and it really enhances those scenes. people joke about how now those songs are just “shrek songs” but they’re there for a reason and i’ve already said that being associated with shrek isn’t a bad thing.

2. the themes

the two themes of shrek are not judging people based on their appearances (and, unlike many other media both for kids and for adults, it doesn’t undermine it with magical transformations and whatnot) and letting yourself be loved. this second message may be appreciated more by audiences who are more grown, maybe revisiting the series, but its seeds are still planted in kids who watch it and it’s good. shrek is afraid of being vulnerable cause of the way he’s treated by others but as he slowly opens up to donkey and then fiona he manages to let himself be loved and to love in return. and since this is a complicated process, setbacks are to be expected so it has the double benefit of making the sequels feel fitting. of course he will close up again when he meets fiona’s family, and of course he feels overwhelmed by his new life. all the sequels (except for the third) make sense and have a story to tell that doesn’t feel forced. the natural build up of learning to open up to a select group of people to facing society and all that comes with it not only justifies a sequel, it renders it something you seek out, and the same thing happens with forever after.

3. it doesn’t undermine the message!

as i’ve mentioned earlier, many movies fall into the trap of having a message and undermining it through the design or casting. beauty and the beast stories are a classic example of this, where if you ignore appearances you’ll be rewarded with a good-looking prince. stories for an older target tend not to be so straightforward, but it’s noticeable how typically whenever the main characters are outcasts they’re never too much so, and they’re often compared to worse outcasts who make them look good in comparison (don’t bring up your favourite indie movie or tv show that came out 3 years ago now, remember that shrek is one of the most well known movies of all time and it came out two decades ago). the whole second movie is about shrek struggling with how his life would be easier if he looked “normal”! and in case you’re thinking i’ve forgotten about fiona, i haven’t. in fact, how many female characters can you name who are portrayed as being desirable without being designed to be desirable to the viewer? all of this is without even getting into how she’s her own character, which gets explored more so in the first and fourth movies. she was created to be a subversion of the damsel in distress, of course, but in the fourth movie which came out years later she saves herself et cetera er cetera but it doesn’t feel empty like in many #girlempowerment media. she’s not a Strong Female Character cause she uses weapons, she’s a strong female character because she’s respected and most of all she doesn’t exist for shrek. it’s shown in the movie that their love is what will save the day but she rejects him because she has changed as a person and he has to accept that. he has to accept that she’s more than his perfect half, that she’s someone who is his soulmate, yes, but she’s her own person first. i’ll admit i haven’t watched the fourth movie in a while but i remember her feeling different from, like, marvel ladies who run around in high heels and are strong because of that. i definitely remember there being some scenes dedicated exclusively to her, which is yes the bare minimum but still something that often doesn’t happen. basically, the very thing that it gets mocked for (having main characters with “unappealing” designs) is what makes it work.

4. it’s just a good movie

yeah i mean you can put all the good ideas you want in a movie but it has to be good and well. shrek is good. it has some gross out humor like a lot of children’s properties (even though it isn’t that jarring since sometimes it’s even used for characterization), it has some outdated things for more conscious modern audiences but those are also in a lot of things made years ago. shrek is still good. the setting of modern world with a medieval fantasy coat of paint works and it can be used for so many gags! the plots aren’t unique on a purely technical summary level but the approach is fresh and the execution is good. the chemistry between the characters works, the pacing is good, all the technical details are there and so are the emotional ones. i literally don’t know what else to say in this regard cause of course if it was a bad series i wouldn’t be defending it like this.

5. to conclude

there have been people who have talked about shrek in an objective way, without getting distracted by how hey it’s a meme! you know the movie that is a meme cause the main character is an ogre! , most notably schaffrillas productions. i could talk about how as a kid i liked it even though i hated a lot of movies that weren’t about animals and i only realized why when i got older (something about how the main characters are “outcasts” for no reason to be relatable, and you know they’d never be an outcast in real life cause they’re nothing like you, and you know that cause the characters like you were still the butt of the joke). shrek was made for different demographics cause it works on different levels, but the part for kids seemed to be made for kids like me. the message wasn’t “you’re secretly normal and the weirdos are others”, or “deep down you’re actually super special and cool and they’re just jealous”, but “even if you’re different it’s okay. even if you’re different in a way that is considered bad. you can still find people who love you and you can love them.”

it’s just incredible how, although it’s one of the most influential animated movies of all time, what got copied was the crude humor and the parody aspect (which is often implemented just for the sake of doing a parody) and not the heart of it.

