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grey-water-colors · 2 years

Text

Achilles Come Down

Bakugo Katsuki X gn! Reader

This deals with a super-serious topic, but it's self-indulgent. I'm feeling better than I was in my last fic belive it or not. If you need help, or if you feel like it's hopeless, please reach out to someone. This is based of the song 'Achilles Come Down'.

Link to the Song: https://youtu.be/T_V76Dm42bY

Summary: Reader is going to jump, Bakugo talks her down.

Pairing: Pro! Bakugo Katsuki X gn! Reader

Warnings: Deals very heavily in Suicide, Do not read if it will trigger you. Attempted suicide, does not go through with it. Mentions of death. Angst.

Word Count: 1,826

Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, come down

Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?

You're scaring us and all of us, some of us love you

Achilles, it's not much but there's proof

You crazy-assed cosmonaut, remember your virtue

Redemption lies plainly in truth

Just humor us, Achilles, Achilles, come down

Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?”

His voice was so sweet, so gentle, trying to coax you down from the ledge. You on one building, him on another just parallel. Police car lights flashing up the buildings and reflecting on the both of you. Your friends 50 floors below on the ground. You’d never seen Dynamight so desperate, your heart would break for him if you knew it weren’t because of you. How had this become so complicated?

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, come down

Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken

Remember the pact of our youth

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping

Since there is no me without you”

His threat hung heavy in the air, causing you to falter. You had been smitten with Bakugo since you were little, and then a crush bloomed right before you when you were in the same class at UA. He had hardly expected to see you, since the last time he had seen you was when you were paralyzed by the car accident. It wasn’t immediate friendship, but you’d quickly become close with the rest of the Bakusquad and the two of you had grown closer. You’d started dating before graduation and through being sidekicks at different agencies. When he told you that he and Kirishima were creating an agency and asked you to be part of it, you’d accepted immediately.

During your first official patrol with Dynamight, you made a pact with him that no matter what, you’d always be on each other’s side. You’d since moved in together spending time with each other and with your mutual friends. Life was a hero’s paradise until the accident.

“Soldier on, Achilles, Achilles, come down

Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?

Hurt and grieve but don't suffer alone

Engage with the pain as a motive

Today, of all days, see

How the most dangerous thing is to love

How you will heal and you'll rise above”

He was pleading now, his voice shaking. Tears welling in his eyes. It broke your heart, but your guilt was heavier. He was offering you forgiveness, a second chance because everyone makes mistakes. You couldn’t be forgiven though. You didn’t really want to jump, you wanted to call for help, to beg Dynamight to save you. To ask any of the bystanders below to help you. You knew deep down that this emotion wasn’t yours, but the effect of the man behind you. His quirk amplifying and intensifying your guilt and agony over your mistake until you couldn’t bear it anymore. Jumping was the only way to get rid of these effects, the only way to rid yourself of this guilt that was literally drowning you. Even as you were fighting for your life, even as close as Dynamight was, the man was right behind you, whispering in your ear.

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, jump now

You are absent of cause or excuse

So self-indulgent and self-referential

No audience could ever want you

You crave the applause yet hate the attention

Then miss it, your act is a ruse

It is empty, Achilles, so end it all now

It's a pointless resistance for you”

His voice was smooth in your ear, and you felt your burden intensify. Two days ago, while on patrol by yourself, you’d ended up fighting a villain. There weren’t any other heroes in the area so you were alone until your backup could arrive. Your first priority was to save the bystanders, and you tried, you really tried. The villain was relentless and used the innocents as a shield. It wasn’t until the fight was over that a life had been lost. A young man had had a heart attack during the fight. You hadn’t been able to get him somewhere where someone could help him. He had died before you could finish the fight. Bakugo held you that night as you sobbed for him.

His family had made a statement to the press and magazines were eating up the story. The family wasn’t suing, which you were grateful for, but you still visited them and apologized profusely. The man’s mother was understanding, as was her husband, but you could tell that the man’s brother was angry. Fury was radiating off him, and you took it because you knew you deserved it. What you didn’t expect was to see the brother that night on your way home from the office. All he did was grab you and yell, but looking back on it, that was when he’d put his quirk in use.

The next day your guilt was tenfold what it was yesterday, and it only grew. Your friends, your manager, and Bakugo could tell you were off. They didn’t ask questions though; no-one had gone through what you were feeling. You were all so young. That night you went on patrol with Dynamight and a couple other of your friends. You were on lookout on the very same roof you were standing on now when he had come up behind you. Every word he said enhanced what you were feeling until he saw you glance at the ledge. His smile was cruel as he said what you were thinking. A life for a life, it was only fair.

Now, in the present, Dynamight saw the man and recognized him for who he was. Puzzle pieces started to fall into place, that you weren’t in full control of yourself. He had to wait until he had more backup though, he couldn’t tip off the brother that he knew.

“Achilles, Achilles, just put down the bottle

Don't listen to what you've consumed

It's chaos, confusion and wholly unworthy

Of feeding and it's wholly untrue

You may feel no purpose nor a point for existing

It's all just conjecture and gloom

And there may not be meaning, so find one and seize it

Do not waste yourself on this roof

Hear those bells ring deep in the soul

Chiming away for a moment

Feel your breath course frankly below

And see life as a worthy opponent

Today, of all days, see

How the most dangerous thing is to love

How you will heal and you'll rise above

Crowned by an overture bold and beyond

Ah, it's more courageous to overcome”

You wanted so bad to believe him. Wanted so bad to be able to reach down and know that you had been forgiven. That it wasn’t your fault. You wanted to rise above it, but you were drowning. Flailing like you never learned how to swim. Was it really going to end like this for you? After everything that had happened in your life? After every obstacle you had overcome, this was it?

You briefly wondered if this was the kind of guilt that the drunk driver had felt when he learned that he had paralyzed a young child. If he had overcome his own guilt to help come up with your cure. You’d have to ask him if you survived. Oh, how you wanted to survive but what you did was unbearable. You’d killed a man. This quirk was so powerful, and you were feeling very weak.

“You want the acclaim, the mother of mothers”

His voice whispered again, smooth as silk.

“It's not worth it, Achilles”

Dynamight’s voice was quieter, like he was getting farther away.

“More poignant than fame or the taste of another”

You shook your head, shame filling you. He was feeding off other emotions now. Amplifying them to be your undoing.

“Don't listen, Achilles”

If only it were that easy, but the ledge was right there, you already had one foot on it.

“But be real and just jump, you dense motherfucker”

You stepped up onto the ledge.

“You're worth more, Achilles”

You were so high up; your knees feel weak.

“You will not be more than a rat in the gutter”

The lights down below were so mesmerizing.

“So much more than a rat”

You could see the outline of your friends down below, fewer now than before.

“Be done with this now and jump off the roof”

You moved one foot forward, ready. It would be fast right? You wouldn’t survive the fall.

“Can you hear me, Achilles?”

Your head snapped up to make eye contact with red eyes. So many emotions floating in them. Sadness, anger, desperation, and fear. You’d never seen him so scared. His fear frightened you, but not enough to shake this. Your foot hanging over a 50-story drop.

“I'm talking to you

I'm talking to you

Achilles, come down

Achilles, come down”

You loved him. You loved him so much it hurt. You’d die for him, you’d kill for him, but in this exact moment you wanted to live for him. You wanted to live so that he could propose, so you could get married to the love of your life. You wanted to build a family with him. Tears welled up in your eyes. You wanted to live but you didn’t know how after this. You’d killed a man. You deserved to die, didn’t you? The look on his face told you that this wasn’t the path to take but you were so sure.

Is there a way that you could be forgiven? The poor man’s mother had said so. Your friends had said so. Your agent had said so.

Bakugo Katsuki had told you that when he was holding you that night. He had never lied to you, that was a truth that you could live your whole life knowing. It was a pillar in your life. Maybe you could step down from here and continue living.

You faltered again, this time backwards.

Your eyes still locked with Dynamight, a voice behind you shouted,

“Throw yourself into the unknown

With pace and a fury defiant”

Then silence. A hand grabs your arm with a grip that could’ve broken it and yanks you off the ledge. Your heart seizes before you fall into Kirishima’s arms and start sobbing. What happens next is a blur, you’re handed off to familiar arms and they carry you. Sat in the back of an ambulance, Bakugo whispers into your hair,

“Clothe yourself in beauty untold

And see life as a means to a triumph

Today, of all days, see

How the most dangerous thing is to love

How you will heal and you'll rise above

Crowned by an overture bold and beyond

it's more courageous to overcome”

#mha #bakugo katsuki #bakugo x reader #bakugo x gender neutral reader #my hero acedamia #my hero fanfic #angst #katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugo mha

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keerishima · 3 years

Note

HELLO! I saw you were a new blog that needed requests and I was wondering if you could write head-canons for todoroki, bakugou, and kiri (separately) with a s/o that has a witchcraft quirk? TY

well hi! thank you for the request, it was so cool to write! now i’m assuming you mean like a quirk that works like potions and herbs/crystals and spirit summoning and spells which is the road i’m taking i hope that’s okay?

now this boy is

excited

when he first saw the mist swirling around your fingers as you fought the robots in the UA exam, a shock went through his body

what was that?

okay he didn’t mean to stare- considering he was in the middle of an exam- but the way you moved and the glints of a crystals around your body was just so cool

time passed and he got closer to you, during the dorm competition your room was the only room he wanted to see and boy did he love it

the green ivy and plants in your room, the pots and white smoke curling from diffusers and shelves full of powder and inks organised in a neat row

your room felt like a whole new world- like magic

literally after everyone had left he was still in your room looking around like a meerkat assessing it’s surroundings

fast forward; you guys are dating and he was VERY curious as to how your quirk worked, and you explained how your spells and energy came from the crystals and jewels

each crystal gave you a different energy, which converted to your power!

kirishima literally watched in awe as you pointed at all the different coloured gems and jewels and the symbols on your walls

he even asked to touch some of them and asked where you got them

he also asked to see them in battle, and asked if you had any similar to his own quirk!

the both of you engaged in LOTS of different mock battles, which almost always ended up in a play fight rather than real training- just because he ends up enjoying watching you use your quirk too much to actually focus

once you two had engaged in a long, breathless make out session against one of the walls- what can I say? you wanted to see what it felt like to kiss kirishima in his red riot form and have him melt back to normal under your touch

yeahh...it was a bad idea to do that in the school gym, where half of class 1-B caught you two mushed together against a wall

back to the hc!

he asks SO many questions

sometimes just sits on your bed for ages and asks one after the other after the other, to the point where aizawa has to come and send him back to his side of the dorm

let me tell you now: if you are 1) planning to get anything or 2) NEED anything, don’t let him find out

you once let it slip that you were considering getting pouches to carry these crystals, and the sweet, sweet boy went out and bought BUCKETS of bags

yes buckets because he didn’t know if your crystals would be affected by material or size of the bag or- god forbid what if it did and he ruined your quirk in battle?!

he’d never forgive himself.

ever.

like literally he’d be on his knees ready for punishment of how you saw fit because of his mistake

what can i say? the boys dramatic

but its endearing :,)

it ended up being the cutest date of you cuddled up on his bed wrapped in his blankets like you were drowning in them,

whilst he sat on the floor, presenting each little bag and pouch to you, all teleshopping style.

‘and THIS 🤩 gorgeous article comes with not just 1😱! not just 2 😱! but THREE 🤯🥵🥳🥳 buttons to clip close to ensure a tight, secure hold of your 😏 special package’

yeah he made a sleazy face

yeah you threw a plushy at him

all of them were bought with your costume in mind and how could you not keep some of the bags? with kirishima watching you with the biggest eyes and slightly-pouting-lips-but-he-would-never-admit-it there was no way you didn’t keep the most useful ones

you asked him to return the extra bags so he wouldn’t have wasted his money, whilst you repaid his kindness with lots and lots of kisses and cuddles

;) or more depending on how you want it

todoroki is uhh...

emotionally constipated

but thats not his fault

#fuckendeavour

sometimes it comes off that he’s not interested in your quirk in a general sense, but it’s only because he doesn’t know how to ask without seeming pushy

he gets shy (but doesn’t show it) but with time that decreases to a sort of dry affection

i’m not saying he’s a dry boyfriend but he definitely isn't as spritely as someone like Denki might be

the way you’d see that he wanted to know more was if he asked you to come and fight with him, train with him and study

this is where he asked about your quirk

he didn’t ask to the extent of kirishima, who said everything that came to mind, he asked precise questions that gave him all the information he was desperate to know because you are so cool it makes his heart burn needed

and he also knew you would add more information as you explained, which he loved because he loved hearing you talk so passionately

this time your quirk allowed you to control people to an extent, depending on different plants and herbs you used

the plants each had a special line, muttered as you dropped the herbs anywhere on your opponent for it to activate

best believe todoroki asked for one to knock endeavour out, literally out of nowhere💀

once, one night you had been laying on your bed, and todoroki had popped over to see you. it was still quite early on in your relationship so you weren’t expecting him to cuddle up beside you and tuck into your smaller body, chin hooked onto your shoulder whilst his eyes bore into yours from below todoroki loves eye contact

‘Do your plants have meanings?’

that’s it, that’s all he softly whispered in your ear

‘What do you mean?’ You whispered back

‘Like...like roses mean love...do your herbs have a meaning linked to what they do?’

okay now he was blushing, very gently because he didn’t want to annoy you, or ask you a question you’d never thought of and make you feel silly or insecure about his quirk

YOU on the other hand were smothering a dopey grin. you knew your boyfriend and his boundaries, and you knew that him asking you in such an intimate setting meant he was trying hard for you

you also knew that he’d just given you free reign to ramble however you saw fit

so you explained, how each herb did this, how if you mixed them they did that, if you made a liquid infused with them it helped with your application in battle and so much more

todoroki listened silently, but his eyes were gleaming

literally glowing in the darkness- I mean was that even possible? it had to have been considering how todoroki looked at you that night

after you were done, he replied with a similar thing about his own quirk, and both of you had a long long chat that went from quirks, to schooling, to life, to aliens and more

todoroki had the weirdest humour, he never knew he was being funny until your quiet giggles morphed into full blown laughter- and caused a knock from the next room over because you were being too loud

he would let out his own little chuckles and smirks, seeing you enjoy his company so much

it was a while after that day when something new happened

you’d sent him a message, whilst he was sitting right next to you, and your contact name flashed on his screen suddenly, catching your eye

‘my calendula’

you looked at todoroki

todoroki looked at you

you both blinked

‘calendula?’ you asked

‘yes’ todoroki replied

‘why calendula?’

‘because,’ todoroki blushed deeply, eyes flickering away from yours

‘because you said calendula means joy...you’re my joy. arent you?’

and god help anyone who tries to say you aren’t todoroki’s joy

because you would literally throw them to the ground

your heart soared at how todoroki loved you and your quirk so much

even though it wasn’t blatantly obvious, it was the little things he did for you 😍

he originally going to call you his basil until Bakugou came round behind him asking him if he was writing the dorms grocery list. safe to say that plan was aborted immediately :D

oho

sorry I just

*pfft*

bakugo amuses me, he really does he’s so entertaining

okay sorry back to the headcanon

I headcanon you’re REALLY strong

like STUPID strong

Remember bakugos reactions to all the students quirks and he was like ‘shit I cant beat them 😨’

And his reaction to todoroki? yeah he’d literally see you use your quirk and just

no I’m joking

but I feel like as your s/o he’d be super obsessed with your quirk

he’d always want to train with you, he’d see it as an amazing part of you that he wants to help hone so you can be the best of the best

not better than him obviously but the best anyway

not that he’d SHOW all of this awe and pride to you, it’s normally delivered in a bunch of bakugo sentences:

‘oi your form is shit. do this instead.’

that means he’s realised a new way you can throw this punch, with much more force

‘tch, go train. you need the training.’

he wants to train with you. again.

‘....finally. took you long enough to learn that.’

you’ve just done something successfully and he’s trying so hard not to blush at how well you did it.

here your power is more destructive

you can create sigils using a your finger in the air and they create attack power

this with bakugos quirk makes a formidable duo, and if he doesn’t get partnered with you he will most likely throw a fit

but not a long fit more of a like ‘oi why is she over there we work better together’

but he realises as heroes you need to work well with anyone you meet, so he’s not too fussy

because of the fact that you draw the sigils, you have a habit of tracing out patterns and new symbols and any sort of designs subconsciously

this is done normally on any part of your skin, with a pen

bakugo being old man bakugo 🙄 got mad at you

he told you off for almost giving yourself ink poisoning and ruining your hand and making it all dirty drama queen

but throughout all of this bakugo had been clutching your hand, and best believe he wasn’t letting go

he used the hand he was holding to pull you along and sit comfortably, dropping his own palm into your lap and mumbling something that kind of, sort of, might have been along the lines of ‘use my arm dumbass’

now you had bakugos arm to scribble on to your hearts content.

you used this when you were stressed, worried that your nerves were causing you to forget things or simply because you wanted to hold bakugo close

in fact, bakugo himself had adopted this habit, and you’ll notice I said arm instead of hand

bakugo got nervous around you, and therefore sweaty, which therefore lead to tiny little explosions in his palms when you were near

but this habit had started to make him feel comfortable with his hands around you, it made him trust himself more

he knew his power was strong and he didn’t want to hurt you, your quirk was something that helped him with that

and he wouldn’t tell you that but he was grateful. VERY grateful

he once asked why you used pen, and not your finger on your skin considering the pen ink is toxic

you answered very quickly, by pulling out a sheet of people and sliding your finger across the surface in a sigil shape

promptly the paper burnt into a cinder :)

and bakugo never asked again

and that is the end! I hope you liked it and I did the idea of Witchcraft justice 😅 please do send some more requests!

god I loved this so much they’re all so cute :,) thank you for this request!!

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mikimagines · 3 years

Note

can I get a reaction of a Byakuya Toko Kokichi and maybe genocider syo if you can but if not genocider can you do celestia? to s/o revealing themselves as the mastermind during a class trial?