#THIS TOOK ME AN HOUR TO WRITE I AM UNWELL. anyway it’s done um you can rb it if you want idc *twirls hair*#shrek

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fysebastianstan · 5 years ago

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Sebastian Stan jumped at the chance to try his hand at improvising for the duration of Drake Doremus’ latest relationship drama, Endings, Beginnings. Starring opposite Shailene Woodley and Jamie Dornan, Stan plays an Angeleno named Frank, whose erratic behavior complicates a budding relationship between Daphne (Woodley) and his friend Jack (Dornan). Despite being intimidated by the exercise of improvisation, Stan knew it was important for him to see what he was capable of without the comfort and safety of a script.

“I’ve always felt protected by scripts, lines and scenes. I feel like I’m one of those people who’s opened up much more by scripts. I’m not as witty on my own,” Stan tells The Hollywood Reporter. “This was one of those different experiences, and I would certainly do it again. I’d be curious to see if I could ever use parts of [improvisation] in a bigger movie… So, maybe this was a really training experience for that.”

Until the coronavirus pandemic shut down the entirety of Hollywood, Stan was just a few weeks away from wrapping Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — the MCU’s first foray into scripted television for Disney+. Since many fans have wondered whether the show would maintain the look and feel of its theatrical counterparts, Stan is now shedding some light on how cinematic the streaming show is.

“It felt like both. In a lot of ways, it felt like a movie,” Stan recalls. “What I loved about it was that, tonally, it was very much in the same world that Captain America: The Winter Soldier was, which was one of my favorite experiences that I’ve ever had, period. So, in a sense, it was grounded and very much in the world as we know it. But, it’s also really jam-packed with a lot of massive, massive action scenes mixed with deep focus on character. These characters are getting so much more mileage for all of us to explore them. We can put them in situations that we’ve never been able to put them in before because you now have six hours as opposed to two.”

Now a year removed from the release of Avengers: Endgame, the highest grossing film of all time, questions are still being asked about Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes’ concluding moments. While many fans agree with Rogers’ choice to pass his iconic shield on to Sam Wilson, there’s also a contingent of fans who wanted to see Bucky take on the mantle of Captain America from his best friend. To Stan, Steve was giving Bucky the same gift he gave himself: a life.

“Steve is saying to Bucky, ‘You’re going to go and do that, too. I’m not going to put this thing on you. We’re both going to live our lives — the lives that were actually taken from us back in the ‘40s when we enlisted,’” Stan explains. “So, that’s where I felt they were at the end of the movie. I don’t think there’s a desire or any conflicted thoughts about taking on that mantle. Sam, to me, was always the clear man to take on that mantle for numerous reasons, which also comes with so much more baggage that’s going to be explored in the show. I guess you’ll have to tune into Disney+ to find out why. (Laughs.) At the end of Endgame, for either Steve or Bucky, it’s really not about the shield.”

In a recent conversation with THR, Stan elaborates on the process of improvising an entire movie, the latest with Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and his interpretation of Steve and Bucky’s last moments in Avengers: Endgame.

How’s everything with you in New York?

It’s alright considering what people are going through out there. I’m pretty lucky. I haven’t been home in a long time so it’s been good to be home. You always feel weird when somebody says you can’t do something; It’s difficult to grasp that quickly. But, in truth, if I wasn’t working and I had time at home, I would probably be doing what I’m doing now. I’m writing, watching a lot of movies and just taking advantage of this time to chill out and get back to being present, something that is more and more difficult in our lives. I’m finding that my motivation is all over the place. Once I get to about 3 o’clock, I’m done for the day because it’s hard for me to get my focus back. So, I try to do all the important bits in the morning. Once in a while, I’ll go out for a run in the very early morning because I know nobody is around here in New York, and I was able to grab a couple of really cool stills of Times Square empty. It’s just weird, but anything to make a day go by. (Laughs.) This is where we’re at.

So, as I said to Jamie, I felt like I was invading the characters’ privacy while watching Endings, Beginnings. Did you feel that level of intimacy as a performer?

Yeah, man, it was extremely intimate right from the beginning. I was familiar with Drake’s work so I kinda had an idea going into it, but I didn’t really know what the process was going to be like. It really just started with this one-on-one meeting that Drake and I had really early on; we ended up talking for three hours about everything, basically. I don’t think either of us are small-talk guys anymore, so that felt very natural. I loved how honest he was about life experience, relationships and the curiosity of it all. So, we really hit it off. When I met him, I think I was trying to sway him to think of me as Jack, Jamie’s character. Personally, I felt a little closer to that character, but when we made the movie, Drake made me believe I was wrong. (Laughs.) We had an outline of what the movie was trying for, but the specificity of the performances, the relationship dynamics and the chemistry really made it feel like we were discovering it in the present moment on the day. There wasn’t a lot of rehearsal. Shailene came in late in the movie, and we probably had about two weeks where we were kind of rehearsing and just getting to know each other a little bit. The rest was a day-to-day, on-set trial and error in order to see what would light people up.

Since you had just come off a string of massive Marvel movies, was it nice to get back to basics with a film like this, so to speak?

Well, yeah, it’s just different. Particularly in the last two years for me, I’ve been so much more aware of directors like never before. I’ve desperately wanted to work with very specific directors — Drake being one of them. Then, when you go on that set with a specific director you’ve wanted to work with, they have a very specific vision, and I just immediately know that I’m going into somebody’s very specific vision. On the bigger movies, for example, I had a relationship with the Russos over three movies, and I knew the way they were working. Every time, I sort of felt like we were picking it back up again, but just in terms of format, structure and overall scope, I knew they were making a very different movie each time. On these little movies, sometimes, the director can take these very specific points of views, and you’re just in the hands of that. That’s what makes the experience different because it’s that director’s vision, and it’s very oriented to that particular person. That’s how I felt with Drake, and that’s how I imagine other specific directors are. I recently worked with Antonio Campos [on The Devil All the Time], who’s another director whose movies I love, and I’ve always wanted to work with him. Again, he has a very specific approach, vision and how he wants the thing to look and feel. You kind of just surrender to that.

When your character, Frank, first meets Shailene’s character, Daphne, at the New Year’s Eve party, they jokingly put distance between one another. Since many of us are now watching entertainment through our present-day lens, have you realized how ahead of the curve you were in this case?

(Laughs.) I didn’t even think about that; you’re right. It’s interesting to think because we don’t know, really, what the ramifications of this social distancing will be. We may still feel the effects of it well into the next couple years. It’s going to be a while before we get life back to “normal,” but will it ever really go back to normal? That’s the stuff that remains to be seen. I can definitely see a world where people are much more conscious about personal space, perhaps. I don’t know. Shailene and I were talking in another interview the other day, and I was like, “Listen, I know you’re a hugger — and so am I — but do you think people are going to want to be hugged by us after this?” I don’t know.

At least we can now opt not to shake hands without offending anyone.

Well, apparently, no one liked that. I was not aware that that was not a fun thing to do. Yeah, that might be gone at this point.

I got a kick out of Frank’s The Pianist reference. Did you name a different movie for each improvised take?

(Laughs.) No, that was the only time I referenced a movie. Every time it was different. One of the things that I learned with Drake really early on was to never try and do something that worked, again. That reference worked; I didn’t know he was gonna use it. Doing it again — even remotely getting close to it — goes against his way of working. You’re just recreating a moment, and he wants everything to be very fresh and in the moment. I have a friend who always picks on me for watching heavy, intense, dramatic movies by myself at home on the weekends. He just makes fun of me all the time. So, the reference came from that. I love all movies, but I just love watching the heavier dramatic movies. (Laughs.) So, it came from remembering that in the moment and just saying it. It was odd enough, but it made it.

I asked Jamie this question, but I’d like to get your take as well. How do you ensure that you’re improvising as the character and not as Sebastian?

That’s the problem. I don’t know. Even though we’re improvising as honestly as possible, we’re still kind of doing it with a direction from the outline. I think that is what gives it an element that’s still affected rather than me just going up there and saying how I feel. And then, in the editing room, which is what makes Drake brilliant at this, he finds the moments; the way he cuts is just fascinating to me. I remember saying to him, “Drake, no take is the same. I don’t know how you’re going to cut this. It’s impossible.” And yet, he made it work. He found the conversation, and he found the moments. He’s got a very specific way of cutting that I love which is the reactions and so on. He really filtered those performances in the editing room as well. There was a lot of back-and-forth dialogue between me and Shailene that never made it, but again, it’s about him picking what he feels is right for who each character is.

Did you have any history with improvisation before this experience?

No, not at all.

Were you intimidated by it?

I definitely was. Absolutely, I was. I didn’t have an audition for the movie, but I had that three-hour session with Drake where we talked about different things and topics. I think he was just curious to see how honest our conversation could go, and I just wasn’t afraid of that. It was very scary at the beginning. It’s that question you asked, where you go, “Well, this isn't really who I am. I don’t do these things that this character does.” I’ve always felt protected by scripts, lines and scenes. I feel like I’m one of those people who’s opened up much more by scripts. I’m not as witty on my own. This was one of those different experiences, and I would certainly do it again. I’d be curious to see if I could ever use parts of it in a bigger movie. Believe it or not, on those bigger projects, you do use improv. You do the scenes a couple times. You get it as it’s written on paper, and then you say, “Let’s just do this one more time and try it out this way. Let’s just see what happens and then we have it.” Sometimes, that ends up in the movie because it’s weirdly a sort of wildcard. So, maybe this was a really training experience for that.

Shifting gears to some obligatory Marvel questions… Did you shoot The Falcon and the Winter Soldier like a TV show or movie?