I do see that masterminds are loved in the danganronpa fandom a lot.

mod mikan.

Byakuya, Toko, Kokichi and Genocider with a mastermind s/o.

Byakuya Togami

how do I say this.

he was surprised and at the same time angry as hell,

the person he was looking for all this time and wanted to take down was his own s/o?

although he is Byakuya Togami, he was actually unexpected that you were the mastermind.

well other than that he hates you now.

he won’t go obviously soft on you once Makoto gives him the hope he needed.

there is two endings to this and that is:

if you did survive and joined Makoto as he tries to “change you” it would be awkward with byakuya.

I mean he won’t forgive you, you literally killed off his entire bloodline.

if you didn’t and lived the same fate as junko.

he would just scoff, and hide his feelings for now on although he is still actually sad(?). not like he would show it anyways.

Toko Fukawa

you are literally pure evil.

being toko’s 3rd love and the fact that you are the mastermind.

it would probably, yet maybe make toko cry.

I mean she loved you! she trusted you!

You are the reason that she got over byakuya!!!

over pure logic, she would obviously yell at you while crying her eyes out.

she had a person who finally cared about her and they turn out for the mastermind?

you did try cupping her face while laughing at her.

but then she suddenly slapped your hands and told you to stay away from her.

she NEVER wants to see you ever again or your stupid face.

Kokichi Oma

is he shocked? yes.

he did give prompts a little at the same time angry as hell because YOU lied.

and he’s the king of lies???

So how the hell does did he not figure it out sooner?

he’s in a mix of emotions right now.

angry, mad, sad??

how is he supposed to deal with this when the person he trusted was the mastermind he almost killed himself to find?

for the rest of the trial is honestly just you yelling at each other.

also him making fun of you for being stupid when Shuichi shows a mistake you made and how “easy it was to do”

although he was the stupid one to trust you to begin with.

maybe he should take you off his trustworthy list if he gets to his dorm.

Genocider Sho

or genocider jack, jill.

would fall in love with you even more tbh.

literally anything you do is attractive to her. (I swear to god if you guys saying anything wrong-)

anyways you being the mastermind did get her to put scissors next to your neck quick.

then she realized you two could be y’know.

partners in crime.

while she was saying that you just looked,

blankly at her.

you thought of a more despairing reaction like a idiot.

but this?

what even is this.

I lost my 1000 combo on a rhythm last night. it was not fun especially when it was the last part...

mod mikan.

#danganronpa imagines #danganronpa #danganronpa headcanons #danganronpa x reader #byakuya togami x reader #toko fukawa x reader #kokichi ouma x reader #genocide jack x reader

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r0zyp0zy0zy · 4 years

Note

Hiya! Could I please request number 6 from that prompt list for Taketora please~? Thank you!

Haikyuu!! Prompt list trial

HQ!! Prompt list

Words: 1400

Warnings: slightly suggestive, probably ooc Yamamoto

Pairing: Yamamoto Taketora x FEM!reader

Prompt: #6 ("you, uhm— kinda touched my— yeah..")

Thanks sm for the request!! This is my first time ever writing for Yamamoto, so sorry if it feels a bit off

Yamamoto was an interesting fella to say the least. He was quite intimidating when you saw him throughout campus, with his intense blonde mohawk and sharp gaze. It was only when he bumped into you in the hallway that you got a taste of what he was really like.

"Oh, sorry Yamamoto-Kun," you bowed slightly, trying to avoid his gaze. When he didn't reply, you looked up to see your very red and flustered classmate opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.

"It's- uh. I mean, it's was my fault, so uh- yeah," he stuttered awkwardly, blushing harder when your e/c eyes locked with his. He bowed deeply in a sudden movement, "I-I'm sorry for bumping into you, l/n-san!"

From that point onwards, you had opened up a soft spot for Yamamoto in your heart. You made sure to smile at him in the halls when you saw him, causing his friends to poke fun at him when you did. You thought that it was cute that he was so shy; it made you want to befriend him. It was a slow and steady ride, but one day you finally mustered up enough courage to invite him to hangout over lunch.

Even several months later he was still flustered and shy around you, so it was a pleasant surprise when he asked you to watch him practice volleyball with his team in the gym after your classes.

"Hey, um. Y/n?" Yamamoto asked, wringing his hands together nervously. "Would you like to watch my volleyball team practice around 3:30?"

You smiled at him, "sure! I would love to." You felt giddy that he was letting you in on his hobby. It was what he talked about most, so you assumed that it was very important to him.

Yamamoto grinned wildly at you, a light rouge dusting his cheeks. He filled you in on all of his teammates while he walked you to class, telling you their special plays. You nodded along politely, and you gave him one last smile before you slipped into your English class.

You couldn't get your mind off of the bleached blonde while you scribbled down verbs half-assed, subconsciously simpering thoughtfully. Your fondness of Yamamoto over time turned into a silly crush, and you blushed at the idea that you caught feelings for the boy so quickly. You kept glancing at the clock above the door, hoping that it would tick faster so that class would be over. You sighed as you doodled on the margin of your paper, absentmindedly daydreaming about playing with Yamamoto's hair.

You walked up to the gymnasium doors, nervously contemplating if you should knock or just walk in. You could hear the squeak of runners on the gym floor, and the loud smacking of multiple volleyballs echoing inside the large room. You took a breath, tightening your grip on your bag and decided to just walk in. You fumbled with the door nervously, swinging it open quietly. You peaked inside just in time to watch Yamamoto leap into the air and sock a ball into the ground on the opposite side of the net.

He got a few cheers from his teammates and you clapped along, causing Yamamoto and his team to glance over to you. You cowered nervously at the attention, and looked at your friend for help.

"Y-y/n-san!" He yelped with wide eyes. He walked over to you, burring his hands in his shorts waistband as if they were pockets. "You came!"

"Of course I did!" You replied, closing the gymnasium door behind you. "I said I would, didn't I?"

You realized that the noise that was previously ringing through the gym had stopped, and you looked around to see some of the team members either looking at you, or chatting with each other in whispers. When you turned back you jumped and let out a startled yelp.

"Who're you?" Asked the giant that materialized beside Yamamoto. He had striking green eyes that seemed to be staring into your soul.

"Don't scare her away!" Yamamoto defended, pulling the beanpole away from you. "I invited her to come and watch me play."

"And she agreed? Surprising," a boy you recognized as Kuroo butted into the conversation.

"You boys get back to practice! Yamamoto, go find your girlfriend a seat on the bleachers and get to work!" Nekoma's volleyball captain shouted at the players. You and Yamamoto blushed at the words 'your girlfriend', but neither of you made a comment.

"Er, sorry about Lev— he's kind of blunt with his words," Yamamoto apologized, leading you to one of the front bleachers.

"Ah, it's alright. He just spooked me is all," you shrugged, putting down your bag. He gave you a curt nod and jogged back to practice, yelling at one of his teammates to serve him a ball.

In all honesty, you had hardly a clue what was going on. You thought you had a grasp on volleyball when Yamamoto explained it to you, but... apparently not. You cheered with the team when you assumed something impressive happened, half embarrassed when the team glanced at you.

During their midway break, you fretted over Yamamoto's hands, "don't they hurt? Is there any bruising?"

"Oh," he waved a hand, a blush creeping onto his face, "sometimes there are bruises, but I hardly feel them!"

Unconvinced, you eyed them and ran a finger along one of the bruises on his palm. "You sure? I can kiss them better if they do..." you teased, only half joking.

"W-well, maybe a little," Yamamoto stiffened, hope fluttering in his chest.

You looked at him and smiled innocently, taking each of his hands and laying a chaste kiss to both palms. You watched in amusement as Yamamoto's face bloomed a darker shade of red at your affections, eyes considerably wider that before.

"Feel better?" You cooed, relishing his flustered state.

"Y-yes, thanks!" He stuttered, looking as though he was about to feint. You could hear muffled giggles from his teammates somewhere in the distance, probably laughing at his awkwardness. "Hey! I don't see a pretty girl kissing your hands, huh?!" He snapped at his friends.

"Pretty?" You repeated.

Yamamoto turned back to you with a shy smile, "w-well yeah.. you're very pretty."

"Oh just shut up and confess already!" Someone, (probably Kuroo), called from across the gym. You heard the 'phtftftft' of a ball flying through the air, and watched in slow motion as Yamamoto slid an arm across your chest to shelter you from the ball. He slapped it down with his other hand.

"Hey! Mind your damn business!" His arm was still on your chest, and you realized with a start that he was gripping onto your breast.

"you, uhm— kinda touched my—," you started, pulling Yamamoto's attention back to you. He seemed to realize his mistake and yanked his hand away, "yeah.."

You stifled a laugh when he literally got on his knees and bowed in apology, "y/n I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to I swear! I was just trying to protect you!" He glanced back up at you with a beat red face, "please forgive me!"

"Oh, it's alright," you said awkwardly, "it was an honest mistake, Yamamoto-chan."

His eyes turned into saucers at your words and his mouth fell open. You had to drag him back up to his feet so he wasn't kneeling on the floor of the gym.

A (very) loud laugh broke your thoughts, and you looked over to see Kuroo gripping his stomach as he spewed the most hideous laugh, "Yamamoto-chaan~" he mocked, "I forgive you for groping me without my consent!"

"It was an accident!" Yamamoto raged, "and your 'y/n voice' is nowhere near as pretty as hers."

Kuroo went into another laughing fit, and you could see Kenma covering his mouth as he giggled. Yamamoto looked back at you with his still guilty eyes, silently begging you to reassure him.

"Seriously, Yama, it's alright," you muttered so only he could hear. "And besides, I was going o to let you do that anyway at some point," your whisper sent shivers down his spine, and he quickly made up and excuse to go to the bathroom.

#anime #hq anime #haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #yamamoto taketora #taketora yamamoto #yamamoto x reader #taketora Yamamoto x reader

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restlessmaknae · 3 years

Text

half to your half

➳ Lee Dongheon is a praised choreographer for a soon-to-be debuting boygroup, but the trainees are complaining about his strict way of teaching, so he ends up at your dance class alongside literal kids.

♦ Pairing: choreographer!Dongheon x choreographer!reader/you

♦ Genre: soulmate au, fluff, comedy

♦ Words: 8.5k

♦ Dedicated to: my other half @dat-town who deserves the world! I think you had a feeling I would write about Dongheon, but I hope you’ll enjoy the story nevertheless. I’ve incorporated that one Road to Kingdom scene that made you bias him (and stan Verivery) because I just had to! 😉 Love you more than words could explain! Take care, stay safe! 💖💖

♦ A/N: Click here to be added to the TAGLIST and to let me know about your fic preferences. 💖

“What do you mean I need training? I’ve thought you hired me because I was good enough.”

The air in the meeting room froze for a minute, but Lee Dongheon was firm in his words, and he wasn’t going to break the silence first when he was the one who had asked the previous question. He didn’t want to give up on keeping the eye-contact with the coordinator either because he was sure that sooner or later, the 30-something guy would break. He wasn’t willing to leave just yet, he needed his answers if he was about to receive training when he had been hired because the entertainment company had deemed him the most suitable dance choreographer for their soon-to-be-announced boy group.

“The thing is…” Mr Park started hesitantly, lowering his voice as he continued. “The trainees are complaining.”

Dongheon almost let out a snort hearing that. Almost. The only thing that held him back was his pride and the fact that he was a professional, so he wasn’t going to show that he wasn’t happy to receive such news.

“About what?” He quirked an eyebrow challengingly, having a feeling about what it would be about, but not wanting to back away either. He wasn’t even exactly surprised when he was told:

“About you being too strict.”

“They need to take dancing seriously. It’s not a child’s game. They are preparing for their debut, much worse is waiting for them once they eventually make it to live shows and all that,” Dongheon reasoned with a click of his tongue. He didn’t regret how he had treated those kids. Sure, they were 14-16 year old teenagers, but if they didn’t learn how to behave well during dance practices, when would they take their idol life seriously? One wrong move was enough to turn someone’s life into a hellhole, and they could laugh all they wanted outside of his dance practices, but he wasn’t going to let them have their way when he was their dance teacher.

So no, he didn’t want to show any remorse, nor did he want to seem like he was willing to beg for the company’s forgiveness. He didn’t think that he had done anything wrong. If they kept making mistakes, why wouldn’t he force them to practice more? Maybe he wasn’t the most beloved dance choreographer of all time, but his previous dance teams had never really complained. Though they hadn’t even been as young as these kids.

“Why don’t you just find a new choreographer then?” Dongheon asked flippantly, keeping the eye-contact with Mr Park. The coordinator let out an aghast sigh, then put his hands down on the table, leaning over, so that he could be closer to the guy and explain in a whisper-like tone:

“Because the choreography is yours, and the company is satisfied with it. You just need to soften up a bit,” he said, almost pleading. It seemed like they really did try to keep him at the company, but the choreographer wasn’t exactly happy about some random training when he had other dance classes to attend and other dance groups to teach.

He looked down at the inked words on his arm (a war worth fighting for), the half of that so-called soulmate quote everyone had on their skin. It was like a tattoo, but you couldn’t get rid of it no matter how much you tried. You had half of a quote and your soulmate had the other one, and when you said the two out loud at the same time when you finally found each other, the other half would be engraved into your skin.

He always looked at this half-quote as a life motto. He felt that if he wanted to achieve something, he would only get it if he worked hard enough for it, so that it seemed like a fight. Maybe this particular one would be the same.

“How?” He raised an eyebrow in an almost elegant way, willing to listen if they didn’t want to bring him into some nonsense. Hearing that, Mr Park leaned back, his lips curling upwards. He should have known that the man’s smile didn’t indicate anything good, but what he expected in that meeting room on that fine spring day was very, very far from what actually happened afterwards.

Lee Dongheon found himself at a different dance studio a few days later, staring at the palette of colourful clothes the kids were wearing as they were giddily running around the practice room, occasionally bumping into him and moving on after giggling a bit. If he called the 14-16 year old trainees kids, these kids were toddles. They couldn’t be older than 12. Tooths were missing, boys were screaming in high-pitched voices and girls were still taller than boys. This age group wasn’t something he had ever dealt with, and he didn’t even intend to do so. The entertainment company didn’t seem to think the same though.

He felt so out of place that his usually sociable self started feeling anxious, but it wasn’t because of the amount of people around, but rather because of the age group and their typical (and loud) antics. He didn’t get why he would need to spend time beside a dance teacher who taught dance to kids because it wasn’t the same dealing with teenagers and literal kids! They had different capabilities and different physiques, so how was he supposed to learn anything useful from this so-called training?

That’s when you walked in, dragging him out of his wandering thoughts, and greeted the kids cheerfully. They seemed to like you a lot, grabbing your hand to pull you closer to the centre of the practice room, hugging you (or well, your abdomen because they weren’t that tall to hug you properly) and chattering to you. You listened attentively to them, your smile dazzling and eyes shining in fondness, and only when you walked closer to the benches, did you actually catch sight of the choreographer.

“Oh, hi! You must be Lee Dongheon,” you noted with a bright smile, bowing a bit out of respect. He did the same, albeit a bit fidgety. You took note of his behaviour, cheekily remarking:

“You look like you’ve been reprimanded. Relax! It’s just a class for kids. I don’t even know why you’re here. I only know that you’re going to teach kids as well and need my help,” you explained to him beamingly, and you could see how his shoulders slumped. So you didn’t know. That lifted some weight off of his shoulder. Not because he was ashamed of the reason behind his presence, but rather because he didn’t get it either why he was assigned to you, so how could he explain the situation to you?

“Well, we could say so.” Dongheon nodded hesitantly because he wouldn’t quite phrase himself like that, but let’s just leave it that way.

“It’s okay. I’ve only been teaching kids for three years myself, so I’m not very experienced either, but all I can say is that with time, you’ll surely get used to it,” you reassured him first things first, and when you made sure that he didn’t have any questions, you clapped your hands to gain the kids’ attention, and started the class.

You started shushing the kids and telling them to follow you while you were presenting warm-up exercises. Dongheon followed you a bit clumsily in the beginning, but once he realised that the kid beside him wouldn’t give him odd glances (well, not all the time, just sometimes), he loosened up a bit, and you flashed an encouraging smile at him before continuing. After the warm-up, you went over with the steps for a choreography that you had started teaching the kids last time, and it wasn’t anything groundbreaking, so you weren’t surprised that Dongheon learned the moves just like that, and once it was time for the practice rounds with music, he executed it without any problem.

You decided that it would be best if you showed him how you usually led the classes and after going over the teaching part, he could try himself out while you were practicing the moves with the kids. You hadn’t been given any instruction on how to treat the dance choreographer and what you should do differently compared to your usual classes, you had only been told that he would need to learn how to teach kids, and it was your uncle who had asked you to let him join your classes, so how could you say no?

However, when it was time for the practice rounds by the end of the lesson, and Dongheon took your place, all you could hear was:

“Again!”

You shook your head after a few attempts of his because you could see how demotivated the kids got, their heads hanging low and their usually buzz killed right away. It physically hurt for you to witness what he was doing, and even though you were sure that he would make a great dance teacher one day, he really needed to learn how to deal with kids on top of being a good dancer himself.

“You can’t just tell them to do this again without pointing out their mistakes. They aren’t old enough to realise what they’ve done wrong each and every time.” You stepped beside him, deciding to interfere at this point, and despite the slight annoyed expression on his face, he didn’t voice out his disagreement, so you took it as a good sign and started going around the practice room, telling the kids individually what mistakes you had caught onto while watching them from the side. Then, you walked back to him, signalling him to go on.

You could see that the ones you had told about their mistakes tried to correct themselves, but there were still some children who did the moves wrong by either missing a beat, forgetting to move their hands alongside their legs or putting their arms in odd angles.

“Ag-” Dongheon started automatically, but when he caught himself saying the word, he immediately stopped. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. For a moment, you assumed that he would give up and leave the dance practice behind, saying that he can’t do it any longer, but a second later, he started going around the room just like you had done so, instructing the kids what they should do differently.

You tried to conceal a triumphant smile, but you were proud nevertheless. He might have looked like he wanted to avoid directly touching the kids or that he was searching for ways to let them know about their mistakes without using too much professional dance vocabulary, but at least he was trying, and you appreciated that. Victories always started with initial attempts.

As he walked back to the centre, you tapped a few times on your wrist, indicating that it was time to finish the class, and he nodded.

“Okay, let’s do it one more time, and then, you’re free to go!” Dongheon announced firmly and when he gave you the signal, you pushed the play button on the laptop and started the music. You watched as this grown young man did the trivial little moves with your students, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It was so obvious that he was used to something different, something that required more physical strength and stamina and probably more powerful moves, but he seemed to get the hang of your choreography by the end, and he was sweating nevertheless when the final round was finished.

“You all did well today, I’m really proud of you! Don’t forget to practice what we’ve learned so far! See you next time!” You clapped your hands as you were ready to bid your goodbye to your students. They all left in their own ways, but you liked that they were still pumped up, and some of them left the room while doing some moves. You gave them encouraging thumbs-ups and watched them leave with a fond smile before turning back to Dongheon.

“I can see that you have the intention of bringing the best out of them which is essential, you just need to keep in mind that teaching them and practicing with them isn’t the same as practicing by yourself and prompting yourself to do better,” you pointed it out based on what you had seen, but before he could say anything, you added: “But you were good. I could see the improvement.”

Dongheon seemed a bit speechless, ruffling his pitch-black locks to cover up his nervousness, but he still mumbled a hasty thank you in the end. You were content with just that much since it was the first time you had ever met. You inquired if he had any queries, but when he shook his head, you let him go on his way, watching with a knowing smile as he left. Then, you packed up your stuff after everyone had left and headed home.

The next time it was time for a class with the same group of kids, you arrived earlier than your brand new student slash co-tutor. You still didn’t really know why exactly he would need his training and why your assistance was enough because you were nowhere near an experienced professional, but you didn’t want to question neither your uncle, nor him. After all, you were sure that they would tell you if it mattered at all.

You put down your stuff on a bench, opening your laptop and getting ready to start the class while the students were coming into the classroom, chattering as cheerfully as always. Some of them went up to you telling you what they had been up to, or who around them had found their soulmate, and you listened attentively, finding their childish innocence and passion heartwarming.

Truth to be told, you didn’t believe in soulmates as much as those kids did. Maybe it’s because you had tasted the bitter medicine of life when you had been kicked out of an entertainment agency on the verge of debuting because you had messed up your final evaluation, but you didn’t believe in fairytales and in life working out the way you wanted it to. Not anymore. You had more important issues to deal with and more important questions to dwell on other than that big soulmate question even though everyone around you seemed to be buzzing in your soulmate-centric world. There were apps where you could upload your half-quotes and find which one seems matching, there were soulmate-based restaurants and selfie booths and movies and you name it. Once, you might have been interested in finding your soulmate, but after you had decided to become an idol and dating wasn’t allowed for trainees, you had tried your very best to hide your quote with those special sprays you could get your hands on.

You weren’t the only one who wanted to hide their quotes. Idols actually did so while performing live if they hadn’t yet found their soulmate, athletes did so and most teachers and professors did so too because they didn’t want others to see it. You couldn’t blame them. Soulmate quotes were highly personal, and those who didn’t want the whole world to see it and strangers gawking their eyes on what those words on their arms could mean tried to hide it, and there were creams and sprays and plasters and all kinds of things for such purposes. Even though you didn’t hide it anymore since your dreams of becoming an idol had shattered into pieces, you were reassured that you could always hide it if you wanted to.

“Hi!” A familiar male voice dragged you out of your thoughts, and you were lucky that you were currently sitting because you were sure that you would have stumbled backwards if you had been standing, you were so startled.

“Hi!” You averted your eyes to Dongheon who furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but you just shrugged off his unsaid question. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt that was tucked into his high-waisted black jeans, a black belt and black boots, the whole look highlighting his physique. He looked more as if he was to attend a fashion week rather than a dance class with kids, but you wouldn’t comment on his outfit choice for the world. Maybe he had come from a recording and he had needed to dress like that.

“Are we continuing the choreography from last week?” Dongheon asked as he put down his sports bag beside you on the bench, fishing a water bottle out of it and taking a sip from it while he was waiting for you to answer.

“Yeah, it’s the same as the last two weeks, and if everything goes well, we’ll be done with it today. Then, we’ll review it next week and record it at the end of the class.”

“Do you always record them?” He quirked an eyebrow as if it had been that weird, but you nodded confidently nevertheless.

“The kids like to watch it back, and their parents love that they can see their kids dancing,” you explained to him with a smile, thinking of that group chat you shared with your students’ parents. You were lucky that they were all very supportive of their kids’ hobby, it warmed your heart to read their compliments and to hear about their feedback. In a way, it was a way for you to feel as if you had left an impact on their lives. Just as you had wanted to do so by being an idol; you wanted to help others, to cheer them up and to give something to them that would make their lives a bit better, a bit brighter. As an idol, it would have been your songs and your performances, and as a dance teacher, it was the choregraphies you created for the kids and the weekly classes you gave.

“Understandable,” he noted after a few moments of silence, and you were about to ask him why he had posed such a question, but one of your students who had just showed up interrupted you.

“Are you going to teach us today, too?” Minhyuk inquired with his big doe eyes as he looked at Dongheon who was much, much taller than him. Dongheon looked back at you for support as if he had wanted you to answer the question for him, but you just shrugged your shoulders. If he wanted to learn how to teach kids, he needed to learn how to interact with them.

“Yes, I will.”

“I don’t want tooooooo,” cooed the kid with a pout, and you had to sniffle a giggle because he was just so cute, yet Dongheon was just so startled. “You were so scary last time. I don’t want to learn from you,” Minhyuk went on, puffing his chest out as if he had been ready to fight. You wanted to applaud his bravery, but you were so curious about the other dance teacher’s reaction that you kept your reactions to yourself and watched their interaction instead.

Dongheon scratched the back of his neck out of nervousness, then ruffled his pitch-black locks. Once. Twice. Three times. It could be seen that he didn’t know how to react because his eyes were flickering from one side of the room to the other, and his hands were fidgeting with the material of his shirt. Minhyuk kept looking up at him as if he wanted to intimidate him, not the other way round, and you were ready to rise from your seat and interrupt them, trying not to bring Dongheon into such an uncomfortable scene during his second class, but he decided to handle the situation by himself.

“I’ll try not to be that scary today,” he promised a lot softer than usual, but Minhyuk couldn’t be bought with just that.

“You pinky promise?” He raised an eyebrow in question as he held out his pinkie, and you were almost certain that Dongheon wouldn’t give into his wish, but in the next second, he crouched down to be at eye-level with the kid and sealed the pinky promise with the little boy. Minhyuk boasted a boyish smile at that, and bounced back to the rest of the kids with newfound joy.

Dongheon stayed in that pose for a few seconds as if he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened, and when he straightened up and looked at you, your lips curled upwards in an encouraging way.

“That was impressive!” You complimented him and gave him a thumbs-up before he could try to ask you to forget about it or deny that he gave in because he had a softer side, he was just not good at demonstrating it. You didn’t even let him say anything, you got to your feet and walked to the middle of the practice room, starting the class.

This time, the structure of the class was a bit different than last time because you asked Dongheon to do the new moves beside you, so that the kids could familiarise themselves with him and maybe feel closer to him by seeing that he also made mistakes from time to time. Although it was rare, you reckoned that it was only fair that he could be seen as something other than immaculate, and he didn’t seem to mind either. Even though you could see his frustration rising whenever someone missed a beat or made an obvious mistake or started acting up (because they were restless kids after all, occasional tantrums were inevitable), you didn’t need to interfere as much as last time. He still had a long way to go, but at least now he had taken your advice from last time, and pointed out the students’ mistakes albeit a bit harshly sometimes.

After the class, as you were packing your stuff, you didn’t think that Dongheon would speak up even though you could feel his eyes on you. Yet, when you walked back to your bag with your laptop in hand, he broke the silence:

“I don’t know how you can be so patient with these kids,” he mumbled in awe, and you tried hard not to show how surprised yet thankful you were.

“You learn how to be patient when you wait for years to achieve your dream, only for it to be taken away from you in the last minute,” you blurted out absent-mindedly, but when you saw the confusion in his eyes, you realised what you had just said. Damn it. “Nevermind,” you added with a semi-awkward smile, hoping that he wouldn’t dwell too much on your words. You didn’t want to dump your sappy ex-trainee life onto him out of all people. You were sure that he wouldn’t care.

“Anyways, good job today. You’ll get the hang of it soon, I’m sure,” you remarked in your best supportive tone, and watched as his face turned a shade brighter. Oh, so he could feel flustered because of a compliment. What a rare sight.

“Thanks.” He bobbed his head before gathering his stuff and leaving the practice room with you by his side. You bid your goodbye to him at the entrance as you were heading two different ways, and maybe you had seen it wrong, but it was as if you could see an empathetic smile playing along his lips. As if he had understood you even without you telling him about your crushed dreams.

Sure enough, Dongheon did start to get the hang of it, he just needed to learn how to treat kids on top of being a dance teacher. Or well, rather before knowing how to be a dance teacher to kids. Because someone could be an excellent teacher and horrible with kids, yet someone could be amazing with kids, but wouldn’t make a good teacher. So the two needed to go hand in hand, and you hadn’t been born with your current skills either, you had also needed to learn how to be a dance teacher to kids after giving up on your idol dreams.

You had loved dancing, you had loved kids, so you had thought that it would be rather easy, but you had had to learn a lot in the beginning, and if it hadn’t been for your love for both children and dancing, maybe you had given it up from the start. However, you hadn’t wanted to let this opportunity go when you had had the chance to continue learning unlike the time you had been kicked out of that agency.

You always watched Dongheon interact with the kids with a fond smile, and you had to realise that once he had gotten over his initial discomfort and sulkiness, he was seemingly starting to enjoy himself beside the little ones. How couldn’t he when he acted like a big baby sometimes? You wouldn’t have believed your own eyes that he was the same person from your first dance class together if you hadn’t witnessed both sides of him, but maybe he had just not wanted to do this whole thing in the beginning, and it had kept him from being his true self.

He could be silly and childish around the kids, joking with them and giving in to join their little games or listen to their ramblings. They even started to interrogate him about his life (and his love life), and despite them desperately wanting to know about his soulmate quote, he kept it hidden, telling them that he might show it one day but not so soon. You could understand him since they had tried to play matchmakers when they had seen yours, too, and it’s not like anyone could blame him for wearing long-sleeved shirts because it was winter anyways.

Thanks to the kids though, you got to know that he was a choreographer at an entertainment company, and he taught soon-to-be debuting teenagers, thus he was here to learn how to teach them in a less strict way. Even though you tried to bury your resurfacing memories from your trainee days, they came back anyways, sending a wave of bittersweetness through your body. When Dongheon caught onto your shaken up state and worriedly asked if he had said something wrong, you merely shrugged it off. It was all in the past, you told yourself, and decided to start the class instead.

However, it wasn’t only you who showed a different side of themselves during your classes. It was around two months after your first class together, and you could feel his tenseness from the beginning of the lesson, but decided to not bother him if he didn’t want to tell you about the reason. Maybe he was having a bad day, that’s all. On the other hand, when he got more and more frustrated throughout the class because of the kids’ mistake, you couldn’t just sit idly.

“That’s wrong. Do it again!” He practically ordered Kangmin to do the moves in front of the others without music, and when he was still not satisfied, he put his hands on his hips, letting out a long sigh.

“Can’t you see that you’re doing it wrong? You’ll never become a professional dancer if you keep messing up like this.”

That was when you decided to interrupt him, standing between him and the kid before he would say something that would move the boy to tears.

“Dongheon! You can’t talk to a child like that,” you told him firmly, and it was the first time your voice had such an authoritative edge to it. Whenever he was being a bit too harsh, you tried to prompt him to change his attitude in a rather friendly, nudging way. However, this time, you couldn’t just let him be. It seemed that your usual teaching style wouldn’t be effective on him.

“Why not? Should I be kind when life’s only treating me unfairly?” Dongheon looked you straight into the eyes, his words dripping with hurt and pent-up fury. His gaze could burn a whole city down with its fierceness and power, but there was something very sorrowful, very bitter in it, and your heart sank as you kept looking at him.

You were about to open your mouth when he turned on his heel and left the practice room, the sound of the door shutting behind him echoing for a long time before you found your voice and carried on with the class, your mind wandering off from time to time, wondering where he could be and what he could be feeling.

Not knowing his contact and not feeling like you had the right to pry into his life, you hadn’t seen, nor had you talked to Dongheon again, but you kept thinking of the reason behind his outburst, and it killed you that you felt like you couldn’t do anything for him. You could feel that there was something going on because there was no way he would have gotten so angry at Kangmin all of a sudden, but at the same time, you weren’t close enough to talk about such things. You wished you could be there for him because even if you might not have been able to help, you could at least listen to him.

The next week, you were so lost in thought that you merely registered that someone was already in the practice room when you entered, and if it hadn’t been for him speaking up first, you might not have recognised him until you had walked further.

“Hi!” He greeted you with a neutral expression, but you could detect guilt hiding in the corner of his mahogany eyes which made you feel even more empathy towards him.

“Hi!” You reciprocated his greeting with a subtle smile, not sure how to act around him after last time. So you decided on putting your bag down on the bench beside him without saying a word, letting him decide if he wanted to say something or not.

And so he did.

“I’m sorry.”

As you felt the words hanging in the air, you could feel how difficult it was for him to get it out, but at the same time, you could feel that it was as sincere as an apology could be. So you followed your heart and sat down beside him, looking ahead of yourself.

“It’s okay. You’ve probably had your reason,” you reassured him because anyone could have something going on in their lives that might affect how they treat others. You merely hoped that if he could share the burden, he would be willing to do so, but before that, someone had to show that they cared. So you gave it a shot. “Want to talk about it? If it’s about dance, I’m an ex-idol trainee who has been kicked out of her company after the final evaluation, so maybe I can understand.”

You weren’t afraid to confess something like this now because you wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone with whatever he was feeling. And despite the clear surprise on his face that you could see in the front mirror, you had a feeling that he already had a feeling that your back story would be something like this. He might not have been extremely nosy, but he was observant enough, so you were sure that he could guess some parts about your past.

“It’s not that. Not just that.” He shook his head decisively, and let out an aghast sigh. You finally looked at him and not just his reflection, and from the way his shoulders slumped, you could see that he was trying to master up his courage, but didn’t know how. You didn’t want to push him either, so you sat there side by side, listening to the sound of the clock ticking on the wall.

You would have been more than happy with the silence because at least he was there, willing to show up and willing to apologise, but when he spoke up, you listened attentively, your heart sinking deeper and deeper as the monologue went on.

“After graduation, I got accepted at a dance academy in the US, but a week before I was supposed to leave, my mom got sick, and then they found a tumor. She needed surgery and a few months of recovery, and I’ve stayed with her, giving up on my dream. Since then, I’ve never even left the city because I’m afraid something might happen to her, and last week she got her monthly examination, and her results weren’t that promising.”

“And you were afraid that she might fall sick again,” you whispered, barely able to master those few words out after you had gotten to know such a personal part of his life. He had always seemed rather composed and passionate, someone who had been confident because he had never tasted failure. You couldn’t have been more wrong.

Dongheon nodded, his mahogany eyes bathing in the sea of uncertainty. You wished you could say something hopeful, but it wasn’t like his mother’s condition would suddenly get better if you prayed hard enough. You also wished you could feel confident enough to reach out and hold his hand to show that you were there for him, but you didn’t know how he would react to that despite that inward urge to share the burden and listen to whatever worries he had.

“It’s no use running tests now because the doctors say that it’s common to have worse results once in a while, but I guess I was worried history would repeat itself,” he mumbled loud enough for you to hear it yet not any louder. It was a confession only you should hear, no one else. It was your secret, the whispers of his heart and the tales of his present.

“I don’t blame you. I can’t even imagine what I would be feeling if I were in your shoes.” A cold shiver ran down your spine even just by thinking about. “You know you don’t have to come to class if you don’t feel well. Mentally or physically, it doesn’t matter.” you added gently, trying your best with an encouraging smile. Just because he was supposed to come to learn from you, you didn’t want him to feel pressured to be here each and every time until his boss would finally be satisfied with his improvement.

Dongheon shook his head, bitterness swallowing up his words as he continued.

“I’ve wanted to apologise to you and to that kid.”

“I’m sure he would understand.” You nodded fervently, knowing Kangmin well enough to assume that he would stay just as determined as before, if not more. That kid was one of the most dedicated dancers in his group.

“Thank you for telling me this,” you felt the need to add before any of your students would arrive, and when he finally looked at you and you exchanged a glance, there was a bit of a smile in the corner of his lips, and suddenly, that inward urge to be there for him elevated. You couldn’t pinpoint why, you didn’t know what was this sudden odd sensation going through your body, but you reciprocated his smile, and you looked away only when one of the kids arrived.

After you had talked about why Dongheon had suddenly left the class that time, you felt less cautious around him, and he also seemed a lot more loosened up around the kids. As expected, Kangmin didn’t hold a grudge against him, so Dongheon was good to go again, and you would have never taken it to heart that he had just rushed out of your class, especially after knowing the reason why. You felt like you could understand him a bit better, and you could feel his empathy, too. It was as if you could relate to what the other had gone through, and it was odd since you had never felt this way before. May it be because you had quite a special case with being dismissed from an entertainment company and finding your way to your current workplace and his dreams changing due to the circumstances, but that string that had kept on pulling you towards him had become more and more difficult to resist. Not to mention when he wanted to get to know you better.

“Why haven’t you applied for a different company?” Dongheon inquired the next time you met, posing you the question after the class had finished, and it was only you two left.