It felt like both. In a lot of ways, it felt like a movie. Again, we’re not finished; we still have some stuff to do. What I loved about it was that, tonally, it was very much in the same world that Captain America: The Winter Soldier was, which was one of my favorite experiences that I’ve ever had, period. So, in a sense, it was grounded and very much in the world as we know it. But, it’s also really jam-packed with a lot of massive, massive action scenes mixed with deep focus on character. That’s what’s really exciting about this. We’re getting to keep it in the world of the movies, so it’s recognizable that way, but at the same time, these characters are getting so much more mileage for all of us to explore them. We can put them in situations that we’ve never been able to put them in before because you now have six hours as opposed to two. It’s always a discovery.

Prior to the shutdown, is it true that you were only a week away from wrapping?

No, we were probably at least two or three, but don’t quote me on that.

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, between the dialogue and your performance, it seemed pretty cut and dried that Bucky knew about Steve’s plan to remain in the past with Peggy (Hayley Atwell). Were you surprised that some people didn’t entirely pick up on that?

I don’t know if I was surprised. The Internet completely misconstrued something else and made it entirely into something that it wasn’t, but later, I sort of became aware that people really felt like we needed to have more between the two of them or something. But, it hadn’t occurred to me because at the same time, that scene was saying so much with subtext. That being said, how do you put it all together in a three-hour movie? To merge all those different stories together, you could’ve had another movie of everybody saying goodbye to each other. So, I love how much people care about those two characters and that they wanted more from them, but I just took it as “This is as much screen time as we’ve got left before the movie ends.” It was already such a long movie. And then, it’s just the knowledge that these guys have always known each other’s moves, so to speak. They knew each other so well that they could say, “Okay, I know what he’s going to do, what decisions he’s going to make and I support that.” Yeah, it’s just what it was. That’s what was on the page, and that’s what we shot.

Bucky hugged Steve and said he was gonna miss him. To me, it’s crystal clear that you played it as knowing Steve’s intent.

Oh, a thousand percent, yeah. I played it as goodbye. What I was playing was, “Okay, I know he’s going, and he’s not going to come back. I can’t talk about it, because if I do, then they’re going to try and stop him from doing what he wants to do. So, I’ve gotta support that.” That’s what I was playing in the scene. Suddenly, when he shows back up again, I’m playing it like, “Oh! Well, he didn’t tell me he was gonna do that. I knew he was gonna leave, and even though I knew what he was going to do with the shield, I didn't know he was gonna pop up over there now and be older.” So, I was playing that. Look, I love a good scene with dialogue, but sometimes, I find it really interesting when there’s not a lot said. And funnily enough, it’s sort of been the trademark of Bucky. Then, you’re watching behavior, you’re watching the eyes and you’re wondering what they’re thinking. You’re more involved and tuned in. So, it’s always fun for me to try to do as much as I can without dialogue. It’s exciting as an actor because then I wonder what people are getting out of it. In that aspect, it’s fun.

Some people still lament the fact that Steve didn’t give Bucky the shield in order to take on the mantle of Captain America. Bucky may have been brainwashed, but Captain America is such a symbolic position that you can’t just write off fifty years of transgressions by The Winter Soldier. I also have a hard time imagining that Bucky would even want that role. Since you know Bucky best, what’s your impression of Steve’s choice?

The MCU — as I saw it from my humble perspective — is a bit different in that regard to the comics. Where we arrived with him at the end felt more like he was in a place with a desire for some sort of release: to start over, start life again in a way, find out who he is again on his own and leave all this behind. Yes, it all happened, but at some point, you gotta own your mistakes, what happened and try to start over. That’s where I felt like the character was at the end of Avengers: Endgame. It’s also what he wanted for Steve. Like anybody that ends up traumatized by a war experience, he was affected by it for the rest of his life. So, what felt like a desire there was for a restart — for him and for Steve in a way. It didn’t necessarily feel like the shield was gonna be that. Steve going back in time and saying, “I’m gonna take something for me now. I’ve been here for all these guys, and I’ve done the best I could. I’m just a man, and I’m going to go back and try to live my life.” I feel that is something that Bucky would want for his best friend, and at the same time, Steve is saying to Bucky, “You’re going to go and do that, too. I’m not going to put this thing on you. We’re both going to live our lives — the lives that were actually taken from us back in the ‘40s when we enlisted.” So, that’s where I felt they were at the end of the movie. I don’t think there’s a desire or any conflicted thoughts about taking on that mantle. Sam, to me, was always the clear man to take on that mantle for numerous reasons, which also comes with so much more baggage that’s going to be explored in the show. I guess you’ll have to tune into Disney+ to find out why. (Laughs.) At the end of Endgame, for either Steve or Bucky, it’s really not about the shield.

I really loved Destroyer, and I thought you were great in it. It continues to blow my mind that Karyn Kusama isn’t able to do whatever she wants. Granted, she just got Universal’s Dracula…

I already emailed her about that. I said, “You know I’m from Romania, right?” and she goes, “Yes, yes, it’s very early — and there’s a pandemic. Hopefully, we’ll see you in four years.” (Laughs.)