“I’ve spent my youth on training at that certain one. I was tired of life kicking into me,” you replied with a bitter smile, but you didn’t mind his question. You had a feeling that he would understand, and you wouldn’t need to elaborate further. You were right.

“Understandable.” He nodded firmly, and his serious state showed you that he really cared. Lately, you had had to realise that he was such a goofy, childish guy in general, his serious self resurfacing only when it was about something work-related which was dancing in your case, so you weren’t surprised that you could only see his most authentic sides when some time had passed by.

“Want to show me how you dance if you aren’t teaching kids?” Dongheon raised an eyebrow challengingly, dissolving the tension in the air with his question. You snickered, raising your eyebrows alongside his as if you were ready to fight him.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? You’re a choreographer for idol trainees.”

“Well, if you are that curious…” He shrugged without hesitating a moment, but before he would get ready to dance, he turned to you and put his index-finger in the air. “But you have to show me what you got afterwards,” he made you promise with a cheeky smile, and you rolled your eyes, but nodded nevertheless. You were actually curious how he would dance apart from your rather easy choreographies made for children, plus it really wouldn’t make any difference if you showed him what you had been working on instead of practicing only by yourself.

You couldn’t tell what exactly you had been expecting, but the guy didn’t disappoint. His moves were fluid, he was perfectly in control of his body, and he made the choreography look so effortless. You could still see behind the seemingly easily executed movements, see the many hours of hard work and the physical strength he needed to use to do certain moves such as pushing himself off the ground or sliding on the floor ever so quickly. Your lips parted in awe as you watched him dance because he was so immersed, it was as if dancing was his second skin, and you adored watching others dance who had the same passion as you did.

Since you didn’t know when he would stop and turn back to you, but the song went on because he probably didn’t finish the last touches on the choreography, he caught you staring with your mouth slightly agape. Even if you wouldn’t deny that you thought that he was amazing, he needed to rub it in your face.

“Not bad, huh?” Dongheon quirked an eyebrow teasingly, and that smirk in the corner of his lips made you roll your eyes. A second later, he let out a wholehearted laughter, and you let him enjoy this moment as he retreated to sit on the bench with you, reaching for his water bottle. That’s when you were ready to let him know about your opinion on what you had seen.

“That was impressive. You could have joined an idol group with those skills,” you pointed out frankly, but he shook his head after he had taken a sip from the water.

“Ah, I’ve never known how to sing or rap, and I didn’t want to be in the spotlight.

“To be honest, I’m rather thankful now that things turned out this way. I’m not sure I would have kept on enjoying being in the spotlight after debuting, so I can understand,” you let him know solemnly. Maybe you had been heartbroken over how you had needed to leave your agency, but now you were a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. Sometimes we can only see what a certain event or a milestone in our life indicates until some time passes by.

You sat in silence for a bit while he was trying to catch his breath, but he didn’t forget about your deal, so he prompted you to dance. You didn’t need to be told twice, you set the chosen song on repeat on your laptop, and walked to the centre of the practice room, sitting down and getting into position before the first beat of the song would be played. Then, you gave your all to the rather feminine choreography, focusing on your reflection in the mirror instead of Dongheon’s face, focusing on how you and your body felt while you were becoming one with the music. The moves were well-practiced and the transitions were smooth, so your hopes of telling a story with the choreography were high. Yet, due to the fact that you enjoyed it so much, it seemed like such a short time until you finished, and turned back to the guy, curious about his feedback.

Dongheon blinked a few times before he could form an opinion, and that was enough of an answer for you, so your lips had already curled upwards before he spoke up. He could scarcely be flustered, so you were rather content that you could make him lose his confidence for a bit while watching you dance.

“That was impressive, too,” he concluded after he had cleared his throat. You kept on your knowing smile as you sat back beside him, pulling up the sleeves of your sweater, the sudden rush of heat warming up your body enough to feel a bit suffocated in your clothes. You didn’t even think much of it until you caught Dongheon staring at your arm. To be precise, the inked half-quote on your arm.

“Oh yeah. My soulmate quote. It says ‘love is a war, but…’. I guess I may get to know once how it ends.” You straightened your arm, so he could see the quote properly. You had never really given the words much thought because there could be endless ways the sentence could end, so there was no use guessing.

On the other hand, Dongheon seemed a bit bewitched for a moment, yet you didn’t know why. Some people were rather sentimental about the soulmate quotes, so you assumed he was one of those too, and that’s why he looked so perplexed, but then he blurted out:

“A war worth fighting for.”

“What?” You furrowed your eyebrows in question, not knowing what his words could indicate. Was he trying to guess the ending of your soulmate quote?

“Love is a war, but a war worth fighting for,” he spoke up loud and clear, and you didn’t even have time to dwell on his words because you could feel a tingling sensation on your arm. It was as if an invisible force was hovering over it, but it didn’t hurt, it felt a bit ticklish instead. It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar feeling, but you had felt this way only once before; when the half-quote had appeared on your arm on your 14th birthday just like it had done for everyone. Which could mean only one thing...

The moment you looked down on your arm, your quote was finished. After the comma, ‘but a war worth fighting for’ was written as if it had always been there. You blinked in confusion, looking up at the guy who held up his arm for you to show that he had the same - now - full quote engraved into his skin. He seemed just as bewildered as you, but knowing that he was your soulmate could explain why he had seemed to understand you like no one else, and why you had wanted to be there for him to share his burden. Sure, soulmates could be best friends, siblings or lovers, but whatever their relationship might be, they were called soulmates for a reason, and knowing that he was yours was both oddly satisfying and scary. You had toyed with the idea of meeting your soulmate one day, but you had never quite imagined it to go this way.

You were both speechless for quite a bit afterwards, but then he nudged your shoulder, and said:

“Hey! At least, it’s not that awkward that your jaw dropped upon seeing a guy dance because I’m your soulmate after all.”

“I’m not the one who needed to visibly gulp after seeing my dance,” you retorted as you nudged his shoulder back, and you caught him with that, you could see it in the way his eyes widened. However, in the next moment, his lips curled upwards and he burst into laughter. You followed his example, and you let yourself enjoy this rather joyful moment. With him. With your soulmate.

What a turn of events.

After getting to know that you two were soulmates, not much changed. Neither of you were firm believers of forcing this soulmate thing onto your relationship, you let things flow as they would either way. Though one thing that the realisation helped to facilitate was opening up to the other, talking about your dreams and past scars after practices because you knew that you were soulmates for a reason, so you could share such personal matters, and after last time, you were more certain than ever that he would be able to empathise with you.

You enjoyed getting to know Dongheon better because there were so many sides to him, and the initial sulky one was just one of them, and now that you knew why he had acted the way he had done so, you couldn’t even blame him. He was such a jokester sometimes, you didn’t even get all of his jokes, but as more time went by, you became accustomed to his cheekiness. Not to mention that he got better and better at teaching kids, and you had a feeling that it was because he was still a bit like a child at heart, he merely needed to put aside his sternness when teaching the little ones. It also helped that his mother was doing okay again, so he didn’t need to worry about her previous worrying results.

No wonder his higher-ups noticed the change in his way of teaching, and you were both told that he wouldn’t need to come to your classes anymore because his so-called training had seemed to be effective. On top of that, he became busy watching over the soon-to-be debuting boygroup’s practices, so he couldn’t come by every time, but he still made an effort to show up from time to time, and the kids welcomed him affectionately each and every time. You sometimes met outside of practice rooms too, mostly eating or having something to drink after both of you were finished with work for the day, and soon enough, you found it easier and easier to believe that he was actually your soulmate. You two were close friends for a while afterwards, and occasionally you helped each other out with choreographies for your classes or for your own pleasure. Sharing the same passion for dance brought you two even closer, and when it was just the two of you dancing in practice rooms, you felt like your heart would burst out of your ribcage each time his fingers ghosted along your skin, and each time you felt like you breathed the same air with only a few centimetres between you two.

Soulmates didn’t have to be lovers; they could be siblings, they could be best friends or anything similar, but you felt the string between you pulling you two closer and closer figuratively and literally. You caught him when he almost fell on his butt on the ice outside of the dance studio you worked at, he pulled you back when you stepped onto the ground when the lights turned red, you helped him get into a taxi and get inside his flat when he knocked himself out after a drinking night, and he accidentally held onto your hand when you were watching a horror movie together (or at least, he said that it was accidental). All of those moments might have been coincidental, but you wouldn’t have minded if they had been for real.

Dongheon must have felt the same because once when he pulled you with him when you were running to catch your bus, he didn’t let go of your hands when you sat down in a love-seat. You looked at your intertwined hands, and when he caught you staring, he merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Does it bother you? I think it’s rather comfortable,” he remarked with a subtle smile, casting you a curious glance nevertheless.

“It doesn’t bother me. I like it,” you agreed with heat flushing to your cheeks, and you had to look away before he could see the blossoms of burgundy tinting your rather pale skin. You sucked in a few deep breaths before turning back to him, but when you did so, he was closer than ever, and you almost bumped your head into his.

“Really? I like it, too,” he said in a rather cheeky tone, and his eyes were so mesmerizing, you just couldn’t bear yourself to look away, so you kept staring into those dark orbs, those hidden universes, and you wished you could capture this very moment; him being so close to you, your heart beating alongside his, and his breath fanning over your skin.

Sure, it might have been less intimate if you had just kissed him right then and there, and he might have felt the same way because he didn’t seal your lips tight, he merely let a boyish grin stretch over his lips that didn’t fade away even as your bus ride came to an end. He didn’t forget about your earlier confessions, so when he walked you home with his hands still in yours, he hovered over you gently and slowly, and kissed you while smiling to himself. He knew you wouldn’t push him away, he knew you would kiss him back, but what could you do? You were already weak for him.

But that was okay. He was your soulmate after all, and you were willing to fight by his side no matter what it would take to protect this love.

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aliensunflower-fics · 4 years

Text

In Defense of Salt AND Sugar: Aka ML Fandom pls chill out.

So I don’t talk much as those who follow me will say I tend to just stick to myself and my own things. HOWEVER, Ive gotten a lot of asks about why I write both Salt and Sugar for Miraculous Ladybug.

The short answer: Both salt and sugar are valid, fun, intriguing things to read and write and the point of writing is to entertain and be entertained.

The long answer: Salt isn’t inherently someone hating on your fav show and sugar isn't someone necessarily giving it a free pass either. Ya’ll are just dramatic as hell.

The LONGER answer:

I write salt because I LIKE Miraculous Ladybug, BUT the show has not lived up to its potential AT ALL. The show could be so much better and the characters are so flawed or full of holes that occasionally I feel FRUSTRATED and mad!

I hate that Alya a character who I was so excited about, gets shafted ignored, sidelined, or written like a jerk! She could have been this great detective working alongside her friend to unmask the villain, but instead she often comes across as pushy, obsessed with Ladynoir or Adrinette, and so damn easily tricked. Not to mention how when shes not gushing over her ‘ships’ shes pushed to the side and ignored. [or you know... LILA]

I hate that Marinette’s crush makes her do things that are so cringy and awkward i feel ill I hate that she’s constantly the only one making mistakes and ‘learning lessons’ when the show has all these other great characters that could use the spotlight and be the ones learning lessons. I hate that she’s so jealous and that she cant ever seem to catch a break as if the show is punishing her constantly.

I HATE that Adrien is a mary sue, how the writers say hes perfect and treat him as such, I hate that he gets to guilt Marinette into fixing everything and dealing with bullies, I wanted a funny, Ron Stoppable, naive boy who learns about real friendships and grows into a great partner. Instead he gets to be pushy and downright a jerk as Chat Noir ignoring his responsibilities, guilting Ladybug with his feelings, never taking no as an answer. He’s not a good role model for kids.

I hate that Chloe got built up to have a redemption arc several times only for the writers to decide that Chloe a teenage girl who needs some serious therapy [and actual reasonable punishment for her actions] is worse than Gabriel child abuse Agreste. She could have been a great lesson on compassion and growth and dealing with your own pain without hurting others. Instead the writers wrote her off completely.

And dont get me started on how the show treats Nino, Kagami, Luka and the rest of the cast. They may as well be a backdrop for the forced love square that we NEVER get a break from. Seriously I’m a sucker for romance but does it need to be EVERY damn episode?! Can’t we just get some wholesome friendship between everyone including Adrien and Marinette at this point like COME ON.

And i’m not even touching on the white washing, awful lessons on responsibility and forgiveness, awful lessons on well so much other stuff really, the guilt trips, the teacher, the fact that she show could be used to teach kids how to better handle negative emotions and the importance of open communication and not keeping quiet about injustice and/or your feelings but instead decided that the main priority should be a love square that gets force fed to us EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.

My point is the show has FLAWS. That doesn’t mean its the worse show ever and it doesn’t mean its not fun, and has a great premise and characters, and so when I write Salt I write it because i’m frustrated! Im frustrated with the show, with the characters, with the writing and so I vent that out with salt I write those characters as their worst selves because I cant stand how the show has decided to treat them and Im ANGRY and disappointed.

It feels good to write salt and to read it. It’s nice to see characters get called out for bad behavior, its nice to read about Adrien not getting the girl. Its nice to occasionally indulge in salt because it validates that the show is flawed and lets you get out that frustration.

BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE

Miraculous Ladybug is a lovely show. It’s a show that decided to give little girls a FEMALE HERO. And not just as a side kick or background character! No they made her the protagonist! Its so important to me that little girls see good well rounded female characters in media.

And even if the show is clumsy about it they are TRYING to build an expansive lore that tickles the theorist brain. And gets people invested in the world.

The show also made Marinette shy, and awkward, and clumsy something a lot of girls deal with during puberty as growing up can literally make you clumsier as your body adjusts. Having a character who tries to be positive and tries to find solutions who solves things with creativity instead of pure violence. Thats LOVELY for young girls to see.

Growing up I loved and admired Kim Possible, and probably would have loved Marinette, even if the shows not perfect I can admit its trying and I can see why people love it as much as they do! And why they write these fluffy sugary fics its the reason I WRITE fluffy sugary things.

Because even though I am frustrated and angry and disappointed with the show, I still see Alya’s potential and how great she is as representation to little girls who want a black female superhero so I write fluff where Alya’s loyalty, compassion, cleverness and her pursuit of justice are center stage.

I see how Adrien could be better and I want him to be better and I WANT him to be the naive funny comic relief the Ron Stoppable to Marinette’s Kim Possible. I want Adrien to grow and learn and spit in his dad’s face I want him to overcome the abuse and be happy. To show people that neglect and abuse doesn’t mean you will get stuck like that forever, that you can overcome that and be a better kinder person.

I want Nino and Kagami, and Luka and Chloe and the class to grow and get attention and have funny moments I want to laugh and make other people laugh! So I write prompts focused around comedy and shenanigans and where the characters get to be fun and silly and make decisions for themselves!

SO IN CONCLUSION:

I write salt AND sugar. I see the value and merit in both sides of the coin, and I respect how other people see the show. I know its easy to get angry with other people in the fandom who see the show differently then you do but please can we put down the weapons and just BREATHE.

Someone who writes salt might LOVE the same show as you, and they might in fact love it so much that they vent their frustrations in angst and salt and cracky fics. Let them vent about how they wish the show was better, leave their tags alone or block them if you cant stand to see it. But dont attack salt writers for ‘hating on your show’ when they might love it just as much as you do but want a way to vent out their feelings.

On the flip someone who writes sugar might NOT be forgiving the show for its flaws, they might see all the same flaws as you but decide to take that frustration and write fluff and fix it fics and sugar because they want to indulge in a version of their favorite show where everything is just... OK. Where everyone is well written and happy and the character development sticks. Stay out of their tags let them have their sugar, they aren't writing it to hurt you just like you don't write salt to hurt them.

So ENOUGH. Enough hunting each other down, enough sending each other hate, enough filling each others tags. Let people write SALT if they feel angry and vengeful and disappointment, let them have their tags, let them explore the dark side of the characters, let them rant and rave and be HURT when the characters they love upset them with their actions. Its not your place to tell them to stop, to tell them their feelings are invalid, to tell them that ‘adrien is sweet sunshine boy how dare you’ or ‘alya would never’ or ‘i hate your marinette leaves dupont au’. Just leave it be, heed the tags, and let it go.

AND ENOUGH. Enough hunting each other down, enough sending each other hate, enough filling each other tags. Let people write SUGAR if they just want something to feel happy about. Let them makes coffee shop au’s, let them make fix it fics where everything is just happy without needing 8 pages of backstory for why everything is just happy. Let them squeal and gush and talk about the ship they like and the fluff they see. Its not your place to argue with them that the show is flawed, its not cool to ruin their fun by accusing them of not understanding the flaws, to tell them ‘umm actual this character shouldn’t get to be happy’ or ‘wow this is so shallow’. Just leave it be, heed the tags, and let it go.

PS: Now with that said and done. I do have one final message for everyone - If you write/enjoy pedophilia, if you sexualize KIDS. Then get the fuck out of fandom spaces, stop fucking following me, and do everyone salt and sugar a favor by LEAVING. Your pedophilia and child sexualization aint wanted, aint ok, and I will fight you.

PSS: IF YOU HATE WHAT IVE SAID ABOUT SUGAR AND SALT FINE OK I RESPECT YOU REGARDLESS. ENJOY THE SHOW, STAY CLASSY, DONT HURT PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION.

#its just me #ml salt #ml sugar #adrien salt #adrien sugar #alya salt #alya sugar #chloe salt #chloe sugar #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #class salt #class sugar

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anthrogothic · 3 years

Text

Body/Prision

~Well, this is the first fic I've posted (not that I've written many). Maybe I found it interesting to explore the emotional and psychological side of the clones and, of course, Echo. Besides, of course, other little things. Hope you like it. 🥺 (and sorry for any mistake as this fic was originally written in brazilian portuguese).

Second part heeeeree

Pairing: Echo x fem!Reader (in this chapter only Hunter and Wrecker appear for now)

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: Body insecurity and bullying.

You were always a woman of science. Curious, persistent and genius. As a child, you loved growing plants and watching animals. Sometimes experimented with changing the color of flowers in jars with colorful products or hatching small eggs of birds and reptiles in small boxes bathed in light and heated cloths. You once set fire to his parents Aldeeranian Silk curtains, after pointing a magnifying glass in front of the sunlight streaming through the windows.

No wonder you was one of the top students at Naboo's Faculty of Science when was older. After all, you were one of the few females in your class. Being constantly the victim of offensive comments and jokes, mainly because of baggy clothes that didn't mark your body, adopted after years of harassment for your sharp curves. Your glasses and voluminous hair didn't do much for the "jokes" to stop. Withdrawn in any group of popular and partying colleagues, you had nothing but to study with your few fellow “nerds”.

As a result, you soon got your first job in the field. Standing out so much that you was invited to participate in the cloning processes on Kamino a few times, even creating a certain professional relationship with Nala Se, the chief scientist.

You weren't a fan of cloning, even though it was incredible, you found it somewhat unethical in relation to the impact on the lives of Jango Fett clones. They weren't just battle products or numbers to you, but Human Beings with as many rights as anyone else. That they should have autonomy over their lives. But work is not always 100% pleasant, as much as it is something you love as long as you understand being human.

With your occasional visits to Kamino, you ended up having the sympathy of the clones, precisely for treating them like ordinary people, with different names and personalities despite the identical DNA and their fateful serial numbers.

You even ate with them in the cafeteria instead of the staff room and played with them in your free time and some would sneak men's uniforms for you, who were too bothered by the looks and teasing you received in your tight women's uniform.

One day, during a typical meal with your friends, a tone of laughter and nasty comments made you take your attention off your plate.

You poked your clone friend in the shoulder on your right.

"What is happening?"

He, without even looking up, snorted a laugh and spoke before taking the meal to his mouth:

"So you don't know the subject of the moment? There is a new squad among us. Weird… but they haven't suffered a single casualty on the field so far."

You raised an eyebrow, craning your neck a few times in an attempt to see something.

"I was not informed of this. I have not been assigned to inspect newly graduated soldiers for some time. But why the laughter and so much whispering?"

Deep in your brain, the bitter memory of your college days was pulled.

Your friend gave you an incredulous look, gesturing to find the right words to avoid any reprimand from you:

"They… well… are technically defective. Very different from us. No wonder they nicknamed them The Bad Batch."

He stifled a laugh. Soon getting punched in the arm accompanied by a scowl from you.

"Okay, okay. Forgive me, clone rights advocate."

His irony was clear, making you roll your eyes and get up, heading towards the counter where they left the used dishes. After thanking the wrinkled green lady who served the meal, you turned in the direction of leaving the cafeteria, but a sharp impact on your face and chest propels you back, followed by a lot of pain and strong hands gripping your elbows.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

A familiar, but deeper and stronger voice resonated in your ears, making you open your eyes faster than you normally would, as you bring your hand to your forehead and in the background thanking the Maker for wearing contact lenses instead of glasses today . It took you a while to map the face of the man in front of you. His long dark hair fell to his shoulders, his red bandana letting out a few shorter strands across his forehead, his almond-shaped eyes looking a little worried, and finally, a tattoo that covered the entire left part of his face.

He was familiar…but at the same time very different from the other clones. Even the armor, grey and red. Definitely seeing a different face in that cafeteria was a bit intriguing.

"I think you broke her, Hunter!"

A loud, husky voice came from behind you, making you turn your back to the tattooed man, just to behold the huge soldier who covered your entire field of vision.

He was huge, broad and with perfectly shaped muscles. Gradually, your eyes traveled from his abdomen, across his broad chest to his face. This one had no hair. He had a blind eye, with a huge scar running from there to the ear. The clone's good eye looked you up and down, literally.

"I'm fine… sorry… I-"

You were shocked by the image of both men. Could it be they who your friend had spoken of?

You can barely complete your sentence when interrupted by a clone next to you.

"Well well. The scientist and her laboratory freaks. How comical..."

He didn't even stop to stare at you, being followed by two other clones who clearly enjoyed the bad joke.

The men beside you clenched their fists and the bigger one growled, taking long, heavy strides in front of you, until he was stopped by the tattooed-faced clone, who practically jumped in front of him, bracing a hand on his chest.

"Forget it, Wrecker. It's not worth it… and we can't take another warning for assault in the cafeteria."

The taller one nodded a few seconds later, clearly disappointed not to get his hands on his attacker.

With slow steps, you approached them, curious and also irritated by the other clone's words.

"Idiots."

You huffed, crossing your arms over your voluminous breasts.

"You are the new squad the others are talking about, aren't you?"

There was a certain wonder in your voice now.

"Force Clone 99, doctor!"

The two said in chorus, with clear pride in their words and saluting.

"The rest of the team is going through the assessment upstairs. Miraculously we both got through!"

Said the taller clone, with humor in his voice, pulling a smirk from the tattooed clone.

You smiled, even more in awe of them. They were beautiful, unique and not "sloppy".

"Nice to meet you Hunter and… Wrecker, isn't it? My name is Y/N, I work in the lab."

The two looked at each other, minimally polite treatment to the clones was a little rare around here.

"We've heard about you. Won't you give me a warning? For… bumping into you?"

Hunter was a little suspicious, moving closer to you, watching your forehead. Looking for any evidence of injury.

"Oh no, of course not. It was an accident. I also barely looked where I was going."

You tried to be as gentle as possible, despite your brow and nose bothering you, already realizing that it couldn't be too easy for them to get along with each other. You continued:

"Trust me, I know what it's like to be bothered all the time by little jokes and to have people pick on me out of simple dislike. I'm not like the rest of the employees."

Wrecker approached you, already with a content expression on his face.

"There is! I liked her! At least someone here doesn't hate us!"

The clone pulled you into a hug, pressing his side with yours. You blushed a little, as physical contact was never common with you.

Hunter continued with a suspicious expression and his arms now crossed, making him even more imposing, just taking the look off your face, when the communicator you carried in your pocket beeped.

Brought out of your reverie by Wrecker's tight embrace and Hunter's form, you picked up your communicator to read the newly arrived messages.

"Uh… I need to go. Nala Se never give me a break. See you later guys. Hope to meet the rest of you!"

You headed towards the exit, leaving a sympathetic smile as you left the clones. They were still there, trying to absorb how kind you, a scientist, were to them.

#tbb x reader #echo x reader #star wars #the bad batch x reader #the clone wars #fanfic #hunter x reader #arc trooper echo #clone simp #body/prision #echo x you #echo x fem reader #echo x y/n #star wars x reader #clone wars x reader #clone trooper x reader

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pulaasul · 3 years

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Apologies

A/N: Credits to @redlyncentral and @cadetcama for providing my co writer the necessary corrections and creative juices for the story.

After opening night, Ricky confronts Gina about her treatment towards him, ever since Carlos's Quinceañero. Gina opens up to Ricky.

FFN I Ao3

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Days have passed since opening night. East High's Drama department has just finished dismantling their props and sets from their final showing of their production of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Everyone was heading to the school's pool to celebrate a successful three-night showing of their musical.

Gina was in front of her locker, storing up some things that she won't need at Ashlyn's, while EJ was in the nearby bathroom.

"Gina, c-can we talk?"

EJ made his presence known by leaning on the side of the lockers but he did not approach his girlfriend or the boy who approached her.

"Okay." Gina stoically answered.

"Like… Talk-talk?" Ricky tried again.

"Meet me at the bomb shelter in two minutes," Gina provided. "We can talk there privately, everyone's already at the pool"

Ricky simply nodded and immediately headed towards the rehearsal room.

"Are you sure about this?" EJ approached his girlfriend as soon as Ricky left.

"I have to tell him why at some point, he needs to know what he had done to hurt me."

"Do you want me there with you?"

"No, I can handle this." Gina shook her head. "Just wait for me here, or you can go on ahead to the pool and wait for me there."

"I'll wait here for you." EJ nodded.

---------

"You want to talk?"

"Right," Ricky nodded as he stood up to face Gina. "Can I ask what changed between you and me?"

"Changed? Nothing changed between us, Ricky." Gina shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," Ricky sighed. "Before this, you've been giving me one-word responses if you don't outright ignore me," He answered.

"Are you really that oblivious?" Gina questioned.

"E-excuse me?"

"You are excused." Came Gina's automatic reply.

"P-please, Gina, can you please tell me if I did something wrong?" Ricky begged. "I'm tired of trying to puzzle out everyone's thoughts and feelings." He sighed. "Please, do me a favor and lay it out straight to me?"

"That's fair," Gina agreed. "Okay, Ricky, what you did during Carlos's Quinceañero was not cool. You hurt me a lot when you asked me about Nini, Ricky."

"H-how did I hurt you?" Ricky gulped as he tried to rack his brain during that time, but he came up with nothing.

"Tell me, Ricky, were you aware of the gravity of my words during our HSM opening night?" Gina asked.

"That was a lo-"

"Yes, it was a love confession, I confessed my feelings to you, Ricky." Gina cut the boy off. "It was bad enough that half of your attention was on Nini but I accepted that you both were back and happy together, I didn't want to be in between the two of you."

"What did I do that hurt you so much then?"

"The fact that you casually threw in the 'if we were dating' line." Gina bluntly replied. "I can't believe that you, of all people, would say that to me, when you know what I did months ago."

"Tha-"

"I gave you a chance to leave the conversation, Ricky, I gave you plenty of chances, but you still pushed it."

"But I thought, you were okay with me confiding in you? You granted Big Red's question about Nini."

"Tell me, Ricky, does Big Red know of what happened during that night?"

"Of course, not!" Ricky was quick to reply. "The only one who knows is Nini, even then I don't think she quite knew of what you really meant."

"And for that, I thank you," Gina expressed her gratitude. "But that doesn't change the fact that I was hurt by your actions." She shook her head. "The reason I gave the okay to Big Red asking me about what you want to text to Nini during the snowstorm was because of the simple fact that Big Red was there."

"Huh?"

"Big Red did not know about that night, frankly only EJ and Ashlyn knew what happened." Gina shared. "I didn't want him to suspect something going on between us, to avoid any uncomfortable questions, I gave the okay to continue."

"I-"

"You thought, because of that, you can confide in me with everything that has to do with Nini." Gina summarized Ricky's thoughts.

With Gina laying everything down, Ricky finally realized that he made a huge mistake. He knew he was selfish when he went behind Nini's back to get her into the show, he didn't think that his selfishness hurt one more person, in the form of Gina.

"I-"

"I'm sorry, Ricky, I don't think I can forgive you anytime soon," Gina admitted. "What you did to me hurt a lot, maybe in time I can, but not now."

"I…I see." Ricky looked at his shoes. "For what it's worth, Gina, I'm sorry for hurting you in that way."

Gina simply nodded.

Ricky turned around and left the rehearsal room.

As soon as Ricky was out of the room, EJ went inside and immediately engulfed his girlfriend in a hug.

"Let it out, just let it out."

Gina buried herself more on EJ's chest as she cried. Ricky was really the first friend she made during her time in East High and for it to end this way, it hurt so much.

"You know, he tried asking for my permission or blessing to talk to you," EJ shared. "His exact words were, 'Would you be mad if I talked to Gina?'"

"W-why would he do that?" Gina sniffled as she looked at her boyfriend. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him no, I won't." EJ answered honestly. "The last time I got angry with someone for texting my girlfriend, it ended with me broken-hearted."

"Aww EJ, you do learn." Gina teased. "The question still remains, why would he do that?"

"I have some inkling of an answer but I don't really know for sure." EJ admitted.

"Why do you think?" Gina urged as she wiped her tears from her face.

"I think it has something to do with Nini," EJ admitted. "It's no secret that Ricky tried to break Nini and I up, in hindsight, he felt he was justified because all he knew was that they were just on a break and didn't break up."

"But she thought it was a break-up," Gina interrupted. "Those two are very bad at communicating their feelings." She sighed.

"You can say that again." EJ agreed.

"So?"

"So, when Ricky sent Nini a voice message, I confronted and told him to stay away, I think that's where he got the idea from." EJ admitted.

"If you hadn't told Ricky to stay away from Nini, you wouldn't have been found out." Gina informed.

"True, and I probably won't have my confidence crushed by Nini's incredible ghosting abilities." EJ chuckled.

"Wait, she ghosted you?" Gina exclaimed.

"After ignoring my texts, calls, and voice messages, even got Kourtney to lie for her, she blocked my number and my social media accounts," EJ informed. "It felt like she was literally breaking my ribcage and went for my heart."

"I don't know if I should call that petty or something else?" Gina admitted.

"Definitely something else." EJ chuckled.

"Eej, why does it hurt?" Gina sighed as she slumped on a nearby chair.

"Because he was the first friend you made here in East," EJ answered. "You didn't think that he could hurt you much more than just seeing him with Nini."

"But I'm used to moving around, I should be used to this," Gina tried to counter. "I should be used to this." She repeated.

"No one can really get used to this, Gi." EJ shook his head as he knelt on one knee in front of her. "You felt like Ricky betrayed you, that's why it hurt so much."

"How do you know so much?"

EJ fished a book from his bag and gave it to his girlfriend.

"I've been reading that book as my pastime." EJ admitted.

"Do you even sleep?" Gina exclaimed. "You have so many clubs, so many sports, and you're the senior class treasurer to top it off!"

"I'm just good with managing my time," EJ shrugged. "Ashlyn and I are."

"It does help that the both of you are intelligent."

"I won't go that far, I can't find words to rhyme with sorry." EJ shook his head.

"Vary? Starry?" Gina listed.

"Clearly, you know more than I do." EJ chuckled.

Gina chuckled alongside her boyfriend.

"So are we good to join everyone by the pool?" EJ asked.

"How you managed the principal to let us use the pool to celebrate will forever remain a mystery to me, I've overheard other clubs groaning that we can use the pool."

"It probably has to do with the fact that I did not cheat at Waterpolo during tournaments," EJ answered. "No one probably knows, but after those self-exposing videos I posted on Instagram, I was banned to play the sport for months as the tournament officials investigated my claims."

"Why would you do that?" Gina was full-on grinning.

"It felt freeing at the time," EJ shrugged. "In any case, what I meant in those videos was whenever the school had us play against our teammates."

"You, EJ Caswell, are one bizarre person."

"That, and my father is on the school board." EJ chuckled. "I still got an earful from both my parents and Ashlyn's parents." He shivered.

"Thank you for Everything, EeJ." Gina smiled as she stood up.

"It's what boyfriends do." EJ grinned. "Be there for their girlfriends."

"Aww, that's awfully sweet of you."

“Hey, it’s what boyfriends are for, being awfully sweet.”

#ricky bowen #ej caswell #gina porter #portwell #hsmtmts #apologies #story

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ye0ncore · 4 years

Text

regret - jake shim <3

req by anon: can i request prompt list number 39, 41, 50 + jake, thankyou!!

note: thank you for the req anon 🥺 i’m back!! i missed writing a lot haha i couldn’t stay away for too long 🥺 i missed all my amazing readers too, you guys are the best <33

>> prompts: “are you avoiding me?” , “you’re breaking my heart.” , “i’m not leaving you alone like this.”

>> pairing: jake x female reader

>> rating and genre: g, pg if you don’t like angst,

>> warnings: angst, some strong language

>> word count: 1334

“y/n? are you okay in there,” you mother asked for the hundredth time that day. you appreciated her caring, but you just wanted to be left alone. there was only one person you wanted to talk to, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to. you missed him like crazy. he just up and left you, leaving you broken and confused.

he was moving away. and he told you in a text. if that wasn’t enough, he told you the day he was leaving. he told you in the same text in which he broke up with you in. it wasn’t even a paragraph telling you how much he would miss you and how much he loves you. it was only a few sentences, but it was enough to break your heart.

ever since, things had been going downhill. your grades dropped significantly. you quit your extra curricular activities. you almost never left your room, making your friends and family incredibly worried. they knew how much jake meant to you. he was your whole world, and to have it all ripped away from you, was the worst pain to experience.

your parents had done everything they could think of to help you. they took you out, made your favorite food, even had movie nights where the only things you guys would watch were your favorites. your friends did their best as well. but nothing they tried, seemed to even come close to bringing you out of the hole you were in. they knew the only thing that may help was jake, but that wasn’t going to happen. or so everyone thought.

a few days later at school, you walked in wearing the new normal for you. sweatpants and a hoodie. you walked to your locker, earning a few sympathetic looks from your friends. you walked to class, your eyes looking down the whole time. you sat in the back, and got on your phone, passing the time by with tiktok. a few gasps brought you out of your thought bubble, making you look up. you froze in your spot. it was jake, in the flesh. why was he back? he moved a few months ago, so why on earth was he here?

he looked around and when his eyes met yours, his face softened. you looked down at your phone, wanting so badly to disappear. you mentally cursed yourself for being somewhat excited, even after what he did. admittedly, you missed him so much. and seeing him just made it worse. and just your luck, the only seat left, was the one beside you. he took his seat, set his stuff down and got out his notebooks. he had always loved school. he loved learning something new, so he was always very excited to go to class.

it brought back a lot of memories that you didn’t want to think of. class began and you didn’t do much. you were on your phone during the entirety of class, not paying any attention to what your teacher was saying, confusing the hell out of jake. you weren’t like him in the way that he loved school. you hated it, but you would still do it. so why weren’t you doing it now? boy he was oblivious.

as soon as the bell rang, you stormed out of the room, ignoring his voice calling your name. you went to your next class and of course, he was there too. this time he was sat on the other side of the room, but you could feel his gaze on you.

it was like this the remainder of the day. you ran into him constantly, and he called out for you everytime. you had no interest in talking to him about what happened, so you continued to ignore him. however it’s jake shim. you can’t ignore him for forever.

you were walking to your car after school had let out, literally begging the gods that jake would not find you. however, clearly, luck was not on your side today, as you heard a familiar voice calling your name. you kept walking, hoping that he would get the memo and leave you alone. “are you avoiding me?” he kept calling your name, running up to you. he met you at your car, standing in front of the drivers side door, stopping you from getting in. “jake, move and let me in my car,” you hissed, your voice venomous.

he shook his head. “no, let me say this.” you crossed your arms and sighed, motioning for him to get on with it. “y/n, i am so so so sorry.” you stayed quiet, thinking there would be more for him to say, but he was silent after that.