What comes to mind when you reflect on that experience and working with Karyn?

Thank you for mentioning that movie. I love that movie, I love her and I had such a great time on it. I would love to keep finding projects with her — projects that kind of push you in a different direction. Again, this goes back to your earlier questions about these smaller movies, and I was referencing the vision of a director, how important that is and sometimes surrendering to that. That’s what that movie was for me. Karyn saw this character and movie in a certain way, and it was my job to learn that world, the tone and fit into it. I loved her as a director because she was so specific with me from the get-go. She also really allowed me to discover it on my own. We talked about the tattoos, the look, his history… It was very collaborative before we started, and then, when we started, it was actually very specific. She was one of those directors that made me feel so safe and confident in my choices, simply by the way she communicated with me. I think that came from her absolute confidence in what she wanted and what she saw. I really wish more people had seen that movie. Maybe they have by now; I don’t know. And obviously — Nicole Kidman. It was one of those dreams to work opposite her. It was a good package.

***

Endings, Beginnings is now available on digital HD and VOD on May 1.

#sebastian stan #sebstannews #long post #interviews

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bluebellhairpin · 4 years ago

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Fight or Flight, Rider [8]

Poe Dameron X Pilot!Reader

A/N: This series ain’t dead yet people! And Rider isn’t dead yet either! - Nemo

Summary: Rider becomes commander of the most dangerous ship in the First Order. Poe and company freak out over a thought-loss. And some certain emo boys get a beating.

Warning(s): Mentions of Blood. There’s a dead body that shows up once too.

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

As it turned out, the entire new ship was strategically filled with - what the First Order would call - defective StormTroopers. Much like the Resistance’s beloved Finn, they didn’t want to fight.

They were waiting for their Poe Dameron to give them a chance to get away.

And they got you.

However this situation was much different to Poe’s. Instead of one Trooper, you had a huge ship-full. Instead of a TIE-Fighter you had, well, one huge ship - more like once you disposed of the Officers, you’d have the ship.

As the two unhelmeted Troopers led you through the ship, other Troopers removed their helmets in tandem, and as that spread, blaster shots and yells could be heard from the halls in the distance. It was a mutiny. Caused by little old you.

“What do we call you?” the first Trooper - MO-3679 - asked, “I don’t think ‘The Rebel’ would fit anymore.”

“Rider, calling me Rider is fine.” you said. Giving your nickname felt like the better thing to do, no where in any records was there listed a ‘Rider’, however there was a ‘(y/n)’, and you were not about to be tracked or locked up again.

Walking wasn’t really doing you too well at the moment, since you were clutching your side in an effort to try and stop the pain in your ribs. But MO said that they’d need you at the command. You knew the Resistance best, you’d know how to properly fight and escape the First Order. You reassured MO that she and the other Troopers seemed to have a good handle on the situation as it was, she still diagreed.

“Attention,” a speaker overhead crackled to life, “First Order personnel have been eradicated. Prepare for the jump to Hyperspace.”

You looked over at MO, raising an eyebrow.

“The kriff does that mean?”

“All the commanding Officers have been ejected out to space.” She said, acting like it was absolutely not something to be worried about. “So now you’re officially in command of this ship.”

Okay. That’s a touch shocking, if not unexpected.

“And hyperspace?” you asked, “This ship isn’t completed enough to be able to withstand a jump. Parts would still be exposed.”

“That’s what we wanted everyone to think,” the other Trooper - KS-6836 - answered as MO started opening the door ahead of you, “This ship isn’t just hyperspace ready. It’s shields are fully operational, as well as it’s weapons system. It’s fully functional. We just needed the First Order to not know that.”

You decided then and there to just not be surprised at anything anymore.

The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a large and rather busy-looking bridge. Troopers were manning every station, and over in one corner was a pile of white helmets. An Officer Trooper approached you, their helmet was only tucked under an arm, not on the pile with the rest.

“You’re the Resistance fighter.” They said, nodding at MO and KS, before walking back the way they came. You assumed you were meant to follow, because they kept talking. “The Resistance wasn’t entirely told what this ship was made for, so I’ll tell you now to make up for it. It was meant as a tracker. A Hunting ship. It’s untrackable, and impossible to trace.”

“It was made to destroy the Resistance?” you concluded.

You’d seen plans for smaller, lighter ships for that purpose on Nephimm. They were to be specifically made for the best pilots you’d have, to be sent out into the galaxy and battles to scope out exactly what was happening without being seen. You piloted one when you went to the rescue back on Criet.

But how did the First Order get plans so similar to the ones back on your home planet?

The Officer nodded, pressing their lips together, before breaking out in a grin.

“And now it’s going to destroy the First Order. Ironic, isn’t it?”