“is that all you have to say to me?” your voice broke slightly, feeling your heart contract. after all he did, all he could say was he was sorry. no explanation. you waited a little longer, and he said nothing. scoffing, you pushed past him and opened your car door, putting your bags in your car.

“y/n, please. you’re breaking my heart.”

you immediately stood up straight and looked at him, anger written all over your face. “i’m breaking your heart? no. you broke mine. jake, you left me in a text message. you couldn’t even tell me that you were leaving until you were already gone. how do you think i felt? that fucking hurt jake. so don’t even try to tell me i’m breaking your heart, when you’re the one who broke mine.” jake stood still, hurt written all over his features.

you got back in your car and drove off, as your eyes began to water. seeing him again brought back a lot of old emotions and you couldn’t help the tears that formed. you tried to suck it up since you were driving and you didn’t want to drive while crying, knowing how unsafe that can be. you got home fairly quickly, walking inside and storming off to your room. you ignored your family’s calls after you, slamming your door shut.

the stress of the day was beginning to weigh on you, making you start to tear up again. you let yourself cry freely, letting out all of the emotions that showed back up today. you sat on your bed, knees tucked into your chest for a while, until someone knocked on your door. “come in,” you sniffled. your mom peeked in, and smiled at you sadly, already having found out about the days events.

“someone’s here to see you, y/n,” she said, sympathy laced into her voice. “can they come in?”

you didn’t put the pieces together, so you just nodded, not expecting it to be who it was. a few moments later jake walked in, a guilty look on his face. “jake, p-please go away,” you pleaded.

“no, y/n. i’m not leaving you alone like this. it’s my fault you’re like this. it’s my fault you’re so hurt, and i can’t even begin to tell you how sorry i am.” you went to talk but he cut you off.

“i didn’t tell you i was leaving because i didn’t want to hurt you. i kept it short because i thought it would make it easier on both of us. but looking back, all it did was hurt both of us even more. it was a mistake, and i’ll regret it for the rest of my life. but please y/n. you don’t have to take me back, i’m not expecting you to. but please, forgive me. please.” his voice was soft as he begged. his eyes started to water as he sat staring at you, waiting for your response.

“jake... i can’t forgive you just yet. i still need time. but i will try. i um... i missed you,” you confessed, your eyes on the ground.

“that’s okay, i completely understand. i missed you too. i’ll make it up to you, i promise.”

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isthatbloodonhisshirt · 3 years

Note

(This will probably be a 3-4 part ask, fyi) So I skimmed through Alpha Beta Omega when that post with the photoset popped up, mainly to remember if I've read it before. (I have a lot of opinions on the actions and stuff in that, and that's definitely a fic I can never re-read, but that's not what this ask is mainly about). But anyway: how soon after the video incident did Scott meet & become friends with Stiles? I can't imagine he would know what was happening and not mention it or say (1/3?)

anything, even if they were only acquaintances at that point. Like Scott knew who some of the pledges were, but did he know who the "targets" were (besides his own)? Because maybe I just read way too many 'true alpha' style fics but I can't imagine him not trying to warn people. (But then again I'm also basing some of this off of my college experience, which was a tiny campus (<2000 students) so warning people is probably easier said than done when you add a huge campus & class size) (2/3?) Also, no rush on getting back to my messages. I know you didn't actually say names with that comment but I'll out myself as one of them. I know I'm bad about sending literal essays sometimes (and then adding more later) . I know I've told you but one of my best friends also doesn't always have enough spoons to actually respond to me with words, so sometimes our messages are only gifs & memes for weeks. But I still love you both just as much no matter how frequently or what style we talk with ❤

Okay listen. Listen. I can’t remember what I had for dinner yesterday, and I almost always eat the same thing (creature of habit + cheap + lazy) and you’re asking me to remember a fic I wrote when I just started in the TW fandom |D LOL I barely remember any of the fics in the Sterek New Year’s Extravaganza except the ones people seem to always bring up (Quickest Way to a Man’s heart, Not so Beauty, It’s Happening, Your Pain is my Pain, etc.).

All I really remember from Alpha Beta Omega is that the prompt requirement for that day was Fraternities and I know exactly 0% about frats because 1) Girl, 2) Canadian, and 3) Not involved whatsoever with Greek row at my uni. Like, I’m 80% sure we had frats and sororities at my university -- I just Googled it, we did -- but I know nothing about any of that outside of movies |D AND MOVIES ALWAYS MAKE FRATS SEEM LIKE TRASH!!! So I had to go with what I knew (and sadly if I recall from the comments, a lot of people said most frats are like that. Not all! But most, which is depressing tbh).

Anyway, in answer to your question remembering like, basically nothing about this fic, I would assume Scott and Stiles didn’t meet until way later. Scott definitely would’ve told Stiles about everything with Derek considering I’m pretty sure (if memory serves) that he left the frat specifically because it was trash and... he fell for his target right? It was Allison or something I think? I DON’T REMEMBER OKAY LOL. But yeah, Scott would’ve 100% told Stiles about the whole thing so they would’ve met after Scott had already left and Derek had already done his part.

There’s a lot of fics in that entire series I’m honestly not super happy with because again, that was when I first started, didn’t really have a handle on the characters, and a lot of the prompts were things I would never write (frats being one of them, another being the friends with benefits, crossovers, etc.). On top of that, I rushed like, basically all of them because I was trying to get a fic out a day and some of them are LONG |D (I legit remember writing Not So Beauty on the fucking bus on my way home from work for a week because it was the only time I had to write it, and my brain was like “IMAGINE HOW GOOD THIS COULDA BEEN WITH YOUR COMPUTER!” because I defo cut corners. And we’re not gonna talk about the Human prompt because I hate that one and legit wrote it the same day it went up. Mistakes were made during that event, I am not proud, but you learn and grow from things, right? |D

Anyway, not what we were talking about. Yes, Scott would’ve told him.

And thank you ;~; AND SORRY! I just... need to do it. I keep watching the number go up and instead of doing something about it, I just hide from it |D But I know some people probably think I’m a bitch for not replying to them, or think I’ve like, idk, died? I WILL REPLY THOUGH! Maybe I should give myself a goal of like, 10 messages per week minimum or something |D I’LL REPLY TO YOU SOON THOUGH I PROMISE FORGIVE ME!!!!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

#Not TW #Blood's yakkity yaks #simpsonizer-demigod-143

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recentanimenews · 3 years

Text

SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW: Talking About That Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Ending

A note on safety: The following movie review undertook the strictest of safety procedures to watch the anime film in cinemas in Japan, including washing hands with disinfectant before and after, sitting in seats apart from others, going to a cinema outside of the busy metro area, and wearing a mask during the entire runtime of the movie. We strongly urge everyone to follow the recommended safety protocol in your country and always wear a mask when in public — not just for your sake, but everyone else’s as well.

For those who are outside of Japan and want to know how the latest (and final) Evangelion film stacks up, we have already published our completely spoiler-free review. For those that want to know more, please read on.

After the airing of the NHK documentary which followed Hideaki Anno and the four-year production of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the unofficial “spoiler ban” was lifted by Studio Khara on March 22. This means, as much as Khara is concerned, we are free to discuss anything and everything Evangelion: 3.0+1.0, like how [omitted for spoilers] kills [spoilers] and LCL [spoilers].

Seriously though, if you don’t want to read any spoilers for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0, then leave. Immediately. Close the tab, don’t scroll down.

This is a warning.

I’m not kidding.

I’m putting an image here as a buffer. It's sweet right?

If you scroll past the next image you will be spoiled for everything in the film. This is your last warning.

"Asuka" as a kid

Welcome to Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time where I may have lied in my previous review, cause things go tumbling down — but in a good way. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t recall the exact right terminology here on out: between the Doors of Guf, the hundreds of Evangelion models and ships we see, and that ending, it’s hard to keep it all in one head. That’s why this film has four directors.

If you’re already here, you’ve probably read the synopsis going around the internet right now. Yes, it explains what happens on screen, but experiencing it is a different story. Evangelion 3.0+1.0 takes a lot of cues from The End of Evangelion in its final act, but prior to that it is mostly a story of growth for Shinji, where he rejects being depressed (after a heart to heart with black-suit Rei, who then turns into LCL), learns that things aren’t 100% his fault. Shinji goes on to tackle his source of depression head-on; owning up to his past mistakes and taking down his father, who is now literally just a vessel of his own desires.

Unholy Gendo

Something truly missing from Evangelion 3.0, and one of the reasons I loved Evangelion 2.22, was just the gang hanging out together and interacting with the — very scarred — world around them. That scar has vastly grown throughout the 14 years Shinji was missing from the actual 3rd impact (the one at the end of 2.22 was a “near-impact event”) which saw the world covered in the red haze we saw in 3.0. Luckily, WILLE has purification pods that keep the core-ification of the world at bay. We saw that being used in the 12-minute preview, but throughout the film, they’re used extensively to keep the Evangelion wandering the landscapes on the red earth away from the villages that are helping the WILLE cause. They need to get food from somewhere.

This is where we spend a lot of time learning how the characters from Shinji’s class all survived, got paired off, and that Asuka is staying (and is probably in love) with Kensuke. She confesses to Shinji that she loved him when they were kids, but 28-year-old Asuka can’t keep loving someone who hasn’t changed in 14 years. Shinji does accept the confession, saying to her that he loved her too, and she turns into LCL — though that’s in the Anti-Universe and after Asuka meets the “original” Asuka (I’ll get into that). As I said, it’s The End of Evangelion 2.0.

Rei discovering herself in the village

One of the nicest parts of the film is black-suit Rei discovering human emotion and society in the village. Being a clone that likely spent all of her time locked in her room (and without the love of the now inhuman Gendo, which original Rei got), it was unlikely that she learned anything that makes humans human. The concept of “hello” and babies from Toji and Hikari confuses her as she finds a place herself in this village. Admittedly, it was sad to see her go and turn into LCL (from a lack of LCL exposure), but serving as the catalyst for Shinji to get over himself and face his demons was worth it … I guess?

After this, Shinji grows up. Even Mari on a re-introductory sniff claims as much. During his time in the village, he discovers how the settlement stays afloat and that the 14-year-old son of Misato and Kaji (the latter perished in the real 3rd impact) helps keep the village alive. A picture of Shinji and Kaji Jr. helps warm Misato’s chilled heart and gives her the confidence to let Shinji pilot Unit 01 again, much to the disdain of multiple members of the WILLE crew.

All of this is nice. Unlike the despair and hopelessness felt in 3.0, the entire first three parts of the film are uplifting and bring moments of joy. Seeing black-suit Rei smile as she came to terms with herself was just utterly beautiful.

Then Shinji decides to get in the robot.

This is where I’m going to get into the Hideaki Anno talk, because this film, as well as the rest of the anime versions of the Evangelion franchise up to this point, is basically just a self-examination of the man’s mental state. In the spoiler-free review, I called Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 the antithesis of Evangelion: 3.0. And that’s true, but it is also an antithesis to The End of Evangelion: A rejection of the depression Anno felt while creating the 20-plus-year-old film. There’s no doubt in my mind that the journey of Shinji through these Rebuild films is the journey of Anno creating Evangelion, with 3.0 being the lowest point.

But this isn’t just felt in the story of 3.0+1.0, it’s also felt in the way it was presented. The entire final act of the film is basically a happier version of the “tumbling down” scene from The End of Evangelion, just with some more interesting aspects to it along with some inventive filmmaking — including making Lillith’s face live-action. That was haunting.

This includes the above scene, which got a lot of flak on social media for being very poorly animated when it appeared in a trailer. Even I was confused over the inclusion of such poor animation in what is one of the most hyped anime films of all time. Funnily enough, it was Anno trolling. The scene comes from the ending, where the two Eva’s fight through the history of Evangelion, with this scene either representing a testing stage for CGI or one of the many Evangelion video games. The poor animation makes sense in the film … mostly.

Over multiple film-like sets, the two Evangelions duke it out — one with Shinji, the other Gendo — over their ideals. This takes them to Misato’s apartment, the school, and even where Pen-Pen (or his offspring, I don’t know how long Penguins live) resides in 3.0+1.0. Before cutting to each of the different scenes, an Eva smashes through the set wall and onto a production stage.

I also said in the spoiler-free review that Anno “takes everything he knows about animation and filmmaking to deliver the perfect end to Evangelion,” and it shows when you see the (animated) production stage filled with props, miniature cities, and controls that you’d probably see on a production stage for a live-action Evangelion. Again though, this part is animated.

Mari at the End

The surrealness doesn’t end here. When Shinji “wins” and chooses to reset the world without Evangelion, the animation breaks. Shinji devolves into key animation, then layouts, then into a storyboard, which is then broken by Mari bringing color back into Shinji’s world on that beach. No “how disgusting” here, only happiness.

The film ends with an adult Mari and an adult Shinji at Ube Station. As the music of Hikaru Utada’s “One Last Kiss” swelled up through the speakers, the animated backgrounds slowly transitioned into a live-action drone shot of the area surrounding the hometown of Hideaki Anno.

A poster for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 showing Shinji on the tracks outside Ube Station, which I discussed when the poster was first released.

This is how I know Hideaki Anno is done with Evangelion. While yes, he has said he is done and feels no personal connection to the franchise anymore, the end of the film is a deeply personal one that clearly shows the anime creator cares about his creation and is now happy enough to see leave home and become its own thing — if anyone else chooses to pick it up.

Shin Evangelion (the Japanese name for the film) is the true form of Evangelion that Anno set out to create over 25 years ago. While it wouldn’t have looked anything like it does now, the emotion poured into one of the longest animated films ever made makes that point as clear as the bright blue sea.

Some other various interesting spoiler points:

I’m not sure if character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto was lying about him not knowing Mari’s story and just making that one-shot chapter of the Evangelion manga on a whim or whether Anno took what Sadamoto wrote and expanded on it, cause Mari was right there in school with Gendo and Yui exactly as the chapter laid it out. Unless she’s also a clone...

There’s a really good shot of CG Asuka trying to force-feed Shinji, which was a direct evolution from this test footage back in 2018.

On the topic of Asuka, she had a small version of a purification pod in her eye that, when opened, unleashed an angel, and in turn let her meet her “original.” It’s not explained whether the original is Langley Soryu from the TV anime series or not.

Also, she’s a clone, like Rei and Kaworu as part of the “Shikinami” series. Interestingly, Mari Makinami also has “nami” in her name...

Ritsuko did nothing but shoot Gendo, mimicking the scene from The End of Evangelion. The shot was as useless as her character arc in the Rebuild films.

This film has to be set in at least the third continuity of Evangelion, as the TV series is directly referenced in the production stage and thrice does mean three...

Sakura is one of the most grounded characters in the film, with her asking the true question of “why the heck are you letting him in ANOTHER Evangelion?!” Let’s hope the live-action world she is now in is good to her.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is currently showing in theaters across Japan, there’s no word on an international release at this stage.

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daryl Harding

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

41 notes · View notes

osita-iza · 4 years

Note

Helloo! I like your writing a lot!! If you don’t mind can i request the rva + v, and saeran with mc who’s really sensitive? Like she cry when someone raise their voice, or when she feel someone becoming distant to them? Im sorry if my english is bad 😅 thank you!! I hope it’s not burdening you

Thank you so much anonie! Don’t worry, It wasn’t a burden at all!!! Sorry if it took longer than you wanted, I’m taking two summer classes right now, and they’ve been a lot of work these past couple weeks. As a Certified Sensitive Bitch, I found this request really interesting. I tried to make all of their stories different to keep it from being repetitive.

I hope you enjoy it!! Requests are open <3

Possible spoilers: Jaehee’s Good/Normal Ending, some of Saeran/V/Seven’s routes.

Warnings: Slight swearing, not much.

RFA+V+Saeran: With a Sensitive MC (especially to yelling or distant)

Yoosung

He was stressed. He was just on edge. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. This exam season will determine whether or not he’s accepted to vet school. It’s normal for him to be stressed. He’s just a little stressed…

You made dinner that night, keeping your headphones in so your music didn’t disturb him. You had finished almost all of your finals last week, only having one this week, so you decided to help him out.

You put his dinner in front of him as you sat down across the table. You were on your phone as you ate, and he would take a bite every once in a while.

You tried to focus on your phone. You really really did.

...But he had literal bags under his eyes; something you hadn’t seen on him in a long time. You made dinner half an hour ago, and Yoosung had taken about two bites from it.

“Yoosung, have you eaten anything today?”

“What?” He glanced up from his textbook for a moment, not even long enough for you to look into his eyes. “Oh, yeah! Uh… I ate a little bit after you left earlier.”

“I left at 9 a.m. for class,” you said, “Yoosung, you need a break. You need to eat.”

“MC-”

“You’re gonna burn yourself out,” you insisted, “At this rate, you’ll collapse during your exam.”

“Can you just leave me alone? God just because you don’t know what you’re doing with your life doesn’t mean you have to drag me down with you!” He yelled.

You weren’t sure if you were more hurt or angry; your glare mixing in with your tears. “Oh, fuck you.”

Yoosung finally looked up at you with wide eyes. You never cussed at him. Should he be more worried about that or your tears?

You sniffled and covered your mouth, already feeling your throat burn as you tried to hold back more tears. Your hands were shaking, just wanting to scream at him about how you just cared about him, how he went for a low blow, how you needed to know that he was alright.

Yeah… he was more worried about the tears

“Just because you’re stressed about your exams doesn’t mean you get to yell at me,” you said with a shaking voice.

He didn’t know what to say, so you both just stared at each other for a moment. With a sigh, you grabbed your bag and walked to the door.