__________

Poe was freaking out.

Much like everyone else in the control room, his emotions had been on a roller coaster from the moment you exited hyperspace at the First Order’s end, and since their connection with Z2 ended, the room was crossed between anxious, sorrowful, and overall hopelessness.

They’d just lost their best pilot, even though no one would admit it with Poe in the room.

“General, what do we do?” Gareth asked, “We need to do something, right?”

“Of course we need to do something!” Daylen said, stepping forward to stand around the table, “Rider’s gone, so you kriffed up there big time, now we need to fix it. We go in and hit them with everything we’ve got.”

“No, we will not do that,” Leia said, leaning forward, sharing a look with Rey - who had joined them just as their feed cut out minutes ago, “We’ll wait, just a little longer. (y/n)’s strong, she might’ve made a way out.”

“You really think that?” Poe asked, voice cracking ever-so-slightly. “You really think she’s still alive?” Leia smiled knowingly.

“You don’t?”

__________

“Ren is on that ship, you know that right?”

“Of course, why did you think I’d give you the order otherwise?” you looked back at the trooper at the controls to your right, smiling. They shrugged.

“Because you’re a sadist?” they offered. You shook your head, smile falling so slightly.

“If Ren is on that ship, then we hit it and we hit it hard, right where it hurts. If we can end things here we will, and if we can’t then we still make sure they know we were here.”

“I think they’ll know when we aren’t here.” the trooper quipped again, “It’s a big ship you know.”

You turned to face them fully, wiping away the blood from the cut on your cheek that was, somehow, still bleeding.

“What’s your name?”

“TR-7182.” You quirked up an eyebrow.

“Not gonna rename yourself?” They glanced up at you, smiling widely.

“You wanna do that for me?”

“Lower the enthusiasm, cheap shot,” you scoffed, “Anyone here could rename you.”

“I can!” MO said, jumping from her place where she was at the door behind KS. You barked out a laugh, nodding at her as she continued to blabber at her new companion. She was actually rather friendly, you’d found.

“Rider, canons are hot, ready to fire at your leisure.”

You nodded at the new news, looking out at the two Star-Destroyers, with narrowed eyes.

“Shields up, now.” you said, “Fire!”

__________

“General!” D’Acy said, looking over to the huddle from her screen across the room. “The new ship - the one Rider went to destroy - it’s firing on the other two Destroyers.”

“What?”

“What we’re monitoring, it’s -” D’Acy stopped, shaking her head in disbelief.

“- The ship’s gone off radar, but the Destroyers are taking hits.” Cyro clarified, Rose poking her head over the Mirialan’s shoulder.

“They’re being… Destroyed.”

Poe went over to the screen, seeing exactly what was described.

“That makes no sense,” he said, casting a look at Finn, “Why would they fire on each other?”

“Don’t look at me, I don’t work with them anymore. Remember?” Finn shrugged. “I will say, that is a bit weird though.”

__________

“Our shields are holding well. The Destroyers have taken enough damage to cause a chain reaction.”

You nodded, talking to the trooper on your left.

“I want to see that chain go off. Fire a few more shots, then we’ll get out of here.” You said, pressing in the Resistance base coordinates into the pad in front of you. Then a thump came from the window above you. “Oh, ew.”

Groans came from the crew, seeing the frozen body of one of the Officers from before float back away again. They obviously didn’t push him out of an airlock near the back of the ship. It was a bit gross.

The ship fired again, rocking you a little with the force it sent off, and landing two hits on each Destroyer, and just like the trooper said, a chain went off, explosions of red went off all over the ships.

“Let’s beat it, kids. We’ve done our damage.”

The ship turned a little, before starting off with a slight lurch.

“Entering hyperspace in three, two, one.”

__________

Series Taglist: @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol @writefightandflightclub @robindoesntloveme @kiaralein @danicalifxrnia @americasass-romanoff @morgannope @smolpeachees @afootnoteinyourhappiness @lonelydarlings @rae-rae-patcha @oakleyves @seninjakitey @fanfin-glutton @softly-sad @liadamerondjarin @music-geek19

Poe Dameron Taglist: @p3nny4urth0ught5 @m1rkw00dpr1ncess @hp-marvel-starwars-kotlc

Both Taglists are Open!

#fight or flight rider #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron series #star wars x reader #star wars imagine #star wars series

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tsipasce · 4 years ago

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Same Difference, ch.02

A/N: “Overwhore has now entered the chat”

Chapters: 01 | 03 | 04

After her last appointment, Nanami made her way back home, trying her best not to replay her feeble attempt at playing hero in her head. “Why the hell did I do that? A real hero would have seen it and helped him… Eventually” she said aloud talking to herself on the drive home. After how serious things got today, putting on music just didn’t seem right. “Besides, he looked like he had a quirk that could’ve helped him” But he also looked afraid her own thoughts cutting her off. No matter how reckless it was to use her quirk in front of someone else—much less a stranger—Nanami knew deep down it was the right thing to do. Whatever consequences came with it, she’d be able to accept them if it meant saving a life. How noble~… and also really, really reckless. Shaking off the last sting of self-chastisement, she reminded herself that tonight was for relaxing. Whether or not some pointy haired guy blabs about one of my biggest secrets, the relaxation train is still going to pull into the station, right on schedule.