Yoosung’s mind finally caught up with his body, and he ran up to you to grab your wrist. “Wait- I- I’m so sorry!” You stared at where your hands connected. Yoosung took this as a sign to continue. “You were right. I didn’t take a break all day, and I took it out on you. Will you take a break with me... Eat with me?”

“...I can’t deal with being yelled at.”

He pulled you into a hug by your hand. “Then I’ll never yell at you again.”

You were still hurt, but you could feel his promise through his hug. “Wanna eat then?”

“Of course,” he said as he pulled back to kiss you on the forehead, “Especially since you made it, so it’s made with extra love!”

You smiled at him as you puckered your lips, and he kissed you.

“So you forgive me?”

“Mostly,” you said, “I think I need a couple more kisses to fully forgive you.”

Jaehee

Jaehee wasn’t the type to yell

She was raised in a household that didn’t want her. A household where her aunt always yelled.

While everything her aunt did hurt her, it was the yelling that taught her to shut up.

So she learned to disagree calmly. Or not at all.

You were the one who protected her. You stood up for her. To her you were the epitome of strength.

You looked at Jumin, one of the richest men in the country, and told him that he was being entitled with how much pointless work you gave Jaehee

You saw the woman who would work herself to the point of passing out, and you comforted her and showed her that she wasn’t alone

So when a customer began berating you for mixing up his drink with another customer’s (which you already apologized for and fixed), she was angry but not worried per se

You were the strongest person she knew

She would just give you a treat after he left, and you’d be fine

You could handle yourself.

“I just don’t understand! You have one fucking job- to make coffee and give it to customers. How do you mess that up?” His voice gradually raised in volume with every word

The anger in her body was building up with every word he said. She was debating before she heard a sniffle, and Jaehee turned around to see tears shining in your eyes

You took a deep breath and spoke in a low volume. “Sir...”

Oh hell no...

Her heart broke, releasing that anger throughout her body.

“Excuse me sir,” Jaehee said, standing next to you and putting her hands on the counter between you both and the customer

“What do you want?” he said

“You have absolutely no reason to be yelling at the employees here-”

“She-”

Jaehee’s glare seemed to get darker as she spoke over him. “She has already gotten you your correct drink. Offered you a refund. And apologized for the mistake. And even if she didn’t, there is no reason to yell.”

“This doesn’t concern you.”

“As one of the owners of this establishment, this absolutely concerns me. I will not tolerate a customer blatantly insulting someone in this premises. I have to ask you to leave, and you will not be served here in the future.”

He stared at the both of you for a moment before he threw the coffee cop on the ground and walked out of the cafe.

You grabbed one of the napkins and wiped at your eyes. “I’m really sorry, Jaehee,”

She pushed your hair out of your face and held your face in her hands. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It was a simple mistake, and you apologized,”

“No… for crying,” you sniffled. “I know I should be able to handle it-”

Jaehee shook her head. “No, you shouldn’t have to handle or deal with people yelling at you. And you won’t ever have to deal with it when I’m around, okay?”

“O-okay.”

Later that night, after the cafe was closed, she would have a better conversation with you. She wanted to know exactly what set you off, how she could help you calm down if it happened again, everything.

And she promised you -with her words and a kiss- she would never yell at you.

She knew you would protect her, but she would protect you too.

Your sensitivity was the reason why you were able to see the pain she was in, even through a screen

She would not let anyone use that sensitivity against you.

Zen

You were both really emotional

It’s what made Zen a good actor. It’s what made you able to understand people around you. It’s why you two were a good match, able to handle each other’s waxing and waning of moodiness.

But while your emotions made you cry, Zen’s emotions made him loud.

I mean, he was in a biker gang. He had to learn to be loud

He also had a bit of a jealousy problem. And he swore up and down that your coworker had been flirting with you at the company’s holiday party

He was pacing in the living room. Some of his hair was framing his face because he kept messing with his ponytail. You were sitting at the kitchen table, just tired as you watched him.

“Are you really telling me that you don’t know he’s into you?” he said. Zen’s voice rose in volume with every word, not quite yelling it but getting to it.

“Because he wasn’t, Zen. I wouldn’t let someone flirt with me, do you really think that low of me?”

“That’s not it! You’re missing the point here!” He shouted.

It was silent, save for his deep breaths. Zen was facing the wall, and he clenched his jaw.

“... I’ll just go home,” you said, voice croaking.

That made him turn around, and his eyes widened as he saw the tears shining in your eyes.

His feet and emotions turned 180 degrees.

“No, no, no, no,” he said as you stood up. He grabbed your wrists, trying to keep you from leaving. “Please, don’t leave. Let’s talk about this.”

“What’s there to talk about? You’ve already made up your mind,” you said, “And I’m not gonna sit here to just get yelled at,”

“I promise I won’t yell anymore. Please…”

You glared at him as you wiped at your eyes. “If you yell at me one more time, I’m out.”

“I promise I won’t.”

You sat down and talked through it- calmly this time. After you worked through the original fight, he had to ask. “Was it the yelling that made you cry?”

“I’ve always had a problem with yelling, even as a kid. Annoyed my parents to no end,” you said, already feeling the headache coming from the tears.

“I’ll work on that then. I won’t be the reason you cry. Never,” he said, “And you don’t have to hide your emotions from me, okay?”

You nodded, and tried to keep yourself from crying again because of how soft his eyes looked now. “Okay.”

“Good. Because I want to take care of my princess.” Zen smiled and kissed you.

The only reason he wanted you to cry was because of his amazing acting performance, never anything else.

Jumin

His father had a new fiance, and Jumin was in charge of the contract between C&R and her family’s company

How his father didn’t see the obvious motive in that… but the company wasn’t horrible, so Jumin decided to keep his mouth shut

That didn’t mean he was happy about it though…

Without realizing it, he was falling back into old habits

Jaehee was complaining more and more in the chatrooms about the workload, which Jumin was brushing off

He was leaving for the office earlier and earlier in the mornings. Coming home later in the evenings. He started bringing work home too, something he never did before.

You could probably count the hours that you guys were spending together on one hand. You knew he was busy with work and it was understandable that he would be distant

But… you needed Jumin.

You moved out of your crappy apartment with a faucet that always leaked even though you called maintenance about it at least every month into a penthouse where you could have everything taken care of with the snap of a finger

To say it was a lot would be the understatement of the fucking century

The only constant you had- the only thing that felt that home- was Jumin

Maybe you should do something? To make him feel loved?

So you told his personal chef to take the day off, you were cooking tonight

You went to the nearest grocery store, trying to not feel like everyone was staring at you when the bodyguards followed you in.

This grocery store was a lot more boujee than the one you went to as a kid (or an adult for that matter). One of the bodyguards could see you were just wandering down the aisles, so he took pity on you and led you to where the ingredients were.

You thanked him profusely before you began cooking in the kitchen, which also took you a bit longer to get a hang of.

Apparently rich people have different stoves… good to know

Finally you finished cooking dinner, right when Jumin got home. You assumed he would be home later than he said he would… and you were right

“Hi Jumin!” you said as he shut the door

“Hi, love,” he sighed as he kept walking, making a beeline for his home office

You followed him a couple of steps. “I made dinner! It was one of my favorites as a kid. I was wondering if you wanted to try it-”

“I’m really sorry. I have a lot of work to finish up tonight. I’ll be sure to try some tomorrow.” He turned around to kiss your forehead before walking into his office, shutting the door behind him. Not even sparing you a glance.

Your throat began burning as tears began shining in your eyes. Without a word, you walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. You covered your mouth as the tears fell.

Of course Jumin doesn’t want to spend time with you. You can’t even keep yourself from crying because you’re not getting attention. He didn’t even do anything! He didn’t yell. Didn’t snap at you. His emotions are always in check; he’s always rational.

Meow

Elizabeth jumped onto your lap, and you held her close to your chest as you wheezed for air. She kept meowing as she cuddled into your chest. “At least you want me around, Elizabeth,” you whispered.

“Why is Elizabeth meowing so much? It’s distracting” Jumin asked as he walked into the living room. His eyes widening a fraction of an inch when he saw your teary face

You looked Elizabeth in the eye. “Snitch.”

He frowned, sitting next to you. “Darling, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just being overly emotional.” You said, pulling Elizabeth back into your chest. “It doesn’t matter.”

Jumin frowned and put his hand on your leg, squeezing it lightly. “You were able to empathize with my emotions. Ones that I didn’t even know I had, let alone articulate. Your strength is your emotions; a strength I can never replicate. Don’t dismiss your emotions, please. Especially not with me,”

Well now you were going to cry again.

You leaned closer, and he wrapped his arms around you. He rubbed your back as you let out the last of your tears, leaving an imprint of your wet cheeks on his button up

When you could finally breathe normally, you spoke up. “I went to the grocery store today- to buy things for dinner. And I was lost, but I didn’t want to ask a manager because the bodyguards were right there. And so Mr. Park ended up showing me where to go. And I come home, and it takes me half an hour to just figure out how to work the stove because there are so many knobs that do nothing, and god damn they don’t even say what temperature you’re heating up to clearly! And then I taste the food, and it tastes nothing like how it did as a kid because the ingredients aren’t the generic brand.”

“May I ask where this is going?” Jumin furrowed his eyebrows.

“I changed everything about my life to the point where making my favorite meal isn’t normal for me anymore,” you said, and he frowned. “Don’t get me wrong. I know that’s part of the Jumin Han package, but it’s only worth it if I’m getting Jumin Han too”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve had dinner together twice this month,” you answered, “I wasn’t raised to handle this. I can only handle this if I have you. I can’t do it otherwise,”

Jumin frowned. He kissed you slowly, making sure to savor the feeling of your lips against his. When was the last time he kissed you like this? He couldn’t remember.

“I’m sorry, love.”

“I know you’re busy-”

“Still. I can’t imagine my life without you. I should be treating you as such. And I promise I will be doing better from now on.”

You spend the night eating dinner and relaxing in the living room.

After that night, Jumin makes sure that you both get to eat dinner at least twice a week. Nights where you both just focus on each other, and there’s no work.

(Sidenote: Jumin’s new work-life balance trickles down to Jaehee, and she swears she would give you her first born if you ask for it because of this)

Saeran

Being an ex-cult member came with a lot of challenges

He had made a lot of progress. The anger and aggression he had mostly subdued as he got help, and he was proud of himself (first time he had ever felt that). He even had a job now; something he had never even dreamed of.

But today he had like three customers scream at him. One of them even doing it in front of his manager, meaning he got an extra lecture.

Saeran decided to walk home from work instead of taking the bus, seeing it as a way to burn off some steam and avoiding a confrontation with a stranger.

He groaned as he got home and took his shoes off before he heard the TV show pause.

Shit.

He forgot today was your day off.

He went to rush into your bedroom, avoiding the living room you were sitting in, but you followed him in with a smile, wanting to talk to your boyfriend. “Hi Saeran. How was work?”

Saeran clenched his jaw. His immediate reaction to scream. Instead he clenched his fists. He couldn’t yell at you. He couldn’t lose his temper with you. He couldn’t.

“Rough day.”

He sat on the bed, and you frowned from the other side of the bed.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” you asked, voice soft.

He rested his elbows on his knees, dropping his face into his hands. His hands were shaking already. “I think I need to be alone right now.”

“Okay… if you change your mind I’ll be in the liv-”

“For the love of god, would you shut up?” he yelled, not even sure where it came from himself, “I already told you to leave me alone, so could you fucking listen for once in your life?”

It was silent, save for your deep breathing. You turned around, shutting the door behind you.

He felt nauseous.

You were incredibly patient with him, almost more patient than Saeyoung. You didn’t ask for a lot. You just told him that you couldn’t handle yelling, never had, and you probably never will. It always made you scared.

You didn’t outright tell him not to yell at you, but he figured out that’s what you meant when you said it quietly to him one night.

And he promised himself he would never do that to you. Saeran put you through enough already; he couldn’t scare you now.

Saeran took a shaky breath. His body both tense and loose at the same time. He couldn’t relax, but he also wasn’t in control of his body.

He sat on the bed for who knows how long before he stood up, ready to apologize.

The TV was still paused in the same time as before, and you weren’t in the living room.

His heart began racing.

What if you left? Were you safe? Did you leave him? Did he ruin this in the matter of minutes?

Saeran’s hands gripped onto the cushions of the couch as anxiety took over his body.

Then he heard a sniffle and a gasp coming from the bathroom. It was clear what you were doing. He felt both worse and better.

Saeran knocked on the bathroom door, and the whispering noises somehow got quieter. “Can I come in?”

Your voice croaked. “It’s open.”

His heart tightened as he opened the door. Your eyes were puffy and red. Tears still attached to your eyelashes. “...Hi” you muttered, refusing to look at him, instead focused on the towel in your lap. You must have used that to muffle yourself.

“I- I’m sorry. I was trying to keep myself from yelling, but I lost control when I shouldn’t have. I know I shouldn’t have. I’m so sorry…”

You nodded, still refusing to look at him. He wanted to hug you. Pull you in, rub your back, stroke your hair and promise you that it would never happen again. But he had promised himself that it would never happen in the first place before.

You were always the one comforting him. This was the first time he had done it for you, made even worse that he was the reason you needed to be comforted.

You let out a whimper and wiped away your oncoming tears. “Yelling just scares me and hearing it from you-”

Saeran stepped towards you, grabbing your shoulder and pulling you against his torso. You could feel how tense he was; you were practically leaning against a wooden plank. He was really trying.

“I… I promise I’ll try better next time. I don’t like you being scared of me or seeing you like this and knowing it was me. It won’t happen again,”

You looked up at him, and he patted your head on instinct. You furrowed your eyebrows, too confused to really be scared anymore.

If anything was gonna make Saeran seem less scary, it was gonna be his concerned eyes as he struggled to comfort you. “You’re trying right now, huh?”

“I am. And I promise I’ll try harder.”

“Can I have a kiss?”

He leaned down and kissed you. “Do you want to go watch TV? So I can make it up to you.”

You nodded and as you cuddled into his side, holding onto his hand tightly, Saeran pulled out his phone.

He wrote out an email to his therapist:

Can we move up my appointment?

He was gonna try better. He wouldn’t do this again.

January 26th… The week of their anniversary

Or at least it would’ve been

Don’t get it twisted. He loved you. More than he had ever loved anyone else before. He would never trade his experiences with you for her.

But it was the week of their anniversary.

That Sunday was supposed to be their wedding date.

Monday was explainable.

People just want their alone time sometimes

So was Tuesday…

And Wednesday… sort of

But four days of your boyfriend that you lived with not talking to you?

That was not alright

You made more of an effort Friday, hoping that if you pushed him for a conversation, he would speak up about whatever was bothering him

You both had been home for about five hours now. You had tried starting a conversation about ten different times.

You couldn’t anymore.

If you talked again, your voice would probably crack. So you went into the bathroom, cried it out, and went to bed early.

Both you and V were praying for this week to end.

Sunday was their anniversary, and V told himself that everything would be normal afterwards.

But Saturday was your breaking point

When V left for rehearsal, you got your phone, dialed Seven’s number, and sat down on your bed.

“Hey ho! What’s up, MC?”

Does Seven even know?... “Has V told you anything this week?”

“What?” Seven asked, and you could hear him shuffling around on the other end. “Is something wrong?”

Shit you were already crying. You wiped at your nose and sniffled to clear it. “N-Nothing. He’s just been really quiet this past week, so I was worried.”

“Quiet?”

“Yeah, he hasn’t really talked to me at all really,” you confessed. Hating that your tears were running down your face. Holding in your emotions was like trying to stop a tsunami with a spoon. Your voice cracked, and you hoped that Seven was dumb enough -just this once- to just let it slide. “I was just wondering if he talked to you about anything that I should be worried about.”

“MC, are you crying?” he asked.

“Is that a yes or no, Seven?”

“MC-”

“Seven!” you snapped back before covering your mouth to keep any sounds from escaping. “I’m sorry for yelling. But has he?”

“No…”

“Okay, thanks for talking to me though. I hope you have a nice day.” You heard him try to say your name, but you hung up before he could finish. He called a couple more times, but you ignored it.

You cleaned yourself up and went to work

Your chest was heavy when you got home, and V cleared his throat as you took off your shoes

“Hi,” you said, “Have you picked what to have for dinner?”

He stared at you for a moment with furrowed eyebrows. “Uh… I was stuck between the Chinese place and pizza place.”

“I’m good with either.”

It was silent for a few moments as you went through the mail, avoiding looking at him. “I talked with Luciel today.”

There it was…

“Can we talk?”

You nodded and sat down at the table.

You spoke up before he could. “Why have you been distant this week?”

“My anniversary and expectant wedding date with Rika is Sunday,” V explained, “I was reminded of her, and my first instinct was to distance myself again.”

You wanted to be mad at him, but you understood it. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… getting better. I wouldn’t say I’m good, but better than the beginning of this week,” V said

You took a deep breath, hating the burning in your throat as tears appeared in your eyes. “You could’ve just said that, and I wouldn’t have pushed you to talk more about it,” you breathed out and wiped at your face, “I thought…”

He furrowed his eyebrows and grabbed your hand. “You thought what?”

“Sometimes I worry that you’re only with me because I was conveniently there when you were going through everything,” you confessed. And he felt his chest tighten. “So when you did pull away from me, even though it was just for a moment… I was scared.... I was scared that you realized that too,”

He leaned over and kissed you, tasting the salt from your tears. “I promise, I love with all my heart. I appreciate that you were there for me, and I cared about you then. But I’ve fallen in love with you a little bit every day, over and over and over again since then,”

You smiled at him as crying took over again, and you wrapped your arms around his neck. He held you as tears wet his shirt, rubbing your back as you did. “I love you,” you said into his neck, the words garbled.

“I love you too,” V whispered. “And I’ll remind you of that everyday if I need to.”

Saeyoung

Saeran was hurting right now. Saeyoung knew that. He was just scared. It was scary to be in the mental health ward. To be away from Mint Eye, all he knew for years.

But when Saeran yelled at him… That he abandoned his brother. He hurt everyone around him. That Saeran was better dead than with his brother.