Cruising up to her apartment complex, she gazed longingly at her place, her sanctuary. There was a bath bomb and a glass of wine with her name on it. After a long soak and a glass or two, she slid into bed trying her best to forget about anything that might kill the very carefully cultivated vibes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next day Nanami awoke refreshed, her skin glowing from all the pampering and soaking the night before. She had grand plans of being productive and running some light errands, but she was damned if she wasn’t going to look good while doing it. She’d usually dress as comfortably as possible for simple errands, but she was feeling cute and self-indulgent, so why not dress the part? After having to cover up so many cute outfits with my white coat, I deserve it. She thought, resolutely.

After rummaging through the closet for a bit, she found the look: a soft baby blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and subtle ruffles at the hem and sleeves. She grabbed her small white bag and sneakers then did a quick sashay in the mirror for good measure. It was wild to think she looked this cute and carefree, even after the panic caused by yesterday’s little incide—nope. No. We’re not thinking about that, today is going to be fun, damnit. she convinced herself.

With that settled, she headed out the door and walked to her favorite neighborhood tea shop for a quick drink. The weather was somehow better than it was yesterday, and the perfect breeze wicked just the right amount of heat off her sun-kissed skin… but something just didn’t feel right. It felt as though someone was watching her. No, that can’t be right. I’m just still shaken up from yesterday. Stop being so paranoid and just enjoy the day. Fun and Carefree, remember?

Brushing off it off, she went about her day, but the feeling of eyes on her never seemed to go away. At the post office, it felt like someone was just in the background, sneaking around in her blind spot. In the grocery store, it felt as if someone was just on the other aisle, peering through the boxes. And on the platform for the train, she was convinced someone was going to emerge from the crowd and make a B-line towards her –she had had enough. Maybe I just need to take a moment and sit down to relax. If someone is tailing me, I’ll at least get a chance to spot them if I stay in one place, she concluded.

With that decided, it was high-time for a coffee break and a much-needed pick-me-up. Considering she barely got to sip her order from yesterday before it was unceremoniously spilled while saving that stranger, she decided to give the cafe Dr. Tanaka recommended another go. She ordered her drink and treat, choosing a table by the window. She decompressed, relishing in the moment, as she found herself sitting alone in a cute, little coffee shop, cracking open a book while she waited for her order. After a couple minutes she could feel someone approaching. Assuming it to be the barista, she didn’t look up until they were close, too close.

Her order was slid in front of her, and it’s wrong, but it’s also the exact same order she spilt yesterday. She lifted her gaze in confusion and--Oh no.

It was him, the same stranger from yesterday. Damnit. What’s he doing here?

Before she got the chance to ask, he began, “Hello, miss.”

She panicked and defaulted to the ol’ play dumb routine, “Hello sir, do I know you?” she asked innocently.

His expression didn’t waver and she could tell he wasn’t buying it, but he continued anyway, “Of course, you do.” He smiled knowingly, “Remember? A rather large steel beam was about to crush me yesterday but you swooped in and turned it int—”

“Sh. Sh. Sh. Please. Stop talking,” she raised her hands pleadingly as she took a cautious look around, hoping no one was eavesdropping on the exchange.

His smile faded, but his face remained soft, “I wanted to thank you for your…impressive reflexes yesterday. You saved me.”

“Look, I understand if you might want to thank me, but it’s really not necessary. I’m not a hero by any means, so I’d just like to put this behind us, okay?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he replied resolutely. “Could you please come with me for a moment? I have someone who would like to speak with you about what happened yesterday.”

“Well, I definitely don’t want to speak with them. And what do you mean you can’t?” exasperated, she continued “If you really want to thank me, you’ll leave this alone and refrain from creepily asking me to go anywhere with a total stranger.”

He was slowly becoming irritated now, and she wondered why he was so determined to continue this interaction. “It is because I am grateful that I am only ‘creepily asking’.”

“’Only’? Is that a threat?” She asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“It doesn’t have to be,” he replied matter-of-factly. The nerve of this guy.

“Yeah. Hell no. I’m not going anywhere with you, and this conversation is over,” Nanami began packing up her things in a huff, preparing to storm out.” Follow me and you’ll regret it,” she threatened, though it was half-empty. She didn’t have much in the way of combat skills, but there was no need to let him know that.

As she got up to leave, he firmly grabbed hold of her wrist. Before she could protest, she was caught off-guard by the sincere look of concern in his eye as he pled with her:

“Please.”

Is he…worried?

She ignored the thought and snatched her wrist back, “Like I said, don’t follow me.”

She made a swift, stormy exit praying he didn’t decide to call her bluff and pursue the interaction any further. What the hell was his deal? This is really not my day... Her stomach grumbled and she lamented the lost treats for the second time this week. She got so lost in thought that she strolled right past the blacked-out car parked in front of the café. Before she knew it, the door flew open and she was pulled in, bumping her head as the door slammed behind her.

“What the hell?” she asked to no one in particular, trying to get her bearings.

Her eyes began to focus on what looked like.. a beak? No, a plague mask, then piercing yellow eyes—wonderful eyelashes though. The man sitting before her seemed to be studying her quite intently before he spoke.

“Who are you?” He asks with equal measures of malice and curiosity.

“Who am I? You abducted me! Who the fuck are you ??” She returned the question incredulously. There were way too many men who were way too comfortable manhandling her today, and it was starting to piss her off.

He didn’t seem to appreciate her response as his eyes hardened further and his eyebrow twitched as though he was barely containing a fit of rage. He leaned forward, now tugging upward at the hem of his glove, “I won’t ask again. Who are you?”

Taking full stock of her situation, she realized three things: One, she’d just been kidnapped (though the car hadn’t moved yet). Two, she was on the floor of said car, and seemingly at the mercy of her kidnapper who by now she guessed was going to use his quirk on her if she didn’t answer his questions. And three, she was mad as hell and not going down without a fight. Knowing this, her mouth moved before her brain could intervene:

“Fuck. You.” she replied, her words full of venom, “I don’t have to answer to some—” before she could finish her sentence, he swiftly removed his gloves and grabbed her by both arms roughly. She prepared for the worst as all the muscles in her body tensed, bracing for impact and she felt…nothing. I don’t feel a thing.

Judging by the look on his face, she could tell he was focused and obviously trying to do something, but nothing was happening. A look of genuine confusion settled on what she could see of his face and she could tell that whatever he meant to do hadn’t worked out. At all. Taking it as her only chance for escape, she raised herself up and towards him, now in between his legs on the backseat of the car. Running on pure adrenaline, she deftly slid her hands under his jacket and placed them on his waist. He’s much more muscular than I thought the thought came and she immediately rolled her eyes at herself. Gross. Stay focused, she chastised herself. She easily found the spot she was looking for and used a technique she had honed as a young girl upon first discovering her quirk. If anything could get her out of this situation and out of his grasp, it was this.

She took a deep breath and focused: Reverb. His eyes shot wide open for a moment and she knew it had worked. Now to wait for the…

“AHAHAHAHHAHAAAHAHAHA” He began to cry out, laughing uncontrollably.

There it is. She thought triumphantly. She gave it a cool name like “Reverb”, but it was really quite a simple and relatively harmless “attack”. Right now, the nerve fibers around his abdominals were rapidly being broken down and rebuilt, causing them to fire and contract in waves. In laymen terms: her bird-mouthed abductor was now experiencing the most thorough tickling known to man.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?” He managed to yell out between fits of laughter.

The driver began rolling down the partition, confusion evident in his voice,

“Overhaul? What’s happening back there?”

Knowing she only had another 30 seconds or so until the effects wore off, she slipped away. After frantically disassembling the locked car door and reassembling it into a solid block of metal and plastic, she bolted down the street and out of sight. She was tempted to look back, but upon hearing the cackling mixed with “I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS” she found the resolve to stay focused and keep going for the next couple blocks.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She made it back to her apartment and slammed the door behind her, slumping to the floor.

What in the hot hell just happened back there?? She thought frantically, realizing the adrenaline was wearing off and she would soon have to face the reality of the situation: She was almost kidnapped.

Not only that, but she was almost positive it was because of the guy she saved yesterday.

Why was he trespassing like that on a construction site anyway? Who or what is “Overhaul”? What was he trying to do to me back there?

Her mind was racing a mile a minute, but she knew she needed to calm down and get it together. After a couple, solid “woosahs”, she formulated a plan: Call the cops and report this immediately like a normal, law-abiding citizen.

Except now I’m not law-abiding anymore after “illegally performing an act of heroism”. What if it all gets traced back to me? They’ll discover my quirk and… No. I can’t risk them knowing…

She knew she couldn’t report it, but at the very least she could phone a friend. She needed to get this off of her chest and alert them. If she weren’t lucky enough to escape the next time, at least they’d know where to start looking. She let out a long sigh and reached for her bag but came up empty.

Shit. I left it in his car

#overhaul #overhaul fanfic #overhaul x oc #bnha fanfic #mha oc #mha fanfic #mha #oc #fanfiction #chisaki kai #kai chisaki

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