That Saeyoung didn’t deserve love. The only thing he was good at was corrupting people.

… It was hard to not let it sink in.

Because Saeran was just saying everything Saeyoung had told himself before.

So Saeyoung was silent as he drove home. You and Vanderwood were working today, so he was silent as he cooked dinner.

And he was silent when you came home. Only saying hi and that dinner was done before grabbing his plate and eating at his desk.

There was a pit in your stomach as you followed him. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?” you asked.

“God. Why are you even still here?” he snapped, turning to look at you. His eyes weren’t even angry just… empty. “You had your party. Mint Eye is gone. The agency isn’t after me… so why are you still here?”

And then he turned around to face his screen again.

That pit in your stomach had traveled all across your body. And god was it heavy.

Your throat burned.

The walls were closing in on you.

And there was Seven. Just sitting at his desk typing.

You wrapped your arms around you. Making yourself smaller, as if that would save you from the suffocation.

You were just frozen. Slowly you stepped out of your shared room and walked to the front door.

Silent, just like he was, you stepped outside.

As if the fresh air was caffeine, your body woke up, letting the tears run down your face.

You stumbled into the lawn outside and sat down, letting the damp grass cool your burning skin. You covered your mouth as you sobbed.

Over and over again. Sobs and whimpers, muffled by your hand, would rack your body. You would finally calm down and take a deep breath. And the coldness would burn your throat and set you off again.

A headache echoed in your head as you laid on the grass, staring up at the stars. Finally too exhausted to keep up the crying. They reminded you of Saeyoung.

Fuck him for ruining stars for you.

“What the hell are you doing, kid?” Vanderwood asked as he crouched next to your laying body.

“Looking at the stars.” Your voice was raspy, barely there after your meltdown.

“Are you okay?” they asked as they sat down next to you. “It’s late, ya know? It’s not safe out here.”

“I’m not going inside.”

“Hey-”

“Thanks for your concern.”

With a huff, they stood up, and you heard the security questions before the door opened. It shut. Crickets.

The door opened again. And someone sat next to you with a sigh. You’d recognize that cologne anywhere. You pulled your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them, refusing to look at him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

“It’s not even what you said. It’s how you said it,” you responded, still avoiding his gaze. “It was like we were back in that fucking apartment.”

“What?”

“I was back in that fucking apartment. There was a bomb, a kidnapper, and you refused to even look at me. Everything was out of control. I felt like the exact same bomb was in the bunker back there. It was just happening around me- to me. All I could do was just wait. Just sit there waiting!”

Unlike before, where he didn’t want to say, now he couldn’t speak. What was he going to say? Was there something he could say?

You were so calm the entire time you were at the apartment. Crying only after Saeran broke in. At least the only time he saw. How many times did you cry when he wasn’t looking? He thought he was the only one freaking out because you seemed to only be focused on him.

But you couldn’t control the bomb. Couldn’t stop Saeran. Stop Rika. Couldn’t even tell the RFA the truth.

But you wanted to help him. That was the only thing you could do.

Seven didn’t see the panic attacks in the shower. Or you crying into your pillow.

“I can’t do this again Seven. I can handle all of it. But not this. I can’t just sit here and watch you do this all over again. Over and over and over again! I can’t-” You sobbed, and Seven pulled you into his chest.

He shut his eyes to keep his own tears from falling. Your back rose up and down as you gasped for air, his shirt becoming wet.

Seven rubbed your back slowly and kissed the top of your head. You pulled away; your eyes finally dry. “I won’t push you away again. I promise I won’t cut you out.”

“Saeyoung…” you mumbled.

“No. I mean it,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I won’t shut you out again. I won’t make you go through that again.”

He looked you in the eye with a smile that disappeared for a moment. “I promise, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to stay out here or go inside?”

“I want to stay out here a little longer.”

“That’s fine.” He held your hand as you laid out on the grass again

#mystic messenger headcanons #mystic messenger headcanon #mysme headcanons #mysme headcanon #mystic messenger #mystic messenger fanfic #rfa+v+saeran #requested #anon

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drethanramslay · 4 years

Text

A funny thing called Fate: Chapter 1

Pairing: Bryce X MC (Aisha Khurrana)

Word count: 2.6K words

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Warning: None really, just some cursing

Author's note: Hello!! I am back with the first chapter of "A funny thing called Fate" and this time this is in Bryce's POV

Like I said last time, there would be time jumps so you will be seeing both- 16 year old Bryce and present day Bryce

Just a word of caution, 16 year old Bryce (according to me) is your typical bad boy who is a jerk and upholds his reputation and prestige as the most important priorities

I decided to take part in @choicesseptemberchallenge20 the prompt being- LOST

Also decided to take part in @choicesweeklychallenge the prompt being "I just... don't know. Honestly."

Both of them will be in bold

TERMS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

-> kanilehua: Motherfucker (I literally googled curse words in Hawaiian language so please forgive me if they are wrong 🤧)

-> okole: Butt/ Ass

-> budhiya: old woman in Hindi

Forgive me if I make any mistakes

10 years ago- Bryce's POV

"Aloha!!" Bryce's cheerful voice ran clear through the hallways as he approached his teammates, instantly capturing the attention of the people.

"Hey Bryce, my man." Jason, his best friend stepped forward and did a complicated handshake with him before patting his back.

"How was the summer?" Kai, his other best friend spoke up as he leaned against the lockers, his dark hair falling on his eyes.

"You know the usual. Practice and stuff. My parents did take us to Australia. The waves there are sweet." Bryce whistled lowly, remembering how he spent numerous days surfing at sea.

"What a lucky bastard. Do you think your parents would adopt me?" Jason asked causing Kai to chuckle.

At this point, they would want anyone but me as their son. A dark look passed on his face but he hid it behind the over cheerful and happy go lucky mask.

"So, what's up with you guys?!" He asked, smoothly changing the topic.

Jason began. "Well I for one, had a fun summer hanging out at the beach, enjoying the sun-"

"-having flings left, right, centre." Kai completed the sentence, snickering.

"As if you weren't the one who fooled around more. You broke so many hearts, Kai!!" Jason rolled his eyes.

"But I finally settled down, unlike your unsettled ass." Kai exclaimed.

"50 bucks you will break up with him in ten days." Kai narrowed his green eyes and smacked the back of Jason’s head.

"Wow, seems like I have some catching up to do." Bryce smirked.

Kai turned towards Bryce, suddenly serious. "Glad you brought it up. We have a proposition for you."

Bryce incredulously raised his eyebrow.

"Your two o'clock. Short brunette with glasses. Don't be too obvious."

Bryce ran his hand through his long hair and his amber eyes fell on the girl.

He leaned against the locker near Jason.

"What's her deal?"

"Apparently, she joined the school last year and has been on the low. Keeps to herself, certified nerd, teacher's pet and super uptight."

Bryce eyed her and he recognized that she was in his chemistry class last year.

Aisha Khurrana.

"Wait... That's Aisha. She was in my chemistry class last year. Introverted and quiet."

Jason did a double-take. "Wait really? Well, that makes it easier for us."

"Good. I will make y'all talk to her-"

Kai stopped him midway. "Woah, woah, woah. We don't want to interact with her. You are the one doing this."

"Will one of you kanilehua tell me what the fuck is going on?" Bryce asked, getting annoyed.

"After the legendary prank Ano pulled last year, it's time we step up. So while you were tanning your okole in Australia, Jason and I were brainstorming to come up with a better idea."

Jason continued. "So we decided that you could get her fall in love with you before the finals and boom! We could pull the prank on prom."

Bryce's eyed widened. "Woah, don't you think that's extreme?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "Please, Ano humiliated a teacher and exposed that he was having an affair with a junior. I don't think it's that extreme."

"What is this prank you have planned on prom?"

Jason waved his hand. "We haven't worked out the details but we have the entire year to do that. You on the other hand... Are running out of time."

Bryce's eyebrows furrowed. "And why can't either of you take this up?"

"Because Kai here is surprisingly getting cosy with Kaeo the jock from Sunset High while I am on the principal's radar for the shit I did last year. I am this close to getting expelled." Jason enunciated his point by touching his pointer finger and thumb.

"Jas... you're touching your fingers."

"Exactly."

"So will you take one for the team?”

Bryce sighed. "I just... don't know. Honestly."

“Bro, this could literally make or break our popularity bro. You don't want to be the laughing stock of the school, do you?" They asked with puppy eyes.

The peer pressure and the need to uphold his reputation as the golden boy made him raise his hands in defeat. His eyes glanced at the losers down the hall, who people were blatantly ignoring.

Definitely don't want to fall in that category.

"Fine. I will do it. But you will owe me."

"That's our boy." The boys whooped as they clapped his back.

Bryce's eyes wandered to his new target, finding her brown eyes staring right back at him. The flecks of hazel shone with curiosity but her face was impassive as if she didn't want to let anyone in.

Well, this is going to be an interesting year, Aisha Khurrana. Bryce thought to himself.

PRESENT

When Bryce woke up this morning, he didn't think his day would turn out this way.

Who would have fucking thought that the one girl you could never get over shows up at the hospital you are a surgical intern at?

Not me.

He was looking forward to this fresh start. A new city where no one knew who he was and he hoped it stayed that way. To hone his craft and become one of the best surgeons in the country. Anything to get rid of the stains on his name.

After Aisha left at the beginning of Junior year of high school, things were hard. Not that anyone was going to believe him but he actually loved her and no matter how many people he hooked up with, no matter how much he drank himself to oblivion, there was just no getting over her.

He often wondered- no believed that he had lost his one shot at love.

You only get one great love and of course, I had to blow it up, and for what? Popularity? Reputation? That already went down the drain because of my beloved dad.

When he finally got his head in the game and things were bearable, the scandal happened towards the end of the Senior year. Sure, he could hide face during the summers, lounging in his gaudy compound. But he could hear the occasional shouts and protests out of the gates of his home, reminding him that he couldn't escape the truth.

To distract himself from his dad going to trial, his mom selling out to the feds and his baby sister crying from the stress, he dove right into his studies, hoping to score well in his SATs so that he could get away from Maui.

But there was still one year of high school left, and that was fucking awful. He was relentlessly bullied at every turn of the corridor, got the stink eye from the teachers and people jumped away from him as if he was a social pariah.

Technically, I was.

Though his parents were very tight-lipped about the details of the case, it wasn't that hard to get to know more from the internet. And the fact that the people in his school always made it a point to remind him.

Aisha's dad was one of the people who worked for the company that got screwed over by his dad.

Bryce had given up after all these years that he will ever find her again. He often wondered what would he do if he were to meet her again. The apologies he would say and the monologue on how ‘he was never the same after she left’ had been practised over and over again.

But right there she was, half-naked in front of him, completely at the loss of words. His eyes wandered, making sure if it was the same girl from tenth grade. There was a nose piercing and he saw a little ink near a hip.

"Aisha?" He repeated, completely shocked, his jaw dropped. Never in his entire life has he felt the loss of words.

They stared into each other's eyes, chocolate brown eyes meeting his amber ones, completely lost.

But that moment didn't last for long because Jackie shutting the locker made them realize that this was indeed reality.

Aisha managed to snap out of her reverie. "Oh my fucking god, I don't have time for this shit." She rapidly threw on her fresh sets of scrubs and slammed her locker before making a move.

Bryce stepped in her path, blocking her. "What are you doing here?!"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, the familiar fire and hatred flooding in those brown orbs. "Well, I could ask you the same thing Mr. I-will-become-a-lawyer. Now out of my way, I'm getting late for the orientation." Though she was short (5 feet 3 inches to be precise), she still managed to slam her shoulder against his chest and walk away.

"Oh My God!!" Jackie's voice resounded after a few quiet moments.

"Put a cap on it nose wipe." He muttered as he rubbed the area where Aisha slammed against him.

"I didn't say anything."

"Yeah but that expression says it all." He rolled his eyes as put his stethoscope into his breast pocket.

"But, for real. Who is she?" Jackie asked, inquisitiveness laced in her voice.

Bryce flicked her nose. "I found your nose in my business, why don't you take it right out?"

"Ugh. Fine. Keep your secrets. C'mon, let us get to the orientation before it gets over."

"Yap. Right behind you." The duo headed towards the main atrium and made their way towards the front so that they could hear the hospital chief. The rest of the interns were already gathered in front of the stairs upon which an impressive, statuesque woman stood and spoke.

That is Dr Harper Emery!! Bryce thought to himself, as the very thought of standing in the very same room as his inspiration made him giddy. He turned to talk but the excitement instantly vanished because thanks to his amazing luck, he ended up standing right next to Aisha.

The universe, what games are you playing against me? Bryce let out a sigh which caught Aisha's attention. She just gave an annoying glance and stared up, as if to ask why was this happening to her.

Both of them turned away from each other and focused on what Dr Emery was saying. "... because as of today, you are no longer students, You are doctors."

Aisha turned towards Jackie and whispered. "Psst. Who is that?"

Jackie whipped her head towards Aisha's short build. "I don't know if you are joking or are serious."

Aisha's ears getting red was the only confirmation Jackie needed. Her jaw dropped and she was physically incapacitated, unable to speak before she finally managed to string together words.

"Seriously? Did you learn medicine in the woods or something?"

Aisha's eyes narrowed and Bryce just knew that if he didn't intervene Aisha would absolutely roast Jackie and her lineage.

So, in a low voice, he spoke up. "That's Harper Emery, the hospital's new chief." A smile made his way on his face as he continued to talk about her. "She's a total badass! World-famous head of neurosurgery before she got promoted."

He turned towards Jackie, smirking. "Guess she's just a scalpel jockey too, huh?"

Giving a Cheshire grin she responded. "She's the only scalpel jockey who deserves rights."

Aisha gave a stiff nod before turning back towards the Chief.

Someone is definitely a ray of sunshine. Bryce thought to himself. His conscience promptly snarked. Bold of you to assume that this isn't your fault.

Brain... Stop. as he shook his head to shake off the guilt that slowly swirled in his chest.

"More will be demanded of you that you've ever experienced. Some of you will buckle under the pressure. Some of you will quit. But some... some of you will thrive."

"Damn... She is so inspiring... I feel like I can do anything." Aisha whispered, her brown eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Well then, can I inspire you to pipe down? I'm trying to listen."

"Can I inspire you to get your ears checked, budhiya?" Jackie looked offended but you could see the glint of amusement and respect in her eyes.

"Girls, can this fight wait until after the speech?" Bryce muttered.

"This is not fighting. This is us bonding scalpel jockey. Get on the same page." Jackie whispered causing Aisha to smirk.

"I give up. But please for the love of everything good can we keep it on the low." He shot a pleading look and they managed to shut up.

"You've been entrusted with a sacred duty: the care and wellbeing of every man, woman and child who enters this hospital. Are you ready?"

The interns promptly burst into applause and they look around, sharing excited smiles with their new colleagues.

Harper Emery raised her hand, to silence the applause. "You'll be introduced to your senior residents tomorrow but for now, you'll be partnering up for your first patients. Your assignments are posted on the board. Good luck, doctors!!"

Bryce swaggered up to his board and searched for his name and found out that he was paired with a Samantha.

Wait for a second... that name sounds fami-

"You?" He swirled around towards the feminine sound and as soon as his eyes landed on her, the memories hit him.

Him running his hands through her hair whilst they kissed passionately against the door of her apartment. Her running her hands down his abs and pulling him by the loops of his belt. Both of them lost in the sensation of each other and Bryce still had the scratch marks on his back to remind him of the amazing night they had the previous day.

"Sam? I didn't know you worked here!!"

"Well fate is a funny thing, isn't it? So apparently we are partners?"

"Yap and we need to take our cases from the residents and be on our way. Are you ready?" Bryce asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I was born ready baby." Sam winked as she started pushing her way through the throng of interns and Bryce followed suit.

When they finally were free, Jackie showed up next to him followed by Aisha and another girl who had a striking resemblance to Chief Emery.

"See you later meathead."

"Try not to miss me too much." He winked before glancing towards Aisha. Their eyes met and she immediately looked the other way, chatting with her partner.

"It's a beautiful day to save lives. Let's have some fun, shall we?" Sam asked her eyes twinkling which just made Bryce smile.

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

It was going good so far. He had been allotted two cases that day. One with a routine appendectomy and the second one being a benign tumour removal from the right lung. With a cool, calm collected mind, the two of them diagnosed the patients, raising eyebrows.

"Dr Lahela, what is the treatment plan?" Dr Tanaka, the head of cardiovascular surgery asked.

"Well we are administering her with tumour shrinking drugs like bromocriptine so that we could decrease the size and then after a couple of days we will take her for surgery."

Dr Tanaka gave a nod of appreciation. Sam turned and held the young patient's hand. "Miss, you are in good hands and if you have any more questions you can always ask for us."

"Thank you so much, Dr Anderson."

They stepped out of the room and Bryce shut the door behind them.

"Keep an eye on her and do checks every four hours. Good job." Dr Tanaka turned on his heels and only when he was out of earshot Sam fist-bumped Bryce.

"The surgical society is back at it again."

"God Sam that was awful." He groaned as he pulled his pen out to sign the charts.

"Well, that just means I need to keep thinking of names for the dynamic duo. See you later byeee."

He shook his head and gave the charts to the nurses' station before whistling down the confusing corridors of Edenbrook when suddenly he heard a thud sound from the nearby supply closet.

Must be a doctor who is not having a good day.

He stopped before the door, contemplating whether he should enter or leave but his instinct to help overpowered and he cracked open the door to see Aisha leaning heavily against the racks, her back towards him. Her shoulders were shaking and he could hear her heavy breathing.

He was about to leave unnoticed when Aisha’s voice wafted over to him. “get in or get out. Don’t hold it open.” She glanced towards the door and Bryce knew that he could kiss his unnoticed exit goodbye.

Oh boy.

Oh? so we have a new character 👀 And um that really wasn't the reunion Bryce was looking forward to lol

And now the supply closet yikes yikes yikes okay now i will shut up heheheh

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